New UK review, the consultant on the game is none other than Ed Macy, this is getting better and better.

http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2010/10...ssault-review/

Heck ya Blue Thunder comes to mind :) That would be fun.

sim mode with no target indicators

and cockpit view only in sim online games would be great please gajin.

They reveal you can dip in and out of FLIR guncam at will, which is going to be awesome. I feared some of that footage from the trailer was an on-rails segment when I first saw it.

Wow, coincidently I ordered his book Apache just last night to get more background atmosphere.

I read it not long ago.. If AAA is good enough for Ed Macy then I'm sold.

Yes, I'm really looking forward to reading it, and the game just keeps sounding more and more promising.

i see where yuplay has set up a read only forum for apache air assault. at present it doesnt contain anything BUT hopefully it will in the next couple days. keep the faith, brothers...

Good preview apart from the "9mm minigun".

"This mission primarily focused on the eradication of ground targets and having to get up close and personal with the terrain, something new for Gaijin Entertainment, as their previous title IL-2 Sturmovik – Birds of Prey primarily concerned itself with aerial combat."

He obviously never played a sim dogfight in BoP :-)

The bit about Ed Macy's interesting...

"While he initially turned down the opportunity to support and consult on Apache: Air Assault, he then changed his mind when he saw what the game had achieved and what it was capable of, and began to tell us how realistic the game was and what it was capable of. The helicopters in the game performed, controlled and acted authentically and the graphical capabilities are better than what Boeing is able to achieve on their simulators, and so pledged his full support for the game"

Either they paid him a shit load of cash, or, this game could be pretty f'in good.

Apache Air Assault
 

This is the newest article I have seen !!! It is written by someone whom has played the game and talked to the developers.

Apache: Air Assault Preview
Friday, October 15th, 2010
by Edward

Get to the choppa!
Being the first all-helicopter combat sim on a home console can’t possibly be easy. First of all, you’re going into a potentially untested market for home consoles, and doing it during the blockbuster holiday season too. With this in mind, I was initially hesitant about Apache: Air Assault. After all, I haven’t had many good previous experiences with realistic simulator games, or many experiences. I find that those kind of games always deliver a difficult learning curve with a heavy emphasis on the simulation part over the part where it’s supposed to be a god-damn game that I’m meant to have fun playing. To that end, the makers of the game consulted heavily with a decorated previous Apache pilot in order to make sure the experience was authentic and guaranteed that it’d a realistic simulation. I worried that it was on track to becoming one of those games that I could never see the fun in and never enjoy because they were too serious and unforgiving in their pursuit of making sure you got the most realistic experience possible.

At the risk of spoiling the rest of this article, it turns out that if my hesitant words were able to physically manifest themselves, I’d be forced to guzzle them down with a side order of humble pie.

Waiting for the presentation we were treated to what were later revealed to be parts of the symphony-created soundtrack for the game. The selection that was played kept very much in line with other action and war games around, helping to set the mood in tandem with the camouflage, ammo crates and gas masks placed around the room. We were soon led into the room where the Activision representatives began their presentation of the game and various sections of what seemed to be a final build of the game were shown off to us. While they were setting up the first mission, we were told of the game being the all-important first “all helicopter combat simulation”, featuring three different versions of Apache combat helicopter, and the story present in the game would be told through pre-rendered and in-game cut scenes and voice-overs. Picking a mission towards the middle of the sixteen mission strong campaign, the objective was to destroy the power plant owned by the game’s World Terrorist Front. Flying to the objective was a great point to show us the different viewpoints possible when flying your Apache.




The first view is your typical third person view, allowing you to see the helicopter and the immediate environment around you as well as an alternate viewpoint which will put the camera at the very front of the Apache and give the player an unencumbered view. However, the other viewpoints were the most interesting by a long shot, as they provide the player with visually authentic cockpit views, showing all the different machinery and technology on display from two different pilots in the Apache. We were also assured that the battlefields in each mission would be “live” and that you’d be able to fly unrestricted as far as you wanted. The left stick controls the main rotor as well as your direction while the right stick moves the tail rotor allowing you to rotate the Apache as well as your aiming reticule. This mission primarily focused on the eradication of ground targets and having to get up close and personal with the terrain, something new for Gaijin Entertainment, as their previous title IL-2 Sturmovik – Birds of Prey primarily concerned itself with aerial combat. Nevertheless, the terrain looked great filled with little details (like the trees falling over if caught in explosions) and trailed off into the horizon as the Apache flew towards the power plant and began to lay waste on the building and terrorists below.




