This FAQ is organized into 2 categories:
- GENERAL (Questions about the sim)
- TECHNICAL (System requirements, etc)
Date of last revision: 5/31/96 @ 11:15AM
(C) 1996, Origin Systems, Inc.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ GENERAL ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
* What is Jane's AH-64D Longbow?
Jane's AH-64D LONGBOW is an authentic PC simulation of the US Army's
AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopter. This simulation was developed
under an exclusive alliance with Jane's Information Group, the world's
leading authority on military and global intelligence information.
AH-64D LONGBOW was created by Origin's SkunkWorks development
team, lead by veteran simulation producer Andy Hollis (GUNSHIP, F-19
Stealth Fighter, F-15 Strike Eagle III). Andy and his team used the actual
AH-64D design manuals from McDonnell Douglas in their development
process. AH-64D LONGBOW has been fully-tested by US ARMY
Apache pilots and other experts who must remain nameless.
* When will Longbow be available?
Jane's AH-64D Longbow begins shipping to stores (and direct sales
customers) on June 3rd, 1996. It will probably show up on store shelves
around the 5th, 6th or 7th. To place an order through EA direct, just call
800-245-4525.
* Where is the Longbow web site?
http://www.ea.com/janes/ah-64d_longbow/index.html
* Is AH-64D Longbow an interactive movie?
No. AH-64D Longbow is an authentic combat simulation.
* What's so special about the terrain?
AH-64D Longbow has over 20,000 square Km of fully-textured, rolling terrain.
All of the terrain is based of real US Geological Survey digital elevation
map data. There are no "tiles" used or repeating terrain art, it's all 100%
unique. You can easily use terrain features as reference points during
missions. In other words, it's real terrain. For the first time ever in a
PC simulation, players can use realistic pop-up attacks and terrain masking
techniques, just like real Longbow and Apache pilots do. There are several
different geographic terrain types to encounter as well. You'll see the
snow-capped mountains and scattered farmlands of the Baltic region, steep
tropical mountains, coastlines, even the Panama Canal and Panama City in
(you guessed it) Panama, the rolling sand dunes of Iraq, and the blistering
hot desert of Mesa, AZ (where you get to experience training over the same
terrain as real Longbow pilots do).
* How realistic is the flight model?
The flight model in Jane's AH-64D Longbow was developed in-house by Origin's
aerospace engineering experts along with plenty of input from real US Army
Apache pilots. Toward the end of the project, a team of special pilots were
also
involved in testing this simulation. We can't reveal who they are, but we can
give
you a hint: they fly real AH-64D Longbow Apaches. The result is an incredibly
realistic flight model with options that include settings for Collective,
Dynamics,
Aerobatics, Ground Effect, Transitional (Translational) Lift, Altitude effects,
Weight, Wind and Turbulence. Experience the sensation of flight like never
before on the PC!
* How realistic are the avionics and battle scenarios?
You can tailor the gameplay to your style, but with the combined resources
from Jane's, McDonnell Douglas, US Army pilots, and former military
intelligence officers, you can be sure that at full realism, Jane's AH-64D
Longbow is as realistic as any non-classified simulation can get.
Producer Andy Hollis has a reputation for delivering precision avionics.
His last sim, F15 SEIII, received accolades for the avionics modeling and was
a classic example of how to do it right. Jane's AH-64D Longbow takes it one
step further. In AH-64D Longbow, realism options include Damage, RWR,
Targeting, Missile Ranges, Weapons Damage, Audio Warnings and map icons.
* What sort of Jane's materials can I expect to see in Longbow?
AH-64D Longbow includes an interactive Jane's Combat Reference guide packed
with photos, diagrams, stats and 3D models of all the aircraft, vehicles,
amour and air defense systems in the sim. There are several hundred pages of
Jane's information in all. Players can also view photos and technical drawing
at
full-screen. You can look at your mission map, read your briefing and
identify key threats, then pull up the interactive Jane's guide and learn
more about their strengths, weaknesses and how to identify them on the
battlefield.
* Does Jane's Longbow have training missions?
AH-64D Longbow features a fully interactive combat training system with
tutorial missions designed by the former head of Apache training at Ft. Hood.
Everything is covered, from a thorough walk-around to basic flight,
instrumentation, Weapons & Sensors and much more. If you want to bypass the
256-page spiral-bound manual, just complete the training program and you should
ready to take on just about anything in the sim.
* What is the premise for the campaign?
The UN sends forces to the Polish/Ukraine border to defend against
threatening CIS (Confederation of Independent States) forces.
