Spotlighting the intense, aerial close-combat of World War
II, Activision Inc.'s upcoming flight simulation Fighter
Squadron: Screamin' Demons Over Europe packs the throaty
rumble, split-second agility and short-range armament of
the most notable planes of the era. Developed by Parsoft
Interactive, makers of the award-winning A-10 series, the
game showcases an all-new physics model and authentic
environments that produce an awesome airwar experience.
"Screamin' Demons Over Europe puts players in the pilot's
seat of the most formidable fighters and bombers of the
Axis and the Allies in World War II," says Bobby Kotick,
Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc. "Without laser-guided
missiles, computer navigation systems and long-range
rockets, pilots need sharp eyes and agile plane-handling in
order to succeed, just like the airmen of that great war."
Featuring a ground-breaking simulator engine based on the
most accurate inertia, gravity and force calculations to
date, Screamin' Demons Over Europe vividly recreates the
up-close and personal combat of The Great War. The
simulation depicts three unique scenarios from WWII: the
English Channel, Rhineland and Northern African theaters.
Choosing from nine different planes, including the Lockheed
P-38 Lightning, the Focke-Wulf Fw.190 F-8 and the
Messerschmidt ME-262 - the first jet fighter on earth -
players can rewrite history by puncturing enemy warbirds
with abandon as they develop their piloting skill.
The aircraft in SD will each feature unique handling and
flight characteristics. As is standard for modern
simulations, flight models will be selectable for novices,
and other difficulty and cheat options will also be
available. A player can enter at one level and as their
confidence and ability grow, they can move on to more
advanced levels of gameplay.
SD will be realised by the next generation of Parsoft's
rendering engine is known as "G3". The idea was to create
an engine that emulated the most best features of high-end
graphics computers with software. G3 lets the game designer
assume he has high precision perspective corrected
texturing, Z-buffering, Bi-linear filtering, alpha blending
etc. It gives the designer tremendous flexibility when
coding special effects (explosions, fire, smoke, etc.),
modeling aircraft systems (instrument panels, control
surfaces), and simulating environmental effects (shadows,
weather, etc.). G3 is loosely based on OpenGL and will be
compatible with hardware 3d accelerators.
SD will have a uniquely interactive environment with a
level of fidelity so high that all parts of the planes move
and react to forces just as they would in real life. In
actual combat in the second world war flying behind another
aircraft and blazing away with your guns and cannon was
risky business. As your shells hit your opponent pieces of
his aircraft blow off, and if you fly through that debris
your own plane could be damaged. Because the SD physics
simulation is responsible for all motion, you might run
into an engine that has come out of your target. The force
of the impact could damage your plane, or even cause you to
enter a spin. Previous WWII simulators have not had this
level of intelligence.
Naturally, SD will offer standard multi-player options
inluding network, modem, and internet gaming.
