F-15 Strike Eagle for Atari 8-bit computers | Review

January 11, 2015 • Updated: Mar 11, 2025 - 05:30 PM

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F-15 Strike Eagle (or F-15E) is a long-range fighter-bomber aircraft designed in the 1980s for the United States Air Force. Its objective is to attack tactical ground targets at high speeds. The game published by MicroProse (1985) aims to be a true simulation of what happens in the cockpit of this fighter aircraft.

The simulator challenges the player with seven missions of increasing difficulty, in which he must bomb different ground targets. The aircraft is equipped with the most advanced war resources of its time - such as short and medium range missiles, radar and counterattack systems - to repel enemy aircraft. The program confronts the player with real situations, where correct and quick decisions can mean the difference between success and failure.

F-15 STRIKE EAGLE

Posted by:MicroProse Software, 1986.
Gender: Fighter plane simulator.
Extra: 2 players, joystick and keyboard.

F-15 FEATURES

Maximum altitude: 64,776 feet
Maximum speed: 1,680 knots

Armament:
Four (4) AIM-9L short-range missiles
Four (4) AIM-F7 medium-range missiles
Six (6) MK-82 bombs
Twelve (12) flares
One thousand (1000) machine gun ammunition

GAME MENU

The simulation offers seven missions, each one more complicated than the other. To select the initial mission,Press a number from 1 to 7(1) Libya, (2) Egypt, (3) Haiphong, (4) Syria, (5) Hanoi, (6) Iraq and (7) Persian Gulf. Once you complete a mission, you will progress to the next one.

Likewise, there arefour levels of difficulty, which are chosen with theOPTION keyArcadian(gallery),Rookie(rookie),Pilot(pilot) andAce(as). The first does not recreate the conditions of real flight because the craft does not tilt when turning in one direction.

As you progress from Rookie to Ace, it will become more difficult to shoot down enemies and destroy their ground bases, as the number of hostile aircraft increases and SAM (surface-to-air) missiles become more accurate.

Then, with theSELECT key we will define the number of players- in each game they can participateup to four people, taking turnsEach pilot's turn consists of one mission; however, if one of the players returns to base without completing the mission or ejects and is rescued, the same pilot continues playing.

Other modality (exclusive for Atari) is that ofTwo players simultaneously: one will use the joystick to drive the ship, and the other will use the keyboard as systems and weapons officer.

ForTo start the game, press the START keyor trigger button.

AUTHENTICATION CODES

Before you startthe simulation, the program will ask youenter an authentication codeto have full access to theweapons and defense systems. If you do not enter the correct code (i.e. the letter that corresponds to the number shown on the screen) you will not be able to use missiles, bombs or flares. You can check thefull list of codesin This article from Atariteca

GAME SCREEN

1. Main screen
Speed (SPD) in knots
Altitude (ALT) in feet
Flight line (or heads-up display, HUD)
Shooting sight
Bombing Reticle (when activating bomb)
Message zone
Navigation Guide
Fuel available

2. Map
- Navigation cursor
- Primary objective
- Missile base
- Enemy formation
- Position F-15

3. Radar (change scale with R)
- Position F-15
- Primary objective
- Enemy plane

4. Weapons
- Medium range missiles
- Short-range missiles
- Flares
- Bombs

5. Indicator lights
- Enemy missile on radar
- Heat-guided enemy missile
- Low altitude
- Low fuel

Additionally,you will hear hornsthat will alert you to an imminent collision with the terrain or a drastic reduction in speed.

THE MAP

Referred to asHorizontal Situation Display(HSD), shows theprimary targets, secondary targets(enemy missile bases and air formations),your base and the current location of the F-15in the theater of operations.

Use thekeyboard arrowsformove the cursorto the desired goal/destination. ThenSteer your shiptowards theflashing letters "N", "A", "V"

THE RADAR

Your plane always appears atcenter of the grid. The scale is changedby pressing the R key

THE WEAPONS

Machine guns: Active by default, press the fire button to launch a burst of 25 rounds. If you change weapons and want to reactivate them, press the G key.

Short range missiles: For enemy aircraft up to 10 miles away. They are activated with theS keyand then, trigger button.

Medium range missiles: For enemies between 10 and 40 miles away. They are activated with theM keyand then, trigger button.

Bombs: Press theB key. Position yourself over the target to be bombed, below 2000 feet high. Then press the fire button.

