First of all let me apologize for not publishing news about the development of the game in a long time. We’ve been deep involved in the development and our other jobs so lets start with the new features we’ve added to the game.

First of all you will notice that there are new screenshots of the game in our page. These pics are captures of the map editor, that is already finished. We think that a good game let the players create its own scenarios, and we have the intention to ship Galley Battles with the tools we are using to create the official battles.

We intend to avoid the problem of limited maps that avoid big maneuvers with large size scenarios, and the result is a system that manages maps with 1000×1000 tiles (1 tile=50mx50, so the full size is near 50kmx50km). As this results in a lot of tiles, we’ve created some tools to paint tiles and objects (towns, cities, trees) on a fast way.

The scenario editor. We want to create some scenarios for each battle, so scenarios are able to share a map. Each side will have a deployment area, and although you will position the formations of ships you desire in the scenario editor, when you start a scenario each player will have the possibility to change the positions and formations of the game as he desires, so each game will be different because you don’t know how the opponent will form its fleet. With this concept we try to avoid the problem of many wargames, where you have an army already deployed with no possibilities to modify the position of units.

Each battle will have different scenarios, that represent different lectures of the sources (i.e. the battle of Salamis has three or four interpretations of the History of Herodotus, its main source, with greek deployments absolutely different).

Related to the game engine, the AI of each ship has been modelled, and depending on the orders of movement and formation, and specially on the combat attitude its behavior will be different. You can check this AI in the video attached to this post, where you have two attacking galleys maneuvering to sink an avoiding enemy. First of all we order our two galleys to position on different sides of the enemy. When we give one of them the order to ram, the enemy starts flying away in convenience with its order of avoiding combats. When the other galley starts the attack too, the flying enemy modifies its path to avoid both enemies, but it is finally caught. At this moment the ship will turn to give its facing side to the enemy because it is the best possibility to avoid be sink it has. Finally, the two attacking galleys maneuver to attack the enemy from different sides and sink it.

Next weeks we will finish the scenario editor, and start with the Computer Opponent AI with complex scenarios already created to make the tests. We will try to post news about the development more often if we can

Xavi Rubio

We are wrapping up another banner year at ProSIM, and our latest’s opus, Air Assault Task Force, has finally shipped.  This seems like a perfect opportunity to update everyone on the latest goings-on at ProSIM Company.  Below, find the latest news on Air Assault Task Force, some news on what is next for us, and a few personal notes.

So, let’s jump in!

AATF Ships!

That’s right.  It was starting to feel like “The Never-Ending Story” there for a while, but Air Assault Task Force is now on its way to gamers.  This is our newest commercial release and our first new game engine in three-and-a-half years.  Air Assault Task Force explorers the history of helicopter-borne infantry operations, from Vietnam to Afghanistan.  Take LZ X-Ray, rescue an isolated Ranger company in Somalia, defeat Al Qaeda remnants in Operation Anaconda, and much more.

This newest addition to the ProSIM family is a complete rethinking of the “command realtime” tactical simulation that made us famous.  We started from the firm foundation of the Armored Task Force Engine, keeping all of the realism which has made our simulations the first choice for military contractors and the world’s armies alike for over a decade.  Then, we completely redesigned the way the player interacts with the game.  The result is a game as playable as the simplest RTS while as deep as the deepest wargame.

The game is shipping now.  To order your copy today, click here.  Barring any unforeseen publishing issues, orders placed now should arrive before Christmas (at least for domestic orders).

To whet your appetite, we have also created a playable DEMO for Air Assault Task Force.  This DEMO contains only two scenarios, set at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.  The first is an airfield seizure.  The second is an air assault on the fabled city of Shughart-Gordon.  Both of these scenarios also ship with the release version of the game.  The Flash-based tutorial is also included with this DEMO version.

The DEMO lacks the full featured scenario builder, multiplayer (up to 10 players), and 100-page printed manual that will ship with the release version of the game.  Also, unlike the release version, it cannot be installed over our previous, ATF Engine games (which instantly upgrades them to the new game engine).

To download the DEMO, click here.

