- Two New Airplanes! - 28 November 2025
Hi STOL Pilots!This update adds two new STOL airplanes for you to fly and new functionality to switch between the four available airplanes. Simply interact with the keys rack located at home airports to chose the airplane you want to fly. You might choose to fly a particular airplane to better accomplish a mission, or just because you like the way it looks and flies. Stay tuned for more map, mission, and airplane updates planned for the coming weeks and into the new year! Enjoy and try to keep the greasy side down!
- Bigger Tires? OK! New Airplane Maintenance and Mod System - 27 April 2025
Hi STOL Pilots! This update contains some fun new features and lays the groundwork for the next few updates. Enjoy! New - Airplane Maintenance and Modification System -A new interface for adding repairs, fuel, oil and modifications. -Airplane upgrade/modification system (just tires right now, but other items are coming soon - e.g. propellers, skis, suspension, engine upgrades, etc.) New - Save Game The auto-save functionality is back! Game progress is automatically saved every 5 mins when outside the airplane and every time the player exits the airplane. It is not saved while flying. Aside from slow map loading, it seems to work pretty well, but it is still a work-in-progress. New - Parachutes A parachute item has been added. Why? I'm not sure! :-D It can be used for jumping out of an airplane (although, I don't recommend jumping out of a perfectly good airplane), or it can be used for…
- Any Landing You Can Swim Away From Is A Good One! - 29 March 2025
Hi STOL Pilots - There is an old adage in aviation: "any landing you can walk away from is a good one". Well, now you can swim away too! This is a small update to introduce a couple new features and clean-up a few bugs. These features are not currently in all the maps, but they are laying the ground work for future updates - where I'm planning substantial improvements to terrain, missions, and points of interest. New Features Swimming: swim for fun, swim to shore if you crash in the water, swim to explore and find things. Money: earn stacks of money for completing missions, and buy stuff to help you on your missions. Supply Computer: like a crafting station, but you exchange money for supplies (only tools and fuel for now, but more items and airplane upgrades are on the way). Updates & Fixes Main Menu Changes: renamed and rearranged maps (again). Various bug fixes and small improvements…
- New Features, Updates & Bug Fixes - 7 March 2025
Hi STOL Pilots! This update includes some fun new features along with several improvements and bug fixes. AIRPLANE UPDATE - Throttle Input - the longer you hold the controller button, the faster RPMs change. UPDATE - External camera HUD - airspeed and altitude text now change color (red, orange) when you get too low or slow in the air, or too fast on the ground. IMMERSION NEW - Fishing - a simple fishing system for catching fish that can be cooked and eaten (ongoing WIP). NEW - Airplane Winch - a buildable tool for respawning the airplane if you get stuck and need to relocate it within 100'. NEW - Pickup Items Money - this big stack of bills will be used more in the future, but for now you can use it to fix airplane damage or burn it in a fire (which is kind of what owning/operating an airplane is like IRL). 🙂 Bark Fiber - new building resource pickup item harvested from trees you cut…
- Orbit/Taxi Camera Now Controllable - 13 February 2025
What Changed: The orbit camera (aka Taxi Cam) is now controllable. This allows you to see the airplane from multiple view points while flying or taxiing. How It Works From inside the airplane, switch to the first external camera, then click the right game controller joystick to toggle the control mode and move the joystick to position the camera where you want it. This can especially helpful for avoiding obstacles while taxiing the airplane on the ground.
- Patch: Improved Airplane Throttle Control - 11 February 2025
This patch improves airplane throttle control when using a game controller - making it smoother and eliminating a dead zone at the bottom of the power curve.