After completing the objective another revealed itself as it was explained each mission would have multiple objectives, with this one requiring a more subtle touch than rockets. Flying towards the ground units, the Apache then switched views to the Mini-gunner at the side of the Apache, complete with a 9mm Mini-gun. If anyone has played either Modern Warfare game, then the best way I can describe this is by saying it’s like the missions where you have to provide aerial support, only with a mini-gun, and somehow way cooler. After dispatching the enemies below, the view returned to the outside of the Apache where the right engine was smoking and had been destroyed by enemy fire while he’d been stationary. Throughout each mission, you’ll receive persistent damage, rather than regenerating health, and individual parts of the Apache will become damaged or broken depending on where you receive damage, with the motors, weapons and even your radar potentially becoming useless if you’re not careful. The destroyed engine then made the helicopter a lot harder to fly for the remainder of his mission, and in fact he soon botched his landing onto terrain because of this and lost a life. On the difficulty he had selected he was given five lives, but the harder difficulties provide you with less (and the hardest only one), thus the difficulty of keeping the one Apache running throughout the entire mission becomes crucial. On the prospect of destroying a distant target, the demonstrator instead resorts to using heat-seeking hellfires and, upon firing, the camera follows the last hellfire (done by holding in the missile fire button) to its destination as it explodes.

Upon completing the objective, a Mission Summary presents itself with all of the various statistics of targets destroyed, lives lost, and the usual. Also presented are your efficiency, your mission cost, your score and final ranking. The mission cost keeps a tally of every missile and bullet you fire during the mission as well as the Apaches you waste and then gives you a final summary of how much the mission cost the military, with you ideally spending as little as you can to improve your efficiency and your ranking, with the relatively short mission time of ten minutes and scoring system providing the re-playability incentive that’ll keep you hooked when the campaign is finished.

Skipping towards one of the finishing missions of the campaign, we’re whisked away to another of the game’s fictional locations, this time by an oil rig. Starting off with aerial combat versus enemy Apaches, it’s explained how the AI reacts to you and how you play throughout the game. For example, if you’re overly reliant on missiles, the enemies will be keenly aware of this, demonstrated to us by the fact that firing missiles at the enemy ‘copters were ineffective due to the enemy anticipating it and releasing more flares to avoid destruction. Eventually besting his opponents, the second objective, wherein you were expected to provide covering support for allies storming the oil rig, began. This ended up looking more difficult than said as the enemies began bringing out RPGs in drones to put an end to you, but you’re given sufficient warning of this as RPG, Missile and Terrain warnings will flash up on your HUD to warn you of any approaching danger, meaning you have to get a good balance of carefully eliminating foes, avoiding committing friendly fire and avoiding your imminent destruction too. Teasing us by quitting the mission to avoid spoiling the end, we were then shown the other two modes that will support the Campaign.

Squad Operations are extra missions outside of the campaign that you can play either solo or co-operative online or offline. The difficulty is tweaked towards multiple players though, so while you can play solo, it’ll be much more difficult than when playing with three friends. Upon completing these missions and campaign missions, you can be rewarded with decals for your Apache to customise it and differentiate it amongst your friends, demonstrated by the demonstrator’s Apache sporting angry eyes and teeth to intimidate his enemies. The missions will carry an emphasis on co-operation and strategy with friends to maximise your enjoyment and to help carry the realism of it, as if everyone decides to do their own thing it’ll become much more difficult to play and enjoy.

There are a dozen squad-ops to play through though, meaning there’ll be a lot to play long after you’ve beaten the game’s campaign. Free Flight is a customisable death-match you can also play alone or with friends, with different arenas to fly in, customisable enemies, weather and Apache. Taking an opportunity to quickly show off this part of the game, the Apache was launched off in the rain from the viewpoint of the front pilot, showing off the rain as it splashed against the windshield. This looks to be the mode to enjoy yourself without the constraints of missions or score attacks and could also be a valuable way to get used to the higher difficulty levels before attempting the special operations and campaign and trying to gain the maximum rankings.




Now that all the modes of the game had been demonstrated, the talk then ended with some words by the decorated Apache pilot who had been consulted for the game to make sure that it was realistic and authentic to the experience. He spoke of his experiences being one of the first ever Apache pilots, his work in Afghanistan and that many of his experiences are now covered in his book “Apache” which was critically well received, and that he also creates simulations and builds missions for Boeing, running off their supercomputers to help train their pilots. While he initially turned down the opportunity to support and consult on Apache: Air Assault, he then changed his mind when he saw what the game had achieved and what it was capable of, and began to tell us how realistic the game was and what it was capable of. The helicopters in the game performed, controlled and acted authentically and the graphical capabilities are better than what Boeing is able to achieve on their simulators, and so pledged his full support for the game, ending the talk with a video showing us footage of real Apaches whilst comparing the game favourably to the footage, allowing us to finally get some hands-on with the game ourselves.




