A simcade that lets players fly helicopters as we imagine them Helicopters are wonderous, highly flexible, complicated aerial vehicles that provide humanity with some of the most versatile mission sets possible. In order to fly these vehicles in the way we imagine them in our mind's eye, you would need a flight simulator that would let you take on sets of jobs helicopters are well known for. Immaculate Lift Studio seemingly created RotorSim to not only let people be enamored by the capabilities of helicopters, but also just enjoy the experience in a nicely packaged, accessible, adventurous experience. Looking at publicly available information, the developer is self-taught. They create games and functional apps for the Godot Engine. In fact, looking at their Gitbhub repositories, it seems like four key parts of Rotor Sim are readily available for use or to study. An indie developer providing the building blocks of their own projects, à la Why485 and Vazgriz , is somewhat uncommon, but great to see. Hopefully others feel a bit inspired to try and make their own projects. The earliest updates that can be traced through the Discord server and Itch.io at least goes as far back as May 23rd, 2024. The early builds of the game were available through Itch.io, but the version 1.0 release brought with it the release of the game on Steam on July 3rd, 2025. A demo of the game is also available on Steam, which is how I first interacted with this game, buying it shortly afterward. A sample of the in-game manual. Rotor Sim has two game modes. The Free Flight game mode, which, as you may have guessed, lets players fly in any condition with any aircraft in the game. An easy way to get familiar with the map. In the single player campaign, the player flies as a new pilot in AeroAssist aircraft utility services. The description of the company according to the in-game pilot manual (a stylish choice) describes the company in a well-grounded way: "AeroAssist began as a small venture aimed at providing crucial aerial support to inaccessible areas using governmental grants, at no cost to the affected region. Over the years, we have expanded our services globally, supporting disaster relief, medical transport, time-critical passenger movement and urgent supply delivery." AeroAssist operates from what looks like a slightly upgraded cargo ship with a helipad on the forward deck. Players operate from this ship throughout the course of their contract. At the start of each mission players lift off from the ship in a helicopter. The mission contract dictates whether it is one of three helicopters: the Sparrow (Robinson R-44 like), the Eagle (UH-1 Huey like) or the Condor (Mi-8 Hip like). Each of them with different, noticeable flight characteristics. After a mission is complete the level usually closes sending players to the menu to decide their next action, but by setting the Mission Completion Reset option to 'No Reset', players will have to fly back to the boat to complete the mission. The better option to really round out the experience in my opinion. It also increases the amount of flying players do, which is always positive. In Rotor Sim, all 30 missions of the single player take place in Windy Isle; a compact but diverse set of islands. There are mountains, a literal castle, an airport, a city, air traffic, sea traffic, docks, a shady research facility - just about everything you would expect from a decently populated area. Most important to the setting, the weather. From fog to rain to a full-blown storm that heavily reduces visibility an effect the way a helicopter flies. Coupling weather conditions with heavy cargo weights can be rather dangerous. Careful flying is required in such conditions. Just slowly trudging through low visibility situations while keeping an eye on terrain is sometimes the only path to success in some missions. This is about as dangerous as the environment gets, but the flight model is detailed enough to have a few more dangerous but realistic points. Rescuing passengers from a sinking ship. You can definitely tell that the seemingly casual flight model that can be enjoyed with a gamepad has a few simulator-like details specific to helicopters. From minor details like the cargo hook only able to pick up objects and a gantry that must be extended to lower a hoist to rescue people. To flight model specifics, I nearly failed a mission due to sudden episodes of Vortex Ring State and Rotor RPM Droop catching me completely unprepared. The momentum and weight these helicopters have with this flight model is manageable with a gamepad but can get out of hand if players are simply mashing the controls and throwing the stick around without a care in the world. Flying helicopters as you would within the real world is the best way to go. While doing research for this article I happened to come across the game's developer, who elaborated a bit more on Rotor Sim. Quoting them directly: "I originally started this project because I couldn't for the life of me find a simple heli sim that felt good to play without it being attached to something much larger and more complicated (like ARMA or GTA). I just wanted to fly around and do helicopter things. I've played basically every heli game that's come out in the last 10 years and most of them feel like asset flips, or at least not made with the attention that a true nerd would have. The control and feel of the helicopter was based on many years of flying in helicopters and wanting to recapture that sense of motion and chaos." All of this being done in a non-combat scenario may sound boring, but let me tell you, that is a major part of the enjoyment of Rotor Sim. Not constantly ducking between hills to evade ground fire or have a mission potentially fail because of a roving fighter jet gives players time to fully enjoy the flight model and immerse themselves in "helicopter things" as the developer puts it. Plucking people from dangerous situations with a hoist, delivering supplies, transporting VIPs, searching for lost hikers - a nice helicopter specific set of tasks. Example of the story driven campaign. Each mission has a small story within it and around it told by the contract description text and commentary from the characters during the mission. Working with different clients in this location gives one-off stories and a consistent storyline that is rather eyebrow raising from time to time. It is so interesting I do not feel like completely disclosing it in this article but know that there is intrigue abound. Mid-mission dialogue. Immaculate Lift Studio is already working on a sequel that is taking the concept of the original game even farther. Currently known as Rotor Sim World , some of the known details posted on the studio's Github mentions: Many more interesting helicopters (all shapes and sizes). Get out of your helicopter and drive cars, trucks, complete missions, and explore. 64km² world with cities, a coastline, forests, and secrets. Expanded mission types, such as firefighting, more involved and complicated cargo operations, and smuggling. NPCs! Thousands of citizens going about their daily lives and interacting with you. The story of AeroAssist continues, with new characters and some old favorites coming back. While I seem to have joined in to the Rotor Sim party a bit late, I am just on time for the pre-alpha phase of Rotor Sim World. I look forward to presenting my thoughts on the project so far and seeing where the developer takes it. Connect with 'Rotor Sim' Discord Github Itch.io Steam YouTube About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [ Read Staff Profile ]

This past week, we have now gotten back into flying in DCS after what felt like an eternity. We had our reasons to do so, but most importantly, that period of time is behind us. While I was trying to come back and coordinate with the other Skyward boys on what to do in DCS, I was reminded that not everything in DCS has to be the same mission over and over again. That is when we decided to go and experience DCS multiplayer within the Rotorheads community. WHAT IS THIS SERVER ABOUT? This server has a very different focus than other sandbox ones, such as 4YA and Through the Inferno, due to the very clear and refreshing focus on rotary wing aircraft and their operations. On what seems to be a first, or at least a popular first, a server has decided that fixed wing aircraft will take a step back and leave the limelight to the helicopters and, surprisingly, the logistics focused C-130J (mod, for now). The server is organized in big campaigns that run for several weeks. Player action and decisions permanently impact the mission, and future operations through direct action. Troop deployments and an emphasis on coordinated multi-front engagements , the server does set itself apart from other more casual experiences, something that is made clear by the fact that you have to join their discord server and read their rules to even be able to join the DCS server itself. You are given a code that you will have to enter, otherwise, you will get removed from the server. In this sense, you could say that this emphasis on community curation does lead to a more focused and less casual community. Does this mean the community is closed to everyone but the most professional pilots? No, absolutely not. GAMEPLAY AND WHAT WE GOT UP TO Since a mix of fixed and rotary wing operations are allowed, we decided to do some JTAC missions where I would designate from my Kiowa while RibbonBlue would engage from his Hornet while he used laser-guided Mavericks. It was very, very doable and sincerely, I had a lot of fun. Doing this on a normal server would have entailed starting a 1-hour-long journey towards the AO , with a possibility of our target being gone by the time I reached the agreed meeting point. In Rotorheads, the AO is 5 to 10 minutes away, which means that flying into combat is painless! This was such a nice change of pace and something that made our time during the server a much better one. While we were doing our mission, it was very cool to have a lot of other people around us running their own. There were attack helicopters doing runs on enemy armor, transport helicopters running troop insertion and vehicle deployment, and also some dedicated and very organized cargo pilots setting up defenses and moving the front line forward. RibbonBlue took note that Blackhawk and Chinook pilots were extremely proactive with unit deployment during one of our sessions, which left me quite impressed, considering that I thought that the Chinook player base was close to the double digits in terms of active users. Additionally, there is something very useful that this server runs alongside the mission: an active web-hosted heatmap that is pseudo-real time. You can find it here . This allows players and spectators to follow the flow of battle and see areas where enemies have been spotted, and where friendly pilots have been downed. Very neat, huh? GO FLY IN ROTORHEADS This server is paradise to those of us that love our whirlybirds, but it also remains friendly to those that are scared of having their wings rotate. Everyone can find a way to have fun within this server, so I encourage you to come here and fly.} The server is also running the AH-6, UH-60L and C-130J mods at the moment. This means that you will not have to buy any modules to enjoy it to the fullest. No excuses! You can see the requirements to join their server by clicking the button below, there you will find all the details including the server IP. What are you waiting for? Join the fight, it's worth it! About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

A generation of gamepad style flight controllers takes shape It seems like the Yawman Arrow may have been the first shot in a volley of handheld flight controllers. In the year 2023 the concept of a handheld flight controller was undoubtedly seen as an anomaly in flight simulation hardware. However, with two new prototype handheld flight controllers appearing at multiple flight simulation conventions in 2025 and now a confirmed release date for one of these controllers at the end of the same year, it is time to talk about this upcoming era of handheld flight controllers. Perspective As we start, I would like to establish my perspective and experience with the concept of handheld flight controllers. In the context of this article, the discussion of handheld flight controllers starts in 2023 with the debut of the newly established Yawman flight peripheral company and their Arrow flight controller. This gamepad style controller immediately started a conversation of the validity of this type of device in flight simulators. Arguments against the concept these specialized controllers can be summarized as: Concern about similar price point to existing entry level yokes and rudder pedals. The utility and value of a gamepad controller that is only designed for flight simulators. Gamepads for game consoles and personal computers have been pressed into service for flight games in the past. Why get a specialized device that is not a traditional flight peripheral (HOTAS, yoke, etc). Skyward Flight Media (Skyward FM) made initial contact with Yawman during their debut in 2023 at Flight Sim Expo (FSE). Our contact with the Yawman team eventually led to a review unit of the Arrow being sent to Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza for a launch review of the controller in early 2024. Our review process took the Arrow far beyond its tailor-made use in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and X-Plane 12. We took the Arrow from high fidelity general aviation simulators to AMRAAM slinging BVR engagements. From World War I flight arcade dogfights to alien world space station freight delivery. By the end of the review process, we found that a handheld flight controller does have a legitimate place in even the most experienced flight simmer's collection. It certainly does not replace hardware to the point there is no purpose in purchasing a dedicated trim wheel or throttle quadrant for higher fidelity flight simulation. However, this type of controller and its backend support did make it very easy to access higher quality flight simming without needing to bring out a full sim rig each time. For over a year now, many of the games and simulators Skyward FM has interacted with have been flown with the Yawman Arrow in varying degrees. Perhaps not every single flight done with the controller, but it was plugged in and assessed to see how feasible it would be for whichever title is being played. From there the Arrow would be used in a rotation that made sense. Skyward Flight Media has been classified as a power user of the Arrow by Yawman themselves, taking into account everything that was previously stated. All of that to say that the Skyward FM perspective of the handheld flight controller concept is shaped by the realities of best case and worst-case use from a wide array of flight titles while understanding the limitations of these devices compared to traditional flight simulation hardware. Yawman Arrow To the established flight sim market in 2023, a daring new yoke design is seen as a safer bet in comparison to a true unknown like the Arrow was. The concept of a flight simulation peripheral in the form factor of a game console controller was a wildcard at the time. 2024 graphic. The design of the Yawman Arrow has remained unchanged since release in January 8th, 2024. Its straightforward design incorporates an instrument six-pack button layout which can double as button modifiers to layer controls in simulators. Its sliders on the bottom right faceplate and vernier poles on the underside of the controller are axises that can be reassigned to whatever is needed depending on the simulator it is used on. The built in trim wheel on the bottom left is also a solid addition that is placed far from where the most common button presses and finger sweeps occur. Arguably the Arrow's signature feature is its patent pending mechanically linked triggers which act exactly as full-size rudder pedals. The consistent stiffness of the triggers improves the precision of rudder controls of aircraft flown in simulator. However, that same stiffness is somewhat of a hurdle for users that use them roughly. In the Skyward FM review of the Arrow, I made a note of the potential danger of multiple rapid full force trigger pulls. While the core of the linked triggers inside the body of the controller is rather well built, there are cases of the plastic finger pads of the triggers snapping under consistent, vigorous use. During my conversation with the Yawman team at FSE 2025, they have guided customers through processes to repair or replace parts on the controller, though these did not sound like they were regular occurrences. At launch the price point of the Yawman Arrow in comparison to other traditional flight controllers was a hurdle for potential customers who saw prices of more entry level yokes being close to what Yawman initially offered. The first batch of Arrow controllers sold out on launch day, January 10th, 2025. A second batch of controllers was made ready by January 15th. A price drop from $250.00 USD to $199.00 USD was announced on January 18th, but it does not seem to be something that was done because of commercial failure. Yawman goes deeper into the reasons in their blog post  about it, but the Arrow has continued production and sales since its launch day with Yawman developing new projects. Reviews of the Arrow have continued to be mostly favorable even now. Most pushback against its design centers on the somewhat unflattering visual design, desire for more tactile feedback when pressing certain buttons and higher quality material used on certain parts like the vernier poles at the bottom of the controller. But complains of the device being totally unusable and completely failing are few and far between. Though, as of November 18th, 2025, it seems like the design of the Arrow will need to be reviewed by the Yawman team to remain competitive with the next gamepad style flight controller. Honeycomb Aeronautical Echo It just so happens that while I started writing this article earlier this week, Honeycomb Aeronautical released the reveal trailer for their Echo Aviation Controller with a general release date of December 2025. Talk about good timing. To have such a well-established company like Honeycomb Aeronautical actively develop a controller like this is rather interesting. The Echo Aviation Controller first appeared at the Honeycomb Aeronautical Industry Preview Days hosted in London in July 2025 with the public able to try the prototypes at FlightSimExpo 2025. While Skyward FM did have some time with the controllers at FSE 2025, frankly the Echo has undergone such a considerable change as seen in the November 18th trailer, I had to re-write this entire section of the article. My initial observations and concerns about the mid-2025 prototype of the Echo centered around the positioning of the four levers in the middle of the controller, the size of some of the flight controls at the bottom of the controller and on the face of the controller. My concerns were about the difficult of sweeping fingers over dense clusters of controls and the somewhat unusual placement of things like the trim hat switch and a few of the other non-gamepad standard buttons across the bottom and the top right of the faceplate. However, the Honeycomb team seems to have taken all of the feedback from industry insiders and flight simmers to heart. In terms of customization, the Echo has a pretty much set in stone design with exception to the four controller levers / axises that can now have their caps replaced with color coded knobs. This lends these levers to then become functions like fuel mixture, separate engine thrust levers, etc. The Bravo Throttle Quadrant from Honeycomb has the same capability. Something that has inspired similar General Aviation yoke and throttle combos like the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight Universal Control System. The presence of mechanically linked triggers acting as aircraft rudder pedals was one of the most eyebrow raising parts of the Echo for me. This type of control system is the signature feature of the Yawman Arrow. Such a specialized mechanism both needs to be sturdy enough to handle long term use while frequently being held within very specific positions. All without the device losing tension or becoming detrimental to minute flight inputs during maneuvers. For Skyward FM this is all said from the outside looking in for now. With the redesign of the Echo having a general release date of December 2025, it seems like we will be able to go hands on sooner than later. MeridianGMT X-Ray Flight Sim Controller This company was founded on March 12th, 2025, by former Honeycomb Aeronautical Founder, Nicki Repenning. One of the main messages MeridianGMT has been pushing is modular or expandable design in all of its hardware. Rather than purchasing a single yoke that may cover functionality of a small selection of aircraft, in theory a Meridian yoke could have specific parts of it physically removed and replaced with other modules by the customer themselves. A yoke initially purchased in a single engine light aircraft could be reconfigured for other aircraft types. Of their initial products they have showcased, the X-Ray Flight Sim Controller is a gamepad patterned flight controller with multiple flight focused physical inputs. Official graphic. The X-Ray follows the MeridianGMT theory of as much modularity as possible giving the consumer the ability to quicky swap out modules without hand tools. When imagining a handheld controller you can reconfigure, devices like SCUF gamepads, Thrustmaster eSwap and Turtle Beach Victrix Pro come to mind. On the face of it (literally!) the faceplate of the controller can be pulled from the frame of the controller with a new faceplate inserted. A United States Coast Guard faceplate was show at one point. That level of aesthetic customization is nice, but not required per se. Moving deeper into the controller, the promotional material and the physical prototype, the X-Ray comes with eye catching inputs like spring-loaded flap levers, separate rudder triggers and mentions of a collective/cyclic hub for rotary-wing aircraft. On the back of the controller are extra programmable buttons for specific buttons or input combos. Upon seeing them I think of modifier buttons immediately. MeridianGMT claims that the controller is currently in development with support from Microsoft and Digital Combat Simulator developers. On personal computer plug and play use prioritized. At FlightSimExpo 2025, MeridianGMT announced that they secured a deal with Microsoft to ensure their products to Xbox game consoles. Considering the existence of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, that is a fair point. It does make you wonder if a similar deal would need to be signed with Sony to ensure device compatibility with MSFS 2024 on the PlayStation 5. Key Points Going Forward When I combine hands on experiences at trade shows, extensive presentation watching and my own long-term use of handheld flight controllers. There are a few key points that need to be achieved for the success of, let's call them, the first generation of flight controllers. Acknowledging the wide reach of Microsoft Flight Simulator and ensuring their controllers are game console compatible to reach the now well-established game console flight simulation demographic. Ensuring the pursuit of incorporating traditional flight simulation controls (levers, hat switches, trim wheels, etc.) do not clutter the controllers to the point it negatively impacts user experience during flight. A moderate degree of button customization via software to allow players to assign custom key binds or specific in-simulator functions reliably. The price point of these controllers being equal to or slightly below the cost of entry level flight yokes, rudder pedals, etc. to further entice potential first-time buyers. Controller connection method being either wired or preferably wireless to match what consumers already expect from what is considered standard for gamepads these days. Personally, I find myself being very excited at the prospect of handheld flight controllers becoming a long-term part of the now well-established game console demographic. Hopefully controllers like this could get a new wave of simmers to make the next big step towards getting more advanced flight simulation gear but also enable already established simmers to increase how much they fly thanks to ease of access or add a new portable controller for travel. It just so happens that I was already working on an updated review of the Yawman Arrow over a year after consistent use with it. I look forward to adding a review for Honeycomb's Echo as well. 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 ]

Additionally, organizers announced that sponsor and exhibitor registration has begun. Flight sim developers of all sizes are encouraged to see how they can support the show by visiting flightsimexpo.com/partner The Flight Simulation Association (FSA) announced that, in response to attendee and partner feedback, FlightSimExpo 2026 will feature a Friday exhibit hall for the first time! The event will also be offering new single-day ticket options for flight simmers who can’t attend the full, 3-day event. Friday Exhibit Hall Access New in 2026, the exhibit hall will be open from 4:30pm – 7:00pm on Friday, June 12. The doors will open immediately following the conclusion of #FSExpoFriday’s product reveals and developer updates. “We’ve heard from attendees and developers that their favorite part of FlightSimExpo is the chance to interact with developers and try the latest software and hardware,” said FSA Co-Founder and VATSIM controller Evan Reiter. “This change allows us to offer attendees 20% more time in the exhibit hall without changing the overall travel footprint for our partners.” #FSExpoFriday 2026 will begin at 12pm CDT, one hour earlier than last year. Attendees can expect the same weekend schedule as in previous years, including announcements, hands-on exhibits and demos, product updates, developer Q&As, workshops, and more happening on Saturday and Sunday. “At our past shows, attendees have enjoyed behind-the-scenes access to air traffic control towers, airports, museum visits, and more,” says FSA Co-Founder Phil Coyle. “We’re working on offering similar experiences for FlightSimExpo 2026’s attendees, with more details on these to come early in the new year.” For the full event experience, attendees should plan to arrive in Saint Paul by Thursday, June 11 and leave on Monday, June 15. More Single-Day Ticket Options will be Available for 2026 Organizers are also happy to share that more single-day ticket options will be available for flight simmers who can’t attend the entire 3-day show. “Based on the popularity of our ‘Sunday-Only’ option in 2025, we’ll be offering single-day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday ticket options in 2026,” says FSA Co-Founder Phil Coyle. “While the best experience is always for those who can attend the entire show, these new ticket options will make it easier for people who can’t attend all three days, especially for those local to the MSP area.” Organizers will be sharing details and pricing on the new ticket options in the FSA Discord . Attendee registration opens in December. As in previous years, attendees unable to make the in-person event in Minneapolis/Saint Paul have the option to watch the event online via the FSA Captain subscription or a one-time $15 purchase. FlightSimExpo Partner Registration is Open Now FlightSimExpo welcomes software developers, hardware vendors, non-profits, and other flight sim organizations to participate as sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers at the 2026 event. It’s easy to have an exhibit booth: the show’s all-in options include furnishings, internet, electricity, and event passes starting at just $750. Educational speaking opportunities are available at no charge. Anyone interested in sponsoring, exhibiting, or speaking at FlightSimExpo 2026 show can see all the details at flightsimexpo.com/partner . The Venue FlightSimExpo 2026 will be held at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, an 8-mile drive from Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) in Minnesota. MSP airport offers more than 130 non-stop destinations across the country and around the world. Saint Paul is also served by Amtrak's Borealis and Empire Builder routes. Amongst many other attractions, the Saint Paul RiverCentre is just 20 minutes from the Mall of America®, a leading retail, entertainment, and attractions destination, welcoming millions of visitors from around the world since 1992. Discounted hotel rates are available for FlightSimExpo attendees. Attendees can also use links from the FlightSimExpo website to save on airfares from Delta, United, Southwest, and codeshare partners like Air Canada and WestJet. Details at flightsimexpo.com/discounts . Attendee registration opens in December. ### About FlightSimExpo FlightSimExpo is one of the world’s largest flight simulation conventions. The event has welcomed almost 10,000 attendees to events in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Diego, Houston, and Providence since 2018. FlightSimExpo is produced by Flight Simulation Association, a community-driven organization of developers, simmers, and real-world pilots working to make it easier to get started in home simulation. Join the community today—free—at flightsimassociation.com for resources, learning content, webinars, and discounts on top add-ons and simulation hardware.

There are only a couple of flight worlds in VRChat where there's not only aircraft variety, but also all the aircraft made are designed and modeled in-house by the world creator. One of these worlds is Gomasaba Archipelago by Yakisaba . This world just celebrated its first anniversary , so we thought it would be a good idea to come back and revisit this world with a new pair of eyes. We also convinced some of our friends and partners to tag along, which made the experience a lot more social and dynamic. WORLD LAYOUT AND IDEA This world is made to be explored, as it consists of many small, disconnected islands that could or could not have something for you to discover on them. There are a plethora of different vehicles and ways to move around, as well as a couple of static hot air balloons and a dirigible platform for those that would just like to take in the views instead. There is a port area, two dedicated airports on different islands and a road circuit around one of the main island. This allows anyone to just grab the type of aircraft, car or boat they want, and enjoy the world the way they want. This type of experience is quite rare in VRChat, and is quite refreshing to see that it is still getting some love even a year after its release. AIRCRAFT AND VEHICLES The focus of the world, more than in its terrain or architecture, lies on its aircraft and ground vehicles. The main aircraft and the most representative of this world is the Ri-Gou . A twin-engine amphibious float plane, this plane can carry 10 players if you include pilot and co-pilot positions. It can be quite fun to just fly your friends around, an idea that I can get behind as our very own Dragonfly has the same design philosophy. The other pure floatplane is the Rogou-2 , which can also be quite fun to fly! There are also some other two-seaters around, such as the Gunnel Biplane, Nigou-ko monoplane and the Nu-gou PC-21-styled Turboprop. All of these aircraft offer a variety of flight experiences and sensations, so I recommend you give them all a try! Another aircraft that is available is the To-gou , a Coaxial Kamov-style helicopter that is impressively fast. It is also float-capable, which means that you will be able to land wherever and whenever you want. In another unique note, all the aircraft present in this world are for sale on the author's Booth page, which you can find here . TRY THIS WORLD OUT! If what you want is to chill out and just enjoy some combat-free flying in VRChat, then Gomasaba Archipelago is the right place to go. We will continue visiting this world in the future, and we will most likely post about that in our socials, so keep an eye out! About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

Where are we now? How does this work? An invite to indie developers! Hello, everyone! Aaron "RIbbon-Blue" Mendoza here with an update for the Indie Highlight Series here on Skyward Flight Media. While there is no release planned in November 2025 for this indie flight action game focused interview series, there are good reasons for that. Meanwhile, this month progress is also still being made for the longevity of the series. We do not want to leave you wondering about what is going on, so let us discuss what is happening this month. SERIES HOME PAGE For anyone unaware, the entries of the ongoing Indie Highlight Series can be found in two locations. On the home page for the series and in a secondary tab on the Indie Flight page of our website. Screenshot of home page. 'FAN' ON BUSINESS Anyone following the series has probably picked up on the general pattern for releases. Usually something happens around this time of each month. A teaser post on a Monday with the next entry of the series posted on the Saturday of the same week. This month the lead interviewer of the series, Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen (FAN), is on a business trip. This is the primary reason there is not an entry of the series being posted this month. Sometimes it is as simple as that, isn't it? While there is no entry to be released in November 2025, things are still moving in the background to keep the series going. BACKGROUND PROGRESS This was mentioned in the July 21st announcement to formally begin the series, but let's go into a bit more detail about how the series is currently operating. 'FlyAwayNow' is the primary means of contact for indie developers that are featured in the series. Skyward Flight Media staff operates in a support role for all other facets of the series. Once an indie developer has been contacted and an agreement to include them in the series is made, a Google Drive folder is created with permissions for access given to all parties involved. With a set of questions proposed by FAN and some follow up questions proposed by Skyward, the words and media gathered during the interview process are put into the GDrive. The content is assembled by Skyward staff and formatted with any extra needed media gathered from the internet or directly from publicly accessible builds of games or demos. Once a final draft is approved, it is ported to the website with social media posts created. Thus far this team approach has yielded great results for all parties. There are interviews with eight indie games and solo developers so far: Aggressors Fantasy Air Combat Delivery Must Complete Kirk Woodes Modern Jet Fighters Online Nova Squadron Project Fairy Supermaneuver Zakon PUBLIC INVITATION TO ASPIRING DEVELOPERS There are already confirmed upcoming interviews with yet to be announced developers going into 2026. The process to figure out which developers are to be contacted next is usually handled privately with communications made in emails, direct messages or voice calls. Starting this month, we are making a public facing addition to the process. We are putting out an open invitation to indie / grassroot developers creating flight action games . Take a look at the aforementioned developers we have interviewed in the Indie Highlight Series thus far to see if your project would fit. You can contact us in the following ways: FlyAwayNow Bluesky FlyAwayNow X.com Skyward Bluesky Skyward Discord Skyward Email Skyward X.com Keep in mind that even if your particular game does not 100% match up with what this series is currently focused on, Skyward Flight Media as an organization has covered indie flight games of all types since 2020. There is still a good chance that we will cover your project outside of the Indie Highlight Series. All you have to do is shoot your shot and see what happens! Thanks for checking in with the Indie Highlight Series. See you in December with the next release. 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 Pressure of a Long-Range Threat If there is one thing Nuclear Option by Shockfront Studios needed, it was a new map with longer distances. While the chaos of a full scale, peer-to-peer, nuclear equipped conflict full of constant ground convoys and aircraft falling from the sky is fun, I personally wanted the ability to have somewhat slower paced, but more complex engagements. On March 24th, 2025, a second map was released with topography that favors beyond visual range engagements. Here, across the open ocean, the unrestricted threat of long-range surface-to-air missiles can truly be felt. Second Map Ignus Archipelago Ignus Archipelago is the second map for Nuclear Option. The original map, now known as Heartland, is at roughly 80% land in the areas frequently used by players. In comparison, the archipelago is quite the opposite. Ocean occupies most of it, with few hills and mountain ranges across its islands. Ignus is also quite a large, with map dimensions of 164 x 82 kilometers. All of this open ocean is ideal for naval based operations, while land based aircraft operations will frequently cover long distances in comparison to the shorter distance flights on the Homeland map which frequently center around large-scale battles between land forces. Gameplay is noticeably different between the two maps. Purpose Built SAM Sites During the initial research sessions of this map in the mission editor, my focus first fell onto the air bases and airports across the archipelago that players will use during every session. To my great surprise, four of the islands include purpose built surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites. They can be found on Ashwood, Broken Atoll, Cliffline and Harmony Sands. Static SAM site. Their design is based on real world configurations of semi-permanent / permanent SAM sites. While any anti-aircraft unit in Nuclear Option will fit, these seem to be purpose built for the longest range SAM in the game, the Stratolance R9. It is analog to real world long-range SAM site systems like David's Sling, HQ-9 or MIM-104 Patriot. The SAM sites features dug outs or earth-barriers for mobile erector launchers, with a raised terrain pedestal for the search and track radar (HLT Radar Truck) in the middle of the installation. There are extra pads that can be used for whatever the mission editor decides, but incorporating a short-range air defense system of some type along with a Munitions Truck seems to be a good use. The Munitions Truck in particular is useful for both keeping the SAM site constantly supplied with missiles while giving players an incentive for hitting the munitions trick, potentially causing it to explode and splash damage the rest of the missile launchers or radar vehicle. There are a few other areas in the islands that are austere, but compatible with medium and long-range SAM sites. A remote SAM site. Area Denial The long range of the Stratolance R9 is especially prevalent when deployed correctly in the Ignus Archipelago. I would even go as far as describing it as genuinely overwhelming for combat aircraft attempting to approach it without a game plan. So long as the HLT Radar Truck of the SAM site can detect and illuminate incoming targets, they will guide semi-active radar guided missiles from up to 50 kilometers away. Depending on the aircraft and weapons players are using, even approaching the SAM site is a type of boss battle in itself. With Nuclear Option incorporating radar notch game mechanics and a visual reference in the player's Heads Up Displays suggesting which direction players should turn to defend against incoming missiles with optional use of self-protection jammers. When approaching from long distance with no terrain to mask behind, players and non-player controlled units must frequently evade while trying to close distance. They will need to choose when to evade and when to press the attack directly into the incoming missiles to close a few more kilometers at a time before turning to evade missiles in the last seconds before impact. It could take a single, unsupported aircraft quite a while to close distance and successfully suppress the SAM site. KR-67 Ifrit in a failed radar notch maneuver. The Stratolance is also able to intercept weapons that are attempting to destroy it. Anti-radiation missiles, glide bombs and cruise missiles can be reliably intercepted at maximum range. Even friendly Stratolance missiles engaging enemy aircraft or ordinance can be counter-intercepted by hostile Stratolance SAM sites. These purpose built surface-to-air missile complexes can be further hardened by surrounding them with short range air defenses (SHORAD) - as they would according to real world doctrine. Tactics, Technology The most obvious answer to overcoming such a sturdy surface-to-air missile site would be the use of an electronic warfare aircraft, like the EW-25 Medusa. While it can automatically triangulate the position of radars and share those positions via datalink, the electronic countermeasure pods are the most effective means to suppress SAM sites. However, these jammer pods have a generally effective maximum range around 40 kilometers . With the ECM pods using a capacitor that only lasts for a few minutes at a time, the EW-25 would need to press into the edge of the Stratolance engagement envelope while cycling its jammer pods off and on to suppress the SAM site. With the radar unable to guide missiles, the Medusa or other aircraft have a window to rapidly close distance and attack. While this purpose built technology is great for the EW-25, all other aircraft in the game must do things the hard way over the open ocean. EW-25 launching anti-radiation missiles from standoff range. Saturation attacks from standoff range with air launched cruise missiles, anti-radiation missiles and/or glide bombs can be effective. Though, a large quantity of munitions is needed, as the Stratolance R9 will have ample time to intercept many of these weapons. The go-to tactic is to rely on radar notching against volleys of missiles to close range with the SAM site and increase the likelihood weapons launched from aircraft reach the SAM site. Flying in at wave top altitude in an attempt to get beneath the azimuth of radar emitters is also possible depending on the topography of the landmass the SAM site is placed on, though players can still expect to notch incoming missile volleys until they are close enough to take advantage of a potential radar blind spot. A mixture of these tactics and technology is the most effective way to suppress or destroy these purpose built SAM sites. T/A-30 Compass ingressing at low altitude to an island housing a long-range SAM site. Skyward's Reception The impact of these surface-to-air missile sites is substantial in the eyes of the Skyward Flight Media mission editor. Their impacts on gameplay are being further explored, as they are now key parts of two upcoming missions that already have working prototypes. One mission focused on naval rotary wing operations during a raid, and the other focused on long-range suppression of enemy air defense missions against an integrated air defense system. Look forward to them! 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 .

Ever since it came out, I have been keeping my eye on the JF-17 Thunder by Deka Ironworks. Recently, I finally got my hands on it. My expectations were rather high since I had heard great things about it from some of my close friends. Expect a full review at some point. The module looks the part and has been masterfully crafted. But today I wanted to talk about the feature that surprised me the most: its functional programmable data cartridge (DTC) system! Not only has this feature been wonderfully implemented, but highlights a gap that exists on several DCS modules. To access the feature, you will have to go to OPTIONS and the click on the SPECIAL tab. From there, to the right, scroll through your modules until you find the JF-17. You will be presented with all of these options: You can edit your entire DTC from here. You can tune and program your countermeasure programs, set bingo quantities for chaff and flares, select which gunsight type you prefer, set your gun burst time limiter and even switch between different voices for your warning annunciator! Customization seems to have been a priority for Deka it really shows. After you are done setting it up, the configurations will apply to ALL your flights. No more will you need to program your countermeasures programs at the beginning of each flight. It saves a lot of time and makes flying the Jeff an even better experience. With such a good implementation of a data cartridge already in the game, it makes you wonder why modules such as the F/A-18C Hornet or the F-16CM Viper lack this kind of customization . In particular, I am extremely puzzled as to why the Viper does not have something like this. The F-16C has a similar DTC system on board , one that can store pilot preferences just like these. MFD page presets per mode, countermeasure programs, radio frequencies, etc. It is a feature I have used extensively in Falcon BMS for a long time, and it is one that I hope gets prioritized by the devs over at Eagle Dynamics. We know the feature is coming from the feature list that ED released earlier this year. For now, I will just keep enjoying the wonderful DYC that Deka have provided us and just keep on programming my countermeasures every time that I use the Viper, which is quite frequently. About the author: Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 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 the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter | Discord : Cubeboy #9034

A Real Heads Up Display Changes Everything Long before Skyward went "wheels up" for Flight Sim Expo 2023 , we had a set list of planned visits with the many companies and communities in attendance. While winding through the elaborate displays and small but informational booths, I had walked past something that made me triple take. Looking not once, not twice, but three times to assure myself that what I saw was real. There in a quiet corner away from the Microsoft Flight Simulator couches and behind a row of museum aircraft was a row of heads up displays. Actual heads up displays. Not a computer tablet using its camera to superimpose the image. A genuine, image projecting, collimation reliant, beam splitting glass heads up display. Pictures of the booth are below: Since then, conversations with Dan Hall, CEO of Heads Up View LLC , started an ongoing relationship between the two companies. This has led to this product unboxing and first impression of their DT1 HUD . I'll take a moment here to thank them for this opportunity to not only unbox it, but use it long-term for many flights in many simulators to come. Of course, despite Heads Up View recently being announced as a sponsor of Skyward Flight Media, this is a honest take on a rather unique piece of flight simulation kit. Unboxing Skyward Flight Media staff members, T.J. "Millie" Archer and Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza , performed the unboxing after receiving the product from Heads Up View. The box itself contains: (1) dust cover, branded (2) gloves (1) heads up display base (2) HUD brackets (1) HUD beamsplitter glass (4) HUD bolts (4) HUD washers (1) microfiber cloth (1) protective gloves (1) 10' Video Cable/HDMI Cable (1) 10' 12V Power Cable (1) setup guide An extra set of minor instructions were sent to us as well, to be included in upcoming shipments. These units come with a 30-day money-back guarantee from the date the customer receives the order. It states that if for any reason the customer is not satisfied, the return of the unit in its original packaging will validate a full refund. HUV LLC provides a 1-year warranty from the original invoice date, guaranteeing its workmanship and material quality free from defect. The company agrees to, at its option during the warranty period, to repair any defect in materials, components or workmanship or to furnish a replacement unit free of charge. All of this information was explained in a letter placed beneath the top flap of the box, making it the first thing customers see when they open the box. An extra set of minor instructions were sent to us as well, to be included in upcoming DT1 and SC1 shipments. To receive warranty service, emailing support@headsupview.com starts the process. The most notable part of the box from the outside is the sheer size and weight. It looks and feels like a solid piece of kit. But rather than being packed from top to bottom with bubble wrap, a significant portion of it was protective styrofoam packaging. Two layers of sturdy styrofoam panels on all sides of the hardware itself. So secure, it was a bit hard to remove certain items from the box. A good problem to have. Admittedly, one of the things we worried about with something as sensitive as this piece of equipment. Hardware All items in the box come in separate packages, with the main part of the HUD being the heaviest item in the box. A pair of blue vinyl gloves were helpful when handling the more delicate equipment like the beam splitting glass pane and the 6-inch lens on the top of the HUD base. The smaller components like the HDMI cable, DC 12V power supply and HUD glass mounting brackets were made of reliable material, though now that I know adjustable metal HUD brackets are on the way, I certainly look forward to using those in the near future. The most difficult part of the unboxing was removal of the blue protective film on the HUD glass and projection lens. The protective film was very firmly attached to each surface. The included gloves did reduce the chances of accidentally causing damage during installation, but patience in slowly removing the film to reduce stress on the glass is important. Curiously, the HUD base has a speaker built into it. Alongside the ample amount of power sources and display ports on the back of the unit, the presence of audio ports and the speaker was unexpected. During our initial use we did not use the speaker, but did need to disable it as an audio output on our computer to prevent it from grabbing audio. With a handful of screws and a screwdriver, it took very little effort and know how to assemble the HUD correctly. It was very straightforward with an easy to understand double sided piece of paper guide. The overall size of the DT1 is a bit on the large side height wise, but minor redesigns are already in the works to alleviate this somewhat. The space requirement from between the PC monitor and the rear of the DT1 being about 8 to 12 inches did trigger an unusual on the spot redesign to accommodate the HUD for testing. As someone that has frequently favored more compact desktop flight simulator setups that emphasize modularity and the ability to detach flight sim gear as needed, this heads up display was somewhat incompatible. Some quick thinking and readjustments resolved this issue, but this was an example of how the design philosophy of a cockpit focused builder and a desktop flight sim rig are rather different. More on this later. Software This is where we ran into a few problems on our end, and most likely others who do not normally deal with this sort of thing will find a few hang-ups. During this part of the setup, really only patience and the willingness to learn a few new things you may not have done before are what brings the entire process together. The DT1 and other products from Heads Up View LLC acts as a second screen or display for the personal computer. Depending on which flight simulator the HUD is being used with, the ease of integrating the DT1 changes. For example, Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D and older versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator have built in HUD only views that can be undocked into a separate window, then dragged into the DT1 display area. From there field of view adjustments can be made literally on the fly - while flying - without having to type any code; though that is an option for those that are more technical like that. Example of P3D/FSX setup. On the other hand, Eagle Dynamics' Digital Combat Simulator World is very dependent on editing LUA files. The more monitors a user has, the more complicated the setup gets. This is something that has to do with DCS itself, rather than the heads up display. When the DT1 is connected and powered on, DCS does recognize it in its list of monitors. This helps simplify setup to a degree, but for people that are not used to working with .lua files or using multiple displays, this can seem like a daunting task. This is where patience and the willingness to learn a bit come in handy. Fortunately, the Supported Simulations page of the Heads Up View website has all the needed .lua files in .zip files with an ample amount of screenshots to further explain what needs to be done. These files need to be placed in very specific folders. Most importantly, some basic math will need to be done to calculate the combined dimensions of both displays. Those dimensions are then used in the .luas that export the heads up display outside of DCS World into the DT1 secondary display. And of course, since this is editing .luas that are a part of the simulator's base files, it is possible that an update to DCS World could override any user made changes. While that does sound annoying, this problem is easily circumvented just by copying and pasting the user's HUD settings into a separate word document. In the event data is overwritten by an update, pasting the data into that file can be done within a minute or so. Example of DCS World setup tutorial. Once the DT1 is running in sim, further adjustments to HUD position and size can be made to work best with the user's hardware setup. Adjusting the HUD image vertically or horizontally is also done by changing X and Y values in the corresponding .LUA files for each aircraft. Other simulators utitlize third party software to make this process much easier, so it is best to check the HUV website or send an email to their support staff to ask more specific questions. First Impression During our unboxing day, we flew short non-combat sorties using the F/A-18E Super Hornet in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and the F/A-18C Hornet Lot 20 in Digital Combat Simulator. The DT1 worked exactly as advertised, even in the most difficult of visual conditions like bright white clouds in the midday. The HUD image was not completely washed out. The back side of the HUD unit also has its own set of controls for changing contrast, brightness and more. So even the brightest of high definition 4K+ monitors do not washout the colors of the DT1. After further adjustments were made for the desktop setup we used, the DT1's image clarity and its ability to physically project the HUD image had an immediate impact on immersion within each simulator. That authentic feeling of it "really being there" permeated everything we tested. This was especially true when using head tracking with the DT1. Without the heads up display being ever present on the computer monitor, peeking around the HUD or seeing how the information somewhat appears and disappears during changes in the user's seating position further adds that "real feel" experience. With the HUD being an addition that is unmoving, unlike a rudder pedeal or HOTAS that is constantly being manipulated, once it is in place there is no need to relocate it or adjust it. Unless it needs to be removed from a multi-use desk area. With a majority of the visual adjustments to the information displayed made within each simulator, physically moving the HUD out of the way, if needed is not a massive problem. I believe that, on its own merits, the heads up displays from Heads Up View are the most authentic and realistically priced way for very serious flight simulation users to get their hands on this type of accessory. Rather than paying a many thousands of US dollars for a 1:1 design accurate, fully licensed HUD that would only fit in one simpit, the approach of Heads Up View offers a more grounded approach. With their design being more universal, made of more accessible materials and capable of standalone use, simmers can purchase the DT1 at a more realistic price point of around 795.00 USD. Certainly it is still a high price when you think of other flight simulation accessories around or beneath the same pirce point. In conversations with the CEO of Heads Up View, I brought up the point that these devices are very niche in the sense that it is a sea changing piece of flight sim gear but not absolutely vital to all flight sim operations. This truly is a cockpit builder level accessory. I cannot say it is something that will be as prolific as rudder pedals, for example. However, it is an eye opening type of hardware that makes you reconsider how you approach flight simulation as a hobby. Within minutes of flying in each simulator, there was a palpable mix of excitement to see a genuine heads up display working outside a near-professional use simulator and gradually understanding what the addition of this level of flight simulation hardware to a desktop style flight simulation setup means in the long-term. A hand between the DT1 and PC monitor. The Tip of the Iceberg For the past few days the Skyward staff has been discussing what our next step with flight simulation is because of the presence of the Heads Up View DT1 in our collection. As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, the use of the DT1 has pushed us into an unexpected position with this level of flight simulation. In the near future, a second article discussing the DT1 and the next level of flight simulation is set to release with what we think are informative points of view being in this transitional point we are now. Expect an unusual team project from Skyward to be announced in the near future. Heads Up View DT1 with branded dust cover. 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. [Profile]

