A version and patch history of the classic DOS sim Falcon 3.0 and it's expansions Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger, MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0 and Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter. This article will only be examining the official releases and patches of Falcon 3.0 and the expansions.
The shear number of patches, and expansions has left a very convoluted and confusing history of Falcon 3.0, to say nothing of the third party tools, mods and updates. This article will attempt to clarify the history in a hopefully mostly chronological order.
All patches can be found on the Internet Archive.
Falcon 3.0 demo
A limited demo version of Falcon 3.0 was released by Spectrum HoloByte in May 1991, featuring an instant action scenario only. In this version there are a limited number of commands and there is no War Room screen. Sound was selected at startup and was limited to PC speaker, Adlib or Soundblaster options. The size of the demo is 1.2Mb and was probably distributed on a single 'sampler' 3.5" HD or 5.25" HD floppy disk or 2 x 3.5" DD floppy disks.
The demo can be found on the Falcon 3.0 section of the DOSGAMES.COM website.
Falcon 3.0
The original retail release of Falcon 3.0 appeared in Dec 1991. Developed by Sphere, Inc and published by Spectrum Holobyte, Inc and MicroProse Software. Inc. It was distributed on 5 x 5.25" High Density (HD) floppy disks or 4 x 3.5" HD and 1 x 3.5" Double Density (DD) floppy disks.
The first readme file covers requirements, installation issues and finding enough free memory, 600K, a huge amount for the time, and an issue requiring mentioning in numerous expansions and patches. It also covers hints, manual changes and additions.
Most patches were cumulative, effectively replacing earlier patches.
Falcon v3.0a
The first of many patches was released in Jan 1992, updating Falcon 3.0 to v3.0a. Notable feature include an improved installer utility and a number of bug fixes. As would be the norm, VCR files created with the ACMI feature would not be compatible with earlier versions. All players wishing to use the head-to-head feature would need to be using v3.0a.
A note on Falcon v3.0b
Version 3.0b of Falcon was never released, the next version being v3.0c. The reason for this is given in the v3.0c readme file:
The version following 3.0a of FALCON 3.0 is 3.0c. Sphere, Inc. will not release a version 3.0b of FALCON 3.0 because two unofficial versions proclaiming themselves as "3.0b" were released by hackers. To avoid potential confusion, it was decided to name this version "3.0c".
Falcon v3.0c
Released in Feb 1992, the Falcon v3.0c patch updated all previous versions to the v3.0c standard. Changes include a large number of game accuracy improvements and bug fixes. In addition the comms code was improved and issues caused by 'fast' machines (33Mhz 486) resolved. The readme file also includes the changes from v3.0a as well as manual corrections.
Falcon v3.0d
Released in May 1992, this patch made comprehensive changes to missile awareness, effectiveness, chaff/flares and ECM usage by the player and AI pilots. The jettison controls were also changed. This patch would erase existing campaign and squadron data.
The patch readme also contained the changes from v3.0c and v3.0a.
Falcon v3.0d would also be a re-release version, this version appearing on the 'Tornado Falcon 3.0 Twin Pack' compilation on a single CD-ROM.
A note on compatibility sets
At this point the concept of a compatibility set is introduced. The developer/publishers of Falcon 3.0 now had multiple products that players may use for head-to-head or networked gameplay.
Going forward, individual products would be patched to make them communication compatible with each other for multiplayer gameplay. The suite of products at particular versions which are communication compatible is considered a compatibility set.
For additional expansions and patches it is useful to consider them in terms of their compatibility set. Each compatibility set will detail the products and version comprising the set.
Compatibility set: Falcon v3.0e, OFT v3.01, OFT v3.01.1
This was one of the few compatibility sets to maintain comms compatibility between two different versions of the same product.
Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger v3.01
The first expansion to Falcon 3.0, Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger was released in August 1992. Developed by Sphere, Inc and published by Spectrum Holobyte, Inc and MicroProse Software. Inc. The expansion was distributed on 2 x 5.25" HD or 1 x 3.5" HD and 1 x 3.5" DD floppy disks.
With Operation Fighting Tiger we also see the current Falcon title screen for the first time.
The readme warns that squadrons created in earlier versions would be deleted during the install process, advising that campaigns in progress be completed before installing the expansion. In addition there is advice for dealing with installation problems and a manual addendum.
From the readme file:
The tactical environment of Operation: Fighting Tiger is significantly different than that of the original Falcon 3.0 theaters. Be sure to read the Operation: Fighting Tiger flight manual to learn about the new weapons, missions and other challenges which have been added to the game.
