Falcon 5

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FALCON 5 IN DEVELOPMENT
Aviation Features
Falcon 5 In Development

By Derek Davis 30th August 2023
FEATURE
A legend returns home!
As we reported in our previous edition of PC Pilot, renowned and much-respected publisher MicroProse, announced that it had reacquired the copyright to its popular Falcon series. In its press release, MicroProse said: “We are thrilled to continue the Falcon franchise with new products in the future, building on the legacy of this iconic series.”

MicroProse’s popular Falcon series pushed the limits of what was thought possible for desktop combat flight simulation at the time, setting a benchmark for highly realistic flight models, terrain, radar and weapon systems and AI. Most notably, Falcon 4.0 included a highly sophisticated and fully dynamic campaign, which many still feel has never been bettered.

“We have incredible plans to make Falcon 5.0 very special and, once again, the benchmark in combat flight sims.” David Lagettie Derek Davis
As acknowledged by MicroProse in its press release, the Falcon series was further developed to unforeseen levels of fidelity by Benchmark Simulations (BMS) with its Falcon BMS mod for Falcon 4.0, which has maintained an interest in the franchise since its release. Significantly, MicroProse said it was “committed to fully supporting Benchmark Simulations’ efforts in any way possible.”

It also made a point of saying: “With MicroProse's support, there is no end in sight for the work of the BMS Team. The future of the Falcon franchise looks bright, and we can't wait to share more with you soon."

So, prompted by that latter statement, I invited MicroProse’s CEO, David Lagettie, to talk to us about the company’s reacquisition of the Falcon copyright and also provide us with an update on its other ongoing projects.

F-35B on the ground with everything deployed! The graphic realism is breathtaking! Derek Davis
Reacquiring the Falcon copyright
PC Pilot: Hi David, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us about your reacquisition of the Falcon series and your other ongoing projects. May I begin by asking why it was important for you to reacquire the Falcon copyright?

David Lagettie: With MicroProse returning to publishing and developing games again over the last couple of years, one of its biggest goals was to re-enter the flight simulation domain and we had our eyes firmly on Falcon. To me it was very important that the Falcon copyright returned to MicroProse. Being one of the key IPs that helped define MicroProse, it was so important to bring it home.

So, when the opportunity presented itself, we did everything possible to reacquire the Falcon copyright. I won’t go into the details of the contract, but it was a process that played out over several years and we had to ensure that it would not only enable us to continue to update the currently available games but also move forward and work on sequels to the game. I’d go through the process again in a heartbeat in order to secure the rights for this incredible franchise.

This overhead view of Falcon 5.0’s F-35B affords a look at the overall shape of the aircraft and the aircraft’s distinctive panelling. Derek Davis
It also set the foundation for the development of Falcon 5.0 – the plans for which we have now put in motion. We have incredible plans to make Falcon 5.0 very special and, once again, the benchmark in combat flight sims. We will have more to say on Falcon 5.0 later in the year, but it's happening. We also wanted to update the earlier Falcon versions on Steam and Good Old Games (GOG) to fix up the builds with easier launchers, expand the compatibility, update documentation and so on which we have now completed.

Also, I'd like to mention the incredible work the Benchmark Sim group has done to keep Falcon 4.0 alive and well, with the Falcon BMS mod. It's truly incredible and MicroProse will 100% support them. We plan to supply the BMS group with hundreds of new updated art assets for the BMS mod and direct dev support. We want the Falcon 4.0 community to grow and support the Falcon franchise.

Also, the BMS mod will now be much easier to install via Steam and GOG and soon our own MicroProse distribution centre. Incredible updates are coming later in the year with the BMS Mod for Falcon 4.0.

An aerial view of Falcon 5.0’s stunning F-35B in flight. Derek Davis
Falcon 5.0
PC Pilot: Would you be able to give us a general broad-brush outline of your main objectives for Falcon 5.0?

David Lagettie: I'd need a few pages to do this but the goal with Falcon 5.0 is to make it a worthy product for the Falcon Franchise. We want to pick up where Falcon 4.0 left off and expand the game to a fully evolving world, with ever-expanding theatres to operate from, as well as eras to revisit. We want to support the community with great mod tools, so the possibilities within the game will be endless.

