B17 II Interview by Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson
	More on AI Q. Do enemy AI fly the same flight model? Can they black out, panic, or lose sight? Is there target fixation? A. All of our Pilot AI's fly the actual flight model that the player uses. You will never fly through a formation of B-17's and marvel at their rock steady formation flying into a 230mph head wind with a 25mph crosswind. They will be feeling the same environmental effects you will be feeling. Bf109 Formation Q. Are you breaking any new ground in individual pilot AI? A. As I mentioned above, I feel that making all our AI's actually FLY their aircraft is a nice touch that hasn't been done in a sim of this type before. It really takes a Bomber sim to drive home how nice an organically flying formation looks. In addition I think our Fighter Pilots might give people a nasty surprise on the higher skill levels… COMMS and Radio Q. Will we as pilot in the B17 be able to communicate with our escorts? What will the options be other than calling for help? A. Radio traffic between Big and Little friends will be strictly business, which is how it was historically. If you get separated from the pack, however, you can certainly holler for help! And in multi player you will of course have voice comms, then you can chat away to your hearts content. Q. Will we be able to listen to the chatter of our escort while they are engaged? A. That's something that will have to be decided in playtesting. Certainly we've done Chatter for both Escorts and Interceptors, which those playing in those roles will be able to hear. Whether it'll be cool to hear that chatter if you're not actually in the fight or whether it will distract you from the very real concern of listening for your own crew reporting fighters and damage is something we'll have to make a decision on. Maybe we will just have it as a user option in the front end. Q. How much tenacity will we see in our escort fighters, and will this vary by skill and experience? If these guys get target fixated, we will be in bad shape! A. Skill and experience will obviously make a difference, as will the relative strengths. If the Escorts are getting creamed then you can expect little help from them, if strengths are equal then they should be less target fixated. If the Escorts outnumber the enemy, then they'll be more kill hungry individually, but you'll be in less danger. Click to continue		Briefing Room Q. In preparing this update interview I revisited our old one and was again left breathless by the image quality. Tell us more about your graphics engine. Do you use environmental bump mapping? What is the impact on the simulation of this feature? A. Yes we use bump mapping and a whole lot more. We will spill the beans closer to launch. (Ed. See B17 II Notes.) Q. Is the artwork being designed in 32 bit color? A. Yes. Those Missing Ground Objects Q. Why have we not seen ground objects in the screen shots? A. The terrain is nowhere near finished in those screen shots. So far our shots are very early and just show the work in progress. B17s Over Target In B17 II when you fly from town to town you will be flying along correct roads that smoothly wind through the country side, so detailed that you can see the line down the middle and the curb casts a shadow, as do the overhanging trees. Damage Graphics Q. Tell us about damage effects in the graphics engine. Will we see tears in wing fabric, bullet holes in the tail feathers? A. The first, and most important aspect of the Damage system is that it is dynamic. Where you hit is where you'll see your damage, and it will vary with the weapon used. Weapons that can damage aircraft include the various machine guns and cannon but also more esoteric stuff like flak and even dropped bombs that collide with an aircraft. When the stressed metal skin of an aircraft is shot or burned away it will reveal the structure beneath it. On wings and tails… Yes that damage will be seen through. Of course there will be smaller bits knocked off as you hit, and there will also be larger structural areas that can be blown clean off such as wings and parts of wings, control surfaces etc. Go to The Atmosphere
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