RAZBAM teases Falcon 5 dynamic campaign design

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1–2 minutes

For a couple of years now, we’ve known that MicroProse resurgence included a return to the legendary Falcon series. Falcon 5 has been talked about a few times before in the past and MicroProse CEO David Lagettie has even talked to PC Pilot about the project. The latest tease we have about what is happening behind the scenes comes from now-former DCS World third party developer RAZBAM. Let’s have a look.

Dynamic campaign design?

Called one of the key pieces of intellectual property that made MicroProse the company that it used to be, Falcon 5 looks like another attempt to return to form. Falcon 4.0 left an indelible mark on combat flight simming so much so that the community has kept it alive through constant iteration and update. Falcon BMS is still a sim that has continued to hold interest thanks to its deep simulation of the F-16 Falcon and its dynamic campaign – a system that has yet to be beaten in the marketplace. We know too that the Falcon 5 project is planning to support more than just the F-16 on release with the F-35 listed as a key type that they plan to include.

Now, getting back to the subject at hand. Very little information is available but we’ve known for some time now that RAZBAM, having had a significant dispute with Eagle Dynamics, has shifted gears to bringing content to MicroProse’s new platform. Posted by RAZBAM CEO Ron Zambrano, the above image purports dynamic campaign design is something that either they or the product will support.

For months now, RAZBAM have also listed the MiG-23, MiG-29, UH-60, Tornado GR1 and AH-1Z under a section called “F5.0.” It doesn’t take much to guess what they have plans for.

More to come.

29 responses to “RAZBAM teases Falcon 5 dynamic campaign design”

  1. Michael Dwyer Avatar
    Michael Dwyer

    So the F-35. This might be why ED is working on the F-35.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      I had a similar thought. It’s going to get some attention!

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  2. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    If Razbam is involved, I’ll believe it when I see it—and not before. I’ll most likely pass on purchasing. Ron has a tendency to speak carelessly and drag customers into internal disputes.

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      It’s been a rocky relationship over the years. They’ve done some less than ideal things but also on balance some of their recent work on the 2000C and F-15E were brilliant. See how much has been learned this time around.

      It’ll be interesting one way or another.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. felcsarbr Avatar
    felcsarbr

    I have my doubts on depth, given how much it takes to make deep systems in flight sims, but a sim lite with a dynamic campaign it is more than welcome.

    More than welcome still is an understatement.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Yes, absolutely. There are times where I’d like something more in the realm of IL-2 than DCS. Something I can hop into and have a fun time with realistic but ever so slightly simplified aircraft. Lock On/Flaming Cliffs but with more airplanes. MicroProse might be able to find a good mix.

      Liked by 2 people

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  4. Kevin Uittenhove Avatar
    Kevin Uittenhove

    If Razbam brings a flyable Mig-23 to Falcon BMS, I’ll probably never play DCS again

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      That was a long awaited module for a lot of folks. Having it move to F5 would be an interesting incentive.

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  5. CanadaOne Avatar
    CanadaOne

    Falcon 3 was my first real flightsim. And I flew the hell out of Falcon 4. I have no problem getting Falcon 5 if it looks good.

    And if F5 gives DCS a kick in its complacency, fine by me.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      A little competition and some different approaches to the space is very much appreciated!

      Liked by 1 person

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  6. Vparez Avatar
    Vparez

    I do not understand people who complain about RAZBAM. Mirage 2000c was fantastic to fly and to witness its development. The team did their best with limited information and when they got firsthand feedback they absolutely knocked it out of the park! If that kind of developer behavior is not what we should expect and appreciate then I dont know what is. Furthermore, they are the only team in DCS who brought us a VTOL airplane. I enjoyed wrestling with the AV8B almost as much as the Mirage.

    I definitely am eager to see Falcon 5.0 and even though I am tired of the F16c, if the thing has MiGs then I am definitely in.

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    1. Urgent Siesta Avatar
      Urgent Siesta

      I think you may have come to know razbam a bit late…?

      while it’s true they had finally brought their products up to snuff, there were many YEARS previous when that simply wasn’t the case.

      their nickname used to be “razscam”. And while I feel that was an overblown sentiment, it does reflect broad community sentiment.

      and they only brought the Harrier to DCS because they had previously built it in FSX, where it had a mid-level reputation at best.

      I’m genuinely sad that their relationship with ED ended poorly, and I hope that their involvement with the rebirth of Falcon 5 turns out well for everyone.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. vparez Avatar
        vparez

        Who else before RAZBAM brought you an authentic French fighter jet experience? How many VTOL planes more realistic than the Harrier are out there?

        YEARS? Yes buddy that’s how we measure time necessary to develop a complex model of an airplane and its systems.

        I bought the M2kc the first day it was available and had nothing but fun ever since and until ED shat on it.