From Flyout to Aviassembly and everything in between , we have always had a predilection for covering build-your-own-plane flight games. But, when covering this peculiar genre, there’s always been one game we’ve mentioned, yet never covered on its own; the benchmark, the standard, the one all are compared against. And, alongside the more space-focused KSP, it could be argued it’s what started this genre to begin with. I’m talking, of course, about SimplePlanes. Released in 2015, SimplePlanes did not feature impressive graphics or super detailed flight simulation mechanics. What it did offer, however, was an extremely flexible building system which put almost no bounds on players’ creativity, as well as means to share these creations. The end result is that across its 10 years of existence, SimplePlanes has seen thousands of creations uploaded by its player community, covering everything from airplanes to cars, ships, and even functional, fully articulated mecha. On a personal note, many years ago I was a small part of this playerbase - and though my take on Santos-Dumont’s Demoiselle was once featured on the game’s home page, I never considered myself anywhere close to being one of the best creators out there. The level of quality and detail some folks managed to achieve is truly mindblowing (check out this nearly simulator-level F-5E , for instance!), and while I’m sure the developers could never have anticipated their game would be used in such a way, they did support this community with a great deal of updates designed to give players even more ways to explore their creative madness. So it should come as no surprise when Jundroo announced they would be doing a week-long open playtest of its sequel, we were excited to try it out! Rising Up to the Challenge Of course, there’s a problem with sequels in gaming. A sequel has to at least equal, and hopefully surpass, its predecessor; and when the predecessor in question is a creative sandbox with thousands of user creations attached to it and a highly dedicated player base, that bar is very high. Too often, we see games that either fail to rise up to the expectations set by the original entry, turn out to be a mismanaged mess, or both; and after the catastrophic failure of Kerbal Space Program 2, I’ll admit that I was worried when Jundroo first announced SimplePlanes 2. I had several doubts regarding some of the proposed features, and despite my appreciation for the developer’s work in the original game - or perhaps exactly because of it - I approached this new entry with more than a healthy degree of skepticism. I’m happy to report that this playtest demo has addressed the majority of those doubts. There’s real effort and care put into this game, and the result is very promising. Some key features were not yet available, therefore some questions still linger; but overall, this was a great experience. Cleared for Startup Upon starting the game, you are greeted by the game’s new mascot, Major Chad. He also serves as the avatar for the player and was one of the changes I was deeply worried about but ended up being positively surprised with; we’ll get back to him later. The menu UI is pretty simple and easy to navigate, and upon hopping into the builder/aircraft editor, a list of default crafts built using SimplePlanes 2’s new features is available. Some of the base game vehicles available. Many of these crafts were built by longstanding members of the community which were invited by the developers to participate in internal testing; a showcase of the developer’s engagement with the player base. Unfortunately, players were not able to interact with the game’s building system in the demo; thus, all that was left to do was pick the game’s standard F4U Corsair replica and step into the cockpit. When the scenery loaded up, I was suddenly hit by this strange feeling - the UI was familiar, but much easier on the eyes. The visuals were completely different, yet they still reminded me of the original game somehow; and to top off the cozy atmosphere, the game’s brand new, 80’s-infused soundtrack shows off one of the tricks up its sleeve - it changes dynamically during gameplay! I wasn’t expecting this much effort to be put into the music for a plane builder game, but I’m glad it was - it pairs with the game very well, and while I eventually got tired and switched to my own playlists, that only happened after a few hours of continuous flying. Gone are SP1’s flat oceans and smooth terrain; water now features dynamic waves (which, besides being eye candy, actually affect ships and seaplanes) and clouds are now volumetric, instead of a flat skybox. Comparison between the water in SP2 (left) and the original SimplePlanes (right). The brand new map features greatly improved terrain, both in terms of modelling and textures; airports and towns are decorated by lovingly crafted 3D models which match the game’s visual identity perfectly; and trees now populate the previously barren grasslands, making low-level flying feel much more dynamic. Unfortunately, only a small area of the map was accessible in the demo, encompassing a single island; however, we know Jundroo is working on a much bigger map, full of locations to explore - just like in the original game. But going back to low-level flying, what happens if one of your wings has an unscheduled meeting with local vegetation? Well, the trees have hitboxes, so the result is almost certainly going to be a fireball. If you’ve played the original SimplePlanes, you’re probably expecting the cockpit piece - the part which defines the player’s POV, so often scaled down to 0.1% in order to visually hide it in custom builds - to go flying off to the stratosphere. But this is where Major Chad steps in. Even in craft where the new player character doesn’t show up visually, once the player’s vehicle is destroyed Major Chad jumps from the explosion like an action figure hero, and the player’s controls and POV switch from the vehicle to the character. Even upon being launched towards the ground at 600 knots, the Major will effortlessly come to a standing stop without a scratch, like he’s an anime protagonist or something. Bro’s built different. The player is then free to walk around the scenery, and either respawn the craft (either at the initial or present location) or just wander around. Players may also elect to exit their craft to explore on foot at any time: Major Chad can run, swim, and even push your vehicle around - which comes in handy for smaller airplanes if you need a little pushback in a remote grass strip. Players also have several customization options for their character, which serves as their avatar in multiplayer. This player character was one of my main concerns going into SP2; it is such a major departure from the original game’s concept. Yet, having seen how it’s been implemented firsthand, I can now confidently say this is a great feature and was a smart move by the developers. After testing out the game’s default vehicles and their showcasing of the game’s new features - the new wings with built-in flaps, the targeting pods, the improved aerodynamic simulation system which results in far more believable handling qualities. These are all marked improvements over the previous game; but they are not the game’s most impressive feature. It was time for the real test: Backwards compatibility. Some creations made for the original SimplePlanes are absolutely stunning, such as this bushplane by TheCatBaron As advertised, players would be able to import creations from the previous game into SP2 - a huge deal, since there are literally thousands of them. But with core systems such as the aerodynamic simulation changed in this new game, I wondered how they would behave - it’s no use being able to import a design from SP1 if it is completely non-functional, after all. I open up SimplePlane’s website and look at my creations: Uploaded six years ago. It’s been that long? Holy smokes. I should be worried about this thing’s compatibility with the latest SP1 updates, let alone SP2! I reckon if this works in the new game, anything will. What shall be my airframe of choice for this stress test? My eyes immediately turn their gaze to the most cursed option available - the asymmetric S. Ca. 163 Quimera. It’s got a bunch of custom systems made from SP1 parts - custom landing gear, custom cannon, custom missiles. Most importantly, it is an affront to basic aircraft design principles, has very temperamental handling characteristics, and had several quirks even in its original game. In other words: it’s perfect. Behold. my most adorable abomination! With a certain degree of hesitation, I load it into SimplePlanes 2. It loads into the game’s aircraft editor - immediately, SP2’s new shaders means it looks better than it did in SP1. But will it fly? I take the clumsy bird to the runway, throttle up, rotate… and an ear to ear grin grows on my face. Lo and behold, the imported aircraft work great! Sure, there are a few quirks with very complex designs, but overall, craft imported from SP1 behave just like they did in their native installment. It lives! Look at how happy it is! This is, to me, the very best feature of SimplePlanes 2 ; considering so many of the systems (aerodynamics, construction) are either brand new or thoroughly revamped, it would have been far easier for the developers to just make it a completely separate game. But instead, they deliberately took the extra effort to make the game backwards compatible with the legacy systems of SP1, allowing players to enjoy their old creations alongside SP2’s new toys. This decision highlights the passion the developers have for this project, and the regard in which they hold the community which has formed around their game; it acknowledges the thousands of creations players have made, and shows respect and admiration for the thousands of collective hours spent on them. Instead of being relegated to obsolescence, all of these little products of human creativity are now given a second chance to shine in a brand new stage. I cannot overstate how praiseworthy this is; it is rare to see developers put this much care into acknowledging player’s effort and time, let alone making sure virtually all content from their previous game gets carried over to the sequel. Well done, Jundroo. Airliners, Airships, and Armageddon Unlike its predecessor, SimplePlanes 2 features multiplayer support from the get-go , without any need for mods - and I was very surprised to see it already implemented in this demo. Could use an ATC feature though, I'm not sure this is FAA compliant... Flying your creations (or the standard craft) alongside your friends in SimplePlanes is great - there is nearly unlimited potential for all sorts of silliness and debauchery. For this purpose, SimplePlanes allows you to create private lobbies, from which you can invite your friends via Steam. However, public lobbies are also a thing. What happens when you give people nearly unlimited creative power, weapons which can be XML edited to have ridiculous stats , and the opportunity to use these tools against their fellow humans in a virtual environment? Average day on an SP2 multiplayer server. It doesn’t take a lot of thinking to conclude the answer is pure, utter and unbridled chaos, with so many megatons of explosives being dropped each minute it’d make MacArthur blush. There’s also the players with absurdly overpowered spaceships with auto-aim insta-kill lasers - although admittedly it was fun hunting them down with a bog standard 4th generation fighter. So why on earth would you want to play multiplayer SP2 in a public lobby? Well, because if you happen to come across some people who aren’t solely looking for a power trip, there’s cool interactions to be had. Jundroo knew this would happen, which is why lobby owners can select the “Peaceful Mode” option, which disables weapon damage. Ill-intentioned players can still ram others, or just be a nuisance by causing huge explosions which drop everyone’s frame rate, but these cases can be easily dealt with by kicking the offending players from the lobby. Escorting a Mriya flown by a random player online. In the few hours I spent in peaceful public lobbies, I flew formations with complete strangers, landed a pre-WWI aircraft on top of another player’s sci-fi spaceship carrier, buzzed a player who was drifting their car in the touge-like circuit of the woodlands, and generally got to see a plethora of different vehicles I would have never seen otherwise. The future meets the past: I coordinated this landing with the ship's owner, which walked out to meet me. Another noteworthy feature is the event system - players can start events such as races (both for cars and aircraft), team deathmatches, and even co-op combat events, such as intercepting AI bombers or fighting against an invasion of AI mechs. Get that Gundam out of here, air power is still king! These events can be started both in single and multiplayer, and in the latter case players who do not opt into the event won’t be affected by it. In my opinion, this is a great way to implement this system and I’m eager to see what new events show up in the final product! When in an event, participating players on your team turn blue on the HUD. Outside the Test Envelope Let’s talk about some of the features which were not yet available in the demo, because there are some pretty big items on the list. The first and biggest of them all is the in-game builder itself. In the demo, players were able to access a pretty good selection of default/example vehicles, as well as import creations from SP1; however, all builder features were disabled, meaning there was no way to try out the new parts and building system of the new game. This leaves a lot of questions open: how similar (or different) is it to the original? Are crafts made in SP1 editable in SP2, and if so, how easy will it be to retrofit them with SP2’s new wings, for instance? And most importantly, how on earth did they make the demo aircraft look so beautifully smooth? So smooth! And then there’s the new wings. SP2 uses a completely new wing modelling system, as described in the game’s news hub. This should, in theory, make it a lot easier to get the shape and look you want, without employing the various subterfuges which were necessary in SP1; but crucially, the physics modelling has also been rebuilt from scratch. The new system features a vastly improved drag model; and now accounts for things such as spanwise lift distribution, induced drag (with the associated wingtip vortices!), and control surface moments - which alongside accounting for the effects of flap deployment on the wing’s Cl-Alpha curve, means we finally get flaps which actually work like flaps! All of this sounds very exciting, and has been extensively documented and explained by the developers in their dev blog - a fact I greatly appreciate - and we were indeed able to get a small taste of this new system with the game’s preset aircraft. However, in the demo, this system was a black box - you could not modify or create new wings, so just what new possibilities will be opened by this new implementation are yet unknown. Finally, there’s the new engines and transmission systems. They are now simulated in much greater detail, which should improve the immersion and fidelity of car designs. Players will be able to change the number of cylinders, their sizes, and other such configurations; again, we weren’t able to play around with this, but the game’s default cars do suggest this system is implemented and working. The base game sports car is pretty fun to drive around! The long-time reader may have had a sense of déjà vu with SP2’s new wing and engine systems; and that would be no coincidence, because the procedural systems used for them are a lot similar to what Flyout has implemented (at least on the user-facing end). And thus, the big question is: How easy (or not) will these new systems be to use? While they offer players a lot of new options to play with, SimplePlanes’ greatest strength has so far been its relative simplicity: it strikes a balance between Aviassembly’s casual gameplay and Flyout’s aerospace engineering freshman complexity. It is very approachable at first, and becomes as intricate as your creativity allows. Flyout has also arguably already captured the more hardcore, super-in-depth audience for aircraft building games (a niche within a niche!). It’ll be interesting to see the direction SimplePlanes 2 ultimately takes in this respect. Conclusions When it was first launched, SimplePlanes was criticized for its flat graphics and lack of personality. In other words, it didn’t truly feel like a game; and while I’d argue the community that formed around it is proof that the game found its niche and the early critics missed the point, SimplePlanes 2 does feel like a welcome injection of game-iness into the original concept. With its renewed visuals, charming soundtrack, and lovingly crafted terrain and buildings, the game has a much more interesting atmosphere than the original; and the built-in multiplayer system gives players a whole new dimension to explore that world in. If SimplePlanes 1 was more like an engineering proof-of-concept, SimplePlanes 2 seems to be shaping up to become its final product, the result of a decade of user feedback and developers’ work. The effort and passion the developers have poured into this game is evident, and the retrocompatibility with SP1 ensures the new game can tap into an entire decade of the collective playerbase’s efforts in content. Even though the demo’s gameplay was limited, and some of the new features remain to be seen, it was enough to give the impression SimplePlanes 2 will be what so many sequels fail to: Just like the first one, except better. About the Writer Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto An incurable aviation fanatic since childhood, fascinated by the design and history of practically anything that flies. A long-time fan of flight games, he holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering and pursues his hobbies of drawing, writing and flight simulation on his spare time. See Staff Profile .

Appreciating a DCS World Content Creator As we mentioned roughly a week ago , the former "Creator Highlight" series here on Skyward Flight Media focused on discussing content creators making flight related content is being revamped. As we find our way forward with the series, including searching for a new series name, we take a look at by far one of my favorite Digital Combat Simulator content creators, Venom Cinematic . Without naming names here, for anyone that has watched DCS gameplay video for a few years now, there is a certain pattern that is followed. Well scripted cinematic videos crafted to show the in-combat actions of a specific aircraft or long casual livestreams that last a few hours. This makes creators that have a different variety to their content rather appealing if you know what you are looking at. Within the last six months or so, Venom Cinematic has been hitting that sweet spot in DCS World content for me. May 9, 2025 This YouTube channel started posting videos as early as May 2022. During the first year of its operation, you could tell that the two reoccurring personalities, one of them being named 'Venom', were relatively new to DCS, but quite invested in learning more about the simulator and jumping into player vs player (PVP) multiplayer servers. While there was a minor variation in content in the beginning as the direction their channel would take, by the time the YouTube channel reached 1000 subscribers on September 7th, 2022, it seemed like more traditionally edited gameplay videos would be the main focus of the channel. Venom Cinematic once had active profiles on Twitch, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram between 2022 to 2024, but while those gradually ebbed and flowed Venom decided to gradually shut those down while maintaining activity on the YouTube channel and letting himself be found in Discord servers attached to DCS multiplayer servers he frequents. Why is that? Who can say. Venom Cinematic has certainly found success in their current video format and approach within the DCS world online community. For example, the first video from this content creator that caught my attention was an official pre-release preview video for the Heatblur F-4E Phantom II for Digital Combat Simulator. A major achievement for a creator of this size. May 17th, 2024 Objectively speaking, this was a notable product preview video as it was not a clinical clickthrough of every switch in the cockpit, but a high energy demonstration of a Pilot and Radar Intercept Officer flying and fighting in the aircraft with live communication, working the instruments as needed to survive and win. At a glance a majority of the videos up to 2024 focused on fixed-wing fighter operations on well-known DCS World multiplayer servers like BlueFlag, BuddySpike, Contention, Enigma's Cold War Server (now Heatblur Simulations Cold War Server), Grayflag, Growling Sidewinder and Tempest's Blue Flash to name a few. What I appreciate is how Venom Cinematic shows experienced, expert level flying in the simulator, while being able to communicate in required brevity for air operations in multiplayer and use casual commentary in between. All in videos much shorter than livestream VODs; between 7 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the video. November 1st, 2025 However, Venom is also fully capable of flying more than just the newest fixed-wing fighter added to the sim. Venom is competent enough to fly missions with multiple different types of aircraft. From Cold War era sweethearts to slightly more unusual aircraft for the simulator like the JF-17 Thunder. It is great to have variety. October 20th, 2025. Further adding to the variety is other people that appear in his videos are either players known to him or complete strangers he works wish to finish the task at hand. This leads to some pretty interesting combinations of aircraft working together. This is exemplified in the videos where Venom is utilizing rotary-wing aircraft working alongside fast jets and combined arms vehicles. Venom is one of the few DCS content creators out there still producing engaging videos of the OH-58 scout helicopter. March 3rd, 2025. Today Venom Cinematic has an engaging blend of well edited gameplay footage from online servers or some limited scenario PVE co-op missions that now incorporates cinematic camera views you would expect from amazing set pieces from other content creators that only make heavliy scripted, mini-movie style videos. Shoutout to Venom for finding their way and keeping the variety going! Connect with 'Venom Cinematic' Instagram YouTube Linktree About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile ]

An interview with a proliphic VRChat aviation creator! Over the past three years, VRChat has become an unlikely hub for some aviation enthusiasts thanks to the release SaccFlight, a vehicle system made by Sacchan that enabled users to make properly usable aircraft without coding knowledge. That being said, that does not mean that some creators haven't pushed the limits of the system to their limits. Some have created 3D models of original aircraft designs, some have tried making ridiculously complex fictional aircraft, and others have pushed for a more realistic flight sensation despite the limitations of the system. Today's interviewee, VTail, falls on the latter category. He has pushed the limits of what can be done with SaccFlight to build one of the most interesting aircraft ever made with this system. Hello, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with us. Please introduce yourself to our readers.  Hello, and thank you for having me. My name's VTail. I am a VRChat world creator and photographer affiliated with a VRChat aviation community called the Black Aces. How did your interest in aviation begin?  My interest in aviation started practically as early as I was born. My father has been an airline pilot for longer than I’ve been alive, and his job and interests ended had a big influence growing up. As I grew older into middle and high school my interest in aviation waned while I was extremely occupied with classes, and it wouldn’t be until the Covid lockdowns where I began to regain that interest. Before becoming a VRChat Aviation world creator, did you have previous game related projects?  Yes I did, back between 2018 and 2019, I spent a lot of my free time learning about the Source Engine and making game maps for Garry’s Mod using the Hammer Editor. I worked on countless files, but only ever publicly released a handful of them. The first ones I made were not that good, but I’d say I ended up making decent maps by the time I stopped developing them. Beyond that however, I went into creating VRC flight worlds blind from a development standpoint. How did you become involved with VRChat?  I began to play VRChat back in the middle of 2017 when I purchased an Oculus Rift CV1. While I had owned early development kits, I hadn’t been too interested in VR by the time the first full VR setups were entering the market. It wasn’t until my brother bought his own CV1 and let me try it out, as well as playing VRChat on desktop, that I then changed my mind. When I first got into the game using VR, I only knew the bare basics on how to upload poorly rigged avatars, and just hung around as a mute. But within the month I was talking with new friends and learning more about Unity and how to create content for the game. You made your first VRCA test world in April 2021. Using the SaccFlight prefab , what were some of the challenges you experienced while experimenting with flight on this platform?  I learned of SaccFlight and plane worlds during a short period of time playing the game again after playing very intermittently. While meeting up with an old friend, they showed me Zweikaku’s F-14 world, and I was so impressed that I wanted to make a flight world as well. When I worked on that first test world though, it was admittedly a lot of trial and error and banging rocks together learning both SaccFlight, and making VRChat worlds as a whole. Beyond Sacchan’s Test Pilots world and Zweikaku’s carrier world existing, I did not know a whole community existed, and I was too nervous to ask either creator for help solving issues with making the planes work. That left me practically flying blind so to speak figuring out how to make a flight world, with just Sacchan’s own documentation file. Thankfully it documented everything on how to set up the prefab, and explained what each variable did to the plane’s handling. After tinkering for almost 2 months, I had several planes flying around in a basic world before losing interest in VRChat for several months. You could say that your first major exposure in the VRCA community as a whole was the Black Aces March 2022 showcase for Russian designed aircraft. Thinking back, do you have any thoughts on it?  It was certainly a lot to process at the time and pretty nerve wracking. When I was given the chance to work on a showcase, it was more so because there was no other creator who had the capacity to make a showcase for that month. I had just released my second world a month prior, but I still was relatively new and felt self-obligated to work on the showcase, if not there wouldn’t have been one that month. Thankfully with collaboration with world creators Non and RaptorItasha, we assembled a showcase world with a really interesting lineup of soviet-era aircraft. But from the moment the event started to the group photo at the end, I was nervous, worried that I had missed something important that would only surface during the actual event. Thankfully, everything ran smoothly without a hitch. Speaking of the Black Aces, you have worked with them for quite a while as the official photographer. Your penchant for large dimension, high resolution photos from both the air and ground is certainly your calling card.  Photography in VRChat is something I almost love more than making flight worlds. Unlike real life, you don’t need thousands of dollars of camera bodies and lenses, just lots of practice, a keen eye, and timing. For me, I love to take photos of planes and events that not just capture the moment, but show the action, the story, or the beauty behind what it is I’m taking a picture of. For each event, there are upwards of 500+ photos I end up taking, and out of all of those, I usually end up getting about 20 photos that I’d consider good. This large amount of files was from lots of experimenting with angles, zoom, focus to create photos that really capture the action. Your most current project, and one that has been in the works for the past 13 months, is the F-14A -Naval Interceptor- world. How has this development journey been for you so far, and which difficulties have you encountered? Developing this world has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Initially the original scope and concept behind the world was just like any other flight world you would find on VRChat, only with nicer visuals. I figured I didn’t need to properly plan out development like I had done in my previous world since I expected the project to be done in a matter of two to three months. Very quickly however the project ballooned out of scope, with many additional features on the planes and the world itself. Along with the nightmare of trying to wrangle the project together, I ended up in a semi-burnout phase five to six months in, where the overall development crawled to a slow halt. At that point, I’d say at least seventy five percent of what was in the world at launch was completed, but all the small features I wanted to add made meaningful progression quite a mess. It wasn’t until other creators (thankfully) urged me to release the world by the end of the year. With two months left to get the world into a polished state for release, I started to shift development to get the world into a usable state as a normal flight world, then plan updates for the world with all the additions for the future. Of all aircraft you could have chosen after you were done with your Viggen Project, you chose the F-14A. Are there any particular reasons why you chose this aircraft? After finishing the Viggen flight world, I wanted to make another world with the same level of detail or more, but with a more recognizable aircraft. Out of a list of three aircraft I put actual consideration into, it just ended up being the F-14A. Mainly because there was so much about the tomcat that could be done in VRChat that hadn’t been done before. I wanted to try things that hadn’t been seen in a VRC flight world visually or under the hood, and using an aircraft filled with quirks and intricate nuances seemed like the perfect option. Your F-14A might be one of the most complete aircraft ever brought to VRChat, with its plethora of systems and features, but what distinguishes it from other ones?  There are various features that either set the F-14A above the average flight world, and some that allow the plane to stand out amongst everything else available. A lot of care went into the sound design, with a whole system to muffle audio when inside an interior or another plane, being the first flight world to do so. Between fellow VRC world designer Sournetic, various effects like fire, smoke, and explosions were enhanced, while additionally new effects were introduced, such as heat distortion, engine exhaust, contrails, and more that are rare to see in VRChat. With the help of another VRC creator, Zhakami Zhako, each gauge in the cockpit works, the yaw string moves around, and in a future update, even the radar will work. But the plane isn’t just all looks, even the way the plane flies is also significantly different than other worlds. Beyond the flight values that are tuned for a ‘sim-lite’ experience, chunks of Sacchan’s original code were completely rewritten to suit my needs. The biggest example was how the original way SaccFlight calculated thrust and afterburner was extremely arcade-like, so I overhauled the thrust system to allow for a more accurate thrust calculation, and stages of afterburner to progress through to reach full output. Another system overhauled was the original code that handled overstressing the aircraft. Now instead of simply losing health and exploding, pulling way harder than the airframe was designed for could result in the wings ripping off, turning your aircraft into a burning meteor. Developing complex systems that interact with Sacchan’s SaccFlight prefab was not an easy task. Which systems did you manage to implement on your F-14A? Along with the revised code for thrust and over g systems, one feature that is entirely new I coded in was a wing sweep system. Traditionally, wing sweep on planes in VRChat was purely visual and just tied to the airspeed of the aircraft, it never actually meant anything in terms of flight handling or characteristics. I designed a system that not only modifies how the plane flies based on wing angle, but implements the ability for a player to switch between an automatic wing sweep control, to a manual one if they so chose to. I wish I could tell you the reason I did something admittedly overly-complex like this, especially since most players will never touch the wing sweep, but it’s there. Most players probably wouldn’t realize it does affect flying, until they realize having their wings swept forward prohibits them from going supersonic. While a system like that makes perfect sense for any flight game, such effects have not been done on a VRChat flight world until now. You are known for adding more flight simulation like features to your aircraft. What is your inspiration for this?  I was mostly inspired by the large selection of flight games currently available to play such as War Thunder and DCS. While SaccFlight in its basic form was meant to resemble arcade-like flying, I felt like by adding sim-like features, it would make flying in VRChat more diverse and interesting. Even if a SaccFlight plane is made correctly, without either extensive tuning to the flight values or extra features being coded in, most planes end up feeling the same besides speed, armament, and turn rates. But by doing such tuning and adding those features, it makes each plane feel more unique or interesting to fly because there’s so many differences than the usual plane.  What are some of the features in your worlds that you are most proud of?  Definitely the visuals and audio are the elements I’m proud of the most. Despite being superficial at the end of the day under normal circumstances, in my perspective, visuals and audio are extremely important in VR. It’s a fine balance between performance and visuals, but making something that people see and just are stunned by the visuals from the planes, the clouds, the sunrises and sunsets, and above all else, the visceral feeling of flying these planes, that is what I am proud of. Does your approach to world building and creating custom flight characteristics make the development process longer than the average VRCA world process?  Unfortunately it most certainly does. Putting aside my own perfectionist view of what I work on, there are several things that I do that naturally increase development time. One of the largest time sinks during development is everything else but the planes in a world. Traditionally, the terrain of a world is one of the last things thrown in with little thought beyond where the runway is. I however feel that the terrain the planes fly around is as important as the planes themselves, and for better or for worse, take lots of time planning out the terrain for worlds, the design of the airfields, etc. And once I start working on integrating or coding new systems into worlds to suit a plane’s niche functions, naturally the longer the development will take. But in the end I feel like all the extra work is worth it. Thank you for your time with this interview. We appreciate it. Is there anything you would like to say to our viewers in closing? Thank you again for inviting me to talk about my VRChat flight worlds, and what goes on behind the scenes during development. It has been now a multi-year passion, and I want to continue and improve upon it for many more. There’s plenty in store for the F-14 world down the line, along with future worlds that are currently on the drawing board, so keep an eye out! 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 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as the co-founder and writer ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

Indie Demos from October 13th through 20th Whether they are indie developer game jams or full-on game festivals, events that showcase demos for upcoming games are great. For years now we have made it a point to cover them here at Skyward Flight Media. It is time once again to see what interesting flight games have demos available for Steam Next Fest October 2025 . While our compilation article about a selection of flight game demos comes just two days before the current Steam Next Fest ends, we did push the event on social media to ensure people knew of the flight focused devs that are participating right at the start of the event. If you have a free weekend, be sure to get some game time in with these demos! Death in Abyss There are many spiritually inspired by Star Fox style games these days. Some play is closer to the original with a vibrant cast of andromorphic characters and futuristic settings. Instead of that Death In Abyss by Agelvik travels deep into dark horror. As deep as the uncharted seas and maddening depths that players will fight mind bending monsters infected by a mysterious outbreak. Let me tell you, when I say I had to enter "full sweat mode", I mean it. There is not really a sliding scale of difficulty in this game. Players will die fast and learn even faster. After a brief period of letting players explore the controls during the first level, waves of some genuinely horrific enemies appear. First in swarms of parasite like piranhas. Eventually much larger horrors appear with spear like tongues and energy weapons. Only consistent, accurate fire, well timed dashes and dodges and knowing when to absolutely hammer down on key enemies will bring players to success. Fortunately, as enemies are defeated the player's ship recovers energy and health. "Unfortunately" this also means that constantly remaining engaged in combat is the only way to survive. Even disengaging from an area overwhelmed with enemies by boosting to a safer area only provides a handful of seconds of non-combat. By my third attempt I started getting the hang of it. Embracing the chaos, staying highly mobile and learning how to maintain good aim with blasters while dashing and rolling leads to a frenetic playstyle that is truly the only way to survive against the beasts within. While I can understand the gameplay style referring to Star Fox, Death In Abyss truly strikes out on its own. Between the relentless visually disturbing enemies, sudden jump scares of new horrors for the deep-sea darkness and sustained combat, I truly want to see what else lies ahead. This was a refreshing take on a storied genre. Freelancers: Rogue Skies All I needed to see was "open world" and about 60 seconds of gameplay for me to immediately want to play Freelancers: Rogue Skies by developer by ExodusIndie, published by GameLab. I find myself playing more roguelites / roguelikes in flight games lately. A game that encourages exploration while also denying long-term persistent power build up and still having a narrative story is rather unusual. In the demo the primary focus is gameplay. I would recommend playing with keyboard mouse for now. During combat the aiming precision needed to hit maneuvering targets at near maximum distances is very important. So far that precision is only achievable with a mouse. You could use a gamepad, but the sensitivity is quite high and hard to manage. Looking around at the celestial bodies of this unknown solar system gives a general sense of the play area. Even proceeding along at full afterburning thrust the planets seems like it would take hours to reach. Alternatively, the warp function to travel large distances in just a few short jumps, without an elaborate need to resource manage it, makes traversing the solar system very engaging. With little direction from the start (which turned out to be a choice), players wander the solar system purely by whatever catches their eye. Who knows what each planet, cluster of space objects or elaborate space station holds? As players explore, they find objects and locations they can scan to gain more information. Most commonly objects that can be added to their cargo holds or more mission critical objects like refueling cells and repair kits can be found. While there isn't a way to store those types of items for use later (for now), scanning them and leaving their locations active in UI is an easy way to find them quickly for use later. The official website for the game discusses eventually taking materials to trade, completing tasks and some other things to further gain upgrades. Combat in Freelancers: Rogue Skies is unexpectedly fast paced since the time to kill is decently low for non-upgraded ships. An accurate two second burst can be enough to defeat an enemy fighter. Likewise, one bad head on pass between the player and an enemy can result in the player being destroyed equally as fast. Learning how to speed boost, side strafe and even short-range warp out of bad combat engagements is vital for survival. This is going to be a game I plan on returning to for a more detailed playthrough on its launch day for sure. I am interested in seeing the more detailed parts of its exploration, ship upgrades and seeing just how far the open world will let a player wander. I've been bit by the wanderlust bug. House Fighters: Total Mess I may sound insane, but there is actually a strangely well-established niche of flight games set in fantastical toy-like settings. Recalling off the top of my head, one of the earliest instances of this I can think of is the extra content discs for the Aero Dancing series starting as early as January 2000. Aircraft flying inside houses or in backyards have appeared from time to time since then, but usually as a one-off game level. House Fighters: Total Mess by Revulo Games goes all in on the concept; you could even say they went a lot further with the concept. The controls of this game are easy enough to use with keyboard mouse or a gamepad. Needless to say, it is a pure arcade experience, but the easy-going manner that aircraft can be flown contributes itself towards the theme of the game. Controls do not let players roll fully inverted, but performing maneuvers like The Immelmann and Split-S will automatically flip the aircraft right side up. Colliding with an object is forgiving enough to not instantly destroy an aircraft that collides with an object, but players still take damage. In each mission players can wander the home to complete their objectives, but also pick up necessary items like repair kits, gun ammo and rockets. This arcade flight shooter puts players in control of a few characteristically different, aesthetically customizable pint-sized aircraft charged with winning the 'war at home' - literally in a home. Using guns that have a bit of aim assist, short-range missiles and bombs, players play through a series of narrative driven missions set throughout a house. Some missions are as simple as defeating a set of enemies after flying to a specific room in the house. Others involve gathering materials in a kitchen to help bake a cake for a party. Helping a toy construction team finish a RC racetrack while fending off the enemy forces. There is even a battle against an enemy ace pilot - Baron Von Speilzerg! Someone that only appears once in the demo, but I hope is a recurring character in the main game. I appreciate that this game embraces this more whimsical setting seriously. It does not get too tongue in cheek about it. It felt like a fun breakaway from the usual flight games and simulators I frequently partake in. It is easy enough to have a fun time without feeling as though things have been made so basic it doesn't feel "fun to fly". A bit of a hard concept to explain, but I am sure some of you understand the sentiment. I believe that the decision to focus on a singleplayer experience for House Fighters: Total Mess rather than finding a way to work in multiplayer may have been a solid long-term choice for this game. The handful of levels I played through seems to contribute to that, but fortunately for me, the full game is already available to play. I can test that theory for myself a bit more extensively. Kamikaze Strike: FPV Drone For about two years now Skyward staff has debated whether or not FPV drones are a type of flight game that we should cover or not. With the proliferation of this type Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) both in the real world since 2017 and now throughout specific video game genres, it does seem to be time to start coverage. Kamikaze Strike: FPV Drone  by Dinomore Games is now the first FPV dedicated game that we have ever tried here in Skyward Flight Media. The demo for this game is quite short, but with a tutorial and two missions, it does give a good feel for what the game is about and what the combat FPV genre as a whole generally aims to portray. Whether you are using the Arcade controls or Simulator controls, the feeling of flying these drones is both immensely twitchy and reliant on momentum in forward flight more than anything else. With no fancy avionics or external stores to rely on, piloting these FPV drones relies on a surprising amount of just feeling them out. Doing mental calculations on how gravity and the weight of the drones will carry them towards their targets. Flying an aircraft that is the munition rather than an aircraft that needs to stay aloft to deploy munitions is a bit of a mentality shift. Much like in videos that circulate through certain websites, the most common flight path of FPVs is a brief dive into targets in an effort to increase accuracy during the terminal dive and also decreased the amount of time to target has to potentially evade the incoming FPV. However, the enemies are not always just standing out in the open. Learning how to slowly, but deliberately maneuver a drone into buildings or behind terrain increases survivability and ensure that even targets hiding in rooms upstairs can be found. Players that learn fine control can also maneuver their FPVs behind buildings to bypass lower threats to hit higher priority objectives. Thus far enemies consist of drone jammers, logistics vehicles, battle tanks and assault rifle equipped infantry. In gameplay, infantry is the most prolific threat able to shoot down a drone with their rifles. The drone jammers have a rather short distance around them to disrupt the player's control over their FPV drones, but they are often placed in strategic areas. Flying into their jammer range disables vertical and lateral control, but players can still control the throttle. Predicting how a drone will lose control before entering a jammer's effective area lets player still somewhat steer it using throttle torque, allowing the drone to arc on a ballistic path and still potentially hit the intended target. Sneaking a drone through a contested area to strike a high value target before they boarded a helicopter and left the area was a good culmination of the demo by the end of it. While Kamikaze Strike: FPV Drone does not have a date for full release of the game yet, the developers have announced the addition of two new drones inspired by Chinese and Ukrainian designs, adding to the current roster of five drones in the base game. Other Notable Demos There are many other flight focused demos that are a part of Steam Next Fest that we did not cover in detail here but did spend a good amount of time playing. In fact, it is likely they will appear on Skyward Flight Media at some point in the near future. Drone District G-Rebels Hijong Park's Defender Patrol In the Black Paper Wars Wrath and Retribution 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 Critical Eye of a Series Classic I’m not sure you could make Ace Combat 04 today.  Ace Combat 04 (2001) is an axiomatic military techno-thriller wrapped in a character documentary; a time capsule of a popular interpretation of western military organization and professionalism put through an obsessive Japanese lens surrounded by the post-postmodern framing of a classic war movie. A melting pot of Allied heroism of World War II powered by the echoes of post-Gulf War UN Coalition victory and a recent historical Cold War lens. It hearkens to a time when right made might. But does this even vibe with today’s post-truth forever wars? With Ace Combat’s hell-bent insistence on a postmodern bend through what now makes up the vast majority of its chronology, the classical interpretations of 04 not only feel dated and quaint, it almost seems alien. It feels so distant now that it’s hard to believe we could have ever related to its sincerity. In fact, it seems bizarre to believe that this game was the one that launched the Strangereal universe we follow today. The AC04 Project had its work cut out for it to come off the heels of Ace Combat 3 (1999). Neutered in its export release, it took a few years for the internet to mature for us to understand what we missed in that drop. But for what we had in our hands, it was… kinda strange. Even today it still acts as much its own game outside of its series and can be appreciated as a singular entity. It’s a rather strong (if derivative) cyberpunk postulate disguised as a war game. If we were to be realistic about this game’s western demographic skewing younger than the “teen” ESRB rating would have wanted, Ace Combat 3 probably wasn’t very accessible by the majority of its players. That would change with Ace Combat 04. The 2000 TGS trailer presents a bleak but familiar setting, panning over what you learn to be Newfield Island while a static-stricken pair of aviators speak through. Modern-day aircraft cut through the air as the high-energy trailer unfolds and the music rises in what resonates in desperation while the AWACS and pilot vector to engagement. A flash of light at the end and a receding shot of Anderson Crater, delivering the backdrop of a planet rocked by a cataclysmic event and foreshadowing the world-class visual storytelling to come. It could probably be surmised that Ace Combat 04 was developed in the zeitgeist of the World War II shooters of the time, with the cinematic and story-driven Medal of Honor defining the atmosphere. Project Aces would dip into this type of inspiration many times over the next few years with varying levels of success. UI/UX Design The acuity of Ace Combat 04’s aesthetic delivers an emulsification of digital and analog presentation, almost as though they recognized the end of an oncoming era. On a CRT of the time, the artificial scan lines and faded colors presented a traditional warmth in sharp contrast with Electrosphere. There’s no flash of action here. Just simple options to select, and a muted backdrop. The range of cool blues meet a digital teletype font that feels straight out of the movie WarGames . The distinctive sound of a thrashing hard drive and a flash lamp powering up for each briefing across a simple lined overlay and vector-inspired map invokes a well-equipped but aging technological atmosphere. Music The motif of the Independent State Allied Forces is presciently represented in just about every piece of music that the game presents. The ISAF theme proper itself presents in a triumphant symphony during the introduction of the war’s catalyst, properly driving home the importance of the military alliance that you fight to defend and avenge. Sitting Duck takes the theme and within the short time you hear it provides a trifecta of atmosphere, combining a down tempo electronic/brass introduction and a desperate cadence as it climaxes into a high action guitar. Motifs continue to play an important role in story immersion, with Stonehenge’s theme prominent whenever you are threatened by the turret network’s onslaught in the early game. The theme proper makes an explosive entrance in mission 12, never letting up on the horror of the machination that you are there to destroy. The music expands beyond the tactical into the strategic—once you’ve turned the tide, Second Strike blankets your briefings going forward, injecting fresh energy into the offensive phase of the war. Each time it fires up it enhances the power fantasy that the game builds to with your avatar. The game concludes with the epic symphony and choir of Agnus Dei, revisiting the ISAF motif for a penultimate time in such a massive cacophony that it may not immediately be identifiable to the untrained ear. It succeeds in spades no matter your decision to extend the fight in your engagement with Yellow Squadron or to desperately remove the final Ulysses threat from your fragile victory in Farbanti. Cutscenes It’s remarkable how serious Ace Combat 04 presents its story and its hard to explain how respectful the game treats its outlook on war. Devoid of humor and drowning in melancholy, the intertwining story and themes presented in the narrative interludes weaves brilliantly with Mobius One’s airborne exploits. The hand-drawn, hand-colored illustrations that chronicle the Continental War are presented in the style of a graphic novel while the audio, reminiscent of a radio drama with vocal narration peppered with an effective sound set, follow the experiences of the narrator living as a child in an Erusian occupied San Salvacion. From the first moment we are taken into a very consequential world—kicking the story off with an understated personal tragedy and an enigmatic vow. It carries a quote that is also rather profound:  “War was an abstract idea, nothing more than a show on TV … something that happened in a faraway land.”  Obvious perhaps, but almost deliberately understated. It sets the tone going forward so presciently.  Each cutscene carries purpose and vision, often expressed with poetic resolve. The narration’s gloomy tone never lets up, yet never feels melodramatic or boring. This presentation is world-class, and is just as fitting as a standalone story that remains under-appreciated for video games in the present day, let alone during its own time. It carries multiple themes of resistance, capitulation, self-doubt, and resilience. It slowly interweaves your actions into the story about one-third of the way through as Yellow 13 calls you out, and your actions start having more direct consequences by the halfway point when you down his trusted wingman. This trickle of narrative interplay is key to the atmosphere of the game and carries half the weight of the power fantasy build up that encompasses the mythos of Mobius One—you. The Heroic Ace  Ace Combat 04 introduced the now ‘series standard’ concept of the player becoming a heroic ace pilot in a modern battlefield. In Ace Combat 1 (1995) and Ace Combat 2, we play as barely referred to mercenary forces, who even in the final stages of these games, are not receiving direct name appreciation. The full story of Ace Combat 3 is an abstract concept removed from a traditional war setting with players playing as an artificial intelligence named ‘Nemo’ (Greek for “Nobody”). While their actions impacted the story they were really more of a pawn in an elaborate plot than anything else.  It is not until Ace Combat 04 that the name brand hero tradition begins. Whether it was the silent burning admiration of an opposing squadron or friendly rifleman yelling over the radio in celebration, the ‘legendary’ Mobius One was known to be flying above the battlefield. This same pilot would go on to appear in future releases as easter eggs and standalone game modes in future Ace Combat games. All player controlled protagonists after Ace Combat 04 would be built around common plot points that take them from relatively unknown individuals to known by name heroes that were the sole deciding factor in the ultimate outcome of a war.  While that is great for Ace Combat and the “Ace-like” genre the series has spawned, these days, even the World War coded concept of ace pilots being public facing figures changing the tide of battle and inspiring nations is lost in the modern perception of armed conflict. For example, the same weekend the Ghost of Kyiv was introduced as a staunch defender of Ukrainian skies in 2022, it could be seriously argued that the international view of the existence of such a pilot on a modern battlefield was never fully accepted as fact. It just seemed impossible today. However, when we turn to movies and generation defining flight games like Ace Combat, the belief of the war winning, ode worthy ace pilot still outshines the reality of the conditions such a pilot would exist in.  Control and Gameplay Ace Combat 04 is a return to tradition away from Ace Combat 3, taming turning recoil to such a degree and restoring complete analog control that the only limitations to your capability are yours and yours alone. With a limited selection of aircraft available to you each aircraft feels properly unique in the way it handles. Turn rates have just enough variety as you advance through your hangar selection that you will want to advance your collection. However, roll rates in late-model aircraft will feel exaggerated, with complete rolls being possible in what feels like a split second. Combined together, as mobility stats increase, aircraft tend to exhibit a prominent tailslide which can betray you in a low-altitude pull, with the Su-37 being egregious in this regard. However, between a combination of the modest acceleration and a working low-speed angle-of-attack physics you’ll find that it almost grants you passive post-stall mechanic. The analog triggers of the PlayStation 2 are in full display here, granting fine control of both throttle and yaw. This is best demonstrated when performing carrier ops, where careful manipulation of the throttle provides a modest simulation of a flared nose on takeoff and landing. Though there are clear flaws in the handling mechanics of Ace Combat 04, it retains a unique character that merges Newtonian flight mechanics with arcade feel in ways that no release that followed it provides. All this comes together to provide the familiar gameplay loop we’re used to. The refinement of it perhaps--though Ace Combat 2 defined the base mechanics that we’re used to, Ace Combat 04 solidified it, providing the combination of aircraft, secondary weapon, and livery that persists throughout the series and it’s contemporaries. Mission Design It would be hard to explain that the cliché of the back from the brink bomber intercept didn’t exist in quite the same way as it does today. At the time, Sitting Duck was breathtaking. If you subscribe to the interpretation that Ace Combat 04 is actually a soft reboot of Ace Combat 2 (1997), the implications are self-evident; a graphics and sound uplift rivaling that of the new generation of fidelity that the Playstation 2 represented over it’s predecessor. Combined with the desperation of the muted color palette, music, and voiceovers, what is effectively a simple tutorial mission becomes a perfect jump point for the story. This extends into Imminent Threat, which provides a soft but comprehensive familiarization for ground attack mechanics and a chance to use the secondary weapon that was teased to you in the hanger. It also presents a subtle but important detail of the thought put into what each mission represents tactically. Take out the substation, Mobius One. Deep Strike is still unparalleled in how it hid the fact that it is the representation of the typical canyon strike mission that remains a staple of the flight arcade genre. It also subverts the genre in that it provides story-based context for why you can’t exceed the altitude of the canyon walls as Stonehenge unleashes its fury against you and your comrades. All this wrapped within a rational mission objective that is actually quite satisfying to practice your gun marksmanship on. Comona remains the pinnacle of arcade furballs and has not yet been succeeded, despite valiant efforts in every game following. Fast paced with multiple objectives, its all-air-to-air, all-the-time, with only the most skilled players succeeding in clearing the map of threats. Backed by a screaming rock guitar and offering a plentiful array of targets, this remains the Ace Combat standby for a no-holds barred de facto air skirmish mode. These mission types build upon themselves as the missions go on. One could probably make the argument that Ace Combat 04 is the only video game ever made where the escort mission archetype is actually entertaining to play, though it’s something of an escort-in-name-only as even modest skill will keep your charge from falling to the enemy. Admittedly the mission Broken Arrows might be the only low point in mission design, being both the most egregious filler mission, though still strategically sound for the campaign as a whole. It’s a frustrating tail chase against cruise missiles that bleeds frustration rather than fun. Though it traces its roots back to Ace Combat 2’s late-game missile chase, this is one homage that should have probably stayed tabled. The Death of the Rational War     In the modern day, particularly from a Western perspective, the ISAF almost seems hyper-competent, and unapologetically so. Each mission’s reason and purpose is clearly communicated during each tightly packed briefing. Any wartime concept the player might be unfamiliar with is laconically described and actually seems to require a novice understanding of real-world military strategy. ISAF pilots and ground forces seem highly competent and well-motivated to perform the missions required of them. The grand strategy to eliminate Stonehenge and advance on Farbanti is layered out and each tactical objective seems to lead into it. There’s no in-flight questioning of the politics of the banner you’re fighting under, just what feels like a unified fight to stop the Erusian war machine.     Whether it’s the explanation that Operation Bunker Shot is required due to Stonehenge covering any possible port landing sites or the push to interdict enemy petrochemical supply lines while covering your own alliance’s build out of space-based intelligence operations, the ISAF’s push into the mainland after the destruction of Stonehenge feels justified and satisfying. Something that doesn’t seem to carry over to later parts of this series. At one time it was said that the general banter in Ace Combat 5 (2004) wouldn’t be tolerated due to its politically charged, over-explained, emotionally-driven dialogue. It was “unrealistic” compared to its predecessor.  Perhaps in today’s geopolitical climate the opposite is now true. It would be extremely naïve to think that Ace Combat 04 is nothing but romantic in its portrayal of warfare. Actual combat, no matter what nation partakes, in the air and on the ground, is messy and filled with confusion and chaos. But there was a vestigial aura left over from news, movies, radio, and books that portrayed well-coordinated and well-communicated tactics and strategy from wars fought in the 20th century--A time when wars between powers were as much battles of wit, chivalry, conventions, treaties, and science. A time when wars actually… ended. Looking back on any real-world conflict with rose-tinted glasses probably eschews nothing but privilege, but from the perspective of “the show on TV” that Ace Combat 04 intuitively touches upon, it’s hard to see the action and dialogue in Ace Combat 04 resonating with a young person who might only have experience and memories of a post GWOT-world. Ace Combat 04’s greatest strength and greatest weakness is the swan song that is the portrayal of warfare as a series of rational actions. Even with the interplay between the homefront portrayed in the cutscenes, it can’t help but feel like Ace Combat 04 is now unrelatable. About the Writer T.J. "Millie" Archer T.J. "Millie" Archer is 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 ]

