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Deep Analysis in a Deluge of Content It has been roughly six months since the Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (AC8) announcement Trailer at The Game Awards 2025. It was a bit of a dam breaking moment for much of our staff who grew up playing this series. Our first extensive article about AC8 is most likely the longest release on our website to date. At least until now. With the confirmed release date of Ace Combat 8 to be October 2nd, 2026, I took a few days to digest the deluge of new content spawned by the concerted media push that started at Sony State of Play 2026 and is continuing at a steady pace. I manually reviewed a ton of social media posts, articles, interviews and videos to piece together the big picture. It is likely this article could be updated if more large news comes out, but for now, let us get started. Strap in once again as we provide a deep analysis with decades of Ace Combat series experience and knowledge of real-world inspirations as context. Table of Contents About Spoilers Ace Combat Online Cross-Platform Longevity Ace Combat Zero Port Return of Ace Squadrons Series “Cherry Picking” Aircraft Technology Tree Aviation Geek Aesthetics Story Related Aircraft Restrictions Loyal Wingmen Wingman Commands Expanded Electronic Warfare Collateral Damage Land Battleship Present Day Drone Threat Ghosts High Level Promotional Campaign 8 Minutes of Clean Gameplay TL;DR Closing About Spoilers This article is being typed in a way that does not prioritize revealing new plot points of the story that have been shown in June 2026 gameplay videos. At most some new names of locations, vehicles and organizations will be mentioned for context. Ace Combat Online Multiple versions of the game were offered for pre-order. Details about different editions of the game and their digital and physical merchandise offerings to entice people to buy early were published. The Deluxe Edition Trailer provided multiple important revelations about the online multiplayer for AC8. Referred to as “Ace Combat Online”, the Steam sales page refers to it as “the most expansive multiplayer experience in franchise history”. The trailer describes this as a game mode where players will be “cooperating with and competing against players from around the world.” It sounds like it is not the basic player vs. player (PVP) offerings that center themselves on two or three game modes. Co-operative play game modes have been referred to a few times as well. Players are able to create customizable character avatars with design options you would expect to see in something like Monster Hunter. Besides clothing, the bodies of the avatar can be edited. There are at least nine options that include body type, hair color, skin color, facial hair, scars and moles, etc. Ace Combat Online avatar creation. Screenshots show groups of these avatars posing in various positions in different settings. Sales pages also mention exploring an air base with these avatars. With up to eight avatars shown, this matches up with previous information about AC8’s multiplayer supporting up to 8 players per lobby. A lobby of player avatars. Pre-order items and Battle Pass downloadable content related to Ace Combat Online include being able to “skip ahead 30 levels”, cosmetics for aircraft and cosmetics for player avatars. The FAQ section on the official Bandai Namco webpage for the game answers questions related to downloadable content, chance based purchases and loot box mechanics and gameplay enhancing items. We recommend reading them yourself, but in short: there are no paid loot boxes or randomized paid rewards. Players can view all available content and rewards before making a purchase. There are no plans to include consumable items in the game. All of that is good news for Ace Combat Online so far. Let’s hope they keep it up. The minds of many people will rush back to the multiplayer of Ace Combat Infinity (2014). To date that game still has the largest online multiplayer experience. Even its free-to-play model which required players to purchase consumable items to play for long periods of time has not stopped a large swath of fans continue to pine for it after the game’s closure in 2018. Some fans were so driven a recent unofficial revival project was able to regain access to single player and multiplayer online game modes through the use of open source tools. Ace Combat 8 has “big shoes to fill” in this aspect. I am eager to see how Ace Combat Online lands in all of this. Cross-Platform Longevity Part of Ace Combat 8’s longevity relies not only on the game being for sale on as many platforms as possible, but on its cross-platform functionality; the ability for players on all platforms to play together. Ace Combat 7 (2019) struggled with multiplayer activity about a year and a half after launch. As time goes on and games age, player populations can naturally decline, but in this case the player population being separated between PC, PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One and the limited offerings of its multiplayer game modes were the main culprit. AC8 being cross platform capable greatly increases the longevity of its multiplayer no matter what Ace Combat Online ultimately becomes. This is a smart move. F-14D Super Tomcat preparing for takeoff from an aircraft carrier. Ace Combat Zero Port A bonus for pre-ordering Ace Combat 8 is a digital copy of Ace Combat Zero (2006). This fan favorite game is frequently referred to as a part of the “Holy Trinity” of Ace Combat games released on the Sony PlayStation 2, which formed the backbone of what the Ace Combat series is today. Ace Combat 7 did something similar with a preorder bonus being a digital copy of Ace Combat 5. To be clear, these are not full-fledged remakes like how Final Fantasy VII has had in recent years. These are slightly updated versions of the original games from the 2000s. Being able to play native versions of these PlayStation 2 games is a solid hit of nostalgia and a way for an all new audience to experience retro Ace Combat titles. For people that do most of their gaming on game consoles this is the most accessible way to play these older games without needing personal computer based emulators. Return of Ace Squadrons Speaking of Ace Combat Zero, an aesthetic that the fan base loved first started in this Sony PlayStation 2 game. These were battles with notable squadrons of enemy aircraft appearing to challenge the player. Something akin to a mid-level boss fight. Higher skilled enemies with custom made aircraft liveries that have unique personalities, special dialogue, identifiable squadron numbers and their flight patches are displayed. They are introduced with brief cutscenes. Usually each ace squadron has some sort of specific fighting style as well, making the battles higher stakes than fighting the usual faceless enemies. One of many enemy Ace squadrons in the game. This is a deeply Ace Combat coded tradition that feels good to see back in action. The aesthetic of the introduction cutscenes is not vital to gameplay in the grand scheme of things, but it feels familiar and meant to be here. Series “Cherry Picking” I noticed that a myriad of features from past Ace Combat games have found themselves back into Ace Combat 8 in one form of another. While searching to see what else was being reintroduced, a PC Gamer article from a writer that attended a preview event has a few quotes from Kazutoki Kono, Ace Combat Brand Director. These helped shed light on the mindset of the Project Aces development team. While reading a comment from Kono about the reintroduction of an Ace Combat 6 game mechanic where players recapture airfields to land and resupply their aircraft mid-mission, my eyes came upon a much more important comment. Quoting Kono below: “Ace Combat 8 marking the 30th anniversary, we took this opportunity to look back and cherry pick the good elements that stood out and adapt them into this version." Ace Combat 8 feels both new and deeply familiar in many aspects. Some things we here on Skyward Flight Media have voiced concerns about, others we have praised for returning to form. The development team making it a point to go back and reincorporate as many of the “good elements” - most likely meaning the most requested and still talked about parts of past games - helps clarify their decision-making process. This seemingly passing comment from the Ace Combat Brand Director shows that they have been paying attention to what their fan base has been saying over all these years. Aircraft Technology Tree At this time I do not have a lot to say about the aircraft technology tree beyond what is already known. Thus far the aircraft roster has a decent amount of overlap with the selection from Ace Combat 7. With the A-6E Intruder and EA-6B Prowler confirmed, it does seem like there may be a few unusual aircraft added. We had hoped for the development team to have been successful in its efforts to get the licensing for Chinese and Korean manufacturers of combat aircraft, but this was unsuccessful for various reasons. EA-6B Prowler. Aviation Geek Aesthetics Some minor details about flying aircraft in Ace Combat 8 are the types of things that only aircraft enthusiasts would appreciate. First, as aircraft are frequently used they visibly get dirty. Dark spots and streaks gather across all surfaces of the aircraft. While players deliberate their aircraft and weapon selections they can also choose to have the aircraft cleaned and returned to its most near-factory mint condition. Second, there are a high volume of aircraft liveries available in the game. Many of them are customizable with vibrant colors and interesting camouflage as a base. Assuming this level of aircraft customization at least follows the the same offerings the last game had, players should also be able to add custom tail codes, logos and other designators. This is something that would go over particularly well in how players express themselves in Ace Combat Online. Finally, there are optional external fuel tanks / drop tanks. Normally these extend the flight ranges of real world aircraft by providing more fuel to burn while in flight. In a series like Ace Combat they do not mean much. With there being no real threat of aircraft running out of fuel, these drop tanks can be equipped purely for visual flair. They can also be jettisoned in combat by long pressing the special weapon select button. Ace Combat 7 (2019) officially introduced this functionality with its TOP GUN: Maverick Aircraft Set downloadable content set. Players who modded their PC versions of the game are able to expand which aircraft can carry these fuel tanks and jettison those as well. Story Related Aircraft Restrictions Now this could be controversial. It is too early to call it for certain, but let’s discuss what we know. Something we have seen few others bring up has been discussed in a first impression video (timestamped) from Chloe, a game focused variety content creator. During their preview of the game, they saw two options in Free Mission - a game mode where players can play any mission at any time with any aircraft they’ve unlocked. The description of the Story Based mission option is telling: “Start a story-based mission from the aircraft carrier hangar. As in the story, only carrier aircraft can be used.” The description of the second option, With Obtained Aircraft, gives more information: “Starts a mission from a ground hangar. You can use any of the aircraft you have obtained. Some cinematic scenes have been omitted from this gameplay.” This feels kind of risky. There is a reason I feel like that. If aircraft are restricted during the single player campaign it would ensure consistency of setting, storytelling and all cinematics. Allegedly, Project Aces has created a 25-hour long story this time around with players operating from an old aircraft carrier pressed into service by the crumbling Federation of Central Usea military in the face of an overwhelming invading enemy from the Republic of Sotoa. In this case the restriction would limiting users to only using aircraft carrier based fixed-wing fighters. This would protect the story’s presentation and keep all aircraft relevant to the story. In some official videos and content creator previews there are story related scenes showing the characters at land bases with aircraft in shelters. So, it is possible that players may still have the chance to fly land-based aircraft from time to time. But other screenshots from Bandai Namco could also be purely from Free Flight or Free Mission mode. Examples of aircraft launching from land bases. This makes me think back to a few Ace Combat games have dictated the player’s aircraft selection for story related reasons for varying periods of time. In Ace Combat 04 (2001), there was a chance for a minor cutscene to be missed if players were not flying an F-4E Phantom II with unguided bombs during mission 1. That is pretty minor, but that is a cutscene that can be omitted because of player aircraft selection. The first four missions of the Ace Combat 5 (2004) campaign restricted players to the starter aircraft to emulate the scenario of non-stop combat within the first days of a war breaking out. After that first set of missions players could fly any aircraft they unlocked for the rest of the story. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2011) tied groups of pre-selected aircraft to specific story related missions to allow for its storytelling to land correctly. In these situations, players could not use the entire aircraft roster or aircraft they unlocked. Historically this caused lasting mixed reactions. More information about the aircraft selection options of AC8’s single player campaign is needed before passing judgement, but this is noteworthy. I hope that if they do this again, they will emulate the approach of Ace Combat 5. During the early missions of the story where players are onboard the carrier aircraft are locked for that phase, but as the war progresses and land is retaken, new land air bases will open up the entire aircraft roster for the majority of the story. I am fingers-crossed about this one. Loyal Wingmen This isn’t just Tasha posting, hear me out (IYKYK). From the initial tranche of media, it is clear that the first-person point of view story driven narrative will bring players closer to their virtual wingmen than any of the past games have. An entire campaign of first-person point of view human level interactions like walking into briefing rooms, having lunch together, optional discussions between missions and so on is the type of stuff that really builds lasting attachments to characters. Sure, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2011) did something similar for a handful of cutscenes, but the nature of those cutscenes seems different from what Ace Combat 8 is doing. Radio chatter during combat is one thing, a few minutes of cutscenes showing the characters interacting with each other is another. Though even in some of the missions that have been previewed, members of the player’s flight have personal connections to enemy units that were recently allies. Another member of the flight shows calm hesitation in being pressed into a war and sometimes speaks out loud the process of preparing an aircraft for combat as a way to get themselves into the mindset for battle. Project Aces has mentioned that AC8 may have the most voice acting within it compared to past titles. Perhaps more interpersonal details can be found there. Allied characters from Ace Combat 8. The single player campaign of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve allegedly being 25 hours long makes me think of games like the Metal Gear Solid series. Plenty of gameplay and long storytelling sequences. Equal parts playing a game and watching a movie. Series sweetheart Ace Combat 5 (2004) is remembered for this fondly as its campaign did feel like more of a linear movie with heavy focus on story telling. We are interested in seeing how a flight shooter can have such a long story without falling into a cycle where the mission variety compared to frequency of cutscenes needs to be in a fine balance to avoid feeling like the experience is dragging a bit. Wingman Commands “Somehow, the Unsung War Returned”. Speaking of Ace Combat 5, gameplay footage has confirmed that the wingmen management system within Ace Combat 8 is one of the most detailed attempts at it within the series history. It arguably has even more utility than its direct progenitor, Ace Combat 5. Returning players would be quick to recognize the signs of the wingman aircraft purchase system signified by the little number (4) next to each aircraft: Calling back to and expanding the system introduced in Ace Combat 5, AC8 allows players to select the aircraft and weaponry their three wingmen fly per mission. Coupled with the ability for some aircraft to equip two special weapons (secondary weapons) alongside the default aircraft gun and Standard Missiles, the flight of four aircraft can carry diverse capabilities. To support the player’s own efforts, other aircraft in the flight could be configured in many ways. Depending on mission objectives, some wingmen can be configured to prioritize a specific weapon type while others carry a mixture. It is a great chance to make allied aircraft more combat effective than they have been in past games. With wingman commands now formally confirmed, we know that players can order aircraft in their flight to attack targets near them, defend the player, disperse to find their own targets and toggle whether or not they can use their special weapons. Wingman commands highlighted with yellow arrows. This flexibility comes with the requirement that the player purchases every aircraft and weapon first. If you are looking to steamroll missions with a flight of 5th generation fighters, you better have the credits for it! In the meantime, the flight will be using what has been purchased by the player. Expanded Electronic Warfare With the aircraft tech tree including somewhere between 30 to 40 aircraft split into roles like attacker, fighter and multirole, it is the dedicated Electronic Warfare category that gathers most of my interest. This is mainly because of how Ace Combat has portrayed electronic warfare throughout its history. A few videos have shown that the wingmen can equip both electronic counter measure pods to disrupt hostile guided weapons and electronic support measure pods to enhance allied guided weapon capabilities. EA-18G Growler EW aircraft (foreground, left) with jammer pods supporting an allied aircraft (background, right). Similar to the multiplayer lobbies of Ace Combat Infinity (2014) and Ace Combat 7 (2019), players having this type of area of effect electronic warfare on demand throughout an entire single player campaign sounds wonderful. Though, there is at least one funny anecdote from the preview event. The capabilities on a single aircraft with ESM and/or ECM were immensely powerful. Some players at a preview event equipped all of their computer wingmen with multiple ESM and ECM pods which had a significant impact on gameplay. This was something that allegedly not even the Project Aces developers had not expected. It sounds like there is a chance these systems may go through some adjustments before the game’s release later this year. Collateral Damage In AC8 the types of collateral damage that are possible has greatly increased. Chain reaction destruction is seen in a preview mission where unmarked fuel facilities in a military harbor can be destroyed by players. The subsequent fireballs destroyed anything within their range. Entire warships could be lost without dropping a bomb on them. The biggest form of collateral damage can be seen in battles against the Podarge; massive flying boat style transport aircraft seen in the game trailers. As players damage these aircraft pieces of their wings and fuselage break off. These tumbling pieces have a chance to strike other aircraft and knock them out of the sky. The wing of a Podarge (top left) striking a second Podarge (center, right). Other collateral damage can be seen when attacking ground targets. In a particular mission entire buildings collapse and affect how the mission proceeds. The undisputed king of buildings and aircraft being ripped apart continues to be Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2011). This game made visceral destruction a core part of its identity. There were many set piece dogfight sequences that thrusted players between buildings at supersonic speeds ripping aircraft to shreds with guns and missiles while oil covered the player’s point of view. The slogan “Make Metal Bleed” still encapsulates the concept. Ace Combat 7 (2019) modestly brought some of this destruction back, but it seems like Ace Combat 8 will move the bar a bit higher in a more meaningful way. Land Battleship Every Ace Combat game has unbelievable, memorable super weapons. The types of vehicles and structures that define science fiction thrillers and as the fan base will tell you, Japanese animated series. From the end game flying fortress of Air Combat (1995) to the 350 meter long Scinfaxi-class ballistic missile submarines of Ace Combat 5 (2004) to the ultimate showdown of superweapons between an Arsenal Bird unmanned airborne aircraft carrier and the last railgun of spaceguard turret network Stonehenge in Ace Combat 7 (2019). These titan-like opponents are defining features of the series. In the previews for Ace Combat 8, the super weapon is not the Podarge transports that look similar to the massive airborne command cruisers and flying aircraft carriers dotted throughout the Ace Combat series. Players are instead being opposed by the Tarpan-class Land Battleship. Another first for this series. A Tarpan-class Land Battleship. In Ace Combat 8, these massive “warships” share a shape similar to the dreadnaughts from World War I and II. While on land the Land Battleships drive on massive continuous track treads, larger than many semi-trucks and buses, to push the attack further inland. According to specification data seen in a mission briefing, these Land Battleships are equipped with pump jets. A marine propulsion system widely used on naval vessels. This would mean that they can sail the oceans to reach land then deploy sets of tracks to go ashore. While on land the Land Battleships drive on massive continuous track treads, larger than many semi-trucks and buses, to push the attack further inland. The tops of these Land Battleships prominently feature triple barrel railgun turrets for massive barrages, smaller double barrel railguns for air defense, flak guns, surface-to-air missile launchers and close-in weapon systems. It is the type of unit that is perfectly suited for a series of “boss fight” style missions. If that isn't enough there are other amphibious warships like the Land AEGIS which act as escorts. Turrets of a Land Battleship turning to target incoming aircraft. Franchises are somewhat hard pressed to make such a lavish concept work without a little eyebrow raising. There have been older intellectual properties that have explored the land battleship concept. Video games like Sky Target (1995), Sidewinder F (2002) and Airforce Delta Strike (2004). The most recent high-profile example is Project Wingman (2019). The Land Battleship concept is outrageous enough to fit into an Ace Combat game, but only just so. Perhaps the decades of equally elaborate boss-style enemies has made this more palatable. I do not have any deep dislike for the Tarpan Class Land Battleships, they were just… completely unexpected! What a choice. Maybe what I am feeling is something like shock? Present Day Drone Threat As always the Project Aces team gives a mixture of sci-fi wonder weapons with strangely prescient present-day technology. While liberal deployment of railguns and directed energy weapons is something that is still nowhere near the level of the Ace Combat series, AC8 is introducing the latest real world airborne vehicles that have shaken up both civilian and military aviation. Anyone that has kept up with the state of aviation in armed conflicts knows that “drones” - unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - have reshaped the concept of warfare. In the real world, since the first large-scale deployment of drones during the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 and through conflicts still raging in 2026, UAVs have evolved and been embedded in every part of an armed conflict you can think of. From the size of traditional reconnaissance aircraft to palm-sized first-person view drones that can find a single soldier on the battlefield have reshaped decades of conventional warfare tactics. In Ace Combat, drones have mainly been represented by fixed-wing aircraft sized vehicles playing on the concept of unmanned aircraft eventually replacing human pilots. Something we have spoken about at length. Swarm Drones in action. According to in-game dialogue from AC8, Mission 09, each Land Battleship has 3D printing facilities built into them. They use raw materials to rapidly produce quadcopters, interceptor UAVs, and Swarm drones; insect-like clouds of small drones flying together as though they are swarms of insects. In game the Swarm drones can block incoming weapons to defend the Land Battleships and can damage player aircraft if they make physical contact with them. Quadcopter UAVs launch to attack land forces that attempt to get in close to the amphibious warships as well. In the real world, fighter-sized unmanned aircraft are only recently reaching technological capabilities to attempt the familiar dogfighting against drones we expect from Ace Combat. So, it's somewhat ironic that with the newest game coming to the Ace Combat series has only now adopted the most common form of drone warfare. Overall, this is good to see. Ghosts I’m sorry, what? Using surface level story information, it is well known that the player will be flying as a stand-in for the deceased Ace pilot named Jan “Rex” Cope. Also known as the Wings of Theve. As the player flies anonymously under the persona of the late ”Rex”, there are moments within gameplay where the ghostly voice of the deceased Jan Cope is commenting on the player's actions or and giving their thoughts on events as they happen. As though his ghost is sentient and will accompany the player throughout the war. Is this... haunted? Is this all just the protagonist character hallucinating? Could his ghost be bound to the helmet the protagonist wears? Two of the other Skyward FM staff members have made a few quips about “The Force” and Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077. At this time there is not much of an explanation for this. Accepting the presence of Land Battleships is one thing, but ghosts? I'm not really sure what to make of this one but it feels odd. Very odd. Not too much of a fan of this concept at the moment. High Level Promotional Campaign The sudden cloud burst of media within the past few days is the result of Bandai-Namco fully executing a wide-reaching promotional campaign on the level of name brand first-person shooters and hero shooters. There are multiple parts of the strategy that came together to produce this outcome. Here are a few examples. This flurry of activity started with the Release Date Trailer at the Sony State of Play and the Deluxe Edition Trailer on June 2nd, 2026. On June 3rd a longer Walkthrough Trailer showed ample amounts of gameplay, game mechanics, character interactions and more. On June 4th, multiple content embargoes were lifted across a large amount of game news media outlets and content creators resulting in dozens upon dozens of videos of first impressions with video recorded from multiple First Look events in different countries. Picture from an AC8 preview event in France (Push Square) In France, Push Square wrote a journal about attending one of these events with many pictures and a video interview to provide visuals. As of the time this article has been posted, this is the most well documented trip to one of these preview events. In North America we know of at least two First Look events that had two different preview versions of the game. One was a press focused event and the other was an event in which a large group of select individuals were flown to Bandai Namco America headquarters in Los Angeles, California for an extended preview event. More details have been found sifting through publicly available video and social media posts. Variations between each preview build included different missions, some of them still protected by NDAs as of June 7th, 2026. There are also scattered reports of other quality of life features like complete controller remapping, options for third person chase camera point of view changes and similar settings. Details gathered from personal stories of people that attended mention exclusive merchandise, flight jackets, free airline flights and hotel stays in some cases. It is from these preview events that the current first impression videos with newly recorded gameplay footage came from. First Look Event 1. Los Angeles, California, USA. (Vinny - Vinesauce) While Bandai-Namco followed the common industry practice of providing news media outlets with early access to preview builds of the game, it is the new angle (for this series) of working with content creators on such a large-scale that is driving the buzz farther than company produced media is. The current social media and video streaming platform buzz can be traced back to programs that were announced in May 2026. These include efforts like the Ace Combat Flight Academy / Flight Club. This program leverages not only Bandai Namco Creator Collective resources but also Gamesight Inc., a performance marketing platform that leverages massive amounts of data to provide multiple solutions for their clients. These include CRM tooling to help their clients discover, target and activate the right influencers for titles. This company has worked with Bungie, Sega, Ubisoft, Capcom, Square Enix and many other familiar names within the video game industry. The creators involved come from around the world from various backgrounds using different media styles. From well-established variety streamers to devout multi-decade Ace Combat fanatics to short form content creators to virtual YouTubers. Examples of creators that joined the Flight Academy / Flight Club. Click their images to see their social media. Bandai Namco also used its other channels like their UNPAC Podcast which provided first look reactions from well-established variety content creators like Bricky, iijeriichoii and YongYea. They provide a fresh point of view not specifically tied to their long-term, consistent experience with Ace Combat while also, again, introducing the series to new audiences. UNPAC Podcast AC8 First Look ft. Bricky, iijeriichoii and YongYea. The breadth of exposure to new demographics for the Ace Combat series is staggering and highly effective. Every Ace Combat game has had the usual press run of news outlets providing online coverage and attending international game industry events. It is the direct interaction with the community of fans and content creators to further enhance promotion that is something that has not been consistent for the series until now. First Look Event 2, Los Angeles, California, USA. (Tucker) As I think back, the first notable engagement between Bandai Namco and the Ace Combat fan base would come with the run up to Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2011). Two Bandai Namco representatives worked with Ben “Sinner101GR” Strauss at E3 2011 to preview the game, conduct interviews and give the perspective of a day one Ace Combat fan towards the upcoming game. He was a notable figure within AceCombatSkies.com, a substantial Ace Combat focused English language internet forum at the time that had been a core of online activity for over 10 years. The reception of that game years after its release stunted future official company-to-community promotional interactions, though that was not a fault of the promotional events themselves. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (2019), the game credited with fully reviving the Ace Combat Series, had a higher degree of social media promotion and interaction with the international fan community in 2018 and 2019. Engagement with online social media groups and notable individual content creators that were already well versed in the Ace Combat series was their primary strategy. My perspective as a part of one of these experiences is well documented during PAX South 2019 for the premiere of Ace Combat 7 during its launch weekend which included live dogfighting tournaments. However, none of that compares to the now masterclass promotion that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is currently putting on display. 8 Minutes of Clean Gameplay We mentioned not going too hard into spoiler territory and we mean it. If you want to check out some clean gameplay by an experienced player with no commentary, no mission briefings, from a mission early in the campaign that does not reveal too much, I believe this video by VGC - Video Games Chronicles is one of the best examples. TL;DR If you are here for something like fast facts and or a concise overview, we have suggestions for you. First, skip the recent cinematic trailers and just go straight into the Walkthrough Trailer for a solid overview of how Ace Combat 8 will work and the Deluxe Trailer for information on pre-orders and multiplayer. For other detailed information about Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve as always we recommend keeping an eye on the Ace Combat Wiki at wiki.gg (not wikia) as information is verified and documented. Closing Thoughts: Awaiting Further June Updates It is going to be a long month for fans of the Ace Combat series. Even as this article has been published, new announcements for giveaways to attend events are happening. Who knows what new details will be revealed by the ongoing coordinated promotional media campaign as well? The chances this article could receive minor updates throughout this month is very possible. I and the rest of the Skyward Flight Media team are eagerly awaiting the release of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve on October 2nd, 2026. Some of us already have our pre-orders locked in and ready. No matter the positive, negative, questionable or triumphant decisions made in relation to this game, we will continue to provide our opinions grounded in our experience with this series as we eagerly await to see what the next step in such a long-standing series is. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]

