Cheering, jeering and learning from competitors fighting their hardest The first week of the 2021 season for the Squadron Air to Air League (SATAL) is over, and the spirit of competition flies ever higher with the official return of this event. SATAL is a high-profile international tournament for competitive teams and squadrons that fly in Digital Combat Simulator World. The roots of SATAL can be traced back a few years, but to put things in perspective, this year's tournament is presented by Thrustmaster. Past tournaments had co-sponsors like Eagle Dynamics, Black Hog, and Wild Weasel Apparel, with considerable prizes provided by companies like Tacview, Foxx Mount, Buddy-Fox, and Heatblur. The rewards for winners and runner-ups have included hundreds of US Dollars, flight simulation hardware, apparel, and full-fidelity aircraft modules. The tournament is organized and broadcast by DCS World Events (DCSWE), an organization that has hosted multiple competitions of all sizes in Digital Combat Simulator for many years. Led by its knowledgeable and energetic host, M0ltar, the staff of DCSWE includes Alpha-Whiskey creating amazing short videos promoting the tournament, new staff members collecting statistics, and a revolving door of co-hosts that commentate on the action. From an entertainment perspective, the primary draw of SATAL is the team-based combat from its Diamond, Gold, and Silver leagues presented in an esports-style format. The team aircraft liveries showcased during the matches or in teaser trailers called "supercuts" invoke mental images of sports team jerseys. The particularly colorful commentary adds some fun, unpredictable dialogue to what's happening on screen. The multi-screen format used for the broadcasts provides a lot of situational awareness with screens dedicated to the Tacview universal flight analysis tool to provide an overview of the combat area and smaller windows showing the competitor's aircraft and missiles in flight. Visually a lot is going on, with the focus constantly shifting to where combat is in progress. To those with a more analytical eye that are eager to learn something, watching even a few rounds of SATAL can provide a wealth of information. Whether you fly in DCS World as an online-only player-vs-player (PVP) specialist or offline single-player campaign warrior, any information on air-to-air combat is valuable. In the case of SATAL, its viewers are presented with the opportunity to study teams of pilots well versed in aerial combat that train to fly on a competitive level. The incorporation of Tacview data and verbal explanations about what happened during or after a match further enhances the understanding of what spectators are seeing. When I was beginning my journey in learning how to fly in Digital Combat Simulator over a year ago, I referred to SATAL as a way to answer questions I had. Ideas on how to approach beyond visual range combat and samples of effective evasive maneuvers. I wanted examples of the things to do and things to avoid to help wrap my head around combat in DCS World. Because of SATAL's screen format and the forthright explanations of what is happening from the host, I felt as though years of information was casually presented to me. Wingman tactics, valid missile launch speeds and ranges for PVP combat, candid discussions about known bugs, potentially exploited bugs, introduction to concepts like "skating" while supporting a missile, notching active radar homing missiles, multiple examples of how to evade a missile while maintaining high speed, explanations of tactics like setting up a grinder and too many other things to list here. While it's easy to sit back and finger-wag the competitors for not seeing an obvious threat from the spectator's point of view, watching their mistakes and victories closely really helped build up an idea of what does and does not work in the realm of DCS dogfights. Of course, just watching SATAL isn't enough to make you an unbeatable ace, but it's a way to study towards that goal. I started watching SATAL at the start of its 2020 season and since then have seen every matchup into the start of the 2021. I strongly feel as though this is a resource that got me excited about Digital Combat Simulator and the continued refinement of my own skills. While I still primarily fly player-vs-environment (PVE) or mixed PVE-PVP strike missions, the things I learned from watching SATAL and went on to practice on my own have carried over to the sorties I've been flying. Because of this, I've frequently suggested that people watch SATAL for both entertainment and educational purposes. The Squadron Air-to-Air League continues to broadcast on Twitch with recordings of those broadcasts, supercuts, highlight reels, and new skin showcases uploaded to their YouTube channel. The official forum thread on the Eagle Dynamics forum, Twitter account and Discord server are also places that people can get involved and see the latest updates. 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.

This opinion is probably a decade and a half late, but Over G Fighters is such an excellent flight-sim lite. When I was forced to notch an incoming AAM-4 while I was guiding an AIM-54A before its radar went active, I realized there was much more to this game than expected. However, I specifically find myself interested in a standalone, non-story-related game mode that inspired a developer for a highly anticipated flight sim lite currently in development. When Over G Fighters (June 27th, 2006) was new, I was busy participating in squadron matches and tournaments in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. The name Over-G had been mentioned in the lobbies between rounds and discussed during chill flights, but I never felt the need to dive into what was always described as a lackluster, slow-paced game. Fast forward 14 years or so, and my interest in this game was piqued after an interview with Why485, the developer of Tiny Combat Arena: "Tiny Combat Arena began as something of a dare from Mike Dolan. The idea was based on an almost throwaway mode from the Xbox 360 game, Over G Fighters." - Why 485. He went on to describe the game mode in more detail. Since then, I've had Over G Fighters on my list of titles from the past to give a serious playthrough. In fact, this statement is the only reason I am genuinely interested in this game for the first time ever. How could it have inspired something like the now sought-after Tiny Combat Arena? To put things in perspective, even though it was released as a console-exclusive, Over-G Fighters does a rather admirable job of being the best combat flight sim-lite on the Xbox 360. Many moderately realistic features make up the core of its gameplay. Realistic hardpoint management, aircraft part damage, fuel burn rates, turn rates, blackouts, red outs, over-stressing the airframe because of aggressive maneuvering, etc. I found it relatively easy to complete entire sorties using the instruments in the cockpit and the general user interface. It is the Arena mode of this game where the magic happens. There is an offline single-player and online multiplayer version of the Arena. Offline Arena Mode This open-ended game mode is a mixture of wave survival, and high score focused. With no set objective, players are free to select any aircraft, choose their own targets and fly multiple sorties going anywhere they wish with the restrictions of a flight simulator. The realistic limits on fuel, weapons, and aircraft performance transform the gameplay from an objective, limited approach to something more free-flowing but strategic. There is no winning by bombing a specific building or shooting down a particular attacker. Wisely choosing engagements, making every weapon count, using altitude and speed advantages to navigate over long distances and still leave enough fuel to return to base and do it all over again defines this game mode. In offline single-player Arena, the player launches from an island near the middle of a massive map. Even taking a fuel-efficient aircraft like a Boeing F/A-18 Hornet or a super cruising Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor is not enough to do a lap around the border of the entire map without some difficulty. There simply isn't enough fuel to cover all of that area, even if you avoid all the hostiles. And let us be clear, there is an overwhelming amount of them. The map images shown below layout the locations of aircraft, airfields, islands, ships and known higher priority targets. Every dot on the zoomed out map (left) is an enemy of some sort (right, zoomed in image). There are roughly six areas that have warships and aircraft loosely grouped together. The groups are defined by the territory they occupy and the general type of aircraft in the area. For example, multiple attackers at low altitudes and United States Navy aircraft over the ocean near warships. Though a majority of the enemies operate in those areas, there are still unexpected opponents that fly wherever they please. Even if you are in combat against Chengdu J-7s, it is still possible to be ambushed by a Lockheed Martin X-35; which happened to me while I was flying a Grumman F-14A Tomcat. Not recommended. Intermixed with these groups are "bosses" like strategic bombers, Iowa-class battleships, stealth aircraft, and AWACS. As enemies are defeated, the player accumulates glory points. The more difficult the enemy is dictates how many glory points are given for defeating them. This further adds to the mission planning in this free-form game mode. This makes interceptor sorties focused on destroying an AWACS near the farthest reaches of the map even more valuable than defeating a flight of fighters singlehandedly. Planning out flight paths to evade patrolling enemies and hitting high-value targets before their escorts swoop in changes the dynamic of offline Arena. Frequently using high speed and high altitude to traverse the map is immensely helpful. Learning how to safely approach the hostiles and when to engage and disengage is the key to success. As glory points are gained, in-game titles like "Green Horn," "Tactician," "Ace Sniper," and "Ultimate" are given as rewards. Achieving higher titles unlocks opportunities to fight big bosses (ace pilots) after certain conditions are met, like destroying a number of a specific type of aircraft in a particular area. Defeating big bosses will unlock their aircraft for the player and eventually lead to yet another game mode to be unlocked. There are few allies to assist the player. Their wingman, who flies an aircraft and weapon loadout decided by the player, can make all the difference in the offline Arena. As their weapons are also limited, utilizing the wingman means more in Over-G Fighters than many other flight games that were also on the Xbox 360. Intelligent use of the wingman includes having them engage escorts while the player attacks high-value targets or setting the wingman to perform air-to-surface strikes with the player flies escort. The offline Arena does have airfields and a carrier battle group that can rearm, refuel and repair aircraft... if you can survive long enough to reach them. The glory points gained will be lost or reduced otherwise. In this regard, running out of fuel far from base is just as deadly as getting hit by a missile. Landing, resupplying, and launching back-to-back sorties are the best ways to earn high amounts of points over time, making survival paramount. While offline Arena ends with either the player's death or manually ending the session, the online multiplayer version of Arena is a somewhat different beast. Online Arena Mode Online, four teams of up to two players each battle to be the last team standing. Each team has an airbase with air defenses, a symbol tower (headquarters), and an aircraft carrier with destroyer escorts. Defeating an opposing team is done by destroying their assets, especially the symbol tower, which removes an opposing team from the match when it is destroyed. Glory points are still collected in online gameplay by defeating other players and computer-controlled units. The destruction of a symbol tower gives an apparently massive amount of points unironically labeled as "Gained more glory points than I can imagine!!!" Intercepting incoming attackers while pressing the offensive against high-value targets is a balance that relies on player skill and coordination. Enemies cannot be found at long distances by pausing the game and scrolling through the map like in offline Arena. The long-range radar shows a general idea of where enemies are, but identifying aircraft and obtaining a radar lock is noticeably harder in online play. Learning each aircraft's strengths and extra functions (and bugs!) is a deep part of the PVP in online Arena mode. These functions vary from aircraft to aircraft. For some, they are simple additions like a hook for landing on aircraft carriers. For others, it's a dogfight mode that allows for guns and missiles to be fired simultaneously, super search radar modes, or radar stealth abilities. In one peculiar case with the Sukhoi Su-33 Sea Flanker, it's learning an exploit that combines disabling the angle of attack limiter while gaining speed on the runway, then performing a Pugachev Cobra during rotation for takeoff, forcing the Flanker to climb in a wholly unnatural way that results in an immediate altitude and speed advantage no other aircraft could match. Unfortunately, this is all I could gather from the multiplayer Arena, but considering this game's age and the unlikely chance for re-release, it's doubtful maximum capacity online lobbies would ever happen naturally. I was able to gather a bit of information and experience in online play thanks to the assistance of RaptorDad86, a flight simulation-focused content creator who has much experience with this game. Thanks to him for supplying me with information about the height of online multiplayer gameplay and even flying with me to help create this article. Newfound Respect and Understanding Even by today's standards, the open ended Arena game modes of Over G Fighters would still be stand out additions in similar flight simulation or flight arcade games. They would be a considerable selling point advertised on social media, crowdfunding projects, pre-orders and video trailers. Thinking back to Tiny Combat Arena's popular 2019 demo builds, the inspiration is evident. But to be clear, it's not just a lazy copy. Tiny Combat Arena's development towards the full-scale game go far beyond the intentions of Taito, the developer behind Over G Fighters. its approach to open-ended flight sim lite gameplay is firmly its own concept that has nods to this game from 2006 but does not plagiarize it. This entire journey to scratch a curious itch about Over G Fighters has sparked my interest in it and the Energy Air Force series which it is associated with. It feels like a new exploration into game console-based flight sim lites is just beginning for me. 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 concept that only a first-person sandbox flight game could execute well. Project Skyscape is a still-in-development game by Flyleap Studios. Its closed testing build has undergone multiple changes in the past months as it prepares for a potential 2021 early access release date. The game describes itself as a jet fighter experience that hits the gap between game and simulator while balancing realism and fun. Its ability to be played in both VR and desktop while having flight simulator-style aircraft systems and the ability to fly and walk around an entire planet freely is ambitious but has been taking shape. I've had the privilege of being a tester for this title for some time. As it is still in development, there are ongoing changes and tests being done, so details on the story, gameplay, flight model and multiplayer experience are too early to delve into for now. However, there is something that has left a lasting impression on me. During a certain part of the story in the game's solo play game mode puts the player in a situation where they must learn the controls of a combat aircraft. Usually, this is where the player is put through some tutorial mission where they destroy a handful of aircraft while being walked through the controls. That or there is a separate set of training missions used to fill this purpose. Instead, Project Skyscape utilizes an in-game gyroscope flight simulator. At first glance, the simulator looks like a standard sit-down machine with the bare minimum amount of equipment. Just a frame, really. But as the player enters it and turns on the battery, its potential is immediately apparent. After the initial rolls and flips using default controls, players are instructed to adjust the controls until they can easily track and destroy virtual targets that appear in the sim's display. Pressing Tab on the keyboard and opening the control menu (CTRL Menu) starts the process. Seeing the entire list of every input, axis, slider, and modifier button that can be programmed is impressive. Especially notable controls include the throttle designator controller (X-axis and Y-axis), head tracker settings, and specific buttons for selection hardpoints, ideal for a weapon selection hat switch. All inputs that would use an axis (like pitch, roll, yaw, TDC, etc.) are backed with assignable curves, dead zones, and input speed adjustments. During testing, I tried a variety of new and old hardware. So far, I've successfully made keybinds for four USB gamepads, four Hands on Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) units with a considerable amount of buttons, toggles switches, and hat switches, and two rudder pedals. Even three Thrustmaster MFD Cougars were recognized, though the in-game multi-function displays do not match up to them 1:1 like in Digital Combat Simulator at this time. Keep in mind that Project Skyscape's aircraft have fully-clickable cockpits that can be used with keyboard mouse controls, gamepads, joysticks, HOTAS, and VR touch controllers. Sometimes, parallels are drawn between Project Skyscape and VTOL VR, but physical controller support, customization, and the ability to use these same controls in either VR or desktop sets Project Skyscape apart from its virtual reality tailored contemporary. The seemingly simple gyroscope simulator won't be something listed on a sales page as a must-see feature. It's a training tool that primarily new players will spend a decent amount of time fine tuning their flight experience in while in a safe environment. But using the gyroscope as the first way for players to explore all control options within the game is a concept that only a first-person sandbox flight game could execute well. For more information and updates on this game, see its Steam store page, Youtube channel and Reddit community. 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.

I appreciate that Heliborne has not relegated flying transports to be anything more than a necessary burden. If there's one type of helicopter that's always underrated, it is the transport helicopter. This is especially true in military arcade flight games. Take a look back at decades of rotary-wing-centric titles, and you'll see that they're primarily about legendary attack helicopters or promising prototypes. If we're going by the "rule of cool," making a game about a high speed, maneuverable heli slinging missiles and rockets at treetop level is an easy choice. But there is a game that gives transports their chance to shine and become welcome force multipliers where attack helicopters are usually king. Heliborne is a military helicopter-focused arcade flight game that is well known for having solid co-op player vs. environment (co-op PVE) and player vs. player experience (PVP). Its roster of helicopters from the USA, USSR, China, Europe, and Russia are divided into three classes. Of them, the transport class is vital for the core gameplay of Heliborne. So much so that it's tough to win without them. With there being over 20 transport helicopters in the game, their usefulness inherently will impact a large part of the gameplay and the game's reception. In PVE, PVP, and single-player, at least half of the reoccurring objectives can realistically only be completed by transports. Objectives call for deploying dozens of infantry to far-flung locations, recovering shot down aircrews surrounded by enemies, and most importantly, interaction with outposts. In Heliborne, capturing and holding outposts is done by ferrying troops from the main base. Whether the landing zone is safe or under fire, transports land to deploy soldiers to operate them at full strength. As casualties accumulate through combat and control over the outposts weakens, additional troops are needed to reinforce and hold. Though the number of troops each transport can hold varies, transports are generally able to capture or reinforce more than one outpost at a time. While the clear downside of losing too many outposts is failing the mission, what is also lost is a secure forward area to operate from. The main base allows players to change their helicopter mid-game, rearm and repair, but it is located far from the frontline. Flying from the combat area to the main base takes a significant amount of time when allies are under attack. There are ammunition and repair crates in the main base that can be sling loaded by transports to forward positions. Carefully landing these crates into the defended landing zones provides allied attack, scout, and transport helicopters a faster means to repair and resupply than flying back to the main base every time. The crates can be destroyed by landing them improperly or destroyed by hostile forces. Placing the crates in allied landing zones is the most orthodox location, but skilled pilots can place them anywhere on the map. A clearing in the jungle, a secluded field, next to a river in a valley - so long as the crates and a helicopter can fit, it is an option. Related to this freedom of movement, transport helicopters can deploy three types of specialized infantry units almost anywhere. RPG soldiers bring rocket launchers with three rockets used for destroying enemy vehicles. Placing them near landing zones enhances their defenses, while landing them ahead of enemies on the move can provide an obstacle or ambush. Anti-air soldiers come equipped with Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPAD) that target hostile helicopters. They are beneficial in player vs. player game modes for denying opposing forces access to certain areas. Finally, Mortar teams provide indirect fire support for scout class helicopters that use mortar observer equipment. Depending on the number of active units, their indirect fire alone is enough to clear landing zones and thin out waves of enemies. When out of ammo or destroyed by enemy fire, these units disappear and need to be redeployed as desired. The common weapons that transport helicopters on all sides of all generations carry are different flavors of machine guns, cannons, and rocket pods. By far, the most valuable weapon they carry is the door gunners. Hostile vehicles and defenses are easy to visually identify, but harder to see enemy soldiers in the terrain are not easy to spot while flying at higher speeds. Usually, a scout is needed to make smaller targets easily visible on the screens of all players by marking them with icons above their heads. Door gunners automatically and independently scan for and attack targets that are unseen even to the pilot. This makes door gunners both great defensive weapons and an easy way to direct allies onto hidden troops by letting them follow door gunner tracer fire. Manual control over the gunner positions can be taken as needed. While cannons and rockets are excellent for attacking soft targets and certain types of armored personnel carriers, it is safe to assume that most of the fighting columns of main battle tanks supported by anti-aircraft units will be done by attack helicopters. In Heliborne, there are plenty of 3rd and 4th generation transports that can equip anti-tank guided missiles like the AT-6 Spiral, AGM-114 Hellfire, and KD-9, for example. But when transport helicopters are employing ATGMs, remaining near the maximum range is best. Though there are specific assault transports, mainly the Hind family, that are represented well in Heliborne as the heavily armored troop transports they were designed to be, they have compromises made to achieve this balance, Such as the reduced number of troops they can be carried. Specific transports can even mount short-ranged air-to-air missiles like the R-60 and AIM-9, alongside MANPADs like Stingers and Iglas for worst-case scenarios. Still, again purpose-built attack helicopters are preferable for these situations. I appreciate that Heliborne has not relegated flying transports to be anything more than a necessary burden. Being able to deliver supplies, capture a landing zone, deploy various types of infantry and still be a part of the front line action makes flying transports a very satisfying experience. 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.

Join a public Digital Combat Simulator player vs. environment (PvE) multiplayer server. Nine times out of ten, you'll be seeing F-16Cs carrying enough cluster munitions to make a B-52 blush, A-10s with more weapons than they have targets, and F/A-18Cs attempting to sink boats, bomb tanks, and outturn aircraft in one flight. It's so commonplace, seeing an aircraft accomplish a single objective with a reasonable loadout is uncommon. Why is that? Where is this need to win the war in a single sortie come from? This question has been on my mind for a long time. I can't help but wonder after having countless missions ruined by a marauding allied aircraft. The dreaded singleton operating in the blind carrying every weapon under the sun. After months of assuming it was just bravado and devil-may-care decisions from random players, I was forced to think about it one day. While flying 100nm back to base because my targets were destroyed minutes before I got in range. While staring at my four useless AGM-154 JSOWs since I had no targeting pod onboard, when I began thinking hard about why this happens so frequently. To the point where I formed an actual opinion. To my surprise, I found myself less annoyed (but still very annoyed!) and more understanding as to why this may keep happening. Open-Ended Design of Most PvE Servers As a combat simulator, DCS missions can become highly complex according to the mission planner's intentions and effort. To the point where specific aircraft and weapons are required, radio channels must be managed, flights have assignments, and a mission can take hours to complete. Very much in the style of community lead missions Spudknocker and the Grim Reapers post on their YouTube channels. Very realistic combat scenarios can be created. But for the most part, public PVE servers are designed to be open-ended experiences that forgo many restrictive mission parameters. These missions are designed to allow anyone in any aircraft to show up and fly as they please. With loose objectives, uncontrolled radio channels, and other mission parameters left up to the players. Any target is on the table as long as you can get there first. Unlimited Resources, Unrestricted Ambition Related to public PvE server mission design, they usually have access to unlimited resources and unlimited aircraft. Both from the primary airfields players spawn from and/or the captured airfields along the way. While having every resource available sounds ideal, having no limits in the simulator also changes players' mindset in preparing for combat. This is why the previously mentioned overloaded aircraft is almost a standard in public PVE. The only thing holding them back is the capability of their enemies, how many weapons and aircraft can load, and the distances they must fly. But even though an aircraft can load tons of munitions, it's not necessarily because they are meant to complete multiple missions in one flight. Expending most of your fuel and weapons on the primary objective then wandering the battlefield looking for any enemy that appears isn't the wisest of choices. All that added drag and weight from weapons being lugged around the battlefield while searching for extra trouble has gotten more than a few overly confident players shot down. And yet, the practice of flying dozens of miles to strike a target then meander off to chase bandits or seek out new areas of operations is a part of the collective mental image of a public PvE server is. In settings where players can have anything they want and fly as they please, over-extending and trying to do too much at once is commonplace. Going it Alone Digging deeper, this urge to try and single-handedly defeat a small army also comes from how the player views themself as flying solo. While public PVE servers can get packed with dozens of players, a high level of pre-mission planning and mid-mission communication between all players is uncommon. Even with all those people around, no communication essentially means they are essentially on their own. It's only with allies you can talk or text with that coordinated operations can be effectively run. Feeling as though they are on their own, they prioritize their own objectives without consulting others, causing the overlap in target selection. This is how a flight of aircraft's well-thought-out attack can be derailed by another pilot's final yolo rush. Time Limits Finally, the amount of time needed to complete the mission or objective is a factor. The average PvE Digital Combat Simulator sortie takes at least an hour to finish, but not everyone always has a few free hours set aside. A single flight may be all that their schedule allows for. Those players are attempting to maximize the potential number of targets destroyed in the one sortie they may fly for the day. Final Thoughts Now, I'm not saying PvE servers need to change the way they operate or that they're bad experiences. I often find myself flying online in PvE scenarios more than anything else. So, while this is clearly not a grand scheme to troll others by disrupting their missions, it doesn't change the fact that it's rather inconvenient. I think I can better understand why the solo players operate the way they do... but at least slow down a bit, type in chat and try to coordinate! Haha! 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.