On October 18th, 2025, Skyward Flight Media posted its 500th release. Founded on March 24th, 2020, this organization has truly come a long way. As we reached and passed this milestone (the article you are reading now is our 503rd release), we take a moment to look back at some of the notable points in our journey so far. Decision Height The organization that preceded Skyward Flight Media was named Project Lighthouse (2017-2019). This community was created with a focus on all things about the Ace Combat series from Bandai-Namco. After two years of operation, there would occasionally be content created about games outside of that series, but not in a substantial way. Project Lighthouse would secure two pivotal interviews in 2019 that would begin a shift in how the content creation branch of that organization would approach future efforts. Their first indie game interview with Johan Persson from Muddy Pixel, developer of Worlds At War and Ace Combat Series Brand Director Kazutoki Kono at PAX South 2019 during the launch weekend of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Finally having the potential to be recognized as a media entity in a more substantial way, the rebranding in 2020 would be influenced by these two interviews. The new organization, Skyward Flight Media, would become highly diverse in the type of content it would create within the flight game and simulation genre with a more standard game journalism style approach. Frecce Tricolori Virtuali A major part of defining the content the newly formed Skyward Flight Media would produce came from our coverage of the activities of Freccee Tricolori Virtuali . In May 2020, our interviews with this virtual air demo team was our first major coverage of content related to Digital Combat Simulator by Eagle Dynamics. While discussing airshow flying and aircraft module development on this platform, our connection with certain individuals that founded IndiaFoxtEcho would also lead to future coverage of their modules in DCS and Microsoft Flight Simulator in the future. Our work with Freccee Tricolori Virtuali would kickstart our Digital Combat Simulator coverage, which would act as a sort of "counterweight" to our still noticeable Ace Combat series focus within the first 10 months of our foundation. Creator Highlight Month 2022 While 2021 was mostly spent trying new types of content, monitoring audience reception, adjusting our social media trends and refining creative processes, one of our defining moments in 2022 was Creator Highlight Month . CHM was a new effort to start covering content creators that interacted with simulated flight operations on their own media channels. The mixture of well-known video content creators and unusual developers successfully opened a new avenue of content. From that time forward discussion of content creators did start on Skyward Flight Media, albeit not in a reoccurring month-long series, but rather multiple single creator focused articles spread out over time. As of October 2025, the Creator Highlight concept is being reviewed for a potential restart as a formal, consistent series with an altered name to deconflict with another series on the website. VRChat Aviation: In Game and Beyond VRChat Aviation had a profound impact on Skyward as an organization and on an individual level. As an organization, our involvement with this subject started in 2020 during the height of COVID 19 lockdown as coverage of flight simulation in a rather unexpected place. Years later, Skyward has become a staple of airshows, tournaments and media coverage for aviation across the entire platform. This includes a level of ' virtual aircraft development ' by two members of the staff designing original aircraft and 3D modeling them from scratch to then fly them in various VRChat worlds. The personal connections with people we have met have spawned many new opportunities. Some of the VRChat focused world developers have started pursuing game development. One of the Skyward staff members found employment as a 3D modeler for an in-development flight game and government contract work. Another staff member has used their passion and skill as an aeronautical engineer to see some of their designs take to the virtual skies. Some of the partnerships Skyward has made on this platform have also created cross community events on other flight games and in-person meet ups. Flight Sim Expo Media Partnership Our involvement with Flight Sim Expo , North America's largest expo focused on flight simulation, was a huge move for us. By May 2021 Skyward Flight Media had found its footing with a rather eclectic mix of content focused on flight games and simulators. Wanting to further expand our content reach, Skyward made contact with the Flight Simulation Association and became a formal media partner for Flight Sim Expo. Since then, Skyward has made it a point to register for each event as media partners and attend as many of these events in person as possible. The experience of meeting so many individuals and companies within flight simulation has been a deeply impactful experience and has changed the way Skyward operates. Indie Highlight Series When deciding what the identity of Skyward Flight Media would be after the rebrand in 2019, we took note that other established flight focused media outlets focused at least 80% of their coverage on two to four flight simulators. Skyward then endeavored to establish itself as an indie flight game supportive platform from its first day of operation. Whether it was the smallest, one-off game created for a game jam or an indie game that reached game consoles, Skyward would be interested in covering it. Looking for a way to further increase our indie content rotation, the Indie Highlight Series was started on May 17th, 2025. The original concept for this series was to create compilation articles that would discuss many indie games per release. Each game mentioned receiving a paragraph or two of coverage within the articles. Release 001 followed this concept. Shortly after the series started discussions with Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen ( Project Wingman producer / co-writer , flight game focused producer) about his inclusion into the series began. An agreement was made to have FlyAwayNow join the Indie Highlight Series on July 21st, 2025, with a new focus on interviewing upcoming indie developers creating the next generation of flight games. To date, this has been one of the most successful content series in Skyward Flight Media's history. 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 third weekend of January 2019 was undoubtedly an important weekend for the Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown but also featured a landmark event for the Ace Combat series as a whole. This summary of event coverage is the first of a set of articles about PAX South 2019 as covered by Project Lighthouse (this is the name of the organization that preceded Skyward Flight Media). ​​The initial plan was to send a single representative to observe, record and later write an article about PAX South 2019 from January 18th to January 20th, 2019. Our focus would be on everything related to Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. A few days before the event, others from the Ace Combat online community were confirmed to also be attending. The result of this was Aaron " Ribbon-Blue " Mendoza joining up with Ace Combat Fan  (Ace Combat-focused YouTuber),  F22Coleman  (USAF Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Long-time Ace Combat fan) and  Zetec  (the head of  r/AceCombat ) to collaborate on event coverage and meet with new and returning fans of the series. Ace Combat Fan, Zetec, Ribbon-Blue and F22Coleman at the AC7 booth. Attendance of Kazutoki Kono It goes without saying that any event attended by the Brand Director of the Ace Combat series is important. Having Kazutoki Kono attend PAX South on the weekend of Ace Combat 7's launch was huge. In comparison to other PAX conventions in the United States of America, PAX South is still relatively new. For this reason, along with the small window of travel before the event for Kono-san, no one was expecting him to attend before the announcement was made days before the convention doors opened. Especially not on the launch weekend of the latest main series release of the series. Kazutoki Kono autographing a postcard with the Trigger emblem. While at PAX South, Kono-san had casual interactions with the attendees, performed an interview with Ace Combat Fan and had an on-stage presentation before watching AC7 played live in an eSports style event. His two autograph sessions on Friday and Saturday were entertaining. As he signed merchandise presented to him by fans, he used his own personal cellphone to snap photos, autographed everything from postcards to video game consoles and saluted in photos with fans. He was very engaged with the event from start to finish. Fans expressed their own gratitude by presenting him with gifts . He also took the time to try a staple Texan fast food chain . The AC7 Booth In the landscape of PAX South 2019, the Ace Combat 7 booth was eye-catching in the mass of booths on the PAX floor. With a wall-sized banner as its background, the blue and white booth presented three clusters of PlayStation 4 game consoles. Eight player battle royale and virtual reality experiences we offered. Bandai Namco Entertainment USA staff and other attendants wearing flight suits consistently interacted with attendees as they came to the booth. It didn't matter if they were waiting for a chance to play or looked on from outside with curiosity, the staff there was courteous and always on standby to answer questions. Gamers at the AC7 demo area. The booth was also a meeting spot for new, returning and veteran Ace Combat fans. While there they discussed the current game and all facets of Ace Combat as a whole while networking with one another. Of note were long-time fans taking the time to teach new players quick tips to make their first flights with the Ace Combat series more enjoyable. ​Throughout the weekend three grand prizes for the individual that put up the highest score on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were available. These top scorers would win a PlayStation VR bundle that included two games, the PS VR headset, and a PlayStation camera. Winners would have their achievement commemorated with a photo of themselves with the grand prize and staff at the booth. Competition for this grand prize was quietly fierce with a handful of particularly skilled players regularly walking by to see if their score was outdone. ​ On Friday, January 18th, 2019, PAX attendees who won their battle royale matches at the Ace Combat 7 booth were registered to compete in the Air Force Ace Combat 7 Open Competition on the PAX Arena stage. A select few of them would later participate in an event on the same stage that was a landmark event for the public outlook of Ace Combat as a whole. Gamers at the AC7 demo area. Once in a Lifetime Chris Aguilar had one of the most interesting experiences any convention attendee could possibly have. During the weekend of his first convention visit ever, he won a PlayStation Virtual Reality headset for having the highest battle royale score in a day and competed in the first PAX Arena Ace Combat 7 competition. Air Force Ace Combat 7 Competition Live at PAX Arena ​​The headline event for Ace Combat at PAX South 2019 was both days of the Air Force Ace Combat 7 competitions done on the arena stage.  For those that do not know, PAX Arena broadcasts competitive game play from PAX events to thousands of Twitch viewers and a live audience. For Ace Combat, eSports style tournament play with commentary rarity but having it broadcast for the first time to such a wide audience has raised the curiosity of many. On Saturday, January 20th, Ace Combat 7 events at PAX Arena consisted of many rounds of battle royale made up of players that won matches at the AC7 booth the day before. Each victory on stage resulted in a short interview with the winner and a prize for their victory ranging from mugs, a copy of Ace Combat 7 and more (time stamp 00:00:00 to 01:53:00): After the battle royale matches, a change in programming occurred which resulted in the first-ever live team death matches for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Unexpectedly, members and affiliates of Project: Lighthouse appeared on stage as Team Project: Lighthouse - announced as the first team to participate in an eSports style event for Ace Combat 7. Commentary by Ace Combat Fan and Matrym carried through the event (timestamp: 02:02:49): The final, headline event for Ace Combat at PAX Arena was the Air Force Ace Combat 7 Showdown on Sunday, January 20th. This pitted Twitch streamers Deejay Knight , Kyente , PmsProxy , and Tinmac against members of United States of America Air Force. After an on-stage presentation with Kazutoki Kono with translation by Ace Combat Fan, both the Twitch and Air Force teams were introduced, and gameplay began. Commentary for the event included a former F-15C Eagle pilot. Colonel Bradley Oliver of the United States Air Force is the Commander of the 369th Recruiting Group. His commentary discussed his own life experiences with combat aircraft in comparison to what he saw being played on stage.   The full event can be viewed here . 'Apex Predator' Known as ' Valk ' to the Ace Combat online community, Jonathon B. now jokingly self identifies as an accidental Ace Combat eSport personality.  At PAX South 2019 he flew with the title of 'Apex Predator' as his in game nickname. A fitting name for one of the best players attending the convention that weekend. Besides securing a top score and winning a PS VR bundle, he also won a copy of Ace Combat 7 during the PAX Arena battle royales and filled an open slot with Team Project: Lighthouse in the team death match competition on the PAX Arena stage. ​ Bandai Namco America Outreach Ribbon-Blue, Dmitryi Khlynin and Ace Combat Fan. I​​n the lead up to the release of Ace Combat 7, Bandai Namco Entertainment America performed a level of community outreach they had never done before in relation to the Ace Combat franchise in the US market.  The last high-level outreach was performed in 2011, in support of the release of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Outreach was directed at AceCombatSkies, one of the oldest English Ace Combat fan forums with roots extending back to the early 2000s. This contact resulted in a representative of the long-established fan forum attending E3 2011 with the Community Manager at the time.  In 2018 and 2019, Bandai Namco Entertainment America maintained a constant presence on social media, engaged directly with well-known hubs of Ace Combat activity and performed interviews and livestreams with notable individuals from the Ace Combat online community. While at PAX South their engagement and enthusiasm continued. From the AC7 booth, behind the scenes of the Air Force Ace Combat 7 events at PAX Arena, in support of Ace Combat Fan's interview with Kazutoki Kono and encouraging F22Coleman, Ribbon-Blue, and Zetec to engage with convention attendees coming to the Ace Combat 7 booth.  Let the record show that for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Bandai Namco Entertainment America has put on one of the most, if not the most, extensive community outreach thus far for Ace Combat in the US market. Congratulations and thanks are in order for their staff for all they've done. Special thanks to Dmitryi Khlynin , Community Specialist. Many may know him from the December 2018 and January 2019  AC7 livestreams. While he may not have been on camera, his efforts were pivotal in the success of Ace Combat 7 related events at PAX South 2019 that weekend. 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 |

​This report is written by Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza who attended PAX South 2019 and experienced it all first hand. Written from his point of view, he describes some of the day by day events not mentioned in the Summary: PAX South 2019 article. Launch weekend of the long-awaited newest game from Project Aces with the brand director of the series in attendance and a live competition sponsored by the United States Air Force? It was undeniably a once in a lifetime event. ​In my opinion, some of what happened at PAX South 2019 was a landmark event for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown and for the Ace Combat franchise as a whole. Preparation Two weeks before the convention doors opened, I had not looked too closely at PAX South. Just because I thought it was too far away and with Ace Combat 7 being released that weekend, a far off game convention seemed less critical. As time passed, and contacts were made, it became apparent that PAX South 2019 would be an experience with key people from Bandai-Namco USA, Project Aces (Ace Combat Development Team) and members of the Ace Combat online community. In the end, the final deciding factor for my trip was location. San Antonio, Texas, USA. My hometown.  ​Days of rushed prep work, buying supplies, researching camera equipment and booking flights and hotels paid off. By January 17th, 2019 I was landing in San Antonio still riding a wave of excitement and anticipation. All of those feelings weren't just about the convention itself. In the lead up to PAX South, I learned that Ace Combat Fan  (Ace Combat-focused YouTuber),  F22Coleman  (USAF Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Long-time Ace Combat fan) and  Zetec  (the head of  r/AceCombat ) were also going to attend. It would be one of the few times I would ever meet up with people I've spoken with on a computer screen, at a location that was sure to be full of new and returning Ace Combat fans.  In-flight entertainment. With agreements to support one another made and collaboration on media coverage established, the four of us were prepared for the weekend. Prepared for what we thought the weekend would be at least. Though my focus was on taking pictures and video, we were all pulled in much deeper than any of us had planned for.  On January 17th, at a time in the morning I may never travel during again, I was at Denver International Airport before the baggage check in kiosks were even activated. Three hours and one flight transfer later I landed in San Antonio, Texas. Midnight Pickup The same day I arrived in San Antonio, F22Coleman and I picked up Ace Combat Fan from the airport around midnight. Upon his arrival we were gifted Canadian Chocolates. My only regret is that I ate them far too quickly. San Antonio was unusually cold during the weekend. Day One - January 18th, 2019 ​My own experiences with conventions of all types and sizes have made me relatively use to them, but even for me, PAX South seemed to be larger than I expected. On the internet many people that attend other PAX  conventions talk of PAX South as though it is smaller and less important. That created a preconception before I arrived and saw it for myself. With F22Coleman at the wheel of his dependable vehicle, we picked up Zetec and met Ace Combat Fan at the Ace Combat 7 booth. ​After winding through PAX security and the various other booths, we arrived at the Ace Combat 7 area. As mentioned in the event summary article, it was eye-catching when looking at the different booths around it. The constant crowd of convention goers getting in line and looking on with interest kept the atmosphere active. After meeting with the Bandai-Namco staff there, the four of us spent the day challenging one another, interacting with fans while they waited in line, encouraged others to give the demo a try and frequently used the booth as a meetup point for the weekend. It became the unofficial event HQ for our coverage from day 1.   AC7 demonstration area. Throughout Friday, January 18th, the booth would run two unique events for attendees that played the eight-player battle royale. The winner of each round would be signed up to participate in battle royale matches for the Air Force Ace Combat 7 Open Competition to be held on Saturday, January 19th, live on the PAX Arena stage. The second event was a weekend-long high score challenge. The individual that put up the top score for each day of the convention would win a PlayStation VR bundle that included two games and the PS4 Camera. A select few skilled Ace Combat fans openly and frequently battled one another for the top prize all weekend. ​ ​ With the Saturday battle royale on the minds of the top scorers, Ace Combat Fan, F22Coleman, Zetec and myself played as many rounds as possible at the Ace Combat 7. We all felt as though we needed to gather experience quickly. No one wants to embarrass themselves in a live stream on stage. Little did I know that everyone but me brought a PS4 and a copy of AC7 with them to their hotels.  The final events of Friday rounded out with a midday lunch at Whataburger, an autograph session with Kazutoki Kono, Brand Director of the Ace Combat series and the rest of the four-man PAX South team supporting Ace Combat Fan during his interview with Kazutoki Kono. ​ ​ ​There are times when meeting the people behind your most beloved game series can be disappointing. After having conversations with Kazutoki Kono, taking photos of his autograph sessions, watching his interactions with fans and casually talking to him throughout the convention, I felt happy and relieved. He is a humble man with a genuine appreciation for those that have played and continue to support the Ace Combat series. During his autograph sessions he often took his own pictures of the merchandise fans asked him to sign and saluted with fans that asked for photos with him. You could tell he was genuinely happy to be there.  After a successful day at the convention, the four of us ended up at Denny's, the current in-joke restaurant related to Ace Combat ( ACF explains in this video ) to review the day's events and prepare for Saturday. Interview Wingmen F22Coleman, Zetec and I provided whatever support Ace Combat Fan, Kazutoki Kono and staff from Bandai-Namco Entertainment America needed for his interview. After relocating chairs, banners and personnel to an area away from the busy Ace Combat 7 booth, the interview went without a hitch. With Zetec on the camera (as seen in the photo) and myself taking separate photos, ACF's interview with Kazutoki Kono was an important part of the PAX South weekend. Day Two - January 19th, 2019 Arriving just in time to play on stage, F22Coleman, Zetec and I entered into the battle royale segment alongside new companions we met on Friday. With commentary by Ace Combat Fan and  Matrym ,  beneath the stage lights, with a camera high above roving around the arena, waves of contenders got on stage with only the winner of each round receiving a prize and a short interview. Though competitive, a casual atmosphere filled both the arena seats and the stage. As I walked around the arena snapping photos before and after my own battle royale round, an amazing chance appeared.   The decision to change the battle royale format of the segment came to us suddenly during a commercial break. With the immediate assistance from Bandai Namco staff on site, the final details were settled within minutes.  We found ourselves preparing for the first-ever, live on stage Ace Combat 7 team death match (TDM) exhibition . With less than forty minutes of overall game time on Ace Combat 7, I selected the F-15J with SAAMs and competed alongside the rest of what was be known as Team Project Lighthouse. The atmosphere of team-based competition felt like it had finally set in. This offset any nervousness or stage fright we would have felt. After four consecutive victories, Team Project Lighthouse was split, new teams were formed, and competition continued.  ​ Ace Combat Fan (right) and Matrym (left) providing commentary. Throughout the on-stage team death matches, we were told there were consecutively over 10,000 viewers on Twitch with a peak of 16,000 viewers. ​​No pressure, right?  After the on stage, on camera events ended, the post-game celebration between those that participated shifted back to the AC7 booth. You'd figure after roughly four hours of competitive game play we'd need a break. Instead, we were right back at it celebrating with our newfound companions with battle royale. It's hard for me to say if we're creatures of habit or a bit more diehard than I expected.  The second round of autographs with Kazutoki Kono resulted in him signing everything from copies of Ace Combat 7 to entire video game consoles. Zetec flew back to his home that evening, leaving Coleman and I to indulge Ace Combat Fan in a local Texan restaurant once again. Saturday's choice being Bill Miller's BBQ restaurant. With both this restaurant and Whataburger under his belt, we felt as though Ace Combat Fan could honestly say he had "been to Texas." Day Three - January 20th, 2019 USAF personnel (left), Twitch Streamers (right) January 20th, 2019. ​The final day for PAX South featured the main Ace Combat 7 event which pitted Twitch streamers  Deejay Knight ,  Kyente ,  PmsProxy , and  Tinmac  against members of United States of America Air Force. I found myself in the crowd with the other hardcore Ace Combat fans, as well as Kazutoki Kono in the audience. Cheering and commenting as we watched the tide of competition slowly rise. It was at this time, sitting in the crowd with fellow Ace Combat fans and new acquaintances that I found myself having to let this all sink in. A history of competitive Ace Combat gameplay from my time joining the online community in 2004 up to sitting in this crowd in 2019 came to mind. What a long way this has all come. Left to right: Matrym, USAF Colonel Bradley Oliver and Ace Combat Fan commentating. As my thoughts on this began to gather, F22Coleman said his goodbyes and began his drive home. This ended his weekend of being very popular with just about everyone that saw him or spoke to him for those three days.  ​Once again, those that had been involved with the live events found ourselves at the Ace Combat 7 booth. We exchanged contact information with new friends, I had reunions with members of Ace Combat online squadrons from over a decade ago and even met the representative of AceCombatSkies.com from 2011 in person. Throughout the event, I met many others that knew of Project: Lighthouse. In an interesting moment of "coming full circle," I met a younger individual along with their family. To be told that he was the same age I was when I signed up on my first Ace Combat forum in 2004 and that Project: Lighthouse was a significant part of what got him involved today was very special for me. The thanks I received from them are something I'll probably never forget. ​The final highlight of my personal PAX South experience with AC7 was using a MiG-21 with Machine Gun Pods for "the memes" as it were. The target? An advanced version of the X-02 Wyvern, one of the most well known fictional aircraft in Ace Combat. A random but hilariously satisfying high point.  With the main event hall closing at 6:00 PM on Sunday, January 20th, goodbyes were expressed, and thanks were given to Ace Combat Fan and the dedicated staff of Bandai Namco USA who truly performed above and beyond. Not only at PAX South, but in many other ways leading up to the launch weekend for Ace Combat 7.  The after effects of the meetings, interviews, live events, photos and videos of PAX South 2019 are still having an effect on the online community at large today. In the background of the energy surround in the release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, plans are being laid for long term ventures created by and managed by various members and organizations within the Ace Combat community.  I look forward to seeing where it all goes from here. Kazutoki Kono and Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza. 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 |

Our interview with Ace Combat Brand Director Kazutoki Kono at PAX South 2019 was originally scheduled for Tokyo Game Show in 2018, but under went a rescheduling due to unforeseen circumstances. We give our special thanks to Bandai-Namco US community specialist Dmitryi Khlynin for assisting with the rescheduling of this interview. This interview is available in English and ​日本語 thanks to TaskForce23 who also assisted Ace Combat Fan in his  interview with Kazutoki Kono. Congratulations on the official release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. What a surprise it was to have you present on the launch weekend of Ace Combat 7. Thank you for making the trip to San Antonio, Texas to meet with the fans in person. What did you think of PAX South? Were you surprised by how many fans were wearing flight suits? ​I was really surprised. (lol) It was a sight that you really don’t see in Japan. They showed that they were fans of Ace Combat from head to toe, and I was really pleased. What were your thoughts on seeing Ace Combat 7 played live on the PAX Arena stage in competition? For this event, we showcased the multiplayer and VR modes. Many times I watched from the booth, wondering “what kind of playstyle are they going for?” in the multiplayer mode. I laughed because first place for the daily rankings went to community members every day. Have you seen any events in Japan for Ace Combat similar to what you saw in PAX Arena? There aren’t that many events hosted in Japan. In contrast, PAX is an event that takes place in many locations in North America over the course of the entire year, and was an impressive event  where “real game fans” gather, with these communities and fans at the core. Looking at the differences in how these events are in Japan and North America, it was very intriguing as an example of what we [in Japan] should aim for. In AC7, Spare Squadron is a penal military unit, which is very unique for the Ace Combat series. The concept of using the 'Sin Lines' to represent how severe their crimes are is eye-catching. Why did you decide to use this kind of unit? When brainstorming scenarios for Ace Combat, one very important factor to consider is “what kind of name/designation will the player be known by from his enemies and allies?” In the case of this game, we thought “what about having scars on the tail [of the aircraft]?” as a design-like symbol. That became “diagonal strike lines,” and while this idea was moving towards “sin lines,” we also wanted the game scenario to put the player in a situation that differed from previous installments. Thus this concept [of a penal unit] was born and both of these ideas [sin lines and a penal unit] were created accordingly. About the mural "Skies Unknown". As you know, people find different messages or meanings when they observe art. When you view the mural, what do you think about it? Since I’m the person who instructed the artist to “make a painting like this,” I know all the meanings that were put into it. (Lol) But I still think about the virtue of aiming towards a so-called Utopia that goes beyond ethnicity and nations, and how it can be realized in “a painting,” but is something that cannot really be done in reality. "Skies Unknown" by Yukari Masuike. Unrelated to the main story of Ace Combat 7, the hero Mobius 1 from Ace Combat 04 and 5's Arcade mode returns for the PlayStation VR missions. How did Project Aces feel reintroducing this iconic protagonist? At first, I had doubts like “do we really need to bring back a protagonist from ten years ago?” I even had fears thinking, “will this ruin the dreams of all the fans?” In the end, I made the decision to entrust it to the staff’s strong enthusiasm. As a result, the fans were delighted, so I feel wonderful about it. It seems like the pilots flying alongside Mobius 1 are unsure of his exploits from the past conflicts. One of them even said they don't like "old timer pilots." What a change of tone regarding a former hero! What was the reason for this change around Mobius 1? One of Ace Combat 7’s themes is “the gap between the old era and the new era.” Even Mobius 1 cannot fight against this tide. However, through players flying as him, he was able to make those around him accept that he is a hero once again. Those actions themselves are our message. In your opinion, what is the greatest accomplishment the Project Aces team achieved during the development of Ace Combat 7? The fact that we developed the game with new members and a new [organizational] structure, overcame huge hardships, but was able to good results. This was especially true for the clouds. “Through the use of clouds, effects of  weather and air currents will be added, revolutionizing the environment in the sky, and the gameplay itself will become new.” There were some staff members that were skeptical of this, and we were even firmly told “NO” by the in-house product evaluation team. Even then, we believed in the concept, completed it, and actually received support from users and fans for the novelty this “revolution in the skies” brought. That [support we received] is proof that the development team carefully examined the vision that lay before them. Without visionaries, there won’t be a good development [period]. Implementing virtual reality is undoubtedly a landmark achievement for the Ace Combat series. When the team tested the final build of the VR component, what were your feelings and thoughts? We realized that this really elevated the fun of Ace Combat, “the experience of a pilot flying and fighting freely in the skies.” We really felt that revolutionizing entertainment shouldn’t be done solely on the software side of things, and that revolution will come from innovation in hardware. We are hoping that many more people get to experience VR. After seeing VR in its completion do you feel as though future Ace Combat titles could utilize VR on a larger scale? It is possible. Despite problems from a business point-of-view. We gained experience in the methods and know-how of how to create an Ace Combat specialized for VR. We’ve said this many times before, but if we were to create an Ace Combat game solely for VR, the storytelling and presentation will be completely different from previous installments. If it’s a product that requires that much effort, there needs to be a correspondingly high demand for it. In the past, you've said you're a fan of the Sukhoi Flanker series of aircraft. That being said, are you living your dream of flying a Su-30 Flanker with AC7 and PSVR? We didn’t include it just to suit my personal tastes. I think the dreams of a lot of fans have been achieved. Am I wrong? (lol) What is the process to translate the game and game materials to other languages like? First of all, we transcribe everything in Japanese. Then we translate those into English, which is then translated into other languages, but in the case of Project ACES, we work on the English wording within the team, and re-check and re-translate military terminology. With the release of Ace Combat 5, the series introduced the map of what would become known as the "Strangereal" World. How early in development did the decision to create an original world arise? For example, did the idea start with Ace Combat 04 development back in the year 2000? “Ulysses” and “a world with craters” were born when I was working as art director for 04. I thought in the Ace Combat world, a world where you look down at the ground from the sky, a “massive symbol” was required. This was to differentiate it from other flight games. At that time, I think instead of “creating a world,” we were focused on “creating a setting where battles between fighter jets are frequent and heroes are more easily made.” Afterwards, I personally named and called it a “Strange Real World.” That turned into “Strangereal” among fans, developed into common language, and thus became a world. A world map in 5 was shown because it was necessary to depict the cross-national war between Osea and Yuktobania. Map of the original world of Ace Combat. On the subject of Strangereal, what are some of your favorite additions from over the years? Any specific countries, characters, original aircraft or events? Hmm, this is a very difficult question. I want to know what’s going on in places like SOTOA where nothing has been talked about yet. (lol) I’ve checked the main stories over and over again, so I love everything equally. Rather, I like the “events not depicted in the main story of Strangereal” that are presented on the Japanese official website or Aces at War. Seeing those things, it really feels like Strangereal actually exists. Were there any original aircraft designs you wanted included in a game, but they were never used? Could you possibly describe any of them or tell us their names? All original aircraft should be included in one title or another. Even the ADA-01B “Adler” which had not been implemented for a long time was added in Ace Combat Infinity. Right now, I feel like there aren’t any [unused aircraft]. In games and books from series' past, there are references to unseen conflicts in the 1900s of Strangereal. Some Ace Combat games featured famous World War II-era aircraft as a part of their aircraft list as well. Has there ever been talk of a making a World War II-era Ace Combat game using propeller-driven aircraft? Even now, Producer Shimomoto frequently proposes ideas. We definitely have staff that want to make one within the development team. However, we, Project ACES is a much smaller team than what you imagine. We have our hands full with just 7 and the season pass. Another game by Project Aces, Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, features wind and minor clouds in its gameplay. Did these mechanics have an influence in the early development of Ace Combat 7? There are no direct influences. The clouds and wind phenomenon seem the same, but the way of implementing things via “setting the concept’s focal point” and “adding features” varies greatly. In the case of setting the concept’s focal point, conforming to the concept affects the game system, scenarios, presentation, multiplayer, and everything else. The blueprint becomes something totally different. This is a feeling particular to [game] development, so it might be hard to put into words. Throughout the years the Project Aces team has interacted with the Japanese Self Defense Forces in many ways. Have you had any memorable experiences involving the JSDF? Have they taken you for a flight in one of their aircraft? Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to ride in one, but some development staff has sat in the cockpit of one their aircraft. We’re always so grateful for their cooperation when we collect data, but the most memorable experience was that they went out of their way to line up F-15s and F-2s at Matsushima and Nyutabaru Air Bases for the Ace Combat 7 exhibits. I was extremely moved on how the people on the bases came together to promote our work. Has your vision for Ace Combat 7 come alive with the game’s release? I don’t think everything has been fulfilled. There are probably users who weren’t satisfied. However, I think we have definitely moved the series forward. After experiencing 7’s skies, “the sensation of the sky” in previous works should feel like there is something missing. The fact that we were able to go one step beyond that ambient sense and revolutionize [the game] by appealing to the human senses makes me think that my vision has been achieved. Our final question: How would you describe your journey with this franchise as it has evolved? I feel like I’ll be like Mihaly soon. People like Producer Shimomoto, [VR] Producer Tamaoki, and Trigger and his allies have appeared. The times will change. I want to stand in their way as an obstacle that must be crossed and surpassed. We would like to thank you for this interview and meeting with our interviewer at PAX South. Thank you for everything you and the Project Aces team has done to create the Ace Combat series and continue moving it ever forward. ​ The original Japanese interview can be found here . About the Translator TaskForce 23 // Japanese to English Translation 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. [Profile]

