Dawn of Eagles Update v0.2.0: Eyes in the Sky

This update adds a new mission built around observation balloons, main menu music, background music for the Before the Storm mission, ground-based weapons, air-burst FlaK and a larger set of gameplay, UI, audio, and balance improvements.

I also focused heavily on playtest feedback: clearer objectives, better controller navigation, improved weapon handling, stronger flight feedback, and a more polished presentation across the hangar, profiles, HUD, and missions.

New Mission Content

• Added the new Eyes in the Sky mission.
• Added observation balloons as mission targets.
• Added balloon destruction visuals, including fire, leaking effects, burn states, and updated balloon art.
• Added balloon-related mission progression, objectives, briefing updates, and objective titles.
• Added a cinematic mission sequence with aircraft freeze, UI hiding, subtitles, and resumed gameplay after the cutscene.
• Added a bomber interception objective.
• Added new dialogue and subtitle support for mission storytelling.
• Added new tutorial prompts for the updated mission flow and controls.
• Added mission music to Before the Storm.
• Added the ability to skip mission intros.

Ground Weapons & Balloon Gameplay

• Added controllable stationary weapons.
• Added MG 08 machine gun emplacements.
• Added FlaK 7.7 cm weapons.
• Added air-burst FlaK behavior with timed fuse and AI distance fuse support.
• Improved FlaK fire sounds and explosion effects.
• Added a balloon cable winch system for balloon trucks.
• Added balloon truck gameplay support, including pulling and releasing balloon cable.
• Added new ground props and Western Front battlefield assets.
• Improved controlled weapon camera behavior.
• Improved weapon aiming visuals and aim dot behavior.

Hangar Improvements

• Redesigned and expanded the hangar UI.
• Added vehicle stats in the hangar.
• Improved weapon selection UI in the hangar.
• Added previous/next vehicle navigation.
• Added mouse and gamepad camera orbit controls.
• Added hangar camera zoom, including gamepad trigger support.
• Added controller and keyboard navigation improvements.
• Added new hangar ambience, selection sounds, and button sounds.
• Improved bomber hangar visuals with more realistic textures.
• Improved default camera transform in the hangar.

Profile & Main Menu Improvements

• Added a new profile selection design.
• Added profile focus, hover, and interaction animations.
• Added profile summaries showing campaign progress, mission information, completed missions, and unlocked aircraft.
• Improved controller and keyboard navigation in the profile menu.
• Fixed profile back button behavior.
• Added main menu music
• Added a new static main menu background.
• Improved main menu and profile UI visuals.
• Improved save compatibility tracking for profiles.

Weapons & Combat

• Added machine gun overheating.
• Added heat buildup, cooling, and overheat states for machine guns.
• Added overheat HUD feedback.
• Added overheat sound and visual effects.
• Added weapon cooling behavior after sustained fire.
• Reworked primary and secondary weapon handling so weapons are easier to switch and use.
• Improved Le Prieur rocket aim visualization.
• Added different aim dot colors for secondary weapons.
• Added kill confirmed sound feedback.
• Increased vehicle hitbox sizes to make hits feel more consistent.

Flight & Controls

• Added gameplay options for pitch control behavior.
• Added an invert pitch option.
• Added gameplay settings reset support.
• Improved Sopwith Camel climb and pitch response.
• Reduced Sopwith Camel dive speed.
• Rebalanced Fokker Dr.I and Albatros C.III hitpoints.
• Improved vehicle health setup for more consistent damage behavior.
• Added plane collision damage and related crash effects.
• Fixed enemy scouts patrolling too high in Before the Storm.

Flight Feedback & Audio

• Added speed-based plane wind audio.
• Added wind whistle at higher speeds.
• Added high-speed camera shake.
• Improved dynamic camera look-ahead based on flight direction and velocity.
• Added engine sound variation depending on climb and dive angle.
• Added Doppler effect to engine sounds.
• Added stall warning rattle sound.
• Improved audio transitions for menus, missions, and gameplay.

HUD & Objective Improvements

• Added a WW1-style Zenith height meter to the aircraft HUD.
• Improved objective marker behavior.
• Added objective marker intro animations.
• Improved objective distance display.
• Added obstacle markers.
• Improved friendly marker handling.
• Ensured objective HUD markers are not hidden behind other UI elements.
• Improved tutorial and new objective notifications with a cleaner queue system.
• Fixed showing new objective notifications when objectives are added or activated.

Free Roam & World Improvements

• Added observation balloon spawn points to free roam.
• Added persistent balloon state so destroyed or burning balloons can be restored correctly.
• Added pooling support for observation balloons.
• Added background balloons to Before the Storm.
• Added additional Fokker texture improvements.

Fixes & Polish

• Fixed unintended debug components being visible in-game.
• Improved mission return and failure flow.
• Improved profile loading and unloading behavior.
• Improved UI button styles and feedback.
• Improved menu and hangar navigation reliability.
• Improved camera behavior while controlling stationary weapons.
• Improved objective and mission state synchronization.
• General polish across missions, UI, audio, and gameplay balance.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone playtesting Dawn of Eagles and sharing feedback. Update 0.2.0 lays more groundwork for the campaign structure, mission variety, and the more cinematic WW1 air combat experience I am building toward.