We continue to see questions about whether or not the game can be modified. It seems to me that the folks asking these questions may not yet have a feel for what the game is all about. So I'm going to describe a 'make-believe' situation that might help you all get a better sense of what you will be doing with the game.

Let's imagine that we are back in the American 'Wild West' of the 1800s. You are stationed in a fort way out in the wilderness, and you have six fellow soldiers to help you defend the fort.

This fort is situated in some amazing terrain. You have mountains in one area, scorching desert in another, dangerous rivers and rapids in another...in other words, a wide range of conditions to operate in....each with its own unique dangers.

You begin to receive word that the bad guys are coming to get you. And these are really 'BAD' bad guys! Some are killer gunslingers, some are renegade Indians, some are sneaky rustlers...you get the idea.

In addition, the world seems to be against you too. Terrible storms come and go...the sun dries up all your water...etc.

Now...you and your six buddies have got to save the fort. You begin to get info on where the bad guys are. You have to decide how to best use your six soldiers to defeat the oncoming bad guys. In the fort's ammo supplies, you have certain weapons available. And each of your six soldiers has unique talents that may or may not help that soldier fight the threat (a good mountain man may not do well in the desert, for example).

As the bad guys approach the fort, you send out your soldiers to do battle. Who you fight, how long you fight, how much you fight, where you fight, etc is all up to you. The bad guys will take your actions into account and will make up new plans to offset your soldier's actions.

Now, here's where the fun starts. You can take the place of any soldier at any time. It's like magic! If you see that your mountain guy is getting into trouble, you can take his place and fight his battle. Once you see that you have beaten back the mountain bad guys, you jump back out of your mountain soldier's 'body' and leave him on his own to continue his fight. Perhaps you see your desert soldier needs help right then...so, you jump into his 'body' and begin fighting his fight.

Your objective is to assume the persona of each of your soldiers at various times to best fight the battle as it evolves.

Do this right, and the bad guys will retreat...you win. Do it wrong, and they will take over the fort...you lose!

Does this sound like something different? I think so. In Typhoon, you are going to be the six pilots. You will have to be good in A2A and A2G mission skills. You will have to know when to attack and when not to...what to attack and what not to...and you will always have to keep the 'big picture' to make sure the 'fort' (in this case, Iceland) is safe from being overrun.

One last point. Once the game starts, it runs on its own. You are part of it...but if you take no action, the game plays out over time. You can literally let it run as you sit back and watch the action. You can jump into the cockpit of one of your pilots without taking his place...you then sit there and watch him perform. If he screws up, he dies or gets captured. You can then select another pilot to watch...or you may just sit back and observe the action from the grandstand. Pretty neat game...not much else like it around!!

One note of caution, however. Don't expect to win if you do this! You are going to have to get involved and fly your pants off to win this game...and you are going to have to fly smart...and plan smart. It won't be easy!

Anyway...hope this little analogy helps you folks out!

Andy

Andy,
I appear to be one of the guys asking for "how to change things"! What you said is very interesting, it is quite clear you find Typhoon game concept very interesting and somehow different compared to other sims.

At the same time, there is something that I really fail to understand... call me dumb or else: but the concept of "switching between pilots" is nowhere near a new feature!

AFAIK it goes back to "Flight of the Intruder"/Rowan software; the idea was taken also by "Falcon III", where full pilot management (including pilots skills, attitude, fatigue level and ATA/ATG experience was taken in account) was available.
In "Falcon III" you could switch between any pilot at any time during the mission, just like it should happen in Typhoon (right?).

Of course, both sims didn't had a dynamic campaign (Falcon III had but played in a 'mission-by-mission' fashion), whereas Typhoon should have a seamless flow of action/missions (isn't that the same concept of TAW?).
BTW, apparently Falcon III has another thing in common with Typhoon: mixing a dynamic campaign with pre-defined/scripted actions triggered by specific events: it was tried in the "Kurile Islands" campaign.

So, what is exactly so new and different? The fact once you have lost six pilots the game is over?
I am really trying to understand how Typhoon represents (or should) a new flight-sim concept...

Thanks for your patience!

a baffled Shodan

ok, I realize this is not EF2000 version3.
But one of the things that DID was able to do better than anyone else (imo) was to establish that white-knucked feeling of being there when all hell broke out.

Did you get that sense from playing Typhoon?

Andy;

I pretty much understood that was what Typhoon was about.

The reason I want add-ons is that I want to experience Typhoon on different levels. I want to fly RAF CAS missions in a Harrier. I want to play the macro war in Scandinavia... all through the promised Typhoon interface.

Typhoon is definitely something I'll buy one way or another.

Gavin

It probably isn't a "new" concept; even DID/Rage says that Typhoon is a sim that goes back to their roots. But it's not something we really see these days..as your OLD examples clearly show. Heck you could even us an old sim like SWOTL as another example. But look how far you got to go back.

