Internally, Digital Image Design used short one-word names to refer to their projects: TANK for Wargasm (), CHOPPER for an unreleased helicopter game … and F22 for F22 Air Dominance Fighter (), later developed into Total Air War ().
Development of these games started on DOS, where names were limited to eight characters, no spaces. So, no fancy codenames!
I will refer to both ADF and TAW as F22 on this page – just like DID. It helps make sense of some statements!
The NVG ‘sampler’ showing views (from top to bottom) of daylight, darkness, NVGs without compatible lighting and NVGs with compatible lighting. The system also has other aircraft, those with standard beacons cause similar flares to the incompatible lighting.
The terrain looks nothing like F22’s Red Sea; the bridge could rather be an EF2000 asset.
The first official screenshot of F22 was published in Computer Gaming World #145, August 1996. At this point, the official title was TFX 3: Lightning Strike. The game looked very different, with a style reminiscent of EF2000. This makes sense, as DID started the project by copy-pasting the EF2000 codebase.
TFX 3: LIGHTNING STRIKE
T
FX 3 builds on the foundation of Ocean/DID’s EF2000, but
this sequel puts you in the cockpit of the ubiquitous F-22.
The new version of the WarGen dynamic campaign generator
promises multiple scenarios and changing political and tactical
alliances. Sim pilots will now be given full control of mission planning,
as well as the ability to man an AWACS control screen to direct air-
craft and
evaluate
the tactical
sitation.
DID is
research-
ing many
of the
advanced
systems
under consideration for inclusion in the EF2000’s cockpit, which
should lead to a very user-friendly control environment without sacri-
ficing realism. The aircraft are now texture-mapped, and the terrain
looks even better here than in EF2000, thanks to enhancements such
as dynamic lighting and shadowing that changes as time passes.
Desert missions should be a little less gloomy than the fjords of the
first game, and there’s more of an emphasis on maritime warfare
here. Serial and modem play will be included, and net play should
support more than eight human pilots. TFX 3 should arrive this winter.
DESERT LIGHTNING TFX3 will use a refined version of the EF2000 graphics engine; look for the pixellation evident in this early alpha to disappear.
TFX3: LIGHTNING STRIKE
T
FX3: Lightning Strike is the working title for the sequel to the
Premiere Award-winning EF2000. Created by the UK’s Digital
Image Design and to be distributed in the United States by Ocean,
this Windows 95 simulator will build on the foundation laid by
EF2000 and the TactCom mission planner add-on (see next month’s
Simulations column for details on TactCom). This time around
you’ve traded your EuroFighter 2000 in for the even hotter F-22A
Lightning, and you’re off to defend American interests in the Red
Sea region.
The terrain covered by the TFX3 campaign includes Ethiopia,
Sudan and parts of Iran, Iraq and Kuwait. However, the political situa-
tion changes each time you start a new campaign, so your allies
may differ from game to game. Be careful about offending neutral
countries—one misplaced AMRAAM could make a new enemy.
TFX3 will give you much more control over your mission planning
than EF2000 did. Waypoints and cruise altitudes can be altered
based on intelligence data, and you can designate targets yourself.
You’ll also be able to assign additional flights for strike, escort and
Wild Weasel (anti-missile radar) mission.
Alternatively, you can plan missions by manning an AWACS con-
trol station, where you can actively vector aircraft to targets. DID is
aiming to create a tactical command experiance with a Harpoon 2
level of intensity at the AWACS station. The difference here is that
you can jump into the cockpit of one of the F-22s after your orders
are in place.
TFX3 will feature an updated graphics engine, significantly
enhanced from the preliminary screen shots that accompany this
article. Look for light-source shadows on terrain, as well
as a new smoothing feature designed to eliminate pixelation at low
altitudes. All the aircraft models have been redone, adding
bitmapped textures and significantly more detail. At the moment, it
doesn’t look like DID will support Direct 3D. Instead, TFX3 will
directly support the 3Dfx graphics chipset, providing 16-million-color
graphics at high resolutions.
Finally, look for a significantly enhanced multiplayer experience.
Instead of the Kinf of the Skies free-for-all, players will now be able
to form teams. Each side gets an airbase, an AWACS aircraft, a
tanker and ground defenses. The objective will be to land on an
opponent’s airbase to capture it. Tactics are up to the players. Do
you spread your team out on defense or drive straight for the enemy
airbase? And, when all is said and done, TFX3 will present you with
animated victory or defeat animations rather than the simple, disap-
pointing You Won text messages.
