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Chat with CFS2 Development Lead Leon Rosenshein
When: January 31, 6pm PDST
Where: Internet Gaming Zone
The third and last of our series of Combat Flight Simulator 2 development team chat room discussions took place on the 31st with Development Lead Leon Rosenshein.
Prior to joining us at Microsoft, Leon was lead engineer for the award-winning Falcon 4.0. He has worked on various other commercial and U.S. Air Force simulations and also admits do doing a six-month gig as a programmer for Apple Newtons (longer ago than he cares to admit). At one time Leon was also a volunteer/restoration specialist at a major aviation museum located on the grounds of historic former Naval Air Station Oakland, Calif.
We had a great turnout and a large time was definitely had by all. The following is the transcript of the online chat; Mariah moderated.
+Moira@FA> Tonight we're pleased to welcome you to the third and last of our series of Combat Flight Simulator 2 Development Team online chats. Our guest is CFS2 Development Lead Leon Rosenshein.
As development lead, he was tasked with the overall responsibility for making sure CFS2 programs got written on time, while also ensuring all the bugs were ironed out.
Welcome Leon! CFS2_Ace0, you're first! Ready with a question?
CFS2_Ace0> Hi and welcome! What was your favorite part when you were designing the game?
leon_r> There were a lot of good parts about developing the sim. For me though, the best was working with a great bunch of people who are really passionate about making a great game.
CFS2_Ace0> Awesome!
+Moira@FA> Follow up Ace?
CFS2_Ace0> Yes. Do you think there will be a CFS3 for the Korean War, Vietnam, or Desert Storm?
leon_r> Given the success of CFS 1 and 2 I think it's fair to say that there will be a CFS 3, and that we will continue to add new and exciting things. Unfortunately, at this time I really can't say much more than that.
+Moira@FA> Let's move on to KOD_Geist! Geist, you're up!
KOD_GEIST> How about restrict aircraft interface, much like a QC ed prog to go with the next simulation, to allow greater diversity? GA.
leon_r> Everyone here realizes that the extensibility of the CFS product line is one of its great strengths. As we move forward we're going to be doing things to make it easier to add new aircraft to the game.
KOD_GEIST> Thank you, I am done. GA.
+Moira@FA> Shadow_Bshwacker, your turn now! Fire away!
Shadow_Bshwackr> I just sent the question?? OH NO.
+Moira@FA> That's ok Bshwackr. Can you retype quickly?
Shadow_Bshwackr> How long do feel a project like CFS2 should take?
+Moira@FA> (Everyone in waiting, please remember NOT to hit return until you are in the ASKING position.)
leon_r> Now that's a loaded question. Obviously it takes as long as it takes. Depending on what the new feature list is for a sim it can take anywhere from 1 year to 3+ years. For CFS2 it took 18-24 months.
Shadow_Bshwackr> Did you have enough time to do what you needed to do and how many staff did you have on hand?
leon_r> There are always things you want to do that you don't have time for. One of my big jobs is putting things in the right order so we get the critical things done, and can ship as scheduled. The total development team probably peaked at around 15 devs, but the number of core devs was about six.
Shadow_Bshwackr> One last one--lol--are you staying at MS? I for one really enjoy the CFS games.
leon_r> Do you know something I don't know? I've been here for about 18 months, and I have to say it's one of the best places I've worked at. I'm here for the long run.
Shadow_Bshwackr> Thanks Leon...S!
+Moira@FA> Hiya Firebird! Ready for action!
_94FireBird> Do you ever play your own game on the Zone?
leon_r> Occasionally, but not that often. We live in a technologically challenged neighborhood, and I really don't like playing at 19.2kb We do play at work on the LAN, tho.
_94FireBird> Lol. Just wonderin'. CU!
+Moira@FA> Go ahead please Savoy!
KMS_Savoy> Great job on CFS2!! What most important aspects did you try to improve in comparison to the previous version (CFS1)? GA.
leon_r> The big things we wanted to improve for CFS 2 were the player involvement, graphics, speed and the mission builder.
KMS_Savoy> I really do suggest that you or other developers play a bit more online. It will greatly help you understand just how great the game is and help you understand some shortcomings. GA.
leon_r> We do play online when we can. It's just that we're sometime a little busy, especially at the end of a project. It's really not a bad life, getting paid to play games :)
KMS_Savoy> Lol. Thanks for your answers and for the game.
+Moira@FA> Moving on to Andres_3! And thanks, Savoy! Control tower to Andres_3! Copy?
andres_3> Which is your favorite plane (the one you like to use more and the one which you as developer know that's the best)?
+Moira@FA> Please stand by! Some time before the end of the chat three winners will be selected at random for a special prize!!!
leon_r> “Best” is really a loaded term. It depends more on your flying style. If you like going fast and ham fisting your A/C around the sky then the Corsair or the Hellcat are probably the birds for you. On the other hand, if you're a finesse flyer then the George is the bird to fly.
+Moira@FA> You're up FurtiveH8!