New details about the largest display of military aviation in Flight Sim Expo's history Still considering tickets to FlightSimExpo 2026? Use our affiliate link! I feel like people are sleeping on what is about to happen at FlightSimExpo (FSExpo) this year. It seems like it is going completely unnoticed. As someone that has covered the expo for six years and has kept up with similar industry events, I feel driven to put more spotlight on the upcoming Combat Arena at FlightSimExpo 2026. Even more so after getting some exclusive information about the layout of this new event following a voice and video call with the CEO of Grinnelli Designs just a few days ago. General Aviation Focus In North America, FSExpo is the flight simulation event for the industry. With its first event in the year 2018, the expo has continued onward while growing exponentially every year. In less than a decade, this event has become one of the largest flight simulation focused events in the industry. I have been fortunate enough to cover the expo since 2021 as a Media Partner with Skyward Flight Media for both online only coverage and in person coverage. Seeing the event change and grow from though computer screens and from the convention floor has been an experience. Something that is obvious even for first time viewers is that FlightSimExpo is an event that is centered on General Aviation. A majority of the companies there specialize in hardware, software and information related to General Aviation. This is understandable as it is the most widely used form of aviation everyone is familiar with. Civilian or government controlled, non-combat aircraft that connect people around the world, take on thrilling sightseeing adventures, provide lifesaving services, support the global economy, maintain national infrastructure, mitigate natural disasters and so forth. FSExpo is a great place to try full size 1:1 flight deck simulators for widebody airliners, go hands on with highly specialized hardware like Tiller systems and try out highly detailed simulators built around virtual reality headsets. Military Aviation Representation Military aviation has primarily been represented by hardware manufactures producing hands on throttle and stick control systems, up front controllers, multifunction displays and similar hardware needed to enhance the experience of flying simulated combat aircraft. Developers of virtual combat aircraft team up with these manufactures to provide their simulators combined with simpits mainly using that manufacture's hardware to give expo attendees a chance to try out high level simulation of a high-fidelity military aircraft. In recent memory, at FSExpo 2025 manufacturer WINCTRL (formerly in WinWing) and Eagle Dynamics partnered together to preview the Eagle Dynamics MiG-29A Fulcrum for Digital Combat Simulator using a simulator in the WINCTRL booth. Similarly, the Aerovector Jet Team was present at the Thrustmaster booth even letting a few convention goers fly their exclusive Boeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk advanced jet trainer. Aerovector Jet Team T-7 Red Hawk at the Thrustmaster booth (FSExpo 2025). WinWing simpits with Eagle Dynamics demonstrating the F-16CM and MiG-29A preview. (FSExpo 2025). There are also cases of vendors being standalone companies that are presenting their own combat simulators to the public, like Combat Pilot by Entropy.Aero and Scramble: Battle of Britain by Slitherine Games did last year. Combat Pilot booth with two simpits (FSExpo 2025). The Grinnelli Designs booth at FSExpo 2025 was extremely notable as it was a booth steeped in a military aviation theme with real world artifacts with a virtual reality capable flight sim rig showing a preview version of their upcoming F-100D Super Sabre. Attendees could hop into the simulator and fly a few short scenarios. This was one of the first large scale booths focused on combat aircraft not under a partnership with a hardware manufacturer. The Combat Arena The impact of the Grinnelli Designs booth must have been more impactful than many expected as a new effort to create a unique space for military aviation at FlightSimExpo 2026 has been well under way. The Combat Arena was first announced in a FSExpo press release on February 26th, 2026. Joe Grinnelli, CEO of Grinnelli Designs (GD), gave a statement in that press release: “In partnership with industry leaders who share our passion for aviation and immersive simulation, we’re planning a dynamic lineup of events designed to engage and excite attendees throughout the weekend." [...] “Highlights include a head-to-head air combat competition, team operations, airshow-style performances, and more—with great prizes available to be won.” This immediately piqued my interest. As I waited for more information about this event to be made public, an opportunity to ask questions about it directly was presented while Skyward Flight Media gained access to a preview build of the F-100D Super Sabre for Digital Combat Simulator by Grinnelli Designs. While in a voice call with the GD development team on May 29th, 2026, Joe Grinnelli was kind enough to show the initial build of what the combat arena will look like. Both in some simple 3D images and by showing us live video from the GD Workshop. While I cannot show any screenshots or video from that preview, I can describe what I saw, what was discussed and my thoughts on it all. FSExpo 2026 floor plan. Click to see webpage. Using the floorplan for FSExpo 2026, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Combat Arena is central to the expo. It is quite literally in the middle of the expo floor. If I had to describe the overall look of the Combat Arena, I would say it is the GD 2025 booth scaled up quite a bit. Camouflage netting, military themed furnishings, half scale models of AIM-9 Sidewinders hanging from the camouflage canopy, museum style artifacts related to the Super Sabre, new merchandise and similar items. Of the newer additions mentioned a physical barrage balloon filled with helium is also going to be tethered to the booth for an extra bit of flavor. Grinnelli Designs FlightSimExpo 2025 booth. Not completely representative of the Combat Arena at FSExpo 2026. The core of the Combat Arena is four simpits split into pairs by a central dividing wall. There are two simpits on each side of the wall. The dividing wall itself holds computers designed by DarkFusion Systems for the simpits, has mounted screens and smoke machines. As players eject or are shot down while flying in the simulators, the smoke machines will activate firing bursts of smoke to coincide with the action. The GD team put together some custom code to make all of that happen.
I was unable to take stock of what exactly was going to be seen in the museum style pieces that are being brought to the expo this year, but it did look like there were new artifacts to fill out the booth and increase the atmosphere of the location. Alongside sessions for people to fly single ship to just try out aircraft, there are scenarios planned for player vs. player matches and cooperative gameplay scenarios. When I hear "team operations" my mind immediately thinks of player vs environment style missions. Like up to four players working together to survive in a dogfight against many NPC aircraft or a Wild Weasel style mission where multiple F-100Ds work together to find, fix and suppress a surface-to-air missile site. I do not have any information on which aircraft may or may not be available or what the combat scenarios are, but it is only natural to assume the Super Sabre will be there during such an important weekend. F-100D attacking a SA-3 Goa SAM site. The Grinnelli Designs team has prepared trophies to be used for different achievements. While not stated specifically during our call, most likely a scenario like someone who won a dogfighting tournament receives a trophy to take home. The size of the trophies varied with the larger one being about the same height as the average cordless drill. When I asked about the airshow-style performances I immediately assumed that the Aero Vector Jet Team would be involved due to the proximity of the Thrustmaster booth and some other minor details I know of. I was surprised to hear that the GD team themselves has a plan to fly air demonstrations. Even in the online virtual airshow circuit that has existed for quite some time, it is unusual to have the developers themselves fly airshow routines. That is definitely something to look forward to. Who exactly the mentioned "industry leaders" partnering together the make the Combat Arena possible has not been confirmed in publicly accessible information yet, but with big names like Moza, Thrustmaster and WINCTRL there you can bet the hardware quality is going to be good. Joe Grinnelli will personally be driving a box truck full of all equipment needed for the Combat Arena from the company's workshop to FlightSimExpo. It doesn't get more personal than that! The Combat Arena at FlightSimExpo 2026 is going to be quite the sight to see. There is a great chance that this arena could inspire some sort of reoccurring section of FSExpo going forward which would provide an even higher level of military aviation being a permanent fixture at the event. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]

