Simulation Future

by Len "Viking1" Hjalmarson

Article Type: Feature
Article Date: February 14, 2002


In January of 2002 Intel released the first CPU beyond 2 GHz, and AMD released their 2000 label. (We won’t debate the merits of this old system here). As CPU manufacturers move to the .13 micron process we are on the verge of the 3 GHz generation.

Furthermore, NVIDIA issued invitations to the launch of their next generation graphics products, the GeForce4 series. But the launch is likely to be much broader, also showcasing their entry into the mainboard market, an entry which represents the winds of change and which bodes well for the industry. NForce will revolutionize upgrade options, particularly when the NV17M arrives on nForce mainboards (think GeForce3 MX).

Progress never ends, and the systems of today at 2.2 GHz will be tomorrow’s dinosaurs. Furthermore, software progress is intimately linked to hardware evolution. What will the future bring to simulation gaming?

The Near Future

It’s helpful to consider that by Christmas of 2002 many sim fans will be flying 3 GHz systems with GeForce4 and 1 GB of main memory. That memory will likely be running at 333 or 366 MHz.

It’s also helpful to anchor a future perspective in the real world of today’s best simulations. What would IL-2 Sturmovik be like if it were released in January of 2003? What will Microsoft’s Combat Flight Simulator III be like, when it is released late in the fall of this year?

While I continue to be amazed at what I am seeing in IL-2 Sturmovik, I am also sensitive to its shortcomings. The more obvious limitations:

• Object resolution. The current skin size of 512x512
  
• Lack of persistent smoke
  
• Inability to visually ID aircraft at more than 1.5 km
  
• Limitation of 16 players in cooperative online missions
  
• Single state damage model for ground objects
  
• Limitations of AI pilots
  
• Linear campaign system

Honestly, these seem like nit-picking in light of the feast that is IL-2 Sturmovik, but there are times when they are noticeable limitations. But imagine…it won’t be long until these limitations are history.

Let’s take a moment to build the gaming machine of April, 2003.

• 4.0 GHz AMD Thoroughbred CPU
  
• 1.5 GB 400 MHz DDRAM
  
• NVIDIA GeForce V Platinum 128MB video
  
• NVIDIA nForce mainboard with onboard sound
  
• 100 GB ATA 133 hard disk
  
• Track IR
  
• 21” flat screen display
  
• ThrustMaster HOTAS Cougar

Now let’s consider the latest generation of GPU hardware, just announced.

GeForce4 box shot

• GeForce4 Ti4600
  
• Core: 300Mhz
  
• Memory: 660Mhz
  
• Bandwidth: 10.4GB/sec
  
• Fill Rate: 4.9 Billon Samples
  
• RAM: 128MB DDR of 3.0ns
  
• Features: 1 Additional Vertex shader (Total 2 Now)
  
• Price: Around $349.99

For comparison GeForce3 Ti500 has a core speed of 240mhz and memory speed of 500mhz and only 64MB RAM.

GeForce4 brings no new features to the table, but adds 20 percent more bandwidth than GeForce 3 and an additional vertex shader. It adds 7 million transistors, for a total of 63.

Let’s speculate that GeForce5 will increase bandwidth by 50 percent and double the vertex shaders, while also giving us another 20 million transistors. Our hot simulation platform of 2003 will use GeForce V Platinum, with 1.5ns DDRAM.

Now let’s put 1C:Maddox Games latest simulation to the test.

Simulation Gaming in 2003

On my current system, with an AMD Athlon XP running at 1.7 GHz, GeForce3 and 512 MB of DDRAM, IL-2 Sturmovik never drops below 25 FPS. But our hot new system has about three times the horsepower. What are we going to do with all that extra power?

First of all, we notice as we enter the latest release from 1C:Maddox Games and Ubi Soft, that the Spitfire has FOUR TIMES the texture detail of any aircraft in IL-2 Sturmovik. At 1024x1024, the detail showing on the surface of the aircraft is much improved. Furthermore, if you are running GeForce V, you can use the finer detailed 2048x2048 skin textures. Even with anti-aliasing at 4X and anisotropic 8 tap filtering, the aircraft and objects look photo-realistic.

A real Spitfire takes to the air

As we start up the engine we see similar smoke effects to IL-2 Sturmovik, but the smoke is finer and more persistent. We notice it wafting about in the breeze. We also see the clouds moving across the horizon. Yes, this new release has wind and moving clouds, and the alpha effects are much more fine. Low level turbulence has also appeared, making for an interesting ride through the hills.

Shadows have finally come to life. We see beautiful realistic shadows from all objects. No more firm edges, but we see the blending effect along the edges as in real life.

Did I mention the trees? Yes, there are at least eight types now, and they look far better than the ones we saw in the first release from 1C:Maddox Games. There are also a variety of bushes, and on strafing a farm house in a later mission I saw people running from a nearby house.

