Search the Community

Ladies and Gentlemen, The latest iteration of the Microprose Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.37 U5 - is available for you to enjoy RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.37 U5 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. For those of you who are new to Falcon and still need a legacy Falcon 4.0 license, you’re lucky, as there are various season sales going on. Retroism GOG If you have already installed Falcon BMS 4.37 you will need to launch the “updater.exe” in Falcon BMS root folder (or from the new launcher). Alternatively, you can use the offline incremental installer available on the Falcon BMS Download page. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Microprose Inc and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. After the update, when starting BMS, the version string in the BMS UI will now read: FALCON BMS 4.37.5 (X64) BUILD 2943 Be advised that experimental arm64 exe are available! A big THANK YOU to everyone in the BMS development team and to the gents from Microprose who made this release possible! CHANGE LOG https://www.falcon-bms.com/changelogs/falcon-bms-4-37-5/ Text from Benchmark Sims https://www.falcon-bms.com/changelogs/falcon-bms-4-37-5/

Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the entire BMS development team, I am happy to announce that the latest iteration of the Microprose Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.37 U4 - is available for you to enjoy RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.37 U4 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. DISCLAIMER: Please make sure to have a clean base (no installed mods) before update… For those of you who are new to Falcon and still need a legacy Falcon 4.0 license, you’re lucky, as there are various season sales going on. Retroism GOG If you have already installed BMS 4.37 Full Installer you will need to launch the “updater.exe” in Falcon BMS root folder (or from the new launcher). Alternatively, you can use the offline incremental installer available on the Falcon BMS Download page. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Tommo Inc and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. After the update, when starting BMS, the version string in the BMS UI will now read: FALCON BMS 4.37.4 (X64) BUILD 2355 A big THANK YOU to everyone in the BMS development team and to the gents from Microprose and Tommo who made this release possible! Changelog: https://www.falcon-bms.com/changelogs/falcon-bms-4-37-4/ (Text from BMS)

New 2024 interview with Falcon 4.0 campaign creator Kevin Klemmick.

The latest iteration of the Tommo Inc Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.37 U3 - is available for you to enjoy RIGHT NOW with some major changes ( See change log below) BMS 4.37 U3 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. For those of you who are new to Falcon and still need a legacy Falcon 4.0 license, you’re lucky, as there are various season sales going on. Retroism GOG If you have already installed BMS 4.37 Full Installer you will need to launch the “updater.exe” in Falcon BMS root folder (or from the new launcher). Alternatively, you can use the offline incremental installer available on the Falcon BMS Download page. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Tommo Inc and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. After the update, when starting BMS, the version string in the BMS UI will now read: FALCON BMS 4.37.3 (X64) BUILD 1329 CHANGELOG https://www.falcon-bms.com/changelogs/falcon-bms-4-37-3/ A big THANK YOU to everyone in the BMS development team and to the gents from TOMMO INC who made this release possible! Download https://www.falcon-bms.com/downloads/

Microprose announce they have reacquired the copyright for the Falcon series and sounds like there will be upcoming work along with continuing to work with Benchmark Sims (BMS).

The latest iteration of the Tommo Inc Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.37 U2 - is available for you to enjoy RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.37 U2 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. For those of you who are new to Falcon and still need a legacy Falcon 4.0 license, you’re lucky, as there are various season sales going on. Retroism GOG If you have already installed BMS 4.37 Full Installer you will need to launch the “updater.exe” in Falcon BMS root folder (or from the new launcher). Alternatively, you can use the offline incremental installer available on the Falcon BMS Download page. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Tommo Inc and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. After the update, when starting BMS, the version string in the BMS UI will now read: FALCON BMS 4.37.2 (X64) BUILD 521 DISCLAIMER: Do not update over a modded 3D KTO Database, it will corrupt your install… CHANGELOG https://www.falcon-bms.com/changelogs/falcon-bms-4-37-2/ A big THANK YOU to everyone in the BMS development team and to the gents from TOMMO INC who made this release possible!

The latest iteration of the Tommo Inc Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.36 U3 - is available for you to enjoy RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.36 U3 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U3 is an incremental update on top of 4.36 base + U1 + U2, so you need to have the BMS 4.36 Full Installer package and Update 1 and Update 2 available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.36 base + U1 +U2 installation as well as perform a fresh 4.36 base + U1 + U2 + U3 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Tommo Inc and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. Installation instructions (they will be shown as well once you run the U3 installer): DESTINATION FOLDER: Update 3 must be targeted at the original Falcon BMS 4.36 Setup folder, NOT at your Falcon BMS installation location! After the update installer has been finished, it will run the Falcon BMS Setup program to either apply the update to an existing BMS 4.36 base + U1 + U2 installation (choose ‘Manage product updates’), or perform a fresh 4.36 base + U1 + U2 + U3 installation from scratch. Please refer to: WIKI Installation page to see how to proceed with BMS update.

The latest iteration of the Tommo Inc Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.36 U2 - is available for you to enjoy RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.36 U2 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U2 is an incremental update on top of 4.36 base + U1, so you need to have the BMS 4.36 Full Installer package and Update 1 available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.36 base + U1 installation as well as perform a fresh 4.36 base + U1 + U2 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Tommo Inc and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. Change log https://www.falcon-bms.com/changelogs/falcon-bms-4-36-update-2/