MESSAGES ON SCREEN

Weapon systems
- GUN 900: Indicates that you have 900 ammunition in your machine guns.
- MISSILE ARMED: Indicates that you have a short or long range missile ready to fire. Press the fire button to launch it.
- BOMB ARMED: Indicates that you have a bomb ready to be thrown. Press the fire button to release it.

Attack results
- ENEMY PLANE HIT: Your shots or missile hit and destroyed an enemy plane.
- BOMBS RELEASED: The bomb has been dropped and you can rise or take evasive action.
- BOMB MISS: The dropped bomb did not hit the target on the ground.
- TARGET HIT: The dropped bomb hit and destroyed the target on the ground.

Alerts
- ALERT: SAM LAUNCH: An enemy base has fired a radar-guided surface-to-air missile (SAM) at you.
- DAMAGE WARNING: Your plane has been damaged by an enemy attack.
- ALERT: AIR MISSILE: An enemy plane has launched a heat-guided missile at you.

Defenses
- LONG/MEDIUM/SHORT RANGE RADAR: Indicates the change in radar range. The short range shows a 10-mile radius; the long range shows a 40-mile radius.
- FLARE RELEASED: You have thrown a flare to evade an enemy heat-guided missile.
- ECM JAMMING: You have activated the electronic defense system to evade an enemy radar-guided missile.

Speed
- 90% POWER: you are flying with 90% of engine power.
- AFTERBURNER: You have activated your thrusters and are flying 60% faster than your current speed.

KEYBOARD COMMANDS

Theship power-and therefore its speed- is controlled with thekeys from 0 (55%) to 9 (100%); this is equivalent to what is known in aeronautics aspush

You can alsouse the thrusters, with key A; which will increase theship thrust at 60%of the current speed. Forcurbpress the X key, which activates the retro-thrusters and the current speed will be reduced by 75%.

Foractivate the flares-defense againstheat-guided missiles- press theF key

Foractivate electronic defenseagainstradar guided missiles, press theE key

Forrelease fuel tanks-when they have less than 13,500 gallons- and gain speed,press the D key

Forswap front viewAt the back of the ship, press thespace bar

Pause: press theP key. Press theEnter key to continue

If you press theSTART key during gameyou will leave the gameand you will return to the menu screen.

FLIGHT DYNAMICS

Push the leverwill cause the nose of the ship to drop and, consequently,the plane descends. On the contrary,pull the leverwill make the nose of theship risesand the plane gains altitude.

Moving the stick to the right or left serves to level the wings.and, in addition, establish the angle necessary for a turn.

Turning the ship requires a detailed explanation: First, push the stick in the desired direction (right or left); stop moving the stick in that direction when the desired angle for the turn has been achieved; increase speed (thrust); when the desired direction is achieved, stabilize the craft by moving the stick little by little in the opposite direction; finally, reduce speed.

If you have a second joystick, this can be used to control the thrusters: to the left to activate them; backwards or forwards to deactivate them. Similarly, the retro-thrusters can be activated by moving the second lever to the right; backwards or forwards to deactivate them. Using the fire button on the second joystick, the weapon mode is alternated from machine gun to short-range missiles; medium-range and bombs, successively.

A TYPICAL GAME

Each missionIt starts with the plane flying at medium altitudeand with a high cruising speed. The first thing isCheck for enemies around. If there are any, shoot them or attack them with missiles.

Once the area is cleared,Identify your location on the map and determine your first objective. Next,activates the map cursorand place it over your first primary target.Modify your flight directionuntil the flashing letters "N-A-V" appear centered in the sights.

At this point, you can opt for two strategies:try to avoid attacksfrom enemy air bases and formations;or select an aggressive flight planwhere you will shoot down your opponents. In addition, you can fly at high altitude to reduce the effectiveness of anti-aircraft missiles;at medium altitude, to save time on the descent;or fly low, to neutralize radar-guided missiles.

The average height is 6,000 feetFor better range and speed, flying higher means going above 9,000 feet, or you can fly at 1,500 feet to avoid enemy radar - but be aware that turbulence at that altitude can cause problems.

During your flight you canface enemy attacks; in the case of missiles, it isIt is crucial to be quick in defining the type of attackor counterattack: against aheat-guided missile, you can use the thrusters or turn, although the safest thing islaunch a flare. Before aradar guided missile, you mustactivate electronic defensesIn both cases, use the flare or decoy when the enemy missile is about 5 miles away.