NOTE: This is a DEMO of the final release version of Air Assault Task Force.  If you downloaded and installed the BETA DEMO, please completely uninstall it (using “Add/Remove Programs” from the “Control Panel”) before installing this updated version of the DEMO.

Some other interesting morsels that we have put together since Air Assault Task Force went GOLD:

• I have written a short article, called “Air Assault 101” which covers the basics of modern military tactics for the conduct of an Air Assault for Wargamer.com.  To see it, click here.
• I have also written a “Postmortem” on the development of Air Assault Task Force, which chronicles all of the ups and downs of the game development cycle, also for Wargamer.com.  To see it, click here.

Stay tuned to our AATF website, to hear the latest news about Air Assault Task Force.

The ATF Engine

Don’t worry, though.  We are not leaving our previous titles by the wayside.  In fact, as we went through the development cycle for Air Assault Task Force, and took what was best from the ATF Engine, we identified a few things we could “police up” in the ATF Engine games. As we have completed development of Air Assault Task Force, we are now able to release all of these improvements to our earlier games, as free upgrades.

These are all cumulative upgrades, so you do not have to install previous upgrades. They are included in these new upgrades.

Below are the links for the downloads page for each title. See those pages, and the “Read Me” file for each game, for a list of the major upgrades in each title.

Armored Task Force
Version 1.08

Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War
Version 1.17

The Falklands War: 1982
Version 1.24

The Star and the Crescent
Version 1.33

What’s Next? 

Never content to rest on our laurels, we are already hard at work on our next round of games.  Here is a little of what we have in store for the next year.  We have other games in development, but these are the only ones I can talk about right now.

• Curt Pangracs (Raging Tiger, The Star and the Crescent) is hard at work on a title for the AATF Engine which chronicles the US Army’s march to Baghdad in 2003.
• Gary Bezant (The Falklands War) is also hard at work.  He is working on a World War II title set in North Africa.  This title is also targeted for the AATF Engine.
• We also have another team working on an East Front World War II game.

The core programming team here at ProSIM is in the design phase on an operational-level simulation.  It is really too early to talk about features or even design goals.  But I can say that the simulation will be focused on modern warfare and simulate high-intensity warfare, insurgency-counterinsurgency warfare, and everything in between.  That is all I can really say about this project right now.

On a Personal Note…

A point of pride for us, here at ProSIM Company is that we are made up entirely of veterans and current, military professionals from across the world.  We believe that this unique perspective allows us to deliver the most realistic simulations in the industry today.  But there is a cost.  The western world is in the midst of the “long war,” the Global War on Terror.  Occasionally, one of us gets called to serve their nation abroad.  Such is the case for me.  I will be deploying to Iraq from January 2007 to June 2007. 

I will have pretty good internet connectivity while I am there, and a lot of spare time on my hands, so feel free to contact me with any issues, or just to say “Hi” at:

pproctor@prosimco.com

After that, I will be returning to sunny Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for another year.  This seems to be a mecca for wargamers, so if you are passing through, please drop me a line and let me know; perhaps we can link-up.  And try the Baan Thai Restaurant while you are here.  The food is great and the owner is pretty good-looking, too .

Shut Up Already! 

I guess I am starting to ramble, so I will end this entry with a list of our current titles.

• BCT Commander
• Armored Task Force
• Raging Tiger
• The Falklands War
• The Star and the Crescent
• Air Assault Task Force

Let me close by thanking all of our fans for their support, input, and encouragement through the years.  Every one of us here at ProSIM knows just how fortunate we are to have the community of wargamers that we do.  To all of you, THANK YOU!

We are a little over three months away from our projected release date for Air Assault Task Force (more on that in a minute), and the final shape of the project is a lot more than we had hoped for.  There were some ups and some downs in the development, but, in the end, it is turning out to be the best game ProSIM Company has ever produced.

Since this is probably my last blog post before gamers get their first taste of the game (more on that in a minute as well), I thought it made since to tie up the lose ends I left in the last update, as well as answer some of the questions that arose from some recent press about myself and ProSIM Company.
So, here it goes… 

When the hell do I get to play the game!

