Phoenix Squadron will be removed from Steam for now. as certain issues with UE5 among other things have made the possibility of any further updates impossible, so the game will be either switching to another engine or waiting for UE5 to become more stable (and for Vulkan support to not be so severely neglected). The game will return at some point but for now removing the game from Steam seems to be the best option to avoid confusion.

[ 2024-01-03 20:18:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

This is just a build meant to make patching easier in the future, you can also run a basic hardware benchmark to see if you can run the game. Linux is now supported, and Japanese is now a UI language option. (MAKE SURE YOU COMPLETELY REMOVE OLD GAME FILES BEFORE DOWNLOADING THIS UPDATE) More updates and such in the future ~ Star

[ 2023-02-05 23:25:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Finally got UE5 to run at a somewhat stable rate, there are some performance issues but outside of that the game is finally running of UE5, Lumen and Nanite are kinda useless for how the game is either way handled, Lumen kills the performance pretty quickly especially for scenes in the ocean. Due to most of the code being written for UE4, a lot of stuff needs to be re-written to work properly with certain changes in UE5. TrueSky still does not run very well but its at least functional with some minor DX12 crashes, DX11 does not seem to work however.

[ 2022-07-22 14:39:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phoenix Squadrons Development has been put on hold due to UE5 being too hardware intensive for my current hardware, The editor seems to require a lot more GPU power than my current GPU can output, So until I can get a decent GPU I'm going to have to put a hold on PHSQ for a while... Speaking of which, COOP Multiplayer is going to be the focus of the games online component rather than player v player, I'm still going to include those extra game modes but probably at a later point. Lumen does not seem to change much about the scenes as everything is too large of a scale for Lumen to really change much, however I will be using Nanite to reduce lag on more geometry cluttered levels.

[ 2022-04-09 12:52:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

First off: Skins Due to skins not being able to replicate as everyone would need to have the skin mod, instead you can STILL import custom skins but they only show up to you, I plan on making community skins into in game custom skins for aircraft via a vote and at the end of a week I'll look at which skin has the highest votes and add it into a free DLC that can be uninstalled if needed, or you just don't want to see community skins than you can uninstall it, Also doing that in case the size of the files become really large. Ill also include paint kits via blender models to paint on, UV mapping is painful and I have just given up, Having baked in model detail is pain. Mods: Gona drop mod support due to it being too intensive to develop, prob going to introduce it in a later update once the beta drops. (IDK May just include options to adjust flight performance in custom battles) Phoenix Squadron VR: Going to have to make the base game non VR supported as making every UI element VR safe is really time consuming and limits some things that would be possible with 2D UI, Also 3D Widgets don't like fast moving objects. VR will be its own mode that will automatically launch when a VR headset is connected. Multiplayer: Replication now works! Now I just need to get a proper lobby system and make some game modes (AAAND also fix the de sync!) Closed Beta: I plan on trying to get a closed beta of V2.04 out by the end of 2022, After fixing most of the major bugs, A open beta will be released, I don't plan on including much other than the Multiplayer for the beta as the single player is still in a re-work, Most of the game is still in a re-work.

[ 2022-01-10 15:38:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

So as I said in the last announcement, Phoenix Squadron VR is going to be an open world-esk game in which you can get into random encounters, take up Contracts, and progress the campaign via story missions! Now what I haven't gone over is some of what I plan on doing with this VR exclusive content. Aircraft? Due to tech limitations and the amount of work needed to get VR features to work in non VR, VR mode will have its own unique versions of the main games aircraft (Although they are mostly the same). I plan on having a tablet in the aircraft which you can pick up using controllers or just press a key to bring up, from there you can view the map, settings, contracts, story missions, etc... I do plan on having most of Phoenix Squadrons non-vr features to work with VR, So enjoy dogfighting players in VR on MP! Aircraft: F/A-18X S-8 F/I-16CM SuperViper II Su-33Q SuperFlanker II Aircraft (Not planned for the beta but will be in the full release): A-10F DesertHog F/A-22D SuperRaptor F/A-14X StealthCat (Yep) Map? Again due to tech limitations I cant really do something too detailed ( I Don't want my pc to die lol ). PHSQ VR will take place on another planet consisting mostly of the skies and high pressure clouds, fly into them and your aircraft will start to get crushed, there will be ways to go under the clouds but what's under isn't as pleasant as the vast skies above... To spice it up perhaps a giant platform and possibly a large floating city, I want to make this world feel full while also making it not lag like hell. VR in non-vr exclusive content I should explain what I mean by this, PHSQ VR will have unique gameplay from the main games content, However that gameplay wont transfer over to the base game, So VR will provide more immersion, but all you can do is look around in the cockpit realistically and look at the live cockpit to know where the 106 missiles, three laser cannons, and 2 Aircraft are. I can already tell multiplayer is going to be hell in VR. If you have any suggestions or questions please comment them under this post, Happy Halloween!

