The (Unofficial) Fighter Duel FAQ

Last update 9/18/96
This page is obsolete and is no longer maintained by Ken Marsh
Do not write me e-mail about this FAQ.
Last known update page is here.

Index

Latest News

SPGS has released Net Duel, the (up to 9) multiplayer LAN version of Fighter Duel, a free ad-on! With ethernet cards only $39, now's the time to LAN, turn and burn! It's from Computer Gaming World's web page, and the FTP site is here. There's also a Force Feedback joystick file here. Maybe Philips Media's web site will catch up some time later. (PM support is the only place I know that doesn't use it's own resources and cactus.org to support it's flight sim products.)

FD Update Version Two is here! With 3 more planes, two player comm/taunts, and better instruments including an optional mini HUD! The Philips Media website has been hard to get to, and will be moving servers soon, so it is available at RCPilot's Hangar site, here for the text description and the binary here. The Hangar just added some strategy pages, too.

The long awaited UniVBE (now Display Doctor) 5.3 is available. This can be used to update the UNIVBE 5.1 included with the CD version of Fighter Duel. It has the support for the Viper 9000, S3 Vision and other super-fast super-problematic chipsets that we paid all that money for, and caused us not to be able to run anything. Check out SciTech's page at their web site or try to download it directly from their FTP site, here. Note! it doesn't seem to work if run from a batch file or command line. Running UNIVBE.EXE from the AUTOEXEC.BAT is the only way I've find to get a speed increase. Thanks to Craig Benvie for this tip, who also noted that it causes lockups in Win95/DOS if not run from the AUTOEXEC.BAT. Also Note: some report that SDD 5.3 doesn't work unless linear frame buffers are turned off. Try it both ways if you're having problems.

The (old) first official FD update is also available. If you don't have it yet, download it from Philips Media FTP server and look at the the Web instructions too. Please note that these files are on Philips Media's machine, and I cannot help you with access problems here at Charm Net. It no longer can be found at cactus.org, anyone know what happened? It's at Philip Media's official web page here. I've downloaded it but I can't test it because it has a serious bug for my computer, but Click here for pre-release update details. I will consolidate the update list with this page once I have fully tested the update... I'm hoping that a Motherboard upgrade next month will "fix" the bug. In the mean time there's Duke Nukem 3D....

Coming soon: My Fighter Duel EPL (Epic Programming Language) file, to show how an EPIC supports the USAF's HOTAS concept (Hand On Throttle And Stick) (and off the keyboard), a military term for those who think they can copyright it! Also, maybe a few screen shots.

Introduction

This FAQ covers the game Fighter Duel for the IBM PC/DOS platform. It covers installation, compatibility and basic playability questions. It does not cover the old Amiga version (Fighter Duel Pro) or other Amiga accessory programs.

I got Fighter Duel in late November, and a lot of people got it for Christmas. There seems to be little else out there on it on the Internet, so I'm posting what I find out for all to learn from. Maybe someday this will be incorporated into a larger flight-sim FAQ, and I will stop messing with it. If you don't have it yet, check out the free demo at their Web Page. You can also read about it in their other official web page, here. You can fly 3 minutes at a time as often as you like. This demo is not updated.

Purpose of this FAQ

To help people get in-the-air in Fighter Duel, and try to get Philips Media/SPGS to fix the bugs. I'll try to answer questions that aren't covered by the manual, the README, or basic air combat tutorials.

The Fighter Duel game has a lot of potential, and has a lot of realism where other games fall down (high deflection and long range gunnery, some aspects of the flight model). It has a few bugs and quirks as well. I hope to help people to enjoy the game, and to embarrass PM/SPGS into fixing stuff.

As the sim came on the CDROM, I was getting very frustrated with it. I stopped playing it until the first update came out. Most of my show-stopper issues seem to be addressed. The most annoying was the broken trim, which forced me to keep the stick shoved forward to keep the nose down.