Launching from the dawn-soaked sea as night turns to day, with a fresh batch of brews in the cargo hold and distant islands holding unknown potential... this is what "adventure" is, isn't it? Somewhere between the regional airline flights and dodging surface-to-air missiles, the sense of story-like adventure is often missing. There is a shortlist of old and bold titles that dared to fly out of the familiar air corridors of the aviation genre. The Brew Barons from Lifetap Studios feels like it is of the same vein. My first impression of this game comes after roughly 14 combined hours of gameplay between myself and Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos, a second member from Skyward Flight Media. We played both the February 2022 demo featured at Steam Next Fest 2022 and the non-time limited December 2021 closed alpha demo. SETTING AND STORY The Brew Barons puts anyone familiar with flight games into an unusual situation from the start. It begins in a broken down, wingless seaplane that must be slowly floated through a beautiful seaside town to its new home. Starting a flying game without any flying indeed resets expectations coming into the story. The scenic archipelago provides a memorable backdrop for the story and gameplay. Every island looks like it could be part of a resort, looking equally beautiful during its shortened day and night cycle. The ambient life - cars driving, people walking along walkways, planes flying through the air, boats sailing - further adds to the setting. With the level of technology inspired by the 1930s with some influences from Hayao Miyazaki's Porco Rosso, the propeller-driven seaplanes can show off their full capabilities. Being able to land anywhere there is enough water drives home the sense of adventure. While there were some minor references about things happening in North America, there isn't enough to fully explain what's happening in the grand scheme of things - which is fine. What matters the most is the immediate task at hand: founding a brewing enterprise successful enough to run an organization of dastardly pirates out of business and out of the region. TUTORIAL It should be noted that the tutorial is actually pretty long. There is a decent amount of content to learn before the player truly knows all the essential parts of the game. Players are walked through the controls and most of the game mechanics while meeting the first characters of the story and potential customers. Learning how to brew, repair the aircraft, buy upgrades, open a bar, design that bar, bottling your first product, and load up the bar for its first customers; the tutorial doesn't really end until the first brewing contract is completed. Fortunately, all ingredients, contracts, and money earned during the tutorial are retained by its end, making it worth the time. AIRCRAFT AND FLIGHT Flight can be summarized as a toned-down flight arcade model. The flight model is physics-based, with certain values tuned to make gameplay enjoyable. For example, while crashing an aircraft is still possible, the player either respawns back in their hangar with the damaged aircraft to begin repairs. A quick reset to an air restart is permitted if the aircraft accidentally touches down on land. But the planes are still represented as prop-driven aircraft. Zoom climbing thousands of feet in a few seconds, 9G turns, and high-speed sustained flight is not an option. When gathering certain materials needed for brewing, planning a low flying pass incorrectly is even more deadly than anything the pirates could throw at you. While water landings are frequent, landing at speeds that are too high or descending into the water too quickly can cause damage to the aircraft. Even somewhat rough landings may not cause a wing to fall off, but the damage will accumulate, causing frequent repairs. Players quickly learn the limitations of their aircraft, even with performance-boosting upgrades. Speaking of which, there are eight categories for upgrades and customizations: fuselage, wings, pontoons, engines, propellers, equipment, ornaments, and paint. Changes in engine performance, maneuverability, high altitude performance, increased ingredient gathering abilities, and new gadgets. The parts can be purchased, built from recovered blueprints, and salvaged from the ocean. THE BUSINESS ELEMENT One of this game's most unusual and appealing aspects is running a business. The three branches of the business element are: ingredient gathering, brewing, fulfilling contracts, and managing your own bar. Ingredient gathering has been gameified enough so that players can use their aircraft to fly through wheat fields using their propeller to chop up wheat. Grapes, honey, apples, potatoes, and other ingredients can be gathered by firing high-powered water guns to knock their ingredients into the air for gathering. Back in the brewery, existing recipes and newly acquired recipes offer a guide for types of drinks that can be created, but the player is free to try concocting anything they can think of. I made a few original recipes that were horrendous, but sometimes I got lucky enough to make a real keeper! All drinks can either be discarded or packaged in customizable bottles to either be delivered to customers or stocked in the player's own bar. Contracts are very straightforward. Flying from island to island has the chance to find new seaside towns with bars that are open to business with a new supplier. They provide contracts for specific drinks in certain quantities and of certain qualities. Brewing those products and delivering them on time and to specification is a way to preserve contracts and keep the player's income stream strong. The player's bar can be customized in different themes, floor plans, wall types, floor types, wood stain, metal stain, chair type, stool type - heck, even smoking and not smoking. Patrons enter the player's bar with new insights into the local culture, story-related information, and other encounters. The patrons will be ordering any drink players keep stocked. While it is somewhat difficult to reach this level in the timed February 2022 demo, the longer play sessions from the 2021 closed alpha permitted me to get to a point where I had a thriving bar and brewery stocked with my own products. This allowed me to spend most of my time exploring and pursuing the story with income passively coming in. I still made it a point to visit other towns and fulfill contracts to further expand my business area as that advances the goal of running those pirates out of town, but the sense of urgency to constantly run multiple brewing contacts at once from customers was very low. I was very concerned that the business element of this game would weigh down the gameplay and player's choices so much there would not be a way to effectively pursue the story. This was not the case. For those not used to business management, it sounds a bit daunting, but it's simplified enough to where after brewing your first drink, the system to brew everything else is the same, with the only difference being ingredients and the number of ingredients used per recipe. COMBAT Of course, the pirates aren't going to take being removed from their self-proclaimed territory without intimidation and combat. Rather than weapons, players will be combating them with non-lethal tools like high-powered water cannons to damage their aircraft and even water rockets. But the focus is on disabling the plane and not killing the pirates wholesale. Combat, when it appears, is still exciting, but this conscious decision from the game developer maintains the overall fun feeling of the experience without taking it to a dark place. A respectable decision. ADVENTURE ASPECTS Beyond the business and tense standoffs, exploring the islands has a lot of extras with it. Listing them off as bullet points may be the easiest way to summarize it: Water landings allow players to sleep on the water for many hours to recover pilot fatigue; no need to return to headquarters all the time. Pilots can also be switched and emergency services like refueling and towing are available. Salvaging sunken ship wreckage with an aircraft-mounted wench allows for recovery of equipment, blueprints, brewing recipes, new ingredients, crates of money, and more. Fishing for sealife to add to recipes. Finding new land-based ingredients only available on certain islands. Finding new towns, shipyards, and other places. Discover notable locations that come with snippets of lore that help expand the player's understanding of the world. CONTROLS, CAMERAS, FIXES Since the closed alpha demo, one of the most prominent problems was in the tutorial. It would occasionally bug itself, making it almost impossible to complete the tutorial, requiring a restart from the beginning. This is something I had happen to me as well. However, I've yet to have this happen to me during a few playthroughs of the February 2022 demo, where I intentionally did the tutorial to see if it would break. Do note that there are comments on social media and elsewhere saying this still happens occasionally. The default camera of The Brew Barons fits perfectly for this game. For reference, I'll call it the Cinematic camera. It focuses on the horizon and provides easy sweeping views needed to see the lay of the land, coordinate turns for landing or ingredient gathering, and generally take in the scenery. However, this camera was not that great in times of combat or when sharp vertical maneuvers were needed. Maintaining a visual of where the aircraft was going became very difficult. After receiving feedback, the developer added a second camera option toggled with a button press that slowly repositions and locks the camera directly behind the aircraft, giving it the familiar third-person view seen in most flight arcade games. Control-wise, I think that this game is better off with either a gamepad or keyboard and mouse controls. As I've mostly flown with a gamepad, I'll focus on that. The default controls for gamepads are undeniably a bit odd. Some functions are bound to rather unusual buttons - this has been a sticking point for some people. A more refined default gamepad layout would be beneficial here, but everything can be rebound to the player's liking. I advocate for always setting control bindings before ever playing a game, so I may be biased in that aspect. Some parts of the control setting menu may need to be reworded, but this is overall minor. Flight sticks or Hands-On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) controllers do work, but only devices that use a single USB are recognized. According to the developer, advanced HOTAS with multiple USBs are currently being researched to get working. This also applies to players attempting to use rudder pedals, HOTAS, and head tracking simultaneously. In my opinion, not a huge deal since the overall experience was better using a gamepad than when I was using a Logitech X52 or a Thrustmaster T.Flight 4. CONCLUSION With its mix of arcade flight action, approachable business management, an adventurous story, and a fine balance of gamification, there are genuinely not that many titles out there that can match this game's unique energy. I've genuinely had a fun time with this demo, primarily because of how far off of the beaten path it is. The creativeness of what the developer is doing with this title is wonderful. I do recommend trying the time-limited February 2022 demo a few times. Just to play the tutorial, play while skipping the tutorial to explore and another tutorial-skipped playthrough to focus on the business management aspects. For those interested, the Kickstarter campaign is active until March 12th, 2022 with the public demo still available as long as the Kickstarter is active. Our interview with the team developing The Brew Barons is also available for further information. 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.

Have you ever aileron roll a pair of flying cows off your wing while flying through a barn? Well, I have, and let me tell you, the guy in third place did not see that coming. Wing Breakers is a combat air racing game that wholeheartedly embraces absolute chaos. It was designed from the ground up to be over the top, fast-paced, and a little overwhelming as players plow through the racecourses to race for first place. A few parts of this game stand out, in my opinion, so I'll be focusing on those. Thanks to an offer from the developer, Gugila, I was able to fly in the absolutely wild skies of Wing Breakers days before its release on March 10th, 2022. Skyward Flight Media thanks the game's developer for pre-release access. BALANCING COMBAT Air racing games that incorporate combat into their gameplay must always overcome the balance between fighting and racing. Why outrace the others when you can just shoot them down? Why bother out flying the competition if I can outgun them? It's a similar problem that racing/cart games have if the players are given too many weapons or power-up options. In Wing Breakers, the balance of weapons vs. racing has been maintained. The damage output of bullets is limited enough that only multiple direct hits to an aircraft can destroy it - at least a dozen or more hits. Much easier said than done while flying in the chaotic environments of Wing Breakers. Using cannon shells to destroy non-player-controlled enemies, blowing up certain parts of terrain, and disrupting other racers by firing upon them is more useful than focusing on dogfighting the competitors. Guided missiles are relatively easy to dodge with an aileron roll or barrel roll, meaning that they're better used to catch unsuspecting rivals off guard during critical moments. There are Power-Ups that can be acquired mid-race by flying through them, but not all are offensive weapons. Picking up more ammunition restocks a small number of bullets or a single missile, meaning that weapons cannot be reliably reloaded and used throughout the race. Furthermore, the respawn timer for aircraft destroyed is relatively fast. In roughly three to four seconds, downed aircraft air restart a short distance away from where they were shot down or crashed. Choosing to hang back and fire upon other racers is ineffective because of the inability to shoot down the entire field of competition and because the rest of the field will be flying at much higher speeds to gather points and complete the race. Players are better off flying for points and trophy placement than trying to become an ace in a race. AIR RACING The most essential parts of racecourses are the rings and pylons that must be flown through. The green floating rings can be cleared by flying the aircraft through them or partially by dipping most of a wing through the ring's center. Occasionally missing these wrongs can be catastrophic as players may need to turn around completely to fly through a high-priority ring, allowing other racers to effortlessly pass them. This is a harsh penalty, but it keeps the racers focused on racing above all else. The presence of traditional air racing pylons, as seen in something like Red Bull Air Racing, appears purely cosmetic at first. But specific pylons have players gaining further points only if they fly through them under certain conditions. For example, they may require the aircraft to be wings level, knife-edge passes, passing through at certain altitudes, or slalom style weaving from side to side. This curious attention to detail inspired by real-world air racing is welcome even in this extreme setting. Even with all the shooting, bumping, and grinding between aircraft, the results that matter are time, points gathered, and who crossed the finish line. These are all ways to further counter players that would focus on combat over racing. Shooting down multiple aircraft in one race doesn't count for much if you still come in fifth. FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS Wing Breakers has a very arcadey flight model, but that's expected considering the type of flying being done in this game. To expect flight simulator type handling characteristics here would be a bit foolish. Pre-mapped controls include keyboard-mouse, various gamepads, Steam's native controller configuration input, and two flight sticks - specifically flight sticks that only have a single USB. The default controls are the most accessible for anyone, even players new to flight, as they can fly the aircraft with one stick. For example, tilting a thumbstick left makes the aircraft perform a coordinated turn left. Controls more representative to actual flight can be toggled, giving players control over all control surfaces. Interestingly enough, both control schemes have their strengths and weaknesses, but players with simplified controls do not seem to have an obvious advantage in multiplayer. There is a lot of collision with flying cows, racing pylons, bales of hay, piston-driven compactors that try to smash your plane to bits, etc. Because of this, the aircraft in this game are very sturdy, capable of plowing through hoards of combat drones and explosive barrels, but they do accumulate damage over time. Hitting the ground or a building at high speed will force a respawn. AIRCRAFT, CUSTOMIZATIONS There are currently six aircraft in the game, each with their own unique stats, including the amount of ammo and missiles they carry. As they are primarily civilian aircraft adapted for combat, the way weapons, hardware upgrades, and cosmetics are bolted onto the planes is rather comical - they fit the overall aesthetic well. There is an abundant amount of slots for customizations for each aircraft. Categories include Upgrades (jet engines, wing modifications, etc.), Stickers (decals that can be placed almost anywhere), and Extra (smoke generators, bobble head cats on your horizontal stabilizers!). The hangar can also be visually customized with decorations that do not change its functions. If you really wanted to, you could put an obnoxious amount of decals and attachments onto an aircraft to really stand out in a crowd! Aircraft and customizations are unlocked by increasing player rank and completing specific challenges, but the feeling of things being a heavy grind is avoided. There are eight skill levels in the Campaign race mode alone, each with up to 12 races that require players to do specific tasks. Just progressing through the campaign unlocks things without players having to replay a particular race repeatedly to eventually unlock a single item. TRACK EDITOR Aside from the racing, the significant feature that caught my attention is its track editor. Racecourses of any size and level of complexity are possible. The default racecourses were created in the same editor. Rather than be included directly in the game, the editor is available on the game's official website using WebGL. The editor comes with two guides, the ability to place every in-game object anywhere, reshape terrain in any way - everything needed to make quality custom maps. Racecourses created in the editor can be playtested in game before being made available for download to all players that own Wing Breakers. The track editor being hosted on the website is a pretty unusual choice. This makes it possible for people who don't own the game to create and upload their own tracks. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen, but this opens the possibility for hundreds of races to be uploaded in the long term. Wing Breakers is not the type of flight game I usually find myself playing, but the impression it left on me was positive overall. The races are always fast enough to never feel like they're dragging on. The need to fly precisely to avoid danger is thrown aside with all the airborne livestock and aircraft wing slapping going on. There are plenty of moments that leave you giggling at how absurd things get, like coming in third place while your aircraft fireballs across the finish line. It was good to take a step back from the seriousness of flying and just have fun with it. 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.

The counterattack on Takodana in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens solidified Poe Dameron's position as "one hell of a pilot". In under a minute, Poe's black T-70 X-Wing took down ten TIE fighters while strafing First Order Stormtroopers. Getting as many starfighter kills that fast might be a bit unobtainable in Star Wars Battlefront II (2017), but it's still the best place to experience Star Wars themed combined arms combat. It goes without saying that Star Wars: Squadrons (2020) is the tailor-made pilot experience, but it focuses on space combat against starfighters, warships, space ports, etc. Because of that, Battlefront II continues to be the best place to experience providing close air support (CAS) for ground forces even in the year 2022. Multiplayer Combined Arms Combat Ever since "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" (a.k.a. the 1970s), fans of this multi-decade series have played all types of Star Wars games of various genres and quality. Few have been able to give the same epic battle experience that mimics what is shown in the movies and TV shows. I have nothing but love for the Star Wars Battlefront games of the early 2000s, as they represented combined arms pretty well for the most part. But the opportunities that starfighters had were restricted by which maps or game modes they were available in. This trend continued even into the 2010s with Star Wars Battlefront II. Its important to note that the type of combat we are discussing is only truly available in one game mode: Galactic Assault. There two teams of 20 players each fight in large battles which include the four standard player classes, powered up Reinforcement units, well-known heroes and villains and an assortment of vehicles. Not every map in Galactic Assault has starfighters available, but when they are, a starfighter in the right hands can make a difference in the ground battle. Flight System Overview It's clear that video game developer DICE designed Battlefront II to be very accessible to players of all skill levels. There are similarities in its design and gameplay to their long-running Battlefield series. Within seconds players can be embroiled in deep space skirmishes or planetside battles without having to worry too much about the physics and controls behind it all. This game restricts full control over the roll axis and utilizes automatically coordinated turning: pitch, roll and yaw working together during a single directional input to provide flat, easy to control turns. Even at minimum throttle and maximum turn input, stalling is not possible. Armor and shields regenerate when players are not under attack for a certain amount of time. There is no mid-air collision and friendly fire is disabled. The most complicated things players would need to worry about it throttle inputs for maximum turn rates, managing shield strength and selecting the right system upgrades for the task. A lot more could be said about flight in this game across all game modes, but let's refocus. Map Restrictions Something to remember while providing close air support in Battlefront II is that Galactic Assault maps have a wide horizontal play area but usually not a very high vertical play area. The exact height restrictions differ on each map, but the vertical play area is always smaller than the horizontal play area. For pilots, this translates to more ground attacks at more shallow angles giving them more time on target, but increasing their exposure to counterattack from below. The ideal high angle top attack profile is harder to achieve but is still possible. Pilots using the high angle method will have a very short time on target window before they must pull up to avoid crashing into terrain. Hardware Overview Starfighters come in three variants: interceptors which focus on high speeds and excel at shooting down other starfighters but suffer have low armor. Fighters maintain a nice balance of armor, firepower, and maneuverability. Bombers have high damage output, the best armor, and the lowest maneuverability. That may be how they are generally described, but gameplay and descriptions are two different things, especially when striking ground targets is the focus. Each Starfighter comes with slightly varying weapons systems. The primary weapon system is their blasters which have varying rates of fire and base firepower. Take note that these blasters also have a limited amount of splash damage around them. This splash damage can be utilized to hit even troops hiding behind cover, depending on the pilot's accuracy. Enhancing their ability to fire faster, hit harder or fire for longer periods of time is ideal. Secondary systems include momentary laser barrage bursts, afterburners, droids that repair damage and different types of torpedoes (i.e guided missiles). For ground attack, laser barrages and torpedoes are the best as they provide a substantial extra attack ability. Though torpedoes on starfighters do not lock onto anything but other starfighters, they can be fired without guidance using the on-screen crosshair in the starfighter's heads up display. This essentially makes them unguided rockets that fly along a fairly predictable path. When it comes to starfighter classes, the Interceptor and Bomber classes are the most effective in the ground attack role. Though Bombers do not carry bombs in this game, their high damage output blasters and torpedoes can make quick work of any land based foe. Their high output shields and heavy armor are also a factor. It may be surprising that the lightweight Interceptor was even considered, but its high rate of fire blasters can deliver respectable damage within seconds. Although its light defenses restrict it to quick slashing attacks and its high speed actually reduces the amount of time on target depending on how players approach their targets. The balanced rate of fire and damage output of Fighter class vehicle is formidable in dogfights and against capital ships, but for ground attack its somewhat meandering damage output combined with short ground attack windows caused by speed, distance and altitude restrictions diminishes its effectiveness. Application of Close Air Support Troop Buildup: The most common target for starfighters. Groups of three or more opposing players moving as a squad. The minimal splash damage produced by starfighter blasters will strike all targets within your firing point, making multi-kills more likely to happen. Being able to visually identify and trace their blaster fire helps with target identification. There are very few handheld weapons that can counter starfighters, besides Ion Torpedoes and Ion Turrets. While these launch small guided missiles that can chase starfighters, they are moderately easy to evade. Ion Disruptor Suppression: If the goal of the enemy is to deploy Ion Disruptors to drop the defenses of large assault vehicles like CIS Separatist MTTs, Imperial AT-ATs or First Order AT-M6s, interception of ground forces transporting them is needed. Pilots are able to fly past the front line and promptly fire upon the Ion Disruptors before they are fired. Even forcing the troops carrying them into less favorable position buys precious time for friendly ground forces to reach the troops carrying the Ion Disruptors themselves. Anti-Vehicle: Arguably the primary target for close air support. Whether they are hover tanks or multi-legged walking armored vehicles, starfighters can inficlt substantial damage on them in a short amount of time. Friendly ground forces will often be drawing all of their attention, making them easier to attack. Well aimed unguided torpedoes with damage upgrades are even capable of one-shot destroying vehicles at full health, if you can hit their weak spot directly. Even much larger vehicles like AT-ATs or MTTs, the primary objectives in many Galactic Assault matches, can be attacked with ease from the air at long distance. All of this can be applied to static defenses as well; E-Web Heavy Blaster emplacements, DF.9 anti-infantry batteries, V-232 artillery emplacements, etc. The weapons these vehicles carry can dish out equally high damage onto starfighters, so approaching them while they are actively firing upon you is unwise. Hero and Villain Counter: In this game, players can use the iconic characters of Star Wars to lay waste to all other infantry. With their boosted abilities, special weapons and Force powers, they can spread chaos throughout the area. Starfighters are one of the most effective counters to these characters. The splash damage caused by blasters, laser cannons and torpedoes cannot be deflected or blocked by a Force barrier or a light saber. While characters trained to use the Force will be harder to hit because of their ability to dash quickly and jump far, two or three effective strafing runs will almost completely deplete their massive health pools. Their lightsabers, while intimidating, do give away their positions when they are ignited, making them easier to attack from the air. Other characters that use blasters and are less mobile are generally easier to deal with but are capable of firing back. The most effective Hero or Villain characters against starfighters is actually Leia Organa. Her secondary fire ability not only delivers a moderately powerful single blaster bolt, but this bolt actually tracks targets. The farther the target is from Leia, the more accurate the blaster bolt tracks the target. Because the pilot receives no missile lock warning or missile evasion cues, pilots are usually caught off guard by her. This, strangely, makes her one of the most effective anti-starfighter defenses in Battlefront II. Self-Escort: In Galactic Assault, the number of starfighters available is always much more limited than the other game modes. Pilots providing CAS will need to be able to defend themselves against enemy starfighters before returning to ground attack. Even with a dedicated ally providing escort for the ground attacker, these minimal numbers will force all starfighters airborne to combat one another for air superiority. Being able to destroy walking tanks and strafe Stormtroopers definitely fulfills a lot of big screen movie desires within the players of Star Wars: Battlefront II. Han Solo is famous for saying hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster. The heavy blasters of high speed space craft tend to agree. 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.

