Author - Jerry Paxton

Bohemia Interactive has long been known for their ArmA wargame series. In the fourth quarter of 2011, however, the developer is planning to release a dedicated flight simulation called Take On Helicopters. Take On Helicopters focuses on, if you could not already tell, helicopter aviation.

The game features several difficulty options for virtual pilots of all skill levels and a beautiful graphics engine that is based on the ArmA 2 game engine. Instead of having to focus on handling an entire battlefield of armies, the game engine is free to focus on the terrain, flight dynamics, and story elements with stunning results.

Additionally, Bohemia Interactive is taking some real innovations with Take On Helicopters that most simulations don’t. Biggest of these is the inclusion of a detailed singleplayer campaign which tells the story of a man trying to make his family’s aviation business profitable. Players will also be able to get out and walk around their helicopters at the heliport in order to do visual inspections and pre-flight checks before boarding for takeoff. While on the ground, players will also be able to speak with other characters in order to advanced the story and accept missions.

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When asked about performing military operations in a helicopter, we were told that while not a combat simulation, Take On Helicopters will allow players to fly some military-style operations by way of a flashbacks. The main character’s brother is a veteran chopper pilot for the US Army and when you speak to him, sometimes you get the option to relive one of his missions. The extent of these military operations is still unknown, but it all adds up to a flight simulation that will be a lot more dynamic than your average, run-of-the-mill civil aviation game.

I got a chance to take the controls at the demo kiosk and took command of a light helicopter similar to an MD-500. I am unsure as to the exact model and make. I was also told that the flight model was actually that of a medium helicopter as the light helicopter flight model was not ready to be shown yet. So, I put myself on a course for the Seattle skyline and began circling about the city. Even with auto-rudder on (there were no rudder pedals at the kiosk), the chopper flew beautifully and the occasional turbulence effects added a lot to the realism of virtual flight.

The game will be fully compatible with head-tracking solutions as well as triple monitor displays and is scheduled for release on the Windows PC platform come the end of this year.

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