Apache Longbow PC Video Game

[moggie]

Seriously folks, this is for work related purposes.

I am trying to get hold of a copy of a PC video game called Apache longbow, produced by a British firm called Digital integration. It had better be an original as the PPRuNe watchdogs disliked my reference to copies!

If anyone can help, could you e-mail me at

[email protected]

Thanks

[simfly]

The game you need is Longbow II (by Janes), lent it to a friend 2 years ago, still waiting!!

[blave]

DI's Apache Longbow and Jane's Longbow series are two different sims. DI's had a companion one based on the Hind, which I have around here somewhere.

I presume the requestor is specifically looking for the DI sim...

Dave Blevins

[moggie]

I'm happy to look at any REALLY good Apache game - however, I have been advised by the Army Air Corps experts (!) that the DI one is the dogs whatsits! Mainly because the weapons and tactics side of it is so realistic that they recommend their blokes to get hold of it, too.

Open to advice, though.

[Slickdriver]

Moggie,

I may be able to assist with a copy, but it'll have to come from Australia. Sorry, don't have a manual though.

Agreed, this (was) the best sim of its type, although I haven't played it for a long time (3 yrs or so). The graphics aren't super-dooper compared to newer games but it's realism more than makes up for it (and I do fly RWs for a living, so I'm not making it up).

[blave]

Having spent an inordinate amount of time in Jane's Longbow 2 sim when it was "current", and doing a lot of research on the type, I personally think that it's the superior sim in terms of realism, and much more playable to boot. The flight model is fairly primitive (e.g. if I flew a real helo the way I used to fly the LB over hill and dale, I'd've made a big hole in the ground - it doesn't model things like Settling With Power, etc. at all) but it's a lot of fun to fly and the weapons systems emulation seems to be very well done. For instance, you can send/receive PFZs (Priority Fire Zones) to/from your wingmates... simulating the Electronic Battlefield that the US Army likes to talk about so much.

The big problem with LB2 is that its graphics are Glide-based and fixed at 640x480, and Glide stuff pretty much requires a 3dfx Voodoo-type card. There is a Direct 3D patch of sorts that is available, but it has some visual artifacts that are apparently quite annoying (missile trails being drawn as vectors rather than with white smoke, for example).

The 3dfx graphics in LB2 are quite beautiful though, if you have the right (i.e. antiquated!) hardware.

BTW, there is another Apache sim underway by a hardcore LB2 fan - check this out:

http://www.combat-helo.com/

I'm not sure this will ever see the light of day but I sure hope it does. The team that did the original Longbow series of sims for Electronic Arts is long gone and dispersed.

Dave Blevins

Edit: I completely forgot to mention the Razorworks sims - they did two "linked" sims called Apache-Havoc and Comanche-Hokum. These are somewhat newer than either LB2 or the DI offering, and as such will run on current-generation PC hardware. The realism is not quite up to what LB2 had, but both sims are still quite worthwhile. See http://www.razorworks.com/enemyengaged/index.html for more info.