It is the year 2230.
After nearly 100 years of expansion and colonization in space, the human species stands on the brink of war. On one side is the corrupt and aging Sol Confederacy. On the other is the fledgling, Frontier Republic. Neither one is willing to compromise and the coming war will see entire worlds decimated for it.
But way on the fringes of colonized space. On a lonely moon called Frontiers Reach. Captain Anya Zuban and First Mate Rhen Malavik are prepping their vessel, the Heliosiren, to ferry a group of survivors deep into uncharted space to escape the coming war.
!Attention! Frontiers Reach is what might be referred to as a sim-lite game. The idea being that some level of simulation is being conducted to achieve the desired experience. In Frontiers Reach the following things are being simulated.
Radar – Though ranges are much shorter than real world radar, each fighter, capital ship, turret, SAM, and ground vehicle has a radar/sensor that allows them to scan the battlefield and make a determination about what targets are in range and how to prioritize them for engagement. This includes an actual refresh rate which can be seen in the players radar. No corners were cut here.
Physics and Gravity – Each planetary location has gravity which will affect nearly everything. From the high energy rounds exiting the barrels of your fighters cannons on up to frigates and carriers.
Sandbox style levels – Though contained, each level is a sandbox style environment with its own ambient spawns. Fighters spawn at airfields, cargo vessels can be seen landing at settlements (careful you don’t run into one of them), and a bullet fired from one end of the map will hit something on the other end even if your not there to experience it. These sandbox style levels are used as backdrops for all of the missions and become even more dynamic when played on the WARMAP which is a whole other sandbox mechanic on it’s own.
Bot AI that can truly be unpredictable – The dogfighting behavior of the NPCs in Frontiers Reach has been designed to be aggressive and unpredictable. While it can make the best possible decision at times, it can also make bad decisions like a human being would.
The Cockpit – While each fighter has a different layout using the same set of instrumentation, each cockpit has been designed with the intention of putting you into something that looks and feels like a machine from the Atomic Age. As such the cockpits of Frontiers Reach are highly detailed, responsive, and filled with useful information you will need at some point in a flight.