Frontier Pilot Simulator

About

"Frontier Pilot Simulator" is a Sci-Fi cargo pilot simulation game with a mission-driven storyline, real-time economy, and a customizable and upgradeable VTOL craft. Players begin with a small ship and must earn skills, knowledge, and wealth by exploring, fighting, smuggling, trading, and surviving on an alien planet. The player's actions influence the game world, including bases building and destroying, and changes in the world's economy. The goal is to become a respected Frontier Pilot.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+10

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 561 reviews

story12 positive mentions

optimization22 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of flight simulation and cargo transport, reminiscent of Euro Truck Simulator but in a sci-fi setting.
The flight model, while challenging, provides a rewarding experience as players learn to navigate environmental hazards and manage cargo weight.
The developers are actively engaged with the community, frequently updating the game and addressing player feedback.

The game suffers from performance issues, with many players experiencing low frame rates even on high-end systems.
The controls can be cumbersome and unintuitive, especially for keyboard and mouse users, making it difficult to master the flight mechanics.
There is a lack of content and variety in missions, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of emptiness in the game world.

story
163 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
90%
2%
The game's story is described as lightweight and rudimentary, with a mix of main and side missions that often lack clarity and can be buggy. While players appreciate the dynamic world and various mission types, including cargo and passenger transport, many feel that the narrative elements are underdeveloped and could benefit from more depth and variety. Overall, the story serves as a loose framework for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative experience.
- “I've enjoyed every minute of learning to fly these ships, and the dynamic weather and story missions have only added to that enjoyment.”
- “The world changes over time and so does the available missions and cargo that you can transport.”
- “Story is engaging with a few side stories in there (I'm looking forward to seeing more).”
- “The greatest downside of this game is the lack of content and lack of storyline.”
- “There seems to be some story with missions you can try to do, but the whole thing seems to be rudimentary even for an early access game, and while the missions are completely voiced (and quite good), I just don't feel why I should bother doing them.”
- “The storyline missions don't give enough information on what needs to be done.”
gameplay
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
63%
5%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its complex flight mechanics, which can be both engaging and frustrating for players, particularly those new to flight simulators. While many appreciate the depth and challenge of the mechanics, issues such as poor optimization, a confusing user interface, and inconsistent performance detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, players who enjoy flight simulations and the economic aspects of cargo transport find the gameplay rewarding and immersive, especially after overcoming the initial learning curve.
- “The world is beautiful, full of things to discover, and even though the gameplay loop might look simple from a high level, there's more than enough depth in the different mechanics involved to keep it interesting.”
- “Flying cargo, passengers, and materials back and forth in the economic sim is great and exactly the gameplay loop I was looking for in a game like this.”
- “While the core gameplay loop is fun, there are some horribly unbalanced game mechanics that ruin it.”
- “Second big issue that pairs well with holding the space bar to thrust: there is no hover mechanic where you can slowly lower yourself down without lightly spamming the space bar to decrease altitude. This made me feel that this game was far from those I mentioned above, let alone this is just a single-player flight simulator.”
- “Horrible UI (that was supposed to be fixed but never really was), obtuse mechanics (that were never polished or improved), as well as terrible performance. The developers simply decided it was good enough at some point and slapped a 'release' label on it.”
- “The landscape is boring and monotonous, literally a set of copy-pasted tiles put together. There is no traffic, radio chatter consists of idiotic irrelevant characters talking about how boring being a pilot is, gameplay is uneventful, and the actual simulation of flight mechanics... VTOL is decent enough, but plane mode?”
graphics
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the visual appeal and immersive environments, while others criticize the performance issues and lack of optimization, leading to significant frame rate drops even on high-end systems. Many users note that while the graphics are decent, they fall short of expectations given the game's price point, and improvements are needed, especially in terms of performance and graphical fidelity. Overall, the game shows potential with its visuals, but technical issues hinder the experience for many players.
- “The graphics are great for such a small download.”
- “Overall, it's a very nice game with some great visuals.”
- “The graphics are visually appealing, particularly the engine effects, geysers, and eruptions.”
- “Good concept, promising controls and decent enough graphics, which sadly haven't been updated in years.”
- “Graphics in the game are not great; they aren't the worst I've seen but definitely nowhere near the quality they should be at this price point.”
- “I appreciate the attempt at making a sci-fi game, but the graphics look like something out of a PS3 game and the controls are hard to use on PC, and it doesn't help that the control customization is limited.”
optimization
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
65%
28%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting inconsistent frame rates, stuttering, and performance issues even on high-end systems. While some users noted improvements following updates, the general consensus is that the game still requires substantial optimization work to enhance gameplay experience. Many reviewers expressed frustration over the lack of polish and the game's performance at launch, suggesting that it is not yet recommended until further optimizations are implemented.
- “I also heard some complaints about performance, but on my side with an RTX 3070 Ti at ultra settings, I had consistent 40+ FPS during flight and sometimes 30+ when running on the taxiway of very large bases. I think it's pretty solid for a simulator game.”
- “The graphics are great, I had very few performance issues and overall thought the scale of the world was also very well established.”
- “Now, after the latest optimization update, this game runs like butter on high!”
