Hello everyone, it's me, Simon - the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Welcome to my fourth blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects.

As the name of the game suggests, you won’t be able to serve passengers without the help of the cabin crew. Especially on larger planes, the number of passengers increases, and so does the list of tasks. We have plans to implement a multiplayer mode in version 1.0, but for now, let’s talk about your AI colleagues. What tasks can they handle?

We’ve spent over three months perfecting the AI features, and we’re still improving them. It’s a challenging task, as flight attendants have to work in the tight space of the galley, both on the ground and at altitudes over 30,000 feet. Assigning tasks to each AI is quite complex, requiring us to divide the cabin into clear zones, just like real-life flight attendants do.

In the EA version, when you reach the Senior level, you’ll be assigned to work alongside other attendants, both male and female, from various countries. Each one will have a brief introduction for you to learn more about your colleagues. And of course, the crew members are assigned randomly—you won’t be able to hire or freely choose them like in other professions.

What tasks can they help you with?

Ticket Checking:

When the airline requires ticket checks, you can assign them to verify passengers’ tickets at the gate before boarding. During this time, you can focus on other tasks such as inspecting safety equipment or preparing the galley. But keep in mind, they can make mistakes too.

Safety Checks:

While you’re inspecting the lavatories or handling cargo, you can assign a flight attendant to conduct passenger safety checks, ensuring seat belts are fastened or tray tables are stowed.

Cargo Handling:

For larger aircraft with a substantial amount of cargo, moving everything from the catering truck by yourself can take a long time. That’s why you can assign some attendants to take on this task.

Safety Demonstrations:

Naturally, after passengers have boarded, you and the crew need to conduct the safety demonstration. For this task, we’ve included a small minigame requiring you to perform certain actions before the attendants present the safety instructions.

Passenger Service:

You’ll assign zones to the attendants for service. For example, if the plane has three sections (front, middle, and rear), you might handle the front section while other attendants cover the middle and rear sections.

Trash Collection:

While you conduct pre-landing safety checks, other attendants can help collect trash from passengers quickly.

A Small Challenge:

However, there’s one thing that might disappoint you a bit. Not every attendant will work diligently or follow your instructions. Some may just sit there and refuse to perform tasks. You can submit performance evaluations for attendants after each flight. Finally, we encourage you to offer a small bonus to boost their productivity, ensuring a safe flight and excellent service for passengers. Doesn’t that sound better?

Hello everyone, it’s me, Simon — the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Welcome to my fourth blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects.

In the previous section, you learned more about the scoring mechanics and how to advance quickly. Ensuring flight safety is the top priority, so you must carefully inspect safety equipment and operate the galley correctly.

The rest is all about service. The better the service, the more rewards you’ll earn, and the faster you’ll advance.

- So how can you satisfy customers on every flight to receive the best reviews and well-deserved bonuses?

Compared to most simulator games, customers/NPCs typically perform pre-programmed actions, and when you serve them correctly, they simply leave, making way for the next customer.

But in Cabin Crew Life Simulator, passengers are much more demanding. Each passenger has their own personality, voice, and unique attributes. In the free DEMO available on Steam, passengers might compliment your appearance if you meet their needs but could also complain if you forget or fail to serve them properly.

In the Early Access version, we’ve added a review system. If your actions annoy passengers, they will leave negative reviews about your service, potentially causing you to lose all rewards for that flight.

Passenger needs will vary on every flight. Some may be noisy, others prone to air sickness, some will constantly want your attention, or might have health issues. Pay attention to their signals and address their needs promptly to ensure a safe and pleasant flight.

Passengers can also cheat, so don’t trust anyone blindly. They may use fake tickets to sneak onto the flight or simply make honest mistakes. Always double-check their tickets when the airline requires it before they board.

1. Ensure Passenger Safety

Of course, safety first. Always verify safety regulations before takeoff and landing. Make sure passengers are seated with their seatbelts fastened, tray tables stowed, and window shades open.
Any items obstructing aisles or pathways must be removed or stored properly.

Avoid asking passengers to perform unnecessary actions, such as telling them to unfasten seatbelts when they’re already secure. This will irritate them and result in a penalty to your performance.

2. Handle Issues Promptly

When problems arise, assist passengers as quickly as possible. They may ask for additional meals after the service period has ended or bombard you with silly questions. Always stay calm and maintain a smile.
Some passengers may even try to open the aircraft door or cause a disturbance. You must quickly restrain them and report the incident to airport security for immediate handling upon landing.

