Full Spectrum Warrior confirmed for PC

THQ today confirmed what had been hinted at as far back as E3 last May--Full Spectrum Warrior is indeed coming to the PC.

Developer Pandemic Studios, the creator of Battlezone and Dark Reign II for the PC, is currently hard at work on the Xbox version of the game, which is scheduled for release sometime next year.

The title of the game recalls the intensive military training of the same name: bringing soldiers to train in desert, arctic, and jungle environments to experience a "full spectrum" of battlefields.

The developer has already completed work on its initial project, a hardcore military simulation that is already actively being used by the US Army to train its soldiers in field tactics. Full Spectrum Warrior is actually a slightly less-punishing version of the Army's game and will be made available to the public on the Xbox and, as we've learned, also on the PC.

Today we received more details on the upcoming game and the differences between the PC and Xbox versions from the game's director, Wil Stahl.

GameSpot: We know that Full Spectrum Warrior will be adapted from a much more realistic and exacting simulation used by the US Army. Will the PC version of the game stress more of this realism over the Xbox version?

Wil Stahl: No, both versions will be essentially identical in that respect.

GS: What plans are in place for PC multiplayer? Will the game be playable from central servers, or will players be able to use peer-to-peer online connections?

WS: That decision hasn't been made yet.

GS: Are there any plans to release a toolset or allow for mod-makers to make their own modifications to the game?

WS: Currently, there are no plans to release an external toolset.

GS: Are there any other significant differences between the two versions of the game you'd like to discuss?

WS: The biggest difference between the two versions will be in the controls. Moving from a console-controller interface to a keyboard and mouse presents some challenges for us. In the PC version, how you move the camera and select individual soldiers may be very different than the Xbox version. It's difficult to say right now.

GS: We've heard that the PC version of the game will be released some months after the Xbox version of the game. Any estimate on a possible release date?

WS: Not at this time. We are very busy trying to finish up the Xbox version and free up some time to work on the PC version.

GS: Thanks, Wil.