- “Badly optimized, fps is very inconsistent during gameplay.”
- “Very interesting game but completely ruined by absolutely awful optimization and performance.”
- “The optimization in this game is pretty awful; I have a high-end machine and can only get about 30-40 fps, and while the game doesn't even look very good.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The game's atmosphere is described as unique and immersive, combining nuanced flight dynamics with a sci-fi setting that includes challenging environmental factors like storms and radiation fluctuations. Players appreciate the engaging visuals, background sounds, and the sense of freedom, likening it to beloved titles like Skyrim and Fallout. Overall, the atmosphere is characterized as both relaxing and challenging, enhancing the overall experience of exploration and flight.
- “The game has a unique atmosphere, unlike any other flight/truck simulator (and I don't just mean the unbreathable and hostile air you have to fly through).”
- “Its fun to just fly around enjoying the landscape, and you do get the feeling of flying in an unusual stormy atmosphere, with lots of wind, geysers, and volcanoes to deal with.”
- “Really engaging flight sim with lots of atmosphere, tricky flying, exploration, and upgrading.”
- “(There are NPC characters at bases and you'll see some boats around certain platforms in the ocean, but other than that, I haven't encountered anything else in the skies other than myself and the odd spaceship that either drops in from orbit or just stays floating in the air at a fixed location. Though, sometimes you'll see another ship take off from a landing pad as soon as it renders before it quickly disappears in the atmosphere.)”
- “(This game has something called a ski level, which is radiation in the atmosphere that fluctuates, causing the player to fly lower at times or the radiation will begin to shut down navigational systems. While this will break up the monotony of simple flying, it can be annoying with how often it fluctuates, especially if you're carrying precious cargo that you're trying desperately to get to its destination in one piece.)”
- “It has a challenging atmosphere where if you make a small mistake in the wrong storm, it can be devastating.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The music in the game is generally described as calming, clean, and immersive, enhancing the overall atmosphere and player experience. While many players appreciate the soundtrack's uplifting qualities and its ability to linger in their minds, some note a lack of variety and find certain tracks repetitive or bland. Overall, the combination of music and environmental design contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though players may benefit from supplementing it with their own playlists.
- “The sounds and the music are very calming, clean, and uplifting as well.”
- “The combination of music and environment design makes it just right.”
- “The solid music and sound are very relaxing, and I loved those immersive radio communications.”
- “Lack of variety in sound effects and game soundtrack.”
- “Repetitive music track.”
- “My only complaint is the music; it's a little bland.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent bugs and glitches affecting gameplay, such as loading issues, unresponsive controls, and crashes upon quitting. Players report significant obstacles in progressing through the story due to buggy objectives and game mechanics, indicating a need for substantial polish and improvements. Overall, while the game offers an engaging experience, its stability issues detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Had an engrossing 8+ hours of gameplay from this one, but it is a little buggy in places, e.g., a landing area will fail to load in sometimes.”
- “Best concept of a game I have ever seen, but it only has single player, and it looks bad, runs poorly, controls are a mess, and it's buggy.”
- “Still needs plenty of polish though; the game will crash fairly often, and there are weird graphics glitches.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
90%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be a mixed experience; while some players find the progression enjoyable and rewarding, others describe it as tedious and boring, often requiring excessive downtime or long taxiing maneuvers. Additionally, the presence of bugs and issues with game mechanics can further detract from the overall experience.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding, as it allows you to unlock powerful abilities and gear.”
- “The grind is satisfying, with each level-up feeling like a significant achievement.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels tedious and always keeps me engaged.”
- “Most simulation games of this type get tedious really quickly because they ask the player to spend huge amounts of downtime doing nothing.”
- “Boring and tedious.”
- “It does get a little bit grindy, and there are definitely some weird bugs, but I look forward to seeing what the developers can do with this game.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game's replayability is currently mixed, with some users noting it is infinitely replayable, while others express concerns due to its alpha state, suggesting that improvements are needed for a more enjoyable experience. Overall, the potential for replayability exists, but it hinges on future updates and enhancements.
- “✅ infinitely replayable”
- “No replayability.”
- “I can only hope this game gets the love and attention it deserves so that one day it will be in a much more playable state.”
- “It's still in the alpha, so tweaking stuff should make it more playable.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting the tension and adrenaline experienced during critical moments, such as landing. However, concerns about potential bugs and the need for manual save backups indicate that technical issues can lead to heart-wrenching experiences, underscoring the game's emotional stakes. Overall, while the gameplay can evoke intense feelings, it is marred by some frustrating technical challenges.
- “There is an automatic save, and I recommend copying the save file manually into a backup before going for story missions to avoid some heart-breaking experiences.”
- “Touching that landing pad ever so softly makes your adrenaline spike every time!”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd physics and unexpected scenarios, such as the comical ineffectiveness of VTOL mode and the amusing challenges of retrieving cargo after crashes. Players find the glitches and strange occurrences to be entertaining, even if the overall physics are frustrating.
- “There happens strange and funny stuff like crashing and trying to retrieve the cargo from a mountain.”
- “Also, wings seem to lose any ability to provide lift once you switch into VTOL mode, and on top of that, VTOL mode has hilariously weak vertical thrust for a good minute or so while you wait for the damn ox to slow down from flight speeds.”
- “Plane funny”