Flight-sim roundup

Flight Journal, Dec 1999 by Ethell, David

IL-2 Stormovik, Maddox Games, release date: 4th quarter, 1999

Desert Fighters won't be the only WW II sim that takes us to other theaters of operation. Maddox Games of Russia is developing a simulation around the IL-2 Stormovik, the famous tank-buster from the Russian Front.

Maddox plans to include almost every variant of the IL-2, including the fighter version, but will most likely not allow players to fly for the Germans. Because the Stormovik's primary task was air-to-ground combat, terrain modeling and ground units will receive the heaviest concentration.

Flight Combat: Thunder Over Europe, Looking Glass, http://www.fctoe.com, release date: 3rd quarter, 1999

Looking Glass is taking its Flight Unlimited engine and extending it for combat. Not only does this simulation promise to look fantastic, but Looking Glass also claims to have the most thorough and realistic flight modeling of any WW II simulation. We're not talking about just flight dynamics, but also about aircraft systems and procedures. Flight Combat has everything down to the flow rate of fuel and the leakage rate of a damaged hydraulic line.

These elements are not only modeled in the simulation, but Looking Glass also plans to include an application to allow players to modify any characteristics of the simulation, including flight physics, damage modeling, etc. Naturally, players won't be able to use their customizations during online combat, but offline, anything is fair game.

Aces of the Pacific 2, Dynamix, http://www.dynamix.com, release date: 2000?

We don't have much information on this highly anticipated simulation. Dynamix has placed it on the back burner in favor of Desert Fighters and a few other projects. According to developers at Dynamix, however, Aces of the Pacific 2 is still on the horizon for sometime in the next year.

Flight-sim roundup

Confirmed Kill, previously from Eidos, http://www.eidosinteractive, release date: 2000?

Another abortive flight simulation, Confirmed Kill has been delayed so long that most players don't think it will ever appear. In 1995, Confirmed Kill was taken over by Eidos's development department, and it remained there until Eidos canceled the project earlier this year. However, many of the developers have said they hope to bring the simulation to market after all.

Confirmed Kill promised a different take on online WW II air combat. Rather than have an online arena capable of holding hundreds of players, it would instead create smaller arenas that players can customize for their own battles. These arenas would hold anywhere from 32 to 60-plus players. Many virtual squadrons were looking forward to setting up private battles with other squadrons where they maintained full control of the arena. Unfortunately, this vision may never come about.

WW II Online, Playnet, release date: 4th quarter, 1999 for the Open Beta

When most of the WarBirds staff left iMagic earlier this year, they formed a new venture: Playnet. Playnet's goal is a highly ambitious one: this crew hopes to put together the first true, online war. Unlike Jane's World War, which won't maintain a persistent "universe," Playnet hopes to create a simulation of WW II, almost in its entirety. Most every aspect of the War will be modeled, including air, naval, tank and infantry combat. According to the developers, each aspect of the game will be fully modeled and realistic. They do not want to sacrifice the gameplay of one side for another.