"The best way to test survival game mechanics is to put yourself into a desperate situation." I told myself this after three days of trekking through the forest and foothills—the result of my misjudgment of aircraft fuel quantity and the distance back to my main airfield. I executed an emergency landing in a grass field at dusk. Exiting the aircraft, I saw that the wing was damaged during the chaos. With no tools onboard, I hiked back to my home airfield with only the items on my person and from the storage hold of the aircraft. I didn't have enough energy bars and water bottles to make the long walk back, so how would I survive? I previously discussed Groundfall, an in development open world bush flight simulator, back in April 2021. At the time, Snowcreature, the developer of this title, focused much of their effort on getting online multiplayer working. They were still hammering out how they would re-incorporate survival elements from a previous test build of the game. In late June 2022, singleplayer has been reintroduced, and many survival elements are back in play. It's safe to say that GroundFall has reached a new level of testing. For testing purposes, participants immediately have access to various weapons, a limited initial supply of resources, home airfield, a cabin, and an aircraft. This title has much more development to be done before it is ready for the public. Nothing in this article should be taken as a "final build" representation, but let's discuss what is currently being tested. Survival Equipment and Game Mechanics "Roughing it" is a part of the collective mental image of bush flight. Moving the aircraft into places inaccessible to most aircraft while maintaining a stable food supply and general state of safety even in the most remote areas. Players have to manage their physical fatigue, food, water, and stamina. It's even possible to get an infection from a severe injury. Attempting to explore and build 24 hours a day with minimal rest will also result in eventual death by fatigue. Learning how to pace one's goals while making time to rest properly is the safest way to survive. My most successful testing sessions frequently start by stocking up on supplies and hardware before even attempting to fly anywhere. A few overland treks by foot to nearby cabins before even taking off could also lead to finding rare items like aircraft fuel, repair tools, or other gadgets. Tools and weapons include bows, arrows, knives, spears, axes, and lever-action hunting rifles. All of these have limitations such as wear and tear that eventually causes them to break, throwing them and losing track of them, or in the case of the rifle, how much ammunition is available. Intelligent choices need to be made. You won't be walking around with hundreds of rounds of ammo or arrows on your person, so using precious rifle ammunition on an unsuspecting rabbit may not be as valuable as using it to fight off bears. Foraging for berries is a decent way to keep the player's food and water levels up, but hunting prey like deer offers considerably more food in one go. So far, GroundFall has handled hunting in a very straightforward manner. Each animal provides a certain amount of meat, leather, etc. There are no animations for skinning fur or removing organs, so it's all pretty clean for now. Crafting and Constructing The inclusion of a crafting and survival booklet was a very positive move from the developer. This booklet contains tutorials, crafting recipes for various structures, and workspaces to repair equipment and build more advanced equipment. Even creating new buildings is being tested. Both pre-made designs and custom designs are available. After setting placeholders for walls, porches, windows, stairs, and doors, the structures show how much wood, stone, or other materials are required. With players also able to make new runways, constructing a rather elaborate home airfield is a desirable long-term goal. I had never considered wanting a custom airfield until Ground Fall presented the possibility. I'll find a way to make a complete two-runway airport at this rate! Reaffirming the Value of the Aircraft The flight model GroundFall uses hasn't changed much since the last article I wrote, so I recommend reading that if you have not. But on the subject of survival gameplay, nothing emphasizes the importance of having an aircraft more than losing access to it. A light aircraft's utility becomes more apparent when you are thousands of meters away from the home airfield with no quick ride out of potentially deadly situations. The extra storage and speed of travel aircraft provide are vital—even quick trips just over the next few hills or scouting areas of interest. A flat patch of dirt near a cluster of hard-to-reach cabins or a herd of deer could be the beginning of a profitable expedition. But the fragility of light aircraft is also very apparent. Taking time to orbit the potential landing area and visually inspect it will save players a lot of headaches. The presence of wildlife, boulders, and trees on or near the runway can result in catastrophic damage to the aircraft. Attempting to land from the wrong direction without accounting for the height of trees, hills, or mountains could also lead to a one-time landing gone wrong. Give yourself enough room to go around and try again. Admittedly, at this testing phase, flying long distances is risky because of the inability to carry repair tools or extra fuel within the aircraft. You're at the mercy of RNG to hope you'll find more fuel somewhere along the way at another airfield or in a cabin. Running out of fuel, taking considerate structural damage or outright flipping the aircraft upside down is a death sentence for the aircraft. Feedback from testers will continue to be provided to the developer, but I know I'll be arguing the case for even a one-time use "minor tool kit" to be carried on board the aircraft to at least repair minor or moderate damage. Perhaps an "emergency gas tank" as well. It's great that GroundFall has reached a new phase of testing for its core gameplay elements. There are bound to be many more additions and improvements along the way as the developer continues to bounce ideas off of their testing group. Other features from a previous build are still being reintroduced, including radio for communications and receiving in-game objectives. I look forward to seeing the next level of development in this up-and-coming bush flight simulator. 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.

Flight arcade games that have players purchasing aircraft as the story develops add a thin layer of money management to gameplay. This is mostly true for the first and second playthrough of their single player campaigns. Starting with a small pool of funds and facing an increasing number of enemies, buying a new aircraft for each sortie isn't always the best strategy. Saving up for highly capable late-game aircraft is ideal, but finding the right mix of less capable aircraft to get you there without wasting money is the challenge. I'm of the opinion that in Project Wingman, the MG-29 is by far the best mid-tier aircraft available early in its campaign and conquest mode. This is because of its weapon selection, ability to bring multiple weapon types in the same sortie, great all-around mobility, and an optional maneuverability-increasing part that can extend its usefulness in combat. Unlike most of its appearances in-flight arcade games over the past two or three decades, the MG-29 (patterned after the MiG-29 Fulcrum) is a solid multi-role platform in Project Wingman. With three weapon slots available, it can carry a mixture of anti-air and anti-surface weapons without compromising one for the other; something that the most flight arcade games force players to do frequently. Slot 1 is a dedicated air-to-air slot with active radar homing missiles (MLAA), semi-active radar homing missiles (SAA), or short-range multiple-purpose missiles (STDM). Slot 2 allows for more active radar homing missiles (MLAA), unguided bombs (UGBS), or rocket pods (URS, URBM). The unguided weapons can be used effectively on clusters of surface targets, with the rocket pods doubling as effective weapons against seaborne and airborne warships. Even against the occasional land battleship! Slot 3 can equip further active radar homing missiles (MLAA), small unguided bombs (UGBS) or guided air-to-ground missiles (MLAG, MLAG-2). All of this is available alongside the aircraft's highly effective internal cannon (GUN) and the usual multipurpose standard missiles (STDM). The typical "no compromise" loadout of the MG-29 combines medium or long ranged air-to-air missiles, unguided rocket pods or bombs and multi-target air-to-ground missiles which augment the already destructive internal cannon and standard missiles capable of attacking any target. Being able to carry this mixture of weaponry each sortie or prioritize one role over another depending on the mission highlights the MG-29's flexibility as compared to other aircraft in the game's roster. Whether it's maintaining a mixed loadout to take on any threat during a mission or doubling up on weapons for air battles or dedicated ground support, the MG-29 can handle it. While this aircraft does come with countermeasures to decoy guided missiles, its optional angle of attack limiter toggle is vital in extending its usefulness. Forgoing countermeasures to control the limiter lets players maneuver the aircraft beyond its standard performance ratings for a short time. Being able to quickly tap the limiter to enhance turns, evade attacks, or quickly point the nose and attack superior enemies are a part of the AOA limiter's offerings. Eventually the effectiveness of the aircraft will fall off when combating considerable numbers of superior aircraft. Expert use of the AOA limiter by the pilot will be the deciding factor in late game combat. Finally, the MG-29 is unlocked for purchase rather early in the story, making its entire package very desirable. Completing mission 05 and having enough credits on hand is enough to purchase it outright with all weapons and optional equipment included. Even in Conquest Mode it can be purchased early on though its viability comes into question much faster in this game mode as compared to single player. Mainly because of how rapidly the difficulty in Conquest mode can escalate in just two to four missions. Any attempt to fly the MG-29 long term in Conquest will heavily rely on the pilot's overall skill and expert use of the AOA limiter for defensive maneuvers. In a genre that has portrayed the Strike Eagle, Fighting Falcon and Hornet as the only true multirole platforms, it's great to see the "Fulcrum" finally be a solid contender in the race. 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.

Multi-crew capable aircraft are some of the most interesting modules in the Digital Combat Simulator World. Operating a full-fidelity simulated airborne war machine with a trusted second human player is something that DCS can offer in a way few other combat-oriented flight simulators can. This is even more true in a historically iconic aircraft like the Grumman F-14 Tomcat as presented by Heatblur Simulations, which has been recreated in eye bleedingly high quality. But as expected in any multi-crew aircraft, the full extent of their capabilities rely on a competent human crew. In the F-14A/B, having a consistent human pilot and radar intercept officer for every sortie is a rarity. Fortunately, a computer companion has been available since this module's introduction in March 2019. Jester, a computerized radar intercept officer (RIO) is effective enough to let human players fly the Tomcat without a human RIO. Some aspects of Jester are beneficial beyond the on-paper capabilities of the Tomcat, but even now, in 2022, he's not without his limitations and quirks. Some of these quirks can potentially place the aircraft in danger if the players don't figure out how to work with or around them. Consider this a helpful tip article for your average DCS World F-14 Tomcat pilot to work better with Jester in certain aspects. Jester Specific Keybinds Jester's primary control function is the Jester Menu. This circular menu lets the pilot order their computer RIO to interact with dozens of sub-menus for almost every system available in the Tomcat's backseat. It is projected over the center of the player's field of view while in flight. Speaking from the point of view of someone that uses head tracking like TrackIR or OpenTrack, this menu's ability to be controlled with head movements for quick selection is very handy. But there are times when moving one's head up, down, left, and right can be detrimental. Like while visually tracking a maneuvering bandit in a dogfight or opening the menu when not looking straight ahead towards the head tracker sensor. Opening the menu while looking up at an angle or off to the side can result in awkward strained neck movements because of the menu's orientation. Whichever direction the player is looking when they open this menu is considered the "centered" position for the menu. For example, suppose the menu is opened while looking down to the left outside the cockpit while scanning for something on the ground. What would typically be a quick downward glance to select a menu option can turn into odd neck-craning movements to choose menu options. Opening the menu when already looking behind or directly above the aircraft could require large head movements to select options on the edges of the menu. To the point where keeping your eyes on the computer monitor while moving your head at awkward angles can be uncomfortable. Jester does have a limited set of commands that can be bound to specific keybinds or buttons on physical controllers (joysticks, HOTAS, gamepads, etc). There are not enough commands to cover every possible Jester option, but what is available can be utilized in life-saving and frustration-negating ways when used correctly. Take time to check out all possible keybinds in with Digital Combat Simulator open in Options -> Controls -> F-14 Pilot -> Jester AI, but the keybinds of interest to us in this article will be explained per subject. Radar Orientation Reset One of the first things people will think of is how difficult it can be to get him to re-center the radar from one cluster of contacts to a different area. This is something that occurs in various radar modes. Even when aggressively reorienting the F-14 onto new radar contacts, Jester will work his hardest to keep the radar on the initial set of contacts, slewing the radar as far as he can to maintain radar contact on the initial group. While this is all well and good assuming the initial group is the biggest threat, in situations where a new, more dangerous group of contacts appears, having to work against Jester to force him to break contact with the initial group is detrimental. Having to completely break radar contact with the first group by sometimes turning the aircraft so far away from the initial contact group Jester cannot physically keep the radar on them to acquire the new contacts is as dangerous as it sounds. It costs precious time and can allow bandits to close distance, negating the Tomcat's purpose-built beyond visual range advantage (BVR). In a pinch or as a standard operation, using the keybinds as mentioned above to change Jester's radar mode between Range While Search (Jester AI -> Radar- RWS Mode) or Track While Scan (Jester AI -> Radar - TWS Mode) automatically forces Jester to re-center the aircraft's radar straight ahead of the aircraft. While it will take him a few seconds to complete the order, it's a faster and safer alternative in a pinch. BVR Transition to WVR Despite the Tomcat's famed ability to fire six AIM-54 Phoenixes at up to six different aircraft flying at altering altitudes and speeds, the chances of splashing every bandit every time would require the perfect conditions for each missile. Knowing how to transition from BVR to within visual range (WVR) combat is a skill that the F-14 pilot will need to know. Assuming a long-range missile launch failed to hit its target or a close-range bandit has been detected, Jester's commands for Single Target Track (STT) mode can be the difference between landing a quick missile shot a few miles before the merge or better positioning one's self for the inevitable turning battle. This can be accomplished without interacting with Jester's menu when you may be seconds away from entering a dogfight. Ordering Jester to STT lock the nearest confirmed bandit (Jester AI -> Radar - STT Lock Enemy Ahead) is the ideal solution, assuming all aircraft in front of the F-14 have been identified as friendly or hostile (IFF). If Jester may not be able to IFF a nearby air contact fast enough, commanding him to lock any aircraft ahead with STT (Jester AI -> Radar - STT Lock Ahead) is the fastest way to gain a firing solution. But with, this will forgo the IFF process, making it possible for him to lock a friendly. Methods for confirming whether or not the STT locked aircraft include waiting for Jester to verbally IFF them, the pilot using the Tomcat's Television Camera System (TCS) to visually identify, using the pilot's own eyes to identify, communicating with allies, asking a nearby AWACS to declare the status of the locked aircraft or checking the F10 map, if able. Where quick STT lock commands are used, it is strongly recommended also to have Jester's break lock command readily available (Jester AI -> Radar - Break Lock). Following Up on BVR Launches As a side note, the same STT keybinds mentioned above can be used to follow up on successful or near-successful BVR launches. When AIM-54 Phoenix missiles reach their targets and their onboard missile seekers go fully active ("pitbull") and guide themselves to target, the enemy aircraft are usually forced to perform defensive maneuvers once their onboard radar warning receivers alert them of the AIM-54 closing in. If in a favorable position, the attacking F-14 can follow up for a second attack. When confirming that the Phoenix went active, using Jester's command to STT lock an enemy ahead (Jester AI -> Radar - STT Lock Enemy Ahead) will focus the Tomcat's weapon systems and TCS onto the defensive bandit. The benefits of this is the immediate ability to monitor the bandit's movements. If the bandit is destroyed by the AIM-54, it can be confirmed via radar and the TCS system. If it successfully defends, the Tomcat can be positioned closer to the defensive bandit for a more favorable follow up attack and decide what type of missile should be launched to down the bandit. Using the Jester Menu to STT lock a specific numbered Track While Scan (TWS) target is the ideal way to follow up a BVR TWS attack, but in situations where missiles are being exchanged, Jester's quick STT lock keybinds can come in clutch. Manually Switching Between Pulse and Pulse Doppler STT Jester frequently loses radar missile lock when transitioning from Pulse Doppler STT (PD-STT) to Pulse STT (P-STT) when allowed to do so on his own. This well-known problem resulted in an update from Heatblur Simulations, letting players disable Jester's ability to transfer between these two modes through the aircraft's Special Options menu. Without getting too deep into the details, for now, there are advantages and disadvantages to using either mode. PD-STT is best used for attacking a single target at long range but is vulnerable to Zero Doppler Notch. P-STT is more resistant to notching but is best used for short to medium range. For a deeper understanding, I recommend referring to the AN/AWG-9 section of the official manual and Avionics IV: Radar Management in Virtual Backseaters Volume I: F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer by Fly and Wire. Rather than completely doing away with a function of the AN/AWG-9 radar, make use of Jester's toggle command (Jester AI ->Radar - Toggle PD-STT to P-STT) to take manual control. With the pilot having a better understanding of when and if to switch between these two modes, there is at least an option to access these modes when needed. Inhuman Situational Awareness Quirks This isn't necessarily something that can be controlled with keybinds, but it is noteworthy. Jester has the same level of inhuman situational awareness that many other computer-controlled enemy units do in Digital Combat Simulator. This is especially apparent during close-range dogfights and for calling out missile launches. In a dynamic turning battle, Jester does not lose sight of any bandit merged with the F-14 Tomcat. Even in situations where the enemy is attacking from directly below, where it's physically impossible to see them. Jester will continue to guide the player's eyes and flight inputs towards the bandit with consistent position call-outs. This is true even in scenarios/missions that adhere to the most realistic restrictions possible. This includes callouts for missiles launched from aircraft or surface-to-air threats. Jester's warnings about infrared homing missiles are especially life-saving. The assumption is that when Jester calls out a missile it will most likely be hostile. However, he can give false call-outs in certain situations. Because he does not always differentiate the type of missiles launched or if a nearby friendly aircraft fired a missile at a distant target. Occasionally Jester's sudden, panicked instructions to break away and evade are triggered by something that is no factor. Human pilots maintaining at least a basic situational awareness will easily avoid unneeded maneuvering and wasting countermeasures from a false launch alert. For those interested in more information about what's possible with Jester in the air-to-ground attack role, see my previous article on using Jester AI in the Forward Air Controller (Airborne) role. 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.

My latest adventure into the indie flight game scene has led me to a cutesy planetoid in need of irrigation, bug swatting, and a long-eared pilot hero. Hare Fare is a simple arcade flight shooter created by Gumboot studio, with audio support from Ockpii. It was created as a part of the 46th Ludum Dare, a long-running series of game jam competitions that typically last two to three days. Each game jam has a theme or set of requirements that creators are recommended to follow to score higher in the competition. The theme for Ludum Dare 46 was "keep it alive," implying the act of protecting or enabling the function or existence of something being a core part of the submitted games. Gumboot's entry was a cartoonish flight game featuring a rabbit piloting a propeller-driven aircraft. From a small airfield on the ocean, the player patrols a planetoid in support of the populations living on Leek, Lemon, and Petal islands. Players deploy a net-shaped device that captures moisture from inside dark rain clouds while the aircraft flies through them. This water can then be air dropped onto each island to sustain the islanders' carrot-laden fields. This same water source is also needed to power the aircraft's onboard water guns to defend the islands. Swarms of dastardly Fly Guys cross the sky from island to island. Their goal is to steal carrots and decimate each island's water supply. Once the water supply is completely drained, the island name is crossed out and it cannot be revitalized. As the Fly Guys approach and attack the islands, their residences call for their flying long-eared savior to shoot down the pesky invaders with water guns (this is where the "carrot combat air patrol" joke comes in). The most effective strategy for handling them is intercepting them over the ocean, well away from the islands when able. Thinning out their numbers or taking out entire swarms before reaching the islands is ideal. As time goes on, the swarms increase in size, making it harder to defend the islands while resupplying them with water and occasionally flying to the home airport to refuel the aircraft quickly. Gameplay-wise it's as simple as can be. Basic controls for throttle, pitch, and roll with buttons for firing the water gun and dropping water containers from the aircraft. There is also no need to deploy landing gear to land and refuel. Simply flying beneath the flags at the home airfield will refuel the plane. While the lack of yaw makes using the water guns very awkward at times, an automatically adjusting aiming reticle somewhat makes up for it. Due to the low speed of the Fly Guys and their tendency to circle the terrain of the islands at low altitudes, slashing attacks through their groups are highly effective. Darting around this admittedly cute small game is another good example of the types of things you can find from indie flight game developers. Whether they're game jam entries turned into full-fledged projects or one-off limited-scale games made to test an idea, I recommend the occasional dive into the world wide web to find unique flying experiences. You never know what you'll find. 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.

