We recently had a conversation with Arnold Hendrick, Senior Producer at Kesmai, regarding the upcoming on-line simulation Air Warrior: Vietnam. Arnold agreed to answer the top ten questions we threw at him during this phone interview, and we've just received his answers today. It has been quite a while since a dedicated Vietnam era simulation has been released (Flight of the Intruder is the only one that springs to mind), and Kesmai's AW: Vietnam will hopefully not only fill this gap, but set a new standard in simulation and on-line gaming.


Garra "Gman" Cornish (GC): Hello again Arnold. You mentioned during our conversation that Air Warrior: Vietnam contains all new code. Could you comment on this and perhaps give us an idea of hardware requirements/performance?

Arnold Hendrick (AH): Kesmai strongly believed that AW:Vietnam needed to build a new base of software technology for the 00's, rather than reusing past work. This includes not only the 3D engine, which is new, but also our approach to flight models, AIs, and client-server architecture. In each area we're pioneering new software technologies that will help us in many future products. Some of these technologies still aren't complete, notably the 3D engine. Until they are, and we see how the game performs using them, I can't offer specifics about the hardware needed.

GC: Can you give us some background on the theatre in Vietnam being modeled, and discuss how the game will try and simulate this environment?

AH: As you know, the game covers the air war over North Vietnam during the 1960s, which was America's longest air campaign (about four years - August 64 to November 68). On the map, the overall amount of terrain about equals that covered in the USAAF WWII campaign over Germany, including parts of Britain and the North Sea. It's a huge area, and we're modeling the whole thing, from the 10,000' mountain peaks down to the sea-level rice paddies of the Red River Delta.

GC: What about the artificial intelligence and flight modeling? Will there be AI aircraft as well as player controlled aircraft in the game?

AH: We're planning a separate announcement about our flight model technology soon. It's really quite astounding, and involves an all-star cast both within Kesmai and outside of the company. We'll be setting new standards here. Nevertheless, the game also includes "easier" models designed for more casual play, to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Unlike any other massively multiplayer flight sim, AW:Vietnam will have AIs for aircraft. This allows us to run campaigns like a real war, with planes flying as ordered, even if we don't have a player for every plane..

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GC: Which aircraft and AAA/SAM systems do you plan on including in the game?

AH: We plan to include all the essential combat aircraft used by both sides over North Vietnam. We will have over a dozen player-flyable aircraft with full cockpits, top-precision flight models, etc.. This includes various F-4 Phantoms, F-105 Thunderchiefs, A-4 Skyhawks, A-6 Intruders, and hopefully the F-8 Crusader. The VPAF (Vietnam People's Air Force) had MiG-17Fs and three different MiG-21 models. I'm hedging on the F-8 Crusader because there's always the chance that timetables and budgets will force us to cut something. Fortunately, I don't think we'll need to make that cut. We'll include the full variety of North Vietnamese air defenses, including everything from the lightest autocannons up to the big 100mm guns, not to mention the famous radar-guided SA-2 SAMs (the S-75 "Dvina" to the Russians).

Fig. 1. Early test of Air Warrior: Vietnam 3D Engine