Aviassembly News

After almost 2 years of hard work, I'm happy to announce that Aviassembly finally has a release date!

[h3]Release Date[/h3]
Aviassembly will launch in Early Access on Friday April 11th!

[h3]Why early access?[/h3]
Community feedback plays a big role in the development of Aviassembly. I think that the game is currently in a great place, but I want to continue developing the game together with the community after it comes out.

[h3]Is there a roadmap for early access?[/h3]
I will be sharing a roadmap when the game releases in early access.

[h3]What will happen to the demo?[/h3]
The demo will remain available for the next few weeks, but will retire before the game releases. I will announce a retirement date soon. I want to thank everyone who played the demo! The feedback has helped tremendously to improve the game.

[h3]What will the game cost?[/h3]
I’m not exactly sure yet, but it will be somewhere between $9.99 and $14.99. The game will also have a discount on launch, so make sure to add it to your wishlist to stay updated.

[h3]Questions[/h3]
Please let me know if you have any questions, feedback or suggestions.

Controller support

Controller support was already supported, but it was very limited. This update introduces full controller support. You can change keybinds for your controller, and the game has a virtual cursor feature so you can use a controller even in build mode.

It would be extremely helpful if you could test the game with your controller and let me know if you have any issues / feedback.

Auto Save

A frequently requested feature is auto-save. I added it to this update. You can toggle it in the settings.

Throttle rework

I reworked the way the throttle works. Instead of it being on / off, and having to hold the forward button, the throttle is now controlled in a way that is more similar to most plane games. You can set your throttle between 0% and 100%, and it will stay there until you change the throttle.

Bug fixes

• Fixed plane spawning bug
  
• Fixed resolution settings corrupted
  
• Fix save corruption when saving game with no plane build
  
• Fixed build / fly mode save
  

Something that became apparent when playtesting and asking for feedback, was that the plane controls are not intuitive for everyone. A major reason for this seems to be that rolling the plane does not actually turn the plane. I reworked the controls to fix this. For people who did actually like the old controls better, you can turn “Auto Steering” off in the options. Let me know if you have any feedback for these new controls!



Last demo update I made it possible to complete quests in multiple runs. However, I noticed that people like having the option of completing a quest in multiple runs, but don’t like being required to do this. Experienced players should be able to complete all quests in a single run. I also noticed that quest rewards were not always appropriate for their challenge levels. I rebalanced the game to account for these findings.



I removed a bunch of technical limitations from the game which enabled me to make some runways a bit longer.

You can now complete quests in multiple runs. This change is not as small and simple as it may sound. It required me to rework and rebalance all the quests, and even add 4 more cargo types. I think it actually changes the game in quite a meaningful way.

Unfortunately it was not entirely possible to make this update backwards compatible with older save files. While they should still load, you might notice some inconsistencies because all the quests are different.

If you already beat the game, it might be a good time to try it again, because the missions have changed quite a bit. Let me know if you have any feedback.

• Rebalanced cockpit costs
  
• Reworked map inspector UI
  
• Fixed spelling error ( “Break” instead of “Brake” )
  
• Fixed issue with fuselage shape gizmos
  

This update is a bit small, but I wanted to get it out as fast as possible and think that it is worth highlighting the added features in a blog.

Quest markers

As mentioned in the previous update, I am focussed on making the game more intuitive for new players. The game does not have a tutorial because I believe that figuring it out by trial and error can actually be fun. However, some people do get stuck currently.

One of the issues is that exploration can be really punishing. You run out of fuel and potentially crash because the game fails to provide any kind of direction. This update aims to bring an end to this issue by introducing quest markers.

You can now click on an airport, and the quest will be selected and marked on the map. The quest markers automatically update as you progress.

Keybinds and limited controller support

The update also introduces the much requested feature of keybind options. You can change your keybindings in the settings menu.

I also worked on controller support. This is far from finished, but should already work a bit better than before. Please let me know if you have any feedback on the controller support.