Featured in volume 2 of Miles Above Magazine produced by Electrosphere.info in May 2015. This interview was lost with the website's closure later that year. ​We present a interview with the group behind the only on going multi-year translation project in the Ace Combat Community. Team NEMO is the group behind the fan based translation of the original version of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere. The  translation project as a whole is known as “Project NEMO”. ​The original version of Ace Combat 3 is not to be confused with the export version of the game, which was only one disc long with a vast proportion of its content removed. After many years, a major mile stone in the timeline of the project has been reached. The release of Team NEMO’s AC3 International Edition demo would come on December 25th, 2014; nearly five years after the project began.  ​ In this interview with Team NEMO we ask questions about various aspects of the project throughout their history. Our questions are answered through DragonSpikeXIII, who is the leader of the translation team. The interviewer being Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza, formerly of Electrosphere.info. Greetings. I'm glad we're finally doing this. ​It's great to be here for an interview, ask away! Project Nemo has been around for quite some time now. With so much effort going into this translation over such a long amount of time, the first question that comes to mind is "Why AC3?" ​It had to be AC3 because of how unique it is and it being the only Ace Combat that was never REALLY translated for English-speaking audiences. Me and the rest of the team believe this game is worth the effort and I believe it has something to offer unlike any game before or after, be it AC or not. ​ ​When more recent fans of the series hear about Project Nemo, a few questions come up, “Why translate a game that was released so long ago?”, “What's the difference between the two that makes Project Nemo's translation efforts so important?” “It was already translated, wasn't it?” The game may be more than 15 years old but even though the game was localized, most of its original qualities were dropped during localization, back in 2000. Even as I played the stripped-down and streamlined U.S. version, there was always a feeling that something was missing. It felt like it had taken great steps forward in graphics, design and sound but there was no narrative, nor characters to populate the world they had created for AC3. It was a strange mix of going forward and backwards when compared to AC2. When I finally discovered, back in 2006 or 2007, that my suspicions were actually founded all along, it was an amazing discovery. After that a year passed and I just couldn't wait any more, someone had to at least try and start a fan-translation project for this game. How did the effort to translate Ace Combat 3 begin? ​ My memory's a little hazy but the project had its official start when I met a like-minded fan, Iceman-UK, on the GameFAQS AC3 forum. I had posted a topic where I talked about my plan to crowd fund a translation for this game but he changed all that. At the time Iceman-UK was part of the team that had translated Front Mission 5 and was also translating Front Mission 2, so he had critical know-how that I simply lacked. He was the one who found a translator willing to help us out, BRPXQZME, and so in early 2009 the original game's translation finally began. Meeting these individuals and the progress being made with translation would lead to the creation of the Project Nemo website and Usea Today blog, correct? What impact has the website and blog had on the project over the years? Yes, the creation of our homepage and blog signaled the official start of Project NEMO. Our homepage is our official presence on the Internet, so to speak, while USEA Today, our blog, was created so we had a platform where we could post any kind of information not only about project but, more importantly, about the game itself. Ultimately they've allowed us to reach our audience and finally put AC3 on the map, in a way. So if someone wanted to find out more about AC3 and its fan-translation, there finally was place for that. Promotional poster for the project. Tell us a bit about Team Nemo themselves. How many have been on the team since it was founded? What were their roles in the project? We were just three at first, me, Iceman-UK and BRPXQZME. Those two were already known and active in the fan-translation community when Project NEMO began. Over the years we gradually welcomed more people who joined the team proper, like pmt7ar, translator and spot-checker and Gipphe, the first one who took a look at the programming side of the game. After a few years of hiatus, where there was little to no progress, the project had the luck to welcome Dashman, our typesetter, and esperknight, the programmer who made it possible to insert our translation into the game. A few months into 2014, another programmer simply called "me", whose contributions were critical to our fan-translation project, joined us. We're currently eight in all, each member being absolutely crucial to this project. The mission and in-game broadcast transcripts were the first items translated by the team. The time between these translations and the release of the AC3E IE demo was quite large. What were some of the obstacles that prevented these translations from being applied at first? The game's compression is the main culprit. Simply put, the developers packed the game with so much content that they had to compress almost everything in order to cram it all on 2 discs. That meant that if we wanted to gain access to the text files, which are actually stored as images (TIM), we had to get past the compression. It took a really talented and experienced programmer like esperknight to crack it. It's a pretty hard game to work with on a technical level. Of course I wish we'd all been able to reach this much progress back in 2009 or 2010, but finding help has always proven difficult for us. The fact we've been able to get this far is something of a miracle actually. That certainly puts everything in perspective. The playable demo for the first four missions of AC3E IE was released on Christmas Day of 2014. It was certainly quite the Christmas gift for Ace Combat fans everywhere. How do the members of Team NEMO and yourself feel about getting a solid, playable release available to the public? Years ago I thought that since I speak Italian and Portuguese fluently, that I could translate the game from English to those languages in order to reach those audiences. That was a completely personal side-project I had in mind as Team NEMO is working to translate the game into English only. So it's sort of an unofficial side-project. Little did I know how much time and effort would be required in order to get the game translated even once into English. By the time I had uploaded the video containing the additional translations I knew that I wouldn't be able to do it by myself so I downgraded the idea to a " tentative side-project." Our tools have all been made available to the public since day one also because we'd love to see the game translated into even more languages but at this point I can't promise anything since the game's proving a handful just to translate it once. ​ Thank you for this interview and giving us all a better insight into Project NEMO. And again, thank you very much for the playable demo. Is there anything you'd like to say to the Ace Combat fan base out there? We'd like to thank those who have followed our project since the beginning and who are waiting patiently for the they can finally play the real AC3 in English. We hope every AC fan, hardcore or casual, will give it a try once it's out! Promotional poster for the project. About the Interviewer 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 the credits began to roll, I turned to look at Aaron (Ribbon-Blue) and asked him, “Have you ever seen Wayne’s World 2”? He answered in the affirmative, probably wondering what I was on about. I replied earnestly: “Wayne’s World 2 is a rare sequel for a successful and iconic film that manages to differentiate itself enough to be strong all on its own.” Top Gun: Maverick (TGM) is another one of those rare sequels. I’m sure many people can word this more simply than I: It’s an 80’s movie made in the 21st century, and it owns every minute of it. But it’s the “feel” that’s hard to explain. It’s nostalgic and novel all at once. Perhaps not as quotable… yet. Perhaps a soundtrack that’s not as iconic… yet. Perhaps not as culturally influential… yet. But here’s what I will say: Cruise’s decision to delay the movie for this long to get it on the big screen was absolutely the right call. I think this movie could be pointed at as a swan song for the cinema—it’s what makes movies great. And what does it distill to that makes it so great? Some of the best aerial combat sequences we’ve seen since 2005’s Les Chevaliers du Ciel. Wherever they possibly could, they used a real aircraft. The F/A-18E/F is on full display here as the knife-fighter it is reputable for. But even more impressive is the respect it gives to its audience and its subject without slowing down the movie’s pace. There are sequences highlighted that will put a wide grin on a DCS flyer’s face but masterfully presents them so that someone less familiar with these technicalities infers what is happening rapidly. I’d have to say that none of this was what I expected. I went it with light reservations, but expecting it to walk away from a modern remake of an old classic, never as recognized as the original. But you know… It may very well be. We’ll see where the future takes us. But in the present—the hype is real, and it carries over to the unprecedented media tie-ins that have been released to celebrate the occasion. Like NFT’s! ... I’m serious. There are NFT’s. But that’s not what I mean. I mean the game tie-ins. The release of Top Gun: Maverick comes along side multiple official collaborations and well-timed Top Gun related announcements with high profile flight games and simulators. War Thunder released a teaser for their "Danger Zone" update which is finally bringing the long-sought after F-14 Tomcat to the game. With its arrival questions about how its massive radar range, AIM-54 Phoenix missiles and how it all fits with War Thunder's World War II sized maps. With the Tomcat available in the dev server, various content creators has been giving their first impressions and opinions on how the aircraft may fair in the near future. Eagle Dynamics presented an excellent "Turn and Burn | Be A Maverick" video for Digital Combat Simulator World. The video acting as an announcement for a free Open Beta update that added TGM themed liveries for the F/A-18C Hornet and F-14A/B Tomcat. Furthermore, for a very limited time of just three days, two bundles that provide a discount for the Hornet, Tomcat and/or Super Carrier are available. A further nod to TGM's release in theaters. Shout out to Eagle Dynamics for using "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick rather than the frequently idolized "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins. The official collaboration between Top Gun and Ace Combat launched with much fanfare. While Ace Combat is no stranger to collaborations with many other intellectual properties, the TGM collab is a very high profile event in its 26 year history. It includes remixed versions of "Danger Zone" and "Top Gun Anthem" by composer Keiki Kobayashi, special wallpapers, movie related nicknames and emblems and new aircraft. The F-14A Tomcat, the F/A-18E Super Hornet, fictional Dark Star hypersonic aircraft and the "5th Generation Fighter" (read: Su-57 variant) joined the roster of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Of note are the specifically labelled "TGM" variants of the Tomcat and Super Hornet having highly increased maneuverability, allowing them to perform absolutely crazy post-stall maneuvers as an homage to certain maneuvers presented in the movies. Funnily enough, the Dark Star is so fast it can traverse multiple singleplayer and multiplayer maps within a minute, making it somewhat hard to reach and maintain its hypersonic speeds. The last official collaboration with Microsoft Flight Simulator added the Top Gun: Maverick expansion pack. Though already available in the simulator for a long time now, the F/A-18E Super Hornet received Maverick's CAG bird style livery and multiple new challenges. As a non-combat simulator, some questioned what it could offer. The bulk of what is offered in this collab involves training missions to learn the Super Hornet and low altitude, high speed challenges inspired by events from the movie. Our buddies over at Stormbirds have put up a great video as an example. Furthermore, the Dark Star in this simulator does benefit from having plenty of altitude and distance to cover. This being highlighted by the stratospheric flight mission which has the player flying from NAWS China Lake to Cape Canaveral, Florida at hypersonic speeds. The entire trip being just a little over half-an-hour. If only all flights were that fast. If nothing else, Top Gun: Maverick heavily benefited from a type of online collaboration the first movie could never have dreamed of having. Perhaps that too will add to its potential status as a classic in the making. About the Writer T.J. "Millie" Archer A Life-long realist and aviation enthusiast. Once the co-founding Administrator of the Electrosphere.info English Ace Combat Database. In the present day he is freelance, roving the internet in search of the latest aviation news and entertainment. Read Staff Profile.

An opinion piece from the perspective of a decades long fan of the Ace Combat series, aviation simulators and flight action games in general. At one time, TJ "Millie" Archer was an administrator of an English Ace Combat database, but chose to step away from the online community to pursue a new path in life. The release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown and the subsequent reception of it inspired him to write an article to present his evaluation of the value of AC7 in a down to earth perspective. Ace Combat 7 is a mess. A disjointed story, a myriad of “gimmick” missions and mechanics, cheesy dialogue, and amped difficulty rooted in game-breaking AI and missile spam. Bias reeks in this statement, but even the most casual follower of the series can’t help but see these same critiques parroted throughout the little corners of the internet the community calls home. ​And who am I to disagree? I’ve levied the same criticisms and am just as vocal about it. I oft feel like a foreigner in my own nation when I hear defenses being levied for the game, and the series, that was used sparsely if at all in context of discussion 15 years ago. “The game is just an anime, and it’s always been that way,” seems to be an appealing fallback. But the vocal critics like myself will argue until we’re dark blue the fallacy presented to us. And we’ll continue doing so because we’re old like that. Some of us might be crotchety old cooks at this point, pining for a series that left us behind. Two camps seem to be at odds here, two sides of the same coin, looking similar, but never seeing face-to-face. These skies have been shattered for some time, and with real-world decoys tossed into the mix to distract us in the past such as Ace Combat: Assault Horizon and Ace Combat X2: Joint Assault, I don’t think we realized how the tone, function, and feel of the core game had shifted its appeal since 2004.    And it’s with the whining of wildly fluctuating game dialogue, harsh mission design, incoherent story structure, and FPS mechanics with a dose of schizophrenic world-building we can’t seem to break through the fog and realize that we’ve made a safe return home.    Ace Combat 7 is a triumph. Not just for Ace Combat mind you, but for video games in the modern age, the dedication and love with which it was developed should not go unsung. ​ Kazutoki Kono’s personal Iliad on Twitter chronicling the fiery hell this game was developed in should serve as a lesson to armchair aces and video gamers alike. The game is like a gorgeous time capsule of an era long past, and to get it to shelves required a barrage of willpower, dedication, and grit that can only be admired.    Stand back and look at this game for what it is. Take in not just the gorgeous scenery, but the fine detail that proves those working on this game love aviation and fighter aircraft almost as much as the engineers, designers, mechanics, and pilots that work with them every day around the globe.    And then shift your perspective and feel the creativity—not just the references to obscure Ace Combat lore, but the subtle expansion of the universe. The liberal addition of energy weapons on legacy aircraft--nearly unacknowledged within the game itself--as though it were perfectly normal, harkens back to a pre-millennial era where we were made to accept bizarre and unexplained phenomena in video games as though it were a walk in the park—and we just went with it because it was cool! Can the F-15C support laser weaponry? Who cares? It’s awesome! And despite it, there is the utmost respect taken to the aircraft themselves. Down to minute details as the proper orientation of all-moving canards in a turn or the dials in the cockpits delivering accurate readings. This demonstrates that the designers, programmers, and modelers are more than willing to refine their knowledge of real-world aircraft and make their control accessible to those who just want the action of the fight without the management of reality. Despite the obvious fantasy of the flight, it is so wonderfully, strangely real in how it presents itself to the player. This is not something that we have been able to take for granted in recent years. In how often we’ve lost control of our aircraft--whether through on-rails mechanics, limited processing power, or simply not being able to pay-to-play, there’s real justification in wondering if we were going to be taken for a ride at any time. But we never were—ever. We are back in the cockpit in an admirably crafted virtual recreation.     The linear design of the game feels like an old friend, and its simplicity has been sorely missed. This is not something sought after in game design today with open-world addiction and player-on-player connectivity, but it is a classic formula that fits the game like a glove. In a game like Ace Combat, where winning the war is the goal, a guided strategy with defined start and endpoints enhances the glamour of being a fighter pilot, where tactical prowess is your forte.     And let’s not forget—it almost seems like a miracle to see a game completed once its gone gold. Day-one patches are the norm, and we’ve reluctantly succumbed to this reality. It seems that Project Aces missed the memo. Did you notice it? No patches, no hotfixes on day one—a working game out of the box. Sometimes the old ways are truly better.     Is it perfect? No. God no. But it’s exactly what we needed, all of us. It’s a reminder of what brought many of us into games in the first place. It’s both defiant and traditional in the face of expectations.     Ace Combat 7 succeeds in developing a video game that matches those of the golden age. Before pay-to-win—before pointless grinding—before forced open-world--before the day-one patch.     Dare I say; it hearkens to a time when video games were simple and fun.     The age of the internet is here—information is accessible, experiences are plenty. We’ll always find time to nitpick about the smallest or largest detail that keeps us up at night. But let’s not let that detract from what’s actually in front of us: A sleek machine of supersonic success. About the Writer T.J. "Millie" Archer A Life-long realist and aviation enthusiast. Once the co-founding Administrator of the Electrosphere.info English Ace Combat Database. In the present day he is freelance, roving the internet in search of the latest aviation news and entertainment. Read Staff Profile.

As one of the first third party modules available on DCS World, the Fishbed set the bar for quality with its release back in 2014. It was developed by Leatherneck Simulations, the company that housed many of the developers that would later become part of Heatblur Simulations after the split that resulted in both Heatblur and Magnitude 3/Leatherneck becoming separate studios. The Fishbed has proven to be an aircraft that, despite its age and system limitations, still holds a very important role in the DCS arena as one of the only high fidelity Redfor aircraft currently in the sim, JF-17 aside. The older brothers of the Fishbed, the MiG-15 Fagot and the MiG-19 Farmer, are also available but neither of them have the multirole capabilities of this manned missile. In this review I will tackle all areas which I personally look at before buying a module so that you, the reader, can make an informed decision as to if this Soviet era workhorse is for you. These areas are the following: External and internal 3D models Visual effects and sound design Flight modeling Mission capability Armament Ease of use and learning curve Bugs and Magnitude 3's plan Is this aircraft for you? Thanks go to my friend Hueman for his assistance on this review. Minor revision and screenshot update: 9/14/2022 EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL 3D MODELS This module has got to have one of the most beautiful 3D modeling assets in DCS. Even more when you consider that, despite being updated somewhat recently on the Phase 1 update, this module is 8 years old! Every nook and cranny, every bolt and rivet has been masterfully represented on the external model, making it either a pleasure or a displeasure to look at depending on what you think of this aircraft's design features. Its long hump and tubular design make it instantly recognizable, to which Leatherneck went far and beyond to make it accurate. BEAUTIFULLY UGLY To the right there is a small gallery of what I consider to be some of the details that make this module's 3D artwork masterful. From the antennas and the pitot tube, to the spectacular texture work on the bare metal skins and complex meshes of the Tumansky R-25 engine. This is just a feast for the eyes to those that know this craft. There is one exception to this beauty and that is that some of the liveries have certain mistakes on the roughmets. This is specifically noticeable as some of the painted liveries, such as the Slovakian-1998 livery, still have remnants of the Russian warning markings which are not on the skins as these countries have eliminated them and replaced them with their own language. An example of this can be found below on the Bugs section of this review. Now, cockpit-wise, this aircraft has some of the best 3D artwork out there but it is one that is, in certain aspects, not completely to current DCS standards. It doesn't look new but rather heavily used. Textures still hold up wonderfully and instrument lighting, which has seen changes as DCS improves its lighting engine, looks stunning. I'll stop talking and I will let you take a look for yourself with the following gallery: VISUAL EFFECTS AND SOUND DESIGN External effects such as over-wing vapor, which is not the best I have seen in DCS, and a very unique afterburner, are present in this module. The afterburner effect was changed as part of the Phase 1 update, which made it much more distinct. Aside from that, the Fishbed lacks any kind of vapor vortexes like the ones present on the Harrier, Tomcat, Hornet and Viper. Although, none of the videos that I have watched of the Fishbed flying show vortexes forming on the wings, so it seems to be accurate to a certain degree. Sound-wise, this module will either be your favorite or you will hate it. This was one of the first aircraft in DCS which exaggerates the engine sounds in the cockpit for the sake of pilot feedback. This is, in my honest opinion, one of the best things a module can do as it increases the pilot's awareness of what their engine is doing at any point of its RPM range. Be it idle, military or full afterburner, you will know. The sound of the switches is pretty snappy, and varies depending on what you are clicking, but not that much. One complaint that I have with the sound is the way that the engine sound transitions from military power to full afterburner. In my opinion, it is way too sudden and sounds artificial. It is not terrible by any means, just something where I thought this module would have done better. The only other complaint I have is with the external sound and the way that it handles the throttle changes at a distance. From a mile and a half away you can clearly hear what RPM range the engine is, which is not something that should happen. Here are the examples taken with maximum volume and no post processing: Engine while on the ground: (Idle-->Full Afterburner-->Idle) Listen to those breaks too! Engine while in-flight: (Idle-->Full Afterburner-->Idle) Fly-by at 510 knots, full afterburner: (Volume warning) Notice the sound of throttle movements at the end! FLIGHT MODELING This is, once again, an area in which I have to clarify that I have neither flown fighters or have been involved with military aircraft in real life. Most of my experience is derived from simulators and from theoretical knowledge about aerodynamics and flight dynamic simulation. That being said, I am kind of divided on its flight model. On one hand it does not seem to have scripted behavior on stalls or high angles of attack. On the other, it does seem to have some very weird behavior when both at low speed and high angles of attack. If I were to overly-simplify this, I'd say that it simulates 95% of the flight regime to a very high degree but the other 5% feels a bit strange. Here is an example of that strange behavior I have noticed. Aerodynamically, neither I or a very dear friend of mine that's an aeronautical engineer undergrad (Hueman) can not make sense of what is happening here. The movements could be generated by a yaw instability at high AoA, a characteristic that Fishbed does possess and the reason why they have a ventral fin. To be honest, this is a minor gripe; but it does not remove the fact that the event feels artificial in nature. That is just my subjective opinion, mind you. Aside from this, the flight model does not have any other major "flaws". Landings are tricky at first due to the way the aircraft behaves while on glide slope but you will get used to them. To me it is, generally, a pleasure to fly not because it is easy but because it is an aircraft that requires your attention. Additionally, I have not seen a real Fishbed pilot complain about the accuracy of this flight model, but the ones I see complaining are other players such as myself. MISSION CAPABILITY This little bird can do most of what you ask of it. From interceptions/air to air, at which it excels since it is what this aircraft was mostly used for despite its awful radar, to air to ground attack and recon. Due to the way the soviets treated this aircraft, being a frontline fighter, it can carry a variety of weaponry of different shapes, sizes and capabilities. Your main limitations will be both range and precision capability. You lack any kind of laser or TV guided bombs/missiles with your only guided air to ground missile being the beam-riding Grom missile. You will have to rely on the good ol' Mk.1 eyeball to land most of your air to ground shots. But even with that said, operational range will be your major hindrance seeing as the Fishbed has short legs. No air-to-air refueling either, so you better plan your missions with a fuel stop or two. You can also do STOL operations thanks to your RATO pods. Have a look: Now, onto the armament! ARMAMENT GsH-23 CANNON Your internal cannon, even with its limited ammunition, it is more than capable of dealing with aerial and lightly armored ground targets. You will learn how to love this thing! UPK-23-250 GUNPODS AIR TO AIR MISSILES Your main line of defense/offense against air targets, you have four types to choose from. They are not the most modern line-up but they get the job done. Do not underestimate them. R-60 and R-60M (As modern as you will get) R-13 (The soviet equivalent of an AIM-9P, they are good but not as good as an R-60M) R-3S and R-3R (IR and Radar guided respectively, these are the oldest ones in your inventory) UNGUIDED BOMBS From cluster munitions to your typical soviet line-up, these are as effective as your aim is. The Fishbed does not have a CCIP indicator, so aside of some computer assistance with the pipper, you will be the one calculating your drops so make them count! FAB-100, FAB-250/FAB-250 TU and FAB-500 M62 (your high-explosive munitions) RBK-250 PTAB-2.5M (Cluster Bomb) SAB-100 (Illumination bomb) BetAB-500 (Bunker buster) BL755 (Cluster bomb) RBK-500 PTAB-10-5 (Cluster bomb) UNGUIDED ROCKETS These are what I use for most of my ground attack missions as they allow me more time on station. You have a small variety to choose from, almost the same as any other soviet fighter. S-5 Rockets on pods of 16 (UB-16UM) or 32 (UB-32) per pod. S-24 Rockets Kh-66 "GROM" MISSILE A radar guided/beam riding missile. This is your only guided ground munition, and quite the good one. Point your pipper, press lock and fire away; as simple as that. This missile also has quite a large warhead so you will be able to engage smaller ships and armored target. RN-24 AND RN-28 NUCLEAR BOMBS This is the only aircraft in DCS that is capable of carrying tactical nuclear bombs. They do not have any special effect and their effectiveness is disappointingly low, but they are there! When deployed on multiplayer servers, if they are not banned, then please mind the explosive radius as it can kill air, including allied ones, units as far as 15 nautical miles. RP-22SMA "SAPFIR" RADAR This piece of soviet engineering has got to be one of the worse, if not the worst, air intercept radars I have ever had the displeasure of using. It is clunky and gets easily confused by both cloud and ground clutter as well as jamming. You aim it by aiming the entire aircraft, no TDC here. Oh, and did I forget that it is cooled by alcohol which gives it a run time of 20 minutes? I love it and the way it is implemented, but it is not pleasant to use. DEFENSIVE EQUIPMENT You will inevitably be shot at some point. But don't fret as you do have your trusty SPS-141-100 Electronic Warfare pod/Chaff and Flares pod and your AS0-2 Dispensers. These will give you a bit more chance to evade missiles, as long as they have ammo. Don't forget your SPO-10 "Sirena-3" RWR, which should give you an idea of where and when you are getting shot at/locked. EASE OF USE AND LEARNING CURVE I'll be honest. This is not a beginner friendly aircraft. From its very soviet way of taxiing to its illogical system locations (by western standards), this aircraft has a steeper curve than other DCS modules. For reference: the F-5E, which many consider to be the western analog to the Fishbed, has a much more friendly learning curve due to its logical cockpit layout. Tasks which are easier on the Tiger, such as bombing, become a bit more tedious on the Fishbed but not by much. You will have to put more time into learning the quirks and features of this fighter, primarily the positions of all the switches for each weapon employment. Once you get over those difficulties, I assure you that the Fishbed is well worth your time as it offers a very different experience that no other fighter can offer in DCS as of the time of writing. SOME BUGS AND MAGNITUDE 3'S PLAN This is one of those modules on which I have found the weirdest of bugs. Not weird because of their obscurity but weird because of how easy they are to find. Here are three of the what I would consider "hard to miss bugs": 1- (ABOVE) Nosewheel tire clips through the ground when break is applied while taxiing at close to MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight). This causes the geometry on the nose wheel strut to hit the ground and causes sparks to come out. EDIT 9/14/2022: This bug has been solved at the time of writing this edit. 2- (ABOVE) Problem light animation hovers if problem light is lit and pressed. 3. (ABOVE) Liveries utilize incorrect roughmets that do not correspond to their skin. This is evident on skins such as "Slovakia-1998", which has Russian text still present on the roughmets that does not correspond to the text on the skin. This leaves a "ghost image" of the Russian text when light reflects on the aircraft. Now, these are only three of the bugs I felt like they were worth mentioning. They are not game-breaking nor do they make the Fishbed a bad module; but since the developers paid so much attention to detail in so many different areas, it feels odd to see these bugs are still a thing. Leatherneck, now Magnitude 3, are still rolling out changes to the external assets of the Fishbed in two phases. Phase one was rolled out late last year, as I previously mentioned at the start of the review. Let's hope that some or all of these issues will be fixed with that patch. EDIT (9/14/2022): As of time of writing this edit, I managed to find another bug that kind of concerned me. The RATO cans do not work, period. The effect seems to detach from the can itself when it then proceeds to tumble and it the ground below the aircraft, which causes damage to it. (PICTURED ABOVE) IS THIS AIRCRAFT FOR YOU? If what you want in a module is: A challenging learning experience that requires your attention. A third-generation multirole aircraft. The feeling of being strapped to a missile. A good dogfighter with poor visibility so that you can feel better when you shoot something down. If you don't mind: The very soviet design and way of operation. Not having screens of any type to do modern jet stuff. The limited guided air-to-ground capability. The feeling of being strapped to a missile. The quirks of a very, very old design. If all or some of the above is what you want, then Magnitude 3's MiG-21 Bis is for you About the writer: Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000's 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 2010's. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as the co-founder, writer and content manager ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy #9034