Our interview with Ace Combat Brand Director Kazutoki Kono at PAX South 2019 was originally scheduled for Tokyo Game Show in 2018, but under went a rescheduling due to unforeseen circumstances. The questions presented in this interview were gathered from various members and staff from Project: Lighthouse during the lead up to the convention, along with questions that were created onsite at PAX South. We give our special thanks to Bandai-Namco US community specialist Dmitryi Khlynin for assisting with the rescheduling of this interview. This interview is available in English and ​日本語 thanks to TaskForce23 who also assisted Ace Combat Fan in his  interview with Kazutoki Kono. エースコンバット７: スカイズ・アンノウンの発売おめでとうございます。ゲーム発売の週末に来てくれて驚きました。テキサス州のサンアントニオに来て、ファンに直接会ってくれてありがとうございました。 PAX Southをどう思いましたか？こんなにたくさんフライトスーツを着ているファンがいるのにびっくりしましたか？ とても驚きましたよ。(笑)日本ではなかなか見られない光景です。ACE COMBATのファンであることを全身で表現していて、すごく嬉しかったです。 エースコンバット７が生でPAX会場にプレーされていたことの感想は？ 今回は、マルチプレイとVRを出展しました。マルチプレイは「どういう遊ばれ方をしているのだろう？」と気にかけて何度もブースで見守っていました。デイリーランキングの1位が毎日、コミュニティのメンバーだったので笑いました。 PAX会場で行われたようなイベントは日本にもありましたか？ 日本のイベント開催数はそれほど多くありません。対照的にPAXは北米で数か所にわたって年間を通して行われるイベントで、また「本当のゲームファン」が集まり、コミュニティやファンが中心になっている力強いイベントでした。日本と北米のイベントの在り方の違い、目指すべきお手本としてとても興味深かったです。 7に登場するスペア部隊は懲罰部隊で、エースコンバットシリーズの中でもとても一意的な存在となっています。「罪線」を使って、犯した罪の重さを示すコンセプトは目立ちました。どうしてこのような部隊を使うことにしたのですか？ エースコンバットのシナリオを考えて行く際に、プレイヤーが「なんという呼称で敵と味方に知られるか？」というのが１つの大切な要素です。今回の場合、デザイン的なシンボルとして、「尾翼に爪痕」があるのはどうだろう？と考えました。それが、「斜線の取り消し線」となり、「罪線」という設定に進む中で、同時にシナリオもこれまでとは違った境遇にプレイヤーを置いてみたい。というコンセプトが生まれ、双方が一致する形で誕生しました。 絵画:「スカイズ・アンノウン」について。ご存知でしょうが、人は絵を見て色々なメッセージや意味を見つけますが、河野さんはこれを見てどんなことが頭に浮かびますか？ 僕は、「このような絵にしてください」という指示をした身ですので、込められた意味を全て知ってしまっています。(笑)ただ、民族、国家を超えて理想郷ともいえる世界を目指すということの尊さ、またそれは『絵』では実現できるが、現実ではなかなか実現できないということを考えます。 絵画: スカイズ・アンノウン 7のメインストーリーとは関係ないですが、エースコンバット04とエースコンバット5のアーケードモードの英雄、メビウス1がPlaystation VRのミッションにまた登場します。Project Acesの皆さんはこの象徴的な主人公の再導入にどう感じました？ 最初は、わざわざ本当に「十数年前の主人公を再び借り出す必要があるのか？」と疑問はありました。「ファンの方々の夢を壊してしまうのではないか？」という恐怖もありました。最終的にスタッフの熱意の強さに「任せてみよう」と決断しました。結果として、ファンの方々も喜んでくださったので素晴らしいと感じています。 メビウス1と一緒に飛んでいる仲間たちは彼の過去の成果に自信がなさそうですね。 「故老」はすきではないと言うやつもいました。元英雄になんという言葉遣い！どうしてメビウス1への態度が変わったのでしょうか？ ACE COMBAT 7のテーマの１つに「旧時代から新時代への狭間」があります。メビウス1もその波には抗えません。しかしながら、皆さんのプレイによって、彼は再び英雄であることを周囲に認めさせました。その行動自体が我々のメッセージです。 河野さんはエースコンバット7を開発している間、Project Acesの最大の功績とは何だと思いますか？ 新しいメンバー、新しい体制で挑戦的な開発を行い、大きな苦労を乗り越えて成果を出したことです。「雲」の表現１つとってもそうです。『「雲」によって、天候、気流が加わり、空の環境が革新されて、ゲームプレイそのものが新しくなる。』このことに懐疑的なスタッフもいましたし、実際に社内での製品評価チームにも「NO」を突き付けられました。それでもコンセプトを信じて完成させて、実際にユーザー、ファンの皆さんから『空の革新』がもたらす新しさに支持を得たこと。それは、開発チームがキチンと半歩先のビジョンをみて開発を続けた証拠になります。ビジョナリストなしには良い開発はありません。 バーチャルリアリティーをエースコンバットに導入できたことは画期的な成果で間違いないです。完成したVRモードをテストした時、Project Acesの皆さんの気持ちや思いはどんなものでしたか？ これはエースコンバットの原点的な楽しみ、「空を自由飛んで闘うパイロットの体験」の根底を格上げさせるものだと気づきました。エンターテイメントの革新はソフト側だけで行うことではなく、ハードの革新性によって飛躍的に高まるということを実感しました。もっとVRを体験する人が増えて欲しいと我々は願っています。 VRモードの完成を見たとき、将来のエースコンバットにもっと大きな規模にVRを用いることができると思いましたか？ 可能ですね。ビジネス的な課題、問題はあるにせよ。VRに特化したACE COMBATの制作のメソッド、ノウハウは溜まりました。何度もお話していますが、VR専用のACE COMBATを制作する場合は、ストーリーテリングも、演出も全て従来とは違ったものになります。それだけの大規模な作品であれば、それ相応の受け皿が必要ですね。 河野さんは前にSukhoi社の飛行機がお気に入りだと言ったことがありますが、Su-30をエースコンバット7のVRモードで飛べることができて夢が叶ったのでは？ 僕の個人的な趣味で収録したわけではありません。多くのファンの夢を叶えたと思っています。違いますか？(笑) ゲームやゲームの資料を英語や他の語言に通訳するときはどんな手順を取るのですか？ 先ずは日本語で全て書き起こします。それを英語化して、そこから各国の言語に翻訳していくのですが、Project ACESの場合、英語化されたものをチーム内で言い回しや、ミリタリー用語の再チェック、再翻訳を行っています。 エースコンバット5の発売で、シリーズは初めて「ストレンジリアル」と名付けられる世界の地図を紹介しました。開発のいつ頃から別世界を生み出すと決めたのですか？もしかしてエースコンバット04が開発が行われていた2000年頃からですか？ 僕がアートディレクターを務めた04で「ユリシーズ」と「クレーターのある世界」が誕生しました。僕は空から地表を見下ろすこの世界、ACE COMBATの世界には「巨大なシンボル」が必要だと考えました。それは他のフライトゲームとの差別化です。その時は「世界を生み出す」というより、「より戦闘機同士の闘いや、英雄が作りやすくなる設定を作る」だったと思います。その後、Strange Real Worldという名称で個人的に発信していました。それがファンの間で「ストレンジリアル」となって共通言語化し、世界となったのです。5での世界地図の公開は、オーシアとユークトバニアの国家間戦争を描くため必要になったのです。 ストレンジリアル 河野さんは「ストレンジリアル」の中の好みな国、登場人物、オリジナル機体や出来事はありますか？ うーん、非常に難しい質問ですね。まだ語られていないSOTOAとかで何が起こっているのか知ってみたいです。(笑)僕は、本編は何度も何度もチェックを重ねるので、すべてが平等に愛おしくなってしまっています。むしろ個人的には日本の公式ページや、ACES  at WARで発表されている「ストレンジリアルの世界で起こっていた本編で描かれていない出来事」が好きですね。あれらを見ると、より、ストレンジリアルの世界は実在するような気がしてきます。 オリジナル機体をゲームに含みたかったけれど、出来なかったことはありますか？もしあればその機体の名前やデザインのことを話せますか？ オリジナル機体自体は、全て何れかのタイトルに収録されているはずです。長年、実装されていなかったADA-01B”ADLER”もACE COMBAT INFINITYにて収録されましたし。今のところは存在しない気がします。 シリーズ過去のゲームや資料にはストレンジリアルの1900年代に起こった戦争や紛争が言及されています。有名な第二次世界大戦の戦闘機が登場したエースコンバットもあります。第二次世界大戦頃のプロペラ機をつかったエースコンバットゲームを開発する談話があったことはありましたか？ 今も下元プロデューサーからちょくちょく提案されます。開発の中にも作りたいというスタッフはいますね。ただ、僕らProject ACESは皆さんが想像するよりも小さな開発チームです。7とシーズンパスで手一杯ですね。 Project Acesが他にも開発したゲーム、Sky Crawlers: innocent Acesは立体っぽい雲や風が飛行機を動かす機能が含まれていました。この機能はエースコンバット7の初期開発に影響をあたえましたか？ 直接的な影響はないです。雲も風も、同様の現象ではありますが、「コンセプトの軸に据える」という考えと、「機能を追加する」では作り込む方向が全く異なります。軸に据えた場合は、それに準じてゲームシステム、シナリオ、演出、マルチプレイと全てに影響を及ぼします。設計図は全く違うものになるのです。これは開発的な感覚なので上手く言語化できていないかもしれませんね。 Project Acesのチームは日本自衛隊と色々かかわっていますが、自衛隊との忘れられない経験とかありますか？ 航空自衛隊の飛行機に乗ったことはありますか？ 残念ながら私は乗ったことがないのですが、開発スタッフの何人かは、コクピットに搭乗しています。我々の取材へのご協力にはいつも大変感謝していますが、最も印象的だったのは、松島基地や新田原基地など、ACE COMBAT 7の出展に際して、わざわざ本物のF-15やF-2を並べてくれたことです。基地の方々が一致団結して我々の作品を盛り上げてくださって、すごく感動しました。 ゲームが発売してから、河野さんのエースコンバット7のビジョンは叶ったと思いますか？ 全てが叶ったとは思いません。賛成できないユーザーもいらっしゃるでしょう。しかしながら、我々は確実にシリーズを前進させました。7の空を体験した後に、過去作の空を飛んだなら、「空の感触」に物足らなさを感じるはずです。そういう、臨場感より一歩踏み込んだ、人間の感覚に訴える革新ができたことは、ビジョンが叶ったと考えています。 最後の質問です。このシリーズが進化していく中、河野さんの「旅」はどのようなものですか？ 僕はそろそろミハイかと。下元Pや玉置Pなどトリガーたちが現れました。時代は変わっていきます。彼らの障害として、越えなければならない存在として立ち塞がりたいと思っています。 Project: Lighthouseはこのインタビューに参加し、PAX Southで私たちの会見者と会ってくれた河野さんに感謝を告げます。あなたとProject Acesの皆さんがエースコンバット    シリーズを生み出し、それを進歩し続けてくださって本当にありがとうございます。

Mind Melting Air Combat, Soviet Future Punk Monster Slaying Hey howa’ doin, FlyAwayNow here again, bringing you Q and As from the cold dystopian Soviet flavored future past and simultaneously a bombastic delivery simulator. The line between these two being, of course, aerial combat. In one: the enemy is rebellion and monstrous manifestations of creatures more horrible yet than all of the imagery of Christian reckoning. In the other? Drones and dragons and the g-force itself. We are surrounded by radical dreamers in this genre, building brick by brick new games that bring this genre of arcade flight action, in its wide gradient, to its gameplay ends of explosive, fast-paced, insanity seen only in Touhou or the rebirth of the Boomer Shooter these last few years, or the other side of the Iron Curtain, where order and politics at the End of History are as much of a threat as cancerous beings, bleeding in the streets.  Here are two of those dreamers: Yollie, and Misha, of Delivery Must Complete and Zakon . Delivery Must Complete Website Links: Linktree Who are You? I'm Yoyoyollie, but I prefer people calling me Yollie. If you call me Yoyo, I will stab you. I'm an Australian gamedev who makes games as a hobby and have been doing so for like, 5-ish years now, all for game jams. I've made 29 games as of now, but currently this game is going to be my 30th.... that is, if I don't end up doing (another) jam in the middle of making this one. You might know me from GMTK 2024 (because I was a winner, Pizzascaper, search it up). I'll do my best to make this game with the skills I learnt from making all those.  Why are you making your game and this type of game?  Honestly, the main reason I'm making this game like this is I just feel like I should make a full game by now (lol). A lot of my dev friends are moving from doing jams to making full games and I felt like I should be doing the same, so here I am. This genre in particular because I'm sick and tired of waiting for Ace Combat 8 to release. Though as you might be able to tell, I'm also a big fan of the spectacle of games like Devil May Cry / Ultrakill, plus I also like roguelikes, so I sorta just stuffed all that into the game and it works? What do you want this game to be? I absolutely want this game to be fast paced and action packed, as well as having a ton of build variety and depth in its roguelike elements. I mean, I can't be the only one who found Project Wingman's Conquest mode lackluster, right? As I design the game, I realize I'm deviating a lot from traditional acelike design (by that I mean, basically just Ace Combat and games like it) but it lets me have way more freedom in what I can do with the game, so it's a fair tradeoff. Also, I do not want this game to focus on story as much as Ace Combat does, and the story won't ever be nearly as serious. Instead, I want to dedicate all that into the gameplay, because I think a fun game is more important.  29 Game Jams and games is a lot, what’s your secret? Doing jams is really fun and somewhat addicting, and every time an interesting jam came up I'd join it and give it a shot... which ended up being like, 80 jams (though I only managed to submit to 31). Game jams are just really, really fun to participate in, especially being able to have a game idea and rock out a prototype in a weekend. I LIVE for that adrenaline rush at 2am, an hour before submissions close, finishing and building a game while battling the clock. What’s your background? When did you get started making games? Aside from messing around with scratch when very young, I basically learnt gamedev and programming entirely through game jams. I did originally start gamedev by just straight up following a tutorial series loosely for a month or so, but game jams were what really taught me how to make games. I guess, after practicing making games for jams enough, I just got good at it? Were you surprised by how much traction Delivery Must Complete, then Cloudbreaker, got when you shared it for the first time? Not at all, the first time I shared it, it got as much as most of my other twitter posts get. A couple dozen likes and a few retweets (lol). The first reddit post (and later on the first YouTube post) REALLY surprised me though. I literally did not expect the community to have that good of a reaction to the game and was very unprepared for it. Now I’m terrified of filling up the Ace Combat subreddit with posts about Delivery Must Complete instead of Ace Combat (lol). I wonder what the mods will think about that.  This game used to be called Cloudbreaker, and now it’s Delivery Must Complete. What caused the name change? Literally a day or two after I put the game up on Steam, another game that was ALSO called Cloudbreaker got put up. The other game's team had been working on their title for longer than mine at that point, so it was just a pure coincidence we both came up with the same name and published the pages at the same time. Anyways, I decided to change the name of my game so we wouldn't sabotage each other's place on search engines (also it gave me an excuse to get a redesign for the old mediocre logo for the game).  How about inspirations for Delivery Must Complete? You mentioned Ultrakill and Devil May Cry above, but anything else?   The main inspirations for the game are, of course, Ace Combat, Project Wingman, Ultrakill and Devil May Cry. I also took a lot of inspiration from Afterburner, especially the sheer speed and energy it has. I suppose the roguelike elements of the game are heavily inspired by Backpack Hero and Sephiria, with a little bit of Slay The Spire and Hades on the side. The drift and boost in the game were actually inspired by Mario Kart, funnily enough. I don't actually have a Nintendo Switch, I just thought one day, "oh, that could work in a plane game." How long do you think a run in Delivery Must Complete can last? I'm aiming for a full run from an experienced player to last somewhere around 45-60 minutes! There is still a bit of game design that will probably change a lot as I develop the rest of the game though, so it might be longer / shorter by release. What features make your roguelike experience the way it is? The biggest feature is the upgrade grid system. It ’s difficult to explain through text and it’s still WIP but it allows players to customize and improve on practically every aspect their weapons and aircraft throughout a run. Much deeper than what games like Ace Combat let you do. Aside from that, the fully procedural environments and the Slay The Spire style map are both pretty new to the genre and makes the game feel wildly different between runs. Why’d you decide to go after this crazy aesthetic for DMC? It's more like I really don't wanna do realism and stuff like other acelikes do because it takes too much effort. Plus I'm too lazy to draw any textures. This style means I just have to make a couple shaders here and there, and I'm not restrained by having to make things look feasibly realistic. I mean, I do this sorta similar visual style for a lot of my jam games because it's pretty damn fast, so I'm used to it by now -- its gotten to the point where some people I know can tell that I worked on a game just by looking at the VFX... which might mean I have a unique visual style but might also mean I'm not creative enough. Idk.  You post a lot of new features on your social media, how much more can you possibly have? I'm lucky enough to be working in a genre which already has crazy ass stuff constantly, and I'm designing the game around having a ton of variety in the content. So literally anything. I'll continue showing them off on socials though, making weird content is always very fun to do  I don't want to dig too deep but, what's going on as far as story and characters go in DMC? What are we delivering? The game will have story, characters, but most importantly, planes. No, actually, not that, the most important part of the story is what you're delivering. It's highly confidential but you gotta get it there fast, it tastes way better piping hot! Is it a pizza? No comment. Alright well what's your favorite type of pizza, unrelated to the previous question? Pineapple. Nice. Any closing thoughts or things you want to say? Wishlist the game, RIGHT NOW ON STEAM ( https://devilmayfly.com/ ). PLEASE WISHLIST I BEG YOU. Also join the Discord too if you want. ZAKON Website Links: Itch.io  | Steam  | X.com   | Who are you? My name is Misha (or Mishanya). I'm a regular shmegular software developer who is developing Zakon in my free time. Why are you making your game and this type of game? The origin story of Zakon is related to Ubisoft but not in a way that you would think. During my last year of University, I applied there for an intern or junior dev and got rejected. One of the reasons was that I didn't have a C++ project in my portfolio (which was true). So, I decided to play around with Unreal Engine and have something in my portfolio. Because I didn't know any 3D and especially modelling, I decided to go with the flying game because: A. I always liked the jets IRL and jet & vehicle games. B. It was much easier to do, in comparison with the normal 3D human-characters games. After some time though, the game grew into something much more defined and I decided to try and make it into a real video game. What do you want this game to be? Sadly, I didn't know what direction I wanted to take with Zakon for a fat while. That made a lot of the aspects feel incoherent or not well developed all together. Only somewhere late in the development I was able to shape out what Zakon is and what ideas I want to explore with it. Developing a game, for me, is a way to explore a certain idea or a topic. Usually, I have only one main idea that the whole game is structured upon: from gameplay to the story, UI, sounds, worldbuilding, etc... I've always been fascinated when videogames are using all of the available tools of this media: from the writing and cinematography during the cutscenes, sparkly VFX, gameplay input controls, etc... to the consequences of the player's actions in the world. When everything is being made with the idea of the supporting the main topic. That being said, the main topic of Zakon is "following orders". Especially now, with so many terrible conflicts in the world, we yet again are faced with the arguments surrounding "I was only following orders". It's easy to judge it while being inside our cozy houses, but it's hard to imagine what it's like to actually be a soldier and receive inhumane orders. Of course, if it were only good vs. evil there would be far fewer questions about that, but I think there are a lot of variables that have a great effect in the decision making and even in knowing that the there is a decision to be made. In a way, Zakon is just a tool to explore that. Through the game the player will have questionable mission objectives and it's up to the player to decide what to do with them. Not knowing that you can disobey is already a part of this conversation. You complete the orders? Great! The UI is going crazy in the affirmation of your actions and here, have some cool new shiny upgrades that are fun to use. You accidentally helped the protestors? Careful, your Social Score has been decreased and who knows what happens when it goes too low? Better keep it high and healthy. And the people and the officers are shaming you? Not good. You helped to stop the protests? Yay, people are cheering and happy, right? They must be happy if they are cheering? I don't want to sound all this artsy-housy pretentious guy. I'm not trying to hide it under layers of deep meanings. On the contrary, I just think we kinda lack some simple games with silly gameplay and a topic that is somewhat easy to access and digest. What are some inspirations for Zakon? I've been thinking about it for a lot but honestly, I don't think that there are many inspirations. Obviously, I take a lot of visual inspiration from Evangelion, Gundam, old PS2/PS1 games. But nothing in particular. The most "influential" were real events, such as protests in Belarus and in Russia. In both countries, after the big protests and the start of the war, there was a trend of policemen burning their uniform on video. Some of them got arrested and are still in jail AFAIK. I would say this is one of the big questions that I want to explore and maybe find an answer to in Zakon. Zakon can be a bit intimidating to get into, so, just for a short summary, what is the world of Zakon? The world of Zakon is somewhat based on the real world which had quite a few historical turns during the 19th century.  The game takes place in the capital of a country called Krasnogorie. It's an exaggerated high-tech world with old problems. I often find myself calling it "futuristic soviet punk" to give it a simple and short explanation. I've played Zakon, and it's not exactly the easiest, or most traditional of "flight" games. Do you intend it to be a harder experience? Yes, that's one of the biggest hurdles of Zakon. There is a lot to this question, but ultimately it comes down to the trade-offs of what I want from the game and what a player will experience.  From a conceptual point of view, Zakon is on the harder side: Much more dense map Non-trivial navigation Big boss fights Due to the high density of the city, I had to modify the controls to the extreme in comparison with other flight games. However, this led to a lot of frustration for the players because it doesn't feel right at the beginning. Especially if they have little experience with flight games. I received a lot of feedback from the demo about it, tried a bunch of different methods, but sadly I couldn't get anything to work properly to give the same feeling and level of control. But also there is another big point to it - my abilities. The game is clearly unpolished and lacking some of the basic QOL features. Buuuut I'm still relatively new to game development and due to the lack of experience I might not even know how to make something feel better.  That being said, the game fundamentally has a level of difficulty which I wanted. I will work on improving it and adding QOL features but I doubt I will make it easier, hopefully less frustrating though. How much farther do you have to go in development before 1.0? Ah, the famous question... And the famous answer is - hopefully not a lot. All the main things are more or less completed: all the missions are done, most of the cutscenes are done, the main systems are done, etc... So, the roadmap would be something like: Finish all the endings Improve QOL Localization UI fixes Sound fixes OST coherence Fix what needs to be fixed Balance changes Performance optimization Any closing thoughts or things you want to say? Thank you for the opportunity to speak about Zakon . I really feel grateful that my little game could bring so much attention. I appreciate everybody for their support and thank you to all who played the demo. I did not expect myself to be an indie developer and definitely did not expect Zakon to reach this level. I'm enjoying the ride and, with all the flying games that are being baked right now, am excited about the future of this genre. And remember: war bad, jets rad . About the Interviewer Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen Artwork by alice (@atrousyolks) Producer, writer, incidentally personified online as a rooster. One of the three main developers of Project Wingman and now working across the board on several other combat flight videogames, audioplays, podcasts, and books. Advocate for indie creators, fanfiction, and critical analysis of what you love. [ Bluesky  / Linkedin  / X.com ]

The rarest forms of flight in VRChat aviation Welcome to the first article in a new series, VRChat Aviation Journal. This series will be focused on discussing sets of VRChat Aviation (VRCA) worlds tied to a similar theme. We are creating this series to increase awareness of VRChat worlds and their world creators beyond a few dedicated articles on specific experiences. There is no denying that to the casual onlooker, fixed wing fighters locked in air-to-air combat is the default experience of VRChat Aviation (VRCA). Rightfully so. If you were to gather all of the worlds that use the Sacc Flight prefab to make flight possible in VRChat, it is probably not an exaggeration to say that at least 80% of them are combat focused. On the General Aviation (GA) side of things, most of those worlds are about airliners, smaller fixed-wing passenger aircraft and helicopters. In this article, I discuss a few of the smallest subsect of GA worlds: airships and gliders. The list is short but distinguished. I would like to thank fellow Skyward Flight Media staff members ' Cubeboy ' and ' Hueman ' for their assistance in flying these aircraft with me and providing the screenshots within this article. Just Airship by Tobiuo Up until recently, airships in VRChat have existed in name only. Just static objects that give the illusion of being in an airship. Really more of an object shaped like an air balloon permanently hanging in the sky. Just Airship  by Tobiuo (とびうお)  finally changed this by giving players a hands-on airship experience. This world was released on June 21st, 2025, and if the fantastic promotional video did not win me over, visiting in person certainly did. It is set around the experience of traveling from island to island to view them from above or land to explore them on foot. Island houses, a crashed container ship, a windfarm, large beaches and other landmarks await. While in transit, even whales can be observed traversing the ocean. This is very much a sightseeing world. The colorful airships in this gleaming archipelago are the stars of it all. While sitting in the back of the cabin, looking out the window, I felt myself physically unwind. The airships are flown with VR controllers or keyboard and mouse. They use standard Sacc Flight controls though they are so unusual compared to other aircraft, it takes a bit to understand how to properly ascend and descend correctly. The airship can come to a hover to slowly descend or ascend with nearly zero forward movement. This capability allows the airship to land in relatively secluded areas. Something especially useful on the islands and other landmarks scattered throughout the world. While you will not see airships flying at the speed of sound, they can travel around the speed of an ultra-light aircraft. At time its feels as though, the airship is moving a bit faster than most real-world airships, but not so fast there is a danger of not being able to enjoy the finer details of the world. The world creator tuned the experience to be accessible for people that may be unsure how exactly and airship flies, while also letting people master its slow speed characteristics over time. The flight deck, which has an eye bleeding amount of detail, seats up to six people with the pilot is in full control of this aerostat aircraft. There is an impressive array of flight instruments available, at least in terms of what you would expect from an airship. While Just Airship  by Tobiuo (とびうお) does have first person view drones and a helicopter with a rather impressive gyro-stabilized multi-axis gimbal housing an observation camera, it truly is the airship that makes the experience. Test Pilots by Sacchan Test Pilots is the birthplace of VRChat aviation. This world was created by Sacchan , the solo developer of the free to download Sacc Flight and Vehicles prefab ; the "seed" that has made an entire generation of aviation possible in VRChat. Test Pilots is often the introduction for new players to see what is possible with aviation on the VRChat platform. Since April 2020, the Test Pilots world was the first VRCA world and to this day continues to be the most visited world in the entire genre with over 15 million visits as of the time of this article's release. We have written about this pioneering world in detail, but its primary draw is the variety of aircraft and other vehicles it provides in a single experience. On September 14th, 2025, Sacchan added a new air vehicle to the experience: a Hot Air Balloon. The Test Pilots Hot Air Balloon does not rely on the familiar control scheme that the fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft in the world utilize. The balloon gains lift with its burner cluster mounted above the passenger platform and pilot seat. When turned on, the burners gradually increase the altitude of the balloon. Players that are standing on the platform are carried aloft even when not in the pilot seat. Synchronization issues make avatars seem as though they are clipping through the platform, making photos while standing on the platform a bit awkward. But it is functional. Rather than use the tried-and-true control method of SaccFlight, the flight direction of the balloon is controlled by a wind controller - a first for a SaccFlight vehicle. While in the pilot seat, players use their left-hand Touch Controller while holding the lower button to show a small blue arrow which shows the direction of wind. Rotating this arrow by moving an arm to the left or right will change the direction of the wind and the direction the balloon will fly. That sounds rather 'normal' when you think about it in terms of how airships actually operate, but for VRChat aviation it is an entirely new concept. I can appreciate this new effort towards a more realistic hot air balloon experience. The only real "problem" here is avatar synchronization, but that is pretty minor. Also, that may even be a temporary issue as Sacchan has done a few interesting updates to solve similar issues. Let's see where Test Pilots by Sacchan this goes in the next few weeks. Primary Gliders by JagaimoSkull While most world creators were pushing the boundaries of world distances, innovating new aircraft functions and adding as many aircraft as possible, JagaimoSkull went against 'the wind current' so to speak to create the Primary Gliders world. Back in February 2022, this world creator stripped away the excess from the standard VRChat aviation experience at the time to provide what is still one of the most distinct flight experiences on the platform even in 2025. The layout of this world is as simple as it gets. Two islands, multiple gliders and the wind. Launching from the side of a hill, players must figure out the wind currents around the island to remain a loft and climb ever higher. Primary gliders mainly saw use in the 1920s and 1930s when aviation was still a relatively new concept. These gliders were an inexpensive way to learn how to fly and to fly recreationally. Seeing such an old form of aviation available in VRCA is respectable. JagaimoSkull made a compromise since players cannot physically feel the updrafts and wind currents. A button toggle to also show the updrafts in the world as colored blocks in the sky is also in the world to let those that may not quite understand this concept to better visualize how they should be flying these gliders. This type of flying is very unusual and crashing multiple times before consistently succeeding is an inherent part of the experience. Players that gain a good understanding of how to fly these aircraft can even gain a surprising amount of altitude above the wind-swept hill or glide across to the second island that seems too far away for these oversized kites with a seat. Despite being released over three years ago there are very few other worlds that have incorporated gliders in a meaningful way. A further testament to how far off the beaten path Primary Gliders by JagaimoSkull this type of experience is. Skyward Night Flight by Cubeboyy Skyward Night Flight  is the third world from Cubeboyy , co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. This tropical themed world set to a calm night features beach equipment for relaxing, a floating dock for social gathering, a media player for watching videos and listening to music and other 'social hangout' related design choices. Of the two aircraft available, the ASK 21 sailplane is featured. Though this world was released on March 30th, 2025, the ASK 21 under Cubeboyy's direction has been one of the most high-profile sailplanes in VRChat aviation since January 2023. This glider has performed in multiple airshows in cooperation with The Black Aces. Large crowds of 80+ users were able to fly these gliders after each event, getting a limited time experience with a glider. For a time, it was the only frequently observed glider in VRChat aviation. As of 2025 it appears in two publicly accessible worlds. This iteration of the ASK 21 is a solid representation of what the modern glider experience in VRChat is like. It is both easy to fly in long-term unpowered flight and is capable of performing limited aerobatic maneuvers if the pilot is skilled enough and knows how to smartly deploy its stowed electric powered engine. The two-seat ASK 21 in this permanent night setting lends itself to the slower going night vibe relaxation. When players activate their battery powered engine for self-launch, their instruments show battery charge represented by green, yellow and red indicator light. The battery onboard is realistically shorter, as it is not meant to be relied on for extended flight operations. Upon take off players eyes are naturally drawn to what looks like upward moving streaks of air. These are the updrafts that gliders rely on for extended flight times, visualized in a thematic way that fits the setting. Rather than spiraling cloud-like wisps as seen in Skyward Island Resort, Skyward Night Flight seemingly asks players to ride moonlight. While other glider worlds incorporate wind and updrafts, with there being little to no indications, players usually need to rely solely on instruments like Varios to potentially find these updrafts. By providing a minor visual reference players are able to "get to the gliding experience faster". Once at a safe altitude and ideally within an updraft area, the Vario and speed indicator become the most important instruments. In airshows the ASK 21 has done formation breaks, barrel rolls, loops and hammerheads. Experienced glider pilots can also keep the sailplane aloft for well over an hour without ever coming down to land. Skyward Night Flight  by Cubeboyy  is one of the most accessible glider experiences in VRChat aviation to date. Small Island Beta 3 by Builder_1 Released somewhat quietly on October 14th, 2023, Small Island Beta 3 by Builder_1 is technically still in development despite its world creator moving onto projects focused on air demonstration teams and airshow flying. The world's setting is at a somewhat sizeable regional airport. The flight line features many types of unflyable aircraft and undriveable cars to fill out the scene between the hangars, support buildings and air traffic control tower. The world has a day and night cycle that feels natural. That is to say that the sun and moon don't scream by every 5 minutes for the sake of pushing the gimmick. Of the aircraft that can be flown, there are four Alisport Silent 2 Electro gliders. The cockpits of these gliders feature a limited function LX Navigation Zeus system showing the positions of other aircraft while in flight. A pretty handy feature in a busy airspace. Few aircraft in VRChat aviation, including most representations of fourth and fifth generation fighters, have a type of situational awareness display like this. These sailplanes are able to self-launch with their nose mounted front electric sustainer identified as the ENGINE function in the Sacc Flight function dials. When activated the propellers fold out from the nose of the aircraft and produce thrust. Players will need to taxi their gliders to the runway to gain enough airspeed to lift off, as the sustainer motor is only powerful enough to allow for a long takeoff roll with a very shallow climb to altitude before beginning gliding. While in flight and at a safe altitude, the sustainer can be shutoff with the propellers folding back into the nose of the aircraft. When this world was first released the gliders did not have updrafts / windzones. Something that was not obvious from the start. The glider experience was difficult because of this with many people relying on using the engine to fly them as you would normal aircraft with very short periods of gliding in-between. That being said, the experience was not great for gliding from day one. I have a memory of thinking the gliders were great while under their own power, then the experience immediately becoming rather difficult the moment the FES was shut off. On February 10th, 2024, the world creator pushed a sizeable update that did include an updraft system and a toggle to make the updraft zones visible as solid blocks, similar to the Primary Gliders world. The glider experience dramatically improved with the electro gliders still retaining very high battery capacity making long-term sustained flight with the engine activated very easy. Players not too accustomed to how gliders operate may find having ample engine power available appealing. These days Small Island Beta 3 by Builder_1 is now a decent glider experience. ドラード砂漠海岸 -Dourado Desert Coast- by Yakisaba dayo With both player vs player combat focused worlds and non-combat GA worlds, Yakisaba Dayo has established a reputation for themselves as a reliable VRChat aviation world creator. On October 13th, 2025, they released an unusual dusk dipped desert world with a rather ambitious pair of features centered around gliders. ドラード砂漠海岸 -Dourado Desert Coast- features biplanes, a single seat trainer with instructions on how to fly aircraft built into the cockpit and the JAG Assets JGT-21 glider. The newest glider for sale on BOOTH designed with VRChat in mind. The features listed on the JGT-21 product page include a winch and tow launch system based on the Sacchan Grapple System and an experimental script for thermals (rising air currents). The pilot of the glider has two dial functions for attaching their glider to either a tow truck with immensely high horsepower or any of the other propeller driven aircraft in the world. In the case of the truck, the tow vehicle should gear up to maximum speed with the cable either being detached by the pilot once maximum altitude is achieved or the cable breaks on its own. With a tow aircraft players will be following the same lift off and gradual climb sequence followed by real world gliders. Both tow capable aircraft have low engine power, making the process to gain altitude a slower, more deliberate process. While in flight the JGT-21 has a clean dash of instruments providing the necessities for navigating and remaining airborne. This glider is not highly aerobatic but is stable for longer flight sessions. The experimental thermal system, while interesting in concept, does need a bit more testing. After a few flights it was difficult to reliably find thermals leaving most flights to rely on high altitude than thermals to remain aloft. However, if that system can be refined, having an easy to access thermal script for gliders along with a glider that can be easily purchased from BOOTH, there is a potential for other world creators to start experimenting with including gliders in their future projects. ドラード砂漠海岸 -Dourado Desert coast-  by Yakisaba Dayo occupies an unusual space in terms of VRChat glider operations. Unlike all other current worlds which rely on different methods to self-launch the gliders, this world relies on having at least two people in an instance to get a glider airborne. On one hand this requires players to either bring friends or be social with others to get airborne. On the other hand, this experience of multiple people working together to get an aircraft airborne is yet again another sort of "only in VRChat" experience. With the process of aligning aircraft and tow vehicles, coordinating the flight path to gain altitude and decoupling the aircraft mid-flight is all done by humans with no in-game assists. While it is highly unlikely that gliders will suddenly take up the "airspace" in VRChat, there does seem to be potential for them to appear in freely accessible worlds and further airshows in 2026. 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 ]

Thoughts on the limited time demo I can finally say that after flying and sliding through the sprawling city of Daevos, from its tightest roads to its open skies, I feel optimistic about G-Rebels  by Reakktor Studios .  Timeline Reakktor announced the start of development of G-Rebels on October 8th, 2024, on social media with an announcement teaser posted on YouTube. On June 24th, 2025, access keys for closed playtests of the work in progress game were distributed. While the demo is set to appear at in Indie Area, Hall 10.2 at Gamescom 2025 in August, the demo appeared briefly on Steam from July 24th to July 31st, 2025. This limited time demo using the still in development alpha build of the game came as a part of the Games Forged in Germany  Steam sale and showcase event. Since 2022, this event organized by Games Germany  promotes developers, publishers and studios headquartered in Germany. The development team has stated that the main point of the demo besides an introduction to the world is presenting what they have for art style, controls, gunplay, UI/UX and flight physics. They are ready and waiting for direct feedback in their Discord server. The World G-Rebels takes place on Earth in the year 2684 after it was almost completely flooded by catastrophic events. Floating megacities were created by survivors with these city-states competing for remaining natural resources. In this dystopian world the player flies a prototype X-Type Skyblade as a part of an elite unit in Daevos, the capital city of the Okktane Empire. The player's job is to ensure law and order while the events of the story unfold. G-Rebels is being advertised as an open world game with a 12,000 square kilometer map. With this in mind players could fly from city to city in real time. There are a few far off buildings in places outside of the sector players can explore in the demo. Not all of them look like the amazing mega cities, so it does make you wonder what else is out there. According to the ending video of the July 2025 demo besides Daevos there are at least three other cities that will be seen. Preview video at the end of demo. I have longed for more open world flight games since I first played one back in 2011, so this is a feature of the game I am especially excited for. When trying a demo, it is always good to approach it levelheaded with a bit of a critical eye to see what exactly the product is providing thus far. The gameplay mechanics and the finer details of the player's experience are the most important part of any demo, but, man, it was hard not to be dazzled by the visuals. The city sprawling out in front of you after taxiing out of a hangar was impactful. The sped-up day and night cycle with occasional thunderstorm looks amazing in the visual feast of the city. Even the emptier parts of the city still buzz with enough land traffic, air traffic and ambient lights and noise to drive home the packed mega-city atmosphere. Acknowledging Kindred Before I bring this up, I want to state that G-Rebels is presented as a standalone title not directly tied to any other games. It should stand on its own identity and its own merits. That being said, for those that do remember it, there was a was a pair of games on the Sony PlayStation 1 back in the late 1990s with a similar name. Known as G-Police , that two-part series also had themes of futuristic corporations and nations wielding great political and military power as they competed for resources and influences across different planets. In those games, players were members of a type of colonial police force while events of that story unfolded. The comparison to the PlayStation 1 games has been made time and time again in comments, so I wanted to state that for the record. However, as someone that played the aforementioned games and G-Rebels, I feel like there is not a heavy reliance on the identity of the old IP to help this new game define itself. Demo Overview There are two mandatory multi-part missions where they meet characters and get a better understanding of how this world works. The basics of flying their Skyblade is taught as a test flight before players get taken on patrol with an Okktane agent. They search for and destroy deviant synthetic individuals who are hostile towards humanity for reasons yet unknown. More capabilities of the Skyblade are unlocked as the story proceeds as a way to not overwhelm players with an extensive tutorial from the moment the demo starts. After those planned missions, players can wander Daevos taking on a few optional tasks. Like getting equipment upgrades, air racing and visiting organizations across the city. Some locations are unavailable in the demo but will be important in the full game. Flight Model My main goal of interacting with the G-Rebels demo is to get answers about its flight model. It is definitely not a game where you should expect common flight physics similar to your favorite combat aircraft games. The Skyblade players use have a reaction control system (RCS) similar to that on a spacecraft and an anti-gravity system that lets them hover effortlessly. These two factors made me consider the flight model more akin to six degrees of freedom model found in space flight game or sim. However, the Skyblade is operating in an atmosphere so you would think momentum and energy that would come with a large craft moving at high speed through the air is still a factor somehow. I was intrigued in the mix of flight mechanics that could be at play in G-Rebels. After a decent amount of time flying in combat and zooming recklessly through the buildings and streets of Daevos, I was satisfied with the decision of the developer. Most notable was how the RCS is best used. The Skyblade can be flown without relying on the RCS at all if desired, but using it in a way more akin to a rudder on a traditional aircraft yielded some interesting results. While a traditional aircraft would use rudder inputs to coordinate their turns for more efficient horizontal maneuvers, the Skyblades seem to fly most efficiently in every flight regime by coordinating RCS controls. Flying without consciously coordinating can cause situations where the nose of the craft is pointed in the desired direction of flight while a majority of its momentum is continuing forward, gradually changing direction as the main thruster follows the nose of the craft. Instead, using RCS to counter the momentum can greatly lessen the somewhat uncontrolled drift. At low speeds or near hover, the RCS is helpful for maneuvering in a small space while engaged in combat or to make minute adjustment while in forward flight. A small amount of speed can be lost by having the craft move a bit vertically or horizontally to evade an obstruction while continuing at full thrust in one direction, rather than losing a large amount of speed maneuvering the entire Skyblade off of its axis of travel. Combat near Daevos city. Initially I tried to engage in combat relying mostly on hovering with rapid movements, but I quickly learned this would lead to the energy shields and armor of the craft to be diminished. The enemies players fight against are decently mobile and the areas that combat happened in are much larger than players probably expect. Engaging in brief close-range combat, then powering away to engage from a distance or evade to recover shield power is a valid tactic. Also, moving at higher speeds does effectively reduce the accuracy of enemy attacks and reduce the chance of being swarmed while taking full advantage of the battle space. I think I was expecting a flight model where the craft in G-Rebels seemingly weighed nothing and would effortlessly change direction with just the flick of a single stick. I expected that type of deeply arcade style combat to be something more akin to a fast paced first person shooter. Where fast, twitchy movements in a relatively small area would define combat. Instead, there were a few more layers to it. I appreciate that. Suggestions As far as hardware support goes, the demo includes a somewhat rough ability to support head trackers via TrackIR. The current head position with the in-game pilot model causes a few more problems than its worth, so maybe just disabling the pilot model for easy headtracker use would be advisable. Ironically, while G-Rebels has been shown as a virtual reality capable game via some non-developer supported modifications, the demo is not VR compatible. Though it seems like the developers are now taking this steady interest in VR to heart. The demo can support HOTAS and HOSAS flight gear, though this was added on what could be considered an experimental basis. For the demo we did not try and flight sticks or throttle quadrants since it was not completely prepared for those controllers. While the game is a cockpit focused experience, the external design of the Skyblade X-Type seen in the video cutscenes does seem like it would be a shame to not be seen more often. There is also a set of players that prefer to play flight games like this only in third person view, so the addition of this point of view could be beneficial. I have seen a few suggestions in the official Discord and other places about tweaking the flight model to be more subdued in a few ways, but I hesitate to suggest any major changes to the default version of the flight model. While it feels fine for now, there is an upgrade system in place to encourage players to progress save credits and invest in certain aspects of them. I question if increasing the overall sensitivity of the flight model would be detrimental in the early game in terms of making engine related upgrades unimportant. For now, the flight model seems serviceable. I'd say my overall experience with the demo in this past week was positive. The few complaints I did have were related to the default colors of the heads up display during certain times of day and size of text within the cockpit and in the user interface being slightly too small to read depending on where the text is in the UI, but there were no real low moments in the experience. I'm eager for more! I wonder if Reakktor Studios will have an updated demo for Gamescom 2025... Connect with 'G-Rebels' Discord Facebook Steam Website X.com YouTube About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile ]

