First Eagles: The Great War 1918
Encyclopedia
First Eagles: The Great War 1918 (Also called First Eagles: The Great Air War 1918) is a PC
game (Combat / Flight Simulator
) that focuses on World War I between 1917 and 1918.
First Eagles has had fair success in the PC games market, although its impact has a lot to do with the game having an 'open architecture' allowing others to modify and improve aspects of it and add new planes, terrain, weapons etc.
In 2007, First Eagles: Expansion Pack 1 was released that adds the Sopwith Camel
, Albatros D.III
, Albatros D.V
a, and Fokker Dr.I
. This pack also includes new campaigns set over the Cambrai sector of France.
In 2008, First Eagles: Gold, a combo pack that contains both the original First Eagles and Expansion Pack 1, was released.
In Feb 2010, "First Eagles 2" was released, following the trend of upgrading to be compatible with Vista and Windows 7.
The game is based on the "Strike Fighters" engine developed by Third Wire Productions
.
The game has inherited the "Strike Fighters" engine and so has been designed to be relatively easy to get into. This gives it the tag 'Lite Simulation' which is opposed to hardcore 'study simulations' such as Falcon 4.0 where the learning curve is much steeper. After flying one plane you should be able to hop into any of the other planes and fly them with minimum practice. In reality the Lite category tag places the game halfway between Arcade and Simulation.
The game has a useful 'Single Mission' option that allows the user to choose their mission, aircraft type, weapons, year, nationality, weather, and time of day, and look at a map of the mission area. A set of names are generated to be included on the squadron roster and they are allocated varying skill levels (ranks), which is useful to know when they are flying as your wing men. The Single Mission mode is a good chance to practice for the Campaign mode because it gives all the mission types that the user will face in any campaign.
Mission types include:
Flying over the terrain can be long and lonely, although just like the dawn patrols of the Great War the sky can be saturated with a vast array of friendly and enemy aircraft. A time acceleration feature is built into the game as well as a feature to let you warp to the target, although this later feature can place the player in the middle of trouble.
Bombing targets is difficult and the user has to practice dive and low level bombing to complete missions. The planes are of purely World War I tech, as one would expect, and thus have no bombing aids.
Dogfighting, much like the actual Great War, is always necessary thanks to the wild unpredictability of the Le Prieur rocket
s (available in add-ons). Machine guns have a maximum range of about 0.3 nautical mile (0.5556 km), ensuring close-knit scrambles.
Flying over populated enemy territory will result in the Archie bombardment, which, together with available add-on AAA, is deadly at low altitudes, but simply an irritation above certain levels (much like the real Archie).
Flyable aircraft of the Expansion Pack 1:
Non-flyable aircraft of the Expansion Pack 1:
(1998) by MicroProse
and Longbow 2
(1997) by Jane's Combat Simulations
.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
game (Combat / Flight Simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
) that focuses on World War I between 1917 and 1918.
First Eagles has had fair success in the PC games market, although its impact has a lot to do with the game having an 'open architecture' allowing others to modify and improve aspects of it and add new planes, terrain, weapons etc.
In 2007, First Eagles: Expansion Pack 1 was released that adds the Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
, Albatros D.III
Albatros D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
, Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
a, and Fokker Dr.I
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
. This pack also includes new campaigns set over the Cambrai sector of France.
In 2008, First Eagles: Gold, a combo pack that contains both the original First Eagles and Expansion Pack 1, was released.
In Feb 2010, "First Eagles 2" was released, following the trend of upgrading to be compatible with Vista and Windows 7.
The game is based on the "Strike Fighters" engine developed by Third Wire Productions
Third Wire
Third Wire Productions Inc., , is a C corporation based in Austin, Texas, USA; it is an independent software development company founded in 1999 for the purpose of creating multimedia entertainment, such as flight-simulation and strategy games.- Products :Third Wire is the developer of many...
.
Gameplay
Every encounter in World War I aerial combat is a close range turning dogfight that can have many outcomes including the planes colliding, spinning out of control, crashing into the ground, being hit by Anti Aircraft Artillery, or being shot down or killed, depending on the game skill level set and the players skill level.The game has inherited the "Strike Fighters" engine and so has been designed to be relatively easy to get into. This gives it the tag 'Lite Simulation' which is opposed to hardcore 'study simulations' such as Falcon 4.0 where the learning curve is much steeper. After flying one plane you should be able to hop into any of the other planes and fly them with minimum practice. In reality the Lite category tag places the game halfway between Arcade and Simulation.
The game has a useful 'Single Mission' option that allows the user to choose their mission, aircraft type, weapons, year, nationality, weather, and time of day, and look at a map of the mission area. A set of names are generated to be included on the squadron roster and they are allocated varying skill levels (ranks), which is useful to know when they are flying as your wing men. The Single Mission mode is a good chance to practice for the Campaign mode because it gives all the mission types that the user will face in any campaign.
Mission types include:
- Intercept: Scramble to intercept incoming enemy bombers before they reach the target.
- Offensive Patrol: Patrol waypoints over the lines and destroy any enemy aircraft in the target area.
- Defensive Patrol: Patrol waypoints on your side on the lines and destroy any enemy aircraft in the target area.
- Army Co-Operation: Destroy enemy tanks/infantry on the battlefield. (Although there are no tanks and infantry on the battlefield. You need user-made mods for this.)
- Armed Reconnaissance: Search out and destroy enemy ground units.
- Reconnaissance: Fly to and observe an assigned target.
Flying over the terrain can be long and lonely, although just like the dawn patrols of the Great War the sky can be saturated with a vast array of friendly and enemy aircraft. A time acceleration feature is built into the game as well as a feature to let you warp to the target, although this later feature can place the player in the middle of trouble.
