Nations: Fighter Command

Nations: Fighter Command was indeed showing at E3, but the display seemed almost an afterthought. There was no joystick available for control when we saw the sim in play.

In the clouds.

In spite of that Nations should hit beta very soon now, and it looked good and didn't crash while I was playing with a few commands. No dynamic campaign in this one, but the fighting AI is supposed to be very good and it will ship with advanced support for AGP.

Sunset in Nations.

The lighting engine is quite advanced, and general detail in effects should be stunning. Volumetric clouds come as standard equipment.

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Physics and systems modeling has received careful attention also. In fact, while I was flying the Focke-Wulf I cut the throttle suddenly then heard the engine sputter and the exhaust manifold belched a puff of smoke as the engine leaned out.

Fighter Ace II, Rhino and BoB

I had a quick peek at this one at the Microsoft booth in LA. It was looking VERY good, comparable to many of the new generation graphics engines. However, the game was still relatively early in development and the cockpits weren't finished. Goals for realism are quite high, however, and the game will be configurable enough that it should please a wide range of virtual pilots.

Finally, we can't tell you anything about Rhino because the interview we fielded was never returned. And Rowan's Battle of Britain simulation is so early in development that no details have been released. It's set for Q2, 2000 so is not one of the nine for '99.

Needless to say, the experience of building the models and flight dynamics for the Mustang in MiG Alley will be useful in Rowan's next project, and since MiG Alley has a fully dynamic campaign system the following sim should also have one. Personally, I am looking forward to this one greatly! Once MiG Alley is out the door we will probably have more info on Rowan's next project.

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