The downside of “throwing your hat over the wall” is that sometimes you’re not going to get it back.  Such was the case with our announcement, early in the development cycle, that we would have an Alpha Technology Release of the game out in the spring of this year.  Well, obviously, that didn’t go as planned.

But we have completed work on the BETA DEMO, and hope to have it in gamers’ hands on the same day the Final BETA disks ship to our external BETA team, 15 September 06.  Stay posted at this blog, the Shrapnel Games Intel Forums, our website, and the ATF/BCT forum at StrategyZoneOnline to find out how to get your hands on the DEMO.

The BETA DEMO version will include all of the functionality of the final version of the game, except that loading saved games, multiplayer, and importing scenarios from earlier Armored Task Force Engine games will be disabled (the release version will allow you to play any of the scenarios from the ATF Engine series in the new Air Assault Task Force interface!)  It will feature two scenarios, a “mini-campaign” from the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk Louisiana.  The two scenarios are an airfield seizure and a MOUT (military operations in urban terrain) attack on the fabled village of Shugart-Gordon.

September!?!  I thought that was the release date!

So did we. 

The short answer is that the new release date is 15 December 06.  We expect to “Go Gold” (i.e. ship the game to Shrapnel Games for publishing) on 15 November 06. 

The long story is that we just didn’t want to rush the game.  ProSIM Company, since its inception, has been blessed by relatively bug-free first releases.  We didn’t want to do anything to break that winning streak.  This has been, by far, our most ambitious project yet, in terms of technology, production value, and scale.  It was important to us that we get this one right.

The fruit of our labor is even more than we had hoped for when we began the project.  It has all of the detail and nuance of the Armored Task Force games, but with the most intuitive user interface we have ever built.  You really do forget about the interface as you play the game, and are immersed in the tactical problems with which you are presented.  To find out more, check out the AATF website at:

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

We have added some new screenshots recently.  Be sure and check them out!  The website’s “Features” tab explains a lot about Air Assault Task Force, so I won’t review everything.  The highpoints:

• 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 game runs in full screen, and we have included features to allow the player to adjust the resolutions or possibly run the game in windowed mode (this feature is still tentative). 
• The biggest change is 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.
• Other improvements in development include modeling of vehicle damage (as opposed to the live-or-dead model currently used) and a new, direct fire targeting system.

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

We brought all of the development teams, from all of our previous projects together to work on Air Assault Task Force.  Curt Pangracs, project lead for Raging Tiger and The Star and the Crescent, developed all of the artwork, maps, and scenario briefings for the game.  Gary Bezant, team lead for The Falklands War, led the effort on research and scenario design.  The missions in the game are the most accurate recreations ever of their respective battles.  The War in Afghanistan team reorganized to develop a campaign based on Operation Anaconda for this game. 

The scenarios.

The game is pretty much complete, so I can finally let you in on everything we have lined up for the release version of the game.

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 seizing 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 CAVs fight in the Ia Drang Valley.  This campaign will allow the player to fight the battle from the first infantry to hit the ground at LZ X-Ray to Hal Moore’s victorious departure from the battlefield.

Perhaps one of the most famous air assaults was the Ranger mission in Mogadishu, Somalia, now immortalized in the book and movie, Blackhawk Down.  We have faithfully recreated this fight, from the first assault on the Olympic Hotel to the Ranger’s arrival at the Olympic Stadium. 

The Global War on Terror is also represented, with the coalition fight in the Shah-i-kot Valley in Afghanistan.  The three day fight, known as Operation Anaconda, is also included as a campaign (with all that fight’s “warts” included).  I could be wrong, but I believe Air Assault Task Force will be the first wargame to simulate this battle.

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.  (These scenarios are the same that will ship with the BETA DEMO in just a few days.)

That is enough “spoilers” for now.  Stay tuned to this blog and our website.  We will be releasing more info as we can.  The next milestone for us is the final BETA test (sorry, the casting call is over).  We have already done a huge amount of internal play testing.  Now we will be turning our baby over to Shrapnel’s BETA test team to see if they can break it (be gentle).

