Silent Thunder: A-10 Tank Killer II

by Michael Hewitt (4 November 1998)

This A-10 is in the heat of battle and seems to be doing quite well, but that SAM is trying to take him down. The smoke trails, explosions and object detail are very well.

hen I was at a computer/electronics store one day, I discovered 2 different A-10 combat simulation games. I've been looking for a A-10 simulation since I had been reading up on them lately. I was only going to buy one them, so I looked at the screen shots on the back of each boxes and read the short excerpts that some gaming magazines gave it. I based my decision on the sole basis of graphics because the other game's terrain and objects had too many polygonal shapes for my liking. My decision was Silent Thunder: A-10 Tank Killer II by Sierra On-Line and Dynamix.

The Hog

The A-10 Thunderbolt II (a.k.a. Warthog by pilots because if its ugly appearance) was developed after the Vietnam war with the need of close support aircraft that would be able to deliver large amounts of ordinance to their target and be able to withstand small arm ground fire, in other words, a tank with wings. Fairchild Industries won the contract in 1973 and the first A-10 took to the skies in 1975. The part of the A-10 that really sticks out is the GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling gun which fires 30 mm depleted uranium bullets through seven barrels at a rate of 2100-4200 rounds per minute. The GAU-8/A was designed for taking out tanks and lightly armored vehicles. The A-10 can carry a maximum weapons load of 16,000 lbs on 11 pylons which can consist of iron bombs, cluster bombs, laser-guided bombs, electro-optical guided bombs, Fuel Air Explosive (FAE), Maverick missiles, Sidewinder missiles, rockets, jamming pods, and drop tanks. The turbo fan engines are placed high on the plane which protects them from AAA fire and reduces its IR signature. The pilot is surrounded in a "tub" of titanium which can withstand 23mm shells. This "tub" protects not only the pilot but also the flight controls and avionics. The A-10 is designed to fly with only one engine and half a wing blown off.

Flying low is critical if you don't want to be detected early. Besides, buzzing the civilians is always fun!

Game Settings

The game takes place in 3 different settings: Korea, Gulf, and Columbia. Each of these settings are represented by realistic terrain detail. For example, in the Gulf setting, the terrain is vast and featureless, while the Columbian setting is rich in hills, valleys, dense forests and rivers. The game has a quick flight option as well as a campaign mode. It also has a training mission which provides a brief tutorial on how to use the different weapons effectively and how to navigate to different locations on the map. Alas, there is no mission creator or multi-player feature in this game. For each of the missions you can choose one of four pre-selected load outs, or you can customize your own.

Game Play

Getting started is quite easy with the menu bar which contains all of the necessary features needed to setup and play the game. When you select a mission, you have the option to alter the threat level (mild, moderate, or aggressive), ammo (limited or unlimited), and damage (normal or invincible).

Ah, one of the things that I really like: dropping bombs on stuff. The explosion and flying debris is done exceptionally well.

The object and terrain graphics are very good. The detail of buildings, vehicles, AAA's, SAM's, and airplanes are relatively smooth, except when viewed close up, which becomes a little blocky and pixilated. There are unlimited views in this game, which can be changed by using the mouse while in the outside view. The weapons can be seen quite clearly under the plane and you can see each individual weapon being dropped or fired. The explosions and smoke trails from weapons are beautiful to watch. After the bombs, missiles, or rockets hit their targets, the ground is visibly scarred from the explosion and really adds to the realism. If the wings are hit from gunfire or missiles, better check your payload because the weapons may be knocked off or remain on part of the wing that was blown off. The music for the game is pretty good, although I don't usually have the music on while I am playing games. You can even play the CD in a CD player so that you can enjoy the music outside of the game.

The Flight Model

Now for the downside of the game: the flight model. Words can't describe how disappointed I was after playing the game for only a few minutes. I immediately went to Sierra On-Line's web page and looked for an update or patch. I found one and hoped that it would solve this, but it didn't. I sent Sierra On-Line technical support an email and told them that the flight model was terrible. They said that the there was a patch (the one that I downloaded) on their web page that corrected many of the flight model problems.

