After speaking with Mark I can see why Spec Ops has been doing so well, he loves his games as much as any player and it shows in the end product. Our conversation covered the upcoming Spec Ops patch which we can expect in about 6 weeks, the expansion (X-pack) pack and Spec Ops 2, which is now beginning the design stages.

Csim: Thanks for taking some time to speak with us Mark. Can you give us a quick rundown on where things are headed in the world of Spec Ops?

Mark Long: Well, we just finished some work today on the patch which we plan to have out in about 6 more weeks. The patch is going to cover some bug fixes like mouse fix, keyboard reconfiguration, joystick and gamepad support. We'll also be adding Voodoo 2 support, which will allow you to run the game in SLI mode. (SLI mode is Scan Line Interleave where you can double your performance up to 100 FPS!) 3d Audio is also in the works with Aureal support. That pesky F9 bug will also be squashed with the patch as well as Open GL support.

Csim: Sounds like you guys have been real busy. What about the expansion pack?

Mark: The big thing in the expansion pack, which a lot of people have been asking for, is multiplayer support. The X-Pack will have that and we're also planning something new I'll tell you about first. We're going to be adding three new worlds to the expansion pack to include Bosnia, Iraq and Vietnam 1969. In the Vietnam missions you will be part of a LRRP (Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol) in the Northern Highlands.

Our multiplayer support will be unique in that one server can be used to run 4 games simultaneously. Each game will allow 6 human players per game and each player will have his Ranger buddy as well giving a total of 12 player-characters in the game at any time. We're also planning on adding some AI characters as well, giving the players a little something extra to deal with.

The combinations for multiplayer will be 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3 and each server can support up to 24 human players at one time with the 4 concurrent games. We're real excited about the three new worlds and we feel the players will really enjoy them. There will be a GameSpy front-end added to make finding a server that much easier for Spec Ops players.

Csim: Sounds great! I'm sure the other Spec Ops players out there will be looking forward to it when they hear what you guys have planned.

Mark: We feel the same way. This is a game we're really proud of and will continue to make better.

Csim: Now for Spec Ops 2, what are the preliminary plans for that? Will it be based on Navy Seals as the players have been asking for, or will it be something else?

Mark: We're still not sure on the exact theme of the game although Seals are a where we are leaning right now. There's been a strong response on Specops.Org in the voting areas to see Navy Seals as the next unit we emulate.

Csim: What can we look for in SO2? What new features, actions and missions can we expect to see?

Mark: We have plans now to do some counter-terrorist missions, which will be made possible by having interior environments we plan to invoke in the next full release.

Csim: Interior environments?

Mark: Yes, moving and fighting from room to room in buildings. CQB (Close Quarters Battle) is something we wish to get more into in the next release and we're real excited about it.

Csim: What else can we expect?

Mark: We're looking to create much more complex and involved environments, such as the interiors. Players will be able to throw grenades from the prone position, rappel, climb, swim and even parachute!

Csim: Parachuting, wow! I like that idea. How many missions can we expect?

Mark: We're looking at doing between 24-30 levels and will also include multiplayer in the next release as well. Basically is will be the same Spec Ops format the players are seeing now, just further refined and more fine tuned.

Csim: Well, thanks Mark for the information and I'm sure our Spec Ops players out there will be very happy to hear the plans Zombie has for the future.