I left the talks having changed my preconceptions about the game and ended up being incredibly impressed by what I’d seen of it alone, but I was worried that when it then came to playing the game I’d be let down or find it incredibly difficult to play and not enjoy the experience. As the earlier spoiler hinted, it’s a game I had to leave my preconceptions at the door for, because I ended up really enjoying the game despite my reservations. The first mission is a tutorial that helps instruct you on how to effectively fly the Apache, change views, use the gunner, change missiles and everything, so that when you’re thrown into the deep end straight away in mission two, you’re more than capable of holding your own. Earlier in this preview I mentioned the dual-use of the right stick, and you may have thought that it didn’t seem like that’d work very effectively at all, especially when you’re trying to aim at moving targets, but it actually works incredibly well and without issue. In fact, all the controls work brilliantly and felt very intuitive despite being very complex. The Apache handled well and controlling and using it felt like they had spent a lot of work making it feel realistic without making it overly difficult or boring. Granted, the first mission helps you to learn all you need, there’s still a lot more at play, and will be more difficult on harder difficulties. Indeed, in the second mission attempting it on harder difficulties meant that the amount of missiles, rockets and mini-gun ammo you had was restricted and would run out if you weren’t careful with it. On the training difficulty I had though, you would have to wait a limited amount of time for them to restore themselves. The mini-gunning also feels a lot more fun than I thought it would, and I found myself enjoying it more than the similar missions in Call of Duty, especially as the use of it was optional and you could use whatever methods you wanted to do to complete the mission.






That’s what helps make the game seem so fun and unique even though you’re restricted to an Apache the entire game. Despite that, you’re allowed to use whatever the Apache gives you in whatever way you deem fit to complete the mission at hand, and that was further hammered home for me by the other people playing the game. Everyone was attempting the same mission in entirely different ways, trying out different tactics and playing the game in entirely different ways and coming out with different experiences to me, with those differences amplified further on more realistic difficulty levels. The game makes an amazing balance of simulation and fun and, despite only being allowed to play the first two missions of the game, all those doubts and worries I had beforehand melted away and made me feel incredibly foolish to ever doubt it. My only worry is that the campaign may come across as a bit short, but this is quickly quelled when I remember that there’s the more realistic options, the scoring, Special Operations with friends, and that the game will be entirely what you make of it, so there’s ultimately as much fun in it as you’re willing to let yourself have in it.

As one of the representatives explained to me, the game is very important as it’s the first all-helicopter combat simulation on home consoles and is catering to an audience who may not have been around before and, with the help of modern realistic games becoming incredibly popular, Apache: Air Assault is coming out at a good time. While other games may have helicopter combat in theirs, they won’t play anywhere near as well as in this game. It promises to be an incredibly unique experience in a crowded November and something that will hopefully shine out above the rest come release.

As I left, the final words of the veteran pilot and why he’s choosing to support the game echoed in my head. “This game is as close as you’ll ever get to a real Apache”. Apache: Air Assault promises to be an incredible simulation of helicopter combat, and above all else, fun. Don’t miss out, Soldier.

Apache: Air Assault is due out on November 16th and will be available for Xbox360, PS3 and PC.

Thanks for the post with review.
One thing I'm surprised that Gaijin didn't put in is a mission builder so you could keep on playing. I'm not saying it's not in but the person that did the review didn't mention it and if it was in I'm sure he would have.

This game is looking like it is shaping up nicely can't wait.

Another review of Apache Air Assault
 

Oct 16th, 2010 | By Debbie "Weefz" Timmins | Category: Previews
Have you been waiting for someone to do for combat helicopter sims what Gran Turismo did for racing games? Yeah, us neither but it looks like Gaijin Entertainment have done just that, with Apache Air Assault coming out next month.

I got my grubby paws into a hands-on preview earlier this week. You know what? It’s not half bad. When you play it on numpty-mode, that is. Gaijin have gone to great lengths to make this game a decent simulation of helicopter combat and if you trust Ed Macy’s word for it, they’ve done a cracking job. Okay, so maybe a real Apache helicopter cockpit has 227 switches where an Xbox controller has all of 13. And maybe going through the pre-flight checks to start a real helicopter from cold takes thirty minutes and more than a thousand button pushes.

Still, Macy is a former Apache pilot for the British military, designs the combat missions for the Boeing Apache simulator and has published a book called Apache about his time in Helmand, Afghanistan… I’m inclined to believe him when he says that this is as good as game simulation will get.