Our introduction to Pimax comes in a place where every setting is possible. What better place to start? See the bottom of this article for information about our Pimax Collaboration. Early User Adjustment Period As Skyward Flight Media starts our collaboration with Pimax utilizing the Pimax Crystal Super Ultrawide (PCS Ultrawide) we immediately slide into the classic adjustment period that comes with any new piece of hardware. Whether it is calibrating a new head tracking software or mapping controls on a brand new throttle quadrant, there are always those initial teething issues. No matter the quality of the device, it is just a natural human part of getting a new product you know? You have to learn it a bit. Skyward staff member “KOSMOS” is the user of the headset throughout this collab. He has owned a Valve Index with Base Stations since January 2022 and is very much used to everything about it. Adjusting to a different VR headset after so many years has been a notable part of the experience. It is not that the PCS Ultrawide is too complicated to set up to start playing. Between the instructions provided within the packaging and the all-important Pimax Play software designed to support Pimax virtual reality headsets, installation is about as straightforward as it can get if you follow the prompts. Pimax Play software screenshots. For a standard user, they can probably get started playing VR games within 30 minutes of getting the headset plugged in and the installer wizard completing installation. There is little extra adjustment that needs to be done to experience the staggering high-quality display of a Pimax Crystal series headset that cannot be done within the Pimax Play software. The Challenge of Recording in Ultra Wide In terms of content creation, there has been one consistent hurdle throughout this process: recording in ultra wide in a way that shows visual clarity and wide field of view (FOV). The Pimax Crystal Super Ultrawide has a 140° horizontal field of view with eye tracking based dynamic foveated rendering. KOSMOS has said multiple times that the headset’s clarity is so good he can read the small text on walls up to twice the distance away from where he normally would. While the human eye can take all this in and appraise the experience, we were not expecting the process of trying to portray the experience with video recording to be such a hurdle. Even in the most frequently viewed tutorials for recording in wide screen there are mentions of using a multitude of software cobbled together with OBS extensions and what not. That or accepting compromises where a video recording is only done from a single eye for the sake of prioritizing visual fidelity while sacrificing the wide FOV that defines the PCS Ultrawide. In the year 2026, where wide aspect ratio monitors have existed since the late 2000s, there does not seem to be an easy to use “out of the box” solution for recording in these immersive FOVs. This isn’t even a Pimax specific thing - it seems to be more of a general state of technology around wide screens sort of thing. Both flatscreen and in virtual reality. Be that as it may, we still wanted to try to capture the FOV first and foremost. We recalled the old ‘Oculus Mirror method’ and set out to reproduce that method. Using the Display VR View function in Steam, we were able to output a standalone window to show as much of the FOV the user sees as possible from both eyes at once. This recording method requires that one eye be the dominant eye for recording. The media we captured does show a partially unblended area close to the left side of the screen - or near the left eye. Even in this configuration the full 140-degree FOV is not completely captured, but enough of the FOV is made available to more accurately demonstrate just how much the user sees. Why VRChat? We immediately loaded up as many games as possible to find the right settings for playing and recording with the PCS Ultrawide. Admittedly, we started to get a bit lost in trying to make some type of elaborate list of ideal settings. Instead of that, we decided to settle on one title to start with. To familiarize ourselves with the process of making performance related adjustments and figuring out what our minimums and maximums are while learning how to utilize the Pimax Play software. VRChat players listening to a briefing before a flight world playtest. (Non-VR desktop screenshot) The most notable part of VRChat as a platform is the overwhelming variety of experiences you can have. While we are known for coverage of VRChat Aviation, we are not always just flying high and fast every time we log on. We spend a decent amount of time on the ground or at sea or in space or in liminal spaces… well you get the idea. We just do not normally talk about them here. This time around we have decided to choose a mixture of visually stunning “static” worlds with no vehicles and a few flight worlds to introduce ourselves to the new wide FOV while in flight. There are very few places outside of VRChat that you can do this without having to load up a few different games. Side 1: Fine Tuning in Lavish Landscapes VRChat is primarily known for its social hub experiences and game worlds. Evenings of chatting up random people from around the planet in The Great Pug or just committing to the latest platform wide viral hit game like FISH! was recently (over 20,000 fish, gotta catch’em all). Then there are places that, let us call them the “Power Users” of VRChat, go to express themselves. People who invest time and money to create their own custom avatars and or personas to represent themselves as one-of-a-kind individuals. These are often referred to as “Photography Worlds”. Unlike the light weight file size Worlds designed to provide a decent experience that can be accessible on standalone devices like a Meta Quest 3 without PC connection, these worlds prioritize graphics over accessibility and file size. Expect to download hundreds of megabytes just to look good in bespoke scenery! Between recording in such a wide FOV and the heavy computing load of these worlds at higher graphical settings, there were some that had noticeable hitching even while walking. This gave us a chance to further fine tune things specifically for VRChat. What is not shown in the media above is KOSMOS’ executable of VRChat crashing due to Skyward staff requests to crank up various in-game settings to maximum just to see what would happen. As we said earlier, just trying to find out what our maximum performance settings are. After a restart into VRChat desktop mode to adjust settings to our now established parameters, it was time to get into world hopping to see what the Pimax Crystal Super Ultrawide could really do. Taking time to walk through Photography worlds with a standard VR headset is one thing, but doing so with the wide FOV changes the experience. Something akin to going from observing a single painting on an easel to viewing an entire section of an art gallery at once with enough clarity to notice all their fine details. Seeing more of the landscape all at once further pulls the experience together. Side 2: A New View of VRCAviation From casually buzzing around the newly uploaded and recently updated flight worlds to helping organize flight community wide events like the recent Flight Hop, we do a lot of flying in VRChat. Instead of flying straight into a full instance of player vs. player fire breathers in one of the more popular worlds, we chose to gather the Skyward team together for a few private sessions in other places. ‘KOSMOS’ is one of Skyward’s most consistent airshow pilots since February 2022. He and some of our other staff members have flown airshow routines, timed performances to music and learned how to maximum perform aircraft in as little as one week as a part of the Black Aces demonstration team. Admittedly, it has been a while since we have done some precision flying like that. It was good to get back to the basics. Now with a much wider FOV. From World War II warbirds to flight sim lite modeled F-14A Tomcats. From spending some quality time with our original design aircraft and worlds to deep space mining operations in an asteroid field. At the end of our first Pimax focused sessions we asked KOSMOS how he was feeling about his first flights with the ultrawide field of view: “In VRChat, the wide FOV in turn causes more to be rendered at all times. It can be resource intensive and cause noticeable overall lower FPS while in photography heavy worlds. VRChat is known for being rather resource intensive in general with worlds and loading player avatars. Following the standard practices to manage graphics quality within VRChat per user experience should be followed as always. During the initial testing we intentionally increased graphics settings in VRChat to levels I do not normally use. Adjusting VRChat’s graphics down to my usual setting range recovered some frames."
"Generally the FPS I had flying around VRChat flight worlds were between 30 to 50 frames. There was not enough hitching in most of the places we were flying in to make the experience unusable or enjoyable. During flight the wide FOV was great for monitoring flight instruments and general situational awareness improvements. It got me back into formation flying a bit faster, but I’m still adjusting to the design of the controllers that come with the Pimax headset." "I’m interested in seeing how the wider FOV will perform in a standard flight simulator that manages graphics resources differently while I am using my physical flight simulation gear with the PCS Ultrawide.“ Next Article: Pure Flight Simulation The next article in our Pimax collaboration series will focus on a well-known flight simulator focusing on more traditional flight simulation situations where pilotage and situational awareness and key to success. See you in June 2026! Collaboration and Review Information Affiliate Links During the agreed upon review period Pimax has provided Skyward Flight Media with referral links and coupon code. ​ For the Pimax Website For the Pimax Crystal Light For the Pimax Crystal Super For the Pimax Crystal Super Sony Micro OLED For the Pimax Dream Air Discount Code: SKY25 For Dream Air ($25 USD OFF) Discount Code: SKY For All Headsets (2% OFF) with free $150 Accessories Voucher. Offer ends June 10th, 2026 Pimax Collaboration Pimax provided Skyward Flight Media with one Pimax Crystal Super Ultrawide virtual reality headset with the intention to create content and review this product. A key part of this agreement is that any content created should be a fair and unbiased representation of the product. See our webpage dedicated to this collaboration for full details, all content and affiliate links. Reviewer Background "KOSMOS" is a Skyward FM staff member that has owned or used multiple virtual reality headsets since 2017. These include the Oculus CV1, Oculus Rift S, Meta Quest 2, Bigscreen Beyond 2 and Valve Index. His key PC specs include: Intel i9-14900KF CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and 64 GB of RAM. Microsoft Windows 11. Article Format Skyward FM will write about one game/simulator per Pimax collaboration article. Besides the main focus of the article we will also discuss one or two Pimax hardware or software related points as a part of our long-term use case series.