We're happy to announce that starting today Skyward Flight Media has a pair of important releases related to Flight of Nova. INTERVIEW On July 8th, 2022 we are posting our interview with Aerovery Labs, the developer of Flight of Nova. This interview was originally planned as a pre-early access release, but with the impending release of the game on May 31st, 2022, the decision to move it back until after the release of the game. Though, in the interm, Skyward Flight Media received pre-release copies of the game for a first impression review. We'll be giving away the rest of these copies as a part of a giveaway ahead of the interview. GIVEAWAY We have two (2) copies of Flight of Nova to give away from July 4th to July 8th, 2022, the giveaway will be active. These are the ways you can enter the giveaway: Follow SkywardFM on Twitter and like our pinned tweet about the giveaway. Retweeting is not required, but helping spread the word is appreciated. For those that do not have a Twitter account, they can fill out the Contact form on our website. Please include your Name and/or Screen Name, email address and that you are entering the Flight of Nova giveaway. The winners of the giveaway will be announced before the interview begins. Winners will be contacted via direct message or email to receive their prize on July 8th, 2022. Thanks for your continued support of our operations. Good luck on winning! Sincerely, Skyward Flight Media Staff

AVAILABLE IN TWO WEEKS Ｐｌａｃｅｈｏｌｄｅｒ Ｔｅｘｔ [ April Fools Day 2021. It is just a joke! ] See all of our actual Digital Combat Simulator content here: https://www.skywardfm.com/digital-combat-simulator About this Memelord Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza A guy that tried playing simulators when he was too young to understand them but liked flying just as much as the crashing. Fell in love with aviation shortly before watching Top Gun for the first time at an impressionable age (tragic). May or may not have solidified his lifetime interest in flight sims with Battlehawks 1942 on a computer older than he is. Former Ace Combat Stan turned I'll-fly-everywhere-phile. Probably doomed to spend more money on button boxes than flight hours. Twitter | Discord: RibbonBlue#8870 |

Black Aces May 2022 2v2 Dogfight Tournament Sponsored by Skyward Flight Media In a first for VRChat aviation, Skyward Flight Media is sponsoring a event hosted by the VRC Black Aces; the largest VRC aviation community known for their airshows and tournaments. On May 21st and May 28th, 2022 starting at 9:00 PM CST each day, the Black Aces are hosting a guns only 2v2 Dogfight Tournament featuring the F/A-18F Block III Super Hornet. Skyward Flight Media is sponsoring the event, providing a total prize pool of 170.00 USD. The prize pool is being split in the following manner: 100.00 USD for the winning team. 50.00USD for second place. 20.00 USD for third place. For follow on information, signing up to participate, and eventual links to livestreams, see the VRC Black Aces official Discord or Twitter page. While none of the Skyward Flight Media staff will be competing in the tournament, three of them will be flying as a part of the airshow after the first day of the tournament is over. This will be the third airshow they have flown as pilots for. Website Updates Various website updates are being done. Some of the more notable updates include: Downloads in Blog: For the sake of easier access and having items appear in the search bar, existing downloads have been added to the general content area with appropriate tags applied. Updating Translation Webpages: With Ace Combat: Ikaros in the Sky translations being re-introduced, other existing translation web pages will begin receiving basic updates in May 2022. Where possible, some of them will be converted to blog post if they do not require specialized formatting. Content Tags: we have been actively deleting and combining tags in an effort to simply things and make out tag cloud more manageable. All content on the website has also gradually been receiving tag updates. Because of the volume of articles available, this has been an on going process for weeks. Please excuse any unusual tagging that remains, as it is most likely a work in progress. Mobile Version: Changes to menus in the mobile version of the website is in progress. Certain links may be deleted or replaced with a more effective option. Topic Specific Webpages: Certain popular topics on our website are to receive standalone webpages. Similar to how Flight Arcade and Flight Simulation have webpages of their own. Banners for those pages will begin to appear on the front page and other locations in the near future. Skyward Staff Updates We are making changes and additions to our content creation staff in May 2022. Some of these are already starting to appear on our About page. The two most notable changes are the addition of two staff members who have always flown with us and assisted us in some way, so this is more of a formal acknowledgement: RaptorDad86 Life long aviation and aviation gaming enthusiast. Joined Active Duty Air Force in 2009 as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. Separated in 2015 and decided to become a Reservist in 2020. Participated in the GGL Ace Combat 6 Tournament winning the Military side and placing 3rd in the Battle Royal. Started playing DCS in 2020 and made the jump to competition in late 2021 flying for the 18th Sparrows and now the Bushido Fighter Group. As of 2022, he is a photographer for Skyward who provides screenshots and video. Instagram | Twitter | Twitch KOSMOS 1 A friend of some of Skyward's staff going back to 2009. Since Skyward was founded in 2020, he has flown in support of its operations in multiple games and simulators as a member of our flight team. Whether it's part of research projects, combat missions, photo ops or even airshows, he's ready to fly. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support of our operations. Regards, Skyward Flight Media Staff

Two free to download Skyward themed liveries for the F-14B Tomcat in Digital Combat Simulator. F-14B Skyward CAG Designer : Cubeboy Release Date : 1/2/2022 F-14B Skyward Low-vis Designer : Cubeboy Release Date : 1/2/2022

Português translation re-hosted, other languages to come. After receiving multiple requests from our viewers in emails and direct messages over the past few months, Skyward Flight Media has restarted the transfer of existing translations of Ace Combat: Ikaros in the Sky to our website. The complete Português language translation of the novel is now available. Small changes were also made to the webpage for the English translation with groundwork laid to quickly bring the other available translations to our website. About Ikaros in the Sky Ace Combat: Ikaros in the Sky was published on March 28th, 2012 by ASCII Media Works. This book is a 228-page Japanese only release authored by Heijiro Yamamoto with illustrations by Yūsuke Kozaki. The story within this book takes place in the same version of Earth seen in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Ensign Kei Nagase of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is chosen to become a test pilot with the Advanced Support Fighter-X Project Team flying a prototype aircraft code name "Shinden II". However, political intrigue, industrial competition and other dangerous elements​ complicate the testing and development of this aircraft in ways no one was prepared for. ​ 2017 - 2018 Translation Project ​In December 2017, Project: Lighthouse, an Ace Combat focused fan website, started early attempts to create an unofficial, but highly accurate translation of this novel. In April 2018 an offer to continue the project as a collaborative effort was proposed by Ace Combat Fan, a well known video content creator with a focus on the Ace Combat series. This collaboration gathered new members to translate the book in multiple languages, including the pivotal Japanese to English translation by TaskForce 23 which opened the project up for translations to other languages. On January 2nd, 2019, full translations in English, Español and Português were made available with partial translations available in other languages. ​ 2020 Skyward Maintaining Translations Following the closure of Project: Lighthouse, the translations of Ace Combat: Ikaros in the Sky were to be hosted on the Skyward Flight Media website. Only the English translation was brought over early on with no other actions taken since then. Due to multiple requests throughout the past few months, Skyward is now restarting our efforts to re-host the other existing translations on our website. We would like to formally thank those that sent in messages about this translation for their continued interest, even in our older projects. -Skyward Flight Media Staff

The story within this book takes place in the same version of Earth seen in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Ensign Kei Nagase of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is chosen to become a test pilot with the Advanced Support Fighter-X Project Team flying a prototype aircraft code name "Shinden II". ​​Project: Lighthouse began this fan translation project as an English only venture in December 2017. [Read More] Skyward Flight Media does not claim ownership of copyright of the source material used to create these translations.

Scans of four unique illustrations from the Japanese Ace Combat 2: Namco Official Guide Book. Images are scanned in extremely high resolution and available for download. File Size: 122MB

It has now been officially 2 years ever since we started operations here at Skyward Flight Media! We would like to thank everyone for their support and for visiting us consistently. The growth that we have seen these past two years has far surpassed our expectations and we could not be more thankful for it. This last year we also had several opportunities to work directly with game developers working on flight-related titles, which has been an honor. These opportunities and our growth as a platform has motivated us to continue pursuing this project of ours. Aaron, Santiago and the rest of our contributors would like to extend our gratitude as we look forward to our third year of operations. Here's to many more! Giveaway Winners For our second anniversary we decided to give away prizes to two (2) randomly selected winners! For those that are interested, we used the Google Random Number Generator to select the winners for this giveaway. For example: if number 12 was selected by the generation we then opened the list of likes on the giveaway post, counted 12 names from the top downwards and the 12th person received the prize. Here are the handles of the winners: @labourgriffin on Twitter @JavisUpdate on Twitter These people will be contacted via Twitter direct message or email to begin the process of selecting and delivering their prizes to them. Though our first giveaway is focused on Digital Combat Simulator World, our future giveaways will most likely be more diverse. Look forward to them! THE FUTURE We have no intention of stopping our creative efforts. That means that you can look forward to a myriad of articles and even videos. We plan on expanding our team and, slowly but steadily, getting more content our for you to enjoy. So stay tuned. We appreciate your viewership so thanks for accompanying us on this journey.

Three free to download Skyward Flight Media themed liveries for the F-16C Viper in Digital Combat Simulator World. F-16C Skyward Airshow Designer: Cubeboy Engine Textures: Mach3DS Release Date: 14/12/2021 Update: 2/1/2022 F-16C Skyward High-Vis Designer: Cubeboy Engine Textures: Mach3DS Release Date: 14/12/2021 Update: 2/1/2022 F-16C Skyward Low-Vis Designer: Cubeboy Engine Textures: Mach3DS Release Date: 14/12/2021 Update: 2/1/2022

Hind Giveaway Winner Selected Coinciding with the launch of the Mi-24P Hind-F by Eagle Dynamics for DCS World, Skyward started up a Twitter only giveaway between June 17th-24th, 2021. One winner has been randomly selected using a random number generator. Exactly how our 1st anniversary giveaway was done. The winner of our Mi-24P Hind giveaway has been selected! Congratulations to Twitter user Mouaz Osama. They will be contacted via direct message on Twitter to work out the final details needed to get the prize to them. Congratulations! In July 2021, Skyward plans to run another giveaway which will be somewhat larger than this month's giveaway. More information on this next month. Flight Sim Expo 2021 Media Partnership Confirmed Skyward Flight Media is proud to formally announce that we are a media partner for Flight Sim Expo 2021. Our co-founder, Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza, will be in attendance in person with co-founder Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos and other Skyward members participating in online events. Skyward Flight Media plans to publish a series of content related to Flight Sim Expo leading up to the event. Flight Sim Expo (FSE) is an annual flight simulation conference and tradeshow designed to showcase the power of flight simulation to pilots, air traffic controllers, students, simmers, and industry developers. In June 2019, the second-annual Flight Sim Expo welcomed 1,650 simmers and pilots to Orlando. Flight Sim Expo 2021 takes place on September 24th-26th, 2021, at Town and Country Resort in San Diego, California, USA. As North America's community-driven flight conference, Flight Sim Expo is proudly produced by active participants of the flight simulation community. Today the initial exhibitor list was made public with more than 25 confirmed sponsors and exhibitors. Gleim Aviation, Honeycomb Aeronautical, Prepar3D/Lockheed Martin, RealSimGear, SKALARKI electronics Ltd, Sky Blue Radio, SoFly, TFDi Design, Thrustmaster, VATSIM, X-Plane, and Yaw VR Ltd are some of the many organizations involved with this hybrid online and in-person event. Though Microsoft has yet to be confirmed as of the time this article has been published, the organizers of FSE 2021 have released the following statement: "We invite Microsoft to join flight simulation developers like GeoFS, Prepar3D, and X-Plane, along with more than 25 confirmed sponsors and exhibitors, at this year's FlightSimExpo, in-person or remotely. The release of Microsoft Flight Simulator has had an incredible impact in our community. We know the show won't be the same without their participation." Following delays related to public safety due to the effect of COVID-19 on the world, FSE co-founder Evan Reiter made a point to address this directly, saying: "We know people are excited to get back to travel and events[.] We're looking forward to meeting face-to-face at what might be the only large flight simulation get-together this year! But we also know there is still uncertainty around global travel that may preclude some exhibitors from participating in-person. Through weekly social media updates and our upcoming YouTube Live Q&A, we'll keep the community completely up-to-date on attendee and exhibitor participation rates so everyone can make an informed decision." With that being said, it is highly recommended anyone interested in attending this event or learning more about Flight Sim Expo to visit the official website while following either their Facebook or Twitter profiles for more information about the event schedule and updates directly from the event organizers. On June 28th, 2021, a Q&A livestream will be held by the co-founders of the event to discuss various parts of this year's expo. This is a good opportunity for people with more pressing questions about the venue, travel or the expo in general. We want to thank our viewers for their continued support of Skyward Flight Media and our endeavors to cover flight games and simulators across all levels of realism from past and present. Becoming a media partner for FSE 2021 is a significant achievement for us and it is the support we receive that propels us ever forward. Skyward Flight Media Staff

In one week, Skyward Flight Media will be celebrating its second anniversary. As usual we will be doing a giveaway! This year's giveaway will be more flexible in how people can enter the giveaway and the type of prize they can win. TIMELINE This giveaway will run from March 17th, 2022 to March 24th, 2022. The giveaway winners will be announced on March 24th, 2022. PRIZES With the AH-64D Apache for Digital Combat Simulator World now released, it is certainly being offered as a prize, however winners will have options to convert that prize to something else. There will be two (2) winners. First Winner Eagle Dynamics AH-64D for DCS World OR 65.00 USD Steam Gift Card. Second Winner Eagle Dynamics AH-64D for DCS World OR 65.00 USD Steam Gift Card. HOW TO ENTER This year we have two ways to enter this giveaway. Follow SkywardFM on Twitter and like our pinned 2nd anniversary giveaway tweet. Retweeting is not required, but helping spread the word is appreciated. For those that do not have a Twitter account, they can fill out the Contact form on our website. Please include your Name and/or Screen Name, email address and that you are entering the giveaway so we can contact you if you win. Skyward Flight Media will announce the winners publicly in a tweet and blog post on March 24th, 2022. Winners will also be contacted via direct message or email as well to receive their prize. Thanks for joining our giveaway and supporting our two year celebration efforts, Skyward Flight Media Staff

​ Ace Combat: Northern Wings was released in December 2011 as game for mobile phones. After this game was no longer available for download commercially, Northern Wings resurfaced by way of Java J2ME emulators. With fans of the Ace Combat series now pursuing emulation to experience this game, we reached out to the Northern Wings Game Vehicle Artist, Costin Benescu for an interview. Our social media manager, Growler, conducted the interview. First and foremost, can you introduce yourself and your team? Hello to everyone reading this! So I am Costin Benescu and my very small team at Namco was composed of: Dan Oprea (Senior Art Director), Daniel Horia (Junior Art Director), Adrian Ichim (level design art and icon design, FX, UI and we worked together on porting), Alexandru Borcanescu (Lead Designer) and Daniel Ciocilteu. (Game Designer), Cristian Boghina (Game Developer) and Bogdan Bodistean. (Game Developer). Some people came and went but this was the core team hands on working on the game most of the time. I truly hope I did not forget anyone important! ​ Can you tell us how you got involved with this project? How I got involved with the project was kind of interesting. Usually at Namco Bandai Networks Romania people work on multiple projects at the same time. But for this project they wanted a dedicated team, so I was asked something like “hey do you want to work on this airplane simulator game?” And I must have replied: “Airplanes, hell yes!” Before I helped on production for Puzzle Quest 2, Galaga, Pac Man Party, Final Fantasy 2, Soul Calibur Mobile so this was an interesting change.  ​ Did you have any experience with Ace Combat series before? Do you have a favorite Ace Combat game? No previous experience and no favourite AC game, sorry to disappoint, I am not an avid gamer. My father worked in the Romanian army and he always dreamed of being an airplane pilot. So he used to bring a lot of model kits at home back in the 80’s. I vividly remember working on a Huey helicopter kit with him back in the day… so my excitement slash nostalgia pumped me up to work passionately on this game. ​ Why did the dev team choose a Norse Mythology theme for the game? (title of the game, name of the protagonist's squadron, name of the plane, etc) I honestly don’t remember. Might have been a discussion where I was out of the loop. Many of ACNW's aircraft designs take cues from real aircraft such as F-22, Su-47. As the game's artist, was it difficult to design those planes? What is the hardest part of the job? ​ ​ Yes it was a difficult experience for me but I got a lot of help from my team and outside it. Alex (Lead Designer) was very knowledgeable about all things aircraft so that helped immensely! I think the hardest part was figuring out the pipeline. I ended up modeling and texturing, rigging, animating and rendering in 3DS Max then bringing the renders in Photoshop, indexing the sprites to a limited color number BMP files and then clean-up the artwork to a pixel perfect asset for multiple resolution sets. ​ Did you need to study real aircraft designs first before making those models? What's the most complicated model of the game that you made? ​ Yes, I had to study models and blueprints and learn 3D modelling, rigging and rendering to make this happen. I am not sure what was the most complex model but… it’s a close tie between Arvakr V-55 and the super weapon (the big ground boss crab-like with the force shield). Talking about planes, what's your favorite aircraft both in the game and in real life? ​ Hm, that’s a tough one! I really love the Arvarkr V-55 (so F35) for the functional coolness of it but for looks I think the Vargr P-46 (inspired by the Su-47 Berkut) is my favourite, has such a beautiful profile! What was your most memorable moment when designing vehicles for the game? ​ Hm, I think the most memorable moment for me was when I showed my first draft renders of the boats and planes and the Art Director was “…so these are placeholders, right?” That’s when I decided I need to learn a lot more about rendering! ​ One of the most unique moments of Northern Wings is the mission where you control the Arkbird, the superweapon from Ace Combat 5. Why did the dev team choose to bring it into the game and let player control it? ​If I remember correctly Alex (Lead Designer) was really pushing for this multilayered gameplay that is rarely seen in a mobile flight simulator. So I think choosing to let the player control to Arkbird but also fight against it through the levels added much more depth to the gameplay experience! ​ About the gameplay, ACNW has some familiar gameplay features from  such as Air Strike mode, Countermaneuver and Flares. Why did the dev team choose to implement these features in the game?​ I think I can answer this one same as before, to offer a rich gameplay multilayered experience.​ ACNW's gameplay is very similar to other shoot'em up games such as Aero Fighters and Strikers 1945. Was inspiration taken from these games? ​ To be completely honest I don’t know, was not part of those discussions. I personally did not get inspired from any other games except previous Ace Combat games for visual reference on the airships. Besides ACNW which other games have you worked on? Do you have any ongoing projects at the moment?​ So at Namco I also worked on Soul Calibur, Final Fantasy 2, Puzzle Quest 2, Pac Man. After leaving Namco in mid 2011 I worked on a freelance Facebook game project Love Factory. It was condom factory management game, I learned much more about rendering and texturing with various materials. After that I also worked at King helping them adapt Bubble Witch Saga to mobile (2012-2013). Since 2014 to mid 2016 I worked in Malta as a Game Art Manager for a small Swedish company called Yggdrasil. There I art-directed a bunch of video slot games like Magic Mushrooms, Cazino Zeppelin, Fruitoids, Pyrons, Draglings etc. Since 2016 I started to work in the toy industry as a Concept Designer in Denmark, I helped with the 2018 re-branding of LEGO Friends. But my most recent project is MechXhibition - a curating effort that brings together kit bashing, 3d prints, VR art, sculpture, painting and digital art. If you are interested in what I am up to just check out my instagram! ​Thank you for having me for this interview! Image Gallery

The ever-advancing VRChat aviation community continues forward. As mentioned in our previous articles on this subject, the worlds vary in many ways. All of them shaped by the intentions of their creators. These creators usually try to balance authentic feeling aircraft controls with enough space for fun, arcade flight sim style air combat. However, a particular world in the VRChat aviation scene has set itself apart by pursuing a more realistic presentation of combat aviation. Developed by world creator Leopard (れおぱぁど, VRChat, Twitter), the F-35B FlightSimulator is probably the most realistic and advanced military aviation flight world in VRChat at this time. Released to the public on December 26th, 2020, from the start, its inclusion of a working Panoramic Multifunction Display and the F-35B's conversion to short take-off and vertical landing configuration were immediate attention grabbers. While there is a launch trailer for this world, a more recent advertisement for an air combat tournament in June 2021 is a better representation of its current build: In this case, "realistic" is defined by systems made available to the pilots and other external systems present within the world itself. Ultimately, all of this exists within a platform that's not tailor-made for these types of flight simulation, making all of this world creator's work that much more impressive. As I explain the details of this world, how advanced it is will become more apparent. Starting with the surroundings, the primary launch point is from an amphibious assault ship with a full-scale airport and a short landing strip. The player spawn points include information boards in both English and Japanese languages. The boards present introductory information for basic flight controls, cockpit system operations, and credits for the materials used and people that assisted in creating the world. Settings for wind, gusts, weather conditions, time of day and radios are also available. Outside of player vs player combat, there are a number airborne and surface targets and non-combat challenges. Fast travel between all three locations is possible with aircraft spawners available, giving players the option to immediately perform land-based operations if they wish. While there are no navigation or landing assistance systems on the short airfield, the airport and assault ship have a tactical air navigation system (TACAN), improved fresnel lens optical landing system (IFLOLS), precision approach path indicator (PAPI), and instrument landing systems (ILS). When used in conjunction with weather and wind settings that players can adjust, these systems are accurate enough to reliably land a Lightning II even in the worst possible conditions, day or night. Flight characteristic-wise, the F-35Bs feel heavier and less maneuverable than most fixed-wing combat aircraft in other VRC aviation worlds. It's a noticeable difference compared to the more arcade-style flight handling found in a majority of the other aviation worlds that let aircraft pull high energy and post-stall maneuvers and quickly recover from them with just a few seconds of afterburner. Other notable flight characteristics include the moments of instability transitioning to and from short take-off and landing (STOL) configuration. During mid-air conversion, the engine is swiveled to angle downwards, the lift fan door is opened, and flaps and gear are lowered. The change in how the aircraft handles is immediate and requires careful management. Initiating a conversion at the wrong altitude, speed, or altitude can result in loss of flight control and lead to a crash. A picture in picture example of landing in the VRC F-35B is shown below with audio and video of an actual F-35B landing shown in the smaller screen. Vertical landing is possible when certain conditions are met. First, the aircraft must have less than 25% fuel onboard with any external JDAMs (bombs) and missiles expended. At this lightweight, the F-35B can come into a hover. Its throttle now controls minor changes in forward speed, and the flight stick controls roll, yaw, ascent, and descent commands. Two other unexpected functions to see working is an Auto Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS), which allows the aircraft to take control from the pilot to bring the aircraft back to safety. Even in full-scale combat flight sims, this is a function that's hardly seen. The example below shows side by side video and audio from the simulated version and a real Auto GCAS incident. There's even an interpretation of the F-35's highly advanced ability to "look through" the aircraft with the assistance of information from the aircraft's Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS). To dig deeper into this world's portrayal of the Lightning II would best be done by looking at its 19-page manual (available on Google Drive as of June 9th, 2021). It is only available in Japanese but has been written in a way that can easily be translated by software services like DeepL or Google Translate. The user manual covers everything for symbology displayed on the PCD, heads-up display and helmet-mounted display, and cockpit layout. Attack and defense systems are also explained with radar max and minimum ranges, bearing-range-altitude readouts, and IFF information. A loadout diagram shows all possible configurations the F-35B can equip while it is landed in a serviceable area. Sections near the end of the user manual describe how to use the anti-craft weapons onboard the amphibious assault ship and personnel held FIM-92 Stinger systems. Everything described in this article truly comes alive with a virtual reality headset and a pair of hand controllers. While even users with full body VR setups can move their feet to control the rudder pedals, users that have a monitor and keyboard-mouse can still give it a try. While this simlite world is an outlier in the whole of #VRChat Aviation, it is the wonder of seeing aviation brought to this unusual platform that frequently brings me back to it. In a place where passion, hard work, and willingness to learn can enable creators to materialize their visions, it's energizing to see aviation enthusiasts from around the world create things like this. To end this article, I reached out to the world creator for a statement to let their own thoughts be expressed: "Hi, I'm Leopard (れおぱぁど), creator of the F-35BFlightSimulator. I've been visiting Sacchan's Test Pilots quite a few times since I started VRchat. This flight system is very realistic, and I'm very impressed with it. "One day, I thought to myself, "If the instruments worked, could I make a more realistic flight simulator?" So, while gathering materials and studying programming, I created this world. I changed the concept of this world from a "fighter jet game" to a "flight simulator" and adjusted the game to achieve realistic behavior and systems. We have recreated every aspect of the aircraft, from the basic navigation system to the systems using the latest technology found only in the F-35." "I hope that by playing in this world, you will be able to experience the fun and difficulty of flying. The VRchat aviation community has developed from Sacc's Flight and Vehicles [Prefab] to include acrobatic teams, battles in science fiction worlds, and many other fields. I'm very happy to see that many VRchatters are interested in airplanes, as I was too. I look forward to the further development of the aviation community in VRchat." About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. A lifelong aviation enthusiast with a special interest in flight simulators and games. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating aviation related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He continues to explore past and present flight games and sims with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. | Twitter | Discord: RibbonBlue#8870 |

Hello, Thank you for your interest in Skyward Flight Media and supporting us. Starting in January 2021, we have created a Ko‑fi account for viewers that would like to back us financially. First, we think it is important that we take a look at how Skyward came to be. Our core team was initially active under the name Project Lighthouse (2017-2019). What had started as a group of international Ace Combat fans writing about their beloved series began to evolve into something beyond focusing on a specific aviation game series. Following our interview with Ace Combat series brand director Kazutoki Kono and covering the launch weekend of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown at PAX South 2019, we felt inspired to go for something more significant. But to achieve that, we felt as though the way to branch out beyond our single series focus and open possibilities for future ventures was to rebrand. This is how Skyward Flight Media came to be. Following our rebrand in March 2020, we have elevated our content frequency and variety to levels we did not reach during our first years of operation. Today our content includes interviews with developers and other creators, thoughtful pieces on current and retro aviation games, reviews of software/hardware, and many other different and unique articles about digital aviation as a whole. As we continue to expand both our content and viewership, supporting us through Ko‑fi is one of a few ways you can help support our efforts. Funds gathered via Ko‑fi will be used for website operations and efforts to expand our variety of content. For example, one of our main goals this year is the start of video creation efforts. From simple recordings to more elaborate videos on topics that deserve them. We would like to make clear that none of our primary content will ever be locked behind a paywall. It will always be accessible for you; be it one of our articles, reviews or our videos. We might create some secondary content for our backers but that content will never detract or reduce the quality of our primary content. Thank you for your interest and consideration.