“I got contacted, asking would I like to support Apache Air Assault? And I had a look at it and my gut instinct was ‘There’s no way I’m gonna do this.’” Macy told us. “If you try to take that [flight sim level of detail] into a battlefield situation you’re going to need to do what Boeing did – put four great big computers together, wire it up so it all works and then falls over a few times loading because it’s so complex to try and do. The flip side is, you’ve then got games which are your Hollywood aircraft and your Hollywood pilot. And they can do anything… you just keep shooting or being hit and you keep flying. And they don’t really work neither.”

“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be getting up here to support it. Then I had a look at it and actually.. it is a halfway house. But it’s more than that. It expands right and left. So when I looked at it, I found that actually it is like the Apache, it does fly like the Apache.”

However… it takes £3 million and 3 years of intensive training to turn a grunt into a combat-qualified Apache helicopter pilot. I spent £3.60 on Tube tickets and played the game for 20 minutes, so I am truly shit at piloting helicopters. Your left analogue stick controls the main rotor and your right does the elevation and the rear rotor, so flying takes a lot of concentration. Numpty mode, or “Training” mode – to use its proper title – is fine. You can jam those sticks forward to peg it for the enemy without too much worry yet still be at risk of crashing. We’re not talking child-friendly mode here, just… playable for a complete newbie. Other options are “Realistic” which I couldn’t keep in the air for more than 20 seconds at a stretch, and “Veteran”, the truly hardcore simulation where you have a single helicopter (i.e. life) per mission and must return to base if you need to refuel or resupply your ammo.

In true military fashion, everything you do during a mission is logged. When you’re successful, you get presented with a nice set of stats, one of which is the total mission cost. I managed to rack up a bill of £308,630 in just under 10 minutes. On the other hand, my mission efficiency was “Unbelievable” and post-mission evaluation “Perfect!” so can’t complain, right? Given that the game supposedly tracks every bullet fired, it would have been nice for the stats to be a little more detailed – perhaps that’s saved for the more difficult modes.

Call me stupid if you like but a key thing I hadn’t realised before playing this was that helicopter combat missions are very different from flight sims. You can hover, for a start. Where aeroplane combat games are basically aerial dogfights coupled with avoiding mountains, helicopter missions are much more about intimate support of the ground troops. You’ll dogfight other helicopters but you’ll also find yourself hovering alongside oil rigs helping infantry take out their opponents, or defending a base from waves of incoming vehicles. It makes for a good mix – with 16 missions in the single-player campaign, there should be plenty of variety to keep you entertained.

One nice touch is the post-mission replay. Gaijin Entertainment have painstakingly replicated each version of the Apache helicopter’s cockpit so that you can play in super-serious mode by only using the in-cockpit view, view-obstructing frames and all. It’s good fun to watch the mission replay and flip through the other camera angles to see how awesome (or terrible) your performance was from the outside. Could have done with a fast-forward option during replays but there is the option to save your action to disk as well. With any luck you can extract them from your console to watch or edit on a computer.

I was very happy to hear that the game will include a local co-op mode where you can play with a friend in the co-pilot’s seat acting as your gunner. There’s also an set of online co-op missons specifically designed for multiple players, as well as the option to customise certain battles.

If you have the slightest interest in warfare simulations or flying then have a look at Apache Air Assault when it comes out for PC and consoles in November.

Good news, we can save our replays. Something they didn't do with BOP.

My anticipation for this game has hit fever pitch level. Tempted to book a week off work when this comes out.

Sim mode sounds great, land at base to refuel and rearm.

That's what caught my eye the most as well. Looks like it could be really awesome. I just hope the devs get a chance to properly support the game after its release.

On-line co-op with pilot and co-pilot would be nicer. But I guess we can't have everything.

Even though I have some seriously mixed emotions about anything involving the Apache (long story), I must admit that I'm starting to look forward to this game. I just hope they got the flight physics right.

Thought that's what it is. Pilot and gunner, online. No?

MAC

No it seems that co-op option is only available offline with two players on the same console. The online co-op appears to be one player per Apache. Disapointment for me this but not the end of the world

Hm, would have seemed to me a logical option to include. Perhaps some technical issues?

MAC

I was also thinking the pilot and co-pilot were online. Oh well I'm sure it will be a blast.

Just looking to pre order online with GAME.CO.UK and they always had it available to pre order but with no info about it, not even box art.

Well they now have a summary, product info and box art. Price £32. Looks good thus far. But..... for every good thing theirs a downside.

Couldnt see this on here (sorry if it is) but the summary mentions the multiplayer is only 4 players.

Anyone got any more info on this?

