At Skies' Edge
A downloadable game for Windows
At Skies' Edge is an arcade flight action game in the vein of Ace Combat, HAWX and Project Wingman. I made it after watching Top Gun 2.
It features customisable loadouts, an arcade flight model extended from Lunetis's very solid Operation Maverick / Operation Zero, and a few missions that demonstrate the core mechanics. A controller is highly recommended to play this game.
I need to stress that this is still a personal project I'm working on in my free time, and my first attempt at programming an actual game, rather than a learning project. I have no guarantee that I have the skills or resources to fully expand ASE into something that I would be happy to call an actual product (say, with better production values and actual content). With this in mind, I've avoided making plans for story, content and further development considerations and used only placeholder/free assets until I have confidence that I have developed something akin to a minimum viable product (MVP) that has all the intended features that I want to see. Please feel free to send any bugs my way via comment or DM if you can report this.
Want to see more regular updates? I've just set up a X/Twitter account.
FAQ:
- How do I enter supermaneuverability mode?
- Supermaneuverabilty is limited to certain aircraft at the moment. Double tap and hold the brake button. The throttle mode under the speedometer will change to 'SUPERM'. Keep an eye on your altitude and airspeed!
- Why are the missiles scaled weirdly?
- The 3D models are created by different third parties and are all at different scales. I can't be bothered implementing a scaling function for them because ideally if I had bespoke models they would be all at the same scale.
- Will this be developed further? Are you open to ideas/help?
- While I'm planning to keep updating ASE, I'm hitting the limit of my current skillset and undergoing heavy R&D! If it all works out, I'll invest more of my time and money into it,
Credits:
- Base flight model & game architecture: Lunetis
- Outsourced 3D models
- F-15C 3D Model : created by UsmanBro, https://skfb.ly/6VnHW (CC BY 4.0)
- MiG-29 3D Model: created by UsmanBro, https://skfb.ly/6XBBu (CC BY 4.0)
- F-18 3D Model: from CADNav https://www.cadnav.com/3d-models/model-46195.html (CC NC)
- Su-57 3D Model: From CADNav https://www.cadnav.com/3d-models/model-47323.html (CC NC)
- F-20 3D Model: From CADNav: https://www.cadnav.com/3d/Military-aircraft.html (CC NC)
- RPN Mk.1 Model: From Olly: https://www.artstation.com/foxxy2/albums/4295311
- AIM-9 Sidewinder : created by piojoman, https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/free-3ds-mode-missile-aim-9-sidewinder/924208 (Turbosquid Standard License)
- AIM-120C AMRAAM : created by Peter Primini, https://skfb.ly/6AARv (CC BY 4.0)
- Bomb Model: created by Youssef Loukili, https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/aircraft-bomb-cat-uxo-500lb-c-0f4a7feb0627486b9c... (CC BY 4.0)
- AGM-65 Model: From CADNav https://www.cadnav.com/3d-models/model-48767.html (CC NC)
- AIM-7 Model: From Bohmerang, https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/missile-bomb-collection-fighter-jets-free-d203b6... (CC by 4.0)
- Sci-Fi Hangar: From GetDeadEntertainment, https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/sci-fi-hangar-0625335964a5496980ccfbc3b76c49ff (CC by 4.0)
- Container: From Ashkelon https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/container-20ft-623de0e3ed6b47878c6b280969971743 (CC by 4.0)
- Stealth Drone: From radekstepan https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/stealth-drone-concept-c1f0bfab4e924753994a8d953a... (CC BY 4.0)
- F-15C 3D Model : created by UsmanBro, https://skfb.ly/6VnHW (CC BY 4.0)
- Sound effects:
- Orgmaker: by studio pixel https://www.cavestory.org/pixels-works/org-maker.php
- Music
- Isaac Le Guenn
- Manbou 2nd Class: https://www.manbou2ndclass.net/p/index.html
- Fukugawa: https://dova-s.jp/_contents/author/profile441.html
- Heitaro Ashibe: https://dova-s.jp/_contents/author/profile457.html
- Voice Acting:
- AWACS Panopticon: Conor Bushoven
- Organised by FlyAwayNow
- Cover art
- Monty913 https://twitter.com/Monty_913
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- ASE v0.10b17 days ago
- ASE v0.10a35 days ago
- ASE v0.09aJul 20, 2024
- ASE v0.08bApr 25, 2024
- ASE v0.08aApr 13, 2024
- Development UpdateFeb 25, 2024
- 0.07c HotfixJan 24, 2024
- 0.07b HotfixJan 22, 2024
Comments
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There's no way to exit the options menu if you've selected an option to modify on controller or keyboard and mouse.
