This chat occurred on Kesmai's Gamestorm recently. Thanks to Anthony Steensgaard and Ken West for forwarding this copy.

kyll_long : Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. I'd like to welcome you all to the first of what we hope to be many GameStorm Chat sessions. Tonight we have 2 very special guests who hopefully will keep your attention riveted.

On stage with me (as you'll hear soon ) are Jonathan Baron, Producer for AW3 and Arnold Hendrick, Executive Producer for AW: Vietnam. Our special guest tonight presenting the questions from the Audience will be Doug Vernon, Product Specialist for Battletech and Flight SIMS.

Ok to get us started Jonathan Baron who's been with AW since 1992 producing everything imaginable.

blue_baron : Good evening, fellow Air Warriors and my condolences to those of you who are recent victims of the Italy scenario. I hope we can have these chats more frequently in the future - they remind me of the RTCs in the old GEnie days.

Okay, first off - stuff that's happening for the current product, AWIII. Next week, we will be releasing version 3.13. This will fix the problem with the hit shells in FR, along with some high res glitches. We're also developing special terrains for scenarios.

Also, we are working on a process that will deliver you SAC along with your regular AW software. For those of you who don't know, SAC is the Scenario Auto Converter that allows you to swap special textures for aircraft and terrain into your current AW installation, and revert when you wish to the old skins.

We are also working on reviving something I never thought we did right the first time: Autoscenarios. This will allow us to have nightly mission based events that the host can moderate rather than relying strictly on massive organization by players, though I'm sure the player run events will remain the main events for most of you, and the autos will not take away from that.

THIS IS A TEST

Finally, we're testing a smaller Europe terrain for the arena. It's based on the Europe of old, except that it's more geographically balanced rather than the old one which could have been called "The Siege of B-land." The point is that although we are moving forward with rather massive development efforts for the next generation AW products we will continue to support fully and amply the product you play now.

And that's about all I have to say for the moment.... I'll turn things over to my esteemed colleague, Arnold. I look forward to your questions.

arnold.hendrick : Thanks, Jonathan. I'm Arnold Hendrick, producer at Kesmai responsible for the upcoming Air Warrior products. I've been in computer games as designer and producer since 1982, including a lot of solo sims. I started in online gaming in the early 90s, on GEnie, playing Kesmai and other products, including AW.

But this is about the next generation of Air Warrior products, of which Air Warrior: Vietnam is the first. This game is an entirely new flight simulator. It's built from the ground up using the latest software technology. This means the latest and best in 3D graphics, AIs, and game design.

Our goal is to keep all the great things of Air Warrior, but add lots of things people have always wanted. We may not be all things to all people, but I can promise more things for more people.

Historically, the game covers the greatest air campaign of the jet age, the "Rolling Thunder" operations against North Vietnam from 1964 to 1968. The situation was not unlike the Battle of Britian, with Americans taking the German role, and North Vietnam in the British role. I can answer more questions about the historical era, its planes, and the tactical and strategic situation if you wish.

The game itself is about flying and fighting aircraft of the period. You can fly USAF, USN, USMC, and VPAF planes. VPAF - Vietnam People's Air Force, which used MiG-17s and various types of MiG-21s. I can go into player roles and opportunities more too.

Perhaps the most interesting and innovative aspect of AW:Vietnam is its historical campaign game. Here you can actually participate in an ongoing campaign in a massively multiplayer environment, with players in roles from pilot to theater commander. However, top strategy is dictated by the game - which means you still report to either the President, or Ho Chi Minh, and must do what he wants. That insures political realities and historical reality remain, and just happen to keep the campaign balanced as well. :) I can talk more about that too.

What I can't talk about is projects beyond AW:Vietnam. All I can say is that we'd be idiots not to reuse this technology in more flight sims. :)

I can say that AW:Vietnam is designed to be a new game. I expect that even after launch, AW3 will continue, with people enjoying both games side by side. Finally, I absolutely cannot say the release date for Air Warrior: Vietnam. All I can say is be patient - not even Rome was built in a day. Thanks, and I'm now ready for questions.

  Dose : What kind of background does Mr. Hendrick have?

arnold.hendrick : Well... I worked in paper wargames (boardgames), miniatures and RPGs during the 1970s, before PCs. In 1982 I began designing and producing computer games. My best known work was during 1985-1995, when I worked as a designer and project leader (producer) at MicroProse. There I was responsible for Gunship, F-19 Stealth Fighter, Pirates (with Sid), Red Storm Rising (with Sid), M1 Tank Platoon, Silent Service II, and Darklands.