Im assuming it just a typo and infact its roughly designed for 12 players :)

Holy sh1t you are right Foz. Found this new preview on Gamesradar:
http://www.gamesradar.com/ps3/apache...18174649812007

"While there is no versus multiplayer component, there is substantial cooperative content. First, the solo missions can be played in local two-player co-op with one player as the pilot and one as the gunner. It takes some careful play for the pilot to get positioning for the gunner and to hold the chopper steady. We saw some of it in action and it definitely is a fresh take on standard co-op, making the player feel like part of a real two-man team."

I feel like I just spawn crashed and bomb kill cheated in one go

Surely they wouldn't leave versus out.... That would be the reason in personalizing your chopper.

If it's true there is no competitive online multiplayer it makes our gripes about German cockpits pale in comparison. I can't believe they could launch this game without online versus, its like stepping back 6 years

Bummer.

Ouch, not good! Despite fact that online can add so much to a game- point in question is IL2- it seems very short sighted to have not at least have some
form of online mulitplayer. That has just deminished somewhat my desire to buy this. What a pity I'll never get to see someone autorotating downwards before they hellfire themselves upon touching down....

Edit: having just looked on Amazon they advertise the following:
" Online Helicopter Combat: Join other helicopter enthusiasts as you go directly against them in competitive online modes such as Team Battle, Capture the LZ and Strike. If that's not enough online players can form online squadrons with up to four Apaches fighting together in unison"

heres hoping....

This is what i remember seeing, online game modes such as capture the LZ, i just automatically assumed it was designed for upto 12 players. But maybe just 4 apaches could possbily be more "realistic"? hmmm. We'll find out shortly

The online squadron it speaks off maybe refers to the co op section? they just choose to word it this way to make it sound really appealing!! Does that make sense?

Im sure it will be numerous players, it makes sense to anyway. Its early days yet so info is probably sketchy at best :) im sure the guys at gaijen know what MP is all about and will implement some sort of mass MP game mode. Lets not worry just yet eh. Time will tell.

Looking at that review winny it mentions no MP modes at all other than the cop op, though it DOES mention this -

"And finally, there’s also a Free Flight mode where you can customize your own sandbox, choosing the enemies and weather and then just going for ultra-destruction".

This is mentioned in the MP area of the review, but if im honest with myself it sounds like it could just be an advanced version of the single player on IL2 where you can set your own mission parameters up.

not a strong contender for my money i got to say .even less so now it seems there will be no multiplayer. I'll just wait for BfBc 3 for some helicopter carnage

Yep this is what I remember reading... I wouldn't sweat it guys I'm sure there is a Multiplayer.

Thanks for finding that. That is one thing I posted earlier that I hope they do. This would mean never ending gameplay with a simple mission builder which BOP really needed.

Funny how some of this stuff we asked for in BOP and Anton was listening. It looks like he is applying what we wanted to this game. "Mission builder, adding decals to the chopper" just two of them many things :)

I'm sure I read somewhere that there was a DM/TB with 4 a side, but I might have made it up.

"There will also be support for online multiplayer matches of Team Deathmatch, Ground Attack, Capture the LZ, and Ground Strike."

I remember that too, and capture the LZ as well. Damned if I can find the articles now.
If there is no versus I hope the co-op missions have friendly fire on option for the cannons. I am sure we can sort out something that way but i think this is all a misunderstanding by Gamesradar

i believe you are limited IF you want to have 2 players...a pilot and a gunner per copter. but online play was 1 person per machine..you didnt have the option of a crew of 2.

The new medal of honor game has a great apache level. You are front seat with no control over the chopper but it's an amazing ride. At one point you hover and go into Flir and it's just like that YouTube vid Bobby posted. Almost feel sorry for the poor guys after you fire the cannon. A second or so later they are vaporized. Worth £35 just for that one level for me

It's really nice to see that they are implementing some of the things into Apache Air Assault that people on the forum recommended for BOP (especially the mission editor :grin:) Makes me feel good that these devs have taken feedback from the forum and gives me hope that maybe someday they will make a sequel to BOP that lives up to what I had wished for out of the original, not that I don't love the game as is, it is really the only PS3 game I play but there is certainly room for improvement and maybe Apache Air Assault will provide some insight into what can be expected out of a future installment to the franchise. I know I will purchase just to support Gaijin, but with my real game passion being WWII flight sims maybe I will just tape a pic of a spitfire cockpit my tv ;).

Well thats just what any cannon does. Check out a ship mounted 30mm gatling gun. Anybody who can afford the ammo for it would put it on the top of his list.

This article say's multi-player !!!
 

