Airwolf Training Program

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Welcome to the Airwolf Training Program, pilot.

F.I.R.M. wants you to remember, this is a simulation, not a game.

This game has been created for the Together Jam 2022.

It is inspired by the Airwolf episode "Mind of the Machine" in which there is a computer program to train new Airwolf pilots.

"Airwolf Training Program" tries to expand on that idea and lets you play as one of these pilots.

To make this a true Airwolf experience, a lot of work has gone into making Airwolf feel like Airwolf. From extremely strong weapons to very agile movement and maneuverability. I did not think the normal, more realistic way video games handle helicopters would fit, so I came up with a hybrid control scheme, mixing jet and helicopter, to me something that describes Airwolf very well, and how it is depicted in the show.

The user interface, like the pitch indicator, score and turbo boost is designed to resemble the interface you can see in the cockpit view during the show. I took a lot of reference images when designing it and believe it makes you feel more connected to the helicopter and its controls.

All gadgets and weapons are made to stay true to the show in function and design, like the iconic turbo boost and sunburst anti-missile flares.

A lot of details to make the game world feel believable were also created. If a helicopter hovers the water, its rotors will affect the ocean beneath it. Missiles follow flares dynamically and actually detect heat ahead of them, which can make them change targets realistically. The sunburst flares actually come out of the dispenser which opens up. Your rotor blades blow away smoke created by gunfire.

The Airwolf model and all other models were hand-made and textured with a lot of work and care going into them. All visual effects were made by hand too. As a small detail, the color of the Airwolf is the correct one, phantom gray metallic.

The opening of the game with the Airwolf logo also resembles the opening of the show.

This game was made in mind with the Jam's theme "Power in Numbers" in two ways. One, the many enemies swarm Airwolf and the aircraft carrier it has to defend. Two, Airwolf gets stronger and stronger over the games waves as it unlocks new upgrades with score gained from defeating them. This contrast of one vs many works well with the fact that Airwolf is supposed to be the literally best helicopter in the world and emphasizes its power.

LootLocker was also incorporated into the games narrative, instead of having it just put a number on the leaderboard for pilots that did not enter their name or couldn't load the name of, it will now say "Pilot 456" instead of just "456" which helps to keep up immersion. I was surprised by how simple it was to implement and had it connected to the game in literally an hour, thanks to the great documentation and installation ux.

My brother and I did everything ourselves, he was mainly responsible for the 3d art and music and I did programming and ui. All done in the time frame of the jam and did not use external assets apart from a Unity shader pack to create these beautiful sunrays and a handful of sound packs. We also used 2 commercially usable fonts. We have the rights to all external assets used in this game.

We loved making this game, and hope you enjoy it! You are very welcome to leave feedback! #fangame #shooter #retro #action #helicopter #flight #airwolf

This game was developed as part of a promotional contest. Character art, narrative, music and other creative elements contained within are not officially licensed or approved by NBCUniversal or its affiliates.