For passengers with medical emergencies, provide first aid quickly and accurately. In severe cases, you may need to request an emergency landing if their condition doesn’t improve.

3. Don’t Bother Passengers

Avoid asking passengers to repeat actions they’ve already done correctly. As mentioned above, mistakes like this will annoy them.
Ensure the cabin remains quiet. If any passenger disrupts or disturbs others, deal with the situation promptly to protect the experience of other passengers.

4. Provide Professional Service

Preparing the menu before the flight is crucial. Ensure the stock of food and drinks is sufficient, and choose the right menu items for the flight. If a passenger requests something but it’s out of stock, they will be dissatisfied and leave negative reviews.

Serve food and drinks promptly. Making passengers wait too long is a major service failure. Always observe your surroundings and respond quickly to their needs.

Wouldn’t you feel annoyed if you ordered beer but were served soda instead? Of course, you would — I would too! And passengers on the plane feel the same way. So, never give them items they didn’t request.

5. Additional Services

You can purchase optional services like Wi-Fi or welcome kits to give to passengers for free. Everyone loves freebies, of course! You can find these items in the Market app.

On luxury flights, you can spend some money to give each passenger a pair of headphones or an amenity kit from a premium fashion brand, which will make them happy and more forgiving of your mistakes.

Thank you for following our journey. See you in the skies! ✈ Free Play Demo

Hello everyone, it's me, Simon - the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Welcome to my fourth blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects.

Continuing from our previous discussion on ranks and levels in Cabin Crew Life Simulator, today we’ll dive deeper into the scoring mechanics and how to quickly level up while ensuring safe flights and keeping passengers satisfied.

As always: Safety comes first, and service comes second.

How Is Your Flight Scored?

All your actions are tracked and evaluated by the airline. The primary focus remains on ensuring all safety procedures are followed correctly, which accounts for 60% of your total flight score. The remaining 40% is based on your service quality.

While actual flights may include additional tasks depending on the aircraft types and airline, we’ve streamlined the core activities for simplicity and ease of gameplay. Below are the key activities:

Safety Activities:

1. Inspect the quality of safety equipment.
2. Verify passengers’ tickets before boarding.
3. Ensure proper closure of aircraft doors.
4. Keep items organized and secured in the galley.
5. Properly store trolleys in their designated safety positions.
6. During taxi, takeoff, and landing, confirm passengers are:
   • Fasten seatbelts.
   • Folding their tray tables.
   • Opening window shades.
7. Ensure aisles are free of obstructions.
8. Secure overhead bins throughout the flight.

Service Activities:

1. Serve food and drinks according to passenger requests.
2. Avoid issuing incorrect commands to passengers (e.g., telling a seated passenger to unbuckle their seatbelt unnecessarily).
3. Quickly address passenger concerns when they arise.
4. Greet passengers warmly during boarding and bid them farewell during deboarding.

How Much Can You Earn Per Flight?

Your earnings depend on several factors: the aircraft type, number of passengers, and the total number of violations during a flight. Your earnings can be positive or even negative! Here’s how it’s calculated:

Earnings Formula:

= (Total Flight Minutes × Level Ratio × Aircraft Average Pay) + Passenger Bonus + In-Flight Sales Revenue − Safety Violations Penalties.

The higher your level, the larger the aircraft, and the longer the flight, the greater your potential earnings. Additionally:

• Passenger Bonus: You earn a set amount for each passenger served.
• Penalties: Safety violations can result in significant fines.
• In-Flight Sales Revenue: Profits from items sold during the flight contribute to your income.

Can You Prolong Flights for More Earnings?

Yes, since earnings are tied to flight duration, longer flights can increase your income. However:

1. Time Limit: Flights have a maximum allowable duration, so you can’t extend indefinitely.
2. Reputation Impact: Delaying flights unnecessarily reduces your reputation score, as passengers become frustrated and tired.

How Does Reputation Affect Gameplay?

Much like EXP points, your Reputation score is critical for progression. To rank up, you’ll need to level up and meet certain reputation thresholds.

Reputation Score Criteria:

Your reputation reflects your professionalism, service attitude, and passenger satisfaction. Poor service or unnecessary delays lower your reputation.

Consequences of Low Reputation:

• Dissatisfied passengers will leave negative reviews.
• Prolonged delays result in unhappy passengers and a worse overall experience.