FurtiveH8> Have you considered the possibility of a persistent-online CFS game, like Jane's upcoming World War franchise, where you buy a certain game according to your aspired online role, i.e., CFSers be pilots, FPSers be infantry, etc., and each game interacts online?
leon_r> Now that's an interesting idea. I have to say that I have discussed a similar idea here. The gaming community is definitely moving towards on-line persistent universes and we'd by silly if we didn't pay attention to that. Of course nothing I say here can be considered binding, but we do keep an eye on the rest of the world.
+Moira@FA> Nexxxxxxxxtttttttttt!! OneWing!
FR_1LT_OneWing> First off, thanks to you and the team for the good work. The graphics of the game and the damage effects make CFS1 look terrible. It is very disappointing to me that more thought and detail did not go into the multiplayer aspect of the game. Do you think in CFS3 that more effort will go into the multi-play aspect of the game??
Free for all and team battles get VERY old. True Cooperative missions against the AI team battles get VERY old. True Cooperative missions against the AI and built in bomb run setups with actual working bombs certainly would be a plus.
leon_r> Let's just say "see the answer above," and leave it at that. I don't want to get into too much trouble with the powers that be.
FR_1LT_OneWing> Okay, one more quickie. Why was GEORGE selected to be such a dominant plane in CFS2 when only about 400 actually saw combat??? I would have thought Oscar to be the third Japanese plane.
leon_r> I wasn't part of that decision, so I can't give you the definitive answer, but it probably had something to do with making sure both sides had high performance, interesting airplanes to fly, and the fact that everyone does the Zero, so we wanted to do something different.
FR_1LT_OneWing> Okay, thx for the replies and don't forget the co-op!!!
+Moira@FA> Hi again Ace0!!
CFS2_Ace0> Hi!
CFS2_Ace0> Do you know who thought of the brilliant idea of creating the CFS series?
leon_r> I'd like to say me, but I didn't come to work at MS until after CFS1 shipped. I don't know if it was one person, or just a natural evolution of a product line. Also, remember that the original Sub-Logic Flight simulator had a WWI combat mode in it.
CFS2_Ace0> Didn't know that :-()
Shadow_Blugan> Props, Leon. You and your team did a Hell of a job...This pertains to my pal Bush's question. You said that you didn't have time to complete all that you wanted to...Will there be patches for items such as Fuel level in MP or respawning in future? O¿O
leon_r> At this time we have no plans for a patch to CFS2, but we are always watching the community to see what's going on.
Shadow_Blugan> Do you visit other on line squad's web sites? To see what's going on?
leon_r> I make the rounds of the various squad and flight sim sites periodically. It's a good way to see what you guys are actually doing with the game. We had a set of ideas when we built it, but its always fun to see what else you come up with. Now don't ask me to play favorites and pick a site. That wouldn't be nice
Shadow_Blugan> Do you plan to be at the next convention? PEACE OUT LEON!
leon_r> I don't know if I'll be able to make it. It depends on when and where it ends up being.
Shadow_Blugan> Thx.
+Moira@FA> HGL_Rattus, your turn at bat!
HGL_Rattus> If there was the technology and the time and everything, what would your idea of the Ultimate Flight Sim be?
leon_r> How much time do you have? Seriously, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the ultimate flight sim. For me, the preferred time period is modern air combat, with the game taking place in a dynamic world with lots of people in it. You'd have the option to command almost any vehicle in the game, and, with experience you'd get to take on some command and control responsibilities. I'd like to have a game where the social aspect of the squadron and flight sim community actually gets to come out (stepping off soapbox).
HGL_Rattus> Okay, thanks and keep up the good work :)
Koldbear> Sierra put out an earlier DOS based game called "War in the Pacific" which CFS2 seems to be a lot like. Was this game based on it?
leon_r> Well, at the conceptual level we wanted to bring back some of the feel of all of the old Pacific theater games, MicroProse's Pacific Air War, Dynamix Aces of the Pacific and others. In practice though, we took the theater and took advantage of all of the advances in computer technology and made the best game possible.
Koldbear> Thanks..and don't forget co-op.
Shadow_Bshwackr> A " technologically challenged neighborhood?" LMAO. Geez, that's good. Well anyway, do you keep an eye on programs developed by the hobbyist programmers? Your Mission Builder is great compared to CFS1, would you or do you consider other's ideas?
leon_r> We get lots of email from the community with suggestions and ideas. We do read all of them, and give them due consideration. As I said earlier, one of CFS's biggest strengths is its expandability, and we're going to be helping along in that area as we move forward.
Shadow_Bshwackr> Who did the scenery designing for CFS2 and were the coastlines hard? How about sims for the military? Did you help with those too?
leon_r> The coastlines were done by the in-house art and terrain team, and yes they but a lot of effort into it. As for military sims, that's how I got my start. I spent over five years working with various air forces doing jet sims, from F-5s to F-16s to F-22s
+Moira@FA> ATC, go ahead please!
