Another time I was panning around my chopper in an outside view, and I noticed some movement in the canopy. YIKES! The guys had come alive! They were turning their heads and following something..... These things get scary sometimes.

The physics in this sim appear to be superb. The example above gives you an idea, but you will also see the chopper bounce on landing, and you will feel the compression from the shocks. Its quite amazing. Dynamic lighting is superb, and rockets have NEVER been so much fun! Launch a hellfire and you will see the usual arching trajectory.

As you would expect given these screen shots, object detail is very high. I don't know how many polys go into the choppers, but I would guess it could be 50% higher than the choppers in Longbow 2. But my big surprise came when I checked out the graphics options and selected SUPER HIGH res. WOW!! At 800x600 the stakes really go up. And I really couldn't see a frame rate loss! Will you be able to run 1024x768 under SLI mode with Voodoo2? I suspect the answer is yes!

Now to the heart of the matter. Team Apache does beg for comparisons, but not to Longbow 2. Rather, this sim is JSF with a dynamic campaign. Avionics are somewhat simplified compared to Janes Longbow. Getting excited yet? Ok, its Janes F15 but with choppers.

Now F15 doesn't have a dynamic campaign in the usual sense of the term (see our interview for a detailed explanation), but it does have an unusually detailed command structure, allowing for far more interaction and control than one usually has. JSF allowed an unusual degree of control also, but F15 surpasses it.

Team Apache splits the team into lead/wingmen pairings with a maximum of three such pairings. Lead is always in Pair1. As lead you can issue commands to the team over one of four channels. Channel 1 addresses Pair 1 only, channel 2 addresses pair 2, channel 3 pair 3, and channel 4 address all pairs.

Virtual cockpit. Its a good one! Click for a rocket attack!

Under this hierarchy you can order pairs to help other pairs, engage current threats, engage mission primary targets that are in sight, engage targets of opportunity, engage all targets, suppress current target, ignore threats, engage MY target, follow the briefing, wait here, take over LEAD, cycle waypoints, check status, ask leader for his position, and communicate with the rescue chopper. Team Apache also allows you to preset 2 alternative formations to which you can switch at any time during a mission.

Now remember, all this is factored into some very life like pilots. We asked Bryan Walker about the moral conditions in an interview last year:

Csim: Tell us about the leadership factors built into Team Apache?

Bryan: The biggest challenge will be to manage the aircrews and maintenance personnel. TA's environment is completely interconnected. Some aircrews can be flying while others are on alert and others sleeping. The same applies to the maintenance section, who can be repairing aircraft while others are deployed. It's up to the player to decide which pilots to deploy, how they're paired, which aircraft to put them in, and how to allocate the maintanence manpower. Badly-damaged airframes can be cannibalized if need be, or Partially-Mission-Capable aircraft can be sent on missions.

Working the pilots or maintenance personnel too hard can result in mistakes, crashes, and reduced effectiveness of the entire unit. It really becomes a balancing act for the player, deciding which missions to focus on, arguing with the "Head Shed" about priorities and timescales, and looking out for his men while still accomplishing the objective.

Csim: The AI that factors in experience, moral, and team cooperation must be quite sophisticated. Can you tell us some of the nuts and bolts of the design?

Bryan: Each "Artificial Pilot" is rated in 21 different categories, including technical and personal traits. Compatibility between crewmembers can come to the fore, particularly once Fatigue and Morale come into play. Some pilots will prefer different weapons in different circumstances, while) others excel at night missions. The outcome of specific missions and the progress of the campaign in general has effects on not only the morale issues, but can have a great deal to do with the player's status as a commander.

If the success rate is high, then the player will have more leeway in mission selection and supply requests. If the success rate is low, then the top hats won't put up with a lot of guff while debating a mission's priority. The loss of an aircraft or pilot can have a devastating effect on a unit, and the rescue of missing aviators becomes a priority when a bird goes down. On top of that, the pilots can occasionally receive "Dear John" letters and such, causing their morale to sag. It's up to the player to decide how to cope with these issues, and it's no small task!

Csim: I understand that these moral and cooperation factors will extend beyond the pilots to crew chiefs and mechanics! How does this actually work? What tells me that my mechanic is tired of fixing my chopper? Will there be dialogue choices for example?

Bryan: The pilots' tent and crewchiefs' tent have interfaces that allow the player to view estimate the fatigue level and guage the moral level of the personnel. The pilots can be examined individually, while the crewchiefs are viewed as a unit. The "platoon seargent" of the crewchiefs will pass along advise at critical junctures if the maintenance personnel are ready to drop, and senior pilots will also offer input when a change in assignments should be considered.

We also asked Bryan to comment on the damage modelling.

Csim: Damage modelling is another growth area in sim design. What will we see in Team Apache in this department?

Bryan: The damage modeling is somewhat unique in that damage affects can have a trickle-down impact. The helicopters are modeled as virtual systems, with interdependencies() affecting major and minor subsystems. There are 100 different initial damage effects, and these can trickle down into many more depending upon the severity of the hit, the location of the hit, and the flight profile of the affected aircraft.

Damaged rotors can buckle if the player tries to fly too long or over-G them. Tail rotor damage can take several forms, from loss of thrust entirely, to fixed-pitch malfunctions, to having the driveshaft sever, and so forth. Players are going to have to learn how to operate the helicopter in all regimes, as well as learn to diagnose different malfunctions and do what it takes to get the helicopter back in one piece.

As if all this weren't enough, I flew an escort mission and when we got to the crash site I watched the Blackhawk land. A moment later a single figure went running across the grass to the Blackhawk. These guys are fairly articulated and its really something to see.