- New Map, New Missions, New Airplane! - 8 February 2025
Hi STOL Pilots, This update includes some features that many of you have been asking for, so please check it out and let me know what you think! UPDATES New Map: Sparse collection of small islands, atolls, and sand bars. Watch out for driftwood and debris on the beaches and use water-assisted landings to get in short. New Airplane: a Kitfox 7 that you can fly from the right or left seats. New Rudder Control Mapping: - use the right and left game controller triggers for combined rudder and brake control. New Dynamic Airplane Damage: the airplane model will deform on collisions with other objects. Note: this is an experimental, work-in-progress feature available on the Kitfox only. New Airplane Push Feature: players can now move the airplane on the ground by interacting with "push points" on the airplane. New Camp Tent: build a camp site for sleeping out in the wild and dismantle it when…
- Terrain Hotfix & Automatic Trim Change - 21 December 2024
This hot fix release includes: Fixed the 'Season 1' terrain problems that occurred during the last release Changed the way the airplane's automatic pitch trim works. Now the trim will adjust as the player adds stick inputs (nose up/down). I think this is very intuitive and works better than the previous manual approach. Changed the player death "Respawn" button to "Restart Map". This was done to better align with the recent changes that limit how many times the player can respawn.
- Feature Updates and a New Map - 19 December 2024
Hi STOL Pilots! A new update is live! New - Added a "Pure STOL" challenge map that has narrow set of objectives tied to specific Steam achievements. I think this style of map might be more interesting to play and also easier for me to develop. New - An upgraded water system is available in the new map. It looks better and is also more dynamic, getting rougher during storms. New - Added a new NPC named Ziggy. This old dude is a spaced-out hippie that is frequently getting himself into trouble. New - Haptic game controller feedback when wheels are rolling on the ground. This helps your "feel" the ground when landing and taking off. Note: this effect is barely noticeable on the Steam Deck and I'm not sure why. Updated - The player respawning is no longer unlimited. Instead, you can wield your handheld radio to request a "respawn rescue" up to three times. You and your airplane will be tran…
- New Map, New Missions, & More! - 27 October 2024
NEW MAP & NEW APPROACH TO LEVEL DESIGN This map includes new points of interest (POIs), a river, a frozen lake (quite slippery), uneven airstrip surfaces, and more. Behind the scenes, I have changed the way I'm building maps and will have more flexibility to make detailed and interesting terrain features and POIs. I'm also moving to a "Season" approach to building and releasing maps, but I'm trying something a little different. I will be releasing a new base map at the beginning of each season and then expanding it via regular updates as the season progresses. Hopefully it works well for my development schedule and creates a fun and unique experience for you! When the season ends, a new base map will be released and the previous map will no longer be updated. You will still be able to access the previous seasons from the main menu. Bonus: your feedback on Discord and Steam can influence…
- Patch 0.9.5 November - Updated Airplane Dynamics & Head Tracking Support - 14 October 2023
Updates: Dynamic Airplane Weight Pilot, cargo, and fuel all add-up to increase the airplane weight. This will impact airplane performance and handling. As fuel is used the airplane will get lighter. This will be a factor when planning cargo missions - especially at higher elevations, where airplane performance is already diminished. Flaps & Trim Added new trim and flap indicators to the airplane panel, so you can now see what they are set to. Totally changed the flap physics and added three settings (aka notches). Clicking the flap button cycles through 0-40 degrees. Cockpit Free-look Changed cockpit free-look button behavior so that player can toggle it on or off. Track IR - Head Tracking Support Added head tracking support, for Natrual Point's TrackIR hardware, on the cockpit camera. Currently, it is always enabled. Don’t forget that F12 re-centers the camera. Enter/Exit Airplane Slig…
- Patch 0.9.5 Mike - New 'Big Mountains' Map and more! - 8 September 2023
Summer is over and it's time to get back to work on Groundfall! ːsteamhappyː My primary focus in upcoming patches will be around: Missions - add more engaging missions that are fun and reward the player with loot, airplane mods, etc. Including more complex missions, different mission types and different mission providers (e.g. NPCs). Airplane - flight characteristics, flaps and trim indicators, upgrades and modifications. Maps - different terrain styles and biomes and more points of interest to explore. Core Functionality - removing bugs and getting the existing systems working better. ==================================================== This patch includes the following (and lots of small improvements) - Additions: New missions: a few new missions with more on the way. New "Big Mountains" map: Unlock this map by landing at all the runways in the Training and Groundfall National Forest…
- Patch 0.9.5 Lima - New Map! - 7 May 2023
Hi everyone! Sorry for the long delay between updates! Several things took longer than expected and I was not able to work on it as much as I wanted to. However, now that I have improved the level management system, I should be able to create and release new maps more quickly! New Added a "Training" map with mellow terrain, longer and wider runways. Added new runway biomes: rocky terrain, rough ground Added windsocks to each runway (cosmetic only, but will be used with future volumetric wind) Changed Runway sign interaction - now requires player to click the interact button Changed level/map management system for supporting more maps, unlocking, etc. Bug Fixes: Airplane upgrade bug that allowed for infinite repairs More patches planned for this month!
