11) When you mention the "possibility of switching to arbitrary character from the squad ", does it mean that when you do not control the other squad members, they will mind their own business and try to accomplish the mission? How important is the AI for the squad units ?

T.R.: I must confess I don't like the concept of NPC trying to accomplish the mission independently on the player. Although it is realistic, it is not fun- the fact that they carry on and don't co-operate on your strategy is frustrating. The game becomes quite linear because you're forced to follow your team-mates. We decided to make it vice-versa. In Call Sign : Charlie the team stick together. Your NPC friends give supporting fire, cover each other and give signals, they won't leave you behind because it is you who plans and leads the action.

To survive you must find cover during combat situations. Objects such as trees, forests, bushes, hills, abandoned vehicles, and the corners of buildings can be used as cover. The Soviets are good shots. If you stand exposed, you will be taken out. Get prone and take cover in foliage or behind objects so enemy soldiers can't eliminate you in a single shot.

As such, he is more than capable of handling a wide variety of military hardware, and during the course of the game will be given the opportunity to wield more than 16 historically accurate World War II era weapons. Throw in 20 enemy vehicles, including the drivable King Tiger Tank, Stuka Dive Bombers, V2 Rockets and various trucks and Jeeps through a number of missions, and it's safe to say he's going to have his hands full.

The result is a little like a cross between Counter-Strike and the classic Quake mod Team Fortress, with several player classes to choose from. But it also includes some basic role-playing elements, with your character gaining experience as you play the game. "Players can choose which core skills they want to pick out from an offered set of skills, which are different for each of the specialization class", Pavel explained. "The skills affect your game performance, like precise shooting, breathing, movement speed, equipment load, endurance, stealthiness, surveillance ability etc. Skill points are computed depending on the player's actions in the game related to each skill, but winning or losing the game will also affect the final skill point score."

September 25th 2001 - Operation Flashpoint’s Cold War crisis is about to be turned on its head. Players of Codemasters’ award-winning military simulator will soon be given the chance to join the revolution and fight on the side of the Soviet force, the enemy in the original campaign.

This new perspective on the chart topping PC game’s campaign will be revealed when Codemasters launches Operation Flashpoint: Red Hammer - The Soviet Campaign for £9.99 this December. This incredible add-on pack requires the original Operation Flashpoint game and provides a battalion of new missions.

The AI is pretty good, but not stellar. It's certainly much better than what we found in Delta Force: Land Warrior. Enemies seek cover, try to flank you and even call for backup, which often comes by way of tanks and helicopter support. Retreat! Nothing beats intensity like running into a camp slaughtering all opposition only to find their reinforcements have arrived. Now you're outgunned and outnumbered.

Things are moving along normally as we progress towards beta. Normal at this stage in a project means filled with stress. The entire team is working hard to make sure everything gets in by beta along with playing the game as much as possible to ensure it's a game that everyone will enjoy. There just does not appear to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. Localization is taking up most of my time as well as trying to help balance those last few missions. We've been fortunate to be able to play our game early in the development cycle. That's allowed us lots of time for testing and game play evaluation. I'm sure all the hard work that's been put into this will show in the final product. But for now, if we can only get to beta....

There have been rumors about a "Random Mission Generator". If the rumors are true, how does it work?

Kenn: The Random Scenario Generator is a lot like the random single-player map feature you see in many real-time strategy games today. The system will take a number of factors into consideration like terrain type, enemy type and mission goals and use it to create a random, single-player terrain level for players to run through. The system will draw from a number of models and enemies to populate the map and there are a goodly number of customizable variables to create the mission to your liking. We thought it would be a new and interesting gameplay element to bring to the FPS genre that would also act as a supplement for multiplayer. As a side benefit, it will also add many hours of gameplay to the title.

Hits to different body parts do different damage. If you hit a Nazi in the shoulder, it will knock him off his aim and take a few seconds for him to recover (in which time, you've capped off another shot and taken him out). If you hit one in the foot, he'll still be able to limp away, or drop to one knee and keep firing at you.

