FIRE PLANES â The core loop
About
OverviewFIRE PLANES is an aerial firefighting game where you pilot planes and helicopters, scoop water from lakes, and drop it on wildfires to protect towns and earn money. Each round ends with a vote on which of the three game modes to play next, and maps are procedurally generated so the layout changes every time. This guide covers the core loop, all three modes, how to protect towns effectively, and how to tune the settings for your device.
What is on this page
Contents
The core loop
Step
Once a round starts, your job is always the same â fly to a lake, scoop water by passing over it at low altitude, then fly to wherever fire is burning and release the water. Putting out fires protects houses and earns you more money at the end of the round, which you can spend on new planes.
- Fly to a lake locate a lake on the map and pass over it at low altitude to scoop water into your aircraft.
- Drop water on fire release the water you scooped directly over burning areas.
- Protect houses put out fires near buildings before the flames can spread to them.
- Collect your payout complete the round to receive money based on your performance, then spend it on better planes.
The three game modes
Table
After every round, players vote on which mode comes next. If the vote ends in a tie, the game picks one at random.
| Realistic | Three towns with 23 houses each; base payout is $60,000, reduced by every house that burns. |
| Town Defense | Ten waves of escalating fire threatening one large town; trees respawn and both the number of starting fires and their spread speed increase with each wave. |
| Mega Fire | No towns to protect; a very large fire must be put out as quickly as possible, and a faster clear time means a higher payout. |
Protecting houses from fire spread
Tips
In Realistic mode, every house that burns cuts into your $60,000 base payout. In Town Defense, fire cannot be allowed to reach the town.
- Turn map markers on so town and fire icons are always visible on your screen.
- In Town Defense, trees respawn each wave and the number of starting fires and spread speed increase as waves progress.
Settings worth adjusting
Check
The settings panel lets you adjust controls and graphics.
- Auto Reset Camera returns the camera to its original forward-facing position after you move it with the mouse.
- Show Keybinds displays a keybind list in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Flight Assistant prevents the plane from pitching nose-down when turning.
- Invert Pitch with it off, W pitches up and S pitches down; turn it on to swap them.
- Shadows and Fire Effects turning these off reduces load on lower-end devices.
Badges and what they require
Tips
Welcome unlocks just by joining. The other three require specific actions.
- Extinguish a Fire â put out at least one fire in any round.
- Most Fires Extinguished â finish a round as the top fire-extinguisher with more than 100 fires put out, and at least three players must be in the round for it to count.
- Town Defender â contribute to the team surviving all ten waves in Town Defense.
Glossary
Glossary- Scoop
- The action of flying over a lake at low altitude to collect water into your aircraft.
- Fire spread
- When fire jumps from one burning object â a tree or house â to a neighbouring object, extending the affected area.
- Wave
- One of the ten rounds of escalating fire in Town Defense mode.
- Procedural generation
- A system that builds the map layout randomly each round, so no two rounds share the same terrain.
- Flight Assistant
- A setting that prevents your plane from pitching nose-down when turning.
- Invert Pitch
- A control setting that swaps the up and down functions of the W and S keys.
Common questions
FAQHow is my payout decided in Realistic mode?
The base payout is $60,000. Every house that burns during the round reduces that amount, so the more houses you keep intact, the more money you receive at the end.
Can I choose the game mode myself?
You vote on it after each round, and whichever mode gets the most votes is played next. If two modes tie, the game picks one of them at random.
What do I need to do to earn the Most Fires Extinguished badge?
You need to extinguish more than 100 fires in a single round, finish that round with the highest fire count among all players, and there must be at least three players in the round. All three conditions have to be true at the same time.
Does the map change between rounds?
Yes. Maps are procedurally generated, which means the layout is created randomly at the start of each round.
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