Contents

Welcome
SimGuild Links
Flying Circus 3D
Flying Circus
Battle of Britain

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    If you know any more important dates, or know when FC/BoB was developed/realeased, PLEASE contact me!
    Also, if you have a site you would like for me to add a link to, or if you have some screenshots you'd like to see posted here, stories, whatever...again, please email me and send them my way!

• http://lone-wolves.net/games/bob.screenshots.htm
  Lotsa BoB Screenies.
  
  
• http://lone-wolves.net/
  Some pretty good SG info from the Lone Wolf Squadron.
  
  
• http://www.gamespot.com/simulation/flycircu/ http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/previews/0,10869,2558718,00.html
  Gamespot Previews of FC (same preview, different pages).
  
  
• http://www.lawton-constitution.com/ontheweb/arc1999/030199.htm
  Small blurb in Lawton's local newspaper about SG (at the bottom).
  
  
• http://hotgames.ru/games/games878.ephtml
  I *think* this Russian site has BoB patch 922 mirrors.
  
  
• http://www.furballmag.com/reviews/battleofbritain.asp
  Good Review of BoB.
  
  
• http://www.vicer.com/squads/skylords/BattleofBritain.htm
  Seven BoB screens from SG's site.
  
  
• http://www.vicer.com/squads/skylords/Simguild.htm
  LARGE collection of FC shots...brings back memories... :*)
  
  
• http://www.cagesworld.com/RedBaron2/index.shtml
  News about SG's death:

  Flying Circus Dead? Cage @ 3:11
  One of the more popular gathering places for WW I sim fans was SimGuild's Flying Circus. As of September 30, 2000 Flying Circus is being shut down. Sim Guild did post this enticing possibility on their web site:

  "23 September, 2000 - SimGuild is in discussion with PlayNet concerning continuation of SimGuild's Flying Circus on their gaming network. No other information is available - SimGuild will post further information as it becomes available.

  Interesting. Can Flying Circus survive? Without further updates in the game engine I doubt it. There were some intriguing screenshots of an updated game engine some time ago. On-line WW I flight sims have always had a rough time of it, which is truly a shame. Due to the planes slower speeds and fewer doodads to play with, WW I flight sims should be among the most approachable and popular flight sims for newcomers. Sadly this is not the case.

  And also...
  

  Simguild Closed Cage @ 18:55
  Well it's official now. Simguild, the company behind the on-line WW I flight sim Flying Circus has left the game business. Here's the blurb from their site:

  "SimGuild is no longer providing games over the Internet. SimGuild's games ceased to be available 2 October, 2000. The last billing will be run by the middle of October, 2000. SimGuild thanks all of our loyal customers."

  The sidebar on the site says that the negotiations with Playnet fell through.

  
  
• http://www.fileplanet.com/index.asp?section=342&page=5&file=32244
  BoB on FilePlanet.
  
  
• http://www.x-sages.com/pc/reviews/856_XS00001.html
  X-Sages reviews FC.
  
  
• http://extra.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/features/acesonline_uk/3.html
  Small thing about BoB on GameSpot UK.
  
  
• http://www.ipass.net/~mhf/sims.htm
  Nice little thing about FC in the middle.
  
  
• http://www.furballmag.com/articles/j69/j69.asp
  What is FC?
  
  
• http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/news/september2000.shtml
  SG going under news starts appearing:

  Remember the recent news that SimGuild, makers of the massive multiplayer WWI game Flying Circus, was going under? Like Wings of Honor yesterday, Dogfighter is reporting today that they may be in negotiations with Playnet now to resume operations. There's some additional info in there, so check it out.
  Posted 09/26/00 - 8:30 AM ET

  
  
  
• http://www.gamespot.com/features/warfare/gre.html
  Gamespot/CGW's little article about "Web Warefare" in which they talk a lil bit about FC.
  
  
• http://www.cyrius.com.au/stefan/writing/games.htm
  Small review of FC...

