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FS1 Flight Simulator Official Cover

FS1 Flight Simulator

๐Ÿข Sublogic ๐Ÿ“… 01 Jan 1979 ๐ŸŽฎ Flight Simulator Series / Bruce Artwick / subLOGIC / Microsoft
Standing in video game history as the monumental, world-changing breakthrough that single-handedly founded the flight simulation industry and gave birth directly to Microsoft Flight Simulator, visionary aeronautical engineer Bruce Artwick founded subLOGIC and released FS1 Flight Simulator in 1979/January 1980 for the Apple II and TRS-80, single-handedly inventing real-time 3D wireframe civilian flight simulation on personal computers with six-degree-of-freedom aerodynamics, a 36-square grid virtual world, working cockpit flight instruments (altimeter, airspeed, artificial horizon), and an engaging 'British Ace' aerial combat mode.

๐ŸŽฌ Deep Vision & Technical Analysis

๐ŸŒ† Atmosphere & Visual Direction

3D wireframe cockpit horizon with digital airspeed indicator, altimeter, artificial horizon, and runway lights.

โšก Action Pacing & Physics Engine

Methodical aerodynamic pitch/roll trimming, smooth throttle modulation, and high-concentration ILS runway approaches.

๐ŸŽฏ Performance & Launch Trajectory

The monumental founding father of civilian flight simulation and the direct ancestor of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Flight Simulator is a 1980 flight simulator video game published by Sublogic for the Apple II (internally cataloged as A2-FS1 Flight Simulator). A TRS-80 version (T80-FS1) followed later that year. It is the first in a line of simulations from Sublogic which were also sold by Microsoft as the long-running Microsoft Flight Simulator series, beginning in 1982.

Sublogic later released updated versions for both the Apple II and TRS-80 on 5 1โ„4ย inch diskettes. The updates include enhanced terrain, help menus, and a bomb sight.

Gameplay

Flight Simulator is a flight simulator in which the player pilots a somewhat modernized Sopwith Camel.

Development

Computer-graphics specialist Bruce Artwick and pilot and marketing student Stu Moment were roommates at the University of Illinois. Released for the Apple II computer as A2-FS1 Flight Simulator with British Ace – 3D Aerial Battle, it was their first product after forming Sublogic, has black and white wireframe graphics, with very limited scenery consisting of 36 tiles (in a 6 by 6 pattern, which roughly equals a few hundred square kilometers), and provides a very basic simulation of one aircraft.

Sublogic advertised that the $25 FS1 “is a visual flight simulator that gives you realistically stable aircraft control”, with a graphics engine “capable of drawing 150 lines per second”.

Ports

The simulator was later ported to the TRS-80 Model I under the name T80-FS1, which has only rudimentary graphics capability. Because of the TRS-80’s limited memory and display, the instrument panel was dropped and the resolution of the cockpit window display reduced.

Reception

J. Mishcon reviewed FS1 Flight Simulator in The Space Gamer No. 31. Mishcon commented that “all things considered, this is single most impressive computer game I have seen. It creates a whole new standard. I most strongly urge you to buy it and see for yourself”.

Bob Proctor reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and said that “although there are other flight simulators, the Sublogic program remains unique for the built-in dogfight game. While raving about the simulation, reviewers have called the game ‘difficult’, ‘challenging’, and ‘next to impossible'”.

Flight Simulator sold 30,000 copies by June 1982, tied for third on Computer Gaming World‘s list of top sellers.

References