Software:SimplePlanes

Short description: Flight simulation video game

SimplePlanes
Developer(s)	Jundroo LLC
Publisher(s)	Jundroo LLC
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	iOS, Android, OS X, Microsoft Windows
Release	iOS and Android WW: 10 December 2014 Steam WW: 17 December 2015
Genre(s)	Simulation, open-world, Sandbox
Mode(s)	Single-player, multi-player (with mod)

The SimplePlanes website, where you can download community made aircraft. The home page (shown here) displays the most upvoted aircraft publicly shared within the last 5 days.

SimplePlanes is a simulation video game developed and published by the American indie studio Jundroo LLC. SimplePlanes followed the release of SimplePhysics and SimpleRockets and preceded Juno: New Origins and SimplePlanes VR. The game was first released on Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows and was ported to iOS and Android later. It was released onto Steam on 17 December 2015 after going through the Steam Greenlight process. The game received mixed reviews from users and video game reviewers, with the main downfalls mentioned the most being the "slippery controls" and the graphical design. However, it is known for its innovative, though sometimes complex, building mechanics. From 2014 until 2023, SimplePlanes has got 12 updates (1.1 - 1.12, excluding minor updates, such as bug fixes). The latest version, v1.12.200 beta, was released in September 2023.

Gameplay

A Saab 340 is taking off from Bandit Airfield. Screenshotted from SimplePlanes.

In SimplePlanes the player is able to build aircraft, and other contraptions using the materials and objects provided. Players can additionally use XML modifications (save editing) on their creation. Planes (or other creations) created by the community can also be downloaded from the SimplePlanes.com website, which has social-network like features: player profiles with their creations, aircraft rating via upvotes, forums, and a gallery of all designs.

In SimplePlanes, parts can be reshaped by the player to make the complex curves of any aircraft. The fuselage block allows to set a cross section, corner style (hard corners or different variations of curved ones), length and offsets of a fuselage section, and the fuselage can smoothly blend between different cross-sections. The sections can be hollow, or feature intakes, cones and side cuts. Players specify the wingspan, chords and offsets of a wing section. Control surfaces can be customized and be bound to different inputs. Aerodynamics, weights and fuel volumes will be automatically updated when parts are modified.

Parts like engines, rotators, wheels and cannons are customizable: the player can change the size, power, controls, etc. of these components. Custom cockpit instrumentation can be created and made to display flight parameters. Moving parts, such as actuated doors, bomb bays, and custom landing gear can be created with rotators and pistons. The game provides a scripting language/editor named FunkyTrees (FT), which takes player inputs and flight parameters as input, processes them via mathematical and logical functions, and its output is used to control a part, such as setting engine thrust. These can be used to create complex moving parts and autopilot-like features. Currently, adding FunkyTrees functions to a craft requires save editing or mods.

While building an aircraft, the player must balance lift, thrust, payload, fuel, etc. They also must be sure the aircraft is stable and balanced, and that exhausting fuel will not change its center of mass so that the aircraft becomes unstable. By modifying the design, the player can adjust the performance of the aircraft.

When the creation or build is finished, the player can fly/drive/sail it around the games map which contains five different islands with unique features, (4 on IOS or Android) and/or upload it to the SimplePlanes website. The five islands each have unique environments/biomes. The islands include airports and other ground objects. Boats appear on the map and players can land or attack them. SimplePlanes contains challenge modes, involving short tutorial-type activities (such as the "take-off tutorial" and the "landing tutorial") but can become more advanced with specific missions, such as "SAM Evasion" and "Trench Run". Different munitions are featured that are able to be attached to aircraft via pylons. Any part can be destroyed. Different parts may react differently, such as engines catching fire.

The game supports Modding, which can include custom parts, vehicles, UI, custom maps, and challenges, including real or fictional terrain. Multiple tool mods have been intergrated into the base game. On PC, Mac and Linux (and formerly Android) SimplePlanes mods can be downloaded from SimplePlanes.com. Some mods are also hosted on the Steam Workshop. Mods can be created with a special Unity plugin that is shipped with the game.

Locations

Locations are spawn points where the player can spawn their aircraft. There are 3 types of Locations:

1. Default: The spawn point is already featured.
2. Discovered: Player must fly over the location in order to feature it.
3. Custom: Player can add the current location of an aircraft freely.

As of v1.12, there are 8 Default Locations and 21 Discoverable Locations. They are located on many islands:

1. Wright Isles (3 Default, 3 Discovered)
2. Krakabloa (5 Default)
3. Snowstone (6 Discovered)
4. Sky Park City (4 Discovered)
5. Maywar Island (7 Discovered)

SimplePlanes VR

SimplePlanes VR (often abbreviated SPVR) is another game for VR headsets, sold separately on Steam. It was released on 17 December 2021. The game supports Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality and is in App Lab for the Meta Quest 2. With the player stick, the player can interact with many buttons and levers. Unlike SimplePlanes, players cannot build or edit any aircraft but they can download VR-friendly aircraft from its website.

Website curators

Website curators have a very important role of "curating" crafts which work in SimplePlanes VR. If a craft is curated, it will receive 30 points upon upvote instead of 15. A craft which works in VR is built up of cockpit parts which are all interactive, making a smooth and immersive VR experience.

Development

Following the release of games SimpleRockets and SimplePhysics, Jundroo LLC released SimplePlanes on Windows and Mac OSX. Soon after it was ported to iOS and Android. The Windows and OSX versions were first sold on Gumroad but when SimplePlanes was released onto Valve's Steam on 17 December 2015 after going through the Steam Greenlight process, all sales were moved there. All purchasers from Gumroad received a free Steam key. Mac copies were also sold via the Mac App Store. Those who purchased the game through this method had to email the receipt for a Steam key. The game received regular updates with new parts and locations, but the update rate became slower when the developers switched focus to Juno: New Origins and SimplePlanes VR, until the last update v1.12.200 beta in September 2023.

Reception

SimplePlanes received "mixed or average" reviews, according to Metacritic, where it garnered a score of 67/100, but has very positive ratings on Steam and an average rating of 4.5+/5.0 stars on the App Store. The biggest issue critics had was the process of building. Nadia Oxford, a writer for Gamezebo gave SimplePlanes a 4/5 for its realistic flight challenges, sandbox mode and the amount of building options. The review was weighed down by the lack of tutorials and how "getting pieces to fit together doesn't always go as planned". Jordan Minor from 148Apps criticised the game for its "slippery controls" and he noted the environment was "ugly, muddy and blocky". He compared the graphics to "a poor man's Wii Sports Resort" and said the planes looked like small wooden toys with the best compliment he could give the game being "who knows if the aerodynamic knowledge players learn from SimplePlanes can actually transfer over into the real world? But, gameplay and visual gripes aside, the fact that it at least feels like it can is probably the best compliment this game can get". Ben Schwan, a writer for the German website Heise Online also criticised the building mechanics. Mark Steighner, a writer for Hardcore Gamer did not criticise the controls but instead commented on the lack of charisma that games like Kerbal Space Program have. He also addressed the novelty issue and how after a while the game can get boring.