The Second Coming of B17

Recently a group from Wayward Design, developers of B17 II, showed up on the COMBATSIM.COM Forum and began talking about a fascinating new simulation. After exchanging some email Iain Howe, the Producer, responded to a short Q&A with these answers.

Q: How does B17 2 build on its predecessor?

A: In many ways. When we sat down to bring the B-17 simulator up to date there were many obvious areas where advancing technology allowed us to make improvements. The first and foremost area was adding a crew to the B-17. All simulators make a passing nod at the men inside the machines, but we think that B-17 is the first to concentrate on them and crew each position with a real time motion captured crew member with a learning AI.

Also important was the simulation of the B-17 itself. Systems and performance are being modeled in the highest detail seen yet, whilst still being presented palatably to the gamer. One of the key demands of B-17's initial design was to enable the gamer to do it themselves, but provide them with AI "helpers" and control shortcuts in case they don't want to run through the entire pre-flight Checklist.

In addition there was fighter combat - all based around the stately B-17 formations of course. Being attacked by fighters was one of the most unnerving parts of a mission, especially if your own Fighter Escorts were out of range, or already busy elsewhere! Of course, some gamers are less psychologically suited to manning a turret, and those can engage the Luftwaffe on their own terms as the pilot of a P-38, P-47 or P-51. Or for you can take control of the Luftwaffe planes and try to bring down the Allies.

Missing from the original was the aspect of "Team" that players get as part of a Squadron. Although there were always other B-17's in formation you didn't really ever get to know them. With the addition of the Squadron Command campaign you not only know them - you're in charge of them. With that responsibility come the additional tasks of crew assignment, B-17 readiness and mission planning - all features of the new game that were missing from the old.

Finally there's the aspect of representing the environment as realistically as possible. That may sound as if it's a case of simply upping the resolution and texture usage, but in fact a large amount of what makes B-17 2 groundbreaking from a technical point of view is the technology sunk into the terrain, physics and effects.

It's a little difficult to explain in text but it all boils down to how the player perceives the world around him - it might be as simple as a sympathetic camera angle or it might be as complicated as our fractal terrain system. It might be as obvious as the gorgeous Flak, Tracer and lighting effects or it might be as subtle as the specular highlighting on the natural metal finish of the aircraft, or the way that the suspension moves as you taxi.

Q: Why B17 2? While there is great interest on the part of virtual pilots, most developers would argue it's no fun flying big hulking bombers so you can get shot up by the fighters..

A: The original is widely accepted to have performed admirably, it was awarded "Simulator of the Year" when it came out and it certainly performed well in the other crucial area - sales. We've had no problems finding a Publisher willing to take on the sequel, and it certainly seems that a lot of people remember the old B-17 and can't wait to see the new one.

There is no shortage of people interested in bombing either, Warbirds recently increased its complement of bombers due to public demand, and flying as part of a BUFF formation online is immense fun. As for getting shot up by the fighters.... those Fortresses pack a lot of firepower, and they have some very dangerous "Little Friends" along for the ride....

Q: In real estate the watch word is "location," and in combat sims its "atmosphere." How do you establish atmosphere and suspension of disbelief in B17 2?

A: The short answer is Attention to detail and consistency of interface. If it looks like it should work, it will work. If it looks like it should blow up, it'll blow up.

If you choose Nose art and names for your B-17's then that's how the simulation will depict them and refer to them. The cockpits are incredibly accurate and the controls are complete and correct, which should please the most fanatical enthusiast. Of course we're providing flexible detail levels and strong AI support which allows novice players to find their niche.

Q: Another factor of immersion is giving players a reason to care about their crew and squadron. How do you accomplish this?

A: The crew is one of the most important aspects of B-17 2. At the simplest campaign level your responsibility is for the crew of a single bomber and your goal is to get all ten crewmembers through a 25-mission tour of duty.

In terms of gameplay each crewmember will be a learning AI who will improve with experience, the passage of time but most of all when the gamer performs as that crewmember. Combat losses from the gamer's crew will be replaced with rookies who will need training up before they can pull their weight. Loss of all 10 original crewmembers will constitute defeat for the gamer.