One game that I have been keeping my eye on for quite a while has finally left itch.io and is now participating with their very own demo during the ongoing October Steam Next Fest: Hijong Park's Defender Patrol. This retro-inspired sim has been in development by the solo developer, Hijong Park, for at least a year. Originally published to itch.io , this game has seen quite the evolution throughout its development. With its simplistic, retro-inspired art style, the developer was able to focus on what matters most for us flight enthusiasts: gameplay feel and the sensation of flight. This article will focus on the basic aspects of the title, seeing as this is only about the demo available during the October 2025 Steam Next Fest. This build is equivalent to the last version uploaded to the game's itch.io page, so everything said here applies there as well. FLIGHT PHYSICS AND CONTROLS The game feels amazing to fly in VR , especially if you come from games such as VTOL VR and even VRChat's Saccflight flight system. You have physical controls that you can manipulate directly, with physical movement being required to fly. Yaw is done through a twist-stick solution, or otherwise done through pedals, but that is something I could not get working reliably. If you do not have VR, it is playable on flatscreen as well, with TrackIR compatibility. I was personally unable to get my FreeTrack software to work with it, but I have seen that others have been able to without major issues. So, it is a bit hit-and-miss in that regard, for now. My main issue was that I was unable to use controller inputs when I held the cyclic or collective with my VR controls. The moment I let go of either with my VR controllers, I could use my pedals again. I am sure this could be solved through mapping, but I would have to check that out better during the official launch and not the demo. In general, the controls and cockpit interactions are fantastic. I loved the feedback I get when I click on buttons and flip switches . It is very similar to what is considered to be the golden standard of VR cockpit interactivity, VTOL VR, with the addition of having the capability of using physical controls alongside your virtual ones. You have to properly manage your engine torque, collective and apply anti-torque pedal input to control your MD-500. Most forces that you would expect to be present on a simple but realistic flight model are there, which gives the helicopter a tactile and grounded feeling when flying. It is something better experienced by yourself, so I would recommend you try out the demo and get that experience yourself if you have any doubts about the flight model. GAMEPLAY In this aspect, I think the demo overdelivers! It provides a mission generator that is constantly able to put you on interesting scenarios for you to fly in, as well as a full suite of tutorials that are surprisingly easy and fun to go through. Using the weapon systems is very straight forward, as well as entertaining. You have everything from several types of gunpods, rocket pods, ATGMs and even air-to-air missiles; all of which are as easy to operate as you think they are. The most "complex" systems come in the form of the ATGMs, as they also might need assistance from your "co-pilot", which just means you will need to occupy the seat yourself, and use the display available to you as you track the target and guide warheads into foreheads. If you have ever played VTOL VR, then that is the best analog I have to how entertainingly simple everything is. Aside from being solely an offensive platform, you have the capability of carrying door gunners and deployable troops that you can insert as mission-critical assets into an AO. Enemies range between infantrymen, MANPADs, AAA and BTRs , as well as allied assets and artillery pieces. You also have friendly wingmen that you are able to guide, which will follow you and support your attack on objectives. You are also able to customize your loadout from an interactive rearming menu . It gives you the freedom to equip or unequip your gunsight, and replace it with a grease pencil dot, or even just have no gunsight at all. Aside from that capability, you can load your gunner positions, balance your fuel load and even give all your wingmen your loadout! This brings the amount of content and gameplay available on this demo to the same level as the equivalent title's full releases! It is actually kind of amazing to get all of this content just from a demo, and I cannot wait to see what the full game will be like. TRY THIS TITLE OUT! I cannot recommend this demo enough. It allows you to get a solid, non-time constrained look at a very interesting upcoming flight sim. One that does not pride itself on graphical fidelity, but it does on gameplay, content and style. I will be check out the full release and writing about it, too! Be on the lookout for that content. About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

In the current state of VRChat Aviation, it has become increasingly rare for me to find new and exciting experiences that hook me to it like the old worlds used to. With certain authors stopping work on their projects, or others just taking ages with their creative endeavors, finding that one gemstone that outshines the classic worlds is now harder than ever. That was my opinion, at least until I finally found a world worth visiting. Pictures in this article courtesy of VTail64, thank you for your support as always! Straying away from the jets and most conventional flight world themes, White Cliffs; Battle of Britain by Mia is a world that brought back some of those feelings I used to have. Feelings of excitement and the thrill of flight that I missed from a VRChat world. Let's talk about this experience for a bit and how it helped me see the great side of VRC Aviation again. The one clear aspect that defines this world is its time period, which is set during the Battle of Britain in the early stages of World War II. It takes place in what seems to be a miniaturized version of the Straight of Dover, which is part of the English Channel; this miniaturization was done so that the map could fit within the bounds of a regular VRChat world. Plane selection in the world is very much on point for the era. There are two main fighters, the classic Spitfire Mk.1a and the Bf-109E-3, a British twin engine in the form of the Westland Whirlwind, a German bomber in the He-111 and a unique plane in the form of the Fairey Swordfish. Most of the action is usually between the Spitfires and Messerschmitts, but the added variety is very welcome. There is also an additional vehicle, the R-41 Gunboat and an emplaced 40mm Bofors cannon, which is usually in range of most dogfights as long as they are near the harbor area. While these two vehicles could seem to be odd choices, it is hard to not justify their addition. Vehicles like the patrol boat are usually simpler to make in VRC, since the prefabs are not as complicated and a lot of stuff can be carried over from the samples without major modifications. As for the Bofors, the addition of flak rounds was very nice. The aircraft handle wonderfully, with the two highlights being the Spitfire and the BF-109. Both felt extremely responsive, with noticeable torque on takeoff, making piloting them a much more engaging experience. The Spitfire's maneuverability is on point, performing in the way I would from an early-war, elliptical-wing version of the aircraft. It turns beautifully, its engine responds quickly and doesn't leave the pilot wanting for more, aside from its lack of cannons. You have a full set of .303 machine guns, 8 of them in total, that are nothing but peashooters. The BF-109E-3, being an early-war version of the famous Messerschmitt, handles like a dream. Its engine is capable, with a lot of torque, just like the Spitfire's, and its maneuverability is on point. Speaking of maneuverability, I have found that the aircraft might be over-performing just a little when considering that you are fighting an early-war Spitfire with its full elliptical wing. Historically the Bf-109E-3 was able to outclimb both Spitfires and Hurricanes, it lacked just a bit in maneuverability when compared to its contemporary adversaries. You can keep up with Spitfires in almost every turn, and you do much more damage to your adversary thanks to the addition of the wing-mounted 20mm cannons that this version historically carried. Its loadout of two 20mm and two 7.92mm guns leaves you with an advantage in firepower compared to every aircraft in the world, except for the Whirlwind's quad-20mm mounts. All the aircraft are excellent, with their own unique quirks. The 111 has multicrew slots and can unleash its bombs on the British open-air hangars, the Whirlwind feels heavy but packs a punch and the Swordfish is just fun to fly off of the deck of the carrier. Overall, this world is one worth visiting either in public instances or, preferably, with a group of friends. To test this world more thoroughly, I decided to invite some friends to test it together, but I kept the instance open for anyone to join. By the end of the night we had more than a dozen people in the world, and all the aircraft were taken and flying, except for one of the 111s. We all had a blast flying and fighting one another. Give this world a try, you will not regret it. 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 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as the co-founder and writer ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

As someone that collects and plays retro video games as a hobby, the Atari 2600 has a special place in my collection. Something akin to honoring an ancestor. Getting my hands on a physical copy of Dan Kitchen's Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator (1989) for this game console felt like recovering an artifact of simulated aviation. It was rather impressive for a flight game on a second-generation game console. Its development team squeezed out every ounce of hardware performance, even using the game console itself as a controller. To build a perspective of when this game existed, it came out very late in the Atari 2600's life cycle. The Atari 2600 was released in 1977. Its fellow second-generation consoles included the Vectrex, ColecoVision, and Magnavox Odyssey². In 1989, the Nintendo Entertainment System had been around for a few years, and the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis had barely been released in Japan in 1988, with overseas models arriving in mid-1989. And yet, across all of those game consoles, the flight games on them did not pursue simulation as this title did. Most sought to emulate the insanely high speed, pure action titles like After Burner from the busy game arcades of the day. Image source: Atari Mania Rather than take that approach, Dan Kitchen's F-14 Tomcat Simulator grades players on how efficiently they fly and fight. Both during the day and at night. Its most notable feature is the management of aircraft systems for navigation and weapon systems. Navigation, weapon systems, and electronic countermeasures must be worked in unison for mission success. Approaching the aircraft carrier at the right speed and angle is paramount, and retaining as many weapons as possible increases player score. Takeoff, combat efficiency, and landing are all graded. Of course, it's still playing on an Atari 2600; having 1:1 simulated system accuracy is just not possible. Furthermore, managing everything with a single joystick and single-button controller sounds impractical. However, this lack of controls was overcome by utilizing both the physical switches on the console and combining button functions on the controller. You could say it is a "hands on console and stick" control layout made out of necessity. Most impressively, the switches on the top of the front and top of the Atari 2600 controlled a majority of the game's systems and functions: Atari 2600 game console. Game Reset : Starts the game. Enters function selection mode from the Threat screen. Holding reset for three seconds eventually causes the console to reset the game. Game Select : Cycles through computer display screens. Right Difficulty : Arresting hook toggle. (top of console, center-right) Left Difficulty : Landing Gear Toggle. (top of console, center-left) Atari 2600 joystick controller. When in the game's Threat screen, the joystick button acts as the launch button for the selected weapon. When not on the Threat screen, pressing and holding the joystick button while moving the joystick forward or backward controls the engine throttle. While the joystick button is not held down, the joystick is used for pitch and roll, with the engine throttle position remaining unchanged during maneuvers. Using these control methods, this F-14 Tomcat simulator suddenly had five buttons and one joystick with the equivalent of a computer modifier key to double the function of the joystick as a throttle . Scanned images of the game manual provide more detail: Image source: Atari Mania In the 2020s, most people would likely have played Dan Kitchen's Tomcat: F-14 Fighter Simulator through an emulation service or maybe from a compilation release like the absolutely excellent Activision Anthology (2002) for the Sony PlayStation 2. Unless someone owns an Atari 2600, a region-specific copy of the game cartridge, and a CRT television old enough to have a coax input and/or RF adapter, the experience cannot be recreated. It is genuinely a control method from a bygone era. Having to reach out and flip buttons on a game console to manage simulated systems is still a memorable experience. From the eyes of people interacting with this control method for the first time back in the late 80s, flipping the switches on their Atari 2600 was as tinglingly exciting as hitting the buttons on our Thrustmaster throttles, WinWing flight sticks, and BlackHog button boxes. 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 .

Aviation Jobs, 16km x 16km map In 2023 I wrote about my first interactions with the PICO-8 and some of its flight focused games. I purchased the software back then and have gone back from time to time finding and playing games of all types. Once again, a flight game on this platform has caught my attention. PICO-8 Fantasy Console The PICO-8  is one of the coolest retro game consoles to never exist. And like the early game consoles of the past, it too has passionate developers willing to do a lot with very little file size. Most games on the platform come in well beneath 1 megabyte. What is a "fantasy console?" The FAQ page of the official website explains it as: "A fantasy console is like a regular console, but without the inconvenience of actual hardware. PICO-8 has everything else that makes a console a console: machine specifications and display format, development tools, design culture, distribution platform, community and playership. It is similar to a retro game emulator, but for a machine that never existed. PICO-8's specifications and ecosystem are instead designed from scratch to produce something that has its own identity and feels real. Instead of physical cartridges, programs made for PICO-8 are distributed on .png images that look like cartridges, complete with labels and a fixed 32k data capacity." Air Pico Recently my go-to flight simulator on this platform has been Air Pico by Tom Mulgrew . Taking a look at their Bluesky timeline, in April 2025, Air Pico's conceptual stage started as an offshoot of a textured ground rendering experiment that started for development of a different game from the same developer, Combat Chopper . On April 15th, 2025, the experiment resulted in the base map of the future game and spurred specific development of the expansive 16km x 16km map into a dedicated flight simulator. In terms of PICO-8 flight games, this is pretty massive. The next two embedded posts from the developer explain in more detail. Tom Mulgrew mentions that the inconsistency caused by repetition and tile variety causes the tiles to not always connect seamlessly. For a land-based game like a driving game or an on-foot game, these errors would be forefront. His logic is that a faster moving game like a flight simulator while the errors are visible but less of a factor seems to have worked out fine in this application. Air Pico would release for the PICO-8 on May 31st, 2025, with a few updates to follow shortly afterward. Story Mode The task driven Story Mode has players taking on different tasks and jobs that take them across all islands in the Pico Isles; the in-game world. Story Mode has 15 missions that will take players from simple tutorial missions for learning how to fly in Air Pico to performing specific jobs. The actual missions ask players to do specific tasks like charter flights, sports game fly overs, delivering USB cables to stores on another islands, etc. These tasks are explained by an assistant at the start of each mission and who also provides mid-flight updates. Some of these missions have requirements that can be met for higher rewards in the form of gold stars. Let us use crop dusting as an example. Players fly out to a designated area of farmland at altitude, then descend to a specific height (below 100 feet) and airspeed (below 70 knots) limitation above the fields. This challenges players to fly near stall speed at low altitude, mimicking agricultural operations. I say mimicking because there are no controls for dispersing any type of chemical or the need to load the chemical agents onto the aircraft. Free Flight Free Flight lets players wander around the map without any guidance. Players can select one of three aircraft to fly, though two of them do need to be unlocked through the reward system. In Story Mode each mission completed will give players Gold Stars as a reward. The more stars players get, the more aircraft are unlocked. Aircraft, location and flight model selection. Free Flight begins by letting players start at any airport on the map to then take off and wander the skies. Not infinitely however, as the aircraft does have a fuel tank. Though fuel state is not represented in the game's UI, extended periods of flying will eventually run the tank dry causing a sudden crash. Flight Model Whether they are in cockpit view or one of the external views, players have UI for instruments that show speed in knots, height in feet, vertical air speed in feet per minute, flap position and throttle. Air Pico does not have complex systems more akin to a traditional flight simulator, but the Full Simulation flight model is not as unrestricted as the retro look of the game may portray. Like in many GA aircraft, the airplanes do require stable turns, proper energy management and a light touch. Even in aerobatic aircraft like the Pitts Special, simply setting full throttle and throwing the flight stick around can lead to problems fast. Being more intentional with maneuvers is the key to success in Air Pico. In both Story Mode and Free Flight, the flight model can be changed to Simple or Easy to negate the more restrictive parts if desired. Pitts Special plane crash. Air Pico is one of the latest flight games to appear on the game console and its developer, in true PICO community fashion, pushed the boundaries within the platform to provide yet another innovative PICO-8 game. Take a few minutes to try it yourself in any web browser or mobile device. Connect with 'Air Pico' PICO-8 Game Page Developer Bluesky Developer Itch.io 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 .

Multirole Utility Helicopter Nuclear Option by Shockfront Studios is truly a shining star in the indie flight game genre. A significant portion of this success being its stout, but quality selection of original design aircraft. Each aircraft represents specific types of common aircraft types and roles. Strike bombers, heavy lift aircraft, counter insurgency aircraft, and others. On September 18th, 2025, the 10th aircraft has joined the roster. The UH-90 Ibis represents the utility helicopter portion of military aviation. Shockfront Studios revealed its development public on April 2nd, 2025 with the aircraft appearing in multiple developer livestreams up to its release in September of the same year. Design Nuclear Option has a heavy lift vertical lifter in the form of the VL-49 Tarantula, but the UH-90 now brings aircraft operations more in line with common rotary wing transports. Similar to the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk or the NHIndustries NH90. However, in the now classic Nuclear Option fashion, the developer has taken design cues from other uncommon aircraft and enmeshes them into a new, fictional design. The design is inspired by aircraft prototypes developed for the now cancelled United States Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program and aircraft that took design cues from that program. Features of the Sikorsky X2 coaxial rotor compound helicopter lineage of aircraft, like the S-97 Raider, the SB>1 Defiant. The in-game encyclopedia entry for the aircraft mentions a 'fast vertical lift program', most likely a development program similar to FARA. The rear of the fuselage is more cargo helicopter style. Like that of the Russian made Mil Mi-8 and Mi-26, capable of storing vehicles and large cargo pallets inside of them. The UH-90 can transition from traditional vertical lift to cruising speed in forward flight in 30 seconds, reaching speeds as fast as 260kt. The two pusher props at the tail of the aircraft facilities stable hover and seem to negate vortex ring state, but do not prevent it completely. In forward flight, they are the primary propulsion system. At the top of the aircraft is the compound rotor system, its most important facet. Even if the pusher fans are lost in combat, the aircraft can operate as a standard helicopter. These stacked, sturdy counter rotating main rotors can be folded, allowing the Ibis to operate from the hangars of Dynamo-class Destroyers. The aircraft is compact enough to land and resupply from Hyperion-class Aircraft Carriers, Annex-class Assault Ships and Shard-class Corvettes. This makes the Ibis a key part of large-scale naval operations. During early testing, it was found that the rotors needed reinforcement as the top rotor assembly could rip away from the aircraft during high-G maneuvers. Prototype Rotor Failure (Shockfront Studios, X.com) The cargo hold is split into a Front Cargo Bay and Rear Cargo Bay. Depending on internal load, each bay can be configured differently. Some configurations require both bays to be occupied. This will be expanded upon in the Capabilities section of this article. The outboard weapon stations can equip anti-tank missiles, laser rockets, 25mm autocannon gunpods or MANPAD style infrared missiles. These stations can also hold a pair of self-protection electronic countermeasure pods, which are vital for the aircraft to survive in high-end conflicts where active homing air-to-air missiles and radar guided surface-to-air missiles will be frequently present. The middle of the fuselage has symmetrical door gun positions that can equip 12.7mm heavy machine guns or 40mm automatic grenade launchers. It should be noted that the AI crew of the UH-90 will operate the door guns and the gun pods automatically, without player input, unless the player selects these weapons and manually operates them. CAPABILITIES The mission roles the UH-90 Ibis can take up primarily rely on its cargo hold. Cargo Hook The belly mounted cargo hook can be extended up to 20 meters (65 feet). When deployed, the heads-up display shows a unique UI. First, players must target the item they want to carry. This will appear as a white hook icon on the screen. The center of the hook bullseye is the position of the hook beneath the aircraft. Lining up the hook icon in the bullseye will lead to a good hook if the players are also at the correct altitude. Be careful to not enter a vortex ring state situation while in hover during sling load operations. Vehicle Transport An M12 Jackknife remote controlled combat engineering vehicle can be stored internally, but due to its size it will occupy both the forward and rear bays. The ability to deploy the M12 is a strategic one, allowing the aircraft to support allied bases long-term. The front and rear cargo bay can carry one Hexhound Uncrewed Ground Vehicle per bay. These remote controlled vehicles are harder to detect compared to human crew served vehicles. The Hexhound comes in two configurations. SAM configuration with four short-range infrared missiles to attack air targets, or GMG configuration with an automatic 40mm grenade launcher capable of indirect fire against targets identified on datalink up to 2km away. Multiple Hexhounds can be placed at allied bases to increase their defenses, or they can be placed along overland routes to ambush hostiles. Vehicles of certain weight can also be sling loaded beneath the aircraft with the dorsal winch. Munitions Supply The UH-90 Ibis can carry munition crates, which take up both cargo bays. This includes navalized containers with floats to keep the container on the ocean surface to resupply ships at sea - a vital function in Nuclear Option, as warships do not have the ability to rearm themselves at naval ports. As of update 0.31, munitions containers can be air dropped with parachutes or offloaded manually by landing on the ground to deliver them or hovering above the ocean surface to offload them. Combat Search and Rescue The size of the aircraft enables it to easily and quickly land near pilots that have ejected from their aircraft. The cargo winch can be used to pull pilots from the ocean or from especially hard to reach areas on land as well. The Ibis is a much better suited to this role as compared to its only other heavy lifter at this time, the VL-49 Tarantula. Gunship The Ibis can be pressed into a gunship role to remain in combat, but it does not have the armor to sustain direct hits even from small arms fire. It's best to engage from as much distance as possible. While it does have door gun stations, they should be considered light attack weapons, if not defensive weapons. The external weapon pylons are best used to assist the aircraft while it is loaded with cargo to enter contested areas. However, in a pure gunship configuration, it would be best to equip something besides anti-armor missiles. Why? It's primary means of attack is the internally mounted AGM-48 missile launcher. When equipped, it takes up an entire cargo bay. This peculiar device is a rotary missile launcher which fires missiles out of the left side of the aircraft via a side kicking door. It jetisons the missile horizontally away from the aircraft before the rocket booster activates. Base Capture Before update 0.31, bases and buildings could only be captured by ground forces. Even after winning a hard won battle for a strategic area, players would need to hold the area until the next convoy of vehicles would trundle in to capture it. That or a VL-49 Tarantula would need to land and offload a light armored vehicle in the capture zone to capture and enemy or neutral location. Now with the UH-90 the, the forward or rear cargo bay can be loaded with platoons of infantry. This utility helicopter can land and capture before land forces arrive. In tight battles to hold territory, this is a clutch capability. Mixing one bay with an infantry squad and another with a Hexhound UGV, a single Ibis can capture a location then immediately deploy at least one unit to defend it. FLIGHT MODEL Compared to the other rotary wing aircraft in the game, the Ibis is decently responsive on the throttle. Not as instant and powerful as the SAH-46 Chicane attack helicopter, but certainly more suited for combat maneuvering than the lumbering VL-49 Tarantula. In full forward flight, the UH-90 maneuvers smoothly with easy to use roll and yaw characteristics. While its high speed can get it into combat faster than the attack helicopter, it's best to not over commit to a full-frontal attack. While near top speed, it can more easily radar notch incoming missiles. Carrying an ECM pod in this situation is preferred, but with speed and low altitude maneuvering, it can be done consistently. While it can lose lift when hovering by entering a vortex ring state, it's relatively easy to get out of by side slipping or gaining a few knots of speed. Despite its complex propulsion systems, it is a rather stable aircraft. Its smooth flight handling makes it easy to fly and land, but it's not well suited for hard, immediate maneuvers. Transitioning from forward flight to hovering, it's built up kinect energy can be used for a single high energy maneuver like a high G turn to evade or a J Hook turn to land rapidly. The UH-90 Ibis was a long-awaited addition to Nuclear Option. The nuclear weapon friendly skies of this early access indie flight sim lite are now a home of - of all things - a utility helicopter. It is amazing to see how specialized aircraft continue to be added to this game's roster, allowing players to experience a variety of flight operations without needing a 40+ aircraft roster. I look forward to seeing the next aircraft. 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 was vaguely reminded of something during a discussion about childhood flight games and sims. A classic "what sparked your interest in simulated aviation?" conversation. Many late nights ago, I searched for a helicopter game for Amiga personal computers produced by Commodore in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. To my surprise, I found what appeared to be the entire first level of the game uploaded to a website. Trying to figure out if this was piracy or video game preservation, I was confused to see that it was released on the PICO-8 game console, a platform I had never heard of in years of video game collecting. You can imagine my face when I finally realized this was a demake of the original game I remembered on a "fantasy game console." A brief search for more flight-related games pushed me deeper into the platform and left an impression on me. Front page of the official PICO-8 website. The development of PICO-8 as a platform is an unusual one. PICO-8 was created by Joseph "Zep" White and is a product of childhood nostalgia, combating boredom, and life of programming from New Zealand to Japan. It evolved from a design exercise referred to as LEX500 to practice for a general scripting component in its sister platform to an easy to access and program fantasy game console. Quoting the official website will describe what this concept is better than I can: "A fantasy console is like a regular console, but without the inconvenience of actual hardware. PICO-8 has everything else that makes a console a console: machine specifications and display format, development tools, design culture, distribution platform, community and playership. It is similar to a retro game emulator, but for a machine that never existed. PICO-8's specifications and ecosystem are instead designed from scratch to produce something that has its own identity and feels real. Instead of physical cartridges, programs made for PICO-8 are distributed on .png images that look like cartridges, complete with labels and a fixed 32k data capacity." Example of cartridge While remaining within the limitations of a 16-color display of 128x128 pixels and 4-channel audio output, PICO-8 programmers have created games in just about every genre possible. With either keyboard and mouse or USB gamepads, most of the flight titles in the PICO-8's cartridge library are flight-themed shoot'em ups or flight arcade games that are demakes of existing retro games or are inspired by those same games. In my case, the title I was reminded of was Zeewolf (1994) for the Amiga. What I found instead was Zed Wolf (2020), which was so similar it genuinely fooled me for a short time. Try it for yourself below: Other notable flight titles include a near-perfect demake of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter: Attack on the Deathstar from the Sharp X68000, Comanche 1/2 inspired by the series of the same name from NovaLogic and Endless Sky , an original arcadey flight shooter. However, I can't discuss this subject without mentioning Tiny Sim by Frederic Souchu and Thomas Cueni . Tiny Sim is the first flight simulator for PICO-8 based on the Cessna 172R Skyhawk with a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit. The flight model was designed using observations of an actual pilot of the same aircraft throughout the game development process. The flight model is a bit more advanced than most would expect, as even the effects of wind on the flight path and indicated airspeed. As detailed in its 34-page manual , the aircraft has many of its vital systems in working order. Horizontal Situation Indicators, navigation radios, glideslope indicators, GPS waypoints, instrument landing equipment, and similar systems are available on the Primary Flight Display screen and Multi-Function Display screen. Certain airfields have very high frequency omni-directional range (VOR) equipment and precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights to further assist with landing. The manual also includes a flight school section to help players get familiar with their aircraft systems and practice exercises to prevent stalls, different landing approaches, and coordinated turns. Basic airport information and an aeronautical chart are also provided. In its own way, it is charming how the flying games on this fantasy console invoke feelings of nostalgia. Though this article mentions a small selection flight themed games, there are a few other titles beneath specific search terms (flight, plane, jet, etc.) on the official website. But, developers who create games for this console can distribute or sell them as they see fit, anywhere they want to. Who knows how many other flight arcade or flight simulation releases are out there for the PICO-8? 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 ]

It wasn't until just around a decade ago that VR started becoming accessible to enthusiasts, and with that came a growing and untapped market for flight simulators that advertised their VR implementations. They boasted the added immersion and unparallel feeling of flight as the main selling points of flying in VR; so, as someone that has been a VR user for over 5 years now, are these statements true? What are the drawbacks of flying in VR? FEELING OF FLIGHT This aspect is, most likely, the truest one of flying in VR. There just is not a better way to feel like you are in a cockpit than seeing it in full 3D right in front of you. All the dials, details and the visibility all intertwine with each other into a feast for your eyes. I have personally flown in VR in around 5 to 6 different titles, from dedicated VR-only games like VTOL VR, to others where VR feels a bit more of an afterthought such as DCS World; and regardless of in which game I have flown in, the immersion is always astonishing. Flying on flat screens or even curved monitors just does not feel as immersive anymore once you have tasted VR flying, but that also comes with a cost, both monetary and quality-wise. COMFORT, VISIBILITY AND READABILITY In terms of comfort, it will depend on your headset and the environmental conditions in your room. For someone like me who has a Quest 2 and lives in a quite humid place, sometimes playing during the day will become quite uncomfortable. The lenses will fog out, and it will be quite difficult to just clear them every couple of minutes. This will stop after a while when the inside of the headset gasket has reached equilibrium with the outside, but that awkward feeling of the fogged lenses will not fade. Visibility and readability will also greatly depend on your headset. The two main determining factors are your Field of View (FoV) and your internal headset resolution. For example, my Quest 2 has the equivalent of 2K per eye and 97 degrees of horizontal FoV. So, when you are flying it can feel a bit like looking through binoculars, something that could definitely be improved with higher-end headsets such as the Big Screen Beyond 2, or even the more accessible Quest 3. USABILITY Something we take for granted when we fly on desktop is how visible our controls, panels and keyboard are. When you are in VR, you will lose track of what is where, and you will be constantly peaking below your light brick to glance at your peripherals. There are a couple of ways to mitigate this issue, such as using pass-through features available in a couple of headsets such as the Quest 3, or the more unrealistic one which involves you making a 1:1 replica of a real cockpit. Both options have been tried and both work, with the most impressive one being Warthog Project's 1:1 A-10C cockpit replica that has allowed him to play DCS in a way we all dream we could. His set-up is fully physical, with every single panel functional. Have a gander yourself: Of course, this is something 99.9% of users would not be able to use, or create, but it is certainly an option that some of us have opted for to solve this problem. FINAL THOUGHTS VR flying is becoming more and more accessible, and the technology has definitely improved. I have my gripes with it, such as the weight and comfort of some headsets, as well as application specific difficulties such as the ones described in the above section. I quite enjoy games such as VTOL VR and even flying within VRChat, but my VR flight time on dedicated simulators has been quite limited because my current set up does not cooperate well with my peripherals in VR. Were I to have a dedicated room for VR or a simrig, I would probably fly a lot more in VR, but, here I am. About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

With the currently ongoing Flight Week event, we felt it was the perfect time to release an update on what we have been up to and our current plans moving forward with VRChat Aviation. There are a couple of projects we have been working on, so let's get to it. NEW VRCHAT AVIATION HUB WEBPAGE Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza has worked on an amazing webpage that will be the hub for all of VRChat endeavors. You will be able to find everything from information about our original aircraft, direct links to our worlds and our VRChat articles in one place. Make sure to give it a look, especially those product pages that we made for each of our current aircraft. They are amazingly built and can give you insight as to how much thought and effort has been put into making these planes. WORLD DEVELOPMENT Currently, we have one world in active development and one in maintenance. This new world will include planes that Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos modeled for At Skies' Edge, the indie flight game being developed by Mackerel_Sky, with his permission. The idea is to have at least two planes available in the world, with a third one possibly coming at some point. Here are both aircraft coming to one of our worlds in the near future: F.GR-4: K.F-21A Markings and liveries are subject to change, since they were made for At Skies' Edge. Aside from these two aircraft, we have been working on another Skyward original aircraft designed by Caio "Hueman" Barreto. This one is going to go by the name of "Caravela", here is a WIP of its current form inside of CAD software: Do not expect this plane anytime soon, but we will make sure to keep everyone informed of our progress as we approach completion. It will be made flyable within VRChat, of course. COLLABORATIONS We are in the process of planning at least two events alongside Dogfight Central. One tournament and one airshow. There are no current dates or timeframes, but we will inform you as soon as we can confirm and coordinate with the DFC admins. DFC held an airshow last Sunday, September 14th, in a very similar style as what we want to host alongside them. You can expect our civilian and training aircraft to take part in it, with several solo and team displays to be flown during the event. We have more content in the oven, but it is a bit raw to share at the moment. Stay tuned!

September 12th - 19th, 2025, an official platform wide event Five years ago, aircraft took to the skies of VRChat . After years of new worlds created, flight model updates, air combat tournaments and airshows, the first official platform wide VRChat aviation event is here: VRC Flight Week. On September 12th, 2025, this event was announced with official posts on the VRChat social media accounts at Bluesky and X.com . A livestream on Twitch with the VRChat community management team and development team included representatives of the organization behind making this event possible: At its core, this event is driven by Negentropic working with Boeing and the Australian Government to create educational aviation worlds in the VRChat platform. Players will know 'Team Negentropic' from the Space Jam event in the platform. In the livestream, this organization as represented by the leader username 'Negantropic' and Cubeboy. Official event poster. For Flight Week, they have created two flight focused worlds with an educational focus: Flight Week - Hangar and Flight Week - Test Flight . Notably, there are private versions of the aforementioned worlds created for use in High Schools across the Commonwealth of Australia. Alongside the Negentropic contribution, many existing worlds (e.g. flight experiences) from throughout the international VRChat aviation community were selected to be showcased. These worlds feature a variety of experiences to show what is possible on the platform. Special attention was taken to not only show off the well-established, most popular flight worlds, but also introduce many other worlds known to the international community. Players visting the Flight Week featured worlds will be able to experience modern fighter jets, player vs player experiences, gliders, air-to-air refueling, aircraft carrier operations, World War 2 warbirds, airliners, small private aircraft, transforming robot aircraft, flight simulation level aircraft, player vs environment missions, sci-fi aerial battles and so much more. In-game example of the Flight Week menu. In the first day, it is hard to track the exact numbers of visits and how many of these worlds have now become favorites to users, as baseline numbers before this event were not recorded. However, monitoring the activity in the Flight Week menu from time to time does show consistent increased activity. One metric that can be confirmed is related to Skyward Night Flight , an official world from Skyward FM featured in VRC Flight Week. Within roughly 24 hours, this world saw an increase in activity in thousands more visits and hundreds of new favorite world listings. Community activity related to this event can be tracked on social media platforms, searching for terms like VRC Flight Week and #VRCAviation. For the duration of this event, Skyward will be posting or reposting media about community activity on our social media accounts at X.com and Bluesky . In VRChat itself, public instances can be joined to experience the featured flight worlds with others. The option to check out these worlds alone or with a close group of friends is always available by opening Friends only and Invite only instances. For the international aviation community in VRChat, VRC Flight Week is a massive milestone. With platform wide events like this now possible, it will be interesting to see what other events will appear in the next year. 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 relatively unknown bastion of air defense If there is one thing that Project Aces does not get enough kudos for, it is the addition of the latest technology or real world concepts to its Ace Combat series. Even the most outrageous anti-asteroid weaponry and energy weapons are based on real world concepts, existing technology or in development projects. Heck, even backwards firing missiles were real! From a gameplay point of view, anything that complicates the player's ability to reliably deploy weapons can be a welcome challenge. Rather than every weapon with a target lock reliably guiding to a target, having occasional interference caused by electronic warfare interference or missile interception systems adds a temporary layer of difficulty. To players, it makes interacting with the unit responsible for the complication a notable experience. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (2019) has a relatively unknown air defense system with overwhelming capabilities that comes to mind. In the perceived final mission of Ace Combat 7, the time to storm the opposing nation's capital city puts players in the leading force. As they fly throughout the airspace, dogfighting and bombing forces ahead of the allied amphibious advance, an Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system (AABMDS) activates. So threatening is this system that even allied non-player controlled units call for bombardment from the invasion fleet to knock the system out of action. And for good reason. Aegis Ashore in Romania (US Navy) In the real world, Aegis Ashore was proposed by the United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency. The project utilizes the well known Aegis combat system deployed on warships and places its components in land based facilities. These include AN/SPY-1 passive electronically scanned radars and vertical launching system cells carrying various types of interceptors (made only to knock other missiles out of the sky) and missiles (can either intercept other missiles or be used to destroy aircraft). The idea is to protect especially important areas on land with this system. A single AAMBDS can free up a few Aegis equipped naval vessels for operations elsewhere. It can track more than 100 targets at a time, with the ability to intercept flying objects across a wide range; from sea skimming missiles to low earth orbit satellites. Even a hypersonic missile interceptor is under development as of 2022. Aegis Ashore in Hawaii during a test launch. (Missile Defense Agency) The first Aegis Ashore system began testing in Kauai, Hawaii in 2002. The first operational site was constructed in Deveslu, Romonia in 2016 with a secondary site planned in Redzikowo, Poland. The site in Poland was planned for completion by 2018 but was delayed multiple times; its new completion date is the end of 2023. Japan also had planned to construct two AAMBDS, but these plans were cancelled in 2020. The control building as seen in Ace Combat 7. In Ace Combat 7, the first Aegis Ashore system is seen in mission 15, "Battle for Farbanti". Two other systems are in downloadable content mission 2, "Anchorhead Raid". It should be noted that the two systems in Anchorhead Raid can be taken out of action before they activate due to the surprise raid conditions. Though there is a short window of a few minutes to do this in. In the game, the central control building of the installation controls multiple surface-to-air missiles units and Phalanx Close In Weapon Systems (CIWS). No VLS missile cells are present. This is unlike the real world version of it. When active, these sites are able to put up waves of 20mm cannon rounds into the air to shred incoming guided missiles, while launching medium range air-to-air missiles at all aircraft in range. Unlike lone air defense tanks that can be overwhelmed by a few missiles, Aegis Ashore can swat down multiple airborne weapons while deterring incoming aircraft from following up on attacks with its own missiles. Ace Combat 7 AAMBDS Intercepting a missile over the military HQ in Farbanti. The two methods recommended by the game itself are either to approach the AAMBDS at extremely low altitudes to make the player's aircraft harder to track on radar, or to launch a large quantity of weapons from higher altitude and long distance. Flying at short-range within the firing envelope of its CIWS does reduce the window of time interception is possible, but this also places the players within the firing arcs of four or more radar guided autocannons. Bold players that are willing to close distance and use large blast radius unguided weapons like dumb bombs and rocket pods will find that their weapons cannot be intercepted. Alternatively, things like lasers and rail guns are always effective since they cannot be physically intercepted by live munitions. Destroying the central control building of this site knocks out all of its capabilities immediately; it is the most efficient way to do it, but certainly the most risky way. Ace Combat 7 AAMBDS defending Anchorhead Bay. I have always appreciated the small ways Ace Combat has interfered with player launched guided weaponry. It does not consistently appear in each title, but Ace Combat 7 leaned into it the most with various anti-aircraft interception units. Seeing a somewhat unknown but now more relevant than ever Aegis Ashore installation in game is a welcome challenge and an interesting nod to the initiatives of real world militaries as the focus on missile interception over a large area is once again en vogue. 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 start of an idea that was long time coming SERIES INTRODUCTION I am proud to say that coverage of indie flight games is a considerable part of our content on the website. We now plan on increasing that ratio a bit more with this new series: Indie Highlight . The origins of this type of article can be directly traced to our Steam Next Fest compilation articles. In those we briefly cover multiple new indie games that have active demos during those events to try and direct more attention to the devs showing off their progress milestones. This series follows a similar spirit by discussing multiple indie flight games at once while presenting direct links for readers to get in contact with teams and community around each game and purchasing every indie game we can while providing coverage. Going forward, we are making it a point to do this type of article more frequently to look at the efforts of indie developers outside of those festivals as well. There is also an entirely new part of the website being prepared to further represent indie games. But for now, let's get to it! QUICK UPDATES Supermaneuver This is going to sound crazy, but a lot of people may have first seen this game because of a few videos of a Tu-160 Blackjack the size of a city block. This game was officially named Supermaneuver on January 22nd, 2025 by developer and 3D artist Gabriel Solon. At this stage of development the game visually reminds us of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere and uses a level inspired by that game in its early development phase. With aircraft able to perform post stall maneuvers, a hangar interface not seen in the original Ace Combat game and mentions of fictional countries like Karazinov, Levaria and Anglia this doesn't seem to be a fan remake. There are videos of combat, aircraft selection and now supersonic flight as of just last week. | Links: X.com - YouTube Nova Squadron According to indie developer Clara Gale, May 8th, 2025 was the fifth anniversary of the beginning of Nova Squadron development. The original plan was to release major update 0.4.0 on the anniversary, but it is now being moved to July 2025. This is for the sake of ensuring quality, improved graphics, new missions and locations and an all new fictional Attacker aircraft - the Valkyrie. An aircraft that is easily one of the more visually interesting fictional designs to be seen in an indie flight game in a bit. | Links: Bluesky - Steam - X.com Tiny Combat Arena The beloved retro aesthetic flight sim lite circa 2020 had its X.com account publicly announced as inactive on February 17th, 2025. Now, of course Tiny Combat Arena as a game is still alive under publisher MicroProse, but the decision of developer Why485 to leave social media was jarring for his following on social media. Not to fear though. Besides being active in the official MicroProse Discord, Why485 is continuing to provide development updates on their new Bluesky account, opened on April 16th, 2025. Feel free to continue showing support for them directly on Bluesky as well, if able. | Links: Discord - Bluesky - Steam At Skies' Edge This shadow dropped flight game hit a massive milestone on October 3rd. 2024. Developer Mackerel Sky made the decision to pursue developing this title into a full game, rather than an increasingly complex demo after the demo saw consistent success starting in May 2023. It should be noted that the Itch.io iteration of this game is still available for download, but it will not represent the future of the final product. Development progress since then can be tracked on their Bluesky and X.com accounts. New aircraft and weapons are being modeled, new terrain, new VFX and further core game development - all can be found on their social media accounts. There is no new demo to try out these improvements at this time. | Links: Bluesky - Itch.io - X.com Project Red Sun AOA Productions continues work on this upcoming title with a few known individuals from other flight arcade games rumored at being involved in the project. The demo for the game was confirmed as feature complete on February 3rd, 2025 with refinement underway for an eventual Kickstarter and Steam demo; something mentioned in the description of their March 10th, 2025 Dogfight Refinement video. Project Red Sun is a project I would love more information about, but for now public facing information is best found on their social media accounts and YouTube channel. | Links: Bluesky  - X.com - YouTube Helio Stratos A curious in development title that labels itself as a third person jetfighter game. Its developer, Amalgam Studios, is still deep in the trenches with core game development, but what has been shown in written and video devlogs has been interesting. We see flashes of aim down sights style camera angles during close range combat, "jet drifting" aircraft whipping energetically to intercept passing aircraft and lore that sounds like it would be right at home in something like Destiny or Halo. On May 8th, 2025 a test build was uploaded to Patreon for initial feedback while supporting the developer directly. | Links: Linktree IN FOCUS FEBA Gunship R  by rucsgames  is an attack helicopter focused combat flight game that had some rather interesting extra features unrelated to flight itself. Its developer describes the game as having simple controls that are easy enough to use without having any experience with flying helicopters while also being "unforgiving" with "even a moment of carelessness" leading to defeat. I started out planning to do a "quick playthrough" of the game to get a feel for it... and I found myself turning the game off about five hours later! I was sucked in rather quickly. I feel as though I want to write a full article about this game. The way the gameplay is balanced certainly allows for both in a way that seems daunting at first, but is highly reward within 10 to 20 sorties from my experience. The flight model of the game is decidedly arcade. Altitude is controlled with two face buttons on the game pad. There is an altitude limit that does not let players crash into terrain and does not let them fly at the theoretical maximum altitude of whichever helicopter they are flying. Not a big deal considering that most of the combat happens fast and primarily focuses on land and naval targets. Players are able to climb, strafe, yaw and other familiar rotary-wing flight controls, but do not expect to pull a scout helicopter through a full loop or a barrel roll. Thus far the signature feature of FEBA Gunship R adds immense replayability is its system of unlocking, crafting and purchasing weapons, vehicles and even bases and base defenses. This entire customization system is tiered with what feels like game mechanics similar to mobile games. Items in the item shop rotating every 15 minutes or so, purchasing items outright or gradually building them scrap parts and blue pints gathered via combat. As more airframes and weapons are purchased by the player, their helicopter can be assigned to up to three wingmen that can receive basic orders from the player mid-combat. Even the very military base that players must defend from attack each mission can be customized with specific types of support functions and hand picked defense weapons ranging from machine gun emplacements up to surface-to-air missile launchers. With each enemy destroyed giving points, random chances to find parts one the map during combat and a reasonable "grind" to gather currency and improve equipment is actually enjoyable once players learn the finer parts of how to be selective in which battles they jump into and how to manage their currency. The deciding moment in me feeling as though I want to write a full article on FEBA Gunship R was when I bought a noticeably better attack helicopter with newly crafted radar guided anti-tank missiles while commanding two lower power AI wingmen from a customized heliport. While I have reached a point in the game where I can access more advanced game functions, it still feels early to write a full piece on this game. I need more time with it and look forward to putting in the effort. Connect with 'FEBA Gunship R' Steam  - Website  - X.com  - YouTube   REVISIT Project Skyscape was an ambitious flight game that incorporated first person view ground movement and original aircraft with somewhat simplified but fully interactive cockpits. At the time it was being developed game testers drew parallels between it and VTOL VR by Boundless Dynamics in terms of cockpit interaction. Flyleap Studios, the developer of this game, announced its closure on June 11th, 2022 citing a career change of its lead developer, their opinion of the flight genre being a competitive field and the realities of being a solo dev attempting to make this line of work their only source of income. Skyward Flight Media wrote an article about its use of an in-game gyroscope flight simulator. This is still an interesting way to teach players how to fly and fight without without building out a series of tutorial missions. While a dedicate flight game where players never leave the cockpit of the aircraft could not benefit from this, a game with first person or third person movement outside of an aircraft could capitalize on this concept. Thanks for joining us for the first installment of our Indie Highlight series. The format of this series is bound to change a bit over time, but it is great to take the next step in supporting indie flight games and their developers. Until next time! 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 ]

