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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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