Strike Fighters 2
Encyclopedia
Strike Fighters 2 is a PC
game (Combat / Flight Simulator
) that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Although the countries and conflict may not be real, the aircraft and weapons used are completely accurate. The conflict is modeled as a typical Cold War
era 'proxy' war between the USA and USSR where Dhimar gets help from the US and Paran uses imported Soviet equipment and expertise.
Third Wire Productions
developed the game based on the original Strike Fighters: Project 1
but had to be vastly rewritten to work with the Vista platform. In doing so the latest graphical, Artificial Intelligence, and features were written into the simulation.
In April 2009, Strike Fighters 2: Vietnam was released, followed in June 2009 by Strike Fighters 2: Europe, and by Strike Fighters 2: Israel in October 2009. Expansion Pack 1 (for Strike Fighters 2: Israel) was released in June 2010 and Expansion Pack 2 (for Strike Fighters 2: Europe) followed on December 1, 2010. All of the games (except the expansion packs) can be installed stand-alone, or they can be merged to make all the stock aircraft available in all games.
s discover oil in the Valley of Kerman, a place at the Dhimari-Parani border. When drilling operations begin in the oil field
s, Shah Mushani of Paran sends his troops across the border, beginning a long conflict between the nations.
In September 1933, Shah Mushani decides to put a halt to the conflict, following numerous attempts to capture the Mazadran oil fields. While Dhimar becomes a wealthy and economically powerful country, Paran has become poor. In February 1957, Halani Khomar, a Soviet-backed revolutionary leader, stages a bloody coup against the Mushani regime. Once in power, Khomar begins building up the Parani military forces, buying the newest fighter aircraft
and tank
s from the Soviet Union
.
King Husani Karmar al'Galbhi of Dhimar, fearing a new war, decides to approach the US for military assistance. Tensions between the two countries culminate in two years of terrorist attacks in Dhimari border cities. In June 1959, the Dhimari ports become subject to a Parani naval blockade, stopping all shipping from and to Dhimar. Prince Fa'ad al'Galbhi, commander of the Dhimari Air Force, starts an emergency buildup of air power by creating several Special Operations Wings, manned by foreign mercenary
pilots willing to fight. In July, the US dispatches US Naval and Air Force squadrons to assist their ally.
In September 1959, a mass Parani offensive is launched towards the Valley of Kerman and the Mazadran oil fields. War has returned to the desert...
where the learning curve is much steeper. After flying one Jet you should be able to hop into any of the other Jets and fly them with relative ease. In reality the Lite category tag places the game halfway between Arcade and Hardcore.
Set over a fictitious desert scenario the game has a useful 'Single Mission' option that allows the user to choose their mission, aircraft type, weapons and look at a map of where they are flying to. A set of names are generated to be included on the squadron rotor and they are allocated varying skill levels, which is useful to know when they are flying as your wingmen. The Single Mission mode is a good chance to practice for the Campaign mode because it gives all the mission types that the user will face in any campaign.
Flying over the desert can be long and lonely, and just like the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s there are never that many enemy planes up in the air. A time acceleration feature is built into the game as well as a feature to let you warp to the target, although this later feature can place the player in the middle of trouble.
Bombing targets is difficult and the user has to practice dive and low level bombing to complete missions. The default jets are purely 60s technology and have no useful bombing aids.
The planes have simplified radars that are easy to operate, and try to simulate radars of that era; they have a delayed scan, do not always find and lock targets and are subject to ground clutter.
Dogfight
ing is almost always necessary thanks to the simulated unreliability of the early AIM-9 Sidewinder
, AIM-7 Sparrow
, and AIM-4 Falcon
– which adds an element of realism. The user will then find themselves in no position to out-turn the enemy MiG
s due to the maneuverability of the featured US jets, so new tactics must be learned.
Flying over populated enemy areas the user will be subjected to many types of Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA), or the SA-2 soviet Surface to Air Missile (SAM).
, the game has been designed so that it can be changed by anyone with a passion to do so. This has spawned a large online community who not only play the game but go out of their way to improve the game as much as they can. Most modders works can be downloaded and used for free by any game player.
Mods include new vehicle models, flight physics and AI behavior, campaigns, missions, sound and graphics media.
