Jane's ATF: Advanced Tactical Fighters

Jane's ATF: Advanced Tactical Fighters
Developer(s)Electronic Arts
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Andre Gagnon and Brent Iverson
Composer(s)George Sanger and Team Fat
SeriesJane's Combat Simulations
Platform(s)DOS, Windows
ReleaseApril 1, 1996 (DOS)[1][2]
April 2, 1997 (Windows)[3]
Genre(s)Combat flight simulator
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Jane's ATF: Advanced Tactical Fighters is a 1996 combat flight simulator developed and published by Electronic Arts for DOS. It is the first entry in the Jane's Combat Simulations franchise.[1][2] An expansion pack, NATO Fighters, was released in 1996, and a compilation package for Microsoft Windows was released in 1997 titled Advanced Tactical Fighters Gold.

Content from the game would be combined into a unified interface with Jane's US Navy Fighters 97 for re-release as Jane's Fighters Anthology in 1997.

Gameplay

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Jane's ATF uses the same engine and menus as the 1994 game U.S. Navy Fighters, with updated aircraft and terrain geometry. The base game includes two campaigns, one set in Egypt in 1998 and the other Russia in 2002, as well as single missions, a mission creator, and multiplayer functionality.

The game's flyable planes lean heavily on aircraft that were new or still under development at the time of the game's release, including the F-117 Nighthawk (Stealth Fighter), F-22 Raptor, X-29 FSW, XF-31 EFM, X-32 ASTOVL, B-2 Spirit, and Rafale C.[4]

The NATO Fighters expansion adds a campaign in the Baltic and four new planes: F-16 Fighting Falcon, Saab Gripen, EuroFighter 2000, and Su-35.[5]

Reception

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In Computer Gaming World, Denny Atkin praised the game and its features, but complained for lacking multiplayer mode.[7] Steve Wartofsky called ATF an "evolutionary rather than revolutionary step" for Jane's Combat Simulations, but argued that it set the standard for its genre. While he found its graphics to be a "mixed bag", he enjoyed the game overall, and highlighted its encyclopedia as its best feature.[11]

Writing for PC Gamer US, Dan Bennett called ATF as a solid, good-looking sim, but found the game to be overly difficult.[6]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game positively and recommended it for flight sim fans.[9]

In 1996, the editors of Computer Gaming World nominated ATF for their "Simulation of the Year" award, which ultimately went to EF2000. They wrote that ATF "makes up for its aging engine by providing the best multiplayer environment of any modern sim".[12] It was also a nominee for the Computer Game Developers Conference's 1996 "Best Simulation Game" Spotlight Award,[13] but lost the prize to MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries.[14]

The expansion, NATO Fighters, received 7.8 out of 10 from T. Liam McDonald of GameSpot who called it "[...] a must, as it expands considerably on the original program and doubles its play life."[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b Gelmis, Joseph (April 7, 1996). "Cruising the Entertainment: Super Sims for Desktop Daredevils". Newsday: A44 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ a b Staff writer (April 2, 1996). "Jane's Teams on Simulation Games". Interactive Daily. Phillips Business Information Corporation: 1 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ "Electronic Arts Ships Advanced Tactical Fighters Gold and Longbow Gold for Windows 95; Latest Offerings From Jane's Combat Simulations Brand Add Technology Upgrades, Internet Play and New Missions". Business Wire. April 2, 1997. Archived from the original on December 6, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via The Free Dictionary.
  4. ^ "Jane's Combat Simulations: ATF - Advanced Tactical Fighters (1996)". MobyGames. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Cover packaging material from Jane's Combat Simulations: ATF - NATO Fighters (1996)". MobyGames. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b Bennett, Dan (June 1996). "Advanced Tactical Fighters". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on January 17, 2000.
  7. ^ a b Atkin, Denny (June 1996). "Plane Jane's". Computer Gaming World. No. 143. pp. 150, 152.
  8. ^ McDonald, T. Liam (23 May 1996). "Advanced Tactical Fighters Review for PC". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 9 October 2003. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Finals". Next Generation. No. 19. Imagine Media. July 1996. p. 83.
  10. ^ Lukban, Anthony (May 1996). "Advanced Tactical Fighter". PC Games. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  11. ^ Wartofsky, Steve. "Jane's Advanced Tactical Fighter". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on May 23, 2003.
  12. ^ Staff (June 1996). "The Computer Gaming World 1996 Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World. No. 143. pp. 55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 67.
  13. ^ Staff (April 15, 1997). "And the Nominees Are..." Next Generation. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  14. ^ "Spotlight Awards Winners Announced for Best Computer Games of 1996" (Press release). Santa Clara, California: Game Developers Conference. April 28, 1997. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011.
  15. ^ McDonald, T. Liam (17 October 1996). "ATF NATO Fighters - GameSpot Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 5 February 1997. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
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