[ 2021-10-31 23:19:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Before starting this off I need to get his off my back: I Have made a lot of mistakes when developing this game, The biggest has to be saying this game is like Ace Combat Infinity, I'm correcting that by saying Phoenix Squadron is NOT a spiritual remake or based of off Infinity, Phoenix Squadron is its own game, Second off I need to put out any high expectations for this game, Its really been stressful developing this game, Official development started in 2019, but unofficially the game was in development since 2017, And well a few games have released since than that are similar to PHSQ, Namely AC7 and project Wingman, And with the releases of these games I feel like the expectations for Phoenix Squadron has risen dramatically, I'm always thinking that I have to make a game better than both, And well I'm here to say that I probably wont be able to create something on the level of Ace Combat 7, What I feel this game will get compared most to is Project Wingman which is also an Indie flight game, Although what RBD2 did with his game was amazing, Phoenix Squadron is 10x larger, Hell this game shouldn't be developed by just 1 person, It just isn't healthy. Tl;dr: Phoenix Squadron is its own game, And I'm not as good as a developer as RB (Or at least that's what I think), Although I'm much more experienced than I was when I first launched the game on steam, This game still is a lot for just me, On top of that my pc had some issues so I had to reset it, And I lost a lot of my Model files and texture files (Along with some sound files), I'm still determined to get this game out, But I have a lot of things to do, Hence why a lot of the game is still in dev, So if there are any bugs or game breaking issues please be patient, I have other things that I have to take care of when I'm not developing the game, It may take a few patches to fix a bug but again I'm taking on a lot more than I should, I've put in more than ill ever get out of this game. To everyone who has given feedback up until now: Thank You Phoenix Squadron's development is now continuing however its going to be rough. OK now for the actual QA Where did "Northern Star" go? I'm changing how I'm going to be developing campaigns for the game, Given the game is multiplayer I don't want to release 5 versions of the same online component, So I'm changing how future Campaigns will work: Campaigns will be released as free DLC that can be installed and Uninstalled (Excluding the NS campaign as that includes some core maps) No there wont be paid Campaigns Windows 11 support PHSQ is currently (But painstakingly) being developed on Windows 11, So I guess its supported? Linux and mac? I'm supporting Linux but apple requires that you use a mac to be able to develop for mac... And my only mac was a 2011 Mac Book Pro with a faulty GPU that is now dead... So mac support is in a grey area ATM Unreal Engine 5? *SIGH* Well I may port the game to UE5 its going to take a lot longer, UE5 is pretty much a new engine to learn, And UE5 is killing of Cascade: the particle system PHSQ uses right now, So I'm going to have to learn Niagara which is 10x more complicated. Multiplayer For MP, I plan on having a few game modes such as: Capture the Flag (If I cant make this one work ill rework it into something else) Team Deathmatch Deathmatch Custom Acrobatics and COOP missions. Mod support? I'm currently working on a system that allows for the import of custom textures, Basically: I plan on having fully supported skin mods with emissive metallic and roughness support (And perhaps a map editor as well?) Aircraft (for the beta) F/A-18X S-8 Superhornet II F/i-16CM SuperViper II Su-33Q SuperFlanker II VR? PHSQ will support VR play with Multiplayer and Singleplayer And I also have been experimenting with an idea for a VR exclusive Campaign: An open world where you can have random dogfight encounters which can give you in campaign currency that can be used to buy better aircraft and modules, and the ability to pick up contracts to get even more currency or progress the story with massive assaults, Due to tech limitations I cant make an entire world, Ill go more into depth about this VR Campaign in another post Console Support Im leaving this at the end because this wont happen until the game is stable for a full release (or stable full beta) Playstation - Yep! Xbox - Planned PHSQ Update V2.03 (Or PHSQ Major Update 2 Revision .03) will be launching some time soon, Not saying when just saying its in development.

[ 2021-10-28 23:05:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

I'm re-doing the entire game again, there's some things that just wont work with UE5 and some of the assets in the project may be corrupted, so I'm re doing the entire game from scratch, This time I'm focusing more on the Multiplayer side of things so getting out a build may take thrice as long. However the new version is off to a good start so far...

