B-17 Flying Fortress : The Mighty 8th Redux News

Thanks for taking the time to give us your feedback and report any issues you have spotted. Today we are bringing you the first patch which includes updates to elements within the game that have been spotted by our test pilots.


[h2]Training Missions[/h2]

• Manual control locks will no longer occur during the “Training #1: Pilot Checkout” mission
  
• Legacy takeoff training mission has been re-added
  

[h2]Role Adjustments[/h2]

• Radio Operator no longer has a window or action view
  
• Legacy issue: Radio operator is now able to check the weather at the decision point not just the initial point
  
• Note: Weather reports can only be requested by the lead aircraft in the squadron campaign
  
• Legacy issue: Radio operator is now able to change to an alternative target at the decision point, not just the initial point
  
• Bombardier will no longer be looking outside when switching between bomb panel and instrument alternate views.
  
• Tail gunner gun sights are now aligned correctly
  
• Co-Pilot action view now operates the same as the pilot action view
  
• Pilot: Needles are now visible in the pilot’s instrument view. There is a known issue that these are also visible in action view, but are offset. This will be addressed in a later patch.
  

[h2]In Game UI[/h2]

• The Squadron bar on the right for switching aircraft formations now works.
  
• Legacy: Squadron bar selection is disabled for squadrons that are not selectable.
  
• The Crew member icon bar updates when switching between B17s
  
• The Crew member icon bar is no longer present when switching to non B-17 aircraft
  

[h2]Control Configuration[/h2]

• Buttons will no longer automatically bind if they are ‘pressed’ when assigned. Prevents incorrect ‘ghost’ button assignment.
  
• Reinstatement of the original joystick hat control for directional looking in gunnery and pilot action views. This is not a bindable configuration currently but we plan to make this bindable in the future.
  
• Crew Hot Keys now work, by default these are Shift+1 through to Shift+0
  

Welcome test pilots the day has finally arrived, the game is now available in early access.

Early Access
As you know, B-17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty 8th Redux is now in Early Access. This means we are actively working on the game and we have a lot of changes that we want to implement. We are very excited about this phase of development and we can’t wait to share it with you.

We are listening
We are keeping our eyes out for your feedback and are looking forward to seeing your early impressions of the game.

Bundle for those who have purchased the original

As promised, there is a bundle available for those who have purchased the original, or those looking to get both games at the same time.

Bundle

Thank you
We want to thank you for your patience and for your enthusiasm as our passion is fuelled by the fans’ excitement.

See you all in the sky!

We had previously stated that the game would be released today, and whilst we believed we were on a path to successfully deliver the game today, unfortunately, something has arisen that has caused us to delay the release on Steam.

The time frame for this delay should be short, but we can’t give a precise date for the release at the moment, but the moment we can press the button and release the game to you all, we will do that.



The Price

We usually wait until the release to share the price of the game with you, but given the circumstances, we feel it is fair to let you know the price ahead of time.

The price on release will be $14.99 USD with a 10% launch discount. We will also be bundling the game with previous versions of the game, so those of you who have previously supported the original game will get a further discount. Sometimes these bundles don’t show immediately on the Steam page the moment the game goes live, so we will endeavor to provide a link to the bundle with an accompanying devblog at the time of launch.

The Manual

With the new game, we have been working on a new manual for the game. This manual will be updated during the Early Access. You will be able to check out the manual now via this link or from the Steam page.

The Roadmap

The store page has been updated with a list of features we are planning to bring to the game during early access, a more solid road map will be provided in the weeks after we enter early access. We love your feedback and will use it to help us steer our priorities, so we will be reading your reviews, comments, and suggestions.

The Original Game

The original game will remain available on Steam. It serves as a time capsule of how the original B17: The Mighty 8th game was when it was first released.

Work in Progress: B-17 Exterior

One of the common early pieces of feedback we are hearing is the desire to see the exteriors of the B-17 improved. We needed to focus more on the interior and bringing the game systems, model import workflows, and other elements in order for us to do this, and we are getting really close. In one of the earliest major updates that we will make to the game, you will be able to see an improved B-17. Below are some work-in-progress shots of the exterior.

We’re getting prepared to head out to the hard stand and start up the engines. Early Access is right around the corner.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Save the Date

We plan to release “B-17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty 8th Redux” into early access along with “Bomber 3” simultaneously at 09:00 GMT.

Check your nearby cities to get an idea for when you will be able to see these two games available on the store.