  SimGuild’s Flying Circus
  http://www.simguild.com/download/index.html
  A multi-player WW1 flight simulator game. Looks like a lot of fun, with chaos in the skies as hundreds of untrained pilots take to dog fighting each other. Download the free software and get on board. Like many of these games, this one is still being developed and there are more games to come. Looks like it’s all happening though, in beta phase. The graphics look good for this kind of fast live action game. If you are into flight simulator games already, this must be the next step. It probably won’t match the home versions, but the interactivity more than makes up.
  Verdict: Bally ho! Off we go! - SS
  NetWorth: ***

• http://dogfighter.playnet.com/ (URL shortened)
  Dogfighter is good about keeping up with SG news...here they have a short breif about Playnet and SG. Playnet was hopefully going to keep SG's games alive, but the deal never went through. Read more:

  10-03-00
  Simguild - Playnet Deal Collapses
  The past week has seen rumours within the flight sim community that the online WWI era game Flying Circus by [SimGuild, Inc.] would perhaps be hosted by [Playnet.com] as part of its Internet entertainment destination. These rumours were fuelled in no small part by SimGuild themselves, who had officially announced on their website that negotiations were underway and had even extended the service date of the dedicated server for the game while talks were pending. Playnet had [confirmed] that they were in discussions with the Lawton, OK based company. Ken "Wookie" Bajo, Dogfighter's correspondent for SimGuild's titles, reports that SimGuild have made a new announcement on their website that negotiations are over and that Flying Circus will not be joining the Playnet Network. "SimGuild is no longer providing games over the Internet. SimGuild's games will ceased [sic] to be available 2 October, 2000," read the statement.
  
  This announcement has finally snuffed out any hope that the FC Community had of keeping their sim alive. Many of the pilots have already begun the long process of settling into new arenas with many being welcomed in iEN's Dawn of Aces (another WWI massively multiplayer flight sim), Red Baron 3D and Microsoft's Fighter Ace II, to name a few.
  No other information is available at this time. Playnet had no comment on the matter.

• http://dogfighter.playnet.com (URL shortened)
  Dogfighter gives us an update on SG's new pricing plan and brand spankin' new Flying Circus 3D shots.

  05-08-00
  Simguild Update
  Ken "Wookiee" Bajo, Dogfighter's correspondent for on-line games produced by [Simguild], reports two news items:
  
  Simguild, Inc. have just announced a [new pricing] structure for their online "Mondo-Player" games. Due to popular demand they are now offering a flat rate of US$10 per month for unlimited access to both Flying Circus and Battle of Britain. Previously Simguild had charged an hourly rate on top of a monthly access fee.
  
  The crew at Simguild are also hard at work building Flying Circus 3D and have been kind enough to provide Dogfighter with four exclusive screenshots of the game currently under development. Dogfighter will be striving to keep you up to date with the latest developments in the Simguild arenas and will keep trying to coax more screenshots out of the game's designers!
  
  

  
  
  Click on images to expand.

  Players of Flying Circus will notice the extra detail that is being added to aircraft -- gone are the 2D graphics and the limited colour palette from the current release. Ground textures, clouds, canyons and mountains will be featured and will provide added obstacles to contend with while dogfighting. Aircraft skins have also been improved to take advantage of the 3D rendering and lighting effects as well as the addition of a pilot actually sitting in the plane.

• http://dogfighter.playnet.com/ (URL shortened)
  Dogfigther mentions FC might be rescued by Playnet.

  09-25-00
  Flying Circus Rescued?
  
  Ken "Wookiee " Bajo, Dogfighter's correspondent for [SimGuild]'s online flight sim products, reports that the Lawton, Oklahoma based company has announced on their [homepage] that they are in discussion with [Playnet, Inc.] concerning the continuation of SimGuild's Flying Circus on the Playnet.com gaming network. Flying Circus is a massively multiplayer online flight sim of the WWI era. There was no mention regarding the fate of Simguild's WWII title Battle of Britain, and no other information was made available.
  The news comes as a complete surprise to the Flying Circus community, and adds a glimmer of hope to players who have been upset at the recently [announced] closure of SimGuild Inc., and the discontinuation of the WWI sim. [Screenshots] of the unfinished Flying Circus 3D had whet the appetite of players, and the Flying Circus community is in the hopes that a marriage of sorts between Simguild and Playnet will allow the continued development of the aging but popular simulation.
  
  Dogfighter.com contacted Al Corey, Executive Producer and Marketing Manager at Playnet about the news released by SimGuild. While he could not confirm that Flying Circus will be available on the Playnet.com network, Corey did indicate that Playnet has been in recent contact with SimGuild. Unable to comment on speculation about pricing if an agreement is reached, he added "…both of SimGuild's products would be a fantastic addition to the gaming and e-content offerings of Playnet.com's upcoming entertainment destination and I would say that SimGuild and Playnet share many of the same beliefs when it comes to gaming communities."
  
  More details will be released as they become available.

• http://dogfigther.playnet.com/ (URL shortened)
  Dogfighter brings in the sad news. :*(

  09-06-00
  SimGuild Announces Closure
  
  Ken "Wookiee" Bajo, Dogfighter's correspondent for online sim products by Simguild, Inc., indicates that the following message appeared on the Simguild website September 5th, 2000:

  SimGuild is going out of business. SimGuild's games will cease to be available after 30 September, 2000. The last billing will be run by the middle of October, 2000. SimGuild thanks all of our loyal customers.

