ATC4 INFO
TechnoBrain's theme for ATC4 is "Air Traffic Control of the Near Future." This statement seems to support almost all of it's new features, from upgraded graphics, to system requirements. Here, we'll show you what to expect from ATC4 compared to ATC3.
Image: Cover page for ATC4-Haneda
*In case you do not know what Haneda is, it is the common name for RJTT-Tokyo International Airport.
Topic 1: Strips
The aircraft strips in ATC3, as familiar to all, can get crowded at times, and required sorting out the strips manually.
However, in ATC4, the strips are integrated with the aircraft, so that the mess is now gone.
See the small "strips" above active aircraft, and a "strip" at the bottom right? This is what will replace the ATC3 strip; ATC4 organizes your strips for you in accordance to the frequency (delivery, tower, ground, etc) the aircraft is on.
TechnoBrain explains that to select an aircraft, you click the strip at the bottom-right, which then "swings" you over to the aircraft view (just like in ATC3). Selecting a command, however, is done through the strip above the aircraft.
For an example, let's say two aircraft were about to collide. Instead of scrolling through my strips as in ATC3 just to tell the aircraft to stop, I can simply click on the aircraft and tell it to stop.
Topic 2: Guidance Arrows
Remember in ATC3, when you weren't keeping track of where an aircraft was going, and you though it was going to turn left, but it turned right instead and caused a head-on? TechnoBrain fixes that problem with a slight "cheat", where a series of blue arrows show where exactly the aircraft will go next.
This is displayed both in the air and on the ground. Although it is unclear if this is an option or not, it is a helpful tool for many beginners trying to get to harder levels.
Topic 3: Time/Position Shifts
This is also a new concept in ATC4. In ATC3, the stages were set in predefined "scenarios", where TechnoBrain would specify which time of day you would control. In ATC4 however, you get to control when you want to play, and how much you want to play. In the example picture, this player wants to play from 08:25AM-12:15PM. The orange bar graph shows an approximation of how many aircraft will appear in that time segment. For example, if I were to play between 18:00-19:00, in just one hour, I would have to control 70 aircraft (compared to ATC3's capabilities, that is A LOT).
So now you ask, "what are the check boxes at the bottom for?" They are actually options to control your position (delivery, ground, tower, departure, approach). Up until ATC3, you were required to control all 5 positions at once. However, given that some levels can have hundreds of aircraft in them, TechnoBrain decided to give you the option of which position you wish to control. In this case, the user has chosen to play in ground control and tower control.
Topic 4: Touchscreen Support
Given that the world has now moved on to touchscreen with Windows 8, 8.1, TechnoBrain has made the interface "touchscreen capable." This allows the user to play ATC4 without a mouse, but rather just with a touchscreen and your fingers. TechnoBrain claims that it has easier "zoom and camera controls", however it is unclear if they are referring to pinch-zoom, or another zoom method.
This picture is an game-play overview that TechnoBrain has released. You can see what the strip command buttons look like, as well as the new map.
About ATC4-Haneda Itself
System Requirements:
- Windows 7, 8, 8.1 ONLY (Non-RT versions only)
- CPU: 2.4GHz or aboveRAM: 4GB or above
- Disk Space: 3GB or above
- Video Memory: 1GB (1024MB) or above
- Graphics: DirectX9 required (Intel HD 3000 or above, NVIDIA GeForce GTS/GTX series, AMD Radeon HD5500 or later)
- Audio: DirectX compatible
- Resolution: 1366x768 or higher
- DVD drive required
- Constant Internet connection required!
It seems that ATC4 will be using a user-logon based online activation system, similar to many modern games. This will mean that it will take more time and effort to play these games for those of you who won't be purchasing it.