NL:
It has always been our aim to create sophisticated and fast 3D imaging
technology.  Sometime in the early 90's we created some breakthrough
technologies such as Voxel Space.  Once those technologies were in place it
became a logical choice to create vehicle simulators, we looked for the most
interesting vehicles that we could find and tanks were very high on the list. 

CSim:
Did you have experienced armor people involved in the production of
the original Armored Fist?

NL:
Yes,we worked with Colonel M. Leibstone and a few other people as consultants,
however the number of experienced people that have contributed on AF2 is quite
substantial.

CS:
What were some of the design goals for AF2? What things did you want
to do differently from the competition and from the original Armored
Fist?

NL:
We wanted to make a game that expanded on the use of Voxel space 2, was fun to
play and that addressed customer requests and suggestions from the original
Armored Fist.  

Voxel Space is well suited to a tank game because it provides such detailed
terrain modeling.  Tank warfare is all about masking, and our Voxel Space 2
terrain's represent rolling hills, ravines, valleys, etc in a very realistic
manner.  Even partial terrain masking works in AF2 the way you would expect it
to.

In addition, we worked very hard to make a game which is fun and easy to play
while also being deep and realistic.  We did this by supporting two different
modes, Easy and Realistic, as well as an in-between mode (Realistic with Auto
Lock of targets).  The result is a game that is instantly fun and incredibly
immersive regardless of the experience level of the player.

Click for a larger image..

CS:
In the original Armored Fist, we could control four distinct vehicles
directly. Will we still have all those vehicles in AF2 or will there
only be the M1A2?

NL:
In AF2 we give you extensive control over the M1A2, including the Tank
commander's position both buttoned (inside, hatch closed) and unbuttoned (out
the hatch) as well as the Gunner's and Driver's positions plus four different
external views.  We decided to emphasize more extensive and thorough control
of the Abrams in this game rather than control over many different types of
tanks as we did in the first version.  You can request air support, call in
artillery strikes and give orders to M3 Bradley when available.

CS:
What kind of relationship does Novalogic have with General Dynamics
and in what ways have they contributed to Armored Fist 2?

NL:
During development of AF2 we have had several conversations with different
people at General Dynamics.  They supplied us with video and photos for
Armored Fist 2 as well as a variety of non-classified information about the
tank.  We supplemented this by going out to see and climb inside the tanks, by
talking to the people who use them, and also by consulting with several people
who are experts on ground warfare.

CS:
What selection of units will be present in the game?

NL:
In AF2 we give the player quite a wide range of mission types.  We have a
campaign that is training-oriented, with live action briefings and in-game
coaching from a real Marine Corps drill Sergeant, we have one whole campaign
with scaled back missions where you only have to worry about controlling a
single Abrams tank, and we have other campaigns which give you one or more
platoons of tanks to control and coordinate.

As I mentioned earlier, M3 Bradleys are occasionally available as support
units as are MLRS artillery batteries and air support in the form of Apaches
or A10s.

CS:
We saw MLRS launchers firing during the E3 demo. Will the artillery in
AF2 actually be on the map or off?

NL:
In AF2 support units (including not only MLRS but also the Apaches and A10s)
are fully simulated.  If you call in artillery, for example, it is fired from
a real and fully articulated MLRS unit.  And if the enemy destroys that MLRS,
then you will have lost the ability to call upon it, just as you would in a
real battle situation.  It is quite a sight to see the rain of artillery
shells falling in enemy territory.

CS:
What kinds of ammunition will AF2 support for the M1A2?

NL:
For the M1A2's Main cannon we have:  Sabot, H.E.A.T and Staff rounds.  We also
have the .762 COAX and .50 caliber machine guns.  We have simulated the
relative damage potential of each of these weapons vs. every target in the
game.  We are also accurately representing the muzzle velocity and trajectory
of the shells.  When you load a different round into the cannon, for example,
you can often see the gun superelevate differently for the new round
(depending upon the range that the gun is set for).

CS:
What kind of effects can terrain have on your driving in AF2? Physics
modeling in Comanche 3 was pretty awesome. Can you tell us more about
the physics modeling in AF2?

