Hello, fellow pilots!
Today I’m going to fill you in on some of the new elements of the upcoming 11th version of Rise of Flight, which is expected to be finished before the end of February.
I told you previously about a new single player mode for ROF. We are preparing 3 different mission types in 10 different locations. Currently, testing is in progress and there is still much debugging ahead of us. Even so, the plan is still to get it into version 11. Simultaneously, we are working on the new multiplayer mode. We tried hard to get a lot of new features in that create a unique gaming experience that requires not only good piloting, but team strategy and tactics. I'll be sure to tell you more in future posts.
It's commonly understood that the Allies currently have the advantage in multiplayer battles. That's about to change. The next aircraft, we're rolling out will be another German fighter. There are a lot of disputes on the forums concerning the Fokker DVII's characteristics. In memoirs and other historical documents, it's described as an aircraft with huge potential. Though, as we can see in game, it doesn’t always live up to that potential. The devil is in the details; in this case, that means modifications. In Rise of Flight, we currently have our airplane installed with the Mercedes D.IIIa engine. But there was also an 'F' modification with a BMW IIIa engine. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that we are adding this modification. Despite the exterior similarity, it's a completely new aircraft; there will be plenty of differences (bullet counters in the cockpit, for example). We are still developing this bird, and I'm looking forward to flying it myself!
Despite all of the hard work going into new game modes, we are trying to spare some time for objects you've been asking for: features that make our virtual world feel more real. Today I proudly present the dynamic wind strength and direction indicator. They call it a "windsock" in aviation. For you modders out there, this object is placeable anywhere. Now, circling the airfield once before landing will not only serve as an homage to tradition, it will also have the functional use that made it a tradition in the first place. With wind speeds of over 3 meters per second, it's essential to know the direction for a successful landing. Here is the video.
Lastly, I'd like to divulge probably the most important news about the 11th version.
We've been tracking all of our users' wishes and desires. You helped us out immensely by answering questions in our dispatches, voting in forum polls and generally expressing your opinions. We've also been checking out network stats and market trends. As a result, we came to the conclusion that you all needed the ability to fly without a permanent internet connection (in some game modes). A network connection will still be necessary for new user account and profile creation. And, of course, multiplayer and a few other game modes still rely on internet access. But now, if your provider is down, you have insufficient funds, or you just plain hate to log into games all the time, you will be able to fly internet-free in single player mode or in the new 'Quick Mission' mode. We hope that this modification will ease your minds about personal intrusion and internet provider costs. After all, we developed Rise Of Flight to help you escape those every-day, mundane worries and just let you fly carefree!
To make 'login offline' mode available, all you'll need to do is download the upcoming update. After that, you will be able to fly offline, but only with the last activated online pilot profile. The system will gather statistics of your progress and keep it till your next connection to the server. At that time, all gathered data will be transferred to affect your rating and overall statistics. And of course, connection will be needed for additional content purchase and game updating.
But everything else is in your hands!
We are completely aware that this change will simplify further creation of illegal copies, thus jeopardizing our potential income. But the creation of highly-realistic aviation simulators in our commercial world is impossible without an optimistic point of view. And right now, we are feeling pretty optimistic. I'm sure that the number of legit pilots, happy with this decision, will outnumber the illegal copies. So spread the word to all of your friends that balked at the login requirement and didn't purchase RoF. Now, there is no excuse not to give it a try!
Thanks for reading. And now it's back to work.