The updates will primarily be focused on what I believe to be Aviassembly’s biggest shortcoming: the game is too short and not very replayable. Please let me know if the list below is missing any features or changes you think are essential.
April: Physics
Aviassembly's physics have always been designed with accessibility and simplicity as a priority over simulation depth. This means there will always be a ceiling to how complex the physics can get. That said, there is still room for improvement, and ways to add more depth to the game.
Features
- Rebalancing helicopters, and making downward thrust possible.
- Engine performance that varies with speed and altitude
- Propeller collisions on all propeller engines
- Barrel roll and aileron roll also possible with auto steer turned on
- Subtle handling differences based on weight and control surfaces
- Friction stat on wheels
May: Visuals, performance and effects
There is still a lot of room for improvement in how the game looks. Given that rendering and performance are tightly connected, it is also a good opportunity to improve the performance of the game.
Features
- Better water shader, color correction and skybox
- LODs for terrain generation and foliage
- Particles for wheels and engines
- Better destruction effects
- First person flight and multiple camera modes
- Bird flocks and animals in the world
June: Replayability and polish
Once you've finished the campaign, there hasn't been much reason to keep playing. I’ve decided that instead of scattering the game across multiple game modes, I will double down on the campaign and make it more replayable and easier to continue playing after you’ve finished it. I also aim to add Steam workshop support this update.
Features
- Endless mode
- Hard mode
- Steam workshop support
- Improved tooltip system
- Improved sound effects
- Build mode improvements
- UI tweaks
July: Campaign and game length
The most common piece of feedback is simple: the game ends too soon. This update addresses that directly with a longer, reworked campaign that raises the bar on both length and quality.
Features
- Reworked campaign that is at least 30% longer
- Improved story and world building
- Wind and weather effects
- Balance improvements
- Seaplanes
- Temperature mechanics
- Firefighting
August: Release
The final stretch before 1.0. This month is about making sure Aviassembly is ready for everyone, and adding a bunch of support features.
Features
- Localisation support
- Cloud save support
- Steam deck support
- HOTAS support
