''Flight Simulator'' is a 1980

flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

video game published by

Sublogic Sublogic Corporation (stylized as subLOGIC) is an American software developer, software development company. It was formed in 1977 by Bruce Artwick, and incorporation (business), incorporated in 1978 by Artwick's partner Stu Moment as Sublogic Com ...

for the

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

(internally cataloged as A2-FS1 Flight Simulator). A

TRS-80 The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer developed by American company Tandy Corporation and sold through their Radio Shack stores. Launched in 1977, it is ...

version (T80-FS1) followed later that year. It is the first in a line of simulations from Sublogic which were also sold by Microsoft as the long-running ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' series, beginning in 1982. Sublogic later released updated versions for both the Apple II and TRS-80 on 5 inch diskettes. The updates include enhanced terrain, help menus, and a bomb sight.

Gameplay

''Flight Simulator'' is a flight simulator in which the player pilots a somewhat modernized

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

Development

Computer-graphics specialist Bruce Artwick and pilot and marketing student Stu Moment were roommates at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

. Released for the Apple II computer as ''A2-FS1 Flight Simulator with British Ace - 3D Aerial Battle'', it was their first product after forming Sublogic, has black and white wireframe graphics, with very limited scenery consisting of 36 tiles (in a 6 by 6 pattern, which roughly equals a few hundred square kilometers), and provides a very basic simulation of one aircraft. Sublogic advertised that the $25 FS1 "is a visual flight simulator that gives you realistically stable aircraft control", with a graphics engine "capable of drawing 150 lines per second".

Ports

The simulator was later ported to the

Model I under the name ''T80-FS1'', which has only rudimentary graphics capability. Because of the TRS-80's limited memory and display, the instrument panel was dropped and the resolution of the cockpit window display reduced.

Reception

J. Mishcon reviewed ''FS1 Flight Simulator'' in ''

The Space Gamer ''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the la ...

'' No. 31. Mishcon commented that "all things considered, this is single most impressive computer game I have seen. It creates a whole new standard. I most strongly urge you to buy it and see for yourself". Bob Proctor reviewed the game for ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'', and said that "although there are other flight simulators, the Sublogic program remains unique for the built-in dogfight game. While raving about the simulation, reviewers have called the game 'difficult', 'challenging', and 'next to impossible'". ''Flight Simulator'' sold 30,000 copies by June 1982, tied for third on ''

''s list of top sellers.

Reviews

* ''

SoftSide ''SoftSide'' is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire. History Dedicated to personal computer programming, ''SoftSide'' was a unique publication wi ...

'' * ''80 Micro'' * '' Moves'' #56, p25https://strategyandtacticspress.com/library-files/Moves%20Issue56.pdf

References

{{Microsoft Flight Simulator 1980 video games Apple II games Flight simulation video games General flight simulators Single-player video games Sublogic games TRS-80 games Video games developed in the United States