Dev Update #4: The Living Front Takes Flight

This development update accompanies the public Steam demo release. The Steam demo is now available as v0.6.366.

Hello, pilots!

Rotary Knights has changed across the whole flight loop. The Western Front now helps you plan a sortie, the tactical board gives each mission its own demands, and the squadron remembers more of what happened after you land.

The Living Front, Balloon Bust, Cloud Cover, the rebuilt demo finale, and Trench Strafing now form one complete Steam-demo sortie loop. Plan the route, choose altitude and attack commitment, fight past escorts and ground fire, fly the withdrawal, and bring wounds, aircraft damage, objective state, local influence, and War Diary consequences home.

Plan the Flight Before Takeoff

The Western Front has grown into an operational map. Before takeoff, the Operation Plan shows the outbound route, the return leg, total fuel, reserve, known threats, the objective, and available recovery fields.

Local sectors can sit under German Pressure, become Contested, or move toward Allied Initiative. Reconnaissance, interception, losses, and completed objectives shift that balance. Allied and enemy formations respond. Historical offensives keep their weight, so one squadron can steady a sector without rewriting the Somme.

After the sortie, the map returns to the affected sector and records the local movement in the War Diary.

A Larger Tactical Sky

Dogfights now give the aircraft and battlefield the full screen. Reachable hexes, clickable maneuvers, firing opportunities, and enemy danger each have a clear visual mark.

Starting altitude shapes the first engagement. A high entry begins farther out with less ground-fire pressure. Medium entry gives more room to maneuver. A low entry closes the range and sharpens the opening attack while exposing the aircraft below.

Mouse plotting remains complete, and every combat action has a keyboard route.

Bring Down the Drachen

Balloon Bust gives the observation balloon its own health, damage state, and place on the Western Front.

Each attack preview shows the chance to hit, expected damage, ammunition cost, target health, and Archie exposure. A measured burst conserves ammunition. A sustained incendiary attack offers a stronger strike and keeps the aircraft in danger longer.

Destroying the target opens a new order: fly west to safety. The escort and anti-aircraft batteries remain active during the withdrawal. Damage stays with that exact balloon across follow-up sorties and save/load. When the balloon falls, its counter leaves the operational map.

Lose Him in the Cloud

Cloud banks are tactical terrain. Low and medium flight can break visual contact inside a connected bank. The enemy counter disappears, and a question mark remains at the last place your pilot saw it.

The hidden aircraft keeps moving. Enemy pilots search the last known course. Fire is refused when contact is lost, so ammunition stays in the drum and no attack roll uses knowledge the pilot does not have.

Stay hidden for a complete turn and

VANISH INTO CLOUD

becomes available. High flight keeps both aircraft above the layer with clear sight and clean gunnery.

Your Demo Tour, Remembered

The demo now closes on a service record laid over the Western Front at sunset. It records missions, confirmed victories, decorations, squadron losses, and several choices from the pilot's tour.

Within the focused demo slice, the final account can recall a sector you helped, the way you treated an enemy, Captain Forsythe, Madeleine, the Falcon campaign, and the aerodromes you left behind. A Quick Dogfight action returns directly to the ready room for another machine and opponent.

Earlier decisions also return during the tour. Choices involving Forsythe, Belgian intelligence, solo reconnaissance, an observer's gun mount, and mock pursuit can trigger matching squadron events.

The final screen also previews continuity work for the wider campaign. That campaign remains in development and is not included in this demo release.

Strafe the Front

The Steam demo includes Trench Strafing as a complete ground attack mission. High entry needs two descents before an attack. Medium needs one. Low arrives ready to fire and inside the strongest ground-fire pressure.

Choose a Snap Burst, Committed Pass, or Raking Pass. The preview names the exact target and shows hit chance, damage, ammunition, and exposure before the aircraft commits. Destroying the escort leaves the mission open. Damage stays on the assigned troop column, supply train, tank, cavalry unit, or strongpoint when you return to the Western Front.

A successful strike still needs a flown withdrawal. Pilot wounds and airframe damage follow the aircraft home, and the War Diary records what happened to that exact counter.

For this release, we completed the visual and campaign acceptance passes for the updated demo.

This release is a focused demo. The six-act campaign, broader event pool, full aircraft roster, and wider career systems remain development work for the full game.

Wishlist Rotary Knights and join the Discord to follow the Steam demo update.

Tell me which mission you want to fly first: Balloon Bust, Cloud Cover, or Trench Strafing.

Clear skies,

Steve Old Blue Chair