CSIM: Thanks for taking the time! NATIONS: Fighter Command is a particularly interesting project because the intention is obviously to push the boundaries in a number of areas, particularly graphics and environment modeling.

Q. How did you come to choose a WWII sim as your first major simulation entry? Why not WWI, or armor, or the modern era?

A. The team wanted a flight-sim that was about the enjoyment of flying and dog-fighting rather than modern flight-sims which are more to do with the modern weapon systems. WWII offers the players the chance to fly planes that rely on a greater degree of pilot skill, whilst the technical innovations of the time meant that the planes have far more variety. WWI planes lacked the power and speed that we thought would make for an exciting game, and plane familiarity and recognition also played a part in our decision - the P51 Mustang, Me109 and Spitfire are icons in flight-sims.

Q. This past 12 months have seen incredible advances in virtually every area of modeling on the PC. A10 Cuba was ground breaking in its simulating real-world physics, both in flight models and even in such esoteria as landing-gear and belly landing physics. How will these developments be reflected or surpassed in Nations -- Fighter Command?

A. In Nations we have concentrated on ensuring that the physics models, atmospheric conditions and lighting are portrayed as accurately as possible. By making full use of the more advanced and powerful machines that are available on the market today we have been able to concentrate on areas that were neglected by earlier sims.

Q. In a recent interview with the developers of Fighter Duel 2.0 I was pleased to find that ballistics modeling is another growth area for simulation design. Is this also the case with Nations?

A. Our attention to detail has been maintained in all departments - all bombs and rockets are accurately modelled both graphically and in their 'real world' behaviours.

Q. When I first saw Nations at E3 this past May it was obvious that a new graphics engine was in the works. The sunsets were particularly spectacular. Tell us about this new engine and the artwork we'll see.

A. From the start of Nations it was always the intention that we would be the definitive WWII flight-sim both graphically and in terms of playability. The engine uses volumetrically modelled clouds that allow you to fly in and through them, with all of the correct lighting effects that would be associated with that. We have awesome explosions (from flak to sea explosions), breathtaking sunsets and sun-rise, sun colouring, reflections, etc.

Q. The graphics engine for Nations may be the first that makes extensive use of abilities inherent in AGP. Tell us about the differences players with quality AGP boards will see.

A. Most of the missions in Nations have around 16Mb of textures that require loading and on a non-AGP card these are compressed to fit the card - the visual difference however is stunning. One wing of a plane might be a 256x128 texture which allows you to see detail that wasn't possible before AGP. The aircraft are particularly stunning, both in modelling terms and graphical finesse. All the texture maps were created with Photoshop, in 24-bit colour, and then re-sampled to their final 8-bit versions. An AGP PC is a must with Nations if you really want to appreciate the splendour of the graphics.

Q. The integration of cutting edge graphics with special effects is fantastic in Nations. One thing that caught my eye at E3 was flying the Focke-Wulf and suddenly cutting the throttle then hearing the engine sputter and the exhaust manifold send a puff of smoke as the engine leaned out. In what other areas will we see this level of attention to detail?

A. In all areas - examples of this are things such as birds following ships, dust being kicked up when you touch down with the landing gear, engines behaving correctly at certain altitudes, etc.

Q. Will we see fog patches, cloud layers, dynamic lighting? What about object detail and physics modeling for ground objects?

A. The graphical environment is depicted as realistically as possible. We have distinct weather types, ranging from clear days through to thunderstorms. There are dual cloud layers, fog and dynamic lighting as well as rain, sun glare and cloud shadows. When you fly through the clouds you will experience whiteout as you come out the top of them.

Q. Jane's F15 has some of the most detailed explosions I've yet seen. How will Nations compare?

A. Using particle systems we have modelled not only the explosions but also the smoke eddies and fragments. Plane debris is a hazard to be aware of - wings that are shot off can be collided with and damage your plane.

Q. Sound modeling in the new WW2 sims is excellent. Guns and engine sounds, even wind noise and voice are fantastic. What are some of the highlights we can expect in the sound effects department for Nations? Will each aircraft type have its own engine sounds? What about voice?

A. Nations has aimed to be as realistic as possible in this department too. We've tried to recreate the unique sound of flying a fighter aircraft, with authentic engine and gun sounds, the wind whistling, the plane diving, etc. The radio chat voices sound great and add to the historical flavor, and there is a backdrop of WWII film style music which changes mood depending on the action and supports soundfont technology.

