Okay, so ya want to fly a plane without really getting in one? Well Fly! is for you, maybe. Let me first start off by saying that after you install Fly! on a Mac please go back to the CD. Here you will find folders that are very important if you want this game to run on your Mac. I want you to open the QuickDraw and Sprockets folders, and dump all those items into your extensions folder. Now, go to the Fly! folder and grab the three items called TRIRAVE.dll, TRIGlide.dll, and ATI RAVE.dll. Dump these into your extensions folder also.
Restart your Mac. You see, the instruction booklet doesn’t tell you that you need to do this. This is a BIG MISTAKE! I was wondering why the game didn’t work, and finally after the fifteenth try I decided to check out the Fly! CD to see if that could give me any clues. So I’m passing this tip on to you so you won’t start swearing up a storm like I did.
So now I can get this program to work, but if you really want to run this sim effectively, this is what your Mac has to have. Best results are on a G3 running 8.5.1 OS or higher, 128MD of RAM and 1.6G hard disk space.
This flight simulator created by Terminal Reality draws you in because of the realistic cockpits and its flight model. In the cockpits of all five planes you will find that EVERY instrument is completely interactive. I don’t know much about planes, but I’m sure if I played Fly! everyday for a month I’d be able to actually take control of an airplane.
All the buttons and levers in the cockpit can be operated with a mouse. I found myself having to use the keyboard, joystick and mouse to successfully operate the plane however. This became very tiresome. I was hoping to just use the joystick.
No such luck.
You have to land, refuel and adjust the flaps. In order to do this I had to use the keyboard. There is much to learn if you want to really get into this game. So let me warn you right now, you had better have lots of time to learn all this stuff and be serious about learning to fly before you purchase this flight simulator. I myself have little patience when it comes to having to get a flight plan, check when the fuel is running low, and what airport to land at.
I just wanna jump right in. If you also feel the same, check out the Fly Now scenarios.
Here everything is taken care of for you. You could call this practice flights with the flight plans in place.
Unfortunately there are some problems with Fly!. Now you may think I’m crazy, but I thought this game was suppose to be realistic. It is over all, BUT I wondered “What if I ram this Cessna 172R right into downtown New York?” I could hardly wait to see if my skull would splatter on the controls and if the cockpit would blowup in flames! I took the plane into a nose dive at full speed. I saw the gages whirling, red lights flashing, and the building coming closer. To my disappointment I found my plane bouncing off the building like a ping pong ball. No blood anywhere, and no fire in the cockpit. “What a rip!” I thought. I was shocked to find that after a major crash I was able to take off! “You call that the ultimate flight simulator!”
I shouted at the computer screen. I calmed down and realized what I just said. Flight SIMULATOR. So just you remember that people. This program is not a game really, it’s a sim. On a final note, I want to let you know that while Fly! may seem to be a bumpy ride at first, I think this has to be one of the most accurate sims out there. So if you want to see how a plane really works this sim is for you. Really, flying can be a lonely profession or hobby, and this game replicates that. At least you have some breathtaking scenery to look at while you are sailing along playing with all the controls. I give this game 3 GiN Gem because it looks really cool and is realistic. I just don’t think it will appeal to too many gamers because of the intensely steep learning curve.