Changelog, day and night mission available The next update to our first publicly downloadable mission for Digital Combat Simulator World is here. The changelog for Syria COIN version 1.2 of the mission lists all changes, but key updates include: Day and Night versions available. Player slots for the DCS: F-4E Phantom II by Heatblur Simulations. Player slots for the DCS: JF-17 Thunder by Deka Ironwork Simulations Several new BLUFOR units for Combined Arms users. BLUFOR Combined Arms units with respawn timers. CTLD Transport Zones marked on map as dotted yellow boxes. Syria COIN is a cooperative multiplayer mission by Skyward Flight Media's lead Digital Combat Simulator World mission creator, Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto .  This mission was designed as a lower-intensity operation to allow the effective use of lower-performance aircraft such as the A-29B Super Tucano, OV-10 Bronco, and less advanced attack helicopters such as the Hind.   Likewise, the mission is centered around these aircraft - though faster and more capable aircraft are available, these are stationed in airbases further away from the operational areas. This is done to encourage the use of low-performance aircraft while still allowing those who desire to play high-performance aircraft to enjoy this mission. Learn about this mission, its detailed story, kneeboards and more on the official webpage .

Losing air superiority, gaining creative gameplay Since the start of the new development direction of Tiny Combat Arena (TCA) in April 2020, players have enjoyed almost complete air superiority. Even in the early versions of the Arena game mode, the most dangerous anti-air threats were MiG-21 Fishbeds with no infrared air-to-air missiles and very ambitious BMP infantry fighting vehicles trying to hit AV-8B Harriers with their autocannons. Fast forward a few years and this has gradually been changing; players in the venerable Harrier are gradually losing air superiority. Something that may be beneficial for gameplay depending on how you look at it. Timeline of Land Air Defenses The sliding scale of air defense threats has steadily increased since its early access launch on February 22nd, 2022. At launch, the ZSU-23-4 Shilka was easily the highest level threat at the time due to its radar guided high rate of fire autocannons and the AV-8B Harrier's compliment of weaponry primarily being within visual range weaponry that require the aircraft to come within the Shilka's engagement range. Though, the Shilka is certainly more of the point defense anti-aircraft system that cannot engage targets at high altitudes. The addition of the ZSU-57-2 on October 26th, 2022 complimented the relatively short ranged Shilka by being a low-rate of fire, but high altitude capable anti-aircraft cannon with exploding shells. No longer could players loiter at medium altitudes to potentially drop unguided bombs at their maximum possible ranges, while not having to be concerned with ground based air defense. A handful of ZSU-57-2 are enough to make medium altitude operations near locations like military bases genuinely dangerous even while on approach. I would argue that until the introduction of the ZSU-57-2, even the Shilka was not an exceedingly high threat unless the player chose to engage it at close range, rather than destroy it from a 'safe' distance with an AGM-65 Maverick or high altitude bombing. June 11th, 2023 introduced the first ground based surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to Tiny Combat Arena. The SA-9 is a basic, self-propelled light vehicle with infrared homing missiles installed. The SA-9 became a consistently viable threat to any aircraft operations up to medium altitudes. Though its missiles can be decoyed with flares, its implementation in TCA makes it dangerous. Simply deploying a flare or two while not maneuvering is not enough to guarantee safety. A decent amount of flares and hard maneuvering is needed to evade SA-9 missiles. As of June 2023, the combination of all three aforementioned land based air defense systems made a small, but dangerous example of an intergraded air defense system capable of hitting maneuvering targets with various types of guided munitions at once. Increased Air Threat It goes without saying that usually the most dangerous threat to an aircraft in any combat flight game or simulator is other aircraft. As they are capable of deploying the same or more advanced radars to search and track players and air-to-air weapons that meet or exceed what players can use themselves. Since 2022, this was not the case for Tiny Combat Arena. At early access launch, aircraft like the MiG-21bis Fishbed and MiG-23MLA Flogger were available as non-player controlled adversaries, but were only able to use their internal cannons to try and shoot players and their allies down. This resulted in players having the ability to deploy infrared homing missiles like the AIM-82B and AIM-9L Sidewinder and even a pair of radar guided AIM-7E Sparrows against enemies that had to rely on entering gun range and dogfighting players. Assuming they survive multiple missiles launched at them. While each missile launched is not a guaranteed aerial victory, it can feel undeniably one sided at times. On December 21st, 2023, the scales in air combat began to balance. The ability for enemy controlled aircraft to launch infrared missiles against players and their NPC allies was added. Now players had to strategize against potential incoming missiles, with even a single MiG-21bis becoming a decent air threat during air-to-ground operations. The MiG-23MLA Flogger, though it is a fighter-bomber, usually flies in a pure air-to-air configuration in Tiny Combat Arena making it more maneuverable than the usual TCA Harrier loadout of primarily air-to-ground weapons. The Floggers, now with infrared missiles, have become increasingly dangerous in close range combat. The developer also mentioned that radar guided missiles for enemy aircraft were on standby, but until game mechanics related to radars, radar guided missiles and countermeasures like chaff were implemented, this next level of weaponry is on standby. A medium ranged semi-active radar guided missile would most likely be one of the most dangerous weapons in game, but nothing compared to the large-scale looming threat that is highly likely to appear once the official 1.0 update to the game is made public. Strategic Surface-to-Air Missile Sites Since our interview with TCA developer Why485 in 2020, my interest has been in the first example of the SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile site. With a maximum range of roughly 20 nautical miles and an altitude ceiling of at least 60,000 feet, the presence of even a single SA-2 in the current, smaller scale Tiny Combat Arena island maps would be devastating. Essentially "spawn camping" the airfields players would be operating out of. Though with the 2024 TCA 1.0 update hinting at the release of the newest massive map, that seems to be dozens of times larger than the current island maps, something like an SA-2 gains value in being a strategic air defense system. The presence of a large SAM site like the SA-2 coupled with large, complex terrain would almost completely change the way the "average" sortie in Tiny Combat Arena would play out. With large areas and multiple bases falling beneath their coverage. Loss of Air Superiority Increasing Dynamic Gameplay At the end of the day, players are still flying an air-to-ground attacker that specializes in delivery of weapons that have an average range of about 3 nautical miles. When thinking of the Harrier's longer-ranged weapons, something like the Maverick anti-tank missile or the purpose built AGM-112 Sidearm anti-radiation missile also lack the range to engage the SA-2 even at the edge of its own effective combat range. Pushing deeper into the effective combat ranges of air defense systems will be required. In the air combat side of things, MiG-23MLA with their own semi-active radar guided missiles to attack players from medium distances also complicates the player's mission in a considerable way. While that sounds like a ruined gameplay experience, I'd argue that it is the nature of Tiny Combat Arena to press players into risky scenarios where low-altitude flying, within visual range combat and, honestly, enjoying the damage model are key parts of the game's formula. The more players lose the ability to comfortably attack from distance, it pushes their creativity in thinking up tactics to approach threats for ways they most likely have not attempted since 2022. I am still waiting eagerly for longer sorties in contested air spaces. Where hiding behind foothills to surprise attack a supply base beneath the umbrella of an SA-2 far too eager to strike me on egress is a thrilling risk I want to take. You can be sure I'll write about that! 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.

A Solid Introduction to Fleet Carrier Warfare Modern naval battles are terrifying. When near peer fleets of warships potentially go head to head, they bring with them highly advanced weapons designed to be as "unfair" as possible. Long gone is the era of within visual range cannonade slinging. Close in weapons capable of knocking missiles out of the air, long-range anti-ship missiles that come over the horizon and all weather combat aircraft striking targets hundreds of miles away from their motherships - that is naval warfare of these days. On June 20th, 2024, Nuclear Option by Shockfront Studios presented their take on modern, no nuclear weapons barred surface combat with a single mission that embodies the experience. Update 0.28 was a substantial update for the game with key highlights being a revamped in game economy for aircraft unlocking, strategic nuclear weapons and the focus of this article: the Hyperion-class Fleet Carrier and the carrier-based KR-67 Ifrit multirole fighter. KR-67 Ifrit The latest fixed-wing combat aircraft to the roster is the game's first purpose built carrier based multirole fighter. The KR-67 Ifrit was first mentioned to the public on November 23rd, 2023 , with it public release on June 20th, 2024. This semi-stealthy multirole aircraft joins the ranks of the air superiority focused FS-12 Revoker as a top-tier, high performance single seat aircraft in the game. This thrust vectored aircraft comes standard with a tail hook for Short Take-Off, Barrier Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) aircraft carrier operations, though the tail hook can be removed if needed. The KR-67 carries a hard hitting internal 27mm cannon with two centerline internal weapon bays, inner wing pylons and outer wing pylons. When flying with external weapons beneath its wings, the Ifrit is capable of complex strike missions while providing self escort with active radar homing (ARH) and infrared homing air-to-air missiles. The aircraft can easily be pressed into the air superiority role with a considerable amount of ARH or "Fox Three" missiles. Making it able to intercept aircraft and anti-surface missiles at long ranges, en masse. Bunker busting precision guided bombs, glide bombs, anti-tank missiles and anti-radiation missiles round out its ability to perform any mission asked of it. Keeping with the theme of the game, the KR-67 is also able to carry two tactical nuclear bombs. Its defensive capabilities include standard chaff and flare dispensers and a self protection jammer. Weapon capability wise, its flexibility is unmatched by other aircraft in game. A single Ifrit could fulfill the mission requirement of two or three aircraft in a single sortie. This entire array of weapons can be carried while maintaining impressive speeds, respectable maneuverability and a few extreme angle of attack maneuvers in a close range dogfight with its pitch limiter function disabled. Hyperion-class Fleet Carrier The Hyperion-class Fleet Carrier is the second naval vessel added to Nuclear Option. Before this update some endeavoring users got creative in the mission editor to create structures that were aircraft carrier shaped, but the real deal is now here! In the grand scheme of the game, its inclusion opens new scenarios in the base game and for mission editors to explore. Thanks to its ability to move around the map, attacking a "mobile air base" is a new mission type for players to challenge. This aircraft carrier features two short-range infrared homing missile launchers, one long-range semi-active guided missile launcher and two close in weapon systems that are able to intercept incoming munitions like anti-ship missiles, guided bombs, nuclear weapons, etc. Aircraft operating from the carrier spawn inside of the carrier and are automatically lifted by elevator to the flight deck for operations. There, they utilize a Ski-Jump Style ramp to launch themselves into the air using their own engine thrust and the forward motion of the aircraft carrier. For landing, aircraft automatically receive landing position data for speed and an E-bracket for landing on the carrier deck. Currently only the KR-67 benefits heavily from this system thanks to its built in carrier arrestor cable hook, but any aircraft that can fly slow enough to land on a carrier deck and slam on its brakes before falling off the carrier also benefits from them. Mission: Carrier Duel Update 0.28 brought a challenging mission that, in my opinion, acts as the perfect introduction for high level naval combat in Nuclear Option. The mission places two fleets, with the same number of warships, same combat capabilities and same number of aircraft against one another. Each fleet having a single aircraft carrier with its air wing compliment. In this mission, the air wing of is made up of a solid mix of aircraft covering various roles in quantities that are believable when compared to real world aircraft carrier air wings: 24x KR-67 Ifrit (Multirole Fighter) 08x T/A-30 Compass (Light Attacker, Trainer) 04x EW-25 Medusa (AWACS, Electronic Warfare) 04x SAH-46 Chicane (Attack Helicopter) 02x CI-22 Cricket (COIN Aircraft) The missile engagement ranges of the Hyperion-class Fleet Carriers and their Shard-class Corvette escorts allow for large scale air combat operations without there being a dozen long-range surface-to-air missiles raining upon aircraft the moment they get within 60 nautical miles. Though, their combined weapon systems still reliably intercept just about any weapon thrown at the warships unless they are fired en masse. Something the Carrier Duel mission portrays that I feel like many other games do not capture is the intense air battle that would make up the first half of a fleet versus fleet battle of this scale. The air wing is truly the first line of defense and primary means of offense. Before either surface group can engage each other directly, their combat aircraft tangle in the skies above the open ocean. For players flying in this scenario, it is difficult and ill advised to try and ignore enemy air operations. Playing the long-term strategy of gutting the enemy's air wing while they operate outside of the range of their fleet air defenses protects your fleet from constant attack while diminishing the enemy fleet's defensive options. There are times where the air battles are becoming decided by carefully avoiding ARH missiles through high speed evasion and notching missiles or flying just above the water's surface in attempts to drive missiles into the ocean while closing for a close range dogfight. Combat over the open ocean is a unique experience in the sense that with no terrain coverage to hide behind, the player's decision on when to evade or when to commit to an attack are even more high risk. In this mission there are foothills available for terrain masking on a nearby shoreline, but they are removed from the main axis of attack between the two fleets. Players will need to fly out of their way and out of the main area of the battle to utilize it. Direct attacks against the fleet frequently result in at least half of the munitions fired being intercepted before they are any threat to warships. Mainly because of the concentration of close in weapon systems and short-range surface-to-air missile systems. Targeting a single warship and concentrating fire on it yields the best results per attack. A lone player will have limited success during the first attempts of attacks on surface ships, but will be able to utilize the efforts of their AI allied aircraft to augment their own attacks. Of course flying with multiple allied human players changes this significantly, with mass attacks timed and focused on a single enemy. Eventually, as each fleet comes into range to attack each other directly, players can use the fleet surface combat as a distraction to close short range and executing slashing attacks to pick off the Corvette escorts or disable the aircraft carrier. Though, like any real warship, it will take at least half a dozen high explosive munitions to sink them. The tactical nuclear weapons carried by the aircraft in the air wing are also susceptible to interception, so this is not a problem that can be easily solved by atomizing the fleet at the drop of a hat. For the handful of times I played this mission, it always came down to each fleet engaged in close range combat with both sides taking considerable losses. Even the victorious side is questionably combat effective after the enemy carrier has been sank. It is a grueling battle and interesting to see Shockfront Studios allow it to unfold this way. In the near future I plan on creating an aircraft carrier centric mission for Nuclear Option to continue exploring the new aircraft carrier playstyle while capitalizing on their strengths and weaknesses. It will also be my first attempt to create a mission for Nuclear Option in general. Look forward to it! About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile .

We have, once again, partnered with our friends over at the Black Aces , the largest aviation community in VRChat, to bring you a dogfighting tournament in VRChat! We’ll be using the Colibri made by Cubeboy, which holds two 20mm gun pods and two AIM-9Js! For the first time in a Black Aces tournament, we will be using a new system to spice off the dogfights. It consists of an encroaching barrier, similar to those in battle royal games like Fortnite or Call of Duty Warzone. Details on the systems will be disclosed in the next couple of days, both here and in the Black Aces socials! The Qualifiers will take place on Saturday, August 17, 2024 10:00 PM EST and the Finals will take place on Saturday, August 24, 2024 10:00 PM EST! Don’t let the short notice discourage you, because there’s also prize money again, courtesy of us at SkywardFM! 1st Place - $100 2nd Place - $50 3rd Place - $25 Sign up form is linked below and will close on Friday, August 16, 2024 12:00 AM. A practice world is linked below as well. However, the moving barrier is not included in the practice world, so you’ll have to wait until the tournament to enjoy it. It seemed more fun this way! We’ve been looking forward to this tournament and how the new mechanics will play out. Hope to see you there!

Have you ever been in this situation? You are flying towards a ground target with some good ol' iron bombs, you spot a group of targets all clustered together, and you think to yourself: "Today's my lucky day!". As you think that, you enter your attack vector, you proceed to align yourself with your target and press the bomb release button, only to be received by a wave of disappointment as your 500lb bomb only managed to kill one of five soft vehicles in that cluster? Well, then you are not the only one. High Explosives (HE) munitions in DCS are infamous for their lack of splash damage, to use video game terms, or any sort of complex overpressure mechanics. Sometimes you might drop a Mk.82 right next (100ft) of a Humvee, and it will not even get scratched. There will be times when you will send it to the next life, as scrap, but those are less common. To test this for myself, I set a bulleye-like target comprised of only Humvees. This target had the vehicles set on a cross pattern, with vehicles on the diagonals. All of these vehicles were spaced out equally, with the first set of vehicles set 33ft away from the explosion center, and three other sets of vehicles set 100ft apart from the center with 100ft of difference between them, meaning the most distant vehicles were 300ft away from the explosion. As expected of DCS explosions, only three out of the four targets that were on the 33ft radius range were damaged, with one of them being fully destroyed. According to Characteristics of Weapons of the GICHD, "A standard Mk 82 bomb body produces a lethal area of approximately 80 m / 262.47 ft (across) by 30 m / 98.43 ft (along)". While this lethal radius is not directly related to the size of the crater or the destructive power within a certain radius, it is clear that the Mk.82 bombs are very underpowered in game. Players have taken it upon their own hands to improve this aspect of the game with thinsg such as the Splash Damage script , originally made by FrozenDroid and later modified by GRIMM and Kerv, which improves this aspect of the game in a very drastic way. While this script is technically no longer supported, that only means is that new weapons are no longer added as they come out. All that is needed to fix this is to go into the script and add them yourself, which is a simple task. All we can do now is hope that ED fixes this core aspect of their product natively so that we do not have to rely on scripts to fix what should have been fixed years ago. 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

There are seldom any servers in DCS World that have the community that surrounds Enigma's Cold War (ECW) server, a community that is passionate about a certain timeframe and that is willing to use period-accurate loadouts to enrich the experience. I hadn't been in Enigma's server ever since Heatblur took over server operations, so I decided to change that. Today I found myself flying in ECW with my good friend Hueman acting as my GCI, but we found a very interesting scenario unfolding in front of us. Right as we joined, we notice that there were barely any red players flying, and of those even less were flying top cover. We decided to change that and help the underdogs by joining the Redfor forces and provide a bit of a boost to their fight against Bluefor. For context, at the time there were so many F-4E Phantoms flying for Bluefor that it was impossible for Redfor aircraft to even establish basic top cover for the helicopters flying down low. Every Redfor player was flying fighter aircraft, since going out in an attacker would be an exercise in futility. I joined these players in my Mirage F1CE, a plane everyone else also seemed to be using when I was there. After fighting with the control mappings for a bit, I got my aircraft ready and sortied away. Hueman guided me to the closest contacts on radar, which included an ongoing furball between two Phantoms and a Mirage. Right before I got there, and in visible range, I see the Mirage get shot down by a Phantom, leaving me alone against two very angry fighters looking for their next prey. I get into a dogfight with who seemed to be the lead aircraft, positioned myself behind them and push the trigger, only to find that I had left my master arm switch on the safe position. I quickly scrammed to arm my missiles and get the plane on C + M/SW mode (Cannon + Matra/Sidewinder) as I try to establish a rate fight with the enemy Phantom. While I could manage this rate fight pretty well with the lead Phantom, their wingman popped right behind me and aimed for a missile shot. But as this is happening, an A-4E pilot appeared from thin air behind the wingman Phantom and shot an AIM-9B that, unfortunately, found its mark. This marked the end of my first sortie. My second sortie went much better. I took off as fast as I could and was vectored by Hueman towards a single F-4E Phantom that seemed as it was conducting an air to ground sortie. I approached the lone Phantom, and we merged over the mountains and engaged in a very short dogfight. The enemy pilot disengaged very quickly and ran away, which gave me a very easy shot with my AIM-9Bs. I shot one, it missed. I shot the second, and it tracked perfectly, but it missed the target due to it running out of energy before impact. Frustrated, I engaged my afterburner all the way and went in for a gun solution. As I approached them, I squeezed my trigger and hit his right wing, sending him into an uncontrolled spin into the ground. That was the first kill of the day. Unfortunately, I ran out of luck the moment I landed at Al-Dumayr, since it was captured right as I touched down. This spawned ground units that proceeded to annihilate me. There were two other sorties, one in which I managed to bag a Phantom with a somewhat sneaky AIM-9B shot before being shot down by enemy air defense as I defended against two incoming Phantoms, and another where I got stuck in the best dogfight of the session against a very experience Phantom pilot that knew how to manage their energy pretty well. We stayed in that dogfight for quite a while, and just as they were going to shoot me down, a cheeky F-5E pilot snuck in and stole their kill, me. Enigma's Cold War is a blast, and the experience only gets better if you have some friendly eyes in the skies guiding you through the action while your team is the underdog. If you haven't yet, make sure you drop by the server and try it out for yourself, 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

Aviation continues to appear in the largest virtual market on the planet! Virtual Market 2024 Summer is quite the experience. Whether you are a known virtual reality user with full body tracking or on a desktop PC with a passing interest in the event, the largest virtual market experience in the world is still impressive. Even though it is primarily a Japanese marketed event, the fact that VRChat has been an international platform for over a decade does not make the event inaccessible. There is plenty of English language support within the event with all manner of online tools to help translate things. The attendees of Virtual Market 2024 Summer (Vket) are also from all around the world, so who knows what languages you may experience along the way. For those that do not know what this event is, the About page for it explains: "What is Virtual Market? It's the largest market festival virtual reality has to offer, where users can buy and sell 3D items/avatars, as well as real-world products like food, clothing, and PCs. Since 2018, the event sees over a million visitors from around the world and even holds multiple Guinness World Records™ as the pioneer of metaverse events. Aside of markets, visitors may engage in "experiences" exclusive in metaverse, such as riding attractions in venues, virtual receptions, music lives, and more! Visitors can also can verbally communicate in real time, enhancing the fun and atmosphere as if touring along a whole new city!" There is a lot that can be said about VKet in general. While visiting the event, I had to see "Circles" (think independent developers) and groups that represent VRChat aviation . While the website catalogs these organizations in attendance, just how they were represented at VKet is an unknown. The only way to find out is to see it for yourself. And so, with fellow Skyward Flight Media staff members and members of the Black Aces VRChat aviation community , I attended the locations where we knew these groups were represented while finding unknown locations along the way. SakuraYuki Aviation Production Until Virtual Market 2024 Summer, I knew nothing about Sakura Yuki Aviation Production. When it comes to aircraft, this circle specializes in historic aircraft mainly from the World War II era. Their recent promotional video for their He-219 night fighter has been circulating in VRChat aviation spaces on X.com. SakuraYuki Aviation Production had a modestly sized booth at Vket this time around. Forefront was a rather large scale model of their Ki-94-I; to this day it is one of the most unusual aircraft produced during World War II. Even at this scale, the detail to the aircraft model is evident. On the back wall, staple products from this Circle include the Bf-109C, Me-262C and Ki-27. Those smaller scale models were able to be picked up by event goers for closer examination. Being honest, any time you can get someone to pick up and interact with a product, it is a big step in making their experience more memorable. Cross Reality College (XRC) Until now I have never heard of this 'university', but am familiar with the concept of educational organizations in VRChat. Classes for painting, sign language, gym work outs, etc. I had briefly stopped at the Cross Reality College (XRC)  booth after seeing a poster offering a helicopter related course. Later, my research into XRC showed that they are a virtual school that specializes in seminars that last for three months or more. Their staff has teachers that specialize in specific subjects in a setting where they can take their time to teach at length. The Cross Reality College apparently has a 'Helicopter Department' where students can learn the principles of rotary-wing aircraft operations. I watched a small section of the promotional video before catching up with friends that were with me. My curiosity is piqued, that is for sure. Who is the instructor behind this course? How detailed is the course? Is this a type of ground school that leads into a flight training portion? This is something I plan on looking into. Okaeri Game Studio This studio is not VRChat aviation focused but sells something universally popular with fans of aviation. To give an idea of their products, they sell instruments, interactive pets, fishing rods, a camp site, etc. Their VKet booth had more of a toy store feel about it, including a claw grabber machine. Of interest is the Cyclone! Synced RC Plane for Avatars 3.0 . This RC plane does not rely on the Sacc Flight system like a majority of manned aircraft in VRChat currently do. Once purchased and added to an avatar, the Cyclone can be deployed by its user in any of the many thousands of worlds in VRChat. Of its features, the highlights are that it comes with three FPV cameras, has fast network sync up to 1000m so all users in its vicinity see its position accurately, can transform into a high speed jet and has a shooting mini-game installed. The shooting game is especially interesting since other people with their own Cyclone RC plane can engage in air combat with each other no matter where they are. There were other RC vehicles as well, but naturally the Cyclone was the star of the booth in this aviation focused piece. This is certainly something I have been wanting to add to my avatar. Hopefully this year is the year! Sho_Taka24 While in transit to a different VRC aviation booth, I ran into a booth displaying an aircraft model from a creator unknown to me, Sho_Taka 24 . A few web searches did not yield much information. The aircraft on display is very similar to the ASF-X Shinden II from the Ace Combat series, but information on its development or availability is also unknown as this time. Shimotsuki Heavy Industries In my opinion, this Circle is mainly known for their Su-57 for VRChat. I do like that they include proposed Indo-Russian FGFA, which would have produced other Su-57 variants like a two seat version. This Circle has appeared at other virtual market like events within the past year with their XF-23/F-23 Fighter being forefront. Shimotsuki was represented by a full booth showing large scale model size versions of their full-scale aircraft designed specifically for use in VRChat. The F-23 again displayed prominently with the proposed F-23N naval variant shown as a work in progress grey model. A promotional video played above everything on display. Unexpectedly, a diorama of an ongoing photogrammetry project of an F-4C Phantom II at a war memorial museum was also on display. This project is being done as a part of the VRC 3D Scan club. TomTom Works Shimotsuki Heavy Industries was kind enough to also include a small table for TomTom Works , another creator of VRChat aviation aircraft. TomTom is not only an aircraft modeler, but also a long-standing member of the Blue Horizons airshow team, which has been active since 2019. At Virtual Market 2024 Summer, TomTom works presented his MiG-29/35 Fulcrum and in development F-16V. SADOKIN A joint booth between Kumakichi Shoten Works & SADOKIN . In VRChat aviation, SADOKIN products can be seen beneath the fuselages of aircraft since they produce aircraft weapon model packs. Their catalog includes 3D models for aircraft carried air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry, a Stinger MANPADS model and various full sized warships. The joint booth was eye catching because of a break dancing avatar by Kumakichi Shoten Works. That was hard to ignore! SADOKIN had two poster boards, one of them showing a single picture of a work in progress model for an aircraft that looks like an F-22 Raptor. This would be the first aircraft SADOKIN has developed for VRChat. With an August 2024 release window, I am interested in seeing it in action later this year. Virtual Sky Service This is a Japanese organization focused on hosting events to present players with realistic airline travel experiences in VRChat. The Virtual Sky Service (VSS) does not just fly short-trip VFR Cessna flights around an airfield either. Since their organization was founded over a year ago, their events include the entire experience from entering an airport, interacting with airline staff and the pilots following realistic operations while airborne. At VKet the VSS were represented by large posters in The Alter Vista; a multi-level shopping mall. The posters provided basic information to introduce the organization with contact information for interested guests to get in direct contact with them. I've heard taking an airline trip in VRChat is a memorable event. One I plan on partaking in soon. Virtual Market 2024 Summer is ongoing until August 4th, 2024. The booths mentioned in this article were seen during a single day of exploring. This article may be updated in the near future with other VRChat aviation related booths as they are found. 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.

The beginning of our Creator Highlight series, that focuses on interesting media created by individuals and groups across the internet, starts with a relatively unknown content creator that has lived up to his persona. For over three years, he has steadily produced 540+ educational videos for aircraft across multiple flight simulators. The aircraft flown cross the entire range from the 1910s to the 2010s and include civilian and military aircraft of all sizes. I've been a frequent viewer of his content for roughly two years now and despite his low view counts, his genuine love for aviation and willpower to steadily produce video is admirable. Let's take a moment to introduce and appreciate the Flight Sim Historian . Since September 7th, 2017, the Flight Sim Historian has discussed and flown hundreds of aircraft in X-Plane 11, DCS World, Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition, IL-2, PREPAR3D and even Flight Sim World. Aircraft of all types are covered: airliners, research aircraft, rotary-wing, military aircraft, transports, World War II experimentals, strategic bombers, 5th generation fighters - you name it, it's most likely there in the catalog. There are legitimately too many to list. The video format for his main series, the self titled "Flight Sim Historian" series, is straightforward. Each episode focuses on a single aircraft from one of the aforementioned flight simulators. They are a mixture of freeware, payware and other mods. While the aircraft is on the ground, he begins to provide information about the aircraft in the first few minutes of each video. Information about the aircraft, its operators, media the aircraft can be seen in (movies, TV shows, etc.) and other information depending on aircraft type or the focus of the video. After the ground presentation, the aircraft is then flown for a time to examine it in flight both internally and externally while the Flight Sim Historian provides no commentary or little commentary. This allows the aircraft to be observed with minimal interruption before landing. These are not tutorial level videos where aircraft start up is discussed in detail, but they are effective introductory videos to a wide variety of airframes. It should be mentioned that he also does reshoot earlier videos with new footage and new audio when needed. Alongside the primary series are also videos of one-man DCS airshows, free flights and combat footage in his catalog as well. Admittedly, not every video is picture perfect. Some include crashes on landings or a few minor mid-air mistakes but these do not ruin the videos. The one persisting complaint about the videos is the audio volume difference between his commentary and the flying segments. The difference is so sharp having a finger or mouse icon hovering over the volume control is recommended. The Flight Sim Historian continues to create video content on his YouTube channel with his primary means of contact through his Facebook page . After production of more than 540 videos, this content creator is continuing to soar under their own power. 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 in this series make me happier than landing a max range BVR shot This is going to sound far-fetched to those not in the know, but the Ace Combat series does have beyond visual range combat (BVR). Since 1992, within visual range (WVR) combat has been and probably always will be a part of the series' "proven formula". From the usual combat engagements to the more memorable battle set pieces, there is a reliance on the fighting being up close and possible. In this flight arcade series, even aircraft like the F-104C and MiG-21bis can keep up with advanced aircraft like the Su-57 and fictional super aircraft in close range dogfights if players work hard enough to make them effective. With a majority of the aircraft roster in each game capable of holding their own in a dogfight, the thrill of turning and burning against computer or human adversaries perseveres in each title. But it's not all close range missiles and aircraft cannons. BVR Engagement Overview In Ace Combat, beyond visual range can be defined by the maximum launch ranges of certain "Special Weapons". These are specialized secondary weapons that have higher capabilities, but limited inventory compared to the large quantities of Standard Missiles and onboard aircraft cannon each aircraft has. These weapons are capable of hitting targets at least one and a half times more the distance of Standard Missiles. For this article, we're focusing on air-to-air missiles that can strike multiple aircraft, high velocity air-to-air missiles specialized for surprise attacks, long-range air-to-air missiles and similar weapons. Since the introduction of Special Weapons in Ace Combat 04 (2001), BVR air-to-air missiles have been part of the weapon inventory players have come to expect. Some titles saw these missiles become more potent with the increase of their base performance through in-game modification systems. Unlike combat flight simulators, these missiles do not have a limited rocket motor burn time. In a simulator, a missile rocket motor burns for a few seconds before the missile becomes a high speed glide weapon, gradually losing speed as it pursues its target. In Ace Combat, the missiles are constantly propelled by their rocket motors, allowing them to fly at maximum speed throughout their flight time. But even with this advantage, launching them from longer distances does not guarantee a hit. Taking into account the flight path and behavior of enemy aircraft increases the chances of a successful attack. Launching on aircraft flying towards or away from the BVR aircraft is a more ideal for missiles as they will have to do less maneuvering in flight, whereas launching on a fast aircraft that is flanking (travelling horizontally across the nose of the aircraft) makes missiles work harder to strike their targets, decreasing their effectiveness. Single Player From 2001 to today, special weapons that target multiple aircraft are great for speedily dispatching groups of opposing aircraft from distance. With objectives spread across the map, players are tasked with travelling from one hot spot to another. While fulfilling pre-briefed tasks and addressing pop up targets along the way, frequent air battles against opposing aircraft are frequent. However, getting wrapped up in constant one-on-one engagements during timed missions can be a distraction when trying to finish as fast and thoroughly as possible to gain the highest mission score result. The benefit of BVR special weapons is their ability to thin out flights of hostile aircraft or completely neutralize them before a potential multi-minute dogfight begins. Against particularly tough individual aircraft, like ace pilots or sturdy attackers, launching multiple missiles can be especially effective by overwhelming them with volume of fire at distance. Furthermore, when engaging the iconic massive aircraft that Ace Combat is known for, their air defenses and engines can be targeted by BVR missiles, letting players destroy multiple parts of these aircraft in a single volley. Player Versus Player (PVP) While certain Ace Combat games on the Sony PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable did have a limited two player versus mode, BVR engagements in large scale online multiplayer game modes started with Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (2007), then continued other main line entries in the series like Ace Combat Assault Horizon (2011), Ace Combat Infinity (2014) and Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (2019). As expected, long ranged engagements against other players are decidedly different from singleplayer. Human players actively close the distance against players using BVR weapons at their maximum weapon range. Even missiles modified for better maneuverability are still at their most vulnerable while the target they're engaging is rapidly closing distance and evading. The nature of Ace Combat gameplay makes closure from BVR distance to a close range dogfight happen within seconds in this scenario. When faced with an aggressive player like this, the options are to either commit to a defensive dogfight, attempt to fly away towards allies for assistance or defend against their pursuer while still obtaining BVR missile shots. There is an easy to exploit aspect that can only be taken advantage of against other players. With the series encouraging high energy dogfights and fantastic post stall maneuvers during combat, players frequently get wrapped up in tight turning battles. While engaged in the dogfight, these players are focused on adversaries within 100 meters of themselves. Their situational awareness of the entire airspace is heavily reduced. Players with beyond visual range weapons can take advantage of what are now slower, distracted targets. By attacking from maximum range and from unexpected angles, like firing from high altitude towards low altitude targets, the aircraft occupied by dogfights are less likely to prepare for a long range attack. They will not have the opportunity to safely regain speed to dodge incoming missiles while other friendly aircraft are pursuing them at close range. This effectively makes BVR engagements an effective support asset for the frontline fighters slugging it out. With communication either in text or voice, teams of players can reliably use BVR tactics by having some players intentionally wrapping up their opposition in dogfights, then calling in for friendly long or medium range missiles to destroy the now slower opposing aircraft. While this may not be great for the kill scores and scoreboards for individuals, these more team focus tactics are better for the chances of secure wins in team deathmatch and similar game modes. Effectively performing what would be considered beyond visual range engagements takes some minor planning to predict what computer enemies may do in single player and serious evasion skills when taking on other humans. Being the sneaky stand off fighter that slips missiles into a dogfight when it is least expected will always make me crack a smile. 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 .