The problem is, the update that fixes all these bugs causes my machine to slow to a crawl, usually about 2 or 3 screen frames a second. This also has side affects on the flight model, guns, etc. So, it's on the shelf again. I've tried to communicate this problem but only get the pat "you have a conflict in your machine" answer. Well, I can tell you the memory map, every I/O port, IRQ and DMA on my machine... reinstalling from CDROM fixes it, every other game runs OK.... D'oh! I think there's a bug in the update, huh?

Since I can't test the update practically, I'm having a hard time getting the FAQ updated. If a new update (patch) fixes the problem, I'll get back to this FAQ. If not, well... If you're having problems, I hope this FAQ helps you. If you find a new fix, please share it and I'll include it. If you can't get it to run from this info or PM support, get your money back, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the next patch to fix it. Get your money back.

Support

Philips Media

Philips Media can be reached from 9:00 to 6:00 Pacific Time Mon-Wed at 1-800-340-7888, 9:00 to 9:00 on Thursdays and 9:00 to 2:00 on Fridays. The manual indicates that this number is for installation problems. When I called there was no playability info.

The promotional web page is at PM's Games Page. This page is finally linked from Philip Media's Main Page, after spending a lot of time advertised only on the readme sheet inside Fighter Duel's box. Why isn't there any ALT text in the HTML? Ask PM, next time you call for support.

Before calling, read the README.TXT on the CDROM, and then read this FAQ. Then save your calls to report BUGS instead of pestering them with questions on how to install, or how to fly.

When I first called PM, I managed to work my way past their Installation Support to their Game-play Support after waiting on hold a while. They promised to look at my complaints and get back to me. They didn't, but I have been corresponding with Matt at SPGS and Jim at PM since then. Cactus.org had the update in the incoming directory for a while, but it's still at PM's Web/FTP server, see above link).

I was disappointed when I was told that there was no formal bug reporting process to bring user reports of bugs to PM back to the programmers at SPGS. Jim at PM assures me that this exists, but I received a letter on 2/7/96 where someone reiterated that PM phone support still doesn't know about any way to formally report and track bugs. They just take info and "see what we can do".

Once again, I've gotten a letter with a list of bugs that I was asked to fix. Sorry, I'm not SPGS (formerly Jaeger), which I make quite clear in this FAQ. When I pointed this out, I got a reply asking for their e-mail address, which is also in this FAQ. D'oh. From now on I'm just trash-canning questions that are clearly in the FAQ. For those of you who have read the FAQ and have a question not covered here, or new info, please feel free to write. I'll be more helpful with flying questions then install questions.

SPGS (formerly Jaeger)

SPGS's internet address is jaegersoft@aol.com, probably the place to go to make suggestions. The group is very small (about 3 people) so don't expect quick turn-around or personal service. I've started an e-mail correspondence with Matt at Jaeger, more on that below. I didn't make the above a mailto: link because a lot of people have ill-configured Web Browser Mailers with no Reply-to: field set, and will never get return e-mail.

The Fighter Duel Ladder

Eric Penn maintains the Fighter Duel Ladder, giving everyone an opportunity to compete with someone at their own level. The Ladder has moved from the BBS at 415-345-2353 to Eric's Web Page. The latest rankings are here. The Ladder is not officialy sanctioned by SPGS or PM, it's just Eric's good idea.

The Unofficial Fighter Duel FAQ

I keep this FAQ updated by two means, three really. One is by reading Usenet's comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim newsgroup, another is your e-mail, the last is my personal experiences. I need your help to keep this FAQ comprehensive and up-to-date. If Philips Media tells you something different or absent from this FAQ, or your discover a wonderful new bug, feature, strategy or work-around, please let me know by sending me e-mail. Please read this FAQ thoroughly before e-mailing me on setup questions. Half the mail I've gotten had questions that were all ready answered in this FAQ.

EVERYTHING I KNOW about getting Fighter Duel to install and run is here in this FAQ. If you need an explanation of something you see here, go ahead and write me, but if you ask me anything else, I'll probably say, "I don't know" or "it's in the FAQ". Please pay particular attention to the UVCONFIG.EXE program and the information in the readme.txt. Most people who write me with video problems haven't even tried it yet. In other words, don't write me until you've tried everything here. If you have questions about what I have here, or new observations I'd be happy to hear from you.

