<s>
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1999	O
flight	B-Application
simulator	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
fly	O
freely	O
or	O
engage	O
in	O
"	O
Challenge	O
"	O
missions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
thwarting	O
a	O
theft	O
or	O
locating	O
Bigfoot	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
built	O
on	O
the	O
general	O
aviation	O
gameplay	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
with	O
more	O
detailed	O
physics	O
and	O
terrain	O
,	O
more	O
planes	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
real-time	O
weather	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Roughly	O
half	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
IIs	I-Application
team	O
returned	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
sequel	O
,	O
supported	O
by	O
new	O
hires	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lead	O
designer	O
Peter	O
James	O
described	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
IIIs	I-Application
development	O
as	O
a	O
struggle	O
,	O
thanks	O
to	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
interest	O
from	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
and	O
from	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
's	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Placed	O
in	O
direct	O
competition	O
with	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
Fly	O
!,	O
the	O
game	O
failed	O
to	O
capture	O
sufficient	O
market	O
share	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
is	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
(	O
3D	O
)	O
flight	B-Application
simulator	I-Application
video	O
game	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
pilots	O
virtual	O
reproductions	O
of	O
real-world	O
planes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
may	O
control	O
ten	O
aircraft	O
:	O
the	O
Lake	O
Turbo	O
Renegade	O
,	O
Stemme	O
S10	O
,	O
Mooney	O
Bravo	O
,	O
Fokker	O
Dr.I	O
,	O
Beechjet	O
400A	O
,	O
and	O
five	O
planes	O
first	O
included	O
in	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
California	O
scenery	O
from	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
II	I-Application
may	O
be	O
imported	B-General_Concept
to	O
expand	O
the	O
airspace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
shares	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
skies	O
with	O
artificially	B-Application
intelligent	I-Application
(	O
AI	O
)	O
planes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Real-time	O
,	O
interactive	O
air	B-Application
traffic	I-Application
control	I-Application
monitors	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
actions	O
and	O
tries	O
to	O
prevent	O
mid-air	O
collisions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Challenge	O
missions	O
test	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
flying	O
ability	O
with	O
objectives	O
such	O
as	O
locating	O
Bigfoot	B-Device
,	O
rescuing	O
a	O
stranded	O
hiker	O
,	O
stopping	O
a	O
theft	O
,	O
or	O
flying	O
through	O
hoops	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
includes	O
the	O
level	O
editor	O
(	O
"	O
FLED	O
"	O
)	O
used	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
assets	O
to	O
create	O
airports	O
,	O
AI	O
flight	O
paths	O
,	O
and	O
edited	O
landscapes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
II	I-Application
in	O
1997	O
,	O
certain	O
members	O
of	O
that	O
game	O
's	O
team	O
wanted	O
to	O
move	O
on	O
to	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
while	O
others	O
wanted	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
combat	O
flight	O
simulation	O
game	O
Flight	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
then	O
surveyed	O
customers	O
to	O
determine	O
where	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
should	O
take	O
place	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
1998	O
,	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
was	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
publisher	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
multi-title	O
marketing	O
and	O
distribution	O
deal	O
that	O
also	O
included	O
System	B-Application
Shock	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
Glass	O
's	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
build	O
on	O
the	O
foundation	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
to	O
provide	O
what	O
project	O
leader	O
Tom	O
Sperry	O
called	O
"	O
the	O
true	O
joy	O
and	O
sensation	O
of	O
flight	O
in	O
the	O
most	O
realistic	O
environment	O
available	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
first	O
displayed	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
at	O
the	O
MicroWINGS	O
Conference	O
in	O
August	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Former	O
flight	O
instructor	O
Peter	O
James	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
assumed	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
lead	O
designer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
system	O
was	O
more	O
advanced	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
also	O
based	O
on	O
force	O
calculations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
plane	O
cockpits	O
of	O
previous	O
Flight	O
Unlimited	O
games	O
had	O
been	O
criticized	O
by	O
pilots	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
tried	O
to	O
make	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
IIIs	I-Application
cockpits	O
extremely	O
authentic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
terrain	O
texture	O
maps	O
were	O
made	O
with	O
satellite	O
images	O
rendered	O
at	O
four	O
square	O
meters	O
per	O
pixel	O
,	O
the	O
highest	O
resolution	O
used	O
in	O
a	O
flight	B-Application
