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Single Player Multiplay – The v8th Ops Phenomenon
by Joe "Impaler" Highman
B17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty Eighth Briefing Board
The group of players heading up the development of SPM among the Bombs-Away.net forums work under the collective banner "v8th OPS." Mike "Jordi" Bowman, a 38 year-old Network Administrator and long-time player of the Air Warrior product line heads this forum up. Jordi describes his reasons for remaining active in the B-17 II community despite the cancellation of Multiplay.
"You can go anywhere and get screen shots and reviews, however, it is the interaction with people from around the world, with their different viewpoints and ideas, that make me grow as a person. The people who stayed with this community remain, through good times and bad, and are willing to help out when able. Being able to work with a bunch of great people who are willing to comment and listen to each other working towards a common goal."
Simply voicing one’s opinions and being heard can offer rewards all its own. Ron Boman, 68, participates in the forums under the handle "Ronbo." Ronbo explains his thoughts on the importance of active participation in the discussion forums.
"I feel that if you do not contribute to the design approach, you then may get a system that is not completely to your desires," he said. "On the other hand, by participating, you will have the opportunity to express your concerns. Even if the group does not accept these concerns, at least you have had the opportunity to present your point of view. This, in the end, will provide a better system, especially if a majority of the users participate."
Working on the SPM project has not been without its pitfalls. The open forum environment invites members of varying experience, values, and communication skills into an arena where topics can become rather hotly debated! The cold, impersonal posts to a forum cannot show emotion or tone of voice, but rather are read at face value, sometimes to be misinterpreted thus leading to a conflict all its own.
The majority of contributors to the project agree, however, that the most frustrating part of the SPM project effort is the lack of a product to work with! Only a handful of players in the world are privileged enough to use the product beta, and the others among us are forced to plot, plan, and proceed using year-old Alpha videos and screenshots as a reference system. Many officers of Wayward Design frequent the many forums at Bombs-Away.net and have been wonderfully cooperative in answering questions and allaying concerns. With projected release dates nearing rapidly, the collective pulse of the community is quickening.
So, where is Single Player Multiplay heading? Just ask Jordi, the defacto leader of the SPM movement in the v8th OPS world. He is quick to enthusiastically look to the near future of SPM.
"SPM will be the ultimate place for new and experienced B-17 II pilots to participate together, meet and share information, tips, hints, tricks, track performance, compare how well each pilot performs compared to others, see member contributed screen shots, and to view a 'Hall of Fame' and a 'Hall of Shame.'"
"SPM," Jordi continues, "is where you want to be to get the MOST out of your B-17 II flying time."
For more information on the v8th OPS community or other Bombs-Away.net items, simply go to their forums.
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