the latest iteration of the Tommo Inc Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.36 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.36 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. For those of you who are new to Falcon and still need a legacy Falcon 4.0 license, you’re lucky, as there are various season sales going on. Retroism GOG Note that this is NOT an exhaustive list of where to buy Falcon 4.0, it’s just a list of retailers known to me (best effort) that offer sales/discounts, for your convenience. The list will not be updated. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Tommo Inc and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. NOTES: 4.36 is not an update to the former 4.35, but a new independent base installation 4.36 can co-exist with 4.35 on the same machine — The build number string in the Falcon UI will read “4.36.0 (x64) Build 26181” for the base installation A big THANK YOU to everyone in the BMS development team and to the gents from TOMMO INC who made this release possible! Now download and enjoy! Falcon BMS 4.36 is now available to download from https://www.falcon-bms.com/downloads/ Trailer By Br3No ==========Disclaimer========== Video contains some visual and sound effects that are not included in the official 4.36 release. (e.g. Tacview overlay, some blur effects) ==========Info========== The following features and improvements of 4.36 are presented in the video: 0:25 - Weather (Implemented shower Clouds) 0:38 - Ext. Lights (Fully implemented Ext. Lights) 0:52 - Airfields (New & Improved AirPorts) 1:04 - AAR (Basket Refueling & AAR Code Improvements) 1:19 - Skins (New & Updated Skins) 1:34 - Night Lighting (Light Polution & Reflections) 1:47 - AI (Enhanced Artificial Intelligence) 1:57 - Graphics (Improved Visual Effects) 2:08 - AI COMMS (New Commands Menu) 2:08 - TGT Assignment (Multiple Target Assignment) 2:13 - JHMCS (Improved HMCS Functionality) 2:13 - Avionics (Enhanced Avionics) 2:20 - A-A (Revised ARH Guidance) 2:20 - A-G (Improved CCRP Mode) 2:34 - JTAC And there is a lot more to discover by your own ==========Discords/Websides========== DISCORD - https://discord.gg/KQNHQBz WEBSIDE - https://www.falcon-bms.com REDDIT - https://www.reddit.com/r/falconbms/ YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnyVS5IhXmUShjl8nTQ85rw ==========Soundtrack========== INFRACTION - HERO 3D Changelog New / updated ============= - New details and fixes for all new airbases: RKNN - RJOI - RKJJ - RKJK - RKPK - RKPS - RKSM - RKSO - RKSW - RKTI - RKTN - RKTY - ZKTS – ZKUJ. - New static assets for KTO - New / updated ground units 3D assets (M901 ITV, 61-K Gun, M60A3, Skyguard Radar, MDK-2M, M117, BL-755, AS-34, M88A2, Gwanggaeto CLS, M109, - New / updated plane skins or 3D models (Mirage F1, MQ-9 Reaper, Ka-52, F-4, F-16, A-50, Su-35, CH-53, B-52G, B-52H, OH-58D, U-2, J-20, Yak-38, C-17, F-104, WD-1, MV-22, IL-76/78, Jaguar A) - New pylons and elements (LM-39, RPL-35 and RPL-201, R Su-35SK Hard AA, RPL-35-AA tank) - New weapons (AGM-65E, AGM-65L, PL-15, YL-12, YL-14, AS-30L) - F-16 Cockpits light panels updated for new light code - New external lights added to compatible planes - New Basket air refueling models and pods Fixed ============= - Cockpit fixes (M2000 all variants, AV-8B, F-18) - F-16 Cockpits misc. updates (all variants) Removed ============= - Old plane cockpits removed (F-22, F-14) Data Changelog Campaign / Tactical Engagement ============================== - Validac.dat removed to be replaced by XML file (InvalidAcTypes.XML -> List of non-available plane types) - TvT campaign refactored - station+ils.dat updated - Updated ATC sounds for some airbases (some airbases pronunciations have changed to match real life) -- Choongwon AB => Jungwon AB (RKTI) -- Chongju AB => Cheongju AB (RKTU) -- Kangnung AB => Gangneung AB (RKNN) -- Kimhae Airport => Gimhae Intl Airport (RKPK) -- Kimpo Airport => Gimpo Intl Airport (RKSS) -- Kunsan Airbase => Gunsan Airbase (RKJK) -- Kwangju AB => Gwangju AB (RKJJ) -- Nachodka AB => Uglovoye AB -- Taegu AB => Daegu AB (RKTN) -- Sachon AB => Sacheon AB (RKPS) -- Yechon AB => Yecheon AB (RKTY) -- Wonsan AB => Kalma Airport (ZKWS) -- Pyongtaek AB => Pyongtaek AAF (RKSG) - Named "A-511 Camp Humphreys" in Jeppesen and DOD. -- Shenyang Airbase => Shenyang Beiling Airbase -- Sunch'on Airbase => Sunchon Airbase (ZKSC) - ATC file fixes - Added and fixed multiple training missions - Camo.cfg removed to be directly managed in cam / tac files - New airbases in Japan/South Korea (Hiroshima, Incheon, Iwami, Muan, Tsushima, Yangyang) - New terrain textures layers - Fixed ZSU 23-4 ring in PPT.ini - New PPT.ini entries - Objectives names now saved in TE or campaign file (wch / idx files in campaign folder) - Updated KTO weather maps (for 31 days instead of 17) - Campaigns triggers fixed for: Win, Loose, Timeout, Stalemate - Updated UI map Assets ============= - New sounds for external elements (Chaff/Flare, AB, Gear, Wind, …) - New cockpit callbacks (key file updated) - Fixes for many ground and sea units radars and symbols - Fixes on AG missiles and bombs data - Database cleanup to free up slots - HAD/HAS complete rework (symbols) - Fixed WASP landings - Many Planes loadouts corrected / adjusted - Some flight models fixed / added (F1-CT, MQ-9, Su-35, Rafale C, F-104, MV-22, F-4, Jaguar A) - Many missiles and weapons FM files updated - New Afterburner detent click in cockpit (set g_bAfterburnerDetentClick) Art / Effects ============== - New system (MFD + HUD) font - Fixed Heat blur effect - Improved burning effect - Improved BLU-107 effects Code Changelog General ======== - Performance improvements - Multiple stability fixes - Multiple code « races » fixed (freeze and crash) - Multiple BMS editor fixes and improvements - Adding in avionic editor new MMC features - Added capacity for more DX keys per device (g_nButtonsPerDevice : from 32 to 128) - Customization of rotary switches: -- g_nIntuitiveSwitches 1 invert the switches norm for the left cockpit panel , which means for left panel , left click down , right up ; and right panel left up , right down... -- g_nIntuitiveSwitches 2 allows to invert totally that NORM for switches g_nInvertRotaries 1 . -- Allow inversion of the norm for all rotaries which becomes then Left click anticlock-wise, right click clockwise -- Default is g_nInvertRotaries 0, g_nIntuitiveSwitches 0 - Adding a factor named g_f3DPitButtonDetectFactor to make the cockpit mouse anchoring a little more tunable to help when screen res is high and/or head trackers are set on higher rates etc. - Change in g_bNoAiForHumanControlledSqd behavior For human controlled squadron: AI is now able to spawn, taxi and take off, however, they will abort and land immediately if no player has taken a seat after takeoff. if a player is leaving an aircraft, AI will take over and bring back the aircraft to base (force RTB) and will not engage. - Multiplayer Fog of war: (g_bFogOfWarSave) If Set to 1, a client can save only the units of his team or allied, and the enemy spotted units - ACMI improved (compilation vastly improved and size limit removed in UI) - Tanker remains hosted on HOST instead of being handed over to clients during refuel in MP - Added a “Falcon BMS User.cfg” that will supersede “Falcon BMS.cfg” parameters - MP connectivity: (client can now specify a different port IPv4:port or IPv6:port for both BMS and IVC – BMS Host will need to set: g_nServerPort) - g_CalibrationHg setting is now MP transferred. - IVC updated (now supports 96 clients and UHF / VHF offset to right or left possible) - RTT Remote update for optimizations - New OFM ground handling code - Possible to change loadout in UI if flights already in 3D (fix) - Increased MP data block size transfer Game Engine ============== - Multiple Campaign engine fixes - Ground units behavior changes (more aggressive in offensive posture) - Improvements to naval operations - Improvement in ground unit self-defense towards missiles - Multiple MP packages / flights creation and deletion issues fixed - Added pilot “G Training” model for pilots (TE and campaign but disabled in dogfight - g_bEnableGtraining) - Multiples ATC fixes (loops and crashes) - ATC improvements for traffic handling - ATC weather information improvements (Text to speech) - Prevent AI waste of missiles on dead targets - JTAC Implementation (See docs for more information) - Improved Airport traffic flow management - Improved flight ATO generation in campaigns - Fix CTD when exiting from 3D, if user does try to fly a helicopter. - Flight disaggregation / reaggregation “bubbles” are now dynamic to adapt to long range missiles AI Behavior ============== - Fix AI unable to employ Harm efficiently - AI now evaluates clear avenue of fire before shooting - Major Air AI improvements: -- Combat Comms -- Target Selection routines -- WVR engagements -- Incoming missiles detection fix -- Separation routines -- Fuel Management routines -- AG mission defensive routines -- Sync Bingo settings with leader -- AI ground Attack total rewrite (tactic for every weapon and Hi / Low profiles for at-tack) -- Clear avenue of fire (make sure that no friendlies are in the way) - Fix AI Jettison AG too soon when engaged by a missile. - Fix AI REJOIN behavior while in the tanker queue - Improve AI rejoin speed management UI ====== - New Comms in game menu panel (new design, can be moved around and placed anywhere on screen) - New windowed radio subtitles: Enable by setting config file variable g_bWindowedRadioSubtitles to 1. - Allocate different targets on flight plan to flight members in recon screen - TACAN tooltip now displayed in 2D map - Save TACAN info for flights to the campaign/TE files. - Team passwords in MP. Rendering Engine ==================== - Multiple fixes of rendering engine and 3D assets handling - Light pollution implementation - Fog completely reworked for better effect and rendering - Global Improvement for weather code - Clouds now cast rain (Shower cumulus) - Fixed LOD computation in POOR or INCLEMENT weathers - Better sky lighting color transition - ICP and MFD buttons press logic reworked - Light strobe effect on clouds - New aircraft burn effects - New “TOP GUN” internal view layout - Pre-tinted HUD (set g_bHudViewCanopyTint 0) - Smart scaling reworked - New IR shaders for better units on terrain IR visibility Systems ========= - LGB, JDAM, WCMD bombs reworked for better trajectory compute - Bomber attack bays open / close shared in MP - TFR Fix and improvements - Anti-skid / Breaking logic reworked - Fix for wind effects to weapons and computation - New external plane lights code (support for strobe, formation, tail, A/R refuel trap) - Drogue / Basket Air Refuel support (KC-10, KDC-10, KC-135R, KC-135E, C-160R, IL-78) - New MFD time format to 000:00 - RWR reworked for better display accuracy - FLCS improvements - Anti-Ice improvements - Open VHF frequency from 30 000 Mhz to 61 000 Mhz - UHF intra-flight implementation - Changed Caution Light behavior - For F-16, after landing only fully open the speed brake if the nose is down - Hung store implementation: For weapons with time to pickle, if the pickle is un-pressed before the release, there is a 30% chance the weapon will be stuck. HANG stores will be displayed afterward if another release is attempted. - Reduce RWR range accuracy for missile detected - Store-Jettison Page: -- S-J upgrade is now acting as a main master mode, configurable via DTC. -- S-J cannot be access in DGF/MRM overrides but SJ selection is memorized and displays when cancel DGF/MRM override -- S-J cannot be access during BIT test -- S-J cannot be access in WOW or Right Main Landing Gear Down and locked unless GND JETT is selected - New DECLUTTER for FCR AA and FCR AG (Fix all MFD pages for the "DCLT" Labeling) - EM Environment upgrade: -- AI ability to employ correct radar AA mode depending on tactical situation: RWS / TWS / TWS soft lock / RWS SAM / RWS / STT -- Fix RWR bug that was always considering AI AA radar and missile radars scan and azi-muth wide opened -- fix <M> spot received on the RWR of non-targeted aircraft despite Missile being active and tracking. -- Be aware an AI STTing will likely no longer appear in the RWR unless actively target-ed. -- Fix missing <M> rwr spike in some situations -- Fix a bug where AI was reacting to HPRF instead of MPRF - HMCS upgraded (A/G operations, RWR symbology, alignment procedure) - Complete rework of gunsights modes - AG radar improvement and fixes (MFD rendering, Radar scan reworked) - GM and SEA Radar improvement (displays static objects but moving vehicle as well) - VIP and VRP mode rework Weapons ========= - AGM-88 reworked (New DED Tables, added DTC page, improved HUD, battery time) - AGM-65L implemented (Early implementation of Laser guided mavericks) - AAA rework (ammunition time of flight, accuracy) - Maverick multiples fixes and improvements - AA Missiles logic and homing radar logic completely reworked for better realism (Fox3) Change log https://www.falcon-bms.com/changelogs/falcon-bms-4-36-changelog/

