How Fleet Defender compares to SF2:NA?

[Stratos 3,192]

Wondering If ayone here ever spend enough time playing the old Microprose Fleet Defender so it can say how it compares to our SF2:NA in terms of realism and gameplay. Evrything I read about this is how realistic is, but of course it was released in 1994 IIRC and things changed quite a bit. So If is there any Fleet Defender jockey please explain a bit your opinion comparing both games.

 

Thanks!

[ataribaby 18]

Found FD avionics far superior to SF2:NA. Especially radar modes and operations. You can switch to back guy RIO operator and operates this powerful radar into detail. FD also has TV camera mode on VDU. I do not like FM in FD. Always felt its so heavy and unresponsive. With belly tanks you are sitting duck. Dogfights are very hard and unpleasant. BVR experience is excellent. SF2:NA lacks that full avionics experience and on other hand FM dynamics are pretty sweet and I finally feel like Tom Cruise as in Top Gun. Also it has sort of dynamic campaign. FD if my memory doesn't fail me has canned missions campaigns with randomization elements .

 

So to sum it up I will say FD is more hardcore.

 

Hope it helps. Both are very nice F14 sims.

Edited April 8, 2015 by ataribaby

[Caesar 305]

Ataribaby hit the nail on the head.  FD did a great job with the avionics, but the FM wasn't great.  Your approach speed around the carrier was ridiculously high, and the plane almost always felt sluggish, even after you had fired all of your missiles.  The radar modes were very accurate and highly detailed.  With respect to the campaigns, the missions were canned, but had a lot of possibilities, since success or failure would lead you down a different path to a different mission.

[Stratos 3,192]

Thanks guys! That was useful, never imagined that such and old title will mimic the avionics so properly, but instead fail in the FM department. I have the Gold pack in the big box, but it not works on my PC so I maybe try to get the Steam version sometime in the future.

 

Again, thanks a lot for your time!

[Caesar 305]

Stratos,

 

You can still play it if you have DOSBox.  I have a copy running on my computer now; but it works best with DOSBox v.73.  v.74 did away with one of the config files that you can modify to help the program understand your stick and throttle.  I think you can copy that existing config file from a v.73 to a v.74 install; it's been a while since I've looked at it, though.