With only a six months left to our projected release date for Air Assault Task Force, it seemed like a good time to pause and get everyone caught up on where we are at.  There is some good, some bad, but generally, we are still plugging along on a good glide path to release of AATF.  As things take shape, I can “spill the beans” a bit on some of the features we are packing in the game, as well.

So, let’s dive in…

Bad news doesn’t get better with age…

…So I will put it right up front (it’s not that bad, just a little disappointing to us).  As you probably know, we were shooting for an “Alpha Technology Release” of Air Air Assault Task Force, open to the public, at the end of March.  Well, since it is the beginning of April, it is apparent we are not going to hit that target. 

We had a bit of a delay due to some contract work for a major defense contractor (gotta pay the bills…) which set back our production schedule.  We do have something we could push out the door, but I did not want to do a buggy “half” release.  To be safe, we have pushed this target back to the end of April.

The “Alpha Tech Release” is an “in-progress preview” of the game. It will have roughly the same functionality as Armored Task Force, with all of the new interface changes for Air Assault Task Force.  The idea is to give everyone a look at what we are working on, give our fans an opportunity to provide input, and hopefully, expose any bugs we have not found up to this point.

We plan to make it broadly available to everyone, rather than to a small BETA group. Stay posted at this blog, the Shrapnel Games Intel Forums, our website, and the ATF/BCT forum at StrategyZoneOnline.

Aside from this small setback, we are still on track. Right now I perceive no problems in meeting our projected September 2006 release date. Of course, computer programming is an inexact science, but we are probably 85% complete with the coding on AATF (the scenario builder is a bit behind this) and all of the foreseeable technical challenges have been overcome without compromise.

New website and screenshots!

OK.  Now that the bad news is out of the way, here is the good news.  The AATF website is now up.  From there, you can check out the development calendar, a lay-down on the features in the game, and, most importantly, screenshots.

http://www.prosimco.com/aatf.htm

These are very rough screenshots, of some “test” scenarios we have built for coding, but they should give you an idea of the direction we are heading.  To put the pictures in context, there are two different theaters in these screenshots, which will also appear in the final game.  The first screenshots are from the Shah-i-kot valley in Afghanistan.  The second set are from Fort Polk, Louisiana, home of the Joint Readiness Training Center. 

The website’s “Features” tab explains alot about Air Assault Task Force, but I will review, for those who have not read our previous blogs (shame on you!).  Like Armored Task Force, Air Assault Task Force is a “command real time” (e.g. the game runs in real time with the player able to speed up the action with compression or pause the action and continue to give orders) simulation. The scrollable map with multiple zoom levels and “mini-map” will also be familiar to veterans of the ATF Engine, though we believe we have made both quite a bit more user friendly.

The game runs in full screen, and we have included features to allow the player to adjust the resolutions or run the game in windowed mode. A cool feature we have implemented is that we have embedded a full featured web browser in the game.  Rather than the text operations orders of the original Armored Task Force, each scenario will be preceded by animated briefings and historical background information (similar to our latest title, The Star and the Crescent).  Curt Pangracs, one of our crack game designers has really outdone himself with the work I have seen so far.  I think everyone will be really impressed with the final product.

What is new is the new interface.  Rather than using the “select order-select unit” paradigm, we are now using the “select a unit-select order” paradigm that is immediately familiar to any RTS or wargame player. Information for selected units is immediately displayed in an easier-to-read, graphical format. We have a lot of other plans for the interface that we will be sharing as development progresses.

Other improvements in development include modeling of vehicle damage (as opposed to the modal, live-or-dead, model currently used), the use of discrete times of flight for most weapon systems, and a large increase in the amount of battlefield obscuration such as smoke from burning vehicles and dust from helicopters and vehicles.

And remember, we are maintaining backwards compatibility throughout development. That means that, when AATF is done, you can install it over your earlier, ATF Engine games, and give them an instant upgrade to the new interface and features!

The scenarios.

As I hinted at the top, we have progressed far enough in development that I can “spill the beans” on some more of the scenario content in the game (which, at the end of the day, is what the games are all about, right?).

Much like the original Armored Task Force, Air Assault Task Force is an “exploration” of the many facets of its topic: air assault infantry violently siezing objectives.  Unlike Raging Tiger, The

Falklands War, or The Star and the Crescent, Air Assault Task Force does not focus on one geographical location or time period.  Instead, it provides several “campaigns” from different periods of history and technology in air assault operations.

The first routine use of the helicopter as a method of moving infantry into contact with the infantry was Vietnam.  And this is where we start our exploration, with 1-7 CAV’s fight in the Ia Drang Valley.  The most famous recent example of air assault operations was the coalition fight in the Shah-i-kot Valley in Afghanistan.  This three day fight is also included as a campaign (with all its “warts” included). 

We also have a special operations campaign planned, but we are not ready to talk about this one, just yet.

Air assault operations are complex.  That means they must be trained relentlessly.  That is what happens every month at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.  So we have included a couple scenarios that will be instantly familiar to any US light infantryman.  But the US is not the only Army that trains in air assault operations.  We have also included training scenarios from the British Army as well, set in the training area in the Salisbury plains.

That is enough “spoilers” for now.  Stay tuned to this blog and our website.  We will be releasing more info as we can.

What’s next?

We are working on new upgrades for all of our current releases, and should have something out in just a few days.  Please stay tuned to the Shrapnel Games website and Intel Forums for more information on how to get a hold of these upgrades.

As I said before, we also plan to make the Alpha Technology Release of Air Assault Task Force broadly available to everyone, rather than to a small BETA group, at the end of this month.

The next milestone after this will be a BETA test and playable DEMO (early Summer, 2006). If you are interested in BETA testing, please stay tuned to the above websites for the casting call.

Other projects.

I got a flurry of e-mail after my last blog post because I forgot to mention our upcoming World War II title (sorry, I’m new at this).  I am happy to report that the project is still on track, and slated for release next year.  However, we have made the decision to “re-tool” the project for the Air Assault Task Force Engine.  We just decided that this engine was a better fit for the project and decided to make a clean break from the ATF Engine (don’t worry, we will continue to support the ATF Engine as long as we are still around; hell, we are designing our entire next-generation engine to support it!). 

This title is an Eastern Front, Germany v. Russia, game.  The designer threatened me with the Gulag if I say anything more

We may have another announcement very soon on a new AATF Engine game (modern, “alternate-historical”).  As soon as a deal is inked, we will let everyone know what we have planned.

On a personal note…

I am finally settled in here, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  This seems to be a Mecca for wargamers, and there always seems to be a few ATF/BCT fans moving through here. So, if you are going to be here in the next year or so, please drop me a line at my e-mail address and we can link up!

That’s a wrap!

I have said everything I can think of that I am able to say at this point. Please, if you have any questions I did not cover here, do not hesitate to ask by replying to this blog.

And, while you are waiting for Air Assault Task Force, I will just remind you of our other titles, that are out now:

• BCT Commander
• Armored Task Force
• Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War
• The Falklands War: 1982
• The Star and the Crescent

Playable demos are available for all of these games at the Shrapnel Games website.

I appologize, personally, for the slight delay in AATF.  I hope that, when you see the final product, you will feel it was worth the wait.  For now, I will close by saying thanks, again, to all of our fans for their patience, input, and support through the years. This is the best gaming community, period.
Pat Proctor
President, ProSIM Company, Inc.
http://www.prosimco.com