What’s this crap about no more tactical games?

I am afraid I started something of an uproar with my comments in an interview with Jim Zabek at Origins, which appeared in a very well done article at Wargamer.com:

http://www.wargamer.com/articles/prosimco_2006_interview/

Let me set the record straight.  I said that I would not be doing any more tactical games.  ProSIM Company has a lot of projects in the works, and no plans to stop doing games at the tactical level of war for the foreseeable future.  So stop sending me e-mails!

I, personally, have started work on a game that focuses on the operational level of war.  I have become fascinated by some of the unintended consequences of the military revolution started by the dawn of the information age.  Yes it gives us smart bombs, GPS, and near-omniscient situational awareness.  But it also gives us the “CNN Effect,” information warfare, and televised terrorism.  All of the games at this level of war are really good, and good at what they do.  But they are really silent on this new dimension of warfare.  So…

I have set out on a journey to fill this void.  I hope to return from this exploration with a game that does both the kinetic and the non-kinetic well, simulating full-spectrum operations at the operational level of war.  Wish me luck!

What else we are working on.

We are working on new upgrades for all of our current releases, and should have something out prior to the release of Air Assault Task Force.  Please stay tuned to the Shrapnel Games website and Intel Forums for more information on how to get a hold of these upgrades. 

Our World War II title is still in development for the Air Assault Task Force Engine.  (Don’t worry, we will continue to support the ATF Engine as long as we are still around; hell, we have designed 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.

On a personal note…

I have just found out that I will be staying here at sunny Fort Leavenworth, at least until the summer of 2008 (perhaps with some temporary duty in even sunnier locales).  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!  And, while you are here, try the Baan Thai restaurant, a few blocks south of the main gate.  The food is great and the owner is good-looking, too  

That’s a wrap!

I have said everything I can think of. 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 apologize, 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

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

Hello again. Well, with the launch of The Star and the Crescent successfully completed (and no bugs or issues, which is manna from heaven for a game programmer), we are now deep into development of Air Assault Task Force. We have now almost completed our first full quarter of undivided work on AATF, and this felt like a good place to pause and let everyone know how we are progressing. I also wanted to give everyone an idea what to expect in the next few months with this title.

So, let’s dive in…

Where we’re at

The good news is that 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 80% 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.

The remaining code is all in the area of user interface. We are really concentrating our effort here, as we have a lot of collected knowledge from the ATF (Armored Task Force) Engine to apply to this effort. We are really concentrating on making things easier to do, while preserving all of the detail in ATF. We want a player new to wargames to be able to sit down, and, in a few minutes, make units do what he wants them to do. He will probably get his butt kicked, but he won’t have to fight the enemy and the interface. Our goal has always been for players to learn from our games, but we want them spending more time learning how to overcome the tactical challenges of the modern battlefield and less time learning the interface. We think we are really achieving this better than ever before with this title.

What is Air Assault Task Force

We have also progressed enough that I can give a little bit more detail on what the game will definitely include. The “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) survives from the ATF Engine. The scrollable map with multiple zoom levels and “mini-map” also survive from the ATF Engine, though we believe we have made both quite a bit more user friendly.

The game runs in full screen, and we plan to include features to allow the player to adjust the resolutions or run the game in windowed mode, though the latter is still tentative. A cool feature we have implemented is that we have embedded a full featured web browser in the game. This allows budding MODders and scenario builders to create their own animated and HTML operations orders for their scenarios, for use in the game. It even supports Flash and Shockwave programs and movies, for the really industrious. The impact on those who aren’t building scenarios is that, 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.

What is new is the 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

We are not ready to spoil the surprise on the specific scenario locations and details, but I did want to share our overall concept, and what you can expect from the game. Rather than the armor focus of the ATF Engine games (with the notable exception of The Falklands War 1982), Air Assault Task Force focuses on light fighters.

