StoneChain

I find it funny that people are so quick to dismiss subscription models. I will admit that my first reaction is the traditional, "I'd like to pay up front to own it", but especially in these days of digital downloads, it's not like you're buying physical media, nice thick user manuals and a cardboard box to keep it in. People balk at the idea of paying a subscription fee of $5/month, but how many (of us) shell out $60-70/year on the next iteration of our chosen franchise sports/flight/strategy game? As long as the subscription model entitles the subscriber to enjoy the very latest build of whatever version of the product is available at that time, then actually, paying $10/month might be attractive. It provides a smoother cash-flow for developers and incentives for everyone to remain engaged with the product. To be clear, I'm not advocating for or against a subscription model for Combat Pilot; there's a lot of water to flow under the Big E's hull before anyone starts thinking about how to sell it, I'm sure! And let's not forget that subscription models require different infrastructure to maintain than a more traditional model of direct sales (or sales through community hubs like Steam). I just find it an interesting subject and a (good) challenge to my traditional mindset!

Hi @Jason_Williams, First up, apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere - I've scoured most places and not seen anything about it. I'm fascinated by the concept of starting a brand new flight simulator like this and wonder just how far you have decided (or been forced) to "start from scratch". Are you building everything - engine included? Is there particular tooling or applications you have selected? Is there anything "off-the-shelf" that you can grab and then customise? If someone were to set about creating a new 2d platformer, or 3d FPS, there are some well-known game engines you'd jump straight to and you'd get sprite/model handling, physics, particle effects, etc. "for free". But how does that translate into the world of flight sims? Did you have a moment of staring at a blinking cursor on a blank screen in your chosen IDE?! Much has been said about hugely popular flight sim franchises being hobbled and restricted by their choice of underlying engine, but its understandable when you consider the alternative of a ground-up (if you'll excuse the pun) build. If you're willing to share any of the background techie details about the tools you and the team are using, then I'm genuinely interested. If it's a case of "need to know", trade secrets, then I completely understand, too! However you're going about it, you have my respect and admiration, as well as my backing and best wishes! Cheers!

No harm in taking some inspiration/influence from some of this. Not the arcade-y nature, nor the infinite ammo and unbreakable damage model, but the terror of the tracers coming up to meet you, the smoke filling the sky, the radio chatter, the feeling of being one small tooth on a cog in a grand machine; those are all things I'd welcome in a "fun" new combat flight sim.

Enterprise: America's Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Help Win World War II - Barrett Tillman

Hello from New Zealand! I've been a flight sim enthusiast for as long as they've existed and also an avid consumer of WW2 history; a tragic period for millions, but also a seemingly endless source of stories of true heroism and bravery (terms that are chronically overused these days). I came across Combat Pilot having read (or at least listened to the audiobook version of) the book "Enterprise: America's Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War II" by Barrett Tillman, which I'd highly recommend (even if only to be able to say the word Fightingest!). The stories of the Big E and her various Captains, crew and battles are astounding and to be able to re-enact any aspect, in any small way, would be a wonderful thing. I can't believe it's been so long since this aspect of aerial warfare has been tackled in a sim! To fly CAP, go on recon/scout missions, dive-bomb some enemy flat-tops, support ground invasions and attempt torpedo-runs on tankers and battleships... then return to the fleet and try to catch the wire on a pitching deck... ideally in an immersive VR experience. Wow. If you can tick any of those boxes, it will be stunning. Good luck to the whole team. Can't wait to see what you produce and, if the opportunity arises, to help in any way I can. I hope to be able to call myself a (virtual) plank owner at some point in the future.