Behind the scenes with Bob Roberts on F-16 Aggressor (1999)
Bob "De Janitor" Roberts was involved in the development of this sim and offers here some insight into the corporate machinations which can put a product on the shelves before reaching it's full potential.
❝The project was started by the swell guys at General Simulations Incorporated Ltd.
At the time, ( 1998 ) Falcon 4.0 had not made it's scheduled debut and we were banking on the fact that it would continue to be delayed. Turns out that we were right.
: )
Anyway, the primary focus of the producer and designers then was to have a top-notched Flight Model with a massive array of weaponry (There were all kinds of AGMs and such included - ALQs were to be put in with a bunch of other stuff BUT... more on that later) and at E3 1998, we had shown it off to the world.
Seems like it had caught the eye of someone in the military branch (specifics I don't know) but shortly after (May - June) , we had been told that there were issues with it's modelling and we had to remove them.
Remember the ad "Modeling so realistic that the military had asked us to remove them? " ... or words to that effect? : )
Well, since all the time was really focused into making a great sim starting with the Flight Model, one can imagine where this is going - and yes, another Sabre Acewas born. To make matters worse, Electronic Arts had then acquired Westwood and the rest of VIE's products (Oct) and lineups.
... because we have Janes Combat Simulations and acquired further rights for the scheduled "Recoil" from Zipper Interactive. ( If you remember, Recoil was already in the OEM market via Diamond's MonsterSound MX300 package FIRST and EA didn't release it till a couple of months later...)
Going back to F-16 Aggressor, we had been sold out, and word came from the top ...
Sorry - but we've got to finish this tomorrow.
Understand that there wasn't much of a choice as the company had some internal financial struggles (not directly VIE but the parent company Viacom if I remember right) while General Simulations Incorporated Ltd.had other titles like Wings Of Destiny in the works.
Without further funding and with the urgency or a massive worldwide re-organization of the company (hundreds of folks were given pink slips so to say) so that there could be a MBO (Management Buy-Out), the project ceased and not too long after, General Simulations Incorporated Ltd.had disbanded.
: (
❞