By Br3No ==========Disclaimer========== Video contains some visual and sound effects that are not included in the official 4.36 release. (e.g. Tacview overlay, some blur effects) ==========Info========== The following features and improvements of 4.36 are presented in the video: 0:25 - Weather (Implemented shower Clouds) 0:38 - Ext. Lights (Fully implemented Ext. Lights) 0:52 - Airfields (New & Improved AirPorts) 1:04 - AAR (Basket Refueling & AAR Code Improvements) 1:19 - Skins (New & Updated Skins) 1:34 - Night Lighting (Light Polution & Reflections) 1:47 - AI (Enhanced Artificial Intelligence) 1:57 - Graphics (Improved Visual Effects) 2:08 - AI COMMS (New Commands Menu) 2:08 - TGT Assignment (Multiple Target Assignment) 2:13 - JHMCS (Improved HMCS Functionality) 2:13 - Avionics (Enhanced Avionics) 2:20 - A-A (Revised ARH Guidance) 2:20 - A-G (Improved CCRP Mode) 2:34 - JTAC And there is a lot more to discover by your own ==========Discords/Websides========== DISCORD - https://discord.gg/KQNHQBz WEBSIDE - https://www.falcon-bms.com REDDIT - https://www.reddit.com/r/falconbms/ YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnyVS5IhXmUShjl8nTQ85rw ==========Soundtrack========== INFRACTION - HERO