Due to the major changes in game structure many of the mods for previous game iterations also need to be changed or reworked to work in Strike Fighters 2.
The computer-controlled Parani aircraft:
(1998) by MicroProse
and Longbow 2
(1997) by Jane's Combat Simulations
.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
game (Combat / Flight Simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
) that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Although the countries and conflict may not be real, the aircraft and weapons used are completely accurate. The conflict is modeled as a typical Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era 'proxy' war between the USA and USSR where Dhimar gets help from the US and Paran uses imported Soviet equipment and expertise.
Third Wire Productions
Third Wire
Third Wire Productions Inc., , is a C corporation based in Austin, Texas, USA; it is an independent software development company founded in 1999 for the purpose of creating multimedia entertainment, such as flight-simulation and strategy games.- Products :Third Wire is the developer of many...
developed the game based on the original Strike Fighters: Project 1
Strike Fighters: Project 1
Strike Fighters: Project 1 is a PC game that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s...
but had to be vastly rewritten to work with the Vista platform. In doing so the latest graphical, Artificial Intelligence, and features were written into the simulation.
In April 2009, Strike Fighters 2: Vietnam was released, followed in June 2009 by Strike Fighters 2: Europe, and by Strike Fighters 2: Israel in October 2009. Expansion Pack 1 (for Strike Fighters 2: Israel) was released in June 2010 and Expansion Pack 2 (for Strike Fighters 2: Europe) followed on December 1, 2010. All of the games (except the expansion packs) can be installed stand-alone, or they can be merged to make all the stock aircraft available in all games.
Story
The storyline of Strike Fighters is set during a fictional conflict between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran. The story begins in 1919, when geologistGeologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s discover oil in the Valley of Kerman, a place at the Dhimari-Parani border. When drilling operations begin in the oil field
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
s, Shah Mushani of Paran sends his troops across the border, beginning a long conflict between the nations.
In September 1933, Shah Mushani decides to put a halt to the conflict, following numerous attempts to capture the Mazadran oil fields. While Dhimar becomes a wealthy and economically powerful country, Paran has become poor. In February 1957, Halani Khomar, a Soviet-backed revolutionary leader, stages a bloody coup against the Mushani regime. Once in power, Khomar begins building up the Parani military forces, buying the newest fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
and tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
King Husani Karmar al'Galbhi of Dhimar, fearing a new war, decides to approach the US for military assistance. Tensions between the two countries culminate in two years of terrorist attacks in Dhimari border cities. In June 1959, the Dhimari ports become subject to a Parani naval blockade, stopping all shipping from and to Dhimar. Prince Fa'ad al'Galbhi, commander of the Dhimari Air Force, starts an emergency buildup of air power by creating several Special Operations Wings, manned by foreign mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
pilots willing to fight. In July, the US dispatches US Naval and Air Force squadrons to assist their ally.
In September 1959, a mass Parani offensive is launched towards the Valley of Kerman and the Mazadran oil fields. War has returned to the desert...
Gameplay
The game has been designed so it is as easy as possible to get into giving it the tag 'Lite Simulation'. This is opposed to other hardcore 'study simulations' such as Falcon 4.0Falcon 4.0
Falcon 4.0 is an air combat simulation originally released on December 12, 1998 by MicroProse. It is a realistic simulation of the Block 50/52 F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighter in a full scale modern war set in the Korean Peninsula. Falcon 4.0s dynamic campaign engine runs autonomously...
where the learning curve is much steeper. After flying one Jet you should be able to hop into any of the other Jets and fly them with relative ease. In reality the Lite category tag places the game halfway between Arcade and Hardcore.
Set over a fictitious desert scenario the game has a useful 'Single Mission' option that allows the user to choose their mission, aircraft type, weapons and look at a map of where they are flying to. A set of names are generated to be included on the squadron rotor and they are allocated varying skill levels, which is useful to know when they are flying as your wingmen. The Single Mission mode is a good chance to practice for the Campaign mode because it gives all the mission types that the user will face in any campaign.
Flying over the desert can be long and lonely, and just like the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s there are never that many enemy planes up in the air. A time acceleration feature is built into the game as well as a feature to let you warp to the target, although this later feature can place the player in the middle of trouble.
