MotorWings is a flight sim where you build your own airplane. It is currently free to play in a very early access stage.
Among fellow simviators, I find the whole concept can be easily explained, with accurate sub-textual implications, as: Kerbal Space Program + Crimson Skies.
There's more to it than that, of course, such as the planned RPG-esque crews&careers based gameplay, that will eventually wrap around the build-your-airplane sandbox core and turn the whole thing into a compelling gaming experience.
Around it's realistic flight sim foundation, the ultimate point of MotorWings is to have players engaged in a kind of "post-apocalyptic Han Solo career simulator". The game revolves around a crew-centric, open-world career mechanic, whereby each crew comprises a persistent savegame, all with their own fleets, cash, fuel and such resources. There is no rigid plot-line, allowing players to make their own stories indefinitely, with their own custom characters, airfleets and crews.
All crews exist (and can bump into each other) in a shared open world, whereupon various destinations are interspersed across a massive-scale dynamically detailed terrain. (1000km² mapped, Procedurally infinite beyond)
In such a world, one can expect to encounter things such as Bandits, Air Pirates, Raider bands flying from hidden bases and/or huge squadron-toting airships; Pitched battles, where city-states dispute their own diverse notion of where their borders lie; Occasional loot to scrounge from salvaged wrecks, crash sites and junk. Junk everywhere. All the wide assortment of events that one might expect in a Mad Max + Crimson Skies setting.
It's a wild frontier land out there, and the airplane is the new horse.
This is where you and your motley crew come in. Each career starts with one intrepid aviator (Of custom appearance, "the sims" like) and enough resources to build/buy his first aircraft. As you freely explore, you'll find that various locations offer more varied/specific parts for your plane. Which will cost you. Luckily all places have their own version of the old "Saloon" (or Mos Eisley Cantina) where opportunity abounds for a pilot looking to make something of himself.
Thus one may pick up missions, earning their keep by flying lawful transport runs, and perhaps not-as-candid mercenary work, or anything in between. There is also always a junkyard or such hardware trader where one may turn what he can scrounge into an extra buck or two. Having a larger crew may help, if for a price. One may find eager adventure-seeking takers out and about, others may take more convincing by buck or plunder before they'll join.
As your career progresses, such new members of your crew can be assigned to fly in gunner positions, or copilots, or tag along in formation as your wingmen.
Which leads to the inevitable feature request of multiplayer. Yes, you should be able to have your friends (or internet randoms) fly with you. Either as their own crews or as part of yours for a stint or two. Or perhaps they'd rather fly against you?
However it goes, making your own airplanes is just where it all starts. Whether it ends in gold and glory or in an unremarkable smoking crater, is up to you.
Naturally, since as of yet I am working basically all alone on the whole thing, I have taken a sandbox-first approach to development and intend to build up the game by layers, like the airspace around a class B airport or say, like an onion... Each update will bring more and more into the game, while the fundamental elements become playable very early in the process, then evolve by cycles of attention over each periodic release.
These are some features already implemented:
•* Realistic flight model. "Open State Parametric Airflow Simulation" works out airflow around each part and their effects on each other.
* Physics based simulation, based on Unity3d's built-in PhysX platform (same setup as KSP)
* 1000km² of Procedurally generated terrain to play around in.
* Various parts to assemble your planes with. Wings can be reshaped by tweakable settings.
* Mouse-and-Keyboard accessible controls, Joystick support coming soon.
* A vast array of upcoming features planned for ongoing development. See: Feature Gallery
At this time, the game can be played for free, no strings attached. This is so that we can build up a community of players around it for support as development unfolds. It will eventually enter a pre-order phase where you can secure your copy with all subsequent updates for the best possible value. (Standard early-access progressive pricing method, same as was done for KSP)
So enjoy! And tell your fellow airmen about it. This is a brand new flight simulator in its infancy. I hope to be able to make it into a self-sustaining endeavor.
Given the difficulties of working alone on the project with merely survival-grade resources, the first few users who make videos and trailers highlighting the concept and ongoing development of the game, shall be invited to become "media partners" and gain their copies for free with all subsequent updates. Outstanding video authors may also be named in the game's credits roll and for the best in the bunch, I shall name a location or item in the game after you.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers!
G. A. "Moach" Falanghe.