Its Halloween time again, which means all the zombies, skeletons, and monsters are on the loose in Metro City! And to make things worse, they gave the all ghosts pilot licenses! But don’t worry, the Skeletons won’t fly because they “haven’t got the guts”. But now the skies are haunted and the trick or treaters are in danger. Grab your “ghost gun” and get to work!
Final Approach- Halloween Event 2017 introduces new achievements and trophy along with the Halloween-themed levels in Challenge Mode, and Free-Play.
Halloween levels include: Pumpkin Popping, Trick or Treating, and our Halloween Free Play. Collect both trophies to decorate your Flight Hangar! But don’t go looking for ghosts, because who knows what skeletons are hiding in your closet!
Welcome back to Final Approach and get ready to experience one of the best VR games, but in a whole new light…or lack of (insert evil laugh). But don’t come alone! We warned you!
Halloween Event starts October 1st and goes through November 1st
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Final Approach-By the numbers
When we launched in April with the HTC Vive, we had no idea what a crazy year was waiting for us-- through the launch of Pilot Edition and cargo drops all the way to the Oculus Touch release.
As a celebration of a successful year with Final Approach, we thought we would share some fun statistics with you all! We've been collecting analytics since the launch of Cargo Drop #1 on Final Approach and at launch with Final Approach: Pilot Edition. These are used to improve the game in many ways, but we found some fun numbers along the way.
We can't thank our players enough for spending almost two years of total playtime with us. From the number of birds scared to planes and helicopters crashed, we've got it all!
Without further ado, we present Final Approach: By The Numbers!
ENDED: Steam Winter Sale! 50% Off Final Approach
Happy Holidays, Pilots!
'Tis the season to give the gift of Final Approach!
It's been an exciting year of adventure with all of you-- from the launch of Final Approach on HTC Vive to Pilot Edition and our successful Oculus Touch launch for Final Approach earlier this month.
As a holiday gift to all of you, we are offering Final Approach 50% off for the Steam Winter Sale. Snag a copy for yourself, or gift one to a friend or family member with an Oculus Rift of HTC Vive.
It's the gift that keeps on giving, with hours of fun in virtual reality andFinal Approach: Pilot Edition for free! Every copy of Final Approach comes with a free Pilot Edition for double the fun.
Be sure to pick up this great holiday deal while it lasts- The Steam Winter Sale ends January 2, 2017 at 10AM Pacific Time.
Have fun playing in the world of Final Approach during the winter break, and have a safe and happy holidays!
-Phaser Lock Devs
Oculus Touch Launch + Price Adjustment
Happy Oculus Touch Launch!
We're excited to announce the launch of Final Approach on Oculus Touch systems. Hand-tracking is an essential part of the experience of Final Approach, and we’re extremely excited to offer our original game to players on Oculus Rift.
In the eight months since Final Approach has launched on HTC Vive, we’ve been amazed by the response from our fans. When we created Final Approach as a mere prototype at the Austin Roomscale VR Jam in 2015, we never would have imagined how it would develop to become the magical experience it is today. Constantly we hear how our game makes players “feel like a kid again” in our world of tiny planes and big challenges.
In order to continue reaching more fans with the fantastic world we’ve created, we will be permanently reducing the price of Final Approach and Final Approach: Pilot Edition to $14.99 USD. Today is a day that we expand the horizon for players to experience Final Approach through the launch of Oculus Touch, and we want t make it available to as many players as possible.
Additionally, we are happy to continue to offer Final Approach: Pilot Edition for free to any owner of Final Approach- and vice versa! If you have already purchased Final Approach: Pilot Edition on Oculus Home, the Touch version of Final Approach will be available for you to download for free. This bundle applies automatically with any purchase of either game on Steam.
**(NOTE: As of right now, the price of Final Approach: Pilot Edition has not been lowered on Oculus Home. To receive both games, purchase Final Approach on Oculus Home and Pilot Edition will be available for you to download for free. If purchasing on Steam, prices are correct and you will still automatically receive the other game when purchasing either Final Approach or Pilot Edition.)
We offer a huge thank you to all of our fans and community for their support of Final Approach thus far, and can't wait to hear about the adventures of new players on Oculus Touch.
You can purchase Final Approach for Oculus Touch on Oculus Home or here on Steam.
Happy flying!
-Phaser Lock Devs
ENDED: 24 Hours Left on Steam Autumn Sale
Greetings, Pilots!
We're pleased to offer Final Approach for 50% off during this year's Autumn Sale. We are also offering Final Approach: Pilot Edition for 50% off, as well. As always, if you buy one game, you get the other for free- no need to choose between the two!
With only a day left on the Steam Autumn Sale, be sure to grab Final Approach & Pilot Edition at this great price, along with the other great VR titles on sale.