Thanks buddy, just tested and confirmed on my end. I have a hotfix in the works so will include this in the patch!
Fixed! It'll go in with the next patch.
Just downloaded the game and Im unable to extract it. Error code: 0x80070005 access denied.
Hey buddy, I've given this a quick google and it looks like this is a windows error related to file permissions. You can try running the extractor (I recommend winRAR) with admin permissions and/or extracting to a different folder location with different security settings. See this link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1609845/error-0x80070005
Oh yeah! It works! Now that I played the tutorial, missions 1, 7, 8 and 9, I must say that I really loved the soundtrack and voicelines in those missions. Those really help with setting the right atmosphere for the game. My biggest complaint is aircraft handling. No matter how agile any plane is, they all feel almost the same; slow, sluggish, and with an absent of any kind of inertia. So most of the time the dogfights dont feel enjoyable and I really didnt bother shooting down enemy aircraft.
Hey buddy, thanks for giving it a go! Great to see that you like the project so far. Regarding the handling, have you tried limiting speed to the ACM speed window? I tried to put more influence on speed management by penalising mobility at high speeds and giving bonuses within the ACM window. For aircraft like the F/A-18, NRP-20 and I-21, double-tapping and holding brake should also enable supermaneuverability mode which might help in giving that feeling of inertia you're chasing!
A heads up, the settings menu is completely unusable at 32:9 aspect ratios
Hey buddy, thanks for reporting. I'll take a look and see if I can fix it for the next release! Is the in-game UI OK?
From the brief poke I gave it, seemed to have been working fine in-game, just solely the menu was borked
I believe I've fixed this bug just now. It'll ship in the next update.
hey i cant set accelerate to RB/LB or yaw to LT/RT is there any way i can do that
oh none of the rebind buttons work i cant swap between select or x or nuthin
Hey buddy, thanks for playing! I've confirmed this bug on my end as well. The game currently doesn't let you rebind to a key/button that's already bound, but what you can do to get around this at the moment is to rebind the action you want to change to a random key to the keyboard, then rebind the actual action. I'll see if I can fix it in the next patch.
oh kk, i didnt think about that, thanks
managed to rebind everything i wanted but the triggeres, i'm so used to using the bumpers to accelerate/decelerate in these types of games, but despite that it's fun to play! even if i yaw on accident
Hey, how many planes are currently on the roster?
Hey buddy, the latest version of the game has 3 playable aircraft. The next patch will expand this to 5.
Please keep in mind all aircraft right now are using placeholder assets!
does/will this have HOTAS support?
Hey buddy, I do plan on adding HOTAS support but it'll be later down the line. Thanks for checking it out!
Since we have mig and sukhoi in the game file,why not make them as playable aircrafts?
Hey buddy, thanks for playing! Sorry for not getting back to you earlier, I was overseas and away from my computer.
The reason why those planes aren't playable at the moment is because their 3D models don't have moving control surfaces. That is, they're just a solid block, so I can't animate them properly. Since I don't know how to use blender or anything, I have to try my luck with whatever models I can get my hands on legally.
More aircraft are coming in the next patch, though!
Good stuff!
I remember coming across the game on the Ace Combat subreddit some time ago but couldn't get a feel for the controls .
Still took some time to get use to it since it's pretty different from AC and PW with the whole throttle and double tapping keys to change the plane's speed, but it feels pretty good when you do get used to it.
The core gameplay is pretty solid already! The one thing I thought could be improved would be the missile switching, since you can have several missile types equipped at once it can be a bit tedious to only go through them one by one with one key when you need to switch.
It'd be nice to have the ability to bind equipped missiles to d-pad directions, so tapping one direction instantly switches to a specific missile rather then having to cycle through them.
Hey buddy, thanks for trying! I tried to differentiate ASE a little bit from AC with the throttle - you're supposed to stay in the ACM window for dogfighting and general combat which is why the throttle is manually set, but you can play it perfectly fine AC style by double tap-and-holding the throttle keys.
