PLAY WITH A PURPOSE, MAKE AN IMPACT AND SUPPORT TROOPS -- FUNDRAISE WITH ACE MADDOX AND #FTSOC, COURTESY OF #8BITSALUTE AND OPERATION SUPPLY DROP
Is gaming a good choice of medicine? We strongly believe in the positive side-effects that well-balanced gaming sessions can have on the human psyche, whether playing alone or with friends.
Did you know that playing games can be used as a therapeutic tool to help treat combat-related physical trauma? Those include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related mental issues, such as behavioural and distress anxieties. Gaming can also aid wounded military and veterans, many of whom are in permanent pain, allowing them to momentarily "zone out" and focus their attention on creativity and fun to enhance rehabilitation.
With that in mind, feel free to hit up our FLYING TIGERS: SHADOWS OVER CHINA 8-BIT SALUTE FUNDRAISER through the link below and consider making a donation. That way you'll support active-duty military, their families, veterans and last but not least, medevac units flying bravely to evacuate wounded comrades, often extracting from active combat zones while under enemy fire.
Join our mission at https://fundraise.operationsupplydrop.org/FTSOC
Photo copyright and courtesy of Operation Supply Drop. Used with permission.
Trivia: The USAAF first used airborne medevac in Burma toward the end of World War II, using Sikorsky R-4B helicopters. The first helicopter rescue was by 2nd Lt Carter Harman, in Japanese-held Burma, who had to make several hops to get his Sikorsky YR-4B to the 1st Air Commando Group's secret airfield in enemy territory, then made four trips from there between April 25 and 26 in order to recover the American pilot and four injured British soldiers, one at a time.
Hope 2017 is off to a good start for you all. We're getting ready for international release, thus a decent number of translations are being prepared for implementation courtesy of today's "Lingua Franca" update. Soon, air-combat action gamers in Germany, France, Poland, Spain, China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil, and more countries, can take to the skies in their native language!
(On a side note, the Lingua Franca moniker was chosen as a name for the final English update as the term fittingly means "a language or dialect used to make communication possible between people who do not share a native language").
Strings: Finalized English-language strings in preparation for translation and the upcoming multi-lingual/international release.
Performance: 3D-renderer now optimized for low-end PCs, circa +30% more efficient occlusion culling, resulting in lower stress on bandwidth.
UX: New default. Players can now toggle the free-roaming Panoramic Camera by holding Left ALT and moving the mouse to look around (if playing on MOUSE+KEYBOARD, for example).
GUI: Updated text-system for multi-player lobby and console/log output strings.
Aircraft: Implemented cockpits for amphibious fighter planes A6M2-N "Rufe" and SC-1 "Seahawk".
Audio/Music: Updated multiplayer lobby, mission result, and main theme tracks.
0.9.8.2 “KIPLING" AVIATION ART UPDATE — WATCH IT BELOW!
Sorry to be brief, in a bit of a hurry. Today's "Kipling" Steam update is a minor one and introduces the first set of hand-painted illustrations that strives to capture the mood, look and feel of aerial warfare in 1940s South-East Asia theatre of World War II, more commonly known as CBI (China-Burma-India). Enjoy the illustrations!
0.9.8.1 “TOUCHDOWN" UPDATE — WATCH THE VIDEO FOR DETAILS
It's a good Wednesday! The "Touchdown" Steam Update is live. In short; the single player campaign has been completed and full voice over has been implemented to all 12 missions, new cockpits added, an option is there to allow aspiring multiplayer pilots restrict/set the control-style for online matches, and, we've improved rendering once again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taArg7uji2w
Single player campaign mode. Completed, full with 12 voiced missions!
Rendering improved once again. Now aircraft, landscape and weather look richer and more vividly lit, especially if you’re running the game on the CINEMATIC graphics setting.
A new multiplayer setting lets hosts restrict control-style for matches. If you want to go head to head in an online game with players flying EXCLUSIVELY with the more advanced PITCH & ROLL setting, or with ARCADE only, grab this update, get airborne and knock yourself out!
Match modes have been renamed for clarification. For example, the MASTER OF THE SKIES multiplayer mode is now called DOGFIGHT VERSUS, and we’ve got ROCKET MATCH VERSUS and TEAM ROCKET MATCH, and so on.
Cockpits added for Japanese A6M2 Zero and the P-51D Mustang.
And hey, remember -- keep your pistol holstered at all times!
Ace Maddox
0.9.8.0 “ROCKET MATCH/GOBI" UPDATE — WATCH THE NARRATED YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR DETAILS
Happy to let you all know the latest FTSOC Steam update has finally gone live! New features include ROCKET MATCH, a fresh multiplayer mode that lets 2-16 players go head-to-head over the Chinese-Mongolian Gobi desert in a variety of fighter-jets, including the American P-80A "Shooting Star" and the Japanese Ki-201 "Fire Dragon" (Me-262a).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqX2kbmpR0
ROCKET MATCH multiplayer mode. This new mode lets 2-16 players fly head-to-head in rocket-equipped fighter planes. Aircraft include the P-80A "Shooting Star", the P-38L Lightning, the Ki-201 "Fire Dragon", the Mizuno II "Divine Dragon", the I-16 Polikarpov and the P-51D Mustang.