With its teaser announcement on May 22nd, 2021, Dawn is described as an "Animated Aerowar Audioplay, intended to tell a story about a sortie that stands to change the course of a years-long war and the pilots that weave their way into it." There are many questions surrounding this project. Dawn's director is Jose Pavli , a composer that made a big splash with his work on the soundtrack for Project Wingman . For those unfamiliar with his music for this game, this Best of playlist and Making of videos ( part one , part two ) for the soundtrack serve as a good introduction. Skyward Flight Media was fortunate enough to get an interview early in this project's development with Jose Pavli. Is Neïwa Interactive a newly formed studio? Yes, it is. It is also a production company. At the moment, we are three persons working at Neïwa Interactive. Me and two collaborators who help me with everything that is not art-related. (Legal, Production, Copyrights issues, Publishing, etc.) On top of that, I hire artists on projects when I need them. That is what I've done for Dawn. What is the creative scope of Neïwa Interactive? I publish my soundtracks through Neïwa Interactive, and to be honest, that is the only reason I created this company a few months ago. I didn't plan to make it a studio, but now that it is the case, who knows where it will take us. We have just started working on Dawn, so one thing at a time. If we manage to get funded and release it, we will see what we want to do in the future. When and how did the concept for "Dawn" begin to form? After the release of Project Wingman, I've received so much love from the community that I wanted to give them something back. Naturally, I have decided to work on an album in the same genre, but only with acoustic instruments, so people could listen to it while doing other things like working, programming, reading, or playing other games. Right after starting working on this album, I've seen Mobius ( Creditian Istani, 3D Visual Artist on Dawn ) posting a 3D animated short clip, showing two planes flying and shooting missiles. I knew he was a fantastic artist already because he also made the key-art for Project Wingman. It gave me this idea of having those animations in between tracks from my album. I realized that by doing this, the project would become more ambitious. I reached out to Matt ( FlyAwayNow, Writer and Producer on Project Wingman ) and asked him if he would be willing to join this project and write the script based on a few ideas I had. When I explained to him my idea of blending together an animation, audiobook, and a music album, he came up with the term " Animated Aerowar Audioplay". I immediately loved it, the concept was created. Unlike a traditional audio play, this production is utilizing various 3D assets to create animated scenes alongside music and voice acting. Will the 3D scenes be present throughout the entire audio play or only for certain scenes? Animated scenes will be throughout the entire audioplay. Some of them will be in 2D because our characters are made in 2D, but everything that happens in the sky including dogfights will be animated in 3D, during the whole story. We have a 2D Visual Artist onboard who joined the team recently, he is a great addition to the project, but I can't tell who it is yet. We want to show one of his concept art when we reveal his identity. All I can say is many people from the community know his work. As a primarily audio-driven production, the soundtrack and sound design will be paramount. While your work as a musical composer has been put on display recently with Project Wingman's soundtrack, are you also creating the sound effects and overall sound design for this project? Is this something you've done in past works? Sound design will definitely play a huge role in giving Dawn's characters and lore a unique identity. That's what I chose to work with my long-time friend Anize Amestoy. We've been working together on various projects for years now and I know he will create a sound atmosphere that will enhance the viewer's experience. We've started discussing how we want to use sounds in order to make the whole audioplay even more immersive and I can't wait for people to listen to what he's done. It's intriguing that the story centers on a single combat sortie rather than an entire conflict. Will the backstory about the war and the world this event takes place in be explained either in the audioplay or through other materials? The fact that this is an audioplay, means that we won't be able to expand too much about the backstory, the lore, and the reasons this sortie is so important. We don't know if people will like the format or if they will follow us on this journey and be there when we launch our Kickstarter. So, as Matt told me a few days ago when we were finalizing the script, it's better to tell a simple story strongly, than telling a great story poorly. If we reach our initial Kickstarter Goal, we will tell a simple story, but we can guarantee it will be consistent and deliver what we promised. Now, depending on the resources we get, we do have options/stretch goals to expand the lore if we can. Since it is not a game, we can't tell if there is an audience before we launch our Kickstarter, that's why we've started simple, but efficient. Is there anything else about the world setting that you can discuss at this time? We plan to give people more info about the world as we get closer to our Kickstarter Launch. However, what I can tell you is that it takes place in a fictional world, a completely new one, not related to past projects. While the story focuses on a single sortie, I can tell you that this is an important one and by the end of the audioplay, the story we wanted to tell will be told. You will definitely learn more about the world, the context, and the reasons things are like they are, as you progress through the story. Most of the lore elements will be given to the viewer by the characters you encounter during this sortie. And last info, it is not necessarily an alternate Earth. ;) The assumed protagonist, Zodiac 1, sounds like they have lost much to this conflict. Both family and their pre-war identity. Is this person viewed as a type of heroic figure in this conflict or more of an unknown soldier in the grand scheme of things? Unfortunately, it would ruin the fun if I told you at that point. But it's neither of those. Or maybe a bit of both, I don't know. Will the characters of the story be seen in any way or solely represented by their aircraft and voices? No, you will also have 2D animations of the characters. That's a bold creative choice, I can't think of anything like what we plan to do, in the genre. Now that we have our 2D artist helping Creditian Istani (Mobius) with visuals, we will be able to push that aspect and give every characters its visual identity. It will add a lot of depth to them, and help the viewer like them, or hate them. I can't wait to show you what we have in mind for this specific aspect of the animation. Who are the voice actresses and actors for "Dawn"? Do they have previous experience? At that point, we've only cast the actors of the main characters. They are all very talented and I've been mindblown by their performance so far. They all have experience in the industry, whether it is for commercials; video games, films, etc. Here is our current list of confirmed actors and their links if you want to check them out. Sam Hughes (Zodiac 1 ) Lara Sawalha Blythe M Sandra Espinoza Was it a conscious decision to keep "Dawn" separate from the established Project Wingman intellectual property? I haven't even talked to Abi ( Project Wingman developer ) about Dawn happening in Project Wingman. Dawn was meant to be a personal project from the beginning. While most of the team working on Dawn has worked on Project Wingman, it was always intended to be something different. After working for years on Project Wingman, I also feel it is good to try something else, explore new ideas, whether it is with music, or with the world we are building for Dawn. The Kickstarter is listed as "coming soon". Should the public be on the lookout for the campaign to begin in the next month or two? There is a huge amount of visual work to be done by only two artists before we can go on Kickstarter. However, I would say it is closer to two months than one. But we have some juicy content ready; to tease you until we are good to go live on KS. Stay tuned! How many tier levels will there be in the Kickstarter campaign? Will any of these tiers have backers directly involved with the development of this project? The Kickstarter page is still a work in progress, but we currently have 7 tier levels. The highest tier, allows you to give your name to one of the enemy ace squadron pilots. And your name will be mentioned in the story, not just written. But there are only a few slots available, for obvious reasons. We are also considering sending physical copies of the soundtrack to high tiers backers. Other than that, the highest tier you take, the more content you get: Original Artbook, BTS/Unreleased content, High-Quality Soundtrack, etc. Is Dawn going to be a single-release feature or a multi-part feature? Nothing is set in stone yet. At the moment, the plan is to go for a single release for the whole audioplay. Will the final product be sold as a standalone item? Like a movie, for example. Once again, I can't say for sure, but at the moment selling it as a standalone item, and put the soundtrack on streaming platforms is our best option. Assuming that the Kickstarter goal(s) is met, is a 2021 release date possible? That's very unlikely. Quality takes time. We will get into full production for approximately a year after the KS is successful. On a personal note, before your previous work on Project Wingman, did you have any experience or interest with flight games or flight simulators? Well, Project Wingman is actually not the first flight action game I've scored. I also made the music for another one called Vector Thrust. And I am a fan of the Ace Combat series, and its music has always been a great inspiration for me, and probably one of the reasons I am doing this job today. Reading some comments comparing Project Wingman soundtrack to some Ace Combat tracks felt completely surreal for me. But to answer your question, I am definitely a fan of the genre. Thank you for this interview during the early development phase of Dawn. We look forward to the Kickstarter and future developments. Is there anything you'd like to say to readers interested in your project? We believe we have a strong story, with amazing visuals, meaningful characters, and a team made of experimented talented artists. Dawn has all the ingredients to be something people will enjoy. We hope the content we will release until the Kickstarter, will convince the community that this project is worth supporting. It is a new format, we are taking some risks with it, but I can already tell you that it is a breath of fresh air in the genre. Support has been amazing so far, and we want to thank everyone for that! We can't wait to show you more! Stay tuned. About the Interviewer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile .

2022 was quite the year for DCS. Many great modules and mods had been released, some of which have opened new doors and experiences for the player base. However, 2022 was not over yet, and it seemed like the guys at BAAS Dynamics wanted to make sure that we left 2022 with one hell of a present: Their Sk60B! This mod released publicly on the 24th of December 2022 . Which meant we all had access to it just in time for the holidays! The folks over at BAAS were kind enough to give me access to their mod before its official release so that I could give feedback and make some content with it, so, let's use this chance to take a look at what you can expect from it. A couple of days ago as of the 9th of March 2024, the developers released version 1.2 of the Sk.60B, bringing many changes that some of us had been waiting for ever since launch. In this review, we will be taking a look into several different parts of the module and evaluating if this wonderful little jet is for you. These points will be divided in several sections: External and internal 3D models Flight modelling Mission capability Armament Ease of use and learning curve Special Features! Is this aircraft for you? DISCLAIMER 3/9/24: This is an updated version of our preview of the Sk.60B, with changed wording and updated media. This article was originally published 12/17/2022 EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL 3D MODELS I am extremely happy to report that the external 3D model for this mod is stunning. The texture work stands out, and the shape seems to have been recreated very accurately. The engine blades are present, gear compression and animations are awesome. The same goes for even smaller details such as the trim tabs on the control surfaces, which have been modeled to work as they would on the real deal. What caught my attention the most, though, was the gorgeous use of normalmaps as this is an area that can be easily overdone. These normals mark the panel lines and even the smallest rivet, so getting them right is a big deal. I can think of at least a couple of official modules with much inferior texture and modeling work than what BAAS has accomplished. Here are a couple of examples of what I thought were noteworthy parts of the model: Now, the best part of this mod by far has to be the internal cockpit model. Everything here is top-notch, and I was astonished that this cockpit looked way better than most official modules. From the subtle scratches of the instrument panel to the absolutely sublime night light lighting, this is my favorite cockpit from any fixed wing mod. It is that good. This cockpit feels alive at night, it is a spectacle on its own. I have spent so much time looking at it and the more I look, the more I realize that this what many other mods and modules could look like this. It reminds me that this game is one gorgeous piece of software. I will just let the pictures talk for themselves, since it is a bit hard for me to explain just how good this model is: One small thing that caught my eye here was this light in the very small center console section. To me, it looks so natural when you compare it to other floodlights or similar lighting implementations in the game. It shows that, even with current tech, this sim can be gorgeous regardless if we are flying a free module or a paid one. It also means that free mods have caught-up to official ones in terms of visuals! FLIGHT MODELING DISCLAIMER: This is always a tough category, as like with any other aircraft, there is a lot to take into consideration other than just the feel of the flight model. This category is the most subjective one in this article, as I do not have any real world experience with this craft. I will only base my opinion on practical experience and knowledge of practical aerodynamics and the theoretical behavior that a SK60B should have under certain scenarios. With that out of the way, I am pretty happy with how the FM was handled in this mod. Like many modern mods, it was made using an External Flight Model (EFM) which usually means that it will feel a lot more natural and accurate in terms of its behavior, specially on the extreme sides of the flight envelope. What we were told by one of its developers, Fredrik "Breadmaker" is that its modeling was "based on both performance measurements from Flight School and also aerodynamical calculations. It’s AWESOME to fly." I am also happy to report that yes, he was right. It feels awesome to fly. It is an extremely responsive bird that packs quite a lot of power thanks to the dual J85 engines. I have been having a blast throwing it around in every way imaginable, and it has taken it like a champ, now I understand why Team60 used it for so long. It stalls very gently and recovers extremely easily, even from unintended spins and many other situations. This feels "right", if you get what I mean by that. I cannot ascertain its fidelity by the book, but it flies and feels as it should. MISSION CAPABILITIES To not extend this part, I can say that it is a very comprehensive almost-all-weather trainer that is also capable of doing some light attack work on the side. I pretty much appreciate where this aircraft seats in relation to other mods and modules as it fills a niche that has, so far, only been occupied by the T-45C mod by VNAO. It is a free trainer that will allow many, many people to start DCS in a better way than if they had started by using something like the vanilla Su-25T and the TF-51. ARMAMENT ROCKETS You have the ability of carrying two different types of rockets, both of which are extremely big! 13.5cm (135mm) HE rockets in either x6 or x12 configurations. 14.5cm (145mm) HEAT rockets in only a x6 configuration. AKAN GUN PODS These are absolutely fun to use. These 30mm pods can be equipped at the cost of rockets. You cannot have both rockets or gun pods equipped at the same time, which means that you will have to choose between them! EASE OF USE AND LEARNING CURVE The Sk60 is an extremely easy plane to both learn and fly, as it is only natural of a training platform. Everything from start-up to wheels up and landing is extremely easy to learn and proved to be quite an enjoyable learning experience, at least in the time that I have had with the platform. The only systems that require a bit more knowledge might be the GPS and the radios, but those are also simplified and quite straight forward in terms of the way they work. SPECIAL FEATURES This is where the Sk60 gets interesting, since it offers several unique features that I have yet to see in any other mod in DCS as of the time of writing. These include a completely functional and standalone version of the Garmin NS430, a GPS navigation system! It is just insane to think that modders have found a way to include a system like this despite not having access to the official NS430 addon. In fact, this implementation does not need that you own the official one for it to work, it is a standalone system and I love it! The same applies with the "special menu", a head-tracked menu a-lá Heatblur's tomcat. This menu allows you to customize certain aspects of the mod such as gunsight installation, rocket salvo mode and even a pilot wave animation. It is extremely cool and something I thought was completely impossible for modders to implement. Props to the devs for doing this! IS THIS AIRCRAFT FOR YOU? If what you want in a module is: A lovely trainer. A light attacker that could prove useful in low-threat environments. A mod that looks and feel like a paid module. An excellent platform to fly and train with your trains. If you don't mind: Not having any air-to-air weapons. The small imperfections that come with mods and early access products. Getting a plane for free with no strings attached. If all or some of the above is what you want, then BAAS Dyanamics' SK60B is for you! If the button does not work, then click here to go to the GitHub repository! 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

A Nostalgic Lens Over a Modern Flight Shooter The power of nostalgia cannot be denied. Whether it is tied to a life experience from long ago or a faux memory of a past we barely knew, utilizing that feeling of personal connection can be compelling. Since October 2020, Thunder Helix has drawn a steady stream of nostalgia lensed praise for its looks, but it has more going for it than that. On March 5th, 2024, Skyward Flight Media received a Steam Key for Thunder Helix from its developer, David Walters . Our review is of the pre-early access release version of the game, which is not representative of the game months from now. We will be sure to update this review or create a new review when the time is right. This review was made without direction from the developer. The Vibe From the outside looking in, much of the anticipation around Thunder Helix has been from its visual likeness to a pair of games from the early 1990s. Over the past three years, it has fairly consistently been compared to LHX Attack Chopper (1990) and Desert Strike: Return To The Gulf (1992) by Electronic Arts. LHX is more of a flight simulation experience, while Desert Strike is a third person "shoot'em up" with plenty of smaller strategic elements; like resource management and using the in-game mission map to plan out attacks instead of running in guns blazing all the time. From the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, Electronic Arts was a pretty reliable source for flight focused games and simulators such as these. Delving into the nostalgic memory sentiment personally, I've got fond memories of my oldest brother introducing me to F-22 Interceptor, U.S. Navy Fighters, F-117 Night Storm and many others. LHX and Desert Strike among them. Because of this, it is hard for me to not also see Thunder Helix and tie its identity and what it "could be" to those retro titles. To summarize what "the vibe" of this game is, you could say: Thunder Helix plays the way we think the games in our memories were played. Like a hands-on evocation. Rotary-Wing Vehicles The three steads of battle in this game represent three concepts of attack helicopters. The UH-85 "Lewis" is a heavy utility transport helicopter, inspired by the UH-1 Huey. The Lewis represents what could be considered the first attack helicopters: heavily armed transport helicopters. It has the highest armor count and crew capacity, though it lacks medium range precision weapons. Players flying the Lewis must be prepared to rely on long range rocket tossing onto groups of enemy units and its pair of straight shooting miniguns. The Lewis is the slowest, lease maneuverable aircraft in Thunder Helix. The RH-2K "Raven" advanced scout/recon helicopter seems to be inspired by the cancelled RAH-66 Comanche; a product of the Light Helicopter Experimental project of the 1980s. This high speed, highly maneuverable helicopter features weapon bays that are toggled opened and closed to deploy four Hellgate guided air-to-ground missiles. Its 20mm cannon has an especially high rate of fire, but its a fixed weapon system that must be aimed by maneuvering the Raven itself. The RH-2K may have some stealth properties to it while the weapons bay is closed, but I do not have hard evidence to back that up. Finally, the AH-92 Avenger tactical gunship is inspired by the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. With ample amounts of guided anti-tank missiles, rocket pods, chin mounted 30mm chain gun and the second most armor available for a helicopter, the Avenger is easily a go-to choice for any mission in the game. Its standoff attack ability is substantial with its eight Hellgate anti-tank missiles and the ability to maneuver while firing the chain gun. It is not as fast as the Raven, but with its long-reach it does not have to be. Cold Start, Hot Start You may have noticed the option for Cold Start and Hot Start in the previous section's screenshots. Before you gather tutorials for starting up an attack helicopter, I need to bring you back down a bit. The Cold Start process in Thunder Helix does not include clicking on screen switches. Instead, the cold and dark aircraft is brought to life with a minor throttle increase. An automated cold start process runs, the helicopter powers up, and it is ready to fly within 30 seconds or so. I personally do not believe this is a negative thing, but I wanted to clarify that for players that are more flight simulation leaning. Controller Support In a way the wide controller support Thunder Helix has is funny because the look of Thunder Helix would place it in an era where there were so many proprietary controllers for specific games or platforms, the idea of a single game accepting any controller you use on it was a pipe dream. You would use one specialized controller for one or two specific games and just be happy it worked as advertised. In the later stages of the Thunder Helix pre-release development, the developer took time to include "out of the box support" for keyboard, keyboard and mouse and multiple common game pads. The supported include the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, PlayStation 4 Dualshock 4, PlayStation 5 DualSense, Xbox X|S Controller and a general Joystick profile. Of note is the joystick profile. To test this, this review of Thunder Helix was made using a joystick not seen in the developer's picture of controllers he used. I used a Thrustmaster T.Flight 4 hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) on a J-Pein desk mount. It worked perfectly fine. Throttle, roll, pitch and rudder axis were mapped in game with a set of instructional screens that ask users to move their flight stick and throttles to certain positions and press the fire key to confirm their axes. It took me roughly three to five minutes to set up, including remapping a few buttons to positions I preferred, rather than the positions suggested by the game. I did not have to make compromises for the sake of just getting the T.Flight 4 to work. Any extra buttons I did not feel like assigning to the HOTAS I used on the keyboard. Using a more advanced HOTAS with even more buttons and switches built into it would easily allow for all game controls to be mapped. Flight Model Do not expect to enter Vortex Ring State mid-combat or be extra careful because of debilitated engine output in high temperature, high altitude situations. The flight model of Thunder Helix is firmly an arcade style flight shooter with weightiness behind it to make it feel as though it is a bit more simulator like. Engine collective and throttle responses are consistent and always available for rapid power increases and decreases without potentially causing engine damage. Though understanding the different between collective, throttle and adjusting the helicopter's attitude to manage speed without gaining altitude is still a needed skill set to fly and fight as effectively as possible. For example, players can attack and turn away from targets just using cyclic inputs. This results in long, sweeping turns. Players that can coordinate their cyclic inputs with yaw inputs can quickly snap turn their helicopters in much smaller areas, making follow-up attacks or sudden evasive maneuvers more viable and more frequent. It is not possible to roll the helicopters inverted or backflip them, as there is a limiter in place. There is still plenty of pitch and roll authority to fly the helicopters effectively, but this does make me wonder if this is an intentional measure taken to protect the player's experience. I can appreciate this, but it would be nice to have an option to disable this limiter for players that feel confident enough to fly without it. Something in the options menu that needs to be disabled, with text warning people that they are removing the limiter. Or something labeled "Arcade" and "Realistic" that has the same effect. Pulling off maneuvers like side slips and pop up attacks from behind terrain does require good coordination between the cyclic and yaw. Maneuvers like this take a bit of practice to perfect, but in pre-planned attacks against large enemy defensive positions, maneuvers like this can make or break the attack. I appreciate that while Thunder Helix does have some type of flight control limitation, advanced maneuvers like these can still be done. I believe this is what makes Thunder Helix an easy to learn helicopter game. Even for people that are not flight game aficionados. This simplification of the complicated nature of flying helicopters in general makes the game approachable and very easy to learn, while letting players focus on the action. Thoughts on Combat Knowing that this is a flight arcade title, I can say I am pretty satisfied with the combat in Thunder Helix. Circling back to the LHX and Desert Strike comparisions for context, it feels as though David Walters has acknowledged the flaws within those two titles and successfully avoided not repeating their flaws. The most glaring one that comes to mind is targeting. In both of those games from the 1990s, they had well remembered issues with target management. Whether it was LHX targeting system always grabbing random targets at the most inopportune time or Desert Strike's targeting working by proximity to target and the direction of the nose of the aircrat, Thunder Helix's more deliberate and stable targeting system is a positive addition. Players have controls to either select targets directly ahead of them or cycle through them from left to right or right to left on three separate buttons. Once targets are selected, they remain prioritized with obvious indications in the user interface in cockpit view and third person view so long as players keep the target within their weapons envelope. Completely turning away from a target or placing terrain between the player's helicopter and the target will break that lock. Which is fair considering you cannot keep eyes or sensors on the target. But the minimization of auto target selection has helped the Thunder Helix experience. The amount of information displayed in the cockpit is appropriate. All relvanat to the immediate needs of the player without too much extra information purely for the Rule of Cool. By far the two most useful functions are the gun camera which displays an image of the object actively being targeted by the player and the ability to zoom in up to eight times magnification, allowing for visual identification of targets even before the targeting system can start reccommending targets. The three primary weapon systems of the game can be categorized into: Fire and forget anti-tank missiles that guide onto locked targets. Players have the option to watch them fly onto target in a third person view. They have the most destructive power and largest blast radius. Unguided rockets with high explosive warheads that must be manually aimed by the players. Different flavors of rapid fire machine guns or cannons, with the 30mm chain gun being able to fire at targets indepdent of the aircraft's flight path. I was concerned that game balance would be heavily reliant on the use of anti-tank missiles to solve a majority of the problems players would face, but I was mistaken. In fact, for non-anti aircraft units, I frequently launch small volleys of unguided rockets from medium distance with a four times camera zoom, saturating them with enough rockets to defeat main battle tanks while retaining missiles for more complicated situations. The guns are capable of defeating armored targets with sustained, accurate gun fire, but the 30mm chain gun is the MVP weapon choice, as it can be used while the aircraft is maneuvering to evade fire. With it packing enough punch to do serious damage to armored targets without the large spalsh damage of the anti-tank missiles, it is the most versatile weapon in the game. Even in the most intense moments where multiple units are firing at the player, not all enemy vehicles are so laser accurate that getting in close range combat is an immediate death sentence. Closing within 200 meters of an aware and angry anti-aircraft position is still not a great decision, but that same anti-aircraft gun is not going to be reliably sniping your helicopter from roughly six kiometers away either. There are gaps between the abilities of the players weapon systems and the enemy's weapon systems that can be taken advantage of. Supplies to rearm, refuel and repair facilities are scattered enough to make players consider their tactics in combat do not solely consist of just running in guns spraying, but also include where to resupply between objectives or the pursuit of extra enemy units for an increased high score. The combat in Thunder Helix is easy to understand with a short learning curve. Even when things do go rather bad for the players, it is not a frustrating loop where a singular unit could be enough to block and only a well timed lucky shot can progress the players forward. Even when dodging surface to air missiles, the option to leave the area and reapproach it from another direction is always there. So far, there are never so many hostiles in a single area it is impossible to egress from a bad situation, which is something smart players will use to their advantage when things go sideways. There is enough breathing room in the combat of Thunder Helix for players to both jump into the action and take time to plan comfortably. The next section of this review highlights exactly why this is possible. Mission Map Management This is most likely the most useful tool players have access to in the entire game. When the map is open, the game pauses and all relevant information about the mission is available to be read without being under constant fire. While in this map view, players can: Scroll through the map and zoom in to plan their next move while looking at terrain. See the locations for known threats. See the locations of supplies like ammo, fuel and friendly landing zones. Review all slides of the mission briefing to make sure they are clear on their objectives. While in the map, they can also open the options menu and adjust controls, graphics and gameplay options as needed without having to go back to the main menu. Scenario Missions and Campaign Missions Thunder Helix is launching into early access with one scenario mission and one campaign mission. The Scenario missions seem to be setup as one-off missions, not tied to a consistent story. A free flight style tutorial mission is available for players to teach themselves the controls in a non-combat setting. Also, with plenty of wooden camels that are definitely not meant for target practice. The campaign missions are exactly what they say they are. Multi-objective, multi-mission campaign with a consistent storyline. The first mission has four objectives, with a possible fifth objective. Threats include squishy, easy to destroy targets like fuel trucks and radio towers, to more formidible foes like surface-to-air missile sites, self propelled anti-aircraft artillery and hostile gunships. Players will need to resupply frequently, manage their finite resources and pick and choose their engagements to survive the entire mission. Players have up to three lives (retrys) to complete the mission before they fail it completely. Content Roadmap As this is an early access release title, it would be unfair to lodge a complaint about lack of content when the point of early access is to support a project long-term as it generates content working towards its full game release. It will take many months for it to reach its "1.0" status. During that time a steady stream of content is planned. A day before the game's release, the developer posted a public roadmap for what early access players can expect. Rather than post the road map here, as it is subject to change on the developer's schedule, I reccommend seeing the roadmap for yourself and keeping track of it if you are interested in this project. Closing In the past couple of years, fixed wing aircraft have recieved multiple modern retro game style releases from various developers. Tiny Combat Arena , Frontiers Reach and Sky Rogue come to mind. Rotary wing aircraft have not recieved nearly as many in comparison and I can only hope that the success of Thunder Helix could inspire others to try the same. I look foward to seeing what Thunder Helix accomplishes in the next four to six months. 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 .

Taking a moment to reflect on Skyward's latest achievement! Somewhere between appreciating the significance of 1CGS announcing the next installment of the IL-2 Series set in the Korean War and laughing at friends attempting to wing walk on VRChat bi-planes, Skyward Flight Media has achieved a new milestone. Over 400 releases on our website! For an organization creating content that is flight focused but rather eclectic, this is huge for us. Choosing to write about flight in games and simulators anywhere they can be found is a rather unusual way to approach things, but the consistent viewership, working with developers, content creators, and followers on social media have given us confidence for over four years now. Now with 402 articles, interviews, reviews and translations across 68 games, simulators and events that feature aviation in some type of way, we take a moment to highlight a few of our personal favorites published by the different members of Skyward Flight Media. Published by Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Confessions of a Hornet Main The first serious piece about Digital Combat Simulator from Aaron. Within a year of learning the simulator, he learned to appreciate high fidelity flight simulation in a new way, while acknowledging how flying a 4th generation fighter slowed his progress in DCS. Skyward had two DCS capable writers from this point forward. Trail of Wings: Representing Project ICKX Interests Project ICKX is an example of "doujin" or indie games only found in-person at Japanese conventions. Ordering these products from overseas and talking to their developer directly, this article became an example of how far Skyward would go to cover indie games. Hands on Console and Stick: Atari 2600 F-14 Flight Simulator Discussing flight titles from long ago is an occasional offshoot of content Skyward partakes in. The article about the physical switches of an Atari 2600 being used to manage the fire control system of an early F-14 Tomcat flight simulator is one of our most unusual articles for retro flight sim. Published Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Skyward's DIY Headtracker Build Guide This article has proven to be one of our most popular pieces over the years. We wrote it not only because we knew that a lot of players cannot afford to buy a headtracker, but also to just share our experience and knowledge gained while building our own. Review: DCS A-4E Skyhawk v2.1.1 by the Community A-4 Developer Team This review served as a cornerstone for our website, especially due to how popular the A-4E has been for the DCS community as a whole. This review is also one of the most in-depth ones we have made to date, so we recommend it! The Reign of a Bug and a Snake: How the F/A-18C and the F-16CM dominate DCS Written in a time before the arrival of the infamous F-15E, this article speaks of a time when every single DCS Server was filled with nothing but Hornets and Viper, and explains why that made and still makes sense even to this day. Published by T.J. "Millie" Archer Aft-Launched Missiles: Ace Combat Fiction, or Russian Fact? One of the first Skyward analytical articles about technology and concepts seen in the Ace Combat series. Research into an infamous ability for a Sukhoi Su-37 to fire missiles backwards showed it was an actual experiment. Other articles of this style for Ace Combat followed. Review: MFS2020 MB-339A/PAN by IndiaFoxtEcho Skyward's first review for an aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. For T.J. it was a first for him to write a review with a developer provided product. Writing for MSFS in the future has remained on our minds since then. Heads Up View DT1: Unboxing, First Impression The first manufacturer provided hardware review for Skyward involved T.J. and Aaron putting a real heads up display through its paces. The process involved photography, direct phone calls with the manufacturer and hours of testing in DCS and MSFS. Published by Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto Syria COIN: A DCS World COOP Multiplayer Mission The first downloadable mission for Digital Combat Simulator available on Skyward's website. Designed by Caio, it prioritizes the use of light attack aircraft and has Combined Arms ground combat support. Plans to release more missions started here. First Impressions: Flyout by Stonext Games A review of an early access flight simulator specialized in designing aircraft from scratch; including their flight instruments. It is advanced to a level even its peers do not reach. This was an interesting review for Caio, who was studying aeronautical engineering at the time. DCS World Mission Editor: Secondary Explosion Effects Discussions between Caio and Aaron about mission editing techniques led to the start of a mission editor focused article series on the website. Since this series started, our mission editing efforts skyrocketed with many new missions being created.

