I heard there’s a new air combat sim in town – http://warthunder.com/
It looks ambitious, but, being hard core to the core, I’m rather taken aback by the arcade-style gameplay. Guess I’ll have to look closer?
Saw some familiar names in the forums. Felt like a dinosaur. Ha!
Next in line for publishing is “Wingman – The virtual pilot’s companion to team combat”. It’s been on the back burner for quite some time but I hope to finally put it on the market THIS year.
Here’s a short excerpt:
The fighting wingpair is an indivisible entity. It is brought together by the realization that no man is an island, that a single pilot is but a victim-to-be, regardless of his proficiency. It is also brought together by that peculiar human bond that manifests itself when two people goes through a struggle together, and prevail. This buddy-buddy relationship is most important for the fighting wing, for without it there is little apart from one’s general sense of duty to intervene when the going gets tough and the partner is looking imminent extinction in the eye. While it may seem out of place to invest a virtual relationship with such lofty sentiments, it is nevertheless true that even in the online world, friendships matter. Similarly, if a wingpair exhibits animosity or indifference it is very likely to shatter at the first instant. One simply has to be friends with one’s wingman, and show respect, affection and consideration. Honour binds online as well as it does in the real world.
In the online world it is easy to become an ace and wipe out five, eight, twelve bandits in a single mission, but it is extremely difficult to stay alive through a campaign that may comprise hundreds of sorties, which kind of lessens the glow. The online sky is extremely hostile: you are virtually assured of encountering the enemy on every mission, and multiple times in the same mission. In fact, there is such an abundance of targets that no single pilot can handle them on his own. In this environment teamwork should thrive, yet the contrary is apparent, which is confusing and illogical – what is the joy in finding yourself burning or dangling from a brolly at the close of every sortie? For those happy few who go to the trouble of winging up and doing battle with a measure of discipline and expertise, however, there is no end to the enjoyment that can be had. Make no mistake, online air combat is about having fun and the uninitiated may forgive us for finding pleasure in destruction. It is just a game.
Pilot Press 