If there is something that has been very clear about VTOL VR, and that it's the fact that there has been an increase of high-quality modded aircraft, with the F-16, A-10 and F-22 being released not that long ago to extremely good reception.
Now, the most expected mod for VTOL VR has launched and it has changed my perspective of what I think is possible within the game: The F-5 Tiger by REDFOR Studios. This mod marks a before and after for VTOL VR modding, so, let's talk about it! 3D ART AND SYSTEMS What sets this mod apart the most is its art and presentation. The main model has been immaculately made, with most of its cockpit layout and internal model being mostly based on the real F-5E layout, with some liberties taken to allow the installation of MFDs and basic VTOL VR system functionality. The textures are excellent, and the mesh fits right in within the game's art style, but with a bit more polish than usual. All the animations are done excellently, with some extra things added in not only for their coolness factor. One such example are the air deflectors that are, on themselves, a part of the very cool and iconic M39 cannon two-stage trigger system that the developers have added. It's clear that the devs poured their heart and soul into the model and its animations, not to mention the exceedingly awesome liveries made available by the developers. FLIGHT DYNAMICS AND CONTROLS The Tiger feels pretty nice to fly, and, according to the manual provided with the mod, its flight characteristics are pretty damn good. I did notice that when the airbrakes are active you get a slight nose-up attitude, which is not accurate to the real F-5E which gets an induced nose-down attitude when the boards are active. Small nitpicking aside, the flight model is excellent and some of the best work I have seen in VTOL VR. Now, when it comes to controls it uses a center-stick set up that requires full hand movements instead of a wrist-centered movement. This means that for easily obscured inside-out setups such as those present on headsets such as the Quests or even the Pimax Crystal, this leads to erratic control inputs when the controllers no longer track properly. The workaround is to enable the back-up side stick, but this is a bit on the clunky side. ARMAMENT I will just say that this plane was made into a much more capable version of the F-5. It has the ability to launch Sparrows, Mavericks, and it can even carry the Penguin missile. There is a plethora of missions you can do, but do mind your limited fuel capacity and the fact that the Mavericks are laser-guided only, and that you are unable to do many solo missions. You will have to rely on squadron tactics with your friends to get it done JUST GO FLY IT! Everything I said, the plethora of good things and the small amount of bad things, all of those are FREE for you to experience for yourself. Go download the mod, fly it and support the developers giving us aircraft like this. God only knows we need more of them.
About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy

The formal beginning of a long-term collaboration Starting in May 2026, Pimax and Skyward Flight Media have entered a content creation focused collaboration. Following a conversation about how Skyward could approach a potential product review, Pimax offered an opportunity to review one of their high-resolution virtual reality headsets. The Headset Skyward selected the Pimax Crystal Super Ultrawide virtual reality headset for review. Our reasoning for this was primarily driven by aviation related interests. With Pimax headsets known to have high pixel density and resolution per eye, we selected the ultra-wide variant using the logic of increased field of view is more beneficial for situational awareness in aviation. The wider the field of view at higher clarity the better the ability to read aircraft instruments, visually scan from the cockpit for other aircraft or pop up threats and enjoy the finest of details from as small as scratches in a front dash to the types of breathtaking views that often can only be seen from the air. Our Method Rather than immediately jump into a high intensity rapid testing period to produce a specification heavy review in less than a month, Skyward proposed something that would push this beyond a short-term venture. We created a long-term content creation plan based on a few factors specific to our organization: Long-Term Use Case: We know that virtual reality headsets are a serious financial commitment. The best way to review a product like this is to use it for an extended period of time to get the true ownership experience. Quick benchmark focused reviews focused on specifications are useful, but they also do not represent the realities of day-by-day ownership. We hope to show that in our series.
Content Variety: A staple of our identity is that we have a wide variety of titles we fly in. We plan to use the Pimax VR headset as a part of our standard content creation and flight experiences throughout the collaboration period. This falls in line with Long-Term Use Case model. There is not better way to test a product than take it everywhere we can with us.
The Demographic: A member of the Skyward staff, known by the screen name “KOSMOS”, has owned various virtual reality headsets and advocated for others to purchase them. In January 2022, he purchased a Valve Index and grew to greatly appreciate its high quality. In 2026, he began to search for his next VR headset. The offer to review a Pimax unit this year came as pure coincidence. This gives the content that we make with the headset the point of view of someone that is an experienced VR user who has had multiple headsets and is in the market to purchase a new high-end device. Going forward we plan to produce an article per flight simulator from a list of titles Skyward put together itself using the Pimax provided headset. Each article will contain information about setting up the headset for that title, media recorded with the headset and feedback from ‘KOSMOS’ while Skyward continues its usual content creation process. Ultimately this will lead to a formal review of the headset from the point of view of a user that has used it for an extended period of time across a variety of flight games and simulators. Collaboration Disclosure A key part of this agreement between Pimax and Skyward Flight Media is that any content created should be a fair and unbiased representation of the Pimax product. Pimax fully respects the opinion and recommendations regarding the tested product from Skyward Flight Media. ​Content created using the provided virtual reality headset will be seen on official Skyward Flight Media social media accounts and website. This content can also be used by Pimax on their social media channels and website. Banners on our website link to a webpage where all articles, disclosures and links related to this collaboration are gathered for easy access. Each article produced will also make note that it is a part of this collaboration series. Affiliate Links and Codes Skyward Flight Media has also been provided with various affiliate links and coupon codes. Some of them are time sensitive. For the Pimax Website For the Pimax Crystal Light For the Pimax Crystal Super For the Pimax Crystal Super Sony Micro OLED For the Pimax Dream Air Discount Code: SKY25 For Dream Air ($25 USD OFF)​ Discount Code: SKY For All Headsets (2% OFF) with free $150 Accessories Voucher. Offer ends June 10th, 2026. Example of cart with SKY discount code with accessory bundle. While on the public side of things this announcement is brand new, we have been in discussions with Pimax for weeks now leading up to this point. Throughout the process Pimax has been supportive of our creative method and is interested in seeing how Skyward Flight Media will approach this with no requirements on how content should be produced upon us. Our first article in the series is coming up in a few days. Keep an eye out for it! Aaron “Ribbon-Blue” Mendoza Skyward Flight Media LLC Co-Founder