For the many years that flight worlds have been available in VRChat, it is clear that the community has acquired a very distinct and palatable taste for combat-oriented worlds. Communities like the Black Aces have built entire spaces dedicated to dogfighting and air combat, with a focus on PvP tournaments and events. You even have other groups that have arisen from these tournaments, such as the VRC Dogfight Central, but they are not the focus of today's article. Today, we focus on a specific world: Vol de Nuit by 5Sori . This world brings a lot of new and interesting mechanics that are refreshing. Especially now that people have tried out almost everything that could be done with SaccFlight . The main focus of the experience are the aircraft themselves, which are some of the most fun I have had flying in VR. For all the wrong reasons. These biplanes are extremely underpowered, to the point that you need the entire runway to take off at full power, and even then you might be short by a bit. Many of our friends struggled greatly to get it off the ground, which led to some hilarious situations. That being said, once you are up in the air, it is very stable and maneuverable despite its anemic thrust. It genuinely flies an early 20th century design, with all of its pros and cons. It is a wonderful stick and rudder aircraft where you are in complete control over all aspects of flight, without any stability systems or anything. Other than this, it also has a very strong torque effect, causing you to always rely on your rudder to keep the aircraft flying straight and steady. Personally, I found the aircraft itself to be the core part of the world and my experience with it. This world was the first experience I had with went there with friends who I hadn't talked to or seen in more than two months, due to some medical issues I have been having lately. Instead of going to a combat-oriented world, we decided to go to Vol de Nuit to enjoy a more relaxed time; and that it was. When we first joined in, some of us took in the ambiance, but most of us went straight to the aircraft to give them a go. Some of us crashed, some of us flew straight right away. After a while, most of us actually figured it out, so we decided to go storm hunting. This world has a roaming storm with dynamic winds that throw you around like a rag doll in the wind, which is one of the coolest features I have seen in VRC Aviation . As we approached the storm, we closed our formation and flew closer and closer, to the point that we even had VTail, one of our friends, attempting to walk from the wings of Kosmos' aircraft onto mine. As this happened, the wall of wind hit us and sent us flying in different directions. This was an absolute disaster. We rolled over, crashed into each other and dove hard into an irrecoverable death spiral. To say that wasn't fun would be a lie, it was hilarious for everyone involved. It felt refreshing to be able to hang out with my friends for the first time in ages in a unique VRC aviation world with just a touch of simulation to it. On top of that, it is even better that we got to do it here in this world that I personally find comfy and relaxing. I will certainly be coming back here to fly with my friends. Special thanks to Andy and REaSoN2DiE4 for helping with media production! 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

Watching the Flight Sim Expo 2024 Friday presentations, it is hard to not believe that the era of artificial intelligence enhanced flight simulation is here in full force. When thinking of artificial intelligence in everyday life use, we think of search engines that aggregate thousands of pages of data, algorithms for use in business investments and the creation of visual art and music. On June 21st, 2024, four companies presented products during the FSExpo Friday announcements that utilized artificial intelligence less as a silently running tool to increase productivity, but as air traffic controllers, instructors, tour guides and companions. This era of A.I. enhanced flight simming seeks to complete the single player experience by providing interactions that would otherwise be found strictly in multiplayer settings, and enhance the online experience by filling in some well known gaps. Airplane Team: Fly Shirley.com Fly Shirley seems to be a very new project with an interesting concept that can cross over from flying virtually and flying in the real world. They dub this bridging the gap between "sim and sky". Memorable. While on stage, Alex List (CEO of Airplane Team, instrumented rated commercial multi-engine pilot) mentioned that the inspiration for this project was in memory of a pilot who had died 2024. It was a notable, personal note to start on. A part of the launch of this project is making training safer and respecting the love for piloting, both in a simulator and in the real world. Identifying itself as an ‘airplane teammate’ or A.I. co-pilot, Shirley assists with flight operations, guidance through procedures, flight checklists and provides real time information as requested by the human pilot. While in flight, Shirley can update you on heading, airspeed, climb rate, winds, distance to destination and similar data. Its most recent draw is the ability to play, create and share interactive challenges ranging from difficult bush flying landings, detail specific flight plans and other things users and this project’s developers could create. The recreational version of Shirley is available at a subscription of $30.00 USD per month. According to their website, the professional level of this software is suggested for companies, flight schools and museums to provide coaching even when flight instructors may be unavailable. The subscription for the professional service is currently $100.00 USD per month. The impression we had of Fly Shirley was that it was more of a one-on-one companion experience compared to its peers mentioned in this article. Its appeal towards single engine general aviation aircraft is forefront, for sure. Flying Art: Cabby - AI Cabin Crew Announcements One year ago, Flying Art was founded by its founder, Arthur. Flying Art has produced software that exports data from other existing flight simulation software. Joining their SimBox and SimBrief Panel software is artificial intelligence powered software to experience highly customizable cabin crew announcements. Cabby was released roughly eight days ago and as of the time of this article being posted, it has already received eight updates. Cabby is computer performance friendly as it is a cloud based service. Cabby incorporates with SimBrief. Currently available for Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane 12, Cabby takes data gathered via SimBrief to generate in flight announcements about flight time, weather information based on METAR and similar information. The use of standard voice profiles and custom voice profiles is an interesting aspect of this is product. When flying in different regions of the world, the accents of passengers are audible. A minor but immersion deepening detail. Cabby can import voice recordings of any human willing to provide them to create these announcements not only in their native language, but the voice pattern of that person can be translated into multiple languages they may or may not speak. During the Flight Sim Expo presentation, Arthur’s wife provided a voice sample that was translated from English into German, Spanish, Polish, French and Italian. Specific members of the cabin crew can each have unique voices, making them more identifiable and, again, more immersive. Getting to fly with the same cabin crew over the course of many flights is an unusual aspect, but honestly sounds like a very humanizing experience. From the point of view of a simmer that prefers to fly alone, they would now have a familiar crew with them for every flight. The base version of Cabby can be purchased for a one-time fee of $29.00 USD with an optional subscription of $12.00 USD a month for a more advanced version. With purported statics like 864 people performing 6543 flights with 182 custom voices and, 921307 characters generated in just eight days, the concept seems to be gaining traction. SoFly: Cabin Announcement Pro Since their introduction in August 10th, 2020, SoFly has built its identity on weather presets, in-simulator guides and detailed terrain expansions with many sub-features for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Thinking of SoFly products in general, they have always had a focus on enhancing user experience of piloting an aircraft and the environment around it travels through. The introduction of Cabin Announcement Pro is a different type of enhancement by SoFly, but the focus is now on the people that support commercial airline operations both on the ground and at cruising altitude. They made it clear that not every feature has been announced at this time, but so far they presented information about the ground crew and cabin crew interactions. Utilizing a voice clip bank with thousands of entries and regional accents, flight simmers can have a more realistic experience with their commercial flights from even before the engines are started. These voice clips are placed into sets and randomized to make each flight feel unique; even down to the basic communications that happen in the aircraft. It should be stated that this is not an artificial intelligence reliant system, but it does fit in with the same goal as the other products mentioned in this article, so it has been included in the conversation. Ground crew provide the human pilots with dispatch reports, fuel management, and related information. What normally is a silent, calculated process of proceeding through checklists, is augmented by what seems to be a more grounded experience that involves simple greetings like “good morning” and receiving dispatch reports - just as an example. The Cabin Crew interaction made up the bulk of the presentation, understandably, as they do travel with the pilot. While seemingly mundane communications between the flight attendants and passengers may not sound too exciting, understanding that it is these layers of realism that bring simulations closer to real life. Cabin Announcement Pro goes beyond safety procedures being recited to passengers and casual discussions between pilots and casual conversations about post-landing plans. Passenger related situations and in-flight emergencies also seem possible. SoFly showed a scenario involving an intoxicated passenger. With situations like illnesses or other unforeseen complications with passengers possible in the simulator, this could prompt the human pilot to work with their airliner crew to coordinate their efforts to stabilize the situation and assess the need for a potential emergency landing. Situations like these would not only test a simmer’s understanding of the aircraft, but also challenge their ability to alter a flight plan and bring the aircraft down quickly and safely. I look forward to learning more about the features SoFly has to offer with this product, though I hope one of them is a bit more polishing of voice lines for certain accents. This product does not require a monthly subscription and is sold at a single price. It will be available for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024. SayIntentions.AI Skyward Flight Media is new to artificial intelligence driven air traffic controllers, but it is obvious that SayIntentions.AI has assembled something truly special. After its December 2023 private beta and January 15th, 2024 release, this service is backed with Amazon Web Services, Pilot Speak AI, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Open AI and Nearly Human AI. A part of SayIntentions presence is an immense confidence in their product, and after seeing their presentation at Flight Sim Expo 2024, it is easy to see why. SayIntentions.AI seems to be head and shoulders above many of its peers, managed to reduce its monthly subscription to $19.95 USD per month, with the intention to find ways to further reduce that cost in the future. The sheer volume of data needed for navigational assistance both on ground and in the air appears to be of the same level provided by long-standing 100% human run air traffic controller networks like the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network (VATSIM). Though its coverage expands the globe with twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week availability. Rather than list off four paragraphs of features, this single screenshot may do it: SayIntentions has some of the most realistic artificial intelligence voices I have genuinely ever heard. There were times when it was hard to tell when a human or AI was speaking at times. With so many personalities, accents and apparently even possible moods to the AI behind air traffic control, I am especially interested in seeing how human air traffic controller networks for flight simulation adapt services like this to their existing network. This new, concentrated exposure to varying degress of artifical intelligence products that enhance the immersion and accuracy of a flight simulation experience may be a rabbit hole we explore a bit further 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 Staff Profile

A Working Example of an Improbable Concept Steam Next Fest June 2024 is here! These are always interesting events to sort through the dozens if not hundreds of game demos to get a look at upcoming flight games and simulators that will eventually be available on Steam. We have found a few pretty interesting ones over the years. This time around, my personal highlight for this event is one of the most unlikely combat flight games I have heard of in at least a decade. Let's talk about a few points from the demo. Does The Concept Work? Air combat is one of the most complex forms of warfare that humanity has ever experienced. Aviators are hard-pressed to process a high volume of information in the blink of an eye. Rapid decisions that could lead to life or death within seconds. This is exactly why something like Scramble: Battle of Britain by Slitherine Games would initially be looked at with a critical eye. This World War II era title focuses on the 1940 Battle of Britain and presents air combat as a turn-based tactical dogfighting game. How do "dogfights" that could conclude in less than 60 seconds possibly work in a turn-by-turn gameplay style, where players can take as long as they would like to decide their next move? That is just not how air combat works, right? Well, let's think this out. Formalized training in air combat has a history extending back to as early as June 1916 with the creation of the Dicta Boelcke by World War I German flying ace Oswald Boelcke . Even back then, it had been somewhat distilled down to a list of fundamentals. A basic guide of proven tactics, maneuvers and rules to follow to gain the advantage in combat. Today air combat has been analyzed to the point that it is a science. There are 3D modeled simulations that air forces around the world use to debrief the actions of pilots step by step, second by second. Thinking of it this way, isn't an air battle just a series of calculated maneuvers taking place in a short period of time? Isn't the goal to train pilots to calculate everything in the time span of a single breath? Examining the concept with this mindset, something like a turn-by-turn air combat game does not sound crazy. Demo Overview The demo focuses on the distinctive gameplay that Scramble stakes itself on. Anything related to the proposed Channel Defense Campaign where a player manages a squadron throughout that Battle of Britain is not present. Not a bad thing, but just stating that for the record. Aircraft seen in the demo are comprised of the Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt 109 and Junkers 87. Players will only be flying the Spitfire. The three gameplay modes available in the demo are: Missions : There are 14 pre-made missions that put players in specific situations, challenging them to gain victory. These missions are split between Training Missions that introduce the player to basic but important concepts, Dogfights focused on fighter vs fighter combat varying from 1 to 6 aircraft, Stuka Intercepts that involve shooting down attacker aircraft and Extra Hard Dogfights that are higher difficult versions of the original dogfights missions. Instant Action : Automatically selects the number of aircraft on the blue side and the red side and the orientation these aircraft start at. It could be a neutral 2 vs 2, a high-low advantage or just about anything else. Players will not know until the mission starts. Random Match : Similar to Instant Action, but players are able to select the exact numbers of aircraft on each side. Grounded In Reality Scramble: Battle of Britain benefits heavily from adhering to realsim. To the level that it can be considered a true simulation level experience. Aircraft wise, they are simulated all the way down to the subcomponent level. The flight models of these aircraft do not arbitrarily have flight model changes because a certain damage level was reached. Damage caused to specific parts of the aircraft from being stuck by bullets or cannon shells or performing high G maneuvers while the aircraft is overspeeding causes realistic changes to an aircraft. I have both scored a lucky, quick victory by having a single round incapacitate an opposing pilot and had a well-placed cannon shell snap the wing off of my Spitfire within the first seconds (or turns) of combat. This level of simulated damage extends from major structural damage like losing the tail of an aircraft, down to fires started by fuel leaks or engines losing power because of perforated radiators. Because of this, achieving a mission kill by causing a fuel leak and waiting for the enemy to run out of gas or knocking out an aileron to take advantage of that aircraft's inability to effectively maneuver in one direction are valid and valuable tactics. The developers of the game also award this type of approach with mission completion ratings, including a statistic for 'Bombers Diverted; hinting at future scenarios where damaging a bomber and forcing it to return to base is just as valuable as shooting it down in the flow of combat. I found myself winning and losing air battles more because of energy management, rather than overwhelming numbers of enemies or aircraft being superior in their on-paper statistics. Personally, I had an experience where I won a 2 vs 1 engagement purely through maintaining an ideal turn rate with only brief high G turns to take snapshots when advantageous to me. In the end I won that battle by causing a fuel leak on the remaining aircraft which forced it to eventually leave the combat area while I simply maintained my turn radius. A great example of this was shown in a long video from Slitherine Games developer Jon Coughlin which showed him winning a 1 vs 6 engagement. The aircraft and pilot status icon that appears in the bottom left and right of the screen not only show aircraft speed and altitude, but also how the G-forces are impacting the pilot's stamina, which areas of the aircraft are damaged and the positive or negative benefits of maneuvers players are considering to input. With things like pilot stamina and G-load to consider, knowing when to occasionally fly straight and unload the aircraft to give pilots a few moments to rest can be the key to ultimately winning an extended engagement. Something I would only consider when flying in a highly detailed flight simulator. If nothing else, take this as an example of the level of detail that is available in Scramble: Battle of Britain at this time. Thoughts on Gameplay The gameplay of Scramble: Battle of Britain is very interesting. It really does look like a type of replay viewer you would find in a flight arcade game, or something like Tacview. But rather than exclusively being an after action report, the blue and red colored flight path ribbons are projecting the next movements of the aircraft in the mission. It is best to keep that firmly in mind. Especially when it comes to the opposing aircraft. The flight paths shown are not absolutes, since this is not a replay of events that the enemy aircraft have already done. This is a projection of maneuvers This maintains the unpredictability in combat. Just because the enemy you are attempting to shoot down has a projected flight path that looks like a diving turn does not mean that during the next turn it will not start with that dive, but suddenly begin reversing its direction to force an over shoot. Players will need to use their knowledge of how aircraft maneuver and which potential maneuvers their adversary could perform from their current position. When it comes to gaining a firing solution, this means pilots can not only rely on firing solution indicators represented by golden ribbons which highlight the proposed flight path players are planning, but also be using a more traditional aiming reticle to manually input lead. Below is a screenshot of an ideal firing solution on an enemy aircraft: Months ago when I heard about this game being in development, I had worried that combat may be too predictable because flight paths are openly displayed on screen. It is great to be proven wrong. Photo Mode, Replays and Re-plays Scramble: Battle of Britain includes fantastic multiple fantastic camera control settings for players to examine their next moves carefully. This doubles as a good tactical tool and makes the photo mode or Cinematic mode even better for capturing highlights in combat. The ability to save replays is useful in the traditional way of letting players review their performance in past engagements and find ways to improve, but it also lets them jump into specific segments of the replay track to let them try different maneuvers at that moment they did not try when it was happening 'in real time'. Easy-to Access Manual Some would consider this a minor addition, but an easy-to-access game manual can be quite important for the user's experience and long-term player retention. Rather than have to refer to a separate .PDF or a manual only available in a buried sub-menu, the entire manual can be accessed at any time from even the pause menu mid-mission. The entire game can be explained in 13 sections with between three and nine sentences, accompanied by short videos demonstrating the topic that is selected. Closing Thoughts Scramble: Battle of Britain was a bit of a foreign concept to me at first, but after unexpectedly finding myself playing it late into the night a few times this week, it is safe to say that I am sold on the concept. At some level, it feels like it fulfills a missing element of air combat I would have wanted from a real time strategy game, but at its core it is in fact a combat flight simulator presenting itself in a way few have dared to try in the past. I am ready for more! 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 helicopter drops a sniper onto the side of a cliff in the dead of night. Minutes later, a pair of operators leap from the aircraft, parachuting into a compound while the chopper orbits waiting to extract its allies or provide follow-on support. This type of idolized special operations approach is an everyday occurrence in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Admittedly with some quirks and restrictions. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is a long-running game series that prioritizes in infantry combat, covert operations, and the use of fancy tech to outsmart dozens of enemies. Ghost Recon: Wildlands (March 7th, 2017) was the first to include player-controlled aircraft outside of on-rail shooter events. Its open world and diverse geography make powerful aircraft tools for transportation and insertion of troops. But with a handful of aircraft available in a few variants, no way to repair them and two different flight control systems, flight in Wildlands needs to be approached in a certain way to make it enjoyable. This article is primarily from the point of view of online co-op with a group of 2 to 4 human players working together. But I will also be making brief mentions about the singleplayer campaign using "AI teammates". Let's start by discussing the aircraft first. Fixed-Wing Aircraft There are two fixed-wing aircraft. One visually similar to four-seater Cessnas and the other similar to the Beech Model 18. They are relegated to occasional use as regional transports or have to be stolen as a part of optional side missions. These aircraft are undoubtedly the fastest airborne vehicles in Wildlands, making them great for players that want to avoid teleporting themselves across the map using Fast Travel. They require much more space than a helicopter would needs to land or takeoff. For the most part, they are restricted to landing in either defended local airports or rebel-controlled dirt airfields in semi-remote locations. Landing them on roads or other flatlands is an option but not recommended. These aircraft are unarmed, with no ability to fire handheld weapons from inside of them. As a result, they are frequently landed and forgotten as new combat operations begin or are ditched into the wilderness as the players and/or AI teammates jump from them for high-altitude parachute deployments. Attack Helicopters The only attack helicopter in the game is based on the AH-1Z Viper. They are found at forward operations bases and the main operations bases of the Unidad, a well-armed government-controlled organization that opposes the player for story-related reasons. Stealing them is a challenging prospect. They are usually found in the middle of bases, surrounded by infantry, gun emplacements, alarms, spotlights, jamming equipment, mortars, and surface-to-air missile launchers. Once in the player's control, the limitations of the AH-1 make you wonder if it was worth the risk. The gunner in the front seat controls a suspiciously ineffective chin-mounted "cannon." Often needing five to eight hits on an infantryman to neutralize them, its accuracy immediately diminishes to borderline unusable after a second or two of sustained fire. The firing pattern of the cannon spreads so widely that half-second trigger pulls seem to be the only way to try and maintain accuracy. Factor in the altitude and motion of the helicopter as factors that further reduce its accuracy, and suddenly flying without a front seater seems like a better use of an ally. The rocket pods are the most effective weapon and are controlled by the pilot. They are limited to firing a pair of rockets simultaneously, either as unguided rockets or as a guided rocket, after getting a weapons lock onto hostile vehicles. The attack helicopter may be helpful for immediate, overwhelming firepower, but trying to operate it long-term comes with inherent problems. The already limited squad of four operators will be split into two groups. The two-person ground team must transport itself, complete objectives, and heals themselves if knocked down in combat. Meanwhile, the attack helicopter crew cannot repair their aircraft, cannot transport the ground team, has a mostly useless chin-mounted weapon system, and its crew must land to dismount and complete objectives anyway. Furthermore, they are very uncommon helicopters and are hard to re-acquire. Getting a new one is quite a detour. If used in a singleplayer campaign, where AI teammates cannot operate autonomously, the AH-1 is nearly useless in the grand scheme of things. Transport Helicopters Viable, vital, versatile. Transport helicopters are the primary airborne means of transportation in Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Aircraft like the UH-60 Blackhawk and the MD-500-inspired designs can do everything asked of them. Most important for this game, they can transport the squad of players to any location on the map, depending on air defenses. They are also the most common airborne vehicle, easy to find at airfields, checkpoints, in allied controlled areas, and even in random towns. They can also be requested for vehicle drop-off directly to players using in-game support functions. They come in unarmed or armed variants with varying numbers of pilot-controlled miniguns and/or rocket pods. Door-mounted guns that passengers can control are exclusive to the UH-60, but both types of helicopters allow for passengers in the cabin or the external benches to freely fire their weapons. They can quickly reach a stable hover with a little effort, even allowing snipers to land long-range shots from inside the helicopter. However, these aircraft aren't made for taking incoming fire for prolonged periods of time. Getting into a long-term slugfest with bullets from rifles, machine guns, or other heavy weapons is a guaranteed way to heavily damage the aircraft or lose it within a few minutes. Being smart, engaging from a distance, and choosing your battles correctly remains the best strategy. While slower than fixed-wing aircraft in this game, the general distances players will cover from objective to objective are reasonable for helicopters to travel. High altitude parachute drops are also possible. These aircraft can land anywhere the terrain permits, even dropping off troops in hard-to-reach areas, like cliffs or on top of buildings, as mentioned in the opening of this article. The helicopter pilot can remain in the air to spot targets, attack as needed, or land to join the ground team. After the mission, all troops can reembark on the transport helicopter and move to the next objective. Flight Controls / Flight Model Flight in this game is obviously not the primary focus, and there is a priority on making it as accessible as possible. Generally, the flight characteristics you'd expect from even a flight sim lite aren't a factor either. This is firmly an arcade flight experience where constantly barrel-rolling a Cessna comes with no risk. There is no risk of stressing airframes or the crews blacking out. The aircraft themselves are pretty durable and can survive most accidental ground strikes, but it's not a great flight experience out of the box. There is a bit to be desired. There are no first-person cockpit views or readings for flight instruments. Parts of the user interface provide general speed, altitude, and direction data, but by default, there is no symbology for pitch or where weapons mounted on the aircraft aim. Aircraft also attempt to auto-level themselves when the player makes no inputs. Fixed-wing aircraft can be flown with four buttons controlling pitch and roll and two buttons for throttle control. This is pretty standard, but helicopter controls are where the quirkiness comes into play and issues arise. The "Classic" helicopter control setting coordinates multiple controls to a single input. For example, pressing the vehicle movement thumbstick to the right will keep the helicopter level and rotate the entire aircraft right. While the helicopter is in forward flight, the same input will bank turn it to the right. Forward on the thumbstick will move the aircraft forward with a minor throttle increase, but holding the throttle increase button while keeping the thumbstick forward will eventually put the aircraft into stable forward flight at top speed. Stopping any inputs will have the helicopter automatically deaccelerate and attempt to auto-hover. With no symbology for weapons and no way to precisely coordinate pitch, roll and yaw independently, providing fire support for friendlies on the ground is more frustrating than helpful. A second flight control scheme was added after an update on July 21st, 2017. The "New" control scheme gave pilots a crosshair for aiming weapons onboard, but the tradeoff was that flight characteristics were completely changed. These full-sized helicopters would now fly more akin to the backpack drones that players with a remote control device. Strafing from side to side was snappy, with the helicopter coming to a halt almost immediately, all with a single thumbstick flip. Rather than the helicopter pitching nose down to bring weapons onto a target, the right stick, which controls free look, tilted the weapons up or down to attack. The options for pilots were to either make a compromise and use one control scheme or switch between the two settings as needed. Using the "Classic" control scheme for transport and drop off, then opening the game menu and switching to the "New" control scheme for combat. Switching control schemes as needed works, but it is not a great solution. Even with the unusual flight model and less-than-ideal controls, the aircraft in this game are worthwhile. Being able to fly past roadblocks, deploy troops in sneaky positions or cruise long distances at maximum altitude is immensely useful. They can be vital to any strategy, both with other players or AI teammates. Recently, this series has been known for some unfortunate business and game design decisions made by Ubisoft. For that reason, Ghost Recon: Wildlands continues to be the last Ghost Recon game I seriously partake in. I can only hope that if the series survives this tumultuous period, the future game that features aircraft will have a more well-thought-out aircraft control scheme. 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.

If you've played DCS for long enough, you're likely familiar with the usual air-to-ground gameplay loop: Find target areas on map, write down coordinates, punch coordinates into appropriate weapon or targeting pod, rinse and repeat. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this - and learning how to manage your aircraft's systems to the point of becoming an utterly efficient TGP wizard raining down GBUs from above is a satisfying achievement. But, as with any single activity, doing it over and over again can get stale after a while. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that Cold War-era modules (and servers to play them on) have been more popular than ever - aircraft where, by and large, radar and advanced sensors take a backseat to the Mk. 1 Mod 0 Eyeball's central stage presence. There is, however, a subset of DCS World modules which takes this even further: Light attack aircraft. In DCS World, this group is mostly represented by jet trainers with attack capability, such as the MB 339, L-39ZA and C-101. But two mods you can try for free stand out: The OV-10 Bronco by SplitAir, and the A-29B Super Tucano by Luiz Renault. While both of these aircraft are propeller-driven, and often get mistaken by casual viewers for aircraft of WWII vintage, don't let their looks deceive you: They are both purpose-built ground attack aircraft, able to carry copious amounts of ordnance for their size. They offer the hands-on flight experience of a warbird with the instruments, navigation and weapon systems of modern aircraft. They both also have large canopies with great all-around visibility, a great asset when flying at treetop level, looking for targets while constantly rolling and pulling turns to evade ground fire. There's something else to flying in DCS when suddenly every 23mm AA gun is a very real threat. But flying these slower airframes isn't all about handicapping yourself - you do get a whole new set of capabilities from these unique aircraft. For instance, they can easily be operated from most in-game helicopter FARPs as long as there is a road or sufficiently large, level open field next to it. Their slow speed maneuverability also makes them excellent helicopter hunters. Their ability to loiter over target areas and take a closer look also makes them great for spotting targets for other players in their fast jets - a role which the Bronco is particularly well suited for. OV-10 AFACs (as well as their colleagues in aircraft such as Bird Dogs and Mohawks) were an integral part of the Vietnam air war, marking targets with smoke rockets and coordinating strike fighter attacks, a role which I see as criminally underrepresented in DCS - and if you think playing AFAC would be boring, the first burst of ZU-23 fire you have to dodge as you roll in for a mark is sure to convince you otherwise. If Vietnam-era aircraft aren't your thing, the A-29 offers all the amenities you'd expect in a modern 4th generation fighter. MFDs, HUD, NVGs - despite the mod in its current implementation having a simplified flight model (SFM), with its associated quirks, it does have fully functional custom avionics, and is an absolute blast to fly. It should give you a taste of what's to come once RAZBAM releases their official A-29 module - an easy to fly, nimble little turboprop with modern avionics and weapons. If you're looking for something new in your DCS World experience, and the idea of cutting grass with your propellers while dodging red 23mm tracers entices you, I'd encourage you to try these lighter machines out. I know I've had some of the best fun in a while with them. 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.

Organizers are expecting record attendance at FlightSimExpo 2024 in Las Vegas on June 21-23. Find discounted travel options and register at flightsimexpo.com. On June 2nd, 2024, the Flight Simulation Association confirmed that FlightSimExpo 2024 is expected to be the biggest FlightSimExpo ever held! Organizers are thrilled with the support the community has shown thus far and look forward to meeting thousands of flight simmers in Las Vegas this month. “This year’s show will see new exhibitors, more than 15 #FSExpoFriday announcements, and record attendance,” says co-founder Phil Coyle. “We’re happy to see the community supporting events like FlightSimExpo and FSWeekend. It’s so important that simmers come together, in person or virtually, to keep our shared passion for virtual aviation growing.” Flight Simulation Association also today released the 2024 FlightSimExpo Floorplan. The interactive floorplan shows all confirmed exhibitor booth locations, along with the locations for #FSExpoFriday’s product reveals, hands-on X-Plane workshops, Home Cockpit Building sessions, and more. The floorplan is available at flightsimexpo.com/floorplan. “Come to the show to meet developers, try the latest hardware, and be in the room when the biggest news comes out…there is so much to do this year. You’ll leave with new friends and experiences you never thought possible the first time you opened a flight simulator,” says Jonathan Halverson, a FlightSimExpo attendee and volunteer who will be at the show for the fourth time this year. “I’ve gone to the events in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Houston and it just gets bigger and better every year.” FSA is pleased to confirm that more than 90 partners are supporting FlightSimExpo 2024, including the biggest names in home flight simulation. Newly confirmed sponsors and exhibitors include iniBuilds, PMDG, A2A Simulations, AviaPlanner, Dogfight Dynamics, FeelThere, FlightControlReplay, FlyingArt, HORI (U.S.A.) INC., Moza Racing, OnAir Company, Parallel 42, Propwash Simulation, RYAN AEROSPACE, TrackIR, and Yaw VR. The full list of 2024 sponsors and exhibitors is available at flightsimexpo.com/partners. FlightSimExpo takes place on June 21-23, 2024 in Las Vegas. Registration is available online at flightsimexpo.com. Attendees are encouraged to book discounted hotel rooms and learn about discounted travel options from Delta, Southwest, and United. Those unable to attend in-person can help support the show by purchasing an Online-Only Registration for $15, or an FSA Captain subscription. Those registered to watch virtually get ad-free access to all Brasilia Room seminars, live or recorded. About FlightSimExpo. FlightSimExpo is one of the world’s largest flight simulation conventions. The event has welcomed more than 5,000 attendees to events in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Diego, and Houston 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

A New Era of Meaningful Action with Ground Forces? The release of the Digital Combat Simulator F-4E Phantom II by Heatblur Simulations is the star of the simulator's May 2024 update... and imma let you finish, but the new asset pack update is one of the best of all time! For years now, I felt as though there were certain assets missing to entice more users to take the time to create meaningful scenarios in support of or in pursuit of ground forces. While DCS World maps are expansive with many roads, bridges and towns, when I say "meaningful", I mean objectives that players flying in the mission would care about and want to interact with. This entry of the Skyward Flight Media Mission Editor series focuses on providing ideas to do just that, while focusing on new assets added to the mission editor just recently. As a reminder, all articles in our ongoing mission editor series do assume players know the very basics of mission editing. Such as placing objects, creating groups, assigning tasks, etc. The Massun92 Asset Pack The core of this article will involve the asset pack 3D modeled by Patricio Massun, screen name Massun92. This asset pack was once a mod created by Massun92 for others to use optionally. But along the way, the quality and variety of this "fan made" asset pack eventually started a discussion with Eagle Dynamics - the developer behind Digital Combat Simulator - which resulted in this asset pack becoming an official part of the simulator at no extra charge to DCS World users. In the mission editor itself, units and structures added are denoted with the M92 at the start of their names. For the rest of this article, we will refer to it as the M92 Asset Pack. As seen in the preview image from developer of the simulator, Eagle Dynamics, are some very specific assets that are wonderful for single player leaning players, such as everything you would need to fully populate and airfield. Down to the toolboxes, tucked as far away from a jet engine intake as possible. Through the use of the .lua code or keen trigger zone magic, it may even be possible to give the illusion of equipment gathering and dispersing as players park, rearm, refuel, cold start, etc. I have seen a few videos and single player missions from User Files that have featured the M92 Asset Pack recently. Though, their effect is decidedly single player focused. The point of this article is to suggest methods to use the extended roster of assets from the M92 Asset Pack to make worthwhile locations in multiplayer missions that can become the center of the online experience. Kitbashing Military Positions Something DCS has lacked for so many years now is clearly defined military installations that are not related to aircraft in some way. Whether those are the familiar soviet era air bases in the Caucasus or the remote helipads At Tanf military base in south-east Syria, at least 70% of the military locations are related to aviation. Not surprising considering this is a combat flight simulator, however, it is hard to portray the importance of troop positions and the movement of the frontline without important locations like staging areas, forward operation bases, fire bases, etc. There have been many valiant efforts to turn random warehouses and silos into key logistic positions surrounded by enemy armored units. Turning industrial areas in mid-sized towns into weapon production facilities or military bases teeming with armored vehicles. Another method is using copious amounts of containers mixed with forward arming and refueling point assets to outline something that looks similar to a military base. The Skyward Syria COIN mission has a great example of one. M92 Fortifications The M92 Asset Pack simplifies the process of trying to find existing locations on maps and populating them with static objects and other structures that are close enough to mimic "the real thing", by providing purpose built assets for faster construction of more recognizable military installations on every map in Digital Combat Simulator. Related specifically to constructing bases and other fighting positions, the M92 Asset Pack includes: Barriers: Mainly used for directing traffic in and out of military installations, or that can be used as a form of cover against incoming fire. Four designs. Boom Barrier: the raising and lowering arm that allows vehicles to enter and exit locations. Often used in conjunction with Barriers. Two designs. Building PBR: Various sizes of buildings ranging from warehouses, multi-vehicle garages, office buildings and barracks. Eight designs. Camouflage: Types of camouflage netting held up by poles. They can be placed near or over fighting positions, vehicles and cargo or used in remote locations to further conceal items. Seven designs. Cargo: Boxes and barrels to further decorate a position. Things like MRE boxes, rifle ammunition boxes, fuel drums, etc. None of these have DCS ammo or fuel warehouse functions. Seven designs. Container: A mix of shipping containers. Some come in three lengths to hold items. Others are converted into buildings for other purposes, like watch towers, power generators and offices. Seven designs. HESCO: A type of fortification that has its identity tied to conflicts in the Middle East since 1991. These barriers are filled with sand or soil and can be easily stacked as defensive fortifications. In DCS, the HESCO barriers have visible sand in and around them, making them more suited for maps in the Middle East, but they can be used elsewhere if mission editors do not mind their sandy base. Designs include single and double stacked walls, outposts, watch towers and generators. Ten designs. Sandbag: The most universal type of fortification. All structures are made of self-contained sandbags that work in any map. These include various types of single and triple stack walls, various fighting positions, semicircle and square designs, towers, radio bunkers, vehicle hides, helipad and similar positions. Sixteen designs. Tent: Open and closed designs. It includes open air designs for general assembly and medical use, with closed designs that act as barracks or vehicle storage. Five designs. TWall: Tall, reinforced concrete blast walls. Three designs. IMPORTANT: Hiding Static Units When constructing anything reccommended by this article or from your own original designs, it is highly important to hide static units that are not vital for player operations on the F10 map. This is an important part of decluttering the F10 map for all players, while keeping active units that will participate in combat visible on the map and easy to access for players that may be using DCS Combined Arms. To hide static units and structures while in the mission editor, click the unit and in the Static Object option window, check the Hidden option. The two pictures below provided a quick visual example as to why this is important. Fighting Positions These are more common positions of smaller groups of soldiers or armored vehicles deployed to strategic areas. Rather than a fully enclosed semi-permanent base, these fighting positions are oriented to face towards the expected path of encounter with hostile forces. The composition of these positions are made up of two parts. The fighting position at the front and the support position in the rear. In our example, the fighting position consists of sandbags made up of infantry and vehicles taking cover behind multiple Structure M92 Sandbag 01, 02 03 and/or similar sandbag designs. These positions can be somewhat scattered over a small area, ideally near areas hostile forces will be traversing in. They can also be placed in hidden positions, as they most likely would be in the real world, to surprise hostile forces. Any units using these positions should have their Disperse Under Fire settings switched off so units do not leave their fighting positions at the start of combat (Select Group/Unit->Advanced Waypoint Options->Set Option->Disperse Under Fire->Uncheck Box). The rear support position is a short distance behind the fighting position. These do not need to be heavily built up areas. The most important part of the support position is supply vehicles that can rearm and refuel surrounding friendly forces; vehicles like Unarmed Truck M939 or Unarmed Truck KAMAZ 43101. As long as their resupply zones, illustrated as black circles around them, cover the units in the forward fighting positions, they will automatically continue to resupply friendly forces without player input. Use of static structures like FARP Hide Single Small or FARP Hide Double Small to further camofluage the supply vehicles can be used, but it is important not to build these areas up into full-scale bases. These are supposed to be austere fighting positions. Forward Deployed Heliport For areas well to the rear of the combat, a heliport can encourage more rotary-wing operations. If we look at this concept in its most basic terms, these would essentially be expanded and reinforced versions of the classic forward arming and refueling points (FARP) that have existed in Digital Combat Simulator for years. But rather than have these FARPs be wide open spaces, designing them to reflect something closer to military installations both increases their usefulness and their difficulty in a positive way. Using the outer area of the default FARP as a guide (Structures->Heliports->FARP), use M92 HESCO Wallperimeter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or M92 Sandbag 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 , 06, 16 can be used to outline the perimeter of the new FARP design the mission editor desires. When that is done, the FARP can be switched to an Invisible FARP to hide the out of date base model (Structures->Heliports->Invisible FARP). With the perimeter of the new FARP outlined, the area for rotary-wing operations can be indicated by outlining the open area helicopters should be landing in with HESCO or sandbag walls, maybe placing a static helicopter there for visual reference. The result of this is interesting. The tighter landing area increases the risk versus reward of operating from forward deployed heliports, though it also adds to the realism of what its like flying out of these types of facilities. The non-landing areas should be populated with static assets like tents, camouflage nets, cargo boxes, buildings, towers, vehicles, etc. Areas for defenders to protect the FARP can also be created outside the FARP wall with extra layers of HESCO or sandbags. Within the base perimeter, add the necessary units for FARP operations (FARP Ammo, FARP Command, FARP Fuel, FARP Tent and/or similar nessecary vehicles) to allow for aircraft rearming and refueling operations. For extra functionality, a Portable TACAN station can be included to assist with navigation for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing assets. A built-up heliport such as this becomes a focal point for player attention. The more players that fly to and from these locations or use them as navigation references will be more inclinced to keep track of them and protect them. This type of heliport also is an ideal target for mission editors to send opposing forces towards, putting further pressure on friendly forces to defend them. Fire Base: Detached Positions Of course, with the release of an official F-4 Phantom for DCS World, the interest in Southeast Asia War (Vietnam War) related scenarios has also spiked. One of the first things I built with the M92 assets was an example of an era appropriate fire base, high atop foothills in contested territory. After scratching that itch, my reasearch info Fire Bases also matched up well with M92 assets. Unlike a standard military base, a fire base is focused on providing indirect fire support to frontline troops over all else. Whether it is with field artillery, self propelled artillery, multiple rocket launch system artillery or infantry manned mortars, infrastructure is focused on allowing those systems to freely adjust their positions to engage targets with support units nearby. But not nessecarily with an entire supply base within the vicinity. Supply is provided by mobile vehicles, as it is meant to be a position that is quickly built up or brought down as needed. Keeping this in mind, fire bases should be free of obsctructions that may block their outgoing fire; like trees, foothills or mountains. When possible, use scenery removal trigger zones to destroy trees around potential fire bases if needed. There are many designs that firing positions can take; some with each weapon system independently protected or the systems freely standing in fields to fire before returning to their resupply point. In our example, we use a more traditional firebase design as seen in a US Army Field manual circa 1983 that uses M92 Sandbag 02 to protect the front each artillery unit with M92 Sandbag 05 and M92 Sandbag 06 to construct the high walls protecting rear areas immediately behind artillery piece where ammunition would be stored, personnel would be on standby and planning and communication equipment would be. Extra defensive position can be built around the fire base to provide area security from direct enemy action. Among the many possible static units and structures that could be used, the heart of the fire base is a single active group with multiple units of the desried artillery pieces like the MLRS 9A52 Smerch HE 300mm, Mortar 2B11 120 mm, PLZ-05 or SPH M109 Paladin 155mm with a supply vehicle like the Unarmed Truck M939 or Unarmed Truck KAMAZ 43101 as a part of the artillery group. This allows the group to resupply itself without player interaction. The benefit of a fire base like this is that its AI controlled units can be set to fire at pre-determined locations via trigger zones and waypoint actions or used by players that own DCS Combined Arms to support frontline aviation combat operations with overwhelming indirect fire. Fire Base: Semi-Permanent A variant of the Detached Fire Base example, it features a semi-permanat supply base close to the firing positions of the artillery units. Its defining feature is the small to medium size supply base that provides supplies for the artillery. In this example, a group of four MLRS M270 227mm artillery units with nearby infantry support are setup a few hundred meters away from their support base. The support base supplies the units with fuel and ammo passively from a safe distance, just in case counter-battery artillery is fired at the M270 units. The inclusion of the M92 Asset Pack has been the catalyst for Skyward Flight Media to prepare a new Digital Combat Simulator multiplayer mission that is heavily focused on land combat, rotary wing assets and Combined Arms based artillery support. Since it has inspired us so effectively, we hope this article also inspires others to update their existing missions or build a new experience with more realistic fortifications and fighting positions at their core. 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.