In terms of supporting background detail there will be personnel records kept on your crewmembers complete with mission histories, injuries, performance stats, promotions and decorations and also his classification if he goes MIA, WIA or KIA. Letters will be generated from the Pilot to the families of deceased or captured crewmembers for signature by the player.

Caring for an entire squadron is a more difficult task, but Squadron CO's will certainly care when all their experienced Veterans buy it! They'll be forced to plan missions that aren't advancing the course of the war particularly whilst they get new B-17s and those green crews gain experience. Handing out decorations and promotions will naturally draw his attention to the high achievers and, of course, he'll still be flying with them all.

Currently in the design are plans to allow gamers to customise their bombers with their own noseart and names - although we're providing a goodly amount ourselves that you might find hard to beat.

Q: Are there promotions and decorations?

Within the framework of a Campaign there are both promotions and decorations. All the decorations of the time will be up for grabs and promotion, although present, won't be as overused as in some games. Decorations are for achievement and valour, whilst promotions are for extended periods of increased responsibility and good performance.

Q: What happens when I bail out?

A: That depends on WHERE you bail out. We model the frontline across Europe as the Allies roll the Wehrmacht back to Germany. If you bail out in Germany itself (unless occupied by the Allies) then you've a very slim chance of escape. If you bail out over France, Belgium, Luxembourg or Holland then the resistance in those countries increases your chance of escape.

It's probably better to ditch than bail over the channel, and the RAF rescue service will rescue a lot of crews who do so. Others less fortunate, and those who do bail out, will probably not be found. Bailing out or ditching over Liberated Europe or England itself means the possibility of further injury but the return of the crew to the airbase - minus B-17 of course.

From the gamer's point of view, he'll know that a bomber was reported as going down. In order to reduce confusion dead crewmembers will quickly be classified as KIA. Those who might be POW's or might be rescued will be listed as MIA until the Red Cross confirms their status, or they arrive back on base, whereupon they'll be available for re-assignment. The addition of a veteran crewmember can either fill a hole in another veteran crew, or provide some welcome support for a green crew.

Q: Will B17 2 feature a dynamic campaign? If not, tell us about how the missions flow together.

A: Instead of providing a linear route of scripted missions we are providing a dynamic campaign engine which will take our large database of authentic strategic targets - well over 200 in fact and either assign a mission to the player following the strategic imperatives acting on the 8th Airforce at the time (these change as the war progresses) or if the player is a Squadron Commander he will plan his own missions, taking into account his squadrons strength and experience.

In the single mission games the player will be able to choose to fly a mission to a historical target, take control in a Quickstart Scenario or go through a detailed training course in flying the B-17.

Q: I understand players will also be flying fighters. Which ones? And will the flight, physics and damage models rival those in EAW?

A: The fighters modeled for inclusion in the game are:

• American P-38 Lightning
• American P-47 Thunderbolt
• American P-51 Mustang
• Luftwaffe Bf-109
• Luftwaffe FW-190
• Luftwaffe Me-163 Komet
• Luftwaffe Me-262 Schwalbe

The flight, physics and damage models will be better than anything you've flown, bar the real thing. I know that sounds boastful, but if you've played the current crop of flight sims and you fly ours the comparison is extremely flattering in our favour.

As for screenshots, the terrain currently has a 1:1000,000 map slapped on fractally enhanced DEM data as a texture. - hence the wierd blue, red and green lines and huge text over the land :) this is all very much placeholder. You will notice though that this has been procedurally bump enhanced to 1m resolution, so it looks quite nice even as is. This will be replaced soon, and will look a whole lot better, non-repeating Europe down to 20cm resolution! - ground rush anyone? :).

You may also notice that there is no-fogging - you can view right to the horizon (the only fog we will have in game is the stuff we want for atmosphere.)

To download wallpaper from B17 II, go HERE

To read the B17 II E3 update, click HERE.

B17 "Doc" at Palm Springs

For more on the real thing go to the Palm Springs Air Museum tour.