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not very stimulating simulation

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 14
Date: June 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

"Wings Over Vietnam" is a lackluster survey sim that kept the Rotten Review guessing - mostly shifting from extreme fun to extreme disappointment. WOVN uses the tried-yet-not-quite-true flight-sim engine pioneered in "Strike Fighters: Project 1", a visually stunning display of cold-war era fighter jets at war. WOVN would fill the wide gap in flight sims unoccupied by even half-way definitive attempts to depict the air war over Viet Nam. However, in its attempts to be a lite-flight-sim, WOVN kills virtually any attempt to make a good try of that particular conflict.

"Saigon; I was back in Saigon."
WOVN allows you to fly for either the big air services at work flying combat from the Yankee end - fly for either the USAF or the Navy (including the Marines). The game allows you to fly missions in the markings of any of a number of airforces, or fly "careers" for the USAF or USN. In its stock form, however, you cannot fly for the enemy. Flyable aircraft are those that can be expected by anybody who's read the slightest about Viet Nam - the Crusader, Phantom, Skyhawk or Intruder for the USN (or Marines); Thunderchiefs, Super Sabres and more Phantoms for the USAF. The flight-sim engine here is very flexible, allowing for tweaking and modding by a dedicated community of SFP1/WOVN fliers for whom "Falcon:AF" offers either nothing or too much. Thus, WOVN amounts to MS/CFS for fans of supersonic air combat - a virtually open source simulator as flexible to the needs of simmers as the effort that those simmers are willing to expend to mod it. Want to try other "century series" fighters? If somebody's done it, you can fly it. South Vietnamese fighters like the F-5? And while you're at it, why stop at 1969 - go for an F-14, maybe even an F-16. You can add planes to MS Combat Flight Simulator, but that game doesn't allow for smart weapons or much in avionics. Graphics are gorgeous - with Phantoms in both USAF camo, and USN gull-grey; Super Sabers in natural metal; Control surfaces move; weapons like rockets and missiles are satisfyingly fiery, as is in the end of anything they hit. However, all that flexibility and accessibility comes with a price.

"The horror, the horror...it ain't that scary".
WoVN is hobbled by its stalwart unwillingness not to challenge those who play it. Aerodynamics are simple - planes don't stall, and maneuver pretty much as you'd like them to. This isn't just dumbed-down, but positively brain-dead. Would it have taken that much to give us at least recoverable spins? Instead, the jets of WoVN are cooperative - each carries gobs of excess thrust, and benignly maintains altitude during prolonged ACM, allowing Phantoms, Crusaders & Super Sabers the ability to duke it out "F-16 Style". Take-offs and landings are a snap, even those on aircraft carriers - would it have been that difficult to model at least challenging carrier "traps" like those in the "Jetfighter" series? And weapons? Forget all that talk of the Sparrow missile as a cranky underperformer that required the launching aircraft to maintain constant illumination of targets it couldn't hit anyway; the Sparrows of WoVN can hit whatever they're pointed at, even if you're not (pointed at them, that is) - basically, these are 1990's fire-and-forget AIM-120's dressed up as cold-war era SARH AIM-7's. To give some balance though, the Sparrow was theoretically effective against non-maneuvering bombers - and if the MiG-21's and -17's that fought our fighters in VN were as non-maneuvering as the ones in the game, then even the real Sparrows might have stood a better chance. While Migs in WoVN may get into some serious dogfighting, those at stand-off distances will do their own impression of "The Light Brigade" and gamely charge into your waiting missiles. The internals are also a mixed bag - systems aren't comprehensively modeled. I liked how the pad-lock fleshed out the interiors of each plane - but nothing inside actually works. Guages and screens are mostly for show. Targeting data and your vital flight data are represented by simplified readouts (course, speed, alt) at different ends of the screen. Early on, I grew confused as to which of the two data streams represented my plane. In the end, their both just numbers, as opposed to analog gauges that are easier to read using peripheral vision. There's something wrong about a flight sim that defies even the laws of simulated physics; as much, there's something wrong with a simulation of combat that's so eager to please.

TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: March 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Wow. It's been a long time since I've been angry with a software developer. I bought this game for $30 ($25 too much) at Best Buy, because I've always been a big fan of flight simulators, and do I feel stupid. The back cover cleverly fails to focus on the exteremely outdated graphics that this game offers. The details of the aircraft are great, however, I would recommend buying a coffee-table book on warplanes instead, if that's all you're after. After my first absurdly short and shallow mission "briefing", which was about as long as this sentence, and after the 2-minute load time before each mission; I took off in my impressively detailed F4. After about two minutes in flight, I realized that, no, there was no hardware problem with my computer, but rather, the scenery in the game just plain stinks! There are basically 2 or 3 different textures for the jungle, and they are both ones I've seen before from games like "F117A Stealth Fighter", "SEAL Team", and "Operation Wolf", 2 of which I'd much rather invest $30 on. I know scenery isn't the core of a flight sim, but on my way to less-than-thrilling aerial combat, or my purely-by-sight bombing of a what is either a 4-polygon mud hut or a SAM radar (I can't tell), it's ALL I've got to look at. That or I can try to figure out the idiotic view commands to see the exterior of my plane or my target. And finally I come home to land on the carrier, which is difficult, since the carrier is just a mass of gray rectangles, whether from 10nm or from the flight deck. In short, the graphics are sub-par 1995 material. The game does have some great sounds, and the a FEW of the mission details showed some promise (medals, etc), but overall, I was too bored while completing missions to get that far. If you like this game, then get ready, cause I'm gonna sell mine pretty quick.

