We’ve got a new update on Combat Pilot from Executive Producer Jason Williams and it covers quite a bit of ground from the aircraft, to the carriers, to some of the guns to their plans for FSExpo. Let’s check it all out!

Upcoming plans

Jason reports that the team has expanded a bit further with a new Senior Programmer, Fred, who is joining the team. Meanwhile we’re learning that sound, flight-modelling and systems for both A6M2 and F4F-4 are underway with support for controllers also coming in. Steady progress is coming along for Combat Pilot!

The news is also that they intend to let attendees of FSExpo take the stick and actually fly Combat Pilot at the expo. They have aircraft flying in the sim now but it is reportedly “ugly” at this point so they aren’t quite ready to show off what they have working. Understandable given the early state of the sim.

Zero and Wildcat updates

A huge selection of renders showing off the A6M2 Zero and F4F-4 Wildcat with the latest state of each aircraft on display. These two are leading the way for the development of the sim and their visuals are coming along really nicely. In this first set we see the latest work on the Zero showing off texture work, engine detail, flaps, gear and more.

In before the comments on colour, Jason has also written that he and the team are aware of the lengthy multi-decades long debate on the exact colour of the A6M Zero. Some evidence suggests that it was more of a creme colour, others lean more towards this purer white. Consider it a work in progress.

The same can be said for the F4F which is still being worked on. Panel lines and rivets are being added to this still work in progress aircraft model.

Era appropriate guns

The latest update also shows us some of the detail work on the various guns that will be in the sim. The Oerlikon 20mm and 1.1 inch “Chicago Piano” (the later which fires a 28 x 199mm contact HE round at 150 rounds per minute). The Oerlikon 20mm you’ll find all over the place in WWII while the 1.1 inch is commonly found on various US warships including USS Enterprise.

Enterprise and Akagi updates

Speaking of the Enterprise, the latest update also gives us some updated images from the USS Enterprise and the IJN Akagi. DigitalForms is doing the detail work on both ships with Jason reporting that they don’t know if all of the detail will be used in the final model. Still I suspect that having those details can let them scale down as needed.

This is what Enterprise’s hangar deck is looking like right now.

And we also get a good look at Akagi which the dev update notes has a two-storey deep hangar deck that is somewhat narrower than the one on Enterprise.

Ending notes

While its still very much early days, I absolutely love these early looks at a sim in development and Jason knows the kinds of details that simmers like ourselves love to see. The detail work on Enterprise and Akagi goes right along with the detail on the individual aircraft. The result should be very impressive indeed and the dream for me is to one day find myself in the cockpit of one of those virtual aircraft, engines on, lined up on the deck, ready for takeoff. That’s the dream for me!

Jason ends his update with some thank you messages to a couple of community members for finding references on some of the AAA guns.

Jason also wrote a message in Japanese at the bottom with his Superbowl predictions. I don’t have a horse in that particular race but I will be eating wings and drinking beer so I feel like I’m going to win either way. Enjoy the update, enjoy the weekend, enjoy the game if you’re watching, and check out the full dev update here.