Free Falcon 5

[max power 21]

Free Falcon 5 (as near as I can figure) is an expansive, free software development of Falcon 4. It seems to be in continuous development, adding flyable aircraft, weapon systems, and campaigns.

I have not been able to play the game due to some menu glitches, but I hear the game is the cat's ass when it comes to simulation. It uses old dx 7 or some such but the screens seem to look impressive enough. Any combat flight sim fan should give this a whirl and let us know their impressions!

All screens here are over 100kb but well worth a look:

http://grvirtualpilots.spruz.com/user/187921/gallery/161188/2008-02-29_234752.jpg

http://www.freefalcon.com/imgs/32.jpg

http://www.freefalcon.com/imgs/5.jpg

http://www.freefalcon.com/imgs/31.jpg

http://www.freefalcon.com/imgs/1.jpg

Edited March 10, 2010 by Max Power
Remove open source reference as corrected by Snake Man.

[JdB 151]

Looks like DX8. I played Falcon 4 a long time ago, might give this a try as Falcon 4 was really good.

[max power 21]

Looks like DX8.

Yeah, it's certainly not bad for a dx 7 program. It doesn't support bump mapping or anything like that, unfortunately. The really impressive looking interior shots are 2d cockpit shots. Flyable aircraft have both 2d and 3d interior cockpit views. The 2d views feature clickable buttons and such, if I understand the documentation correctly.

Edited March 10, 2010 by Max Power

[Snake Man 407]

Free Falcon 5 (as near as I can figure) is an expansive open source, free software development of Falcon 4.

Heh not open source. FF team codes the exe on the leaked Microprose 1998 source code, I guess in a nutshell the current copyright holder for that source just doesn't see it worth it going after the FF team.

In practical terms its great that the guys are developing the code as well as data.

Just saying... its not open source ;)

I hear the game is the cat's ass when it comes to simulation.

All the more reason to try out Falcon 4, any version. The dynamic campaign is something never seen in any other simulator.

[max power 21]

Heh not open source. FF team codes the exe on the leaked Microprose 1998 source code, I guess in a nutshell the current copyright holder for that source just doesn't see it worth it going after the FF team.

In practical terms its great that the guys are developing the code as well as data.

Just saying... its not open source ;)

All the more reason to try out Falcon 4, any version. The dynamic campaign is something never seen in any other simulator.

Ah, thanks for the correction. I must have been thinking about Open Falcon 4.7. I can't try that one either because it requires an original Falcon 4 install.

[TRexian 0]

Open Falcon wasn't really open source either, but the whole community has a very open source feel to it. :)

All the Falcon variants suffer from one issue: either it works or it doesn't. If it works, it is amazing. If it doesn't, most often (in my experience) no amount of tweaking, poking, prodding, or screaming will ever get it to run correctly.

For a game more than 10 years old (which makes it "ancient" for computer games) it is still a great gameplay experience.

The FF team has done a great job continuously developing it, overcoming many significant issues.

Edit:

BTW - Ron Nair - the main FF artist - is one of THE best video game artists of any genre, of any time, IMNSHO.

Edited March 10, 2010 by TRexian

[dmarkwick 261]

Just so everyone is aware - TRexian was until very recently (and probably still occasionally ;)) at least hip-deep into the whole FF development scene. As far as insiders go, TRexian is your first point of contact :)

Edited March 10, 2010 by DMarkwick

[TRexian 0]

hehe

Dammit, now my cover is blown! (h) :D

SnakeMan has a wider degree of knowledge about the other versions, though. :D He's the pre-eminent source for theater-making in F4, and other edits (at his PMC site). :D

[cjsoques 0]

In my experience I can not for the life of me get FF5 of FF5.3 working on any system I've tried it on:

This is includes combinations of Windows XP, Vista, 7 (32bit and 64bit) as well as ATI and nVidia cards and either the game won't start, I get glitch graphics, the game crashes a few seconds into the flight, or some other issue.

