Hind
Sold Out		(DOS/Win95) (Retail) (HINDPR)

Digital Integration Limited

Game

Ratings:

90% from PC Gamer

The Hind is the most formidable frontline helicopter gunship in the Soviet Military machine; uglier than a hunchback from Hell and meaner than Yeltsin with a hangover.

Fly the helicopter nicknamed "The Bogeyman" by NATO pilots, in campaigns ranging from Afghanistan to Kazakstan to Korea. Fly head-to-head against the formidable Apache Longbow in this first addition to Digital Integration's Virtual Battlefield series.

Features:

Fully networkable with Apache Longbow and other Hinds

Detailed Gouraud-shaded, texture-mapped terrain

Realistic and arcade options

Fully interactive ground troops

Over 100 missions including troop deployment, mine-laying and rescue missions

Controllable wingmen

Virtual cockpit with optional computer-controlled Silicon gunner

Three combat areas, plus training missions at your base in Saratov, Russia

Vast array of weapons, including machine-gun, missiles, fuel-air bombs, mines, and rockets

16 player network with "Deathmatch" and "Capture the Flag" missions

Two player options: Head to head, Leader/wingman, Pilot/gunner, Apache versus Hind

Hind, probably the most exciting pastime since Russian Roulette.

Requirements: 100% compatible PC, 8 MB RAM, 640x480 VESA, SVGA 1 MEG video memory, double speed CD-ROM drive, Microsoft or 100% compatible mouse, all popular joysticks supported, SoundBlaster compatible. Windows 95: 50 MB hard disc space. DOS: MS DOS 5.0 or higher, 30 MB hard disk space, DOS CD-ROM extensions v2.1 or higher, 6x86 tested.

Reviews:

PC Gamer, December 1996

"In last year's Apache (PC Gamer's flight sim of the year), Digital Integration brought us a top-notch simulation of the lean race-horse or attack helicopters: the Apache Longbow. Fast, agile, stealthy, and with a cutting-edge suite of avionics and weapons, the Apache itself features some of the most advanced flying technology in town."

"DI has returned to this territory to create Hind, based on the core technology and engine used in Apache, Hind takes us to the other side, offering a sim of Russia's premier front-line assault gunship, the Mi-24E Hind. There is much that will be familiar here to Apache players (as well as much that is new), but it has all been given a completely new spin to offer a unique flying experience."

"Hind adds one more twist to the Apache system: wingman control. As requested by many gamers, you can now issue orders to wingmen for coordinated missions. Head-to-head modes are also extensively supported, with cooperative pilot/wingman and pilot/WSO missions, one-on-one duels, and both Death Match and Capture the Flag network play for up to 16 choppers. You can also link Hind and Apache and fight these two warhorses against each other, and network play allows teams of Apaches to go against teams of Hinds.

"If there is something more a sim is supposed to offer, I'm not sure what it could be. Oh, the joystick calibration still gets screwy at times, and some of those explosions are a little chunky, but those aren't real issues. Hind looks sharp, flies tight, and plays right. There is enough sim here to be continued on the next sim, but don't be misled: it's tough. Much tougher than Apache. But if you want a full-blooded, well-rounded sim, Hind is for you."

Hind: Specs and History

"Hind" is the NATO designation for the Mil-24/25 twin-engine attack helicopter, which evolved out of the Mi-8 "Hip." (NATO designates choppers by codenames beginning "H," fighters beginning with "F," and so on.

The Hind is powered by two 2200 shp Irotov turboshafts, housed side-by-side in a nacelle above the cabin. The engines are capped with intake dust filters and infrared exhaust suppressors (added after Afghanistan). They can reach speeds up to 333 kph (199 mph), with a 900 meter-per-minute (2953 feet-per-minute) climb rate.

The latest models are the Hind E and F, which improve avionics over previous versions and offer different machine guns. The pilots sit tandem, with the Weapons System Officer (WSO) in the front. A cabin behind the cockpit can fit up to eight infantry, but is often used for extra stores or fuel. Most notable is the thick armor of the Hind, which can stop 12.7mm machine-gun fire.

The Hind-D has a 12.7mm flex-mounted machine gun, while the E has a fixed 23mm cannon. The stub wings support a variety of rocket and gun pods, with the D sporting AT-2 Swatter and AT-3 Sagger ATGMs and the E sporting AT-6 Spiral ATGMs. Each wing has three hardpoints, which not only store these munitions, but also 500-lb conventional and chemical bombs.

The emphasis in the Hind is on armor and firepower, as opposed to the Western emphasis (shown in the Apache) on stealth and agility. Think of it as a "flying tank." It has generally poor handling, a low power-to-weight ratio, and rotten high-altitude, high-temperature, high-G performance, but it is fast and strong. The Mi-28 Havoc is designated to replace the Hind, which has been in service since the early 1970s."

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