On November 3rd I flew into San Francisco to spend time with the SSI crew. While vaulting about their new offices north of town I had a chance to meet with the Ultimation crew as well as talk to Rick Martinez, Sean Decker and Carl Norman. This interview occurred in Carl's office on Thursday afternoon, and should help to dispel some of the myths surrounding Su39 and Flanker 2.0.

Su 39

Take Flanker 2, stir in one ground war. Add a large clump of Su39s (the navalized version of the Su25). Now bake a stand alone simulation that is connectable to the Flanker 2 world. Voila! You have Su39, slated for release late in 2000.

Su39 is a stand alone simulation that will connect to Flanker 2.0. In the process of building Su39, the Flanker 2 world will itself be expanded, increasing gameplay as well as the fun factor.

The new game will include enhanced tactical and command options, granting the player greater control over his wingman and flight. If there is sufficient time, enhanced communications might also include AWACS and Forward Air Controllers.

Furthermore, a more active environment would involve COMMS between flights, so that, as in Falcon 4, the player taking off on the carrier might hear the previous flight engaging, or listen in on the wild weasel boys doing their work, or get a call for help from the ground pounders who are being engaged by F18s.

The Order of Battle would expand greatly, with additional ground vehicles, ground targets and helicopters. Naturally, there would be AI in place so that an actual ground war would rage on apart from the players input. But the Su39 pilots would have a direct impact on the war, as would the players flying A2G or A2A in the Su33s and Su27s.

The result would be a game that would FEEL more like Falcon 4.0, since there would be an active air and ground war. Unlike Falcon 4, the naval war would also be present. The player would fly in a much more immersive environment, and since the two sims would be connectable, some players would be flying Su33s in the air war and others would be flying Su39s in the ground war.

But there is also interest in expanding the original Su27 AWACS module. This interface has changed considerably for Flanker 2.0, but the team has some ideas at further extending the idea. Might we even see a real time tactical commander in the Flanker 2 world? It would certainly be an attractive addition!

With voice comms becoming a relatively simple matter, imagine one player in a multiplayer Flanker/Su39 session sitting at the AWACS controls, providing real time vectors for the Russian flights. "Eagle 1 flight, vector 0-7-0, cutoff, descend angels 2-2, mach 1 point 2. 2 bogies, 0-3-0, fifty, heading 2-1-0, 2-4 thousand, 445 knots. Select weapons safe, state fuel." Too cool.

What about the addition of an American aircraft, so that players could fly on either side of the battle? The team has been discussing the possibilities, and no doubt we'll hear more about this soon.

A primary goal is to enhance gameplay, and so the interface itself would improve considerably. Player stats would be a new item, and they would stay with you as you move through your battles.

What about support for new hardware? The emphasis will be on gameplay, but support for some features of DX7 is likely.

Will we see a new theatre? One possibility is to see some action in Iraq or a similar hot spot. All this is very tentative, however, until a design document is completed. Carl Norman is now working hard on getting that document completed.