From the initial recon and surveillance to the final shots, you get to
fly missions throughout the course of an entire war. Mission scenarios
involve everything from escort duty to surgical strikes, POW rescue missions
and much more.
* Is there infantry in Jane's Longbow?
Yes, there are both friendly and enemy soldiers in Jane's AH-64D Longbow.
Even with all the high-tech air defense systems in place, a shoulder-launched
SAM can still be your worst enemy.
* Are there any historical missions?
Yes. You can fly real historical missions from 'Desert Storm' (Gulf War) and
'Just Cause' (Panama). All are precisely recreated using the most accurate,
up-to-date intelligence information available. Fly them as they were really
flown in the A-model (Apache) or twist the history books by taking on
Sadam Hussein and Gen. Noriega in a Longbow!
* Can I create my own missions?
AH-64D Longbow has a single mission clipboard that generates missions based
on your input on variables such as the terrain type, time of day, mission
objectives and weather. The mission briefing interface lets you customize your
waypoint paths, too.
* What if I just want to blow things up?
AH-64D Longbow has an instant action mode geared for pilots looking for fast
action and a lot of carnage. Instant action mode will start up a target-rich
mission
on the currently decompressed terrain map. So, if you've been flying
historical
missions in Panama and start up instant action, your instant action mission
will take place in Panama. By default, instant action mode gives you
unlimited ammo and invulnerability, but you can change the realism options
to something more challenging if you like. Instant action missions are less
realistic than the other missions, but are much more action-packed.
* How many missions are there?
Jane's AH-64D Longbow has over 250 missions in all.
* Is there a mission recorder?
Yes. You can record and playback missions and start flying from any point
in the playback.
* Is there any live-action video footage in Longbow?
Yes, you can pull up test flight video footage of real Apaches and Longbows
in action. Videos also showcase the radar and avionics systems in the
Longbow. Pull up some video to check out the actual maneuvers and avionics,
then try the same thing in the simulation. There are also CNN-style news casts
throughout the campaign that keep you up-to-date on the war effort.
* Does Longbow have a spiral bound manual like ATF?
Yes. AH-64D Longbow comes with an in-depth, 256-page spiral-bound manual
packed with all the details on how to play, plus lots of great information
from Jane's. If big manuals are not your thing, just try going through the
interactive training missions instead. There's also a full-color heavy-duty
reference card with a full keyboard layout and all the simulation commands.
* Is there and official strategy guide for Longbow?
You bet. The Official Guide to Jane's AH-64D Longbow will be available
simultaneously when the simulation is released. The guide is packed with
intelligence files, combat tactics, maps and strategies for each mission, AI
profiles, articles and excerpts from Jane's, and a whole lot more.
* Can I play the Co-Pilot Gunner (CPG)?
AH-64D Longbow is a highly-detailed simulation of what it's like to be a
Longbow pilot. In order to maintain the same level of quality throughout
the simulation, Jane's Combat Simulations and Origin SkunkWorks focused all
available time and energy into creating the best helicopter pilot simulation
available on the PC. The CPG could not be implemented to the same level of
quality given the development time and resource constraints. However, Jane's
Combat Simulation is committed to continued support and research for AH-64D
Longbow, so don't be surprised if you see the CPG position down the road.
* Can I play Longbow over a modem or network?
Jane's Combat Simulations is committed to upholding a very high standard of
quality for any feature available in AH-64D Longbow or any other Jane's
Combat Simulations product. Multiplayer is a feature set that we see
enormous potential in, but there was not time to deliver these features to
the standard we strive for given the current circumstances. Multiplayer is
something we want to do (and have already laid the framework for), but we
will only do it if it's done right. Although delivering full-featured
multiplayer support to our standard of quality would be a monumental task,
the same is true for our current version of AH-64D Longbow, so you never
know what surprises might lie ahead.
* What are the minimum system requirements for Longbow?
i486DX2/66 Processor or higher
8 MB of RAM (7 MB of XMS)
390K Conventional Memory
MS-DOS 5.0 and up
Double Speed CD-ROM Drive (300,000 bytes/second transfer rate)
VESA 1.2 compliant local bus Video Card
100% Microsoft compatible mouse
35 MB of free hard disk space
Digital sound card required for speech and sound effects
(The minimum system will run AH-64D Longbow in VGA with low detail settings)
* What are the optimal system requirements for Longbow?
