Wings Over Flanders Field Team Interview

Development

When did you start developing for flight simulators and what got you interested in it?

Most of us have been flying, if not developing for them, since the days of 'Wings' and the original 'Red Baron' on the PC and Amiga in the 1990's! Heck, some of the team even go back beyond that, to Flight Simulator 1 and 2.

What made you decide to focus on WW1 aviation?

Mark Andrews and Davo Payne, I believe, had the original urge and desire to create a simulator based around World War 1 aviation. Then I believe Paul Norris joined and then people joined from various places. Some came on board from the SWWISA group ("Society of WW1 Sim Artisans") a group that created some of the best enhancements for the Red Baron Series. The basic premise to build a sim in three phases or parts was born and pretty much cemented.

What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of a project?

The most challenging aspect of a project surely has to be the sheer amount of things that need doing, and how it totally eats up your time. Another part of a project that takes up a great deal of time is testing. Not only does it take a lot of time, it's also extremely boring! Normal life was on hold for some of the core team during the whole of this development process.

What have been your favorite aspects of WOFF?

Seeing the final results, and knowing that even as 'sometimes' burnt out developers, we can still be amazed and immersed for a moment in what we do. Nothing beats the feeling of satisfaction and the knowing, that you've done something right as a team.

What were the benefits of using elements of CFS3?

We used elements of CFS3, mainly because of its fantastic mod-ability and also for its huge room for expansion. The original developers of CFS3 did a fantastic initial job on the simulator, considering its scope, and you could see what they were trying to achieve, but it was given a bad rap on initial release due to a few glitches and performance issues on the, then current, hardware.

But now (with a lot of hard work, mind you!) and improved hardware that can really push its potential, WOFF really benefits from incorporating this engine. We have also added and changed a tremendous amount to CFS3, so as to make it unrecognisable. Also one other huge draw of the CFS3 engine, is the fact that it covers a vast area of Europe, and unlike many other combat sims, you aren't restricted to a small area. Considering it is now 2014, we are really proud of how well the graphics in WOFF stand up!

What software packages and tools do you use for development?

The team uses various programming tools, such as C++, Visual C+, Gmax, 3D MAX, Photoshop, and Marin Wright's D2XBmp tool. We also use various CFS3 tools and quite a few internally developed apps to adjust the terrain and scenery. The XFM tool is used for FM design and AI training (each AI gets to learn to fly aircraft to the best of their ability) and also tools to adjust terrain/scenery.

The Team

How many people work with you or your team?

In total, there are eight members but at the core there are three who are full time, with the rest being mostly part time. We also have quite a few invaluable contributors to assist us in WOFF development.

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What do the various members of the team do?

From the web site - this is just a part of what people do, we have many more hats on of course, especially the core team who have to do all that is needed.

Current team members for WOFF (in alphabetical order):

Mark "Winding Man" Andrews (Project Management, WOFF Interface Code, etc.).

Ted "Shredward" Harrity (Main Historical Research Data Collation Historical Squad Databases).

Arto "Paarma" Karttunen (Manager Artwork, Aircraft Textures / Skins Cockpit Artwork).

Terry "Makai" Kerby (Aircraft Textures / Skins Terrain Testing).

Tom "RexHannover" (Milligan AI Concept Design and Coding Coding, etc.).

Mike "Sandbagger" Norris (Aircraft Textures/Skins Testing).

Mark "Polovski" Rogers (3D Aircraft Models 3D Virtual Cockpits Models / Artwork, web site, etc.).

James "OvS" Romano (Aircraft Textures / Skins Squadron Insignias Historical German Squadron Research).

Plus many others have helped us and still do. For a more comprehensive list of who the team are here is a link:

http://www.overflandersfields.com/AboutUS.html

What other developers or teams have you worked with and what were their roles?

We haven't really worked with other teams except for a few of us who briefly worked on the Russian 'Sikorsky S16' WW1 project and modded Red Baron and other sims.

Some of the team, in the earlier days, worked on the original phases of OFF, which came in three main parts (over several years) due to the sheer scale of the project. WOFF is a totally new entity, building on what was learnt from OFF. We started Phase 1 back in 2005!

Real Life

Do you, or any of the team have any experience in real aviation?

Not really, just a mad interest. James 'OvS' used to work as an aircraft mechanic at NY airport. Mike 'Sandbagger' was in the RAF for many years and also ran a popular forum for the EAW (European Air Wars) simulator.

What started your interest in aviation?

Even though we all come from various places, aviation and our passion for it seems, for all, to have been a lifetime interest. Reading war comics and books as boys, seeing films, and for myself, receiving a spitfire pilot's notes and maps, when I was younger only increased my interest in aviation. Later on in life, I found great interest in combat simulators, such as Dynamix' Red Baron (the first one). Even though this seemed to run at around three frames per second on my Amiga (1990), I totally enjoyed it!

Do you have any memorable flights in real life?

Some of the team do, but from my own memories, hanging out of a helicopter as it rolled to take photos, is something that I will always truly remember!

What other hobbies or things do you do for enjoyment?

Terry's main job (and I think also his hobby) is working on his submarine and deep sea exploration and recovery. Pretty amazing stuff!

James is a fireman some of the time and Mark Andrews is into music and audio equipment. Some of the team like gaming, which is something I also enjoy. Battlefield 4 is something I really enjoy and when I get the time, enjoy a good blasting session!

Many of us already were heavily into improving WW1 sims as a hobby too before WOFF!

Future

How do you choose your next new design or project?

We chat an awful lot about what we want to do, how we could do it, and generally knock ideas from one to the other; it's one advantage of being a small team.

Are you working on any new projects, and if so, would you be able to share what they are?

We always have ideas, of course there will be add-ons for WOFF, but anything we might be working on is, for the moment...under wraps!

In what ways do you see development changing in the future?

There seems to be a general trend of moving away from flight sims, which is probably due to the excessive work load that is involved for so little reward.

Your Thoughts

What can sites like FlightSim.Com do to support you and the hobby better?

It's a great meeting place for enthusiasts in general, and what a great domain name! I'm pretty sure it helps new simmers find help.

How do you feel about the future of flight simulation in general?

I think it can be said with some certainty, that simulators have become scarcer in recent years, which is probably due, in part, to the massive development requirements needed to make a realistic and immersive simulator.

However, we hope going back to what made the old sims great - developing a fantastic single player experience, superb AI with some ground breaking features, a campaign, and an immersive and large world - we can rekindle the interest that combat flight simulators once had.

What are some of the most important things a site or community can do to help the developers?

Spread the word, show pictures, and share your experiences!

What would you like people to know about you or your team and work?

That people who buy OFF and WOFF know we produce bloody good flight simulators with great depth and replay-ability, that are well worth the money.

Also important, is that we pay attention to requests, problems and discussions after a new release and often produce an update to introduce fixes or new features pretty quickly. Being a small team has its disadvantages, but one advantage is that we can change and adapt rapidly.

Thanks.

WOFF Links

Purchase Wings Over Flanders Fields

WOFF web site:

http://www.overflandersfields.com

Youtube Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Je8W0iXkoQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1LN9ETVCcU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEr8fnxDECM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_I8MNEWHjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG_yjRV5rTQ