Since the new game was announced I have been watching their news feed with eager anticipation. My Father served in the Royal Air Force, with Coastal Command, during the War, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader, and this game appeared to offer a real insight into what he might have experienced flying as a young man in War time.
Early indications were that they might achieve a November 2011 release date for "Birds of Steel" which would have been incredibly significant had they managed to release on the 11th Day of November 2011! However time passed by and they missed that deadline.
I kept a close eye though on the "Birds of Steel" news feed and gradually more details, screenshots, videos and technical data started to be published. The graphics look superb, with panoramic aerial perspectives and "tight to camera" views from inside the cockpit. As flight simulation goes, this looks as good as it gets.
Game players have many choices and have total control over their environment. Sorties can be made at any given time of day or night and players choose the prevailing weather conditions. Each of these variables will dramatically affect the outcome of any skirmish.
What is also very interesting is that the decisions made by the pilot materially affect the way the games protocol reacts, so both ground and opposition forces are never predictable or static but are totally variable dependent upon the actions of the pilot.
The planes of all participating Nations are available to players and the type, role and specification of each is clearly explained. I haven't counted all of the available options, but they are many fold and include all of the famous names we all remember from childhood. The Spitfire, which went through so many upgrades that it started the War as a Mark 1 and ended the War as a Mark 15 variant, the Mustang, the Messerschmidt, the Junkers Stuka bomber and the Japanese Zero, to name but a few.
Each "Birds of Steel" player can decide which plane he or she wants to fly and in which mission. Many of the missions are based on actual historical campaigns and there is vast catalog of fictional options.
The Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor will undoubtedly be a favorite for many "Birds of Steel" gamers but the available historical missions also include the Battle of Britain, the Allied Campaign to secure Malta, the intense aerial battles over the Ruhr valley in Germany and onwards into Russia and the defense of Stalingrad.
Games can be played by solo pilots in dogfight scenarios or as cooperative missions with multi-player options. There is massive flexibility and the delayed release time has clearly allowed the developer to really make this game something special.
It has recently been announced that "Birds of Steel" will now be released on March 12th 2012. I for one look forward to receiving my copy.
The new release date is March 12th 2012. Gamers can Pre-order Birds of Steel for delivery on that date by placing themselves on the "Early Bird" notification list.
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