Flight Simulator (1980 video game)

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 1⁄4 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.