Why Early Access?

“SITL Forge is built by drone pilots for drone pilots, and we'd rather ship it now and shape it together with the community than polish it in isolation. Early Access lets builders, FPV pilots, and flight-controller developers try the simulator against real hardware setups, tell us what's missing, and influence which platforms and features we prioritize next.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We plan to remain in Early Access for approximately 6–12 months. The exact length depends on how quickly we can act on community feedback, expand the parts library, and ship the next flight-controller integrations.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“During Early Access we plan to grow the simulator along several axes:
• Additional flight-controller integrations as DLC — ArduPilot is planned alongside the existing Betaflight and iNAV support.
• A larger parts library: more frames, motors, propellers, batteries, and ESCs, with bench-validated specifications.
• Additional environments and test scenarios.
• Continued refinement of the VMG motor/propeller physics model based on real bench-test data.
• Quality-of-life improvements driven by community requests.

These are our intentions, not promises — final scope will depend on how Early Access unfolds.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“SITL Forge is fully playable today and includes:
• A built-in SIM flight controller (ACRO / ANGLE / HORIZON) for standalone simulation.
• Betaflight and iNAV DLC integrations for running real firmware in software-in-the-loop — Betaflight for flight tuning, iNAV for GPS navigation and waypoint missions.
• 1000 Hz Jolt physics with a power-balance VMG motor/propeller model.
• A drone workbench with part assembly, real-time thrust and current predictions, and joystick support.
• Detailed real-world airframes from a 2" micro to 13" heavy carriers.
• Race tracks with lap timing, practice and 3-lap race modes.
• Flight recording and full 3D replay.

The current build ships with one environment and a growing library of parts and race tracks, and may contain bugs and rough edges. We will be expanding content and fixing issues throughout Early Access.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We plan to gradually raise the price as the simulator grows — additional flight-controller integrations, an expanded parts library, and new environments will be reflected in the price during and after Early Access. Customers who purchase during Early Access keep their copy and do not pay the difference later.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We see Early Access as a working dialogue with our players. We plan to:
• Use the Steam Community Hub for feature requests, polls on what to build next, and bug reports.
• Publish regular changelogs that credit community-driven improvements.
• Engage directly with flight-controller developers and FPV builders who test real firmware against the simulator — their setups are the toughest test of physics fidelity.
• Share experimental builds for community review when meaningful changes land.”