The latest iteration of the Billion Soft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.35 U2 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.35 U2 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U2 is an incremental update on top of 4.35 base + U1, so you need to have the BMS 4.35 Full Installer package and Update 1 available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.35 base + U1 installation as well as perform a fresh 4.35 base + U1 + U2 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. Generic Information & Known issues: =================================== — The build number string in the Falcon UI will read "4.35.2 (x64) Build 23835" after the update. — The shortcuts in the start menu and on your desktop will NOT be renamed to U2, they will still read "Falcon BMS 4.35" after the update, feel free to rename them manually. — The following change log is by no means complete. Its purpose is to give you a quick overview about the highlights. You can expect tons of smaller tweaks and fixes. — If you have any questions or found bugs regarding the change log items please always! reference the revision number, e.g. "(r12345)". — Note: None of the manuals have been updated yet. The 4.35.1 manuals remain valid. File Updates: ============= - Falcon BMS.cfg - IVC Client.ini - RTTClient.ini - RTTServer.ini - Key Files - Note: Please always update the files manually. Don't copy paste! Table of content: ================= 01. CTD fixes 02. Falcon BMS.cfg changes 03. Shared Memory changes 04. Tool updates 05. Key File & Input fixes & updates 06. Multiplayer fixes & improvements 07. ATC fixes & improvements 08. Weather fixes & improvements 09. Various code fixes & improvements 10. Various data fixes & improvements 01. CTD fixes: ============== - Fixed CTDs related to gndai. (r23563) - Fixed CTDs after map erase, iterator is invalided for that position. (r23591) - Avoid dangling pointer after deleting pn->subPartData. (r23592) - CTD fix when pilot nid is above hardcoded 686. (r23637) - Fixed gndai waypoint CTD. (r23646) - CTD fix in the whole ATC state machine, rule out helos from ATC entirely. (r23681) - CTD fix in landme (null ptr check). (r23702) - Locked simloop UpdateATC, since this can be called from campaign thread (race condition CTD). (r23765) - Fixes alpha CTD due to different viewports. (r23432) - Fixes nullptr PAKmap CTD. (r23348) - CTD fix, related to nullptr insertion of GroupDrawLists. (r23356) - Fix for pure virtual CTDs. (r23389) - Tons of other CTD fixes. 02. Falcon BMS.cfg changes: =========================== - Added missing lines in the Falcon BMS.cfg (r14319): * set g_nRespawnTimeforStuckAI (default 6 minutes). ReagTimer and DeagTimer adjusted accordingly. * set g_bHostDisableP2pForDubiousConnections (default 0/false). Should be activated for large MP events. Note: - U2 *does* replace your existing config file. Do *not* make a backup! - Instead, re-configure from scratch based on the new file, otherwise you'll miss new config options. 03. Shared Memory changes ========================= NONE 04. Tool updates ================ - Fixed the BMS Editor 'Model Viewer' (r23421) 05. Key File & Input fixes & updates ==================================== NONE 06. Multiplayer fixes & improvements ==================================== NONE 07. ATC fixes & improvements ============================ - Make sure DigitalBrain rWindex is aligned with the ATC / Airbase in the whole landme function. (r23681) - ATCMsg is missing a break statement. In case of lParked, info can be destroyed and default case will access it. - Fix for ATCBrain::GetOppositeRunway (r23629) - pointer in ATCBrain::ProcessQueue() gets deleted twice. (r23652) - Fix in ATCBrain: Pointer nextTakeoff may become dangling during function. (r23660) 08. Weather fixes & improvements ================================ NONE 09. Various code fixes & improvements: ====================================== Note: The following changes may include data & 3ddb updates as well. - Fixed ground Units not reaggregating and memory corruption as well. (r23506) - Fixed ObjectLOD races -> missing cockpit and model problems. (r23562) - Fixed repairing code in campaign thread. It will now send a message to SimLoop thread and all clients to repair the given feature. (r23564) - Fix Squadron stores ressuply when aircraft are coming back home. (r23580) - Added critical section during ObjectLOD::Unload.This can avoid a leak, in the case of unload/load/unload sequences. (r23593) - Fix for out of bounds access in the O_Output WordWrap function. (r23606) - Prevent accessing the team array out of bounds. (r23607) - Avoid buffer overflow write, which caused memory corrupption in SetAcLoadout. (r23611) - Fixed TGP being blocked after loosing a flight element. (r23611) - When movieClose is called, we can release the surface twice, causing undefined behavior. (r23621) - BaseBrain lastTarget is not referencing the object it points to. As a result, it may become dangling when targetPtr is dereferenced. (r23627) - Fixed UI_UpdateOccupationMap (r23637) - Fixes deadlock due to ArrestorDraw. (r23639) - Fix for SimVehicleClass::Sleep is not nulling death message. (r23661) - Make sure to call ClearTarget on SimBrain destructor, to avoid leaks. (r23664) - Fix for Weapon fire msg is converting helicopter to aircraft. (r23665) - Fixed overruns within the 3D-interpolationfunction (MissileClass::GetRMax, GetRneMax and GetRopt)when it tries to access the assumed 3D-data. (r23692) - Added precondition checks and fixes in 1, 2 and 3D-interpolation function. (r23693) - Fixed bogus values being read outside the data table array. (r23693) - Fixed memory leak in SimWeapon::launcher. (r23718) - Fixed bad cockpit text drawing outside Start and Finish frame. (r23726) - Fixed memory corruption in CameraDrawList. (r23727) - Fixed zero devision in GetRMax. (r23736) - Fix to avoid deleting any waypoint from SimVehicleClass which is shared with gNavigationSys waypoints. (r23737) - Avoid dispatcher races (UI and campaign for example) when leaving campaign or 3d (depending on game type). (r23739) - Added Copy paste functionality in edit box and chat command line. (r23755) - AIM120 fixes: That makes MADDOG shots a defensive of WVR mode as expected. (r23761) * MADDOG : goes active as soon as off the rail and scan with a limited range capability * MADDOG : does not loft anymore since has no information on range when fired * HOJ : HOJ is only capable when the missile went active - Fixed AI reacting to missile too early when missile was in HPRF instead of MPRF. (r23762) - Fixed out of bounds fix in ooutput: when SetText is called on an existing O_Output. (r23770) - Fixed Terrain loading race. (r23774) - Fixed Shadow map was not being cleared after sundown. (r23792) - Fixed race possibilities while exiting campaign/TE. (r23795) - Fixes nan values due to InJetWash computation. (r23435) - Fix Heat Blur positioning and velocity when aircraft is in Idle. (r23401) - Fix heat Blur not oriented correctly with vectoring thrust. (r23401) - And many, many more. 10. Various data fixes & improvements: ====================================== Note: The following changes may include code & 3ddb updates as well. - Updated ambiant light since we have real moon now. (r14084) - Fixed TracersGreen and TracersRed missing alpha channel. (r14141) - Fixed Al-Tariq bomb : mimic the GBU-54 instead of the GBU-12. (r14142) - Fixed F18 series totally out of control while landing. (r14186) - F-16 Cockpits updated. (r14333) * Made flight control stick move (very little) * Fixed seat adjustment switch. Now it has the washer and jam nut on the sidewall to hold the switch. * Added more switches on the 2 seater F-16s for more real life accuracy. * Textures updated. - Fixed JFS Start does not work in all non F-16 cockpits. (r14339) - Fixed Unit Flight's element for ASW, ECM, Recon and Tanker types. (r14340) - Updated American F-16 CCIP pit avionics panel to the more correct panel. (r14347) - Fixed RSAF F-16 IFF panel. Digits were not working. (r14347) - Fixed F-16 Sufa cockpit. Changed from Aux Comm to IFF panel. (r14350) - Cleaned up some texture misalignments on the night lighting and missing backlighting in some areas of some cockpits. (r14360) - Disabled the MAP switch on the PXIII F-16 since it is not used. GPS switch now moves instead of the GPS and MAP switch. Hotspot updated. (r14360) - Fixed Sufa Altimeter (6 digit). Was only showing 1/2 the digits. (r14360) - Fixed ALS for Kimhae RWY 36R that had one element in the middle of the Taxiway A. (r14365) - Updated shaders. (r14370) - All Hotas Basic key files are now available in the UI Controllers Setup "Load Keyboard". (r14375) - Fixed F-16 EAF incorrect AGM65G loadout. (r14377) - Various Texture updates.