NL:
Terrain is what Voxel Space 2 games are all about.  As it was in Comanche 3,
the terrain in AF2 are not only beautiful and realistic looking, but also
practical and important from a physics standpoint.  The terrain can slow your
Abrams down, force you to take different routes or allow you to duck behind
hills to avoid enemy fire.  Buildings and structures also come into play,
giving you or your enemy additional masking opportunities (at least until the
buildings are destroyed).  And as mentioned above, the ballistics of the
rounds has been faithfully modeled.

CS:
In your press release you mention individual control of up to 32
tanks. How is this implemented? What are the commands that an
individual player can issue to his own units?

NL:
Controlling more than one tank happens a couple different ways.  In
single-player missions, the player can jump into and take direct command of
any tank in the company.  In this way, the player can sometimes spot which
unit is in the heat of battle at any moment and play out that role.  Another
way to control other tanks is by setting their waypoints, which can be done
from the IVIS.  A third way is our Platoon Orders control interface, which
lets you set the formation and spacing on a platoon by platoon basis, as well
as give other commands for shooting and movement.

CS:
How will damage resolution be handled? Will it matter what direction
you hit the enemy from and where your round impacts? Can you actually
target particular locations to try to disable enemy units?

NL:
It's pretty difficult to damage an M1A2; however, AF2 simulates damage very
extensively.  Direction definitely matters.  The relative armor and
vulnerability of objects is represented from a variety of angles.  T-80's
flame-up real nice from the back-end and the M1A2 has thicker armor on the
front, so you don't want to expose your back side to the enemy.  Although
there is very limited ability to aim at specific parts of a target in an
attempt to inflict a particular type of damage, different types of weapons
have appropriate effects.  For example, a mine is quite likely to take out a
track but is unlikely to damage the GPS. 

CS:
How will the laser ranging and lead compensation be handled? Will it
be simple, complex, or will there be selectable options?

NL:
We handle this in several different ways.  We realized while making this game
that if we simulated the tank very accurately, tank sim experts would have a
great time but those of us with less tank training would find it very
difficult.  What we ended up with in AF2 is three distinctly different modes
for playing the game.  We call them "Sim Modes", and you can switch between
them from the "Sim Modes" menu at any point in the game.

Easy mode most extensively compensates for the fact that the player is trying
to do the work of four very well-trained people by automating much of the
process.  It simplifies tank control, allowing you to steer and shoot from any
tank position.  It also has an AutoLock feature with automatically tracks
targets.  AutoLock automatically lases the target, ranges and superelevates
the gun for the current round, and leads the target based on its movement...

Realistic Mode is the other end of the spectrum.  In Realistic mode, your
control of the tank is different depending upon the crew position you are in. 
For example, you drive from the driver's position, manually lase targets and
shoot, you designate and hand off targets from the Tank Commanders buttoned
position and you can manually operate the .50 cal machine gun from the Tank
Commander's unbuttoned position!

Virtually a third mode is the Realistic mode with the AutoLock feature of easy
mode enabled.  This "in-between" mode has many of the best features of both
Easy and Realistic.  You get to experience the differences between the
different crew positions but with the added assist of automatic target
tracking.  Other features which can be turned on or off by the player include
Automatic Round Selection, which causes the loader to select each next round
to load intelligently based upon the target, and Realistic Damage.

Between these modes of gameplay, we believe there is a level of difficulty
which will appeal to casual players, tank experts, and everyone in-between.

CS:
Will the game handle smoke launchers? What about night vision
features?

NL:
We are very proud of our smoke effects.  Visually, I am not aware that anyone
does it better than we do.  Smoke grenades, engine smoke, and the burning
remains of destroyed objects are very realistically depicted with subtle
translucency (smoke, in fact is one of many parts of the game which is MMX
enhanced, so that if your Pentium has MMX the smoke will be not only much
better looking, but also faster to process).

In terms of game effects, smoke grenades work much as they do in the real
world.  The billowing clouds of smoke from grenades or engine will interfere
with lasing and target locking, for your enemies as well as you.  Enemies and
computer-controlled friendlies also intelligently know when to deploy these
defensive measures.

Night vision also works just like it should, making warmer objects brighter
and cooler objects darker.  You can also reverse the polarity of the
night-vision displays if you choose.

CS:
In the screens we can see the integration of air activity in the sim.
How is this handled in AI and how will it affect overall gameplay?

NL:
AF2 is a ground based warfare simulator, however we are also simulating air
elements as they most directly impact a ground battle.  On a mission by
mission basis you may have at your disposal either Apache helicopters or A10
fixed wing aircraft.  If available, you can call them in as needed.  Be
warned, your enemy also has Hind helicopters and Warthog aircraft and will
call them in against you as needed.