Questions and Answers

Installation

The video blacks out when I leave flight, or when I exit the program. Or, I have some problem with the video not otherwise covered here.: First: Before doing anything, read the readme.txt. Try running the NOUVESA.BAT program and trying it, and then try the UVESA.BAT script, or the program it runs without flags (I think UVCONFIG.EXE or something), with the option BIOS on, try it, then BIOS off, and try it. Please note that the UNIVBE.DRV generated by this program is different then the one installed from the CDROM. If that one worked best, copy it off of the CDROM again. Leave the 2.0 VESA extensions on, as it is necessary. Get the update and try it.
Second: Try the new UniVBE (now called Display Doctor) version 5.2 from Sci Tech. Just delete the UNIVBE.DRV file in the FD directory and load the 5.2 from the command line before loading the Fighter Duel program.
Please don't write to me if you haven't tried these basic things.
I got "user abort" on installation, but I didn't abort!: You don't have enough low (DOS) memory. Do a "mem" or a "mem/c" to check, it should be at 600K or more. Get rid of TSR's (except the CDROM) using a boot floppy or DOS 6 alternate bootup. The Sound Blaster initialization program runs and exits (doesn't take up memory), so leave it in there.
My Diamond Viper VRAM leaves the screen blank when exiting flight, or locks up the machine.: This is a known bug, it won't by fixed (maybe) until Scitech releases Univbe 5.2 (Fighter Duel ships with 5.1). Try running NOUVESA.BAT and running without the UNIVBE.DRV. It might be slow but it might work.
My Matrox Millenium card is only recognized with 0.5MB, but I have 4MB, what's the problem?: Like a lot of super-hot fast new video cards, there has been a lot of teething problems between the card and software. SPGS/PM is aware of the problem, and expect that an upcoming update to UNIVBE will fix it. Also, getting a new Video Bios (v. 1.9 or later) from Matrox has been reported to fix it. There is also rumoured to be a fix in the works for ATI Mach 32 chipset problems. The update handles the UNIVBE slightly different than the CDROM version, try downloading it.
I'm running an old VESA or accelerated ISA card, and it locks up after flight.: Try running UVCONFIG.EXE as it describes in the README. Leave 2.0 extensions on and turn the BIOS off. You may also experience an increase in frame rate, to a usable level. Play with combinations of BIOS and buffer on/off.
I'm getting really slow video and can hardly see anything. Help!: Turn off cloud cover, and your refresh rate will increase exponentially. Turn up "brightness" a couple of notches if you need it. Also, generate a new UNIVBE or delete it altogether. Read the README.TXT for info on how. If you have rudder or throttle turned on but they are not plugged in, this will also kill your refresh rate. If playing alone, try fewer enemies. If you have the update, you don't need 600K free low DOS, 400+K will do, so you can ditch EMM386/QEMM/etc. from your bootup, which may recover some performance, or give more consistancy to your joystick calibration. If all that is not enough, check free High Memory and see how to upgrade performance.

