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Single Player Multiplay – The v8th Ops Phenomenon
by Joe "Impaler" HighmanThe title promised large-scale multiplayer recreation of the United States Army Air Force's campaign to destroy Germany’s industry and war-waging ability through precision daylight high-altitude bombardment. Visions of entire groups of 18 aircraft, each manned by a living online player perhaps from the opposite side of the globe, danced in the heads of every military flight simulation enthusiast. Entire communities sprang up all over the Internet, spurring up conversations, debate, planning, and recruiting.
One such site is Bombs-Away.net. This non-commercial site was created and is maintained by active members in the gaming community sharing a common interest in WWII flight simulations, online gaming, and player interaction. While the site was specifically designed to promote Hasbro Interactive’s B-17 Flying Fortress - The Mighty Eighth, the site does not strictly limit itself to this title.
Here, members from around the world meet to discuss the multiplayer splendor awaiting them with the release of this product. The community buzzed along happily for months, weathering delay upon delay with the endurance of gladiators, seemingly oblivious to the news that would potentially shatter the entire infrastructure of its membership.
Bombs-Away.net: The epicenter of the B-17 Flying Fortress community.
On Friday, September 1st, a rumor appeared on the forums; a rumor indicating that development problems hampered the functionality of the multiplayer support engine of the product, so the publisher would be removing that entire portion of the game. The reaction among the people was akin to films one might see of the civilians of a bombed out European city. Each face was washed with confusion, panic, and a touch of incredulity. Each voice called out for answers, any answers at all, and many voices refused to believe the answers that echoed back to their ears. Others responded with violent resentful tones, claiming everything ranging from betrayal to bait-and-switch marketing. Many players looked upon a product devoid of multiplayer online life and simply abandoned their interest in its merits right then and there.
From the ashes of this explosion, a collection of members emerged, each one reeling from the shock of the devastation, yet looking at this new landscape not as a wasteland, but instead as a blank canvas upon which a new doctrine could be established. This new philosophy is called "Single Player Multiplay." Under Single Player Multiplay (heretofore referred to as SPM), players will fly a predetermined mission offline and at varying times and then report their individual results to a central committee that will then average the scores and provide a summary of the mission results. Programs are in development within the v8th OPS group to track individual player career statistics and to award promotions, decorations, and awards based on mission performance, meritorious service, longevity, and other measurable criteria. Staff members are busily constructing the web pages that will serve as a virtual Headquarters. This location will allow registered pilots to enlist in groups or squadrons of their choosing, sign on to fly a mission against a target, report results, track career data, recommend decorations, and to serve as an information library for historical data, tactics, tutorials, and other items of key interest.
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