Wings over Vietnam

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: January 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For the most part this was a great product, unfortunately the flight patterns of the AI are so erratic that the game becomes nearly unplayable. In every instance it seemed that the AI pilot deliberatly set up for maximal deflection, making the geometry completely untenable. Of course that may be that I didn't put enough hours in on it, but I'm spoiled by Falcon 4.0 : )

Graphics: Awesome.
Stability: Awesome.
Modabiltiy: Very Good.
Concept: Awesome.
Campaign: Acceptable (no real ground attack in historical context).
Actual Gameplay: Annoying.

not fun .....poor running game...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 12
Date: February 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

this game is poor....if you a person who expecks a game that says your system meets the requierments on the box...then when you get it home and play the game with the latest patch ...it keeps on leaving the game during play ...saying wings over vietnam has encountered a probelm every mission...kicks you back to your desktop... i make my attack on anti-air craft guns.....thier are too many of these in the game with unrealistic ranges ....like a soldier on a fixed machine gun 9.5 miles aways that can shoot at you and blow up your plane ....i find myself falling asleep during the game because the missions are too long to reach the target...then you have these anti-aircraft guns that don't blow up after direct hits with everything you got...when you take off in 3rd person the games camera goes crazy back and fourth left and right ...i knew when this happen i was dealing with a crappy game ...

Way too much of an arcade-styled game, and far from the real deal

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: April 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The main merit of this combat flight sim is actually double:
- it enables any aviation enthusiast to get to fly such rare yet remarkable aircraft as the Intruder, Corsair II or Thunderchief.
- it gets its users to take part in an under-covered air conflict: the Vietnam war.

... but then, that's pretty much it! The terrain rendition is terrible poor. The vibes and buffeting of the A/C structure, which is a nice thing in itself, is at times unrealistic as hell: the whole front cockpit section of an A-6 shakes and vibrates, whereas the fixed refueling probe is perfectly still! Also, aircraft flight modeling is far from realistic. A/C in general, be they on your side or the other's, are way too maneuverable. The ground effect is inexistent. Try to get any of the A/C to stall, for fun: I wish you good luck.

Armed A/C gun shells are too powerful too, with only a few direct hits being necessary to send the opponent into tiny burning shrapnels... The radio chatter becomes quickly a drag.

Obviously, this game uses the same graphic engine as its predessor, Strike Fighters. Although the moves are smooth and fluids, the terrain looks like a flat thing, with hardly any depth rendition at all.

I have found myself regretting having purchased this game. For consolation, I turned back to my good old Lock-On which, after many years of being out there for us, is still so remarkable in many aspects that it still provides me with a sense of pilot fulfillment each time I use it. Go for Lock-On instead of Wings Over Vietnam.

Not all that hot

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Not all that crazy about it. Same goes for the next one, Wings over Europe. Of all the flight sims I have, the only one I truly enjoy is Microsoft's Flight Simulator Deluxe, and the accelerator makes it truly awesome.

JUST OK...............................

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I think the game overall is ok but it should have a tutorial which it doesn't. If you've never played a flight sims before I think you might have a problem........My game doesn't allow me to continue if i die.....i have to start all over and reopen the game.Over all I would give this game 2 stars and a half.......It's just not worth 29.95.....If it drops to 19.99 buy it......the graphics are good though.

Better than expected and personable!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 32 / 37
Date: August 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am a big WWII air combat fan playing such games as IL2 Forgotten Battles, Pacific Fighters ect..... which I still think is the best WWII flight combat sims to date and until (Battle of Britain 2 Wings of Victory) when it comes out if it ever does, will most likely change that!

That said, I am not much into jet era combat. Why? It is very impersonable.........modern air combat is boring to me! You have advanced technology so you can detect your enemy before you even see him visually and lanch a heat seeking missle at him miles away to blow him out of the sky. Keep in mind, I have played Lock-On, Falcon 4.0 Allied Force which to me are boring and dull jet era flight sims. Sure you have the best jet sims out there on the market but what fun is a dog fight when you can't see your enemy?