  Following is his report:
  Simguild today announced that it will be closing its doors to the online gaming community. With many players closing their accounts over the last few months due to lack of updates to the ageing online flightsim Flying Circus and lack of news and/or updates for the current Beta release of Battle of Britain, it is not surprising that Simguild has decided to shut up shop. Rumour has it that they have been busy working on a private contract for a multi-national aircraft company for the past several months, but it is unknown whether or not they will continue working on similar projects or wind the company down completely.
  
  Simguild had recently started working on a 3D Version of Flying Circus and had built a small but loyal following in Battle of Britain; the announcement was met with mixed emotions on the various community bulletin boards surrounding the game.
  
  It seems such a shame to lose a fine community of pilots this way, but I am sure that some of the new sims that are currently in development will attract the majority of former Simguild customers. Dogfighter.com has been trying to source regular updates and news items from Simguild for some time but requests have been unanswered in recent months.
  
  On behalf of the community of pilots who have participated in the Simguild arenas over the last four or so years, I wish to thank Simguild for the service and memories they have provided. I will try and secure further information regarding this announcement over the next few days and would like to thank all the readers at Dogfighter.com for their feedback about our Simguild articles.
  
  I have started compiling work on a tribute to the Simguild arenas. Anyone with screenshots, stories, history or any relevant information or comments regarding Flying Circus or Battle of Britain please forward it to [wookiee@dogfighter.com] . As a solid and close knit community, I'm sure everyone has a story to share.
  
  Ken "Wookiee" Bajo
  Simguild Games Correspondent

• http://www.combatsim.com/htm/jan20/bob1.htm
  Combatsim.com takes a look at BoB.
  
  
• http://niigata.cool.ne.jp/peran/bob/bobindex.html
  Japanese site with BoB screens at bottom and purple Japanese characters on the Ready Room.
  
  
• http://homepage1.nifty.com/gc/demo/demo1.html
  Japanese site states that BoB is rendered in D3D. I don't know if this is true or not; I never heard what API BoB was rendered in.
  
  
• http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/oneshot/ft_the_fog_rolls_in.htm
  Interesting read by Jason "PLight" Raitano.
  
  
• http://www.hq.wwiionline.com/official_chat_022400.shtml
  An interview with another game development company. Quote of Interest:

  Simguild's Battle of Britain has excellent icons that have transparency based on distance... i.e. far away, clear, close bold. Proximity increase easy of visibility. Consider it!
  OKAY!

• http://www.dagameboyz.com/g/review_57_p1.html
  Da Game Boyz Review FC.
  
  
  . . . . . . .
  That's all the links I'm willing to put up for now :P This is only the first 10 pages of search results I beleive, so when I get the time to going through more pages I'll post them up.

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  Flying Circus 3D

  Searching through the web, I ran across this amazing shots! Amazingly, I have never heard of Flying Circus 3D! These are the same screens from above, thanks Dogfighter.
  
  

  
  
  Click on images to expand.

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  Flying Circus

  I still remember the first time I heard about FC. It was in front of the school while I was talking to my friend.     "It's a new game my stepdad and his company are developing...it's called 'Flying Circus'...it's like a WWI flight sim..."     A couple weeks later they invited me down to the SG offices to try it out. I was just getting started on computers...when I walked in and they had several tables set up with rows of computers with the latest hardware and those huge monitors. On the first flight I was able to take off, but then I stalled and crashed...hehe.     Later I joined a squadron and flew frequently. It was fun to get online and see a furball of people right outside your airfield...then scrambling to take off to defend it. :) Good times.     It seemed though in the later part of SG's life FC's population decreased dramatically. Probably turned away by the monthly fee, the aerodome was just not full. I wonder if SG had gone with a buy-it-in-a-box deal, then provided the multiplayer for free, they would have not gone under. Click here for FC screenshots!

  
  

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  Battle of Britain

  Battle of Britain was truely a great game. It had all the pluses of Flying Circus and a graphics overhaul to make it stand out above the rest. With only a fraction of the proprosed aircraft, BoB was still a blast to play. With bombers it would have been even more fun. Bombing is a blast (hehe). I still have BoB burned to a CD and I play it every now and then. Thank goodness for that CD, or I surely would have lost a treasure forever. BoB on FilePlanet Several good BoB screenshots Click here for BoB screenshots!