For close attacks, where you can distinguish enemy planes on the main screen, the best isuse the machine guns. As for yourmissilesShort-range ones are effective for aircraft within 10 miles. The aircraft does not need to be aimed at the enemy - it is even possible to hit one behind you.

For enemies located more than 10 miles away, use the medium-range missiles. In this case, the target must be visible on the main screen. To optimize your chances of success, toggle between the three range modes on the radar.

Shortly before reaching your primary objective,slow down and activate the pump. Then descend to about 2000 feet until the target (shaped like a triangular mound) is in sight. For greater effectiveness, position the nose of the aircraft slightly downward before releasing the bomb on the target.After dropping the bomb, rise above 1200 feet and accelerate to avoid being affected by the explosion.

If you fail, turn around and repeat the bombing procedure. Keep in mind that enemy planes may arrive at the location to attack you. Once you manage to destroy the target,Move the cursor on your map to the location of your base and proceed to returnFinally, to land at the base you must fly below 3000 feet.

You can return to your base before finishing off all primary objectives to refuel, reload weapons, or make repairs.

On the other hand, you canPress the ESC keyat any time foreject you from the plane-which is equivalent to aborting the game.

THE MISSIONS

Mission 1: Libya
Date: August 19, 1981.
Situation: Daytime flight. You have just been attacked by a SU-22 missile.
Objectives: 01 primary target. 07 enemy bases.
Enemies: 06 air fleets.

Mission 2: Egypt
Date: October 6, 1973
Situation: Daytime flight. You are approaching the Suez Canal and are attacked by a MIG-21.
Objectives: 01 primary target. 09 enemy bases.
Enemies: 06 air fleets.

Mission 3: Haipong
Date: April 15, 1972.
Situation: Night flight. You are approaching the coast of North Vietnam.
Objectives: 02 primary targets. 17 enemy bases.
Enemies: 05 air fleets.

Mission 4: Syria
Date: March 12, 1984.
Situation: Daytime flight. You have just been attacked.
Objectives: 1 primary target. 17 enemy bases.
Enemies: 09 air fleets.

Mission 5: Hanoi
Date: May 10, 1972.
Situation: Night flight. You are approaching the coast of North Vietnam.
Objectives: 02 primary targets. 11 enemy bases.
Enemies: 12 air fleets.

Mission 6: Iraq
Date: June 74, 1981.
Situation: Daytime flight. You are approaching the Iraqi border.
Objectives: 01 primary target. 25 enemy bases.
Enemies: 06 air fleets.

Mission 7: Persian Gulf
Date: June 5, 1984.
Situation: Daytime flight. An Iranian aircraft is approaching.
Objectives: 03 primary targets. 15 enemy bases.
Enemies: 10 air fleets.

TRICKS AND BUGS

It is feasibleforce the plane to fly outside the map boundariesAt a certain point, the program will push the ship down until it crashes.

If you arerun out of fuel, canHold A to keep flyingwith the support of the thrusters.

ASSESSMENT

80%

F-15 Strike Eagle

ATARI XL/XE

Graphics 90%

Sound 60%

Controls 80%

Gameplay 90%

F-15 Strike Eagle - User Reviews

0/10 (0 votes)

PROS AND CONS

In favor Undoubtedly, F-15 Strike EagleIt is one of the best flight simulatorsof its time. Thanks to the large number of options and its realistic conditions, it keeps the attention of players.

Against Some aspects of the simulation - in particular,the turns of the ship- can confuse anddisorient most playersOn the more difficult levels, it's frustrating how difficult it is to hit the targets. Enemy ships and bases are basicallynon-solid polygons-At least the first ones could have had a color to distinguish them better. Just like Ace of Aces, F-15 Strike Eagle lacks acomplete takeoff and landing sequencefrom the plane.

OTHER DATA OF INTEREST

It was designed by Sid Meier and the biggestBill Stealey, president of MicroProse,Pilot with 14 years of experience

AccordingWikipedia"The Strike Eagle proved its worth in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force, conducting deep strikes against strategic targets, conducting combat air patrol, and providing close air support to coalition troops."

The game won the "Action game of the year" in the survey ofComputer Gaming World 1985, and sold around 1.5 million copies.