That rumble you can hear is the sound of Drydock Dreams Games’ aft elevator lifting a public TFA demo into the sunlight. If all goes according to plan, by this time next month the ascender’s wings will have been unfolded and locked in place, and its cockpit gauge needles will be pointing in the directions they need to point to guarantee trouble-free take-offs for trialists.
The demo release is set to coincide with the launch of a nine-tier Kickstarter campaign. Folk who choose to back at the ‘Commander’ tier or above will eventually* receive a boxed edition of TFA complete with the sort of history-rammed printed manuals that were standard fare when MicroProse was publishing PTO sims back in the1990s.
* 2026
Judging by this feature list, the demo will – with the exception of an intriguing dogfight mode prototype – be pretty similar to the beta build I’ve been toying with for the past week.
Assuming it does resemble the beta, potential demo-ists would be wise to exercise their screenshot digit in readiness for January. While, most of the time, the strat map is the most sensible way to monitor proceedings, staying in the windowless flagplot when stuff like this…
…is unfolding outside, takes real willpower.
People planning to try TFA via the imminent trial possibly need to brace themselves for a succession of bloody noses too.
Invariably, the IJN AI seems to locate and leather my flat-tops before I manage to locate and leather his. I’ve tried denser search patterns and beefier Combat Air Patrols. I’ve tried baiting my opponent with small decoy taskforces. Nothing seems to work. Any tips, Amiral Crapaud?
I’m very much looking forward to this! War on the sea was excellent, but this game may be even better, I hope.