Setup and Calibration

I asked some questions about FD on Usenet, and got nonsensible answers.: They're probably talking about Fleet Defender, the other FD. Or, they might be thinking of the original version for the Amiga, which reached a high level of maturity, with add-on programs, etc.
Where's the music? Is my sound board set up OK?: There is none. If you hear the engine while flying, you're OK.
I can't get null modem H2H (two player) working.: Fighter Duel may not deal with a Modem on the same IRQ as the COM port (for example, using Com2 for H2H and having an internal modem on Com4. Remove the modem or use the other COM port. Also, check the CONFIG.INF file with a text editor for syntax errors or bogus information. Also, a slow machine may fail to update a faster machine, but not vice-versa, leaving you fighting shadows. SPGS has promised a patch for this in the near future.
How can I tell how many Frames per Second my video is getting?: The commercial release has no (known) code or hack to get it to report video performance. This is annoying because it is a common feature, and Fighter Duel must yield 15 FPS in order to operate correctly. Fighter Duel was tested to run at at least 15 FPS on a 486/33MHz with 1MB Local Bus video if everything else is optimal.
I just got rudder pedals and they don't work at all. Also, my joystick responds very erratically.: You have an outdated game port. Remove it and install a new one that supports A and B devices and faster CPU's, or get an EPIC, which not only gives you a dozen game ports, but allows you to custom-program stateful and stateless keyboard macros. Don't just disable it instead of removing it. Many old game ports will continue to respond even while jumpered off or software-disabled. If controls do respond unevenly or shallowly, see this comment about calibration.
How can I get it to perform better?: 1.) $0.00: Free up XMS by ditching smartdrv and EMS (no disk I/O while in flight).; 2.) $50.00: For dueling, install 16550 serial ports, to lower CPU overhead,; 3.) $90.00: Upgrade the CPU cache (many 128K cache motherboards can go to 256K of CPU cache),; 4.) $250.00: Replace the motherboard with an AMD 486DX2/120 w/512K cache.; 5.) $275.00: Upgrade to an S3 Local Bus VRAM 2MB video card,; 6.) $350.00: Upgrade a 486 to a Pentium Overdrive.; 7.) $600.00: Buy a Pentium 100+MHz motherboard. (you may also have to replace RAM and Video).; 8.) Find someone else to duel with. :)

The Update

Is there an patch? Where can I get it?

PM likes to call it an "update". This might be a good name as it covers more than one problem. All references to the update in this FAQ so far, refer to FDUPDV1.EXE. It was at cactus.org, THE Flight Sim server, but not any more. You can still get it from Philips Media directly at this link which should accomplish the FTP. If not, go to their web page and try it from their, or if your web browser does not support anonymous FTP, try the following:

	
	$% ftp ftp.philipsmedia.com
	Connected to spider.media.philips.com.
	220 spider FTP server (UNIX(r) System V Release 4.0) ready.
	Name (ftp.philipsmedia.com:logname): anonymous
	331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
	Password: logname@host.domain
	230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
	ftp> cd pub
	250 CWD command successful.
	ftp> dir
	200 PORT command successful.
	150 ASCII data connection for /bin/ls (199.0.70.21,2234) (0 bytes).
	226 ASCII Transfer complete.
	ftp> type binary
	200 Type set to I.
	ftp> get fdupdv1.exe
	local: fdupdv1.exe remote: fdupdv1.exe
	200 PORT command successful.
	150 Binary data connection for fdupdv1.exe (199.0.70.21,2240) (856759 bytes).
	226 Binary Transfer complete.
	856759 bytes received in 15 seconds (58 Kbytes/s)
	ftp> bye
	221 Goodbye.

What does the update give me?

Here's what its supposes to give you. My experiences so far, uncomfirmed:

More pre-stall warning in the form of shuddering, which greatly ads to the realism and flyability.
Now defaults to a new method of viewing, where views are held only as long as the key is. This can be changed back to the old method by editing the CONTROL.CFG file. Main keyboard numeric keys don't work anymore, so you may have to change your MACRO files to refer to the numeric keyboard scan codes.
Greatly decreased lethality. Improved survivability.
A nice "half up" instrument display, which puts the most important gauges on the screen but leaves more room for viewing.
A decrease in frame rate. Only a few of us have this problem. I've played with the UNIVBE and everything else but it stays unplayable slow.

