Csim: Tell us about your game engine. Was it developed by MAK?

Sandra: Actually we are not working with MAK. We developed our own cross platform game engine from scratch in house. We had a long R&D period to develop the engine and that is why the development period has been longer than most games. Currently we are looking at about 2 years total by the time we ship during first quarter '98 to develop the engine and the game. We are planning on using the engine to develop future Special Operations based titles such as the Navy Seals or the British SAS forces so developing our own engine has definitely helped us to create a niche for ourselves.

Csim: What are the general design goals for Spec Ops?

Sandra: Realism, action, and hints of strategy. The player can either choose to go in and shoot everything around him or he can use a more strategic method to complete the mission objectives within the time limit given. The enemy AI will be attached to an overall defcon level, so if you go into the mission shooting, the enemy will be immediately alerted and ready for you. If you choose a more sneaky disposition, then you will be able to avoid some enemy as well as sneak up on them.

Special Operations missions tend to be top secret and the guys in these units are usually regarded as heroes. We are giving the player the opportunity to take on this role. Minus the backbreaking training that these guys go through and the more boring aspects of the job, such as lying in the mud for hours waiting for just the right time to move into position, we are giving the player the opportunity to fill the shoes of a real Army Ranger. We need to make it fun after all and action is what the game player demands.

Csim: From what I have seen Spec Ops is really opening a door into a new genre in military simulations. What is it like being in that position?

Sandra: It's really a great feeling. I get email from people almost every day who see our web page and have been dying for a game like this ever since EA's Seal Team came out in '93. People are already buying hardware accelerated boards for their computers just to be able to play our game when it comes out. While there has been a lot of risk involved in making this game, such as the development of our own engine, dealing with all outdoor environments, staying within the bounds of realism while also trying to make the game fun... it's already proving to pay off.

There isn't a real commander per say. Instead the player is allowed to play each of the Ranger characters in order to complete all of the mission objectives within a given environment.

Csim: It appears that we will see light source shading, shadows etc. Will smoke and fog effects also be present?

Sandra: Yes, definitely. We are using our own proprietary tools to create the smoke and explosion effects instead of the usual Pyromania effects that you see just about everywhere. There will also be snow in one level and rain in another.

, Csim: How will you balance realism in the sim so that players can get in quickly and begin to learn tactics, the control interface etc?

Sandra: We are planning on having a training level so that the player can get adjusted to the controls and see how the different weapons and equipment work. The environment will be similar to what is used for training in the field, such as a tire house or pop-up target system. As far as the heads up display goes, we are trying to keep this as simple as possible so as not to take away from the overall experience. Instead of using things like icons, we've decided to use only simple text to describe things to the player so as not to take away from the realism aspect of the game too much.

Csim: Tell us about the control interface. How will we control infantry units and individuals? How much flexibility will we have in control?

Sandra: In real life, Rangers don't actually get to control their own missions. Instead, they are given their orders and they complete them without any questions asked. Therefore, we have not given the player the opportunity to actually control the other Rangers on the team. There isn't a real commander per say. Instead the player is allowed to play each of the Ranger characters in order to complete all of the mission objectives within a given environment.

For example, there are usually three teams of two Rangers involved in each environment. Each group has a separate mission objective. You start out in the first team, which includes yourself and your Ranger buddy. You can switch back and forth from one to the other during the course of the first mission. If you die as one of these guys, you immediately switch into your buddy. If you complete your mission objective or both Rangers die, you switch into the next two man team and complete the next mission objective.

Each Ranger is also equipped differently depending on their level of expertise. For example, if you are on the demolitions team, you may have more explosives at your disposal than the security team. Also, some Rangers may have different main weapons as well. Some have M16's, while others have M249 SAW's. In this way, we not only keep the player at the height of action, but also allow the player to use different weapons and equipment throughout the game.

Csim: Will we also have control of any vehicles? If so, what?

Sandra: No vehicle control in the first game, but we are already thinking about it for the next Spec Ops title.

Csim: What kind of weapons will be modelled?

Sandra: Rangers will have:

• M16
• M203 w/ grenade launcher
• M249 SAW
• AT4
• .50BMP Sniper Rifle
• SPAS 15 Combat Shotgun
• Thermite grenades
• Frag grenades
• .73mm Mortar
• Satchel charges
• Claymore mines

Enemies will have:

• AK47
• RPK
• .73mm Mortar
• M60 machine gun
• H&K G11
• Calico M960A
• RPG7
• SSG Sniper rifle
• Russian light machine guns

Throughout the game we have taken precise measures to get all details as accurate as possible. Just about all the textures in the game were created from original photo source material, including the weapons.

Csim: Physics modeling is a real growth area in ground sims these days.... What kind of physical properties will affect objects in Spec Ops?

Sandra: Each environment is very different in it's terrain features. Our environments consist of: forest, snow covered, jungle, desert, and semi-urban. The surface feel for each of these will be very different.