The most accurately modeled aircraft in DCS? The F-100D Super Sabre in development by Grinnelli Designs (GD) is shaping up to be the most accurate representation of "The Hun" on any simulation platform. Though, it may also be one of the most accurate representations of an aircraft in Digital Combat Simulator thanks to a unique angle other developers have not had access to, and new development tools created by the team itself. In our first article about this aircraft and its developer, we spoke at length about things seen in its pre-order trailer, how this aircraft was promoted over the last two years and a few points about the internal systems of the F-100D modified to Project High Wire standard. We continue the series by discussing some of the newer information released since then and more thoughts on where the Super Sabre would most likely thrive within Digital Combat Simulator's online community. Soundtrack Release The last leg of the promotional push for the F-100D Super Sabre certainly has been active. So active that right before this article was posted, Grinnelli Designs released the official soundtrack accompanying the F-100D Super Sabre module on YouTube. On social media the album is being released track by track, hour by hour on May 23rd, 2026. The developer's YouTube Channel also has the full album available for listening. The soundtrack is titled "Death or Glory". All 10 tracks on the album were composed and performed by Dark Twin Productions in cooperation with Grinnelli Designs. The album is described as capturing the "raw energy and danger of the Super Sabre, a fighter born from an era where speed was survival and war was hell." Without a doubt this is a true Heavy Metal album; an appropriate music genre for what they are trying to portray. We're big fans of the track "YGBSM". Rock out as the article continues: Track 5 from the "Death or Glory" album. Active Aircraft Access The general standard for aircraft in Digital Combat Simulator is that they aspire to be some of the most accurate virtual representations of combat aircraft possible. There is a certain level of declassified documentation, technical data and licensing agreements that need to be cleared. Subject matter experts (SME) for both maintaining and operating the aircraft are needed to fine tune the details only those that have handled aircraft in military service would know. Thousands of photos showing the fine details of aircraft and 3D scans of museum aircraft to ensure the 3D model of the DCS World representation of the aircraft are also a must have. The Grinnelli Designs' F-100D Super Sabre certainly checks off all of these boxes, but their ability to access civilian owned aircraft is a massive boon. In 2024, the GD team traveled across the United States of America to meet various organizations to gather data on the F-100D. From Georgia to Indiana, Ohio and Texas. Working with the Collings Foundation, the Museum of Aviation and a still flying Super Sabre under the custodianship of Dean "Cutter" Cutshall in Indiana; though it has now been transferred to a new operator. Episode 4 of 12. An experience with the F-100 Super Sabre in Fort Wayne, Indiana became an especially productive event. The aircraft experienced a fuel valve failure while the GD team was onsite gathering data. This resulted in the development team being able to experience aircraft maintenance firsthand. They were able to gather audio and video from the maintenance process and while the aircraft was in flight after its repair. An entire 12-part video series was created around this experience. Episode 9 of 12. Access to a still flying aircraft is something that many licensed DCS developers do not have. It somewhat comes with the territory of simulating combat aircraft. Whether that is because there are no flying examples, few museum examples, incomplete museum examples, lack of accessible extensive documentation or the aircraft is still in active military service and cannot be accessed by civilians. The Grinnelli Designs team has found themselves in a highly unique position and are capitalizing on it in a way few others could. The Top Extremely Accurate Flight Model? On May 1st, 2026, a video was published providing the first in depth look into the F-100D Super Sabre for DCS World. The video shows amazing new visuals of the module with Joseph Grinnelli himself narrating the finer points of the flight model. He discusses the specific parts of the aircraft design and their effects on the aircraft's flight performance while the simulated F-100D provides visuals. In the video it is mentioned that the flight model was constructed using hundreds of thousands of data points that were then matched to real-world full-scale coefficients and dynamics. Let me tell you that is no exaggeration. In fact we can prove that. On August 15th, 2025, Grinnelli Designs discussed the second revision of their Flight Model Methodology Report in a Discord post on their server. This detailed document was created as a part of the flight model review process required by Eagle Dynamics as a part of clearing the F-100D for use in Digital Combat Simulator. Sample of DCS F-100D Super Sabre: Flight Model and Methodology revision 2. It is safe to assume that the flight model has been improved upon since this document was published nine months ago. Releasing a document like this is a gesture to show just how dedicated GD is to pursue 1:1 simulation of their aircraft. For anyone that flies in DCS or has a passing interest, this document provides a hardly seen aspect of module development for Digital Combat Simulator before aircraft are made available for purchase. Grinnelli Designs created their own in house flight model simulation tool which runs independently from Digital Combat Simulator. Referred to as the Non-Linear Simulation Tool in the aforementioned document, it is a software is programmed using Python to make use of various other scientific tools like root finding, integrated plotting and curve fitting for example. Rather than a program that simply crunches any number typed into it, this tool is so advanced it contains a physics engine. It can quickly and repeatedly run multiple tests in seconds in different dynamic and steady state conditions which are paired with data from real world tests document stick input and resulting output. This same tool is used to create both the player-controlled F-100D and the DCS AI controlled flight model. All of this is rounded off by verifications of the flight model the "old fashioned way" by confirming flight characteristics with SMEs including actual F-100 pilots. I cannot help but think that a standalone tool for building flight models would be useful for any aircraft you could gather enough data for. Who knows which aircraft Grinnelli Designs will use this tool for next. A New Level of Customization This aircraft is going to have a level of user driven customization that other modules in Digital Combat Simulator do not match. A video posted on May 16th, 2026, demonstrates things, but let's go deeper. As mentioned in our last article, nine of the cockpit's instrument panel can be reconfigured to the user's preferences. Rather than let users wait for the aircraft's release, players can reconfigure their Super Sabre's front dash on the developer's website in the F-100D Dash Creator. Creating a custom dash in the F-100 Dash Creator. As instruments are dragged and dropped into their desired positioned players are given a Custom Dash ID number. This string of numbers can be used in the special options of the Super Sabre when it is available in DCS World to have their cockpit layout appear in the simulator every time they load the aircraft. In game screenshot of front dash matching the dash in the customization screenshot above. Anyone that has created, commissioned or downloaded custom aircraft liveries will know that even the smallest detail like kill markings or a pilot's name involves someone putting them in just the right spot at the right size. These texture files are sometimes overly complex and take time to study to make sure the relevant part of the files is being edited. Not to mention considerations on the livery file if DCS allows for dynamic tail numbers. The upcoming F-100D takes some of that workload out of the hands of a texture file guru and puts it directly into the hands of the player with the dynamic victory marks tally system. At launch, this system will pull data from the player's single player activities to show destroyed surface targets as bomb silhouettes and air targets as aircraft silhouettes. The table below visually explains it: These tallies can be removed in the Special Options menu for this module with a single mouse click. The GD team is in contact with Eagle Dynamics to try and expand this to include multiplayer victories, but that will not be available at launch. When compared to the everyday efforts of livery creators having to make every marking on an aircraft fuselage or customization within a cockpit by hand, this level of customization made available through an options menu is truly new territory for DCS. Thoughts on The Hun in the Virtual Skies of DCS World While the F-100D is not available to fly yet, I find myself thinking about how an aircraft like the Super Sabre would fit into Digital Combat Simulator. New information about its weapon and systems, my memories of flying extensively at FlightSimExpo 2025 and the recent videos about it have me wracking my brain over how this aircraft will be received and remembered long term. Specifically into its online multiplayer community which arguably is where a majority of the focus of DCS is from both its player base and those that experience DCS passively through videos. F-100D deploying cluster munitions. Digital Combat Simulator has an abundance of what would be considered Cold War (1947-1991) era aircraft. While the F/A-18 Hornet and F-16 'Viper' were designed and produced during the Cold War, when talking about DCS World, the simulator has more aircraft from would be considered the "peak" decades of the conflict. Aircraft like the MiG-21 Fishbed, F-4E Phantom II, Mirage F1, F-5E Tiger II and AJS-37 Viggen. These are the types of fixed-wing combat aircraft that, in the mind's eye of aviation enthusiasts, were some of the last "true fighters". The aircraft primarily engaged in within visual range combat, traditional dogfighting based on pilot skill rather than technology, rolling nose down into anti-aircraft fire to put bombs on target; you get the picture, right? There are entire Digital Combat Simulator communities and servers built around this style of warfare. This equates to a period between the 1950s through the mid 1970s. The Hun certainly fits the bill as it was introduced and built during that transition between second generation and third generation fixed-wing combat aircraft. Inevitable Cold War match up: F-100D vs. MiG-19P. The flight performance and combat capability of the F-100D matches a level of technology that a significant portion of the aircraft catalog in DCS shares. Mission editors that take time to restrict certain weapons on aircraft slightly more advanced than the Super Sabre could still have them within the same scenarios as The Hun as well. But through balancing would be a must have. Similar to how the Aerges Engineering Mirage F1 became a prevalent REDFOR aircraft in Cold War era player vs player servers, it is very possible that the F-100D becomes a staple frontline BLUFOR aircraft for the same scenarios. A prevalent air-to-ground workhouse capable of carrying substantial amounts of ordinance to fly alongside aircraft like the F-4E Phantom II without having to press a light fighter like the F-5E Tiger II into a bomb laden configuration all the time. I truly look forward to seeing the Super Sabre proliferate across the well-established Cold War communities that are forefront in this DCS. A Decisive June There is still no solid release date for the F-100D Super Sabre, but we are well within what could be considered an ideal timeframe for its release. FlightSimExpo 2026 (FSExpo) starts in roughly three weeks. Running from June 12th through 14th, 2026, it is one of the most important annual flight simulation industry events. For any company, releasing a product during the expo would be a big final promotional boost as the world looks for the latest announcements from within the industry. Our next article about Grinnelli Designs will discuss the impact of this developer's presence at FSExpo with the context of the past five years based on Skyward Flight Media covering the event over the years. With the way the GD team has been moving in the past few weeks, it is likely that we will have more concrete information on their upcoming aircraft and the in-person Combat Arena to be seen at FSExpo 2026. Connect with Grinnelli Designs Website Discord Facebook Instagram X.com YouTube About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]

Fan projects reviving defunct games As Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve continues to tease fans with developer video series, consistent social media engagement and begins show appearances at game expos around the world, a few dedicated individuals of the Ace Combat fan base have been hard at work to celebrate this 30-year-old series in their own way: the revival of inaccessible Ace Combat releases. Ace Combat Infinity in the Big 26 Ace Combat Infinity (ACI) is the most sought-after inaccessible game in the entire Ace Combat series. While the argument that Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (1999) was "inaccessible" due to region locking and translation, ACI is truly inaccessible as it is not on a disc that can easily be emulated or just inserted into a game console. Ace Combat Infinity is a digital download only free-to-play live service model game for the Sony PlayStation 3. It remains the only game from the Ace Combat series to adopt this model. After the turbulent reception of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2010), the future of the series was on the line both reputationally and in business. Kazutoki Kono, Brand Director of the Ace Combat Series, mentioned during a March 4th, 2014 interview with Famitsu that the success of Ace Combat Infinity was a major part of the decision to develop the next generation of game consoles at that time. ACI was truly a make-or-break game for the series. Thank You Trailer (March 31st, 2018) Active from 2014 to 2018, ACI had over 3 million downloads with consistent activity in the playerbase. Though it has a very small single player campaign, its online multiplayer offerings were the core of its experience. Players flew with or against each other across levels that blended both the iconic original setting of the Ace Combat series with real world locations. Point based competitions, online co-op, PVP game modes, the series' largest aircraft selection, the most in depth aircraft customization system and other features were defining parts of this game. It is not an exaggeration to say that ACI is a major part of the continuation of the Ace Combat series to this day. Though ACI would be closed on March 31st, 2018, players would continue to yearn for it even years after the release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (2019). Unexpectedly, an effort to make Ace Combat Infinity playable again has found initial success on May 2nd, 2026, with a user named Optimus1200 releasing Ace Combat Infinity Local Server on GitHub. It is not as easy as playing a .ISO file in an emulator though. There are specific requirements that do include a legitimate copy of Ace Combat: Infinity v2.11, RPCS3 emulation software, ASP.NET Core Runtime 8.0 and other items. As of the time of this writing, the Ace Combat Infinity Local Server method lets users play the eight single player missions. You can be certain that users will be trying their hardest to find a way to access multiplayer content, but whether they will be completely successful or not is to be seen. Video of Ace Combat Infinity (May 14th, 2026). Ace Combat Xi Emulated for Android and PC Another inaccessible Ace Combat game was recently revived and made available by the efforts of fans once again. Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion (2009) was an Apple iOS exclusive game playable on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. As the years went by support for the game waned until March 30, 2015 where it was removed from the app store with official websites for the game taken down. Ace Combat Xi game trailer (November 10th, 2009) This game was set as a prequel to Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (2006) on the PlayStation Portable. This short game was mainly played with touch controls and was built off of game mechanics seen in Ace Combat X. While not a consequential game for Ace Combat as a whole, it was one of many side games the series produced. The May 2026 emulation of Ace Combat Xi is now well documented and much easier to access than Ace Combat Infinity. With tutorial videos and easy to access files, players can now freely play ACXi on Android devices and personal computers after it has been inaccessible for over a decade. 2026 gameplay example (May 4th, 2026). Thinking on other Efforts When I hear about fans of this series doing elaborate things like this, I recall other big fan driven projects from the past. Even from my first weeks on Ace Combat focused internet forums back in 2004, there have been people doing their utmost to make as much region locked or platform locked material from this series accessible to the international fan base. Off of the top of my head, a few of them are: Scanning and translation of Japanese language only physical media from as early as 1995 to upload for archival purposes and translation into other languages. Identifying and unlocking removed content from released Ace Combat games. PlayStation 2 era game modding allowing for injection of new files, porting aircraft between games, etc. Use of emulation software to not only play older games but also continue to make multiplayer gaming on PlayStation Portable titles possible. Multiple efforts to translate the Japan only release of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere culminating in the most high-profile fan project for the series which translated the game in full into many languages. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation has a great Xenia Canary build which lets players enjoy the game with little to no bugs with a recent effort to recompile the game to run natively on PC now producing builds. The Ace Combat series continues to have an unyielding amount of support from its tenacious fan base. A flight arcade shooter having an amount of material on par with a Japanese role playing game to upload, translate, archive and emulate is rather unusual, but everyone seems to be benefitting from the fan efforts to make them all as accessible as possible. Impressive! About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]

