Latest Features
Exclusive: Dawn of War 2: Eldar RevealedUK Exclusive: Lineage II Chaotic Throne Gracia FictionUK Exclusive: Dawn Of War II Q&A - Part 2The Bourne Conspiracy Dev Diary 4UK Exclusive: Dawn Of War II Q&AUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for Battle of Britain 2: Wings of VictoryWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
Battle of Britain 2: Wings of Victory Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
02/02/2005
Billed as the sequel to one of the most complete and authentic BOB reproductions, Derek chats with the team...
Flight sims may be a very niche market but when done well there is a possibility of big sales. The original Battle of Britain game from Rowan released in 2001 is still the most complete and authentic reproduction of the Battle of Britain ever done. Battle of Britain 2 'Wings of Victory' is building on this strong foundation to create something truly special. Every member of the team brings passion to their work and it shows in the quality of the gameā, commented Scott Gentile of Shockwave Production Inc. Derek dela Fuente spoke further with Scott to find out what is on offer and if they can make an impact with PC games.
TVG: Can you tell the readers if there is any association between Shockwave Productions and ex personnel at Rowan and what the acquisition of Rowanās Battle of Britain brand means?
There is no direct association between Shockwave Productions and Rowan. GMX Media acquiring the Rowan Battle of Britain brand means that we have a proven, feature-rich foundation to work from. For example, the detail and reach of the campaign Rowan built is beyond anything ever created before. There is almost an endless amount of working historical details, including a complete list of specific aircraft that were based at specific airfields, their numbers, readiness, repair rates, supply, etc. The campaign simulates the early warning radar network that was critical to the British being able to vector every available aircraft to just the right place, at just the right time. The industry has airplane factories, motor works, and a comprehensive list of historical targets that, when damaged or destroyed, directly affect the ability for the British to produce aircraft. These are all things that have been done very well by the team at Rowan, and they are just as amazing to experience today, as they were when the game was first released. We are focusing on strengths like this, as well as addressing the weaknesses.
TVG: Do you hope to pull in gamers outside of the sim user base and if so how do you intend to achieve this? With PC graphical cards becoming more sophisticated and user wanting more details within a game why do you feel that flight sim games have not become more popular as they are meeting a number of PC gamerās perquisites?
To be frank, most flight sim games just donāt have any interest in reaching outside their niche crowd. They may say they do, but itās not in their heart. While Battle of Britain Wings of Victory will offer the most realistic and immersive air combat experience, the player can just fire it up, hit fly, and immediately have fun. Then as the player gets more accustomed to the game, they can look for more on their terms, not ours.
TVG: Please tell the readers a little about the team creating the game and what their visions is and what they have created previously?
Shockwave Productions was founded in the year 2002, and right now we only do one thing ā“ flight simulations. The one thing every member of this company has is a passion for anything that flies.
TVG: Aside from the technical aspects what do you believe you are adding to the Battle of Britain brand in terms of gameplay, features and options?
You will get beautiful skies with real weather than changes in real-time while in-game, intensely realistic visual effects (explosions, gun hits, smoke, fire), new aircraft, sounds, many customer requested changes and additions, and an improved interface. We are upgrading the game engine to support the latest DirectX technology that is efficient enough that you wonāt be required to have a smoking computer to experience these new features. The game will, however, take full advantage of any added horsepower your computer does have.
TVG: Is advancement in PC technology the single most important factor, seeing you can create more detailed physics, have better model deformation and even more elaborate AI etc?
Not really ā“ itās still about people. I can still remember games that were a blast to play on a 10Mhz 286. Weāre making a fun game that immerses the player inside a living world. This fun can be experienced on a mid-ranged computer (PIII). All the pretty graphics that take up the vast majority of the computerās horsepower can be pretty well scaled to the computer. This is where technology works for not just the big guy, but the little guy too.
TVG: What will be the structure ā“ mission types and dates for the setting of the game?
The entire Battle of Britain conflict from beginning to end.
- Convoys / Shipping ā“ July 1940
- Eagle Attack (Radar and shoreline airfields) ā“ Aug 1940
- Critical Period (Large, inland airfields, industry) ā“ Aug / Sept 1940
- Blitz (London) ā“ Sept 1940
TVG: With the possibility of a massive amount of planes in the air at one time how difficult is this to handle and what exciting events are on offer?
The architecture is designed to handle hundreds of planes in the air at once. You will see waves of level bombers in V formation heading towards Britain. The new visual effects and sound gives this an eerily real feeling of being just an insignificant part of a huge operation. One of my favorite things is to either hitch a ride with the bombers as a gunner, listed to their radio chatter as they navigate to their target, watch the bomb bay doors open and witness hundreds of bombs walk across their targets. You feel as if you are transformed back in time and are watching history unfold.
Another fun part is when you are flying for the British and your group spots the enemy formations and breaks for the attack. You see the escorting Luftwaffe fighters also break and head towards you. At that moment, you feel that comradery as in just moments, a deadly battle is about to begin. Both opposing groups flight right at each other head on, then pass through like knives. That moment when 20+ Messerschmitts are flying through you is just an amazing thing to experience. Both groups then all split off, and an enormous furball of chaos begins. You can, at any point see the progress of the battle based on the condition of the bombers, how many are still up, smoking, etc. Some planes are seen smoking and heading to the ground below and crash wrecks build on the ground as the battle continues.
TVG: For the novice player, will there be lots of help and tutorials modes to allow for easy a customization?
Yes. Anyone can instantly have fun with Battle of Britain Wings of Victory. The game has in no way been watered down to achieve this; in fact itās even more realistic. Itās all about making the game intuitive to play.
TVG: Can you expand on a couple of the challenges the player will face, the role/s they assume and the kind of progression the game offers!?
Well, the player can pick from a wide variety of missions, which are in many ways a game in itself. The campaign is where the massive historical emersion takes place. You can simply watch the battle from a godās-eye point of view, and jump in any battle you find interesting, or you can micro-manage the war in amazing detail. You will experience the ebb and flow of history in this game. There are so many options that lie within your control, if you wish to have that control. Itās just a vast world of almost endless detail.
TVG: What has been the reference source for planes, battle details etc?
We have our own in-house library, online resources, veteran pilots, and all sorts of people involved in aviation today that are involved. The thing about this team is, each person brings their own wealth of resources into the group. Many times, a simple email to the group results in a wealth of verified sources and answers we need.
