I've never played the DOS version before; I grew up with the Amiga version - which I loved. I heard that the DOS version as sold here has a better frame rate than the Amiga K.O.T.S. I 'Youtubed' the DOS original and noticed the sound was inferior when compared to Amiga K.O.T.S, and also the intro was different.

This isn't to start a war between Amiga and DOS fans. I just want to know from anyone who's played both versions, well, which is better? Or is it simply a case of "six of one/half a dozen of the other"? So to speak.

As a fan of the Amiga port, do you think I will be disappointed with this version sold here, or pleasantly surprised? Thanks.

*EDIT* I've realised the last question is kind of silly given no one could predict whether someone would enjoy a game for sure, so perhaps it may be easier if anyone in the know could list the differences if you don't mind.

Hi, Appreciate I'm not really answering your question.

But I also remember the Amiga version and loved playing it.

However I always said to my myself 'wish the framerate could be a bit better'.
Not long after I think I got my first PC, a 386 dx40 and tried Knights of the Sky on that..... I was blown away by the framerate difference.
I actually thought games could not get any better! ;)

Anyway, for me, both where great versions but the framerate just made the PC version more immersive.

Good old day's huh!

I had the DOS version as a child and played it on my parents' old 386 SX... Having never played the Amiga version on an actual Amiga I can't speak for how it was though I would imagine the sound being a lot better. When I played on the 386 I only had PC speaker sound. So that was quite horrible. But the gameplay was certainly fluid. And running in DOSBox I get an even more fluid experience. The PC version certainly is a product of its time having only Adlib and Roland for sound. The Roland can't provide sound effects so in order to produce them it instead uses music for engine sound and so on. Quite horrible. And the Adlib while producing a lower music quality provides some decent sound effects. I'd say music on the Roland is probably better than the Amiga music. But the Amiga certainly produced both better sound and music than the Adlib. And forgoing sound effects for better music is kinda stupid :-) Graphically I do find the PC version to be superior. Especially the cockpit graphics are more clear and easily readable. And especially the posibility of higher frame rates is a massive selling point to me. BTW I set up my own profiles for all DOSBox games and for Knights of the Sky I run it with a fixed cycles count of 5000 and that does provide a quite smooth experience :-)

The winner, DOS.

Brilliant. Lots of good info there and very helpful :)
And Krankor, you did answer my question/s (there were many in one). You confirmed the frame-rate is definitely better, seconded by KajQrd. It was just that my question was really convoluted - think I confused myself for a second there :D.

I'm not too bothered about potentially wasting a couple of pounds. I was just worried about ruining my memories of the game if the DOS version turned out to be worse or too different. It's nice to hear that it sounds like it's a bit better overall. I was leaning towards getting it, and now you all have helped my decision, so it's your fault if it's crap! ;) :P

Nah, I'm sure it's still fun. The way I look at it: With the Amiga version, the window-dressing, presentational things such as the intro, music and SFX - which to me, *seem* better when compared to video of the DOS - help with the atmosphere and overall package, but that meant more back in the day when the game was technically more relevant. A part of the appeal of the Amiga version for me is obviously nostalgia too. However, these days, I'm not going to play K.O.T.S again expecting to be wowed by its 'cutting edge graphics'. I just want the version that plays best, and the only technical thing that matters in that regard is the frame-rate. To be honest, I couldn't recall, when playing it as a boy on the Amiga, it being jerky (it clearly is). I was probably too caught up in the whole "Mum! I'm flying a plane for the first time in a game... In 3D!". Good days indeed Krankor! And yes! At the time, I too couldn't imagine things getting better.
"Whooaah...It's like... the future, only now!" :D

I'm picking this up. I'll try your config settings KajQrd. Thanks again all :)

Hmm, never actually bothered to check the setup used in the gog version. That actually is 5000 fixed so no need to change it...

.... And 5000 cycles like you said seems about right; the frame-rate is smooth enough at 5000, although there is a tiny, tiny amount of input lag (noticeable in the menus). I imagine at 5000 cycles the game speed and FPS is probably about in line with how it might have been back in the day on a genuine DOS (I'm guessing).

Increasing the cycles beyond 5000 - let's say to 20000 - while making the game appear to run yet smoother still, and eliminating the small input-lag, did increase the speed of things too much. The WWI planes were suddenly zipping about like X-Wings or something! :D

I've left it at the default 5000 like you suggested. It just seems more authentic that way to me (as in: The physics and program speed seem right). To anyone reading this who feels it should be smoother, you could try 10000, which is a decent compromise between authenticity and FPS/response time.

So... I tried it, and yep, I love it! Brings back lots of memories while being something slightly different of course because I had never played this DOS version before. In case there is anyone who is, like I was, clinging to (or wanting to cling to) their memories of Amiga K.O.T.S and has doubts about this version, I say go for it! Especially if you have a joy/flight-stick
And I concur with the opinions and points offered by all who've posted above.

