Hind (video game)

Hind is a computer game released by Digital Integration in 1997 for DOS and Windows 95.

The game is a combat flight simulator which features the Soviet Mi-24 Hind attack-helicopter. It came with a detailed 99 page printed manual.^[1]

Hind is rated as a PC Gamer editors choice game thanks to its high rating.

Game modes

The game features several game modes. From the main menu the player can choose single missions (playing either alone or in networked multiplayer), a campaign consisting of missions strung together or to undergo training at the Soviet airbase at Saratov. The training is very extensive and teaches the use of weapons and avionics systems, navigation, battle tactics etc.

Combat can take place in three locales: Kazakhstan, Korea or Afghanistan. The Campaign mode features video clips as well as a detailed briefing before each mission, complete with a mission description, a detailed map and the ability to choose the desired ordnance.

The flight itself can be in novice mode, stable mode and realistic mode.

It can be linked over IPX and analog modem networks with Apache Longbow, making it one of the first multiplayer, multisimulator games ever - something Digital Integration has trademarked as 'virtual battlefield'.^[2]

As with its predecessor, Apache Longbow, Hind features a rather unusual and very realistic cooperative multiplayer mode where two players can occupy the same helicopter, with one piloting the helicopter while the other manages weapons (as Weapons System Officer, or WSO).

Gameplay

The game's graphics utilise Gouraud shading.

The game features a quite realistic flight model. Many complex physics effects are modelled, including ground effect, vortex ring, retreating blade stall and autorotation. Options are included to simplify the flight model for beginners.^[1]

Some of the missions and campaigns in the game are fictional, but the Afghanistan campaign is based on the 1980s Soviet War in Afghanistan.

Ground battles between individual soldiers can be seen taking place, since AI controlled infantry have been added. Soldiers can also be carried aboard the Hind helicopter and are a vital part of some missions.

If the player does nothing, an (almost) endless, semi-random war will be played out in each mission via a combination of scripted scenarios and very basic AI. The 'war' can be passively watched using the features for zooming in on and moving about each active unit. It is possible to pass some missions this way, as the AI units on the players side are sometimes capable of achieving the objectives without help.

Reception

The game received generally good reviews. Gamerevolution noted that both its best and worst features are its realism. It's very realistic simulation of the challenges of flight makes the game very difficult, with a steep learning curve. The game's realistic mode is not suggested for casual game players.^[1]

References