Editorial: The Leading Edge by Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson
	Force 21, WarTorn, Panzer General 3dAssault and others; what do they have in common? We are seeing the emergence of a new genre: the 3d strategy game. This merger of real time strategy with 3d perspective is a step toward greater immersion and more fun. Now instead of only looking at a flat board with moving icons, the player can see the action in a real time 3d world. Last year we saw a similar direction with simulations, fleshed out in Total Air War. This year the release of Fleet Command gave players a similar taste of action, but lacking the first person control that Total Air War offered. I detailed the emergence of the strategy/sim blend in an editorial one year ago. Falcon 4.0 Dynamics and Real Worlds Dynamic campaigns are reaching a breadth of scope and complexity that is truly amazing. The Wargen II engine found in Total Air War evolved from its paternal source in EF2000. Jane's offered real dynamics in Longbow II, and Interactive Magic offered their own take on dynamics in iF22 and F18 Carrier Strike Fighter. Next along came Microprose, taking the air to ground integration to new heights in Falcon 4.0, with a view to including integration of naval assets in the hoped for F18 add on. Microprose also offered a dynamic engine in the already classic European Air War. This year we see Rowan making an entry into a truly dynamic campaign system in MiG Alley, with Digital Integration making an entry with Super Hornet. Wayward design will release an incredible looking simulation titled B17 II: the Fighting Eighth. SIMIS will offer Team Alligator, and DiD are working on EF2000 v.3 (Typhoon), which should find its way to a hangar near you in the spring of 2000. Not all dynamic campaigns are created equal, of course, and both Total Air War and Falcon 4 offered real time campaigns that could simply run on unattended whether the player was involved or not. But why rehearse the history of dynamic campaigns anyway? Click to continue		Scratch Two! MiG Alley Tasking The real world is dynamic, unpredictable, and runs in "real time." Simulations that move toward "the willing suspension of disbelief" (the overworn phrase from Wordsworth) should do the same. But the games which seem to offer the most satisfaction over the long term integrate a number of factors, and naturally, the bar keeps rising! The heart of these classics is the dynamic campaign (see my argument in last year's May editorial.) But the heart needs other major organs alongside before it contributes to a living body! Rather than rehearse those factors, I invite you to visit our previous articles. My point here is that the creation of believable worlds is complex and must involve dynamic elements. The Next Generation With the emergence of the 3d RTS genre, I think the simulation genre is ready for a new genre of its own: the fully dynamic, real time simulation/strategy game. My suggestion for the first title: The Battle of Britain 3d. Let's take a sample of the closest merger of strategy and simulation we have to date and then we'll consider what this game would look like with additional strategy elements, but set in WWII. Go to Part II
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