Campaign VO. Recorded and implemented complete American & British voice over dialogue for East of Martaban campaign mission.
New fighter-jets (with cockpits). Added the USAAF P-80A "Shooting Star" with cockpit and four skins. Japanese Ki-201 "Fire Dragon" with cockpit (and four skins) also implemented. Finally, Japan's unusual/experimental Mizuno Shinryu II "Divine Dragon" made available too, also with four skins.
Retrofitted Vildebeest cockpit. The RAF bi-plane torpedo fighter Vickers Vildebeest Mk. III finally has a (semi-open) cockpit view.
Field of View. Added and adjusted FoV (Field of View) for gameplay and cockpit cameras for improved visibility. Use (default) C / V keys to cycle back and forth to set/try the improved WIDE cameras.
New BRIGHTNESS option. Not entirely unlike GAMMA control, the new brightness option lets you adjust screen visibility (via DISPLAY SETTINGS).
New ENEMY CROSSHAIR option. Let's you adjust the size of the red sub-crosshair to improve enemy target visibility (via HUD settings).
Many thanks for your continued support, beloved Early Access customers!
And hey -- don't forget to pull out your landing gear on your way down.
Ace Maddox
CALLING ALL PILOTS - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO COMPLETE SOCIAL MEDIA MISSIONS!
Hello everyone. Just wanted to let you all know that we've updated FTSOC to 0.9.8.0 [I]silently[/I] in order to assess the new additions over the weekend while we make a few more changes. Full details will be posted on Monday, so please be patient.
Meanwhile, I wanted to suggest a number of volunteer Internet-missions to help us grow FTSOC as the full release nears, so here we go, and thank you in advance!
Facebook shares: share the most recent post on Facebook.
Twitter followers: follow @AirCombatAction on Twitter and get your friends to do the same.
We appreciate all your support!
0.9.7.0 “COCKPIT/CAMPAIGN" UPDATE — VIEW THE NARRATED YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR DETAILS!
It’s been quite some time since you’ve heard from us gamedev-mechanics here at Ace Maddox, so hopefully today’s additions will make you all pleased. Have a look at the spoken/narrated YouTube video below for the details.
YouTube Video URL: https://youtu.be/Zy4WPjSZ3Tc
Update History/Changelog:
<*>Four new cockpits and "wide" interior camera added. Hop inside the P-40E, Buffalo Mk. I, Lysander Mk. II or the Japanese Ki-43 fighter! If you're playing on keyboard and/or mouse, just press the V key to check out the newly added cockpit "wide" camera. And, there's also a refurbished bomb-targeting system for when you're seated in cockpit mode.
<*>Voice actors exhausted as Campaign nears competion. Development of FTSOC's historical single player campaign is almost complete. We've updated some of the older voices, while a multitude of actors have been working around the clock to record the remainder of the Campaign mission's screenplay in proper. We suggest you give the Campaign a full playthrough, so you can hear for yourselves.
<*>Controller vibration. For those of you who prefer to play/fly with a gamepad, there's now controller rumble for stronger "immersion".
<*>Improved rendering. Shadows and reflections look sharper and are more stable now, this specially noticeable when you're seated inside.
<*>Toggle HUD elements on the fly. Press the H key while flying to control displaymode of the various HUD elements (handy feature when recording video or FRAPSing stills).
<*>Ship models. We've updated most of the game's warship models, plus added a typical Southeast Asian wooden cargo ship, namely the Malayan Bedar (which, incidentally, does not look entirely unrelated to the Chinese junk).
<*>More Challenges. We've added two new mini-missions in the form of challenges, so go ahead and take that dusty old Vildebeest for a bit of tinfish-safari off the Akyab coast in the new TORPEDOGS challenge, or try out the bombs and machine guns of the Allied P-43A fighter in GROUND ATTACK.
<*>Added captured Japanese fighter. We've implemented a captured P-40E fighter, bombs included, to spice up multiplayer cockpit-dogfighting a little.
Nothing quite shocks the senses like the chilly winds and intense air-battles of 1940s southeast Asia. Today’s summery FTSOC Steam update not only improves multiplayer features, but also retrofits cockpit view/support, starting with a functional inside rendition of the RAF's tropical Spitfire Mk. V. Furthermore, a pair of new fighters have been made available namely the Allied P-47D “Thunderbolt” and the Japanese Ki-44 Shoki "Toji", each with a decent selection of skins and over-the-radio voice shouts in American, Chinese, Russian and Japanese languages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7evdu_0olw
<*> Added support for cockpit view. Just getting started on fighter interiors. Buckle up in the Spitfire Mk. V fighter in the Multiplayer, Dogfight or Free Flight modes (press "V" to cycle cameras/cockpit).
<*> Online features improved. Collapsed multiplayer JOIN/HOST menus for better overview and accessibility, improved lobby/match views, added Steam invites (via lobby and pause screens), Leaderboards readily accessible, Steam profile avatars used for both multiplayer games and match stats, adjusted formatting/layout to make native chat more pleasant (use RETURN/ENTER to toggle chat).