For example, the physics for the snow will obviously be different than for the jungle in that the player will slide down steep slopes in the snow. Sound will also play a large part in the overall feel of the environments. The sounds for the footsteps are directly linked to the type of terrain the player is currently treading on.

Other physical properties include collision detection with static and dynamic objects, and ballistics calculations at the time of gunfire. Since most weapons can fire projectiles at a fast enough speed to assure instantaneous collisions, we are tracing a ray along the path of gunfire in order to determine which objects it intersects. Weapon recoil, and visual effects on destroyed objects are also a part of the physics routines.

You may have to turn up brightness to see the Ranger..

Csim: How much detail will we see in weapons models? How does this relate to damage modelling?

Sandra: Throughout the game we have taken precise measures to get all details as accurate as possible. Just about all the textures in the game were created from original photo source material, including the weapons.

As far as damage modeling, we will be creating bullet holes where the gunfire intersects the objects. As far as explosives go, such as grenades or satchel charges, we will swap in damaged texture maps and smoke when objects are struck.

Csim: How will damage resolution be handled? Will it matter what direction you hit the enemy from and where your round impacts? Can we target particular locations to try to disable enemy units?

Sandra: These questions seem to affect the AI model the most so I'll answer from that perspective. Some mission objectives will include targeting certain enemy areas, but there will always be a best and worst way to do this. If the player chooses to try to do the mission out of the order it was given, then there could be some serious repercussions in that the defcon level will immediately be raised and therefore the player will most likely be killed sooner.

There are certain areas throughout the game that are not mission objectives though and would definitely help the player if they were destroyed. There are also highly sensitive objects in some environments that you will not want to hit with gunfire, such as SCUD missiles.

Csim: I understand infantry modelling will be highly realistic. What are the goals in this area?

Sandra: In order to get the character models as accurate as possible throughout the game, I bought some of the uniforms and other clothing and we photographed them on different members of the team. All of the photos were then scanned in and texture mapped onto the different character models. We did our research on the look of all the Rangers in each environment as well as the enemies. And to add to the realistic quality of the characters, we had a Ranger and a Special Forces guy do the motion capture for all the characters. After all, nobody can do the moves better than a well trained soldier. The goal once again is realism. We want to hear from the Rangers themselves that our game is cool. Csim: What happens when you are wounded? What happens when you are killed?

Sandra: When you are wounded, you will fall to one knee but still be able to continue playing. When you are killed, you will automatically switch to your buddy or the next Ranger team. Since there are 6 Rangers in each environment, you essentially get 6 lives. If you are the last Ranger and you are killed, you lose the mission and see the repercussions, i.e. the SCUD's take off to kill the South Koreans.

The enemy will be in certain positions either ready for the player or not depending on the defcon level. If the player is heard early on, then the enemy will be more aware and sometimes be hiding from the player on rooftops or behind buildings. Enemy awareness will also depend on visual recognition of the player.

Csim: Tell us about the AI in Spec Ops. How will the enemy react and respond? Will there be a "panic" model, morale factors, "hide" and "avoidance" AI?

Sandra: The enemy will react and respond depending on the defcon level as described earlier. This is something we've been working on recently. The enemy will be in certain positions either ready for the player or not depending on the defcon level. If the player is heard early on, then the enemy will be more aware and sometimes be hiding from the player on rooftops or behind buildings. Enemy awareness will also depend on visual recognition of the player as well as the sound of an explosion within a certain distance.

The enemy can also contact their buddies in another area of the game so that they are ready for you as well. Once you start blowing things up and shooting everything in site, all hell breaks loose. For instance, if the player decides to blow up a vehicle as soon as he enters the game, then the enemy will be aware of infiltration right away. On the other hand, if the player decides to be a little more stealthy, he will be able to get through the environment with minimum casualties. Enemies are also intelligent enough to run away from grenades and will sometimes run away from the player.

Csim: Will any air action be modelled? If so, how will it integrate to the sim and affect tactics?

Sandra: In some cases enemy helicopters fly above and land periodically in order to drop off more enemies. In others, aircraft can be taxiing on the ground or getting ready to take off and you will need to stop them. If you do not stop them, then they can attack you from above. A lot of this will be done with sound and bullets hitting the ground around you.

Air support for the player is included in some missions in order to completely destroy certain areas with high explosives from above. This is basically a reward scenario for getting to the end of the mission.

Csim: Tell us about the mission and campaign structure. How many missions will the player have to choose from?

Sandra: Each environment has it's own set of mission objectives depending on the situation. We have a raid and destroy mission, a reprisal attack, a hostage rescue, a counter terrorist attack, and a seek and destroy mission.

There are 5 separate environments that the player will be able to choose from. Depending on the level of difficulty chosen, the player will have access to certain environments and not to others. This way, there is a reward for getting through the first few environments but at the same time gives the player some options as to what environment to play.

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