MASSIVE Update from Rise of Flight Released

Haven't had time to digest it all but I am really interested in the changes to aircraft with multiple crews!! The weapon changes are also sure to affect the way we all fight, hopefully for the better.  Read on from the original site.

Version 1.026

Dear Pilots,

Our team is happy and proud to present version 1.026 of Rise of Flight. In this version we have made another attempt to impress and show you some very interesting moments in aviation history. The main feature and by far the most interesting of this version are the "Weapons Modifications." We have not just created a new series of 3D models and sounds for this feature, but redesigned the whole weapons module 100%.

Therefore, we can say safely that this is not just a simple update; this is an evolutionary change throughout the core of the project, as it will be a significant change for every ROF pilot regardless of the purchase of any modifications. With version 1.026 shooting in ROF will be different, but more realistic and depending on the situation either easier or more challenging than what you are accustomed to. The question is why did we do this now?

The new weapon models have given us the opportunity to implement synchronizers. Synchronizers changed the air war in WWI greatly. To do them correctly, we needed to modify the code at the very bottom and it was very risky, but we hope that this risk will be justified.

Synchronizers were a simple invention that allowed the fire from machine guns to pass through the zone of the propeller arc without hitting a blade. Now the rate of fire for guns is directly dependent on the type of a synchronizer that was installed. We have taken great care to build the proper synchronizer for each plane. A few examples are below.

Airco DH2: No Synchronizer and now the gun shots at 550 rounds per minute

Albatros D.III: Hedtke Synchronizer - one shot per gun per one screw turn

SPAD 13.C1: Birkigt Synchronizer - two shots per gun per one screw turn

Fokker D.VII: Zentralsteuerung Synchronizer - two shots per gun per screw turn, with centrifugal limiter of minimum speed. This means that, unlike the SPAD, you cannot shoot at low RPM.

All machine guns, mounted outside the propeller arc, shoot with a maximum rate now depending only on the type of the gun. This is done for each and every aircraft in the game and I think you will soon feel the difference. And we proclaim proudly that this is the first time such depth of weapon modeling has been accomplished in the WWI genre.

Also you have to go to the control settings to program your buttons. With weapon modifications there are now important controls for guns which we divided into groups:

Fire All guns (except turrets)

Fire All Forward Facing guns

Fire Fixed machine guns

Fire Over-Wing Machine guns

Fire Wing-Mounted Machine guns (except the upper wing)

You can assign a button to reload and fire any of the groups. It is important for those who are really fond of simulations. And as mentioned previously, we have added new animations and delays for reloading weapons, now you'll see the process and even be able to visually monitor the number of spare clips you have left. Of course, these animations were created within the limits of our engine and do not include visual representations of every step, but there are now some visual cues and sounds that reloading is taking place. Magazines will now disappear from their holders or shelves once used, depending on the design to give you an idea of how much ammo you have left.

We have also made significant changes the turret mechanism without losing the realism we originally built into it. Turrets move only according to certain structural paths, but now they will be easier to manage and the problem it being too "sticky" and having a mind of its own is now in the past. Being a gunner is much more enjoyable now and this should make multi-crew aircraft a bit more survivable than before.

Regarding multi-crew aircraft, you will find that when you are the pilot, you have now become a full commander of the aircraft. Now you have the ability to manage your AI gunners. We have introduced several commands such “Hold Your Fire” and a choice of several defensive tactics. For example, you can give orders to attack only those aircraft that are really trying to shoot at you and ignore the rest. We aren’t sure that this system will work perfectly well because working with the AI ??in such ambiguous terms as "dangerous" or "potential risk" for neural networks is difficult. This topic still represents a challenge for us. AI can also shoot balloons or ground equipment, but they do not handle it very well, as our AI has been created for shooting at targets with other relative speeds. Let's see how it works now and get some community feedback. If resources are available we can try to improve in the future.

As always, a full list of changes can be found on our forum. There are a lot of new, unique and interesting features for you in version 1.026.

Good luck on the aerial battlefield!