Remembering and wishing for a retro 21-year-old VR headset for PS2! This past month may have been one of the most financially hard hitting times for me in a while... and it was all flight related! Anyone deep in this can surely understand. My plan to wait for newer VR headsets was foiled by the sudden death of my stalwart Oculus Rift. I was forced to purchase a Meta Quest 2 as it was easily accessible, is better than my Rift anyway, and I have multiple virtual reality events happening this month. Searching through my bookmarks, I was reminded of an obscure piece of equipment that I'll probably never own. Collecting obscure computers and game consoles from the past is a hobby of mine. Like any collector, there are always a few "unicorn" or "hen's teeth" items you wish you had but never expect to own. Maybe never even see in person. For me, one of them is the Sony PUD-J5A, released on September 25th, 2002. 21 years before the release of the PlayStation VR2, Sony had released their first game console virtual reality headset for the ever revered PlayStation 2. It was announced on September 11th, 2002 with little advertisement. The PUD-J5A was released in Japan only with the unusual caveat that it was only for sale through the official Sony Japan website. The cost at the time was 59800 JPY - it was rather costly. It was not something that was mass-produced and widely sold in toy stores, game stores or the like. Though Sony had released the Visortron (1993) and Glasstron (1996) family of personal LCD screens years before with limited success, releasing the PUD-J5A with a sudden announcement, no extensive advertisement campaign and this unusual single-sales point, makes it seem like even Sony thought it was not going to do well. But that is an assumption. Considering the year the PUD-J5A came out, it had decent specs and better performance than most would expect. 827x228 per-eye resolution, 25° horizontal field of view and non-positional tracking 3 degrees of freedom. A handheld control unit attached to the headset recieves power from a power pack, audio video cables from the game console to the headset, volume controls and built-in menu selection controls. The Digital Game Museum has scans of its box and manual available for viewing. This VR headset could be used as a standard pair of "video glasses" to privately play PlayStation 2 games, but its real power was displayed in a very limited library of games. Four of them were flight games: Air Force Delta: Blue Wing Knights, Energy Airforce, Energy Airforce: Airstrike! and Sidewinder V. With a mini-USB to USB cable connected to the front of the PlayStation 2, these games would automatically interface with the headset. As much as I wish I could tell you of my first-hand experience with this, I cannot. However, there are a few game collecting YouTubers that have put up videos about their interactions with it. NiponWare provided an unboxing video, while PlayMania provided the best view of what this VR headset could do for flight simulation with a brief but telling video clip from 7:26 to 9:30 in the video below: There is very little video of this VR headset being used during gameplay. What can be seen from a few YouTube videos shows a basic but functional experience. While each of the flight focused games do support the PUD-J5A, they are not designed with this functionality being a major factor in their gameplay. They are not virtual reality games built from the ground up for that experience. Rather, they are flat screen games that allow this VR headset to take over camera control axes. By today's standards, the PUD-J5A offers a useful but limited cockpit point of view that is comparable to the type of tracking you would expect from head trackers like OpenTrack or TrackIR. Back in 2002, this would have been a premium piece of hardware for only the most highly dedicated flight game enthusiasts. On the off chance I actually acquire one sometime in the future, I will be sure to thoroughly document it and record all the video I can. 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 latest entry in the Comanche combat helicopter series has completed its early access period. The full release of Comanche was made official on August 26th, 2021, with the game available on Epic, GOG, Steam, the Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass. What was announced in August 2019 as an online multiplayer-only title evolved into a singleplayer rich title with multiplayer capability. I've written about Comanche various times throughout its development, primarily because of its well-known series name and reputation and how publisher THQ Nordic and developer Nukklear Digital Minds would have to find a balance of new and old ideas to maintain the Comanche brand name. With the singleplayer story seeming to come to a close on February 16th, 2021, no one would have expected a new developer to be brought on board to work on a new singleplayer game mode. On April 15th, 2021, Ashborne Games Studio took over Comanche development introducing the new Conflicts game mode. While the Nukklear team successfully made a story-driven campaign with frequent checkpoints, the Ashborne team has created something equally as impressive with more focus on challenging players rather than telling a story. The story of Conflicts mode sends the main character from the campaign around the world with a new task force that is a part of the International Joint Task Force (IJTF) from the campaign. This time around, there are various hostile international, regional, and local hostile forces causing varying degrees of chaos for other alliances, organizations, and countries. Because of this, the IJTF to continue their worldwide peacekeeping-focused combat missions. While the player's backstory and their organization align with the singleplayer campaign, Conflicts is essentially a second story, albeit with a different approach. For comparison, the campaign mode comprises six operations (missions) with two to five segments. Each segment utilizes save points that instantly rearm and repair the attack helicopter the player is flying. An occasional resupply point is available in one or two of the missions. Conflicts mode comprises 11 missions with no automatic resupplies, no checkpoints, no ability to replay mission segments, and resupply only available if a landing zone can be secured by force. The lack of resources slows players down, forcing them to approach situations more tactically, monitor enemy movements, and not overly rely on guided missiles to solve all of their problems. Players will utilize the terrain and low altitude flying more than ever to take full advantage of the defense and stealth provided. The linear intention of the singleplayer campaign is evident even within its level design. In the campaign, there's usually a clear path from objective to objective with physical boundaries like valley walls, caverns, or instant death anti-aircraft networks that act as rails to guide the player along. A few larger areas give room for moments of frantic widespread combat or allow the player to sneak undetected, but that doesn't represent most of the experience. In further comparison, Conflicts gives players a clear-cut objective without a timer hurrying them up and very large areas to operate in. It's hard to describe the difference in scale between the campaign and Conflicts maps, but players can expect to crisscross a map to hit various objectives while running into unexpected situations along the way. Each Conflicts operation features a newly designed map not seen in the singleplayer campaign, making things feel even fresher. Besides the enemy's main force, the action continues with roving patrol units circulating randomly throughout the area. The randomness of combat is present, and the movement of patrols never lets the player settle for too long. While campaign operations had a few memorable large-scale battles in three or four segments, flying into a full-scale battle with computer allies by your side and enemies all along the horizon is a frequent occurrence in Conflicts. The scale of battle has undoubtedly been increased. Each Conflicts operation requires a set amount of points to unlock the next mission. These points are gathered by finishing an operation and meeting requirements for receiving medals. As more operations are unlocked, the cost of unlocking the subsequent increases slightly each time. This makes it necessary for players to challenge themselves to obtain harder medals like never resupplying during an operation or never being spotted before the final phase of a mission. Replayability is also increased with players wanting to get each medal, approaching the same operations with a different plan of attack each time. When Early Access Update #6 on February 16th, 2021, came with the vague announcement of a new singleplayer game mode I was skeptical that anything more could be done with this game's content. But Conflicts has doubled its offline content while greatly expanding on the foundation laid by the campaign while maintaining a price point of USD 19.99 throughout early access to full release. Color me impressed. 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.

Appreciating an unsung mission planning tool Lately, my game time with Nuclear Option by Shockfront Studios has gone way up. Delving into this game at a much deeper level crossed my mind after I saw a tournament was set up for April 6th, 2024. Seeing the announcement for the Nuclear Option Competitive Smackdown (Eastern Hemisphere) did make me think more seriously about if a flight-sim lite like this could become a high level competitive player vs player title. Over the past two weeks, fellow Skyward Flight Media staff members have joined me in multiplayer and player versus environment sessions to get a real feeling for what higher intensity gameplay Nuclear Option offers. That experience is bound to be an article of its own eventually, but not quite yet. It was somewhere between the intense two-ship low altitude incursions and tactical nuclear carpet bombing that the simplest tool in the game became the core of our tactics (and the inspiration of this article). You would think that the stand-off jamming capability of the recently added EW-25 Medusa electronic warfare aircraft or the area denial abilities of the Shard-class corvette would be the "new hotness" we would discuss. You would think, but... ...have you used the map, though? Yes, the map of all things. Whether you're slinging plasma bolts in a flight arcade game or painstakingly double-checking GPS coordinates in a flight simulator, having access to a map is useful, but not something you would write home about. This game uses the map to show the position of known allies and enemies. Players will mostly be interacting with it to scroll around the map to see the disposition of forces and select which airbase they will be launching their next sortie from. However, its hidden strength is the ability to zoom in tightly on small areas and let players hover their mouse icon over specific units. Not only to identify them by their unit name, but also to pre-target select them by left-clicking on their icons. While Nuclear Option does have beyond visual range weapons that players and their computer counterparts can access, the game is decidedly more of a within visual range combat experience. Even more so because of how it handles targeting in game. During flight, the horizontal diamond in the player's Heads Up Display must be put over the icon of a unit to be locked onto by depressing the "Target Select" button. Locking onto a single target will zoom the camera sensor in the player's cockpit onto that unit, providing a clear view of what exactly it is or what it is doing. In my opinion, this sort of extends the concept of what "within visual range is". Selecting more than one target at a time will zoom this camera out as it tries to show a view of what the selected targets are doing in a wide area, causing the camera to zoom out to try and fit both targets in its view. In the midst of combat, manually slewing the targeting reticle to lock and unlock targets isn't terrible, but can be hard to do when task saturated. Sometimes trying to pick out the exact target you had in mind at the beginning of the sortie gets lost in the clutter of combat and evading incoming fire. Target sorting while under pressure is doable, but the map's ability to pre-select targets opens up a degree of pre-planned attack strategies. Whether the player is starting up the aircraft on the ground or mid-flight, any targets that are selected from the map are selected targets for the aircraft. When the map is closed, the distance and direction of these targets will be displayed in the aircraft's cockpit camera sensor. Now, instead of manually searching for targets while ingressing into the combat area, players can focus on planning a route avoiding detection and air defenses, keeping their attention on reaching their target and utilizing the full capabilities of any standoff / beyond visual range weapons by monitoring their weapons engagement envelope indicator, visualized as a circle on the HUD that gradually becomes a full circle, then changes color from yellow to green to show that a weapon is within its ideal firing parameters. In an emegency, de-selecting the pre-planned targets to handle a new threat is fine, as long as players take the time to re-open the map, zoom back in to find their targets of interest and left click them again. Selecting targets from a map sounds cumbersome when explained in text, but in practice it only takes seconds once players know what they are specifically looking for in a target area. In coordination with other human players, a few mouse clicks can result in specific target sets per aircraft, resulting in a sizeable multi-weapon pre-planned attack that saturates enemy targets of all types within just a few seconds. In a game where dozens of units are maneuvering and exchanging fire over a sprawling map, efficiency in striking the right target at the right time can change the flow of battle. Shoutout to the map! A bit of an unsung hero. 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.

Team Centric Powerhouse, Stand Off Support Master As someone that deeply enjoys the concept and application of Electronic Warfare (EW) in flight simulators, the inclusion of what is traditionally a support role aircraft in Nuclear Option intrigued me. In a game where its developer, Shockfront Studios, is more than happy to let players wield tactical nuclear weapons in high volume, I wondered how a support aircraft would fair. As far as the aircraft roster goes, it does help round out the staple roles of aircraft in modern air forces. The game already has a COIN aircraft, light attacker, air superiority fighter, attack helicopter and strike bomber; the Medusa now brings in a electronic warfare role. While electronic warfare is considered a support role, it is best to view the Medusa as less of a lumbering high command asset and more of a combat focused EW striker; like an EA-18G Growler. The Medusa can survive and thrive directly on the frontline. Design, Flight Characteristics While it may not be a direct connection, the concept of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft in Nuclear Option can be traced back to March 2023. Images from lead developer B-25Mitch in the Nuclear Option development blog showed four concept images of a potential VTOL aircraft that could fulfill a close air support role. Inspirations included the idea of an A-10 Thunderbolt II that could lift off and land vertically. The VTOL concept would not be mentioned again until September 28th, 2023, when the now recognizable design of the EW-25 Medusa would be introduced as a purpose built electronic warfare focused vertical and/or short takeoff and landing (VSTOL) aircraft. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw the finalized fuselage, as it resembled the Northrop Tacit Blue technology demonstrator. The four-seat EW-25 Medusa is powered by two massive power plants that output thrust through four swiveling engine nozzles. Similar to the Hawker Siddley Harrier. Its large dorsal fin can also mount an airborne warning and control style radar dish. The nose of the aircraft features a 120 Kw tactical laser which pulls from an onboard 800 kilojoule generator. The Medusa's self-protection electronic countermeasure (ECM) suite and standoff ECM pods also pull from this same generator. The generator recharges using ram air turbines. The faster the aircraft flies, the faster its power source recharges. This also means that when the aircraft is at high speed, it can use its energy reliant capabilities for longer, consistent periods of time. With a maximum speed around mach 0.85, the Medusa is fast enough to transit the battlefield and use speed to maintain distance from incoming threats. While flying near maximum speed, it is easy to accidentally overspeed the airframe while diving from altitude to evade incoming missiles. While pulling out of a high speed dive, the canted vertical stabilizers are susceptible to snapping off of the airframe. The aircraft is surprisingly maneuverable for its size. When left in automatic function mode, the thrust vectoring nozzles are used to increase vertical pitch performance, improving the aircraft's turn radius. It certainly is not an aircraft you would want to enter into a close range dogfight with, though it can carry infrared air-to-air missiles for sef protection. Its agility is best used to rapidly defend against missiles launched from long range. VSTOL Benefits The most curious part of the EW-25 Medusa design is its VSTOL capability. Its thrust vectoring nozzles can be controlled manually by players or kept in automatic function mode so they change pitch angle depending on throttle setting and airspeed. At specific airspeeds, the flight control system adjusts from flying like a fixed-wing aircraft to flying more like a rotary-wing aircraft. While the Medusa is a high rank aircraft that can only be spawned from full sized airbases, its STOVL capability makes the aircraft capable of taking off in roughly 100 meters depending on total weight. Full runway takeoffs are optional. Its ability to land vertically or at very low speeds allows it to land at forward deployed highway airstrips to rearm and refuel. This lets it stay closer to the frontline for longer periods of time. A capability the Medusa's fellow high rank aircraft like the FS-12 Revoker air superiority fighter or the SFB-81 Darkreach strike bomber cannot match. Electronic Warfare The electronic countermeasure pods, or radar jammer pods, are the core of its capabilities. The aircraft is capable of carrying two to four pods, allowing it to disrupt the radars of two or four targets at a time. Power consumption with two pods allows for stable, long term use in suppressing two radar emitters. Four pods do allow for more radars to be suppressed, but the power usage is considerably heavier, meaning the timeframe for effective jammer coverage is shorter. The radar jammer is effective from any angle around the Medusa, not restricting the aircraft's ability to race-track orbit in an area for long periods to provide ECM coverage. While the targeted radars are being jammed, they are unable to guide missiles onto allied aircraft and cannot detect incoming attacks to defend themselves. ECM coverage can also be activated while semi-active homing radar guided missiles are airborne, flying at a target. As long as the radar guiding them is jammed before the missile impacts its target, the missile will lose lock. When used against radar stations and other large-scale surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, the Medusa can temporarily open the airspace for high altitude combat operations. This allows allied aircraft to penetrate deeper into hostile airspace or gain altitude to deploy long-range munitions. When EW is used against other human players, the disruption is visualized in-game as a sort of electronic fuzz that disrupts the user interface. While everything is blurred, it is still possible to find and lock onto targets with increased difficulty. SEAD, DEAD Capabilities The EW-25 Medusa has a limited, but specialized, set of offensive weapons at its disposal to perform suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) or destruction of enemy air defenses (DEAD). The ARAD-116 is an anti-radiation missile that seeks active radars, with a maximum range of 120.0km. The missiles can be locked onto specific units or launched in a general direction, without lock, as they seek active radars on their own. The PAB-80LR is a glide bomb with an optical seeker with a range that varies depending on the speed and altitude it is launched from. With no infrared signature from a rocket motor and a small radar cross-section, the Medusa can carry up to six of these glide bombs to saturate a target area. Combined with radar jamming, these munitions can be especially effective against short range air defense systems or destroying all launchers and support vehicles in a SAM site. PAB-80LRs can be used against non-air defense units on the frontline as well. A single non-nuclear equipped cruise missile with a blast fragmentation can be carried in the internal weapon bay. With a maximum range of 1500.0km, it flies at low altitude to remain hard to detect. It can be used to strike high priority targets far behind the frontline, but with only one available at a time, the correct conditions for its deployment must be set. Launching it straight into an undamaged air defense network is not ideal. All weapons have an increased success rate when supported by electronic countermeasures from the radar jammer pods. Radome: Increased Datalink Coverage While the EW-25 with a radome is... quite a sight, its benefit in beyond visual range combat is considerable. Its increased detection range makes it easier for allied forces to spot hostile low flying aircraft and cruise missiles. Aircraft with beyond visual range missiles can also detect and lock onto hostile aircraft at longer ranges, engaging the aircraft with a range advantage. An interesting danger in using the Radome against experienced human players is the threat of ARAD-116 missiles striking the Medusa. The radome effectively makes the EW-25 a flying radar station, opening it up to long-range anti-radiation missile attacks. Turning the radar off (there is a button for that!) when ARADs may be threatening the Medusa is a decent defensive measure. Tactical Laser Point Defense The nose mounted 120Kw laser grants the Medusa the ability to act as a limited point defense system against incoming missiles. Drawing from the aircraft's generator, at near full charge, the laser can destroy missiles at up to 15 km away. At first glance, using the laser against slow moving cruise missiles and tactical nuclear weapons seems to be the primary use of the laser. Defending friendly forces and infrastructure like air bases, factories and vehicle depots is highly important in the later stages of large-scale combat game modes. However, the laser can be used to intercept any enemy missile. If pressed into the action, the EW-25 can fly close range escort for other aircraft, using its laser to intercept air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles as they fly towards friendly aircraft. It is a juggling act to try and efficiently lock and fire the laser at multiple missiles. It uses a significant amount of energy to destroy missiles as well, making the risk of being overwhelmed by incoming missiles decently high. Relying on the laser as the primary means of defense against missiles is not recommended. The Experience After dozens of sorties with the EW-25 Medusa, this aircraft has become my go-to aircraft whenever my friends and I play Nuclear Option. I often find myself supporting concerted efforts to break the enemy frontline, daring raids behind the frontline to strike SAM sites and escorting Darkreach strike bombers as they saturate enemy bases with cruise missiles or tactical nuclear weapons. For players looking to fulfill a support role during air combat and become a team centric asset, the Medusa certainly fits the position. 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.

To say that this aircraft is unique would be an understatement, because even its development was nothing conventional. Born from one of the first ever collaborations between two DCS developers, IndiaFoxtEcho and Heatblur Simulations, the F-14A/B MSFS project is a first for both studios. The F-14A/B Tomcat that we got in MSFS first saw life in DCS World, where it was developed from the ground up by Heatblur Sims. It released publicly in March 2019, to critical acclaim. It set a new standard for other first and third party modules, a standard that might only be surpassed by Heatblur's upcoming F-4E Phantom II module. Initially, Heatblur didn't pursue development for MSFS, but that all changed when they partnered with IndiaFoxtEcho to port the Tomcat to MSFS. IndiaFoxtEcho are a group of extremely talented developers, so if anyone could replicate Heatblur's magic touch in MSFS, that would be them. After some months in developments, we got an extremely competent port of the F-14A/B for the civilian simulator. It has the same level of visual fidelity as its DCS counterpart, which makes sense once we take into account that Heatblur's primary role during the development of this add-on was its massive 3D library of assets and scans, all of which were ported to MSFS in a brilliant way. Most of its functionality is also intact from DCS, with the obvious exception of the omission of modeled weapon systems and sensors that would not see any use in a civilian-focused simulator. That being said, all the switches are still clickable for those that are interested in in-depth cockpit interactions and that clicky-clicky action. Carrier operations are also on the table thanks to the addition of the Forrestal-class carrier to this package! They might be simplified and not at the level of the Super Carrier module in DCS World, but it is more than enough to satisfy that carrier itch in MSFS. The model is gorgeous and fits right in with its populated deck and SAR Sea King, always on stand-by for those that might struggle during a landing or take-off. Weapon models were included with the non-Xbox package, and you can equip them at any time with the aid of the JESTER menu. They might not be functional, but they will surely make your flights feel just that much realistic. Flying it is also a treat, despite it having a simplified model when compared to its DCS counterpart. It responds excellently to your commands, while also communicating to you that this is in fact the heaviest fighter ever to take off from the deck of a carrier. It has weight behind its controls, and it will not hesitate to let you know when you are pushing its limits. Aside from flying it, the most impressive aspect of this module has to be its integration of the JESTER AI system within MSFS. It is not a port, but a recreation of the system itself that has been tailored to the needs of a civilian-focused game. You have your navigation options, automated start-up procedures, communication assistance and even an in-flight extras menu with some cheats for those that just want to have a bit of fun. I am thoroughly impressed by the work that IndiaFoxtEcho put into recreating this within the limitations of MSFS, and I can't help but to applaud their efforts. This is what differentiates other developers from IFE and Heatblur, and I cannot wait to see what else they have cooking up in the oven for us to enjoy. The F-14A/B Tomcat for MSFS is one of the best experiences I have had in this simulator, one that has shaped the way I think of it and one that will now serve as a new golden standard with which to judge future experiences. Congratulations, IFE and Heatblur! 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

Originally published: 08/06/2021 - Updated: 05/06/2023 I have always wondered, ever since I bought DCS' P-47D module, about the amount of effort that goes into modeling warbirds. After all, I had been flying the Thunderbolt in IL-2 Great Battles for the past couple of years. I was surprised when, after spending around five flight hours with DCS' Thunderbolt, I found myself finding more and more differences between these two aircraft which are supposed to be extremely similar! Before we start diving into the topic at hand, I would like to clarify that I have never flown a Thunderbolt in real life and that this is not meant to be a direct comparison to throw shade at either of these simulators. This article is meant as a piece that serves as a look into how different companies tackle a very similar aircraft and how they differ in their implementation. Additionally, I will only be using the P-47D-30 (Early) as DCS' entry. THE OBVIOUS: D-28 AND D-30 ARE NOT EQUAL To get the obvious out of the way, these two depictions are not from the same lot. The differences mainly are on the cockpit layout and the installation of compressibility flaps to aid in dives, both changes exclusive to the P-47D-30. Aside from that, both of these should be pretty similar. IL-2's Thunderbolt, the P-47D-28, is the one we will be taking a look at; not the D-22 added with the Normandy expansion. The DCS D-30 (Early) has some interesting aspects, primarily that the model does not include the dorsal fin ahead of the vertical stabilizer. This would make this specific Jug a very early one for this model, particularly considering that it does have the thicker ailerons and dive recovery system installed. The rest of the differences lie in the cockpit design, which I will talk more about in the next section. I just wanted to reassure that you, the reader, understood that these two aircraft are technically not the same model but that they share the large majority of their features. NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCES The first I noticed was that both Jugs have very different cockpit scaling. From what I have heard, DCS' Thunderbolt was created by using a real airframe as the base for 3D modeling and IL-2's relied on blueprints and technical drawings to model theirs. These two approaches have led to different scaling of certain aspects of the cockpit while others are identical. For example, the frontal canopy frame on IL-2's version seems to be way thicker, but the general shape of the frame is accurate to the point where I can match both cockpits from each simulator side by side and continue the line perfectly. The other aspect on IL-2's cockpit that immediately caught my attention was that the gunsight was a tad bit larger and that the instrument panel was a tad bit smaller when compared to the ones in DCS. This could be either a difference between D-28 and D-30 airframes, but that seems unlikely as 28 could be retrofitted to 30 standards, so the dimensions must have been either the same or within the margin of error of the era. Either way, here is a comparison: Aside from this, both models are great! Every nook and cranny is there. Something that took me a while to realize is that both aircraft have very different paint-schemes for their cockpits. Have a look at how they differ! DCS' Thunderbolt cockpit. Notice the duller colors and impressive weathering effects. IL-2's Thunderbolt cockpit. Brighter colors, different pallet and less weathering. MARK VIII GUNSIGHT DIFFERENCES Interestingly, the Thunderbolts lot D-22 onwards were equipped with US Navy Mark VIII gunsights. These were usually equipped on aircraft such as the Hellcat, Wildcat, Corsair and other naval fighters. Both of our simulators have this exact sight with IL-2's including the addition of a back-up sight to the left of the main reflector. What came to my attention the moment I booted up DCS' Thunderbolt for the first time was that the pipper was completely different. In fact, it was exactly the one that US Navy aircraft had back in the day. IL-2's pipper was way more simple, here is a side by side of both sights: IL-2 on the left and DCS on the right. This difference led me to what I would describe as a rabbit hole of forum threads, defunct websites and incomplete manuals. All to figure out which was the more "Accurate". But, as with everything in life, the truth is neither black nor white. Both are accurate. The main source that led me to this conclusion was Aircraft Gunsights, a defunct website that was run by a collector. In the article linked above, he states the following: As most P-47 reaching the European theater were modified to use the British Mark II gunsight (see above) before being sent to combat units, Material Command requested in July 1943 that, as an interim measure and until the new N-9 gunsight would be available in sufficient number, all P-47 leaving the production line should be equipped with the Navy Mark 8 gunsight. An order of 5.400 sights was therefore placed in October 1943 (later increased to an unknown number) and the Mark 8, starting with the P-47 D-20 series, finally remained the standard P-47 gunsight until gyro K-14A gunsights became available in sufficient number early 1945. In the same website you can see that the pipper is, in fact, the one that can be seen on IL-2's Thunderbolt! But that does not mean that IL-2's depiction is more accurate. Now, let's take a look at the Mark VIII sight as it can be seen in the US Air Force Museum. Specifically, in the exhibition about the P-47D: If these two images are to be believed, then both depictions are equally realistic. I hope that my research was enough to take a level-headed approach to this controversial subject. Please, if you know more about the subject, contact me. I will correct any information THE VERY PETTY DIFFERENCES Both external models look amazing, with differences lying on such small details that I did not even bother mentioning them. Sound-wise, yes, the DCS Jug would take the prize when it comes to realism but one has to understand that the IL-2 developers do not have access to an actual aircraft, unlike Eagle Dynamics. IL-2's Thunderbolt at 200mph DCS' Thunderbolt at 250mph, notice the high pitch noise from the turbo as it passes by. CONCLUSION: DOES ANY OF THIS EVEN MATTER? So, we have now taken a look at how these two simulators have depicted a very similar aircraft. There are differences and one can see that the Thunderbolt in DCS is more accurate when it comes to its internal 3D model. But does any of that accuracy matter when you can get 90% of the way and still get an incredible experience? That would be the case for IL-2's Thunderbolt. Made as only a part of an expansion, it had a lot of passion and research poured into it. Is it the most accurate depiction of the P-47 out there? No, it is not, and that is fine. DCS' Thunderbolt is on a different league, with it costing more than the entirety of IL-2's Bodenplatte expansion, which includes 7 other aircraft aside from the Jug. It is natural that it will have much more detail and that it'll be made with accuracy in mind. The more I kept writing, the more I realized how little any of this mattered to me. I have learned to enjoy both for what they are, since both have allowed me to experience flying the warbird of my dreams. One that I have seen at a museum for 15 years of my life. Special thanks to Hueman, my dear friend, for helping me with the research. And thanks to the 368th Fighter Group for their wealth of available info on the Thunderbolt! About the writer: Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000's leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities but only started being active around the mid 2010's. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and Co-Founder ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy #9034