The furthest out of the titles here, TFX3 is currently slated to ship
around March 1997. If you want an early taste of TFX3’s technology,
check out Super EF2000 for Windows 95, which should be available
early this fall.
The title was now TFX:F22. We catch a glimpse at early versions of the AWACS mode, still using the EF2000 menu system. Even though DID declares the game finished, colors and textures are very different from what was released 14 months later.
Transcript
(On-screen text) October 1995 Development begins on the F22 advanced tactical fighter
October 1995 Development begins on the TFX:F22 at DID
F22 The most advanced fighter ever with first look, first kill capability built on stealth. The most advanced weapons tech ever, supercruise without afterburner and thrust vectoring for unmatched agility.
TFX:F22 So is ours.
F22 Each plane will cost the American taxpayer over $100m
TFX:F22 Ours will cost you about $50
F22 And won't be finished until well past the year 2000
TFX:F22 We've finished ours
(Narrator) Introducing: F22 by Digital Image Design.
A breakthrough for Windows 95 with support for Direct3D graphics acceleration.
Workstation-quality graphics on your home PC.
New light-sourced landscapes. New authentic sounds. Authentic avionics. Realistic night vision capability. Design for online and network gaming.
But you’re not just flying the plane – you’re commanding the war.
Direct the battle from your AWACS airborne warning and control aircraft.
TFX:F22: Aiming to be the best simulation of modern air combat ever seen on the PC.
Which is why DID teamed up with World Airpower Journal – the best in aviation publishing.
F22 is delivered in a hard-bound, full-color book, crammed with the most up-to-date information ever published on the F-22.
With superb illustrations and articles by aviation experts like Bill Sweetman.
Modern air combat by Digital Image Design. Packaging by world airpower journal.
Once again, the title changed to TFX: F22 Air Supremacy.
The presentation goes into DID’s history, lingers on EF2000 and its TactCom/Graphics+ updates, then announces TFX: F22 with screenshots and artwork.
You’re not just flying the plane -
you’re commanding the war. Fly
the world’s most advanced
plane, and control up to three
wingmen via data links.Experience combat from different perspectives. Fly
the plane, or command the war via AWACS and base
command. Jump seamlessly between each role.
Test yourself against our new ‘real-time’ Wargen
system. Continuously evolving, with over 40,000
possible start scenarios between more than sixcountries. Fly against real opponents. TFX: F22
incorporates a wide variety of multiplayer options as
standard. From serial-linked gameplay to LAN (local
area network) vs. LAN.World Air PowerAccess the finest intelligence. TFX F22 comes in a
full-colour, hard-bound book on modern air combat,
by the world renowned World Air Power Journal -
giving you the most up-to-date information and
statistics on this advanced fighter plane.
In 1995, EF2000 by DID
delivered the most realistic
graphics and air combat ever
experienced on a non-military
simulator. Now we’re about tobring you F-22 - America’s next-gen combat aircraft -
and raise the standards in PC simulation yet again.Command An Entire Air WarWith full wingmen control, you’re never alone in TFX
F22. What’s more, you can escape from the confines
of your cockpit into the E3 Sentry airborne warning
and command aircraft (AWACS). Or step into the
shoes of a base commander.Breathtaking New GraphicsWe’ve introduced advanced light-sourcing that adds
dramatic new depth to the world with subtle,
atmospheric lighting for every time of day and
weather condition intensifying the flying experience
still further.We’ve also added support for 3D
accelerator cards, which help transform the graphics
into workstation quality on your home PC for the
ultimate in realistic simulation.
This article appeared in the November 1996 issue of PC Zone. The screenshot seems like an exclusive; I couldn’t find it in any other article.
DID’s F22
Well, whaddaya know?! Another F22 simulator on the way! Not that anyone’s complaining.
DID, Masters of all things flight-related, recently unveiled TFX: F22 to stunned audiences at the recent European Computer Trade Show in London.
Driven under Windows 95, F22 not only improves massively on EF2000’s graphics and depth, but version 2.0 of the proven WarGen campaign
Pushing the envelope with F22. DID have really outdone themselves with this baby. Just wait ’til you see it moving.
simulator is now much easier to use and control in the field of combat. Created in conjunction with the authorative World Air Power Journal, F22 incorporates skill of the latest technological and intelligence gathering facilities, plus a new and improved 3D engine for advanced graphics performance. Accelerated versions are also planned, taking advantage of the new range of graphics cards available on the market, sales of which may rocket once this is released towards the end of the year.
DID’s web site is at http://www.did.com for more information. Z
craft and
You’re not just flying the plane -
In 1995, EF2000 by DID