Allied Assault is the first game in EA's Medal of Honor action game series to be released for the PC. In the game, players will assume the role of an Allied soldier, and they will take on a number of difficult assignments behind enemy lines. Missions will take place in several locations, including France, North Africa, and Norway. The game uses the Quake III game engine, and it will feature a complete single-player campaign along with deathmatch and capture-the-flag multiplayer modes.

Codemasters presents the Multiplayer Demo for the insanely popular Operation Flashpoint. This demo consists of a single mission, in which you're cast as an infantry squad member. Your squad's mission is to get to and hold a city, then stop the opposing squad taking control of the flag points, scattered throughout the city. Each time a flag is taken, the capturing team gets a point. Points are also awarded for neutralising enemies. The team with the most points when the game finishes wins.

It sounds promising. The fact that it will be a budget title will help, but it won't be inferior to other games [...] The game brings together all those elements we've enjoyed from games such as MoH, Rogue Spear and SWAT 3. This includes having a squad of fighters, each of which can take basic orders from you, picking up enemy weapons, and being able to jump into individual fighters to better direct them. The game will feature authentic weapons, such as the M1, Colt 45 and the Thompson.

GameSpy: Where is Team Factor set? What kind of locales can we expect to play in?

PS: We wanted to create different believable environments, so the missions take place in the South-Asian jungle, Middle-East cities, the Pacific Islands, several spots in North America and Russia. As the missions are time frames, the game goals are designed to be clearly measurable - which team has won. An example of a scenario is: one team is defending a VIP person, second team wants to capture him alive and the third team must terminate the VIP. After the time will elapse, it will be clear which one won.

It gets better. In games like Rainbow 6, you are restricted to one small area -- there is always something blocking your path, be it a tree, a river, or a big pile of junk. Not in Operation Flashpoint. Each mission takes place on an island, and you can go pretty much anywhere you want on that island -- as long as you have a ride.

Will vehicles/aircraft/seacraft have damage modeling based on a hit point system? In other words, will there be a hit point damage system, or will BF calculate armor and armor penetration capabilities?

ROMAIN: BF will have a combination of armour and hit point system. Basically each vehicle will have a particular armour type on every distinct part of its body. For example the engine of a plane will be much more vulnerable to bullets than its wings, and don't even try to shoot with your bazooka on the tiger's frontal armour. Every vehicle will have a number of hit points. Whenever a "projectile" goes through the armour, the vehicle loose hit points. A heavy bomber will have less armour but more hit point than the tiger for example.

HomeLAN - How are the squad members controlled by the player?

Jason Zisk - The control scheme is simple, you really only need to remember four keys. It was based off of the control system in the game Giants: Citizen Kabuto, which I personally thought was perfect. You can tell your squad to "hold fire"/"fire at will" and "hold position"/"follow me". While you can play using just those four commands quite easily, it does get more advanced than that if you really want to get into it. You can tell your squad to attack a specific target, and you can even give commands to a specific squad member just by putting your cursor over him and holding control while giving the command. These advanced controls allow some really cool ambushes, like setting up a sniper across the street and luring some enemies towards you, then telling the guy across the street to open fire at just the right time.

The stand-alone SWAT 3: GOTY is scheduled for an October 1st release and will feature the much-anticipated "10-player patch," five new levels, new official modifications and a seperate Advanced Tactics CD. The v2.0 patch, new levels and official modifications will be made available for free, public download at the time of GOTY's retail release.

The screenshots include a box shot and a few shots from the Advanced Tactics CD.

UBI SOFT POSTPONES RELEASE OF TOM CLANCY’S ROGUE SPEAR: BLACK THORN

SAN FRANCISCO, CA September 17, 2001 Ubi Soft Entertainment announces plans to delay the release of Tom Clancy’s Rogue Spear: Black Thorn, out of respect for the tragic events that took place on Tuesday, Sept. 11th.