Bombing targets is difficult and the user has to practice dive and low level bombing to complete missions. The default jets are purely 60s technology and have no useful bombing aids.
The planes have simplified radars that are easy to operate, and try to simulate radars of that era; they have a delayed scan, do not always find and lock targets and are subject to ground clutter.
Dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
ing is almost always necessary thanks to the simulated unreliability of the early AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
, AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...
, and AIM-4 Falcon
AIM-4 Falcon
The Hughes AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force.-Development:Development of a guided air-to-air missile began in 1946. Hughes Aircraft was awarded a contract for a subsonic missile under the project designation MX-798, which soon gave way...
– which adds an element of realism. The user will then find themselves in no position to out-turn the enemy MiG
Mig
-Industry:*MiG, now Mikoyan, a Russian aircraft corporation, formerly the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau*Metal inert gas welding or MIG welding, a type of welding using an electric arc and a shielding gas-Business and finance:...
s due to the maneuverability of the featured US jets, so new tactics must be learned.
Flying over populated enemy areas the user will be subjected to many types of Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA), or the SA-2 soviet Surface to Air Missile (SAM).
Modding
Like Strike Fighters: Project 1Strike Fighters: Project 1
Strike Fighters: Project 1 is a PC game that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s...
, the game has been designed so that it can be changed by anyone with a passion to do so. This has spawned a large online community who not only play the game but go out of their way to improve the game as much as they can. Most modders works can be downloaded and used for free by any game player.
Mods include new vehicle models, flight physics and AI behavior, campaigns, missions, sound and graphics media.
Due to the major changes in game structure many of the mods for previous game iterations also need to be changed or reworked to work in Strike Fighters 2.
Flyable Aircraft
The standard game comes with the following flyable US/Dhimari aircraft:- A-4 SkyhawkA-4 SkyhawkThe Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
- A-4B, A-4C, A-4E versions in various Avionics "blocks" by year. - F-100 Super SabreF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
- F-100D version. - F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
- F-4B, F-4J versions for the Navy/Marines and the F-4C, F-4D and F-4E versions for the Air Force in various avionics "blocks" by year.
Non-Flyable Aircraft
The following non-flyable US/Dhimari aircraft:- B-57 CanberraB-57 CanberraThe Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
- B-57B Version. - C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
– C-130E Version. - O-1 Bird Dog - O-1E version.
- Hawker HunterHawker HunterThe Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
- F.4, F.5, F.6 and FGA.9 versions
The computer-controlled Parani aircraft:
- An-12 CubAntonov An-12The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10.-Design and development:...
– AN-12BP version. - Il-28 BeagleIlyushin Il-28The Ilyushin Il-28 is a jet bomber aircraft of the immediate postwar period that was originally manufactured for the Soviet Air Force. It was the USSR's first such aircraft to enter large-scale production. It was also licence-built in China as the Harbin H-5. Total production in the USSR was 6,316...
- IL-28 Beagle. - Dassault Mirage 5Dassault Mirage 5The Dassault Mirage 5 is a supersonic attack aircraft designed in France by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s, and manufactured in France and a number of other countries. It was derived from Dassault's popular Mirage III fighter, and spawned several variants of its own.-Early development:The...
- Mirage 5D version. - MiG-17 Fresco- MiG-17(Fresco A) and MiG-17F(Fresco C) versions.
- MiG-19 Farmer- MiG-19S (Farmer C) version.
- MiG-21 Fishbed - MiG-21F (Fishbed C), MF (Fishbed J), PF (Fishbed D), PFM (Fishbed F) variants
- MiG-23 - MiG-23MF (Flogger B),MS (Flogger E), and BN (Flogger H) variants.
- Su-7 FitterSukhoi Su-7The Sukhoi Su-7 was a swept wing, supersonic fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Originally, it was designed as tactical, low-level dogfighter, but was not successful in this role. On the other hand, soon-introduced Su-7B series became the main Soviet fighter-bomber and...
– SU-7BM (Fitter A) and BMK (Fitter E) versions. - Tupolev Tu-16Tupolev Tu-16The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...
- TU-16A Badger A version. - Tu-22 Blinder - TU-22B (Blinder A) version.