How can a full loaded A-10 (51,000 lbs/22,950 Kg) going 57 knots, continue to climb? It boggles the mind.

Let me try and explain how the flight model works. Takeoff is quite simple since a fully loaded plane can accelerate from 0 to 200 knots in about 7 seconds. The control of the plane is quite easy and responds well, although I am not fond of the auto-horizontal trim function which automatically levels the plane. When you pull up and try to attempt a loop, make sure you that your altitude is at least 700 ft, because as you reach the peak of the loop, the plane's speed bleeds dramatically, stalls and begins an immediate descent at an incredible speed. The stall speed for the plane as big and heavy as the A-10 is set at around 50 knots. Strange, since the plane has to be going 200 knots for the plane to even takeoff. I have read that the A-10 is a nimble plane, but being able to turn around 180 degrees so quickly by using the rudders only is a little hard to believe. Another thing is the way the plane responds to throttle input. For example: when you are at full throttle (9 on the keyboard), which is about 350 knots, and you cut the speed to about half (5 on the keyboard), the plane immediately slows down to the corresponding speed, which would be about 200 knots. The opposite is also the same. I'm sure that drag doesn't slow the plane down that quickly or that the thrust propels the plane from 200 knots to 350 in a couple of seconds.

More Disappointment

Another aspect of the game that I don't like is the system for shooting/dropping weapons. There is no radar system on the plane to lock onto the target, so what you have to do is line up the target in the center of the HUD and wait for a box to encircle the target. Then you have to wait for the word "release", or "locked" for guided weapons, to come up on your HUD in order for the weapon to successfully hit the target when dropped/fired. You can launch the weapon before "release" or "locked" comes up, but chances are you won't hit it. There is no "death dot" for dropping dumb bombs, which is a line with a circle at the end of it {associated with CCIP (Continuously Computed Impact Point) and CCRP (Continuously Computed Release Point)}. The only radar present is a RWR (Radar Warning Receiver), which shows airplanes, SAM's, or AAA's that may be tracking you. It is very small and I forget about it all of the time, until I hear the missile warning sound.

The cockpit is simple and provides a good outside view. Notice the "box" around the target?

Another thing, if you find yourself heading for the ground because the airplane is heavily damaged, you can forget about punching out because there is no eject button to press. What modern, military airplane doesn't have an ejection system for the pilot to use when he/she is in danger of being killed? Most other combat sims has a huge map that consists of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers or miles of land and sea, but Silent Thunder II has a very limited map area and if you fly out of this area, it's mission failure.

System Requirements

The minimum requirements for this game are a 486DX66, 8 MB RAM, 25 MB HD space, Windows 95 or 3.1, 2X CD-ROM, DirectX, keyboard and mouse. Recommended requirements are a P133, 12 MB RAM, Windows compatible sound card, 4X CD-ROM, and joystick.

I played this game on a P200 MMX, 32 MB RAM, CH F-16 Combat Stick, Thrustmaster Elite Rudder Pedals, 16 bit sound card, and 2 MB video card. The game ran very smoothly with the detail on the highest setting. When direct sound is turned off, the sound was delayed for a second or more, but other than that, no real big problems.

Conclusion

You can probably guess what my conclusion and recommendation is going to be if you have read all of this review. If you're looking for a good A-10 simulation, keep on looking because this is not a simulation but an arcade version. This game is more suited for an inexperienced person who has less expectations of a combat sim than someone who is used to a more accurate and precise sim. If you still want to buy it and see for yourself, you can because Sierra On-Line has a no-risk guarantee where you can return it for an exchange or refund within 30 days of purchase. Hopefully, Sierra On-Line, Dynamix, or some other company will learn from these mistakes and make an excellent, realistic A-10 combat simulation. But in the mean time, keep your money or spend it on another game that you know you won't be disappointed with.

P.S. I'll never buy another game simply because of its graphics, hopefully :)

Michael Hewitt
michael.hewitt@mailcity.com

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