I would love to see representative hardware examples on anyone who has gotten this game to work at all (FF5.3 in particular). I feel like it is a myth now waiting so long to get to actually try this out.

It would be incredible if it worked on any setup I've ever tried it on...oh well

[Barely-injured 0]

I think i was able to run it a while back on my vista 64bit and 4850 ati card. There were the occasional crashes, but they were minor ones and not a big problem.

The issue for me was that I have some personal problems with my keyboard keys being registered as different buttons when i press them in some games (yes I am using a keyboard for flight sims, Heresy I know).

In other games i usually go to controls and remap the keys, no problem. In FF5 however, the process was infuriating, either the game wont register my control changes at all or if it does after a number of tries and saves it will somehow effect other unrelated keys making them completely nonfunctional.

In the end i was just tired with fiddling with it, and went back to the stable Falcon 4: Allied force.

[jw custom 56]

I played and LOVED Falcon 4.0 so a while ago i tried FF5 but it's just not the same anymore :o

[blazer01 0]

ill have to give this a go but can some one tell me if Falcon 4.0 will work ok with win7 ??

[mr.g-c 6]

OMG this is so beautiful!!!

End is sad, well yes.... :-(

Where can i get Falcon 4.0?

[TRexian 0]

Where can i get Falcon 4.0?

eBay is a good source. If you can find the Allied Force version, you can install FF5 over that. At least, you could back when I made the installer.... ;)

For FF5, there is a forum at the FF site - the Ara Support Forum. One of the pinned threads is Ara's Rockin' Install thread. Check that out.

I'd send you my CD... it is in pristine condition... except it is one piece of software that will never leave my possession. :D

[mr.g-c 6]

I've now read that you don't even need Falcon 4.0 for FF5, but you should install it anyway...

What disadvantages do i have without Falcon 4.0 installed?

[TRexian 0]

Given the strict ways in which piracy-discussions are moderated here (just an observation - not a judgment), and in an effort to avoid warning points or having the thread locked, I'm reluctant to discuss that too much here. :) Let's just say some conversations can be awkward. If you go to the FF forums, you will likely find the answers.

And, I believe you still need a Falcon install of some variety, although I could be wrong.

[jw custom 56]

I've now read that you don't even need Falcon 4.0 for FF5, but you should install it anyway...

What disadvantages do i have without Falcon 4.0 installed?

I think the only reason for having Falcon 4.0 installed is to make FF5 a mod rather than a pirated version of the game :)

[TRexian 0]

No no no... "pirated" is such an ugly word. The Falcon 4 IP is... well... convoluted, to say the least. :)

[blazer01 0]

well i installed my copy of Falcon 4 than i came to install freefalcon and it told me it had to uninstall Falcon 4 lol well lets see if it works :)

[mr.g-c 6]

lol....

Yeahh i tried it too, however, unplayable with keyboard :p

[Aeneas2020 10]

well i installed my copy of Falcon 4 than i came to install freefalcon and it told me it had to uninstall Falcon 4 lol well lets see if it works :)

So did it work? I'm routing around for my old dusty copy of falcon 4 as we speak...do i need to find it?

[jw custom 56]

So did it work? I'm routing around for my old dusty copy of falcon 4 as we speak...do i need to find it?

No you don't.

[Aeneas2020 10]

awesome thanks!

[TRexian 0]

FreeFalcon 5.5 has been released. ;)

http://www.freefalcon.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17580

Looks like some good stuff.

[Archamedes 10]

My cousin got me into this a while ago. Now i use the track ir 5, and the cougar hotas thrustmaster (both around £150 each) The only thing i dont have is the pedals. The game really has come surprisingly well as far as complexity and realism goes. Me my cuz and his mate regularly link up either by internet or by lan and do some hardcore close wing to wing formations. Alough you really do have to mess around with all kinds of network, firewall and graphical settings to get it to work as its prone to crashing all the time. Not bad for a game that was released in the 90's.

Its like an old man thats been given top medical treatment and brought him beyond old age and made his looks even better.