The sale ends at 10AM Pacific time. Good luck picking up some deals, and happy flying!
-Phaser Lock Devs
ENDED: 60% Off Halloween Sale and Halloween Event
Happy Halloween, pilots!
We've had a great response to our Halloween event with this month's Halloween Cargo Drop, and are excited to be offering Final Approach 60% off for the Steam Halloween Sale. We're in the final hours of the sale, which ends November 1st PDT. As usual, you will receive a free copy of Final Approach: Pilot Edition with your sale purchase of Final Approach.
Don't forget about our Halloween event running, either! If you complete both Halloween Challenge Mode missions ('Pumpkin Popping' and 'Trick-or-Treating') with at least a 1 Star rating, you will receive a limited time in-game pumpkin trophy for your desk in the hangar! This event ends 10AM PDT tomorrow, so don't miss your chance to collect this special item.
Be sure to check out the other spooky titles on sale until tomorrow in the Steam Halloween Sale 2016, too.
Have a safe Halloween!
-Phaser Lock Devs
CARGO DROP #2 HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA
***UPDATE***
We've tweaked the criteria for obtaining the special Halloween event trophy announced with the update. Previously, you had to acquire a 3-star rating on both Halloween missions to earn the Pumpkin Trophy. We've changed this to earning at least a 1-star rating to encourage more pilots to enjoy the event! You can still only earn it until 10AM PST November 1st, though, so get to pumpkin popping and trick-or-treating!
***UPDATE***
Summary
Nothing is too scary for a pilot, not even spooky skeletons or ghosts... right? Well, it’s time to put your skills to the test in our latest Cargo Drop! It’s almost time for Halloween, and we’ve prepared a goodie bag of updates for Final Approach that will be sure to satisfy your VR sweet tooth.
As always, we’ve been taking in a lot of the feedback received in the past few months to put together this month’s update. We read every post in the forums, every comment on Reddit, and do our best to incorporate your feedback into updates that will keep you coming back to the world we created for you, the fans!
On to the Halloween Extravaganza! We’ve added some big features and content updates to the game, including Halloween-themed levels in Challenge Mode and Free-Play! We’ve also unlocked the first 7 levels, so new players can explore the different types of levels and see more of what the game has to offer.
Halloween Trophy Event
For those of you who have braved the story missions of Final Approach, you’ve already got some decorations for your desk in the hangar in the form of trophies. For our Halloween event, we’ll be awarding players a special pumpkin trophy for completing both of the Halloween Challenge missions with a “3 star” rating with at least one star during the month of October. You have until 10AM PST November 1 to get this special souvenir as a memento of your eerie adventures in Final Approach.
Well, what are you waiting for? Time to rev up your engines with Halloween cheer and ready for landing in some pumpkin-spiced, sugary and scary action!
Featured Updates
*Special Halloween Levels*
*Pumpkin Popping*
“Pumpkin Popping” mission added to Challenge Mode! Flex your multitasking skills to pop pumpkins that coordinate with the color of planes
*Trick or Treating*
“Trick or Treating” mission added to Challenge Mode! Transport trick-or-treaters to the Halloween block party and protect them from menacing ghosts lurking the streets of Metro City.
*Halloween Free Play*
Halloween version of Metro City added in Free Play Mode. You won’t be putting out fire on rooftops or helicopters- you’ve got ghosts to exterminate!
*First 7 Levels Unlocked*
Unlock levels 2-7 in Story Mode after level 1 is completed
Explore the various mission types and maps available in Final Approach
General
Upgrade to Unity 5.4, which gives:
Performance improvements
Single executable for both Oculus and SteamVR versions
Doppler effect on spatialized audio such as engine sounds
Hangar Trophies! Unlock desk trophies for completing missions
Added visible 10-second countdown that appears during the end of missions
Airport : Runway landing zone size increased by 50% and raised in the air. Should assist with landing large aircraft.
Bombs and Balloons (Mission 9) : Bomber values now copied from Greatest Airshow (Mission 10). Bomber now drops 2 bombs (instead of 3) in quick succession (instead of long delay between each bomb) which allows for more-accurate bombing and less friendly fire
Bombs and Balloons (Mission 9) : Lightning no longer hits the B2 bomber
Greatest Airshow (Mission 10) : Lightning no longer hits the B2 bomber
Bugfixes
Fixed Achievement “Baggage Man” : some luggage carts not counting towards achievement count
Fixed Challenge mission achievements not always being awarded after correctly getting 3 stars on the mission
Our in-game custom room resizer now accurately reflects how resizing works internally
Drone Test Day (Mission 7) : Fixed non-swimmers getting eaten by sharks sometimes not correctly failing the mission
Drone Test Day (Mission 7) : Fixed rare instance where not all the engineers could be carried by the helicopter at the same time
SubOptimal (Mission 15) : Fixed rare instance where none of the buttons on the sub were interactive
Happy Halloween, pilots!