Flying in many games only involves, that, flying. You don't get to do a lot more than just sitting in the cockpit and flying around, and engaging in combat on simulators that have that focus. But one has to remember that aircraft were built for many, many reasons: from transporting passengers, cargo, taking pictures, evacuating civilians from emergencies, etc. Harvest Skies remembers that aircraft have one critical use that we all benefit from in our everyday life: agriculture. Without crop dusters and irrigation, we would not have the modern day agricultural wonder industry that we have. It puts you in the shoes of a lone crop duster pilot that is starting this business from the ground-up. The game had been in development for quite a while, but for the first time they have decided to do a public playtest that a large amount of people have been able to access. I tested this "demo" version and, while my excitement for the game stays untouched, it is clear that hosting a playtest session was the best idea the team could have had. THE GAMEPLAY You start outside the hangar where your aircraft is sitting, with the simple task of opening the hangar doors as your single initial objective. It will soon become clear that the fuse on the electrical box is blown, so you will have to go around the place to find a replacement so you can finally get to see your crop duster. This teaches the players the basics of object manipulation within the game and how to engage with the basic systems put in place. I do like this approach, and it is one I have seen used on some other similar games that have object manipulation systems like this one. After you open the hangar, you will find your birthday present inside: A crop-dusting biplane. It is covered from head to toe in balloons and decor, all of which you will have to put away to start operating the aircraft. The game teaches you basics such as cleaning garbage, and fueling your aircraft right before you set off on your initial flight. Everything about gameplay on the ground is pretty intuitively explained, but I did get a bit confused from time to time with the controls to manipulate valves and certain objects that involve the mixture creating process. FLYING Flying the aircraft is pretty normal, it feels exactly how you think it would with one very noticeable exception: drag and speed increases during diving maneuvers. Since you will be doing constant orbits and several passes over fields, you will find yourself on climbs and descents quite often, and you will immediately notice just how insanely fast you gain speed during a dive. It is something that took me out of the experience of flying quite a bit, since I assumed the aircraft would not gain speed that dramatically due to its nature as a biplane. This led to every crash I had while playing, and I mean that. This behavior resulted in every crash, as I did not have any issues during any other part of the envelope. When this is resolved, I am sure that the game will feel exceptionally great to fly, especially since it already feels quite alright. DUSTING This is the best part of the game, by far. You will have to create your mixes on the ground as per required by the contract you will be fulfilling. This mini game is nice, but as I stated earlier, the controls for the valves can be confusing at the beginning, but this is something that can be easily solved with better instructions and indications. Once in the air, the field you will be working on gets highlighted. As you make your approach, there is a new UI that makes itself known. You have a god-eye camera, an altitude meter with colors that mark your efficiency at different altitudes and the optimal approach, and the covered area during your dusting that gets highlighted in a similar way as City's Skylines district drawing tool. This is by far the most well-thought out aspect of the game. It makes dusting an exciting and engaging act, while making clear which areas you have covered and how much you have left to cover. Kudos to the developers, I love this part of the game to hell and back. Now, to something a bit less pleasant. HITCHES AND AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT Several users, including me, have experienced constant hitches during ground gameplay in the vicinity of the hangar. While I do not know exactly what is happening, I think it has something to do with the physic objects (trash) being spawned in and out as you move closer or further away from the hangar. My rig is the following: CPU: Ryzen 5600X3D GPU: Nvidia 5070 Ti RAM: 32GB DDR4 @3200MT/s Storage: NVME SSD X2, SATA SSD X1 I should not be experiencing hitches like these with my current set up, so I hope the developers can find the source of this issue. Aside from this, the only other area that needs work is the pause menu. It is bare bones and lacks polish. The volume slider looks quite janky and there are only basic graphical adjustments, with a clear lack of an FOV slider. The FOV should most likely be divided between Ground FOV and Flying FOV. The default setting for the on-foot gameplay feels very restrictive and claustrophobic, while the third person flying FOV feels just right. That being said, I think these are all manageable tasks for a team that has such a clear vision and a great commitment to making this game the best it can be. Harvest Skies is a game I will be looking forward to, and I am sure that I am not alone in that. Thanks to the developers for allowing us, the players, to test the game. I hope you find our feedback helpful, at least somewhat. We are rooting for all of you. About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy

One of the most intricate airshows on the VRChat platform This article will receive an update after this event has concluded and more media becomes available. Virtual aircraft and the humans behind them have now been active in VRChat for over six years. Considering that VRChat itself is over 12 years old, that really puts things in perspective. VRChat aviation has reached a point where there have been official platform sponsored events and some of its flight worlds appear in the official trailer for the game. In a virtual reality platform where almost any experience can be found, the DERUTA Air Force (DAF) brings realistic airshows to this virtual space. Their next event is the 5th Air Festival on May 17th, 2026 at 21:30 JST at their newly unveiled air base. About the DAF Across the international flight community, there are aviation focused organizations for just about anything you can think of. Organizations like Dogfight Central teaching the art of Basic Fighter Maneuvers weekly and hold air combat events across international timezones. The Chinese based VRC Aerospace University designs and tests aircraft out of their Liatang Aerodrome. People have been thrilled by airshows from The Black Aces which demonstrate aircraft in their unrestricted state, like at the VRC Summer Festival Jam airshow. Founded on December 1st, 2024, the Japanese based Deruta Air Force specializes in realistic flight operations including airshows. They describe themselves as an Air Force role playing group. In short, a traditional role playing group emulates the roles of various fictional or non-fictional professions and/or reenacts events. When it comes to flight simulation, you could argue that the core idea of RP as an emulation does overlap with the concept of flight simulation to a degree, but let's not stray off topic too much. In their private instances, the members of the DAF run aircraft training sessions with air traffic controller support and perform simulated multi-platform combat missions with ground forces. For the general public, the pinnacle of DAF operations is their airshows. Promotional video for the 4th Air Festival (December 14th, 2025). On social media platforms, videos of their aircrews flying in tight formations with many airframe types floods VRChat aviation related hashtags whenever one of their performances at Dazzle Air Base happens. With multiple demonstration teams in the air, static displays on the ground and the event happening over the course of three hours, it does feel like a real airshow. This video from the 4th Air Festival at Dazzle Air Base on December 14th, 2025, provides a good summary of the experience: 4th Air Festival highlight video (December 14th, 2025). New Location Promotional material for the upcoming 5th Air Festival is being rolled out on the DAF X.com account as a lead up to the show. This airshow will be at a new location for the DAF instead of the tried-and-true Dazzle Air Base that has been seen frequently. Known as Rakoa Air Force Base, even this new fictional facility is designed with purpose and accuracy. Inspired by a U.S. Air Force base, it is designed to be a forward base for homeland defense supporting long-range bombers, fighter squadrons and aerial refueling tankers. Runway 5L/23R is 3,500 meters long, designed for large aircraft operations with a dedicated apron for those aircraft. Similarly, fighter operations use runway 05R/23L with their own separate facilities. The DERUTA Air Force describes the runway as: "The runway markings were designed with reference to FAA and Japan MLIT standards, pursuing both accuracy and a natural appearance. By separating the markings and pavement into different meshes while sharing UVs and unifying normals, we recreated seamless bumps and surface texture.” Pictures and diagram by the DERUTA Air Force. Promotion of Performances In their past air festivals we have seen performances by solo displays, two-ship flights and six ship formations using fixed wing fighters, strategic lift aircraft, airborne warning and control aircraft and rotary wing assets. Of the early performers announced for this year, the newest addition to their roster is "Seattle"; an Akagu Heavy Industries 'Spring 707' (Boeing 707 equivalent). In a previous show a C-130 Hercules was put on aerobatic display, so it will be interesting to see what they will do with an airliner. DAF B707 promotional video (May 3rd, 2026). Videos of personnel training in F/A-18 Super Hornets and MT-4 Dolphins (Kawasaki T-4 equivalent) have also been shared. The presence of the MT-4 raises hopes that one of the staples of DAF air festivals will appear. The DAF 1st Air Wing, 3rd Squadron "Black Comet" is a six-ship flight that flies the MT-4 as a part of their faithful recreation of the Japan Air Self Defense Force's Blue Impulse demonstration team routine. Anyone familiar with the real-world demo team will recognize maneuvers from Black Comet for sure. Formation picture by なつみかん0p0_JPN. How to Attend For public events the DAF prefers that users join their publicly accessible group (Group ID: DAFPUB.9595). Doing so will give all users notifications of when group instances open and direct invites to them. Other scheduling information is also provided. As with any flight event in VRChat, the instances often fill up with users fast. It is frequently first come first served. Though if users cannot gain access, they can instead attend the DAF Bar where the airshow will be livestreamed. Example of DAF Bar promotional picture. The Airshow (to be updated) This article has been published a week before the airshow started as a way to talk about VRChat aviation groups like DERUTA Air Force and promote the upcoming May 17th, 2026 at 21:30 JST airshow, as it is one of the largest VRChat aviation events to happen in some time. When the airshow is over this section of the article will be updated at a later date. Connect with DERUTA Air Force DAF Event Group X.com #DERUTA_Air_Force YouTube About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]