For the rest of the article we will refer to Operation Fighting Tiger (or OFT).
Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger update v3.01.1
Released in October 1992, this was named the 'Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger update'. The patch comprises of a new OFT installer, backup and boot disk utilities and bug fixes and changes. The readme includes installation instruction, changes and a manual addendum.
This patch is only applicable to Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger v3.01.
Falcon v3.0e
In order to maintain compatibility between OFT v3.01 and v3.01.1 a patch was released to update Falcon to v3.0e bringing it up to an OFT v3.01/v3.01.1 standard. It was a comprehensive patch, fixing numerous bugs and introducing changes to:
Night mode
Objects
Sound and music
Weapons
Campaign, missions and waypoints
Wingman views and commands
ILS and landing
Other miscellaneous changes
This patch is no longer available and is very difficult to find due to it being superseded by the preferred v3.02 patch. This patch was only applicable to Falcon v3.0d or earlier. It's not clear when this patch was released but it would have been released in conjunction with OFT, the OFT update or shortly thereafter, around August-November 1992.
A comprehensive list of changes and bug fixes for v3.0e were listed within the f3readme.txt file generated by the v3.03 patch and shown below:
Compatibility set: Falcon v3.02, OFT v3.02, MiG-29 v1.0
MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0 v1.0
The second expansion to Falcon 3.0 was 'MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0'. Developed by Spectrum Holobyte, Inc and published by Spectrum Holobyte, Inc and MicroProse Software, Inc. It was released in July 1993 on installation media of 1 x 3.5" DD and 2 x 3.5" HD disks.
MiG-29 would later be released as a standalone product, which was compatible with the Operation Fighting Tiger addon. The standalone edition uses a slightly different box design but with styling consistent with the rest of the product range.
The release of MiG-29 also included the complete v3.02 patch for Falcon and Operation Fighting Tiger. The MiG-29 readme suggests distributing the first two disks (or backups) to other owners of Falcon or Operation Fighting Tiger to update to v3.02 to allow head-to-head play. This was the suggested update option given the choice between the MiG-29 update utility and the Falcon/OFT v3.02 patch.
The install utility would delete existing squadrons, so campaigns in progress would need to be completed before using the installer. Once installed, Operation Fighting Tiger could not be installed and would require a clean install of Falcon, followed by OFT and finally MiG-29.
The readme notes mostly cover installation and installation problems with additional readme files generated by the patch.
For the rest of the article MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0 will be referred to as MiG-29.
Falcon v3.02 / Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger v3.02
The Falcon/OFT v3.02 patch was the first to update multiple products. This patch was also known as 'Falcon 3.0 with MiG-29 add-on'. This seems to have been a decision to try and simplify the patching process, given the numerous patches that had preceded it. Released at the same time as MiG-29, in July 1993, the patch readme was identical to the one provided by MiG-29. This patch would would delete existing squadrons, so campaigns in progress would need to be completed before patching. Below is the additional Falcon 3.0 readme produced by the patch.
A note on Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger
At this point it worth noting that explicit references to Operation Fighting Tiger are often omitted in subsequent patch notes, with updates to OFT being implicitly included in later Falcon or MiG-29 patches.
Compatibility set: Falcon v3.02.1, MiG-29 v1.01, v1.01.1
This is a rather convoluted compatibility set due to new bugs being introduced and deviation from what had become the patching norm for Falcon, as explained below. This is only compatibility set to cover two versions of MiG-29.
MiG-29 v1.01
The first MiG-29 patch was released in October 1993. The patch was only applicable to the MiG-29 addon and was not compatible with the standalone product. The patch included the Falcon v3.02.1 patch and fixed a number of bugs. In addition the Acer Terminate & Stay Resident (TSR) bug fix was integrated into this patch. Unlike other patches there is no separate Falcon 3 update utility, with the patch automatically quitting once Falcon 3 is patched and MiG-29 cannot be found.
This patch would introduce a comms bug allowing the MiG-29 v1.01 player to play head-to-head with a Falcon v3.02.1 player but not another MiG-29 v1.01 player!
The standalone edition of MiG-29 v1.01 would later be released as one of the products on the Velocity Mile High Club 8 Pack CD-ROM Set in 1995.
