After completing the Demo 0.3.2 update, I continued working on one of the issues most frequently mentioned in player feedback: the UI.
UI is a difficult problem. Some obvious issues are relatively easy to solve, such as excessive information density. However, other issues are more subjective and therefore harder to address, so I developed a customizable UI system.
(Incomplete screenshot. Content is still in development)
In version 0.4, players who are not satisfied with the default UI will be able to freely customize it. This can range from resizing a single button to rearranging the layout of an entire page. Players can decide the colors and layout of the UI, as well as what information it displays.
After the Early Access release, the game will support Steam Workshop. UI configuration files will be one of the types of mods that players can share through the Workshop.
In addition, I have further optimized the game’s economic system.
The game now has four difficulty levels. The third level is Realistic, while the other difficulty levels apply different multipliers to the base parameters of Realistic difficulty.
The parameters for Realistic difficulty were calculated through algorithms and operating logic designed using a large amount of publicly disclosed airline financial data, route data, airport data and other relevant information. The current database covers 7,297 airports and 36,126 published route pairs. The economic system was also tested through 6,240 simulation cases, producing 220,840 route-level economic observations.
Normal fuel-price movements in the game are based on 247 monthly fuel-price observations covering January 2006 through July 2026. A mean-reversion model is applied to these historical data, while price changes caused by random events are handled separately.
Some players have commented that the moving “light dots” on routes are not as clear as aircraft icons. Therefore, in Demo 0.4, I will add an option in the settings that allows players to replace them with aircraft icons. I have already completed the required top-down aircraft icon artwork.
At the same time, I am also developing features planned for the Early Access version, including lobby-based multiplayer and sandbox mode.