Lots of sims, as you can see. I worked at iMagic, now iEN, for a couple years... so I know about Warbirds. I joined Kesmai last summer. Personally, my academic background is military history, and that's my great all-time intellectual love. Followed closely by game design. :) That about sums it up... industry insiders regard me as "old guard."

seeker : Will the Autoscenarios use AI planes if there are not enough people?

blue_baron : No, alas. One thing that held us back in this regard - something Arnold's team is addressing in their work - was our inability to port the AI code to the host. We've been dealing with a code base that goes back to 1987. However, I think we'll have little problem filling the autos upon their return. All will be full campaigns with each mission predicated on the one preceding it. I think folks will enjoy it and we'll fill them up.

mbielawa : will AW:Vietnam work with anything other than Voodoo or RIVA cards?

arnold.hendrick : We are building AW:Vietnam to be DirectX compliant, including Direct3D...however, we will have certain hardware requirements for the 3D accelerator...which we haven't announced yet. Sorry 'bout that. But reasonably modern equipment, as of the time of release, should be able to run it. I'd like to say more, but it's not wise to do so just yet.

mage : Which missile systems are being planned for modeling, both AAM and SAM?

arnold.hendrick : The game will include North Vietnamese SAMs, as well as the air to air missiles of the time...The SAM was the SA-2 Guideline, known to the Russians as the S-75 Dvina system. Air-to-air was the Atoll (K-13 to the Russians) on the MiG-21, and various early models of Sidewinder and Sparrow for the Americans, mainly on F-4 Phantoms. The Sparrow had serious problems at this time, and the ROE required visual ID of the target before any firing.

That eliminated any BVR (beyond visual range) missile use. Oh...We also include the early anti-radar missiles for the wild weasels. :)

foos : Can you go over how RedCrown (AWACs) will work?

arnold.hendrick : Historically, it didn't work at all that well.. In the game, all the players get a map that gives them a pretty good picture of what their side knows about...but you'll need to zoom in some to see what's happening right around you...exactly how much you see and know may be configurable, based on realism settings. We're trying to balance realism and playability here.

dead_man_flying : Will there be eventual plans for later Vietnam War air campaigns, such as systematic bombing of Hanoi and expansion of the targets into Cambodia?

arnold.hendrick : We would like to expand the game, but that's something we'll address after release of the product...I originally hoped to cover all the way to 1972, but we discovered...that in 1971-72 the technology changed dramatically, along with the planes. It was just too hard to include all that as well without breaking the back of my team.

mage : How will squadrons be handled? arnold.hendrick : I presume that's squadrons in AW:Vietnam... Historical squadrons will be there, but since most only flew one kind of plane in real life...for player-organizations we're using the 'Cadre' instead. A cadre is a player-created and run association. We'll support it with all sorts of features you normally have to leave the game to find...and a Cadre is limited to just one service: USAF, USN, or VPAF. USMC counts as part of USN.

It's the AW:V equivalent of the AW3 squadron. We think you'll like it. Better, it separates campaign historical organization and staff from the player-run groupings that may span many campaigns over many years.

b17gunner : Will the F4 Phantom be included and will it have the RIO slot?

arnold.hendrick : How could we not include the Phantom? We've got four or five flavors of the plane...and two-seat planes include the ability to have two players in them, one for each seat, with appropriate cockpit panels. If you fly it solo, an AI takes the other seat.

mbielawa : will SAM site operator be a role in AW:Vietnam

arnold.hendrick : We considered this, and originally wanted to include it...until we realized that a whole new set of screens and gameplay would be needed to support it.... especially since you needed to bounce around between sites. ..otherwise you'd spend a lot of time watching empty sky and radar sets. So in the end, we had to cut it... reluctantly. :(

  mage : can you be disciplined for not following the mission perameters for an assigned mission? For example, if you bomb Hanoi instead of your assigned target?

arnold.hendrick : In the solo version, which has AIs for everything but you, but otherwise looks a lot like the online.. ...you can get a Courts Martial and lose the game immediately. In the online version, the penalty is that you don't accomplish the mission, which makes everyone rather pissed at you. Since advancement is based on mission success. :)

dead_man_flying : What sort of complexity can we expect? Will it be more system management than seat of pants flying?

arnold.hendrick : There will be a selectable level of realism and complexity in the game...the simple version really simplifies a lot of stuff, much simpler than hard-core jet sims you see today....the realistic version includes all the key fighting stuff, but doesn't insist that you learn to use every dial and gauge...we want to concentrate on combat flying, not instrument flying....besides, the planes of that era were definitely user unfriendly... very hard to learn compared to modern planes.

bratdeux : How are you going to represent the USMC in a flight sim?

arnold.hendrick : The USMC is part of the USN, but operates from Da Nang area bases, rather than aircraft carriers...at least, the historical squadrons, with a couple exceptions... ...in the game, USMC pilots get the right ranks and all, but can fly either USN or USMC missions...and USN pilots who get tired of carrier ops can fly USMC missions... we want to be flexible there. Playability over realism in this case.