'Apache: Air Assault' (ALL) Gets Release Date - New Screens
by Rainier on Aug. 30, 2010 @ 1:34 p.m. PDT
Apache: Air Assault is a helicopter combat game, where players control a variety of lethal Apache attack helicopters outfitted with cutting-edge military weaponry. The goal in Apache: Air Assault is to prevent terrorist attacks by raining down destruction from above in the world’s most volatile warzones.
Apache: Air Assault features more than 16 multi-stage missions involving air and ground strike operations off the coast of Africa, the mountains of the Middle East and the jungles of Central America, each meticulously created using high resolution map data from real-world satellite photography. Apache helicopters are some of the most sophisticated combat aircraft on the planet - the player gets to fly multiple variations of them, each with their own extreme firepower and highly-detailed damage modelling.

The game can be played based on the player’s tastes - Arcade Mode allows players to easily pick up the controls and jump right into the combat. The Realistic mode showcases the real depth of the title, where the dedication to realism and precision shines through. The local Co-op Campaign Mode lets two players team up in the same Apache with one as the pilot and the other as the co-pilot in a joint effort for a truly authentic combat flight experience. For those that want to go even further, Apache: Air Assault includes competitive online multiplayer matches such as Team Deathmatch, Ground Attack, Capture the LZ, and Ground Strike. http://worthplaying.com/article/2010/8/30/news/76540/

Another article
 

News2:56 PM on 9/21/2010 by Jim "txshurricane" McLaughlin
.

Co-Optimers have been vocal on both sides of a raging Apache: Air Assault debate - should the game allow each player their own chopper, or only as pilot/gunner combinations? Okay...it's not really a raging debate...not much of a debate at all... And yet developer Gaijin Entertainment has answered the call nonetheless.

This November up to four players will be able to fly their own Apache-branded helicopter in 13 unique online-only co-op missions. For couch co-op fans, splitscreen support for the gunner seat is available in the 16 single-player campaign missions. It's an odd combination of online/offline and campaign/separate modes, but we'll take it.

I think its safe to say this game will defo have online versus mode, jus watched the gamescon apache air assault interview on you tube & he says up up to 8 people can battle it out (Oh yea). Plus the games running in the bck ground, in the menu screen & clearly says versus mode amongst others. Cant wait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCIQ2TnBu4

I wonder why he just says "In Europe"?

Erm.....

thought you knew? its a Europe only release, means they spend less on distribution etc and see how they go from their, maybe release it in America in a year or so depending on sales.

Your in Europe anyway aren't you so its all good? feel for those poor souls in USA/Canada :(










I joke by the way, its released everywhere. It mentions Europe because thats where this press briefing was held.

IIRC its released in europe for PC. i think the emphasis was it was made for consoles. so they will be sold everywhere for xbox and ps3 but the PC only users in the west will have to wait?

Is it seriously not getting a release in North America? Seems crazy to do that to me. PS3 games are region free so imports for enthusiasts but it's not going to help the widespread uptake of the game. With this, the uncertainty over multiplayer and going up against Call Of Duty:Slapped Together In 12 Months Edition I can see some poor sales ahead.
I still can't wait personally and hoping my pre order arrives a couple of days early

Edit: I see now it's the PC version not gettin NA release

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLEaFYbSJM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3enHz7QOZIY

Wow it looks good thanks for the post. The ground looks really good close up too.

The thermal cam looks fantastic too. I'm really hoping for a mission editor now.

Also, one of the crew must be British judging from the dialogue. Ed Macy playable character?!

Looks amazing, i'm loving the cockpits, thats definatly how i'm gonna play it, starting on realistic and switching to vet mode as soon as I can.
That guy playing the game though was terrible and no doubt it was training mode lol. His gunnery skills truely sucked, how many rounds did he use to kill that pickup at the end of the first vid lol.

Looks exactly how I wanted it to
Only issue I see is when he switched to gunner the AI just kept the Apache stationary. He even said I am taking fire I will have to switch back to pilot. This is why we NEED co op in same chopper. The petition starts here

Looks really nice, most probably invest now that GT5's been put back again. That said the undead rise in red dead next week so maybe end up in that!

Zombie Donkeys? Beats phantom sheep any day of the week

Questions to the Devs.
 

I have a friend in the industry that might be able to clear some stuff up. This is a big MIGHT though.

So, I put it to you, Apache fans, what would you like to know about the game. (Within reason of course, doubt they will answer anything about the last mission or whether there will be DLC, for example).

So, line up a few questions!

Is there

• a mission editor

• can you free roam the map and engage dynamic targets

• what's the maximum altitude you can achieve

• are there fly-by camera views in the replays

Just a bump! (sorry) Dont want people to miss out!

