Classic Games Emulated: The Microsoft Flight Simulator Versions 3 and 4 for the IBM Compatibles

 

Better Hardware = Better Game!

MS Flight Simulator 3. The game starts with the plane parked on the runway of Chicago's Meigs Airport. Running in EGA, 16-color mode

Microsoft Flight Simulator 3

The hardware would get better with the passage of time. Computer graduated from the stock Intel 8088 processor running at 4.77MHz to its faster equivalents. Intel had released a 7.16 and 10MHz variants of the Intel 8088/8086. AMD and NEC were releasing their clone processors as well, which were sought out by the performance hungry. This benefited Microsoft because they could now code the Flight Simulator to take advantage of these more powerful processors. The XT clones were getting faster, but all eyes were now on the compatibles that were now shipping with the Intel 386. These processor blew away anything that was out on the market at that time. Even though these computers were geared towards the corporate market, it was only a matter of time before they would start proliferating the home market, as what happened with the XT clones.

Newer hardware meant more features. The game support EGA graphics using the adapter installed in the computer. The EGA graphics standard was introduced alongside the IBM PC/AT in 1984. EGA supported more onscreen colors and higher resolution. The Flight Simulator ran in 640 by 350, 16-colors. This was a massive upgrade to the low-res, 4 color mode supported by CGA. The IBM port lifted features from the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST ports of the game. This was because subLOGIC released their version of FS 3 before Microsoft did. subLOGIC FS 3 was released on the Amiga and ST in 1986, whereas Microsoft's FS 3 wasn't released until 1988.

The enhancements in the game wasn't restricted to graphics though. Their were other enhancements as well. The game shipped with 3 aircraft. They were the Gates Learjet 25, Cessna Skylane single engine plane, and the Sopwith Camel biplane from World War 1. The onscreen display could be customized as well with multiple windows displayed on the screen. They included extra camera angles, instruments, control panel, and a map view.  The scenery's that subLOGIC released for FS 2 could be converted to the new Version 3 format. This expanded the flying range of the FS 3 world.

I've configured PCEM to emulate a higher-end XT clone equipped with EGA graphics and utilizing a 10MHz Intel 8088 processor. FS 3 was backwards compatible with CGA as well. But, come on though. If the game supports EGA, then lets use EGA! Like the previous title, their was a demo mode offered to show off the capabilities offered by this title. Unlike FS 2, the new game could be copied to the hard-disk for faster load times. By 1988, the price of hard-disk were rapidly falling, and as a result, these drives were much more accessible by this time. The game ran very well on it's hardware, and I've had no performance issues. My virtual machine was running MS-DOS Version 3.3. FS 3 performed the way it would have expected to run on period, late 80's hardware.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4 

FS Version 3 was a very short release, because just one year later, in 1989, Microsoft already released the next incarnation of the game. Flight Simulator Version 4 was a vast improvement over the previous game. Even though graphics wise it was very similar to the previous game, their were many improvements. Their were roads, bridges, programmable buildings, and dynamic scenery now. Also, the game featured a improved weather system and the first attempt at ATC (Air Traffic Control). The approach lighting system was improved, which is a necessity for night flying. FS 4 also included a scenery converter to convert the subLOGIC scenery files from the previous games over to the new version. The aircraft models were improved as well.

Flight Simulator 4 was the first in the series that had a independent mod community. Both Microsoft and BAO (Bruce Artwick Organization) released tools that allowed independent developers to make their own modifications to the game. The Aircraft and Scenery Designer (ASD) integration module was released by them. This allowed programmers to modify or create their own aircraft and scenery for the game. The ASD also included an extra plane, the Boeing 747. The cockpit/dashboard included with the 747 displayed only in high-resolution mode using the EGA graphics  adapter. Their were sound enhancements as well provided by the developer tools that Microsoft and BAO released. The only caveat is that they only supported PC speaker, which wasn't exactly known for its good sound (PC speakers can make ears bleed). This was before Creative Labs released the SoundBlaster series of audio adapters for the IBM Compatibles. Some of the developer tools also supported the creation of aircraft using a CAD-like interface. This made designing aircraft for the game easier. These tools in general made independent development for the game much easier. Usually, developers shared their creation in ads found in gaming and PC magazines. These mods were distributed via floppy disk. This was still before the WWW (World-Wide web). Microsoft was programming this game to take advantage of the hardware specs of newer hardware, like the really fast XT clones. FS 4 found its way onto more computer equipped with the Intel 386 processor. This game flew on that CPU (Pun intended).

Flight Simulator 4 ran very well on PCEM. The emulator was configured to emulate a DTK clone PC equipped with a 16MHz, 8088 processor and utilizing EGA graphics.  Period specific for its time. The game ran very well on this setup. I've executed the demo mode provided in the game to get the screenshots below. As the captain says: Enjoy the night flying!

Articles Of Interest:

PCEM - https://pcem-emulator.co.uk/

MS FS 3.0 - https://fshistory.simflight.com/fsvault/msfs3.htm

MS FS 4.0 - https://fshistory.simflight.com/fsvault/msfs4.htm

History of the Microsoft Flight Simulator - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Microsoft_Flight_Simulator#sublogicfs2

Microsoft Flight Simulator History Through Time to Today! - https://flight-simmer.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-history/