Passenger Reviews

After each flight, passengers will provide feedback. While most feedback is constructive, you may occasionally encounter harsh or rude comments if service doesn’t meet expectations. This mirrors the challenges of working in a high-pressure, demanding cabin crew’s job.

What’s new ?

Stay tuned for the next installment, where we’ll delve deeper into customer service mechanics. Get ready to explore the art of passenger satisfaction!

Hello everyone, it's me, Simon - the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Welcome to my fourth blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects!

- Did you know that most airplanes are painted white, and the seats inside are predominantly blue? Is there a hidden mystery behind these choices?

Let's uncover these secrets together in Cabin Crew Life Simulator! As our game is set in the working environment of an airplane cabin, we spent over two months meticulously researching various aircraft interiors, including their components, materials, and features across different airplane models. In this devlog, we’ll explore the mysteries and features of the seat designs that you’ll encounter in the game.

Seat Classes

In Cabin Crew Life Simulator, there are three main seat classes: Economy, Business, and First Class. These classes unlock progressively as you level up.

• Economy Class: Found in smaller planes with a focus on practical, compact seating.
• Business Class: Available on larger planes, offering premium experiences to passengers. This class also introduces different types of passengers you’ll need to serve.
• First Class: This is the most luxurious seat class, occupying a significant amount of space in the cabin. For this class, we’ve integrated special features such as a mini-bar, seats that can convert into beds, and the ability to sell luxury services.

Seat Materials

Most airplane seats are made from fabric, and we’ve reflected this in the game with detailed textures crafted from materials like wool, polyester, nylon, and even leather for premium seats.

For Economy Class, we’ve chosen nylon fabric due to its:

• Slightly smooth, sometimes slightly glossy texture.
• Consistent weave patterns, creating a modern feel for the cabin.

This choice mirrors real-life airline practices. Nylon is a practical material that:

• Absorbs sweat efficiently.
• Is easy to clean.
• Offers durability for long-term use.

For Business and First Class, we’ve included leather finishes to evoke a sense of luxury and exclusivity during flights.

Color Mysteries

While designing the cabin, we initially experimented with vibrant and creative color palettes. However, we quickly realized that most airlines use blue seats. Curious about this trend, we dug deeper and discovered fascinating reasons:

Psychology of Color

• Blue is calming and soothing (same as sky or ocean color), helping passengers feel relaxed, especially in an environment where stress or anxiety might arise.

Practical Benefits

• Darker shades of blue or green effectively conceal stains, dirt, and wear-and-tear much better than brighter colors like white or yellow.

Similarly, the white paint on airplanes serves practical purposes:

• Durability: White paint fades less and highlights potential damage like cracks or oil leaks.
• Visibility: White stands out during emergencies and minimizes bird strikes.
• Temperature Control: Reflects sunlight, keeping the cabin cooler.

In response, we adopted blue tones as the dominant seat color in the game, except for special flights or exclusive events.

Seat Features

In the demo version, we’ve implemented fundamental seat functionalities, including:

• Reclining backrests.
• Foldable tray tables.

For Business Class and above, these features get a sophisticated upgrade:

• Elegant tray table designs in Business Class.
• Mini-bars in First Class, ensuring your passengers experience the pinnacle of in-flight luxury.
• Luxury services: You can serve gourmet meals or provide amenities packs for this class.

Additional Services

As you progress and complete more flights, you’ll unlock optional services to enhance passenger comfort, such as:

• In-flight Wi-Fi.
• Amenities kits (e.g., toothbrushes, socks).
• Free blankets and pillows for long-haul flights.

These upgrades improve your score and make your airline stand out.

Passenger Scoring

Passenger satisfaction in Cabin Crew Life Simulator is tied to their class:

• Prioritize premium passengers first—they contribute significantly to your overall score.
• However, remember: Safety first, service second.

Special Flights

As hinted in earlier announcements, we’re introducing special flight missions in the Early Access version. These unique flights might not have any passengers or traditional seating arrangements. Stay tuned to uncover the secrets and surprises when the EA version launches!

Thank you for following our journey. See you in the skies! ✈ Free Play Demo below

Hello everyone, it's me, Simon - the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Welcome to my fourth blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects!