Diving back in after an important milestone To me, accomplishment feels like hydroplaning a Piper Cub into a bay. Approaching at 20 knots, just above the water surface, easing the tires into the water and shoreline. I nearly ran across the beach into the treeline if I had not cut my engine, forced the tail down onto land and rapidly pumped the wheel brakes to slow down. I last visited GroundFall in June 2022, just a few months before it released into early access on September 24th, 2022. This is why I wanted to see just what one of the few dedicated bush flight simulators was up to more than one year after the start of its public early access period. New Maps The decision of Snow Creature, the developer, to set aside multiplayer and focus on solidifying the game's core is still something I praise to this day. As fun as multiplayer was, it is clear now more than ever that it was a distraction from what the game needed to be. A new map management system now offers three levels for players to explore, with new levels in development. "Tutorial" takes the terrain and challenges from the original demo back in 2021 and 2022 and rounds them out in a 12 runway landing challenge. With each runway being relatively flat, complicated by rock formations and flooded areas, it is an easy-going introduction to the gameplay of GroundFall. The second map, GroundFall National Forest, features more diverse terrain with the type of very complicated terrain people think of when they hear the term "bush flight". Runways on the sides of steep foothills, short patches of dirt surrounded by trees one could vaguely refer to as a runway and as I mentioned, beach side landing areas. Its mountainous terrain complicates navigation during the day and makes flight during low light and bad weather outright inadvisable. Like real bush flying, there are just going to be some days when flying conditions are not cooperative and remaining on land will be better for your journey in the long run. Use that time to restock on items, try your hand at some cabin building, or explore the surrounding the area to scavenge for potentially useful items. As of the time of this writing, I have yet to make it to the third map "Big Mountains". Though there are some interesting updates coming to GroundFall in the coming weeks. These include more side missions, interactions with non player characters, complex missions, aircraft modifications and some other ideas listed by Snow Creature. Expect another article from Skyward in the future featuring the third map and some of these new features. Smooth Core Gameplay The GroundFall I remembered was functional but certainly rough around the edges in all aspects. Its survival gameplay was somewhat clunky and felt somewhat over accelerated. Constructing structures and runways felt purely optional. Randomized item drops sometimes felt a bit too convenient, with essential aircraft items being rare to find in useful numbers. Here in September 2023, its serviceable gameplay has been refined to an easy-to-understand and reliable presentation. I'd suggest reading my last article, which goes deeper into the core gameplay, as all of that is still true even now. But I'd like to highlight the survival gameplay once again. Other first-person shooter and adventure games that incorporate survival elements can over rely on them, making them cumbersome on the overall experience. Thinking of survival shooter games specifically, the time spent sorting through dozens of types of body armor or weapons, then spending an immense amount of time using five different items to heal a wound can be a turn-off for many. GroundFall continues to have a nice balance in the way it handles fatigue, hunger, injuries, health loss by exposure to harsh elements and similar conditions. The player's personal storage space and the weight of items has been balanced well. Carrying a decent amount of food, water and health items on your person to allow for long-range exploration by foot or multiple flights throughout the day is doable. Augmenting your carried supplies by forging for berries or hunting, then cooking certain wildlife when needed makes this even easier. One or two health items can be enough to heal even the most severe injuries, with building an impromptu shelter and spending a few in-game days sleeping, eating and resting being enough to fully recover. Flight Characteristics Certain aspects of operating and maintaining the player's aircraft are arguably the most important and restrictive parts of this game. This was especially true during the final phase of testing before early access release. Flight wise, the aircraft is much easier to handle in the air. Low speed maneuvering and engine off gliding approaches are more manageable. With volumetric clouds, occasional bad weather reducing visibility and runway obstructions always possible at each airstrip, being able to loiter at low speed is vital for bush flight in GroundFall. You could say that the instantaneous roll rate of the aircraft is a bit too much, but do keep in mind that this game is primarily a keyboard and mouse or game pad reliant title. Adjustments can be made in control settings if desired, but slower user inputs is the real fix here. Furthermore, the once extreme nose pitch up caused by increase engine pour has been dampened significantly. Finding the desired engine RPM setting depending on the aircraft's altitude is the easiest way to find stability in flight. Zooming around everywhere at maximum throttle is not always the best practice. The many types of runways this game now has absolutely calls for this low speed stability to make consistent safe landings. Learning how to pump the brakes to maintain stability moments after landing, navigating semi-flooded terrain, bouncing over tree branches and small rocks, and selecting alternative airfields in lieu of risking it all to avoid a potential long-walk are important to learn. Learning how to fly over the runway, visually scan for obstructions, then slowly approaching to protect both the player and their aircraft is vital for long-term operations. I've learned that patience and pacing with both landings and personal goals I have on the ground is the best practice for success. Travelling Aircraft Maintenance In my opinion, this is the most important decision in the game. I finally feel as though an agreeable balance has been made. Pre-release, damage to the aircraft would be an immediate sentence to an extended stay wherever the player was at. With repair items so rare and frequently so far away, players could find themselves backpacking through the forests more often than flying at treetop level. Each aircraft now has a twelve slot storage area. Smaller items like water bottles, leather and certain foods can be stacked in each slot in multiples of five units maximum. But most importantly, fuel cans and repair kits can now be stowed onboard the aircraft. This is a massive improvement. Because of the random item spawning locations in GroundFall, finding these items reliably is nearly impossible. So being able to take a decent supply of these items from the home airport of each map greatly extends the amount of time players can operate at long range. An aircraft maintenance system can now be accessed by interacting with the engine cowling. From here, fuel and repair kits that are in the player's inventory can be used on the aircraft. Aircraft damage can vary from minor damage along the leading edge which slightly effects aircraft stability while in air, to wing buckling damage that makes the aircraft completely unflyable. I can tell you from experience, attempting to fly with that much damage will just result in the wing snapping off anyway. Even aircraft flaps can jam in place, further complicating low speed maneuvers. Using repair tools kits can repair a certain percentage of the damage, but one kit won't give you a fresh aircraft. A truly catastrophic crash may take three or more kits to repair the aircraft completely. Flying with a partially damaged aircraft was definitely something I chose to do, just to save repair kits for terrible situations. In the worst case scenarios, where all kits are gone and players are maybe not having any luck finding more, the developer has added the option to respawn both their character and the aircraft in completely recovered condition. However, this respawn will be at a previous location and inventory may be lost. If you flip an aircraft and cannot recover it, I highly recommend offloading all of its cargo, placing it in a nearby cabin or building a storage area before respawning. Otherwise, some irreplaceable items may be lost. Players can then fly back to their original crash site and recover their items. I am genuinely pleased to see GroundFall in its current state. Its objective based system of landing at various runways with multiple optional side missions is backed up by a now functioning game saving and loading system. This allows players to construct their ideal runways, build up cabins, make a serious attempt at hiking to nearby locations and progress at their own pace. In my opinion, GroundFall feels like a complete game which is now being refinded and expanded upon. If you are interested in seeing what is going on yourself with development, do join the official Discord server and get involved. 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 most extensive review to date Seaplanes, salty pirates, brewing experiments and business management - The Brew Barons is an indie flight game with an identity all of its own. It has been a long journey for this striking blend of entrepreneurial aviation adventure from Lifetap Studios. With two developers working on it consistently for over four years, release day is finally here! As of March 1st, 2024, The Brew Barons is finally available for public purchase on Steam. Lifetap Studios was not contacted about this review ahead of time, this is not being made using a free copy of the game and the points of view expressed here are not controlled in any way. This review does not contain major story spoilers. REVIEWER NOTE My experience with The Brew Barons starts as early as the closed alpha demo in December 2021. I chose to support the Kickstarter campaign as a mid-high level backer in February 2022 using my personal funds to support the game monetarily. Both because I was personally interested in the project and to secure a close beta copy before the game’s eventual public release for Skyward Flight Media use. While I do strongly support this project, my extended time with it does give me a realistic view of how this game has changed over time and the efforts of the development team and the testers. DEVELOPMENT Lifetap Studios, the development team behind the game, was formed by a pair of ex-developers from Relic Entertainment. Diccon Yamanaka and Rob Hartley worked at Relic from 2012 to 2019, which would see them work on titles like Age of Empires 4, Company of Heroes 2 and Dawn of War 3. During their time at Relic, Diccon and Robert had a growing desire to make their own game. Eventually, work on some side projects would lead to them taking the plunge and establishing their own studio. Of these side projects, a work in progress game called “Drytail Runners”, was briefly made known publicly in September 2018. Though, a Reddit post from Lifetap Studios does indicate that the concept has been played around with since as early as 2014. Drytail Runners would be a forerunner to The Brew Barons. The first screenshots and videos of The Brew Barons were posted to Twitter in May 2021, with more detailed discussion about how the game’s looks and flight model happening in online communities, like Reddit. From the beginning, inspirations from Porco Rosso - a movie from the well known Studio Ghibli - were touted by Lifetap Studios. Its aesthetics alone were enough to grab the attention of a wide audience outside the flight focused main demographic. The February 10th, 2022 launch of the Kickstarter campaign with a public playable demo would become a milestone for the project, with the Kickstarter campaign being fully funded by March 9th, 2022. Since then, Lifetap Studios has been heads down, focused on development and closed beta testing with their backers leading up to the release of the full game on March 1st, 2024. I’d like to take a moment and say that Lifetap Studios has been rather active with closed beta testers since at least the end of the Kickstarter campaign. Their consistency in listening to suggestions, but mainly addressing bug reports and pushing hotfixes within two days or less, is an impressive example of their willingness to act on feedback. In their Discord server, the developers remain engaged with their customers addressing questions, but most importantly the bug reports. Even now, hours after release, the developers continue to investigate potential rough spots in the game. WORLD SETTING The events of the game happen in a fictional, but familiar world. The timeline can be equated to the Earth’s 1930s, with plenty of tailoring for the sake of more engaging gameplay and interesting visual designs for vehicles and building architecture. With no paved runways in the islands, naval vessels and seaplanes are the primary means of travel and transport in the region. The story unfolds in Adly Bay, an archipelago of small islands located south of two large nations on the nearby continent that have a history of conflict with one another. Adly Bay is surrounded by the arm of one of these nations to its east and a large island to its west. The islands in Adly Bay vary in size and have unique geography. Generally, they are scenic locations in their own right. Each island is a potential host to its own unique towns, seaports, monuments from the past and of course ingredients that can be gathered to brew various types of drinks. The islands are surrounded by beautiful clear ocean. In some areas, the ocean is so clear, wrecks from long ago can be spotted from the air and be salvaged for valuables. The brew barons - the player and their patchwork crew - started a brewing company in Adly Bay, despite the presence of the brew pirates. Described as “backwater bootleggers”, these pirates operate a plethora of armed vehicles. Including dirigibles, warships, submarines, and fighter-sized armed aircraft to maintain indirect control of the islands by always presenting force, while profiting from their intimidation by forcing the inhabitants of Adly Bay to purchase their low-quality alcoholic beverages. These pirates are so well established, it would take a significant effort to dislodge them. The brew barons start their adventure with two members, a shoddy seaplane that can barely float and a multi-level headquarters building. The first level being a seaplane hangar, the second level being the brewery and the third level being a bar for direct sales to patrons. This building is the core of all player operations in the game. OPEN WORLD, OPEN STORY As a game, The Brew Barons truly is an open world experience. There is no predetermined path players must follow, unless players were to choose to play the tutorial at the start of the game. But even after that, it is up to players to define their own path. With no time limits, objectives and a blank map full of islands with no names and no information, players start their game by wandering. Technically, players can completely ignore the starting location and immediately go to the outer islands to see what is happening. The only thing that would slow them down would be the aggressive pirates and some ingredients not being harvestable because of the starter equipment, but that is a fix money can buy. Random encounters and mini-missions make up the bulk of events between ingredient gathering and delivery. These include quick air battles with pirate gunships, requests from local aviators to knock down pirate signs, save burning boats and interdict other pirate related efforts. There is a lot more than that, but those are good examples. Completing these tasks gives players parts to build more complex equipment in the future, currency and increased notoriety in the public eye. The higher the reputation of the brew barons climbs, the more business comes in and the more new bars and customers are willing to purchase your products. Though there is an end goal of removing the influence of the brew pirates and there is a presence of “boss” characters that represent different branches of the brew pirates, there is not an order they must be completed in. Players decide their own game path. Whether it is more business focused, exploration based or combat heavy, having this much freedom lets players progress at their own pace. Furthermore, with there being no multiplayer reliance, there is not a danger of the game going stale because the player population went down. Using myself as an example, my strategy is a long-term gameplay style. I spend a few sessions prioritizing contract fulfillment and aircraft upgrades, some sessions on exploring and gathering ingredients and others focused on taking the pirates head on, prepared to repair battle damage. Whether it is over the course of a week or a month, I found my own rhythm to enjoy the game over time without feeling an external pressure to finish my play through in a few days. WATER BOOST FAST TRAVEL Lifetap Studios has opted to not include traditional fast travel; the type where players select a location on the in-game map and are teleported there within a few seconds. Instead, a game mechanic called Water Boost was implemented. When the boost is activated, the player's aircraft greatly increases in speed while being propelled by a stream of water from the rear of the aircraft. Water capacity can be refilled by flying above the ocean’s surface. Water Boost is designed to be used to shorten travel times between the islands. I am someone that has very deep, mixed feelings on the concept of fast travel in open world games. I can understand wanting to maximize time in game by not being forced to travel long distances every 30 to 60 minutes. But is that not the point of playing an open world game? To enjoy the scenery and possible encounters of traveling through the world? Personally, I am supportive of this pseudo-fast travel choice as it does not break up the gameplay experience. CHARACTERS In this section, I will be less focused on the non-player characters that run the bars of Adly Bay, but more focused on the characters that can be recruited to join the brew barons. At the start of the full game’s campaign, the player can select two characters. Each character in this game has positive and negative traits while they operate the seaplane, but also have passive abilities that can be utilized in the business aspect of the game. While a character may have some decent abilities that assist in flight, they may be better suited for helping with accounting, aircraft repairs, investment, brewing or working the bar. Even the best pilots could have valuable non-combat skill sets that benefit the long-term success of the business, which further supports high paced flight operations. My favorite example of this is a military officer from a nation on the mainland using the barons’ operation as a way to gather intelligence on what is happening in Adly Bay. They take note of every customer, every conversation and every purchase as a part of their military job. But at times, reviews of their prowess as an attentive bartender appear in the local newspaper, further bolstering the good reputation of my operation. The characters that can be recruited to join the barons’ operation are met in bars spread throughout the islands in the bay. They are there as patrons for various personal reasons and can be talked to about their backstory and their interest in joining your business. Some members of the brew barons can be paired together for story based side quests. These adventures can take players into known places in the islands, secretive locations and places… you would have to experience to believe. As these characters grow closer by flying together, they can overcome some of their inherent negative traits, which are then turned into positive traits. Their side stories also break up the usual gameplay loop and have dialogue only available during those events. The characters are voice acted using a combined method of voice acted lines by humans, entirely AI voice trained and AI only lines. During my time with this game, I have yet to experience any deeply awkward or jarring conversations that are too robotic to be believable. I have heard a few iffy voice lines from time to time, but honestly nothing too bad. With a limited budget that Lifetap Studios has mentioned, this sounds like an odd approach to fill the requirement, but overall I think it works fine. THE BUSINESS LOOP The crossover of a business management game combined with a flight arcade action game still buzzes my brain a bit. The exotic seaplanes used for delivery and combat may be the lure that draws players in, but when those aircraft need fuel, repairs and upgrades, it is all about the money. If you were to break down the business game play loop to its most basic form, it would be: secure customer contracts to gain money for operations, gather ingredients, create contracted drinks, deliver product to customer, reinvest customer payment into operations, perform operations (exploration, gathering, combat, etc.), repeat. The inclusion of business management is a bit of a double-edged sword. It is both one of the more important parts of this game to help it standout from other flight arcade titles, and one of the bigger hurdles that players must adapt to early on. INGREDIENTS Ingredients can be gathered by using the aircraft itself or equipment on the aircraft. By using the onboard water cannons for example, things like apples, grapes or honey can be shot from spawn points (trees, flowers, etc) then gathered by the aircraft by flying through them or near enough to them. Some ingredients have special gathering conditions, like the ever elusive Whispy Wheat that rides wind currents or harder to gather ingredients that require upgrades to water cannons or water bombs to forcibly remove them from the soil. Remember that harvested ingredients will take time to regrow and ingredients will be used in high counts of 20 to 80 units per brewing attempt, depending on the recipe. BREWING The brewing process is most likely the most open-ended part of the business aspect. First, recipes must be created from scratch or gathered. A constant positive side to brewing is that whether it is a failed creation or a successful creation, the recipes are saved for future reference. This is an old data point from July 2023, but since then this game has “over 360 craft-able brew outcomes derived from the 34 collectible ingredients”. Recipes are vital. The discovery and refinement of recipes can be done in three ways. First, the most straightforward method is to focus on contract brewing. Potential customers give players suggested recipes with their order requests. As the orders are fulfilled, these recipes are kept in the player’s recipe book. Players can then stick to those recipes or experiment using them as a guideline. Second, the free form way (dare I say more traditional?) would be players taking guesses at recipes off of the top of their heads, brewing them up and just seeing what works through trial and error. This method requires the highest amount of ingredients available, as it is highly likely there will be many failures. Finally, it is possible to find recipes out in the world. Whether it is finding them in sunken ships, abandoned cargo or floating in bottles on the ocean surface, there is a decent chance that some of these recipes could be four star or five star quality recipes. After ingredients and their exact amounts are selected for brewing, the amount of yeast is added manually by the player. Depending on the drink contracted or desired the yeast is adjusted and the type of brewing method, distilling or fermentation, defines what type of drink the final product will become. All of this is explained by the user interface during the brewing process. Once the product is brewed, its quality, monetary value and the original name of the drink is automatically determined. From here, the decision to throw the product away or package it for sale is made. PACKAGING, SELLING Whether it is one-star slop or a five-star signature drink, the product can be packaged with a custom design and a custom name. There are a handful of bottle designs, bottle caps and labels available in different colors. There is also the ability to upload custom labels into the game to represent your 'brand'. This may seem like a minor detail, but being able to do this makes the experience more personalized. Assuming the product was brewed for a contract, this is where it should be loaded onto the seaplane and carefully delivered to the customer. Though, there is a secondary function that should be considered. There is often overstock created after brews are made. This overstock product can be sold at the player’s bar for passive incoming over time. This is something that is especially important in the beginning of a play through in this game. BAR The player’s bar has an obvious primary function and a good secondary function. By keeping the bar stocked with quality drinks, customers come in for service while the player is away flying. This passive income helps offset the need to focus on contract brewing as much. Its secondary function is patron gossip. As customers come in, information about how the customers enjoy the players bar and the happenings in Adly Bay can be learned by talking to them. Some notable customers give more detailed information on pirate operations, warnings to the players and offer money for services - like gathering ingredients and trading them for money. The bar is customizable in overall bar design, which does affect the sales of certain types of drinks. Some designs are more complimentary to certain types of drinks in the eyes of the customers. This is explained in the user interface beneath the bar design. Chairs, lights, wallpaper, floor design, metal trim and bar name are all customizable. THE FLIGHT MODEL This is something that was once a bit of a point of contention. Since my time with the 2021 demo, I have noticed a few tweaks and regular discussion about the flight model of The Brew Barons in its Discord channels. With this game both appealing to long-standing flight gaming enthusiasts and wanting to expand its reach beyond that, the flight model had to be tuned correctly. A helpful diagram from the Kickstarter campaign shows where its flight model presents itself. Aircraft in The Brew Barons use physics driven airfoils and buoyancy driven pontoons. While these are not study-level representations you would expect from a dedicated flight simulator, their characteristics are a noticeable part of the gameplay. Players familiar with flight games will notice that some modifications have been made for ease of use for less experienced players. Not a bad thing, but an observation. In my opinion, in the earlier demos, there was a time when aircraft of The Brew Barons felt slightly more flight sim-lite than arcade. Their overall weightiness was heavier and more concern about how aircraft were maneuvered was taken into account. I think this may have been more of a hurdle for newer players than I understood at the time. After a few years of feedback on Steam and more feedback directly to Lifetap Studios during the closed beta period, an interesting compromise was made. Even in the starter aircraft, control inputs are snappy, with momentum of movement in roll and pitch inputs stopped almost immediately. This makes an aircraft easier to fly for newer players. Though, mistakes can still happen if players make hard turns or dives that are too ambitious for their aircraft. One of the biggest threats in and out of combat is the aircraft stalling while maneuvering, especially when the average altitude that gameplay takes place in is so low, recovery can be difficult because of lack of altitude. Players experienced with flight can still break out all of their best moves and skill sets during combat or low-speed, low level flying regimes. Though it would be dangerous for someone new to flight to do this, I often find myself at extremely low speeds doing coordinated turns in compact areas to speed up my ingredient gathering. Rather than make multiple high speed passes where I do not collect too much, these lower speed loitering turns allow me to maximize my collection time and burn less fuel. While it is not possible to destroy the player’s seaplane to the point it will never fly again, it is possible to damage it so badly you will go into debt to repair it. In flight, specific parts of the aircraft can be damaged as well. The Brew Barons is playable with keyboard-mouse and game pad - admittedly, the game pad seems to be the best experience for me. But in an effort to further appeal to flight simmers, the game is also compatible with more advanced controllers like flight sticks, throttles and rudder pedals. This was a positive decision to keep flight simmers engaged by letting them utilize their hardware investments. COMBAT While the brew pirates are more than willing to employ machine guns, cannons and smog against the players, Lifetap Studios has maintained the unorthodox choice of having players use non-lethal means to defeat the pirates. Default “weapons” include water cannons and a water bomb, with more advanced weapons being, missiles, torpedoes and water jets - all water based in their nature. The idea is that rather than fatally harming the pirates themselves, the vehicles and their weapons would be disabled, still completing the objective of lessening their combat power. Since they are water based weapons, rather than rely on carrying live ammunition, players can simply fly above the surface of the ocean and gather water to replenish their stocks. That is an unusual choice, but it still works in gameplay. Unlike combat focused flight arcade games, weapons must be unlocked by purchasing specific equipment and installing them onto the aircraft. You are not able to carry four different weapons at a time to become the one-aircraft-air force some people may be accustomed to. Planning out efforts to combat large groups of pirates will take equipment coordination. The brew pirates have a range of vehicles they use for combat. They deploy seaplanes, warships, submarines and dirigibles from sizes that are similar to the player’s seaplane to massive vehicles that can be seen looming on the horizon. The large vehicles, which are often considered “boss fights” have unique abilities to deploy smaller enemies to defend themselves or have specific ways they must be disabled to defeat them. While spraying down a smaller seaplane will eventually be enough to disable that, it will take highly upgraded weaponry to even damage the boss vessels. In The Brew Barons, combat is not just about potential weapons used by the player. Aircraft performance and parts of the aircraft are also a factor. Via aircraft customization, there are some parts that are optimized for combat - with reduction of damage, increased weapon performance, increased armor and even more quirky options like having the aircraft absorb incoming fire reducing their impact damage while adding to the aircraft’s weight the more it is shot. Pontoons that retract do decrease the aircraft’s hit box. There are so many ways to approach making a “combat build” in this game, I’ll stop the explanation here before I get in too deep. As pirates are defeated, they drop currency and parts that can be used to construct more elaborate equipment, like heavy aircraft designs. Exploits of the brew barons’ victories are also told through Adly Bay, further increasing the player’s notoriety and driving up sales. Just remember that you may make the pirates “pay” for putting holes in your aircraft, but you will pay out of pocket to repair those holes yourself. Be careful to not remain engaged in combat so often you empty out your bank account. AIRCRAFT CUSTOMIZATION This is another subject that is easy to overview, but hard to not get lost in the weeds with. You really have to play this part of the game yourself to grasp it well. Customization of the seaplanes in this game look as simple as different wings and canopies that provide changes in aircraft performance and selecting a paint job to make it all look pretty. But, the types of modifications that can be made run deep. It is not as clear-cut as one part being better than the other. Looking at it closely, there are three levels of customization: paint schemes, aircraft parts (wings, fuselage, propellers, etc) and let’s call it aircraft ability tuning (improving the basic abilities of the aircraft). Building and installing aircraft parts can change the design of the aircraft and add weapons. They also provide highly specialized secondary functions that are useful in some situations and potentially useless in others. It is important to read their effects and plan accordingly. Tuning up basic aircraft abilities can be done without purchasing aircraft parts, but they are vital to everyday operations. These mainly focus on increasing the strength of water cannons, water bombs, propeller strength, maximum winch lift weight and similar abilities. There is not an ideal set of “the best parts” that can be applied to an airframe to ensure maximum performance in all situations. Also, these parts cost a substantial amount of money. It will take a financial and time investment to create the ideal aircraft for whatever the player’s intention is. The final layer of customization is being able to build a heavy airframe aircraft that can carry heavier weaponry, larger payloads and has higher armor sets, but those also adhere to a similar set of customizations as the starter light aircraft designs do. AIRCRAFT AS AN ASSET In this game, the player’s seaplane is not just the means to swat pirates from the sky or thwack them out of the sea. Because of the inclusion of business management, I find myself approaching the seaplane I own in a manner I usually do not; even in other flight games and simulators. It is a genuine asset. As the primary means of gathering materials, delivering products and transportation, having it frequently damaged is a financial drain. Suddenly relying on nothing but flashy, risky maneuvers and running face-first into danger for the sake of pure excitement is not as appealing as it would be in other games. Now I prioritize controlled, well-planned flying outside of combat. During combat, my attacks are more calculated to offset how much damage the seaplane may take over time. There is no type of “game over screen” that pops up when the aircraft takes too much damage. When shot down or crashed, the aircraft will be returned to the headquarters building or nearby dock needing repairs to get it flying again. Two or three consecutive crashes could be enough to set the player back financially for quite some time. Because of this, my mindset has also shifted to more sustainable pilotage instead of the hard, fast thrill seeking approach.  Even when faced with winnable battles, I frequently opt to evade combat, complete my task at hand and return another time to challenge the pirates when I am better prepared for it. This is an interesting side effect of The Brew Barons concept. PHOTO MODE This game has one of the better photo modes in a flight game in recent memory. Becoming proficient with its many options can even create faux-old time pictures with artificial aging. There are many good screenshots from the photo mode in this game circulating on social media. SOUNDTRACK The soundtrack behind the adventure was composed by Diego Zaldivar, who was worked on the music of at least 40 games. For The Brew Barons, the composer selected string instruments, brass instruments, drums and occasionally other things like chimes, bells. Overall I would describe the soundtrack as heroic and whimsical with the songs seamlessly swelling over one another as the situation in game changes. In certain situations, it does feel like a movie score being played for an audience of one. All songs on the soundtrack are around one minute long, give or take, but they loop well and transition so smoothly it is not something to consciously think about. ACKNOWLEDGING THE RISK Now that this game is out in the wild, I took time to take a hard look at it as a product. The Brew Barons is a flight game has wide appeal to people interested in aviation or its aesthetics in general, but does not fall into what one would consider a “standard” flight arcade game. You know, a familiar and proven formula. Games like Project Wingman, War Thunder or Ace Combat where victory is defined by overwhelming force. While that may sound like a pat on the back for The Brew Barons, this also means that players used to pure action focus will most likely not immediately engage with this game in the same way. While combat does happen in the game, it is not the primary focus. If anything, solely pursuing combat while neglecting things related to business management will lead to a rather unenjoyable play through. Players looking to settle everything by force as fast as possible are highly likely to find themselves up to their eyeballs in debt, barely able to keep their aircraft in combat effective condition. The concept of this game only works if players are willing to also change their play style and mindset. If not, there is a real chance of them playing The Brew Barons up to a certain point but not finishing it, since it may not be as incessantly action packed as they had hoped. Looking at it from this perspective, anything business management related - including the repair and refueling of aircraft - is a non-combat task which is not of interest. I believe that Lifetap Studios took a larger risk in incorporating the business aspect of the game than most people understand at first glance. On one hand, the developers finding a balance to make this concept work is a boon to the identity of The Brew Barons, but on the other hand, the fact that mixing this genre is not standard practice also indicates that it may not be as widely appealing as they hope it may be. Time can only tell on that front. CLOSING THOUGHTS I am genuinely happy that the developers of Lifetap Studios took such a massive risk to not only break away from familiar, established jobs in the game industry at large to pursue what was once a passion project. The Brew Barons is bound to receive a few more tweaks within the next week or two, but the release day version of the game does reflect the culmination of their years worth of dreaming and effort well. I appreciate that they focused on making an unusual concept like this work, as it has produced a flight game with such a memorable premise, I imagine years from now it will continue to be a game within the flight genre that stands on its own with few games it can be likened to. Because of my play style, I have yet to 100% complete the full version of the game, so you can be sure that I will have more to say about it in the future. Congratulations to Lifetap Studios for releasing their project! 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.

DCS as a platform had been very stable the past three to four years, with constant releases and a steady stream of content both from Eagle Dynamics themselves and also from all the third parties. Anything from the unbelievable hype train behind Heatblur's F-4E Phantom II module, or the amazing excitement at the release of RAZBAM's F-15E Strike Eagle, and much more. It felt kind of like a golden era for DCS, with many new pilots coming to the platform to join in on the fun that this simulator can provide. That period is still alive, the golden era still hasn't finished, yet it feels like some of the steam behind it has disappeared and has been replaced by a haze that covers the immediate future of this simulator. I do not mean this in a demeaning way, in the slightest, but this is a feeling that seems to be more common in the community than I initially expected when I started writing this article a couple of days ago. Initially, this frustration started as a very mild and subtle feeling of unease at the sudden declarations from RAZBAM and their relationship with Eagle Dynamics. Without getting into any of the details, as this is not the focus of this article, these declarations would affect the future of all RAZBAM products currently released for DCS World and would mean that all in-development projects would come to a halt. I have no information at my disposal other than what was publicly declared by the companies themselves, so I want to emphasize how this has affected the public and not just the relationship between companies. For many people in the community, this meant: That it might be harsher for third party developers behind closed doors than we initially thought. That despite the previous track record, Eagle Dynamics might have allegedly mismanaged their professional relationship with a third party. That previously announced products by RAZBAM were now at risk of never being completed, and existing products might not receive any further content updates. As a regular user, it would only be natural to be worried about this situation. It is muddy and confusing, which has left almost everyone in a state of stress and with feelings of disappointment now being directed towards both of the parties involved in this. Since then, the situation has changed a bit and both parties have now taken this conflict behind closed doors and RAZBAM has stated that they are looking forward to solving it in the best way possible, reassuring the community that they have a commitment to them. And yet, this feeling of unease still remains, since the problem has not yet been resolved fully and the future of these products remains a mystery. The second situation that has affected how people look at DCS products has to do with the state of early access in the game, and how inconsistent it can be. Let's use two upcoming products as a comparison: Heatblur's F-4E Phantom II and ED's CH-47F Chinook. Heatblur's Phantom, while releasing in early access, seems to be very feature complete with most mission-critical systems being very much complete to ensure that the Phantom will have all of its capabilities at launch, which means that it will behave and have everything you expect it to have gameplay-wise. The radar and its capabilities, Jester 2.0, ground assets and even secondary features like dynamic writing on the canopy glass, etc. ED's Chinook, as per the information available at the time of writing, will be missing critical systems and gameplay features at launch that would have otherwise been necessary to experience this aircraft to the fullest. The most important of them all is the core game's logistics overhaul that will come at some point in the future, but it will be missing at the time of this module's launch. ED's statement on this is: We can say that we are developing a novel logistics system for the CH-47F that dynamically allows the player to determine what is loaded and unloaded from the aircraft based on weight and area. Whilst this will not be available at early access release, it is a high priority for the CH-47F and other cargo/transport aircraft. For regular users, both of these modules are still early access modules, and both are being sold with that in mind. This means that it is very hard to distinguish which level of quality and completeness at release for early access modules. Both of them are available for pre-order as well. This adds to the discomfort some people felt towards the CH-47F feature list, as it is only natural to compare feature lists and have expectations after seeing what one product offers and what another one does, when both have the same "early access" label. Third and last, which is the smallest one of them all, is the fact that Eagle Dynamics have now shelved Modern Air Combat, the game that would have been the newest entry in ED's low-fidelity line of games. The result of this is that we are now receiving an update for the Flaming Cliffs line of modules in DCS, one that will see the addition of low-fidelity variants of the F-5E, the MiG-15Bis and F-86F modules. While this by itself is not a problem, I see myself puzzled as to why they chose to add low-fidelity versions of aircraft that already were in the game. The only advantage I see is that this will allow more people to fly these aircraft, with a lower barrier of entry. That by itself is positive for the game, but I cannot help but feel confused out about it. This would be the first time that clickable/full fidelity modules have been re-added to the game as low-fidelity aircraft, but it would also be the first time that a Flaming Cliffs module releases without completely new aircraft. That in itself is not a problem, but the public does have certain expectations from new modules and adding what, at a glance, are simpler versions of pre-existing aircraft can seem to be a lazy or low effort move to monetize a product further. I am sure that it will be a successful product, and I hope it is, regardless of my personal feelings on how it should have been tackled. Before I conclude, I want to clarify that I am still an avid supporter of this simulator, its developers and all third parties. I felt the need to express my inner thoughts on this situation as I have, until now, only watched it develop from the sight lines. I have faith that, despite the way that the worries the community might have and the numerous bumps in the road, this game will prevail as an experience unlike anything else out there. 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