I'm also feeling kinda burnt out from developing the game, I may have to take a break for a while.

[ 2021-08-21 16:06:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

So apparently I'm re doing everything again, a lot of the game is based off of old code and actors that I just ported from the original UE project, And given the amount if library updates to UE4 following UE4.26 I'm just going to have to phase out a lot of that old code, This includes the aircraft FM the UI and the gameplay system, The full Alpha is going to take a long time to finish so here are some features that are going to 100% be in the Alpha build:

• Campaign mission (No voice acting yet sadly)
• Two arcade modes: Endless Survival and Custom Survival, and if I fix up the MP system: COOP support
• Better settings menu: Now its no longer just 4 - 6 Presets
• New aircraft models
• More optimizations
• New spawning system (Save is automatically created so you no longer get a instant mission failure due to the Spawner not being able to get your selected Aircraft ID because the save does not exist)
• Less RNG based damage system, Weapons have damage values
• Better AI
• Performance Improvments

With these also comes some things that are not going to be in the game even for the final build:

• Damage Effects: they get annoying and trigger WAY to often
• That's literally it.

VR support is not going to be a focus given almost all of the 1307 UI elements (Packaged or not) are made for normal 2D support and cannot render properly in VR, The game still can be launched in VR but the UI is unusable. A lot of things are getting redone so its going to take a long time for the next update to release to the default branch however I will release some updates to the Open Beta branch (Should change it to Open Alpha( or is it a open beta of the alpha?)) but be prepared for crashes and bugs.
Oh I should also mention full custom Skin support, already made a paintkit for the first Replacement aircraft for the F18 the F/A-18X S-8 UPDATE: Paintkits work! Made this Razgriz skin for the F18, the dynamic material works so far...

[ 2021-04-20 15:36:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Added a few of the V5 Features, Such as effects (Or at least the fire effect) go to C:\Users\starc\AppData\Local\PhoenixSquadronNS\Saved\SaveGames and delete your save file, Then go to Hangar in game and select and confirm the F18, this will fix the instant fission mailure, Truesky has been updated to 4.3, And a lot of Improvements to the games backend, Multiplayer Replication works but still is a bit janky, Oh also the game crashes when you try going into the MP menu so its disabled, Missiles now show their direction, New FM has been added, However all the old aircraft had to be removed.

[ 2021-03-17 22:19:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Sorry for the lack of updates to the game, I have been working on a newer version for a while now, I don't know when I plan on releasing it, The update will include better effects, Newer Flight Model and a better UI, Along with a few other fix's, There's also a lot of back end Server related features that have been added, Controller support is fully working with the game, However you cant re-bind the controls yet... This new version will include 3 Missions, The first one will automatically start depending on whether you played the game already, Its better to just delete your save file, As there's going to be a first time setup to help with getting the game running smoothly, The other two are just normal missions, Arcade is getting a revamp as well, Not only will there be the Survival map as always, A improved NS Facility fight will be included along with a Ace Battle. Any features that are too buggy or aren't ready are going to give a error if triggered. Currently there's only the F18 as I had to delete the older FM Models, They were getting to complex and confusing to work with, The loading screen will now show Tips and how many NS Towers you have conquered, There being a total of 7, These towers are related to the games Campaign so they aren't that important as of now, So they will show up as all of them are done, The loading screen also now shows how many Credits you have and a Tip:
(And that's not an actual Tip its a placeholder) I also have added effects, Such as a Fire/Burning Effect which just damages you over time, a Shocked effect that disables your defense, and a Freezing Effect, that will reduce maneuverability, Getting set on fire as a small chance of happening depending on a stat for your aircraft, Getting shocked can happen if you get struck by lightning or a Electric Weapon, getting Frozen can happen if you enter a area that's too cold or you get hit by leaking coolant from lets say a large laser tower after shooting off a panel really close to the tower, These effects are temporary and don't last forever. AI is soon going to be replaced by something smarter than the current Missile AI Dupe, This AI will be able to read your movements and predict what you may do next, this can lead to the AI ramming into the ocean or putting you in a bad spot. There's now 3 Types of Special Special Weapons, Energy weapons, Power Weapons, And Shock Weapons, Shock weapons can deal a Shock effect, Power Weapons deal more damage and set things on fire, and Energy Weapons act like, well, any other normal Energy Weapon, The other two are probably going to be on more High Tier Aircraft. Special Modules will also be a thing, They can do things like decrease damage taken Increase Resistance to certain effects while reducing other things, Increasing Mobility while dropping defense Etc. That's mostly what's going to be coming in the next few or so updates.

