An arcade-style 3D gliding simulator
This arcade-style 3D gliding simulator was written by the late Dan Burton. His original website is available from the Internet Archive. The networking code for multiplayer and the code for the paraglider & pilot shapes were written by Artem Nikulchev (jaguart@paragliding.ru), a paraglider pilot from Moscow.
After his website went offline I decided that I couldn't abide by such a sleek little game slipping into obscurity. I have resurrected it here, and have applied some basic fixes to get it working again. (See the changelog for details.)
There were two versions:
hg_src_3_01: this was the "old" version with just hang gliders, a simple task, fewer camera views, etc.xc_src_3_02_09: this was the newest version, with sailplanes and paragliders (and balloons) added, more camera angles, a competition "task", etc.
The newer version is the version that is under active development here. I will upload the older, simpler version's source code (for use in school projects, etc.) and a stand-alone executable JAR file of same, in the near future.
- 3 different types of glider: hangglider, paraglider,and sailplane -- and a hot air balloon!
- Network play!
- Task building tool!
- Other things!
- Who knows? Maybe a stereoscopic 3D version?
To see the fixes & new features I've applied to the original source code, view the changelog.
These are the main fixes:
- got the vario sounds working again
- enabled the balloon glider type (but not in the command-line arguments)
- mucked with the directory paths so a stand-alone executable JAR would work (not committed yet!)
This was compiled successfully with Java version 1.7.0_25 (Java Development Kit SE 7 Update 25). I believe it has compiled successfully with previous versions. Some of the classes "use or ovveride a deprecated API"; also, "some input files use unchecked or unsafe operations." It works fine though. :)
Compile instructions coming soon!
I've packaged up some JAR files that run stand-alone for those who just wish to play with the last stable build or the latest experimental build. These should run fine if you have Java installed. You can download Java here. I will upload these to GitHub soon!
The XCFrame class in /startup/ implements Flight Club as an application. It reads parameters in from the command line:
java flightclub/startup/XCFrame [task] [pilot_type] [host:port] [pgs hgs sps]
All the parameters are optional. If none are passed in the game loads defaults as follows:
task= defaultpilot_type= 1 (hg)host:port= null (ie. single player mode)- pgs = 2, hgs = 4, sps = 2 (the numbers of each type of AI glider)
The last two parameters are mutually exclusive. Either we connect to a game server or we create a number of AI gliders.
Alternatively, you can just double-click on the stand-alone executable to run it. If you wish to use a non-default task or host / connect to a network game:
java -jar Flight_Club_3_02_xx.jar [parameters]
For game controls, objectives, and tips, view the instructions.
Dan Burton licensed this source code under version 2 of the GNU General Public License. Although I might personally choose to release source code under a diferent license (like Creative Commons), let's say that all this is under the GPL too, for simplicity's sake.
If you appreciate my continued support & development of this game, you can send Bitcoin donations to: 1F7kfMNUNQy8e52RHnQAWYXeaYfzFqHJAZ
As the original author Dan Burton said:
"Earn yourself some "kharma in the dharma" - make a donation to support Flight Club. [...] Remember, open-source means free in the sense of free speech not free beer."