Fun

Where's all those great texture-mapped graphics? All I see is dots and a couple little islands.: Try buzzing the aircraft carrier, keep your eye on the flag. Once you get the hang of it, you'll see some eye candy as you get close to (and stay with) the enemy planes.
Why do the German planes have Iron Crosses instead of Swasticas? Swasticas would be more correct.: Fighter Duel is also marketed in Germany, which, while being a Democracy, has legal limitations in freedom of expression concerning Nazi symbols and slogans.
How do I advance or keep score?: Beyond the tallies under "Report", there isn't campaigns, careers, etc. The idea is a one-on-one duel, where the entertainment is derived from the competition.
How do I learn more about air combat?: There's an excellent bibliography included in the documentation. The definitive book is Shaw's. You need to know the basic maneuvers and when to use them and when not to. If you don't understand the behaviour of the full-realism model you can learn a little about torque, gyroscopic precession, conservation of momentum, air drag, and the relative performance stats of the planes in order to be truly proficient. The stats come with the game. The physics don't have to be fully understood, you just have to know that they are there, and when they will bite you.

Flying

I'm going 450 and stall when I loop/Immelman. What's the problem?: You're yanking the stick back too hard. Easy does it, and you'll go over the top nicely. The plane exhibits a strange cobra behaviour and doesn't give any indication that anything's wrong while bleeding away all your smash. SPGS admits that this is wrong. (It may be fixed in the update now but I'm unable to test it due to another problem with my particular machine).
The Mustang has a really weird spin, and why can't I recover when it's level?: That spin is modeled on the actual Mustang spin, take a look at a reprint of the pilot's manual. You can't recover easily during the level part of the spin because you're going sideways, not forward. The update has additional rudder authority to help spin recovery. If it was perfectly modeled, it would start out with a 180 degree snap roll! See next question too.
I die whenever my Mustang spins. What do I do?: Throttle down, controls to neutral, then try to get the nose down. If you're upside down, or under 7,000 feet, you're SOL. Also, there is the rudder pedal bug.
I'm always correcting to stay in level flight, what a pain.: You need to adjust trim. See bugs. It's not documented anywhere in the package, but according to Matt at SPGS, the right arrow key "rolls the plane right", the left arror rolls it left. He also said the "forward arrow rolls it forward," whatever that means.
I start the "Quick Flight", but I go from 400 to 200 in no time, and can't get back again. What's the deal?: For some insane reason, they start the Mustang with the flaps and gear down. How they get it up past 400 with the flaps and gear down is beyond me. Either set up a macro to instantly put up the gear and flaps, or just set up a similar game in Single User mode and save it.
I can't get the rudder to do much. Does it work?: The CDROM version has only center calibration for the rudder, so if your rudder potentiometers don't go through a full enough range of values, you won't get much response. After recalibrating CH pedals with an EPIC card, I found that Fighter Duel responds properly and authoritativly to rudder input. The update is supposed to compensate for most rudder pedals and give the same level of authority to all. Also, see if your game port supports multiple devices (see above).
I can't turn to the left/right as much as to the right/left.: Your joystick's potentiometers are lop-sided (most are), and Fighter Duel's original calibration only sets the "center" of joystick travel. With the update it attempts to compensate for this, but it also sets a dead-zone of 10% in the middle to help make for easier flying. This is sort of correct because the real machines have some slop in their controls, but 10% may be 50% of your cheap joystick's left aeleron authority! Try decreasing it to 0 (or increasing it for that matter) and see what happens. Remember to re-trim your joystick after this change and whenever switching from single-user to dueling mode and back again.
It's much harder to turn properly then in Air Warrior.: If you have rudder pedals turned on, Fighter Duel doesn't turn the rudder for you when you dial in aerilon control, you have to use the rudder pedals yourself (you do have rudder pedals, don't you?).This allows for more complex maneuvering and finer control. Don't set up rudder pedals unless they are physically plugged in or you'll kill performance.
I keep adjusting the throttle, but the RPM stays the same.: The Mustang and some other planes have a "Constant Speed Prop" and adjust the propellar pitch to vary air speed while keeping the engine at a constant RPM. There was an RPM lever but it was generally kept in one position. Diving will force the RPM's up a bit.