As the name suggests, the focus of the game is on air assault infantry. This centers around light infantry battalions, transported to the battlefield by transport helicopter, and supported by attack aviation (helicopters as well). It is much more complicated than it sounds, though. In addition to figuring out what order to send your soldiers into the fight (you usually have more soldiers than helicopters), you also have to protect the “serials” (one turn of your aircraft) on the way to the LZ (landing zone). This means suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) and supporting efforts to secure areas in route to the objective. It also means detailed reconnaissance.

Soldiers aren’t the only thing that have to be air-lifted into the fight. Artillery, gun trucks (armored HMMWVs with machine guns or TOW missile launchers), and logistical support also has to be slung (carried under helicopters) to the LZ. Once on the ground this stuff has to be protected from ground assault on the non-linear battlefield.

In many ways, it is even more complicated than armored operations. Things that can be accomplished with brute force in armored operations must often be accomplished with finesse, deception, and precise planning. I think we are succeeding in bringing all of this complexity to players with Air Assault Task Force.

What’s next

Right now we are hard at work on the fundamentals of the interface. Early in Spring of 2006, we plan on releasing an “Alpha Tech Release”. This is an “in-progress preview” of the game. It will have roughly the same functionality of 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 that 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.

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.

On a personal note…

I am in the midst of a permanent change of station to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (why do they call it permanent; I never get to stay anyplace more than a few years???) This seems to be a Mecca for wargamers, and there always seems to be a few ATF/BCT fans moving through there. So, if you are going to be there 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!

That is about all I can say on the current state of development. As always, if you have specific questions, please feel free to respond to this blog entry, and I will do my best to answer. 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.

Thanks, again, to all of our fans for their patience, input, and support through the years. I know I say this all the time, but you guys really are the reason I still make wargames.

Pat Proctor
President, ProSIM Company
http://www.prosimco.com

We’re getting close to wrapping up my second game for Shrapnel Games, and neither one is a wargame. Actually, neither one has anything to do with killing, or violence of any kind. Does that mean I’m against violence in video games? Hell no! I love strategy, war and RPG games more than anything. Also, I think GTA 3+ are the best video games ever made.

I guess that with all of the violence in games, I don’t feel as compelled to create a game with even more of it. At least right now. I want to make a game that somebody hasn’t already made. I want to reach an audience that doesn’t realize it existed until my game is released. Of course, this is a huge gamble, but I guess that’s what independent game development is all about.

Everybody knows that the major publishers just wait for the next big thing, then try to copy it anyways. Who’s to say that the next big thing won’t come from a small publisher like Shrapnel Games? I’m not saying that my next game will be the next big thing, but who knows? I mean, look at The Sims. Who knew that such a mundane “game” would do so well? Not me, that’s for sure.

But one good thing came out of The Sims. It really opened the industry’s eyes to another demographic that has been practically ignored…women. Hmmm. Maybe I can get women to like my new game… then maybe I’ll get lots of chicks. Sounds like a good plan. I guess only time will tell.

Stay tuned for more news from Shrapnel Games regarding my new project. It is yet to be announced.

We are reaching the end of the ATF Engine project, and this felt like a good time to publish an update on the goings-on at ProSIM Company. It is an ending, as we have completed work on the final revision of the ATF Engine (for The Star and the Crescent, see below), but it is also a beginning because it completely “empties our plate” so that we can work full-force on Air Assault Task Force.

Don’t worry, though. We are not leaving the ATF Engine in the dust. We have committed to making Air Assault Task Force completely compatible with the ATF Engine. So, when you get the new game, you can install it over any or all of the ATF Engine games and instantly upgrade them to the new engine! Plus, all of the great user content that has been developed over the years will work in Air Assault Task Force as well!

Those who have been following the ATF Engine project might be surprised to hear us say it is coming to a close. There were two titles announced that are not nearing release (The War in Afghanistan and Thunder and Lightning: The Battles of Operation Desert Storm). I will address both of those projects here, as well, hopefully putting speculation on the topic to rest.

Enough looking back, though. Let’s start with some news:

The Star and the Crescent

If you have been watching the Shrapnel Games Home Page, you have probably heard that The Star and the Crescent is nearing release. We are rapping up the final week of BETA testing now, and hope to “Go Gold” by 2 SEP 05. That means the games should be shipping to customers by the end of September!

