Fighter Pilot: Iron Bird
Available To Download Here:
Google Store / App Store
Project Summary:
Fighter Pilot: Iron Bird is a WW2-inspired combat game featuring immersive flight mechanics, dynamic damage systems, and strategic dogfighting gameplay. The game blends historical authenticity with engaging mechanics, allowing players to experience intense battles while managing resources, upgrading their aircraft, and unlocking achievements.
Players control a highly maneuverable fighter aircraft in WW2-inspired missions, balancing tactical combat decisions with precision flying. The game blends semi-realistic flight physics with skill-based dogfighting and dynamic mission environments.
In Fighter Pilot: Iron Bird, I contributed to flight systems, in-game economy, and player progression, helping shape an immersive combat experience built in Unity.
Players control a highly maneuverable fighter aircraft in WW2-inspired missions, balancing tactical combat decisions with precision flying. The game blends semi-realistic flight physics with skill-based dogfighting and dynamic mission environments.
In Fighter Pilot: Iron Bird, I contributed to flight systems, in-game economy, and player progression, helping shape an immersive combat experience built in Unity.
My Contributions:
Designed a responsive third-person flight camera with cinematic framing, enhancing player situational awareness during dogfights.
Iteration Highlights:
Initial camera framing caused a loss of situational awareness during tight turns. After playtesting, we adjusted camera lag, FOV scaling, and pitch damping to maintain cinematic feel without sacrificing readability.
Developed a modular economy system that balances upgrade paths, resource collections, and unlockable aircrafts, enhancing replayability and player motivation.
Iteration Highlights:
Early upgrade pacing led players to max out aircrafts too quickly. We rebalanced reward curves and upgrade costs based on session-length data and playtest feedback.
Designed an in-game milestone tracker to reward tactical mastery and mission success, increasing long-term engagement and player satisfaction.
Co-designed mission selection interfaces and in-game HUD elements to streamline navigation and improve clarity during fast-paced play.
Led iterative playtesting sessions, gathering feedback to fine-tune control responsiveness, damage balancing, and mission pacing across multiple gameplay builds.
Outcome:
Fighter Pilot: Iron Bird successfully launched on mobile platforms, and reached over 10,000+ downloads. My contributions helped refine player control feel, improve upgrade incentives, and ensure a smoother mission navigation experience.