The latest iteration of the Billion Soft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.35 U1 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.35 U1 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U1 is an incremental update on top of 4.35 base, so you need to have the BMS 4.35 Full Installer package available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.35 base installation as well as perform a fresh 4.35 base + U1 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. Data (rev 13663 -> 13943) -------------------- r13943 Fixed airbases (critical) - part 2 (final) --------------------- r13940 Fixed airbases (critical) - part 1 --------------------- r13919 Fixed wrong key file descriptions and typos --------------------- r13909 Fixed te_new.tac file : set the initial start time to 7:30:00z to create enough time margin for TOS shifting before the day begins --------------------- r13854 Fixed IFF and TGP definition in fm file for some F-16 types (RJAF / IAF / EAF) --------------------- r13852 RTTRemote: updated to v3.3.0.3 - Implemented network congestion control for RTTServer/RTTClient communication - RTTServer can now be configured to limit its maximum bandwidth usage per client - Check the RTTServer.ini for the new config option "LIMIT_MBPS" --------------------- r13831 RTTRemote: added missing info about "RakNetDefinesOverrides.h" options to "RTTNetData.h" --------------------- r13823 Fixed BrakeAbsorptionFactor value for aircrafts with AFM files. Can't be less than 1.0 --------------------- r13816 Fixed MFD fonts --------------------- r13815 Adjust key combinations related to the DirectX window behavior - Alt+RETURN (Switch Windowed - Full Screen & Ctrl+Return (Switch Windowed - Borderless, was Alt+Backspace before) are integrated into the key files (as a reminder) - Remapping of the following key combinations: -- Full / Basic / Minimum / Blank key files: Reset Trim from Alt+Return -> Alt+F1 Caution Reset from Ctrl+Return -> Alt+F2 -- Pitbuilder key file: TWP Priority from Alt+Return (now used by Toggle Full Screen) -> Alt+Space TWP Msl Launch from Ctrl+Return (now used by Toggle Borderless) -> Ctrl+Space Seat Up from Ctrl+N (used by Instr Hdg Dec) -> Shft Alt+V Seat Down from Alt+N (used by Instr Hdg Push) -> Ctrl Alt+V Canopy Stop from Alt+B (used by Instr Hdg Inc) -> Shft Ctrl Alt+N Canopy Open from Shft Alt+V (changed with Seat Up) -> Shft Alt+N Canopy Close from Ctrl Alt+V (changed with Seat Down) -> Ctrl Alt+N UHF *4*.*** from Shft Ctrl Alt+F (Windows critical) -> Shft Ctrl Alt+M --------------------- r13813 Improved a bit the look of gun trail --------------------- r13810 Updated RTTRemote to v3.3.0.0, added possibility for *custom* remote shared mem clients (non-RTT) to also receive the data by means of UDP multicast on plain sockets independent of the "regular" RTTServer/RTTClient network protocol. See "MULTICAST.txt" for details --------------------- r13799 Critical fix for Kunsan airbase. Replacing a closed HAS (Feature Id 149) for an open HAS on south apron to avoid spanning into a closed HAS provoking player death as soon as it start taxiing --------------------- r13792 Added RTTNetData.h, it includes the network and message formats and flow definition and descriptions, to allow development of 3rd part RTT client applications --------------------- r13774 Fixed CTD when taking of from the Vinson carrier in "TE_BMS_10_Multination_War.tac" mission (from Team USA) --------------------- r13770 Fixed launch sequence for bru-42 and lau-88 rack --------------------- r13746 Fixed afterburner glare for all F-4 (was way too strong) --------------------- r13739 Fixed F-4M (had an F-16 cockpit) --------------------- r13734 Updated TacRef (added new items, updated existing ones, cleanup) --------------------- r13711 Rebuilt the Config.exe --------------------- r13706 Added new missions set --------------------- r13687 Fixed EvalFile.xml file : - Fixed "structural" typos (spaces/tabs) - Fixed section <Eval id="25"> which is dedicated for the weapons launch calls : -- Added lots of missing entries (weapons added in DB) --------------------- r13663 The old name TE_BMS_07_1 Vs 1 Strike do not fit exactly with the current standard = TE_BMS_07_1_Vs_1_Strike Exe (rev 22609 -> 23019) ------------------- r23019 Fixed terrain-related crash when TGP and Maverick WPN pages are open at the same time --------------------- r22946 Fixed Fog beeing applied when camera was above layer --------------------- r22945 Fixed FCR Target Speed and Target closure --------------------- r22943 CTD fix at MP campaign / TE joining. Fix memory corruption at ObjectiveDelta and Unit Loading --------------------- r22902 Adjusted key combinations related to the DirectX window behavior: - The toggle for window borders (CTRL+RETURN) will no longer trigger if ALT or SHIFT is pressed at the same time - The toggle for fullscreen (ALT+RETURN) will no longer trigger if CTRL or SHIFT is pressed at the same time --------------------- r22846 - Fixed OFM bouncing at landing - Fixed OFM positioning hiccups when speed is below 10 ft/sec - Fixed OFM pitching down on its front wheel when player pushes stick forward during rolling - "Improve" OFM pitch / braking behavior --------------------- r22808 CTD fix in GetIRFactor : Prevent sensors re targeting a UNIT after a SIM death --------------------- r22802 Fixed SAMS engaging without RWR warning when SAMS are located into hills / mountains --------------------- r22801 CTD fix in GndAI --------------------- r22799 Fixed transformations for models which have wires (lines) by calling the final RotateLightAndTransformIfNotDoneYet before drawing it --------------------- r22794 Fixed HDR from being applied to some surfaces --------------------- r22792 Adjusted key combinations related to the DirectX window behavior: - Num Enter is no longer considered - The toggle for window borders has been changed from ALT+BACKSPACE to CTRL+RETURN - The toggle for fullscreen now responds to only ALT+RETURN --------------------- r22785 Some more CPU optimizations --------------------- r22784 CPU optimizations: Postpone rotation of vertices and normals until before the final draw --------------------- r22781 More CPU optimization: Change matrix transpose operation to SIMD --------------------- r22778 More CPU performance optimizations: InView test (Basically frustum culling tests done by the CPU) improvements to use SIMD math. Some Monoprints optimizations - Some can be not cheap apparently --------------------- r22777 More CPU performance optimizations, especially should help when there are many objects to render --------------------- r22776 Fixed AI Jettison AG too soon when engaged by a missile --------------------- r22771 Remove flag "Warning treated as error" from libspeex and libspeexDSP projects --------------------- r22770 CTD fix in FCC : pointer check --------------------- r22769 CTD fix for Launch bar - non F18 type --------------------- r22767 Adjusted Bullseye fonts --------------------- r22765 Fixed ATC bad overhead side --------------------- r22764 Fixed Brakes beeing applied too slowly for Keyboard users when necessary: - When using "K", the full braking is applied in 0.5 seconds in case speed is >70 kts and antiskid is active - If antiskid is off , full braking is applied in 2.5 seconds which allows keyboard users to regulate their braking force - If speed is below 70 kts, full braking is applied in 2.5 seconds which allows smooth taxi braking --------------------- r22742 Enabled display of PS labels on Particle emitters. Activate via chat line: ".pslabels 1" to enable ".pslabels 0" to disable --------------------- r22704 CTD fix when theaters are set up so that the sun never rises or never sets (like BALTIC in june) --------------------- r22701 Fixed clients not having clouds in some cases --------------------- r22700 Make sure we dont display Exit menu in MP for other players when one client ejects --------------------- r22699 Fixed SAM/SHIPS radar cones not beeing reliable in MP for cleints jointing after SAM deagged --------------------- r22698 Fixed TaksForce Radars not beeing updated correctly in MP --------------------- r22697 Fixed cable not catched on two points landing --------------------- r22696 CTD fix in Moon Phase computation --------------------- r22683 Some CPU performance optimization: Optimize matrix44 calculations to use SIMD Small optimization in LightManager --------------------- r22655 BattalionCommand CTD fix: make sure we dont have dangling pointers anymore Make sure we set up correct batallion hierarchy all the time --------------------- r22654 Activated LEAN when looking backward with natural head option for TIR users --------------------- r22653 Fixed AntiIce not impacting FTIT on PW229 --------------------- r22652 Fixed Canopy beeing closed in Ramp - MP --------------------- r22634 CTD fix for crashes when using IDM in a TE/Camp with less than 8 teams defined --------------------- r22633 Fixed AI poorly engaging with HARM (this is not acomplete fix which would require 3 to 4 weeks of patience) --------------------- r22632 Fixed HARM - AI going into space after launch --------------------- r22631 Fixed Wheels that were not blocked fully when antiskid off / failure and brake pressure applied too much vs RCR --------------------- r22630 Make Spawning more robust and run it only on server side --------------------- r22629 Fixed AI following leader dying --------------------- r22628 CTD in HARM POS / HAS --------------------- r22627 Fixed AI having difficulties to hit with some LGB's --------------------- r22625 Fixed Clouds not appearing when entering back and forth in TE / CAMP without commiting to 3D --------------------- r22623 Fixed Players not being able to be inserted in tanker queue properly --------------------- r22621 Fixed Loss of sound after beeing killed and respawn --------------------- r22620 Logbook UI: fixed large number of medals overflowing in other control causing wrong rank icon to be displayed --------------------- r22619 Fixed enabling RTT export freezes sim in 3D --------------------- r22609 Fixed RTT export freezes ---------------------

Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the entire BMS development team, I am happy to announce that the latest iteration of the BillionSoft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.35 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.35 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. For those of you who are new to Falcon and still need a legacy Falcon 4.0 license, you're lucky, as there are various season sales going on right now (i.e. at the time of writing this post): Retroism GOG Note that this is NOT an exhaustive list of where to buy Falcon 4.0, it's just a list of retailers known to me (best effort) that offer sales/discounts right now, for your convenience. The list will not be updated. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Billion Soft (Hong Kong) and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. BMS 4.35 comes with a plethora of changes. As with each major BMS release, a full changelog would fill whole books. Instead, we've summarized the most important changes for you here: NOTES: ====== - 4.35 is *not* an update to the former 4.34, but a new independent base installation - 4.35 can co-exist with 4.34 on the same machine — The build number string in the Falcon UI will read "4.35.0 (x64) Build 22548" for the base installation BMS 4.35 Changelog Summary: =========================== - DirectX 11 Upgrade - Tactical Reference UI and Data Update - Weather Control Improvement - Zulu Time Integration - Enhanced Flight Planning - Updated 2D War - Enhanced Fog Of War and Unit Detection (RECON/JSTAR) - Improved Gameplay for KTO TvT Theater - Revision of (AI) pilot names - New Arresting System for emergency landings - HTS and HARM improvements - New multipage customizable kneeboards - Full canopy control implementation - Jet Fuel Starter 1+2 support - Taxi-/Landing light update - New Pilot Seat Adjustment - New Anti-Ice Implementation - Updated MFD fonts - Enhanced Brakes + Hydraulic Systems - Accurate Gear Implementation - Better Aircraft Spawning and Despawning - Improved Taxi, Lineup, Takeoff and Landing behavior (AI) - ATC Overhaul (AI) - Tanker AAR Update (AI) - Carrier Enhancements (AI) - RWR Realism Update - New Pilot Death Situation - SAM and AAA Operator Enhancement (AI) - SAM Multi Targeting (AI) - Enhanced Ship Self Defense Capability (AI) - Anti Missile Intercept (AI) - Better Aircraft Weapon Selection + Deployment (AI) - Improved BVR Tactics (AI) - More realistic pilot view and threat detection (AI) - New Wind Turbine Facilities - New Airbases - New Features - New Aircraft - New Aircraft Skins - New Ground Units - New Naval Vessels - Optimized LOD transition - Improved Aircraft Destruction Model - Moon Phases + Ephemeris - Higher Atmosphere Upgrade - Enhanced Smoke Duration for Destroyed Vehicles - Updated switches on the F-18 cockpits - Mirage 2000 cockpits improvements - A-10 cockpit fixes - New Sounds (internal + external) - New HOTAS Callbacks - RTTClient/RTTServer Update - Hitbox Optimization - Updated Flight Models (non F-16) - Updated Key Files - New Training Missions - Documentation Update - Enhanced Multiplayer Stability - Hundreds of bug fixes, 3D and data improvements https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?40646-Falcon-BMS-4-35-Full-Installer&p=557049#post557049

On behalf of the entire BMS development team, I am happy to announce that the latest iteration of the Billion Soft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.34 U4 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.34 U4 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U4 is an incremental update on top of 4.34 base + U1 + U2 + U3, so you need to have the BMS 4.34 Full Installer package and Update 1 and Update 2 and Update 3 available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.34 base + U1 + U2 + U3 installation as well as perform a fresh 4.34 base + U1 + U2 + U3 + U4 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the entire BMS development team, I am happy to announce that the latest iteration of the Billion Soft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.34 U2 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! BMS 4.34 U2 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. U2 is an incremental update on top of 4.34 base + U1, so you need to have the BMS 4.34 Full Installer package and Update 1 available on your PC. You can both update your existing 4.34 base + U1 installation as well as perform a fresh 4.34 base + U1 + U2 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. This mod may not be used for any commercial purposes. Any such use may constitute a violation of the intellectual property of Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited and the non-commercial Terms and Conditions under which Benchmark Sims make this mod available to you. NOTES: — The build number string in the Falcon UI will read "4.34.2 (x64) Build 20805" after the update. — The shortcuts in the start menu and on your desktop will NOT be renamed to U2, they will still read "Falcon BMS 4.34" after the update. — If you have any questions or found bugs regarding the change log items please always! reference the revision number, e.g. "(r12345)". — The 4.34.0 manuals remain valid. — None of the .ini or .cfg files will be changed. U2 FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS: — CTD safeguard in case of bad PT crossing definition in DB. (r20778) — CTD fix for a CTD during BMS exit. (r20771) — CTD fix on Choongwoon. (r11869) — Fixed BMS Editor messing up data when exporting / importing objective data. (r20767) — TvT: Set "Lock Client MP" flag for all ground units, relocated Awacs, Tanker and Jstar squadrons, VALIDAC.ACT file adjusted accordingly. (r11887) — All Airbases: Checked and fixed lettering & crossing. (r11869) — Fixed F-16 RSAF cockpit RWR issue. (r11868) — Corrected stations+ils.dat file due to wrong ILS frequency for Taegu airbase. (r11867) — Fix for cloud restriction being incorrectly applied in deterministic / probabilistic weather. (r20779) — Fix for g_nFairCloudRestriction and g_nPoorInclCloudRestriction not reducing the number of cells displayed. (r20779) - Fixed interpolation issues with fog and skyfog. (r20801) — Fix Power Engine P1 vs RPM Idle interpolation chart. (r20780) * This bug was responsible of a wrong deceleration of our current model vs HFFM in the high supersonic region for GE engines. — Fixed an error at manual flight fragging in campaign due to bad team assignation. (r20781) — Fix flights being automatically started in flight if the Take off Time or TOT was moved 1H backward in the package page. (r20781) — Fix error of "no Slots available" when moving Take off Time or TOT despite slots being obviously available. (r20781)