CS:
In Comanche 3 the communication's added an additional element of immersion,
helping the player feel like he was in a real battle environment. How
will comms be handled in AF2? How many missions will AF2 have and will
there be any provision to extend the number of playable missions?

NL:
AF2 contains even more inter-unit communication than Comanche 3.  We agreed
that was one of the most dramatically successful features in Comanche 3---but,
we've gone much farther than C3.  We're using a lot of real tank people/voices
in the game.  We have a real Marine Corps Drill Instructor shouting out orders
and feedback during the training missions, we have the voices of your
Commander, Gunner and Driver, as well as other Platoon leaders and commanders.
 We have very deep and rich communications that go on throughout the battle. 
In the midst of a fierce firefight, the chaos of overlapping communications
really lets you feel the panic of the situation.

We have no provisions to extend missions in the game.  We have put all our
efforts into crafting fun and interesting missions which we think people will
enjoy.

CS:
To date Novalogic has steered away from dynamic campaigns. Yet they
are a heavily requested feature and many developers are moving in this
direction. What is Novalogic's take on dynamic campaigns and can we
hope to see them in future products?

NL:
We are also moving in that direction.  Although AF2 does not feature dynamic
campaigns, we do in fact have a very dynamic campaign environment going into
our forthcoming F22 Raptor.

CS:
What kind of multiplayer support will AF2 have?

NL:
AF2 supports multiplayer via Modem, Serial cable, LAN, or Internet (using KALI
or similar 3rd party utility).  Modem and Serial supports two players and
LAN/Internet supports up to eight.

There are three different categories of special multi-player missions: 
Co-operative missions are structured so that you and other players all control
a company of tanks going against computer-controlled opponents.  Red on Blue
Exercises divides the multiplayer participants into two teams going against
each other, each with a base to defend.  Deathmatch pits every tanker for
himself and is a timed battle where you get a new tank after yours is
destroyed.

CS:
I think I read somewhere that we will be able to view the battle from
other perspectives. Will we be able to hop into the turret of an
allied tank, as we could hop into the seat of our wingman in Comanche
3?

NL:
Yes, you can go into and take control of any unit in your company.  Only in
the Multiplayer games you are not allowed to jump into you neighbors' tank.

CS:
Will we have the same replay features in AF2 that we saw in Comanche
3?

NL:
AF2 gives you the option at the end of a mission to either playback the entire
mission or to simply playback the last 30 seconds.  If you playback the
mission, you can choose to take control again at any point and play out the
end yourself again.  The feature to playback the very end is useful when you
want to review how you were defeated (in case you were otherwise occupied when
it happened).

CS:
Every once in awhile a rumor goes around that Novalogic may end up
supporting 3d cards for their "next product" - although this would
clearly indicate that the VoxelSpace engine would have to be converted
to a polygon based engine for that to happen. What is the future for
Novalogic and 3d acceleration?

NL:
Voxel Space 2 is not necessarily well suited to 3D acceleration, however, even
our Voxel products are hybrids with poly objects that respond to acceleration.
 Our pure polygon games are also candidates for acceleration.  We are actively
working with Intel to take advantage of their AGP technology.  AGP gets rid of
the texture RAM limitations that have kept us from using accelerator cards in
the past.

CS:
Good information on AF2 has been very hard to find, are there any
juicy details you would like to tell us about?

NL:
We feel we have created a tank game that is authentic enough to please tank
afficionados, but also broad, fun, and easy to play.  For instance, the tank
switching and order mechanisms are user interface breakthroughs that satisfy
both criteria.  Armored Fist 2 has turned out to be an amazingly immersive and
fun experience and we are very proud of it.

CS:
Can you say anything about future sims in production with Novalogic?

NL:
We are already at work designing AF3 as well as additional Airplane,
Helicopter and other combat sims.

CS:
I understand that someone has licensed Voxel space technology. Can you 
tell us what genre of simulation these guys will develop?

NL:
Argos Gameware has licensed a variant on the original Voxel Space for their
game Strike Base.  Strike Base is a futuristic arcade shooter with some
strategic elements.  You can control both ground and air vehicles.
 

Csim: Thanks and best wishes on AF2 as well as F22 Raptor!