Hi
Thanks for elaborating.
I haven't much knowledge of VBS development as that is managed by BISim, a separate company from our publisher Bohemia Interactive.
A few BISim guys work in our team but that's about it.
Here's a little background that I hope can address your concern about our veteran relationships:
We began developing this title in 2017, as a full conversion DLC for Arma 3.
In January 2018 I contacted General Ken Bowra, and explained our intention to make an authentic MACV SOG simulation game which credits fully the role of indigenous troops and the airmen who supported them.
Ken immediately joined the team and has been a daily companion and adviser for us since.
His role included:
- Reviewing weapons, equipment, LBE, packs, uniforms, headgear, vehicles to ensure authenticity in our designs.
- Issuing us with many photographs from his collection, includingregularly taking photos of equipment and weapons in his collection. this included a lot of bring-back gear he had collected in-country.
- Suggesting ideas for mission design in the campaign
- Proofreading scripts and advising on team tactics and objectives
- Providing voiceover lines and his SOG recon plaque and quotes for the final mission
- Detailing NVA tactics and reviewing the way that the team operates in contact, and during E&E manouvers
- Radio and voice commo during recon ops
- Guiding us with motivation and leadership
We also had some early input from Major John Plaster, who provided some great insights and photos.
After about a year, Ken was joined by John Stryker Meyer (Tilt) who has now been in the project for two years carrying out the same role as General Bowra.
Tilt and Ken are both characters in the game, advising the 1-0 (RT leader) how to survive, like a narrator/ voice in the players head.
We used this kind of device because SOG guys didnt talk much on the ground, and they certainly didnt blabber about objectives on the radio.
Tilt brought us a number of aviators who flew in support of SOG.
These outstanding guys are listed on our website, and they answered many technical questions about for example the Cobra cockpit, what certain instruments did, how the weapons were operated, flying tactics, etc.
Around Jan 2020 Jim Shorten (SOG 1-0) joined the group and sent us a lot of his photos, gave advice and also became a charatcer in the game.
Don Haase (195th AHC crew chief and SOA director) joined the team around the time of SOAR in October 2020 where we presented the game to about 50 former SOG operators and airmen.
They loved it and were very warm about it and our objectives.
Walking them around FOB 1 in Phu Bai, was like a virtual reality trip to the past - one guy gasped "it was just like that!" - the sound of amazement in his voice told me we had done a good job.
We also received about 50 entertaining and enlightening quotes from former SOG guys when we put out a call for their advice to a cherry joining SOG.
These can be seen in the map loading screen.
Don has since joined our testing team and runs recon with us every weekend.
He also enjoys flying the UH1P Green Hornet "borrowed" from his units friendly rivals (the 20th SOS, who used to paint hornets on his aircraft tail in Nam when they were both opcon to CCS).
He enjoys their door-mounted miniguns, and finds relaxation and peace flying around the jungles in his right-side door gunner seat.
We've also showed game footage to several other former MACV SOG 1-0s who talk to us regularly and support this new initiative to bring younger SF to game with Nam-era SF.
One of these guys is Col Dick Thompson, who thoroughly enjoyed it, and wrote us a detailed account of how the mission made him feel.
This is important to us all as we consider how to introduce veterans to a game experience, which will inevitably awaken long forgotten memories and feelings.
Dick offers PTSD therapy to SF veterans and feels very deeply about that area.
We are now in the process of publishing some detailed interviews with these guys where we go int otheir experiences in Nam, Laos and Cambodia and we talk about their involvement in the game.
You can watch the interviews here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCww...gqJ2cliZ1yi2FA
We have the debut filmed interview with Maj Gen Bowra going live this coming Wednesday.
It is the first time he has ever been filmed discussing his military career.
He very graciously stepped out ofthe shadows for this, beacause he is very passionate about honoring the legacy of MACV SOG and the ingidenous troops he regarded as his brothers.
Ken was on the last helicopter out of Phnom Penh in 1975 and feels very strongly about that.
Here's his interview - it's not yet live but you can set a reminder t owatch it if you're interested to see this unique glimpse into MACV SOG history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN7nwwBxJzM
In a few weeks we have 2 more movies coming out - about 90mins each - featuring 4 SOG 1-0s and Don sharing their experiences in a group discussion.
Hopefully you can see why we credit these guys and the SOA on our website.
As a company we have a quite a few veterans in the team as developers and also as testers.
Veteran support is a daily issue in our gaming groups, as we have known each other socially for many years.
Just as an aside, we were asked by Steve Sherman to help Jim Moriarty and Al Broadbent with a Medal of Honor presentation for Col Paris Davis last December.
Our team worked round the clock over xmas and New Year to ensure that the presentation has enough images to reconstruct faithfully the heroic deeds of Col Davis during his fateful mission in 1965.
As a result of that presentation, the Army is reviewing the twice-lost medal of honor application.
We received a really nice personal thank you from Secretary of Defense Chris Miller for our work on that.
We pray the Army makes the right decision.
I'm happy to answer any questions you guys have, sorry if that was a bit of a long answer.
Rob
Hybrid Mode
