Flight simulations walk a fine line between playability and realism. A simulator with too little depth becomes an arcade game, but too much complexity can make it unplayable. With Apache, Interactive Magic has created a solid simulation with exquisite attention to detail — perhaps so much detail that only the most dedicated players will find it worthwhile. Still, if you’re looking for a really true-to-life flight sim, Apache is a good buy.
Preparing for Takeoff
Flyng a helicopter isn’t something you pick up overnight; flying Apache isn’t either. Mac-specific documentation is limited to a slim installation guide with a PC troubleshooting section. Finding out that lack of the Thread Manager extension was causing a problem took hours of experimentation; there was simply no useful information in either the paper guide or the ReadMe on the CD. Perhaps more than any other portion of the game, the documentation needed work. Some kind of key command summary card would’ve been useful.
Once I got the game up and running, I followed the manual’s suggestion and put it in “arcade mode.” Apache offers two flight models, a simplified mode and a more robust, realistic setting. The theory is that arcade mode will be ideal for new users and that “realistic mode” will provide the full range of options. On the whole, I found the arcade mode too easy and the realistic mode far too difficult; the simplified model made the game boring, while the advanced one was extraordinarily difficult to master. Unlike airplanes, helicopters can actually rotate, using their tail rotors. Since there’s no direct forward thrust, pushing forward on the stick — a motion which, in airplane sims, pushes the craft into a dive — tilts the chopper down and moves you forward. Power to the main rotor blade is controlled with a collective control, so adjusting altitude is a different process: “throttling up” actually raises your altitude and your speed. The manual doesn’t really offer an adequate tutorial, and so learning to fly is a long, difficult process.
 
In Flight
Still, for those who persevere, Apache’s in-flight experience is excellent. The Apache is incredibly maneuverable, and combat is exhilirating and, for the most part, simple. Although the simulation is demanding (my 7500/100 had to run with reduced detail), the display sophistication is highly adjustable. Battlefield options are extensive, and enemy intelligence is very high. I found that, once you figured out the controls, the sim ran smoothly. The Apach requires both a pilot, whose primary task is maneuvering the aircraft, and a copilot, who manages the weapons and radar systems, but the sim does a good job of combining both roles into one.
In terms of graphic complexity, the sim doesn’t break any new ground; although it sports shading and some very complex aircraft, it’s basically the same polygon display system we’ve all seen before. If there was one problem I had with the display it was that lack of ground clutter made it difficult to really determine your altitude by sight. I found myself unintentionally slamming into a lot of hillsides. The detail is excellent, though, and although the sense of depth may be lacking the visuals themselves are convincing: you don’t get a sense of three dimensional distance, but you do feel immersed in the sim itself.
Apache generates a truly convincing sense of helicopter flight. But a few problems mar the flight model. Landing a helicopter is a matter of positioning and collective control; you have to maneuver the craft over the landing site, and then slowly reduce power until you settle down gently. But it’s incredibly difficult not to “crash land.” In fact, landing is often the most difficult part of a mission. And crash landing means death — even at your own airbase. Second, the two cockpit view options — left and right — simply don’t suffice. In a helicopter, where the need to look around is espescially great, you ought to be able to look around you in every direction.
The missions themselves are intricate and involved. Some of them involve too much flight time from waypoint to waypoint, but the combat itself is fantastic. Apache offers scenarios in three different parts of the world, each at a different level of difficulty, with different enemy units and tactics. I found the selection of missions more than adequate, and the missions were well designed, with more than enough bad guys to blow up and objectives complex enough to make tactical decisions important.
 
Documentation
Perhaps Apache’s manual accounts for much of its unplayability. Besides not containing any Mac-specific information, it approaches flight systems in a somewhat confusing order. Rather than presenting you with some sort of general description of how the game operates, it instead dives directly into the specifics of each weapons system and the myriad keys necessary to operate it. Since the manual doesn’t take much of a tutorial approach to learning the sim, you have to play, pause, read the manual, and continue playing.
In Summary
Apache is a fundamentally sound simulator — for simulator enthusiasts. It’s prohibitive difficulty makes it daunting for the casual player, and its sparse Mac documentation makes it difficult to set up and troubleshoot. If you like flight sims and want to immerse yourself in a truly complex and realistic simulation, Apache is worthwhile. Apache isn’t for the casual player, but those familiar with flight sims are in for a good ride. I don’t recommend it to gamers looking for a shoot-em-up, but there’s no doubt that It’s complex, realistic and deep — sure to satisfy simulator fans.