BUT..new concepts or not, it's good to see a sim that uses them again IMHO. It's good to see a sim that focuses more on gameplay than the mastering of aircraft systems.

Hmmm...if I said that Typhoon was introducing a completely new idea or concept, then I guess I'm wrong. Sorry, I make no claim at being a sim expert!

Let's just say that Typhoon is a departure from the past few years trend in high quality realistic sims such as F4, JF-18, and Flanker.

Typhoon means to win back the interest of simmers who have abandoned the hobby due to its over-emphasis on avionics realism. As slumping sales have shown (along with the breakup of the developing companies), the marketplace has moved away from that level of hardcore gameplay.

I do see Gavin's point on flying other aircraft in the game. Typhoon has a wide range of friendly and enemy aircraft, many of which have never been modeled before...oops, there I go again! I mean to say 'never modeled before to any extent that I am aware of...'! :-)

So hang loose, folks! Publication is not too far away.

Andy

Andy Bush, thank you for taking you time giving us such great different informative discription of what Typhoon is like. I figured that it would be something like this.

I have a few questions to this discription though and I hope you are able to answer them.

You mentioned the enviroment as an enemy.

Is the enviroment dangers any differnt from any other sim ? - I mean are special "dangers" modelled into this sim?

Also please tell me about the terrain - how is it compared to other sims? - how is the variaity of the terrain?

Are the terrains only different to took at or is the some other kind of influence it has on the player?

The questions may seem strange but I dont think this has been really covered before.

Im dying for more information on Typhoon

amp

Wow Andy, gunfighters,bad guys, hope DID is going to give us some winchester 73's bring out a add on with different coloured horses,
otherwise......
sorry couldn't resist it.

Tony

That is exactly what you are going to get!

Andy

Amp

Sorry...I may have confused you in my attempt to use an analogy based on a Old West scenario.

I used things such as weather and terrain only as examples of things that would affect a Western scenario...I did not mean to imply that these were necessarily factors in Typhoon.

I use the word 'necessarily' since weather is present in the game...just as it is in the actual Iceland location throughout the year. This is not the balmy tropics...at times the visibility is less than desired...at others, cloud cover becomes a significant factor in your field of maneuver as you battle the Rooskies.

As for the terrain and how it looks...Typhoon reminds me quite a bit of JF-18. Lots of varied terrain...flatlands, coastline, and snow covered mountains...heavy emphasis on green, grey, and white hues. I haven't gotten into much of the A2G action yet, so I'm not sure how terrain affects that aspect of game play.

When I do, I'll keep you posted.

Andy

Hiya.

Part of me just sits there and thinks:
Eurofighter Typhoon, made by DID in a grey, green, Northern Europe scenario.
Me wants.

Never mind the MFDs. Never mind Iceland.
Typhoon. Green hills. Grey skies. Russians. Valleys. That's all i need to know!!

Add RAF accents, and RAf operations, and I will camp outside the nearest computer game shop (yeah in the snow, in -20C temperatures, of course you will, you Irish idiot). Ok, i exaggerate, but this sim has me looking forward to it.

I do crave something new. The sims on my hdd are all amazing, but i have seen it all before. I hope that Typhoon gives us something different.

Gavin

Andy Bush, Thanks for helping out on that issue.

Gavin, there's a particular "RAF accent"? What would that be? A Liverpudlian-type accent? Scot? Welsh? South Hampton? I'm eager to know!
The Jedi Master

Andy,
Whilst plane hopping mid mission is one way to keep the adrenaline levels high, I hope it is not necessary (in order to win the campaign) for those who want to see an individual through from takeoff to landing, the latter giving a more immersive experience.

On another note, when are we going to see some previews?

Yes, the perfect RAF voice.

Col Crittendon from Hogan's Heroes. He sounded pretty British



------------------
Tom Cofield
Contributing Editor, SimHQ.com
Cofster1@SimHQ.com

GrahamD

It is possible to 'ride along' with one of your pilots, but my impression at this point is that they will not perform well enough to win a battle, let alone the war.

It is fun, and immersive, to take this observer role, but we have to remember that this feature is not the purpose of the game. You are the person expected to plan and fight the war!

Plans are underway for info releases on Typhoon. We are in touch with a major gaming magazine...and we plan on publishing articles on Rage's web site. These articles will be spaced out over time and will be mostly 'how to' discussions. These articles are intended to supplement the larger and more comprehensive Official Typhoon Strategy Guide. Publication dates are not yet finalized, but it won't be too much longer before you should see something!

Andy

Andy,
Sorry, my post was a bit rushed, what I meant was, would you be at a disadvantage if you chose to play from one jet throughout a mission, as opposed to jumping from jet to jet?
I get the impression from you description, that the campaign might go better if you hopped from plane to plane, i.e., becoming your wingman and taking out his/her targets and getting them out of trouble. Likewise, if I can't shake a tail on my six and don't trust my wingman's AI to take it out, I could take over my wingman's role and do the job myself.

