F-19 Stealth Fighter
Encyclopedia
F-19 Stealth Fighter is a combat flight simulator
released in 1988 (DOS
) and 1990 (Amiga
and Atari ST
) by MicroProse
, featuring a fictional United States military aircraft. It was the 16-bit
version of the 1987 game Project Stealth Fighter, which was released for the Commodore 64
and ZX Spectrum
.
's numbering system, the F-19
. This game was based on an educated guess about what the new "Stealth fighter" would be like. Subsequent revisions of the game incorporated the actual F-117 Nighthawk
as well as the F-19.
, the Persian Gulf
, the North Cape
, and Central Europe
. Set in the present-day of 1988, the player was immersed in a Cold War
era battlefield, flying missions against Iran
ian, Libyan, Soviet or Warsaw Pact
opponents. The game could be played under conditions of conventional warfare, limited warfare, or cold war (in the latter, even being detected by the enemy could lead to a major diplomatic incident).
Allowing the player to choose appropriate ordnance from a wide range of realistic armaments, the game set standards for realism and authenticity in military aviation simulations, and was noted for the convincing behaviour of AI
controlled units such as enemy aircraft, SAM
sites and radar
stations. These would behave in accordance with the situation - patrolling at first, but launching into a highly aggressive search if the player was detected. Other impressive features of the game were the highly realistic system of radar detection, where the player's varying radar signature was visually compared with the energy of incoming radar pulses at different ranges and powers, and a well thought-out variety of endings appropriate to the outcome of each mission. These included the player being rescued by an V-22 Osprey
, a Tass
newspaper proclaiming the capture of the pilot, or an outraged ally or neutral nation protesting the destruction of their aircraft. The Pilot Roster in the pre-game menu kept track of the missions, rank, score and medals awarded to each player. Pilot fatalities were permanent, which contributed to the extended campaign feeling of the game.
The original boxed version of the game came with a range of impressive accessories - such as a thick manual full in information and data on the late 80s flying machines of the U.S. and the USSR, various keyboard overlays, a comprehensive manual covering stealth and fighter tactics, and roughly-sketched maps of each warzone.
and Andy Hollis
were brought in to work on the IBM conversion. Not content with merely porting the game, Meier and Hollis wrote an entirely new design, and as Hendrick wrote of the new game, "The only thing borrowed from the C-64 would be the game scenario concepts, military equipment research data, and perhaps some flight dynamics algorithms." Despite its planned September 30 release being pushed back to mid-November, F-19 Stealth Fighter went on to be a successful release by MicroProse, selling out in just two months.
gave F-19 Stealth Fighter a very favorable review. Noting its extensive documentation, Russell Sipe said, "To master this program you are going to have to do your homework. The documentation includes tutorials on aerodynamics and flight principles, radar, stealth technology, air-to-ground tactics, and air-to-air tactics." The magazine later recognized it as "Simulation Game of the Year", calling it "the perfect marriage of modern technology and game."
Combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are video games used to simulate military aircraft and their operations...
released in 1988 (DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
) and 1990 (Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
) by MicroProse
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
, featuring a fictional United States military aircraft. It was the 16-bit
16-bit
-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
version of the 1987 game Project Stealth Fighter, which was released for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
.
The aircraft
At the time of the game's release there was heavy speculation surrounding a missing aircraft in the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's numbering system, the F-19
F-19
F-19 is a designation for a hypothetical United States fighter aircraft that has never been officially acknowledged, and has engendered much speculation that it might refer to a type of aircraft whose existence is still classified.-History:...
. This game was based on an educated guess about what the new "Stealth fighter" would be like. Subsequent revisions of the game incorporated the actual F-117 Nighthawk
F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
as well as the F-19.
The game
In the game, the player takes on the role of a fictional fighter pilot flying missions of varying difficulty over four geographic locations: LibyaLibya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, the North Cape
North Cape, Norway
North Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at , 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually...
, and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. Set in the present-day of 1988, the player was immersed in a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era battlefield, flying missions against Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian, Libyan, Soviet or Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
opponents. The game could be played under conditions of conventional warfare, limited warfare, or cold war (in the latter, even being detected by the enemy could lead to a major diplomatic incident).
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
controlled units such as enemy aircraft, SAM
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
sites and radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
stations. These would behave in accordance with the situation - patrolling at first, but launching into a highly aggressive search if the player was detected. Other impressive features of the game were the highly realistic system of radar detection, where the player's varying radar signature was visually compared with the energy of incoming radar pulses at different ranges and powers, and a well thought-out variety of endings appropriate to the outcome of each mission. These included the player being rescued by an V-22 Osprey
V-22 Osprey
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, military, tiltrotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing , and short takeoff and landing capability...
, a Tass
TASS
TASS or Tass may refer to:* Telluride Association Sophomore Seminar, a six-week educational opportunity for minority high school students* Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union, TASS is the transliteration of the Russian abbreviation for it...
newspaper proclaiming the capture of the pilot, or an outraged ally or neutral nation protesting the destruction of their aircraft. The Pilot Roster in the pre-game menu kept track of the missions, rank, score and medals awarded to each player. Pilot fatalities were permanent, which contributed to the extended campaign feeling of the game.
The original boxed version of the game came with a range of impressive accessories - such as a thick manual full in information and data on the late 80s flying machines of the U.S. and the USSR, various keyboard overlays, a comprehensive manual covering stealth and fighter tactics, and roughly-sketched maps of each warzone.
Development
After the completion of Project: Stealth Fighter for the C-64 by designers Jim Synoski and Arnold Hendrick, Sid MeierSid Meier
Sidney K. "Sid" Meier is a Canadian programmer and designer of several popular computer strategy games, most notably Civilization. He has won accolades for his contributions to the computer games industry...
and Andy Hollis
Andy Hollis
Andy Hollis is an American game designer and game programmer, mainly known for his flight simulator games.-Video game development:He began his career at MicroProse Software, where he was responsible for games like Kennedy Approach, Gunship, F-15 Strike Eagle II, F-19 Stealth Fighter, and F-15...
were brought in to work on the IBM conversion. Not content with merely porting the game, Meier and Hollis wrote an entirely new design, and as Hendrick wrote of the new game, "The only thing borrowed from the C-64 would be the game scenario concepts, military equipment research data, and perhaps some flight dynamics algorithms." Despite its planned September 30 release being pushed back to mid-November, F-19 Stealth Fighter went on to be a successful release by MicroProse, selling out in just two months.
Reception
Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
gave F-19 Stealth Fighter a very favorable review. Noting its extensive documentation, Russell Sipe said, "To master this program you are going to have to do your homework. The documentation includes tutorials on aerodynamics and flight principles, radar, stealth technology, air-to-ground tactics, and air-to-air tactics." The magazine later recognized it as "Simulation Game of the Year", calling it "the perfect marriage of modern technology and game."