Did you know that your stick and rudder prowess can be used to train the next generation of autopilot? It is true, an artificial intelligence cat told me so.
I came across Exosky by Elevons LLC a few weeks ago. It did not appear during a game festival, just through the usual internet crawling. I haven't written about it up until this point as I have both been wondering how to describe it and still somewhat mesmerized by it. After a sweet near-miss barrel roll past a deep space borne fresh water turtle the other night, I thought it was time.
ABOUT EXOSKY
Exosky is an unusual single player flight sim experience both in story and gameplay experience.
Players are guided by Norton, an A.I. that was created by someone from long before the events of the game. Though the exact reason for that is unknown, even to Norton, it is known that the given name and visual design of the cat that once belonged to the long-gone creator. Norton built software to gather training data to create the ultimate A.I. pilot in the honor of his former creator who once loved to fly aircraft.
To incentivize players to fly as extreme as possible for high quality data gathering, the more dangerous each flight it, the more points are gathered. Players are flying fictional drones in this simulator to further encourage flying as reckless as possible. No long-term consequences!
Descriptions of the drones mention "Martian engineering" and space colonies, so the setting of the game is certainly far in the future. The drones are flown through multiple levels or "simulations" with varying atmospheres, gravities and geographies that incorporate aspects of CPUs and GPUs. You will have to see it to believe it.
Each time a player loads up a level, waypoint routes are randomly generated. Each playthrough is unique. Players fly within a few meters of each waypoint to clear it and be directed to the next. Occasionally the world seed provides a path that is not physically able to be completed. I remember a few runs where a waypoint was in the center of a floating mountain. That is simple enough to fix by just reloading the level and trying it again.
Each second a player is flying, their control inputs are monitored and graded for a point score. In a game where even aileron rolling gives you points, flying straight and level is safe, but it is not going to get you far on the total score board. Points are rewarded and multiplied depending on the consistency and complexity of the aerobatic maneuvers performed. Other factors like flying through clouds, different atmospheres, high speeds, ultra low altitude flight, etc., are factored into overall score. New levels are unlocked by reaching specific high scores.
After a few weeks of playing on and off, I can say that I am having a good time with it so far. Being encouraged and rewarded to fly in such a dynamic way is quite a change from the types of games and simulators I am used to. Normally I would go a bit deeper into the gameplay, but for now I am going to recommend downloading the demo and trying it out. In the meantime, here are some finer details that should be noted.
Flight Model Documentation
The flight model struck me as rather well modeled within a few days of playing, and for good reason, apparently. Exosky comes with a documented flight model, publicly accessible on their website. This document is rather detailed, even including a sample JSON file that correlates with the explanation of the flight model. I very much enjoy seeing this type of documentation. In this case, it helps users gain a better understanding of the behind the scenes work and assist them with using the next built-in game feature.
Modding Manual
Even in its early state, it is possible to mod custom aircraft with custom aerodynamic values to be added to the game. However, it is not something that can easily be done in just a few minutes. The modding manual provides a step-by-step process on how to do so. The aircraft used to demonstrate this ability is the Verville-Packard R-1. In the futuristic setting of Exosky, an air racer from the year 1919 can be flown.
Development
I have not found a clear development timeline at this point, but some in-depth research on their Discord server, official website and Steam page has allowed me to piece together a decent idea.
May 2020: Elevons LLC founded.
April 2022: Discord server created.
June 17th, 2022: Public pre-alpha demo for "Yesplane!", the predecessor of Exosky.
June - August 2022: Continued development, opportunity pathfinding, concept refinement.
September 11th, 2022: New website launched, project rebranded to Exosky. Change in game concept begins.
August 22nd, 2023: Early demo for Exosky released on Discord for testing.
January 23rd, 2024: Steam page and demo released.
There is talk of Exosky appearing in a game festival in early 2025, but more on that at a later date. Research for writing this article led me deeper into the details of Exosky and its developer has unveiled some other interesting details I'd love to speak to the developer about formally. More on Exosky soon!
About the Writer
Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Profile]
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