[ 2021-03-13 02:57:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

* Upgraded RHI to DX12 * Fixed D3D Compiler issue * Options moved to Start menu * Buttons are not curved, Buttons may not be where the UI shows it to be * Added Cell Shader * Fixed Minor bugs * Added 2nd Campaign Mission - WIP * Fixed LPRG (Low Power Rail Gun)

[ 2021-02-10 13:34:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Im going to have to put Development on hold for now, For whatever reason my GPU Drivers D3D Compiler hangs whenever loading Phoenix Squadrons .uproject file and Unreal Engine has to crash the editor to prevent a deadlock, I cannot Develop the game due to this so until i can fix this im putting Development on hold.

[ 2021-01-31 21:35:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

ALPHA V101 - Added first campaign mission, Alpha missions still playable, Fixed Startup Screen showing legacy screen. Minor Bug Fixs. Campaign PRogress: First "Pilot" Mission finished Seccond mission WIP MP: Working on Replication Everything else: Explosion Effect updated, Improved Dirt Mask

[ 2021-01-27 14:45:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed some bugs, Start screen now shows the game version, New Aircraft Carrier Deck, Improved how lighting affects aircraft, Afterburner is less intensive on GPU, Aircraft Carrier now has deck lights, Aircraft Textures made to be a bit more easy to mod once templates become available, Fixed Dynamic Resolution not working, Missile Color is now a bit more darker, Mach Effect improved. Multiplayer progress: Still trying to make everything replicate correctly, MP will crash the game to start until MP is more stable and ready Singleplayer Progress: Finalized the new dialogue Widget Core Game Progress: Far from done, but most of the critical elements are in place, Such as flying and shooting a missile Soundtrack Progress: Halted, Mac is dead so I have to re use old tracks for a few places --------------------- Dynamic Wingman AI: Started experimenting with a dynamic wingman AI, Its far from done but should have its most basic functions in future updates

[ 2021-01-23 20:39:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

!! Fixed the bug that broke the game badly !!

• Added 2 Arcade mode maps (They aren't fully updated tho)
• Added AV8B +
• Fixed Resolution issue
• Performance Improvements
• Added free cam
• Console is temporarily enabled, until MP is done

NEW: Dynamic Main Menu, Time is set by your PCs clock // The game should now be playable, If there are any other game killing bugs then please report it, I will be doing some updates to the Open Beta branch.

[ 2021-01-13 20:16:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

New stuff

• Added Godrays
• Made HUD somewhat 3D
• Added holographic effect to HUD
• New Dialogue
• HUD Redo
• Changed the way Client spawns in game to prevent instant mission failure
• Resolution can now be changed
• Updated explosions and fire effects

Bug fixs

• Spawn Fix
• Fixed cloud stuttering in Arcade level
• Resolution can now be changed to fix the Effects issue
• Fixed EXEPTION ACCESS VIOLATION on startup
• Multiplayer disabled to prevent softlocks

This is the final Open Alpha update I will be releasing, Based on some feedback I'm going to be inviting people to QA test the game, I had to download the source version of UE4.25.4 because UE4.25.4 wont be getting updates or bug fixes anymore given UE4.26 being released, TrueSky is still on UE4.26 and TrueSky V3 breaks the cloud rendering, So I'm going to have to make manual patches to the engine, If UE4.26 does get TrueSky support I will try to update the game to that version (Unless UE4.26 gets buggy like ue4.25/UE4.24).

[ 2020-12-26 21:52:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Im abandoning the "Open Alpha" aspect of PHSQ, Im just going to develop the game as it is, the current version is going to be the last update for a while

[ 2020-12-26 15:13:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

New features/Bug fixes:

• The K - I mean one of the secret achievements are now achievable
• Game now sets screen resolution based on display resolution
• Game now sets GPU settings based on hardware so people don't immediately go for Ultra and crash
• Minor bug fixes
• D3D backup updated
• Fixed cloud stuttering on the Free Flight level

Multiplayer progress: I hate replication Campaign Progress: 3rd level work in progress Sound/OST: Mac died, cant really create anything new Aircraft Progress: Custom Skins being worked on ------------------------------------------

[ 2020-12-23 18:47:39 CET ] [ Original post ]