Today, I’ll reveal the ranking and leveling system in the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator:

Cabin Crew’s Level:

Your experience points (EXP) are calculated after completing each flight. You must archive the required EXP to level up. Typically, for every 2 levels you gain, combined with maintaining a good reputation score, you will be eligible to request a promotion from your airline. Being promoted unlocks new opportunities, such as increased income, access to larger and more modern aircraft, diverse events, and working with highly skilled colleagues. However, if you neglect your duties or make too many mistakes during flights, your progression will slow significantly.

Mistakes could include forgetting to arm the doors before the plane moves, failing to remind passengers to fasten their seat belts, or serving the wrong meals and drinks... All these errors will be clearly displayed on the Flight Summary board after each flight. So, serve passengers diligently and attentively if you don’t want to stagnate in your rank and settle for a low paycheck.

Cabin Crew’s Ranking

Cabin crew rankings in the airline industry can vary depending on the policies and organizational structure of each airline. However, most airlines follow a common ranking system, which we’ve compiled and incorporated into Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Here’s how it works:

Trainee Cabin Crew:

This is the entry-level rank in the game, where you will become familiar with the initial tasks of newly recruited flight attendants. Smaller aircraft, such as the Embraer ERJ-145, will be the ideal choice for your training. You will learn how to inspect safety equipment, ensure passenger safety, and operate some basic devices on the aircraft.

Junior Cabin Crew:

After completing the first rank, you will be promoted to Junior Cabin Crew. You will transition to newer aircraft with more passengers, such as the Bombardier CRJ700 or Embraer ERJ-175. Some new galley equipment will also be introduced, such as the FAP system we mentioned earlier, refrigerators, or the ability to sell items and handle payments onboard. Your tasks will become more diverse, including checking smoke detectors and conducting safety demonstrations for passengers.

Senior Cabin Crew:

This is the role for truly experienced flight attendants. Upon reaching this rank, you will work closely with your AI crew, guiding and assigning them tasks. You will also supervise and evaluate their performance after each flight. The number of passengers you need to serve will increase, as will the size of the aircraft. Aircraft like the Airbus A220-300 will become your new workspace. Passengers will also be more demanding, but you will have a wider selection in the menu to keep them satisfied.

Purser Cabin Crew:

In real life, achieving this rank often requires 5-7 years of experience in the airline industry. There’s a common misconception that higher ranks are always assigned to serve Business or First Class cabins, but that’s not always the case. Even Junior Cabin Crew members can perfectly serve Business Class passengers. Your job is to accurately assess the capabilities of your crew members and assign tasks accordingly to reduce your workload. At this level, you can introduce special services onboard, such as welcome kits or free Wi-Fi, to enhance the passenger experience.

Chief Purser:

This is the highest rank in cabin crew, where you have full authority over the cabin and act as the pilot’s eyes and ears. You will also be responsible for the safety and satisfaction of all passengers. Large aircraft like the Airbus A340-300 or even the Queen of the Skies, the Boeing 747, will be your workplace in the skies. High-end services will also be introduced, such as lounge bars and special meals, to cater to elite and discerning passengers.

Celebration for Promotion

To honor your efforts and dedication, each promotion will be celebrated with a special ceremony to announce your new rank. Of course, this also comes with a generous bonus as a reward for your hard work! Thank you for reading, and please consider wishlisting the game to support us!

Hello everyone, it's me, Simon - the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Welcome to my fourth blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects!

- Did you know that most airplanes are painted white, and the seats inside are predominantly blue? Is there a hidden mystery behind these choices?

Let's uncover these secrets together in Cabin Crew Life Simulator! As our game is set in the working environment of an airplane cabin, we spent over two months meticulously researching various aircraft interiors, including their components, materials, and features across different airplane models. In this devlog, we’ll explore the mysteries and features of the seat designs that you’ll encounter in the game.

Seat Classes

In Cabin Crew Life Simulator, there are three main seat classes: Economy, Business, and First Class. These classes unlock progressively as you level up.

• Economy Class: Found in smaller planes with a focus on practical, compact seating.
• Business Class: Available on larger planes, offering premium experiences to passengers. This class also introduces different types of passengers you’ll need to serve.
• First Class: This is the most luxurious seat class, occupying a significant amount of space in the cabin. For this class, we’ve integrated special features such as a mini-bar, seats that can convert into beds, and the ability to sell luxury services.

Seat Materials

Most airplane seats are made from fabric, and we’ve reflected this in the game with detailed textures crafted from materials like wool, polyester, nylon, and even leather for premium seats.

