Delta Force: Black Hawk Down - Q&A

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Normaal gezien konden we jullie 2 exclusieve in depth interviews voorschotelen i.v.m. Black Hawk Down, maar blijkbaar is er in de hoofdkantoren van Novalogic USA een speciale eenheid van de Amerikaanse troepen binnengevallen die al onze nieuwsgierige vragen niet zo opportuun vonden en vreesden voor internationale spionage. Hoedanook, onze bondgenoot -Novalogic EU- krijgt geen teken van leven meer van hun collega's aan de overkant van de grote plas, waardoor we in afwachting van onze review jullie voorlopig zoet houden met deze Q&A sessie met Lee Van Arsdale, een Amerikaanse Ranger die nauw betrokken was bij de ontwikkeling van de titel. Veel leesplezier!

Q: How closely will Delta Force: BHD mirror the actual events? If NovaLogic are going to take some creative license, what kinds of things will be changed or added?

A: The missions are loosely based upon the missions carried out during Operation Restore Hope and those carried out by Task Force Ranger. The general mission objectives will be similar, but the tactics needed to complete the missions may be different.

Q: Obviously, parts of what happened during Operation Hope still bring out a lot of hurt and anger from Americans. How are you addressing the sensitive nature of the subject matter?

A: Firstly, the graphic violence that was depicted in both the book and the movie will not be a part of this title. Delta Force - Black Hawk Down is based on completing missions using stealth, strategy and intelligence. The use of the Subject Matter Experts (SME's) such as myself ensures that the subject can be tackled sensitively while maintaining a level of accuracy.

Q: What messages do you hope to get across?

A: One of the main points we are trying to get across is that the media's continual characterization of the Black Hawk Down events as a 'botched' mission is both incorrect and, we believe, disrespectful to those involved. The U.S. forces in Mogadishu completed their mission objectives successfully when they captured the key Somali militia leaders. It is the nature of combat that no battle plan survives first contact and that there are often casualties. Because the mission did not go according to plan and there were lives lost does not make it a failure.

Q: What kinds of things will be included in the game to make it a realistic and authentic gaming experience?

A: The input I and the other SME's have given includes advice on room clearing techniques, weapons etiquette and other basic procedure. We also advised during the Motion Capture shoot, allowing us to accurately portray character movement and reactions in the game. We were also able to offer input on the look and feel of Somalia.

Q: In the actual events, the Somali militia were surrounded by hundreds of civilians, how will the civilian issue be handled in game? Will there be penalties for killing civilians?

A: There will be no 'mobs' of Somali's in Delta Force - Black Hawk Down to shoot indiscriminately. As in a real military operation, there will be harsh penalties (mission failure) for killing civilians.

Q: Some people claim that you are making money off the blood of American Soldiers. How do you respond to that?

A: We feel that NovaLogic is one of the few companies capable of bringing this title to the public and provide a thought provoking interpretation of the missions in Operation: Restore Hope. We also believe that interactive entertainment is as legitimate form of artistic expression as books or movies.

As a way of recognizing their service and thanking them for it, NovaLogic is donating part of the proceeds from this title to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a military charity that directly benefits the Special Operations Forces community.

Meer info binnenkort in onze review. Deelnemen aan onze BHD wedstrijd kan nog steeds op deze link!