Falcon BMS 4.34 is now available to torrent (19 April 2019) and comes with free IFF Falcon BMS 4.34 Teaser trailer

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away……….it would appear that games developers started projects based on what they could achieve rather than what time and money constrained them to achieving! …..So brings our hero in this story a certain Mr Kevin Klemmick who on his first ever job found himself being given quite a challenge: Initially I was hired as an intern and asked to design and develop a dynamic campaign. For better or worse there wasn’t a lot of direction on what that would entail – the directive was mostly to make something that would be a persistent world and generate dynamic missions instead of the pre-scripted model which was the norm. In case you are wondering the Dynamic Campaign of Falcon 4.0 is still a gem of the modern flight sim world, so some brief quotes on what it involved to create such a thing are in order: I was given a pretty blank check in designing the Dynamic Campaign, so I approached it as I would a strategy game. The idea being that this game would be running in the background whether or not the player flew any missions. In fact, it could be played as a strategy game from the tool I wrote to monitor it. The AI was broken into three tiers, a strategic level, operational level and tactical level. Yet another level of AI would operate in the Simulation itself to drive the vehicles or aircraft. The missions were generated as a by-product of this AI, and in fact used real world planning techniques. For example, once a priority list of targets was determined, a package would be put together to time suppression of air defence, air superiority, refuelling, AWACS, etc. All these missions would be timed out and planned much like a real-world commander would, but were generated as a response to decisions made by the campaign’s AI. While my primary goal was to make something fun to play, we were very fortunate to get a lot of advice from military sources about how things work in the real world and I tried to match that as closely as possible while keeping the game play elements that I felt were important. However, all of this had to work within a very tiny slice of the CPU, which was a huge limitation given all the AI/planning work that was going on. That was probably the biggest challenge of this system. So, got that right. What was the difference between this dynamic thingy and a pre-scripted model? An example of pre-scripted from the Strike Fighters series would be someone creating missions with the Mission Editor or before the Mission Editor existed, Yankee Air Pirate creating missions for players. There are some advantages to this such as recreating historical missions or providing a story or backdrop for the player beforehand. The main disadvantage is that once you have played the mission a few times it’s basically the same thing each time. Of course, Falcon 4.0 does also have a Mission Editor (Tactical Editor) and you can create missions or training scenarios. DCS also has a Mission Editor that includes some quite advanced features for mission designers. Nostalgia and story based missions from yesteryear (Novalogic) Campaign Mode Although it can appear to be just a set of single missions Strike Fighters does have a basic dynamic campaign. DCS campaigns on the other hand are currently a set of scripted missions, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have some very good campaigns in this sense! A Falcon campaign starts with a ticking clock on day one, and the whole thing runs on a massive scale putting the player either in a 2D map mode or joining the campaign by flying in the 3D world as part of it. Even in the 2D map mode the player can see most of the things happening (there is still a fog of war) and also gets news updates on major events. Of course, the missions you do fly will be different and often unpredictable, and that is the extra challenge! Here you can plan and influence things.........bet you didn't plan for that big purple blob.........looks like the space ship from Independence day is here! Yes, the player can run the campaign as default and just join auto fragged missions every now and then – or they have a lot of power to create packages, flights, to frag their own missions, change package loadouts, join other squadrons etc, etc. Anyway, I won’t go any further because the scale is rather large. Note, that if you do just run a campaign without changing the initial mission types and PAK's you will be given non-stop suicide missions and so will your AI buddies! (so, change them!) And yes BMS 4.33 comes with a full set of manuals created by other heroes telling you all you need in the Docs folder in your install (e.g. C:\BMS-433-U1\Docs\Falcon BMS Manuals) The default campaign is Korea in which you can club Kim Jong Un's Cold War museum collection with a multitude of modern weapons like AIM-9X and HMCS. For an extra challenge select Korea Strong and prepare to eat AMRAAMSKI from the Flanker Hoards. By 2014 the North Korean air force went through a massive modernization program which included (or perhaps involved entirely of) employment of beautiful young women (Yonhap News / Aviationist) Of course, as mentioned in part 1 there are many other campaigns and theatres to try from the modding community for BMS 4.33. Totally new Allied Force campaigns - joy! New additions & changes to BMS 4.33 Default loadouts Thank the maker! Any past players may have noted that when 4 x Su-30s appeared on the horizon, your escorts armed to the teeth with 2 x AIM-9Ps and a CBU-52 would be nothing more than useful missile decoys! This may have prompted some like myself to spend ages before missions tweaking loadouts of other flights! But it seems someone has finally improved things here for the better! Ground war You can now control the ground units if you like, one benefit of this is to finish campaigns a lot quicker. And yes, this feature was in the 2005 Falcon 4.0 Allied Force. MANPADs Less welcoming from Allied Force is the addition of MANPADs that make going below the clouds a bit of a no no unless you like jumping out of airplanes! MANPADs were there before 4.33 but were somewhat lackluster in comparison. Reduced weapon supply You may want to try to hold onto those drop tanks a bit longer because unlimited supply may no longer be the case……………you can of course just frag those super brave tanker boys to get you that juice. The little things Adding detail onto the campaign map to be saved to your data cartridge for use in flight is now made better just by the fact that it persists after each mission instead of having to redo it every time! Be a king of Situational Awareness with Bullseye positions, FLOT, Radar coverage, flight path SAM rings and data link tracks! Weather with you From manual: Weather management has been drastically improved, with a dynamic weather system which changes with time as it moves across the BMS terrain. Bad weather effects have also been improved, with better visibility management and new cumulus cloud layers. If you like a challenge you can get pretty good random weather in the campaigns that will require some thought on how you do things when neither you or a targeting pod can actually see the targets! Anyone who learnt their A-G radar mode skills back in the day will still find they still come in handy. A shout out to the rain effect in Falcon which is by far my favourite in any sim so far: Artificial Intelligence (AI) From manual: The AI is now much better at energy management, timing and fuel efficiency thanks to updated climb profiles, top of climb and top of descent management. Holding points and push points have been improved. AI now perform baseline intercepts much more effectively (be warned). This is important for BVR combat but also for tanker rendezvous. The ATO features new target selection logic and package constitution. AI ATC has been drastically improved, providing reliable management of the traffic queue. New options for autonomous approach have been created to allow human players to approach airbases without having to listen to ATC vectoring you through the pattern (useful when you are flying IFR for instance). Note on the last paragraph, which provides a happy medium between the full talk down and the emergency landing…………the full talk down is still fantastic in pea soup weather where there is no ILS at the air base. So, there you have it, still an addictive pleasure that will lead you into a false sense of security before kicking your A! Well, it’s just really hard to do. Looking back on it, I think the only reason we took on what we did is because we were too inexperienced to know better. Knowing what I do now, even given my experience on Falcon, the cost to develop such an engine would be substantial. Since flight sims don’t bring in that kind of revenue companies look at it from a cost to benefit standpoint and Dynamic Campaigns score pretty low in that regard. There is also the argument that scripted missions are more interesting which has some merit. I think if I were to do it over I would do a mix of scripted/generated missions, so that the player still feels like they’re involved in the world, but there is also some variety thrown in to keep things interesting. Kevin Klemmick 2012 Disclaimer - this article may contain Star Wars quotes.

