Many people would associate the history of PC flight simulation games with the history of Microsoft Flight Simulator, and there are good reasons for this. The game was so popular at one point that it was considered to be a piece of benchmark software. In the days when IBM compatibility meant something, Microsoft Flight Simulator was used to judge computers alongside Lotus 1-2-3. Computers that could run both packages were said to be fully compatible.
The MSFS 1.0 DOS release featured crop dusting missions and a dogfight mode with a Sopwith Camel. This was a precursor to the Microsoft Flight Simulator combat packages that came around later on. These combat packages, like Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series, became popular in part because they were compatible with many of the other games and add-ons in the series. They were also popular because they allowed players to have fun with unlimited ammunition from time to time.
The original software was actually written for the Apple II platform and the TRS-80 computer. Eventually, through licensing there were versions for Commodore 64, the Atari home computer series and the budding Apple Macintosh platform. The original TRS-80 Model I had extremely simple graphics. This meant that the resolution had to be reduced and the instrument panel disappeared. The TRS-80 version was quite primitive.
Perhaps one of the most interesting stories surrounding Microsoft Flight Simulator involves a French novelist. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry died in 1944, but his book Night Flight was actually influential in the history of PC flight simulation games. Bruce Artwick developed the first versions of his Flight Simulator software in 1977. When Artwick’s company licensed the software to Microsoft in 1982, Bill Gates had been reading Night Flight. In fact, he had become obsessed with it. The book is well known in literary circles for having very detailed descriptions of the sensation that one feels while flying an airplane. These sensations were perhaps something that Gates wanted to share with the world through the new piece of computer software.
Since PC flight simulation games are so associated with the desktop market, it might actually have come as something of a shock to customers when Pilotwings was released. Gamers that were used to playing PC flight simulators now had an opportunity to try their hand at a console game. In some ways, the game was far more fantastical than most games that had been produced for the PC platform. Japanese gamers got to play the game as early as December 21, 1990. North American SNES owners had to wait until August 23, 1991.
The SNES Mode 7 system was one of the chief reasons that Pilotwings was able to go toe to toe with PC flight games. While many console games were far different than what one played on their computers, Pilotwings could mimic a certain type of 3D graphic rendering. It did this by scaling and rotating flat objects. While this might not seem like much to modern gamers, it meant that people were no longer forced to sit in front of their computers when they wanted to take off.
The game takes place in a series of various training areas that are collectively termed the Flight Club. These areas allow individuals to gain a license each time they pass a certain type of flight exam. Unlike many other flight simulators, this meant that Pilotwings had a few aspects of a role-playing game that kept the replay value high. However, unlike some more serious titles, the game had a few areas that were rather whimsical. As well as flying around in a light plane and an attack helicopter, one could try their hand at a rocket belt or a hang glider. There were even areas that involved skydiving. However, the Mode 7 graphics display meant that even the quirkiest levels were rendered in a serious fashion.
Over the years, there have been several other ways that Pilotwings has been able to compete with PC flight simulator games. The original game has been released on the virtual console platform that Wii users enjoy. In 1996, Pilotwings 64 came out for the Nintendo 64 console. It followed the original’s fight license model, but interestingly enough it shipped with a few functions that seemed rather close to things one might have expected out of a PC game.
The EEPROM chip built into the cartridge allowed users to save the progress of two separate game files, and one was allowed to save a limited number of in-game photographs that they took while playing. Of course, screenshots are very common among players of PC games. This feature was probably quite popular, but couldn’t compete with the way that PC consoles allow people to take essentially unlimited photos. For years afterwards, Nintendo debated another release. In 2011, those dreams finally came through and Pilotwings Resort took Nintendo 3DS players on a journey through the clouds.
The Novalogic PC games series enjoyed a good bit of popularity for a while. These flight simulators included a MiG 29 Fulcrum title, an F22 Raptor game and a game based around the F-16 Multirole Fighter. Each of these games originally shared their title with the name of the aircraft that players took the controls of. In 2001, they were re-released together as a set called the Jet Pack. Interesting enough, this showed just how far flight packs for PC had actually come.
When the Microsoft Scenes: Flight Collection came out in 1994, it was hardly a game at all. It was just a collection of 40 licensed photographs for users to place on their desktop or use with their screensaver. People that wanted to have their own images turned into photographs for use with the collection could have sent them in on physical media. They would then be returned on a 3.5″ floppy disk. The Jet Pack was certainly a lot more entertaining, and came with plenty of missions. Most gamers would probably prefer to lob missiles than look at photos.
