Full Spectrum Warrior interview

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[b]Full Spectrum Warrior interview[/b]

Where does the game take place?

Wil Stahl: The game takes place in a fictitious country called Zekistan (pronounced ZECK-i-stan). Zekistan is kind of nestled in between Afghanistan, Pakistan and China. All the action in the game takes place in Zaferra, the capital city of Zekistan. A brutal dictator has taken the city captive and is terrorising the local population.

This game is very user friendly, which has made it accessible to a wide range of users. Was it difficult to combine this simplicity with the complexity of a simulation?

Wil: Definitely. It was one of our greatest challenges to keep the game simple to use, but also for it to have enough tactical depth to keep the game interesting.

How did you come up with the idea to use a military training simulator developed for the US Army as the basis for a game? Or was it the Army\'s idea?

Wil: When we started wrapping up production on the training aid we quickly realised that, with some tuning, the game could be made into a commercial game. We created a small demo of what we thought the commercial version would be based on the simulation, and shopped that around to different publishers. THQ became interested and turned out to be the best fit for us to bring the game to you.

What new features is the new PS2 version going to have over previous incarnations?

Wil: There are no new features added to the PS2 version of the game. It is essentially identical to the existing versions. However, there is a brand new mission for the PS2 version that has not been released for either of the two other platforms. Also, the two extra missions we created for download on other platforms are also available in the PS2 version.

As this started out life as a training simulator for the US Army, did you have to remove new weapons or change battle tactics so as not to give away any of the army\'s secrets?

Wil: We had to change some underlying systems to make them more game-friendly. A true simulation of war can be arbitrary and frustrating to a person who wants to be entertained by a game. We didn\'t, however, have to change any of the underlying tactical principles because they were secret. The basic light infantry field manuals that cover the fundamentals of infantry combat are not secret and are actually freely available to read at the US Army infantry web site.

With FSW working as a training tool for the US Infantry, would you consider making, or have you already been approached to make, a version for the police i.e. SWAT team training?

Wil: We have actually been approached by other countries about doing training simulation for their military, but we have not been approached by any other domestic military or law enforcement organisations.


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