Q. Damage modeling has been another growth area lately. Can you give us a feel for how damage effects and resolution will work in Nations?

A. Each plane has up to 12 different damage areas that all affect the dynamics of the plane. E.g. if you shoot the right wing of a plane that wing will have increased drag from the torn fuselage - in the case of a bomber there is a chance of a possible fuel fire.

Q. Team Apache has introduced weather in a big way this year, as will Panzer Elite and Apache-Havoc. What will we see in nations in the way of turbulence, wind and weather effects?

A. With Nations we have tried to make the weather as realistic as possible. Generally, planes tend to be less susceptible to adverse weather conditions than combat helicopters and as a result the effects on the planes will be less noticeable.

Q. Will we see training missions? How are these modeled?

A. There are four training missions that cover the basics that all pilots need to know - taking-off, manoeuvrers, target practice and landing. To ensure that players are able to experience all of the various characteristics of the planes they are able to select any of the player planes to practice in.

Q. I understand that the campaigns are not dynamic. How are scenarios structured? What connects one to another? What will contribute to the immersion factor?

A. We hired a researcher to work from the British Public Records Office and he came up with about 90 missions that were totally historically accurate. From these 90, we then chose 15 missions for each of the nations (Britain, USA, Germany) which we felt would offer the most variety and would be the most fun and challenging to play.

In so doing, we found that it was unlikely that a single pilot would have flown so many different types of aircraft over such a long period, so we decided that to keep the game as authentic and realistic as possible, we would have a series of unconnected missions that would allow us maximum variety and scope. The stunningly realistic graphics of the aircraft, landscapes and virtual cockpits, and the superb flight models all make the player feel like he's really flying a WWII fighter.

Q. Other than dynamics, a factor that contributes to immersion is enabling the virtual pilot to care about his squadron. How does Nations give us that feeling of connection?

A. The large range of atmospheric radio chatter in the 3 nations' languages, with many different pilot voices for each nation, really makes the player feel like he's connecting with his squadron. On top of that, the player decides when and where to give orders to his squadron and he'll want them to do as good a job as possible.

Q. Is there any other interaction using the radio? Can I communicate with ground control or other flights, for example?

A. The radio cannot be used to communicate to the AI planes in your squadron. What we do offer is the ability to talk to other people playing the game by using a microphone, allowing network players to communicate remotely without necessarily using a console.

Q. Computer controlled pilots have become very sophisticated this year, including becoming subject to g forces, losing sight, panic, morale, growth in ability etc. What can we expect in Nations?

A. The AI pilots will be rated according to the difficulty level of the game. The higher the difficulty the more realistic the AI will behave. It has always been the intention that the AI will be able to do exactly what a human pilot could do - they would not be able to perform impossible aerobatic feats, for example.

Q. Obviously models are unique for each aircraft. What sources are you using for the data? Will you have real pilots testing the models?

A. The models have been tested by an RAF test pilot (who is currently on the Euro-fighter project) who has flown many of these planes as a hobby. The actual plane data comes from a large variety of sources including WWII intelligence data.

Q. Will AI pilots use the same flight model? Will enemy pilots have the same g-force limitations as the virtual pilot?

A. All planes in the game use the same flight models and have the same limitations and advantages, including g-forces, ammo, etc as the player. The game cannot actually tell the difference between an AI pilot and a network player.

Q. Formation flying is routine but boring in WWII. Will there be an easy way for the player to accomplish this?

A. You will be given the option to start close to the action - a 'quick start' that places you within a few minutes of the action. Should you wish to do a long haul bomber escort, time compression is available for you to use. Taking off and landing are also options that can be turned on and off.

Q. What forms of multiplayer support will be provided and what kinds of multiplayer gameplay will be included?

A. The game supports deathmatch and team multiplayer games with up to 64 players, as well as a special multiplayer game we call V1 football. It can be played over the internet as well as locally and uses several new techniques to eliminate the lags you normally experience over the internet. As a special feature you will be able to talk to other players on your team using a microphone.

Q. What kind of future expansions are likely to appear for the game?

A. We will be releasing a mission editor for the game via the Internet that will allow people to create their own missions and multiplayer games. Rather than us imposing missions onto players we decided that a greater degree of freedom would be afforded to players by doing this.

Thanks, and best of luck with a very promising sim!