VSN and their Century Series have released some really neat aircraft in the past, such as the F-105, F-100 and last but not least, the F-104. Until now, their most detailed mod was the F-104 thanks to its custom cockpit and EFM. This is, as of now, about to change due to the fact the the VSN Century Series developers have decided to surprise us with a complete overhaul of their F-4B/C mod! This overhaul includes several features that distinguish it from its other VSN peers, features such as a completely custom cockpit, standalone air-intercept radar, an EFM and more! Let's now take a look at all of these quirks and features to figure out if this 'phantastic' Phantom is for you. DISCLAIMER: Everything in this article reflects only a pre-release/WIP build of the VSN F-4B/C mod that was graciously given to us for review purposes by PeeJott from the VSN team. We thank them a lot for the opportunity and the trust! EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL 3D MODELS While some VSN mods in the past have had inconsistent artwork in this area, I am pretty happy with the work that has been done to the Phantom this time around. Externally, it is still based on the model that was used on the already public F-4B mod. I did notice the use of a new and improved normalmap that makes the panel lines and rivets pop a lot more. Aside from a couple of minor errors here and there, this is a very decent model. One very interesting feature that this mod has is the capability of swapping both nose cone and engine nozzles just by manipulating a single value in a livery. This means that, for those who care more to dress like more modern variants of the Phantom, you are now capable of removing or installing different engines to adapt a livery to a certain time period: Interior-wise, the pilot seat is the only one that has been modeled. The WSO station is not operational. This does not mean that the team didn't put any detail on the pilot cockpit, though, quite the opposite. This cockpit is quite detailed when compared to other VSN aircraft, especially the F-104. It is their most detailed work so far and I am quite happy with it, especially that accurate gunsight and pipper! It has some very minor issues which I have reported to them, so I hope that they will get resolved in due time! Here is a couple of screenshots for you to judge: Overall, this mod indicates to me the direction in which the devs working at VSN Century Series want to go. They are actively trying to improve their quality and give us better and better mods as time goes. Are any of these models official module grade? No, of course they are not and that's fine! These were never meant to be official modules. FLIGHT MODELING DISCLAIMER: This is always a tough category, as like with any other aircraft, there is a lot to take into consideration other than just the feel of the flight model. This category is the most subjective one in this article as I do not have any real world experience with this craft. I will only base my opinion on practical experience and knowledge of practical aerodynamics and the theoretical behavior that a F-4B should have under certain scenarios. With the standard disclaimer out of the way, let's get started. To me, this mod gets a lot of things right and some a bit wrong. The way that it flies can be best described as trying to tame an unruly beast, thanks to its instability under certain circumstances. Take off can be daunting if you forgot to set your trim correctly as it will violently pitch down as soon as you let go of the stick to take your gear up. The same applies for regular flight too as I have to constantly re-trim it just to keep it level. Another way to describe this is by saying that flying it is like aggressively driving a Dodge Viper. Just like the Dodge, this Phantom seems to not have any kind of stability augmentation system. You will have to hand-fly this baby all the way, with the exception of using the altitude hold to take a break while cruising towards your target. But talking about combat, that is where I think this EFM shines the most. I found myself enjoying it to the fullest while dogfighting MiG-19s and MiG-21s. The wings wobble at high AoA and it lets you know that you are pushing the limits with cockpit rattle and believe me, you will feel it departing before it does. Sometimes this can take the form of a simple stall or develop into a death spiral a-lá F-104, which makes sense as this comes from the same devs that worked on the Starfighter. One thing is certain, though: You will have to map some sort of curve to your controls. This aircraft lets you pull in ways I have not seen in other modules and I am uncertain if this is accurate to the behavior that a F-4B would have. MISSION CAPABILITIES You are the original multirole fighter, so that means that you have the capability of doing basically everything you can set your mind to. Does this mean you will be capable of one-manning an entire strike against modern enemies? No, but that will not stop you from trying. You have air to air and air to ground ordinance with the capability of always having a zero-compromise load of air to air missiles at your disposal, no matter which payload you decide to equip on your plane. Additionally, you have the capability of using air to air refueling to extend your range infinitely, so time on station is not really an issue. The B variants also have the capability of being launched from any carrier with a CATOBAR system, which means that those Navy nerds will get to live those dreams of launching off of a carrier to engage MiGs like they did back in 'Nam. ARMAMENT AN/APQ-72 RADAR This radar is one of the first publicly available standalone radars present in any DCS mod! This makes it so you no longer need to own Flaming Cliffs 3 aircraft or any other module to enjoy the thrill of Beyond Visual Range fights. That being said, this radar is very susceptible to enemy maneuvering and losing lock is common, so watch your display! AIM-7 SPARROW AND AIM-9 SIDEWINDER These are your only air to air missiles. The AIM-7 Sparrow is the one pictured above, with both its E and F variants. The AIM-9 is carried on the inner wing stations and you can equip quite a variety of models. You can choose to carry either 4 of each (4x AIM7 and 4x AIM-9) or go full "BVR" by carrying 6 Sparrows. UNGUIDED AND GUIDED BOMBS This bird can drop insane amounts of tonnage over the battlefield and it can do it in both guided and unguided methods, this also includes napalm in the form of BIN-200. Do keep in mind that even when carrying guided bombs such as the GBU-12/16/10, you depend on a buddy or a JTAC to actually guide the weapon. UNGUIDED ROCKETS If you want something dead in a general direction, then these are for you! You can choose between carrying Hydras, Zunis or FFARs. They are a lot of fun. SUU-23 GUN POD Early versions of the Phantom were not equipped with an internal gun, hence the need to carry an external gun pod. 20mm of anger at thousands of rounds per minute! RADAR WARNING RECEIVER This RWR is very simple but useful. It is also standalone and gives both visual and aural queues as to which radar emitter is and their relative strength in relation to you! THE NATURE OF MODS, THE F-4C AND MY THOUGHTS You might have noticed one small detail that I purposefully omitted from this article and that would be the lack of pictures from the F-4C side of this mod. If I can be completely honest with you, this was not for a lack of trying. In the build that I was given by the developers a couple of days ago, the F-4C was not in a playable state due to a couple major of bugs. This is not rare for WIP builds, though. I have reported all the issues I found in my time with the mod to the developers so that they can, hopefully, fix them by the time you get your hands on it. PeeJott, the developer I was in contact with, was extremely receptive to the reports. He seems to be a very honest person and he personally hooked me up with the mod just so that I could write this article for you to read. That, to me, is a sign that he cares about this project and that he will put in the effort to fix these issues. Such is the nature of mods, they are projects driven solely by the passion of a small group of people striving to bring a new aircraft for everyone to enjoy at zero cost from the user. So, please, if at launch there are any problems with the mod, rest assured that the team behind this Phantom are passionate developers that care deeply about their projects. IS THIS AIRCRAFT FOR YOU? If what you want in a module is: An early preview of what awaits us with Heatblur's Phantom. An all-weather carrier-capable fighter. A mod with some extremely unique systems. An excellent strike aircraft. If you don't mind: Not being able to use the WSO station. The small imperfections that come with mods and early access products. Getting a plane for free with no strings attached. If all or some of the above is what you want, then VSN Century Series' F-4B/C is for you! Updated link. If this link dies again, updated links are posted on the VSN Century Series discord server. 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 #9034

Checking in on the current state of the game as of v00.8a It has been a quite some time since our interview with At Skies' Edge developer, Mackerel Sky. Since November 2023, this still in development game had six updates available to the public to play via Itch.io. Just recently, the developer's personal X.com page has also seen a spark of activity. With so much going on, now would be a great time to check in on this project. For those that do not know, At Skies' Edge (ASE) is a game that has roots from as far back as June 2017, which then vanished for six years and reappeared with a publicly accessible demo on May 1st, 2023 without any promotion. The success of this surprise project seems to have encouraged its developer to continue learning and refining their skills since then, resulting in ASE moving ever closer to what could universally be considered a "real game". I would recommend reading all the devlogs yourself, but let's take a look at a few particular updates that highlight how ASE has been developing. Optimizations, Enhancements Keep in mind that Mackerel Sky, the developer, is not a full-time game developer and has learned how to program over the years largely on their own time. So the addition of many important changes to the core of this game, which were key for future expansion of ASE, is heartening. At Skies Edge was definitely not known for being the most computing resource efficient experience. When combat was especially dense, the former CPU-driven visual effects could impact the gameplay experience. With many of these processes now GPU-driven, efficiency has noticeably gone up. Work towards larger in-game maps and tackling Unity's inherent floating point precision limit seem to hint at a potential expansion both in terms of content and in scale. The past updates have also involved a rebuild of code related to AI units for so they can perform more intricate tasks. The introduction of a mission event and trigger systems and multi-parameter events have now made complex missions possible. As time goes on, these additions and new capabilities gradually surface in the missions players play. Missions Showing Off New Capabilities The easiest way to illustrate just how far ASE has come may be by discussing its currently available missions. It is the gradual increase in mission complexity and new AI units that appear in these missions that reflect the extensive work being done behind the scenes. Keep in mind that in the May 2023 release, ASE had two air-to-air only missions which largely played out the same way. As of the time this article has been posted, the game now has seven missions. These missions now include: a multi-aircraft escort mission that stretches the players to their limits, an assault on a fleet still stuck in port, a low altitude penetration mission to remain undetected while ambushing a weapon cache and now, even a multi-part "boss fight". As these missions are developed, so too are new enemy units added, their abilities expanded and new weapons introduced for players to use to counter them. Operation Desert Fury was formerly a relatively easy air-to-ground mission, with little pressure on players to complete it in a timely manner. The opposing force had a single forward deployed base defended by light air defenses, which players had to destroy. After this mission's rework, the player has to scramble to launch their aircraft with a small, friendly ground force guiding in artillery fire - which players can see while they taxi. The player's air base is being rushed by groups of armored vehicles, attempting to occupy it by force. During combat, these groups advance in different formations, stopping to engage in combat if necessary. If the attack is successfully repulsed, the forward operating base is unlocked as an objective with its renewed air defense. Operation Starhound, the newest mission, puts players with a small number of allies against an aerial fortress; a massive aircraft covered in turrets, containing vertical launch system missile cells and escorted by waves of fixed-wing combat aircraft. As important sub-systems of this oversized aircraft are destroyed, mission updates introduce new target sets. This is definitely one of the more complex missions in At Skies' Edge thus far. NRP-20 Highlights Flight Model The aircraft roster of ASE now sits at three airframes. The NRP-20, which closely resembles the F-20 Tigershark, is the first light fighter in the game. In my opinion, when other flight arcade games use classes like heavy, medium and light fighters, I always feel as though these designations mostly pertain to the amount of weapons they carry and little else really shows up in gameplay. However, because of how At Skies' Edge handles airspeed and throttle control, the flight characteristics of the NRP-20 do make it feel different from the other aircraft currently in the game. In ASE, airspeed defines how maneuverable an aircraft is at that moment. Much like real life. If an aircraft is travelling close to the speed of sound, there is no chance that it will be performing turns anywhere near its smallest turn radius or ideal turning rate. Next to the airspeed indicator in the At Skies' Edge heads up display, an extra bit of information defines the flight regimen the aircraft is currently in. "Cruise" is defined as high speed flght, ACM (air combat maneuvering) is the speed range for the best turn fighting performance, "Low" is defined as the aircraft flying just above stall speed and Stall being stall speed where the aircraft begins to fall out of the sky. Furthermore, the throttle input in ASE does not automatically reset to a default position when the player is no longer providing constant increases and decreases in airspeed. Players must set the throttle to a position they believe is beneficial to them while they are in combat; something that leans a bit more into flight sim-lite territory than flight arcade territory. After flying the two existing aircraft in ASE and the new NRP-20, I can say this is one of the few times when selecting a light fighter actually felt like it had a tangible effect. The NRP-20 has low weapon payload and low armor, but its engine accelerates almost on demand, the flight controls are snappy, and it has a larger ACM speed range, making close range combat much easier. The way the NRP-20 is presented in ASE further cements this particular part of the flight model as a potential "on the back of the box" feature of the game. Early World Building As early as its surprise introduction in May 2023, At Skies' Edge had traces of its fictional world's story in the descriptions of certain aircraft and weapons. Whether or not a full story was in development was a question asked in Skyward Flight Media's November 2023 interview with the developer. A part of the developer's response included: "The tone of the story will be hopeful. My vague idea is to explore the challenges and conflicts involved in rebuilding a world that was taken to the brink of mutually assured destruction." In April 2024, there is still not a clearly defined linear single player campaign. Story wise, a significant step was taken recently. In the dev blog for ASE v0.08a, the first concerted effort to tell the story of the world in At Skies' Edge as available for the public to read. Done in the style of excerpts from a fictional magazine from within the fictional world, these eye-catching pages certainly grab the player's attention. This method of describing the world the players play in is similar to the style of world setting media that Project Aces produces for the Ace Combat series. At Skies' Edge is still in early development, so it is possible that the names or information in these excerpts could change weeks or months from now. Still, this is a great first look at the setting the developer is considering (downloading these images from the dev blog post is highly recommended). The developer of At Skies' Edge may get busy and disappear for large blocks of time due to work, travel or studies, but checking in on this project from time to time shows that this game continues to trend towards becoming a decent standalone games, rather than a one and done demo. 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.

Increasing Mission Complexity By Using Realistic Dispersal Tactics I subscribe to the belief that Digital Combat Simulator can be a "jump scare simulator". Unexpected encounters I had with surface-to-air missiles (SAM) slamming me in the face or flying in formation with telephone pole sized missiles are flooding my mind. After months of research and testing related to these complex missile systems, I began to notice a trend with the way SAM sites appear in various multiplayer servers. Even the most popular downloadable multiplayer focused missions follow this trend. The dispersal of medium and long-range SAM sites essentially use the "out of the box" template provided in the mission editor. In this entry of our DCS Mission Editor series, I want to provide alternatives to the seemingly standard practice of deploying SAM sites in their default templates. In part one, we focus on basic applications that do no require Trigger Zones, Switched Conditions, managing Alert Levels or any moderately difficult additions. DCS Default Template When I say "default template" I mean the actual drag and drop template from the built in mission editor. Normally, multi-unit surface-to-air missile sites like the HAWK, NASAMS, Patriot, SA-2 and SA-3 come in a single group. It makes it easy to select the lead unit and drag the entire group to the desired location. That is helpful for mission building, but too often are these high value targets just left in these clusters. These groups are usually roughly 400 meters by 400 meters. Perfect for a cluster munition or a few GPS-guided weapons to disable it in a single pass. Easy to spot and counterattack. Mission editors that prefer to focus on realistic deployment of SAM batteries would argue that these sites need to operate in a small area because they require support facilities and support vehicles. While true, this is mainly a requirement for more static SAM complexes like the SA-2 Guideline or SA-3 Goa. They are, by design, not highly mobile systems and operate best as permanent fixtures in purpose built locations. Inspiration From Reality Using the same application of realism, there are plenty of documented historical cases of more mobile SAM sites in past conflicts utilizing many types of unconventional dispersal methods. During Operation Allied Force (1999), NATO air forces found the Serbian deployed SA-6 Gainful to be surprisingly resilient because of its use of "shoot and scoot" tactics. After launching their missiles at NATO combat aircraft, the SA-6 units would disperse to other pre-prepared locations, where more ammunition and support infrastructure was on standby for their arrival. The SA-6 continued to be an ongoing threat throughout the campaign, despite the launch of 743 AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles. More recently, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War (2022) has made the dispersion of SAM sites a requirement along its vast frontline. The Patriot PAC-2 under Ukrainian control has gained notoriety for destroying multiple aircraft within minutes and intercepting hypersonic missiles. Part of its success may be hinted at in a video from a Russian reconnaissance drone assisting in the destruction of two truck mounted Patriot missile launchers near the frontline. These launchers being detached far from their radar emitters, where they are least expected, seem to imply just how the Patriot is being so effective. Basic SAM Dispersal Suggestions In Digital Combat Simulator, multi-unit surface-to-air missile sites can be spread out as far as 25 nautical miles. SAM sites like the NASAMS, Patriot, SA-6, SA-10 and SA-11 are designed for use in combat while being dispersed from traditional support facilities. Let's take a look at some examples that can be used in the DCS mission editor. Example A: Expanded Dispersion In the Mission Editor, click "Create and Modify Templates". Select the Country and type of pre-made Surface to Air Missile group of units you want. Find a place on the map of choice to click the ground and spawn the template of vehicles. Be sure to deselect "Create and Modify Templates" to avoid accidentally spawning duplicate groups. While the core of this group can remain relatively close to one another in a configuration similar to the original template, a minimal effort to slightly spread them out according to the terrain would be beneficial. Select an existing missile launcher unit from the now placed template or create a new one launcher unit. Place that unit far from the core of the SAM group, but still within 25 nautical miles of the necessary search and track radars. It is important that each launcher have a supply vehicle of some type to reload the missile launchers, as they are no longer receiving ammunition from the supply vehicles in the core of the group. In this example, a quad-mount missile launcher is now detached from the main group of the Patriot battery. As hostile aircraft attempt to attack the search and track radar at the main group, they will find themselves being engaged by this detachment that is 9.30 nautical miles to the south-west. For the attacking aircraft, suddenly having a threat from an unexpected direction and potentially from a shorter distance than expected could be fatal or at least throw off any original attack plan to disable the Patriot site. Example B: Offensive Offset If the mission editor knows the likely direction of attack players will be using, a majority of missile launchers can be separated from the search and track radars to more advantageous positions. In Example B, an SA-10 Grumble has deployed its missile launcher up to roughly 13 nautical miles to its south, in the direction of hostile forces. While looking at this layout in the map overview, the radars do seem to be defenseless. However, the effective range of the SA-10's missile launchers both easily covers the radars and is now pushed out towards the incoming hostile aircraft. Any aircraft attacking using its radar warning receiver and anti-radar weaponry will now have two options. They will either have to fly deep within the effective range of the SA-10 missile engagement envelope, or they will have to individually find each detachment of launchers and destroy them one by one. While this example only focuses on the SA-10 battery, these SAM sites are often augmented by short range air defenses like anti-aircraft guns, MANPADS or other SAMs like the HQ-7 Red Banner or SA-8 Gecko. This SA-10 has now become quite difficult to deal with. Example C: Addition of Point Defense The default AI behavior of SAMs in DCS keeps their radar emitters on at almost all times. This can make most of these SAMs somewhat easy to disable with a single anti-radiation missile from a safe distance. Without having to get involved with trigger conditions or .lua, the easiest way to make these systems more survivable is to add point defense units to protect them. In Example C, an airfield is being defended by a small SA-6 Gainful battery with two mobile missile launcher units. The SA-6 was first introduced in 1958 and even with upgrades over the decades it became rather outdated by the 1980s. Assuming there are no weapon restrictions placed on the aircraft attempting to destroy the SA-6, in Digital Combat Simulator, there are various air-to-ground munitions that could destroy this SAM site without it being able to defend itself from incoming attack. The addition of a single SA-15 Tor point defense unit can greatly extend the SA-6's lifespan. Even if attacking players are using standoff weapons like anti-radiation missiles or glide bombs, the SA-15 can launch its own missiles to intercept them at up to 14.0 nautical miles away. Now, rather than the SA-6 being soft enough to disable with a single anti-radiation missile, a concerted effort to either focus fire on the SA-15 or overwhelm the SA-15's interception abilities with a saturation attack on the SA-6. I hope this gets mission editors thinking about changing things up for their next mission file. In the next entry of this series related to Surface-to-Air Missile Improvements, we will be getting more technical by adding Trigger Zones, specific conditions and support facilities that can be targeted to degrade SAM performance. 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.

Stumbling upon a stylized, retro inspired World War 1 indie flight game Steam Next Fest February 2024 is on! It has been quite some time since we checked in on one of these game festivals. In the past, we had been introduced to many interesting upcoming flight game titles; many of them putting out public demos for the first time during this event. While sailing through the digital ocean of indie titles available, a video of a World War 1 era swirling air battle began to play. Blue Sky Aces by Curious Dog Games was announced to the public on August 5th, 2023. When it comes to indie flight games, I cannot say there are a steady stream of World War 1 always in development and on their way to release. While this immediately caught my attention, I can genuinely say this is a completely new title to me. A cursory search about Curious Dog Games shows that they are a hobbyist game developer that has been “tinkering with games” for over 20 years. It was not until they stumbled upon the Unity game engine a few years ago until they started to build complete games, which are available on Itch.io. Rather than dig intensively through the dev logs on YouTube and Steam, I am going to jump in blind and experience the current state of the game. Demo Overview The demo presents the British and German side as represented by their aircraft. Though each country has three aircraft in the demo only the Airco DH.2 and Fokker E.III are available. The British side has 1 training mission and 2 combat mission. The German side brings 1 training mission and 1 combat mission. The game supports keyboard and mouse (which the developer suggests), gamepads and more advanced flight controllers thanks to its ability to remap buttons and axes per controller. There are options for aim assists and lead indicators to assist players. Aircraft can be flown in third person view and first person view (cockpit view), though first person view does let players free look around the aircraft. In either view, the on-screen user interface shows gauges for airspeed, altitude, direction, engine RPM, fuel level and oil level. Curiously, oil level acts as the aircraft damage gauge; the more oil you lose indicates the more damage you have taken. Machine gun ammunition count, a proximity radar of allies and enemies, a visualization of kill score and status messages about how a target was damaged is also shown. As mentioned in the recent trailer, it provides “simple, no nonsense gameplay”. This game sets aside large, complicated briefings or trying to dive into the politics of World War 1 to simply focus on aerial combat and simple objectives. The demo has a leaderboard function built that shows the top scores of the “Highest Scoring Aces” (players that have been shot down during the mission) and “Highest Scoring Living Aces” (players that have completed the mission alive). Simple Looks, Serious Combat The first impression of this game can give off the feeling that this is a basic game with chunky hit boxes and minimal effort put into certain aspects of it. On the contrary, it took me some time to adjust to the level of difficulty of combat in this game. Each aircraft has hit boxes for certain sections of the aircraft that receive damage at different rates depending on how often they are hit and from how far away the attacking is coming - i.e. bullets losing muzzle velocity. Focusing damage near wing roots can snap them off, damage to engines can severely reduce aircraft performance, and the tell-tale sign of a small cloud of blood with a critical hit is landed on the cockpit. Of course, this goes both ways. It is possible for the player’s aircraft to be completely destroyed in a few seconds during one poorly planned strafing run or by reacting too slowly to incoming fire from another aircraft. I went down a handful of times, mainly do to me not quite taking this title seriously enough I guess. Once I started flying in a more thought out, calculated way, everything fell into place. There is now mid-mission save system in this demo, so do be sure to think long-term when in combat. You will find yourself losing your last 5 to 10 minutes of progress in the blink of an eye. Flight Physics The flight physics are simplified enough to where someone could learn how to fly the aircraft in this game within five minutes or less on a keyboard, game pad or even a flight stick. Mastering takeoff and landing can be done in a single training mission. Achieving a near maximum rate turn is as easy as rolling the wings perpendicular to the ground and pulling up without having to think about much else besides altitude and maybe engine RPM. However, there are enough details, closer to a flight sim lite that players more knowledgeable about aviation can utilize. Performing certain real world maneuvers at the right time and with the right conditions provides a noticeable edge. Alternatively, attempting them at the wrong speed and altitude has absolutely unforgiving results. More than once has the High or Low Yoyo been a go-to tactic for me in the middle of a uncoordinated "dogfight”. Coordinated turns with plenty of rudder applied significantly improved air-to-air gunnery and made it easier to evade ground fire. Performing high altitude diving attacks then transitioning into The Immelmann Turn to then regain altitude and take time to reposition for a follow-up attack. However, the WWI namesake Immelmann relentlessly punished me for Stalling at its apex. A few seconds of uncontrolled flight and loss of altitude is often a death sentence for these canvas, wire and wooden wonders. Mainly due to how low engine output was in WWI aircraft. Every well known basic fighter maneuver handles very differently than when a high output engine aircraft does them. It was nice to see Blue Sky Aces emulate the overall low output engines to see how basic fighter maneuvers were effective in a different way during this era of technology. Unexpected Ground Combat Details Within my first play through, the most surprising part about Blue Sky Aces was its portrayal of the air-to-ground combat of the era. Even in the most advanced combat flight simulators of 2024, the explosions are often clinical with the human factor on the ground removed or limited. Yet within this indie game, the most memorable aspect of strafing an airfield or trench is seeing individual human beings scrambling for cover. It made me realize that this is a detail traditionally overlooked in a majority of flight arcade or flight simulator titles for the past few decades. I fully expected a mission with the primary objective of strafing aircraft at an airfield to have a few hangars, tents and trucks gathered in one spot with static aircraft sitting on the grass airfield. But this was compounded by visible personnel on the ground running from the strafing runs. Even during the Big Battle mission, where dozens of aircraft are locked in air combat above No Man's Land, I could see individual soldiers reacting to stray bullets landing near them. Lone soldiers in sandbag bunkers manning machine guns just as deadly as those carried by aircraft. These anti-aircraft gunners are hard to ignore, as they are the only real form of land based air defense. Observant players will note the shape of their anti-aircraft positions and find blind spots in their firing arcs. Patiently maneuvering to attack these AA guns from behind, strafing the gunners directly will disable these positions and make further ground attacks easier. Beyond that, trains and trucks behind enemy lines can also be attacked and disabled. I am happy that my introduction to Blue Sky Aces was through this Steam Next Fest demo and look forward to taking time to dig a bit deeper to better understand who the developer is and how far they’ve progressed in their own time. Steam Next Fest runs from February 5th to February 12th, 2024. I do not know if the demo for Blue Sky Aces will be available after this time frame, so I do recommend giving it a download and checking it out for yourself! 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.

If you have not been paying attention to the epic saga that is FlightSimExpo 2024, a lot of convention killing hurdles were surmounted in near record time. The sudden closure of the original hotel (Tropicana Las Vegas), a rush to find a replacement with the assistance of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and securing a new hotel (Rio Las Vegas); a lot happened in four weeks. However, after recovering from such an unexpected "crosswind", the expo continues on. The Flight Simulation Association (FSA) has shared the much-anticipated schedule for their June 21-23, 2024 convention in Las Vegas, along with 2024’s Activities. Register and find discounted travel options at flightsimexpo.com. FlightSimExpo 2024 will feature developer announcements, panel discussions, and community-inspired seminars throughout the convention’s jam-packed, three-day schedule. Additionally, this year’s show will see the return of Activities: themed group events happening before, during, and after FlightSimExpo. 2024 Seminar Schedule The event kicks off with #FSExpoFriday, a series of announcements and new product reveals on Friday, June 21. The afternoon will include more than 15 presentations from developers like BlueBird Simulations, Combat Pilot, FlyInside, Nimbus, SayIntentions . AI, SimWorks Studios, SoFly, Tobii AB, and X-Plane. The weekend seminar series will feature talks on RNAV approaches, scenery design, online networks, combat and helicopter simulation, a live PC build on stage, and more. Seminars were sourced from the community and selected by vote of FlightSimExpo attendees. Talks take place in Rio Las Vegas’ Brasilia Room and on the FSElite Stage, located in the exhibit hall. “There’s absolutely something for everyone in our 2024 seminar schedule,” says organizer Evan Reiter. “Whether you’re new to flight sim or you’re a seasoned veteran looking for the next big release, you’ll find plenty to see and do at this year’s show.” Activities Before, during, and after FlightSimExpo 2024, attendees can participate in fun Activities featuring some of the many entertainment options Las Vegas has to offer. Paid and free Activities include a tour of the Las Vegas Air Traffic Control Tower, museum visits, a night out on the town, on-site workshops, and live shows at the Rio. Information about 2024’s Activities is available at flightsimexpo.com/activities; registration will open on April 14 at 12pm PT. New Partners Since the initial reveal on March 22, FSA has confirmed 12 more exhibitors for the show: Beta Technologies, The Pilot Club, Hyperion Sim, Thrustmaster, Redbird Flight Simulations, BeyondATC, Vyral LLC, Yawman, National STOL Series, Somnium Space, Fly Virtual . net and FlyInside. Prospective exhibitors can visit flightsimexpo.com/partner for information about getting involved. “Since attending FSExpo a few years ago by myself and seeing all the amazing products that were offered, we jumped at the opportunity to come back as an organization,” said Tom Flanary, Founder of the National STOL Series. “We’re excited to bring something new to the community by introducing everyone to the world of eSTOL. We want to open everyone up to the world of bush flying and the competitive nature of STOL flying, and we are excited to do that at FSExpo 2024!” FlightSimExpo takes place on June 21-23, 2024 in Las Vegas. Registration is available online at flightsimexpo.com. Attendees are encouraged to book discounted hotel rooms before they sell out, and learn about discounts with Delta, Southwest, and United. Skyward Flight Media Registration Link For the third year, Skyward Flight Media is a media partner for FlightSimExpo. This year we have a registration link people can use to get their weekend passes for the expo. As more people use our link to register to attend the expo, we in turn get benefits as an organization for the expo. So we would appreciate your support! ### About FlightSimExpo. FlightSimExpo is one of the world’s largest flight simulation conventions. The event has welcomed more than 5,000 attendees to events in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Diego, and Houston 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.

We are celebrating our 4th anniversary here at Skyward Flight Media, so we are taking a look back with both co-founders to reminisce about how we started as a media organization, our goals and even a bit about where we are going. Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza A little over four years ago, I almost decided I was completely done with writing like this. After a decade of random projects and websites starting and ending in various states, I began to wonder if anything would keep me engaged in writing about flight games and sims. Truth be told, if it was not for the persistence of Skyward Flight Media co-founder Santiago Cuberos, I would have stopped all of my creative efforts after the sudden halt of our previous project in December 2019. With some serious support that renewed my drive, the initial talks about the concept of Skyward Flight Media began in January 2020. Prep work was completed within two months and the public opening of Skyward Flight Media happened on March 24th, 2020. Four years later, I find myself deeper and deeper into the content creation merry-go-round that I proudly conduct for Skyward. Even as I write this I am conducting an ongoing interview, preparing two more, looking for up and flight games. Though there is also plenty of life in games and simulators that have already been released. Even titles that are decades old, made before I was even born, are still valid pieces of media for us. When I write down every potential article idea, sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed by the number of choices. Not a bad problem to have! The variety and flexibility of content that Skyward can produce without absolutely falling off with our readership is something I will always be grateful for. During times of reflection like this, I look back at the things I’ve written and the array of flight related content is unique to say the least. From interviews with indie developers making their own marks on the flight game scene, two of my most in-depth game reviews to date for The Brew Barons and Thunder Helix, to Skyward’s first serious hardware reviews with Heads Up View and Yawman, starting a completely unplanned mission editor series for Digital Combat Simulator world with fellow staff member Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto and travelling in person for the first time to Flight Sim Expo 2023 to meet the people and companies pushing flight simulation forward. If I were to list a few personal goals this year, they would be securing more interviews with developers, content creators and companies, giving the website a massive upgrade to make it both more ‘modern’ and flashy in most places and try to reach out to some well established names in the industry to provide a new type of content. Know that while hanging out with staff and close friends in a Skyward themed virtual reality hangar, complete with an original design jet trainer, I raised a glass to you dear reader! Thank you wholeheartedly for your support thus far. Here is to another year! Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos It is sort of hard to comprehend the passing of time sometimes, isn't it? I never thought I would be writing these words to celebrate our website's fourth anniversary. When I think about it, to even think that it has already been four years since we started kind of boggles my mind and makes me feel a bit lightheaded; but let's take a step back to when I joined this crazy creative effort that I co-founded. I joined what used to be Project Lighthouse back in 2017 as a Spanish translator with no other ambitions. I got assigned a couple of projects that I completed in no time, which left me with a drive to do more. This led me to asking Ribbon-Blue if there was anything else I could do to help him out, since he was the only one in the then leadership that was actively working on the website. He told me I could write an article if I wanted, and so I did. The rest is history. When some internal issues arose and Project Lighthouse disbanded in late 2019, this left me wondering where would any of this go. I knew that Aaron was already a veteran of content creation on the internet, and at that time we were already very good friends, so I proposed a rebranding for Project Lighthouse. A fresh start is what we needed to get back into the groove, and I was right. It took us a couple of months, but after that we had Skyward Flight Media up running in March 2020. In these four years, I have done things I never thought I would have had the possibility to do. I have been able to speak with developers, connect with fellow creators, get press access to games and DCS modules, among many things. It is just unbelievable to be in the position that I am and to have this platform that Aaron, Caio and I have built together. But there is someone that I have yet to thank or mention, you. I genuinely love the community that has built around our articles and the general positivity that it has. We just broke 5,000 followers on Twitter/X and I couldn't be more grateful. Thanks for reading our articles, really, it does mean the world to me.

The time has arrived! The winners of our giveaway for the Heatblur Simulations F-4E Phantom II for Digital Combat Simulator have been announced. For those that do not know, we take the names of all contestants that applied on the website and social media, put their names into a list, randomize the order of that list and use Google Random Number Generator to select the winners for our giveaways. This is about as randomized as we can make it. The winners for this giveaway are: FighterTales webber_ita Congratulations to the winners! We will be contacting them in the next few days to get their prizes to them. As a side note, one of these two winners was someone that submitted their entry via the contact form on our website. There was also a website entry winner for our third anniversary giveaway. We are pointing this out to let people know those website entries are just as effective as the social media entries. Be sure to utilize those if you do not have an X.com account to still get in on the action!

