FreeFalcon Mission & Vision for The Future

FreeFalcon Fans,

As Aragorn posted earlier, elsewhere, FreeFalcon is indeed under new management. Recent events have been a boon for the Falcon enthusiast with nice things being released at BMS and at FreeFalcon. The future is indeed a very bright one for the user. Upon assumption of leadership of FreeFalcon I initiated an internal project among our developers to define the mission of FreeFalcon and a vision for the future. I would like to share the product of that effort now with all you.

FreeFalcon's mission is to push the limits of Falcon in all areas of potential development, thereby ensuring that our simulator will - despite hardware, operating systems, and graphic cards/drivers - remain viable for many years to come.

To understand FreeFalcon, one must first understand Falcon 4.0. Originally developed by MicroProse, Falcon 4.0 is a sophisticated military flight-combat simulator, the beating heart of which is the F-16 "Fighting Falcon". Although the aircraft is often described as relatively simple to "fly", the many weapons, radar and targeting systems make for a very demanding cockpit experience. The F-16 is modeled in-depth; many of the avionics suites and weapon systems being accurately simulated. Moreover, a truly dynamic campaign leads to a constantly shifting environment ensuring that no two flights will EVER be the same. Mastering the aircraft and its many systems, whilst flying in a simulated war zone, represents a complex but rewarding challenge for you - the Virtual Pilot.

Most importantly though, the original Falcon 4.0 has been heavily modified to attain its present form. FreeFalcon has expanded Falcon 4.0 beyond the notion of "study sim". Besides the F-16 - which remains at the core of the simulator - FreeFalcon allows the pilot to fly a wide variety of other aircraft. Thus, FreeFalcon combines the depth of a "study sim" with the breadth of a "survey sim". FreeFalcon is unique in being able to lay this claim.

Beautiful special effects provide a feast of eye-candy, making the delivery of ordnance - with the resultant explosions, fireballs and secondary explosions - truly a sight to see. Raging fires, burning trees and twisting smoke combine to create an immersive environment which brings the battlefield to life.

Criss-crossed with contrails, the ever-changing skies are populated with a plethora of different aircraft, navigating and fighting beneath the billowing clouds, which themselves cast puffy shadows which dance across the varied and gorgeous terrain far below. From high above, the Virtual Pilot can look down upon ground units as they push across hills and fight through valleys, racing to secure ground objectives; battling to bring an end to each fluid campaign. Thick plumes of smoke extend skyward - SAMs reaching out like skeletal fingers, eager to pluck the Virtual Pilot from his shattered canopy. Another barrage of Triple-A daubs the blue aerial canvass with belching orange blossoms; the air fills with swirling gales of deathly shrapnel. At night, the inky blackness is lit by the flames of rockets and tracer-fire, which reflect in the dim glow of the illuminated cockpit.

Tactical Engagements, Training Missions, Instant Action and Dogfights are all options for the Virtual Pilot, however, Campaign-play remains the soul of FreeFalcon. The intricately constructed campaigns - powered by a complex, real-time simulation engine - involve the Virtual Pilot as a member of an active squadron, the actions of which can affect the outcome of the war. Although but one pilot in a wide-ranging conflict, the performance of the virtual pilot can - and does - have consequences; the results of their missions impacting on the fluid-direction of the campaign.

So then - what is the FreeFalcon Team...? First and foremost, it is representative of a dream; an idea; a place where people can - free of charge - come together to enjoy a great simulation; a place where people can pursue their dream of developing the complex military aviation simulator, FreeFalcon.

As opposed to a "Know-how" place, FreeFalcon strives to be a "How-to" place; an environment where knowledge is acquired and freely shared in the spirit of cooperation. In addition to working with talented individuals, FreeFalcon is committed to working with other development teams, fostering an - ultimately - mutually beneficial relationship.

As for the future - FreeFalcon will continue to promote the open and free development of Falcon 4.0. The ultimate goal: A unique gaming experience. FreeFalcon is focused on the development and modification of the widest variety of aircraft possible, enhancing both fidelity and realism, whilst continuing to refine our great looking models, skins, user interfaces, sounds, music, movies, flight models, and distinctive theaters. In effect, the on-going improvement of every facet which contributes to the uniqueness of the FreeFalcon experience.
Next I would like to share with you my vision for the future.

