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'Aces Of World War I' - Developer Q&A

by The Six Billion Dollar Man on Aug. 22, 2002 @ 8:58 p.m. PDT

Aces of World War I, the ultimate flight simulation meets action combat PC game, fully immerses gamers into the heat of World War I combat. Assuming the identity of Edward Rickenbacker, a great American ace, players are challenged to hold their ground against the most lethal German flyers of the Great War. Flying in one of six authentically rendered planes, players must successfully combat all of the opposing ground, air and sea German forces if they intend to win the war victoriously. We took one of our more modern planes all the way to Poland to have a chat with Lemon Interactive & Tatanka developers...

 

1.How many types of aircraft are you going to have?

A: There are six machines available, each in three versions of coloring. The Allies side includes: Sopwith Camel, Spad S.XIII, and Nieuport 27, and the German side includes: Fokker Dr. I, Fokker D.VII, and Albatros D.V

2.What graphics engine are you using?

A: We created a special engine for the Aces named Impact, which is aimed at reconstruction of the flight reality elements as e.g. 3-D clouds one may hide in, specially prepared sun-flares making the attack in the direction more difficult, traces of gunfire, spatial sound effects, or force feedback service to increase even more the real feelings.

3.Are the aircraft modeled after historically accurate schematics?

A: We used the accurate construction drawings and coloring schemes of the machines from the WW1 period for the modeling of the aircraft. Many data were obtained from the model builders gathering such information.

4.Does the game take you through a chronological time line of all the greatest air battles of World War 1? Or is just an Arcade shooter with World War 1 planes? If there won’t be a story will you base some campaigns on historical air battles? Such as the Red Baron?

A: Career mode missions with a scenario were designed on the basis of diaries of pilots fighting during the WW1. However, we tried to select the most interesting of the tasks they had to complete. Therefore, the game includes, apart from patrol missions with air fight, also missions with bombing of a bridge, the enemy bases, anti-aircraft artillery positions, vehicle group, or even a submarine, as well as espionage missions. The players also participate in major air battles, destroy observation balloons, and participate in a fight with a heavily-armed zeppelin.
There is no doubt, however, that the game’s aim is to enjoy the pleasure of the fight missions and not the man and machine relation, so the game is of the arcade nature.

6.What game modes will there be?

A: The main game mode is a scenario game with specified tasks for performance. Apart from that mode, there are training missions and a network mode.

7.Will you be able to control the real time weather effects, the number of enemy pilots, and conditions of victory?

A: Weather conditions during missions may vary. In the scenario missions players cannot influence the weather conditions. Sometimes they are the factor slightly and unexpectedly increasing the level of a seemingly simple task. The training missions offer a choice of missions in various weather conditions.

Similarly, the number of the enemies vary, and the types of missions impose the conditions of victory, e.g. destroying the aim or taking pictures.

8.What is the current state of the game?

A: The game is finished and tested.

9.Will you be able to upgrade your weapons?

A: The game offer machine guns, which may acquire a larger munitions supply in the scenario mode, but some missions offer also bombs and very effective fire-rockets.

10.Will the game give you all available planes at the start or will you have to unlock them?

A: In the scenario mode the players gradually get better and better machines according to the development of the activities.

11.How many sides will there be?

A: Two: the Allies (Americans) and Germans

12.Will you be able to play both?

A: Yes

13.How many on your dev team?

A: The main body of the team working on the Aces are two coders, two graphic designers, and a musician. However, the creation of the game involved more people, like a historical consultant, or a pilot, who flew the replicas of the WW1 machines.

14.Will there be a mission editor, where pilots can make there own missions?

A: No.

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