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Thread: The Lawrence Holland Thread (LucasArts)

  1. The Lawrence Holland Thread (LucasArts)

    Lawrence Holland is the king of dogfight sims. His work set the benchmark for the genre, from WWII flight combat sims (Battlehawks 1942, Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe), to the Star Wars dogfight series (X-Wing, Tie Fighter, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter, X-Wing Alliance).

    Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe is one of my favorite PC titles ever. The breadth and variety of the game was amazing; not only could you fly U.S. and German planes, but you could fly some of the crazy experimental German fighters as well like the Flying Wing and the most technologically advanced fighter of the war, the jet-powered Messerschmidt 262. You could even fly bombing missions in a B-17, in which you had to pilot the plane, operate the bombsight, and man the guns all at the same time. The manual that came with the game was also outstanding, packed with interesting interviews and historical info (like an interview with the top Luftwaffe fighter ace and Me-262 pilot Adolf Galland).

    X-Wing, of course, was amazing beyond belief (as was Tie Fighter). The campaign mode was totally engrossing and fun. I loved how you earned a medal after every completed mission and campaign -- great idea. I never played XW vs. TF or XWA, but I heard they weren't that great.

    I don't know what Lawrence Holland is working on now, nor do I know if he's even at LucasArts anymore. Anyone care to fill me in?
    The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is always right. -Learned Hand

    "Jesus christ you are still THE WORST." -FirstBlood

  2. #2
    I enjoyed his Star Wars games.

    Holland is still at Totally Games working on some Luftwaffe-style Xbox game.

  3. Here's a news release from LucasArts about Holland's latest project.

    "Lawrence Holland single-handedly defined the fun, accessible flight action genre with his groundbreaking trilogy of World War II air combat games," says Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. "Adding the sophisticated storytelling style Holland developed for the award-winning X-wing series, this new game promises exhilarating gameplay with a rip-roaring story of adventure and intrigue. The legions of fans who have been clamoring for a new game in the vein of Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe should be very happy with this announcement."
    Sounds good to me!
    The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is always right. -Learned Hand

    "Jesus christ you are still THE WORST." -FirstBlood

  4. He also did a Star Trek Game after he made X-Wing Alliance, it was called Bridge Commander. I have the demo but i havent installed it yet, i hear the game was pretty good.

  5. Ok, I installed the Star Trek Bridge Commander Demo, and lo, it was good. So I went out and bought the game. And lo, it is good. VERY good. Feels quite abit like Alliance (not the mission type, just the feel, the way people interact.) Picard and Data make appearances. But none of that sissy exploring strange new worlds stuff. This is all about encountering new life and new civilizations, and blowing the crap out of them... gunship diplomacy. Awesome stuff. Clearly Mr. Holland knows how to make more than games about X-Wings and Tie Fighters. Imagine a game where you command a Star Destroyer? Oh god I think I just wet my pants.

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