Hi everyone,
it’s time for another recap, this time after the release of versions 3.4.0 and 3.4.1.
At the end of last year we released HKG, which is without exaggeration the biggest airport we have ever built. It is almost a small miracle that it still runs on most supported devices. Of course not everyone can play on maximum detail settings, but believe me, we are doing a huge amount of work behind the scenes to optimize performance as much as possible.
Combined with the introduction of COMAC aircraft and the expansion of the B74x series, this became one of our most successful and content-heavy updates so far.
Yes, the B747 cargo variants are still missing. We did not manage to finish them in time and there is still a significant amount of work ahead before they are ready.
We also introduced the ability to slightly adjust time and weather, so you can experience airports under different lighting and atmospheric conditions. This is especially useful for photographers and spotters.
There is probably no need to go through everything that was released, since you are already exploring it yourselves. We also fixed a massive number of reported bugs along the way.
What is more important now is what we are working on and what we are planning next.
Airport Equipment Overhaul
As mentioned several times before, we are reworking the entire airport ground equipment system.
This is not only about completely new 3D models, but also about a full redesign of the gameplay mechanics behind them. Development on this is very intensive and it will result in a significant gameplay improvement.
However, it requires rewriting a substantial part of the game’s logic, so it will still take quite some time.
Our goal is to introduce as many new handling situations and operational variants as possible and to give turnaround operations real strategic depth.
New Airports and Team Expansion
The good news is that we have expanded the team with a new member dedicated exclusively to building new airports.
Which naturally leads to the question, what is next?
I may have already mentioned it in a podcast, but the most likely next new airport will be ZRH.
Before that, however, we will significantly upgrade one of the existing airports, INN.
This upgrade will include:
- Landings from both runway directions
- A completely new 3D model
- Multiple new features at one of the most played airports in the game
As part of this upgrade, we would also like to release the highly anticipated Airbus A33x family. It is currently the most requested aircraft on the forum and together with the B73x family it consistently ranks among the most demanded aircraft types in the community.
At the same time we are working on a complete overhaul and completion of the entire B73x family. Both aircraft groups represent a massive amount of liveries and model variations, so this is a substantial workload and does not yet have a fixed deadline.
We currently have multiple airports in development and our goal is to significantly increase the frequency of new content releases.
Aircraft Customization and Alliances
We are also intensively working on the custom aircraft customization system. This is one of our key projects and maximum development resources are dedicated to it.
Even so, it will take time. We must implement very specific technical solutions to allow customized aircraft to be displayed without limits across all airports and for all players, without negatively impacting performance.
The development of the Alliance system is directly tied to this feature and both systems are planned to be released together.
Keeping the Momentum
At first glance it may seem like everything is in progress and still far away. Believe me, the entire team is working hard to deliver content and new functionality in regular and as short intervals as possible.
We will also continue upgrading existing airports to support new features such as landings from multiple directions, shared stands and other improvements. The INN upgrade is the first example of this approach.
We actively follow the forum, especially the feature request section, so we truly appreciate all your ideas and suggestions. If we implement something based on community feedback, you will always see it mentioned in the release notes with proper credit.
3.4.1 – Fair Play and Security
In update 3.4.1 we implemented the first of several planned security features aimed at preventing the use of autoclickers and emulator macros.
I understand this may not be popular with everyone, but maintaining a fair competitive environment is essential.
Unfortunately, our philosophy where everyone can play for free and access everything without spending does not always work as intended. Bans are not decreasing and there is a growing market for maxed out accounts powered by autoclickers.
We would much rather spend our development time improving the game instead of dealing with these issues, but this is the reality of modern gaming and we must adapt.
I strongly recommend reconsidering the use of autoclickers. Sooner or later their usage will result in bans. 🚫 Account Ban Information – World of Airports
ScrapIT
Very soon we will release our standalone game World of Airports: ScrapIT.
It is designed as an offline game for shorter sessions and for those moments when you just want to switch off and play something simple. At first glance it may look straightforward, but it can really challenge your logical thinking and combinational skills.
It is obviously a much smaller project compared to World of Airports, but we genuinely enjoyed building it and I am curious to see how you will handle some of the more difficult levels.
Meetups
We are also preparing the first player meetup of this year, which should take place in Innsbruck around the turn of March and April.
We are preparing some interesting content for the event and I hope some of you will join us in person. More information will be posted here on the forum in a dedicated meetups section.
WoA Talks Podcast
We will also release the pilot episode of our new podcast WoA Talks. The idea is to gradually introduce team members and talk more technically about how we build and design the game.
Forum Changes
Finally, I need to announce major changes to the forum structure. The categories will be reorganized to better support multiple games and to improve overall clarity and navigation.
Thank you for your continued support.
There is a lot ahead of us and we are working hard to keep pushing forward.
Jakub
. And it looks practically identical to the real thing, almost spooky this post being put out just as I posted a host of photos of the place 
.