simulator	I-Application
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Budget	O
concerns	O
and	O
the	O
storage	B-General_Concept
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
format	O
prevented	O
the	O
team	O
from	O
rendering	O
the	O
entire	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
despite	O
fan	O
demand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
IIIs	I-Application
object	O
editor	O
let	O
her	O
set	O
these	O
objects	O
to	O
"	O
move	O
once	O
along	O
the	O
path	O
,	O
back	O
and	O
forth	O
or	O
cycle	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
visiting	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
to	O
cover	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
IIIs	I-Application
development	O
,	O
journalist	O
Dan	O
Linton	O
was	O
impressed	O
by	O
the	O
team	O
management	O
of	O
Tom	O
Sperry	O
,	O
producer	O
Sandra	O
Smith	O
,	O
and	O
vice	O
president	O
of	O
marketing	O
Michael	O
Malizola	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peter	O
James	O
later	O
accused	O
the	O
wider	O
company	O
's	O
management	O
of	O
being	O
lukewarm	O
toward	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
during	O
development	O
,	O
since	O
their	O
biggest	O
sellers	O
were	O
action-oriented	O
games	O
like	O
Thief	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Project	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
James	O
developed	O
concepts	O
for	O
a	O
sequel	O
in	O
his	O
spare	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
his	O
ideas	O
were	O
shelved	O
to	O
wait	O
for	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
IIIs	I-Application
sales	O
figures	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
to	O
surpass	O
those	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
2000	I-Application
for	O
Flight	O
Unlimited	O
IV	O
to	O
be	O
greenlit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
wrote	O
that	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
's	O
marketing	O
manager	O
had	O
"	O
great	O
plans	O
"	O
but	O
that	O
his	O
"	O
hands	O
seem[ed]	O
tied	O
"	O
.Flight	O
Unlimited	O
IIIs	O
official	O
site	O
was	O
opened	O
in	O
March	O
1999	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
shown	O
alongside	O
Flight	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Thunder	I-Application
Over	I-Application
Europe	I-Application
at	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
in	O
May	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
shown	O
again	O
at	O
EAA	O
AirVenture	O
Oshkosh	O
in	O
July	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
beta	O
testing	O
was	O
nearly	O
complete	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
"	O
90%	O
done	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
James	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ReceptionFlight	O
Unlimited	O
III	O
was	O
placed	O
in	O
direct	O
competition	O
with	O
flight	O
simulators	O
such	O
as	O
Fly	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Together	O
with	O
the	O
costly	O
development	O
of	O
Flight	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
low	O
sales	O
used	O
up	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
's	O
earnings	O
from	O
Thief	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Project	I-Application
and	O
System	B-Application
Shock	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
which	O
had	O
helped	O
them	O
recover	O
from	O
the	O
failures	O
of	O
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
and	O
Terra	B-Application
Nova	I-Application
:	I-Application
Strike	I-Application
Force	I-Application
Centauri	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
he	O
praised	O
its	O
visuals	O
and	O
air	B-Application
traffic	I-Application
control	I-Application
,	O
he	O
considered	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
simpler	O
than	O
Flight	B-Application
Simulator	I-Application
2000	I-Application
because	O
of	O
its	O
less	O
detailed	O
lessons	O
,	O
interfaces	O
,	O
and	O
flight	O
physics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
later	O
nominated	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
III	I-Application
as	O
the	O
1999	O
"	O
Simulation	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
,	O
Denny	O
Atkin	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
turbulence	O
"	O
really	O
sets	O
FU3	O
apart	O
from	O
the	O
competition	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
simulation	O
of	O
air	B-Application
traffic	I-Application
is	O
"	O
like	O
no	O
other	O
sim	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	O
Bradley	O
of	O
PC	O
Zone	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
FUIII	B-Application
has	O
atmosphere	O
in	O
a	O
way	O
that	O
MS	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
Flight	I-Application
Sim	I-Application
ca	O
n't	O
even	O
dream	O
of.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Tony	O
Lopez	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
environmental	O
modeling	O
"	O
simply	O
breathtaking	O
"	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
elevations	O
were	O
rendered	O
more	O
smoothly	O
than	O
in	O
Fly	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
or	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Flight	I-Operating_System
Simulator	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
flight	O
physics	O
and	O
weather	O
simulation	O
were	O
superior	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
any	O
other	O
flight	B-Application
simulator	I-Application
and	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
powerful	O
,	O
easy-to-use	O
"	O
FLED	O
editing	O
tool	O
could	O
popularize	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
