F29 Retaliator
Encyclopedia
F29 Retaliator is a combat flight simulator
video game developed by Digital Image Design
and published by Ocean Software
in 1989 for the PC, for the Amiga
and Atari ST
in 1990, and the FM Towns
and NEC PC-9801 in 1992-1993. Its working title was just Retaliator.
The game was developed during the final phase of the Cold War
, based mostly on speculations on then-future machines of war that were expected to be in use in the year 2002, in particular the revolutionary aircraft design of the Lockheed
F-22 (its design, however, is just the game developers' guess and is looking nothing like the real-world Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor) and the Grumman "F-29" (based on the experimental Grumman X-29A).
s available to set up in a number of configurations. The fantastic "future" weapons to choose from include a fighter-carried Tomahawk cruise missile
, rearward-firing AIM-9 Sidewinder
air-to-air missiles and a gigantic cluster bomb
.
The PC version allowed head-to head dogfight
ing using a null modem cable. This game is regarded as being severely bug
ged (for example, since the game allows the airplane to be controlled even after the pilot ejects, it is possible for players to hit themselves with their own plane).
The game includes four war scenarios (Arizona
desert test and training sites, Pacific conflict, Middle East
conflict and the World War III
in Europe) each with several missions, with the total number of those adding up to 99. The last mission of the game can be any of three, and completion of each one leads to different game endings:
A "Special Mission" add-on was released with ZERO magazine in 1990, featuring a battle against the alien spacecraft from the then-upcoming space combat game EPIC.
.
(1997) and F-22 Total Air War
(1998).
Combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are video games used to simulate military aircraft and their operations...
video game developed by Digital Image Design
Digital Image Design
Digital Image Design was a British video game developer founded by Martin Kenwright and Phillip Allsopp in 1989 and was originally based in Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The company had employed around eighty developers who specialized in areas of software and simulation...
and published by Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
in 1989 for the PC, 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...
in 1990, and the FM Towns
FM Towns
The FM Towns system is a Japanese PC variant, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with regular PCs...
and NEC PC-9801 in 1992-1993. Its working title was just Retaliator.
The game was developed during the final phase of the 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...
, based mostly on speculations on then-future machines of war that were expected to be in use in the year 2002, in particular the revolutionary aircraft design of the Lockheed
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
F-22 (its design, however, is just the game developers' guess and is looking nothing like the real-world Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor) and the Grumman "F-29" (based on the experimental Grumman X-29A).
Gameplay
The graphics were detailed by the standards of the period, featuring cities, bridges, roads, islands, mountains and moving vehicles. The plane's cockpit had three multi-function displayMulti-function display
A Multi-function display is a small screen in an aircraft surrounded by multiple buttons that can be used to display information to the pilot in numerous configurable ways. Often an MFD will be used in concert with a Primary Flight Display. MFDs are part of the digital era of modern planes or...
s available to set up in a number of configurations. The fantastic "future" weapons to choose from include a fighter-carried Tomahawk cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
, rearward-firing AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
air-to-air missiles and a gigantic cluster bomb
Cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
.
The PC version allowed head-to head dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
ing using a null modem cable. This game is regarded as being severely bug
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
ged (for example, since the game allows the airplane to be controlled even after the pilot ejects, it is possible for players to hit themselves with their own plane).
The game includes four war scenarios (Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
desert test and training sites, Pacific conflict, Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
conflict and the World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
in Europe) each with several missions, with the total number of those adding up to 99. The last mission of the game can be any of three, and completion of each one leads to different game endings:
| Name | Task | Ending |
|---|---|---|
| Retaliator / Hand Shake | Eliminate 12 elite MiG-29 pilots | Enemy surrender |
| Hour Glass | Destroy the Soviet HQ | Nuclear winter Nuclear winter Nuclear winter is a predicted climatic effect of nuclear war. It has been theorized that severely cold weather and reduced sunlight for a period of months or even years could be caused by detonating large numbers of nuclear weapons, especially over flammable targets such as cities, where large... |
| Saviour / Abyss | Intercept a nuclear cruise missile | Outcome unknown |
A "Special Mission" add-on was released with ZERO magazine in 1990, featuring a battle against the alien spacecraft from the then-upcoming space combat game EPIC.
Reception
The game received 4 out of 5 stars in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
.
Legacy
Retaliator 2, announced in 1990 to be released in the first quarter of 1991, was never released as the team concentrated on finishing EPIC (released in 1992 and using an improved engine of F29), but DID would later create three further, much more realistic F-22 simulators: TFX (1993), F-22: Air Dominance FighterF-22: Air Dominance Fighter
F-22: Air Dominance Fighter is a 1997 PC game by Digital Image Design. The game is a flight simulator based on the F-22 Raptor, and features a "quick combat" mode allowing you to fly combat missions over the middle-east or choose from three different tours of duty. F-22 ADF was preceded by EF2000...
(1997) and F-22 Total Air War
F-22 Total Air War
F-22 Total Air War, also known as Total Air War or by its acronym TAW, is a fighter jet flight simulator game released in 1998 centering around the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft. The game was published by Infogrames Entertainment and then later by Atari and was developed by Digital Image Design...
(1998).
External links
- F29 Retaliator at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- F29 Amiga - HOL database