While Tom Clancy’s Rogue Spear: Black Thorn features a very strong moral component and realistic portrayal of the fight against terrorism, Ubi Soft has decided to delay the release of the game and modify the content to avoid stirring emotions unnecessarily and unwillingly offending the public.

As a result, the game’s release will be postponed from the originally scheduled date of October 9th until further notice from the company.

Tom Clancy’s Rogue Spear: Black Thorn’s official web site will remain online. People can go there to participate in forums, check out links to fan sites and get the latest news and media about the game. http://www.redstorm.com/blackthorn

TotalGames.net: So the PC version has a larger scope and more in depth plot?

Rick Giolito: The scope is larger in a couple of areas. There’s the multiplayer mode with squad based play, you’re stealing tanks, you’re riding jeeps and it goes on. The PlayStation2 version has a much tighter storyline in which mirrors the film experience of A Bridge Too Far.

The game doesn't aim for 'hyper-fidelity' and Quake III it definitely isn't. While there are a number of concessions to gameplay, the overall feel of Operation Flashpoint is quite credible. For example every time you fire, you make yourself much more visible to the enemy. Stand up in the midst of a firefight and you'll be knocked down in a hurry. Blow your concealment near a T-62 and the coaxial MG of the tank will cut you to pieces. The AI of the enemy soldiers is generally good, and ignoring an open flank can also be very hazardous to your health. To survive and succeed in Operation Flashpoint the player needs to make good use of cover and concealment, shift positions when his position is compromised, (and after firing a couple of shots, trust me: you're compromised), learn to spot the enemy quickly, and to practice excellent teamwork.

Go get the game. Honest to goodness. I mean it has great graphics, sounds that help you to immerse yourself in the game, enough guns to start World War II all over again, and vehicles with all the gadgets and gizmos. Sure, there isn't much of a novel plot [...], but it is good enough to drive the game along so that it won't seem to be one random mission after another. Even a non-military freak like yours truly can begin to appreciate this game, and that says a lot.

Heli Train 2
Fullname: B01HeliTrain2.cain
Take to the skies in your attack helicopter. Fly low, hit hard, get in there and take out that convoy.

HMMWV
Fullname: B02HMMWV.abel
You have the flag and you must carry it to the city.

Chinook
Fullname: B03Chinook.eden
Transport passengers to the position at Regina

The game takes place during the Vietnam War (1964 - 1975). It offers the player full control over a squad of elite soldiers known as Green Berets - specially trained professionals involved in numerous secret missions which took place mostly behind enemy lines. Player can apply his strategic thinking and test his reactions in realistic combat in life-imitating locations. Using a number of authentic weapons, vehicles and aircrafts, mission goals can be accomplished in various ways. Possibility of switching to arbitrary character from the squad whenever the player wants increases the diversity of gaming experience.

Apollo: "TF is a multiplayer-only game, last time I checked. Are there going to be any bots implemented, since warfare with three teams requires quite some players?"

Pavel Sinagl: "Yes, ther are bots to complement the players. The AI is reflecting the difference of the various specialization classes, so the sniper is acting different to scout for example."

Like IGI and other more militaristic "sim" first-person games, Outbreak features some crafty AI routines that further improve the immersive qualities of its missions. The enemy intelligence is based on sound and movement, and they've got frustratingly sharp sight and hearing, and are lethally accurate. Outbreak's nice sound effects make you very conscious of the noise your troops generate. Everything from the snap of twigs and the crunch of leaves jumps out of the speakers and really jangles your nerves.

Animation is going well. All of the weapons are in the game and running, including guns akimbo now. The animators are working on custom animations for cutscenes and idle activities right now, I believe.

Programming is in fine shape as well. AI tweaking is a constant thing and Ben Geisler and Chris Reed have the enemies doing some pretty amazing things. Keith Fuller is working on weapon implementation and things like that. The random mission generator is coming together nicely as well.

