As for the ability to call up new flights, this is a must to a true Theatre Commander. We should be able to click on an airfield to bring up a list of the flights that are ready plus the number and type of alert birds. Using this you can scramble interceptors or scrub/advance strike missions(?).

F4 Factory in view.

Naturally, the graphics environment of this simulation should be state of the art, rivalling Falcon 4.0 and Janes WW2 Fighters. Resolution should be available as high as hardware will run, and high resolutions should extend to the interface. Multiple cloud layers, alpha blending, reflections and special effects should all be state of the art.

We should also have environment modeling that surpasses Team Apache. Give us wind, turbulence and weather. We want to feel that we really are flying in a Norwegian conflict!

An important component of the new EF2000 would be the WARGEN engine promised for Total Air War but cut back due to time constraints. Let's finally have DiD's version of the total battlefield, a real time dynamic system integrating the air and ground wars.

Resource management, persistent environment, and true dynamics should all be present here. Taking out a key GCI station will affect detection. Taking out the enemy AWACS would be even more important. And taking out a power dam would affect production of war materials.

Click to continue . . .

Intel briefings and debriefings should be advanced far beyond Total Air War, and these should be generated dynamically on any target we request. This means that RECON flights will also have be managed, and if a RECON flight or BDA flight is taken out, the fog of war will take effect and we will have only very limited intel on a given target.

In fact, early on in the development of Total Air War a more detailed INTEL system was in the works. The shot above gives you a taste of what we want to see in EF2000 v.III.

Finally, DiD needs to finally make the jump to a truely full featured flight control ability. No more of this commanding a wingman to engage a single bandit and having an entire flight engaging and firing weapons! Janes F15 gave us greatly expanded abilities, enabling a flight leader to command a single wingman, an Element, or a Flight. Microprose Falcon 4 gives us similar abilities. EF2000 v.3 must be state of the art here too.

Now, while it's true that EF2000 v.III is DiDs next project, all that you have read here is only a partial wish list of a couple of sim nuts. This is all "sound and fury, signifying nothing." But..... if you like this proposal, send mail to DiD and tell em what you want to see in EF2000 v.III.

For more on EF2 see the original EF2000 V.2 review.