A rugged near future setting that provides a decades old experience With wrench in hand, my final task was to make sure that all parts of the liquid hydrogen tanks were secure inside of my aircraft driven by magnoprop engines. It is interesting how Lakehopper by Photon Games seems to be set in a world that is advanced enough to have engines powered by semi-fictional forms of renewable energy but also has a level of barebones remoteness you would expect from austere communities in the 1960s. The last time I wrote about this seaplane centric game it was during some of its last playtests. We wrote about the difference of flying an aircraft in the short term and operating an aircraft in the long-term was our primary focus. Now, weeks after its Early Access launch on March 30th, 2026, I contemplate the juxtaposition of technology available in its world setting, the experience of flying its default aircraft and how it all blends together. Scanning the horizon for notable landmarks. World Setting As mentioned in the previous article, the game has a 360,000 square km (140,000 square mi) map using realistic terrain based on real world landscapes. With oceans that seem to have risen so high they reached mountain ranges and engines using electricity, magnetism and hydrogen fuel cells, this future setting implies that some type of serious environmental damage has occurred. The developer specifically mentions "flooded, rugged landscapes". Early access in-game map. In a world that has access to such technology you would think something like an old propeller driven aircraft would have been replaced with a vertically landing four engine hover transport or something. But no! The trusty seaplanes of yore are in vogue now more than ever. Even with this implied near future setting, there are remote communities of people that are in need of deliveries over long distances. These areas are so detached from major population centers or traditional airports and seaports, it reminds me of the origin of the original backcountry or "Bush" pilots from as far back as the late 1910s. I'm talking about air courier services that are not widebody airliner size transport aircraft carrying tons of cargo to airports, but smaller General Aviation aircraft landing right in the middle of the communities they service to hand deliver parcels. Benefits of Using Real Flight Sim Gear Something I was not expecting was how challenging flying the aircraft was. After assembly, loading cargo and fueling the default flying boat (which is rather intricate process all on its own, but more on that another time), my first impression was that it was somewhat unruly to get control of. From lifting off of the water to trying to configure the aircraft for cruise, it felt like the controls were muddy and cumbersome. It seemed to need constant inputs to even maintain level flight. This was puzzling to me. Once at a safe altitude, I set the aircraft to altitude hold via autopilot to open the control settings and see what the key binds were. Perhaps I had reversed axises or double mapped buttons. The developer did quite a bit of work in mid-April on devices supported in Lakehopper and other input related work. I thought perhaps some of my old key bindings are clashing with the new update in some way. Seeing the sheer number of new control options available and some of my flight peripherals being recognized by the game, it hit me: I would have a much better experience just using actual flight simulation equipment rather than trying to figure out which gamepads can be pressed into service with keyboard and mouse. I pulled out my WINCTRL Orion HOTAS and trusty Thrustmaster T.Flight Rudder Pedals and got right to work. And what do you know? It was a night and day experience. Example of control setup screen. Note the devices connected. Mapping independent engine axises, various trim controls, prop pitch, prop reversers, flap lever positions and more, it was surprising at how quickly I used each of these controls before I even left the water surface. After cold starting the flying boat and pushing back from the dock with reverse prop thrust, I had to use differential thrust to turn the aircraft towards the open sea. As speed increased during takeoff the aircraft begins its expected "hops" on the water surface as lift is generated. Something you will find in even the most accessible seaplane games. However, inputting minor roll corrections to keep the flying boat's wing mounted pontoons from teeter tottering and inducing yaw as they make contact with the water's surface was a point of realism I did not expect from this title. Getting into the air the pilots workload while changing heading and altitude includes thorough manipulation of throttle output and frequent trimming of roll, pitch and rudder. As much as you would expect from an older flight control system that is not a fly by wire system with all sorts of control assists running without human input to keep the aircraft as easy to fly as possible. The developer is not doing much compromising for the flight model in this game. Do not let the look of this game deceive you. Maybe because I did not have a detail dripping cockpit in front of me, I approached it with a different mindset. Approach Lakehopper as a proper flight simulator that needs your full attention, and you will not be disappointed. Old School Navigation While airborne with a fuselage full of parcels you would expect to establish long-range radio contact with some sort of air traffic controller or bring up the known waypoints on your legally distinct L3Harris navigation system. Not here! Again, some genuine pilotage is needed. The most advanced from of navigation in the current version of Lakehopper is very high frequency omnidirectional range stations (VOR). These beacons saw widespread use in the 1950s and throughout the cold war. Even today in the 2020s, VORs are still in use but have been reduced in the amount still active worldwide. Navigation section of the Pilot's Binder. In Lakehopper each known location has a set VOR frequency which can be referenced in the in-game manual under NAV (Navigation). The VOR instrument in the aircraft does have a course deviation indicator, making it an omni bearing indicator which does display needles to assist with aircraft course corrections to the location of the selected VOR frequency. Adjusting the instrument using the omni bearing selector (OBS) knob on the lower left of the aircraft VOR will eventually show the direction of the desired VOR frequency along with whether or not the instrument is navigating to that location or away from that location. Being familiar with instrument flying is a must. While helpful, VORs do not give pilots range data. While in flight, players are able to be use these navigation beacons to get near these communities but they're not substitute of GPS systems. Players will ultimately need to get eyes out the cockpit, remain out of weather and search through terrain to visually find their final destinations. Destination is spotted after descending through clouds near VOR over flight point. Forming an Opinion Thus far the combination of distance traveled, the cruising speeds of the propeller driven flying boat and no setting to fast forward game play creates a realistic short-haul experience. While doing six back-to-back delivery flights would probably take a few hours, I do prefer that the developer has chosen to do this for the game. After a particularly long-lasting flight through some overcast and wandering a bit to find the Manypeaks community, my feelings on the developer's decisions began to solidify. After a few minutes bringing the flying boat into the docks and using mooring ropes to secure it and begin deliveries, I realized that I have not quite had this type of experience with many flight games or simulators specifically about bush flying or seaplane games. Sequence of approaching a town, docking, delivering and beginning aircraft maintenance. Running a dolly full of packages to the delivery area and checking wear and tear on the aircraft before the next time I login to fly is not something I am doing as a staple in other simulators. There is something highly unique happening with this game. The next time I write about this game, it will most likely be after a much longer time of flying the same aircraft for dozens of flights to see how the aircraft persistence system holds up, but for now Lakehopper by Photon Games has my respect for its current presentation of flight operations. Connect with Lakehopper by Photon Games Bluesky Discord Steam Twitch About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]

An Encouragement for Free Form Fun I think I get it now. Almost one decade ago, when the first SimplePlanes game came out in 2014, I never spent enough time on it to fully get "the vibe". My mindset towards flight games and simulators was certainly different. A game that has constructing vehicles from scratch being a large part of its identity did not interest me deeply back then. Not the prospect of designing an original aircraft either. These days my time with SimplePlanes 2 by Jundroo has illuminated me to its entire concept. It's all vibes, casual fun times, freely flying and driving and apparently even collectables. Though we're not talking trading cards or game achievement trophies. We're collecting aircraft. Official release trailer. Something I say frequently about flight games is that even in all of that freedom there has to be "something to do" after a few flights of wandering around aimlessly. For me, that task in SimplePlanes 2 is trying to find hidden vehicles. Specifically aircraft in my case, but this game has land and sea vehicles as well. I cannot say that I have ever delved extremely deep into aircraft builders like SimplePlanes 1, Juno: New Origins or Flyout. Or at least not deeply enough for me to truly say that I understand them in such detail I could design an efficient original aircraft design. I can slap something together, sure, but it is not going to be correct, you know? There is a difference. So, I rely on either the selection of base game aircraft or the workshop full of aircraft created by people across the world. Fortunately for me the developer made one of the most impactful decisions for SimplePlanes 2 by maintaining compatibility with the 1 million+ user made vehicle catalog from SimplePlanes 1. There is no guarantee that all of them will work correctly in the current game, but it's an amazing gesture towards preserving a decade's worth of player designs. And yet there are apparently still more hidden base game vehicles to be found... Sightseeing flight leading into an unexpected adventure. The undeniable strength of an open world sandbox is that you can pretty much do whatever you want with any of the vehicles and terrain you see. Thus far SimplePlanes 2 gives us 787 square kilometers of terrain and 330 kilometers of roads to wander freely. Sure, SimplePlanes 1 has more terrain, but SimplePlanes 2 is still in early access, and its roadmap mentions adding more terrain in the future, but I digress. In both offline singleplayer and online multiplayer, there are 44 hidden vehicles that can be unlocked by finding their blueprints. This is something that is mentioned on the game's store page but not explained in detail. These blueprints are scattered around all over the place in rather sneaky locations. For example, I started a flight with a simple, light General Aviation aircraft to fly slow and really take in the scenery. I stumbled into my first one near a set of Precision Approach Path Indicator lights at a regional airport. A highly unusual sound I heard while passing by its general area piqued my interest. I returned to the area as this odd noise changed tone the closer I got to its source. I clicked a stack of blueprints laying on the ground and the next thing I knew I had a new aircraft that looks similar to a Cessna 421B Golden Eagle in my vehicle inventory. Finding and flying the "Grand Camel" This led to me flying to the next airport to wander its facilities and find three more aircraft blueprints. All of them in places you would not expect them. Next to a wall beneath an air traffic control tower, near an office inside of a hangar and beneath the support beam of an aircraft terminal. An unplanned rapid descent to landing in a ship dock later (I stalled an aircraft while performing aerobatics and crashed into a container crane), I found a blueprint for a forklift. Examples of blueprints. There is a lot of terrain to explore. Assuming these blueprints are truly spread all over the place, not just in populated areas, it will take some time to find them all. That is flying to new airports, driving through towns, wandering foothills, landing on mountains. Not something you will be able to do in a single casual session. I have officially been "bitten by the bug" and know that the next SimplePlanes 2 session I organize with friends will partially be focused on flying to as many locations as possible, searching for even more unlockable aircraft. Now, I could just share the aircraft designs directly with them using the game's easy to use feature that lets player copy each other's vehicles, but where is the fun in that? Instead, I will brush up on my rotary wing skills so I can search more effectively from the air too. Connect with SimplePlanes 2 Steam Website X.com About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile]

As I have explored the world of flight simulation over the past 20 years, I have seen a lot of aspects of the hobby. I have met a lot of people and gotten so many pieces of hardware, as well as tried almost every single simulator that I could get my hands on, whether it'd be a military or a civilian one. Out of all of these experiences, there always seems to be a single constant. A sort of ritual everyone that plays any simulator game will know: control mapping. The mapping menus, good and bad, will always be there to welcome you before you have even put in a single second in the air. I have always been one to be diligent with my mappings, but it is very clear that everyone has certain feelings about this ritualistic rite that we all have to go through. I have seen people be afraid of these menus and of having to map their controls, as well as people that have wanted to dwell in the rite and make sure that every possible button they would ever need is mapped to a position they will subconsciously remember. I lie in the middle, as someone that will make sure everything critical is mapped before I set to the skies, but I will leave any extra mappings to either their default spots on the keyboard or just map them as I learn the module or simulator. I have seen extremely bad control menus, where keybinds are confusing, terribly labeled and controllers get lost with the clutter. Axis commands that invert themselves, and the worst of all, unclear signs as to if closing the menu will save your new controller bindings that you spent the last 30 minutes working on.
There are so many little aspects to this aspect of simulation and flight simulation games that it is kind of impressive that I do not see much more discussion other than some people complaining when they have to assign some buttons again because an update has removed their bindings, or when a game just straight up lacks the ability to bind certain controls.

Then there is also the case of older games that have limited controller support, at least with modern sticks and throttles that have way too many buttons. Such is the case of Falcon BMS, which has to subdivide your controller inputs into different clusters so that the amount of inputs per device does not exceed the simulation engine limitations.
IS THERE A PROPER WAY TO SET YOUR CONTROLS WITHOUT THE HEADACHE?
Short answer, no. Long answer, yes. If what you intend is for yoru suffering while assigning buttons to decrease exponentially, then what you most certainly shouldn't do is assign your buttons while on an active multiplayer environment inside a combat or civilian flight simulator.

One of my dearest friends, you know who you are, always ends up getting frustrated every time that he has to go map new controls for a module or a game, he does it on live multiplayer environments. This leads to frustration, crashes, and sometimes a little bit of teasing from our side.

Don't be like my friend, do not even try to map your controls from scratch on extremely complicated modules while you are also trying to keep up with a highly volatile and dynamic environment. Give yourself time to set the basics controls up and then, only then, try to join multiplayer environments. If you need to map anything you didn't on your first time around, then you will be capable to do it on the fly since all the basics are already set in stone.

There are some games, like War Thunder, that have a proper set-up wizard. It might have its blindspots, but it beats trying to figure out what you need to even have the basics down. Which means that your level of suffering will depend on just how your game of choice decided to implement their controller bindings.

Just make sure you have your axis bound before you start rolling down the runway, or you will end up like my friend did two days ago while flying in DCS. As a ball of fire burning at the end of the runway overrun.
About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy