Csim: Team Apache is looking to be a very unique approach to military sims in general. Can you tell us how this developed?

Bryan: Team Apache developed from my own personal experience as an Apache attack helicopter pilot and Desert Storm veteran, as well as my frustration with the current status quo in rotary-wing flight simulation. I view TA as a breakthrough project, intended to show the player what it's really like to strap on an AH-64 and lead a flight of intelligent, highly-trained aircrews into battle.

The biggest influence the player will be able to see involves the tactical planning, and personnel management issues. TA really emphasizes good planning and employment of the available resources, both technical and personal. It also emphasizes the human side of the equation, including fatigue, morale, and unit cohesion issues. TA challenges players on multiple levels, instead of simply their ability to wiggle a joystick.

Csim: I'm curious that you chose NOT to model the AH64D Longbow. What factors contributed to that decision?

Bryan: The Longbow system certainly has potential, but it doesn't have any combat experience under its belt. In addition, I found that putting Longbow-style technology into the mix without presenting ALL the nuances of the system present makes gameplay more of a button-pushing issue than anything else. From a gameplay standpoint, I personally disklike "Super Weapon" simulations, as they remove much of the challenge of real-life combat aviation, and trivialize the experience.

Csim: What is the setting for the campaigns?

Bryan: TA features perhaps the most involved dynamic campaign engine ever created, with multiple levels of command and control dictating the battlefield environment. The Columbian campaign focuses on low-intensity conflict, where the Russian campaign really turns up the heat by challenging the player to fight in an environment where they're facing newer technology and have to simply be smarter than the enemy. Csim: Tell us about the leadership factors built into Team Apache?

Bryan: The biggest challenge will be to manage the aircrews and maintenance personnel. TA's environment is completely interconnected. Some aircrews can be flying while others are on alert and others sleeping. The same applies to the maintenance section, who can be repairing aircraft while others are deployed. It's up to the player to decide which pilots to deploy, how they're paired, which aircraft to put them in, and how to allocate the maintanence manpower. Badly-damaged airframes can be cannibalized if need be, or Partially-Mission-Capable aircraft can be sent on missions.

Working the pilots or maintenance personnel too hard can result in mistakes, crashes, and reduced effectiveness of the entire unit. It really becomes a balancing act for the player, deciding which missions to focus on, arguing with the "Head Shed" about priorities and timescales, and looking out for his men while still accomplishing the objective.

Csim: The AI that factors in experience, moral, and team cooperation must be quite sophisticated. Can you tell us some of the nuts and bolts of the design?

Bryan: Each "Artificial Pilot" is rated in 21 different categories, including technical and personal traits. Compatibility between crewmembers can come to the fore, particularly once Fatigue and Morale come into play. Some pilots will prefer different weapons in different circumstances, while others excel at night missions. The outcome of specific missions and the progress of the campaign in general has effects on not only the morale issues, but can have a great deal to do with the player's status as a commander.

If the success rate is high, then the player will have more leeway in mission selection and supply requests. If the success rate is low, then the top hats won't put up with a lot of guff while debating a mission's priority. The loss of an aircraft or pilot can have a devastating effect on a unit, and the rescue of missing aviators becomes a priority when a bird goes down. On top of that, the pilots can occasionally receive "Dear John" letters and such, causing their morale to sag. It's up to the player to decide how to cope with these issues, and it's no small task!

Csim: I understand that these moral and cooperation factors will extend beyond the pilots to crew chiefs and mechanics! How does this actually work? What tells me that my mechanic is tired of fixing my chopper? Will there be dialogue choices for example?

Bryan: The pilots' tent and crewchiefs' tent have interfaces that allow the player to view estimate the fatigue level and guage the moral level of the personnel. The pilots can be examined individually, while the crewchiefs are viewed as a unit. The "platoon seargent" of the crewchiefs will pass along advise at critical junctures if the maintenance personnel are ready to drop, and senior pilots will also offer input when a change in assignments should be considered.