We also want to support not only the hardcore flight sim community but gamers who just want to get in and fly. So, we plan to have different levels of entry in the game. I should also mention that with Falcon we are going to support many aircraft on release, including the F-35 (see accompanying shots).

This rendering of the underside of Falcon 5.0’s F-35B provides an excellent view of the aircraft’s internal details. Derek Davis
The importance of Falcon
PC Pilot: Why is Falcon so important to you and to MicroProse in general?

David Lagettie: Again, it's a real foundation game for MicroProse. I grew up on Falcon. It helped shape what I do today and is one of the reasons MicroProse is back. I mean, even after 20-plus years, Falcon 4.0 with the Falcon BMS mod is today still considered one of the best combat flight sims and we have recently teamed up with BMS to fully support the Falcon BMS mod well into the future.

PC Pilot: In your opinion, what makes the Falcon series so special?

David Lagettie: From the beginning, it was an incredible game, ahead of its time and its evolution over the years from Falcon, Falcon AT, Falcon 3.0 to Falcon 4.0 was amazing. The manuals for Falcon 3.0 and 4.0 are iconic. The attention to detail, the scale of Falcon 4.0 and the dynamic campaign system really, again, was ahead if its time.

PC Pilot: What are your fondest memories of playing Falcon?

David Lagettie: There are plenty of memories. Probably the fondest memories I have were building a null-modem cable to link two Amiga 500 machines together and go head-to-head with one of my good mates. We did this so many weekends, had hundreds of dogfights and made missions where one would defend the airfield and the other sneak in and attack and flee. The damage system was good for the time. Even loss of fuel and sub-systems failing was possible. Great times!

A fine study of Falcon 5.0’s F-16C Block 40. Derek Davis
Other MicroProse projects
PC Pilot: Moving our attention away from Falcon, can you tell us about the progress of your two B-17 simulations and any other up-and-coming projects you have in the pipeline?

David Lagettie: Work continues on B-17 Flying Fortress: The Bloody 100th. There is an enormous amount of work going into this game. For example, we are building out all the main target areas across Europe with great detail which is no small feat. We are also adding into the game the ability to fly other bombers like the B-24, B-25, and B-26. There is going to be a big focus on crew management.

An overview of the Falcon 5.0’s F-35B cockpit. Derek Davis
The remake of B-17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty Eighth continues with significant progress. We are hoping to have at least early access by the end of the year. We expect to expand the missions over the original game and add some new game modes into the release. It’s a lot of fun seeing this remake come together.

This view shows the level of detail that has been incorporated into the F-35B’s cockpit. Derek Davis
There is an interesting story about the rescue of the source code for B:17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty Eighth. It took many years to locate the source code and just when we nearly gave up it turned up on an old PC that was in one of the older employee’s attic on a busted PC with a four-year-old Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) hard drives. After getting the PC running, which took some time, the latest source code was located, and it really was ‘a needle in a haystack’ moment. The huge task started to take the code from DirectX 7 to DirectX 12 and continues today.

The Mighty Eighth VR is progressing well and again we hope to have early access to the game towards the end of the year. We are building a very comprehensive visual damage model system, which will play a big part in crew and aircraft management.

A view of the port side of Falcon 5.0’s F-16 cockpit showing the throttle lever, left auxiliary console and the left MFD (Multi-Function Display). Derek Davis
We are also happy to mention as we return to our roots, that we are working hard on an Apache AH-64 simulator game in the authentic MicroProse style: a story, meaningful choices and consequences to bad decisions. Apache is a project we have been working on for around three years and we will be making an official announcement in the near future.

In addition, we recently signed Combat Air Patrol 2 (CAP2) as publisher in partnership with the developer. We are working closely with the developer to release a very comprehensive update to the game, which is still in early access. The developer is the original who created Combat Air Patrol by Psygnosis back in 1993, which is incredible. There are substantial plans around the propriety engine for CAP2, including a new Battle of Britain combat simulator, which we will announce later in the