For Economy Class, we’ve chosen nylon fabric due to its:

• Slightly smooth, sometimes slightly glossy texture.
• Consistent weave patterns, creating a modern feel for the cabin.

This choice mirrors real-life airline practices. Nylon is a practical material that:

• Absorbs sweat efficiently.
• Is easy to clean.
• Offers durability for long-term use.

For Business and First Class, we’ve included leather finishes to evoke a sense of luxury and exclusivity during flights.

Color Mysteries

While designing the cabin, we initially experimented with vibrant and creative color palettes. However, we quickly realized that most airlines use blue seats. Curious about this trend, we dug deeper and discovered fascinating reasons:

Psychology of Color

• Blue is calming and soothing (same as sky or ocean color), helping passengers feel relaxed, especially in an environment where stress or anxiety might arise.

Practical Benefits

• Darker shades of blue or green effectively conceal stains, dirt, and wear-and-tear much better than brighter colors like white or yellow.

Similarly, the white paint on airplanes serves practical purposes:

• Durability: White paint fades less and highlights potential damage like cracks or oil leaks.
• Visibility: White stands out during emergencies and minimizes bird strikes.
• Temperature Control: Reflects sunlight, keeping the cabin cooler.

In response, we adopted blue tones as the dominant seat color in the game, except for special flights or exclusive events.

Seat Features

In the demo version, we’ve implemented fundamental seat functionalities, including:

• Reclining backrests.
• Foldable tray tables.

For Business Class and above, these features get a sophisticated upgrade:

• Elegant tray table designs in Business Class.
• Mini-bars in First Class, ensuring your passengers experience the pinnacle of in-flight luxury.
• Luxury services: You can serve gourmet meals or provide amenities packs for this class.

Additional Services

As you progress and complete more flights, you’ll unlock optional services to enhance passenger comfort, such as:

• In-flight Wi-Fi.
• Amenities kits (e.g., toothbrushes, socks).
• Free blankets and pillows for long-haul flights.

These upgrades improve your score and make your airline stand out.

Passenger Scoring

Passenger satisfaction in Cabin Crew Life Simulator is tied to their class:

• Prioritize premium passengers first—they contribute significantly to your overall score.
• However, remember: Safety first, service second.

Special Flights

As hinted in earlier announcements, we’re introducing special flight missions in the Early Access version. These unique flights might not have any passengers or traditional seating arrangements. Stay tuned to uncover the secrets and surprises when the EA version launches!

Thank you for following our journey. See you in the skies! ✈ Free Play Demo below

https://store.steampowered.com/widget/2959610/

Thank you for reading, and please consider wishlisting the game to support us! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2959610

good job

Hello everyone, it's me, Simon - the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator. Welcome to my third blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects!

In this update, I’ll delve deeper into the cabin of the aircraft, where over 70% of the game’s duration will take place, true to the game’s name. Today, We’ll discuss the design of lighting in the galley and cabin, as well as the day/night circle system within the aircraft cabin. 

1. The FAP System

To deliver the most authentic experience of a flight attendant's career, we have simulated the Flight Attendant Panel (FAP), which is present on most modern aircraft. The Flight Attendant Panel (FAP) serves as the central control hub for managing and monitoring various cabin systems. It enables flight attendants to efficiently control lighting, emergency systems, lavatory functions, and more. In Cabin Crew Life Simulator, all cabin lighting can be turned on/off or adjusted in brightness via the FAP. Additionally, the FAP allows you to quickly check the status of doors - whether they are open or closed, armed or disarmed. This feature helps you avoid penalties after each flight for forgetting to properly secure or arm the doors. Moreover, we’ve included a curated playlist for passenger entertainment, allowing you to create the most comfortable atmosphere onboard. You can choose any genre of music you like and adjust the cabin volume depending on the phase of the flight

.  

  2. Lighting in the Game

We faced numerous challenges while designing the lighting for this game. Typically, developers use static lighting (also known as Baked Lighting) to optimize game performance. With this method, lighting is pre-calculated before runtime, and no further calculations are made during gameplay. For more details, you can refer to Unity's documentation on Baked Lighting. However, in Cabin Crew Life Simulator, many things move, including passengers and the aircraft itself. As previously mentioned, the aircraft simulates real-life movement, from taxiing to takeoff and cruising altitude. Therefore, static lighting is not a viable solution for us. In addition, as seen in the DEMO, there’s a day/night cycle effect where you might start a flight in the afternoon and finish it in the evening. Changing lightmaps between day and night proved ineffective because, within the aircraft’s reference frame, the direction of sunlight constantly shifts - unlike static structures like houses or airports. This required us to use real-time lighting for the entire flight. Thus, all lighting - from the sun to the spotlights inside the cabin - uses real-time lighting technology. This significantly enhances the experience as players can feel the changes in lighting direction while the plane is in motion.