Csim: Will we see a "real time" dynamic campaign, or will we see a mission generation system where a pilot chooses from a list of missions every set no of hours of gameplay?

Bryan: TA's campaign runs in real time, with it entirely possible to have the unit divided up performing multiple missions simultaneously, while other aircraft are undergoing maintenance.

Csim: Suspension of disbelief is a watchword in the simulation community. What other factors are key to the virtual environment other than the morale and team interaction factors?

Bryan: The persistence of the environment is paramount. Destroyed vehicles from previous missions will litter the battlefield as the unit moves progresses forward. Losing a pilot brings up a screen with the player/commander writing home to his family. Certain incidents can be "remembered" by Operations personnel and come up to bite the player in the butt at a later date. The suspension of disbelief is achieved by appealing to the player from a personal side, as well as immersing him in a very dynamic environment of cause and effect.

Csim: How much control will the team leader have over his team when in action?

Bryan: The player can design tactics and formations, and then practice them in training missions with his unit. The more these tactics are practiced, the more proficient the unit becomes as a whole and individually. (This can become an issue if a pilot needs to be replaced, with a "newbie.") Tactics and formations can be activated via macros, and individual aircraft can be given specific orders in the event everything goes to hell.

Csim: I understand that the average flight in Team Apache will consist of four or more units. How does this affect an attack group? And what extra demands does it place on the team leader?

Bryan: Apache units are viewed and employed as a "big stick", with a company of 6 aircraft possessing more than enough firepower to dispatch an armored battalion. As a result, they're typically used in 5 or 6-ship elements. However, many missions will require the player to divide up the company in smaller elements to "fight fires" that crop up unexpectedly. (The Plan is always the first casualty of battle.)

Csim: Will the player start out as a team leader, or will he have to complete some training first?

Bryan: The player has a wide range of training utilities to start with, but he'll hit the ground running in the campaigns.

Csim: The screen shots for Team Apache and FN2 have been looking good, but there are differences in the two engines. Can you tell us about the difference?

Bryan: Though FN2 and TA use most of the same graphics technology, there will be some differences by the time TA ships next Spring or Summer. Most notable is the higher resolution of the terrain graphics.

Csim: What resolutions will be available to the player?

Bryan: 640x480-1024x768.

Csim: Will we see light source shading?

Bryan: The FN2 and TA graphics engine can support an infinite number of light sources, limited only by the available system memory and CPU speed.

Csim: Will wind and weather be modelled in Team Apache?

Bryan: Absolutely. This can become very critical in mission planning, as laser-guided munitions such as the Hellfire suffer degredation during rain, snow, etc.

Csim: Some sim design firms have forged ties with para military organization like Janes and World Air Power. These ties provide a flow of information that contributes to realism in design of flight models and avionics. How have you acquired the info you need for accurate design?

Bryan: Though affiliations with civilian defense publications has proven to be a good marketing move, the depth of information they can provide a gaming company is still limited by the Public Affairs Office of the various services. As a result, this information is often so watered down it's virtually worthless. I call this the "Clancy Syndrome."

I hope I don't come off as being arrogant, but these magazines have never impressed me from a technical standpoint, and I often find they do more harm than good. Bottom line: Reading every book and magazine out there is in no way, shape, or form a substitute for real-world experience.

Csim: Is there anything unusual or ground breaking in the physics or weapons modelling in Team Apache?

Bryan: The weapons modeling goes past the "textbook" answers, into the real-world characteristics under combat conditions. Much of this also comes from my experience in wartime, as well as from my background as an Armament Officer and the resulting fundamental understanding about the nuts and bolts of each weapon. The bottom line is that the weapons behave like they do in reality, rather than a sales brochure.

Csim: Damage modelling is another growth area in sim design. What will we see in Team Apache in this department?