Few things are as fascinating as aircraft design. From a very young age, I'd marvel at books showcasing the evolution of aircraft throughout the years, and then proceed to take all these ideas now brewing in my head and sketch dozens of different designs. And I know I'm not alone - this childhood dream of creating one's own flying contraptions is likely what gave rise to one of the most unique sub-genres in gaming: Flight (and space) simulation games focused on craft design and building, such as Kerbal Space Program and SimplePlanes. Released in an Early Access state in November 17th, 2023, Flyout sets out to put another name on this small but decorated list, and it brings many novel features to the table. Let's take a look at this new aircraft design flight sim and see what it has to offer! BUILDING YOUR CRAFT To design something, one must first have a goal in mind. In order to explore enough aspects of the game to cover it in this article, I set out to create two basic aircraft: A piston engine-powered aerobatic aircraft, and a 1950's-era jet fighter. When booting the game up and loading the editor, you will be greeted by a sight familiar to anyone who has played a similar game before: An empty space with a single cockpit in the middle. In Flyout, this sight is made all the more daunting by the fact that there is currently no in-game tutorial due to its Early Access state - something the developer himself points out on the game's Steam page. Ah, the endless void. In this empty space, it is our goal to summon an aircraft out of nothing - that's the magic of this type of game, after all. If you have experience with similar games and know the basics of what makes an aircraft fly, then you should be good to go - however even KSP veterans might be initially challenged by their first contact with the game's mechanics, which have a rather steep learning curve - and in exchange, allow for a level of flexibility not seen in any other game of this genre. Early stages of building. One of this game's best features is being able to turn fuselage "panels" into holes, allowing for the creation of cockpits with comparatively little effort. The game's flagship feature is its procedural fuselage parts , with their unique cross-section editor. This tool grants the player fine control over fuselage shapes - those familiar with XPlane's Plane Maker should feel right at home, as this works in a very similar way. The player creates fuselage cross-sections - or stations as they would be called in industry parlance - defined by a set of points, initially circular in shape, and then moves these points around to attain the desired shape. Example of a cross-section as seen in the fuselage editor. Careful shaping and placement of each fuselage section is key to make your aircraft look the way you want - and to fit all the stuff you need to put in it! Open fuselage sections are also available, ideal for canopies. Notice how fuselage panels can be made into glass, and how sections can be angled at will, allowing players great control over canopy shapes. The player can also select certain properties such as material and thickness - although the material properties seem to be purely cosmetic, thickness most certainly has an impact on the craft's performance, as it directly affects the fuselage's weight. For this reason, I strongly recommend players tone down the game's standard thickness of 12mm, which is way too thick for aluminum aircraft skin and will usually result in an overly heavy fuselage, even when accounting for the lack of other structural elements such as frames and stringers in-game. Parts such as landing gear are provided by the game and can have parameters such as length, thickness and angle of retraction set by the player - but if you're making fixed landing gear, the fuselage editor tools make it pretty easy to cook up some rather good-looking custom gear legs. Landing gear fairings are delightfully simple to make with the cross-section editor. For the wings, the player places the wing part on the aircraft and then edits its shape as needed - there is currently only one symmetrical airfoil available, but the player is free to shape the planform in any desired manner, including the chords of control surfaces. The player can also change the thickness of the root and wingtip independently - although it is unclear whether this affects the game's aerodynamic calculations, it most certainly makes getting the looks you want much easier than in other games in the genre. Yes, these wings are using only stock parts from the game. The wing editor gives the player great freedom to shape the wing planform as desired, making things such as the semi-rounded wingtips seen here easy. Something which most definitely does affect the game's aerodynamics, though, is the wing's angle of incidence , and this can also be set independently on the wing root and wingtip, allowing players to effortlessly incorporate washout into their wings. I was ecstatic when I realized the game allowed for this kind of possibility - it's one of those small things which really show the attention to detail in this game. The feeling of seeing a whole aircraft where there was once nothing is one of the things that keeps me coming back to games like this, and Flyout certainly delivers in that regard. It is far more complex than other games in its field, but in exchange that feeling of accomplishment when you finally complete an aircraft is made all the more special - compounded by how visually impressive creations can look with proper use of the cross-section editor. Almost everything in this game affects your aircraft's weight, so keep tabs on the specifications while building! ENGINE CUSTOMIZATION An aspect of this game which greatly surprised me is the complexity behind engine selection. Unlike similar titles, you do not have a selection of different engines with preset characteristics - rather, you must define values for each characteristic of the engine, such as the number of cylinders or fan blades - all of which have an impact on the engine's size, weight and performance. In other words - you must design your own engines , which increases the complexity and difficulty of the game exponentially, but also grants the player the freedom and flexibility to build powerplants to whatever specification they might desire. In this regard, it reminds me of Sprocket, a tank building simulator with a similar penchant for deeply customizable, procedurally-generated parts. If you like fiddling around with settings in that game, you will most likely appreciate this feature. Engine size being affected by its parameters means a key constraint in aircraft design is introduced to the players: Finding a home for the engine. Note the plethora of options on the right side tab! Piston engines in particular are simulated to excruciating detail. Apart from the number of cylinders and their disposition, one must set parameters such as bore, stroke, compression ratio, and even valve diameter. Even some adverse effects, such as knocking if you end up with too high a pressure in the cylinders, are simulated. A complete powerplant assembly. If you opt for a liquid-cooled engine, you must manually place a radiator and link it to the engine. Want a turbocharger? Better set up an intercooler. The engine doesn't magically provide power to the propeller - instead, you must link the two through a gearbox, whose ratio can also be adjusted as required. The result is that powerplant selection and setup becomes a far bigger deal than in most similar games. The game even provides the player with Torque x RPM and Power x RPM plots! While this is an impressive addition which adds a whole new layer of depth to the game, it could be overwhelming for inexperienced players. I'd like to see a selection of engine presets to make this process quicker for players who do not want to design their own engine, and to serve as templates for new players who do - the game does allow players to save their own engine presets, but does not currently offer any. As the game is still in Early Access, perhaps those will be included in a future update. INSTRUMENT PANELS Remember having to find novel and interesting ways of messing around with basic game elements to make functional instruments in the early days of SimplePlanes? Well, you're not going to need that kind of wizardry here. Flyout comes right out of the box with a whole set of working instruments and customizable dials, so it is possible to create functional instrument panels with minimal effort. There's even a programmable AoA indexer! Some of the instruments have certain quirks or work in unnatural ways (such as the altimeter lacking the usual two or three pointers), but for a game in Early Access, this is to be expected. These instruments are an incredibly useful and welcome addition I was pleasantly surprised with. FLIGHT AND ENVIRONMENT What would be the point of a game where you design airplanes if you couldn't take them for a test flight? Flyout lets you test your creations starting either at an airfield or at an initial altitude and airspeed of your choosing. Jet ready for its first test flight Testing the aerobatic airplane out - look at those sweet working instruments! While we do not know exactly which aerodynamic modelling is used, it is safe to assume it's a highly simplified model - I've seen some players with wild expectations of something like CFD being implemented, and well, if you've worked with fluid simulations you know how unlikely that is in an application which requires real-time rendering. Nevertheless, the flight model feels good and it's got everything you could ask for in a game like this. Showcasing the game's flight model with some aerobatics There's even an option for visualization of lift and drag forces acting on your aircraft. Notice how you can even see the lift distribution on the wings! While testing your creations, in-game menus provide a plethora of options, such as spawning practice targets, activating "cheats" for infinite fuel or looking at real-time data on your aircraft's performance. The Flight Data menu displays all sorts of parameters in real time. With regards to the environment, Flyout's world is an earth-sized planet with procedurally generated terrain, featuring an atmospheric model based on the earth's. It works excellently for the purposes of test-flying your airplanes, and looks pretty good from above. However, my greatest complaint about this game is that the environment feels a bit bland - Using your creations to explore the world and discover new places is one of the major driving factors in other games of this genre (such as reaching new planets in KSP), and Flyout currently lacks major incentives to do so, leaving players to fly their creations in a vast expanse without much interesting going on. There are a handful of other airfields scattered across the map, but no clear directions on how to reach them. The large size of the map means one is unlikely to come across them by chance, just flying around. In my opinion, the addition of even more airfields, as well as navigation aids and landmarks linked to achievements, would greatly benefit this game. Here it is important to point out that one of the planned features listed by the developer for the full release is the addition of missions and combat, so consideration is being taken for giving player creations a "home" in which to perform, at least for combat aircraft. In the current Early Access build, testing out weapons is already possible in a limited fashion: Players can spawn enemies for practice, such as tanks and target drones. COMMUNITY Veterans of this particular subgenre of flight simulators will know that for such games, the community can be just as important as the developers in shaping player's experience, adding and expanding content, and overall keeping the game interesting and alive. Though Flyout's community is still relatively small, it is already starting out promisingly strong. A quick search in Youtube reveals a plethora of tutorials made by fellow players, covering the gaps left by the game's present lack of tutorials. And, despite the lack of a Steam workshop or other built-in method of sharing one's creations, players have been eager to show and share their creations with the world through other means, such as the Flyout Discord server. In the interest of contributing to this nascent community, and especially to new players just getting into Flyout, we'll be making the two aircraft I've made for this article available for download. Fly them around, reverse-engineer them to get a grasp of how to make basic creations in-game - it's up to you! CONCLUSIONS With its procedural fuselage tool and in-depth engine mechanics, Flyout is a promising title which brings a plethora of new features to the world of "builder" flight simulation games. Nevertheless, when looking at this game in its current state, it is important to remember it is in Early Access, and is missing many of its planned features. Flyout isn't an easy game, and the lack of in-game tutorials and presets for critical parts such as engines means the learning curve is very steep. If you wish to play this game as it currently stands , please bear in mind you need at least some understanding of basic aircraft design principles or experience with similar games. Even so, I have been pleased to see multiple updates being released in the timeframe of slightly over a month ever since this game entered Early Access, some of them bringing much needed quality of life improvements. It is clear the developer is putting a lot of care into this game - and the fact this is a one-man project makes its achievements all the more impressive. Games such as this are passion projects, driven by the time and effort put in not only by the developers, but also by the players themselves. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Flyout, and once more features are implemented and fleshed out, I fully expect this title will earn its place alongside the classics of this unique genre. About the Writer Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto An incurable aviation fanatic since childhood, fascinated by the design and history of practically anything that flies. A long-time fan of flight games, he currently studies aeronautical engineering and pursues his hobbies of drawing, writing and flight simulation on his spare time. See Staff Profile .

The indie flight game focused series continues with a new contributor Hey, howa’ doin. My name is Matthew Nguyen, otherwise known by my online handle: FlyAwayNow. I am the writer and producer of Project Wingman and its ongoing developments, as well as beyond. I think I can fairly say that I understand combat flight action, arcade flight sims, Acelikes, Ace Combat, at least better than most, and I have from a young age. I’ve been working on games that involve easy access combat dogfighting since I was 15, and I’m 28 now, and if it means anything, me and Ace Combat share a birthday, separated by only two years. This wasn’t what I set out to do as a young man; in college I dual majored in both Political Science and American Studies in order to serve the political campaigns that I knew would always come around every few years in the United States, but an offhand conversation I had, along with my pre-history of also working on another combat indie game flight project as a young teenager, lined up for me my part in Project Wingman, and well, the rest is History. In the time since Project Wingman has released, I’ve traveled far and seen many things, and I’ve seen the beginnings of many more combat flight indie games and I’ve come to know quite a few of the devs behind them. The series that I present to you with the help of Skyward Flight Media is a unique insight to perhaps what would be the next generation of combat flight games, inspired by all that came before, and even things that have yet to come to pass. Ace Combat’s eighth entry is yet to arrive as we crest over the 30th anniversary of the series, and indeed for as much as they define what we know in this arcade segment of flight sims, there are still yet other factors yet to consider: other games that might very well leave a mark that as all things must, upon this genre in its broadest definitions and then its narrower focus. This is why in these following articles I offer questions, answers, and then insight for those that could very much change the landscape, or the sky more rightly speaking, of the games to takeoff. I sat down with multiple developers in this genre, some of whom I work with even now to bring their games to you, the player, and started a dialog so you can get to know both game and developers behind what might be your new favorite game in the future!  - To start us off, we have to get a good idea of who we’re working with, and, in the indie space more than anything, the person making them is far more of a consequence than institutional or studio-based productions. Indie projects are very much advised by the people making them just by reality of the lesser amount of hands in their creation, and therefore, the tighter control one would have over what is made. The particular main creator identity of Undertale, as an extreme example, is far more apparent in this way than, say, the creators of Call of Duty’s entries. You can identify game elements specific to a person, and just as much you would learn about them through the game, vice versa is also true. Now not all creators are particularly illuminated by this relationship between the Thing and then Themselves, but it is a place to start. So I approached this mostly new generation of flight devs, and I asked them these, or at least variations of, these questions: Who are you? Why did you decide to start working on your game? What do you want your game to be? Here is how they answered. Some had more to say, some had less to say, and some I was compelled to push a little further, but it just shows you the diversity of thought we have in the future for us! Enjoy! Aggressors: Fantasy Air Combat Website Links: Game | Developer Who are you? My name is Sani , and I'm primarily a 3D artist. I really don't know how to describe myself, but people have told me I'm an eccentric individual who is passionate about many things, but above all else, I simply love to create things. Why are you making this game, and this type of game specifically? The core idea for Aggressors came from my experience switching back and forth between simulator flight games like DCS World and the arcade gameplay of Ace Combat. I found myself thinking about what I loved and disliked in both and began to wonder what would happen if you combined them. This led to the game's central concept: a fascinating contrast between grounded realism and imaginative fantasy. I'm a huge fan of military aviation, and real-world history. but I'm also an otaku who loves sci-fi and fantasy anime settings. Aggressors is my attempt to make a setting that is just everything I love. I'm want a game with mechanics that are a line between true-to-life and not because I want to explore an interesting form of gameplay: in a realistic scenario, how would one actually deal with the fantastical, over-the-top threats you see in games like Ace Combat, and how can that translate into fun, compelling gameplay? I believe that experimentation is what pushes games forward. I am not the first to attempt to make a game like this, in the past during the early 2000s there were many older aircraft games that tried to tackle this- but they often had poor sales due to the nature of video games back in the day. However, in the modern day, If you do things too straight, you just end up making more of the same and it does not stand out. By doing something unexpected with the setting or gameplay, you might just create the next fresh experience, and it might sell well. This philosophy also extends to the game's setting itself, which is based on a science-fantasy universe I've been writing for years with a friend. This game is my first opportunity to share a part of that universe with people. I don't expect my game to do well, but I think this is a blessing as it encourages me to try many new things. What do you want this game to be? Aggressors is simply my dream game, that's all I want it to be. But my ultimate hope is for the end result to inspire at least one person to passionately create something of their own, just as I have. This is my first real attempt at developing a game, and it's a journey I've undertaken mostly by myself, with occasional help from a small number of friends. I believe we have to create our own purpose in life, and I want mine to be building things that inspire others. If Aggressors can leave a lasting mark on even a single person and encourage them to create, then I will consider it a success. Hyperlink to post. From what you've put out there and from what you've shared with me, yeah this gameplay, if it's not more "realistic", I would say it's rather more tactical and conservative in terms of the absolute capability of the player. As in, just for example, in Ace Combat you have at base an aircraft with nearly 100 all aspect missiles that can deal with literally every target in those games. You've avoided something like this. How far do you think you'll push that aspect of Aggressors? Firstly, I want to clarify my philosophy on "realism." For Aggressors, it means modeling the real-world elements I find fun and discarding anything that obstructs that fun. A perfect example is missile defense: you can notch and beam an enemy's missile to evade it instead of using countermeasures, but for the sake of keeping things fun the player, your own missiles can't be notched or affected by ground clutter. Similarly, the game has a simplified flight model that allows for intense, low-speed dogfights and high AOA maneuvers, but I refuse to model things like G-force damaging the aircraft, as that's just an obstacle to the fun. This creates a unique dynamic I'm already feeling happy with as it makes the game incredibly fast paced due to the unrealistic gameplay meshing well with the semi-realistic elements. Though to answer your question directly, Aggressors is absolutely designed to be more tactical. You need to prioritize targets and effectively manage your wingmen. The gameplay becomes a balancing act of asking yourself, "What should I focus on killing?" versus "What can I afford to ignore?" or even "I'll let my wingmen handle that." While missions will still feature large-scale battles, the core loop is about completing your objective while simply trying to survive and doing as much damage as possible along the way. You will almost always have the option to return to base to rearm and repair, but you have to be mindful of ammunition costs also. I know this more deliberate style of gameplay won't be for everyone. That’s why I’ve already implemented optional modifiers, like an "Arcade Weapon Load" for those who just want to shoot things down, as well as toggles for other hardcore mechanics. But you are right—at its core, my approach is a more tactical take on it. What do you think you'll keep from Ace Combat to put across from your take here. The control scheme. It's perfect. For a gamepad, the way those games handle is something I've grown to love, and I see no reason to change it aside from adding extra inputs for the manual airbreak control and counter-measures. I'm also taking some general inspiration from its UI layout. Worth to mention, the game will be able to be played without a gamepad, but I think the experience greatly benefits from anything with an analog input. Beyond that, however, my goal is to diverge significantly from the Ace Combat formula. My approach to storytelling, for instance, will be far less direct instead of it being essentially an audio drama. The game will feature a hub world where the larger narrative comes together, while dialogue during missions will serve more as small-scale banter or clues to the bigger picture. Ultimately, it will be entirely different. The most accurate comparison isn't another acecom-like game. Instead, a closer description would be a 3rd-generation Armored Core title that plays like Ace Combat with a JRPG style of story telling. Which sounds actually not that great when I put it to words, but I think it can work great.  Hyperlink to post. Any closing thoughts or things you want to say? Thank you so much for the interview. I'm incredibly grateful for the chance to be given a chance to talk about my project. It means a lot to be able to be on some people's radar. I'd also like to take this moment to give a huge thanks to the friends who have supported me. While this project has largely been a solo endeavor, it wouldn't be what it is without the help I've received along the way. A special thanks to my best friend "N", with whom I've been building this science-fantasy universe for years and is a huge contributor; this game is the first real opportunity to share a piece of that world, and I'm so excited to finally do so.  To everyone who has followed the development, offered encouragement, or shown interest in this passion project—thank you. Your support, no matter how small, has been invaluable in keeping the motivation going. There's also a few who have given me financial support; don't worry. You are not forgotten. This game is my dream project, a combination of everything I love. My greatest hope with it is that all this passion and experimentation results in something that might inspire at least one other person to go out and create something they want to make. Thanks again for everything. Modern Jet Fighters Online Website Links: Game Who are you? I'm wh00ps with Freak Games, the developer of Modern Jet Fighters Online . I grew up playing IL-2 Sturmovik, DCS, War Thunder, and Ace Combat. These games shaped my vision of what air combat should feel like in games — where every attack is a decision, and every victory is earned through skill, not luck. Beyond games, I’ve always had a deep fascination with real-world aviation — especially jet fighters. There’s something timeless and powerful about these machines: the speed, the precision, the danger. That passion is the foundation for everything I’m building.  Why are you making this game and this type of game? Because there’s still no truly compelling air combat game on mobile devices. We’re taking the best elements from PC simulators and arcade shooters and making them fast, tight, and most importantly — exciting and intuitive to play on a mobile platform. You don’t need to buy a joystick, sit down at a PC, configure TrackIR, or spend time “preparing for a match.” In Modern Jet Fighters, you launch the game and you’re in the sky within 30 seconds, facing other players. Whether you have five minutes or half an hour — you’ll get a real battle, powerful emotions, and that unmistakable feeling of being a fighter pilot. What do you want this game to be? I want to create the best flight combat game on mobile. A game where, with just a tap, players can drop straight into the heart of a dogfight — no waiting, no loading screens, no unnecessary prep. What matters to me is that every battle feels like a scene from iconic movies (Top Gun, Independence Day, or Stealth.) As a kid, I was filled with excitement and awe watching those films — the aircraft, the tension, the spectacle. Modern Jet Fighters Online is a reflection of those childhood emotions — brought to life and made playable. And if the game can pass on even a fraction of those feelings to players — then I’ll know I’ve done it right. MJF Online very much punches above its weight in terms of the visual and audio design of it; I have to ask if you do have wider experience developing games or productions like this. Yes, I’ve already developed and released several mobile games, for example: Sector Invaders, Pests Buster. However, I’ve always been drawn to session-based online shooters with competitive gameplay. That passion led me to create StarCombat and Zombie Legends later. StarCombat gave me the technical and creative foundation to build a high-quality air combat experience. Modern Jet Fighters is a natural evolution of that journey. I’ve had a fascination with modern aviation since childhood, and this project let me finally bring that interest to life in a polished, competitive mobile format. As for the audio design—music has always been a part of my life. I play guitar, write instrumental tracks, and have a strong background in audio engineering. That definitely helped shape the game’s sound direction and gave me the tools to craft an immersive, reactive audio environment around the action. Hyperlink to post. So what is the typical gameplay loop of MJF Online? Is it similar to War Thunder's PVP experience for comparison? Is there a place for people in your game that don't enjoy PVP gameplay? I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel—I build on proven, familiar gameplay systems, but tailor them specifically for mobile and try to bring our own flavor to the genre. The core gameplay loop, especially in early progression, revolves around short, intense battles where players earn experience and currency to unlock upgrades and new aircraft. As they rank up, the gameplay expands with new maps, advanced gear, and competitive features. At the high end, the game introduces systems like weekly tournaments. Every player is automatically entered, and at the end of the week, the top 10 performers receive premium rewards, exclusive titles, and unique skins. Their names are added to the in-game Hall of Fame—a permanent place in the game's history. Example of gameplay on a mobile phone. As for PVE—while I don’t offer traditional offline missions, try to make space for PVE-focused players within live sessions. For example, destroying all ground targets can lead the team to victory. Players who prefer a more tactical or support role can make a real impact without having to chase air-to-air kills. That said, I am actively listening to players who want offline missions or narrative-driven campaigns. Exploring ways to integrate these into the experience without breaking the competitive spirit—or the economics—of a free-to-play game. But for now, our focus is firmly on delivering the best possible session-based online combat. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that the result is not just mine, since I use the services of freelancers, purchase music, ready-made sounds and game assets on the appropriate sites on the Internet. All this is done by very talented people and the way the game looks, sounds and feels is also their merit.  Any closing thoughts or things you want to say? Thanks so much for the opportunity to share the story behind this project and the ideas that inspired it. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with all kinds of people — freelancers, early te sters, and passionate community members across our Discord , TikTok , and X . Interacting with the audience has always felt like a breath of fresh air and a reminder that what we’re building truly matters to others.  I’d also like to express my gratitude to my partners at MicroProse. I’ve been fortunate to receive support and guidance behind the scenes, which has played a major role in shaping the project’s vision. Their involvement created the conditions that finally allowed me to bring many long-standing ideas to life — ideas that have directly influenced what the game looks and feels like today.  Now, after five years of development — and thanks to a bit of luck and a lot of support — the game is finally nearing its next big milestone: closed testing, planned for the coming months. Looking back, it’s been a long, sometimes chaotic, but deeply rewarding journey — and I’m incredibly excited for what’s ahead. About the Interviewer Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen Artwork by alice (@atrousyolks) Producer, writer, incidentally personified online as a rooster. One of the three main developers of Project Wingman and now working across the board on several other combat flight videogames, audioplays, podcasts, and books. Advocate for indie creators, fanfiction, and critical analysis of what you love. [ Bluesky  / Linkedin  / X.com ]

One of the best "mistakes" I have made in this simulator This is a story that I'm somewhat embarrassed by, but proud enough to tell in public. Back in November 2022, some of the Skyward Flight Media staff were eager to get their hands on the Aermacchi MB-339A created by IndiaFoxtEcho for Digital Combat Simulator. As always, when a new official module or unofficial mod is released for this simulator, we coordinate content ahead of time. After a bit of a mix-up, we missed our usual window to acquire the aircraft. It was during a pre-planned night of fun with friends and stiff drinks that we realized this, and I accidentally acquired a copy of the MB-339 for myself and not our primary DCS content creator, Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos . After some laughter, Cubeboy got his copy for the review he wrote, but I found myself now owning an aircraft that I previously had little to no interest in. Making the best of it, we decided to test multicrew functions as a part of Skyward's review of the MB-339 . With me flying in the trainee seat, studying the aircraft seriously for the first time, I found myself genuinely having a great time. Despite my roughly two years of experience with DCS, in a way, the "Macchi" is teaching me some new things. With the bulk of my experience being with 4th generation naval aircraft and dabbling in a few mods, the flight characteristics and capabilities of the MB-339 are training me to fly a bit differently. It represents the basics of land based fixed wing aircraft operations. With less thrust, fewer flight systems and limited armament, the finer details of each sortie were now more important than ever. Having no radar warning equipment or radar at all forces me to revert to better flight planning and more reliance on visual scanning while in combat. While this jet trainer/light attacker is technologically limited, it is still combat effective when flown in missions that are within its ability. Using gun pods for a SEAD mission may not be the best tactic, but it excels in quick strike missions that dump bombs or rockets onto a target in one or two passes. I've also had success with loitering in an area, using smoke rockets to mark targets for allied units to obliterate a short time later. Thanks to the simplicity of the MB-339, it's easier to learn while still having relevant flight control and navigation systems in the cockpit. The cockpit flow is easy to understand with clear labelling. Within three or four sorties (and two tail strikes on takeoff), I was airborne, navigating and fighting. With weapon deployment in particular being more hands on than usual as I had to maintain specific speeds, dive angles and altitudes to ensure the reticle depression setting of my gunsight remains accurate until the attack is complete. Maintaining the correct launch parameters from the start to the end of the attack is a very different experience. Even aged attackers like the Su-25 Frogfoot have laser range finding equipment and guided air-to-ground weaponry. In the MB-339, it's all down to the pilot. Pilotage and fine control dictate everything the Macchi does. The way I learn to fly aircraft in flight simulators is slow. Before trying to learn a new aircraft, I prefer to understand at least 80% of all systems and armaments and have enough experience to reliably use them. This is something that's relatively easy to attain with the MB-339. Within a week of seriously focusing on the aircraft, it can become an easy to reach for airframe. It's a lot of fun for relatively little effort in comparison to learning many other modules in Digital Combat Simulator. I can now personally recommend this aircraft for people looking to change things up, and even to newcomers that are in the market to purchase a genuine jet trainer to begin their DCS world 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.

Hoping a Simple Addition Becomes a Consistent Trend One of the hardest parts about mission editing in Digital Combat Simulator World (DCS) is knowing where to start. Even the free Caucasus and Marianas maps are highly detailed with hundreds of miles of fields, oceans, buildings, railways... all without much of a way to find them easily. At most the map layer in F10 may have a few hints at useful locations if you know what you are looking for. Which map? Where to start? Are there unmarked military facilities in the grid square you randomly chose, or will you commit to the arduous task of building custom villages, revetments and bases from scratch? Are you willing to do some research of the countries and regions of each map to find what you are looking for? There were some maps in DCS that offer fast references important for easier mission building. Not enough to effortlessly create missions like 107th Joint Aviation Squadron's Through The Inferno multiplayer servers or Reflected Simulations single player campaigns, but a solid building block towards greatness. In a simulator focused on combat aviation, nothing is more important than air defenses. F/A-18C deploying multiple ADM-141 decoys into air defenses. TRADITIONAL METHOD Here is an anecdote on this subject from my time mission editing. One of my tried-and-true methods in creating new missions is scrolling through maps grid by grid. Zooming in and out constantly to see individual buildings, fields, vehicles etc. Cycling through the different map layers to see all details. Any notable areas or objects I see are then added to a text file, spreadsheet or some other type of document for later reference. While planning a scenario in the Syria Map by Ugra-Media , I found an important historical part of the country's military history. Deep in the open terrain of the southern half of Syria, near the borders of Jordan, Iraq, Israel and Lebanon I found a pair of circles made up of smaller circles. In no way was this a natural landform. The "mysterious circles" that started it all. Reviewing the F10 map also yielded no information. This mystery structure had all the markings of a traditional Surface to Air Missile (SAM) Site. Specifically in the SA-2 Guideline configuration, but by standard doctrine, it had too many TELs or "missile rails". Mouse dragging my way through grid squares of surrounding desert, similar circles were revealed. Each of them strategically placed across the southern part of the country. Upon finding a second double ringed complex with no references on map, I took to the internet for days to research. Eventually I found declassified documents from the American Central Intelligence Agency Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room. In particular the " SA-5 SAM Complex Construction " and " SA-5 Complexes and Associated Facilities in Syria " were very illuminating. More research and declassified documents later, I had an entire portion of the Syrian Integrated Air Defense System (IADS) reasonably modeled within the simulator. Samples of information from declassified documents. Now of course DCS World itself is not 1 to 1 real world accurate in many aspects, exact GPS coordinates on maps being one of them. However, all of this got me close enough to model things out as needed. Now for this part of the Syria map I have a go-to set of large-scale air defenses to increase or decrease, augment with other air defenses or use as a backdrop for smaller missions that can occur in that area. It is a starting point any mission in a combat flight simulator could use. THE NEW WAY Fortunately, DCS: Sinai Map by OnReTech and DCS: Cold War Germany Map by Ugra Media are providing a new, simple in-game feature that streamlines this process. As much as I could go on about the unbelievable amount of human level detail in the Cold War Germany map, players are definitely more interested in the more combat oriented aspects of the map. Understandably so. The Fulda Gap isn't going to fill itself after all. Though, the baseline of every potential mission on the map could include the larger parts of the Integrated Air Defense networks in both North Atlantic Treaty Organization controlled West Germany and Warsaw Pact controlled East Germany. If even a quarter of it was modeled in a mission, it would be a significant backdrop to all air operations. Important military facilities, such as SAM sites and early warning radar locations, are marked on the maps with easy-to-understand icons. Missile Icons for SAM sites and Radar Icons for radar stations. In the mission editor these icons occupy the Geo Names layer, where the names of cities and towns are displayed. Sample of Cold War Germany Map radar and SAM site icons. Without doing any research, these sites can be populated with mission appropriate air defenses at the discretion of the editor. Feel free to switch out those old MIM-23 HAWK batteries for new IRIS-T launchers if your modern scenario calls for it. Though, with a bit of entry level research (e.g. search terms like "West Germany HAWK Sites", "East Germany cold war early warning radars", etc.) these positions can eventually be populated with era appropriate units. My favorite example of this being the keystones of the Warsaw Pact SAM Belt: the SA-5 Gammon bases. Mission editors will need to manually place units into the correct positions for each location, but this is a welcome change from the traditional method. Once the medium and long-range air defenses are in place - as many or few as the editor chooses to include - missions can be created beneath their air defense umbrella with editors knowing they can focus up on the finer details of their primary objectives. Map icons, and by extension air bases and heliports at notable locations, are something that I hope other third-party companies that create terrain include in future and current maps available in this simulator. SALUTING USER FILES Digital Combat Simulator has been around for over a decade now in one form or another, so it should come as no surprise that devoted users that go above and beyond to enhance their preferred flight sim have tackled this subject before. The User Files section of the official website for DCS world is mainly compromised of liveries and downloadable missions, but unit and location templates can also be found. In fact, in the File Type dropdown menu there is a Static Template sub-category. Further templates outside of that category can also be found with the search bar using terms like "Persian Gulf Template". These templates are jam packed with units - both static and active units. They are placed in known real world locations or contain pre-made areas to fill out parts of maps. While running these templates as is could be problematic as they are quite heavy. Mission editors are encouraged to save a copy of the template as a new mission. Afterwards they should trim out parts of the template they do not want to keep, then add their desired units for the scenario they have in mind for the sake of maintaining in-game performance for players. I send my regards to the dedicated experts that build these templates in the 'traditional way'. As shown in my personal example, it takes hours or days of research. 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 ]

Following the biggest-ever FlightSimExpo in June, Flight Simulation Association is excited to welcome the community to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2026! Deals on flights and hotels are available now at flightsimexpo.com . Attendee registration opens in December. Flight Simulation Association (FSA) published travel details and discounts for FlightSimExpo 2026, taking place June 12-14, 2026 , at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, just 15 minutes from Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) in Minnesota. FlightSimExpo is one of the world’s largest dedicated flight simulation events and has welcomed almost 10,000 attendees to shows in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Diego, Houston, and Providence since 2018. The convention features developers, non-profits, virtual airlines, live ATC, seminars, product announcements, off-site tours, and much more. 2026 Schedule As in past years, attendees can expect a jam-packed weekend of announcements, hands-on exhibits and demos, product updates, developer Q&As, workshops, and more. FlightSimExpo will begin on Friday, June 12 and end on Sunday, June 14, with optional add-on tours happening on Friday, June 12 and Monday, June 15. “At our past shows, attendees have enjoyed behind-the-scenes access to air traffic control towers, airports, aerial dogfights, museum visits, and more,” says FSA Co-Founder Phil Coyle. “We’re working on offering similar experiences for FlightSimExpo 2026’s attendees, with more details on these to come in early 2026.” For the full event experience, attendees should plan to arrive in Saint Paul by Thursday, June 11 and leave on Monday, June 15. The Venue FlightSimExpo 2026 will be held at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, an 8-mile drive from Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) in Minnesota. MSP airport offers more than 130 non-stop destinations across the country and around the world. Saint Paul is also served by Amtrak's Borealis and Empire Builder routes. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, Saint Paul—Minnesota's Capital City—features stunning venues, full-service hotels, and a sustainable convention center. Over 100 languages are spoken in this diverse city that cares for its heritage, its people, its natural places, and for those who come to visit. Amongst many other attractions, the venue is just 20 minutes from the Mall of America®, a leading retail, entertainment, and attractions destination, welcoming millions of visitors from around the world since 1992. Travel Discounts for Attendees Discounted hotel rates are available for FlightSimExpo attendees, with options ranging from $149 to $159 per night, plus local taxes. For 2026, the primary hotel is the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront, which offers elevated accommodations with sweeping views of the downtown skyline and is a 8-minute walk from the event venue. Alongside the InterCon, FlightSimExpo has secured discounted rates at a variety of nearby properties, including Hilton and Hyatt brands. Attendees can also use links from the FlightSimExpo website to save on flights from Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and codeshare partners like Air Canada and WestJet. Learn more at flightsimexpo.com/discounts . Event Registration Opens in December Attendee registration for FlightSimExpo will open in December, with special rates available to FSA Captains for a limited time. For more information about registration and to be notified when tickets become available, join the FlightSimExpo mailing list . Recordings from FlightSimExpo 2025 Each Friday, FlightSimExpo will be publishing 2025 event seminars on YouTube , free for everyone to enjoy. These community-inspired seminars feature tips and tricks from simmers, developers, content creators, and more. Dropping Friday, watch “Simulating our Real-Life Trip to FSExpo 2025!”, where YouTuber FlightChops shares how he his simulator to match the actual avionics of a real-world RV-14, and how he uses it for training. About FlightSimExpo. FlightSimExpo is one of the world’s largest flight simulation conventions. The event has welcomed almost 10,000 attendees to events in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Diego, Houston, and Providence since 2018. FlightSimExpo is produced by Flight Simulation Association, a community-driven organization of developers, simmers, and real-world pilots working to make it easier to get started in home flight simulation. Join the community today—free—at flightsimassociation.com for resources, learning content, webinars, and discounts on top add-ons and simulation hardware.

