Tracon is an air traffic control simulation game from Wesson. It was followed by Tracon II, which is primarily the same grade only with graphic upgrades. Eventually, Wesson compiled their Air Traffic Control efforts to create the game Tower, which was their best ATC simulation game. It was released in the late eighties.
As an air traffic controller in an FAA Tracon terminal control center, the user’s job will be to control the comings and goings of planes in a particular sector of an extremely large airport, similar to real life.
Tracon is an air traffic control simulation game from Wesson. It was followed by Tracon II, which is primarily the same grade only with graphic upgrades. Eventually, Wesson compiled their Air Traffic Control efforts to create the game Tower, which was their best ATC simulation game. It was released in the late eighties.
As an air traffic controller in an FAA Tracon terminal control center, the user’s job will be to control the comings and goings of planes in a particular sector of an extremely large airport, similar to real life. The main screen the user will see resembles a radar map. The radar shows small planes and green dots, which represent different aircraft, their respective locations, heights and so forth. Everything the
user gains for information about the aircraft in the vicinity of the air port comes from the radar screen. The only other way the user can gain any information about the airplanes that are coming and going is from the voice of the pilots of the incoming and leaving planes. The game is a full talkie and supports excellent sound, with the pilot’s voices coming in loud and clear as they request clearance, complain about conditions and so forth. All of the voice acting is done through the computer’s internal speakers instead of using a sound card.
As one would expect, the more traffic that is in the air the busier the airport the more hectic the user’s job quickly becomes. There is a lot to keep track of, and mistakes can obviously be fatal. It is up to the user to map routes for the planes and make sure that arrival and takeoffs remain punctual. Occasionally, there are emergencies to which the user has to respond, making the game more interesting and certainly adding a degree of realism.
Tracon was actually considered to be so realistic that it was used to train professional air traffic controllers in the early nineteen nineties. As Wesson became more versed in this field, special simulations were created for professional air traffic controllers, but Tracon and its sequels were still marketed for entertainment value.
Obviously from its commercial uses, Tracon is an excellent and realistic simulation. It features most of the nuances of real life air traffic simulations and was the inspiration for many air traffic control games that followed. It is an interesting and engaging download.
