Where things stand

Roadmap

The plan is to prove the idea cheaply, then build the real game with confidence. Nothing is claimed here that does not exist.

Phase one: the proof

A browser based prototype that tests two things which could each sink the game: whether the economy produces good, legible, stable decisions from a one aircraft operator to a major carrier, and whether a dense management interface can feel crafted and distinctive.

Built: a deterministic simulation with automated tests, scenarios in five eras from 1947 to 1994, a playable interface in five era looks, setup choices (turn length, funding, chief executive, rivals), your own airline with a livery painter, carry-over between eras, a Mac desktop build, scripted strategy runs and a calibration report. Not yet done: verifying the data against primary sources, tester sessions on usability, and the rest of the systems on the systems page.

What the tests found

The first strategy run exposed a flaw that mattered. New aircraft were delivered but never put to work, so the jet transition barely affected anyone, and doing nothing performed as well as playing. A re-equip action and stronger passenger preference for jets fixed it. The lesson is in the devlog.

Next

1. Verify the data. Replace each estimate in the 1958 to 1963 dataset with a sourced figure, and keep the confidence label honest.
2. Test with players. Five new players, unaided, opening a route and buying an aircraft inside three minutes. Show screenshots to people who design for a living and ask for three words.
3. Deepen the jet transition. The full seven years, 1958 to 1964, with the systems that are only stubs today.
4. Go backwards and forwards. The postwar eras first, then widebodies, then deregulation.
5. Choose the engine. After the prototype passes, decide between a desktop wrapper around the web build and a port to a game engine. The data, rules and tests carry over either way.

Later

The remaining eras up to 2045, procedural play beyond it, modding with open data files, and multiplayer on top of the same command model.

The prototype currently holds 38 airports, 17 aircraft types, 11 airlines and 33 events.