I’m sure that we all
remember Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” comic from the papers, and also holiday
specials that would air on TV. Well, one of my personal favorites from that show
is when Snoopy decided to hop onto his doghouse and go in hot pursuit of the Red
Baron. Well, years later, we now have high tech computer games to play so that
we don’t have to hop on doghouses or whatnot, and I’m sure that Snoopy wouldn’t
have to either. Dawn of Aces III is one of the new flight sim / combat games
which allows players to hop into WWI combat on their PC.
At the time of this review,
Dawn of Aces III is still in its Beta stage. There are more aircraft to be added
and DoA III will also allow players to dabble in some scripting of their own to
create scenarios on just about anything that they can imagine, like swooping in
and taking out airfield supply lines or reserves which of course will place
limits on plane fueling and ammo, etc. In addition, the flight controls are
already smooth, but more things are being added in like a transparent map to
constantly monitor direction and ensuring accuracy of flight. One feature that I
liked was how the game will actually go into an autopilot mode to avoid nose
dives or crashing if you need to check on a keyboard function or whatnot.
One really neat element of
DoA III that has been done is the usage of ground vehicles rather than taking to
the air. Most flight games that are out of course focus only on aerial vehicles
and combat, with AI controlled ground defense, but DoA III will also allow
gamers to hop behind the wheels and turrets of trucks, tanks, and .50 caliber
guns to help their team win by shooting down opposition rather than just going
into dog fighting. This is especially good for players who don’t feel too
comfortable in the air and can make them effective as well by just staying on
the ground.
Another nifty feature of DoA
III is the multiple airstrips and spawn points that you can use, including
aircraft carriers floating around at sea. The map that you can bring up in
flight will also list and detail out these different points in color coding for
the different countries as well so that you will know where both allies and
potential enemies can be found.
While there are some changes
to DoA 2 like graphics, ground vehicles, and modeling upgrades, there are a
couple of things that could have been done a little better. While online, you
are kept in a cockpit view vs. being able to eliminate the cockpit from the
screen or go outside the plane. While this adds to a realistic gameplay
experience, there are gamers (like me) who like to avoid having a large portion
of the screen taken up by a console and such. This also provided some problems
periodically during takeoff, since I couldn’t see what was around me and crashed
into trees or barns sometimes.
Secondly, while it was nifty
to play WWI vehicles like Biplanes and Triplanes, some of the fun of online war
flight sims is using bigger and heavier planes like bombers to lay waste to
ground targets or in this case, players who will be on the ground firing up at
you. WWI of course did not have B-52’s or big bomber planes like that, and it
still remains to be seen as to how the combat of Biplane vs. tank online will
play out in the end. Obviously, this is me being somewhat nitpicky since the
game is supposed to be in WWI, but I also felt it should be mentioned for all of
you bombing fans out there.
Graphically, DoA III is
looking pretty good already with some really nice ground details and little
things that are being done to add to the realism. Flying in amidst defensive
ground fire was a real blast, and the sky began to get peppered with black flak
clouds as I flew overhead. Damage effects also were looking good, with small
debris flying off of planes that I shot or smoke trails lingering out from
planes about to bail. In addition, the environment is based around real world 10
meter satellite data to try and make everything look as realistic as possible.
The new rendering will also allow MAC players to experience the same quality as
PC players while in DoA 2.75 they were limited to 2-D only … so you Mac fans
need to rejoice.
Overall, DoA III is a fun
and solid flight sim with some good new elements added in which should prove
enjoyable for you flyboys and girls out there that are looking for new titles to
give your flight sticks a workout. There are a lot of other combat flight sims
out that offer a lot of the same, but there is enough new here to make it stand
out on it’s own and be enjoyable for a while.
Gameplay: 7.8
The controls were
good, and the developers really tried to make it as easy to use and interface
with as possible, including the transparent (but not in the way) map option. In
addition, the ground vehicles were a great touch to this kind of game, and will
open up some new possibilities for strategy or players who maybe don’t feel like
they are the best pilots or dog fighters out in the gaming world. The scripting
option will also be a nice feature to allow players to set up their own missions
and scenarios as they see fit to do.
Graphics: 8.0
Graphically, DoA
III is looking good, and there are some really good details done in the
environment, plane models, and the damage effects as the bullets fly. There were
some good touches to add to the realism that were added in as well, like flak
clouds as you fly over enemy territory or the destruction up close as someone
(or a building) gets nailed by a tank shell.
Sound: 7.5
There were good
sound effects for the planes themselves, and the guns gave off satisfying cracks
as you tailed and tried to blast enemies out of the sky. The ground vehicles
also didn’t sound too bad, and there was no background music while playing or
flying to distract you from what you need to do.
Difficulty: Medium
The controls are
easy to get into, and you can also go in and assign certain functions to the
various keys and whatnot how you see fit. Flying strictly by keyboard is of
course clumsy and feels ineffective, but any flight sim out feels that way once
you’ve used a joystick.
Concept: 7.7
Flight sims have
been done before, and while this one has a lot of similarities to other titles …
the change in time period and additions of things like ground vehicles make it a
pretty unique experience all in its own.
Multiplayer: 7.8
The multiplayer
beta version was a lot of fun to play, looked great, and provided some good
player to player dog fighting action. The ground vehicles had not been added in
yet, but will also play a fun part in the finished version of the game.
Overall: 7.7
Dawn of Aces III
provides a good, solid flight sim title that deals with the vehicles and combat
during the 1st World War. Fans of flight sims will probably have a
good time with it, even if it has a lot of similarities to other titles, and
even players who aren’t as comfortable as others hopping into a cockpit can
still find themselves useful by jumping behind the gun barrel or cannon of a
tank to provide support and assistance that way.
