Deadstick playtest now underway! Plus name change and new region overview

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Some exciting stuff is happening with Deadstick: Bush Pilot Simulator with a very subtle name change, a look at a new Region of Deadstick’s fictional map and an open playtest that is currently on right now. Let’s have a look!

The playtest is on now!

Our first public look at Deadstick is underway!

From Friday 22nd May to Tuesday 26th May, Deadstick is going to be having an open playtest on Steam. The playtest gives you limited access to the sim’s first region and the ability to check out some of the gameplay features. The developers are actively looking for player feedback via a survey and bug reports.

You can request access via the Steam store page for Deadstick or if you have friends in the playtest they each get 3 invites.

Name change

The developers behind Deadstick have changed the name to Deadstick: Bush Pilot Simulator with a subtle adjustment from Bush Flight Simulator. The developers report that the name change doesn’t reflect a change in scope or gameplay but better describes the sim as a pilot experience rather than purely a flight experience.

That is in keeping with what we’ve heard about for years with Deadstick having you start on the ground, get jobs from the local FBO, and battle the elements as well as pilot fatigue.

Looking at Region 2

Earlier in the year, we had a look at Region 1 of Deadstick. Earlier this month, we got a look at Region 2 which they are calling Redshore. More rugged terrain with winding rivers and deep channels are typical of this zone. Industrial mining and small coastal settlements are part of the human experience in this area. Each zone will have its own weather elements as well with Redshore reportedly having strong coastal winds and shifting weather patterns.

The zone will has 1 major airport, 3 minor airfields, 3 smaller strips and then a selection of just over a half dozen smaller bush strips.

Read more about Deadstick on their Steam store page here.

Look for some first impressions from me as well. I hope to get a bit of playtest time in before the test wraps up on Tuesday.

4 responses to “Deadstick playtest now underway! Plus name change and new region overview”

  1. Skycat Avatar
    Skycat

    I’m giving it a go now. Overall, the game mechanics feel more like a first-person shooter than MSFS 2024’s walk-around view does. The playtest has you checking messages on your archaic flip phone, checking the weather on a vintage PC, towing an aircraft out of a hangar by hand, starting the aircraft, and flying to a nearby airport. Once there, you enroll in lessons to earn your commercial pilot’s license. It’s kind of a strange flow. As for performance, I’m getting audio stutters and the demo is causing my GPU’s fans to run at full blast.

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  2. Skycat Avatar
    Skycat

    I’ve now completed two deliveries, and I’ve accepted the third job. It took me a while to figure out how to receive new jobs; I wasn’t using the cell phone correctly. I then flew too far north to the wrong airport and had to backtrack to pick up the cargo at the correct field. Loading cargo is exactly like picking up objects in Half Life 2. Grab, carry, drop.

    The area I flew wasn’t very large–probably equivalent to 10 miles in MSFS 2020–but the mistake drained my fuel tanks and I wasn’t paying attention. The engine died in midair. I made a successful dead stick landing on a small dirt airfield and I felt very lucky. I stepped out of the aircraft and a white dog trotted toward me … was it really a wolf? It attacked, everything went black, and I woke up in the infirmary at my home airfield. My aircraft was there too, in the maintenance hangar loaded with cargo but dry of fuel. My account was charged for medical bills. I also paid to have my aircraft’s suspension fixed.

    The next challenge was figuring out where to unload the cargo. There are at least four cargo pads at Morton, the home airport, but only one correct pad for this job. I finally figured out the icon in the navigation bar pointing the way, and I unloaded at an apron on the backside of the airport. Next, back to the pilot’s hangar for a few hours of sleep on the couch. I checked my phone messages and accepted another delivery to the south, delivering medical supplies to the airfield at Jones.

    Refueling is an interesting feature. You park your aircraft near the fuel station, grab the fuel hose handle and carry it to the aircraft, and touch it to the fuel tank you want to fill.

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  3. Adam Avatar
    Adam

    If these guys make an actual game with progression and a career and everything and I can play it in VR from my simpit with the same peripherals that I use for IL2/DCS/MSFS I will happily pay them paradox games levels of DLC to keep it funded.

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  4. Skycat Avatar
    Skycat

    I finished the demo. There is a plot twist that forces you to become a freelance pilot. This is where the ‘choose three jobs’ limit goes into effect for the demo. I had 8.5 hours logged before the demo ended.

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