Bryan: The damage modeling is somewhat unique in that damage affects can have a trickle-down impact. The helicopters are modeled as virtual systems, with interdependencies affecting major and minor subsystems. There are 100 different initial damage effects, and these can trickle down into many more depending upon the severity of the hit, the location of the hit, and the flight profile of the affected aircraft.

Damaged rotors can buckle if the player tries to fly too long or over-G them. Tail rotor damage can take several forms, from loss of thrust entirely, to fixed-pitch malfunctions, to having the driveshaft sever, and so forth. Players are going to have to learn how to operate the helicopter in all regimes, as well as learn to diagnose different malfunctions and do what it takes to get the helicopter back in one piece.

Csim: What happens to a downed pilot? Do we get a cut scene showing a rescue or a capture?

Bryan: Downed aviator recovery procedures can take a variety of forms. It's possible for another AH-64 to actually extract the downed crew via a STABO format, where they simply attach themselves to the outside of the aircraft and hang on for dear life. Dedicated rescue missions can also be undertaken, escorting MH-60s in. Pilots will make their way to pre-assigned points at their best speed, depending upon their injury status and proximity to enemy ground forces. (It's entirely possible for pilots to be killed or captured while doing this.) Until a downed pilot's fate is confirmed, he'll be listed as MIA, and this has obviously adverse affects on the unit.

Csim: How sophisticated is the AI that goes into the ground war? What tactical options will be available to a SAM unit, for example?

Bryan: The AI controlling the ground war is divided into three tiers, the STRACO (Strategic Commander) controls the battle from a divisional scale, the TACO (Tactical Commander) controls the battle from a Battalion scale, and the "Sarge" controls the formations and actions of individual platoons and companies.

The Sarge is perhaps the most sophisticated of the AI routines, changing the vehicle formations, looking for cover, and deploying for best tactical effect depending on the situation. It's a little spooky when you start an attack and realize the Sarge AI already has a good fighting position scoped out and winds up being a lot tougher to deal with than you thought. Line-of-sight for these units is also calculated constantly, and they're more than willing to call in artillery or air support if a careless player exposes his aircraft too long, or hangs around a battle position for more than a few minutes.

Csim: What about standard doctrine? I understand that tactics have a special dimension in terms of player action. Can you explain ?

Bryan: Maximizing the effectiveness of indirect fire is of paramount importance if a player wants to stay alive for long. If a player wants to try to do strafing runs over the top of an enemy like other helo sims allow, he'll get blown out of the sky in 5 seconds.

Csim: What can we expect to see in terms of opponents, both in the air and on the ground?

Bryan: The standard "adversary" assets will be present, as well as some unique aircraft and ground vehicles that haven't appeared in a flight sim to date.

Csim: How will you make the sim accessible to the novice? Will we be able to select levels of realism in flight, avionics, enemy AI?

Bryan: The difficulty levels are entirely adjustable. If the player wants to fly an indestructible Apache around the battlefield while never running out of fuel or ammunition, they can certainly do that!

Csim: What about multiplayer support? How many players will be able to connect in one mission? Will there be a "capture the flag" option as well as coop missions? Will we be able to fly coop in campaign mode?

Bryan: TA has full multiplayer support in both competitive and cooperative versions. The cooperative campaign should be a lot of fun!

Csim: When Janes Longbow added the CPG role it really added depth to the gameplay, but multiplayer for both positions won't be in place until Longbow 2. Will Team Apache allow the mplayer dual roles in one chopper?

Bryan: Yep!

Csim: Will there be any support for new hardware like force immersion, virtual reality, multiple monitors, surround sound?

Bryan: Force feedback and surround sound is already in. We're pretty lukewarm on the VR headsets right now, and multiple monitors is unlikely at this stage of the game.

Csim: What do you expect will be the minimum system requirements?

Bryan: Pentium 133 with 16MB of RAM.

Csim: When can we expect to see the sim?

Bryan: Summer of 1998.

Csim: Thanks Bryan and best of luck with Team Apache!