"Ben Lesnick hosts this retrospective series looking back at the games that have built a legacy and inspired the latest installment from Chris Roberts - Star Citizen.
Chris and Technical Design Assistant (aka Level Designer) Robert Irving t"
In the first episode of the RSI Museum, Chris Roberts and Rob Vine, both veterans of the game Strike Commander released 20 years ago, discuss their roles in the project. Chris was the project director and lead programmer, along with Jason Templeman. Rob served as the technical design assistant and worked on game flow and map layouts. Strike Commander was a flight simulator game set in a futuristic world where corporations controlled mercenary squadrons. It continued the tradition of cinematic games established by Wing Commander.
The inspiration for Strike Commander came from movies like Top Gun and the idea of rival squadrons with conflicting principles. The game featured characters resembling well-known actors, with plans to have Mel Gibson voice the lead character. Strike Commander introduced real-time 3D texture mapping, a revolutionary feature at the time. The development process was challenging, involving long hours and a longer-than-expected development timeline of two and a half years. Despite the hardware requirements, the game received positive feedback for its immersive flight simulation.
Strike Commander had a realistic flight model, which surprised some Wing Commander players who were expecting an arcade-style game. The development team aimed to make the game fun while also accurate. They conducted extensive research on aircraft and missiles to ensure authenticity. One of the game’s biggest innovations was the use of texture 3D models instead of pre-rendered bitmaps. This change came about when an artist named Paul Steed demonstrated the capability to model an F-16 in a 3D tool.
Although Strike Commander was set in the distant future of 2011, the team did not anticipate making games for that long. They chose that time frame to allow for a sci-fi setting without spaceships. The game’s ship party, held to celebrate the completion of the project, became legendary due to excessive drinking and wild behavior. The team’s commitment to crafting a well-polished game and their immersion-focused interface design influenced future games.
While there were no specific plans for a sequel to Strike Commander, the team did release a mission disc. The game’s realistic setting and limitations made them more inclined to explore the sci-fi realm with games like Wing Commander. Both Chris Roberts and Rob Vine expressed their satisfaction with Strike Commander and its innovative features. Despite its initial challenges and lack of recognition, the game remains a significant accomplishment in their careers.