Software is now available at the following link:
Please note that you need to be logged IN and have a Membership in order to download the game. You can choose any membership level including FREE at https://fighterba.se/memberships/
Test will begin at 1PM EST
Hi! My name is Mark Vange and I am the creator of many games including Air Attack, Fighter Ace and most recently, Fighter Base – all massively multiplayer online flight combat games.
When circumstances forced me to shut down Fighter Ace in 2010 after 15 years of operation I wrote a letter to players stating that the era of computer flight simulation was drawing to a close. In a way I was right but, as is usually the case with technology, I was also wrong. The transition to mobile devices, Facebook and free-to-play games was certainly a big change in the games industry but the pendulum is, at long last, swinging back.
After twenty years of false starts, it looks like Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are finally making true strides with the introduction of devices like the Oculus and Google Cardboard-inspired mobile VR headsets. These mobie VR headsets, for those who have not seen them, are simply holders for the now ubiquitous smartphone that use the technology you have already paid for and for under $100 give you a whole new experience of immersive, head tracking, 3D! Of course, Google and Oculus are not the only players in the VR space – the market is growing and expanding almost daily and it is my hope that this growth and expansion will bring thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of new players from among the over billion mobile users worldwide.
You represent, in a way, the history and pedigree of Fighter Base and it is because of you and my long-standing relationships in the industry that manufacturers both big and small are happily agreeing to support us in our growth plans. From sending us hardware to promising to have us in their trade show booths and in their marketing materials, I am confident that we will have the exposure we need to let new users find out about the excitement, the challenge, the romance and the camaraderie of this amazing world of WW2 aviation experience. In fact, we will be at trade shows with manufacturers as early as this coming September showing off our upcoming product and we are in discussions with several parties to commission special versions of the game for their particular needs. Continue reading “First Open Fighter Base Test Sunday July 10, 1-5pm EST”
To our American friends; I hope your day is filled with family, friends and happy memories.
Looking forward to flying with you all very soon!
Just a quick update to let you know that we are still hard at work to try to get you a game to test this weekend. Our preliminary version yesterday left some things we felt absolutely needed to be fixed before release so I am hopeful we will still get the first version of Fighter Base into your hands later today.
Hope to see you soon in the not-so-friendly skies!
I am very excited to announce that Fighter Base has just released it’s first playable version to the GRR squad as the winners of the First to Twenty contest.
General availability is expected July 1, so dust off your joysticks and get ready!
On Monday, memorial day, we marked a milestone of sorts and ran our first Fighter Base multiplayer arena test with the folks from the Fighter Base Volunteer Group. While it wasn’t perfect it was very encouraging.
Next weekend should mark our first player test with the GRR squad who won the honor of playing the game first by being the first squad to reach 20 members.
Check out this video of a head-to-head battle to the death with my unwitting co-star robinhood@host. We both start with 100% health and finally, with only 1% left, I manage to squeeze a couple of fatal rounds into his airplane and down him. Great battle through an ongoing furball.
A few exciting developments today to report:
Those of you who are sharp-eyed may have noticed something new on the website .. RANKS! Yes, we’re starting to build up the infrastructure. You’ll need to log in to earn your first rank (Cadet) and then as you fly and as you do other activities, you will earn additional ranks and decorations.
I also just received the new VR Goggles from Merge VR. These things are incredible and very comfortable and light. Here’s me in my first flight in the Merge VR Goggles. Also, notice the test rig I’m sitting in.
So here it is. Fighter Base being played on a mobile phone in VR.
The video is being recorded on the fly using an app called Mirror which cuts the framerate at least in half. More typically on this phone I’m seeing 20+ FPS even with this early code base.
There is really no way to convey how immersive and incredible this experience really is. Staring at your screen just doesn’t do it justice. You can get an approximation of the effect by getting REALLY close to your phone. And I mean REALLY close (see the example photo).
Unfortunately the image will be blurry – at least it is for me as I can no longer focus at that close distance – but you will have a sense of the 3D effect.
The airplane is being controlled using a tiny Bluetooth joystick like this one. It’s surprisingly flyable in “arcade” physics but you’ll need a real joystick to do anything like real physics, of course.
Let’s see how quick you guys are today .. what are we looking at here?
