Battle Enemy Planes, Win Vicious Dogfights and Take Control of the Sky – “Heroes of the Pacific” Takes Flight This Winter

By Louis Bedigian

“We wanted to create an experience that "felt" right…not necessarily realistic or over-the-top, but an experience that just sucked you in with a lot of fun action and a rich historical setting that's well represented.”

This Winter Encore takes you back to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  But unlike most games based on World War II, this won’t be a first-person shooter.

The sky’s the limit in this promising new flight-combat game.  After his experience with the game at E3, GameZone Online’s Tim Surette says that Heroes of the Pacific is a “badly needed, good old-fashioned WWII combat flight simulator with some arcade touches.”  You can read more of Tim’s comments in his E3 Preview.

Looking at the Xbox version, it’s hard not to get excited for what looks to be one of the most unique war games released this year.  I can’t wait to get into the cockpit and test this one out for myself, but this is the middle of July and the game isn’t due till winter…

But that doesn’t mean we can’t pull a sneak attack of our own right now.  GameZone HQ houses three fighter jets (this is top-secret information so keep it on the DL).  Gas prices are high so we don’t use them often, but this is a special occasion.  We gassed ‘em up, took flight and bombed our way into Encore Software’s military development base.  Inside we found Jeff Nachbaur (associate producer) locked in a development chamber.  Freeing him for a few moments, he thanked us by providing new information on his game, Heroes of the Pacific.

Ben Palmer said that your goal is to put the players inside the cockpit of WWII fighter planes.  How are you doing this?  What makes this game more immersive than other flight combat games?
 

Jeff Nachbaur: I think we have a unique mix of sim elements and action.  We started with the sim and then kept refining the gameplay until it was just a hell of a lot of fun to play.  I think most flight combat games either side with one or the other, but we wanted to create an experience that “felt” right…not necessarily realistic or over-the-top, but an experience that just sucked you in with a lot of fun action and a rich historical setting that’s well represented.  The game gets closer and closer to that goal every day.

Could you describe one of the missions for us?  What will the experience be like for a player entering combat for the first time?

JN: One of my favorite missions involves supporting a ground invasion force.  A bunch of marines are getting ready to storm the beaches of an island and you have to take out ground defense bunkers before they land to ensure the success of the mission.  And all the while, you’re being shot at by AA guns, which you also have to take out (or have your wingman take out), and fight off some incoming Zeros intent on shooting you down.  It’s a great mix because you have ground targets and actual troops, which really makes the action intense.  And then, you have the dogfight.  It’s this balance of achieving your objectives and fighting off obstacles and trying to stay on schedule.  Kinda like game development.

We take it easy on the newbies, however.  You can always go to flight training school and learn the basics before jumping into the fray.  We have a pretty nice tutorial for those who want it.  It’s generally a good idea to learn how to fly your plane before flying above marines as they storm the beaches.

What is the fast-access menu system all about?

JN: Well, IR Gurus wanted to have a lot of say about what your wingmen were doing and how they were helping you out.  They wanted a little something more than cover me or attack the guy I’m attacking, etc.  So, they came up with this very nice fast access menu that allows you to send commands to your wingmen quickly and efficiently.  It’s one button press to open it and then a quick navigation and then you’re all set and ready to go in less than a second.  It really works well.  It keeps the game fast paced and action oriented while adding a nice little tactical element that makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger. 

You get to tell them how high or low to fly, to avoid AA fire and flak or to sneak below radar.  What formation to approach in to create a more effective attack run, what targets to focus on, whether to engage or stay on course, etc.  There are a lot of options available to the player. You always have to think about your overall strategy to accomplish your goals and not just about that guy in front of you.  Your wingmen need instruction or the whole mission could fail.

How many planes do you hope to have in the final game?  Which ones have already been implemented?
 

JN: The final game will have a ton of different planes, however, as for the playable ones, we are focusing on about 25.  As far as what has been implemented so far, well, for the US, we have the Corsair, Wildcat, Hellcat, Bearcat, Avenger, Devastator, Dauntless, Catalina, B-25 Mitchell, P-38 Lightning, and the P-40 Warhawk (my personal favorite).  For the Japanese, there’s the Zero, Pete, Kate, Betty, and Frank, with more on the way.

Are there any enemies outside of the ones in the air?  Any tanks or enemy aircraft carriers to take down?
 

JN: Of course.  Plenty of enemy ships.  Lots of AA guns.  A plethora of buildings, jeeps, tanks, etc.  We have several missions where you will need to support ground troops in their attempts to take a fortified encampment, a hill, an island’s defenses, etc.  Taking out ground targets figures pretty heavily into the whole affair.  And taking out naval ships will be essential and never easy.  There are a lot of guns on those things.

Thus far, what has been the most important thing about the game?  The thing you're most proud of achieving?
 

JN: Well, the game has a lot of personality.  It doesn’t quite feel like any other game I’ve played.  First of all, we have a lot of planes in the sky, sometimes upwards of 300, and ships and ground targets all at once.  Combine this with your wingmen and your control of them, and it really begins to take on the feel of an all-out war.  There’s chaos, but good tactics will let you cut through it all.  It’s that feeling of ordered chaos that really makes the game work.  I also think that IR Gurus has done a great job of instilling a sense of patriotism and Americana into the game without ever overdoing it.  The propaganda art in the front end really helps immerse you in the world and the time.

Go over the multiplayer features, and which platforms will support online play.
 

JN: The game will be available for PS2, Xbox, and PC, and all three support online play on their respective platforms.  We also have split-screen play modes for PS2 (2 player) and Xbox (4 player).  PC and PS2 will use Gamespy for matchmaking and so forth, and of course, the Xbox version will fully support Xbox Live.  Right now, IR Gurus is working on implementing a Capture the Flag mode and a Fox and Hounds Mode, with Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, already up and working.  We are planning on 16-player support for Xbox and PC and 8 players on PS2.  These numbers may fluctuate a bit before release due to technology, but a minimum of 8 players is locked in.  We also have a variety of co-op missions as well to add a little more to the mix.  We’re also strongly considering downloadable content for Xbox and PC…new planes and such for the dedicated players.

How do the flight controls differ from plane to plane?  How do you make sure that each one feels unique?
 

JN: Each plane’s flight model is graded on its maneuverability, engine power, weight, lift, and drag.  IR Gurus has researched these planes extensively to try to represent their relative values among each other.  So, a Zero will be incredibly maneuverable but not quite as powerful as some of the US planes.  What’s funny is that there are so many disagreements about which plane is better in one facet or another, so they’ve been attempting to meet the general differences.  The fact of the matter is that when using the right tactics, it really all comes down to the skill of the pilot.  So, there are no assured victories by pitting one plane against another.  This is something that IR Gurus is focusing on as they continue to balance the game.

The console versions can be expected to have similar controls, but the PC version obviously will use the mouse and keyboard.  What are the strengths of the two control types (controller and mouse/keyboard), and if there are any, what are the weaknesses?
 

JN: The two are obviously different.  Using mouse control for a flight game is very tricky since it hasn’t generally been the norm for these sorts of games.  But, there have been some games that have done mouse and keyboard flight control well…Freelancer comes to mind.  The biggest strength of the console control is that it allows the player to jump back and forth between an arcade play style and a simulation play style to do whichever he prefers.  For the mouse control, the arcade play style works a bit better and affords greater control, since it auto-levels for you and other nice things.  Of course, if you want to play the PC version in a more simulation way, then I should note that the PC version will also support the joystick.

Will all three versions receive a simultaneous release?

JN: Yes.  The current plan is to release all versions on the same date. 

Thank you for your time.