GrahamD

I believe your impression is correct. To do well, even win the game, I expect that you will have to take over from your pilots at key times. Is there a minimum number of pilots that you can take over from and still win? I don't know.

Andy

Sounds good! Bring it on.

That is the one thing I hated the most in IAF and USAF by Jane's and Pixel Multimedia. The player had to jump around to different flights just to meet the various mission objectives; and compromised AI in the process, a real sad trade-off. I hope this feature of jumping between planes in Typhoon is more a "feature" than a "neccessity". Sims are being cross-bred lately to blow some life in the genre, and in the process some vital elements get lost. I want to take on the role of the fighter pilot, get in my plane, and command my wingman to victory. The tax payers work their asses off to pay for very expensive pilot training so that a pilot can function as an individual, integrated into a team, to protect the country and assets. If we are forced to control mutiple planes just to achieve minimum requirements, then it'll be a sad day for simming, and the portrayal of the expenditure of the tax payer's money.

So if I may ask the question, can we achieve the mission objectives without jumping to wingmen, or should we herd them to the target like cattle and talk them in on the bombing run; or is the jump-between-plane feature there for those that wish to inflict maximum damage beyond the capabilities of the AI wingmen?

[This message has been edited by -Hotdog- (edited February 12, 2001).]

As per some answers Steve game on the EF-2000 list a while back..you'll be happy to know that the other planes in your mission are going to be handled by the AI. Even though you can assign more than one of your 6 pilots to the same base..they will not be assigned to the same mission. So you won't be jumping between pilots on your mission.

Having said that, an important aspect of the game IS pilot management. The AI will happily handle the pilots you're not flying..but they will more than likely do a better job under your control. Having all six pilots in the air at the same time is a rare occurrence..so switching roles shouldn't be to much of a strain.

One interesting twist is that when one of your pilots is under AI he/she will not die in the air. He/she will eject before it gets that bad. Before anyone complains; the most reason likely reason this is the case (besides making sure your pilot doesn't commit virtual suicide) is because your pilots can be rescued or captured (and imprisoned) in the game. Where then they could possibly die (or be rescued).

BTW..tax payers?! "The portrayal of the expenditure of the tax payer's money"?!! In a flight sim?! Those tax payers will be pretty pissed when they find out that their tax dollars aren't going to a REAL Air Force; but a bunch of gamers playing $40 sims.


[This message has been edited by Uroboros (edited February 12, 2001).]

-hotdog-

>>So if I may ask the question, can we achieve the mission objectives without jumping to wingmen, or should we herd them to the target like cattle and talk them in on the bombing run; or is the jump-between-plane feature there for those that wish to inflict maximum damage beyond the capabilities of the AI wingmen?<<

Yes, yes (sometimes), and yes!

You and your wingman can fly a mission from the initial briefing to completion, just as in any sim.

When we refer to 'jumping in another cockpit', we are not talking about the wingman. Instead, we are referring to the six pilots that are chosen in the start-up process. When these pilots fly missions, they will have AI flown wingmen.

There is a comprehensive communications menu that allows you to control and direct not only your wingman's actions, but also support flights such as escort, WW, etc.

The intent in taking control of your six pilots is to increase player involvement with the ongoing war. Chances are good that you will perform better than the AI. You had better, since that will be an important aspect of winning the war!

Andy

Andy, thanks for the clarification. Sounds good to me.

Like jumping from F22 to f22 in Awacsgames
or jump in one and fly the whole mision...
(yet differnt)

cool.

Can't wait....., really i can't.

Put it on the shelves.

Thanks,

I think I have a better picture now. I'm not so sure that I'll use the "jump" feature, but it is there at least for the people that like would want to do it.

Andy, is there any mention of multiple weapons release, say to release 2 MK-84's as a pair? I realise that Steve said some time ago that Typhoon will not have these weapon settings, although I wish they could still do something about it on a patch or so. I don't really want to "double-pickle" 2 bombs, or to make another pass to release the second egg.

-hotdog-

Sorry, there is no multiple weapon release in Typhoon other than to quickly 'pickle' off single bombs.

Yes, you can play this game by sticking with a single pilot while letting the AI fly for the other pilots. I doubt that you will like the results...your other pilots are likely to underperform. It will be tough to win using this technique.

As long as the final outcome is not a factor in your game play (ie, you are not interested in winning so much as you want to fly a given mission from start to finish), then you will find this option rewarding. You will get a full mission with all the 'gee whiz' things that go along with it.

For those that have asked about a release date, I do not have it. The informal target was to be this March to June time frame. As far as I know, this is still a good estimate.

Andy

June! For goodness sakes, let's hope not! If it's ready now, there is no reason not to release it now!! Remember, word-of-mouth is just as good a marketing tool as anything else. If it is a good product, it will stand on its own merits and sell well. That is unless Rage knows something they don't want us to know yet.