To recap, for those who have not been following the release, the game is a study of Arab-Israeli wars from 1956 to near-future scenarios in 2009. The game’s true focus, however, is the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The game uses a heavily modified version of the ATF Engine (built on and compatible with the version used for The Falklands War: 1982) to put the player in command of battalion-sized elements in some of the most hair-raising combat of the past 50 years. It is much more armor-centric than any of our previous titles, and the brief, no-nonsense orders reflect the “seat of the pants” situations that characterized these wars.

To find out more about the game, go here:

The Star and the Crescent Product Page

You can also get information at the ProSIM Company page:

The Star and the Crescent Home Page

To try out a free demo, go here:

The Star and the Crescent DEMO

Right now, Shrapnel Games is offering $5 off of the regular price for pre-orders. To pre-order, go here:

Pre-Order The Star and the Crescent

The War in Afghanistan

As eluded to above, this game is not going to make it into the ATF Engine project. The development team has had a number of real world setbacks that make it impossible at this time.

However, the project is not dead. It is simply changing forms. First, portions of the original concept for this game will be featured in Air Assault Task Force (read below). Second, the core development team is still working as work is possible and hope to revive this title for the AATF Engine once the game is engine-ized (I may have invented a word here).

So this project is not dead, just on hold.

Thunder and Lightning: The Battles of Operation Desert Storm

I can now officially announce this this project is canceled. While some of the material from this project might appear in other titles, the game as it was originally conceived, will not be completed.

Things ended amicably. We wish the team and the project lead, Del Shand, all of the best. We regret that we will not be able to complete this project. It was a great concept. Perhaps, someday…

Out with the old, in with the new… or, “The Unamed Title”

In our last post, ProSIM Company Update, 21MAY05 we eluded to a “next ATF Engine” title. We still are not ready to make any announcements, but we can tell you that this title will most-likely be for the AATF Engine once the game is engine-ized. This decision was made because we have decided to allocate all of our resources to Air Assault Task Force.

Oh, yeah. And I can also tell you the game is going to be an Eastern Front WWII title.

Stay tuned to this blog, the ATF forum at Shrapnel Games:

Shrapnel Forum

and the ATF/BCT forum at StrategyZoneOnline:

StrategyZoneOnline

for more updates on this project, as we have them.

Air Assault Task Force

I have a bunch of announcements on this front. Buckle your seatbelts…

First, we have assembled the development team. And it is a cast of all stars. Here they are, along with their past work for ProSIM, in no particular order:

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Oh, yeah. And, of course, I am on the team, too.

Next, we have completed what we perceive to be all of the major technological hurdles in the title. This means that we are now well into building the wargaming engine that will define military simulations for the 21st century. Of course, game programming is not an exact science, and new, unforeseen hurdles will emerge, I can report that we are well ahead of schedule in every area. Unlike games developed by mass-market development houses, that doesn’t mean we get to reap profits faster. That means we get to add more gaming goodness prior to release!

I also have some more announcements to make on scenario content. We have hammered out a design document and we are ready to talk, a little bit, about what the game will look like. We are looking at doing a loose thematic title. By this, we mean that, rather than focus on one era or area of the world, we are going to do a number of campaigns set in different regions and time periods, as we did with Armored Task Force and BCT Commander before it.

Here are the tentative topics for the campaigns in Air Assault Task Force.

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We are being intentionally vague at this point. Please stay tuned to this blog and the links above for more info as it becomes available.

I’m done gabbing…

So for now, I will leave you with our latest crack at release dates (which, as always, carries a cautionary note on the unpredictability of software development). Thanks to all of our great fans for their support, suggestions, commitment, and energy over the years. You guys really are what keeps us going!

The Falklands War: 1982 OUT NOW
The Star and the Crescent September 2005
Air Assault Task Force September 2006

PS: We’re pretty new at this whole Blog thing, so if I am not addressing any burning questions you have, please let me know, and I will do my best to cover them in my next installment.