<*> Multiplayer modes. Flying below 200 ft partially hides you allowing for interesting escapes and sudden "jumps" on opponents. Player health for all multiplayer modes now displayed in the match stats/overview.
<*> Visuals. Improved scene rendering for increased shadow and tree stability on (resulting in a less distractive landscape view).
<*> Just for fun. Implemented real-time "documentary" color modes; sepia, black & white and vintage filters (available via the DISPLAY SETTINGS menu).
<*> Two new fighter aircraft. P-47D “Thunderbolt” and Ki-44 Shōki “Toji” fighters with multiple skins and voice shouts.
Enjoy your weekend,
Ace Maddox
0.9.5.1 “DOGFIGHT DAZE" UPDATE — TWO NEW AIRCRAFT; P-43A AND BF 109E, DOGFIGHT AI IMPROVED, MULTIPLE FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS
Don’t look back — someone might be gaining on you!
Today’s update adds improved dogfight AI and two new fighters, the Allied P-43A-1 “Lancer” (with Chinese ROCAF and USAAF skins) and, perhaps unexpectedly, a Japanese Messerschmitt! Germany supplied Japan with a number of evaluation Bf 109Es for comparison trials by the Japanese Army Air Force. The Allies, expecting to encounter those Bf 109Es in combat, assigned code name “Mike” to the Messerschmitts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9MYMy2G8eQ
Here’s the rundown;
Increased cool-down duration of arcade maneuvers to make them less spammy [in multiplayer and elsewhere].
Improved dogfight AI; AVENGING ACE and SURVIVAL modes now more challenging (not necessarily more difficult).
Better display support, the game now runs on three monitors with HUD elements in the center screen.
Began implementing skillshot/reward badge effects in dogfight modes, coming to multiplayer soon (in development, apologies for the rough polish).
Added a setting to toggle the hold (auto-camera) of OBSERVE TARGET function (that’s the F key on default setting M+K or K).
Invert X-Axis for the panoramic camera view now possible.
Fixed numerous crashes in the “EAST OF MARTABAN" campaign mission.
P-43A-1 “Lancer” and Bf 109 “Mike” fighters with multiple skins implemented.
Various minor GUI enhancements.
Until next time, lower away!
Ace Maddox
0.9.4.2 "PAGODA NEXUS" SPRING UPDATE LIVE -- LANDMARK SCHWEGADON PAGODA (IN RANGOON) REBUILT, IMPROVED ENVIRONMENT & STRUCTURES, SC-1 "SEAHAWK" AND J2M RAIDEN "THUNDERBOLT" FIGHTERS ADDED, "GARRATT" LOCOMOTIVE IMPLEMENTED, AND MORE!
As spring unfolds at last in all its glory, we're happy to bring you a new FTSOC update that we've aptly dubbed "PAGODA NEXUS" to reflect the inclusion of pagodas, those mythical stone temples of Burma (of the Tibetan kind, I should add, for those of you with an interest in architectural history).
Pagodas attract lightning strikes because of their height, and many have a decorated metal finial at the top of the structure, referred to as a "demon-arrester" to catch lightning, in the heaviest of monsoons.
Here's what you can expect will kick in after you rack up this little update:
Added pagoda structures, pillars and towers and temples and buildings, in campaign missions and on maps where historically appropriate. Check out the landmark Schwedagon Pagoda in the Rangoon map (Free Flight, Dogfight or Campaign Mission "RAID ON RANGOON" -- the choice is yours!).
Updated specs for many aircraft, work in progress. We appreciate the forum feedback, keep it coming! Tuning the firepower and accuracy of the Hurricane Mk. IIB and the Spitfire Mk. V is a priority (both in single player and in multiplayer).
New aircraft: Japanese J2M RAIDEN "THUNDERBOLT" fighter added, try it out over Rangoon in the middle of the night, the Schwedagon Pagoda can look quite impressive, if approached from the right angle.
New aircraft: American SC-1 "SEAHAWK" finally added to the Paradise Island DLC (available in the Deluxe version too). In multiplayer, all players can fly against the Rufe and Seahawk and on Phi Phi Island, provided the host has the DLC installed or purchased the Deluxe version.
Improved vehicles: New tanks, trucks (type 94 6-wheeled), army cars (type 95), searchlight vehicles, ambulances, and Type 98 AA units that are manned by soldiers (hear the enemy scream in agony as you unleash .50 cal fire upon them!).
Minor addition: The RAF barrage ballons in the Kindergarten missions are now roped to the ground in an effort to make the scenery look a little more realistic.
We've made a lot of smaller GUI enhancements, too numerous to fit in a bulletpoint, but for example, the (currently active) difficulty level is now color-coded in the main menu and in-game pause screen, and the radar display has been enlarged to clarify ground units (jeeps, tanks, army cars, trains).
Weeks from now, when you've become used the mild breeze and the greened world, flying coatless and care-free, we will make sure the storms of tropical summer monsoon strikes again.