Dying

I keep losing head-ons, I never had this problem in AW.: Air Warrior has different modeling for head-ons. Forget what you know. If the enemy AI is set to 6 or above, they are pretty good shots and will riddle you in a head-on approach. Barrel roll before you start taking hits, avoid head-ons, or fly a Corsair.
Every once in a while, I go straight in and can't pull up.: It's called "compression", you're going too fast to control the plane. Throttle down, and try to pull up gently. When you get control, wait till you're pointed at the horizon or more vertical before reapplying power. Sometimes this happens at ridiculously low speeds. The reasons are briefly described in the manual's FAQ, which doesn't tell you what to do about it.
My opponent only pinged me and I died, but they blow up good sometimes.: The guns are overmodeled (overly powerful). Deflection, high deflection shots and long range ballistics are nicely modeled but the bullet impact is a little too devastating. Dispersion and convergence is also not modelled. When hit, you will lose random things, fuel, oil, some control, all control, maybe just your life. If you go to an external view and notice a wing missing, bail out (hit Escape).

Dueling & Tactics

Is there any strategy guide?: The doc's bibliography has a good list of books that teach fighter plane strategy. RCPilot's page also has some user how-to's on basic prop plan strategy.
I answered a modem duel call, and my plane flew funny and I died.: The caller sets the realism features. Practice with all of the realism features turned on, or you will forever be a dweeb.
I'm trying to duel someone, and they warp around the screen and disappear.: There is a fast/slow disparity bug in the CDROM release that is fixed by the update. Fighter Duel sends out an serial update on every screen frame (at least 15 per second if all is well). Fast machines may overwhelm slower systems, that are all ready spending all of their time updating the screen and don't update you. Install the update on both systems, and have the slower machine upgrade performance. You might try slowing the faster system down, too, if you can endure it, by letting out the Turbo button.
Is there any way to duel over the Internet?: Sure. The IHHD (Internet Head-to-Head Daemon) allows you to log into a UNIX host, start it up (at both ends- your partner has to do the same), and duel as if you have a "Null Modem" connection. Some more info is on Eric Penn's "Stupid" page.

Killing

When dueling the AI, they are just dots on the horizon, and when I catch up to them, they pass me so fast I can't fight them.: Head toward them, and see what direction they are going in, and then head behind and above them. When they pass to your side, fall in on them and pick one heading away from you. Follow it and kill it. If it turns better than you, do not follow it more than 90 degrees through a turn, do a high yoyo and retain your smash, then repeat the above.
I've got the LCOS pipper right on him, but my bullets still don't hit.: The Lead Computing Gun sight works on the amount of G's that you are pulling, and the distance you set it for. If the other plane is headed in another direction, you will still have to lead some in that direction, as well. In other words, the LCOS compensates for your plane's direction, not the heading of other plane. It should work if you are both pulling the same G's in the same direction, and the distance is correct.
The robot planes reverse too fast for me, how do I catch them?: Hang back and hang around, they usually double back on themselves. Don't follow them all the way into a turn, and often they'll reverse again and end up right in your gunsights. If you don't follow them at all, they'll wander off, so make a small effort.
OK, now the robot planes just turn around and fly under me. I can't seem to do that.: That's because they are doing wingovers. Keep your smash, do an Immelman or a high yoyo, or just go after another plane. They like to do Split-S's a lot but if you stay high you can retain an energy advantage.
I shot it down, but the Log said it was a SPLAT4! Do I get credit?: Unless you explode it, it'll be some kind of Splat. If you check the total tally, you'll see that it's totalled up as a kill. The only meaningful wins are against humans, as the text file that the game exports can be hacked with a text editor, and the AI is not as resourceful or aggressive as a human.
Just a I was pulling lead to make a kill, I run out of airspeed and stall.: Use your flaps, which are useful for maintaining control at speeds under 250 MPH, expecially around 110 mph. Flat turns bleed airspeed quickly.
Just as I was pulling lead to make a kill, I stall at 300 MPH.: That's an accelerated stall, shove the stick all the way forward and wait until it recovers. Then, do a low yoyo and try to hook up again, or get out of dodge.
I got the update and now I can't kill anything.: Both lethality was lessened and each aircraft's survivability was increased. Also, some planes have two "banks" of guns with different firing buttons. This can be configured as well. For planes with machine guns and cannons, use the MG's to line up and the cannons to make the kill.
I can't seem to kill a Zero without flying one.: That's historically accurate, you can't "dogfight" a Zero. Try to Boom&Zoom it, which takes a lot more patience, time, and skill at head-on and high-angle (passing) shots. This is why Corsairs had such big gas tanks.