FreeFalcon's Vision for the Future - will adhere to our mission statement (see above) and move forward with several development initiatives.

We will continue to develop in all areas of Falcon where possible, to include source code, tools, database, models, skins, terrain, objectives, sounds, music, movies, cockpits, campaign, tactical engagement, and overall theater development.

FreeFalcon encourages all Falcon developers to participate. Anything developed jointly between a developer from another Falcon group can be, if agreed, shared between the participating parties. FreeFalcon will endeavor to work with any other Falcon groups to share material where possible, but only to the extent that it is mutual beneficial. FreeFalcon will not engage in a one-way transfer of intellectual property to the point of its own extinction or to the detriment of Falcon as a whole.

FreeFalcon supports the idea of working towards unification of Falcon groups such that a single unified Falcon.exe, master database, graphics engine, terrain engine, cockpit convention, and model format. Any Falcon development group desiring to merge with FreeFalcon towards that goal will be encouraged but only when mutually beneficial and only if it respects the independent nature and interests of FreeFalcon.

Initiatives will include:

Establishing a new EULA that clearly establishes the relationship of the user and FreeFalcon products, clearly establishes the terms under which private or FreeFalcon team members may contribute material to FreeFalcon and how that material may subsequently be used.

Expanding our developer’s forum to include more detailed and in-depth guides on how to develop all aspects of the Falcon installation. The intent is to become a one-stop resource center and become the “how-to” place for Falcon. This will also include download links for all tools needed to perform the variety of Falcon edits.

Building a set of LOD and DXM model and skin databases for developers. One set will include all proprietary FreeFalcon models. One set will include known freeware 3ds models. One set will include models from other Falcon development teams to which we do not have rights to but can be useful as study models for either reverse engineering or as patterns for future development.

Establishing a terrain tile repository for a variety of terrain types and transitions.

Establishing a Photoshop PSD library with texmap/wireframes for various skinning projects and skins library.

Establishing as User Interface library of templates and PSD’s for the creation of theater specific graphics for the user interface.

Initiating several long term add-on theater projects;

1) Nevada Theater for FreeFalcon – dedicated to a Operation Red Flag scenario and include three significant airbases; Nellis Airbase (home of the USAF Thunderbirds), Area 51 (home of the stealth aircraft and Skunkworks development projects and UFOs), and Edwards Air Force Base (home of the test pilot). In addition all previously released FreeFalcon theaters will continue to be reviewed for upgrades and development as desired. We will be working out issues of this theater to ensure that there is no potential conflicts with PMC-Nevada and SnakeMan.

2) Falklands Theater for FreeFalcon– dedicated to a historical/fictional set of campaigns based the Falklands War and projected possible future wars. The theater will center around Sea Harriers, F-4 Phantoms, Tornados, and Eurofighter on the blue side and MirageV’s, Etendards, and Skyhawks on the red side.

3) Vietnam Theater 64x64 for FreeFalcon – a rework of the MacFalcon theater dedicated to a historical set of campaigns involving the 60’s-70’s southeast Asia conflict.

4. Peru Theater Beta for FreeFalcon. Twister's last beta before he retired, adjusted for FreeFalcon.

5. Cuba Theater Beta for FreeFalcon. BenBen & T-Rex's last beta before it was postponed.

6. Taiwan Theater for FreeFalcon. We are looking at a re-issue of this nice theater once issues surrounding it are resolved.

7. Balkans Theater for FreeFalcon. A modest update.

8. Operation Iraq Freedom Theater for FreeFalcon. Release of Rob Senftle's unfinished beta before it was postponed and Rob "Viper" retired.


Initiating a model building and search project; To build several new high-poly models to replace existing a/c vehicle and cockpit models:

(Vehicles)
MiG-21MF/PFM
MiG-17PF
A-4B/C/E/H/N/Q Skyhawk
Mirage IIIC/V/Nesher
Sea Harrier/Gr.3/7/9
Typhoon

(2d and 3d Cockpit shells)
F-4
F-15
F-16
F-18
Harrier
MiG-17
MiG-21
Mirage IIIC/V/Nesher
Mirage2000
Tornado
Typhoon

(Features)
Hangers
Custom Airbase taxiways
Hardened Aircraft Shelters
Airbase buildings
New Runway configurations
Airbase accessory structures