| Strat/Sim Titles and the Genre Bender
By Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson |
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This year brings us closer to the integrated electronic battlefield than we have ever been, and that elusive goal is being hotly pursued by at least five organizations: DiD, Janes, Microprose, Mindscape/SSI and Novalogic. But equally as exciting, we are witnessing the birth of a new genre through the marriage of two well established genres: military strategy games and military simulations. The increasing sophistication of military gaming has me pumped. Recently I hosted a forum on Dynamic Campaigns, focussing on this particular feature of the latest and greatest air combat simulations. Last fall we took several stabs at defining the "Holy Grail" in the military flight sim genre (See Dan Crenshaw's Quest for the Grail, Mark Doran's Manifesto and my own Seven Sons of Sim). This year we will see the release of at least three simulations whose hub is a dynamic and real-time campaign system, and each integrates a tactical dimension, a component that has only surfaced substantially for the PC gaming environment in the last twelve months (although we saw hints of the broader direction years ago with the Strat-Falc add-ons, and even in Microprose Task Force: 1942). This year we will see three new simulations that will integrate real time dynamic campaign intelligence as well as tactical control at the theatre level: Falcon 4.0, Flanker 2.0 and Total Air War. Each has its own level of sophistication, and the first two will also be the first components in electronic battlefields, with later releases inter-operable in a real-time multiplayer environment (both F4 and Flanker2 will add other player mounted platforms early in 1999). Its a great time to be a military sim nut. We are seeing advances in every area of game play: virtual pilot intelligence, flight modeling, systems modeling, physics and ballistics, graphics and environment, sound and voice interaction. But these new simulations hint that something much bigger is happening to expand the depth of gameplay. At the same time as military games are becoming far more immersive we are seeing the blurring of genres and the integration of third person perspective and strategic control with first person simulation control in a real-time multiplayer environment. Lets take a closer look at the names and games on the horizon in alphabetical order: DiD (Total Air War), Janes Combat Simulations (Fleet Command), Microprose (F4 and M1TP2), and Mindscape/SSI, who are aiming at two sets of interoperable sims (Silent Hunter 2 and Destroyer Command, Flanker 2 and Harpoon 4). We'll focus particularly on Fleet Command and Harpoon 4, since these titles take us toward a full marriage of the genres in the multiplayer environment. Digital Image Design DiD is a good place to start for reasons other than the letter "D." Their conception of the Electronic Battlefield of Tomorrow (EBT) was first discussed with the development of "Tank," whose first screen shots we saw last fall. "Tank" has evolved into something a bit more esoteric titled "Wargasm", a memorable if odd title for a military simulation (Curiously, the Playstation title "Front Mission Alternative" also uses the term "wargasm" in their preview clips). But whatever you think of the title, "Wargasm" isn't a bad example of the blurring of boundaries between strategy and simulation. Lets talk a bit about those boundaries so we have a reference point for all that follows. First, military strategy games originated as board games with a top down, third person perspective of some kind of military engagement. Originally turn based, more recent releases have been incorporating real-time gameplay, often in a multiplayer internet or LAN environment, thus the acronyn RTS: real time strategy.
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 Military simulations, on the other hand, are by definition first person perspective, with actual control of the military platform given to the player. But in simulations like F22: ADF, this distinction began to blur in the AWACS interface by offering the player real time control of other assets, including a real time view of these assets in operation. An exciting addition to game play, real time tactical control of allied air assets adds the challenge of actually participating in the larger battle. The real time 3d third person perspective offered by the Smartview system increases the sense of participation in the bigger picture as well as the feeling of immersion. Now lets consider DiDs own strat/sim games soon to be incarnated in "Wargasm" and Total Air War. DiD's Wargasm takes this evolution another step by giving the player both tactical control of all allied assets in the battlefield as well as the ability to control individual assets from the first person perspective. In short, a player can select any asset, whether a trooper or a chopper, from a real-time strategic map and either choose the tactic and objectives for the object or objects or jump in and attempt to accomplish the mission personally. Wargasm is not a serious simulation like Total Air War; it has a surrealistic air about it by intention of the designers. Wargasm is more about the experience of the battlefield, and primarily about the ground battle. With the goal of an online multiplayer environment, it should attract quite a following.
 Click for 800x600 -260K. Total Air War, on the other hand, takes the AWACS module introduced with F22: ADF and integrates it into the real-time dynamic campaign system. The War Room interface combined with the AWACS interface in this system gives an entirely new feel to the experience, offering the player tactical control while strategic control remains largely in the hands of the WARGEN AI system. Nevertheless, the player has the strategic perspective via the various Intelligence reporting screens as well as via the real-time maps. While Total Air War is a step toward the integration of RTS and simulation, its still fairly low on the evolutionary rung. It offers tactical control but not strategic control, and only of air assets. Furthermore, multiplayer involvement is limited to a single platform. The real genre blenders will offer strategic control also, not only of air assets but also of naval assets, and many players will control different platforms in one theatre. Now we'll look at Janes Combat Simulations to see where the next leap will take us. Go to Part II
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