Bugs

After talking to PM Tech Support, they invited me to submit a list of bugs by FAX. Everything here was faxed to PM late on 12/27/95. No response as of 2/8/96. Matt at SPGS has also been returning my e-mail and answered some questions. He's busy trying to fix all this stuff so I try not to bug him too much :-)

Programmatic Bugs

Why don't I get side views from my hat switch? Where's Appendix 6 anyway, which is supposed to describe that hat?: The side views from the hat switch on the CDROM release were deleted after Beta Testing found that the switch/program couldn't hold value, and kept flipping views. It's back with the Update. As for Appendix 6, who knows. I fixed it using my Epic to set up keyboard macros for hat value transitions. Programmable TM and CH stick users can do the same thing. The updated FD brings back these views.
I installed the update, and now my joystick programming for the hat views doesn't work right.: It now defaults to non-sticky views, which means the view returns to front the moment the keyboard key is released. You can change this default in the CONTROLS.CFG file or change your programming to suit.

Modelling Bugs

Guns: The update reduces the gun lethality, and also makes your plane more survivable. If you have a performance problem (less than 15 frames per second), it will negatively affect lethality as well.
Trim doesn't work, what's the deal?: The CDROM version has broken up/down trim and very slight left/right trim. The update is supposed to fix this, and save trim for each plane type between flights. I have found left/right trim to work better but haven't seen any difference yet in up/down trim. For example, hit the right arrow to raise the right wingtip to avoid having to hold the stick off-center at full throttle.
Turning radius of robots: The Ace level robot pilots do a lot of wing-overs (a stall at the top of a high yoyo, then turning the fighter toward the direction that it begins to fall in.) The trouble is, they seem to be able to do it at 150 MPH. I've been told that "This is not a bug". Well, even though they are show-quality flyers, you can still shoot them down.
Compression: A Mustang shouldn't experience loss of control due to compression at 300 at 5,000 feet!
Spin: A real Mustang surely doesn't spin the same upside-down as right-side-up, and an upside-down spin should be recoverable above 7,000 feet. 1/6/95 -Just heard: spins are recoverable with keyboard, but not when rudder pedals are installed. This is a recognized bug that should be fixed in the first Free Update. 3/96- Greater rudder response in the update should make spins more recoverable, though some users are still complaining about this not working.
Why do I keep stalling?: The stall warning horn doesn't always work. The update adds shuddering as a pre-stall warning, which is very helpful. A G-Meter on the instrument panel is sorely needed and missing.

Features

Features Included

Lots of generations of Spits.
Several Bf109's.
Fun long-range gunnery.
Nice gauges.
Good feel (this is subjective.)
Good blackout model.
High speed serial update while dueling.
Full screen graphics in 256 colors.

Features Missing

Cameras and film playback.: The Update contains a screen snapshot capability. No films yet.
Instructions for the trim!
A gravity meter (accelerometer) for the instrument panel.
The P47D (I want 8x.50's!) and the P38D-E-F (I want 8x.50's!, and 2 throttles!).: These are promised in the "next version" (not update), no delivery date.
Logging of rounds expended and percentage of hits.
Columnation for the guns, dispersion modeling.
Chat/taunt ability in modem play. (Now here in second update)
Video Performance reporting (frames per second)

Features Out of Scope

Arena play: Not likely, but future versions may support Kali dueling.
Network play: Net Duel has been promised by SPGS as a Free Upgrade to current Fighter Duel ownders! I'll keep you posted as to a release date.
Missions, careers, scenarios: The primary purpose is head to head dueling. More scenarios are being introduced, with a fair amount of customizability.