GameSpot News recently caught up with John Garcia, founder of NovaLogic Inc., the developer and publisher of the recently released Comanche Gold and the upcoming Delta Force PC titles.

　　We asked Garcia to tell us what he thought of the offerings at E3 and also what kind of progress his company was making with the design and implementation on NL's unique multiplayer/multigame fighting terrain called Integrated Battle Space (IBS). The IBS allows players of various NovaLogic flight sims to go up against each other in the same online environment.

　　GameSpot News: When you walked the E3 show floor, what caught your eye? Did you see any leaps in technology that just amazed you?John Garcia: What I noticed primarily while walking around the E3 show floor this year was the large volume of very competent titles. This is quite different from past E3s when a tremendous range existed from good to bad products. Many products were generally good solid games. Even though exhibitors did not seem to unveil any new innovations in technology, I noticed that game publishers are becoming more and more proficient in optimizing their products for 3D hardware.

　　I was very impressed with Falcon 4.0 when Gilman Louie demonstrated it for me. In addition to NovaLogic's F-16 Viper, the heir to Falcon 3 is the only flight sim that really stood out from the rest at E3. Fortunately for us and MicroProse, the two products don't compete in the same space. Falcon 4.0 is a huge, deep flight sim that focuses on mission development and strategic issues and will appeal more to hard-core flight-sim gamers who want a very involved product. F-16 Viper will be very well received by gamers looking for an accessible flight sim that delivers the excitement and high-level action of air combat combined with the important realism features of the actual aircraft. In F-16 Viper as well as MiG-29 Fulcrum, NovaLogic is delivering much excitement to gamers without requiring them to read a huge manual or wait and practice before they can get into air battles. They are very easy to get into, yet at the same time, very accurate, as far as the flight model and instrumentation are concerned.

　　GameSpot News: What was the response on the part of gamers to NovaLogic's IBS component of NovaWorld?John Garcia: We've had overwhelming response to the IBS component of NW. The Integrated Battle Space is something that people have been wanting for over a decade. It's been promised many times by other publishers, and I'm confident that NovaLogic will be the first to deliver this multiplayer capability. Even though it was in a relatively early form at E3, show attendees saw it in action. Many people tried it and conveyed to us that it was an extremely fun gameplay experience. We're thrilled by how it was received at the show. GameSpot News: How many gamers is NovaWorld supporting now? When the IBS goes live in September, are you hopeful that you'll see a spike in usage? What sort of server requirements does this support require? Is the IBS a labor-intensive proposition for NovaLogic?John Garcia: Currently, NovaWorld is supporting thousands of users. In fact, many squadrons of NovaWorld gamers have formed throughout the world and more than 22 have actually formed their own web sites with team names, logos, and slogans. The squadrons are proof that a very important grassroots movement has evolved and is very active in the NovaWorld environment. In addition to the more than 1000 players that make up the total membership of all the squadrons, many more casual players are also enjoying NovaWorld.

　　What we've found to be somewhat surprising is that as F-22 Raptor's on-the-shelf life cycle is trending down, NovaWorld usage is consistently growing. Right now, the online gaming environment features the F-22 Raptor as the only user-controllable airplane. With the introduction of F-16 Viper and MiG-29 Fulcrum, gamers, for the first time, will be able to play these aircraft as well as F-22s in the same online arena via NovaWorld. This will allow them to experience how each plane performs, including its individual capabilities and characteristics. For all three products, we've worked with expert test pilots who have helped us authenticate how these planes should perform against each other in actual combat. NovaWorld gamers have been wanting the ability to fly different aircraft that are based on a realistic portrayal of a particular plane's capabilities. So, we expect that with the September launch of the new aircraft, capabilities and mission structures, we will not only receive a spike but a permanent increase in NovaWorld usage.

　　Currently we have about 12 servers supporting NovaWorld, and this will increase substantially in the future. The critical factor is the bandwidth where we will keep adding T1 lines as required. One of the things we have done differently from others who provide server-based gaming is that our server code is extremely stable. It can run for weeks without any attention. The servers are very robust, and we keep on adding improvements to the system. We have a full team dedicated to building new missions and creating games on an ongoing basis, and we will continue with these efforts.

　　GameSpot News: Could you ever, ever see the day when you'd build the capability into NovaLogic's IBS wherein it would support multiplayer options for non-NL games?John Garcia: At this time, we have no plans to support third parties with our server base model although the possibilities in the future are wide open. A situation could arise in the future where gamers could matchmake via NovaWorld using other manufacturers' products. This is not likely in the server-based games because it is very hard to disseminate the information to make the products compatible.

　　GameSpot News: Where do you see the future of online gaming going? John Garcia: Industry predictions about online gaming are that it will become very popular in about two years from now, and I tend to agree with those views. We are very fortunate to have experienced the learning curve as early as we have, and the result is that NovaLogic is the leader in large-scale multiplayer real-time game development. We have not just rested on our laurels. In fact, over the last nine months or so, we have accelerated our R & D commitment to online gaming. We know that in two years when online gaming fulfills its promise, NovaLogic will be on the leading edge of that movement.

　　GameSpot News: What games on the floor do you wish had been NL titles?John Garcia: There were many great games, but if I had to choose one that I would have liked on NovaLogic's lineup, it would be Deer Hunter. What game publisher wouldn't want that title in their lineup?

　　GameSpot News: Where do you see the breakthroughs coming in computer gaming in the next two to five years, technology or gameplay-creative and storytelling?John Garcia: We will see technology as less of a differentiator. While there are still great steps to be taken in the area of networking, we are seeing a more level playing field in the imaging area due to the widespread use of 3D cards. The biggest challenge is and always has been creating the best gameplay. While it is important to stay on the leading edge of technology and imaging, gameplay will always be number one

　　GameSpot News: Thanks John