Bessie Coleman: Barnstorming Endeavors

Created for the Black History Month Game Jam.

Background

Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman was the first African-American to formally receive an international pilot's license, which she acquired in 1921.

Due to blatant racial discrimination policies in the United States, which refused her the benefit of flight training both on account of her race and sex, she was ultimately forced to  journey to Europe to solidify her credentials, receiving her pilot's license in France in 1920, and acquiring advanced aerobatic training in Germany, shortly there after.

Having garnered admiration and praise for her aerial exploits in Western Europe, she was finally recognized and appreciated by the New York Times, and thus, she subsequently returned to the United States to compete in both the barnstorming and fledging air show circuit.  

Throughout the mid-phase of the 1920's, she dazzled audiences across the country as both a proficient aerobatic aviator and a sky diver. 

Tragically, her life was cut short in 1926 at the age of 34, during a training accident in which she and her mechanic were undergoing preparations for a particularly risky air show act. 

Gameplay

The game is situated over a singular playfield in a rural setting, with barns, windmills, and other obstacles for the player to traverse or avoid. 

"Free flight" mode offers the player the chance to fly around the level without time restrictions or checkpoints, should the player wish to familiarize him-/herself with the controls, or simply fly around for fun.

The "Mission" segment covers various time-sensitive aerobatic patterns, where the player must traverse various checkpoints in sequence before the allotted time limitation has elapsed.

The "flight model" has been considerably simplified to only limited emulations of actual flight, with more responsive than usual flight controls, no crashing, stalling, or spinning effects.

Controls

W,A,S,D or Arrow Keys	pitch/roll
Z and C	yaw
F1	default camera view
F2	close up camera view
F3	head-on camera view
F4	flyby camera view
ESC	exit to main menu