by Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson

Q: Tell us about growth in the command structure from Tank Platoon II to III.

Tim: The player will be able to command a company. In addition, they will be able to directly control combat vehicles other than the tanks using limited cockpits, such as the gun sight and an outside control view.

Q: What are other areas of design have evolved in Gunship and Tank?

Tim: The major one is in the ways the game can be played. We have added a lot of features that players can select to make the game a lot more accessible and to lower the learning curve. At the same time, we have also added command options that let the player concentrate on what they are dealing with.

For example, the computer auto pilot, combined with an easy command interface allow the player to fly as the gunner, and concentrate on the weapons systems, and not just keeping the aircraft in the air. Control of wingmen and other flights is a lot easier with the command interface available from all cockpits, not just a map screen. These are just a few of the changes.

Tiger: Incredible Landscape

Q: Terrain is everything in a mud moving sim. How is terrain enhanced over M1TP2?

Tim: There is simply no comparison. The new graphics engine is amazing. All of the large blocks of forest, fields etc. are replaced with more realistic terrain. The forest are tactically useable and can be maneuvered through. Towns and cities are much better. The list of improvements is huge. Some of the updates include: realistic ground textures, optimized for low level flight and ground level combat, including fields, farms, streams, rivers and lakes.

In M1 Tank Platoon II we used block forests. They have now been replaced by forests made of small clusters of trees, allowing you to hide in forests. 2D treelines in the grid formation are gone and the new 3d treelines are in the appropriate places in the terrain. All special effects take advantage of translucency effects. Cities and towns are much more realistic and you will see a greater variety of buildings with greater detail.

Click to continue

Gunship Apache and Crossroads

Q: The popularity of M1TP2 means that you have received a great deal of feedback from the gaming community. What were the most useful suggestions?

Tim: That is a hard one to answer. The input about which cockpits were used and which were not helped us make new decisions. Several graphics requests were incorporated into the new engine. The list goes on. Let me say that both myself and other members of the team read the boards for all of this type of game very often. We take what we see and give it due consideration.

Q: There have been a variety of attempts to simulate the Gunship from various sources. How will Gunship differentiate itself from them?

Tim: There are several differences. This list is by no means complete.

Most of the others have had limited ground units, Gunship will have full battles raging below you, some that have nothing to do with your current mission.

We will have multiple flyable helos, from different nationalities.

Our approach is new. Helo games have all become either ultra realistic hard core sims, or little better than arcade games. Both of these approaches have their supporters, but the games have suffered from relatively poor sales as a result. We want to go back to the original Gunship! formula, what we call "realistic fun". This is a game where the player can set their own personal balance between realism and fun.

We allow the player to play the game from either cockpit, not just as the pilot. In addition, we have added both a gunsight and a flyable chase view.

Go to Part III