Hi Drex.
I just wanted to go on record as being somebody who told Bryan Walker in many forums and wherever I could that Confirmed Kill was a pipe dream, and that it would never see the light of day. It's not often I am on the right side of history. I don't want to equate the revised CK with TAS, clearly CK was a real game being worked on - but it never did get released.
Since we seem to be digging up ghosts here...
From: Sergei Bondarenko (Sergei.Bondarenko@p7.f12.n5001.z2.fidonet.org)
Subject: Confirmed Kill Preview
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Newsgroups: fido7.ru.game.flight
Date: 1997/07/30
Hello All!
Confirmed Kill
by Leonard (Viking1) Hjalmarson
Yes, Virginia, 1997 will be THE year of the flight simulation, and the Internet
is one of the main vehicles that will make this true. There are TWO incredible
pieces of simulation in the works for all those WB and AW fans, and for others
who have avoided that particular pursuit because "suspension of disbelief" in
the form of great graphics had not yet arrived. TAS is one, and Confirmed Kill
by Eidos International will be the other....
Eidos International is a new comer on the map this year, and what a year they
are having! With the introduction of TombRaider, and two more inredible
simulations in the works, they are certainly making a splash in the simulation
world!
Eidos is currently working on three major projects: Flying Nightmares II,
Flying Nightmares Commandant, and Confirmed Kill. Bryan Walker is heading up the
development for these military simulations, and Bryan has the background to see
that its done right, with a number of years piloting AH64 Apaches under his
belt.
Flying Nightmares: Commandant looks like an incredible blend of strategy and
simulation in a virtual battlefield. Confirmed Kill, on the other hand, is
looking to make a major dent in the multi-player world previously dominated by
Air Warrior and WarBirds. From what I have seen and heard to date, Tactical Aero
Squadron will be the only competitor worthy of note with the coming release of
CK.
A little history is in order. This sim has been on the drawing board even since
the ICI/Domark split. ICI launched Warbirds and Domark (now Eidos) kept the CK
name and began working on an entirely new sim. Latest estimates for release
place CK somewhere in February.
The Simulation
The largest delay for CK has been the construction of flight models. Modelling
in CK will surpass anything seen to date, possibly excluding TAS which is also
in beta. More than 450 parameters, including gunnery and damage models, must be
individually entered for each aircraft. From weights and dimensions, to
measurements of thrust lines, and even prop dimensions... all this information
goes into making a state of the art on-line simulation.
At the moment, CK will have thirteen airframes available on release. Nine more
will be added later. Altogether twenty-seven ac will be modelled, eventually
including five Soviet ac such as the La-7.
Initial aircraft include the P51D Mustang, F6F3/5 Hellcat, Spitfire MK .V/IX,
F4F Wildcat, F4U-1D Corsair and the P38J Lightning. Allied ac to be added later
include the P51H, P47N Thunderbolt, Spitfire MK.XVI, SBD Dauntless and TBM
Avenger.
Initial German aircraft include the Bf 109G/K, JU-87G2 Stuka, FW 190A5 and FW
190D9. Japanese aircraft will be limited initially to the A6M5 Zero, followed
later by the Ki-84 Frank, Kate and Val. Initial Russian aircraft will include
the IL-10 Sturmovik and LA-5/7, followed later by the Yak 3/9.
No more milling around an area wondering what to do, scenarios will be designed
around clear-cut objectives. The mission planner is being designed to allow the
player to design and save their own created scenarios, and the planner will
allow a high degree of tactical planning and organization. Dedicated squadron
areas will enhance the comaraderie.
Player Interface and Mission Planner
Arranging flights should be a simple matter, even for newcomers. A Player Lobby
has been developed which will allow players to meet and sort allies and
opponents by Name, Squadron, Rank, and Connection quality. Players will be able
to choose from dozens of historically accurate and play balanced scenarios.
As can be seen from the screen shots, (taken from a beta running under
Rendition acceleration) suspension of disbelief has jumped up a few notches.
When you are spiralling groundward, you may forget you are only flying your PC.
And with support for major 3d hardware included, frame rate issues at high
resolutions will no longer nag.
Following the current trends, CK will come with the standard virtual cockpit.
Correctly implemented, this is a great addition to Situational Awareness. A
padlock mode that realistically mirrors the human limitations of neck strain
should also be included.
As for difficulty, flight models, damage, models, gunnery models, red
outs/blackouts, sun blind spots, mid-air collisions, ammunition loads, and fuel
consumption are just a few of the parameters that can be adjusted for each
scenario. (The scoring system makes adjustments for the difficulty settings, so
killing everything in sight with all the settings on their easiest level won't
make anyone King...)
To my delight, much of Cks design is dedicated to attack aircraft, so surface
units will have realistic behaviors, including self-defense and avoidance
tactics! Not only does this add an entirely new dimension for a sim, it also
contributes to realism. When you are also dealing with moving and offensive
ground targets, you are in an environment that keeps you moving!
Viva la Difference!
CK plans a major departure from the Warbirds/AW environment. Players will be
required to agree on terms of engagement before the fight begins. In Warbirds or
AW, one was always at the mercy of anyone who had simply started flying before
you and had the energy/alt advantage.
Not only will such changes mean that skill will count for more, it will mean
less counting from the back account too! Furthermore, with CK available on the
Total Entertainment Network for a flat monthly fee of $30 for unlimited air
time, it promises to be a great addition to the simulation world! Later in the
year a single player version will also appear....
Sergei
