Lock On Platinum - New User to LockOn Series

[1Wolf]

Hello!

 

I've recently purchased "LockOn Platinum" and am a little bit confused. There are so many versions, patches, and expansions and such for LockOn that I'm not quite sure whether I need to patch, what I need to patch, what versions I have, or even which Icon to click to play for that matter

 

LockOn Platinum came with 2 DVD's: LockOn: Modern Air Combat and Flaming Cliffs 2.

 

The instructions stated to first install "LockOn: Modern Air Combat" and then install "Flaming Cliffs 2".

 

I now have 2 icons on my desktop "Start Lock On" and "LockOn Flaming Cliffs 2".

 

If I double-click on "Start Lock On" then the game that loads appears a bit older. There is a clock in the bottom right and below that clock it says "Version 1.01".

 

If I double-click on "Lock On Flaming Cliffs 2" t hen the game that loads has a completely different user interface and seems newer and crisper. There is no version identification or "About" screen anywhere that I can find.

 

Are these 2 completely different games? Should I be patching "Lock On: Modern Air Combat" up to a version newer than 1.01 and then playing through the campaigns/missions in that game before moving on to "Flaming Cliffs 2". Then patch "Flaming Cliffs 2" up to some newer version and then play through that?

 

Or...are these the same game but "Flaming Cliffs 2" is just the newer version and I should just effectively ignore "Lock On: Modern Air Combat" and always start and play "Flaming Cliffs 2"? Will I be able to do all the same missions and campaign but with the better graphics?

 

Please forgive the silly questions, but its very confusing. I'd like to get started but I'm not sure what to patch and when...and worse yet....I'm not sure if I should start with Lock On: Modern Air Combat or I should ignore it and start with Lock On Flaming Cliffs 2.

 

Thanks!

[Grimes]

Flaming Cliffs 2 is the newer product. Missions are not compatible between the two games. Nobody really plays LOMAC that much anymore, whereas you will find many more people flying FC2 online and more user made missions for it.

 

To my knowledge there isn't really any reason to play LOMAC first then switch to Flaming Cliffs 2.

[Poor mans sniper]

If you have a T-Flight HOTAS X good luck playing FC2 with it. To answer one of your questions, FC2 is an expansion to LOMAC and adds many more features and upgrades, and it includes it's own individual campaigns and missions.

[Poor mans sniper]

Try getting all the patches you can for both. Or at least that's what I did. It is mostly in the case of something goes wrong, so you at least have one updated version of the game to play.

EDIT: Sorry, double post.

[JimMack]

Flaming Cliffs 2 is the newer product. Missions are not compatible between the two games. Nobody really plays LOMAC that much anymore, whereas you will find many more people flying FC2 online and more user made missions for it.

 

To my knowledge there isn't really any reason to play LOMAC first then switch to Flaming Cliffs 2.

 

The reason to keep LockOn on your hard drive is that all the training missions work (whereas some are broken in Flaming Cliffs 2). You do not need to patch Flaming Cliffs 2 - all previous patches are included, as well as multiplayer link to Black Shark.

[1Wolf]

Thanks for all the great responses :) That should get me started.

 

Just a few follow up questions to clarify a few things before I dive i n...

 

For FC2, how do I tell which version came with LockOn Platinum? I see a file in my FC2 installation folder called "Readme1.2.1_en.txt". Does that filename indicate my version, and if so, is that the most current version? Does my FC2 installation require any patching?

 

For LOMAC, if I'm going to utilize it mostly just for the possibility of the training missions...I want to make sure that is patched up as well. Because I installed FC2, is LOMAC automatically patched up to the most recent version? There is a version indication on my LOMAC screen, below the clock it says 1.01. Should I apply any patches to that? If so, which one? Will that mess up my FC2 installation at all? (I'd hate to try patching LOMAC only to downgrade my FC2).

 

Are there any really good 'must have' downloads or addons you might recommend? I'm one of those folks that likes to download/install/collect everything for a game first before I dive in.

 

The reason to keep LockOn on your hard drive is that all the training missions work (whereas some are broken in Flaming Cliffs 2).

 

Does that mean that the LOMAC training missions work in FC2? Are the LOMAC ones different than the FC2 ones? I'm a bit confused as I see that if I load up LOMAC, I see some basic Fighter Weapon School training stuff about takeoffs, and landings and such. Then I see some specific A10 stuff and such. However, if I load up FC2, I also see some Fighter Weapon School training stuff about takeoffs and landings and such but I only see specific stuff about the SU25. From the lockon website, I found a link on my FC2 training screen that took me to the lockon website and let me download training videos for the A10, F15, etc. in FC2.

 

Given all of the above, I'm not sure if I should be using LOMAC first just for the training missions and then hopping into FC2 to do training missions there as well? Are the FC2 one more 'advanced' lessons that should come after the basic lomac ones?

 

Thanks again everyone! Greatly Appreciated!

Edited November 7, 2010 by 1Wolf

[JimMack]

Suggest you do not patch anything.

Some of the FC2 training tracks are broken. But they work in Lock On, that is why you should keep Lock On.

 

 

Thanks for all the great responses :) That should get me started.

 

Just a few follow up questions to clarify a few things before I dive i n...

 

For FC2, how do I tell which version came with LockOn Platinum? I see a file in my FC2 installation folder called "Readme1.2.1_en.txt". Does that filename indicate my version, and if so, is that the most current version? Does my FC2 installation require any patching?

 

For LOMAC, if I'm going to utilize it mostly just for the possibility of the training missions...I want to make sure that is patched up as well. Because I installed FC2, is LOMAC automatically patched up to the most recent version? There is a version indication on my LOMAC screen, below the clock it says 1.01. Should I apply any patches to that? If so, which one? Will that mess up my FC2 installation at all? (I'd hate to try patching LOMAC only to downgrade my FC2).

 

Are there any really good 'must have' downloads or addons you might recommend? I'm one of those folks that likes to download/install/collect everything for a game first before I dive in.

 

 

 

Does that mean that the LOMAC training missions work in FC2? Are the LOMAC ones different than the FC2 ones? I'm a bit confused as I see that if I load up LOMAC, I see some basic Fighter Weapon School training stuff about takeoffs, and landings and such. Then I see some specific A10 stuff and such. However, if I load up FC2, I also see some Fighter Weapon School training stuff about takeoffs and landings and such but I only see specific stuff about the SU25. From the lockon website, I found a link on my FC2 training screen that took me to the lockon website and let me download training videos for the A10, F15, etc. in FC2.

 

Given all of the above, I'm not sure if I should be using LOMAC first just for the training missions and then hopping into FC2 to do training missions there as well? Are the FC2 one more 'advanced' lessons that should come after the basic lomac ones?

 

Thanks again everyone! Greatly Appreciated!

[1Wolf]

Thanks for the help :)