- Patch 0.9.5k - Wheel Friction Bug Fix - 8 March 2023
A small fix to make the wheel friction less grippy on the snow.
- Patch 0.9.5k - Slippery Tires, Puddles, and More - 4 March 2023
Hi all! Added a couple fun new features and fixed some small, but significant, bugs. The new Airplane Inspection user interface is now working for repairing and refueling the airplane. Its pretty simple right now, but it will be expanded and improved to include other consumables (e.g. oil) as well as other aircraft component modifications and upgrades. At some point, I unknowingly broken a couple key features - airplane repairs and tire surface friction! Both are now fixed so you can slip on wet ground, bend your airplane, repair the damage, and do it all over again! ːsteamthumbsupː New - Airplane Inspection UI - used for repairing and re-fueling the airplane. To use: move your player to the front of the airplane and look at the nose/engine to display the inspection prompt. Additional airplane modifications using this same system are currently in development. New Terrain Surface Conditi…
- Patch 0.9.5j - Big Rocks Quick Fix - 25 February 2023
Fixed the color/lighting issue that was causing distance rocks to appear darker.
- Patch 0.9.5j - Big Rocks - 25 February 2023
Hi all! This patch has some fun new features and improvements: New: Airstrip Missions Manager - read signs to get current and next airstrip objective information and fly-over previews. POI objectives in development. New: Big Rocks - big rock biome for some airstrips. More biomes in development (e.g. stumps, logs, small rocks, puddles, etc. New: game mechanic that uses Morse code emergency locator radio signal for Search and Rescue (SAR) missions. As you fly closer to a transmitter, the SOS signal becomes clearer and louder. Changed: decreased default input sensitivity for mouse and joysticks. ATTENTION: Requires users to reset their player preferences. Changed: decreased the re-spawn timer Improved: made the rain FX and raindrop splashes more visible Improved: the volumetric cloud lighting color is now set to match the sun light color. ...more good stuff on the way! Note: I just noticed…
- Patch 0.9.5g - Reduced Excessive Nose-Up Pitching - 21 January 2023
Made some changes to the core flight physics to further minimize excessive nose-up pitching. These changes are more fundamental and hopefully more effective than what I tried in the past. The airplane now stays in a more neutral attitude at all speeds. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
- Patch 0.9.5h - Volumetric Clouds - 18 January 2023
This is the first update of 2023 and now that the holiday chaos is behind me, I will return to a more frequent schedule for releasing patches. This is a small patch, but it contains a big new feature in volumetric clouds that you can fly through. This adds a new level of visual immersion to the game and makes flying more of a challenge when the weather gets bad. More weather related challenges and effects are planned for upcoming release. Enjoy! -------- Added: - Build Outpost mission - player builds a runway at specified outpost location for a Steam Achievement - Volumetric Clouds - can create additional visibility challenge when flying in bad weather. Water/rain effect on windshield when flying through clouds. - New lightning strike effect during storms. Fixed: - Player death from survival status while inside airplane, not re-spawning correctly
- GroundFall - Patch 0.9.5g - 12 November 2022
This patch contains some significant changes to airplane handling - both on the ground and in the air. Fixed: - Airplane Brakes: made some changes to the airplane's center of gravity (CG) and adjusted the brake torque. The airplane is significantly less prone to nose-over when braking hard. -Load Saved Game: eliminated duplicate airplane when loading saved game. -Throttle: throttle-down input was instantly jumping to zero instead of incrementally decreasing. -Airplane Tachometer Gauge (RPMs): wasn't working correctly...fixed and replaced instrument model. Added: - Pilot model for non-cockpit camera views. Only visible when using external camera modes. Changed: - Airplane Ignition/Start Time: reduced the amount of cranking time required to start engine. - Airplane Tailwheel Suspension: decreased springiness to reduce tail bounce - Decreased sensitivity range for mouse and joystick inputs…