VFAA_ATC> Great job on the game. The best Combat Sim I've seen. I haven't played it yet but when I looked at it <-- looks awesome. I play FS2000, though. Do you guys plan to release more combat games in the future? If yes, what kind of new features can we expect?
leon_r> To recap earlier answers, Its a safe bet that there will be more versions of CFS, and the growth of the online community is certainly going to play a large part in how we choose a featureset for future versions.
VFAA_ATC> Cool, do you guys plan to make a modern-based combat sim? Such as Falcon 4.0?
leon_r> At this point we haven't decided exactly what we're going to do next. I do know a little about Falcon 4, though.
VFAA_ATC> Okay, thank you very much, nice meeting you and good luck on all upcoming projects!
+Moira@FA> BigMac, your turn! GA please!
BigMac0001> Hi, great games for us computer pilots! Q? Are you every going to at the bombers with payloads and gunners, B-29, B-24, B-25s?
leon_r> Hmm, interesting idea. Stay tuned for future versions :)
BigMac0001> Lol. You all have done a great job.
leon_r> Flying Falcon 4 with some of the later mods and dropping BUFF loads of Mk-82's is a lot of fun.
BigMac0001> Cool!
+Moira@FA> Andres_3, welcome back. Fire away!
andres_3> Hey, it's a good game. I'm a Mexican and I see that it's selling very good here. I would like you to make us know when you developers are going to play online (an announcement would be nice).
leon_r> I'll talk to the people here and if we decide to descend en-mass I'll make sure to let people know.
+Moira@FA> Neoice, your turn!
_neoice_> Are you working on or currently planning an add-on pack?
leon_r> We really can't talk too much about the future, except to say that we are working on another version. The plan with CFS is to make it possible for the community to build whatever theater it wants. My job is to make sure that gets easier in the future.
_neoice_> Congrats...did a great job
+Moira@FA> Hiya GhostRider! Got a question?
KOD_GhostRider> Will it be possible to use bombs and rockets in the next version?
leon_r> Well, it wouldn't be much of a combat sim if it couldn't, now would it?
KOD_GhostRider> Or even a fix for 2? We get very tired of shooting each other down. I mean in the multiplayer mode.
leon_r> Oh, you mean in multiplayer. As I said earlier, we are aware of where the gaming world is going and realize that on-line play is a big part of the future. Beyond that, if I said any more I'd have to kill you :)
KOD_GhostRider> Hmmm I got the gun...it's already killing me. Thanks!
+Moira@FA> Fly 'em Cowboy! You're up now!
Cowboy_PX> Why was the decision made to go to an unproven combat sim engine for CFS2, instead of creating a sequel to CFS1, based on the FS98 engine that we are all familiar. For many of us, the cockpit and multiplayer experience should have not been sacrificed for better textures and scenery, as this is a combat pilot's game.
+Moira@FA> (We'll be taking two more players' questions after this one. Hang in there guys!)
leon_r> I wouldn't exactly call the engine we used unproven. It was a direct descendant of the FS2000 engine, which itself was a descended from CFS1. The problem with the CFS1 engine was that it just didn't support the features that we wanted, like the damage model, the virtual cockpit, the special effects, etc.
Cowboy_PX> Thanks a lot
leon_r> In order to do the things we needed to do we had to update the engine.
Cowboy_PX> Understood, thanks.
+Moira@FA> Ozawa! Fire when ready!
_251_Ozawa_IJN> LOVE CFS2, had it since the day it shipped. Two questions for you: there is rumor that medium flight model is more realistic than 100% Hard settings. Is this true? Also, why would MS patch Crimson Skies and not CFS2? You would save a lot of debating if you fixed the fuel bug.
leon_r> I can't speak for the Crimson guys. That is done by a different group, so I don't know what their process is and how they came to that decision. Also, as far as I know the 100% realistic setting is the most realistic, and it just gets easier as you back off on the realism.
_251_Ozawa_IJN> Thank you
+Moira@FA> And our last for the evening. Moss_335th, go ahead please!
Moss_335th> Hi! I am in awe at CFS2. I just want to know three things: Will CFS3 still be a WW2 sim or will it be a later war like Korea? Two: is there any chance of a patch for CFS2. Three: is there any chance of jets ever being in CFS3, hopefully 4 and beyond?
Leon_r> OK. This gives me a good chance to recap what I've said. 1) Right now there is no decision on what the time frame/theater for CFS 3 is going to be. All we know at this time is that expandability is important to us and we are going to support third part developers going forward. 2) At this time there is no patch scheduled, but we continue to monitor the sim community, and 3) CFS 3 is going to be expandable, but we don't know the exact definition yet, so I can't say if we will be shipping jets for CFS 3 or if it will be left to the community to develop them. Hope that clears things up for you.
+Moira@FA> Drum rollllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!! Our three lucky winners drawn at random are: Shadow_Bshwackr, VFAA_ATC, and CFS2_Ace0!!! Congrats guys
Thank you for joining us tonight Leon! Great chat!
*Thunderous applause*
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