Return of Wild Bill and MicroProse

[Archie]

IEN teams up with revived MicroProse to create Warbirds 2020 on Unreal Engine 4.   


http://www.combatsim.com/topics/combat-flight-sim/warbirds-2020/

microprose.com

[AAIK]

This might be very good or very bad! Looking forward to it!

[Ack-Ack]

Curious.  I wonder if this is just to upgrade the visuals of the game.  The U4 engine isn't the best for flight sims.

[Archie]

This might be very good or very bad! Looking forward to it!

Finaly something has moved in the online flight sim world, i've been waiting over a decade for news of this type from one of the parties involved in making sims.

I wonder if this is just to upgrade the visuals of the game

Some more info from the announcement:

- Brand new graphics system using unreal engine 4
- New and improved flight modelling
- New technology to map actual physical locations for more realistic simulation using MicroProse LTY technology.
- More play modes from Free to Play to Subscription ( free to play is basic plane set, IE: spit 1, 109 e-4 etc,  subscription can be purchased for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, few months)
- Only combat simulation that is world wide in play area rather than small tactical conflicts using MicroProse 3D planetary engine for seamless planet rendering from space down to the surface.
- Regular historical events every few weeks with a broader array of the weapons and vehicles of World War II.
- To launch for PC/Mac computers fall 2019.

[CptTrips]

Finaly something has moved in the online flight sim world, i've been waiting over a decade for news of this type from one of the parties involved in making sims.

News of what type?  A graphics upgrade? 

Static screenshots (and the last of your images is a painting not a screenshot isn't it?) and marketing blurbs are easy.

A fully functional game in another.  I'll reserve judgement until I have actually downloaded it and have played it.  I wouldn't start sprouting wood just yet.     

- New and improved flight modelling

Improved in what way?  I thought their last model was new and improved (WBIII?).

- New technology to map actual physical locations for more realistic simulation using MicroProse LTY technology.

Artik's awesome tool can generate real world terrains all day long since 2013.  All you need is a latitude and longitude.

- More play modes from Free to Play to Subscription ( free to play is basic plane set, IE: spit 1, 109 e-4 etc,  subscription can be purchased for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, few months)

I think that is smart, but they may have waited too long. 

- Only combat simulation that is world wide in play area rather than small tactical conflicts using MicroProse 3D planetary engine for seamless planet rendering from space down to the surface.

There are currently 5 players in WB arena at this moment.  How much of the planet do they need?

- To launch for PC/Mac computers fall 2019.

Launch it and I'll download it and look at it.  For now, I'll remain skeptical of pie-in-the-sky marketing bluff.

[Devil 505]

Static screenshots (and the last of your images is a painting not a screenshot isn't it?) and marketing blurbs are easy.

In either case, it depicts a 109E from 1940 against B-17G's and P-51D's from 1944 so I'm not impressed.

[The Fugitive]

In either case, it depicts a 109E from 1940 against B-17G's and P-51D's from 1944 so I'm not impressed.

....and of course that never happens in AH   

The point is there MAY be something coming down the road that will......

1. spark interest, even if it sucks they will hopefully have some sort of media blitz which may get players looking at other options if they are not happy with what Wild bill comes up with.

2. generate some competition between flight sims games and get some better/improved product out of all of them.

[Archie]

News of what type?  A graphics upgrade? 

That -something- is happening in the sim world.

In either case, it depicts a 109E from 1940 against B-17G's and P-51D's from 1944 so I'm not impressed.

I guess that would be the free to player in his free 109E vs a subscription player.

The point is there MAY be something coming down the road that will......

1. spark interest, even if it sucks they will hopefully have some sort of media blitz which may get players looking at other options if they are not happy with what Wild bill comes up with.

2. generate some competition between flight sims games and get some better/improved product out of all of them.

Aye  I think that's the best outcome

[bustr]

If the screen shots are out of the beta, why did you need to photoshop effect them before posting them here? Do you have any unedited screenshots?


From Blue's News.

https://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&boardid=1&threadid=197724

WarBirds 2020 FEATURES

    Launching for PC/Mac computers fall 2019.
    Mobile and game system versions to launch in 2020.
    Brand new graphics system using the Unreal 4 engine.
    High Detail Cockpits and Aircraft.
    New technology to map actual physical locations for more realistic simulation.
    Regular Historical Events are held monthly over large geographical areas like Europe, Japan, and not the small area skirmishes of many other sim games.

[Archie]

If the screen shots are out of the beta, why did you need to photoshop effect them before posting them here? Do you have any unedited screenshots?

The screenshots are from the MicroProse website.

The concept art is from David Lagettie (new CEO of MicroProse) twitter.

It is worthy to notice that David Lagettie also owns titanim.net. Titanim is a project that renders whole world from space to ground and was used by the military.

[Gman]

I grew up on Mircoprose, from their first F15 on the C64 onwards, I bought every single game they made.  Wild Bill is still a ####head though.

We'll see - I won't hold my breath on this, competition is good I suppose, but there are a pile of options out there that this will have to be as good or better than (AH3, IL2, DCS WW2, etc etc) in order to move my needle much.  Just my subjective opinion.  Hearing the words "mobile version" attached to this isn't very inspiring though.

[CptTrips]

This vid doesn't looks nearly as impressive as the static screenshots.  They never do. 

It does look like they may have at least caught up to AH in graphics.  Competition is always good.

(Be sure to mute the french guy immediately!)



I just don't think there is enough flight-sim MMO to go around.  I wish HTC and Rats would join resources and create the ultimate full spectrum WWII online game. 

But uhhh let HTC do the airplane part. 

[Archie]

This vid doesn't looks nearly as impressive as the static screenshots.  They never do. 

I think the vid is still from the old version, there aren't any yet from 2020 version.

[CptTrips]

I think the vid is still from the old version, there aren't any yet from 2020 version.

Really?  Why not? 

If they are going to release in Fall, there should start being some current in-game footage by now. 

Sorry.  I don't put any stock in static screenshots or pre-rendered video.  Show me live-recorded in-game footage, or don't bother.

[Archie]

Really?  Why not? 

I don't know, ask Wild Bill