GS: How much variety will there be in the missions, and how will the game break down in terms of playtime?
PG: In each mission there will be encounters in the air (airdrop) and on land. Most missions cover an enormous area (measured in miles), although you will not cover every square inch of the operation area. We are still playing around with mission objectives--the current thinking is, going into a drop, the player will have intelligence and a mission, but the specifics of that mission only reveal themselves as you move about the world. For example, discovering a German communications center will fill in a subobjective in your log book and mission screen.
So to that extent, missions will be dynamic--the player will have good intel going in, but will only get the full dimension of the mission as they engage and recon. The encounters will be varied to suit the Airborne subject matter.
GS: What can you tell us about the "jump," and how it will affect your experience in the game?
PG: We're going for as seamless an experience as possible, from the airfield briefing to the plane, to the jump itself. As a player, you control everything a soldier would control--the actual exit from the plane, and the drop from that point forward. From the air, you will likely be able to see every objective in the operation, but the extent to which you can reach them will depend upon your exit point and the altitude of the jump.
Apart from that, it is entirely up to the player to read the battlefield beneath him. He can go for a tower for sniping opportunities, steer after his squad to rally quickly on the ground, land in the heart of his primary objective for a direct (and usually extremely difficult) assault, land on rooftops, crash through windows, in alleys, on top of walls, and on and on. The entire space is playable.
