As the day quickly approaches to Project Wingman’s 1.0 release, we think it’s best to put out some reports whose goals are to bring us all to a common understanding as to what the game will be on release. So sit right there and let’s all get ready, together. The story mode of Project Wingman, the campaign, is the first half of Project Wingman’s single player mode. It is the constructed mission experience of a mercenary pilot known as Monarch, leading his allies to save a country against an imperial power known as the Federation. We’ve all heard this type of story before, and what better way to pay homage to these types of games than having such a campaign in Project Wingman? This campaign will put you in the position to show off your mettle as a fighter pilot, destroying enemies that will do everything in their power to stop you. Ace pilots, flying airships, insurmountable odds and excruciating firepower will be turned against you, but you’ll kill them all on your path to complete a contract for a country under siege. No big deal right? All this while you’re accompanied by two wingmen, an AWACS (and maybe a WSO), with a cadre of supporting voices from the sidelines. [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/031/440/098/668d680072d6d81d8c63437105abe97f_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1605590040&auto=format&frame=1&lossless=true&s=5b4be4cd4158aad7a7c3939d4677e632[/img] [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/031/440/111/c2da1c115b02b85b6fbddd9f866c294a_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1605590124&auto=format&frame=1&lossless=true&s=581b24572aeab68e2b4de2e39288d232[/img] [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/031/440/116/205160218416d33d1d852769759963d1_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1605590149&auto=format&frame=1&lossless=true&s=0e2ddf4c542c949bac041b90bf6527e7[/img] In a world where history has reset, the earth itself is at hazard as people fight over its resources. Mercenary is a common term and great air ships crowd the skies as fire keeps the world turning. That’s where Project Wingman finds itself. Lore-wise, this world has a history, a before, and even an after this game’s events. It is a stage that we may yet do many things in, but for now, this is our first foray into the World on Fire. [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/031/440/121/700e4ee777ed16d7deea2b58500d31ab_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1605590168&auto=format&frame=1&lossless=true&s=0e4f88d9881cd1b47b5b1c32bae6d3af[/img] [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/031/440/123/f852506391cb5a1a1e4078ddec5fea8c_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1605590187&auto=format&frame=1&lossless=true&s=e9eef36cf0e0af5fa724ebaf7f40ef41[/img] [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/031/440/177/02ef2b90cfddee16b61c9cf39e389b58_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1605590685&auto=format&frame=1&lossless=true&s=892ddf7563993b49ae4bf3c3a7893482[/img] This is our first major game trying to pull anything like this off, and the standards which we speak to from other games are among the highest in not only this genre, but this industry. The storytelling of those games which precede us are on a measure we strive to match, but remaining realistic, we do not have the outright capacity to completely match. As a two man team in regards to developing the campaign, it would be unreasonable to expect us to do such a thing on our first time around, and to expect something that is equal to the old masters in terms of our campaign and story telling is perhaps fanciful. We ask you to temper those expectations. Unfortunately we couldn’t afford cutscenes, as is tradition in this genre, and for this reason the game’s story progresses entirely in what we consider ingame. Rather than try to half-ass a story which relied on external storytelling elements, we decided to rather work with what we have and contain it down to what we are able to do ingame. In Project Wingman’s story lies a straightforward, cohesive experience from beginning to end, all of it in service to the gameplay of you, an ace fighter pilot, overcoming an insurmountable foe with pure skill and determination. Our artbook, due to various Kickstarters, will release following the game, and it will detail further lore bits, alongside some of Project Wingman’s “inside baseball” and even some short stories from me. With the game's story in particular, we had an image of it in our head that was very cohesive, very focused, that we worked toward, but even then sacrifices had to be made. We wish that we had more resources to work with especially in this department over development, however the lesson of this story, as in the one of Project Wingman’s campaign development, is that it is a progressive experience. We hope you enjoy the story you'll embark on come December 1st! -Matt As always follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Steam Group and join our Discord if you want to be informed with PW news and discussion. Wishlist us on Steam! More information will be inbound soon, especially for those due keys for the game.