Grizzly : Any idea when the new BigPac will be released?

blue_baron : No firm date, Grizz - mostly because we have to go easy on the pace of change in an existing product like AWIII. All I can say is that Mage did a splendid job with it .

foos : why would AWIII not continue in it's own right - or at least a unique arena?

blue_baron : Nobody, but nobody said that AWIII would die. However, folks will want updates to AW in the prop era.

arnold.hendrick : Absolutely. AW:Vietnam is a new and separate product. I expect AW3 will continue alongside it.

blue_baron : we can't go on forever with what we now call AWIII, but we can continue the game AWIII carries on.

arnold.hendrick : I expect that we'll have an open beta period before full launch. The need for a disc could complicate it somewhat, though. We haven't worked out all the logistics of the testing program just yet. (grins)

honkwomp : What you are saying then is that, players will not be able to choose their mission in AW:V, that what an where the pilot flies is determined by someone in the game?

arnold.hendrick : In the historical campaign arenas, that's true - you're given a mission, which either you or somebody else planned earlier...however...Some American missions were combat recon, a fancy name for giving guys an area and saying they could attack whatever looked like a good target in that area... these were often flown nearly ad hoc. Furthermore, VPAF missions are almost always quite simple: take off, go here, cause Yankee Aggressors are there, and shot em down.

arnold.hendrick: Finally...we will have traditional 'melee' arenas in the AW3 mold, with three hypothetical nations...and all planes available to each of the nations... so you can do all the unplanned flying and fighting you want. After all, not everyone enjoys taking orders!

dose : How do either of the speakers feel about the differences between jet and prop combat? Never the twain shall meet?

blue_baron : Hahahahaha!

arnold.hendrick : I'll let Jonathan handle that first. :)

blue_baron : okay then! Let me just say that I thought aviation took an ill fated turn when they stuck nose wheels on airplanes.

Seriously, WWII (and WWI) is more about aircraft Management. Jet era is more about aircraft systems Management. Both have much to recommend them, but each appeals to a different sort of sim lover...each presents a different challenge. And now I'll turn it over to Arnold ;)

arnold.hendrick : Jonathan and I love to debate this. I regard jets, especially of this era...as bigger and faster prop planes with longer ranged bullets (missiles) that you can try to dodge cause they're so slow.

You won't believe how primitive the systems were of those 60s era planes. At least by modern standards. F-105 drivers, who scored a good number of MiG kills.. barely had a gunsight at all... most had to use their ol' mark one eyeball...only way they did it was 'cause thatM61 20mm Vulcan cannon was such a fine weapon.

This is the war that inspired the USN to create 'top gun' because they discovered the art of dogfighting and the gun kill was hardly dead. Personally, I'm a great fan of WWI, by the way.

blue_baron : True - if you have to go jet, Vietnam has the best mix of old and new fashioned fighting...with lots of the old ;)

arnold.hendrick : But every era has its flying challenges, and Vietnam seems a lot closer to WWI and WWII than it does to Desert Storm or Kosovo.

wingnuts : Will it be two sided, unlike the 3 sides in AW3?

arnold.hendrick : The game will be three sided, actually... USN, USAF, and VPAF. The USN and USAF can't shoot at each other. (grins) Otherwise, they compete. Just like the real world.At least, back then. In the melee arenas, there will be A, B and C land, three equal sides, as in AW3. As for a place for you, send me an email: [email protected].

bill : will there be any ground to air missiles

arnold.hendrick : Yes... as I mentioned earlier... ...the Russian-made SA-2 Guideline (S-75 Dvina) was heavily used by the North Vietnamese in this period, mainly around the urban centers in the Red River Valley.

  blackknight : will vietnam include the A6-E Prowler? and if so will it occupy 2 people?

arnold.hendrick : The game will include the appropriate versions of the A-6 for the 64-68 time period...and does allow people in both pilot and B/N seats...the versions in use were the A-6 bomber, and the A-6B anti-radiation variant.The A-6E first version began testing in 1968, but was so rare that we decided not to include it... sorry about that. But the A-6B was there a lot, if in small numbers, and we do have that... the navy version of the F-105 wild weasels.

foos : Are there early and late Wild Weasel craft (F105/F4)

arnold.hendrick : We skipped over the first F-100 wild weasels, since very few 100s went up North...we have one general model of the F-105F/G wild weasel, since the variations between them were quite small....and happening almost monthly, with equipment variants almost impossible to track...so we just picked one major version and stuck with it...the F-4 Wild Weasels did not see action in Vietnam during the 64-68 Rolling Thunder campaign, as far as I know.

mage : If a Viet Pilot decided to take his Mig21 out the a carrier and vulch, what would happen? Would it be allowed?

arnold.hendrick : Well...the carriers have SAM defenses from their escorts, which could make life very bad.. ...and the carriers have AI CAP that would be all over him before he got within range of the ship not to mention players taking a rather active interest.