Regarding the missile switching, unfortunately the D-pad is reserved for an upcoming mechanic, but I'm thinking of actually limiting weapon selection to 3 selectable options for a future balance pass. I think this would hopefully strike a balance between the multi-weapon loadout people want, and encouraging players to try out different planes. Hopefully this will also make swapping weapons a little less tedious too, but I guess we'll see how it's received.
Any chance for a future Linux/Steamdeck build? I tried getting v0.08a working through both Proton 8.0 and Lutris Wine and was unable to get past the loadout select screen, it was missing textures and only the back button worked. Also the entering the options menu softlocked me and required ALT+F4 to get out
Hey buddy, thanks for trying it out. I've never touched Linux before so I'm not sure what could be causing it. Maybe it's something I can explore porting to in a future version!
The games user interface is broken cant navigate menus at all, with controller or without.
Hey buddy, sorry to hear that. Did you click or move the mouse before using the controller or keyboard? Does it happen consistently?
Sorry for late reply, the problem is the menu doesn't recognise my inputs almost at all, say I enter the game and go to the options to change controls and it immediatly stops responding to what I do, mouse inputs or arrow keyes, controller pad or stick. And some options work like I start a game and select a mission and want to equip my fighter with missiles well I do so and then I'm stuck again in an endless loop of only two options putting a missile on or taking it off.
sr for bad england
All good - just need a bit more information to start investigating this. Does using the main menu work consistently or is it all menus that you've accessed so far? It sounds like it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I am assuming you've tried to press ESC in the hangar to finish selecting missiles as well?
I'll also need what sort of keyboard, stick and controller you're using and your computer specs.
I will be also pushing a hotfix for an unrelated issue shortly, maybe you can see if it also fixes your problem.
Sr for late reply again, all menus are affected it seems like the problems doesnt change what is bugged keeps bugging so when I enter a menu that was broken the last time I turned the game on and try doing the same thing it will break again, it is a consistent issue. The whole game stops responding to any other inputs than arrow keys and even those do not get recognises in most directions. I did try every button on my keyboard none helped fix the issue. My keyboard is a Octane - MB7C (Gaming keyboard), mouse is a G203, my controller is an Xbox One S. Computer specs are as follows AMD Ryzen 5 3600 cpu, Rtx 2060 gpu, 16gb 3200MHz ram, DA700 psu, a 1tb SSD, 2tb HDD, a 1tb HDD. The game is installed on the SSD.
Okay, leave it with me. This is the first time I've come across this issue and nobody else has reported something like this, so it might take a while and I'm not sure if I can fix it - it could be something wrong with the game or something wrong with your hardware.
If you haven't already I would try disconnecting the controller when you use keyboard to see if there is any weird input signal from your controller that is overriding things. Of course please also make sure your drivers are up to date for both controller and keyboard.
Hey buddy,
I think I might have finally cracked this bug in 0.07c. Give it a go if you have some time!
This is the first flight game I've seen here on itch and I hope it gains traction cuz it'll save me some time by not having me develop a new game like this out of sheer rage cuz AAA devs don't make these kinds of games on a usual basis(Ace combat and Project wingman aside).I hope this project doesn't get abandoned like the others that I've seen Keep it up my guy I hope to see this project grow.
On a side note:imagine a game where you could customize your own aircraft and play against other similarly customized aircraft. you know like how Armored Core does it. I wanna make a game like that on unity and need some knowledge on C#. This is a long term project so if you could help me out by telling me a few tutorials or books to refer to then it would help
Hey buddy, thanks for the feedback! I'm currently juggling a few other things for work and study, but don't intend to stop working on this for the forseeable future. I'm also dealing with some particularly digusting AI rewrites which broke a lot of things so the next update might take a little longer than usual in coming out. That said, I don't make any guarantees that I'll ever finish, but I definitely will try my best.
Re; your side note, I think the best advice I could give you is to think about what building blocks you need to make whatever game you're planning. Then break each block into more blocks. Keep breaking blocks until you know exactly what you need to do next (probably look up some tutorials), then prioritise the most important ones.
If you are completely new, I recommend starting off with a few sandbox projects and very, very small things to get your head around how C# works and what sorts of tools it gives you. I learned from scratch using youtube tutorials like Brackeys, CodeMonkey and BlackThornProd who do some nice beginner material.