Sign Up From March 18th through March 22nd, 2024 ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY As we near our fourth anniversary this weekend, we have decided to set up a giveaway for the upcoming Heatblur F-4E Phantom II for Digital Combat Simulator World. There will be two (2) winners receiving this module as a gift via Steam or the Digital Combat Simulator E-Shop. The period to sign up for the giveaway is from March 18th, 2024 to March 22nd, 2024. The winners will be announced on Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 in our fourth anniversary post. HOW TO ENTER This year, we have two ways to enter this giveaway. Follow SkywardFM on X/Twitter and like pinned giveaway post. Reposting is not required, but helping spread the word is appreciated. For those that do not have a Twitter account, they can contact us on our email: staff@skywardfm.com. Please include your Name and/or Screen Name, email address and mention that you are entering the giveaway, so we can contact you if you win. Email entries count as one (1) entry. Skyward Flight Media will announce the winner publicly in a post on X.com and blog post on this website. Thanks for joining our giveaway and supporting us.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been trying to actively use some of the modules that I have left untouched for months and, in the process, I have asked myself one question over and over again: "Was there a reason why this aircraft didn't stick with me?" One of these aircraft is Deka Ironworks' JF-17 module, which still is one of, if not, the only modern redfor full fidelity aircraft in the simulator. I have been flying it quite a bit recently to the point that I understand why I might have stopped flying it often and, regrettably, why I shouldn't have stopped flying it at all. The first thing that jumped to my mind when I strapped into this Chinese-Pakistani aircraft was: "Wow, I actually remember all of my keybinds!" I was thrilled, so I took to the air and proceeded to do a short mission to get the rust off, primarily to allow me to see how much I would have to relearn after having not touched this module in any significant way for more than seven months. Anyone would get rusty, right? It wasn't until I tried getting my ordinance on target that I realized how unique this aircraft is, allow me to explain. During this attack, my brain started using all the muscle memory that I had built for the F-16C and the MiG-29S, at the same time. I pressed the "7" key on my keyboard to change to air to ground mode, just like I would on the FC3 modules. After dropping the Mk.82 bomb, I started dispensing my countermeasures instinctively in the same way I would while flying a Viper. That is when it all clicked. The Jeff is the perfect compliment for a person like me, someone that values simplicity and familiarity while also appreciating the unique aspects of everything I use, keeping an open mind to new things while also considering the historical context that surrounds them. This is what the JF-17 has over other aircraft in my virtual hangar. Thanks to its design, it feels like it is in that Goldilocks zone between eastern and western philosophies. It meets both in the middle and excels and integrating some of the best aspects of a design compromise like this. It has its quirks, for sure, but man does it pay off when everything works, specially that sweet sensor fusion tech that it packs along with the proper implementation of a data cartridge that I talked about quite a while ago. I look forward to flying the JF-17 much more during multiplayer sessions, and while I am at it, I'll try to get enough experience with the module to write a proper review. 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 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 2010. 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

Wanting to shake it up a bit, I had another session of checking on various past and current indie flight games. While observing videos of deep space combat and screenshots of sleek fighter jets, a sudden psychedelic splash dazzled my eyes. Literally. I had to look away from the screen and blink a few times. What seemed to be a doomed aircraft falling into a barren terrain is met with an explosion of color and disappears into darkness. OASES was created by Armel Gibson and "Dziff" Delphine as one of twenty-five games presented during the weekend of September 4th through 6th 2015, as a part of the Now Play This 2015 Festival. This exhibition of games ran alongside various events, talks and workshops at the New Wing of Somerset House - self-described as a home of cultural innovators that connect creativity and the arts with wider society. It was also shown at Screenshake 2016. The description of the game mentions the grandfather of Gibson whose aircraft was reported as missing during the Algeria Independence War (1960). With a background like that, I'd expect some sort of historical recreation or interpretation of what may have happened. Perhaps something that showed what the grandfather was doing during that time to remember their actions. Instead, OASES is more of a fantastical well wish to someone that was never seen again. Oases is more of a flight experience than a flight game. Its somewhat abstract description as a "kaleidoscopic elegiac flyscape' is a bit hard to wrap your head around when reading it, but makes sense playing it. After starting the game and diving into a different realm, players are met with electronic music and rather complex scenery. The types of things seen in dreams. Pink forests with trees taller than mountains and towering sculptures of hands with fingertip waterfalls jutting out of rolling hills. With basic pitch and roll controls, no way to crash and a temporary engine boost, players depart on short flights taking in the scenery and music. With each session lasting only a few minutes, starting up a new session also brings in new terrain. Echoing the opinion of a commenter from a few years ago, it felt like flying through a music video. There is no exerting story to be told or lesson to be learned here. Oases is an abstract way to memorialize the unanswered questions and possibilities surrounding the disappearance of a family member that was never met. This free to download games was one of the most unexpected flight experiences I've ever tried out. If you have a few minutes and a bit of curiosity, stop by for a trip. 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.

No matter our passion, we like to pursue it with dedication. But there always comes a point where learning by ourselves becomes an issue, and it is in these situations where people such as RedKite come into the picture. Someone who is willing to share knowledge and spread it around, allowing others to improve faster than they would have otherwise. Our third interview for Creator Highlight Month 2022 (CHM) is with RedKite, a video creator and game dev who dedicates himself to making elaborate video tutorials, reviews and showcases mostly for DCS World. I have personally been a fan of his content for quite a while, finding it to be some of the best out there when it comes to creativity and dedication. He also dabbles into retro flight sims from time to time. We had the honor of being able to interview him and have him as a guest in our CHM. Hello there and thank you for accepting our request. Let’s start right away. Could you please tell us who you are and a brief description of what you do? Hello! I run a flight sim YouTube channel, that's generally considered by the community as the 'Gold standard' for long form DCS video tutorials, and occasional DCS science and gameplay videos. I'm also a part of a hobby indie dev team, having released 'Pipeline VR' on Steam recently (A pipe building panic/puzzle game). How did you come up with your name? Is there any story behind it? RedKite came about because of a beautiful bird by the same name. When i was young it was all but extinct, but thankfully recovered to become a fairly common sight in England. I've a couple living in a large oak tree by my home, which I see each day, to which I owe the channel's name. How did you get started with flight simulation? Was it an early childhood hobby or did you pick it up as an adult? If it was in early childhood, what is your earliest memory you have of a flight simulator? Fairly early on in childhood I was exposed to flight sims, my Grandfather served in Coastal Command with the RAF during WWII, so I've always had an interest in flight and often went to see air-shows. 'Chocks away' was the first 'flight sim', which I'd play in split screen co-op with my brother! Another strong memory, is that of the bomber attack quick start on 'MS Combat Flight Simulator' (1) which was my first experience using an analogue joystick to shoot down Ju-88s or He-111s in a spitfire and seeing the bullet marks appear on my canopy! While your primary focus is Digital Combat Simulator, you occasionally cover retro simulators. Are there any simulators from the past that you would recommend people try? F-117A Stealth Fighter 2.0, which I covered recently still stands up and provides unique stealth action gameplay, if you can get past the graphics and janky controls. More recently, I'd thoroughly recommend Il-2 1946 especially if you like WW2 pacific carrier operations, something sadly not present in modern flight sims! What motivated you to start making YouTube videos about DCS: World? In particular, what motivated you to start making long-form tutorial style videos with some variety content from time to time? I heavily struggled getting into DCS and gave up a couple times initially. This was in part due to being dyslexic, which makes all the manuals a serious labour for me. Videos helped me through that, and I decided to return the favour by producing my own when I noticed a lack of videos of the quality I wanted. I started with il-2 Cliffs of Dover tutorials (although not public) My first DCS tutorial was on the Harrier's Mavericks. It received good attention, including from Matt Wagner! That encouraged me to keep on making them, and also provided me with a means to help cement my own learning. What is the process you go through when planning out one of your tutorial videos? Do you start by studying the aircraft system or do you like writing down the script first? It'll usually start out by writing condensed notes on how to work a system from the manual and getting experience using it and special use cases. Then break it down into segments for presentation. Most of the time I'll write a script, occasionally live speaking prompts. Scope is always a difficult one, a lot of viewers try to jump in the deep end and ask for absolute basics to be included (like sensor of interest (SOI), basic HOTAS and aircraft logic). So I try to cover these separately so as to not bog down an already complex topic. Shots I usually come up with on the fly listening back to the video's script, without much fore-planning. All said complex videos can take 10-20hrs or more to make. When it comes down to DCS modules, do you have any particular preferences for any aircraft? Would there be a module you would recommend to beginners? Personally I love modern western aircraft; The top spots going to the A-10C II, Hornet and probably the Apache soon! But I do have a soft spot for Cold War era analogue aircraft like the MiG-21, although I don't get on well with the heavily number based Viggen computer! I'd always recommend you buy the aircraft that interests you the most, not the one that's 'easy to learn' or the 'meta' aircraft for multiplayer. But it comes with a caveat: You need to make sure your HOTAS is up to the job, learning an A-10C on a Thrustmaster T.Flight is going to be a bad time, owing to it's meager button count. The Flaming Cliffs 3 level A-10A or full fidelity F-5E on the other hand would be perfectly manageable. You do have to do a little mental preparation and accept you won't be good at a module day one, it's a commitment to learn in DCS in-depth. Which is where people often fall down, not the aircraft itself. DCS is incredibly complex, not just the full aircraft, but navigating, communicating, fighting and surviving combat on top of that! So you've got to pace yourself to avoid frustration. When you start studying a new DCS module, how do you approach it? Do you study differently if you know the subject is going to go on a video? If I'm doing a pre-release preview I've usually only got 1 week, so I'll always learn everything I can prior to access, taking notes. Then do the startup just once, skip to air starts and learn systems people would like to see. I've found this works well for me because I've built up vast knowledge that transfers over from other aircraft. But I'd never recommend this approach to a beginner, not least because you won't have access to developers to talk you through confusion occasionally. Learning properly without time pressures I'll always work myself up doing lots of notes, learning basic flight and weapons before hitting the hard stuff. I build up 'cheat sheets' with instructions on each task condensed without explanation to reference once I'm flying. The very process of making these notes is a big part of helping you remember it. You did a great video showcasing the T-45C mod by VNAO. Have you tried any of the other high fidelity community mods? I'd meant to cover them both by now, but sadly time doesn't permit me to. I've flown the MB-339 a tiny bit, and the A-4E a fair amount. I do love the terrain avoidance mode on the A-4E, very impressed they managed to model it, although i find it rather tough to land on a carrier well! Nearly on par with the full fidelity modules you can buy. If I could afford to commit more time to YouTube I'd happily cover them, but life gets in the way! With 'review' videos being one of the most time consuming to make. Is there anything you would personally like to be added to DCS World? A lot of DCS's core is very outdated; AI 3d models, AI behavior and general quality of life features are what I'd like to see the most (such as afterburner detent setting, Radio integration, weather, interactive startup checklist kneeboards, FLIR) Outside that, an overhaul of air refueling with basket and boom physics would be great, being one of my favorite skills. That and a dynamic campaign engine because I hope it will bring in lots of AI and mission optimisations, to allow for a greater focus on player driven mission planning and co-operative play. There are many DCS World campaign previews on your YouTube channel, but Raven One seems to be the only campaign you’ve recorded from start to finish. What was it about this campaign that piqued your interest? I'd read the Raven One book prior, which had gotten me into it. I'd been meaning to start doing campaigns generally, so this was a natural progression into it. In the past I'd struggled greatly to produce worthwhile 'let's play' videos, scrapping more than a few, being unhappy with the quality of commentary and or flying. I was finally starting to get comfortable doing it by the time Raven One released. I've got my eye on more than a few campaigns I want to play through on the channel in the future! Did you have any contact with Kevin Miller, the author of the Raven One book or with Baltic Dragon while doing your Raven One series? Indeed, I have talked extensively with both. You'll also spot Kevin Miller in the comments on a number of the Raven One videos! Kevin was very kind in regards to feedback on my carrier landings and provided me with a lot of tips, critique and praise on my performance around the boat. He was very impressed with my Case 3 recoveries during the campaign, and was plenty happy to tell me off when i did something wrong! (like crossing the catapults by mistake on the clearing turn after launch) I'm very thankful he took the time to watch and talk with me. He put both me and Baltic to the test with the bonus 'Working the Wake' multiplayer mission; doing attack patterns which was a good laugh to play in multiplayer with Baltic Dragon. Kevin rather enjoyed being able to see his creation brought to life in DCS, along with the little cinematic extras I did. So much so, you might just recognise the voice of a certain British exchange pilot in the next DCS Raven One Campaign! What kind of flight sim gear do you own? Any interesting stories behind any of them? I've picked up a lot of gear over many years and reviews! My Force Feedback Microsoft Sidewinder 2 holds a special place, being a technology sadly lost to patent trolls today. It was for the longest time my go-to stick for flight sims prior to DCS. The physical feedback and variable resistance was awesome. A Viripil WarBRD, CH rudder, and Thrustmaster Stick/Throttle make up the core of my current setup. With WinWing and Total Controls providing auxiliary panels and TM MFDs on monitors. I also make use of a WW Orion with Hornet handles occasionally. My WH Throttle has the Delta-sim slew stick mod, and in general I've 3d printed realistic switch toppers for many controls. I took up 3D printing as a hobby this year, and produced my own modifications and button boxes for my flight sim setup. Including an inline button box for my Viripil desk mount, designed and made myself. Taking advantage of the empty space in their design, filling in some gaps in my controls. I intend to design and build a radio panel (like those found on the A-10c II) some time this year. My setup is a little ram-shackle with a mixture of old and new pushed together, and even a few bits of cardboard propping things up! With two 10 slot powered USB hubs hooking it all up to my PC! I'd love to build a proper sim pit one day, but my computer needs to remain suitable for office work too. Recently I've been 3D printing the freely available Authentikit Spitfire Mk. IX parts which i plan on building soon! Which is really exciting, being a scale replica of the controls set, so keep an eye out for that! We saw that in a couple of your videos you show VR footage of some modules, which headset do you have? Do you prefer flying in VR or with head tracking? I own both a HTC Vive and Valve Index. I immensely prefer VR flying, however despite owing a Nvidia 3080, DCS just doesn't run VR at an acceptable level of performance for me. So I stick to TrackIR. This works out better for videos too, as VR is not great for viewers. In IL-2 great battles I'll usually use VR instead, owing to better performance. But most of my VR use is on room scale games. I really can't wait for the coming optimisations and vulkan support, hopefully they'll make VR worthwhile in DCS for me, as the sheer immersion and extra sense you gain is not only great fun, but helps improve your flying precision greatly! Although I'm not 100% sure I'd ever fully replace TrackIR as it's just so much more convenient without the extra setup and encumbrance. We would like to thank you once again for accepting our request to interview you. Do you have any final thoughts you would like to share? YouTube has been a massive time sync over the years, I'm really proud of what I've achieved for the community, and honored to be held in high regard. The YouTube algorithm hates long form high production value content. So all the support from everyone in the DCS community, has made a huge difference to the channel's success and is the reason it continues to exist despite YouTube's demoralizing ecosystem. Thank you Everyone! About the Interviewer Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000's leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities but only started being active around the mid 2010's. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy #9034

February 24th, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM (UTC-7) The next Skyward Flight Media Digital Combat Simulator multiplayer event is on the way! The last two events we hosted in October and December 2023 were large scale missions against a peer adversary. Air battles with half-a-dozen aircraft, columns of hostile vehicles and coordinated surface-to-air threats were staples of those missions. Our February 2023 event changes the flow of things and brings a different type of experience compared to our missions so far: Counter Insurgency. Event Webpage Available The official webpage for this event is ready for viewing. It includes basic information like how to connect, which mods are required and wealth of extra info. Like an explanation of the story behind the mission and kneeboards for the mission that can be downloaded separately. Feel free to use the event webpage to study up before the event: https://www.skywardfm.com/syria-coin-2024 Development This is an original mission from our lead DCS World mission creator, Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto. The base version of the mission was created on January 2nd, 2023. During private playthroughs with Skyward staff and a few friends, it was gradually improved upon. When the decision was made to use this mission for a multiplayer event, the newest version was finalized on February 11th, 2024. Mission Features Low intensity, Ground Attack-focused mission, an opportunity for propeller-driven aircraft, light attackers and helicopters to shine. Defend coalition outposts surrounded by insurgent forces. Attack technical convoys, insurgent outposts, and elusive mobile mortar teams. Change the flow of battle by striking ammunition depots and other strategic targets. Player-controllable ground vehicles and CTLD allow players with Combined Arms to conduct air assault and JTAC operations. Players familiar with Forward Air Controller procedures can help guide others to target Anti-aircraft threats are limited, but watch out for MANPADS! Aircraft Mods Since we know the use of DCS mod aircraft continues to be uncommon in DCS multiplayer servers, we will continue to use them in this mission as well. The following aircraft mods will be required to join this mission: A-4E, A-29B, F-4B/C, OV-10A, UH-60L. The links to these mods are available on the event webpage. Kneeboards Four custom kneeboards for this mission have been created by the mission editor for this mission. See them here in the image gallery or download them from the event webpage. Future Updates All updates concerning this event will be made through our X.com profile or posted on the event webpage leading up to the event.

Overpowered or realistic? One of my most vivid memories of early experiences with online multiplayer gaming is a curse word laden, 16 person argument from an Ace Combat 6 game lobby. But rather than being about who was more skilled or who was "lag switching" (it was 2007), the subject was about how overpowered the aircraft cannon in this game was. Some people even stating that using it was a "crutch" and should be frowned upon since it seemed so heavily exaggerated to them. I think the reason this heated discussion is memorable to me because there was a valid point to be made. Inconsistent Presentation The 28-year strong Ace Combat series has many iterations of aircraft cannons or 'Gun' in its games. From 1995 to present day, the cannons have varied so much, you could probably have an Ace Combat fan identify which game that cannon is from just by describing its traits. High rate of fire but basically no damage? Shattered Skies. Slow rate of fire and only the tracers caused damage? The Unsung War or The Belkan War. Was the only way to make the gun hit anything reliably through the use of an auto aiming device? Probably Skies of Deception, Joint Assault or Cross Rumble. Was it a non-moving gunsight with damage so low it felt like firing paper clips? Assault Horizon. The gun's time to kill varies per game. It may take four or five seconds of sustained gunfire to down an aircraft in one game, while it may take three seconds of only tracer rounds hitting a target to destroy something in the next game. But that rate of fire being so slow, aircraft can maneuver between the tracer fire, sustaining no damage at all. This could be explained as attempts to game balance each game as it was made by the Ace Combat development team, Project Aces, but the inconsistencies do not help the overall appeal of these weapons in the series. These variances in how the aircraft cannons hit targets are compounded by the difficulties of using the gun sight each Ace Combat game provides. Speaking in broad terms, inaccuracy and slow refresh rate of the gun sight or 'pipper' players use are the two terms that I think about when thinking about gun sights of the Ace Combat series in general. On the surface, it makes using the gun on targets seem harder than it is. In the player's point of view, the gun pipper always seems a bit too slow and a bit inaccurate; especially against highly maneuverable targets. The near useless gun sight from Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere comes to mind. While taking time to let the gun sight settle onto ground and naval targets is fine, anyone trying to use the pipper in air combat would be better off remembering the general flight path of the cannon rounds and visually guiding those tracers onto the enemy aircraft. In certain games, the firing range and damage output can be augmented through aircraft parts customization. Even devices like automatic gun firing devices and radar guided aim assists that make using the gun a near thoughtless process. The newest game, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, makes extensive use of these customizations. Though, opposing players also have access to defensive customizations. In Ace Combat 7, the gun's time to kill can exceed five seconds if either player's customizations just happen to stack up a certain way. Not to mention the sheer (and hilarious) volume of fire provided by secondary weapons like Gun Pods; which are essentially two or more extra aircraft cannons with a ton of ammo and no consequences. The OP Cannon Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Xbox 360, 2007) was the first Ace Combat game that presented the largest scale battles in the series up to that point. With dozens, if not a hundred, of enemy units per mission, the selection and deployment of Standard Missiles and 'special weaponry' mattered more than ever. The cannon is always there as well, but after years of being ever-changing and somewhat unreliable, it would be Plan C at best. Right? As of the time of this writing, the internal aircraft cannons of Ace Combat 6 are still the most powerful cannons in the Ace Combat series. Specifically without any modifications via in game customizations, since that was not possible in the game. The gun pipper in Ace Combat 6 was also accurate enough to be serviceable against all targets. Even during the tightest swirling air battles. Getting cannon shells onto target was easy. At the time, just how immensely effective they were was a bit staggering. The average time to kill for targets like planes, armored vehicles, small buildings and surface-to-air missile units was just a roughly one second. Maybe a second and a half. A decent player with good rudder control could sink warships like Destroyers and Cruisers in roughly three or four seconds. A stream of cannon shells can remove every radar, vertical launch cell, air defense system and even the bridge of a warship in just a breath or two. 2 Now waves of main battle tanks could be easily shattered with a strafe, not anti-tank missiles. In multiplayer, top-tier aircraft like the F-22A and Su-47 could be shredded in a single turn. For the first time, there was even an in-game achievement for completing the single player campaign with nothing but the aircraft gun. That is a lot of confidence and a massive improvement in a somewhat overlooked weapon. Was it really bad enough to call it "overpowered" though? Closer to Reality In reality, we have to remember that since the Cold War a "small caliber gun" built into a fixed-wing combat aircraft is commonly a 20mm cannon capable of firing 50 to 100 shells in 1 second. There are a few things built well enough to take no damage from a heavy volume of fire from objects this large. Even in flight simulators that prioritize realism, an opposing aircraft rapidly breaks into pieces after a moment or two of sustained cannon fire. Real world records of aircraft using cannons in combat from the 1990s to February 2024 certainly do not match up 100% with Ace Combat 6. The common outcome of tanks, bunkers and buildings being strafed is not the targets being instantaneously vaporized. It is more likely that a target hit by aircraft cannon fire would result in a mobility kill or capability kill (knocking out optics, communications, sensors, etc). But at least using the gun in Ace Combat 6 does not feel as though the player is firing marbles. 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.

If you were to ask any teenager with even the slightest interest in military aviation, or just the military in general, if they had heard of War Thunder then you will most likely get a yes from them. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to have not heard of War Thunder or have watched/played it at least once, to the point that saying that this game is influential would be an understatement. Why we visit this title should be more than clear now. War Thunder is a very different game to others that we have covered in the past, especially considering that we have never covered exclusively-online games such as this. Some of its characteristics, such as the grind that you have to do to get aircraft, or even the nature of the national tech trees, are more than understandable once we comprehend that War Thunder is a "free" game. But today's article is not about the state of the game. Instead, I would like to talk a bit about what my experience has been for the past two to three months since I started playing War Thunder with a group of friends during our free time. My perspective comes from someone that is used to more in-depth simulation titles and that of someone that got, unwillingly, gifted a couple of premium aircraft in the US tech tree, and a couple of tanks on the US tech tree (Thanks, Riko and Kosmos!). As you would expect from us, our focus will be solely on the aviation side and not on the armored one. FIRST IMPRESSIONS As someone that is used to solely flying by holding a flight stick and a throttle, with a pair of pedals at hand, getting used to the mouse and keyboard controls of War Thunder was a bit of a struggle at first. The immediate lack of physical feedback from the mouse and the use of binary inputs on the keyboard for flight inputs was a bit off-putting. It is also important to state that War Thunder does have proper control customization, and allows the use of HOTAS and any number of peripherals. It is up to the players to decide what to do and how to do it, but I decided to follow a more conventional set-up that would be similar to those used by most players in the game. The only modifications I made were those that came with Riko's personal keybinds, which I used as a base for my set-up. Some of my first matches were on my friend's Riko account, which he lent to me, so I could get a grasp of all the basics without the commitment of building my own account from scratch. During this time, what impressed me the most was the nature of the game itself. Spawns were chaotic, with at least a dozen aircraft taking off from the same crowded runway at the same time. It was a bit overwhelming to try and evade other aircraft as you rolled on the runway, but that is a feeling that faded quickly. There were bigger things to worry about. GAMEPLAY, THE GRIND AND FRUSTRATION A surprisingly strong aspect of War Thunder is its gameplay. While a bit unintuitive at first, flying with mouse and keyboard is the best way to do so in Air Realistic Battles. The best way to understand this is by taking a closer look at the gameplay loop that reigns top-tier matches in modern War thunder as a novice in the F-4S or (INSERT PREMIUM HERE). It goes something like this: You need research points (RP) and silver lions (SL) to advance in your tech tree. You go to a match and load yourself with bombs and some missiles. You take off, call your base and fly straight to it. You fly as fast as possible to make sure you get the points and the base, not your teammates. You either get shot down before dropping your bombs, or you manage to survive long enough to drop your ordinance over a base. If you survived step 5, then you will now engage air targets. You either get a kill or two before being shot down, or just get shot down. You go back to hangar Repeat When the gameplay is that fast, and the grind is so repetitive, you don't want to spend an absurd amount of time setting up a HOTAS or anything like that. Mouse and keyboard offer maximum flexibility with the least effort, and considering that most players use it, then it is fair to say this is not an unpopular statement. They make the game accessible and easy to play, while also being precise enough to pull off some nice maneuvers. The grind will take precedence over everything in War Thunder, even fun. Will you have fun while you grind? Of course, you will. Good matches are more common than you might expect, but you will get some bad streaks of luck that will make you question yourself. This mentality can be applied to many MMOs and free to play games, which is the other aspect that makes them appealing for a certain population. The grind gives the game a purpose, but to what extent does this purpose justify the amount of money or time you will have to spend to get to where you want to go, well, that is up to you. The game is much more grind-heavy and time-consuming without premium aircraft and a premium account, both of which accelerate your progress ten-fold. Without them, the game feels like a sluggish and punitive experience, something that was made clear by the constant reminder that you could have gotten more RP and SL if you had premium. THE FUN MOMENTS MAKE IT WORTHWHILE Are you familiar with the saying that goes, "everything is better with friends"? Well, that would describe War Thunder pretty well for my point of view. What has made the game worth it hasn't been the passing moments of glory or even the victories against all odds. It has been my friends and our interactions that have made it very much worth it. Today I had an experience just like that, despite me playing alone but with my friends on an open voice chat. I was about to bomb a base with my Phantom, flying low to avoid being spotted, when I saw six different spots coming towards me as I peaked a mountain. Half the enemy team merged with me in less than two seconds. I took some damage from one of the enemy fighters, and my vertical stabilizer ripped right off. Against all odds, I managed to fly my brick for long enough to drop my bombs on target, destroying the base. My friends and I laughed, shared a moment. That made that moment special, and made the grind of going back into battle 15 seconds after being shot down a bit less frustrating. If I can take away a couple of things from my first months playing War thunder, they would be: If you want to get into War Thunder, I would recommend you get into it with friends, and be prepared to spend some money at some point, as premiums are becoming more and more of a necessity as top tier content becomes harder and harder to grind. 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

An introduction to one of our favorite mission editor features Even with the 2023 advent of multithreading in Digital Combat Simulator (mark it as a holiday), mission editors with dreams of complex scenarios still need to consider the player's performance experience. I will be the first to admit that at the beginning of my mission editor journey, I heavily relied on Late Activation triggers and dozens upon dozens of active units sitting unmoving waiting to be attacked. Something I learned over time was that players, even in player vs environment scenarios, want the opposing force to feel as though they are alive. Not a cold computer that always knows exactly when to react. The next entry in our DCS World Mission Editor series is an introduction to one of our all-time favorite methods: Uncontrolled AI Aircraft. As with our previous entries in this series, it is important to have at least a basic understanding of how to use the mission editor. What Are Uncontrolled AI Aircraft When placing AI controlled aircraft group in the mission editor, do it the same way you would any normal group. Select its weapons in the Payload tab, then plan its waypoints and tasks in the Route tab. When this group is placed on airfields, heliports, naval vessels or forward arming and refueling point and set to Takeoff From Ramp with the Uncontrolled option activated, this group will appear at its assigned location in a standby state - unmoving. At this point, you may be asking if that just makes it a static unit. The answer is both yes and no. A static object in DCS World has no AI processes tied to it. You can imagine them as unmoving objects in the shapes of vehicles that do drive, fly and sail. However, even when attacked, they do not do anything. Static objects are very useful for filling out areas where combat will happen to appear densely packed with hostiles, or decorate activate airfields with trucks, aircraft, and other vehicles. And with an almost non-existent impact on the processing power DCS uses to render them, you can use about a hundred of them with little to no performance impact. You can think of an Uncontrolled AI aircraft as a fully capable unit, sitting on alert awaiting an assigned Trigger Action to start their mission. Until that action is received, they are essentially static vehicles. However, once the action is received, the aircraft comes to life. Summary of Benefits Let us summarize the benefits of utilizing this type of unit in your DCS World missions: Uncontrolled Aircraft must cold start the aircraft, taxi and take off the same way human players do. This can make tracking the activity of opposing aircraft more realistic, as they now operate more like how the human players do. A mixture of Uncontrolled Aircraft and Static Object aircraft can populate air bases in ways standard AI controlled aircraft cannot. Visually, these airfields appear more vibrant and important to players. Further making them enticing locations. Uncontrolled Aircraft also force a finite number of aircraft per airbase. Rather than an airfield having a seemingly endless amount of hostile aircraft that are guaranteed to spawn, there can only be as many Uncontrolled Aircraft as there are slots to park them. For players, this is a form of progress. Using this method, it is possible to render an air base ineffective by destroying its aircraft over time. This method creates opportunities for human players to attack Uncontrolled Aircraft while they are still on the ground. A flight of aircraft that may be a threat later in the mission can be destroyed early on, if players can successfully reach them. This makes risky attacks against defended air bases more valuable to players. Some module creators have created unique static models to show the aircraft in a ready to cold start state. With engine covers on and boarding ladders extended, they show a model not frequently seen by players. Example: Basic Combat Air Patrol Assigning one or more Airplane Groups as defenders of their own airbases is one of the easiest ways to utilize Uncontrolled Aircraft. If a large Trigger Zone is set around the home base of the Uncontrolled Aircraft, it can be used a boundary that, if crossed by the opposing force, will scramble the parked Uncontrolled Aircraft into the air. In this example, let us call the airplane groups Flight Alpha, Flight Bravo and Flight Charlie. We will also use a Trigger Zone called Base Defense Zone, which will be an important part of this setup. We will set this up in a step-by-step guide. Step One: Setting the Trigger Zone Create a Trigger Zone named Base Defense at a size of roughly, 600000 feet or 182880 meters. This will make the zone roughly 100 nautical miles or 180 kilometers in diameter. Place this zone at the center of the airfield that Flight Alpha, Bravo and Charlie will be operating from. Step Two: Setting up Flight Alpha Create Airplane Group Flight Alpha, set its weapons, waypoints and tasks. The waypoints should keep the aircraft protecting the air base by flying around it in some way. It is important that the second to last waypoint is not a "Landing" type waypoint at the home base, but a Landing Rearming and Refueling waypoint with a 15 to 30-minute timer. The last waypoint should mimic the position, speed and altitude of Waypoint 1 with the task Perform Command "Go To Waypoint 2". This will start a Repeating Patrol Route. So long as the aircraft can land at the air base, refuel and rearm, they will continuously fly this patrol route. Try to keep its tasks for this group to include Search and Engage targets within the desired distance from Flight Alpha. In this example, let's call it 35 nautical miles. Do not let this group have the task "CAP". It is very important to make sure the "CAP" tasking is deleted. By keeping this group and other groups set to Search and Engage within a certain distance, they will maintain their patrol route. Set Flight Alpha to group to Takeoff From Ramp, Uncontrolled. With Flight Alpha still selected, open its Triggered Actions. In that menu add "Start" from the Perform Command set of tasks. Label this task "Start Flight Alpha". Step Three: Preparing Flight Bravo and Flight Charlie Repeat the same process in Step Two to create Flight Bravo. However, under Triggered Actions for this group, create a Start command. Name this command "Start Flight Bravo". Repeat this process for Flight Charlie. Make sure the Start command for this group is labelled "Start Flight Charlie". At the start of the mission, both flights will now be on standby in their Uncontrolled state, awaiting a condition to be met to force them to perform the Start command. Step Four: Activating the Trigger Zone We will now make the trigger zone made in step one an important part of this example. Open the Triggers tab in the mission editor. Create a Type Once Trigger Zone with No Event. Set the Condition as Part of Coalition In Zone (Coalition: Blue, Zone: Base Defense, Type: All). Set the Action as AI Task Push, Start Flight Alpha. Now, when any Blue coalition fixed-wing aircraft enters the Base Defense trigger zone, Flight Alpha will begin their cold start procedures, taxi to the runway, then takeoff to their assigned waypoints. Flight Bravo and Flight Charlie will remain on the ground in their Uncontrolled state. Step Five: Conditions for Activating the Other Flights Create a second Trigger in the Trigger tab. Set it to Type Once, No Event. Name it Start Flight Bravo. Set the Condition as Group Dead, Flight Alpha. Under Actions, create an AI Task Push action for "Start Flight Bravo". Now, when Flight Alpha is shot down, Flight Bravo will cold start their aircraft, taxi to take off and follow their waypoints and tasks. Repeat this process, but make the Trigger name Flight Charlie. Set Group Dead as Flight Bravo and AI Task Push Start Flight Charlie. Now, when Flight Bravo is shot down, Flight Charlie will start their aircraft. Congratulations, using Uncontrolled AI, you have now created a basic layered combat air patrol that protects an airfield, while also naturally opening up the aircraft parked on the ground to attacks of opportunity. The next time we discuss Uncontrolled AI, we will be looking at medium-level applications of this method for more complex scenarios. 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]

A brief appreciation of the freedom of vision The freedom of head movement during simulated flight is something that is hard to forget once you have tried it yourself. It is why, in my opinion, the addition of head tracking support to any flight title is a major plus. When I think of head tracking and flight simulation, I think of combat and sightseeing. I think of keeping my eyes on a bandit as we enter a rolling scissors. I think of looking across the wing of a Daher TBM 930 as the sun rises across the landscape. A few recent sessions on GroundFall made me appreciate head tracking differently. Not for combat, not for cinematic views, but for survival. GroundFall is a bush flight simulation title that can be defined as a non-combat game. Though rifles and sharp tools may need to be used for hunting or defense again wildlife, that is different from an armed conflict against other human beings. Survival here is staying out of the elements, remaining fed, hydrated, rested and avoiding physical harm while still completing any tasks at hand. The aircraft is the most effective tool for exploration and survival. To protect this tool, good pilotage is key. All it takes is one or two rough landings to damage the aircraft long-term. There are only so many tool boxes / repair kits players can find and store on their person or in the aircraft. A warped wing or missing flight surfaces can result in GroundFall becoming a hiking simulator very quickly. Before the addition of support for Natural Point TrackIR head tracking, I must say that view controls were somewhat clunky in this game. Especially on a game pad controller. While in flight, it was rather inconvenient to hold a button while using a joystick to slew the view. Most of the time I found myself not bothering too much with this method. Instead, I opted for making multiple passes over a potential landing strip with the view locked in the 12 o'clock position. Head tracking in GroundFall simplifies the process. TrackIR is enabled from when the game is launched and only controls the cockpit camera. Players just need to run the TrackIR software on their end and recenter the cockpit camera in game by using the TrackIR re-center keybind. Being able to use both hands to maintain control over the aircraft while turning my head does wonders. I would even go as far as saying it changes the experience of flight in game. In a way, it was almost like I was reminded about the importance of this ability after being without it for a time. I can remember the moment this appreciation came back to me. I found myself circling above the treetops, visually reconnoitering a flat strip of dirt. My aircraft had a damaged flap, meaning I would have to land a bit faster than I would like to, to avoid fighting asymmetric lift at very low speeds. As I evaluated if the rocks dotting this potential landing site were small enough to handle on landing, I was able to spot a number of deer occupying the middle portion of the landing strip. With fuel getting low, I opted to fly back to the main airfield to land safely on a longer prepared runway. Now my strategy relies on overflying potential dirt airstrips looking for obstructions and orbiting random cabins in the woods, planning out a way to reach them. All while being safely above danger. I have not had any near-miss encounters with a family of bears toddling down the runway, so things are really looking up! 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.

