Jane's Attack Squadron
Encyclopedia
Jane's Attack Squadron is a World War II
flight simulator
computer game
for the PC
. It was created by Looking Glass Studios
, then finished by Mad Doc Software
. It was published by Xicat Interactive, Inc.. It was released in the North America on March 22, 2002.
aircraft across Europe. There is an array of missions to carryout such as bombing targets, including a torpedo
dropping mission. Depending on the mission, players may take control of different types of aircraft such as a Boeing
B-17 or Germany's Ju-88. Other flyable aircraft in the simulation include the P-51 D Mustang, P-38 J Lightning, P-47D Thunderbolt, Supermarine Spitfire Mk1a
, Supermarine Spitfire MkIX
, Bf-109 E-4/B Emil, Bf-109 G-6 Gustav, FW-190 A-4 Wurger,
FW-190 A-8 Wurger, FW-190 D-9 Dora, Me-262 A1-b Schwalbe, B-24 D Liberator and the Avro Lancaster Mk1
.
Ground units featured in the simulation include on the Axis side a diesel locomotive, steam locomotive, Volkswagen Kubelwagen 2, Opel Blitz 3-ton truck, 4 and 1/2 ton diesel fueltanker, Sdkfz 251, Jagdpanzer IV, Pzkfw IV, Pzkfw V Panther, Pzkfw VI Tiger, 2 cm Flak 30, 2 cm Flakvierling 38, 8.8 cm Flak 34, Flakpanzer IV Ostwind, Flakpanzer Wirbelwind, 15 cm s. Feldhaubitze 18, Wespe. Allied ground units include the Studebaker 6X6 2.5 ton tanker truck, 1/4 ton utility truck "Jeep", Deuce and a half truck, F3 GMC petrol tanker, M3A1 Half-Track, M18 "Hellcat" GMC, M4 "Sherman" medium tank, Bofors 40mm Anti-aircraft gun, M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage and the M12 "King-Kong" 155mm GMC. Naval units featured in the simulation include on the axis side the German torpedo boat "E-boat", GN type VIIC U-boat and GNS Bismark-class battleship. Allied naval units include a Royal Navy rescue launch trawler, Liberty Ship and a US Navy Buckley class destroyer. Merchant Ships can be either Allied or Axis.
The multiplayer mode offers players the chance to take part in deathmatches
allowing players to have dog fights
.
Single Player mode has 5 missions total for either the USAAF, RAF or Luftwaffe. The missions include for the USAAF Operation Ratchet for bombing a German Rocket factory and Airfield Attack for attacking a Luftwaffe airfield. The RAF mission is called Wehrmacht Convoy in which you attack a convoy of German trucks. The Luftwaffe Missions are Channel Strike, attacking allied merchant ships, and Enemy Bombers Spotted, intercept allied bombers attempting to destroy a Luftwaffe airfield.
Quick Player mode is an option to choose the combat environment (fighters or bombers, altitude, target type etc.) and to choose friendly flight aircraft for a maximum total of 12 aircraft against a maximum enemy flight aircraft total of 12.
Campaign mode has just one Axis campaign, The Kanal Front, in which you attack English targets in the Channel and in southern England after 1943. The Allied campaign is Fortress Europe. The objective of the campaign is to attack Axis positions in the European Theater of Operations during 1944 before and after D-Day. The campaigns each feature 10 missions total.
Pilot Training is an area in which there are five training features for this simulation, some of which are not exactly Pilot Training missions. There is a Takeoff Lesson, a Landing Lesson, a Torpedo Attack Lesson, a Norden Bombsight
Lesson and a Fixed Bombsight Lesson.
Jane's Attack Squadron also has a game options screen and a credit screen.
The simulation plays 1940's style swing music in the menus just like the earlier Jane's WWII Fighters
in feel. However the musical selection is much more limited than Jane's WWII Fighters. The simulation doesn't have the Ace Pilot interviews or the Museum Area that Jane's WWII Fighters has. However, it does have a reference area for the featured aircraft, ground and naval units. A mission editor is included with the game.
bomber sim based on the ZOAR engine used in the first and second Flight Unlimited games, was cancelled when Looking Glass Studios went out of business in 2000. The game was later reworked and released as Jane's Attack Squadron
, when Electronic Arts
took over as publisher (a move which also necessitated a new ground-attack focus to the game). It was subsequently picked up by Mad Doc Software who had hired several of the original development team, and was released in March 2002 by Xicat Interactive, Inc., albeit in a bug-ridden and altogether unfinished
state.
Looking Glass Studios
spent two and a half years developing the game, but Electronic Arts
decided no longer to publish simulators and so pulled funding. After Looking Glass had stopped developing the game, an online petition was initiated by an employee of the company to encourage Electronic Arts to let the team complete it. Over 2000 signatures were gathered.
A deal between Xicat Interactive, Inc. and Jane's Information Group
was made which allowed Mad Doc Software
to finish the game and Xicat Interactive, Inc. to license and publish it.
gave it a 4.5 of 10.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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...
computer game
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
for the PC
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...
. It was created by Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
, then finished by Mad Doc Software
Mad Doc Software
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
. It was published by Xicat Interactive, Inc.. It was released in the North America on March 22, 2002.
Gameplay
In Jane's Attack Squadron, players control World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
aircraft across Europe. There is an array of missions to carryout such as bombing targets, including a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
dropping mission. Depending on the mission, players may take control of different types of aircraft such as a Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
B-17 or Germany's Ju-88. Other flyable aircraft in the simulation include the P-51 D Mustang, P-38 J Lightning, P-47D Thunderbolt, Supermarine Spitfire Mk1a
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, Supermarine Spitfire MkIX
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, Bf-109 E-4/B Emil, Bf-109 G-6 Gustav, FW-190 A-4 Wurger,
FW-190 A-8 Wurger, FW-190 D-9 Dora, Me-262 A1-b Schwalbe, B-24 D Liberator and the Avro Lancaster Mk1
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
.