Falcon v3.02.1
It's not known if this was released as a separate Falcon patch or was only distributed with the MiG-29 patch, however it would have been available in October 1993. Unlike earlier patches this patch is not cumulative and only applicable to Falcon v3.02. Earlier versions of Falcon would need to apply the v3.02 patch before applying this one. The changes are covered in the MiG-29 readme file. This patch is also known as 'Falcon 3.0 with MiG-29
add-on update'.
MiG-29 v1.01.1
The purpose of this patch was to address the bug introduced with MiG-29 v1.01. It was released in November 1993 as a partial cumulative update, as it included the MiG-29 v1.01 fixes, the Falcon v3.02.1 patch and the Acer TSR fix. This version retained comms compatibility with Falcon v3.02.1. Again, it was only applicable to the MiG-29 addon and was not compatible with the standalone product.
Compatibility set: Falcon v3.03, MiG-29 v1.02, Hornet v1.0
With the release of Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter we begin to see standardization in patching and versioning across the product suite.
Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter v1.0
The third and final addon to Falcon, Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter was released in December 1993. Developed and published by Spectrum Holobyte, Inc. Media consisted of 3 x 3.5" HD disks.
The Falcon v3.03 / MiG-29 v1.02 patch was included in the installation and would automatically update any earlier version of Falcon to v3.03 and any earlier version of MiG-29 to v1.02.
Again it was suggested that owners of Hornet distribute the first two disks to any players of Falcon or MiG-29 to update to the latest version. Once installed, Operation Fighting Tiger could not be installed and a clean install of Falcon, OFT, optionally MiG-29 and then Hornet was required. For MiG-29 standalone owners it would be MiG-29, OFT and then Hornet.
Again the installation would delete existing squadrons, so campaigns in progress would need to be completed before Hornet was installed. The installer readme contains a myriad of installation instructions for every possible combination of products as well as some undocumented features.
For the rest of the article Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter will be referred to as Hornet.
Falcon v3.03 / MiG-29 v1.02
A separate Falcon v3.03 patch was released in conjunction with Hornet v1.0 in December 1993, which would also update MiG-29 to v1.02, including the standalone MiG-29 product. Again the patch readme concentrates on the myriad of installation combinations available at the time. The only new change was to make both products comms compatible with Hornet v1.0 although the patch was cumulative, including all earlier fixes for Falcon and MiG-29.
Compatibility set: Falcon v3.04, MiG-29 v1.03, Hornet v1.01
With the introduction of this compatibility set, the patching and versioning has become standardized. Patches are restricted to their respective product and all were made available in February 1994. In addition to product specific fixes and enhancements each patch contains the Acer BIOS compatibility fix and the Thrustmaster TM-STICK utility.
Falcon v3.04
The patch notes limit the patch history to v3.02 with earlier fixes and changes described in the f3readme.txt file. This is a cumulative patch with all fixes and enhancements from earlier Falcon patches included.
MiG-29 v1.03
There is a complete (if simplified) version history from v1.0. This is a cumulative patch with all fixes from all previous MiG-29 patches included. The patch is compatible with both addon and standalone editions.
Hornet v1.01
As the first Hornet patch, all fixes and updates are detailed in the patch notes.
Compatibility set: Falcon v3.05, MiG-29 v1.04, Hornet v1.02
This compatibility set sees each of the products reach their final release version. This set of patches was released in September 1994. Patches remain restricted to their product and in addition to the fixes and enhancements, the Thrustmaster TM-STICK utility was updated to v2.1.
Falcon v3.05
The patch notes contain a complete patch history. This remains a cumulative patch with all fixes and enhancements from earlier Falcon patches included.
This version would later be released on CD-ROM, featuring the readme file, a Falcon FAQ by Spectrum Holobyte and the complete manual in PDF format.
MiG-29 v1.04
The patch notes contain a complete patch history. This remains a cumulative patch with all fixes and enhancements from earlier MiG-29 patches included. Addon and standalone editions of MiG-29 are supported.
Hornet v1.02
The patch notes contain a complete patch history and a comprehensive description of changes. This remains a cumulative patch with all fixes and enhancements from earlier Hornet patches included.
Falcon Gold
Falcon Gold is a compilation comprising of Falcon v3.05, including Operation Fighting Tiger v3.05, MiG-29 v1.04 and Hornet v1.02. The release also included 'Art of the Kill', a series of instructional videos on fighter combat by Pete Bonanni. Developed by Spectrum Holobyte, Inc. and published by Spectrum Holobyte, Inc, MicroProse Software, Inc. and Tommo Inc. It was released in 1994 and later in September 1995 on a single CD.