If I were to ask you, what would be the first thing that comes to you mind when I say "DCS"? For some of you it would probably be something along the lines of "in-depth simulation" or "complex", and to that I would agree. DCS is a simulator built from the ground up to be able to give its users the closest they can get to being a fighter pilot from the comfort of their chairs. Instead of talking about that side of DCS, today I wanted to talk about the other side of it. One that relies of its simplicity to thrive: non-clickable aircraft. Specifically, the only one that exists at the moment, which would be Flaming Cliffs 3 (FC3). This module, which dates back to 2013, is one of the, if not the, best starter module one can buy. It not only includes what I could consider to be the best bang for the buck experience in DCS as of today, but it also allows more casual players an entry point into the community and the simulator as a whole. Here is what it offers for those of you that do not know: A-10A WARTHOG The oldest version of the Warthog in-game. It still has the capabilities to be a fun aircraft that is also able to tear through enemy lines like they are Christmas cookies. F-15C EAGLE One of the best fighters in the game, the Eagle is able to gain air superiority for any faction that uses it. Lots of fuel, ammo and missiles that make it capable of destroying everything in the sky, but it is still unable to do any kind of air-to-ground missions. SU-33 "SEA FLANKER" The cheapest way to get a combat-capable carrier-borne fighter. It is a joy to fly and to fight on, alongside being the only red-for aircraft that has air-to-air refueling capabilities. SU-27 FLANKER AND J-11 FLANKER-D A capable interceptor and dogfighter, the Flanker is one of the only aircraft in-game that can pose a threat to American-made fighters. The J-11 is also available, with R-77 missiles at its disposal. This would make it the only Flanker variant capable of launching "FOX-3"-type missiles. MiG-29A AND MiG-29S One of the best interceptors in-game. The A variants has access to older avionics, sensors and weapons while the S has access to a better radar suite and modern weapons, such as the active-radar R-77 missile. SU-25 FROGFOOT Not to be confused with the Su-25T that comes with the base install, this Frogfoot is an older and less capable variant of the same aircraft. That does not mean it is not a bundle of fun regardless of its lack of capabilities. FC3 comes with all of these aircraft and its campaigns for far less than what it would cost to buy a single module. So, what is the catch? What makes this module so cheap with this much content? THE CATCH AND CONTENT ISSUES Coming back to my initial question, one of the proposed answers was "complex". FC3 is the ONLY module inside of DCS that does not have clickable cockpits. This is, as I am about to discuss, a double-edged sword. The fact that it does not have clickable cockpits lowers the entry bar a lot, making it easy for everyone to get into the sim as I previously discussed. By the contrary, by making these aircraft non-clickable you are also losing so much of what makes DCS special. I do not know if it is because I have almost a decade and a half of simulator experience but what makes this sim special is the fact that I can interact with almost 1:1 replicas of real fighter aircraft and touch their cockpits. Learn their cockpit flows and what makes them unique. You miss most of that with FC3. The fact that FC3 does not feel as in-tune in DCS as it could derives from the fact that the Flaming Cliffs series as a whole used to be its own franchise, one that was completely separate from DCS. In fact, this franchise dates all the way back to the early 2000's, when DCS was but a dream in someone's mind. The basis of what would become FC3 were set with the release of FC2 in 2010. Here, enjoy some nostalgia with me by watching the FC2 trailer: When everything merged into DCS:World; FC2 and by extension its upgrade, FC3, also merged with it. It was the smartest and easiest choice since including their rosters increased playability by an incredible amount. But we are now in a different DCS than we were. One that has dozens of full fidelity modules and third party add-on that greatly increase the variety of aircraft we can fly. Flaming Cliff aircraft now feel kind of like relics from the past. For better or worse. Do not get me wrong, I love them for what they are and understand that they have their purpose inside of DCS, but they are just not the same as any of the other modules. Hell, they have received visual and functional upgrades over the years: new weapons, new flight models, new PBR textures, etc. But they still feel like they would belong better on another game. Hence, my next point and the main purpose of this article. THE FUTURE OF NON-CLICKABLE AIRCRAFT: MODERN.AIR.COMBAT (MAC) It has been over 8 years since Eagle Dynamics has released any aircraft that is not full-fidelity, so they have shown that that is not their focus when it comes to DCS:World anymore. And from today's poll on our twitter, it seems like at least half of our voters (thank you all for participating, even if only over 50 of you did prior to publication) prefer only flying full-fidelity in DCS, with a certain percentage liking both FC3 and Full-fidelity aircraft. This is where Modern Air Combat enters the scene. Announced a couple years back, MAC is the true successor to LOMAC and FC3. It will be an independent AAA title developed by Eagle Dynamics that promises to deliver a similar experience that those older titles but with today's comfort and technologies. M.A.C is where these non-clickable aircraft will shine, as they do not need to be compared with full-fidelity aircraft anymore. I do not think that FC3 is going away, it has its purpose inside of DCS, but any other future non-clickable aircraft will most likely be available on MAC, not DCS. I personally can not wait for this title to come out, as the market is in dire need of more sim-lite experiences. 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 content manager ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy #9034

Frontiers Reach has come to its next major milestone in development. With the core elements of the game now in place, it has officially left early access on March 1st, 2023. While exciting, the lead up to big dates like these usually have the developer working harder than ever to polish the product before release to the public. Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza from Skyward Flight Media was fortunate enough to slip in a release day interview with the lead developer from Blind Alien Productions. I'm sure there's a lot of last-second preparation going on, thanks so much for accepting our interview. Absolutely! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about and share the game. As for the introduction, my name is Scarlett Toney, or on the internet, you will likely see me listed as Soliloquis (Soh-lil-oh-kwis). I am the lead developer on Frontiers Reach and am personally responsible for about 80-90% of the game's artwork, code, design, and writing. But even with that kind of contribution from just myself, there have been a LOT of other supporters and contributors to the game over the past two, almost two and half years of development. It's been a wild ride, and despite all the bumps and distractions, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've met some awesome people. Learned some great new skills. And I've managed to open up more career opportunities for myself and those who have contributed to the project, which is awesome because that was my goal from the get-go. Frontiers Reach is out of early access! Congratulations. How is the team at Blind Alien Productions feeling about this next major step after roughly two years of development? We're all pretty excited. The voice actors are keen to hear their performances laid out in their entirety. The composers are eager to hear their music in tandem with the visuals. However, I'm already planning the next steps for the further expansion of Frontiers Reach not just as a game but as a series, and the team is ready to support me where and when I need it. Is Frontiers Reach the first game the studio or any of its developers have worked on? I would classify this as our first major title. We've got another, smaller title called 109 up on Steam that is very abstract and an early concept I want to try another go at later down the line. One of the other founders has worked on other projects apart from BAP and even won an award for one of them. I myself have worked on corporate software using Unity for nearly 8 years having, deployed over 30 pieces of software across, I think, maybe 5 different countries. So certainly not my first rodeo. The story of Frontiers Reach being about escaping war rather than trying to become a war hero sticks out in my mind. How did the concept for this game start? This actually dives a bit into my family's history here in the United States. In fact, just this past week, I went and looked at the Cherokee Indian Rolls (I've done this once every few years to see if they had been effectively indexed onto the internet) and found both sides of the family have their surnames on 2 of the lists of Cherokee who (as I understand it) have their ancestry in the Trail of Tears. We know for a fact that we have Great Grandparents who were Cherokee and/or Choctaw. At this point, it's just a matter of finding out if we are actually related to anyone on the rolls. It may be the French/English side of my family is just too prominent to warrant a reconnection. Regardless of the outcome of the efforts I've stated above, the universe of Frontiers Reach is based loosely off the of the time period of the American Frontier both before and after the American Civil War. In some ways, the story of Frontiers Reach is the story of the Cherokee people and those who settled with them. But it's also the story of America as a whole. Because it wasn't just the Cherokee people who were displaced, there were many. There was even a vast number of Europeans who displaced themselves, seeking hopeful new lives on the frontier only to be met with the harsh realities of what that actually meant. Starvation. Isolation. Malnutrition. Disease. War with the Indian Nations out west. The list goes on. To be a bit more specific though, the story follows a group of people who are the descendants of the earliest days of space colonization. Some feel entitled to the old frontier. And others feel they should pursue another, new frontier. At the core there are questions about getting caught between two super powers. Being a hero not to an entire galaxy but to a small group of people who may only really matter in the context of your experience through the galaxy. And last but not least, giving the player some agency over whether they want to take their fleet into the unknown to start something new, or go headlong into a major conflict alongside a new body of governance that may or may not achieve its goals. I think this is one reason I've actually had some trouble getting people to work on this. Because for most, the old frontier ways are gone, but for the few I have found who are from the old ways and who have gained tech skills, it has been difficult because of the pain of bringing up old memories. The flight model this game uses has received some vague criticism in the past. I was surprised to find it more flight simulator-like rather than flight arcade. What are your thoughts on the flight model? So I was definitely trying to go for something a bit more simulator like. I love popular sci-fi like Star Wars and Star Trek, but Frontiers Reach is based more on my love for aviation and aerospace history than my love of science fiction. I think that might be where people are going to get hung up on it. This is sci-fi according to someone who is an aviation nerd. The design of the starfighters is undeniably a highlight—especially the cockpits. Instead of being covered in holograms or touch screen panels, I could sometimes swear I was sitting in a forgotten Earth aircraft from the late-1950s. Why was this design choice made? So yeah. Remember when I said I was an aviation nerd? So, my mother's side of the family is from southwest Ohio, which is known for a rich heritage in aviation. I even lived about 15 minutes away from where the Wright brothers built the Wright Flyer. Basically, we came out of the woods to move closer to my stepdad's family and were living so close to Wright-Patterson AFB I could walk out my front door, go about 100 meters down the street and see the perimeter fence around the base with planes landing and taking off in the distance. Additionally, my father's side of the family is from northeast Arkansas, which is rice farming country for as far as the eye can see and requires crop dusters to effectively fertilize in a timely manner. And when I served in the United States Army I spent my last 4 years in as an Infantry Scout walking, driving, and yes even flying (riding in Chinooks mostly) where ever we needed to go. So real world aviation has been a staple of my life since I can remember. And simulator aviation too, in some respects. I grew up playing Janes WW2 fighters and dabbled with Fighters Anthology a bit. I also had a copy of Mig Alley, but we rarely had a computer that could run these games effectively and money was always tight, so my experience with these titles was always limited. Do you have any recommended starfighters players should try out as soon as possible? Before getting the Condor in this last month, the Hoplite or the Atlatl would have been my recommendation. But right now, the Condor is really feeling nice and the visuals of watching it do its thing while you're flying and fighting are spot on. Has the development of additional supported controllers and software to augment the game impacted how it has been received so far? (flight sticks, Track IR, etc.) Not really. Frontiers Reach hasn't really had a big player base from the get go, and I kind of expected that. It's actually one of the reasons why I tried to keep other people's money and emotional investment out of the project as much as I have because it is a very strange combination to have in a game. So simply adding a new controller capability to the game hasn't affected much, but for the people it has brought in, I would hope they are enjoying the game. I believe this game is much larger than people think it is. With a story mode, optional side missions for the story mode, the WARMAP, recently added instant action, and even seasonal events, it does make me want to ask: is there a set list of content the team is working towards completing? So the plan was always to have a lengthy story, with side quests that could be completely skipped, and with some kind of dynamic conflict map of some sort that would have story missions sprinkled throughout and the occasional seasonal event mission. Everything would be kept to being around 20 minutes in activity time so that it would keep the workload on the team light, but more importantly, it would be something adults could engage with. We're all adults who like complex games that are challenging, but we don't always have the time to sit down and engage with a piece of content for 4 hours out of the day. I am still developing with that plan in mind and also have plans to create a mission builder into the game similar to the one in Janes WW2 fighters. With workshop integration. With a galactic conflict spanning over 40 locations, the WARMAP by itself could be a standalone game. Please discuss the development of this game mode and where it stands today. It's funny because I've had someone else say the same thing, but when you get under the hood, the reality of the matter is that the WARMAP exists because of all of the work done on the campaign. I designed a data model early on in the development that allowed for all of the exact same tools used in the first act of the campaign to be leveraged for the WARMAP. In fact, that was the intention the entire time. The missions for Act 2 in fact, are intended to be played out on the WARMAP with the player building a fleet via rescuing vessels in distress. I've still got some work to do on that front, though, so I don't want to dispense with the details too much. To get the WARMAP up and running though what I had to do was get two AI bots to roll dice over some nodes. Then I piped in my data model that I had been using to give the player access to missions all throughout the story mode. So the WARMAP system is using that exact same data model to control which missions are available based upon who owns what nodes and what the current defense condition for that node is. There are a bunch of calculations going on between the 2 AI bots rolling dice. Things like how many commanders are available. What their connection to the logistics lines looks like. The list goes on. On release day, the WARMAP will be in a sandbox-like state until Act 2 is ready to go. Despite the volume of content, the Steam page describes the overall experience as "adult accessible." Could you explain this a bit more? So when we say "adult accessible" what we mean is that the activities could be played on a lunch break once you get through the learning curve. I want to touch on what may be a delicate subject. I want to discuss this to highlight something distinctive about the team. In December 2021, significant decisions were made. Development was put on hold, the team was reformed, and the original Kickstarter was canceled. Could you describe what happened? Yes. I started the project alone in my then studio directors basement after having lost my apartment when my roommates all left to go be with family as the covid lockdowns were going into affect. During that time, I met a young programmer on reddit and we hit it off in terms of working together. Other people eventually joined the team and I was expecting, and even stated it on multiple times, that everyone was going to self-manage and get their work done. The young programmer was doing this. He even spent 6 to 8 hours on voice chat over Discord with me; teaching me and helping me integrate his work. As far I understand, he like myself was always kind of on the fence about the Kickstarter (I'll explain my hesitation on this in a moment). But we were both optimistic about the idea of doing it in the future. The problems started when I had to take a day job to legit avoid becoming homeless and could not effectively manage the team anymore. The quality of the work was never where I wanted it and I couldn't actually focus on the artwork the way that I wanted because I was having to use all of my time off from work to try and manage people who told me they were good to self manage their own work and get things done. They may hate me for it. But from my perspective, we were missing deadlines internally and quality was suffering immensely. I had no confidence in the team's ability to actually deliver on much of anything and I had no time or energy to effectively manage anyone. So the thing I started as a place to learn and grow as an artist and to serve as a sort of artistic therapy, as I am a veteran of war and do indeed have PTSD, became a consistent point of stress for me. In fact, the reason I get as much work done on Frontiers Reach is because I have PTSD induced insomnia which leaves me awake for 18 to 20 hours a day. But those hours need to be low stress or I start having serious health problems and can't actually get anything done. And if I get stressed out enough, I will completely cut off and isolate entirely. A consequence of being from 2 families who have spent almost 250 years living in relative isolation in the wilderness. When we're wounded /offended/whatever we don't attack the offender so much as we just take what is ours and we go somewhere else. In my case, that was quite literally 90% of the game. In the end I think a lot of it came down to priorities and differences in goals and life circumstances. As for the Kickstarter and my aversion to it, I've backed Kickstarter/crowd funded projects before. Star Citizen comes to mind. Not only has the development time been way longer than I expected (and I remember the rumors around Freelancer), but it's just gone in a completely different direction from what I was expecting. Long story short, I don't want to give someone that experience. I'm sure it's probably already happened though. Just sucks. Thanks for sharing such a personal aspect. I brought this up because events like these have the power to cancel games before they're out of early access. It's a formidable obstacle for any development team. I believe "tenacity" is a word that describes how your team consistently tackles any hurdle it comes across. Since the shakeup, does Frontiers Reach feels closer to what was initially envisioned? In some ways it feels very much like the core structure of what I originally laid down in the design document. But the design document was quite vague to begin with. I didn't want to lock myself into a specific set of gameplay features early on so instead, I defined the GDD in vague terms to allow for the freedom to develop in new directions along the way. The core of that document was always "launch from a carrier in a retro cool starfighter to complete story driven missions around the galaxy in a large interstellar conflict". With the game moving into its next phase of development, are there still tweaks and quality-of-life improvements to be made? Oh yes. I'm expecting to get a swarm of feedback after the release. I will have to check the number again but if I recall there are a few hundred wishlists that we're on. People literally waiting for us to give them the thumbs up that the story is good to go for them to dive into. What's the next big step for the team? Getting much more organized and legitimized. We've scattered and working remotely for some time now. But our goal is to find a house somewhere that is cheap with fiber internet and to build a home studio into. The entirety of the core team is war veterans and we've a habit of sticking together, so getting a good foundation beneath our feet to keep developing games and telling stories is our next big goal. Is there anything you'd like to express to new players interacting with Frontiers Reach for the first time? Please have fun! And try to let your mind run wild in something truly different for a change. I've done what I can to bring something of the entire worlds history into a sci-fi experience that isn't going to sugar coat the realities of hard living, but that can also serve as medium to ask some really hard questions about the expansion of civilization and how that affects the people who live on those "frontier lands" in something that resembles a neutral space where personal emotions are less likely to run high. Thanks so much for the interview! Again, congratulations on the next phase of this game's release, and good luck to the team going forward! About the Interviewer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile.

The beauty of indie games is their willingness to do the unexpected. To intentionally step outside of the well-worn pathways games have followed for decades. No matter how complex or short they are, they have the potential to leave a lasting impression by trying something unusual. As a fan of, let's say, "non-traditional" flight titles, it's games like this that have a special place in my mind. Created by a five-person team, Eole is a short arcade flight experience available on Itch.io - a platform for just about every type of indie game you can think of. Dubbing itself a "contemplative flight sim" I could not help but wonder what that even means. After loading up the game, I was greeted by a rather artistic main menu. Taking time to appreciate it led to a nice and neat button rebinding screen that demonstrates button inputs by moving a miniature version of the player's aircraft on screen. It was a pleasant surprise to find that keys could be set for gamepads and flight sticks. Although more advanced controllers are a bit harder to set up, using the pre-game launch Unity menu to bind keys is recommended. This game is firmly arcadey enough for anyone to pick up and enjoy. The flight controls are nowhere near flight simulation level aside from knowing how to roll, pitch, and yaw to maneuver. Going full throttle and pulling straight up is enough to get the player out of most situations, and the penalty for a fatal crash is a quick reset of aircraft position somewhat far away from the impact site. Instead of being met by a busy metropolitan airport or a burning war-torn countryside, the game opens with a Cessna-like aircraft flying towards a pair of dimly lit yellow torches. Upon passing them, they turn to a bright blue blaze. In the distance are floating islands covered in trees, waterfalls, and mysterious ruins. There are no other in-game directions. Now knowing that the torches hold some significant meaning, seeking them out appeared to be the only way forward to whatever lay in wait. What was nice about having no direction was how it let my imagination soar. Zigzagging through trees leads to finding decayed homes and a dilapidated amphitheater. Flying between the arms and legs of Titan-sized statues of two warriors in combat made me question who they were and why such massive sculptures were erected. This line of thought continued as I flew past the next set of ruins discovered, and day and night, steadily cycled on. The only companions in this airborne archeological trip are the slow music and gusting winds. The name "Eole" translates from French to English to "Aeolus," the name of the Greek divine keeper of the winds and king of the mythical floating island of Aeolia. The brief description of the game's download page mentions a confederation of kings and their marvelous power that influenced the floating islands and continents below. While roaming the skies of what I assume is all that remains of their domain, I couldn't help but try to piece together what their civilization may have looked like. Or what exactly their great power was. The title "contemplative flight sim" then became clear. In a span of fewer than 30 minutes, this game certainly had me thinking somewhat seriously about even the most minor details of terrain or crumbled man-made structures. Eole isn't a genre-redefining game, but the vein of creativity it portrays is worth noting. Games like Flower, Sky Odyssey, and SKYE come to mind as I reflect on it. For anyone that has a decent computer and is in need of a calm flight session that costs nothing but a bit of their time, this free-to-download game is well worth it. Where do those torches lead? What is the forgotten power lost somewhere within that fantastical land? Why not find it for yourself? 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.

To say that I am excited for Heatblur's F-4E Phantom II module would be the understatement of the century. I am not only a fan of the Phantom as an aircraft, and quite fond of Heatblur's products, but some of my earliest memories with gaming and flight games were in front of my dad's CRT while flying a Phantom in Ace Combat 04. This aircraft means a lot to me, so naturally I have religiously kept up with all the news and updates related to the DCS F-4E. While I do know that I am not alone in this, I also know that not everyone has the time or will to stay updated, even more when most of the exciting information we have gotten about it is somewhat hidden away. Today, I want to try to collect as much official information as possible, so you can know what to expect from this module and know some of the features that will come with it. Of course, this is because the launch of this module is fast approaching. CAPABILITIES AND CONFIRMED FEATURES Before we truly start, I'd like to address that Heatblur does have their own FAQ for the module, but this one is quite old, meaning that some aspects of the module and its release have changed since its publication, but these changes have not been reflected in the page. The purpose of this article is to fill some of these holes to give you the most up-to-date picture about this module that we can, with publicly available information, that is. With that out of the way, let's start by stating some of the most obvious items: Initially, we will be getting two versions of the Phantom. One of this is an F-4E from around 1974, specifically one belonging it Blocks 36 through 45. This means that we are getting a post-Vietnam era Phantom with plenty of avionic upgrades as well as the Agile Eagle aerodynamic upgrade package! This means it will come with its leading edge slats, which, in simple terms, increase its turning capability quite a bit when compared to older Phantoms. The second one is mostly the same as the Block 36-45, but with the DMAS (Digital Modular Avionics System) package installed, which will allow this version to carry some "modern" weapons such as AGM-65 Mavericks, CCIP delivery modes for bombs, an improved navigation system and even the use of the Pave Tack targeting pod! Both versions will also use the APQ-120 Radar, an older and more primitive radar that still has some of the first iterations of features we have grown accustomed to in modern aircraft, such as CAA mode, similar to ACM on modern aircraft. The radar picture that it will provide will not be filtered, and since Heatblur is making a fully physically based radar, you will have to deal with a lot of ground clutter to spot your target. This leads me to the subject of simulation within the F-4E ecosystem. What Heatblur have shown, pre-release, is astonishing. They have reworked the way their RWR systems work and how they accurately detect radars now, depending on bands distance, emitters, etc. It is amazing to see what they have created just to give their users a realistic experience. Additionally, our Phantom will also have an amazing set of weaponry available for it, minding its timeframe and its block, some of which we have had confirmed only through images and Discord messages from Cobra847, Heatblur's Lead Developer. The most obvious are: Almost every version of the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile older than the Mike models. AIM-7E/E2/F Sparrow missiles Integrated/nose mounted M61 Vulcan cannon Almost every single Mk.80 series bomb imaginable, as well as their laser guided GBU counterparts (GBU-10/12/16) There are a couple of weapons and equipment that been spotted on videos and screenshots shared on the Heatblur Discord server, some of these include: GBU-8 & GBU-15(v) Electro-Optically Guided Bombs This is bomb is pretty similar to the AGM-62 Walleye in its function. It is an early glide bomb capable of being guided in real time through the use of a two-way datalink. It has a 2000lb warhead, so it will pack one hell of a punch. AGM-45A/B SHRIKE This anti-radiation missile will open up a new world of dedicated SEAD missions for any Cold War player, seeing as the only aircraft capable of launching this missile right now is the A-4E-C Skyhawk. Fun fact: Some of the modders that worked on the Skyhawk are now working with Heatblur on the Phantom, pretty neat! AN/ALQ-131 Jamming Pod Seeing here mounted on the on one of the recessed pylons, the AN/ALQ-131 will offer a pretty good jamming capability for the Phantom; at least as good as DCS allows. COCKPIT CUSTOMIZATION One feature we are also getting with the Phantom is going to be pilot customization! This means that we will be able to choose how our pilot looks, within the limitations of the module! As Cobra847 mentioned this about the system in their Discord: more info soon of course; but expect to be able to interchange gloves, suit/main equipment, mask, helmet interchangeably, etc. Additionally, it seems that different regional/export variants will also get their own custom cockpits. Since the F-14 uses the FORGE system, I would also expect that system to be a part of the Phantom, but that is just a personal theory without any base at all. THE HYPE IS REAL I'd expect the Phantom to release in this last quarter (2023), especially since the artist that made the OST for the module, Meteor, announced just a couple of days ago that he had to push his new album "Prophets" earlier than expected to avoid it conflicting with the album that he is making for the module itself. Here is the post. With this last piece of news, let's wait and see if we get our phantastic Phantom this year! 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

Lessons Learned, Ideas Reaffirmed, Future Events Happy New Year! As Skyward Flight Media enters 2024, I start the year by reviewing our recent community event on Digital Combat Simulator World. This event ran for three weekends in December 2023, totaling at least nine days of operations where players could jump in and jump out at anytime. Something important to note is that for our December 2024 event, we used a modified version of the Pretense Dynamic Campaign by Dzsek. This mission editor is known for incorporating complex aspects to missions like logistics, supporting ground forces, capturing territory and holding territory. Their missions automatically save progress in short intervals, meaning they can be played, rotated out, then played again later without losing progress - a rarity in DCS multiplayer focused missions. Skyward and the Black Aces made edits to weapons carried by aircraft, added the A-4E, C-130, and UH-60L mods and expanded the number of player slots in certain locations. All other credit for the mission goes to the hard work of Dszek. THE PILOT EXPERIENCE We had over a dozen pilots active in the server multiple times throughout the event weekends. They hailed from Skyward Flight Media, the Black Aces VRC aviation group and anyone else that got the password from our public posts about it. Whether they were talking in Discord channels, SRS, or elsewhere, players eventually coordinated their efforts to take and hold objectives. The scale of this mission was massive, taking up roughly 65% of the Caucasus map with over 40 locations to defend or capture. With progress being saved, running this mission for multiple three-day weekends was really the only way to have a chance at completing this mission in its entirety. The magic of multiplayer missions that are a bit more of a sandbox experience is that they incorporate just about every fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft in the DCS roster. Players can go from flying an advanced multirole fighter to a transport helicopter to a lightweight fighter, with each aircraft being viable in the scenario. It is somewhat hard to find such a balanced experience. The average session included far off surface-to-air missile sites were suppressed by Hornets and Vipers, while attack helicopters thoroughly destroyed land forces holding key areas. While brave pilots took less technologically advanced aircraft like the F-5E and MB-339 to interdict enemy convoys, waves of enemy aircraft performed ground attack and fighter sweep missions across the entire frontline. It was genuinely fun working with other players to coordinate aircraft capabilities, agree to focus on certain objectives, and manage the chaos that ensued. There was constantly so much going on across hundreds of nautical miles, it would have been difficult for BLUFOR players to react to each possible threat at once. This forced players to pick and choose where they would concentrate their efforts. Some players would dedicate themselves to specific roles, like suppression of enemy air defenses or combat air patrol, while patrolling the length of the always moving frontline or waiting at forward deployed air bases while monitoring the battle space. This was an interesting turn in player behavior, as it did take them some time and some serious air-to-air losses to adjust their overall strategy. More on this later. Fortunately, BLUFOR AI units had their own missions in the air and on the ground to push into REDFOR territory. They did this without any planned player controlled assistance. This really gave the feeling of an armed conflict unfolding in which players were just a part of the event, rather than the "stars of the show", if you will. BLUFOR human players fought alongside their AI counterparts to achieve victory. EMBRACING LOGISTICS The Pretense mission design incorporates a genuine logistics economy that effects both BLUFOR and REDFOR. Though, it primarily affects the AI war effort. The AI manages these logistics across every controlled territory to create defenses, rebuild damaged combat units, send armored vehicle attacks at enemy positions, launch air missions into enemy territory and launch support aircraft like AWACS and aerial refuelers. On the F10 Map, each BLUFOR location shows how many units of supplies it has available and if it is attempting to build something or launch a mission. As long as these areas had a sufficient amount of supplies, they were able to get these tasks done. Something that was wholly unexpected is that REDFOR, thanks to the limited inclusion of human controlled REDFOR aircraft, was able to heavily deplete BLUFOR supplies. To the point that logistics hit a critical state at BLUFOR airfields. One REDFOR pilot in particular, "Riko", took advantage of the poor coordination between human BLUFOR players during the first weekend of the event. He launched multiple interception missions deep into BLUFOR territory, destroying AWACS and tanker aircraft with little resistance. While this was an attempt on their part to blind BLUFOR aircraft, making them easier to attack on the frontline, this caused a massive drain on the supplies needed to replace these aircraft when destroyed. To the point that some of these airfields temporarily dipped into triple digit numbers, meaning they could almost no longer sustain air operations or even repair their own defenses. This caused a second unexpected reaction. While Skyward did add the C-130 mod and UH-60L mod to this mission, we genuinely thought they would not be used extensively. With the AI managing logistics, there technically is not a need to assist them. But when supplies were depleted this badly, a handful of BLUFOR pilots did step up. Using helicopters and the C-130, they moved supplies from other areas back to the airfields. During that first weekend, two players, "Cbanz" and "Mozz", flew the C-130 mod extensively to undo the deficit. As BLUFOR combat pilots learned a hard lesson that first weekend and changed strategy to prevent high value assets from being easily destroyed, "Cbanz" continued to fly the C-130. Even landing the hulking aircraft in narrow grass fields at frontline areas to move supplies where needed. This resulted in him becoming the top ranked player in the entire event by multiple ranks. To think that it would be a transport pilot who was at the top of the scoreboard... EFFECTIVE ROTARY-WING OPS This was briefly mentioned, but eventually there were multiple player controlled attack and transport helicopters active in certain areas of the frontline. They became so effective, they could fly into an area together, clear REDFOR from it and deliver squads of infantry to capture the territory they attacked just minutes ago. They accomplished what could take BLUFOR AI hours to do in just 30 minutes. This sped up progress significantly in certain areas of the frontline. If ground strikes could be coordinated with fixed-wing combat aircraft, helicopters could be en route as attackers and multirole fighters destroyed REDFOR in the area and kept the area clear until the helicopters arrived to complete the capture. It was a great sight to see. FEEDBACK, LESSONS LEARNED Overall, we were happy to hear that the December 2023 event was received well by those that participated. Listening to feedback, there were some things to learn on our end. There is a short list of changes that need to be considered in future events. Many of them were minor and easy enough to correct. Two of them did standout. First, the management of player controlled REDFOR aircraft. If an event is presented as a player vs environment scenario, the frequency of use and amount of these slots needs to be managed better. We intended these slots to be used to occasionally complicate things for BLUFOR, but it did hit a point to where it was nearly a full on player vs player scenario. The same happened to our October 2023 event in the last third of that mission. In the next original Skyward mission, if these slots are included, we must find a way to solve this problem. Second, unusual weapon restrictions. There was genuine confusion as to why the weapon restrictions were so oddly specific. One of the big things requested for this event was an emphasis on within visual range combat. Fox Three missiles were denied and eventually air launched cruise missiles and glide bombs were denied. Though GPS guided bombs were perfectly fine. All aircraft in the roster were made available for the sake of access but flew with these restrictions. Some aircraft, like the F-16CM and JF-17 only had close range infrared missiles to rely on. This became an odd stand between closer to a Cold War scenario. Players expressed that in the future, if these restrictions are to be in place, it would be better to just have it be a full on cold war scenario. Though, constantly restricting aircraft and weapon access can be grating. Rotating restrictions between events rather than making them universal would be best. Perhaps even "Cold War" and "Modern" versions for the same mission would be needed. PREMADE MISSIONS VS ORIGINAL MISSIONS While our October 2023 event was a completely original mission that took roughly four weeks to create and test, using a pre-made mission for December 2023 was certainly easier to set up. It took about two weeks to do the basic additions and changes that were mentioned earlier. All the heavy lifting was done by the mission editor that has the mission file posted for free use. The most we had to worry about was making sure any changes we made did not disrupt the more complex system Dzsek put in place. There were not glaring technical issues throughout the three weekends of our December 2023 event, everything ran smoothly. Comparing both events, the complete freedom of making an original mission from scratch does lend itself to more event specific goals. With no preexisting structure, things can be designed as needed. So long as the mission editor has the know-how, patience and will to design and test in private relentlessly. Though, that in itself can be immensely time-consuming. It can take weeks or months to design a solid multiplayer mission that can be used by large groups of people. Going forward, Skyward may need to be more focused on creating original missions for future large-scale public events, while including occasional playthroughs of lightly modified missions designed by other mission editors. THE NEXT EVENT? While there are no confirmed dates at this time, a pair of Skyward mission editors are discussing what the next potential event could be. What is certain is that an original mission, designed from the ground up by Skyward staff, is to be used for the next event. There is an alternate version of the mission used for the October 2023 event and an original mission on the Syria map that is fully functional, but has not been used for any public events. A third mission set on the Persian Gulf map has been in development for the past two weeks, but is still in design and AI only testing phase. It will most likely not be ready for use by human players until February 2024. Keep an eye out for future announcements for events happening with our DCS server provided by Fox 3 Managed Solutions. Thanks again to every that participated in our last event. It was great to see you! 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.