The downfall of Nazi Germany's occupation of Europe begins with the Allied invasion of France. The campaign is supported by more than 17,000 U.S. and British paratroopers, dropped behind enemy lines prior to the assault on the beaches of Normandy. These brave troops pave the way for the Allies by attacking the German forces from inside occupied Europe, fighting their way through enemy territory to thwart the Nazi war machine from within. Their battles lead them through rolling hills, open plains, small farms and war-torn cities throughout France, Holland and Belgium.

Eventually some prove themselves worthy of the ultimate challenge: preventing German development of a weapon that could forever change the face of Europe; the atomic bomb. This dangerous mission takes them into the very heart of the Axis; The Fatherland.

Features:

• Fight the good fight across all of Europe! Over 40 varied and immersive missions that recreate the toughest battles of WWII, including D-Day; Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.
• Why settle for an army of one? Grab a buddy and kick some Nazi butt with two-player, same screen co-operative gameplay.
• Rise through the ranks - Earn promotions that allow you to customize your soldier with new skills and abilities.
• An incredible assortment of historically accurate weapons, equipment and devices guarantees the right tool for the job.
• Built with the award-winning Snowblind Studios engine.

GCM:

Thank you for your time. Would you please get us started by introducing yourself and telling us about the team behind Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers?

Eric DeMilt:

My name is Eric DeMilt; I am the designer/producer on Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers. Before working at BattleBorne on Combat Elite I spent many years at Interplay’s Black Isle Studios where I was a producer. I worked on a ton of titles there, the best known ones are probably Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance and Fallout 2. Like me the rest of the BattleBorne team has a lot of previous experience. John Sonedecker our Creative Director worked at Red Storm on every title from Rainbow Six to Ghost Recon. James Kosta, our Founder and Lead Technologist, brings a lot of experience from Microsoft and Lucas Arts. The entire team is really diverse with backgrounds from television production, Department of Naval Research programs through UNR and even a college state ski champion; they are all extremely talented and are the real key to BattleBorne’s success.

GCM:

What inspired the creation of Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers?

Eric DeMilt:

A lot of factors went into the creation of Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers. Initially the idea started with me telling some friends about the type of game I’d make if I won the lottery. I’m a big military history nerd and a huge fan of the BGDA tools and technology so it seemed like a great fit. I’ve read ton’s of books and articles about Paratrooper actions in WWII, their story is a great one to tell and any one day in WWII would make 10 amazing games. The idea probably wouldn’t have gone much further than lunch if I hadn’t been introduced to James Kosta who set up BattleBorne to make military/small unit combat games at the time. He liked the idea, and after some initial brainstorming and prototyping we settled on making a game about WWII Paratroopers in the Snowblind Studios Engine. It was a really cool case of the right people, being in the right place, at the right time.

GCM:

How historically accurate will Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers be?

Eric DeMilt:

As a general rule of thumb whenever history meets fun, fun has to win. We tried to keep the game as historically accurate as possible but we never lost sight of the fact that it was a game. We loosely follow the 3 main Airborne Campaigns of WWII; Normandy, Market Garden and Bastogne. No one is running out to buy our game to learn about WWII, so for our final campaign we moved a German Heavy Water Production Facility from Norway to Germany and drop you in to eliminate the facility in a very Dirty Dozen style. We always want the player to feel like he has a larger than life role in the action, while using this amazing period in history as a backdrop.

GCM:

How would you describe Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers’ core gameplay?

Eric DeMilt:

The core gameplay in Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers is about killing people and breaking things. I realize it’s not “politically correct” but our objective was to create a World War II action game for the mass market gamer, not to show people how clever we were with the types of puzzles we could create. The top down view of the BDGA engine gives the player a sense of situational awareness that is often lost in first person games. The player can see artillery falling and friendly and enemy units moving alongside or behind him. This helps make the battles feel much more alive and dynamic.

GCM:

Please give us a feel for the missions that players will be taking on.

Eric DeMilt:

We take the player on a wide range of missions and objectives. Early in the game the player must find a wounded officer and fight his way back to an allied encampment, clear French villages of remaining German garrisons, attack and destroy German artillery emplacements and find and eliminate snipers. As the player enters the Market Garden campaign we throw in new tactical elements; the player fights in interior spaces, through sewers, and across narrow bridges disabling demolition charges under fire. In Bastogne the player will often find himself surrounded and overwhelmed by German forces. In the Fatherland campaign the player will find himself recruited by the OSS and tasked with infiltrating a German Chateau and then a Heavy Water production facility in a effort to secure scientists and secrets which would be in the Soviet area once the war was over.

GCM:

What can you tell us about the enemies that players will be facing and the A.I. that controls these units?

Eric DeMilt:

The player will face a wide range of enemies from the German armies in Europe at the time. We used different units and weapons to create as much variety as possible for the player while still maintaining some historic accuracy. The player will fight a wide range of German soldiers from Wehrmacht conscripts, to Panzer Grenadiers, SS Troops, and German Paratroopers. We didn’t want to go the route some WWII games do making mutant or cyborg armies just to bring the level of difficulty up in later levels. When we designed the AI to control the enemy troops we found it much easier to create AI that was too difficult than it was to create AI that was easy or manageable. Many of our early ideas about complex formations and intra unit communication were abandoned. We created systems that would allow an enemy unity to fire off a few shots and run for help from nearby units. It worked great and we were really proud of it until we showed it to one of the testers. All he saw was a guy who ran off screen to return shortly with ten of his friends to kill you instantly. In the end we opted for AI that would be simple and predictable for the mass market player. We use enemy placement and cover to create complex situations for the player rather than trying to have the AI do it organically in most cases. If you run around, guns blazing in Combat Elite: WW II Paratroopers you’re not going to last very long, but if you use cover and the environment to your advantage you’ll be fine.

GCM:

What weapons and tools will the player have at his or her disposal when trying to complete a level?

Eric DeMilt:

The player will be able to use over 40 different weapons in the game. These run the range of almost all the small infantry weapons used by US, German and British forces at the time. The player can use everything from the trusty M1 Garand to a German FG42 Paratrooper Assault Rifle. The list also includes the; Sten Gun, Thompson, MP40, Luger, Silenced Grease Gun, G43, Potato Masher, Mills Bomb, Enfield and the M1 Carbine. It is an extensive list designed to give the player the ability to use the weapons of his choice not the one’s we’ve decided he should use. The game also features a skill system so players can invest points gained successfully completing missions in combat skills making him better with certain types of weapons.

GCM:	Please tell us about Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers’ multiplayer mode.
Eric DeMilt:	Multiplayer in Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers is 2 Player, Same Screen Co-Op. This makes for some great gameplay moments since you can lean over and punch your friend when he does something dumb with a grenade.

GCM:

Above all else, what feature(s) are in Combat Elite are you most proud of and what do you feel will set Combat Elite apart from of WWII games?

Eric DeMilt:

I really like the visual complexity and accuracy of some of our levels and I’m amazed by what is possible in the Snowblind Engine. Our levels look like a Band of Brothers set. I also like the unique feel of the top down perspective. I realize it’s considered a bit “retro” but I loved games like Commando and Ikari Warriors. I love the increased situational awareness of being able to see all around you and feeling like I’m playing in a war zone not on a movie lot where everything is a façade.

GCM:

What can you tell us about Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers’ auditory and visual presentation?

Eric DeMilt:

I could go into all sorts of nerdy details about how the engine and audio are set up. I think the screens speak for themselves visually. We were able to a lot visually to try to create complex, realistic, and interesting visual settings for the game. Audio is an area where we wanted to do a lot more than the limited memory we had would allow us. Making realistic and dynamic sounds for weapons, bullets hitting objects, ricochets and explosions was a major priority. We wanted the player to feel he’d been dropped into a war zone and to feel the immediacy of fighting his way to the objective.

GCM:	Finally, what can you tell us about the current status of Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers and when it will be available for purchase
Eric DeMilt:	We plan on having a new publisher on board very soon and expect Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers to be on the shelves this fall

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