Ground units featured in the simulation include on the Axis side a diesel locomotive, steam locomotive, Volkswagen Kubelwagen 2, Opel Blitz 3-ton truck, 4 and 1/2 ton diesel fueltanker, Sdkfz 251, Jagdpanzer IV, Pzkfw IV, Pzkfw V Panther, Pzkfw VI Tiger, 2 cm Flak 30, 2 cm Flakvierling 38, 8.8 cm Flak 34, Flakpanzer IV Ostwind, Flakpanzer Wirbelwind, 15 cm s. Feldhaubitze 18, Wespe. Allied ground units include the Studebaker 6X6 2.5 ton tanker truck, 1/4 ton utility truck "Jeep", Deuce and a half truck, F3 GMC petrol tanker, M3A1 Half-Track, M18 "Hellcat" GMC, M4 "Sherman" medium tank, Bofors 40mm Anti-aircraft gun, M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage and the M12 "King-Kong" 155mm GMC. Naval units featured in the simulation include on the axis side the German torpedo boat "E-boat", GN type VIIC U-boat and GNS Bismark-class battleship. Allied naval units include a Royal Navy rescue launch trawler, Liberty Ship and a US Navy Buckley class destroyer. Merchant Ships can be either Allied or Axis.
The multiplayer mode offers players the chance to take part in deathmatches
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
allowing players to have dog fights
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...
.
Single Player mode has 5 missions total for either the USAAF, RAF or Luftwaffe. The missions include for the USAAF Operation Ratchet for bombing a German Rocket factory and Airfield Attack for attacking a Luftwaffe airfield. The RAF mission is called Wehrmacht Convoy in which you attack a convoy of German trucks. The Luftwaffe Missions are Channel Strike, attacking allied merchant ships, and Enemy Bombers Spotted, intercept allied bombers attempting to destroy a Luftwaffe airfield.
Quick Player mode is an option to choose the combat environment (fighters or bombers, altitude, target type etc.) and to choose friendly flight aircraft for a maximum total of 12 aircraft against a maximum enemy flight aircraft total of 12.
Campaign mode has just one Axis campaign, The Kanal Front, in which you attack English targets in the Channel and in southern England after 1943. The Allied campaign is Fortress Europe. The objective of the campaign is to attack Axis positions in the European Theater of Operations during 1944 before and after D-Day. The campaigns each feature 10 missions total.
Pilot Training is an area in which there are five training features for this simulation, some of which are not exactly Pilot Training missions. There is a Takeoff Lesson, a Landing Lesson, a Torpedo Attack Lesson, a Norden Bombsight
Norden bombsight
The Norden bombsight was a tachometric bombsight used by the United States Army Air Forces and the United States Navy during World War II, and the United States Air Force in the Korean and the Vietnam Wars to aid the crew of bomber aircraft in dropping bombs accurately...
Lesson and a Fixed Bombsight Lesson.
Jane's Attack Squadron also has a game options screen and a credit screen.
The simulation plays 1940's style swing music in the menus just like the earlier Jane's WWII Fighters
Jane's WWII Fighters
Jane's WWII Fighters is a World War II era European Theater of Operations Combat flight simulation video game set during the U.S. American termed "Battle of the Bulge" in 1944 and 1945. The combat flight simulation was copyrighted in 1998 but was released in 1999...
in feel. However the musical selection is much more limited than Jane's WWII Fighters. The simulation doesn't have the Ace Pilot interviews or the Museum Area that Jane's WWII Fighters has. However, it does have a reference area for the featured aircraft, ground and naval units. A mission editor is included with the game.
Flight Combat: Thunder Over Europe
Flight Combat: Thunder Over Europe was a World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
bomber sim based on the ZOAR engine used in the first and second Flight Unlimited games, was cancelled when Looking Glass Studios went out of business in 2000. The game was later reworked and released as Jane's Attack Squadron
Jane's Attack Squadron
Jane's Attack Squadron is a World War II flight simulator computer game for the PC. It was created by Looking Glass Studios, then finished by Mad Doc Software. It was published by Xicat Interactive, Inc.. It was released in the North America on March 22, 2002.-Gameplay:In Jane's Attack Squadron,...
, when Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
took over as publisher (a move which also necessitated a new ground-attack focus to the game). It was subsequently picked up by Mad Doc Software who had hired several of the original development team, and was released in March 2002 by Xicat Interactive, Inc., albeit in a bug-ridden and altogether unfinished
Unfinished work
An unfinished work is creative work that has not been finished. Its creator may have chosen never to finish it or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances outside of their control such as death. Such pieces are often the subject of speculation as to what the finished piece would have...
state.
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
spent two and a half years developing the game, but Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
decided no longer to publish simulators and so pulled funding. After Looking Glass had stopped developing the game, an online petition was initiated by an employee of the company to encourage Electronic Arts to let the team complete it. Over 2000 signatures were gathered.
A deal between Xicat Interactive, Inc. and Jane's Information Group
Jane's Information Group
Jane's Information Group is a publishing company specializing in transportation and military topics.-History:It was founded by Fred T...
was made which allowed Mad Doc Software
Mad Doc Software
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
to finish the game and Xicat Interactive, Inc. to license and publish it.
Reception
Jane's Attack Squadron received generally low to poor reviews; IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it a 4.5 of 10.
External links
- Jane's Attack Squadron at Mad Doc SoftwareMad Doc SoftwareRockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
- Jane's Attack Squadron at GamespotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Jane's Attack Squadron at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...