Furthermore, kills achieved don't count, since going out to sea violates the VPAF Rules of Engagement. Yes, the VPAF have ROE limits too, just like the Americans.

blackknight : will inflight refueling be available?

arnold.hendrick : Yes, inflight refueling was a major part of this war...and we will have both USAF and USN aerial tankers....with the ability to refuel inflight...there is a special autopilot for it too, in case you find the task a bit daunting...we will simplify some of the huge complexity in the real task, of course.

doug.vernon : in answer to quarters' question 3 parts syrup to 2 parts dairy product.

grizzly : What will the AW Vietnam damage model be like?

arnold.hendrick : We have a totally different damage system than AW3, as you might expect...we map damage to regions on the aircraft, compare that to systems present in that region...and inflict appropriate system degredation or failure, as appropriate.

In some cases the damage can be widespread enough to cause structural failure...or more likely, explosions that destroy the plane....so going up in a fireball can still occur. But I think you'll find it a lot more realistic than most things out there right now. The damage tables we have are not to be believed.

bonsai : will the game (AW VN) include tactical missions as well such as support of ground troops?

arnold.hendrick : AW:Vietnam is just about the air war over North Vietnam... since the VPAF limited their air defense work to that area, and we wanted to have a game about AIR battles. However....we do include the northern bit of South Vietnam...including the area around Khe Sanh and Hue ...so ground support missions in support of those battles, during early 1968, could occur.

seeker : Is there going to be a box version and who is the publisher if so?

arnold.hendrick : This game will definitely have a box, and be fully playable as a solo game - just more AIs. The only exception is traditional melee arenas, which may not have a solo component...publisher has not been announced yet.

bratdeux : Will AW Vietnam have rolling terrain and possibly moving strats such as trains and ships?

arnold.hendrick : We have a complete DEM (digital elevation model) of the entire area, which is huge, and about 2/3rds rugged mountains...and a ton of texture maps to make all that jungle and rice paddy look really nice...our goal is to make it LOOK like Vietnam.

Yes, there will be moving truck convoys, trains, etc., bridges, power plants, electrical stations, air defense sites, on and on....as for ships, there will be three different task groups at Yankee Station in Task Forc4e 77, each with a carrier and escorts...and the exact carriers change over time, just like the real ones

blackknight : will night flying be available?

arnold.hendrick : We will not have night flying in the online game....because in this era, no MiGs flew at night (mainly due to VPAF training limitations). And that kind of ruins gameplay for the VPAF side. We do plan to include night in the solo game....but there are some really interesting technical challenges we're still resolving about flares and such. So far, we think we can handle them ... but no promises yet.

wingnuts : will the flight model hit saturation point? or be flyable to a thick skulled person like me?

arnold.hendrick : We plan to have realism settings for the flight model. The F-4 was a VERY tricky plane to fly in certain regimes. On the other hand, we are also going to unbelievable extremes when it comes to accurate flight modeling...keep an eye on our press announcements in the future... you may see some eye-popping surprises in this department that may just take the industry by storm.

dead_man_flying : So AW:V allows for pilot and WSO flying simultaneously? I remember there being some discussion about the difficulty of implementing this.

arnold.hendrick : It is theoretically possible, in the USAF versions of the F-4, for the pilot and WSO to fight for control of the plane. We haven't decided whether we will just let the pilot win. In all the other two-seaters, the non-pilot didn't have controls to truly fly the plane ... probably a wise move. :)

seal : how are the missiles modeled ? arnold.hendrick : The missiles have their own flight model and guidance model, based on the actual weapons...we have some very remarkable people helping with that...and as I mentioned before, the missiles of this era had a lot of limitations and problems. Picking a good missile shot in this time period is a very fine art.

kevlar : Why do a jet sim, when for so many years AW has been a ACM (guns ) game using WWII fighters?

arnold.hendrick : Well, we wanted to branch out into a new period... something nobody has done much at all about.. ...and we really wanted to get a good massively multiplayer online JET game going...since there's plenty of competition in WWII already...and of course, the war itself is very different and very interesting. Oh, and....we aren't afraid of a little experimentation

quickster : Is the Macintosh being considered in future flight-sim development?

arnold.hendrick : We are not working on a Mac version of Air Warrior: Vietnam. Can't say beyond that, as I mentioned before.

zyr : what will the game requirements be (hardware)?

arnold.hendrick : We haven't said yet, sorry... You'll want a very powerful system by current standards, but then, the game doesn't have an announced date yet.

acidox : will we get to drive non aircraft vehicles?

arnold.hendrick : Sorry, in AW:Vietnam you can only drive airplanes. There aren't many other things to drive, actually. :)