After several months of being grounded for one reason or another, I decided to finally dust off my controllers and start retraining myself to fly in DCS, which I knew was going to be quite the process depending on if I had actually retained the information from the last time I flew. I stopped flying consistently around January, and spent months without a proper flight on an actual simulator, leading to me feeling as if I had lost a part of myself. I yearned to get back into the rabbit hole that is learning systems on aircraft I would never get to fly IRL. My boys and I got together and actually, for once, booted up the simulator and started flying. At first, I was a bit shocked at the fact that I somehow managed to convince my friends to fly again in DCS. We hadn't gotten a proper flight in so long that I thought it would have been an impossibility, yet, here we are. I focused all of my training hours to reacquainting myself with Heatblur's masterpiece, the Phantom. If any plane would knock the rust out of me, it would be the archaic flying brick. I didn't even need to learn the start-up again, thankfully I remembered everything and I had my bird in the air in record time. Now, the issues started when I tried doing anything that wasn't just flying. Weapon deployment was easy enough to relearn, especially the superficially-complex but practically-simple AGM-65. With a bit of patience, I was putting warheads on foreheads in no time. I did struggle a lot to start rippling them at several targets in a short span of time, but I got pretty confident at handling one target per pass. The sight certainly doesn't help with its atrocious image quality, but it gets the job done. Bombing-wise, I got some proper practice with DT mode and Direct bombing modes. For the latter, I practiced buddy lasing with Blue and dropping GBU-12s. Coordinating with another aircraft to get ordinance on target was extremely refreshing. It reminded me that DCS is not just training hell, but an experience better enjoyed together. As for DT mode, oh boy. I had to basically relearn everything. From telling Jester my parameters, to locking the ground to acquire the position, and then the smooth pull-up after hitting the pickle button to get the bombs on target. It was such a pain, but it was well worth it. After that, I even hit up the tanker for my first refuel in 5 months, which actually ended up with me successfully refueling most of my tanks after the tanker decided to turn way too sharply. In the end, it ended up being one good, successful restart of my life as a dumb virtual pilot! The next step is just getting back into public multiplayer servers and doing the same missions I used to do. To answer the question I posed on the title: No, it is not. Go do it. 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 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as the co-founder and writer ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

Feisty AI and Quality Dogfighting from a Resurging Indie Game Just a short time ago a scrappy dogfighter has entered the scene. Its developer has been hitting the indie game focused social media accounts hard, making all the right moves to gain exposure. You may have seen it by now as well. Videos of propeller driven warbirds evading missiles while flying beneath floating islands. That was enough for me to happily download the free demo and see what was going on. At first glance, Sky Aces by Fireruner seems like a quickly put together arena-esque shooter with not too much else going on. My initial perception of it being this way went straight out the window after one particular dogfight. While losing a rate fight, I found the right chance to attempt to zoom climb out of the fight against the fighter with superior maneuverability. As I climbed with a few evasive maneuvers, the pursuing fighter stalled. Unable to follow me, the enemy fighter began to pitch its nose down, only to be strafed by two of my bot teammates before it could fully recover. Tangible energy management? AI teammates taking advantage of a situation? I'm interested. The demo for Sky Aces was released before the game enters Early Access. The demo is a vertical slice for what the solo indie developer is trying to do with the game. A brief conversation with the dev revealed that they had been working on this game over the past three years as a hobby. After a break with life getting a little busy, they are back to developing Sky Aces and making quite a bit of progress as of roughly a month ago. This is a straight up dogfighter game pitting teams of up to five people or bots per team against each other. In the demo, single player 5 vs 5 player vs environment is currently available. Player VS player and other PVE modes have been discussed. This game is set to allow for online co-op gameplay with human players working together to shoot down bots on the other side. A nice inclusion to go along with its online PVP experience. In games that do not have a lot of detailed story or extensive systems outside of combat, the quality of the enemies that players fight takes center stage. On the Steam page, the developer describes their AI units as: "The AI isn’t just a target dummy. It’s dynamic, aggressive, and responsive. It will adapt to your tactics, pressure you at the worst possible moments, and punish your mistakes all while using real life air to air combat tactics!" And you know what? Confirmed. The skill level of the friendly and enemy bots is high enough for them to be a nice challenge without being the classic hyper accurate, always perfect sort of way only bots could be. If you provide them with a perfect pursuit position and lazily maneuver, the bots will absolutely dump a few dozen cannon rounds into your aircraft. But actively maneuvering in dogfights with rapidly changing airspeeds, altitudes and directions is effective against the bots. These are genuine dogfights against enemies that will both gang up on a single aircraft and spread out the fight for multiple 1-on-1 engagements. They will enter rate fights when advantageous while sometimes doing unorthodox maneuvers that seem less than ideal in certain situations. Each battle is different. The bots can both be effective in combat and make mistakes within just a few seconds. The two aircraft currently in the demo represent different flight styles to a degree. At the most basic level, the Blowgun (right picture, single aircraft) is fast and nimble. Its lightweight makes it easy to perform hit and run tactics with minimal firepower. The Buccaneer (left picture, blue and red aircraft) is an overall heavier fighter with a large concentration of cannons capable of ripping other aircraft to shreds in a second. It is still very maneuverable but with more armor. As far as damage model goes, while there is no visceral damage showing the aircraft torn apart, they can have specific components damaged and disabled. Engine, cockpit, fuselage, specific wings, etc. Even each onboard machine gun can individually be knocked out due to battle damage. All it takes is one unlucky strafe from an enemy fighter to downgrade your firepower from a burst mass machine to a single barrel hole puncher. On the subject of weapons, the inclusion of a guided missile in a game full of prop driven warbirds sounds like it would be a massive problem. With no flares or chaff to ward off an incoming missile, it could be game breaking. The balance the developer has struck is to make it so players have one missile per life. Each time players spawn they have a single missile to use and do not get a reload until they are destroyed and respawn again. The missile's maneuverability is low enough that it could be outmaneuvered if players react fast enough. Also, frankly, the audio for the missile's rocket motor is so loud it is a valid warning cue even without a radar warning receiver. Players that use the missile frequently can learn the best angles and distances to launch it from, being able to one-shot other aircraft when they least expect it. Landing a well-placed missile shot into an ongoing furball is a fine opening blow. As deadly as a hail of bullets are, I was definitely defeated by the ground just as much as I was by the enemy. Why? Over speeding my aircraft to the point of aerodynamic compressibility. Losing significant flight control input while screaming nose down at the ground at high speed. Only bringing the throttle back to idle and deploying a speed brake if available can possibly help recover. Even in high altitude air battles, diving to escape is something that needs to be done carefully. The bots are exposed to this danger as well and they do fall into it. Sometimes crashing into hills or being stuck flying in a relatively straight line while deaccelerating, making them vulnerable to attack. In an arcade leaning title like this, having a flight sim lite style restriction towards not flying everywhere at maximum throttle with no penalty is refreshing. The quick gameplay style, frequent deaths, fast respawns and engaging bite sized dogfights have been a good experience in the current flurry of development for Sky Aces. Its developer, Fireruner, has also been actively engaged in feedback with players in Steam discussions, the recently made Discord server and social media. I look forward to trying out the multiplayer game modes with a few friends in later versions of the demo to get a better feel for what this game could look like in the long-term. This article will most likely be updated in the near future with information about the multiplayer experience. Connect with 'Sky Aces' Discord Steam X.com About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile ]

Thoughts on a decent representation of a modern battlefield decoy The EF-24G Mischief  has changed VTOL VR forever. After this aircraft's introduction as purchasable downloadable content on December 21st, 2023, the virtual reality battlefields of VTOL VR  by Boundless Dynamics  now have to contend with a high speed, swing-wing electronic warfare (EW) platform. The AN/ALQ-245 advanced electronic warfare pods are the primary means to deploy defensive and offensive radar jamming capabilities, utilizing three jammer modes with three EM bands. The addition of this aircraft came with an EW game mechanic that is documented in the community made unofficial NATOPS Flight Manual for the Mischief, but for now I would like to discuss the lesser known ADM-160J Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD). ADM-160J in flight. "Trojan" The EF-24G Mischief primarily deploys the ADM-160J as an extension of its electronic warfare capabilities, rather than a mindless gliding body missile sponge. Each jet powered decoy can remain airborne for up to eight minutes, following GPS coordinate flight paths programmed by the Mischief aircrew. Decoys can either follow complex flight paths or orbit around a single waypoint until their fuel runs dry. These flight paths can be updated in real time as the situation on the battlefield changes. At the most basic level, it can use DECOY mode Signature Augmentation Subsystem (SAS) jamming to appear on radar as a different aircraft. From the size of a recon drone to manned fixed-wing fighters to combat support aircraft. Appearing as an aircraft, the MALD then operates in enemy controlled air space to hopefully cause hostile radars to activate, revealing the positions of air defenses to make them vulnerable to attack. Any sensor detected by the MALD is passed to the EF-24G controlling it, which in turn is shared with other allied aircraft via datalink. More advanced use is done in the form of stand-in NOISE jamming. Each decoy has jamming capabilities similar to the advanced EW pods carried by the EF-24G. An ADM-160J can jam across three EM bands: low, medium and high frequency. Different frequencies work better on different types of sensors. They can be set manually by a player that has a solid understanding of the EW. An AUTO mode is also available to let the MALD select the correct frequency for targets it has detected closest to each decoy without aircrew interaction. Nearby friendly aircraft can utilize the NOISE jamming from the decoys as they ingress, egress or operate in an area to enhance their own survivability. This effectively lets the EF-24G aircraft provide EW support closer to the combat area while keeping the aircraft and aircrew as far from danger as possible. EF-24G electronic warfare officer cockpit. Decoys can also be launched In COLD mode. With no pre-planning of waypoints or jamming modes selected, they will leave the aircraft, following its last launched vector of flight. Advanced electronic warfare tactics could utilize the undetected MALD in a few ways. For example, as an unexpected pop up jamming source or false contact after it penetrates enemy airspace. Similar to mimicking an unexpected fifth generation stealth fighter appearing on radar as it nears radars that burn through its stealth abilities. Making the false radar contact of a stealth fighter behind enemy lines more believable. Though each EF-24G Mischief electronic warfare aircraft can carry up to six of these decoys, it would do so by giving up its AN/ALQ-245 EW pods. While the ADM-160J is useful on its own, it should be seen as a supplement and extend the core capabilities of the EF-24G to better support friendly forces in the theater. The Mischief in flight. Representation vs Documentation I feel like I always have a lot to say about how VTOL VR provides a reasonable example of current year aerial combat. The ADM-160J Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) and its place in the electronic warfare environment in this flight game might be one of the best representations of a modern expendable decoy in a civilian accessible flight game/simulator. I have long had an interest in the emulation of decoys such as the MALD in flight simulators and their use in the real world. Recent uses of modified Azerbaijani An-2 Colts to defeat the Armenian integrated air defense network in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020) and older ADM-160 variants in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War keep me ever engaged in reading up on this subject. When I think of other flight games and simulators that have air launched decoys, I quickly run out of examples. For now the most high profile example would be the ADM-141A Tactical Air Launched Decoy in Digital Combat Simulator. Besides the ADM-141 being a less capable munition in comparison to the ADM-160J, DCS as a platform is hindered by the need to adhere to official, declassified documentation for the sake of realism of legal coverage. Also, this is something the simulator prides itself on and sells itself on. As such, something like a still in service and rather classified ADM-160J MALD could never be 1:1 accurately represented in a civilian accessible flight simulator. So far, VTOL VR gives the most reasonable representation of this decoy by showing a decent portrayal of its publicly known abilities, while being fine with not adhering to a 1:1 accurate simulation. Providing a good example while side stepping pure realism at least gives the opportunity to gain a working theory of how munitions like this operate, rather than completely forgoing the experience simply because the right permissions and clearances cannot be acquired. I can appreciate this. EF-24G with heavy MALD layout. Future Flights A member of the Skyward Flight Media staff is to acquire a virtual reality headset soon and of the short-list of flight games we are to experience, VTOL VR is one of them. I had long planned to put in more flight time into this game, specifically into the EF-24G Mischief. More VTOL VR content can be expected in the near future. 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 Profile ]

Okay, dead honest—my first impressions when I saw the first screenshots of this game were “what kinda blatant Ace Combat ripoff am I looking at?” Between the “totally-not-Kei Nagase” on the cover title and the brackets around the transmissions, it was kind of hard to go into this seriously. But… you know, maybe keeping my expectations low helped me warm up to the ideas I see here in Aurora Flight by Studio Wakaru (すたじおわかる). “Is that an EF2000 with elevators? SUPER EUROFIGHTER?!” From moment one, I can tell you that I struggled to navigate the game menus. I’m still not completely sure what the “equip” feature does. Pulling the trigger on this review relied on the fact that it very recently came out with an English sub patch, but it’s not complete. Thankfully the main menu is all the English you need to get rolling, and thankfully the game is fully Steam compatible with all the controller support that comes with, so no extra configuration was required. “Click this box. Or don’t. I’m not your mother.” What to make of the lackluster story I’m presented with? Would it even be considered spoilers to put a screenshot of the briefing of the third mission of the game right here? Well too bad, here it is! Bam! “Unfortunately I am also unable to read English. In fact, I’m completely illiterate.” The fact is that there’s nothing engaging here at the moment. The story starts with following a conflict on a far away planet where resources are being claimed by rival corporate factions. You fight for Terracom, an Earth-aligned corporation that has deployed your squadron on the frontier planet Zenoa. As you advance through you can feel this being an excuse plot for the time being. Perhaps someone will be able to make something of it right now, but it could use some further work. The first mission is so cliché that I groaned. Down the bombers. Kay. Fine. Got it. Tutorial time. We’ll live. It’s disingenuous to put this down. Every single flight shooter does this to get their new players acquainted with the gameplay style. And frankly, it’s darn good it did. Given all the Ace Combat signs I’ve been presented so far, I didn’t expect a true sim-lite flight model and the throttle mapped to the side stick and weapons mapped to the triggers. I needed a bit to get my bearings, and the time was appreciated. “Finally, a game to take advantage of my absurd monitor refresh rate.” The flight model is competent, if very jerky. I was stuck in a third person mode for the entire flight and I kinda wished I could switch to first-person in flight, but I wasn’t able to find a way. This feature may be available in the options menu but I refer back to my inability to read the script of the Land of the Rising Sun. It took me a bit to find out that yaw was mapped to the X axis of the side stick, which is not a default I support due to the layout often inadvertently pushing throttle inputs, but I will give credit that the default deadzone for the stick seemed to prevent it for the most part. I couldn’t get over how sensitive the control inputs were, though. I was recoiling my not-a-Rafale through the air constantly, and though I got better with time, I think a sensitivity adjustment is in order. Weapons are simple, and honestly I think the decision to simply forgo on magazine limits and give all offensive and defensive options recharge rates was a wise one. I’ve been coming around on this as an option in an evolving flight shooter landscape where ammo number inflation has been a steady creep making the numbers effectively meaningless. I was thrilled when I got my first gun kill. The tutorial talks about how the gun is for advanced users only, and frankly, they’re right, as getting a gun kill is a challenge. The throttle suffers from some of this inflation, as you do properly bleed speed in a turn, but it’s more of a trickle, and accelerating in level flight will get you that energy back in a heartbeat. “I am Mobius Gun.” There’s not much to say about the sound effects and music at this time; I chalk some of that up to the beta-status the game is in, and some of it to expectation for the target audience. Though I do get a little bit of Ace Combat 3 vibes from the low-tempo atmospheric choir-like track of the third mission. Missiles fire off with a “whoosh”, and the gun sounds like I’m shuffling a pack of playing cards. Voice acting is present, but you’ll hear a cacophony of identical voice lines as you engage enemy aircraft and you or your wingman get a missile impact. Graphics are similarly underwhelming. The cityscapes rendered in each mission I played in were nothing more than featureless blocks across an endless landscape. Because of the control jank, I was unable to get a fix on the models of the aircraft I was flying against. The second mission claims that you’re fighting old Earth-model prop planes, but beyond the sound effects, I wouldn’t have been able to confirm that. Colors are muted, unless you make a close range hit on an aircraft during the night, then you’ll be blinded by the light. “Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night…” So… The game needs work. I’m convinced that the radar doesn’t actually function, despite being able to manipulate it with the face button controls. I would be facing down incoming enemy aircraft but nothing would appear on screen. I suspected tuning for range at first, but I couldn’t get it to show anything of value in any mission I played. Given that this is 2025 we of course have to have clouds in the game, but they behave somewhat oddly here, almost acting more like ocean waves rather than a Stratus system. But despite it, I can’t help but be somewhat enamored by what I’ve seen. We have a good base system here, and honestly I got some of the same comfortable gameplay flow that I’d get from a good flight shooter. Of course it’s a beta—I can’t call this ready for primetime or recommend it to someone looking for a complete experience. I’ve been bitten in the past by early access games too much to tell someone to rush out and buy this. But keep an eye on it; put it in your wishlist. I have cautious optimism towards this humble sortie. Connect with 'Aurora Flight' DL Site Steam X.com Writer T.J. "Millie" Archer T.J. "Millie" Archer is 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 Profile ]

Forward Air Controller-Airborne (FAC-A) is one of the most complex roles a modern-day military pilot could engage in. Forward air control with two feet planted firmly on the ground is challenging but doing it while managing a high-performance aircraft in hostile airspace is on an entirely different level. While single-seat aircraft with targeting pods are perfectly capable of fulfilling this role in Digital Combat Simulator, having a second aircrew member that could take over a few tasks would ease the burden. Thanks to the Jester LANTIRN update, solo pilots of the Heatblur Simulations F-14B can efficiently conduct FAC(A) operations. Weeks of fulfilling this role in PVE and PVPVE multiplayer missions with friends and random people have solidified my opinion that the F-14B is becoming one of the finest FAC(A) platforms in DCS. A summary of FAC(A) For those that do not know, in short, ground-based Forward Air Controllers identify hostile forces and guide fire support from friendly forces outside of the immediate area to strike those targets. Their tasks include managing the direction that support comes from, deconflicting assets, requesting specific weapons for the task, accounting for weather conditions and visibility, and safely guiding in fire away from friendly forces. Pilots that fly FAC(A) fulfill the same task as their ground-based counterparts but do so from an aircraft. This makes them a fast platform capable of finding hidden targets from high above while bringing their own weapons to bear if needed. They must do all of this while being competent enough to fly and fight in any condition effectively. An entire article on FAC(A) in Digital Combat Simulator could be written, but for now, let's leave it at this. FAC(A) F-14B in transit to area of operations. F-14B Design Benefits Despite FAC(A) being an unusual role for this aircraft, the F-14B's capabilities and design are beneficial. Its pair of F110-GE-400 turbofan engines give it enough power to sprint at well over Mach 1 to the area of operations if needed and use that same speed to break away from unexpected threats. Its variable swing wings sweep to more easily fly at lower speeds when needed. Though it does not have a fly-by-wire flight control system, placing the Tomcat into an easy right-hand orbit with a mixture of stick, throttle, and trim. When an orbit is established, the pilot only needs very light inputs to change the height and shape of the orbit. The large fuel capacity can translate to extended FAC(A) loitering time, assuming the pilot flies the aircraft efficiently, without frequently selecting afterburner. Unlike aircraft that use wing-mounted fuel tanks, the fuel tanks on the Tomcat are unable to obscure the targeting pod because of their position beneath the engines. Most importantly, the second crew member can independently search for targets and manage radios while the pilot concentrates on flying and the surrounding airspace. The second crew member can make all the difference. This is where Jester LANTIRN comes in. Restrictions Whereas aircraft like the A-10C, JF-17, F-16C, and F/A-18C can employ their targeting pods easily, the F-14B Tomcat has been hindered. Since its release on March 13th, 2019, the Heatblur Simulations F-14B could only use its LANTIRN pod (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) if the aircraft had a human Radar Intercept Officer in the backseat. And, let's be honest, how many DCS World Tomcat drivers have a consistent human backseater for every sortie they fly? It's a low percentage. This means that since its release, the most advanced air-to-ground capabilities for the aircraft have been locked away from a majority of its users. Players flying the F-14B alone could access their targeting pod by switching from the front seat and back seat manually or through the use of the Pilot LANTIRN Pod Control mod. With the Jester LANTIRN October 2021 update, all capabilities of the F-14B are universally accessible, which in turn made FAC-A a possibility for all that own it. FAC(A) with Jester Before attempting anything as a Forward Air Controller (Airborne), be competent enough to use Jester LANTIRN. As capable as Jester is as an automated RIO, he obviously isn't capable of passing information to other human players or searching for hostiles without player input. It's best to think of Jester as a semi-self-guided targeting system capable of sorting targets by certain categories while maintaining laser guidance and providing basic threat detection. The human pilot of the Tomcat will still be in charge of getting Jester looking into areas where targets may be, forwarding that information to allied forces, and coordinating attacks against the hostiles. There are multiple sections to this topic: Visual example only, not to recommended scale. F10 Map Marker Placement Placing map markers in the F10 map is essential for navigation and target acquisition in the F-14B Tomcat. These markers can be placed on the map both pre-mission (during the briefing) and mid-mission. The markers can be given custom labels typed out by the players. Short names are ideal, but the markers can have longer labels if needed. Make as many markers as needed for navigation, target areas, locations of nearby friendly forces, and other relevant marks. While the Tomcat does have a limited number of waypoints that can be stored within its systems, the map markers can still be used by Jester through LANTIRN Q Modes. Add as many target-related markers as needed. As a side note, the marks on the map are also visible to other players looking at the F10 map, improving their situational awareness as well. RIO Navigation Menu The F-14B can store three navigation waypoints, one surface target waypoint (location of enemy units), hostile area waypoint, initial point (beginning of bombing run), and defended point (location of friendly units). Map marker coordinates can be input into these waypoints by using Jester's Navigation Menu to select Steer Point From Map and assign map markers to the waypoints desired. Jester LANTIRN Q Modes Use Jester LANTIRN Q modes to quickly begin the search for targets. Select either waypoint (QWP), which were set in the RIO Navigation Menu, or cue map markers (QMAP MARKER). Jester will immediately slew the LANTIRN onto the selected point. Unanticipated targets can be acquired quickly by using the menu's Head Control subsystem and using either QEYEBALLS to look out the canopy and tell Jester to look at a specific area or using Direct Head Control to make small adjustments to what the LANTIRN is currently looking at. Getting Jester's attention back onto areas of interest is as simple as reselecting a waypoint or map marker, letting Jester handle the process of returning the targeting pod onto those locations. Example of pilot view of LANTRIN. Note target location information on bottom right of display. Target Spotting and Guidance After Jester finishes slewing the LANTIRN onto the desired location, immediately select SEARCH FOR TARGETS and begin searching either for units of a specific type (SAMs, Armored Vehicles, Aircraft, etc.). After the first target is located and automatically designated, new targets of that type can be found by using the Jester menu to search for Next Target or Previous Target. Once the desired target is selected, Jester will continue tracking the designated target but will begin giving steering cues to bring the F-14B onto an attack run. It is at this point Jester's steering cues should be ignored, and the pilot can settle into an orbit and begin guidance for other aircraft. These options include: Begin generating Nine Lines or establish parameters for buddy lasing of a target. Talking an allied aircraft onto the target using terrain landmarks and visual cues. Using laser designation to guide other aircraft capable of laser spot search/laser spot tracking to get their targeting pods looking at the same target area. Relaying coordinates of the designated target (bottom right of LANTIRN display while a target is designated) by radio or text for other pilots to input into their navigation systems. When other aircraft are ready, having the FAC(A) Tomcat launch the initial attack, visually marking the area with a column of smoke from the first destroyed target. FAC(A) can then return to orbit. Creation of further F10 map markers as needed. LANTIRN Lasing Details Normally Jester only lases a target while the F-14B is attacking a designated target. For FAC(A) and buddy lasing purposes, using the second page of the Jester LANTIRN menu is vital for these operations. Jester can be ordered to turn the laser from Automatic (for the F-14B's own attack runs) to Always On (laser on at all times). As friendly aircraft get the information they need or use the FAC(A) laser to get their weapons on target, once the task is complete, switching the laser back to Automatic shuts it off, preventing a potential overheat of the LANTIRN. The laser code of the LANTIRN can be changed while in flight, but any laser-guided bombs on the F-14B can only have their laser codes changed while on the ground. This is the same for many other aircraft in Digital Combat Simulator. While coordinating laser codes and weapons pre-mission is ideal, in the event this is not possible, keeping the LANTIRN pod's default 1688 code is fine. Just keep in mind that multiple lasers using the same code in the same area could cause problems. Threat Detection While Jester's steering cues should be ignored, muting him is an unwise decision. He still gives callouts for non-laser designation-related events. These include the location of friendly aircraft close by, new radar warning receiver hits from air contacts and surface contacts, and warnings about incoming missiles. The missile warnings, in particular, are useful in the case of short-range surface-to-air missiles like MANPADs being fired at the aircraft. "Armor captured." Jester spotting a target through a building. Quirks and Bugs As of the time this article is being published, there are a few known quirks and bugs of using Jester in this capacity. A voice glitch can occur where he constantly lets the pilot know a target has been lased or designated. Using the LANTIRN reset utility stops this but requires the target to be re-acquired through Q Modes. Jester's ability to spot targets can underperform if the area of interest is too far from the aircraft (over 20nm, estimated) or overperform to the point where enemy units are spotted through solid objects like buildings. This could be a problem because though Jester sees the target through obstructions, the laser from the LANTIRN will designate the obstruction and not the target in question. As stated in a comment from a Heatblur developer, Jester's target sorting is limited by the way DCS groups units. While the mission editor has sub-categories for unit types, these categories are not present while a mission is running. For example, anti-aircraft guns appear under "SAM" search, while armored personnel carriers, main battle tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles are classified as "Armor." Some units have an odd crossover, like some parts of the HY-1 Silkworm anti-ship cruise missile launch site appearing under the "SAM" designation. Normally this is where visual confirmation of the target is needed. While Jester is able to change the LANTIRN's field of view to zoom the camera in and out, he seems to only do so momentarily. Jester has no issue seeing targets in this regard, but there is not a function that allows the pilot to adjust the field of view. While Jester may not need this, giving the pilot the option to have Jester adjust FOV would be beneficial to the pilot in certain situations. Tomcat switching to FAC(A) role with Viper escort. In the real world, the F-14B "Bombcat" has served as FAC(A) in actual combat despite it not being its primary role. The F-14B of Digital Combat Simulator certainly has more hurdles to leap and bugs to squash in relation to this role, but with further development, it's possible that Forward Air Controller (Airborne) in swing-wing fighters won't be a rarity in multiplayer servers. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile .

Our VRChat Colibri Dogfight Tournament ended this past Saturday, we had around 60 pilots enroll to the event and three tournament winners which fought tooth and nail for the win. As we put this event behind us to focus on the future, we would like to have one last review of the event from the perspectives of everyone in Skyward that had a part in it from an organizational standpoint. Cubeboy's POV As the aircraft and world creator, this tournament was something special and terrifying at the same time. It had been more than a year since I had last made an event world like this for VRChat, so I had to readjust myself to the workflow and the way that this system works. The match system that KitKat made a couple of years ago was never truly documented properly, which means that we rely on magical mystical knowledge from her and the other tournament world creators to set up the system properly. This means that I ran into a lot of issues that, in reality, had been nothing but an improper set-up of an object or a parameter. Tournament World Unity Project Screenshot Setting up a tournament world properly truly feels like discovering some ancient puzzle made by an advanced civilization, and solving it by throwing stones at it until it solves itself. Jokes aside, KitKat and VTail were extremely helpful and saved me several times. Sournetic was also very much an important part of the project, and helped me until the very last second and made sure that everything was running well. A moment I think was very much worth it, at least to me, was seeing people become as competitive as possible during the tournament. Everyone was not only trying their best, but making it a point to want to win no matter what. We had some absolutely insane matches that went on for maybe far too long, but they kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time. We had a lot of technical difficulties, including VRChat's servers completely crashing and going offline the night we were supposed to have our finals, but with a quick reschedule and proper testing; we pulled it together, and we allowed our pilots to go ham. The tournament ended with a bang as our friend Sournetic made a very fancy animation to present the trophy to the tournament winner, who ended up being CriticalForce. The animation combined the design elements of the trophy with the classic animation style that Sour has had for the past couple of years Personally, I quite liked the tournament. It was a fun event to run and make, and even more fun to watch. Stayed tuned for more tournaments and events in VRChat, this is just the first of many events we want to do as collaborations or as the sole developers and organizers! Hueman's POV One of the unique challenges of this tournament was the need to establish our own visual identity - while Skyward has taken part in many tournaments before, they had always been organized primarily by other groups. This was the first time we’d be the primary organizers of the event. This meant we had complete free rein over how the aircraft’s liveries looked. Well, almost complete - as a tournament livery, it had to be color-coded, so the crowd could distinguish between the contestants at a glance. It also had to reflect Skyward’s visual identity, and due to time constraints, preferably be simple and easy to implement in a 3D model. The livery ended up as a two-tone, Ferris-inspired paint scheme, with two highly contrasting shades of grey as the base - following the same design language of Skyward’s liveries for DCS aircraft, and with the added bonus of also being similar to the color palette used by Dogfight Central, our partners for this event. For the livery’s color trim - which identifies in which “side” the aircraft is on - I wanted to do something slightly different from the usual for VRC aviation tournaments. Instead of highly saturated, bright blue and red colors, I opted for more muted, desaturated tones instead, which we found better fit the livery base. For the finals, however, I wanted something special - something which told the finalists and the audience watching them that this was a completely different stage. And thus, the bright colors were back in - but not red and blue, no, that would have been far too pedestrian. Instead, I wanted a different set of opposing colors, one warm and one cold. Hi-vis orange was the substitute for red - a color with a long history of use in aircraft and which perfectly fit the livery. And as a substitute for blue, after trying out many cold colors, I found the one which best fit the livery was a slightly muted teal - in between blue and green. This unusual color turned out to be a fan favorite during the competition! Having settled on these colors, I wanted to integrate them into the trophy design somehow. After discussing some ideas with Benjamin_Yes, Dogfight Central’s artist who was going to model the trophy; and Reason2Die4, the Black Aces’ veteran trophy designer, a lightbulb eventually lit up in my brain and resulted in this very rough sketch: It combined elements from Skyward FM (the arrow logo), Dogfight Central (their challenge coin in the center), and the Colibri jet trainer itself, the star of the show - as well as the final’s livery colors. Benjamin set out to model it with his own twist in Blender, and the result is this gorgeous trophy - which, in keeping with VRC aviation tournament traditions, received its very own reveal animation by Sournetic, who contributed with his 3D animation and particle work skills. RibbonBlue's POV Colibri Tournament May-June 2025 was an important event for both Skyward Flight Media and VRC Dogfight Central (DFC), whom we recently partnered with. For all details on this tournament, see our blog post about it. Preparation for this event outside world creation and aircraft development also spurred on an effort to expand our own VRChat content on the website, standardize promotional imagery and all the usual tasks that come with hosting a tournament. This process was further streamlined with the use of the VRChat Flight Tournament & Airshow Checklist created by Stagnation of The Black Aces VRChat aviation community. It should be noted that this community provided 50.00 USD towards the combined 350.00 USD pool which competitors drew their cash prizes from. During the build up to the event it was great to see competitors fervently practice in the recently made Colibri Dogfight Center featuring the SW-210 Colibri in jungle and snow camouflage for both organizations. While that world was built, the flight values of the armed Colibri were refined by staff from Dogfight Central and Skyward Flight Media, making this our first collaborative effort even before the tournament began. DFC staff analyzed the aircraft in air combat, producing a Rate Graph competitors were given access to shortly before the prelims began on May 31st, 2025: SW-210 Colibri Rate Graph created by Dogfight Central. Now that the tournament is over, the Skyward x Dogfight Central Tournament World is now available for use. Tournament worlds like this are often not freely accessible, so it is great to see it become a resource for people interested in competing with their friends or for other organizations to host their own event. Media of the practice sessions circulated around the DFC Discord and X.com. Some competitors even posted videos of their matches throughout the tournament. For broadcasting and promotion, the DFC YouTube channel is hosting VODs of two of the preliminary blocks ( Block A , Block B ). The semi-finals and finals were hosted as a livestream, with the VOD available below:  DFC x SFM Colibri Tournament Finals While providing my own commentary with the basic fighter maneuver experts of Dogfight Central, I found myself genuinely enjoying the air battles that took place. Largely because of the flight characteristics of the weapon equipped version of the SW-210 Colibri, a majority of the battles were notably different from the type of air combat we normally expect between fourth generation fighters in these events. With the aircraft's engine able to be disabled by combat damage but with it possible to glide them back to the center stage runway for rearming, refuel and repair of the aircraft, all manner of exciting and unusual battles took place. It was hard to predict at times, which was very appreciated. While the unfortunate mass failure of the VRChat platform on June 7th, 2025 forced a one week-delay to the event, the tournament still concluded with few hang-ups. This event gave both parties more experience with preparing material for large-scale events and hosting future events together. Engine disabled SW-210 attempting to glide to safety. Picture by VTail64. Event Pictures Well known VRChat cameraman VTail64 took pictures during the prelims and finals of the tournament. Promotional media images used for social media and livestreaming by benjamin_yes have also been gathered. All pictures have been put into a Google Drive Folder : Event Winners First Place CriticalForce Second Place Savory Three Place fuwamon Event Credits Commentary benjamin_yes, CRDM and Jono from Dogfight Central. Cubeboy, Hueman, KOSMOS and Ribbon-Blue from Skyward Flight Media. Last but not least, Reason2Die4 from The Black Aces, and KitKat as a Special Guest Broadcasting, Promotional Material benjamin_yes, CDRM, Jono, RIbbon-Blue Event Photography VTail Colibri Aircraft Design Cubeboy and Hueman. Colibri 3D Modelling and Adaptation to VRChat Cubeboy Colibri Porting to SaccFlight Version 1.7 VTail Colibri Flight Model Refinement benjamin_yes, CDRM, Cubeboy, Hueman, Jono Match System KitKat Tournament World, Match System Implementation Cubeboy Trophy Design Hueman and benjamin_yes Trophy 3D Modelling benjamin_yes Trophy Reveal Animation Sournetic Special Thanks The Black Aces for prize pool contribution. KitKat, Sournetic and VTail for assistance with various technical aspects making this tournament possible.

Game Jams are magical places where vague concepts need to be distilled to create a working game loop in a short amount of time. They are a mixture of personal challenges for indie developers to better their skills and find motivation, while also having their works submitted for judgment in competitions. From time to time, I love digging through the smallest of the smallest, most niche flight games. There are fewer places better to look than game jams. This time around I was digging through Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam 2025 . Running from July 30th to August 3rd, about 9,614 games were built and entered for competition in just those five days. The developers were given the loose theme of "Loop" to build their games around. The different teams took this theme and interpreted it in literally thousands of different ways. I now have a nice list of death loop games, music/rhythm games and some heart jerking love stories. While sifting through the 40+ pages of games, the image of a sky writing aircraft flashed across my screen. Skywriter Academy was created by team Trash Pilots (an amazing team name). When asked about how this game fits the Loop theme of the game jam, the team said: "In Skywriter Academy, you're tasked with writing messages in the sky by using smoky loop-de-loops to pass challenges!" All controls are done with basic keyboard inputs for maneuvering the aircraft, throttle selection and an interact button to click specific controls in the cockpit. This was a quickly assembled game, so it's fair to not expect full controller support here. I suggest downloading the game to get the best experience. From the beginning the dev team intentionally designed this 3D flying game to be difficult . While the flight model is very arcade-y with the aircraft more than capable of performing unbelievably tight turns in just a few seconds with little to no risk of departing from flight, the cockpit is where the game design intentionally overrides aircraft functionality. The cockpit was purposefully designed with a somewhat problematic layout. The aircraft has unusually low visibility and the bare minimum amount of flight instruments. Even the switch activating the smoke generator is placed behind the pilot seat, forcing players to look away from the direction of travel to turn it on or off. The screen in the lower-center console of the cockpit is the game defining flight instrument. That screen is showing a live camera feed from the hangars of the runway players takeoff from. The shapes or messages players must sky write, as referenced in their document folder, are to be drawn above the runway according to the perspective of that camera. This creates a pretty wacky dynamic where players both need to look straight down in the cockpit to monitor their progress. Looking forward out of the cockpit while skywriting is actually a detriment. The camera feed is vital for getting the shapes as correct as possible, but it is also the only way players can ensure they will not collide with terrain while flying. This is probably one of the most awkward ways to attempt flying an aircraft through aerobatics I've seen. Collisions are bound to happen, and squiggly shapes are expected. Though, after a few attempts this odd style of flying becomes easier to understand and the game itself is decently lenient with its grading system. So don't sweat failing a few times. A key part of the experience is the challenge of trying to succeed in intentionally difficult conditions, rather than revel in the accuracy of how real-world skywriting is done. The Trash Pilots team made a pretty odd little game in a matter of a few days. While I do not expect this style of game to "take off" anytime soon, I do think that Skywriter Academy could probably get away with a standalone, paid game release if it added more shapes to draw and a consistent grading system and maybe some unlockable aircraft with different flight characteristics. Using these aircraft could also act as a score multiplier for shapes drawn. That is just me thinking out loud though. If you have a few minutes and a working keyboard and mouse, try something unusual. Take a look at Skywriter Academy. Connect with 'Skywriter Academy / Trash Pilots' Game: Itch.io Art: Ties Groen Music & Sound: Nik Buchowski Programming: Bart van Egten Programming: Victor Ghys . 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 ]

