Jane's Attack Squadron - Development - at Mad Doc

At Mad Doc

After the closure of Looking Glass, certain employees of that company moved to developer Mad Doc Software, and they hoped to complete Jane's Attack Squadron. The game's original lead designer and lead programmer were among those hired by Mad Doc. Dotted Line Entertainment, Mad Doc's agent company, secured the rights to the game's code for the team in 2001. Development commenced shortly afterward. In August of that year, it was reported that the Jane's Information Group license had been obtained by Xicat Interactive, and that the company planned to publish Mad Doc's revival of Jane's Attack Squadron. The full details of the agreement were announced at that year's European Computer Trade Show, where it was revealed that Jane's Attack Squadron would focus heavily on air-to-ground combat. According to Mad Doc's Tim Farrar, "Our goal wasn't to create a completely new game, it was to complete the game that was started at LG." Farrar noted that, although the company "trimmed some of the more ambitious features", Jane's Attack Squadron was effectively "the same game" created by Looking Glass. As with Flight Combat, the game features one million square miles of terrain, planes with individually modelled moving parts and a physics-based damage system.

In October 2001, the game was officially announced in a press release by Mad Doc. Steve Nadeau, the lead designer of the game at both development studios, said that he looked forward to polishing Jane's Attack Squadron and "giv it a new life". He believed that the team was "very excited" to finish the game, a sentiment later echoed by the game's producer, David Halpern. According to Nadeau, the presence of members of the Looking Glass team ensured that it would "closely reflect our original vision of the game: an action-packed World War II air combat simulation accessible to users of all skill levels". Farrar announced that the team's mission and physics editors would be released alongside the game, which he hoped would generate interest among players. Farrar later commented that, because of the game's physics-based damage system and individually modelled components, wings could be shot off and fuel tanks detonated. He also explained that coolant tanks could be hit, giving the pilot a limited amount of time before the plane engine overheated. He wrote that losing a wing tip meant "a bumpy ride", but the loss of the tail caused the plane to "spin into the ground". Jane's Attack Squadron went gold in March 2002, and was released that month.