| Fighter Squadron: Screamin Demons By Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson | ||||
| Interview: Part II
CSIM: Csim: A-10 Cuba! was also impressive in representing aircraft damage. Can you give us some kind of feel for how damage effects and resolution will work in FS:SDOE? Trev: The damage model is going to be one of the highlights in FS. Each aircraft will have an average of 24 break points. These are places on the aircraft that can bend or break. When a wing (or half of a wing) breaks off, it will actually become a separate object, with true physics, and tumble/flutter to the ground, damaging anything it hits on the way down. At that point, the airplane will be missing an aerodynamic portion of its frame, and will therefore react exactly the way that a one-winged plane would in real life. This goes for every piece of the plane that can break off (wings, props, gear, tails, etc).
Planes will also take progressive damage from loss of oil, and your engine can also catch fire. For example, if your engine takes damage and catches on fire, the fire will start small, and if you don't do something to control the fire (such as dive or shut down the engine) then the fire will grow progressively larger. When you have a large steam of fire and smoke, the engine will eventually burn away from the aircraft. Similarly, fire will do progressive damage on ground objects (houses, barns, docks, etc.).-starting small, then growing, then catching nearby buildings on fire (depending upon which way the wind is blowing!) Air will also effect damage to the aircraft. If you go into a steep dive, for instance, and try to pull too hard out of it, you may stress the wings so much that they will bend, become structurally unsound, or even break.
CSIM: We've heard that the selection of aircraft to fly in the game is atypical. What aircraft will we see and why were these particular craft chosen? Trev: There will be ten aircraft in the game: a twin engine fighter, a single engine fighter, and a bomber from each of the three sides, Germany, England, and America. In addition, there is an extra British fighter. We selected what we thought would be the most diverse aircraft, since each one of these planes flies very differently. They were also some of the best planes of their time. CSIM: One of the biggest gripes players had with A-10 Cuba! was the small number of missions and lack of expandability. How will Fighter Squadron address this issue? Trev: There will be 30 missions that you can play from any of three sides, making a total of 90. We have also added a mission editor that allows you to adjust any value in any mission, or make your own from scratch. This gives FS unlimited playability. CSIM: Tell us about the Open Plane Interface? What kinds of design control will the module allow? Eric: OpenPlane (TM) is really just our database format, but documented. The unique thing about OpenPlane(TM) is that everything needed to describe the airplane is in the file. Most simulators hard-code much of the aircraft's behavior, but with OpenPlane (TM), nothing is hard-coded. I'm sure we'll be seeing all sorts of interesting aircraft once the format is publicly available. CSIM: Can you tell us about the interface itself: what kind of programming knowledge will be needed to design aircraft? How much documentation will be supplied for novices? Eric: Well, no programming is required, but the format is extremely detailed. Novices should steer clear. Perhaps some third party company will produce an editor for OpenPlane (TM) that will take much of the drudgework out of it. CSIM: Last year we heard that the design module might be released PRIOR to the sim itself.. is this still likely? Eric: No. We don't want to finally nail down the format until we're done putting everything we need into it. CSIM: Will the player be able to add his own paint scheme or his own markings? Eric: That concept is certainly feasible with OpenPlane', but we won't be providing the tools to make it happen. CSIM: In 1997 mission builders became more advanced with features like those in Janes F15. Tell us more about the FSSD mission builder. What will be the main features? How much tactical control will be allowed? Will there be tasking? Trev: You have full control of the sim with the mission editor. Our focus on the mission editor was to make it as easy to use as possible. We are using a very simple drag-and-drop, point-click interface that anyone can jump right into. CSIM: Will we see any features in the mission builder that are unique? Trev: It's ease of use!
CSIM: Will player generated missions be capable of being shared with other players? Trev: Yes, and in addition, we are making it so that you can create a mission and play it with your friends and co-workers over a network. CSIM: Gameplay in Fighter Squadron is squadron based. What does this mean and what will it look like in multiplayer mode? Trev: In the game you start as a squadie, and when you earn enough points you progress to squad leader and control the whole squad. You can also jump inside any given plane in the squadron, at any time during a mission. In net play, you assume the role of a squad leader, as do the other players. This means you can choose to command a number of AI pilots (and yourself) against someone else over a network. CSIM: One request I hear constantly is "I want to fly a WWII bomber!" Beats me why ;-D. Will FSSD allow players to fly a B17 or....? If so, how many positions can be player occupied? Trev: Yes, you can fly a bomber! You can also control any station in the bomber you choose: pilot, bombardier, or any gunner position. When you switch between stations, the AI will take control of any station you're not occupying. CSIM: I understand that the campaigns are not dynamic? If not, how are scenarios structured? What connects one to another? What will contribute to the immersion factor? Trev: The missions are structured key missions of an all-out war. Your progress from one mission to another is dependent upon the success of the mission objective. If the mission objective is achieved, then the mission is considered a success, even if you don't make it home alive. (In real war, the mission objective is the grounds for success, not your life!) This is why you can jump from plane to plane (at a large cost to your score and credibility). But if you're a real ACE you won't need to do this. CSIM: Computer controlled pilots have become very sophisticated this year, including becoming subject to g forces, losing sight, panic, morale, growth in ability etc. Can we expect this level of detail in FSSD? Trev: Yes, we have implemented five values to the AI pilot: aggression, skill, morale, loyalty, and sanity.