Now for a quick look at an F-16 flight combat simulator you may have heard of, in particular the only version of Falcon 4.0 currently in development. Benchmark Simulations official add on to Falcon 4.0 is called BMS 4.33 (currently upgrade 4) and to use you need to buy the original 1998 Microprose Falcon 4.0 from places such as GOG.com and then install that first. Then you install BMS 4.33 after downloading via the torrent from the BMS web site. Now if you are lucky you perhaps played the original or one of the other versions, or even the other official release Falcon 4.0 Allied Force from 2005 (that I will confirm BMS most certainly DOES NOT work with). However if you have not, you will be starting a learning and somewhat challenging journey, which is about what these types of things are all about after all. Things like the Avionics go very in depth and 4.33 brought with it a Maverick Handoff procedure with the targeting Pod that will make grown men cry – although I am not entirely sure a certain defence contractor couldn’t have made it easier if they had tried! You might also have noticed the Avionics Configurator option on the splash screen that already caters for about 40 different versions of the F-16. That’s right if you are not familiar with F-16s then erm well even a Block 50 for example has different versions with different avionics and capabilities depending on the year (upgrades) and the country it was sold to and this is impressively catered for. I will have a Block 30 with GE-132 and go faster stripes please Although Falcon BMS does still trounce all in its path in certain aspects I am going to briefly start on one of the less impressive parts of Falcon, that being the visual environment. Despite its 1998 origins, limitations have been progressively overcome to improve this area also. BMS 4.33 Came with many new ground and air objects as well as a new terrain set with trees by Polak. Like Strike Fighters there are some very talented individuals who have spent years providing professional level mods for free. I will give mention to Falcon Legend JanHas (http://www.janhas.net/) who has been around for…ever it seems. Real credit to the guy and rest be assured every rivet is polished to perfection to provide models as good as or better than anything else. His mods also come with comprehensive install documentation – and yes you do need it. New afterburner flame most welcome Installing mods is not as easy as Strike Fighters, there are bits you copy and paste but the models still need LodEditor to install them. Having just installed pretty much all of the JanHas mods I can tell you that despite it looking complex initially you are just pressing buttons and changing a few numbers at the end of the day so after the first few it becomes pretty easy – just time consuming having to do it manually. Why are these mods not in the baseline install making my life easier? - Well the reason is I have read that BMS have certain standards they keep to so it still runs on lower spec hardware. After a Herculean effort to get the mods installed! Also as with Strike Fighters, Modders have created different theatre’s for Falcon 4 over the years including the middle east, Balkans and Germany (Ostsee by TomKatz) that even makes an attempt to populate the terrain with well placed 3D buildings. So there you have it, graphical improvements have been slow because it requires good samaritans with free talent with free time, but it’s always nice to see there has been progress in that area. I have not mentioned the internal view because that is already more than good enough, especially considering most of a campaign is where I’m at anyway!

On behalf of the entire BMS development team, I am happy to announce that the latest iteration of the Billion Soft Falcon 4.0 total conversion modification - Benchmark Sims 4.33 U4 - is available for you to enjoy as of RIGHT NOW! Like U3, the changes and bugfixes in Update 4 are a direct consequence of feedback we got from some bigger MP sessions. There are no data or feature changes included in this patch. First things first: the "Falcon" trademark has a new copyright holder, Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited. We're very grateful to them that they support and enable us to keep releasing future BMS updates! BMS 4.33 U4 requires a legit installation of a Falcon 4.0 (all older and newer versions are accepted alike, i.e. Microprose, Hasbro, GOG, Steam, Retroism). The check is performed both at setup time and every time you start BMS. If no valid installation is found, BMS will exit with a corresponding error message. For those of you who are still in need of a legit Falcon 4.0 base installation, please be aware that Retroism is offering a special price for Falcon 4.0 for the upcoming black Friday weekend ($/€2.79)! U4 is an incremental update on top of U1 + U2 + U3, so you need to have the BMS 4.33 U1 Full Installer package and the corresponding 4.33 U2 Incremental Installer and 4.33 U3 Incremental Installer available on your PC. You can both update your existing U1 + U2 + U3 installation as well as perform a fresh U1 + U2 + U3 + U4 installation from scratch, as you like. See the installation instructions below for details. from: https://www.bmsforum.org/forum/showthread.php?32320-Falcon-BMS-4-33-U4-Incremental-Installer Changelog: Generic Information: - The build number string in the Falcon UI reads "4.33.4 Build 16083" after the update - No data or docu or config files have been changed, this update is a pure "code-only" patch - The shortcuts in the start menu and on your desktop will NOT be renamed to U4, feel free to rename them manually CODE: - Updated splash screen and monolog output for the new Falcon copyright holder: Billion Soft (Hong Kong) Limited - Significant performance improvements for importing ACMI .flt to .vhs: * Reduced time needed for import by at least a factor of 10 to 20 * Added monolog output, flt file size at START, duration summary and vhs size at DONE - In the UI chat windows, the participant tree title will now include the number of players in the chat, e.g. "(4)Lobby" instead of "Lobby" - Increased the disconnect timeouts for the transport layer to 60 seconds for increased stability in "short temporary network loss/disconnect" situations - Fixed mouse wheel not always working in UI - Multiple (potential) CTD/hang fixes: * memory depletion (OOM) CTD originating in a data range overrun * client CTD when exiting BMS * CTD related to input device sorting * CTD in DrawableTrail::DrawChunkBillBoards * CTD when exiting a campaign on a client due to invalid object access in UpdateIntel * CTD when checking in with AWACS * CTD in AirTaskingManagerClass::FindNearestActiveTanker * infinite loop in AirframeClass::CalcMach * CTD in VU message handling

Well made video featuring some community made mods - the old girl keeps kicking!