Bombing targets is difficult and the user has to practice dive and low level bombing to complete missions. The planes are of purely World War I tech, as one would expect, and thus have no bombing aids.
Dogfighting, much like the actual Great War, is always necessary thanks to the wild unpredictability of the Le Prieur rocket
Le Prieur rocket
Le Prieur rockets were a type of incendiary air-to-air rockets used in World War I against observation balloons and airships. They were invented by the French Lieutenant Yves Le Prieur and were first used in the Battle of Verdun on 1916...
s (available in add-ons). Machine guns have a maximum range of about 0.3 nautical mile (0.5556 km), ensuring close-knit scrambles.
Flying over populated enemy territory will result in the Archie bombardment, which, together with available add-on AAA, is deadly at low altitudes, but simply an irritation above certain levels (much like the real Archie).
Flyable Aircraft
Flyable aircraft of the original game:- Fokker D.VIIFokker D.VIIThe Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
- S.E.5 - A version.
- SPAD S.XIIISPAD S.XIII|-See also:-Bibliography:* Bruce, J.M. The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps . London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30084-X.* Sharpe, Michael. Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes. London: Friedman/Fairfax Books, 2000. ISBN 1-58663-300-7....
- C1 version.
Flyable aircraft of the Expansion Pack 1:
- Albatros D.IIIAlbatros D.IIIThe Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
- Albatros D.VAlbatros D.V|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
- A version. - Fokker Dr.IFokker Dr.IThe Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
- Sopwith CamelSopwith CamelThe Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
- F1 version.
Non-Flyable Aircraft
Non-flyable aircraft of the original game:- Albatros D.VAlbatros D.V|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
- A version. - DFW C.VDFW C.V-External Links:*...
- Salmson 2Salmson 2|-References:* Davilla, James J., & Soltan, Arthur M., French Aircraft of the First World War. Stratford, Connecticut: Flying Machines Press, 1997. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0...
- A2 version.
Non-flyable aircraft of the Expansion Pack 1:
- AEG G.IVAEG G.IV-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Grey, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-370-00103-6....
- R.E.8
- SPAD S.VIISPAD S.VIIThe SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and rugged aircraft with good climbing and diving characteristics...
- C1 version.
The developer of the series
This series of games is designed by Tsuyoshi Kawahito (known as 'TK'), who was also involved in some of the 1990s best selling PC flight simulators, including European Air WarEuropean Air War
European Air War is a combat flight simulation released by MicroProse in 1998. European Air War is the sequel to 1942: The Pacific Air War by Microprose. The stock standard version simulates the Battle of Britain, and the Allied Air offensives in Western Europe during the Second World War in 1943-45...
(1998) 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...
and Longbow 2
Longbow 2
Longbow 2 is the sequel to the best-selling AH-64D Longbow from Jane's Combat Simulations. Made at Origin Systems with executive producer Andy Hollis and producer Will McBurnett on board, and released on Nov 30, 1997. This sim improved on virtually every level of the first game, and it is...
(1997) by Jane's Combat Simulations
Jane's Combat Simulations
Jane's Combat Simulations was a brand of PC flight and combat simulators released by Electronic Arts . The Jane's Information Group sold the rights to EA so that EA could lend authenticity and accuracy to their growing line of combat games....
.
Related games based on the Strike Fighters game engine
- Strike Fighters: Project 1Strike Fighters: Project 1Strike Fighters: Project 1 is a PC game that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s...
(2002): The initial release centers on a fictional Middle Eastern scenario. - Strike Fighters: Gold (2004): An updated version of Project 1 released to the European market.
- Wings Over VietnamWings Over VietnamWings Over Vietnam is a PC game set during the Vietnam War over South East Asia and covers the time period between 1964 to 1973....
(2004): Set during the Vietnam war. - Wings Over EuropeWings Over EuropeWings Over Europe is a PC game set during the Cold War era where the USSR has attacked NATO forces in West Germany and thus turned it into a ‘hot war’....
(2006): Set in a possible Cold WarCold WarThe 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...
conflict. - First Eagles: The Great War 1918 (2006): Set in the World War IWorld War IWorld 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...
era. - First Eagles: Expansion Pack 1 (2007): Expansion pack for the First Eagles with new planes and campaigns.
- Wings Over IsraelWings Over IsraelWings Over Israel is a PC game covering the three major Middle Eastern conflicts Six-day War , Yom Kippur War and Lebanon War ....
(2008): Covers the three historical Israel versus Arab conflicts 1967, 1973, and 1982. - First Eagles: Gold (2008): Includes the Original 'First Eagles' and Expansion Pack together.
- Strike Fighters 2Strike Fighters 2Strike Fighters 2 is a PC game that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Although the countries and conflict may not be real, the aircraft and weapons used are completely accurate...
(2008): An update to Strike Fighters: Project 1Strike Fighters: Project 1Strike Fighters: Project 1 is a PC game that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s...
to run on Windows Vista. - Strike Fighters 2:VietnamStrike Fighters 2:VietnamStrike Fighters 2 : Vietnam is a PC game based on Wings Over Vietnam set during the Vietnam War over South East Asia, and covers the time period between 1964 to 1973....
(2009): A standalone update based on the original Wings Over VietnamWings Over VietnamWings Over Vietnam is a PC game set during the Vietnam War over South East Asia and covers the time period between 1964 to 1973....
to run on Windows Vista. - Strike Fighters 2:Europe (2009): A standalone update based on the original Wings Over EuropeWings Over EuropeWings Over Europe is a PC game set during the Cold War era where the USSR has attacked NATO forces in West Germany and thus turned it into a ‘hot war’....
to run on Windows Vista.