History VideoGame / SecretWeaponsOfTheLuftwaffe

The success of this game, and the later development of a true polygon-based 3D engine, convinced Holland and [=LucasArts=] to commission ''StarWars''-themed flight sims, namely ''VideoGame/XWing'' [[note]]both a sequel RecycledInSpace and a SpiritualSuccessor[[/note]] and ''Videogame/TIEFighter.'' Some ten years later, [=LucasArts=] released ''VideoGame/SecretWeaponsOverNormandy'', somewhat of a hybrid of a Spiritual Successor and True Successor (while, oddly enough, simultaneously being a Spiritual Successor to ''SWOTL'''s sister game ''Battlehawks 1942).''

* ItsUpToYou: The AI is quite decent and bombers tend to accurately hit their targets, but the damage inflicted is very limited. The player is encouraged to strafe-bomb the target for greater success.

* ChuteSabotage: Enemy parachutes can be shot after they bail out, sending the pilots plummeting helplessly to the ground. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential This serves no useful purpose, but it's funny]].

The game combines the Flight Simulation with a surprisingly good strategic campaign where the player designates bombing missions and targets or manages the German war machine, overseeing production and research of aerial warfare related industries.

[[http://home.comcast.net/~swotl/ Unofficial website]]
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Provides examples of:

As the name implies, the player took on the role of a fighter pilot during later stages of WorldWarII flying against ([[NoCampaignForTheWicked and in]]) the feared "secret weapons of the Luftwaffe." Players can fly a wide range of aircraft, from the Luftwaffe mainstays, the Bf-109 and Fw-190, to the exotic Me-262 and Go-229 jet fighters and Me-163 ''Komet'' rocket-propelled fighter; the Allied campaign supplied P-47s, P-51s, and - a rarity amongst fighter-centric flight sims - the B-17 heavy bomber.

* CopyProtection: The usual [=LucasFilm=] games [[http://www.neoteo.com/images/Cache/374Fx900y900.jpg codewheel]].

As the name implies, the player tooks on the role of a fighter pilot during later stages of WorldWarII flying against ([[NoCampaignForTheWicked and in]]) the feared "secret weapons of the Luftwaffe." Players can fly a wide range of aircraft, from the Luftwaffe mainstays, the Bf-109 and Fw-190, to the exotic Me-262 and Go-229 jet fighters and Me-163 ''Komet'' rocket-propelled fighter; the Allied campaign supplied P-47s, P-51s, and - a rarity amongst fighter-centric flight sims - the B-17 heavy bomber.

* TurnBasedStrategy: The game has a strategic component below the flight simulation: Three air superiority campaings for each side. A bit limited for the American Marshall who just transfers planes and assigns targets to achieve the established goals, but a very thorough one for the German Marshall, who not only defends the Reich but also gets to manage [[ConstructionAndManagementGames logistics, production and research]]. The eponymous Secret Weapons can be deployed soon enough to make an impact.

The success of this game, and the later development of a true polygon-based 3D engine, convinced Holland and [=LucasArts=] to commission ''StarWars''-themed flight sims, namely ''{{X-Wing}}'' [[note]]both a sequel RecycledInSpace and a SpiritualSuccessor[[/note]] and ''Videogame/TIEFighter.'' Some ten years later, [=LucasArts=] released ''VideoGame/SecretWeaponsOverNormandy'', somewhat of a hybrid of a Spiritual Successor and True Successor (while, oddly enough, simultaneously being a Spiritual Successor to ''SWOTL'''s sister game ''Battlehawks 1942).''

* TurnBasedStrategy: The game has a strategic component below the flight simulation: Three air superiority campaings for each side. A bit limited for the American Marshall who just transfers planes and assigns targets to achieve the established goals, but a very thorough one for the German Marshall, who not only defends the Reich but also gets to manage [[ConstructionAndManagementGames logistics, production and research]]. The titular Secret Weapons can be deployed soon enough to make an impact.