We'll my friends the Vietnam era was still as personable as WWII was. The heat seeking missles and rader technology was in it's infency and that meant you still had to interact visually with the enemy not lanch a missle to hit a target on the ground or in the sky miles out of your visual range! It was the last era for this type of "old fashion" combat so I picked up the sim and gave her a try! I first hated it I admit because of the learning curve (there is a learning curve depite what another reviewer stated) so naturally I had to be very patient which is not my forte! I even uninstalled WOV for a half a year (I have had this game from the first release date!) and just recently gave her another try. Now that I have more experance with other flight sims like IL2 series and Lock-On I eased into the curve and now have became more of an adverage player than just a impatient newbe! Graphics are not that great as some of the other newer flight sims out there except for the plane detail which is what counts overall, but that's not why I play this game for anyway. So, listen to the other reviewers and give this game a try if you are a historical air combat freak like me. It is a more personable jet sim than anything you'll find out there on the self in the past and present!

The best Vietnam flight sim on the market!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: June 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

There are very few flight simulations dedicated to the air war over North Vietnam. The few that have taken on this period provide loose interpretations of the historical record and are lacking in historical accuracy. Wings Over Vietnam by Third Wire Games is an exception to this trend.

WOV attempts to simulate air combat over North Vietnam from 1965 to 1972. Most of the major U.S. fighter and bomber types from the period are provided. Additional U.S. and flyable communist aircraft types are available as after market "add-ons". The game includes instant action, single mission and dynamic campaign modes.

Campaign missions are identical to the missions found in single mission mode. The only difference is that in campaign mode your actions in previous missions will influence the nature of the missions you will fly in the future. The game is designed to please casual gamers as well as your "hard core" flight sim nuts. As a result the game is extremely scalable, however, if you want a realistic flight experience you must play with all settings on hard!

The flight models provided for the individual aircraft types have been thoroughly researched and offer a very effective and believable simulation of the "real thing". The dials and lights on the aircraft control panel function realistically however the game suffers from a lack of working switches and buttons. A good example of this problem is the lack of an aircraft trim function.

The game's AI coding in the "out of box" version is very weak. Aircraft controlled by the AI do not like to fight in the vertical plane and as a result end up getting shot down while flying in a straight line. This problem can be reduced by using one of the many "patches" available for the game.

The games weapon systems are very well done and for the most part behave like the "real thing". SAM's can only be dodged if you see the launch and follow up by taking evasive action. The early AIM-9's miss most of the time, just like they did in real life. At low altitude the AAA is thick enough to walk on especially over Hanoi and Haiphong! The air to air cannon effect has been the subject of much debate on the WOV forum because of the fact that very few aircraft can survive more than a one second burst from cannon fire of any calibre.

The graphics are a mixed bag. The aircraft textures are very beautiful as well as the AAA and bomb blast special effects. The ground textures do well at creating the feel of flying over Vietnam but they lose a great deal of realism at altitudes higher than ten thousand feet. The graphics engine isn't very good at simulating high altitude. Sound effects for the most part are very good, especially the bomb blast, AAA blast, and jet engine sound effects. I consider the air to air cannon sound effect to be very poor.

Like in many flight sims, the radio chatter can be quite annoying. Most of the time radio warnings such as "SAM Launch!" are meaningless because the speaker never bothers to identify himself or the person he is warning! Radio messages also lack the raspy tone that voice communications were known for at this time.

All its issues aside, WOV is a hell of a lot of fun to play. I am a big fan of the warbirds of the 50's and 60's era, so this sim is a "must have" for people like me. The game controls are all programable and work well with my CH flight control gear. If you are a flight simer looking for a break away from Falcon4 or Lock On then I would highly recommend installing Wings Over Vietnam on your hard drive.

Read the manual, dudes!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: July 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It's a shame to run down this game just because you can't / don't want to read. No wonder your plane doesn't stall if the model's set at easy. Same for always-hitting missiles. Try hard and your plane will stall with every hard pull on the joystick... and you will be thankful for the gunpod after your missiles missed their target.
The missions are too long? Hit alt-N.
All the things you don't like about this game are a matter of setting it up / use it correctly. Ok, the graphics can't be improved, but they're not that bad.
I won't write out what I like about this simulation - just read the other 5- and 4-star reviews.
I just want to point out the few downsides I consider a pitty:

- The manual is a bit too short when it comes to radar and weapon useage. I still don't know if you can lock on ground targets, and if so - how, if not: what's the radar good for and what about the radar-guided air-to-ground missiles?
- Wingmen are kind of useless.
- A list about which squadron flies which aircraft could be helpful when starting a campaign.
- Did you really get no replacement for shot down pilots in your squadron??
- all told the immersion could be better. movie-clips (what about a game-intro at all?!!), greater briefings, something else than just a screen saying "the campaing is over"...

--- by the way: please email me if you have some good bombing-techniques. it's hard to find anything about this game in the net.

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