As you might have seen, we always like decorating the aircraft that we fly with the colors of this website. Our co-founder, Cubeboy, started making them as soon as the website became public, two of these have been available to download for quite a while now. We would like to present something that we have been wanting to do for quite a while now but haven't gotten to it due to time constraints. More DCS World liveries! They are still only for the F/A-18C Hornet and F-16C Viper modules, but they have now been overhauled. The designs are pretty similar but now they come in three flavors which should make it easier for you to use them with your friends. We now include more military-oriented designs with Cube's spin like the use of dark blue instead of Air Superiority Gray (ASG), if you want to download them, they are publicly available right now: Here are a couple of screenshots of each so you can judge them yourself, more screenshots are available by clicking the button above which redirects you to the download page. 1. Airshow and Original F/A-18C Skyward CAG Original F-16C Skyward Airshow Livery 2. High visibility/CAG bird-style F/A-18 Skyward CAG New F-16C Skyward CAG New 3. Low Visibility F/A-18 Skyward Low-Vis F-16C Skyward Low-Vis

With 95 posts published to our website which is around double of what we managed to put out in 2020, media partnership with Flight Sim Expo, sponsorship from Fox 3 Managed Solutions and our ever expanding coverage of flight games and simulators, 2021 was an immensely productive year for Skyward Flight Media. Our end of year video shows some of these highlights and gives a glimpse into our flying adventures this year, with what we feel were some of the most significant titles we touched upon. We are feeling confident as we look forward and want to push things even further. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and see you in 2022! Regards, Skyward Flight Media Staff

Skyward Flight Media is excited to announce our official sponsorship with Fox 3 Managed Solutions (Fox 3 MS) for our Digital Combat Simulator World server hosting needs. While this sponsorship opportunity is brand new, one of the Skyward co-founders has privately used Fox 3 MS services since July 2021 as an everyday paying customer. Skyward has accepted the sponsorship offer because of this positive and unbiased experience. Fox 3 Managed Solutions is staffed by individuals with over 30 years of tech industry experience and countless hours in Digital Combat Simulator World. The result is a company specializing in hosting DCS servers from the point of view of people that fly in DCS World and are familiar with what is required for a stable server experience. Fox 3 MS currently has data centers in Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific region recently. Skyward first heard about Fox 3 Managed Solutions from a few Spudknocker videos. Before this, we searched for DCS World hosting services that were relatively easy to access. We had minimal experience with hosting and managing a server for this simulator. After ordering a subscription from Fox 3 MS, the company's co-owners began direct communication. Within less than 24 hours, the server was up and running without the customer needing to lift a finger. Admittedly feeling a bit daunted by somehow messing something up, we found it easy just to ask questions and receive responses that were straight to the point and easy to understand. For example, after initially inquiring about how to upload missions to the server and run them, one of the Fox 3 MS owners did a brief screen sharing session to demonstrate a few things. Besides that, the staff has assisted us with answers or video demonstrations with even our most minor questions and hypothetical scenarios. The Skyward team has operated the DCS server with little to no assistance from Fox 3 MS staff for months now. A testament to how accessible they've made things. Customer service wise the past five months have been smooth sailing. We've had two to three short periods of downtime, each lasting a few minutes, throughout our Fox 3 Managed Solutions servers subscription. These disruptions were caused by an open beta patch being in the middle of a download, a slight hiccup at one of their data centers that was resolved just by rebooting the server, and a self-made error caused by one of our staff members changing a mission while using an unstable mobile connection. When talking about hosting services in general, these downtime instances are hardly worth mentioning. After reading the documentation and understanding the user flow, uploading a mission and running it on one of their DCS servers takes no more than a few minutes. Switching missions already uploaded to the server is as simple as clicking "run" on the desired mission and giving it a minute or two to start up. Users can upload third-party mods, support Liberation Missions, Tacview, and LotATC with Simple Radio Standalone (SRS) added as a default to all of their server plans. Skyward has used our server for many things so far. Photo and video shoots for content creation, running open-ended PVE missions with friends, training sorties for players new to DCS World, experienced players wanting to practice in a controlled environment, and sharing server time with mutual friend groups. The capacity to have private and semi-public sessions in DCS World has been helpful in ways we did not expect. While we choose to use a smaller service plan for our needs, Fox 3 MS has more extensive server options for communities of all sizes. There are also extended services for livery uploads and one-time event servers. For more information on all of their services and what's possible with their servers, we recommend visiting their website or sending an email to talk server details and capabilities that may suit your exact needs. In the future, Skyward Flight Media will continue using the stable servers of Fox 3 Managed Solutions for our DCS World content creation and operations. We would like to thank Fox 3 Managed Solutions for this opportunity and their services.

We would like to thank everyone who has followed us on Twitter, regardless if you have been following us since the Project Lighthouse days or if you just followed us recently. As Twitter is our main way to interact and grow, we really appreciate the fact that we have now reached 4,000 followers. It might not sound like much in a world where some individuals and groups have hundreds of thousands if not millions of followers, but for us it means a lot. The more people that know about and care for flight games as a whole, the better! Here's to more. To celebrate this milestone, Santiago (Cubeboy) created the skin below: If you would like a copy of this fancy A-4E aircraft livery for yourself, please message us via direct message on Twitter, Discord, website form or to our email (staff@skywardfm). It's free, of course. 4K Follower September 2021 Giveaway in Planning Phase Additionally, we will most likely be doing another giveaway in September 2021. Keep your eyes peeled for that! Aesthetic and QoL Improvements for the Website By now you must have noticed that the website has received an aesthetic overhaul! Aaron (RibbonBlue) has been tweaking it here and there but the design is mostly final now. It should be easier now to find the content you come for thanks to a few key features. First, we're using lightboxes to bring users to see all of our tags and sort our content by the title of whichever flight game or sim you're interested in: Second, the related posts section being implemented at the foot of every blog post allowing you to jump in and read articles related to the one you were already reading. You have probably noticed it about the featured content section of our posts: Further more, the mobile version of the website has a quick access function to important website features, as shown below: We hope you like the new style and if you have any suggestions, let us know by contacting us on our About page or leaving us a message through Twitter. We take feedback into account for all of these changes.

From August 9th through August 16th, 2021, we will be having our second giveaway of the year. With Skyward Flight Media planning to creating content about Microsoft Flight Simulator this year, we are now offering two winners the chance to win either a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator: Standard Edition (any platform) or a single (1) DCS World module (any platform). This giveaway follows our standard social media format of following us on Twitter and liking the giveaway Tweet below:

Hello everyone, First of all we wanted to thank everyone for their support throughout this year of operations. It has been truly amazing to see the reception that some of our articles have had. We are just over a week away from our one year anniversary. It’s an important date for us for various reasons. As a part of our celebration, we are formally announcing our first giveaway of 2021. And it’s a big one at that! The giveaway This time around we wanted to focus our giveaway on one of the simulators that has propelled us forward, DCS World. The following prizes can be for users on either the standalone launcher or Steam versions of DCS World, so don’t worry about which version you are playing. There will be a total of four (4) winners. The prizes will be as follows: Two winners will win one (1) campaign of their choice (each) from the following list: Raven One, Resolve 79', Horrido!, Blue Nosed B., Serpent's Head, Sky Warrior, Zone 5, Red Flag 21-1, Agg. BFM, Enemy Within. One winner will win a medium prize consisting of a DCS map of their choosing. One winner will win the grand prize: an aircraft module of their choosing with a custom livery of their choosing, made by Cubeboy, our content director. How to enter From March 15th to March 23rd, 2021, any of our viewers that follow us on Twitter and like this Tweet will be eligible to win one of four possible prizes related to Digital Combat Simulator World. The tweet below is the Tweet we are referring to: Winners On March 24th, 2021, the day of our anniversary, the four (4) winners will be selected randomly from this Tweet and their Twitter names will be announced on both social media and our website. Each winner will be contacted via direct message from our official @SkywardFM account to then discuss prizes and how to deliver their prize to them. We hope that you have enjoyed this year of Skyward, there is plenty more to come. Let’s keep flying skywards and enjoying our hobbies the best we can.

Thank you for visiting us as we celebrate one year of operations! Though our roots can be traced back many years, this day marks the first full year we've been in operation as Skyward Flight Media. Our love of aviation anywhere it can be found drove us not only to become who we are today but also to diversify the content we've been creating. It is because of the support we receive from all of you that we've been able to continue forward. Whether it's social media interaction, viewing our content or even contributing to our Ko-fi - we appreciate it all! With one solid year behind us, we continue skyward into our second year with more confidence than we've ever had before. Giveaway Winners The highlight of our first anniversary is without a doubt our first giveaway. For those that are interested, we used the Google Random Number Generator to select the winners for this giveaway. For example: if number 12 was selected by the generation we then opened the list of likes on the giveaway post, counted 12 names from the top downwards and the 12th person received the prize. Here are the Twitter handles of the winners: @chamchullo - 1st Campaign Winner @QuiquagMC - 2nd Campaign Winner @mwd222 - DCS Map @SS2Maximilian - DCS Module with Custom Livery These people will be contacted via Twitter direct message to begin the process of selecting and delivering their prizes to them. Though our first giveaway is focused on Digital Combat Simulator World, our future giveaways will most likely be more diverse. Look forward to them! DCS F/A-18C Skyward Livery Available for Download As seen in some of our reviews, Tweets and website banners, Skyward has a growing number of DCS World skins that we use for promotional purposes. This year we plan on releasing them for public use. The first of the liveries made available is for the DCS: F/A-18C Hornet. This skin was made by Cubeboy, our Content Director. Download it and future skins from our new DCSWorld Liveries page in our downloads section. Information about the upcoming DCS skins for release and other downloads will be announced ahead of time. Media and Official Accounts Starting in April 2021 we'll be posting more video, screenshots and gifs using our accounts on the following platforms: Twitter, YouTube, and Imgur. We also have a Facebook account on standby but it is not active at this time. Our front page and contact page will be updated to reflect these and begin showing updates from these accounts soon. Future Giveaways and Other Feedback In the next few weeks we'll be putting up some polls and gathering feedback on a variety of things, including giveaways, the type of content viewers would like to see and more. 1st Anniversary Social Media Banners For posterity, here are the banners we used on our Twitter page during the lead up to this day. And finally, thanks once again for all the support we receive. Here's to another year!

As part of the Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition event going on right now, tons of upcoming games have released demos so that people can check them out. I happened to stumble upon Balsa Model Flight Simulator and decided to see how it played. So what is Balsa Model Flight Simulator? From the game's Steam page: "Balsa is a detailed Model Flight Simulator with a powerful editor where you can design, build, fly, and battle with model aircraft. Developed by the creator of Kerbal Space Program, Balsa is a virtual flight experience like no other." So, think Kerbal Space Program, but instead of building your very own aerospace vehicles, you are building and flying your very own model RC planes. The Workshop The workshop is where you go to build your plane. I have not played Kerbal Space Program, but I have played SimplePlanes, and the building mechanics are similar. You have a library of parts organized by categories like fuselages, cockpits, engines, etc. and they’re drag and drop. “Nodes” on the parts automatically align with each other so they can snap on easily, and various options for symmetry and angle snapping are also available at the top of the screen to make your life easier. Positional fine-tuning is also available with the offset and rotate tools. And once everything is finished, you can paint your plane with a variety of solid colors. There are only a limited amount of parts available in the demo version, but parts like some fuselages and wings are customizable, so you can adjust the parameters for these by right-clicking them. However, the parameters are displayed as percentage values from a scale of 0 to 100 so the amount that you can modify them is pretty limited. Additionally, it makes it difficult to determine or specify certain design parameters, so if you want a specific wing sweep or span, you can only really do it by moving the camera around and checking to see if it looks right with relation to the rest of the plane. This would be problematic if you were recreating a real aircraft since there are no rulers or protractors to check if the dimensions are correct. Personally, I think they should have a system where you can input exact values instead of using percent values. It’s a little hard to see here, but I had to use two wing sections to create what I needed, and lining them up was pretty tedious. To enable powered flight, you have to select a motor, propeller, and a battery. Placing these items inside the plane is enabled by toggling the internal view switch. Having built a few RC planes in the past, I knew the importance of placing components in the right place so that the center of mass (CoM) was forward of the center of lift so that the plane has positive stability. The workshop actually has three tools that show you the CoM, center of thrust, and pitch stability. Since there is no indicator for center of lift, the CoM tool isn’t all that helpful, but the pitch stability tool is really nice once you understand how to use it. This tool shows up as a curved ruler in front of the plane and shows the restorative forces at different angles of attack, and you can check how these forces change with speed as well. Generally, you want there to be a blue profile on the forward part of the ruler that curves gradually towards the middle. This will give you a stable airplane, and I used this to fine-tune the position of my wings, control surfaces, and internals. This is a great tool, and I hope they add more things like this for the roll and yaw as well. Overall, it’s a solid builder with some quirks here and there. Sometimes I would have trouble moving parts exactly where I wanted them to go, but the offset and rotate tools solved those issues. There were some occasions where my mouse and buttons stopped working and I couldn’t manipulate anything, but leaving the workshop and coming back solved those. Since the game is in early access, it’s understandable for bugs to exist, and I expect these to be fixed when the game actually releases. Some features that I would love to see added are values for engine power and weight of parts/whole aircraft since there is no way to determine the power to weight ratio at the moment other than flying and seeing how it performs. Flight Model and Physics Once you have a plane built, or you just want to test how it flies, you can hit the green “Go!” button. You have to manually turn on the engine, pick up the plane, and throw it by increasing throttle and releasing. However, the default control scheme has you using the A/D buttons as yaw and Q/E buttons for roll, which was counter intuitive for me, so I had to change the bindings in the settings. While we’re on the topic of controls, the game seems to support most controllers with Xinput. There was an option to bind controls to an Xbox controller, and I tested out my Thrustmaster T.16000 joystick with no problems. I have also been told that other people that have RC transmitters with USB connections used those to control their planes, so that’s pretty neat as well. For controlling the plane, you get the option of a third-person chase view with the option to move the camera around, or a first-person view from the ground with the transmitter in your hands. The flight model seems to be very much a work in progress. Pitch behavior seems to be fine, but the plane behaves weirdly in the roll and yaw directions in my experience. The planes I created were low-wing monoplanes, so naturally I gave them dihedral so that the plane would roll back to a neutral state automatically. In Balsa however, if I roll 10 degrees, the plane remains glued at 10 degrees until I roll the plane manually. On the other hand, giving any yaw input resulted in the plane shaking side to side and yawing a tiny bit while rolling in that direction. It was almost like the plane had a rubber band tied down its length, and would resist moving in the direction you wanted it to go. The Steam page for the game boasts a “physics-based flight model,” so I really hope they fix these in the final game. One thing that seems to be working realistically is the damage model. Clipping or crashing into the buildings/the ground will result in the propeller snapping off, control surfaces flying off, etc. Hit things hard enough and your entire fuselage might break apart! Fortunately, you can easily recover the plane and try again, or go back into the workshop to make changes. However, crashing too hard causes some bugs like your wreckage bouncing up and down uncontrollably or going under the map. Again, they are likely working on fixing these bugs and I hope the physics engine is modified so that the plane performs more realistically. Final Thoughts Balsa Model Flight Simulator has a lot of things to work on, but I believe it has great potential. Even as an early access demo with some bugs and graphical issues, there are solid mechanics for building and testing planes, and I can’t wait to see the other features listed on their site such as modding support, a single-player career mode, and online paintball dogfights, just to name a few. I definitely will be keeping an eye on this, and since it will be coming to Steam Early Access sometime this summer, I recommend checking out their demo while you still can during the Steam Game Festival. Check out their Steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/977920/Balsa_Model_Flight_Simulator/

2 months ago, I got to try out the demo for Balsa Model Flight Simulator and had a pretty fun time. (check out the first impressions piece for the demo here!) This time, I got to play around with the more feature-rich beta. Here are my thoughts on the content and some things I would like to see going forward. NEW CONTENT One thing that immediately caught my eye was the addition of 3 more maps to fly around in: Glider's Cay is a small island with a large hill that's perfect for testing glider designs; Wirraway Bay was in the demo, and has a nice urban port surrounded by some mountains; Weatherfall Islands is a wide-open arctic map with some neat icebergs; and Rovin Harbor is a large city which allows for some challenging urban flying. I personally liked Weatherfall Islands since it feels vast and some of the icebergs have natural arches/holes to fly through and do stunts around. I appreciated the variety in the landscapes and scenery in these maps and hope to see more in the future. Another new feature was the addition of action figures. I think these are meant to be collectibles that are unlocked in the Career Mode, but they are available for any scenario. Though they look really cartoon-ish, you can add them to your plane (as long as you added seats) to give a sense of scale for your plane and really bring your creations to life. I think the best feature of these action figures is that they allow you to fly your plane in first person view. Since there are small cameras and FPV goggle kits that people add to their RC planes in real life, I think this is a really neat feature, and is especially useful for dogfighting. Also as a nice touch, the player model sports FPV goggles whenever an action figure is added to the plane. Speaking of dogfighting, there beta officially added parts for weapons. Well, they're paintball guns, but they're pretty satisfying to fire. There are two types of guns so far, the hard-hitting "Thud" cannon and the fast-firing "Hailstorm" that deals less damage. Each pod has 58 and 240 rounds respectively, and though the "Hailstorm" is technically weaker, I prefer it over the "Thud" since that fast fire rate allows for more hits against nimble RC planes. Learn to aim it well and it can deal critical damage to enemies. Just be aware that these pods are pretty heavy, and will affect the center of mass and performance of your plane. The game also allows you to create weapon groups, so in case your plane can carry both kinds of guns, you could map your keys in a way that allows you to fire the different gun pods separately or together. Interestingly enough, you can place these pods so that they're entirely hidden inside your aircraft and still be able to shoot paintballs, almost as if they phase through your airplane. Not sure if this is a bug, but it's something that I personally think the game should keep as is, since it allows your aircraft to look cleaner. Now, if there were some targets to shoot at... Thankfully, there are some new "Scenarios" added in addition to the free flight mode for each map, and these are "Free for All," "PvE Combat," and "Team PvP Combat." In these modes, the map is populated by AI planes that you can use as target practice. For the combat modes, you choose a team and attempt to shoot down enemy planes. If the enemy crashes or gets shot down, they lose a point, and vice versa. The team that reaches zero first is then defeated. Since I couldn't find people online, I didn't really play the PvP mode that much, but it seemed identical to the PvE mode except that actual players can join the enemy team. I didn't play long enough to see what the ultimate result screen looks like, but you can have some good fun and learn how to aim the guns. In terms of on-screen information, a reticle is displayed in front of your plane in third person view if you have guns installed, but for first person, you'll need to equip the gun reticle part in the cockpit. Enemies also have brackets around them that makes spotting easier, and the plane name and their distance away from you are displayed as well. All in all, these are some pretty fun, laid-back modes. NEW MODES There were two new modes added to the beta: Career mode Online mode. The online mode allows players to host lobbies for up to 16 people, though you can limit the maximum amount of players when setting up a room. The game also allows you to name and add descriptions to rooms so people know what to expect. I would've liked to test for any connection issues, but sadly no one was on when I was playing around. The career mode will be the bread and butter of the single player aspect of the game, and also serves as a tutorial. You start off in Glider's Cay and learn how to move around, pick up your glider, and throw it. As you get more used to the controls, the various events and missions ramp up in difficulty as you learn to pilot powered planes and practice taking off and landing on a runway. Each event also has optional objectives that allow you to get higher ranks. This nets you more "funds" which are used as in-game currency to buy planes, action figures, and unlock new maps which will let you fly in more events. This cycle of flying, getting funds, creating/buying more capable planes, and flying in even more challenging missions is really fun, and the sense of progression you get is pretty satisfying. I wasn't able to progress too far the career mode, but I'm excited to see what they will add in the future. One thing that I think would be a cool addition is monthly limited-time events or challenges when the game goes live to keep players coming back. I hear a race mode will be added down the line, so I'm excited for that. One thing to note, all parts are available for you to use when creating planes in the workshop and making the planes themselves are free. However, in order to be able to fly them, you will need to purchase the aircraft. Be aware the more complicated/more parts your plane has, the more funds you will need to be able to buy it. Each part has an associated cost that is listed when you're building, so keep your eye on that. You can go back and edit vehicles that you have already purchased, but be aware that if you add more parts, the cost will increase. WORKSHOP Now let's see if there were any changes to the other core aspects of the game. The one thing I really wanted from the demo was improved aerodynamic stability tools, and the beta did a great job of implementing them. You now have indicators for both the center of mass and center of lift, which gives you a much better idea on the stability of the plane you're building. When used with the stability graph at different airspeeds, you can determine the overall pitch behavior of the aircraft without leaving the workshop to flight test it. Here, you can see how the center of lift changes vectors at different airspeeds, along with how unstable the design is with the stability graph. The orange indicates that the plane wants to diverge from the direction of flight, which in this case is desirable since the X-02S Strike Wyvern is supposed to be highly maneuverable at lower speeds. Along with all of these changes, the mass of certain parts seemed to have been reworked as well, since the position of the batteries affect the center of mass MUCH more than they did in the demo. Since batteries tend to be one of the more heavier items in an RC plane, I'm really glad they fixed this. Speaking of batteries, the beta also added a "Connect" tool that visualizes and how the electrical/power components are hooked up and allows you to edit these connections. This was also a nice addition since a major part of RC plane building is determining the optimal way to connect all of your components. Of course, it's much more complex in real life, with having to acquire the right connectors, using batteries with the correct voltage, etc. but it's still nice that there is a tool that emulates this. The workshop tool automatically connects the parts together, but you have the option of changing this if you desire. For example, my X-02S has the batteries and motors connected in serial, but I can choose to have one battery powering each motor separately. After all of this tinkering, it would be nice if you could give your plane a fancy paint job... Oh, the beta added decals? Nice! The workshop now features a "Decals" tab, and at least in my testing, seems to let you add as many decals as you want. Combined with the "Paint" tab, you can create some really flashy liveries. There are numbers, letters, and various icons that you can rotate, scale, and change color however you see fit and lets your creativity run wild. The decals also don't seem to affect the cost of your airplane, so that's a nice feature. One thing I would like to see is some sort of text box editor, since at the moment you have to move and place each letter separately, and could get time consuming. FLIGHT MODEL I wasn't too impressed with the flight model in the demo, and it doesn't seem to have changed much in this beta since I'm still seeing some stiff yaw and roll movements as well as some violent shaking on occasion. The X-02S I made isn't the most stable thing, I get that, but I don't think the plane should be moving like this when all I'm doing is pitching up at an angle: Even in more stable aircraft, there is a weird wobbling going on, especially at higher speeds. I know the aerodynamic forces and physics on RC planes are vastly different than on full-scale aircraft, but it's not quite right yet. Really hope they adjust the flight model or physics of the game so things don't feel so shaky. It doesn't have to be perfect, but as long as the stiff yaw and roll reactions are fixed, I'll be happy. Other than that, the flight model is fine. CONCLUSION All in all, I had an really enjoyable time with the Balsa beta. The new additions like the career mode and workshop tools worked well for me and and made me excited for the full game. There are still some kinks in the flight model and physics that I would like to see fixed, and some other changes like replacing percentage sliders with actual measurements in the workshop, but I'm sure those will be addressed. I'm definitely excited to see how this game evolves! If you're interested in this game and want to support it, I recommend wishlisting on Steam since it's supposed to be released as early access soon. Writer: TaskForce23

