Page 5
Comms
MultiplayerWingman control is very similar to that of EAW. Pressing Tab will bring up a list of units to contact, and after selecting the unit another list of options and sub-options will appear. The ability to call on support units such as artillery is another similarity to M1TP2. The support unit target can be set either in the cockpit or in the map display. The control given to the player over wingman and support units is very extensive.
Air Start MissionsWe're waiting for our next version of Gunship! before we get too involved in the multiplayer aspects of the sim. We do know that it will allow human players to control both the gunner and pilot in a single aircraft, and rest assured we've been flying co-operatively in the same helo from day one. We'll be testing the rest of the multiplayer features as soon as we get new code.
Fig. 12. Example of the ricochet graphic effectThis is an issue that has been hotly debated in the forums. Most "hard-core" simmers are not pleased with the inability to land and take off from a FARP or other base. When we first started playing Gunship!, we weren't very pleased with this either. After numerous phone and email exchanges, we have the development team's response. According to the folks at Microprose, there are two important reasons why FARP's do not exist in Gunship!. The first reason is that it is a design trade-off: Instead of having FARP's, we'll get a fully interactive battlefield with over 100 moving vehicles each with their own objectives. The second reason is to make sure Gunship! is compatible with the upcoming Tank Platoon.
Gunship! has a 16 x 16 kilometer battlefield for each mission, and although this is the largest of any helo sim to date, it is still not large enough to realistically use a FARP. Any FARP on the grid would be in instant artillery range of enemy units. You would most likely be dead courtesy of an MRLS or MPSM barrage before your rotor began turning. Also, if Tank Platoon and Gunship! are going to be linkable for multiplayer, how interesting will it be to arrive in your helicopter to a battle that has already been decided for fifteen minutes by the tank players because you were en-route from a base thirty or forty kilometers away? If the AI and immersion we've seen in the simulation so far is any indication, the trade-off between FARPS/realistic avionics and a realistic battlefield may not be so bad after all, especially considering Gunship! will connect with Tank Platoon.
Observations
Fig. 13. Su-25 Frogfoot on the prowl.
Gunship! has a number of interesting features that really impressed us. The Arena defense system is modeled on some Russian units, and you can actually see the tanks shrug off a hellfire hit when this system works. Even though the subtitles in the order bar are always in the language of the machine that Gunship! is installed on, there is an option to have each country's crewmembers speak in their native language.
The AI of the units is also quite impressive. We've had as much fun watching the huge battles rage as we've had participating in them. Main battle tanks will sometimes become angry and simply drive over infantry positions to destroy them instead of opening fire. Enemy tank units will not only engage you with machine gun fire, they'll open up with the main gun if you wander in range and sit still for a bit too long. Needless to say, you'll be going down in flames courtesy of a sabot or heat round. A formation of Russian Mi-8 Hips will dash in for a quick infantry drop. Artillery units will duke it out with both tube and rocket fired munitions.
Today we saw a formation of Russian BMP's and BRDM's get ambushed by some British armor in a thick forest. The Challengers mopped up the IFV's and armored cars in seconds. Enemy air units will criss-cross the battlefield, looking for anything to destroy. There is a lot going on in the battles, that much is certain.
The similarities between Gunship! and M1TP2 are unmistakable, and if you enjoyed M1 you're going to love Gunship!. If I had to describe Gunship! in one sentence, I'd say it is "M1 Tank Platoon 2 with updated graphics, AI, and a vertical component". Of course, there is much more to Gunship! then a simply updated M1 engine, but it is easy to see where Gunship! gets its roots.
The big question is if the hard-core crowd will think that these detailed battles with superb AI is enough to offset the lack of a more interface-able cockpit and air starts. Initially, we didn't think it would be, but after spending a bit of time actually playing through the campaigns, we are having as much fun with Gunship! as we are with any other simulation out there. We're not saying that "hard-core" simmers won't miss certain features that Gunship! doesn't have, but we will say that we think you'll agree with us that Gunship! is something special when you discover the realism, difficulty, and depth of the battlefields. Tank Platoon connecting with Gunship! isn't too shabby of a feature either. This combined with the visual splendor Gunship! offers continues to impress us, and we bet it will impress you too.
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