Gameplay
I haven't tried the career mode yet; just the training, so based on these impressions so far...
The frame-rate is much better than how I remember the Amiga version being. Plus, the ability to use an analogue joystick gives DOS K.O.T. S. the instant edge. See, my memories of the Amiga version involve playing it on a standard 'clicky' 8-way, digital joystick (mouse control was awful), so this gives the game a new lease of life for me personally. This version handles brilliantly. It feels satisfying and very precise. The smoother frame-rate helps a lot in this regard too!
Winner=DOS

Graphics
DOS K.O.T.S has a different palette - a technically better palette than that which the Amiga version used (going from my memory and viewing videos and screenshots of that version at least).
'Artistically' (if you like), it's a matter of preference. Though DOS K.O.T.S has a busier palette with - I'm sure - more colours, Amiga K.O.T. S was maybe brighter/more colourful, or rather, more contrasted. DOS is more subtle. Aesthetically then, it's a matter of personal preference, but the PC version is definitely technically better. One thing though: Maybe I need to experience more of the game and try out all the planes, but so far I haven't noticed the wing visible at the top of the screen in cockpit view in this version. If it is absent though, that's no bad thing as it increases your view. Maybe it was a trick in the Amiga version to limit the visible amount of 3D that was rendered so it strains the system less? Another thing: I remember there being little hills (well, pointy looking things that represented hills) in the Amiga version. So far, I haven't seen these here in the DOS one. Are they absent? No big deal really if they are. Overall, the PC handles the 3D quite a bit better than the Amiga did with this one.
Winner= Objectively, this (DOS) version mainly for its superior frame-rate.

Of course the graphics have aged (in both versions) - which is not helped by 'blowing up' an old game on a modern display it was never designed for - but this is par for the course and I knew that going in or I wouldn't be on GOG ;)
Besides, there are renderers and filters for that; with some experimentation the image can be cleaned up somewhat.

Sound.
In the DOS version, the engine sound, bullets and bangs don't sound as realistic as in the Amiga version, but they still sound okay in their own right with quite crunchy guns (though that engine does sound a bit like a flatulent duck in this one) :D

Note: As per KajQrd's suggestion above, the emulated Adlib is the best choice of emulated sound card for this game. Experimenting, I tried one of the others (I forget) and my resulting bemusement quickly turned to hysterics as my bullets were made of pure music. I 'tuned' those "Fokkers" to death! (Talk about instruments of destruction). :P [*Edit* God, that was corny]. :O
My personal favourite was the accordion propeller :D
Winner= Amiga. Set it up correctly and the DOS version sounds fine, however, got to say the Amiga has the edge here, on a technical level at least.

Overall Winner...
Yes, this version is different. :) Hrrphrrgrr! Gah! Argh!... As a huge Amiga fan I must admit... hnngggaah! *mumbles under breath*... Better than the Amiga version dare I say? I do! :)
Really, I'm pleased it is. It's just nice to play this game again and whilst it's lost a little something due to time, the flightstick and superior FPS more than make up for that and actually make this version an improvement over my memories of playing it on the Amiga (I tried to remain objective, and hence removed my nostalgia of the Amiga version from the equation as best I could, of course).
Taking everything into account, and mainly for the fact the gameplay is better, the feel of it all is better, and therefore the fun factor is higher... I'd have to agree... DOS wins it for me too.

Glad I got this. Cheers all!

Great review of the differences between the versions! :) I always wanted to play this game and now is my chance.

Thanks very much. I personally am not an expert authority on the DOS version though, and the Amiga version I played a long time ago. There are the people above who got me sold on the DOS version though, and after playing it, I agree with them. The above was just based on my early impressions of this DOS version compared with memories of owning the Amiga version years ago. I still haven't played much of this version besides the separate training and dogfighting missions. I did play a lot of the Amiga version back in the early 90's and have fond memories of it.

Of course, nostalgia plays its part too and it's nice that the PC version has some of that nostalgia of my Amiga K.O.T.S. and I think that when viewed objectively, seems better than the Amiga version overall. The frame-rate and control most definitely are - I'm convinced of that.

So far then, the gameplay is better in this version (I'm playing it with a flightstick). You may or may not get a shock at the graphics though, just know that going into it. There's old and then there's old :D
But if you're curious and you see it on sale, you might like it; I hope you do if you get it :)

It's not old, naked polygons in low resolution are the best!

Phwoar! Naked polygons! Ha ha I like that description. They do have a certain charm though, I have to agree. I sometimes feel that a lot of modern games suffer from "too much s*** on screen" syndrome, whereas the naked polygonal look you describe has a clean look to it. Sometimes, they give a convincing impression of being there. Do you think that's because our imagination fills in the blanks?

I feel the same. Sometimes, the simpler things are the best. I haven't played Race the Sun; I'm aware of it though and know what you mean. Things often go full circle, like the trend of 8-bit graphics and chiptune soundtracks in recent years. When done right, like with Shovel Knight, it's not just a case of style for the sake of style; it's the modern developers recognising that those games had to be well designed and fun because of their technical limitations, and of course, the added nostalgic feeling is a bonus too! They capture the whole lot, rather than just the style. Years ago, they were obviously limited by technology and so had to make their ideas and gameplay really count in a lot of cases (not all). So what was once the best hardware can muster, now becomes an artistic choice In games like Race the Sun. And besides all that, it just looks cool eh? :)

I feel with old "naked" polygons, the games tended to have much more depth, replayability, and often better physics because beyond the basic immersion they didn't care about realistic shadows, explosions and the rest. I feel like the sparse look with these older games allows us to create our own atmosphere in our own minds without the games' creators forcing their idea of an atmosphere on us. Maybe because they give you a 3D world and truly allow you to experience it freely... without "go here. Do that." linearity, 20 minute cut-scenes and set-pieces getting in the way.

Yeah, I know what you mean, and I don't mind older graphics. I can appreciate good quality EGA visuals and in the case of KotS with its early VGA it's actually quite nice for its time. Now back to that challenge from the German ace that I must promptly respond to or be humiliated in front of my entire squadron :D