The cd contains the 3rd party Acer BIOS compatibility fix, Tseng ET4000 video card fix and the Thrustmaster TM-STICK utility.
The readme notes included, are for Falcon Gold edition with separate notes for Falcon, MiG-29 and Hornet.
Art of the Kill
The 'Art of the Kill' app received a single patch in July 1994, adding support for newer graphics cards to the video player.
Official utilities
There were a number of official utilities released as separate downloads or as extras in various products releases from Sphere, Spectrum Holobyte and MicroProse.
Updated install program for Falcon 3.0
Released in December 1991 for Falcon 3.0 only. A number of customers had experienced difficulties in installing to a hard disk. This updated installer would be copied onto either a 3.5" or 5.35" floppy disk and run. During the installation process all five of the Falcon 3.0 disks would be required. This is probably identical to, or an earlier version of the improved installer which was included in the Falcon v3.0a patch. It can be found on the Internet Archive.
Windows 95 boot disk maker
Released in October 1995 by Spectrum Holobyte, after Falcon Gold was released. The boot disk maker made a boot disk that created an optimized Windows 95 configuration for use with Falcon 3.0 or a full installation of Falcon Gold.
It is assumed this would be applicable to a Falcon v3.05, MiG-29 v1.04 and Horner v1.02 install, although this has not been tested. It is not known if this is compatible with Windows 98. It can be found on the Internet Archive.
Boot disk maker for MicroProse games
Developed in August 1996 and released on the Falcon 3.0 CD-ROM edition. This is an integrated DOS/Windows 95 boot disk maker, creating a standard boot disk for use with both DOS and Windows 95 environments. The boot disk should free up over 600k of conventional memory, and allocate 2mb of expanded memory.
It is not known if this is compatible with Windows 98.
Official 3rd party utilities
Official 3rd party utilities are defined as official patches/utilities released by a 3rd party supplier, specifically for Falcon, MiG-29 or Hornet that were later integrated into official patches or releases.
Acer BIOS compatibility patch
Owners of Acer computers, Acros computers or other computers with Acer motherboards using BIOS v1.2 could not play MiG-29 or Falcon 3.02. When either game was run, it would simply freeze with a blank screen.
A Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) utility was developed to fix this problem and a beta v1.01 was released as a separate download in September 1993.
The utility was included in the MiG-29 v1.01 and Falcon v3.02.1 patches in October 1993 and later patches thereafter and remains in the Falcon 3.0 CD-ROM and Falcon Gold editions as an extra. It can be found on the Internet Archive.
Thrustmaster WCS profile
A set of Thrustmaster Weapon Control System (WCS) mark II (or mark I with UPROM upgrade) UPROM profile files were included with Falcon v3.02 and MiG-29 v1.0 in July 1993. They would continue to be included until Falcon v3.04, MiG-29 v1.03 and Hornet v1.01 when they were replaced by the TM-STICK utility.
Thrustmaster TM-STICK utility
Originally written by Ken "Stinger" Richardson, a prodigious developer of Falcon utilities, and then jointly developed by Ken and Thrustmaster, TM-STICK v2.0 would form the basis of joystick handling in Falcon v3.04, MiG-29 v1.03 and Hornet v1.01. These versions would include and retain compatibility with TM-STICK v2.0, allowing TM-STICK functions not included in the official patches to be used.
With the introduction of Falcon v3.05, MiG-29 v1.04 and Hornet v1.02 the TM-STICK utility was updated to v2.1 and remained part of the Falcon 3.0 CD-ROM and Falcon Gold editions as an extra. It can be found on the Internet Archive.
Tseng ET4000/w32 patch
Owners of video cards using the Tseng ET4000/w32 chipset may have experienced problems with white flashing in the simulation. A file replacement patch was developed in September 1993 for MiG-29 v1.0, although this problem may have occurred across the product suite.
It wouldn't be until the release of the Falcon 3.0 CD-ROM edition and later Falcon Gold that this patch would be integrated into releases as an extra. It can be found on the Internet Archive.
Finally...
Hopefully this is an accurate history of Falcon 3.0, Falcon 3.0: Operation Fighting Tiger, MiG-29: Deadly Adversary of Falcon 3.0 and Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter. It you notice any errors, mistakes, or stuff which is just plain wrong, please feel free to get in touch, so it can be corrected.
If anyone has the Falcon v3.0c or v3.0e patches, please get in touch.
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