Jane's Combat Simulations: F-15

Overview

Jane's F-15 is a combat flight simulator developed by Origin Systems, which then became EA Baltimore, and published by EA. It was directed by Andy Hollis who was also a programmer for Microprose's F-15 Strike Eagle II and F-15 Strike Eagle III. As such, Jane's F-15 can be considered the spiritual successor to those games, with some people calling it F-15 Strike Eagle IV. Though it came out at the same year as Falcon 4.0, the flight sim that threatened to end all flight sims, Jane's F-15 sold reasonably well enough to warrant a sequel, Jane's F/A-18. The game's graphics engine was reused in the EA budget title: Fighter Pilot. Jane's F-15 remains one of the most realistic flight sims and is, for now, the most realistic at simulating the F-15E Strike Eagle.

Gameplay

Jane's F-15 is the most realistic flight simulator for the F-15E. Every knob, switch, button and light in the cockpit works as it does on the real fighter jet. Jane's F-15 is not a perfect emulation of the Strike Eagle as there are still some classified materials regarding that aircraft. Though the aircraft in real life has been known to rarely go into a flat spin, in game it is very hard to perform such a feat. The player flies from the pilots seat of the aircraft and uses the mouse to press the buttons/ switches in the cockpit or uses a hotkey/ button on the keyboard/ joystick. The player can also switch to the Weapon's Systems Officer (WSO) seat and operate the aircraft from that position. The WSO typically guides the weapons to the target and manages the radar though in the game, its not especially important in the game as everything can be done from the pilot's seat.

The game features many external camera views, typical in a Jane's Combat Flight Sim, though there is no HUD in these views. The player can command a flight of up to eight planes including the player's own. This allows flexibility during missions as some wingmen can be configured for air to air while others for air to ground. The player has a large extensive list of wingman orders at his disposal allowing the player to set the formation type and how the wingmen engage their targets. A computer generated voice, acting as the WSO, will constantly provide updates to the player.

Because this game is a flight sim, it has a steep learning curve of 10+ hours. To help the player, the game features a 20+ mission tutorial in addition to a thick manual to teach the player how to fly. Training missions are short and simple, teaching only one lesson such as firing the AIM-9 or dropping the GBU-15. Numerous options can also be turned on to allow the game to be slightly less realistic such as "no blackout" or "infinite ammo". The official strategy guide published by Prima has over 320 pages detailing procedures and what to do in specific situations.

The game features two campaigns, one set during Desert Storm and the other in a fictional campaign with Iran. Unlike other Jane's Combat Sims, the campaign in Jane's F-15 is fully dynamic allowing for random events to happen. Numerous real world aircraft populate the game as NPC's and the player can call on allies for help. The game also features a single mission mode, where a random mission is played, as well as a mission editor to allow the player to create their own missions.

The game features 4v4 air to air multiplayer via LAN or online. There are no co-op missions in this game.

Weapons

Because the F-15E is capable of fielding almost the entire US arsenal of bombs and missiles, a wide variety of ordnance is available for the player. Weapons behave and must be guided realistically unless the player turns on cheats. Players have the option to make their own loadouts and save them or use preset loadouts used by the US Air Force