Ace Pilot Pacific is a top view air combat game. The action takes place during the WW2 Pacific war.

Hubert Cachat :

Ace Pilot Pacific
Available on Steam since March 2, 2024.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2246530/Ace_Pilot_Pacific/

Developer Hubert Cachat
company HC
Indi game, solo project.
[email protected]

Video on YouTube
https://youtu.be/wCPAjb0e4PM


Ace Pilot Pacific is my 3rd game, I have been working on it for around a year and a half.
The action take place during World War 2 in the pacific.

You will fly one of the six different allie aircraft available against multiple Japanese.
You will be dog fighting against Zeros, Ki43, Ki49, G4M, G4M2, Hk8K2, Nakajima Kikka, J8M Shusui, and Shinden.

Choose between those 5 missions.
- Atoll
- Pearl Harbor
- Wake Island
- Japan Run
- Ha long Bay

You could play them in the order you want without restriction. The goal is to make the highest score in every mission.
When you or one of your allies destroy a plane, you gain a flag. If you destroy a ground or naval target you gain a flag. You and only you can destroy the ground and naval targets.
When you have 3 flags you gain an Ace level. The mission end at Ace 100, if you are still alive.
When an ally destroys a target, you get points and a flag but only when you destroy an enemy will you get a Power UP.

All mission starts with you and a wingman against 3 Japanese and when you gain some Ace Level the numbers of enemies increase as well as the number of allies, but the numbers are random, sometimes you get more allies sometimes it's the contrary.

Backgrounds are very detailed all in 4K HD. Atoll is a small map but for exemple Wake Island is a giant one 32768x30720 pixels.
The effect is stunning and if you're like me, you will want to go swimming on that beach.

All the objects are 3D even the sea.
I recommend you use a game controller. It's like flying a small RC aircraft on your screen. But it also works with a keyboard.

- Overview -

In the lobby, you will be able to select your mission and your plane, learn a little bit about them and their roles in the Pacific. You will also find the status of your plane's upgrades. You receive an upgrade every time you finish a mission at level 100. This may seem like a lot, but as the mission progresses, more wingmen will join you. They will assist you in achieving more victories and, consequently, reaching higher levels.

In the lobby, you will also have the option to change settings such as playing the game in a window or fullscreen mode, adjusting controls for left-handed people, and modifying the volume of the music and other sounds. While there, you can familiarize yourself with the controls. Finally, you may choose to leave the tutorial button on during the initial missions to learn about the controls during the loading of your mission. Once you are comfortable with the controls, I recommend turning off the tutorial to expedite loading times. Then, press Start in the upper right corner or press Enter on the keyboard or Start on the gamepad to begin.

Atoll

In Atoll, the waves on the beaches and the seagulls flying around can be hard to notice when you are engaged in combat. Although I haven't hit a seagull with my windshield yet. In addition to enemy planes, watch out for artillery hidden in the jungle and for Japanese high-speed boats. Both are ground targets, so use your secondary weapons like bombs or rockets to destroy them. By the way, if you miss, you will observe a different effect on land or in the water, of course.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor holds great significance, and I hope my portrayal respectfully captures the events without causing offense. I have aimed to recreate the Japanese attack that occurred on December 7, 1941. I modified the background to reflect the conditions of that day using archival pictures and old maps. There are 88 boats in the harbor, plus one in motion, the Neosho. At any given time, there are up to 200 enemy aircraft flying around the harbor, dropping bombs or torpedoes or engaging in dogfights. When a battleship is hit, sailors fall into the water and they get picked up by small boats. Additionally, there is a Japanese mini-submarine. In fact, it's not so "mini" when you see one in the National Museum of the Pacific War located in Fredericksburg, Texas. Boats begin sinking at Ace levels 25, 50, and 75. The fire and smoke effects have been created using Blender, and the smoke looks good alone, but becomes even more impressive as it stacks up.

Wake Island

Wake Island is a coral atoll located in the Micronesia subregion of the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Simply put, it's situated between Pearl Harbor and Japan. In 1941, a military outpost and airbase were established by the Americans, only to be attacked later that year by Japan, which further fortified the island. Although it was bombed, it was never successfully invaded, and it was returned to the US after the war. I have taken the liberty of establishing the Japanese airbase as a testing ground for their new airplane prototypes. In addition to regular Japanese airplanes, you will engage in dogfights against a Nakajima Kikka, developed on a similar design as the German Messerschmitt Me 262, marking the beginning of jet propulsion aircraft. You will also encounter a J8M Shusui, which is not something you can eat. Based on the German Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, the J8M was also a jet-propelled aircraft, but its engine used German propellants (hydrogen peroxide/methanol-hydrazine) known in Japan as Ko and Otsu. The engine produces a distinctive hissing sound, and the fuel produces a spectacular explosion. But wait, there's more! You will also face a Kyushu J7W Shinden, or "Shinden." This was the first interceptor equipped with a canard design, meaning that the up and down controls are in the nose instead of the tail, resulting in excellent maneuverability. The propulsion is located at the back with a pusher engine equipped with a 6-blade propeller. The Japanese planned to fit the Shinden with a jet engine, but that never became reality. This plane was a short-range, land-based interceptor, developed in response to Boeing B-29 Superfortress raids. Yes, there are B-29 Superfortresses on your side, raining down destruction upon the island during your mission. On the ground, you will find anti-aircraft guns, parked planes, fuel trucks, and transport trucks waiting to be destroyed.

Japan Run

In Japan Run, you will travel from the shores of Japan to the heart of its diverse landscape, where you can explore a variety of terrain. Along the way, be sure not to miss destroying the mines. For this task, you will receive assistance from the Doolittle Squadron of B-25s. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, who led the raid himself. However, I offer no guarantee.

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay in Vietnam features no fewer than 77 islands. From above, one island tends to resemble another, so shadows are helpful for gaining a sense of their appearance in reality. If you collide with an island, you will bounce; crashing isn't the most positive way to relax. The Japanese are quite creative; they have converted a motorized sampan into an armed speedboat, so watch out for it.

- Game Mechanics -

I kept the mechanics of the game simple. It's not too easy, but it's not complicated either. Every victory gives you a flag (similar to those seen on the side of combat aircraft). With 3 flags, you gain an ace level. The mission ends at ace level 100. The goal is to achieve the highest score. Every mission has its own leaderboard, displayed in the community. Wingmen victories also grant you flags. Only you can destroy ground targets such as boats or anti-aircraft units. You receive a different flag for those targets, yet it's still a victory. You don't earn a flag for targets that don't defend themselves, like trucks or mines. When you destroy a target yourself, you earn points and receive one of five power-ups. If a wingman achieves a victory, you only earn points. The power-ups are:

Repair: Grants you 50 to 200 repair points.
Life: Provides an extra life. You start with 3 extra lives and cannot have more than 3.
Bomb: Gives you 3 bombs with a larger blast area, so precision isn't crucial.
Missile: Grants you 3 guided missiles. These may have been prototypes at the time, but it's a game, so fun before history or is it beauty?
Shield: Provides 30 seconds of invulnerability. How cool is that?

At ace level 100 of every mission, you receive an upgrade for one of the available aircraft. I recommend starting with machine guns. With each upgrade, you'll fire more bullets from your plane, earning more points. For example, 2 bullets yield 10 points, 3 bullets yield 15 points, and so on. There's an upgrade screen in the lobby that shows which upgrades you've already selected. If you manage to acquire all the upgrades, you're definitely an ace, and the beer is on me.