• London: 9am Tuesday, 23rd of January 2024
  
• New York: 4am Tuesday, 23rd of January 2024
  
• Los Angeles: 1am Tuesday, 23rd of January 2024
  
• Berlin: 10amTuesday, 23rd of January 2024
  
• Sydney: 8pm Tuesday, 23rd of January 2024
  
• Singapore: 5pm Tuesday, 23rd of January 2024
  
• Doha: 12 noon Tuesday, 23rd of January 2024
  

Redux will be an Early Access from the Inside-Out.

As you have seen from our past dev blogs we have focused our early development on the interior of the B-17, as the majority of your decision-making within the game will happen from the interior of the Flying Fortress. So be prepared to see the exteriors of aircraft and terrain get visual updates as the early access progresses.
We will also be monitoring the discord and forums for your feedback, and we can’t wait to see you in the skies.
In the meantime, we wanted to share with you some work-in-progress images of the new crew members inside the B-17.







Tips for new Players: Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

For those of you who will be playing the Mighty 8th for the first time, you might feel overwhelmed at first. It’s a flight sim with a focus on crew management, so the developers needed to focus heavily on AI that can do a good enough job when you are focused on whatever you think needs attention at any given moment.

So if you are a player that likes to sit back and enjoy the ride and focus primarily on the emergencies as they come up you will thank me when I tell you, you can do precisely that.

First choose a Historical Mission, like Bremen. Sign off on the mission after reading the mission book on the table in front of you in the briefing room. Then exit through the door on the far right.

You will find yourself sitting on a hardstand. Motionless. Press “Ctrl +B”. This will signal all the B-17s to begin starting their engines. You can sit back relax and enjoy the show as they make their way from the hardstands to the runway.

There is time scaling available as well, whilst I would encourage you to take in the sights as you fly across a built-to-scale map of WW2 Europe which originally took 2-3 developers around 6 months to complete, you do have the ability to jump ahead.

Home: Increases game speed

End: Decreases game speed

Pause: Pauses the game

Enter: Jumps ahead 10 minutes if there are no current events that would stop this.

F1 : Brings you inside the Bomber, and you can move your mouse pointer around the edges of the screen to reveal an interface that can help you jump to different compartments, stations, or crew members.

F2: Brings you back outside

And heaven forbid, if you want to stop playing a mission at some point, you can press Ctrl+Shift+Q to display a quitting prompt.

Bomber 3

Bomber 3 was originally released on the Mac, and like Myst and other titles from the time it was developed using “Hypercard” (Read more about Hypercard here)

Like many of the engines we take for granted today, HyperCard empowered creators like never before and it has been a real pleasure to bring Rene Vidmer’s classic back to life and make it available for collectors on Steam.
You can wishlist the game Here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2142920/Bomber_3/

Keep your eyes open

In the coming weeks we will have videos, interviews, and playthroughs all related to these games, so stay tuned on our social media channels so you don’t miss out.

Youtube X (Twitter) Facebook

The Regensburg Raid Part 4

The crews take to the skies in the next part of “The Regensburg Raid”.

Welcome Flying Fortress fans, new and old.
In this Dev Blog we have an update for you on the early access release for the game, some new in progress screenshots and additional pages from the Regensburg comic.

[h2]Crew[/h2]

The original game included 3d animated air crew, we are happy to share with you some work in progress images of the Redux air crew today.





[h2]Damage Model Comparisons[/h2]

Throughout the course of your flight you will encounter a lot of resistance, the battle scarring on the inside of your Flying Fortress will tell the unique stories of your encounters with the enemy. We are happy to share with you work in progress comparison shots with the original. Please note the exterior terrain seen in these new images does not reflect the final quality we are attempting to achieve.

Original Waist Gunner

Redux Waist Gunner

Original Cockpit

Redux Cockpit

Original Nose

Redux Nose

[h2]Update on Early Access Release[/h2]

We’ve been working hard toward the early access and whilst we originally predicted that you would be able to play before the year is out, we have found it necessary to delay until late January 2024.

[h2]The Regensburg Raid Part 3[/h2]

We follow our heroes as they continue to prepare for the Regensburg Raid.







[h2]The 100th Bomber Group[/h2]

The 100th Bomber Group Foundation’s website has been updated. They have a database, multimedia galleries and library that you can access online.

The Bloody 100th continue to be an inspiration for us and for those of you looking to research their history, you will find the website provides you with everything you need.