As you send off "Bravo" team to cover some ground infront of you the first thing you notice is that the character movements are very impressive. I remember when RS came out and the WOW feeling you got after playing R6 and changing to RS, the same feeling if not more I got now. I can't say it enough but despite the resolution fiasco one can really see the graphic enhancements done to this game.

GR: In similar titles we end up facing the same combat situation over and over. How will combat work in Codename: Outbreak?

AB: Players, similarly to a real squad actions in the enemy rear will be to assault weak spots of security system, deliver abrupt and noiseless strokes, use weapon advantages and perform distracting manoeuvres. We paid a particular deal of attention to AI of enemies, who are meant to oppose you not with their absolute accuracy and fantastic reaction, but with their intellect. All the enemies in Outbreak constantly move and perform various tasks.

Graphics effects throughout the game are crisp and clear. Textures are not near as detailed as a true 1st person shooter like Quake III, but for the most part they are quite good. Lighting is handled very well with lens flair effects for the sun, realistic explosions, tracers, etc. Artillery and missiles light up the night sky and you can also shoot aerial flares in case you need a little more light. Of course night vision goggles are provided for the covert missions when you want to keep a low profile. I have one small quibble here. The resolution of the night vision is fairly grainy and makes them next to useless except for close up work. It's a small complaint and doesn't really detract much from gameplay.

Having selected your character class and weapons load-out, it's time to dive into an online mission. At which point you will notice one of the other big differences between Team Factor and Counter-Strike - this game includes three sides in each mission, with up to ten players per team (or twenty over a LAN). So rather than a simple confrontation between terrorists trying to blow something up and special ops soldiers trying to stop them, a typical Team Factor mission might see one group trying to rescue a hostage, another trying to hold on to him, and a third trying to kill him before he can spill the beans to either side.

In keeping with the game's title you'll be awarded medals as you progress through the game. Acting above and beyond the call of duty in certain missions or performing incredible feats of valour on the battlefield will result in the award of actual medals that were given to US soldiers at the time. Rather than improving the skills of the character under your control they are a reflection of your own playing prowess.

A realistic, atmospheric and intelligent shooter-meets-military sim that’s as close as you’ll ever want to get to the front line of a ground war.

* Squad-based tactical combat with next-generation military action in stunning 3D environments.

* Mission-driven storyline and up to 20 different 400m x 400m maps, including dedicated multiplayer aòeas.

* Up to 32 players in multiplayer mode over LAN or Broadband, 16 players through modem.

* Special hidden characters that players can rescue and recruit to their squads.

* Easy to use on-the-fly mission planning interface gives the player total, flexible control over their squads.

* Simulates the latest military hardware including the OICW combat systems and the Land Warrior command and control system.

For your money, you get a total sensory-visual overload of bullets whizzing past your ear, tracer fire lighting up all around you, grenades going off left and right, team members screaming instructions, M-24 Hind copters buzzing like flies overhead, and not to mention the dreaded sound of rumble and whirl of the T-80 main battle tank which usually signals that your entire squad is just about to be blown to kingdom come. Although the missions are difficult even in cadet mode, its hard to get frustrated in restarting because it is just so fun! The maps are huge, but you are inserted quite close to the action. In most cases anyhow, there is a waypoint reticule that leads you to your next objective so you usually have to work pretty hard to get lost.

What sort of weaponry and vehicles, if any, can we expect?

We have more than 45 diferent firearms in the game, ranging from pistols, submachine guns and assault rifles, to the machineguns, shotguns and sniper rifles. There are also three different kind of grenades, mines and a knife which in the hand of russian Speznaz is replaced by a shovel!

Regarding vehicles, there are not any vehicles controllable by the players, but in some cases the players may use moving vehicles driven by AI.