Today at Flight Sim Expo 2021, Nicki Repenning, CEO and Founder of Honeycomb Aeronautical, announced a couple of new pieces of hardware. Aside from their standard civilian-focused gear, some of these announcements are in a completely different side of flight simulation and represent their entry into different markets. Civilian Focused Hardware A new series of hardware named Alpha-Bravo-Charlie (ABC) which consists of three separate pieces of gear that go together, these are: Alpha Flight Controls XPC: Center Console for Bravo Throttle Quadrant: Charlie Rudder Pedals: And lastly, a civilian focused HOTAS system: Tango Foxtrot XPC. Sigma Tau: First Entry into Military Simulation But there was one announcement which were extremely important for Honeycomb Aeronautical, which is the announcement of their entry into military flight simulation with the Sigma Tau HOTAS. This system was only teased but some of their expectations for the product and believed that it "would have incredible functionality that has never been done. Technology used that has never been done on flight sticks, military or civilian[...]" . Honeycomb expects that the stick would be ready by Q1 2022 and the Throttle quadrant by Q2 2022, so keep an eye out for those. More information on this product will be available later this weekend. Force Feedback Inquiry Late in the presentation, Aaron “Ribbon-Blue” Mendoza of Skyward Flight Media asked if, “future Honeycomb military flight sim hardware products will have force feedback to provide tactile information to the pilot?” According to Nicki Repenning, the company is working on force feedback products. However, Honeycomb’s philosophy is that everything has to be affordable. Currently the cheapest force feedback yoke on the market is around $1300 USD. Honeycomb is working to get a force feedback product into the market below $500 USD, but it is very difficult. Precision Flight Controls, now a development partner with Honeycomb Aeronautical, are leading experts in this field. Precision Flight Controls is far along and Nicki Repenning hopes that Honeycomb can announce a product “before Christmas” with a timeline for production. Xbox Hub: Expanding Hardware Compatibility to Xbox Game Consoles Though this blurry picture from the Alpha Flight Control XPC slide doesn't seem impressive, its maximum potential more than makes up for it. The second most interesting announcement from today's presentation was the development of an "Xbox Hub". It is described as a hub that enables players and pilots to use non-Xbox certified products on Xbox game consoles. Examples of supported products mentioned are Honeycomb Aeronautical's Bravo throttle quadrant and soon to be released Charlie rudder pedals. Furthermore, a partnership with Logitech will also allow their USB throttle quadrants and USB rudder pedals to be compatible through the Xbox Hub and through the Alpha flight controls XPC which will then be recognizable by the game console. Nicki Repenning explains that this partnership between the two companies was forged to bring more affordable solutions and different price levels that people can afford into the market. The result is more choices for flight simmers on game consoles as well. Thanks for reading our coverage of Flight Sim Expo 2021 Day 1. More to come. Article written by Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza and Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos

New lore material was released along with the 1:144 scale ADFX-10F model kit by Kotobukiya on March 26, 2020. What new information did Project Aces include about the enemy we fight in Mission 10 of Ace Combat 7? Let's find out. The ADFX-10F is a large fighter that served as a test platform for the Gründer I.G. “ADF-11F Raven.” Its nickname is “Prototype Raven.” The EASA (Erusean Air and Space Administration) defined the concept of “ultimate survivability” for the new aircraft in the ADF series which would be categorized as seventh generation fighters, and planned for the simultaneous development of an autonomous unmanned model as well as a manned model. These aircraft were developed at an EASA test site in eastern Usea as a testbed for evaluating weapons that could be used by the unmanned aircraft as well as the attachment/detachment mechanism with the large wing unit (RAW-F). Only a small number of them were built. The ADFX-10 refers to the nose unit itself, and is structured in a way that by equipping the F-type wing unit (RAW-F), it becomes a fighter. This system, which allows for the selection and installation of different types of wing units that correspond to the operation, is designed to give the aircraft multi-purpose capabilities on the battlefield. Additionally, the nose unit has a mechanism that allows it to become a small fighter that can fly independently by extending the strakes and using them as wings in an emergency. This feature was devised so that if the aircraft took considerable damage, the wing unit could be detached and [the nose unit] could fly away to safer areas at the back [of the combat zone] to prevent the loss of the combat AI’s accumulated experience. For this reason, [the nose unit] only has simple skids for the landing gear. This aircraft was specialized as an autonomous unmanned craft, and in order to demonstrate its ability to use weapons in conditions where it is maneuvering rapidly, the nose unit had an autocannon as fixed armament and highly maneuverable missiles were installed in the internal weapon bays and underwing pylons on the wing unit. The nose is equipped with a radar and infrared searching equipment for the fire control system, and the entire airframe is given a smart skin. The objective for this aircraft was to obtain data about its maneuverability and its flight controls when separating [from the wing unit], so it does not have features like the exterior composite optical sensors, high power tactical laser, and pulse laser system present on its evolution, the ADF-11F. Nevertheless, in a simulated air battle, it shot down 10 MQ-99 combat drones in 2 minutes by itself, showing that a new generation of drones had arrived. “Z.O.E.,” an artificial intelligence development program created by Gründer I.G. was utilized for this aircraft, and emphasis was placed on the implementation of a learning-type control AI. This is a self-growth program that uses deep learning mainly on actual flight/combat data collected from human pilots to formulate aircraft controls and actions that are more suited for drones. As a result, it possesses exceptional maneuverability and outstanding capabilities for executing operations autonomously. From a security point of view, the accumulated combat data is not transmitted via normal tactical data links, and is only transmitted to specific milli-wave antennas installed at air and communications bases. In August 2019, some aircraft that were conducting test flights at the EASA test site crashed and were lost due to an Osean Air Defense Force reconnaissance attack in the skies above Borgo dell'Est in eastern Usea. About the Translator TaskForce 23 Japanese Translator with Skyard Flight Media and fan of all things aviation. #PurdueEngineering alum. Shares birthday with AWACS SkyEye. 日本人ですが英語の方が楽です。無言フォロー失礼します。| Twitter |

On March 26th, 2020, Famtisu aired the Ace Combat 25th Anniversary livestream featuring Kazutoki Kono the (brand director of the Ace Combat Series) and Manabu Shimomoto (Producer for Ace Combat 7). Kazutoki Kono is now infamous for the slides he brings with him to these kinds of livestreams, which include inside jokes and memes. Since Kono makes these himself and no one at Project Aces reviews these prior to being shown, it provides quite the entertainment for all involved. This time was no different. Let’s take a deeper look at what he created this time. Here’s just a generic Bandai Namco logo, but Kono begins by saying the all-too familiar phrase heard in Japanese television: “This program has been brought to you by the following sponsor(s),” and introduces Bandai Namco Entertainment. Here he congratulates the team on their coming 25th anniversary by showing the Project Aces logo. This image was actually tweeted by him when he wished everyone a happy new year. This Mizuhiki style of decoration is often used for celebrations. Pretty wholesome so far. And the fun begins. Kono starts talking about their “brand,” but shows this slide real quick before moving on to the Ace Combat slide. This is probably just a personal joke by Kono, but this is a mosquito repellant called “Earth Nomat.” In Japanese it sounds more like “Ahce no-matto,” and is basically a terrible pun for “Ace Combat.” The Ace Combat series, which has a history spanning 25 years. In 1995, the household game software “Ace Combat (or Air Combat)” was released, which would become the first in the series. With the arrival of the newest work “Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown” in 2019, a total of 13 games were/are being circulated worldwide. Nothing too crazy here. Although I do find it funny that Assault Horizon is included. The “Weight” of 25 years Here, Kono expressed that he wanted the fans and people to understand the “weight” of 25 years, and what that means. Getting pretty philosophical now. Kono calls the aircraft in the first slide here the XF-2, since that’s one of the liveries of the F-2 prototypes. He says, “what 25 years means is that this boy....turns into this, it grows up into this” and shows the production F-2. Shimomoto interrupts, saying “most of your point isn’t getting across...” since a lot of people don’t know the development history/timeline of this plane. However, Kono pushes on and we see Wiseman saying, “not bad” before moving rapidly to the next slide. Here, Kono explains that this is a spreadsheet that sums the total amount of seconds since the launch of the first Ace Combat and up to the date of the 25th anniversary, and how he made Shimomoto put this together the previous night. Classic Kono, bullying poor Shimomoto again. 25 years = 791,510,400 seconds The total is shown here which amounts to a massive 791.5 million seconds. Kono then takes this number and puts it into the mission timer of Ace Combat 7’s Pipeline Destruction, and we see that this is equivalent to 13191838 hours. Interesting to see how much time can be set for these missions. When asked how he did this, Kono said he “borrowed” the company’s assets and laughed. He also hypothesizes that the “very easy mode” for upcoming Ace Combat games would look something like this. Maybe newcomers won’t be too pressured by the almost lack of a time limit? Who knows. Your hypothesis is trash Just Alex bashing Kono’s hypothesis. Very appropriate and hilarious. “Jpeg Dog” makes a quick appearance here for no reason, but who doesn’t like a good boy? The doggo shows up later in the slide show as well. The “Weight” of 25 years We come back to this slide as Kono tries to get serious again and get back on topic on the weight of 25 years and how he wants to properly convey that to us. He mentions that he created a diagram to show how long 25 years is as well. The magnificence of Ace Combat’s continuation during these 25 years, in other words, a “quarter of a century” By rephrasing 25 years to “a quarter of a century,” the incredible scale and history of the franchise can be felt. It’s kind of crazy to think about, and gives us a neat perspective here. And the jokes return in this timeline. At the top we see Kono’s supposed lifespan, reaching 100 years in age, followed by a darker arrow labeled “sublimation” extending way into the future (AC3 fans rejoice!). The big dark red arrow says “25 years” and shows the time between the first Ace Combat and 7. What’s utterly hilarious is the inclusion of the arrow extending into the future with “Ace Combat 14: Galaxy Sky” slated for release in 2045 and “Ace Combat 21: The Cheating Ace that Saves an Alternate World Has to be a Novice!” coming in 2071. Honestly sounds like a light novel I would read. But c’mon people, that’s 7 numbered Ace Combat games every 25 years! There could even be more like X or something for the Switch! Anyway, incredible memeing from Kono. But the fun continues. Below the big arrows is Shimomoto’s lifespan, where Kono explains that in 2~3 years, Shimomoto will get digitized and will be used for sublimation experiments. However, apparently those experiments fail and he does not get to live as long as everyone else, while the technology for sublimation improves and Kono reaps the benefits. Does Kono have something against Shimomoto? Either way, this is really funny. The last one is of an “Ace Combat Girl” named Koma-chan born in 1995, and is the same age as the franchise. I couldn’t hear exactly what Kono said, but the whole point of this timeline is to show how long 25 years is in an amusing way. Don’t you see Kono just showing off the Line stickers at this point and memeing with them gloriously. Don’t you see? The power of 25 years! The “Weight” of 25 years / The magnificence of Ace Combat’s continuation during these 25 years, in other words, a “quarter of a century” And after another round of joking and admitting that we probably don’t understand what he’s getting at, Kono says he has another diagram prepared. Oh god, what could it be? This one’s quite a doozy. Basically it outlines major events such as when Project Aces was established (Between 04 & 5), when core members like Kono, Kanno (Art Director), Itomi (Narrative Director), Shimomoto, Katabuchi etc. joined the team, what projects they were involved in and so on. There are however, some interesting anecdotes hidden here. For AC2 (in red), we see a “Kono & Kanno Loop Hell” where Kono wanted one thing, but Kanno went ahead and changed stuff on his own resulting in a constant cycle of fighting and lead to a development nightmare. This seems to be a constant theme for any Ace Combat game. For AC5’s development (in green) we see something similar with “Katabuchi & Kono Loop Hell” where the constant back-and-forth between the two were well known when creating 5’s story and missions. The one in orange is intriguing to me because Masahide Kito, who headed the plot of the AC7 DLC missions is listed in a “100 [air]craft incident.” Kito himself said he would explain on twitter later, so I’m going to keep an eye on that. This portion takes the cake for me. Listed here are Ace Combat Advance (for the GameBoy Advanced), Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion (iOS), and Ace Combat Northern Wings (mobile) which Project Aces didn’t have a hand in at all. Kono marked them “what is this incident 1~3,” comments “what?” for Advance and Northern Wings, and his comment on Xi seems to indicate only one person was involved in making it. I know some people who like these games maybe even unironically, so that’s a nice addition. Well done Some kind words from Wiseman as Kono self-congratulates himself for creating that masterpiece of a timeline. So here’s a question Nice to see some more characters in the Line sticker lineup. How was Ace Combat able to continue during these 25 years, or “quarter of a century” Kono seems to return to the topic asking the members in the stream, “what do you think is the reason this series has lasted this long.” Shimomoto answers, “well of course of all the people who have supported us along the way,” and Kono nods, but... Control Tower Ah yes, Kono’s satirical self-flattery strikes again. The supreme leader who controls everything! Oh wait, oops! Quick, get JPEG Dog out! Ah yes, just a good boi here, nothing to see How was Ace Combat able to continue during these 25 years, or “quarter of a century” Back on track, things get serious and wholesome as of course, the real reason Ace Combat has made it this far is the unwavering support of all the fans. Here we see some familiar faces like Acepedia and Ace Combat Fan! It was because of all of the fans’ continued support Thank you for all that you have done! We’re really grateful! And some more nice gestures from Kono. You can tell he made this one because of the flankers. Kono really loves his Sukhois. Come on damn it! Oh hello. Kono called this a “reward” because he liked it and felt others would too. I mean, he’s not wrong... And now, this spring, Riku, thank you very much! We appreciate what you did! Another nice gesture by Kono. Riku Suzuki had been supporting the team with promoting the games from before the release of Ace Combat 7, but “graduated” in March and will be leaving the team. Therefore, Kono prepared some slides of gratitude. Riku was also in the studio at the time so it really was wholesome. Adios, you damn fool Mission complete, RTB And finally he showed off some more Line stickers appropriate for the setting. Man I’m really thinking about buying these but I don’t have anyone on Line that would understand them. :( Thus, another one of Kono’s presentations comes to an end. That did make for a good slide show. During the stream, Kono mentioned that he has more things that he would like to announce when the time is right and that he would like to come back to do more live streams with Famitsu, so hopefully we’ll see another entertaining set of slides in the future.

Scale Aviation is a visual bimonthly magazine for scale aircraft modelers. Volume 127, released in May 2019, features interviews centered around the virtual reality mode of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown and details concerning the creation of its vehicle models. Those interviewed by Scale Aviation are Shōji Kawamori (anime creator, mecha designer, producer, screenwriter and visual artist), Masato Kanno (Ace Combat 7 art director) and Masanori Ninomiya (Ace Combat 7 lead mechanic artist). [Read More] Skyward Flight Media does not claim ownership of copyright of the source material used to create these translations.

The reoccurring series is getting a big push! Following the positive reception of the Creator Highlight series with our articles about the Flight Sim Historian and Requiem's Air Combat Tutorial Library, we have thought about what to do with this series. In January 2022, we are having our first ever Creator Highlight Month (CHM) to kick off a more consistent effort to write about aviation-focused content creators next year. During CHM we will have articles and interviews with a diverse group of people about their content creation efforts: RedKite: DCS focused content creator known for highly detailed tutorials. Sacchan: Lead developer of the VRChat aviation phenomenon. Shadé: Long-time machinima creator and complex aircraft designer in Besiege. Solutus Eversol: Ace Combat expert guiding viewers through its intricate lore. Spudknocker: DCS content creator producing tutorials, historical videos, large-scale community missions and more. Wolfpack345: Known for dogfights in the air and sea on IL-2, DCS and Silent Hunter 4 on Twitch and YouTube As we get closer to 2022, the date of our first CHM release will be announced. We would like to thank everyone we contacted for participating in our upcoming Creator Highlight Month!

The next addition to our expanding catalog of Skyward themed Digital Combat Simulator liveries is here! Our first two liveries for the F-14B Tomcat are now available! Our Tomcat liveries were created by Cubeboy. Our new Tomcat CAG bird includes original nose art made in collaboration by Cubeboy and Hueman, a member of our group. Furthermore, an update to the three existing F-16C 'Viper' liveries is also available. They now feature wonderful PW F100-220 engine textures by Mach3DS. Cubeboy did modify the inner part of the feathers to make them more weathered and made the textures a bit gold-ish to better reflect the look he wanted from the textures. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Mach3DS for allowing us to use their excellent textures. Lastly, the F-16C liveries received a minor fix to its roughmets. This solved some reflection issues with the rescue decals and accompanying text. Skyward F-14B CAG Skyward F-14B Low-Vis Skyward F-16C Airshow (v2) Skyward F-16C High-Vis (v2) Skyward F-16C Low-Vis (v2) As always, our liveries are free to download. Click the red button below to see our livery downloads page.

Masato Kanno, the lead architect of the immersive and interactive sky found in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Kanno gained new experience in the development of environments using Unreal Engine 4 and trueSKY while working on Ace Combat 7. Kanno provided a lecture at CEDEC 2019 (Computer Entertainment Developers Conference) on September 4th, 2019 which provided information about the sky, clouds, its impact on game environments, truSKY program data, and more. Materials from his presentation, "Regarding Ace Combat 7's Revolution of the Sky" are now available in English, thanks to the translation efforts on TaskForce 23 which have been confirmed as accurate by Kanno himself. [READ MORE] Skyward Flight Media does not claim ownership of copyright of the source material used to create these translations.

The time has come and winners have been selected! As always, the Google Random Number Generator was used to select the winners for this giveaway. The winners for this month's Twitter giveaway are: @Kiwicougar1 @MoosemermaidTV Skyward Flight Media would like to thank everyone that participated in our social media giveaway and helped spread the word to others to participate! The winners will be contacted soon to begin discussing their prize and how to deliver it to them.