As we lift off the runway, we see the smoke from a bomb or fire ahead of us, rising up into the air where it is being blown to the south. Smoke is now persistent, which will make destroying objects at air bases a lot more interesting as well as more challenging. Following up a bomb attack with strafing is a lot tougher when there is a lot of smoke in the air. It creates almost an instant fog effect, masking targets from view.

On the other hand, a strafing run after a bomb attack is a bit less dangerous for the attacking pilot, since the AI can’t see through smoke and cloud any better than you can. This was one of the frustrating facets of the first release. AI manning anti-aircraft defenses, or AI pilots on your six, could follow you through cloud as if using radar.

Attacking ground objects has become more interesting from the standpoint of damage modeling. Shooting up parked aircraft was okay in the earlier release, but the textures were too limited. They were either damaged and burnt out or they showed no damage at all.

This wasn’t really a limitation of the game engine, since the more detailed damage models were there for active AI objects. Now that we have more processing power, the same damage model is used for static objects. You can blow the wing off a parked Ju-88, and it will sit there beside the aircraft. If you start something on fire, it may burn then go out. In fact, you’ll notice that the fire crews are now automatically active at every airbase. You’ll see the fire units scramble to try to put out the fires on burning aircraft. Equally cool, crash on or near the runway and the ambulance will scramble to your aircraft.

Speaking of AI, the increased processing power of our summer, 2003 system really shines in intelligence. We have fuzzy logic systems for the computer controlled pilots, who are much tougher on the high end of intelligence. In fact, fighting against an Erich Hartmann has become a sure way to ride the silk to earth. Team tactics have also been improved. You will find that wingmen stick with their AI leader much more tightly, and even a two versus two engagement with two humans versus two AI is very tough if you are fighting aces.

Visual identification has become much easier, on the other hand. In fact, running at 1600x1200 resolution and 32 bit color depth, you can easily ID an enemy aircraft up to 4 km without icons. This makes it easier to make tactical decisions with regard to engagement.

Of course, to really benefit from resolution that high you need a 21” monitor. The scene is simply stunning at high resolution, and the frame rate never drops below 50 FPS. Weather effects have improved noticeably, but adding rain or snow to the scenario doesn’t affect frame rate at all. Similarly, flying low over a city doesn’t affect the frame rate as much as it did in IL-2 Sturmovik.

As for online play, we can now have 64 pilots in dogfight mode, and 32 in online cooperative missions. One of the limitations of the earlier release was bandwidth, but with most dedicated online pilots now on cable or ADSL, those limitations are reduced.

Thirty-two human pilots in cooperative plus another thirty-two AI aircraft makes for some very complex missions. With the ability to add conditional triggers in the mission builder, replayability of even canned missions has increased significantly.

Flight models are improved, though some pilots won’t notice the difference. The increase in processing horsepower has resulted in greater accuracy, particularly in departure characteristics. In the same way physics and ballistics have increased in accuracy. The difference is slight, but it improves gameplay and makes it just a bit more challenging.

Records from Jane's USAF

While it isn’t a product of hardware horsepower, we see detailed pilot stats as part of the interface now. Furthermore, briefings have expanded to include images in some cases, like a recon map of the target area.

Finally, the campaign system is now semi-dynamic, with a persistent world from mission to mission and resource tracking. This means that blowing up a bridge in mission one can affect the type of mission you fly in mission two, and the bridge has a realistic repair time, determined also by the proximity and availability of enemy resources. If you have been taking out enemy supply convoys, they may not have the resources to repair the bridge at all.

Controllers

As for HOTAS and other peripherals, the world hasn’t been the same since the release of the HOTAS Cougar. The use of the micro stick on the Cougar effectively released me from the need to use my mouse.

Even more significant, TrackIR gave way to helmet mounted displays (HMDs) when SONY released their unit for $299 in November of 2002. They were followed closely by Creative Labs unit for $249 in December, and now these units are fully supported by most simulations.

At the price of a high end video board HMDs are becoming a must have. While TrackIR gave us freedom from POV hats and a more natural head movement for peripheral vision back in 2002, HMDs have taken us into the next generation. With a resolution of 1024x768 and 72 Hz refresh, they aren’t as good as the flat screen LCD panels most are using, but they are simply fantastic for simulation use. My SA has increased significantly, and of course so has immersion. The headphones and mike built into the SONY and Creative units are above average, which really helps.

Conclusion

No one can predict the future, and if I had tried to write about simulation gaming in 2010 I would doubtless have been far off the mark. But in restricting my prognostication to only sixteen months distance, I think I am fairly safe.

I haven’t included any discussion of force feedback technology. I think we will see some small improvements in this area in the next eighteen months, but the larger improvements may still be further afield.

Those of us who have an AURA sensory cushion or a good gaming chair with subwoofer are already “as good as it gets” for the moment. It’s really a shame that no one picked up the AURA option, but maybe we’ll see a similar release from another source in the next year or two.

I believe we really are very close to the ultimate flight simulation experience…a realistic combat environment without the more evident limitations we currently find. As we move to 3 GHz machines and beyond, and as 3D accelerators continue to grow in power and complexity, our simulation experience will continue to improve. Who can wait?




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