        I misspoke earlier when I said I dont understand these people… I understand them very well; they are spoiled babies who would know how to develop a serious piece of code even if their life depended on it and certainly never came to a mile from flying in any of the planes they complain about to be mid-level or whatever, bringing into question their expertise on either issue.

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    2. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      The company has had various rises and falls in public opinion. Some of their early efforts were mixed in quality and they had several changes to products that caused quite a bit of community infighting.

      I also credit them for preserving. The M2000C you see today is extremely well done. Same with the AV-8B. MiG-19 needed more time to cook fully but it’s not bad overall. F-15E was looking strong right out of the gate. But past reputation still lingers.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Urgent Siesta Avatar
        Urgent Siesta

        yes – completely agreed.

        and FWIW, I own all the Razbam DCS modules and think they’ve become genuinely good.
        from what I hear, the M2000 became and F-15E started as objectively great modules.

        it’s a genuine shame what happened, but at least Razbam went out when their modules were at peak.

        now the question is how long will they keep working? ED says not much past where we are now at DCS v2.9.x

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Urgent Siesta Avatar
    Urgent Siesta

    im definitely on the “show me the money” side of the fence.
    after all, it took Razbam nearly 15 YEARS to bring the Strike Eagle to DCS.

    Ron is highly aspirational, so let’s see what he brings and since he’s been all over the map, at what quality level.

    if Falcon 5 proves to be a good combat sim, count me in.

    but im not holding my breath in the meantime 😂

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      You’re absolutely right. Ron tends to get excited and is very aspirational but sometimes puts the “cart before the horse.”

      There’s a statement allegedly from MicroProse that has followed up on some of this. I’m trying to verify its veracity. More to come.

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  8. Petrel76 Avatar
    Petrel76

    I hope it will be a failure and RAZBAM will return as 3rd party developer for DCS.

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    1. Aapje Avatar
      Aapje

      Why do you think that Razbam will ever work with ED again, after getting millions stolen by them?

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Petrel76 Avatar
        Petrel76

        Ron Zambrano has his own explanations, Nick Grey has his own, too, they don’t match at all. don’t know who tells the truth, who lies, but i stand with ED since I fell in love with the Hornet.

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    2. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      I don’t think that’s all that realistic unfortunately. The bridge seems to be quite well burned at this point and I can’t see RAZBAM and ED making up – as much as I want that to be the case.

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  9. mindfullywanderlustba207ac501 Avatar
    mindfullywanderlustba207ac501

    Micropose released a statement about this post. Its a very public slap against Razbam saying no third parties are involved in development of the sim.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      I’m attempting to verify the statement. It’s been shared but without attribution – I’ve reached out to my PR contact within MicroProse to get more info.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Aapje Avatar
        Aapje

        Supposedly it is from the Micropose discord. It still leaves a lot of questions. How is Razbam involved? Will Falcon 5 have a modular system similar to DCS and will Razbam make modules?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
        ShamrockOneFive

        Yeah that’s what was said but when I went to try and find it, I couldn’t find it. Now, I could have missed it but I’m not sure if it’s real yet. Not the first time someone made something looking official and then it turned out to be false.

        It’s still quite unclear as I wrote in how RAZBAM is involved. They certainly have a bunch of modules they want to do presumably with the new sim. If third party developers are coming to Falcon 5, it may well be a credible competitor to DCS in more than one way.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. mindfullywanderlustba207ac501 Avatar
        mindfullywanderlustba207ac501

        It was posted by a Falcon Dev in the general chat for Falcon discord. Unsure if it has a further origin story. But its genuine. Here is the link.

        https://discord.com/channels/681523353651249174/1103234857322156102/1442616060606943242

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      4. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
        ShamrockOneFive

        Thanks for the link. Certainly changes my view from skeptic to it being a real statement.

        My next takeaway is that this confirms that its MicroProse doing the core development. It certainly doesn’t say anything either way about third parties developing modules. I do hope that they are courting more than one developer to do that kind of thing… building an eco system would be great to see.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. mindfullywanderlustba207ac501 Avatar
        mindfullywanderlustba207ac501

        Dont know if Micropose gave you the statement they gave How I Play youtube channel. But Micropose said (close paraphrase) “are only exploring the possibility of third party contributors and will announce more if and when that becomes relevant” to falcon 5 when asked about 3rd party modules.

        to me that reads pretty heavily that at best any agreements with razbam are informal and not inked at best to non existant at worst.

        clearly razbam thinks they are involved or thinks it would be good to market them as such.

        Like

  10. PaperPilot Avatar
    PaperPilot

    I believe Falcon 5.0 will be a huge hit and probably a strong contender to rival DCS. I think they will both help each other to evolve to become better platforms.

    Liked by 1 person

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