Related Games that were developed from the Strike Fighters engine
- Strike Fighters: Project 1Strike Fighters: Project 1Strike Fighters: Project 1 is a PC game that primarily centers on a fictitious conflict in the Middle East between the Kingdom of Dhimar and the Empire of Paran from the late 1950s to the early 1970s...
(2002): The initial release centers on a fictional Middle Eastern scenario and a single Campaign. - First Flight: The Wright Experience Flight Simulator (2003): A simulation of the Wright BrothersWright brothersThe Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
aircraft, including the 1903 Wright FlyerWright FlyerThe Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S...
. Developed as a training tool for Wright Experience Centennial test pilots but is now available for the public. - Strike Fighters: Gold (2004): An updated version of Strike Fighters: Project 1 released to the European market.
- Wings Over VietnamWings Over VietnamWings Over Vietnam is a PC game set during the Vietnam War over South East Asia and covers the time period between 1964 to 1973....
(2004): Set during the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and released to the Strike Fighters Service Pack 3 standard which added further improvements including Aircraft Carrier operations. - USAF: Air Dominance (2005): Game produced by the US Air Force for recruitment purposes (Not for public sale).
- Wings Over EuropeWings Over EuropeWings Over Europe is a PC game set during the Cold War era where the USSR has attacked NATO forces in West Germany and thus turned it into a ‘hot war’....
(2006): Set in a possible Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
conflict between NATO and the USSR and released to Strike Fighters Service Pack 4 standards - First Eagles: The Great War 1918First Eagles: The Great War 1918First Eagles: The Great War 1918 is a PC game that focuses on World War I between 1917 and 1918....
(2006): Set in the World War I era and released to Service Pack 4 standards. - First Eagles: Expansion Pack 1 (2007): Adds new planes and campaigns to First Eagles.
- Wings Over IsraelWings Over IsraelWings Over Israel is a PC game covering the three major Middle Eastern conflicts Six-day War , Yom Kippur War and Lebanon War ....
(2008): (Also released as "Combat Over Israel") Covers the three historical Israel versus Arab conflicts 1967, 1973, and 1982. - First Eagles: Gold (2008): Includes the Original 'First Eagles' and Expansion Pack together.
- Strike Fighters 2 (2008): A standalone update based on the original Strike Fighters: Project1 to run on Windows Vista.
- Strike Fighters 2: Vietnam (2009): A standalone update based on the original Wings Over VietnamWings Over VietnamWings Over Vietnam is a PC game set during the Vietnam War over South East Asia and covers the time period between 1964 to 1973....
to run on Windows Vista. - Strike Fighters 2: Europe (2009): A standalone update based on the original Wings Over EuropeWings Over EuropeWings Over Europe is a PC game set during the Cold War era where the USSR has attacked NATO forces in West Germany and thus turned it into a ‘hot war’....
to run on Windows Vista. - Strike Fighters 2: Israel (2009): A standalone update based on the original Wings Over IsraelWings Over IsraelWings Over Israel is a PC game covering the three major Middle Eastern conflicts Six-day War , Yom Kippur War and Lebanon War ....
to run on Windows Vista.
The developer of the series
This series of games is designed by Tsuyoshi Kawahito (known as 'TK'), who was also involved in some of the 1990s best selling PC flight simulators, including European Air WarEuropean Air War
European Air War is a combat flight simulation released by MicroProse in 1998. European Air War is the sequel to 1942: The Pacific Air War by Microprose. The stock standard version simulates the Battle of Britain, and the Allied Air offensives in Western Europe during the Second World War in 1943-45...
(1998) by MicroProse
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
and Longbow 2
Longbow 2
Longbow 2 is the sequel to the best-selling AH-64D Longbow from Jane's Combat Simulations. Made at Origin Systems with executive producer Andy Hollis and producer Will McBurnett on board, and released on Nov 30, 1997. This sim improved on virtually every level of the first game, and it is...
(1997) by Jane's Combat Simulations
Jane's Combat Simulations
Jane's Combat Simulations was a brand of PC flight and combat simulators released by Electronic Arts . The Jane's Information Group sold the rights to EA so that EA could lend authenticity and accuracy to their growing line of combat games....
.