Gents,
For those that don't get the Frag newsletter from Shrapnel Games (shame on you), I have reprented an interview that Curt Pangracs and I did for the release of Raging Tiger. Enjoy
(BTW, if you want to Subscribe, go to
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/frag.htm)
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Raging Tiger Interview
Set for imminent release, Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War is an exciting near
future simulation of conflict on the Korean peninsula using an upgraded Armored
Task Force engine. With its story based campaign mode, challenging missions, and
superb multiplayer capabilities Raging Tiger will be a game that no armchair
general interested in modern warfare should be without.
Pat Proctor, the developer, and Curt Pangracs, the designer, were both at Origins
2004 giving gamers a first look at this title and merrily answering questions about
the game. Since not everyone could attend Origins here at Frag! we wanted to give
you a chance to hear about the game straight from the horse's mouth also and so
we sat down and interviewed the duo. Enjoy!
Frag!: Please introduce yourselves and your role in Raging Tiger.
Pat Proctor: I'm Pat Proctor. I am the president and lead developer here at
ProSIM Company. I was responsible for making the programming side of Curt's
dream a reality. He laid out the capabilities that he needed in order to make
a 100% accurate simulation of future warfare on the Korean Peninsula, and I built
the tools he needed.
Curt Pangracs: I'm not Pat Proctor. I'm Curt Pangracs, the designer of Raging
Tiger. I'm a freelance designer, of sorts. My day job sees me working as a
military trainer and simulation specialist with the Simulations Team at the
Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. I tried to take
the tools Pat gave me and create a simulation that is both realistic (in a
futuristic sense) and entertaining.
FG: Please provide a brief overview of Raging Tiger.
CP: Well, Raging Tiger is basically a game based on a "What if?" scenario. What
if North Korea wasn't developing nuclear weapons for its own use? What if they
were selling enriched uranium to the Chinese for updated and upgraded arms? What
if South Korea was backed into a corner and realized it was strike or be struck?!
Raging Tiger takes us into the possible scenario of a South Korean/US attack into
North Korea in a preemptive strike to attempt to finally unify the two countries
and unseat President Kim.
FG: Why Korea?
CP: The Korean Peninsula has been a thorn in the side of the US since before
the Korean War. It has also, very recently, been a major story in the news for
years due to the belligerence of its leader Kim Jung Il.
PP: When Curt came to me with the premise, I was intrigued. As he began to flesh-out
his ideas, I immediately saw that it was a perfect fit for the Armored Task Force
Engine. It didn't take any time at all to convince me to do this game!
FG: Whenever dealing with a hypothetical Second Korean War the North is always
the aggressor, and yet in Raging Tiger the US and ROK are the ones to kick it off.
Was this done to liven up the usual scenario, or for other reasons (or perhaps a
little of both)?
CP: A little of both. I wanted to do something completely original. I work with
historical scenarios every day in my work with simulations. I wanted to step outside
of those constraints and get creative.
FG: What's your favorite mission in the game to play against the AI, and what is
your favorite multiplayer mission?
CP: This probably sounds so cliché (notice a gratuitous plug for one of Shrapnel's
other upcoming releases? I'm kind of witty like that!), but like all of the
scenarios in this game. If you twisted my arm and said I could never again eat steak
unless I answered, I would have to say it is Turn of Events. It's the only true
defensive scenario, and it is a hasty defense at that! Lots of enemy to contend
with, and they tend to be a bit sneaky in this one! It's a challenge.
PP: "Beach Party II" is a US Marine Amphibious invasion to open a "second front" on
the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. I love it because it really highlights
everything that is new in Raging Tiger. First, there are amphibious vehicles. Then
there are vehicle carriers, like hovercraft. There is sea-borne fire support from
an arsenal ship, afloat. There is artillery for which you can plan missions but not
move and position. It is just a very different gaming experience from Armored Task
Force.
In multiplayer, I would have to say "Where'd They Come From?" is my favorite mission.
The terrain is everything you would expect from North Korean: mountainous, heavily
wooded, a mess! The DPRK is on the offensive, and the allies have limited
obstacles and holes to protect it. The "blue" player has to coordinate a mix of US
and ROK forces against a superior enemy force.
FG: What are some of the coolest changes found in Raging Tiger from the ATF
engine?
CP: I enjoyed making the flash OPORDS for each mission. Again, it was a chance for
me to be creative, and it adds something completely different to the ATF series of
games.
PP: In addition to all of the stuff I mentioned in "Beach Party II", there is the
animated start sequence and animated mission briefings. Curt really out-did
himself with these. They add an element of storyline to Raging Tiger that just
wasn't there in Armored Task Force. Instead of a collection of really tough
scenarios, you have a fictional campaign that takes you from the DMZ to Pyongyang.
FG: When researching for the scenarios what type of material did you use? How
hard was it to generate the scenarios?
CP: I have access to one of the USA's best libraries of military history here
at Fort Leavenworth. The Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) enabled me to be
very exacting in historical research of North Korean battle drills and actions, and
I was able to find many pictures and other graphics that helped me with the look
of the game.
PP: Something that has not gotten a lot of press in Raging Tiger is the maps. The
maps in this game are real, digital elevation models of the actual terrain in
the game. When you fight the battles outside Koksan, North Korea, you REALLY ARE
fighting on that ground. We used a combination of commercially available digital
data and old Former Soviet Union maps to make the battlefields for this game. I
firmly believe that the result is the most realistic simulation of land war
in Korea ever.
FG: Real-time games are usually associated with resource building and in general
a whole lot of concessions to realism for the sake of playability. The ATF
series, while real-time, goes the opposite route and focuses on tactical gameplay
with the utmost importance placed in realism. What are the reasons for making it
a RTS game as opposed to a turn based system?
PP: It is really a shame that the phrase "real time" has become associated with
the "Command and Conquer" clones. COMBAT happens in real time. Any realistic
simulation of tactical combat at this level (battalion and below) MUST simulate
this. There are a lot of feasible ways to do it. Many games today use the
"WE GO" methodology, where both sides plan simultaneously, and then the action
unfolds outside both players' control.
We chose a new route that we call "command real time". The clock can run at
real time or at up to eight-times normal speed. You can give orders freely
while the clock is running, or, if things get too hectic, you can stop the clock
all together, and give orders while the game is paused. For those who like
the pressure of making decisions on the clock, that capability is there (just
never pause the clock), but for those who like to stop and consider their
moves, that capability is there, too.
I would call Raging Tiger (and its predecessor, Armored Task Force) "real time
WARGAMES", rather than "real time strategy".
FG: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
PP: I would like to take a second to thank all of the fans of Armored Task Force
that have made the upcoming line of ATF Engine games possible. Their great
support, constant input, super MODS and scenarios, have made it all worthwhile.
FG: Thanks Pat and Curt!
Look for Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War soon, and in the meantime be sure
to drop by the Raging Tiger page to check out screenshots or download a fully
playable demo. You can find both at:
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/prosim/Raging_Tiger/1.htm
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