I'll be sending it off sometime this evening..

Ok here are my questions

Is the Hind really playable

Is there a black hawk down style mission in the Somalia set levels

Can you paint a target from cover with the longbow rotor mounted aray

In multiplayer versus can you set a guns only match

Are there any towns in the game with tall buidlings for some street level cat and mouse in multiplayer.

Cheers mate

Right, I have sent the first batch off. Do post any more questions and I'll see if I can send them on a heading towards the Devs!

Flight stick support
 

I would like to know if my Saitek AV8R-02 flight stick will work with the game, or the new Cyborg stick for xbox . Thanks alot for asking the questions to the Dev's.

Ed Macy interview
 

The man makes a lot of sense, looks very good. Exciting!

I wonder if this game will have a story behind it like BOP with the different pilots and such. Also I am glad that there will be a Veteran mode and I am assuming that the Apache will take damage so if we get one copter per game I wonder if we will have to perforum maintenance on it.

NO Online Co-op pilot/gunner Multiplayer?!
 

OK, the fact that this game does not support online co-op pilot/gunner multiplayer really kills me. I think the prospect of having this option available really sold many people interested in the flight sim genre on purchasing this title (well at least for me it did). If anyone has any lines of communication with developers can you please ask them if this option could possibly be available via DLC. I would Pay $20.00 for this option as I think it would give this title tremendous re-playablilty value. As well as boost profit margins. $50.00 for title $20.00 for online co-op pilot/gunner multiplayer + leaderboards.:-P

This would be a really great feature. The only way we have contact with the devs is to ask this question on the yuplay forum http://forum.yuplay.com/
So let your voice be heard. The apache thread is not open yet but you could very easily ask in the BOP thread since someone there started a topic about Apache Air Assault. Letting Anton know our wants earlier the better.

Totally agree. If Bad Company 2 can do it, where choppers play a relatively small role, then surely a dedicated helicopter game can do it.

Problem is it's a core game mechanic rather than a new map or vehicle so I can't see it getting DLC enabled at any point. Maybe one for the Apache 2 wishlist thread!

The four player co-op still sounds great. Hopefully they open up the PC version for user made co-op missions.

I'll see your twenty and raise you a fiver.:cool:

What?? Activison finally got off their arse and made an Apache website?

yep...AND the forum on yuplay is open as well.

you can fly an A-10 thunderbolt ( warthog )...oh..now i am stoked! that would make for some awesome online combat games!

Will it be flyable with cockpit and everything??? really hope so. It looks amazing.

http://i52.tinypic.com/s2zek4.jpg

god i certainly hope so! way in the back of my mind i was thinking it would been cool if it would have been incorporated into the game but figured there was no stinking way. i about fell over when i saw it on the list. can you imagine the low level hide and seek dogfights? sweet!

lol this has now got me praying for an AV8B or Harrier GR.7/9

hope they have add on a/c like the p47 and ta152 in BoP. i just really hope they dont F this up...

I cant see the A10 being flyable in game to be honest (sorry guys), after all its a heli sim so wouldnt really fit in. Im guessing you can possibly fly other helicopters and call in an A10 airstrike perhaps? but the flying physics between helicopter and plane would be to much effort to put into the game if that makes sense? I just think it will stay as helicopters only.

Can you imagine online, a blackhawk v A10!!

hahaha



On a lighter note, its good to see on the official website under "aircraft" the apache you fly is the british version :D (or one of many you fly)

Don't forget flying physics for planes already existed from BoP. Stick a couple of jet engines into the Il-2 and you'd get a reasonably good A-10 or Su-25 model. Take the He-162, give it a modern engine, add a function to switch to helicopter flight physics, and you have a Harrier ;):grin:

I think people are setting their hopes way too high if they think an A-10 will be flyable in this. None of the media so far has even said other helos, apart from Apache variants, are playable let alone a fixedwing jet.

I think the most we can hope for is Blackhawk/Hind/Ka 50 either patched in or as DLC.

The Mi-35 is listed in the aircraft list. Its an export version, so I wouldn't feel comfortable flying it ever.

Haha yes you're probably right. Although Its fun to voice ones hopes even if they not very likley to happen. No ones saying that they will be dissapointed if their hopes don't come true.





Huh? why? Its still russian, its just a more advanced version of the Mi-24D.

Thats like me saying I'm not comfortable flying the P-51D in BoP just because its not in RAF colours and isn't called the Mustang Mk.IV

there is a whole lot of news in russia about this but nothing so far in the west.. hey kors can you translate some of those for us?

from a german release today.."Somewhat disappointing, however, that only a single helicopter model may be flown, but at least in various modifications."

