There was a time when American simulation developers appeared to have
an advantage over British and European designers, but that time seems
far in the past. Ever since DI released Tornado, and then Digital Image
Design released EF2000 v.2 and Rowan released Flying Corps, British
simulation developers have been hovering on the cutting edge of the
simulation world.
How many British firms are currently producing state of the art
simulations for your enjoyment? There are at least seven that we know
of:
DiD: EF2000 v.3
DI: Super Hornet
Psygnosis: Nations: Fighter Command
Rowan: MiG Alley
Razorworks: Comanche-Hokum
SIMIS: Team Alligator
Wayward Design: B17 II
Digital Image Design
This UK firm produced EF2000 v.2 as well as F22 ADF and Total Air War.
Using an entirely new simulation engine, they then produced Wargasm.
Both EF2000 and Total Air War were winning simulations at Milia D'Or.
Now the lads at DiD are hard at work on EF2000 v.3, which will be
released in the UK as Typhoon. With the latest generation of their
WARGEN dynamic engine and an entirely new version of 3DREAM we may see
another landmark simulation from the team.
With a long and rich history of simulation design, Digital
Integration is still best known by many for Tornado, a sim that built a
cult following in the days when the Internet was barely on the drawing
boards. Later releases include Apache, Hind and F16. On the tarmac now
and almost ready for launch, Super Hornet will be their greatest achievement to date. If Tornado II follows in 2000, so much the better!
Psygnosis UK
Psygnosis UK studio has been hard at work on this one since 1997. Their first foray into the simulation market on the PC, Nations
is looking to be a solid product, in spite of its lack of a dynamic
campaign engine. Perhaps the most advanced AGP simulation yet, it
should be an interesting product.
Razorworks is another more recent arrival to the flight sim arena, and is known to our readers via Apache-Havoc,
felt by many serious helo fans to be the best work in this area yet.
Taking lessons from their first release, Comanche-Hokum is likely to
surpass Apache-Havoc in most areas, setting a new benchmark for helo
sims on the PC.
Rowan
Another group of old timers in the flight sim world, Rowan Studios may
be known to you from Operation: Overlord, Dawn Patrol or Flying Corps.
While to date they have restricted their work to prop sims, MiG Alley
looks set to put them firmly on the map in the jet sim arena in a cross
over work that allows players to choose one of four aircraft: the F86 Sabre, the MiG 15, the F84 Thunderjet or the F80 Shooting Star.
SIMIS
When SIMIS released Team Apache in 1998 it made a splash with some
incredible graphics, a high resolution engine, actual TREES, and
gameplay that involved real team tactics and crew management, including
morale factors. But many sim fans were confused by the management
aspects, and disappointed in its light approach to avionics.
Team Alligator is the new work in progress,
and is set to move SIMIS firmly into the hardcore arena while remaining
accessible to novice players. Team Alligator will also utilize the
latest hardware acceleration features, including bump mapping.
Wayward Design
When COMBATSIM.COM™ released the premiere interview with Wayward
Design, including a host of exclusive screen shots, the adrenaline
level of our readers reached epic proportions. Only the second bomber
simulation ever designed for the PC, B17 II will also allow players to fly fighters for either the Axis or the Allies.
State of the art in every way, Wayward are also integrating a full crew
simulation, right down to the motion capture of every action! This
ground breaking simulation should fix Wayward firmly on the map with
the greatest British developers ever. (The latest interview with
Wayward can be found at B17 Interview.)
SUMMARY
With the cancellation of JANE'S A10, it begins to appear that American
simulation companies are moving away from the hard core development
area. It could be that business models for the larger companies result
in comparing the income of a game like A10 to a game like NHL 99, and
the balance sheet determines the decision. It seems that smaller and
more focussed companies may be the only hope for survival for serious
military sims. These companies abound in Europe. We wish them success!
