Customer Reviews

Fighter Ace

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Assuming that the typical reader of this book has already been playing Fighter Ace on Microsoft's Zone.com, and would simply like some game-specific tips on improving his play, then the first half of this book (literally) is a waste.

The first half goes into the nature of the Zone, how to get an ID, how to install the software, etc., and gives no advice at all on how to take your level of gameplay up a few notches.

The second half does include fighter plane tactics, but this generic advice could really apply to any combat flight sim. The statistics given for each plane appeares to have been culled together from several reference books, rather than reflect the actual performance of each plane IN THE GAME.

All the things I was looking for (e.g. specific plane type vs. plane type tactics, maximum firing range, speeds at differnet altitudes, specific turning radiuses by plane, as they apply IN THE GAME, not from a historical reference book) were absent.

The only thing that saves this book is that the fighter tactics are useful (although you can find similar material right on Zone.com).

If you're "almost new" to the Zone and fighter combat games in general, then this book isn't a bad value. Otherwise browse the internet and newsgroups for better (and freer!) game-specific tips.

I still refer to this book to refresh my knowledge of the game. I've flown numerous missions in Fighter Ace since January 1998 and find this book a must for off-line study.

Although written for the original version of Fighter Ace, much of the information still applies and constitutes a fairly complete reference for the game. Fighter Ace is currently in version 1.5 with version 2.0 coming out this Fall.

I often provide on-line training to new pilots to help them get comfortable with flying and combat. I am able to keep my lessons standardized by using the same terms and descriptions used in this book. Although the same information is available from the Web site, it is hard to use the on-line information while inside the game.

Each chapter is well organized and has its own related tips and inside information not readily available in the Zone. There is plenty of information regarding the Zone in Chapter Two. Chapter Three discusses each of the settings for user preferences and how they will affect game play, including strategy tips. Chapter Four is much like Ground School for being a Fighter Ace pilot. And Chapter Five and Chapter Six cover the tactics and strategies needed to succeed in advancing in rank.

One caveat to this book is that the illustrations regarding the Zone are out of date. However, site navigation described in Chapter Two shouldn't be too hard to correlate to the actual Web site.

This book has plenty of information, all in one place, that is a terrific companion to the on-line documentation. I found it well worth the investment.