* AwesomeButPractical:
** The Me-262 jetplane is an amazing fighter that outclasses most of its rivals and has a decent range.
** In the expansion pack, the P-80, roughly the American equivalent to the Me-262.[[note]]It came just too late for WWII but did see action in the Korean War, though by then it was already obsolete against Russian jet fighters[[/note]]
** Also in the expansion pack, the He-162 and Do-335 are somewhat ambiguous examples as to how practical/impractical they were. The He-162 was designed to be made cheaply but is commonly believed to be difficult to fly; however, eyewitness accounts of the few times it saw combat seem to contradict this. The Do-335 was fast yet practical on paper, but accounts differ as to how its unique layout would've stood up to engine overheating and hard landings.

As the name implies, the player tooks on the role of a fighter pilot during later stages of WorldWarII flying against ([[NoCampaignForTheWicked and in]]) the feared "secret weapons of the Luftwaffe." Players can fly a wide range of aircraft, from the Luftwaffe mainstays, the BF-109 and FW-190, to the exotic Me-262 and Go-229 jet fighters and Me-163 ''Komet'' rocket-propelled fighter; the Allied campaign supplied P-47s, P-51s, and - a rarity amongst fighter-centric flight sims - the B-17 heavy bomber.

* AllThereInTheManual: In order to truly grasp and appreciate the significance and history of the aircraft and the missions they flew, the player had to go in with at least some background knowledge in WWII already.
* AlternateHistory: A lot of the missions are truly historical, but a few (namely those involving the G-229, which never saw combat service) are purely theoretical.
* AwesomeButImpractical: As in RealLife, many Secret Weapons are a liability, a great drain on resources with very little usability. E.g; the ME-163 has a so limited range that it can only be on the air for a few minutes.

** The ME-262 jetplane is an amazing fighter that outclasses most of its rivals and has a decent range.

* EscortMission: Many, the main goal of American fighters is to protect B-17 bombers against German interceptors.
* ExpansionPack: An expansion disk added the P-38, P-80, HE-162, DO-335 planes with their respective tour of duty missions.

* ItsUpToYou: The AI is quite decent and bombers tend to accurately hit their targets but the damage inflicted is very limited, the player is encouraged to strafe-bomb the target for greater success.

The success of this game, and the later development of a true polygon-based 3D engine, convinced Holland and [=LucasArts=] to commission ''StarWars''-themed flight sims, namely ''{{X-Wing}}'' [[hottip:note: both a sequel RecycledInSpace and a SpiritualSuccessor]] and ''Videogame/TIEFighter.'' Some ten years later, [=LucasArts=] released ''VideoGame/SecretWeaponsOverNormandy'', somewhat of a hybrid of a Spiritual Successor and True Successor (while, oddly enough, simultaneously being a Spiritual Successor to ''SWOTL'''s sister game ''Battlehawks 1942).''

** In the expansion pack, the P-80, roughly the American equivalent to the Me-262[[hottip:*:It came just too late for WWII but did see action in the Korean War, though by then it was already obsolete against Russian jet fighters]]

* OldSchoolDogfighting: Including ChasingYourTail and LeadTheTarget.

'''''Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe (SWOTL)''''' is one of the first and best-known [[SimulationGame Flight Simulators]] developed by Lawrence Holland and his Totally Games! studio at the behest of LucasArts and released in 1991.

The success of this game, and the later development of a true polygon-based 3D engine, convinced Holland and [=LucasArts=] to commission ''StarWars''-themed flight sims, namely ''{{X-Wing}}'' [[hottip:note: both a sequel RecycledInSpace and a SpiritualSuccessor]] and ''Videogame/TIEFighter.'' Some ten years later, LucasArts released '''''SecretWeaponsOverNormandy''''', somewhat of a hybrid of a Spiritual Successor and True Successor (while, oddly enough, simultaneously being a Spiritual Successor to ''SWOTL'''s sister game ''Battlehawks 1942'').

* CopyProtection: The usual Lucasfilm games [[http://www.neoteo.com/images/Cache/374Fx900y900.jpg codewheel]].