-Phaser Lock Interactive
ENDED: VR Weekend Sale
Happy VR Weekend!
As a special promotion during the VR Weekend Sale, Final Approach and Final Approach: Pilot Edition will be marked down for 30% off. As always, any purchase of Final Approach will grant players a free copy of Pilot Edition- and vice-versa!
We're also proud to have Final Approach included in the VR Weekend Sale Bundle alongside some of the best VR titles available. Note that the existing bundle between Final Approach and Pilot Edition is still intact if you purchase Final Approach through the VR Weekend Bundle. If you decide to complete your collection of top VR titles and purchase Final Approach as part of the bundle, you will still get your free copy of Pilot Edition.
Take this opportunity to pick up Final Approach and some incredible VR titles for great prices. We're currently working on updates for Final Approach and Pilot Edition and can't wait to share them with all of our existing fans as well as the new!
As always, feel free to join us in the Steam forums for any questions, comments, or bug reports.
Patch Notes
Performance boost from FX object pooling: Specifically created to help Mission 7 Drone Test Day performance issue, but there should be boost in performance across the game in any scene with bullet impacts.
AMD graphics fix: The "previous_version" beta branch that was opened to allow AMD graphics card users to play the game while we worked through some issues is no longer available as we have addressed all the issues reported. All users that were subscribed to the beta branch will be updated to the latest version of the game.
CARGO DROP #1
Summary
Attention, pilots! Cargo Drop incoming to Final Approach!
We are proud to present our first "Cargo Drop" with extensive updates, feature additions, and bug fixes! Thanks to all of the incredible feedback from you since our launch last month, we've been able to incorporate some great features into this update. We’ve also added several bug fixes and balancing updates to Final Approach with the help of fans participating in our Steam forums.
Mission accomplished, pilots. We couldn't have done it without you!
We're so excited to introduce three big updates to Final Approach: Steam achievements, challenge missions, and leaderboards! These are features that add an extra edge to the game and that we're sure you'll all love. What pilot doesn't love a challenge? You can test your abilities against the clock and show off your accomplishments to all of your friends. The team is looking forward to seeing how the community enjoys these new additions.
Now, without further ado, here is the list of goodies included in the Cargo Drop:
Featured Updates
* Added Steam Achievements! *
Show off your feats of strength to friends with new Steam achievements!
45 Steam Achievements across a range of difficulty
* Added Challenge Missions! *
Introducing timed, objective-based missions in Challenge Mode! Earn a 1 to 3 star rating based on your performance
Challenge Mode is accessible from the menu select in the Hangar at the beginning of the game, alongside Story Mode and Free Play
Challenge Mode unlocks after completing the first tutorial mission
* Added Leaderboards! *
Gain virtual fame by flying to the top of the leaderboard!
Leaderboards are available for each mission across multiple categories (best completion time, best score, most Final Approach Points) as well as Challenge Mode
Leaderboards have viewing filters for Top 10 Scores, Top Friend Scores, and Scores near your ranking
General
Added error message if save or load game fails to main Start Screen and Flypad
Level 2 Spreading Your Wings is now shorter with slightly fewer objectives in order to get players into other environments faster (City, Airport, Midway)
Level 2 Spreading Your Wings required score for 2 and 3 stars adjusted to accommodate fewer objectives
Level 15 SubOptimal: enemy missile speed reduced by 10%
Added splish splash water impact effects to bullets fired from turrets and airplanes
Added ability in the Airport to temporarily pause moving cars when touched by the Player
Updated to Unity 5.3.4f1
Bug Fixes
Fixed planes landing on runways backwards due to approaching runway from wrong direction
Fixed Airport actors running around above ground level
Fixed Airport airplanes flying low enough to collide with Control Towers if the skies were heavily occupied
Fixed the cargo container pickup in Learning to Fly being gripped by the magnet at an offset position
Fixed helicopters flying sometimes crashing into buildings after dropping off carried objects and the AI taking over to fly the helicopter away
Fixed lights on some aircraft wing tips being in incorrect positions
Fixed helicable objects respawning with velocity after timing out
Fixed firefighting zoom points sometimes having water spraying without holding the trigger down
Fixed firefighting zoom points not displaying correct UI information on fire hose when putting out rooftop fires
Fixed ability to takeoff helicopters on fire without putting fire out by repeatedly giving them instructions
Fixed rare instance where many planes spawning at the same time would cause planes to overlap on spawn and explode
