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! Please get us started by introducing yourself and telling us about the team behind Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers.
Eric DeMilt:	To create Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers, BattleBorne assembled a highly experienced development team. Team member include the Producer of Black Isle Studios; Fallout 2 and Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance, and the Lead Artist on Red Storm’s Ghost Recon. Our programming team includes experience from top tier developers like Microsoft and Lucas Arts.

GCM:

Arguably, the WWII action genre has been exploited the past few years. What drove you to make yet another WWII action game and how will Combat Elite differentiate itself from the competition?

Eric DeMilt:

The WWII action genre is a very popular and crowded category. We wanted to distinguish Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers by creating a unique “mass-market” World War II game by using the top down perspective of the licensed Snowblind Studios BGDA/Norrath Engine rather than simply making a “me too” fps. The top down perspective gives players a better sense of situational awareness; they are able to see what’s going on all around them and is much easier for the casual gamer to pick up and play. Additionally the Snowblind Engine allows us to create beautiful, highly detailed environments, putting the player in a realistic WWII setting. In addition to the unique perspective and graphical quality afforded by the engine players will also be able to adjust their character to suit their individual play style. As the player progresses through the game, his character will gain rank and receive skill points to assign to various combat skills. These skill points will effect how the character performs within the game.

GCM:

Can you give our readers a brief synopsis of the story in Combat Elite and where it fits into the timeline of WWII?

Eric DeMilt:

In Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers takes the player through the 4 campaigns; the 3 major paratrooper campaigns of World War II; D-Day, Market Garden, and Bastogne and a 4th, a fictionalized attack on the German Atomic Weapon program. Players start being dropped behind enemy lines in advance of the allied landings on D-Day where they must link up with friendly troops and fight their way to a German communications center. Along the way they will free a captured pilot and fight along side the French Resistance. In the second campaign Market Garden, the player fights with the American forces attempting to capture the bridges and causeways which will allow Thirty Corps to link up with the British Paratroopers at Arnhem. Later in the campaign the player will penetrate German lines to rendezvous with the British Paras and fight with them in the Oosterbeek perimeter and help them break out before being overrun. The game’s final historic campaign puts the player in the bitter winter battle for Bastogne as a surprise German offensive has overrun allied lines and paratroopers are thrown into the battle to push them back. The final campaign in Combat Elite: World War Two Paratroopers is not historic, it is a fictional setting in which the player is attached to the OSS and dropped into Germany with the mission of infiltrating a chateau to make contact with scientists from the German Atomic Weapons program. These scientists are to be recruited to escape west out of the Russian zone or to be eliminated.

GCM:

How is Combat Elite structured as far as campaigns and missions? Is it a linear progression or can you pick and choose your battles and are these missions based on any historic reference?

Eric DeMilt:

Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers is broken up into 4 Campaigns; D-Day, Market Garden, Bastogne, and Fatherland with over 50 individual missions spread out through them. The game follows the historic reference of the major paratrooper campaigns of WWII and draws from historic missions, locations and scenarios. We have been conscious to remember that we are creating a game, not a history lesson so where historic accuracy conflicts with fun we always side with fun. The game’s final campaign is mostly fictional, being a healthy blend of The Dirty Dozen with real OSS missions.

GCM:

Can you give some details on the level of squad and enemy AI we can expect. How much micro-management will be required of the player?

Eric DeMilt:

As a game designed to target the “mass-market” consumer we didn’t want to bog the player down with any squad or team micromanagement. The player will fight along side friendly units, often working in close quarters with a squad but will not be responsible for ordering their movement or controlling them. NPCs sometimes fight with the player, staying near him as he moves through an area, at other times NPCs will have their own war to fight, and will act completely independent of the player. Groups of NPCs both enemy and allied will be able to coordinate their movement from cover point to cover point, with once providing cover while the other moves. In general the paratrooper battles of world war two were small unit actions between individuals or groups of individuals and it is this type of combat, which we’ve captured in the game.

GCM:

With Paratroopers in the name, just how much control will the player have over actual drop zones and diving out of a plane? Will you get to pick your insertion points?

Eric DeMilt:

Although Paratroopers is in the name, a combat parachute jump is a surprisingly boring thing in a game. World War II parachute drops were chaotic events where heavily loaded paratroopers were dropped from various altitudes with chutes, which are very non-maneuverable by today’s standards. We chose to start the player on the ground in combat rather than drifting to earth being shot at, the actual jumps are handled in FMV sequences.