Ask anyone who’s ever played Ace Combat - video games can be far more than mere entertainment. When intended as such by their developers, they can be incredibly powerful vessels for storytelling , possessing a trait unique to interactive media: while a well-written book will certainly immerse you in the story, a video game allows the author to place the audience directly inside it. This format’s potential for storytelling is in fact so great that, sometimes, a story will be told even though it was never really intended to have a story at all. Many years ago, when I didn’t yet have a PC powerful enough to play DCS or one of the newer IL-2 games, Strike Fighters 2 was my go-to combat flight sim. We’ve covered this old gem before , but suffice to say that while it does have several campaigns, there’s not really any narrative. No characters, no cutscenes; no storytelling. It does, however, have two features which in conjunction resulted in an experience I’ve been wanting to talk about ever since. Of Rosters, Rookies, and Aces The first is the game’s Custom Campaign feature. Players can take one of the game’s campaigns and change settings such as your unit’s aircraft and even the country it’s from - you can even pick certain squadrons from air forces around the world. In conjunction with the game’s vast modding scene adding more aircraft and maps to the game, this allows the player to create almost any scenario imaginable, from French Mirage IIIs intervening in the war between the game’s fictional countries of Dhimar and Paran, to JASDF F-4EJ Kai fighting Flankers over the Kuril Islands. Apart from having unique ammunition cost mechanics, custom campaigns in Mercenary mode let you really feel like Shin Kazama with these terribly mix-matched formations. The other feature of note is the pilot roster system. Pilots in your squadron are given a name and surname at random, picked from the game’s remarkably expansive list of available names for each country - and if it’s a mercenary campaign, you will have a hodge-podge of names from all over the world. They each have their own set of stats for various skills, and even fatigue - which forces the player to constantly rotate which pilots go out on sorties. The combination of these stats change the way in which individual pilots behave, fly and respond to threats. As pilots gain experience in combat, they sharpen their skills and can also be promoted. The simple fact that these NPCs have names and their own behaviors changes how the player interacts with his wingmen as opposed to flight sims where they remain nameless. You will certainly end up having your favorite pilots to fly with, that one inexperienced rookie you always have to take care of at the start and ends up growing into a solid pilot - and, because this is a combat game, some of them will almost inevitably be shot down. If they manage to eject, they might be rescued by friendly forces, hospitalized due to injuries, or go missing in action; if they don’t, they’ll be KIA, and be permanently crossed out on your roster. This is of course not unique to SF2, and the fascinating phenomenon of player attachment to characters simply because they have a name has been explored at least since 1993’s Cannon Fodder. What is interesting though, is that under the hood, the same system is being applied to all pilots in the campaign - not just to the player’s squadron roster. This means that each NPC has their own skill stats, they also earn experience, they can also get promoted, and their number of kills is tracked - even though you can't see it. That is… until one of them gets five kills. When an NPC becomes an ace, their name becomes visible to the player. Every time you come across them while flying, you will be able to see their rank and name; and in the pre-mission planning map, when looking at an airbase, it’ll tell you which squadrons are stationed there - as well as listing out known aces belonging to these units. In certain base game aircraft, aces even get their own kill marks! The thing is, for the longest time, I had only seen friendly aces ( I guess the poor Fishbed pilots never lived long enough to get five kills...) and thus I thought this feature applied only to pilots on the BLUFOR side. It made sense to me at the time - this is a flight sim, after all. It doesn’t have the narrative drive of an arcade game like Ace Combat; the whole point is that it’s attempting to simulate aircraft behavior to a point where you must use the appropriate tactics when fighting them. In this context, enemy aircraft are simply targets for you to practice against; there’s no need for characters to be attached to them. There’s no use for a story. This is the story of when I was proven wrong, and all of that changed. Setting the Stage SF2’s custom campaigns gave me many memorable moments - like that one time in a Starfighter campaign, when I took a rookie pilot along for an easy recon mission to get him some experience, only for my F-104G to end up being blue-on-blue’d by a Sidewinder when we came across a pair of MiG-21PFs and the rookie turned out to be dangerously trigger-happy. Goddamnit, Lt. Banzhaff. However, of course the most memorable one of them all had to involve Northop’s masterpiece: the F-5E Tiger II. When starting this campaign, I wanted to fly the F-5E in the classic matchup of Tiger II versus Fishbed. For the squadron, I picked Brazil’s 1º/14º GAv/Ca (Grupo de Aviação de Caça - Fighter Aviation Group), “Pampa”; all that was left was to pick the area where the campaign would take place. But where would it even remotely fit? There was no South America map. And then it crossed my mind - during WWII, Brazil sent an expeditionary fighter squadron to fight alongside Allied forces in Europe - what about a what-if scenario where the same happens in a Cold War gone hot? A completely insane proposal, but it was enough for me - and so, the campaign would be set in Europe. This scenario would’ve been set in the mid to late 70’s (the F-5E first flew in 1972, and entered operational service with the FAB in 1975) - however, this would mean facing tons of MiG-23s with their semi-active radar homing R-23s. What I wanted instead was to face MiG-21s in close-range dogfights, some classic Fox 2 and guns only action; and to achieve this, I cheated a little bit, and set the campaign’s year to 1968, a time-travelling journey for the “Echo” Tigers which SF2’s campaign editor happily allowed. This was, after all, a completely casual campaign - just to have some fun. Little did I know I would get way more than what I’d bargained for when asking for dogfights against MiG-21s. The Story Begins The campaign starts with 1º/14º GAv/Ca (Grupo de Aviação de Caça - Fighter Aviation Group) “Pampa” being forward deployed to Brüggen airbase, West Germany. On the 21st of August, Warsaw Pact forces cross the inner German border, seeking to unify the two countries under the GDR’s banner. What shall be the F-5E squadron’s first assignment as this conventional conflict deflagrates? SF2's automatically generated missions are always a box full of surprises, after all. I look at the game’s briefing screen: we’re being sortied as a four-ship, callsign Kingfish. Mission objective: “Provide close air support to friendly units defending Fulda.” Oh. Oh no. Looking at the squadron’s roster, I pick the three other pilots who will be heading straight into the jaws of the Pact’s armored push alongside me. Armed with a pair of Mk 82s and two 70mm rocket pods each, the four little F-5Es head towards Fulda, where the battle already rages on both in air and ground. There are F-104Gs dropping bombs on columns of advancing T-55s; on the other side, Su-7 Fitters lob rockets at the defending NATO forces. Heading to the gap. In the ensuing onslaught, two of my wingmen get shot down by anti-aircraft gunfire. One of them bursts into a fireball after being hit by 23mm gunfire from a ZSU-23-4; the other one manages to eject, and parachutes straight into the battlefield below. The scenery of the onslaught. At the end of the day, NATO forces succeed in repelling the assault. The fields of Fulda lay covered in smoldering hulls of T-55s and BMPs; and apart from strafing armored columns with rockets and guns, the 1º/14º gets its first air-to-air kills when, spotting an opportunity, I slot behind a pair of Su-7 Fitters setting up for an attack run and let off a pair of AIM-9Bs - one of which surprisingly connects, while the other misses entirely, leaving me to finish off the lead Fitter with my two 20mm M39 autocannons. Strafing run at the Fulda Gap. However, for me, this victory was a bittersweet one. Of the four F-5Es which sortied out, only two are coming home. On its very first sortie, the squadron lost two aircraft and one aircrew; while one of the pilots was rescued by friendly forces after the battle and returned to the squadron’s roster, 2nd Lt. Janelson Monteiro is KIA. The following sorties went a lot smoother; however, it was perhaps because of this initial shock that, after a successful armed reconnaissance mission, I ordered my wingman to return to base while I searched for targets of opportunity. I still had nearly all of my weapon loadout - two Mk 82s and two rocket pods - and sure enough, after a while I came across the mother of all targets of opportunity: an airbase with most of its air defenses knocked out, and a bunch of MiG-21s just sitting there on the flight line. I look at my map - Merseburg Airbase. Not exactly near the frontline, but not super deep inside East Germany either. I figure I can make a run for it if something goes wrong; and after looking around to make sure no bandits are in the area, I line up for my attack run on the airfield. Look at them all lined up! It was just too tempting! A barrage of rockets rains down on the parked MiG-21s. Very little AAA fire comes to meet me in response. Emboldened by this success, I decide to go for a second pass, and my two Mk 82s vaporize a section of revetment where Fishbed-Js had been parked. This MiG-21S is about to have a very bad day. Thankfully, no one's in it. However, after I pull up from this attack run, I notice I've got company. Approaching fast from my east is a lone MiG-21, armed with four heatseekers and a massive 23mm gunpod on the centreline - it's a Fishbed-J. I figure he must be from this airbase, and he's probably not very happy about what I just pulled off. But something else caught my eye immediately and sent chills down my spine: This guy had a name. Instead of "MiG-21S Fishbed-J", the red letters on my screen read out: "K-n Dmitri Kostilev" . My heart races. What on earth? A named enemy ace? I didn't even know that was possible in this game! What is this fight going to be like? How different will it be from a common enemy MiG-21? As I tried to process what I was looking at, the distance between us was closing fast. I didn't have an escape window to bug out of this fight - I had no option but to face him on the merge. The dance begins. I do not remember the details of this fight as much as how it felt - this guy was a lot more difficult to deal with than anything I'd been across before. Most SF2 enemies are nearly trivial to fight - but this guy knew how to move his Fishbed around, and most importantly, he was aggressive . And, this being an F-5E versus MiG-21 fight, our performance was very evenly matched. Whether it was due to the shock of this being the first time I'd seen an enemy ace, or whether it was actually that good, the fact of the matter is: for the very first time in a Strike Fighters 2 playthrough, I actually felt like I could end up losing a 1v1 dogfight against the AI. After a good few minutes of the most tense fighting I'd ever had in this game, I finally managed to get him in a rolling scissors, where the low-speed performance advantage of the F-5E over the Fishbed gave me enough of an edge to put him in my gunsight. Gotcha! As the twin 20mm cannons roared to life, the Fishbed-J's right wing was sawn clean off. Flames erupted from the wing root; and a second after the canopy blew off, the plumes of the ejection seat's motor dashed out of the cockpit. Splash one Fishbed! I circled around as I watched the smoking MiG-21 plummet to the ground, and sure enough, a white parachute canopy opened up. Mr. Kostilev would live to fight another day. My victory came right in the nick of time, as two East German MiG-21PFMs showed up to the party - thankfully too late. "Hallo, ist hier der Luftkampf?" After returning home with barely any fuel left, I went straight to the game's planning map. Sure enough: at Merseburg Airbase, there was an unknown Soviet unit, and in the list of known aces: K-n Dmitri Kostilev, with five confirmed kills. Unfamiliar with Soviet rank abbreviations, I did my best to look up what "K-n" was supposed to stand for - and, while inconclusive, my best guess was that it indicated the rank of Kápitan - or Captain. Though he had appeared alone this time, it was very well possible I'd see him leading a flight. My next sortie, a combat air patrol over friendly territory, was uneventful - but, in the second sortie after that encounter, our mission was to attack the runway at Neubrandenburg Airbase in a two-ship formation. I figured we'd have escort, so our loadout was full air-to-ground - all Mk 82s. As we approached the target, however, it became clear there would be no escort - the enemy air defenses were cleared out, but if someone jumped us, we'd have to fight our own way out. And what would you guess - as we're just getting ready to line up on the runway, Red Crown comes through the radio: Bandits at 12 O'Clock. Fishbeds - no less than eight of them , heading straight for us. And on the lead MiG-21S, was none other than Dmitri Kostilev. 8v2 isn't even close to a fair fight to begin with, but running away is hardly an option - we're deep inside GDR territory, and the Fishbeds are faster than us. We wouldn't make it to friendly lines in time. I order my wingman to jettison his payload and head back home; as he does so, I fly directly at the Fishbeds, the four Mk 82s still bristling under my wings. My plan is to push straight through and head for the target - faced with the option of an F-5 that's running away and one which is heading for their airbase, I figure the MiG-21s will choose me and leave my wingman alone. I just need to survive the head-on pass; whatever happens later, we'll see. I had no reason to fear crossing the bandits head-on: their missiles, just like mine, were rear-aspect only. SF2 AI also typically only uses guns when they have a textbook firing solution - I had never seen one go guns head-on. But, of course, there's a first time for everything. As the eight dots in my windscreen grow larger and larger, I see bright yellow shapes coming from the lead MiG-21. "WHAT!? They can do that?" "What the?" Instinctively, I roll hard to the right and pull back on the stick; the tracers fly screaming by, just barely missing my poor F-5E. Just barely missed it! Completely astounded, I try to keep my focus on the runway as the Fishbeds streak by - none of the others tried pulling off something similar. I had never seen an SF2 AI being anywhere close to that aggressive - I now dreaded the fight that awaited me. Got the runway, though! After successfully dropping my bombs on the runway, I weigh my options. Should I try to disengage? But there's no way - trying to run away would only put me deeper in enemy territory, and accomplish nothing but delaying the inevitable as the horde of Fishbeds catches up to me. Once again, Kostilev has left me out of options - I must turn and fight. Look at this madman, full afterburner, guns blazing. What a vibe. After dodging another nasty head-on cannon burst, the mad furball began. I remember dodging more than a couple missiles, but overall, apart from Kostilev the other fighters thankfully presented little challenge. After shooting down two jets, I finally managed to down Kostilev again - and once more, he ejected. After that, the enemy fighters disengaged and returned to base. I took the opportunity to head straight for friendly lines; nearly out of fuel, I opted to land at the closest friendly airbase I could find instead of trying to reach home plate. This pattern continued for several sorties - we'd have a handful of uneventful sorties, and then Kostilev would appear and force me into a situation that completely ruined my game plan. Kostilev and his gang showing up to ruin everyone's day again. He'd somehow manage to show up at the most terribly inconvenient times - such as when I was going back home after a deep strike into enemy territory, in an area covered by a bunch of SAMs; or to attack a flight of friendly bombers I was escorting just as another enemy unit had drawn us away. Kostilev throwing everything at two defenseless B-57 Canberra bombers. Every time, I managed to shoot him down after a long and difficult fight; and every single time , he ejected successfully, a parachute popped up, and he lived to fight another day - preferably, at precisely the worst possible time for us. Usually he'd show up with a two-ship, sometimes with a four-ship; but luckily, he never showed up with the massive eight-ship formation again. That is, until he did. We were scrambled to intercept an incoming attack; A group of Tu-16 Badgers was headed straight for our airbase. Eight F-5Es went up in full air-to-air loadout. Usually these bomber interception missions were fairly easy - but this time, one of their escort groups was none other than Kostilev's squadron - an eight-ship formation led by the man himself. It was a cliché at this point - Kostilev always showed up head-on, letting rip the 23mm gunpod. By this time, Kostilev's rank read "P-k", which i can only guess means Polkovnik - Colonel. Somewhere along the line, he'd been promoted - presumably for successfully managing to be the largest possible pain on my squadron's butt. But this time, it was an even fight. It was 8v8 - and my squadron was full of experienced pilots. Confident, I ordered one of my four-ship flights to deal with the bombers while me and my three best pilots dealt with the Fishbeds. I managed to shoot down Kostilev once more - and once again, he ejected successfuly. The poor guy's spine must have been compressed a few centimeters by now. At the end of the day, the bombers were destroyed, and all of our F-5Es came back home safely. It's hard to believe, but Kostilev managed to get out of this unscathed - he always does. You can see the whole three pixels of the ejection seat near the top right corner. For several sorties after that, I waited for Kostilev to come back, as he'd always done before. But he never did. I wondered how could that be - after all, I saw him eject, and he had a good chute. But then it hit me - of course! If the game applies the same system for enemy pilots as it does for the player’s squadron roster, then that means the same logic applies for what happens with them once they're shot down. And, since Kostilev bailed out well within NATO-controlled territory, that meant he was now a POW. I felt a sense of relief knowing Kostilev - this fictional character who didn't even have a face, nor a backstory, nothing but a name - was still alive; and a slight hint of sadness knowing I’d never see him again. As it turns out, this was the last dance. Flamenco guitars, please. The fact is, after the enemy ace which had long been my nemesis was no longer a factor, the campaign felt... empty. It was like something was missing. No longer did I go into every sortie wondering whether he'd appear; no longer did I have to worry about him showing up with a four-ship and forcing me to abort a ground attack mission. After Kostilev left the stage, I became the head-on menace. A few sorties later, I encountered another enemy pilot which had become an ace - from the same unit as Kostilev. However, it just wasn't the same. For the readers who played Ace Combat 04 - do you remember how it felt like to fight the fraud that was Megalith’s “Yellow Squadron” after defeating Yellow 13 over Farbanti? That's how it felt to face this new ace after Kostilev was gone. Sure, he put up a slightly harder fight than the average MiG-21, but compared to Kostilev it was laughable - so much so, that I don't even remember the bloke's name. There was none of the challenge, none of the thrill. “You’re not him” , I thought to myself. “Here, catch this Sidewinder. See? Kostilev would’ve dodged that.” A few more missions came and went. With one of the only enemy pilots which posed a genuine challenge out of the way, the experienced pilots in my squadron and other BLUFOR units - some of which had become aces themselves - established complete air superiority over East Germany. As NATO forces pushed into East Berlin, and it becomes clear the Soviet plans of a quick takeover of West Germany have failed, the campaign ends with talks of a peace treaty, and thus we come to the end of our F-5E saga. At the campaign's end, NATO air forces had five aces up their sleeve: apart from the maniac F-5E driver (the player), three USAF Phantom pilots and one RNLAF Starfighter pilot had achieved over five kills. I came across them in several sorties, and the game even made it so the F-4 aces escorted some of our strike missions. Look at this absolute legend who managed to live long enough - in a Starfighter - to get five kills! And yet, the only ace from this campaign whose name I remember off the top of my head is Polkovnik Dmitri Kostilev. In a game where there is no fixed story, where names are semi-randomly generated and where nothing is scripted, it is impossible for me to share this experience as one would with facing off against Yellow 13 in AC04, or against Pixy in AC Zero. But despite this inherent limitation of a story which is by definition personal, I've always wanted to share it because I cannot deny it: Kostilev left as much of a fond memory to me as any of these legendary Ace Combat characters. So much so that, years later, I even decided to draw that fateful first encounter. Sometimes, a name is all it takes for a story.

A look at our training mission to be released in the future I can confidently say that when it comes to Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) , pretty much all the Skyward Flight Media staff prefer multiplayer experiences over single player experiences. Not to say that we dislike well-made solo pilot missions and campaigns. We just deeply enjoy the teamwork aspect of online multiplayer missions. Instead of solely learning by offline independent study, our lead DCS mission editor, Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto , created a controlled training environment that can be used in multiplayer servers or for offline play. Known as the Skyward Marianas Training Range, it features various training tools players of all levels could use to learn any module (aircraft) in DCS world with other human participants. These include valuable bombing ranges and a strafe pit that uses in game assets and .lua scripts, not requiring the download of mods , to provide users with information they can use for training. While the Skyward Marianas Training Range has been operational for many months now, a version specifically made for public release is still in development. Consider this a preview of something good to come. F-5E on approach to the Skyward Marianas Training Range. The Traditional Training Process In November 2020, when I started my serious effort to get started in DCS, I did plenty of offline study and practice. Reading the provided manual, single player tutorial missions included with the module (aircraft) I purchased, video tutorials, expansive PDF guides - I spent a lot of time just trying to wrap my head around it all. But when you have other friends that are online slinging AMRAAMs and landing on aircraft carriers, the desire to get out there yourself often overtakes the "traditional" study approach. The same certainly happened to me. At the time, we thought the best compromise would be to find public servers running 'training missions' for me to learn while flying along them. I learned quickly that calling these missions "training missions" is a bit of a stretch. It is hard to learn and retain knowledge when there is a sprawling battle taking place against an opposing force. You could potentially have new players that can barely take off from the airfield, fumbling through basic aircraft systems while there is an unforgiving AI enemy actively trying to destroy them at every moment. Learning something new while under enemy fire is always less than ideal. While I did persevere through the dozens of deaths during that time and until I was finally comfortable with DCS, I have never forgotten the grind and how few training environments there are in DCS multiplayer servers. AV-8B Harrier firing its underslung cannon. Training Environment To clarify, when I say "training environment" I mean a scenario that does not force players that are trying to learn their first aircraft or their latest aircraft while in the middle of a full-scale wartime scenario. A training environment would be something where players could learn how to aviate, navigate, manage aircraft systems and become familiar with weapon capabilities long before being fired at themselves. A place where they could get comfortable enough with their aircraft with other players around, if desired. This same environment would also have the option for players to voluntarily enter into limited combat scenarios when they felt as though they were ready. That is a basic idea of what I would consider a training environment. Skyward F-16CM dropping practice bombs. The Skyward Marianas Training Range includes every aspect of what I've described a training environment to be (for the record, I personally had nothing to due with its development, all credit goes to Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto). Since this is a preview of sorts, I will not be detailing them all just yet, but my personal favorite features in this mission are the Bomb Range and Strafe Pit. Preview: Bombing Range The Rota Island Bombing Range is designed for guided bombs, air-to-ground missiles, unguided rockets, air launched cruise missiles, guided rockets, glide weapons, and unguided bombs. Using a .lua script, munitions that explode within its range provides specific players with their accuracy in the form of in-game text messages. For unguided weapons, this is especially useful. As pilots practice CCIP or CCRP weapons delivery, they become more familiar with the dive angles, air speeds or distances they need to maintain to consistent hit targets. While multiple bombs can be dropped at the same time onto the bombing range, the ideal application is to drop one bomb at a time to truly practice refining accuracy. Preview: Strafe Pit 6 nautical miles north-east of the Rota bombing range is the strafe pit. This pit is set for West to East gun only attack runs when aircraft roll in below 5000 feet MSL. As long as aircraft stay within the valid strafe pass zone, information on the number of hits on designated targets and the accuracy of those impacts are also communicated via in-game text messages. Coming Soon ™ The public release of the Skyward Marianas Training Range will be handled similarly to how we provided the Syria COIN mission. When the time comes, a similar product page will be setup with an online event scheduled. There is no hard date for release of this mission file, but work is actively being done to prepare the public version for release. 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 .

In a simulator designed for combat and high action flying, one would think that something like a big, slow and "unamusing" aircraft such as the C-130 would not even be able to participate in basic scenarios. After all, this is Digital "Combat" Simulator, right? Well, it turns out that I have been finding myself flying such an aircraft inside actual combat missions, and in multiplayer too! But before we talk about that, let's talk a bit about the mod itself and how it works. ORIGINALLY POSTED: 08/27/2021 MINOR UPDATES 1/20/2024 A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN DCS: WORLD As a mod, the C-130 is pretty well-made, except for the cockpit model and textures. It is impressive how much work went into the systems and displays inside the cockpit. Aside from only a couple of mods such as the T-45C, this one has got to have one of the best implementations of digital displays, even the Heads-Up Display (HUD) has its graphics done with .svg files, which increases their definition by quite a bit ("a bit" being infinitely scalable)! The textures are quite plain and lack depth (same goes for the model), but the displays more than make up for it. Additionally, she does fly the way you expect her to. She is heavy but not maneuverable, making flying this bird quite a joy. I suppose that is natural when you have a pretty decent external flight model (EFM) and not a simplified flight model (SFM) driving the aircraft. Is the handling a 1:1 replica of the Hercules? No, but that is ok. When it comes to features, the Hercules has some of the most interesting ones I have seen in quite a while. From deployable paratroopers to droppable pallets with spawnable cargo inside that bring the airlift powerhouse that is the C-130. It also has a functional navigation computer that allows for waypoints to be entered. The computer can also calculate reference speeds for landing and take-off according to your weight and flap configuration, cool, huh? External model's good, nothing spectacular but it does its job! The external model is pretty good, too. It is properly animated and has enough texel density to look good while not taking up hundreds of megabytes of textures. It is not the highest poly model you will ever see, but it is just enough to look excellent with the help of the amazing texture work that it has, which was made by other community members! Although it might not be able to directly attack air targets and despite it having some ground attack capability thanks to its mounted cannon option, that does not mean that this bird is completely defenseless. It has the largest amount of chaff and flares dispensers that I've seen in DCS World (840 of each). Something that is beautifully represented by the attention to detail that the devs had in implementing these, seeing as even the dispersion pattern is spot on. Check this angel out, quite the looker: Now that you know a bit about the mod, let's take a look at how I've been finding myself using this bird in a multiplayer scenario! THE RIGHT PLANE FOR THE RIGHT JOB Lately, I've been playing a lot with my group of close friends on a private server. In that server, we are currently running a sandbox-like mission which utilizes scripts and dynamic triggers to make the battlefield more alive. We also run mods in the server, such as the A-4E, A-29B and of course, the Hercules. If we are victorious, we are usually left with a capturable airbase! Prior to us setting up the Hercules for the mission, it was usually the AI who randomly chose to capture the airfield whenever it wanted. We kind of got tired of that, which is where the C-130 comes in. After the clean-up is done, one of us (usually me) gets into the C-130 , starts it up, and heads straight for the airfield that we just freed. This part is usually fun as the rest of the players will have to escort this slowpoke of an aircraft for hundreds of miles , usually having to defend me from enemy fighters that are trying to intercept me. This has led to some pretty exciting and interesting scenarios, some of which have ended with me dead in the middle of the desert. Let's say that, after a long flight, I reach the airfield with my Hercules. As long as there are no enemies inside the zone and I land safely, bringing the aircraft to a halt, the neutral airbase will be captured, and allied ground forces will spawn! This, in turn, has made our experience much more gratifying as we have direct control over what happens and how it happens. This is the kind of scenario in which a cargo aircraft such as this shines bright like a diamond. After capture, we can now safely spawn and enjoy the protection of our SAM network in the airfield. This gives the mission a much-needed sense of progression that only the Hercules could bring. It truly is the right plane for the right job. A HERCULEAN CONCLUSION While it might not be the ideal platform to fly in the middle of a contested airspace, this aircraft and many more of its kind have a definite place inside DCS: World. They present the player with a completely new experience and one that no other sim can offer today, with the closest game that has something similar to it being Bohemia's ARMA 3. Give the Hercules a try, you will not regret it. You can even cold start it, that's always a plus! About the author: Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter | Discord : Cubeboy

Introducing an early project, touching base with a familiar face Hey howa' doin, FlyAwayNow here again with the third indie highlight article, brought and produced by yours truly. Nova Squadron and Supermaneuver are the next of the indie flight games we'll be looking at today: One of them has been a known contributor to Skyward Flight Media, and as for the other, it's their first time through! So before we get to it with direct questions, I'll lay both of them out from the top down: Nova Squadron , the synthwavy, rougelity, Jupitery acelike, whose demo has been available and continued to be updated as it works up to its 1.0 is a game that I have known ever since my own work Project Wingman: the neighbor over the fence, and in many ways still a few steps ahead with ideas and notions about roguelite integration and location and even flight characteristics that comes with the higher sci-fi setting. Once you know what Nova Squadron is, you'll always recognize it when you see it between floating installations, aerial navies, and the tooth and nail rougelite climb that is ripe for the taking in our genre. Speaking of unmistakable, Supermaneuver at a casual glance, for Ace Combat fans out there, you will know the aesthetic immediately: This project by developer Gabriel Solon is, and I don't use this term lightly, the spiritual successor to the Ace Combat game made at the End of History; the game that confronted the oncoming future of technology. The internet was a thing not yet truly known of its nature and formation, and in that surreal weave of danger, War, as a constant fixture, was made partner with it. Supermaneuver then therefore will take us back in time to the days of the Electrosphere. As a general disclaimer before we get underway, I am a producer on both of these games, as I was on Project Aggressors in the prior article, and in games to come, hence my ability to provide you these insights! However, the questions I ask are not those offered by these developers, and some of them are even interrogative in nature; the project of this genre demands that all of us collectively ask these questions, so that, in some very funny form of the Socratic method, we get closer and closer to a more perfect union of plane games. Nova Squadron Website Links:   Steam  | Bluesky  | X.com Who are you? Hey, I’m Clara, I’ve been a professional games programmer for 4 years and, in my spare time, lead developer of Nova Squadron for 5. Why are you making this game and this type of game? Back when I was in my first year of university, we had an assignment to make a small game where you flew a plane in 3D; we were only given a few weeks to make it, so I wasn’t able to fit in everything I would’ve liked. The desire to revisit that assignment and do everything I originally hoped to (and, dare I say, some feature creep) eventually blossomed into Nova Squadron a couple of years later! What do you want this game to be? I always aim for Nova Squadron to be “baby’s first acelike”, so to speak - something with a solid tutorial and forgiving mechanics. It’s definitely not there yet, but I think some of this ethos shines through with things like the shield generator and fire support request system. I’m looking to start simpler than other games, and gradually build the player up to higher complexity gameplay. Acelike Rougelite, then. As opposed to acelite roguelikes, where the enemy planes can only move when you move.” This does raise a few questions in me then, what do you consider that simple floor, and what do you consider higher complexity than that? I’d say the core of it is that the player is free to make mistakes without being punished for them. For example, in most games where you’re in a plane, if you fly into something, that’s the end of the mission - not pulling up at the right time resets you back to the start, something I think we’re all painfully familiar with from ground-attack missions! The floor I want to start the player at is one where they’re free to learn the ropes and figure out how to control a plane in 3D space, and the game will give them the breathing room they need to do that. Then the complexity builds up as I stack more on top (weak points on ships requiring specific attack vectors, roguelite upgrades adding extra mechanics, and so on). Well, if we go all the way to the very end of the campaign, you’re going to have to fly through a tunnel. In fact you’re going to have to dogfight inside one! The more upgrades you stack on, the twitchier and less easy to control your plane’s going to be; and the most powerful upgrades are ones with trade-offs that force you to hone your playstyle. There’s an upgrade with a trade-off that prevents your shield from recharging until you get a kill, for instance, which forces the player to play more aggressively and deal more damage to stay in the fight. Nova Squadron is also mentioned to have a campaign, how does that work into the rougelite formula? In the demo, you can work your way through a series of 4 missions - for the first three, you can pick what type of mission you sortie into from the tactical map, but the fourth is fixed. A demo run always ends with a massive naval battle between your forces and the enemy, which is then interrupted by the appearance of Sceptre Squadron (or a certain suborbital superweapon...but that's a secret!) The full campaign takes this and expands it into a series of 3 mission sets, each 3-4 missions long, each ending with a fixed climactic battle. In the first set, you'll be ambushed with a random boss enemy; in the second, you'll chase after that same boss and eliminate it; in the third set, you'll charge deep into enemy territory for the final battle. We're talking tunnels, superplanes, antimatter reactors, the works! And everything you accomplish in each campaign run before your plane explodes will then link back into Renown you can use to request R&D on your planes, as well as conversations and bonds with your wingmen, allies, and even certain enemies.  What type of tone and writing are you looking for in this story then? We’re looking to make something light-hearted and filled with goofy over-the-top moments, but still with enough stakes and internal logic to keep you invested! To give an example, Nova 5 got their callsign by taking out a battleship via a controlled orbital dive at Mach 8, using their shields to absorb the impact. That’s the kind of “logical silliness” we’re pursuing. I’ve brought in a second team member to make sure we absolutely nail this. Robin  is busy writing the script and in-game archives and polishing them until they sparkle. Some of her work’s already in the demo - she rewrote all of the mission briefings for 0.4.0! How's development going since we've heard from you last? Slow and steady! I’ve been taking some of the oldest systems in the game, reworking them, and locking in their “final” versions - so with each new feature I add, it gets exponentially easier to add the next. The patch I’m working on now for July leverages all of those systems to add the craziest missions and weapons I’ve made so far, and moving on from there on I’ve got my eyes set on the metagame outside of regular missions - collectible dossiers, interactions with other members of your squadron and so on. Are there any gameplay decisions that you're on the fence about adding in? The core gameplay loop is pretty much set in stone at this point, I think (in design, at least - there’ll be a lot of changes to the demo in 0.5.0!) What’s still up for debate is a lot of the weirder prototype upgrades and mission objectives. Train heists, EMP fields, that kind of thing. What do you say about people who are otherwise turned away from NS due to its visual identity? Please bear with me, I’m working on it! 0.4.0 kicked off the visual overhaul with new shields and exhausts, and I’m moving on to clouds and explosions soon. Or cloudy explosions, maybe. Best of both worlds! It's been some time since Nova Squadron has been out there, and, as a dev myself, I know that the core of the vision can often change as we keep hammering away at the final creation. Has Nova Squadron changed fundamentally from what you wanted originally? Do you know where you're going? I think the core of the game’s stayed where it is since the first 6 months of development back in 2020 - peripheral design elements move around and get replaced, sure, but nothing that would have huge ramifications across the entire game. The biggest change is probably the narrative push you’re going to see in 0.5.0: a fake PC you can send messages with, read bizarre in-universe propaganda articles on, and…crash using terminal commands? The Song of Eventide ’s IT department would prefer it if you didn’t do that last bit though. You’ll get some pretty irritated messages from them if you’re not careful! Some developers have limited time demos to show their progress. The Nova Squadron demo has been consistently available for over half a year. What do you think are some of the benefits of maintaining a long-term publicly accessible demo? One of the main reasons to have a limited time demo is to build hype and fear of missing out - more people play the demo short-term because they don’t want to lose their chance to do so. I don’t want to do any of that. NS is a long-term project. I don’t want to build up a load of hype in a week and then leave people lost and confused for the next 3 years - I want to have you all along for the ride with me, and I want you to have faith that yes, this game is actually going to come out one day! Each update brings us one step closer to that lovely 1.0.0 release. What has been the biggest blocker for you in developing the game after all this time? Exactly that, really - time! I’m a programmer by trade and I don’t think anything could have prepared me for how long it takes to make all the models, textures, UI art and music that actually goes into a game. I’ll get there though. It’ll happen. Any closing thoughts or things you want to say?  I hope you like androids and fluffy ears. Not at the same time though. Supermaneuver Website Links:   X.com  |  YouTube Who are you, why are you making your game and this type of game, and what do you want this game to be? All in one go! I'm a 32 year old Brazilian gamedev. I've always had a passion for game design since forever, particularly vehicle based games. I grew up playing LOTS of Gran Turismo and Ace Combat on the PSX. I got this interest in airplane games when my dad got Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere and fell in love with everything. Ended up playing the game way more often than him. I remember some words from Stephen King that went something like this: "don't write down your ideas as you could end up clinging to bad ones, good ideas stay in your head and keep returning". I personally don’t think it's bad to write your ideas down, but he has a great point about good ones. This Simcade style flight combat game based on Ace Combat 3's design is one such idea. My plan for Supermaneuver is to pick the whole aesthetic of Ace Combat 3, borrow ideas from the whole series and other games like Project Wingman, deliver the political intrigue Ace Combat is known for and make a fast paced action game that requires careful plane and loadout planning. Before you were developing Supermaneuver, you were a 3D modeler who often posted your work for sale for other developers. How did you get into that? It's an interesting story as I started at 12 when I downloaded blender to make games, didn't even know what modeling was, and things evolved from there, but my focus was always modeling in the context of gamedev. I still sell some premade models on cgtrader and used to do some freelancing on Wildcat. Why get into game dev after that? I think the best ideas to invest on are the ones that keep getting back to you, so I've decided to fully turn to gamedev as I felt confident in my dev skills and always wanted to do a plane game. You can check my channel  to see some other game projects I did before. How long have you been working on Supermaneuver? It's a complicated question to answer because the dev work was really on and off for a year as I was doing a lot of freelancing and was really unfocused - depression can be a b**ch. But then I realized that the passion project was the way forward and the support/guidance you offered really helped a lot. Are you worried about people who are turned away from the "older" style of graphics that Supermaneuver has? It definitely would help to have shiny visuals like Project Red Sun on PW but Supermaneuver is first and foremost about my retro vision so this doesn't concern me too much. The interesting thing is that the gameplay itself is quick and modern. What makes Ace Combat 3 look like Ace Combat 3 if I can ask, then? Because you have the aesthetic nailed down from what you've shared. The things that make Ace Combat 3 are great pixel art for the planes but also, more importantly, the quality of the terrain sprites. The terrain was the main reason I chose the second mission from Electrosphere, “Bravado”. It has a simple (or I thought it was) ground sprite texture variety. It's "just" Rock and Forest. Of course when I started actually making my terrain I came to the realization that there were quite a few types of in-betweens and variations, so that was neat. While I was studying the map geometry I also noticed how restrictive the map's design was without being noticeable. There are some set tile elevations that repeat, the mountains have the same geometry repeated but it's all convincing thanks to good texture design and limited draw distance. Adding a lake to the Bravado equivalent mission in my game wasn't easy because of that. My reference didn't have this lake, so I had to get creative and load up the "Guardian Angel" mission that had islands transitioning into the sea so I could study the transition. Color balance was another very important step as every level has a characteristic tint, usually green or blueish, so I had to make sure all sprites were in the same theme.  I feel like if it wasn't for the work of Krishty   my job would've been at least 10 times harder. They ripped and organized all the textures and models/maps from Ace Combat 3 neatly in a way that made the process of studying and replicating the results far easier. How close is Supermaneuver to Ace Combat gameplay?  That is a dicy one because I'm inspired by the whole franchise but to be honest, I think it's an Ace Combat/Project Wingman Frankenstein. It has the agility from PW but the equipment selection will probably be simpler akin to Ace Combat Zero. Both games are about mercenaries, you can notice a pattern of taste there. Is there anything different you're doing with the flight model and gameplay you're doing, or do you want it to be close to Ace Combat? I don't really intend on mimicking anything specific as the fun factor will be king. The same can't be said about the visuals though. I’m really trying to emulate that Ace Combat 3 look. Would you want to share a bit more about your idea on the world or the story of this game? The story is just a rough draft at the moment as making a game involves so much work on so many different areas, but what I can say now is that it's a fictional world like Strangereal and is focused on mercenaries. Two rival companies to be precise but  I don’t want to say too much as these things change a lot. Are you interested in putting out a public demo? And if so, when? It's a secret shhh. Any closing thoughts or things you want to say? Again, shoutout to Krishty  for ripping and organizing the Ace Combat 3 files, Supermaneuver probably wouldn't exist. And shoutout to you Matt for the huge support. About the Interviewer Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen Artwork by alice (@atrousyolks) Producer, writer, incidentally personified online as a rooster. One of the three main developers of Project Wingman and now working across the board on several other combat flight videogames, audioplays, podcasts, and books. Advocate for indie creators, fanfiction, and critical analysis of what you love. [ Bluesky  / Linkedin  / X.com ]

It’s clear that I have a penchant to review and speak of games far past. What can I say? I’m drunk on synthwave, Frutiger Aero wallpapers, and badly-normalized voxels. But perhaps the greatest challenge of creating these reviews is determining whether these dinosaurs are actually worth playing today. So often I’ve found myself having to put an asterisk next to what would otherwise be a glowing review, because it would be dishonest to not point out how much the playing field has changed, and even the greatest of innovations are quickly superseded by something better. Sometimes though, the game still just… works. It’s rather amazing how well After Burner Climax still works, and how well it shamelessly takes the high-energy, rapid-paced, score and time attack arcade rail shooter into the 21st century for what may be its last hurrah. Honestly, I don’t think the original After Burner aged well. I have nostalgic feelings for it of course, but as it and I have aged, it’s not something I would be willing to show off as a jewel of the rail shooter—if I want that on a console, I’d point someone to Star Fox way before After Burner. And where Star Fox’s upgrade from its SNES debut to Star Fox 64 remains legendary, Afterburner’s generational uplift resulted in After Burner II, which pushed on into the realm of the Sega 32X but didn’t really result in enough innovation or, frankly, affordability to keep one of Sega’s self-proclaimed stars afloat. And it’s pretty clear that they knew it. Over ten years had to pass before they decided to bring it back for one more explosive, penultimate release. So… I wanted to approach it as faithfully as I could without getting my hands on the arcade cabinet itself. That took the form of taking, ripping, and hopefully emulating the actual Sega Lindbergh media disc for this review. I had hope for this; a Lindbergh emulator does in fact exist, but it’s been unsupported and incomplete for some time, so I gave up hope in getting it emulated… …right up until I was literally looking for a picture to demonstrate this lack of support and discovered that a new emulator called Lindbergh Loader was released just one month ago and apparently supports After Burner Climax pretty well. Well... dang. I already got the CD back to its rightful owner. I guess we’re going to move forward with the next best thing: the Xbox 360. This is truly where I’ve played this game the most anyway. After Burner Climax made a wide home release four years after it dropped into arcades and was downloadable on both the 360 and PS3 for a very approachable ten dollars. Bringing in two new aircraft alongside the F-14D, you can also select the Super Tomcat’s successors (Or contemporaries depending on how you feel) in the form of the F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18E Super Hornet. Immediately its clear the game is a more than faithful port of the Lindbergh disc. It adds earnable cheats and the ability to have a console-style constant play mode that keeps the quarters (dollars?) in your pocket where they belong.  Pressing start after an in your face title screen that transitions into an attract mode/ranking screen blaring with an awesome modern update to the After Burner theme song, you are given a selection of the three aircraft above with a set of different paint schemes and 20 seconds to make up your mind. The game literally explodes off the deck/flight line into a fantastic guitar riff and never lets up. Story? Z is preparing a nuke. Stop them. That’s all you need to know. Get to it! “Plane Jesus has got nothing on the Brave Fangs.” The game’s feature claim to fame is the “Climax Mode”, which functions as a bullet-time slow down and reticle widener that allows you ample time to maximize score and damage on the level for a short time. The meter is refilled as you destroy targets and is depleted as you hold down the triggers. This is still the score attack game we had all those years ago, and as you progress through levels, you want to keep that score up along with attempting to destroy special objectives to change your trajectory on the level select map. It’s very easy to trigger Climax Mode in the panic driven flying you’ll be doing though. There’s a learning curve to its operation, but that adds to the skill-building you’ll be doing to master the traditionally twitchy After Burner flight model. “Super Tomcat! Getready…” The graphics were top-notch, and honestly still are. Not that you’ll have much time to admire them with how fast the screen comes at you. You’ll occasionally catch glimpses of the who’s who roster of enemy aircraft, which includes F-4’s, F-5’s, F/A-18’s, B-52’s, and many others, all of which are easier to observe once you’ve inevitably gotten yourself blown up by a wayward missile or twenty.  “FLIGHT CONTROL, FLIGHT CONTROL” As the terrain blows by you’re being constantly yelled at by your invisible teammates who just won’t stop talking; and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is a prime example of the in-your-face never shut up 90’s arcade energy that ports itself so flawlessly into the 21st century that I can’t help but take it seriously. The way your two teammates make off-color remarks about the terrain you’re flying over on or the over-the-top bogey calls or the panicked odd sentence structure in their radio-crackled voices when you get hit by a missile just keeps the balls-to-the-wall atmosphere flowing. Oh, and have I mentioned that they call enemy aircraft by their actual model names? What’s your excuse, Ace Combat 5? But I have to emphasize that this is an After Burner game. You’re going to get yourself blown up over and over again until you get good and start recognizing the patterns to dodge the missiles and down enemy aircraft efficiently. Thankfully the aforementioned console-exclusive EX Options (cheats, if we were to be honest) will make that easier for you, and the more you play, the more you earn, so if you want to eventually just finish the games, these options should get you there in short order. This is a short game—it’s 14 or so levels blow through as rapidly as you might think, but the replay ability is through the roof. By the end you’re clearly getting some traditional flight-shooter inspired tunnel and canyon chases. The monotony is also broken up by pursuit or friendly-fire challenges to keep you on your toes. Wait ‘til you get to the laser fences. It truly is refreshing to revisit this game every so often and enjoy it more and more each time I play it. Honestly, I’m not much better at it now than I was back then, but it gets the blood pumping and keeps your attention front and center. I love this game so much; it flies in the face of changing tides in game design and defiantly drops itself into an era where game length and story complexity was rearing its head. I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants a fun flight romp and an escape back to the simplicity of arcade gameplay with a modern veneer.  … TOO BAD YOU CAN’T BUY IT ANYMORE! 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 .