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CSIM: "Situational awareness" has become a very big issue in today's sims. Different companies are trying various ways to help players create a mental and visual picture of the vast sky battle on a small monitor. How will this be handled in FS:SDOE? Trev: You don't have static front, side, back views that make you feel like you're in a box. Of course you can snap to any of these views if you choose by a quick head turn but what we are doing is placing someone in a 3d model at all times. You will have a full range of motion and several padlock views from which to choose. All the instruments and levers will be functional at all times. You will also be able to zoom in and out of the cockpit. You can zoom all the way out and see 170 degrees from the front of your plane, like ADF has done. Or you can smash your face up against the canopy/HUD, like USNF. CSIM: The flight modeling in A10 Cuba! was state-of-the-art. Fighter Squadron has been advertised as featuring "a ground-breaking simulator engine based on the most accurate inertia, gravity and force calculations to date." How many factors figure in the flight model? Eric: Tough question. As mentioned earlier, aircraft are now constructed from multiple independent components, each of which does its own calculations. So to answer the question, the number of factors that affect the flight model depends on how the plane was put together. As an example, in the P38 that comes with FS:SDOE, each wing is partitioned into three airfoil objects. Tables of lift, drag and moment (with optional modifiers for leading and trailing edge devices) are used to parameterize each airfoil. The propellers are partitioned into 8 segments, with twist angle, chord length and airfoil section specified for each. Additional parameters specify min. and max. pitch angle (because the P38 uses constant speed props). The fuselage and twin engine booms contain lifting bodies to account for airflow over their surfaces. Each landing gear is divided into 5 separate objects that interact through springs and dashpots. All the aforementioned objects have inertial properties as well. CSIM: Last year Fighter Squadron was said to have three distinct play modes to allow easy entry for novices. Is this still the case and how is each level structured? Johnl: Our goal is still to provide enjoyment to both the novice & expert. The flight models may be simplified for the novice, and damage thresholds may also be increased for the player's aircraft. The final structure of these modes will be based on play-testing results later this year.
CSIM: What is the current list of aircraft that we can fly?
Trev: American: P-38J, P-51D and B-17G CSIM: Will we see wind and weather modeling in Fighter Squadron? Trev: Yes. CSIM: Will we be using radio to communicate with base and other pilots? Will early radar be modelled? JohnL: FS will be a close-in dogfighting simulation. We don't expect the player to waste a lot of time traveling to targets, or finding & getting to the fight. The mission parameters should provide the information necessary to engage targets. CSIM: What forms of multiplayer support will be provided and what kinds of multiplayer gameplay will be included? JohnL: There really shouldn't be much difference between the single & multi-player modes. Missions can be selected for either single or multi-player games, and the game player may control any plane in his or her squadron. Multiple players may work together cooperatively within or among squadrons. CSIM: What kind of future expansions are likely to appear for the game? JohnL: We have very capable physics & graphics engines which open up a lot of possibilities for expansion. Additional aircraft are the most obvious expansion option to the first product release. CSIM: What is the minimum spec machine and the recommended system? Minimum:
Recommended:
CSIM: Will force-feedback controls be supported and, if so, how will they be put to use? Johnl: We hope to use force feedback to model realistic control forces. Aircraft generally provide the pilot with a great deal of information via the control stick or column. We would like to effectively use this communications medium to describe the forces acting upon the aircraft. The pilot should be able to feel the aircraft's energy state through the controls. CSIM: Will there be a MacOS version of FS:SDOE? Eric: We are not actively working on the Mac version at this time, but we do plan to release a version for the Mac some time soon after the PC release. CSIM: If you could ask yourself and answer any one question in regards to Fighter Squadron: Screaming Demons Over Europe, what would it be and how would you answer it? Trev: "Hey Trev? How dose the flight model feel?" Well ..REAL!!! The feel of the sim is incredible-I've never flown anything even close. Even if you are a novice simer, and you can't quite explain it, you'll feel it. It just feels right! The flight and damage models have forever made my standards in sims sky rocket. Once you get a chance to play, you'll see. CSIM: With 32 meg of Ram selling for about $50 and 3d hardware power increasing dramatically, it must be dream time for sim designers! If FSSD represents the cutting edge in 1998, where would it go in 1999? Eric: There is still tremendous opportunity for improvement, but I want to leave some surprises for later! CSIM: Thanks, and best of luck with a very promising sim! Click HERE for a nearby explosion from FS:SDOE.
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Last Updated May 14th, 1998 |
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