Attempting to thwart your brave efforts will, of course, be the Nazi war machine. The developer has spent a considerable amount of time working on enemy AI, and from the look and sound of it the Germans will be putting up a pretty good fight. Mike obviously recognises that good AI is a very important part of any first-person shooter worth its salt these days. "We're trying to make them realistic, we're adding a lot of behaviour issues that will immerse the player into it," he says in reply to my question on MOH: Allied Assault's AI. "The enemies will be more real, they'll throw grenades back at you, they'll hide behind corners instead of standing blindly, there are a lot of things to make them feel more real."

The game is very much focused on squad-based infantry combat, and although there are some vehicles in the game you can't drive any of them yourself. There are enemy tanks to destroy and evade though, and in some missions you will be able to call in close air support to take out the opposition.

Indeed, the subject matter means that the range of weapons on offer is somewhat more offensive than in the Rainbow Six series, and as Ghost Recon is set a few years in the future and your elite team has access to all the latest military hardware, some of the weaponry and equipment at your disposal is not yet in use. But while it's state of the art gear, it's all very much grounded in realism - there are no laser guns and Quake-style rocket launchers to be found here, just the kind of advanced infantry aids and updated firearms which the US military might well be using by the end of the decade.

Whatever its flaws, Operation Flashpoint really envelops you in the chaos of war. The staccato report of gunfire sounds out from all around; fellow soldiers charge past in search of cover; armored vehicles rumble up dirt roads; enemy soldiers dash between village buildings; and above it all, you hear the constant chatter of incoming radio messages from your fellow soldiers. The feeling of chaos is amplified by the large outdoor settings that largely lack the rooms and tunnels found in traditional shooters that serve to funnel players and focus action.

The version we saw at ECTS is certainly shaping up nicely with attractive graphics, decent character modelling and some splendid interior and exterior environments. One interesting development which we hadn't seen before was the addition of a threat indicator for novice players, which allows them to spot enemy infantry and patrols a little earlier, but since Recon is such a hardcore title we're not quite sure if this will be of much use.

There will be 12 giant missions in all, ranging from the frozen wastes of Siberia to the Hoover Dam in the US, via the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The graphics quality is great - with interiors and exteriors equally impressive using a home-grown rendering engine. Team Factor is a game to watch out for.

GameSpy: What inspired Operation Flashpoint? What kinds of games were you playing, or movies were you watching, when you said "We can do this better..." or "We need to take this to the next level..."

Marek Spanel: In fact, we went to the area of tactical games from completely different side. We always wanted to develop games taking player to large outside world with possible use of vehicles and complete freedom of movement. Our original concept was a simple action packed type of game and overall process of the development was more evolutionary than revolutionary. We were adding single things and elements to the game and it turned out to be complete military simulation.

Sure, we have played various combat, simulation, and action games and we have watched some war movies. But with Operation Flashpoint we've never tried to make a better clone of an existing game -- we had own vision how the game should look and even this vision was changing during the development process and we were always open to remove, add, or change any aspect of the game if we've seen it can make the game better.

The good news though, is that when things do start to heat up, you'll feel as though you've been hooked up to an intravenous drip of adrenaline, strapped into your seat and had your hand superglued to your mouse, freed only when the end sequence has faded to a memory. Mixing elements from Delta Force, Operation Flashpoint and Aliens Vs Predator, Codename Outbreak proves to be a truly enthralling and open-ended game, let down only by a motley assortment of sloppy shortcomings, some unrealised potential and a storyline more unoriginal than a romantic comedy.

I have to preface this whole review with a little piece of information that you must keep tucked away in that itchy little brain of yours: this game is a whole buttload of fun. There hasn't been a realistic shooter that has really gotten a lot of people excited around the office like this since Rainbow Six came out a couple years back. There is so much going into this game its just plain goofy. The more you delve into it and get used to the ultra brutal way that the AI comes after your sorry little hiney, there's an incredibly deep and fun game here.