CSIM: Thanks for taking the time! NATIONS: Fighter Command is a particularly interesting project because the intention is obviously to push the boundaries in a number of areas, particularly graphics and environment modeling.

Q. How did you come to choose a WWII sim as your first major simulation entry? Why not WWI, or armor, or the modern era?

A. The team wanted a flight-sim that was about the enjoyment of flying and dog-fighting rather than modern flight-sims which are more to do with the modern weapon systems. WWII offers the players the chance to fly planes that rely on a greater degree of pilot skill, whilst the technical innovations of the time meant that the planes have far more variety. WWI planes lacked the power and speed that we thought would make for an exciting game, and plane familiarity and recognition also played a part in our decision - the P51 Mustang, Me109 and Spitfire are icons in flight-sims.

Q. This past 12 months have seen incredible advances in virtually every area of modeling on the PC. A10 Cuba was ground breaking in its simulating real-world physics, both in flight models and even in such esoteria as landing-gear and belly landing physics. How will these developments be reflected or surpassed in Nations -- Fighter Command?

A. In Nations we have concentrated on ensuring that the physics models, atmospheric conditions and lighting are portrayed as accurately as possible. By making full use of the more advanced and powerful machines that are available on the market today we have been able to concentrate on areas that were neglected by earlier sims.

Q. In a recent interview with the developers of Fighter Duel 2.0 I was pleased to find that ballistics modeling is another growth area for simulation design. Is this also the case with Nations?

A. Our attention to detail has been maintained in all departments - all bombs and rockets are accurately modelled both graphically and in their 'real world' behaviours.

Q. When I first saw Nations at E3 this past May it was obvious that a new graphics engine was in the works. The sunsets were particularly spectacular. Tell us about this new engine and the artwork we'll see.

A. From the start of Nations it was always the intention that we would be the definitive WWII flight-sim both graphically and in terms of playability. The engine uses volumetrically modelled clouds that allow you to fly in and through them, with all of the correct lighting effects that would be associated with that. We have awesome explosions (from flak to sea explosions), breathtaking sunsets and sun-rise, sun colouring, reflections, etc.

Q. The graphics engine for Nations may be the first that makes extensive use of abilities inherent in AGP. Tell us about the differences players with quality AGP boards will see.

A. Most of the missions in Nations have around 16Mb of textures that require loading and on a non-AGP card these are compressed to fit the card - the visual difference however is stunning. One wing of a plane might be a 256x128 texture which allows you to see detail that wasn't possible before AGP. The aircraft are particularly stunning, both in modelling terms and graphical finesse. All the texture maps were created with Photoshop, in 24-bit colour, and then re-sampled to their final 8-bit versions. An AGP PC is a must with Nations if you really want to appreciate the splendour of the graphics.

Click to continue . . .

Q. The integration of cutting edge graphics with special effects is fantastic in Nations. One thing that caught my eye at E3 was flying the Focke-Wulf and suddenly cutting the throttle then hearing the engine sputter and the exhaust manifold send a puff of smoke as the engine leaned out. In what other areas will we see this level of attention to detail?

A. In all areas - examples of this are things such as birds following ships, dust being kicked up when you touch down with the landing gear, engines behaving correctly at certain altitudes, etc.

Q. Will we see fog patches, cloud layers, dynamic lighting? What about object detail and physics modeling for ground objects?

A. The graphical environment is depicted as realistically as possible. We have distinct weather types, ranging from clear days through to thunderstorms. There are dual cloud layers, fog and dynamic lighting as well as rain, sun glare and cloud shadows. When you fly through the clouds you will experience whiteout as you come out the top of them.

Q. Jane's F15 has some of the most detailed explosions I've yet seen. How will Nations compare?

A. Using particle systems we have modelled not only the explosions but also the smoke eddies and fragments. Plane debris is a hazard to be aware of - wings that are shot off can be collided with and damage your plane.

Q. Sound modeling in the new WW2 sims is excellent. Guns and engine sounds, even wind noise and voice are fantastic. What are some of the highlights we can expect in the sound effects department for Nations? Will each aircraft type have its own engine sounds? What about voice?

A. Nations has aimed to be as realistic as possible in this department too. We've tried to recreate the unique sound of flying a fighter aircraft, with authentic engine and gun sounds, the wind whistling, the plane diving, etc. The radio chat voices sound great and add to the historical flavor, and there is a backdrop of WWII film style music which changes mood depending on the action and supports soundfont technology.

Go to Part II