Thats proof of how ridiculous reviewers are!! Fancy writing something so stupid when its clearly obvious the game is evolved around the apache helicopter!! Idiocy.

Its silly things like that which makes me never listen to ANY review what so ever unless it comes from someone i know who has spent more than 30 mins playing a game :)

I for one will be getting this game no matter what, its one of my most anticipated title releases this year :D

Anything exported from the U.S.S.R won't have everything in it like the original.
Well, only one helicopter.. Let me know if I can paint a Russian flag on it.

Its being published by Activision. Big let down.

Well strickly speaking the Apache air Assault name is the series name just like Il-2 sturmovik and how many planes does that have? If they did fill AAA full of different aircraft it probably would probably still be called the same thing.

Its still possible that the A10 is flyable only in multiplayer and free flight after being unlocked. No reviewer is going to do enough to unlock aircraft. Remember how obscure the BoP unlocks are, we didn't have a clue before the unlock list came about. Gaijin could be keeping a good few aircraft a secret for now.

that is what i am thinking or hoping for. in BoP missions you dont get to pick the a/c but in mp you do. i am going to enjoy playing it no matter what...having additional a/c like the a10 would like icing...with sprinkles.

Export versions are often more advanced than the "Home" version. It may not have the original systems but they will have been replaced by better ones.
Mil and a few other Corperations have been upgrading alot of countries Mi-35s with Mi-28 systems (uprated engines, FLIR , NVG cockpits, modern rocket and missile systems). Meaning a very good Mi-35 is a far more capable aircraft than a lot of the old Hind D's that the russians have and more than a match for an Apache Longbow.

Just in case anyone isn't aware of this excellent new series Frontlines: Battle Machines, episode 5 will have some Apache content. Hopefully as much as the Chinook in the last one.

Hell, we need to know if the listed aircraft are flyable or not, can someone send a tweet perhaps? I don't use Twitter..

I believe they will answer on the yuplay forum. One thing I am wondering about is the ability to fire weapons in multiplayer. Judging by the screens I wonder in order to use your gun, rockets, or missles are you going to have to change to the gunner seat. The pictures on the site doesn't show any way to target enemies.
The game looks great though and I can't wait to see some more video. I wouldn't expect to fly the A-10 though, numerous people have talked about just flying variations of the Apache, but I hope Gaijin surprises us.:-P

Here are some quick quotes from the yuplay site Anton & Todace were answering some questions this morning.
Some good news and some bad news.

Anton is red and Todace is blue

Apache Air Assault

This next one sounds like there is no MP I hope not but this is the developer.
I tried to ask Todace about Multiplayer before he left but he didn't reply, maybe he will reply later. I asked again because Anton's reply earlier was unclear to me.

I didn't understand this I think he might have gotten his reply to the wrong person. Todace replied to me it is below.


One thing that is disappointing is no vs. mode in multiplayer. It is only co-op but this will be fun as well. Todace did mention DLC hopefully whatever they have added will get released and be a surprise.

Nice one trk :)

Thought people might like to see this: Six minutes of gameplay walked through by one of the devs. Sorry about the quality, I'm working on it.

http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/commen...ml?id=102810_3

So no MP or at least looking unlikely?? Hmmm.

At least some form of MP has been implemented, and it offers you the chance to fly various helicopters in "squad mode"

I look forward to it.

I really hope Activision want to put out a demo and that isn't just all Gaijin's initiative.

I have seriously scaled back my anticipation for this game now. Disapointing news from that yuplay thread. Surprised at the total lack of communication between parties with the press release mentioning all those MP modes.

todace
post Today, 07:15 PM

QUOTE (trk291 @ Oct 28 2010, 01:29 PM) *
Are we going to have Multiplayer over the internet? It seems like it is unclear if there is a multiplayer. If yes is there online co-op?
And can we have co-op in same helicopter online? If not can it be added as dlc?
Is there plans for additional aircraft for dlc?
Thanks

Answer todace:
For MP - online coop and one coop mission is competitive.
in MP each player controls own helicopter.

We are making (and almost made) DLC too, but I can't provide any details on it now and can't promise that it will be released - this is up to publisher.

Judging by the Skin Deep achievement, there are custom skins for each helicopter. Good to know.

Awesome, came here today looking for the list. Nice timing. :grin:

Might be a bit tricky getting the co-op mission achievements, since I have no local gaming buddies and my girlfriend is functionally retarded when using a controller.

Sounds like the hardest difficulty isn't as hard in this as in BoP, so those achievements should be manageable.

Yeah thats one thing I dislike about the list. I will have the same problem, I even only have one joypad, thats it. So that makes it imposible for me to get all the achievments.