Project ACES recently featured a special program where both old and young staff members reflected on 25 years of Ace Combat games, discussing the past, present, and future of the series. To spare the audience and myself from reading/translating the whole 1 hour+ transcript, I will just be doing an overview as well as point out things that I found interesting. Catch the program and follow along here: https://youtu.be/FA5RgsXHHWw Participants: MC: Aozora Sorano (Japanese idol with a name that literally translates to “Bluesky Skyfield.” Chosen since her name fits the series so well) MC: Manabu Shimomoto (Ace Combat 7 Producer) Kazutoki Kono (Ace Combat Series Brand Director) Masato Kanno (Ace Combat 7 Art Director) Kosuke Itomi (Ace Combat 7 Narrative Director) Takuya Iwasaki (CEO/Managing Director of ILCA Inc) Akira Yasui (Manager of game development at ILCA Inc) Makoto Sekiya (Producer at ILCA Inc) *The Ace Combat team had mentioned many times before that they had planned for celebrations during the actual 25th anniversary last year, but were hindered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, events like the live orchestra concert were delayed to the so-called “25th anniversary overtime” in 2021. Ace Combat (Air Combat) Through Ace Combat 04 The program starts with a bit of a bombshell, with Sorano nonchalantly stating that in 2021, the series as a whole (and across various platforms) had shipped 17 million copies. How those 17 million is split between the games and whether that included Infinity is not revealed, but is still an impressive feat regardless. Sorano then introduces the first four games, giving a brief overview of the highlights of each game, similar to what was already covered in the Famitsu special last year. Iwasaki then reveals that he joined Namco at the same time as Kono, and participated in developing the first Ace Combat game as well as taking charge of game design for Ace Combat 2 and directing Ace Combat 3. He talked about how graphical limitations of the first game restricted them to making disjointed mission situations, but improvements for the second game allowed them to create a cohesive world view. They first created a world map and discussed what kind of landscapes and history would exist, essentially giving context to the different missions. Kanno joins the discussion, adding that Iwasaki asked him to make various assets and artwork with the materials he had, and doing that over and over again eventually led to the setting and world of Ace Combat 04 and 5. The discussion then shifts to Ace Combat 3, the “problem game,” as Iwasaki picks up a X-49 model that will be sold by Kotobukiya later this year. Iwasaki explained that their goal was to expand even more on world building and depict a drama-filled story. There were plans for CG cutscenes as well, but the cost of making those for all scenarios was too much and led to Production I.G. making anime scenes. Amusingly, he also talked about how he negotiated with his superiors to have the game on multiple CDs since fitting all the content on one would have been impossible, even using Final Fantasy as an excuse. Itomi is then brought into the discussion, since he worked on quite a few of the video transmissions and cutscenes, though the others jokingly commented he was a “victim.” Turns out he went to the same university as Iwasaki, and was “taken away” to work on the project, despite wanting to work on “cute” things (I guess he finally got his wish when he designed Nugget for Ace Combat Infinity). Interestingly, Kono and Yasui also went to the same school (Kobe Design University). Iwasaki and Kono then talked about working back then on Ace Combat and Ridge Racer respectively, and how they were alike in that they often poked their nose into something and gave their opinion/demanded better quality. Kono brings up a funny anecdote where Iwasaki was watching him checking Ridge Racer Type 4’s graphics, then ran away screaming. When he asked Iwasaki what was going on later, Iwasaki replied, “Namco’s de facto standard has increased again!” and went back to improve Ace Combat’s quality. Even before he became directly involved in the series, it seems Kono had a hand in making the games better. Ace Combat 5 Through Ace Combat Assault Horizon Sorano continued to briefly talk about the highlights of the next couple of games, with 5, Zero, 6, and Assault Horizon. She then asked about “Aces at War,” an exclusive book bundled with the special edition of Assault Horizon that chronicled the stories of the previous games set in Strangereal. ILCA Inc’s Sekiya actually had a hand in the creation of this book, since he initially proposed the concept. He also revealed that this was the first time he worked with the Project ACES team, assisting in the interviews and editing (Check out the translations of those here). The interviews with JASDF personnel, Project ACES members, and Hibiki Yoshizaki (future cinematics director for AC7) led to further collaboration in Infinity and 7. ILCA’s Yasui was also asked to create the Stonehenge papercraft model (can be seen in this interview) that was part of the Assault Horizon Special Edition as well as some of the CG artwork inside “Aces at War.” Kanno also talked about how “Aces at War” is a pretty special book that had a large impact on newer members, with Shimomoto chiming in that he read it to study up on the series, and how it was like a textbook. Inspired by the book, Shimomoto reached out to Sekiya to make the most recent “Aces at War 2019” but apparently this was “hell.” Kono said that every time they made “Aces at War,” they had to dig up all of their hard disks and was such a pain that he remarked “let’s not make another one.” However, Kanno mentioned the president of Bandai Namco Entertainment said to make more books like that, and Kono replied “well I guess we have no choice.” Ace Combat Infinity and Ace Combat 7 Sorano finally introduces Ace Combat Infinity and 7, and reveals that Skies Unknown had sold 3 million copies across all platforms, which is one million higher than last year. Though there are a fair amount of fans that bought multiple copies of the game for different platforms, limited editions, etc. this is a pretty insane feat. The topic then shifts to how Ace Combat is a game about fighter jets, and how they fuss over both real-life and fictional aircraft. Kanno reflects on some of the fictional designs and describes Ace Combat 3 as a little more unique, with Kei Yoshimizu creating initial concepts that were polished up by Production I.G. They then talk about the XFA-27 which was one of the first fictional jets that appeared in the series, designed by a veteran Namco artist, Yabuki. Kanno talks about how the aircraft was a reflection of the trends of the era, but Kono seems to remember this differently, saying “Kanno and Yabuki would change a set design on their own accord, claiming it was cooler.” As a result, Namco had to create a special stamp that, once used, forbade any further changes to the item in question. These kinds of episodes where Kanno keeps implementing design changes are well known by now, but it’s still amusing to see that he’s been doing this since the earliest days of the series. Another element that they talked about are the cinematic cutscenes. Itomi explains that Ace Combat is a different kind of game where despite being a game about flying and shooting down targets, the story often takes place on the ground, and how they use different methods in each game to enhance that story. The main example used was how Zero used live action actors with CG backgrounds while 7 was the opposite (CG characters with real-world backgrounds), with Itomi commenting he has an urge to try something new with every game. As a result of this approach to the cutscenes for 7, ILCA’s Sekiya and others had to do a lot of location hunting and exploring on Google Maps before going out to shoot since they did not have set locations in mind from the start. Sekiya explained that as Story Director Katabuchi finished up story scenarios, he had to work really hard to find a real world location, and in one funny instance, was at a loss since he didn’t know what to do for the destruction of satellites in space. Fortunately, other members talked some sense into him and made that with CG instead. Ace Combat 7’s Real-world Locations One of my favorite parts of the special was when Sekiya was showcasing all the real-world locations that they filmed backgrounds for, and how he presented it. He actually created a pretty detailed itinerary on how to actually visit all these places, titled “A 6 Day Strangereal Journey I want to go on once COVID-19 Settles Down.” I’ll spare the travel details, but here are the 12 real-world locations and where they are used in the game: 1. SOMETIME Jazz Bar (Cutscene with Mihaly and others in the bar) When it came to filming the actual scene, all props were brought/made, including the Erusean flag. However, Shimomoto revealed that he destroyed it afterwards, to the dismay of everyone. 2. Izu Oshima (Tyler Island cutscene at beginning of “Homeward”) The teddy bear that Rosa holds was actually made by Kanno’s wife and was originally just like any old stuffed animal, but parts were ripped off and burned for use in the scene. 3. Airpark JASDF Hamamatsu Air Base Museum (J79 engine shot from opening movie) 4. Kawasaki Heavy Industries Robot Division (ISEV Drone Factory) This area is not open to the general public, but for prospective customers of robot technology. 5. Kitakyushu Airport Star Flyer Hangar (Mihaly’s test hangar) This is another location off-limits to the general public, and is often empty since it’s an emergency-use hangar. 6. AQUASTUDIO (444 Base scene with Avril and Tabloid meet) The underground areas of the studio was used, but this is another area that cannot be viewed by the general public. 7. DDH-183 “Izumo” (Exterior and interior of the Admiral Andersen) Naturally, getting on the Izumo (now) aircraft carrier is extremely difficult, but it is interesting that a much smaller ship is used to represent a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. According to Sekiya, the composite cutscene of Avril on the ship was the very first real-life location they shot, thus beginning their long journey of finding and filming backgrounds. 8. Del Mar Studio (Scene of Mihaly in bed) This is another studio that the general public cannot go inside. The GAZE magazine shown was actually created for the scene and amusingly, Itomi lets everyone know that the blankets and pillow were kept and saved, unlike the Erusean flag. 9. El Mirage Dry Lake (All scenes of Avril, Mihaly, Schroeder on dry lakes) The next few locations are most interesting, at least for me, as they happen to be within driving distance from where I live currently. Sekiya explains that for the opening shot of the game, Yoshizaki stood in for Avril and then moved so that the CG character could be placed instead. The RV used by the team was also made its way into the cutscenes , which was interesting too. 10. Mira Loma Detention Center (444 Air Base holding cells, exterior) 11. Mojave Air and Space Port (444 Air Base hangars) On a regular day, you won’t be able to get onto the flight line or hangars themselves, but they do hold “Plane Crazy Saturdays” from time to time, where the general public can come to view some of the planes at the airport. I’ve been to Mojave many times to catch sights of some unique aircraft, but didn’t know the hangars were used in the cutscenes, so I’ll have to make the trip again soon. 12. Yanks Air Museum (Boneyard from opening scene) The crown jewel in my opinion is the boneyard of Yanks Air Museum in Chino, CA. Sleuthing by some fans when Ace Combat 7 was about to come revealed that many of the shots from the opening movie were taken at this museum, and I was able to visit it recently. The staff says it’s usually not open to the public, but I was able to ask the staff to go in and recreate some of the shots (check out my thread here). Kono actually mentioned seeing a fan that visited the location, so perhaps they saw my tweets. Another aspect that drew the team to this location was a peculiar image of Yellow 13’s Su-37 posted on the entrance to the “Starfighter Hangar,” and Kanno said he felt a sense of destiny. Other miscellaneous locations that they visited included various JASDF air bases, and JASDF Iruma Air Base’s hangars were used as models for Ace Combat 7. If you do end up visiting any of these sites, be sure to follow all rules and regulations since you do not want to trespass, and some of these places have special requirements in order to get in. New Game(s) in Development Thus ends the reflection portion, and Kono reveals the true reason for the special was to announce that a new Ace Combat “project” is in development. He explains that the current staff will participate in this new project, but because of the increasing number of fans and how the team “is starting to understand what the fans like,” the small team is no longer capable of meeting those expectations and is looking to massively expand the Ace Combat team. I’m honestly a little skeptical as to whether the team really understands what fans want, but hopefully the various survey results and feedback on both Japanese and overseas social media will help them to make the next game a success. Kono hopes that by now, the audience understands that the members in the room have deeply been involved in the Ace Combat series already, and announces a partnership with ILCA Inc to create new games. I for one was not aware of ILCA and how its various members have already had an impact on the franchise, but the program really informed me on their contributions, from the genesis of “Aces at War” and various work on art and cutscenes for 7. It’s also nice to know that the members like Iwasaki are not total outsiders to the series, having directed some of the early titles before Kono got involved, and it seems like it will be a good working relationship. ILCA has also worked on some high profile games like Nier, Dragon Quest, and are working on Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, so they aren't amateurs either. Here’s also an article that gives a short rundown of ILCA Inc and some other games they have assisted with. One thing to note on this screenshot is that it says “New Series Joint Development Project.” That’s right, they’re not only planning a new game, but a whole series of Ace Combat games. There has been much talk on social media about whether they will keep making games in the Strangereal universe, make a series of spinoffs, or even remake/remaster older titles, but nothing other than the fact that they are making a new Ace Combat game has been revealed so I guess we’ll have to wait and see. However, in order to make “what the fans like,” just working with ILCA is not enough and are looking to hire new employees, particularly young people, so that (hopefully) more content-rich games can be created and older staff can pass the torch to the next generation. Checking out their recruitment page, they want talented people who are passionate about Ace Combat, and have various openings for a project manager, game designers, engineers, technical/3D artists, and UI artists, but you’ll probably need to be proficient in Japanese which will be a barrier to most. Also of note is that this new project will be created in Unreal Engine 5, allowing for next-generation graphics and workflows. Hopefully, Project ACES’ experience with UE4 for Ace Combat 7’s development has given them a much steadier footing, and working together with ILCA will likely further stabilize development. New Content for Ace Combat 7 At the end of the program, announcements about various new content for Ace Combat 7 was announced. First came this trailer, showing off a free update that will include JASDF special liveries for the F-15J, F-2, and F-4E and add more BGM for multiplayer maps. These songs were selected back in June as part of a retweet campaign by fans and include the following: This free update will be coming August 31, so keep an eye on your update notifications. Shimomoto also announces that there are two paid DLCs that will be coming soon, but refrains from giving any details. However, when Kono asks if these will have new aircraft, Shimomoto confirms these are indeed, new aircraft DLCs. These will most likely include 3 planes each as it has been for the past, and probably have additional content such as more skins and emblems. The theme of the new aircraft DLCs will be interesting to see, since there was a brief shot of a F-18 in the Advanced Super Hornet configuration in the new trailer. Pure speculation here, but maybe we’ll see it with a F-15EX variant along with it as part of a fighter “glow up” pack? I’m really curious to see how the Advanced Super Hornet will translate to gameplay, since many of the upgrades to this F-18 don’t really have an effect in the arcade-y mechanics of Ace Combat. A wide-area display in the cockpit and other advanced avionics will probably not do anything but give the player a cool new cockpit to look at (although it’s mostly useless due to the low FOV). The conformal tanks increase range, but there’s no fuel gage in 7 like in Ace Combat 2 or anything. However, it may allow it to carry higher amounts of missiles and special weapons since one of the pros of CFTs is to free up more weapon stations. Addition of more LO treatments might make you harder to lock on to, but this will likely be unnoticeable in campaign and not that useful in multiplayer. It’ll likely be a bit more higher performing than the vanilla F-18F, but I guess the biggest differentiation will be what special weapons it will be carrying. With only a centerline Enclosed Weapons Pod and no other pylons in the shot from the trailer, I doubt it will have the 8AAM. It’ll likely have XSDB to make it a better ground pounder in missions with multiple scattered ground targets. Either way, there’s more content still coming for Ace Combat 7 that will keep fans engaged, at least for a little while. Closing The program ends with Kono introducing some new merchandise, including more shirts and jackets from Alpha Industries Japan and goods on the Asobistore. Unfortunately these cannot be bought outside of Japan as usual (wouldn’t be the case in a world with no boundaries). What can be bought outside of Japan are the Kotobukiya snap-fit models, including the new X-49 Night Raven model that will go on sale later this year. The various staff members then give their final thoughts, looking back at their experiences, thanking the fans, and pledging to continue to work on the upcoming game(s), asking for continued support. Overall, it was a really neat program that shed light on more behind the scenes anecdotes, introduced ILCA Inc’s past and future involvement of the series, and just a celebration of how far the series has come and how it still has a bright future ahead. Author and Translator: TaskForce 23 Japanese to English Translation

Included in the Japan-exclusive Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Special Edition was ACES at War: A HISTORY, a booklet featuring setting materials, concept art, and development interviews that focused primarily on Ace Combat 04, 5, and Zero. The interviews, titled “Talk Dogfight,” featured 3 rounds where each one focused on some specific topics. The first focused on aircraft design with Art Director Masato Kanno, Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame, and an F-15 pilot in the JASDF. The second was about graphics and achieving visual beauty with Art Director Kosuke Itomi, an up-and-coming filmmaker named Hibiki Yoshizaki, and another JASDF Eagle Driver. The final round featured Kazutoki Kono and Sunao Katabuchi, the two men responsible for a large majority of the stories on Strangereal. All of them feature neat and largely unknown behind-the-scenes details of developing Ace Combat, artistic techniques used by these professionals, philosophical discussions, fighter pilot stories, and more. Once only available in Japanese, these interviews have been translated to English by yours truly. Read Talk Dogfight R01 Read Talk Dogfight R02 Read Talk Dogfight R03

As a follow-up to our review of this spectacular community creation, we got in contact with JNelson to ask him a series of questions about some of the experiences he had while developing the External Flight Model (EFM) for the Skyhawk alongside Farlander. We hope this interview brings some insight into what goes into making an EFM for DCS, the discoveries that were made along the way that enabled some of the best additions for v2.0 of the Scooter. We'd like to thank JNelson and the entire A-4E dev team for allowing us to have this interview and for their work on this mod. Hello! We really appreciate that you are taking your time to have this interview with us. Could you please start by introducing yourself? Hello I’m JNelson, one of the A-4E Community Developers. I wrote the EFM for the A-4E with Farlander. I also have programmed many requested features, a few being the CP-741/A bombing computer, radio, new Tacan and ICLS. How did you get into DCS? Have you done/been a part of any other projects prior to the Skyhawk? I’ve been playing DCS since late 2012. I picked up the A-10C on steam for £7 back then and since then I’ve been hooked and now have several thousands of hours flying in DCS. The A-4E was my first DCS related project. What brought you and Farlander to the A-4E project? Did you have any previous experience with coding an EFM or was this your first time? Farlander had worked with the team before to produce some 3d assets in the past, so I knew about the project. We both love the A-4E however we both absolutely hate simple flight models and thought the A-4E being SFM was a tremendous waste of potential. So rather than complaining about it we both looked into it. This was the first time for both of us creating an EFM, however I have a degree in Physics and Farlander is studying to be an Engineer, that combined with our experience in DCS and general interest in aerodynamics certainly gave us a foundation to learn the principles we needed for a detailed and realistic EFM. Which was the first step you took to create the EFM? Data gathering or did you start by researching how things work inside of the DCS framework? The DCS framework is really quite straightforward. It’s essentially an interface into the DCS physics engine. The first issue was we did not have a good collection of equations to implement a basic flight model. We tried to make a basic example back in October 2019 this worked but was pretty garbage. In May 2020 Farlander found a book called Principles of Flight Simulation by David Allerton. This had everything we needed to get going. The first step after gaining this information was to get a minimal working example which we could expand on. The night Farlander found this book I told him by tomorrow I’ll have a working EFM. All night later I had a very garbage but functioning EFM. There were all kinds of problems with this initial model but it was a base from which to improve. From here we gathered as much NASA data as possible. To replace the placeholder values I had used for the first version. Which parts of the EFM were the hardest to code? (stall characteristics, engine simulation, system simulation, etc). Not necessarily the hardest thing to code but the thing we ran into the most problems with were conversions between the wind axis and the body axis. This was compounded when we went to an element based model as alpha and beta had to be calculated for each element. A good set of tests would have prevented a lot of this pain but we were doing this in our spare time and who wants to write tests. Other than that I don’t think anything was particularly difficult to implement, the primary difficulty for most things is getting the first working example to be improved. How hard was it to code the EFM while not having access to the SDK? Are there still things that cannot be added due to not having access to it? This is generally a common misconception out in the community. There are very few things (if any) that stop a fully realistic implementation of an EFM. There of course limitations for systems and interactions with the DCS world however something like the A-4E can almost all be accurately simulated with the current interface we have available to us. One thing I would love ED to add would be the ability to write our own hook physics similar to the Tomcat and F/A-18. When it comes to systems the way they interact with the SFM, which ones had to be rewritten in order to make them work with the EFM? Probably the most time consuming thing from my perspective for the early part of the project was integrating the EFM to the existing lua. A lot of the sensors and data no longer existed and had to be replaced with values from the EFM. There are other things which were completely broken and needed complete replacement, a couple of examples would be the AFCS and radio. When these were re-written we took the opportunity to make sure these systems were as close to real life as possible. There were other systems which had to be ripped out for the system to be functional. An example of this was all the carrier work-around script. The work-around had interesting things like an invisible afterburner to get the A-4E to launch off the deck, but this had unforeseen things like the throttle being routed through the carrier script so the player couldn’t engage this afterburner. This all had to be removed and replaced with the official DCS interface for the carrier. A-4E taking a drink courtesy of its new radio system. One of the most impressive additions to the A-4E that came with the EFM was the addition of functional radios and TACAN/ILS/ICLS navigation. What was the process of developing these like? Any hurdles that you had to get through along the way? These changes fall into two categories. The radio and the radio navigation. Radio The process itself is really just a case of browsing the memory for known values and trying to tie that back to things to which you have access. I spent weeks without getting anywhere. Once you have memory addresses of important objects you can then easily call their functions (without getting too technical is not always straightforward since some are virtual). It is easy to see what functions and objects are possible to interact with by looking at the relevant DLL’s. This information is available to anyone who simply dumps these functions. The issue is that the exact makeup of the structures used is not known. This would normally be given in a file (header file) with the SDK which of course we do not have. So this has to be worked out by monitoring the memory. I eventually found a method for reliably getting the position in memory for any lua device using the lua. The final step was figuring out functions which needed to be called to enable the radio. TheRealHarold had already figured this out and shared this information with us. Combining this with my method for getting the positions in memory allowed us to get the radio working reliably. There was only one remaining thing to be sorted which was to get the radio menu to come up during flight and this was just simply calling one of the functions relating to the intercom with the memory address for the intercom. Radio Navigation The primary issue to solve is the position and heading of the beacon you are trying to track. There is no interface for getting this information in DCS. There are avTACAN devices you can try and create however these fail to be initialised so you cannot use the same method as the radio. The avILS device can be reverse engineered in a similar way to the radio, I did get this working however this is of no use because it only works for land based ILS without some unknown and likely time consuming (to reverse engineer) changes. The static land based ILS and TACAN were already covered since we can retrieve the map beacon data. This is how the initial TACAN and ILS were implemented. There was no implementation for the ILS yet so I implemented this. These aren’t too complicated since it’s just basic geometry Video of AA TACAN working. Video source: JNelson. The position and heading of the beacons for moving objects, ships, aircraft and portable tacan units was the big problem to solve. After a long time investigating all kinds of avenues. I found a way (which I won’t go into for security reasons) to essentially get the memory address of an object based on it’s ID in the mission file. This is useful because the vehicles in the mission file have their TACAN and ICLS channels, so I can essentially correlate a mission ID to a real object in game. Once you have that object you just need to find the location of the positional and rotational data which is just some offset from the address of the object. This is easy enough to do by just comparing the values in the memory to the position in game. Since this is essentially a hack we haven’t released the source code for this. Although ED are welcome to get in touch if they want to find out how exactly I did it. The A-4E, as of now, is one of the only if not the only community made mod capable of doing air to air refueling. Which discoveries made this possible? Was it a complex feature to add? The DCS API supported this already for any EFM’s the issue was getting in contact with the tanker which required the radios to be reverse engineered. Once that was reverse engineered it worked like a charm. Getting an EFM to behave accordingly is quite the challenge but with the Skyhawk, flight characteristics seem to be on-point according to NATOPS. Did you have any help from a Subject Matter Expert (SME) at any point during the development? Very early carrier tests (Not everything is smooth sailing, but at least you get cool videos) Video source: JNelson We mostly used NASA wind-tunnel data for the EFM. However the transient data was not as accurate so a lot of this was augmented by help from our SME (A-4M pilot). We also had a few excellent testers which found discrepancies for us to fix. This sped up the development and was incredibly helpful. How complex is the code behind the flight dynamics in terms of simulation? Any highlights you would have that you think are cool and worth mentioning? As stated before we used NASA wind-tunnel data for the EFM. Farlander spent a long time splitting the wings and surfaces into elements, this provides a more dynamic simulation of the wing. It’s not completely accurate since these elements are completely independent but it provides a good approximation. The other cool thing are the physically realistic slats, modeled physically and deployed based on their aerodynamics. How many hours do you think you have spent coding the EFM as a whole? At least more than a thousand hours between Farlander and myself. The A-4E had public tester events that members of the mod’s Discord could request access to. What was some of the most beneficial data learned through these events? The primary reason for these events were to pick up difficult to detect bugs. There were some very interesting bugs that were found and fixed as a result of these. Version 2.0 is going to be a big release for the project. Are there any additions that are going to be made after 2.0? How will the mod be supported after the launch? The radar has been re-written for v2.1 to greatly improve performance and resolution. Making the radar much more useful for IFR and regular navigation. The JATO is also being modeled and simulated for v2.1 which will make shortfields much more possible and exciting. Early look at v2.1 radar improvements. Notice the radar shadows being cast from the terrain. Video source: JNelson Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. We really appreciate it and we wish that these answers help to clarify any of doubts some of the users might have had about the complexity of the development of an EFM for DCS World. Our review of this community module can be found HERE, check it out! About the Interviewer Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000's 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 2010's. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and content manager ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy#9034 | Profile Page