GCM:	How much will vehicles factor into combat and what selection will the player have (ground, air, sea) at their disposal?
Eric DeMilt:	Vehicles do not factor significantly in combat since paratroopers were often ill equipped to deal with any significant armored threat. However, there are a few levels in the game in which the player must face and destroy German armor.

GCM:

Please elaborate on the game mechanics as far as resource management (if any) and unit acquisition or upgrades?

Eric DeMilt:

Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers features an extensive number of authentic WWII weapons which the player can use as he progress through the game. In addition the game also features a skill system which is made up of 9 separate skills; Pistol, Rifle, Sub Machine Gun, Heavy Machine Gun, Stealth, Medic, Grenade, and Combat Sense. The player is rewarded for the successful completion of mission with new rank and skill points. Skill points are used by the player to strengthen the character towards or customize them towards an individual gameplay style.

GCM:

With so many countries involved, what WWII factions will be playable in Combat Elite and will you be able to group ally forces?

Eric DeMilt:

At the start of the game the player will be allowed to select from one of 3 different paratroopers; Patrick Harper of the 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles), John Howe of the 82nd Airborne Division (All American) or Stephen Frost of the British First Airborne (Red Devils). Each character has 3 different visual variations and starts with their own particular skill strengths and weaknesses. Through the course of the game players will fight along side of American, British and French Resistance forces.

GCM:

As far as locations, what kind of environments can we expect? Will there be both day and night missions and will elevation factor into combat?

Eric DeMilt:

Combat Elite features a wide variety of different environments, which present the player with a wide range of visual looks as well as different tactical problems. Through the course of the game player’s will fight in open fields, forests, city streets, across highway bridges, and engage in room to room battles in interior spaces. Elevation does not play a significant factor in combat but the use of cover when moving through an area is essential for player survival.

GCM:	The solo game look very promising. What can we expect as far as multiplayer warfare online or with a LAN?
Eric DeMilt:	Thank you. Combat Elite features a two player same screen co-op mode, which allows players to fight alongside one another on the same system.

GCM:

Initial screenshots of Combat Elite look amazing with lighting and shadows. Is this a true 3D game and if so, just what kind of camera control and zoom features can we expect?

Eric DeMilt:

Yes, Combat Elite is a true 3D game. It was developed using the Snowblind Studios Engine. This is the same engine developed and used for Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath. We chose not to give the player much freedom with the camera for several reasons, most importantly we wanted to create a game which looked and played well from the unique top down perspective rather than try to make both a good 3rd Person game and a strong 1st Person game at the same time. There are several places in the game where the player can use first person weapons like a sniper rifle, bazooka, or MG42 but the majority of gameplay takes place from the top down view.

GCM:

Is the game entirely outdoors or will you be able to occupy structures or take up sniper locations?

Eric DeMilt:

The game includes several interior levels, giving players a chance to experience battle in very close quarters in addition to its many exterior spaces. Interior spaces will feature a wide variety of different looks and tactical problems for the player as each building or structure can offer enemies different types of cover and widely different lanes of fire. The interior spaces in the game range from simple houses to a complex network of sewers beneath a Dutch town, a bank, hotel, and an opulent chateau used as a rest and relaxation site by German officers.

GCM:

What can gamers expect as far as authentic sound effects and musical score?

Eric DeMilt:

Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers features an extensive sound track of music composed specifically for the game by a very talented music composer, Marc Darrel www.marc-darell.com . In addition to the music specifically composed for the game we’ve spent a lot of time on the sound effects to really try to make battles come alive. One of the biggest challenges we faced was trying to capture the chaotic sound of many different automatic weapons being fired at the same time, bullet ricochets, and explosions all needed to create an immersive battle without all the sounds merging together and confusing the listener as the would in a real battle.

GCM:	As far as community support, will there be any type of map or mission editor available to build upon the core product?
Eric DeMilt:	Unfortunately Combat Elite will not feature map or mission editors. This is something we’d love to do in the future.

GCM:	Thank you again for your time! Do you have any last impressions or thoughts for our readers?
Eric DeMilt:	Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers will give players a unique, easy to pick up and play fun World War II combat experience. We hope your readers enjoy it.

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