Intel Pentium 120 processor or faster
16 MB of RAM (15 Megs XMS) or more
390K free conventional memory
Quad Speed CD-ROM (600,000 bytes/second transfer rate) or higher
VESA Local Bus/PCI video card with VESA 2.0 compliance
100% Microsoft compatible mouse (& driver)
98 MB free hard disk space
Joystick, Throttle or Weapons Control System, Rudder Support
(The optimal system can run AH-64D Longbow in SVGA with all detail options
turned on)
* How much hard disk space does Longbow require?
36MB = Low detail terrain
68MB = Medium detail terrain
97MB = High detail terrain
All install options will result in fully-textured, rolling terrain (even at
low detail). A larger install will improve performance on slower machines.
Low, Medium and High detail terrain options are available with a full
install. Low and Medium detail terrain are available with a medium install.
* What sound cards are supported?
The following sound cards are directly supported by AH-64D Longbow:
Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE 32
or 100% compatible, Pro Audio Spectrum, Roland RAP-10, and Ensoniq Soundscape.
All audio in AH-64D Longbow is 100% digital.
* What graphic resolution options are available?
Jane's AH-64D Longbow can be played in 320x240 (VGA) or 640x480 (SVGA).
Non-flight portions of the game are in 640x480 256-color SVGA.
* What graphic detail options are available?
Besides pixel resolutions of 320x240 and 640x480, AH-64D Longbow has the
following graphics options: Sliders adjust the Far Clipping Plane
(visible distance), terrain Mesh Detail and Special Effects detail;
there are also toggles for Perspective Correction, Detailed Helicopters,
Shadows, and Sky Texture. Decreasing the detail options will improve the
frame-rate while in flight.
* Is Longbow a DOS or a Windows 95 application?
AH-64D Longbow was written to run in MS-DOS. While it will normally run
under Windows 95, many people will have a difficult time running AH-64D
Longbow directly from Windows 95.
* What do I need to run Longbow directly from Windows 95?
16 Megs of RAM is required to run AH-64D Longbow in Windows 95.
You will also need a CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory of your C:
drive with the following lines:
files=45
buffers=45
As long as you have 16MB or RAM and the files and buffers lines in your
Config.sys, it should work on most systems. If you do not have 16 Megs of
RAM, the install guide can show you how to make a shortcut to reboot to DOS
Mode.
* What's the recommended Autoexec.bat and Config.sys?
Here's the basic Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files needed to run AH-64D
Longbow in DOS. The actual files will look slightly different once your
Sound Card, CD-ROM and Mouse drivers are present. More detailed
configuration information is provided in the AH-64D Longbow install guide and
readme.txt file.
* Does Longbow support VESA 2.0?
Although only VESA 1.2 video compliance is required to run AH-64D Longbow,
it is optimized for VESA 2.0 support. VESA 2.0 compliant systems will
experience better performance running AH-64D Longbow than systems without
VESA 2.0.
* I think my video card supports VESA 2.0, how do I get a VESA 2.0 driver?
You may be able to obtain a VESA 2.0 driver from your video card manufacturer
or you can use a third-party VESA 2.0 driver. One of the more popular
third-party VESA 2.0 drivers is UNIVBE v5.1 by SciTech Software. You can
contact SciTech Software the following ways:
web: www.scitechsoft.com
ftp: ftp.scitechsoft.com
AOL: Keyword VESA
CIS: GO VESA
- or -
SciTech Software, Inc.
5 Governors Lane, Suite D
Chico, CA 95926-1989
* What Joysticks are supported by Longbow?
The following joystick are supported natively by AH-64D Longbow:
2-Button Joystick, Thrustmaster FCS and F-16 FLCS, CH Flightstick Pro
and F-16 series, and Suncom F15 series. Most major throttle, rudder and
programmable joysticks are supported as well.
AH-64D Longbow includes custom programs for the following control hardware:
Thrustmaster F-16 FLCS, FCS\PFCS, WCS Mk II (new chipset), F-16 TQS and the
RCS, CH Throttle Stick, Gravis Firebird, Gravis Phoenix, and Suncom F-15E
Eagle.
* Can I customize the controls?
AH-64D Longbow lets you configure the controls however you like. You can also
fully configure your control device, save and load control configurations and
even load up control schemes from other popular sims.
Jane's Combat Simulations
"we build sims by the book"
http://www.ea.com/janes.html
(C) 1996, Origin Systems, Inc.
Origin Systems, Inc. believes the information contained in this document
is accurate and reliable. Origin Systems, Inc. reserves the right to
update this manual at any time and without notice.
