Knights of the Sky
Encyclopedia
Knights of the Sky is a World War I
combat flight simulator
designed by Jeff Briggs
and published by MicroProse
in 1990 for DOS
and in 1991 for the Amiga
and Atari ST
.
A MicroProse action
-strategy game
titled Knights of the Sky (actually a Mega Drive port of 1992's The Ancient Art of War in the Skies
) was also completed in 1994 but never released. In 2007, it was also a working title for the never-finished WWI flight simulator that was supposed to be a debut title by the now-closed developer Gennadich Team.
for Red Baron when the latter had been publicly announced first. Following its original PC release, the game underwent two subsequent patch-style revisions that would add a more realistic plane damage system (source of much of the early controversy, as just one well placed bullet could cause a critical damage and taking non-critical hits were not communicated to the player whatsoever), and active NPC allied planes undergoing their own patrols (in a way similar to enemy patrols), available for free after sending a blank floppy disk to the MicroProse.
awarded 87% on its initial port for the Amiga, praising the feel of the gameplay, vivid graphics and quality presentation. Criticisms included a low framerate compared to the DOS version, poor handling of analogue joystick or mouse control, and having to use the keyboard to glance around during a dogfight. On the game's budget re-release in 1993, Amiga Power revised their score to 92%, emphasising the exciting dogfights and scenery appreciation that comes with simulating the low-speed World War I aircraft.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are video games used to simulate military aircraft and their operations...
designed by Jeff Briggs
Jeff Briggs
Dr. Jeffery L. Briggs is founder and former President and CEO of Firaxis Games, a video game developer based in Hunt Valley, Maryland, United States...
and published 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...
in 1990 for 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 in 1991 for the 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...
.
A MicroProse action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
-strategy game
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
titled Knights of the Sky (actually a Mega Drive port of 1992's The Ancient Art of War in the Skies
The Ancient Art of War in the Skies
The Ancient Art of War in the Skies is a computer game developed by MicroProse in 1992 for PC/MS-DOS computers as a sequel to The Ancient Art of War and The Ancient Art of War at Sea. In 1993 the game was converted to Amiga and Atari ST.-Plot:...
) was also completed in 1994 but never released. In 2007, it was also a working title for the never-finished WWI flight simulator that was supposed to be a debut title by the now-closed developer Gennadich Team.
Development
The game's working title was Red Baron, until this name was "stolen" by DynamixDynamix
Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of computer games from 1984 to 2001, best known for their flight simulator, Red Baron, the Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, and their online multiplayer game, Tribes.-History:...
for Red Baron when the latter had been publicly announced first. Following its original PC release, the game underwent two subsequent patch-style revisions that would add a more realistic plane damage system (source of much of the early controversy, as just one well placed bullet could cause a critical damage and taking non-critical hits were not communicated to the player whatsoever), and active NPC allied planes undergoing their own patrols (in a way similar to enemy patrols), available for free after sending a blank floppy disk to the MicroProse.
Reception
Knights of the Sky was a critical success. Amiga PowerAmiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
awarded 87% on its initial port for the Amiga, praising the feel of the gameplay, vivid graphics and quality presentation. Criticisms included a low framerate compared to the DOS version, poor handling of analogue joystick or mouse control, and having to use the keyboard to glance around during a dogfight. On the game's budget re-release in 1993, Amiga Power revised their score to 92%, emphasising the exciting dogfights and scenery appreciation that comes with simulating the low-speed World War I aircraft.