  3. Performance Optimization for Real-Time Lighting The Problem: 

Using real-time lighting requires continuous calculations by the CPU/GPU, which can decrease FPS. Additionally, real-time shadows are a major performance bottleneck. When real-time lighting is used, Unity increases the polygon count (triangles) by 4-5 times to render shadows, unlike baked lighting, which uses simple black shading in the lightmap. This leads to FPS drops. 

  The Common Solution: Many simulation games disable shadows to optimize performance. This can reduce the number of triangles by over 60% - for instance, from 7M vertices to 1.2M vertices, which boosts FPS by 20% on a Boeing 737 with nearly 100 seats and over 50 light sources.

  Our Decision: However, we chose not to go this route. Disabling shadows significantly diminishes the visual depth of the game, making it feel flat. As someone with a background in visual design and VFX, I found the absence of shadows highly unsatisfying. Therefore, I was determined to find an optimal solution.

  Our Approach: We developed a smarter way to render shadows by incorporating distance-based calculations to limit shadow rendering for objects far away or behind the camera. These calculations also restrict the number of shadows rendered depending on the area, improving game performance by up to 60%. This method allows us to create stunning soft shadows with real-time lighting without overburdening the GPU.

What's new ? In the next update, we’ll reveal the differences between economy, business, and first-class seating on the flight. Stay tuned. Thank you for reading, and please consider wishlisting the game to support us! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2959610

Thank you for reading, and please consider wishlisting the game to support us!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2959610

Hello everyone, it's me, Simon - the lead developer of the game Cabin Crew Life Simulator.  Welcome to my third blog post for Cabin Crew Life Simulator !

I hope you have been enjoying the things we have been talking about up until this point and I will have much more to share in the future. If you’re new here, don’t forget to join our Discord channel to stay up to date with the latest news from our team regarding Cabin Crew Life Simulator as well as our other projects!

In this update, I’ll delve deeper into the cabin of the aircraft, where over 70% of the game’s duration will take place, true to the game’s name. Today, We’ll discuss the design of lighting in the galley and cabin, as well as the day/night circle system within the aircraft cabin.

1. The FAP System

To deliver the most authentic experience of a flight attendant's career, we have simulated the Flight Attendant Panel (FAP), which is present on most modern aircraft. The Flight Attendant Panel (FAP) serves as the central control hub for managing and monitoring various cabin systems. It enables flight attendants to efficiently control lighting, emergency systems, lavatory functions, and more. In Cabin Crew Life Simulator, all cabin lighting can be turned on/off or adjusted in brightness via the FAP. Additionally, the FAP allows you to quickly check the status of doors - whether they are open or closed, armed or disarmed. This feature helps you avoid penalties after each flight for forgetting to properly secure or arm the doors. Moreover, we’ve included a curated playlist for passenger entertainment, allowing you to create the most comfortable atmosphere onboard. You can choose any genre of music you like and adjust the cabin volume depending on the phase of theflight.





2. Lighting in the Game

We faced numerous challenges while designing the lighting for this game. Typically, developers use static lighting (also known as Baked Lighting) to optimize game performance. With this method, lighting is pre-calculated before runtime, and no further calculations are made during gameplay. For more details, you can refer to Unity's documentation on Baked Lighting. However, in Cabin Crew Life Simulator, many things move, including passengers and the aircraft itself. As previously mentioned, the aircraft simulates real-life movement, from taxiing to takeoff and cruising altitude. Therefore, static lighting is not a viable solution for us. In addition, as seen in the DEMO, there’s a day/night cycle effect where you might start a flight in the afternoon and finish it in the evening. Changing lightmaps between day and night proved ineffective because, within the aircraft’s reference frame, the direction of sunlight constantly shifts - unlike static structures like houses or airports. This required us to use real-time lighting for the entire flight. Thus, all lighting - from the sun to the spotlights inside the cabin - uses real-time lighting technology. This significantly enhances the experience as players can feel the changes in lighting direction while the plane is in motion.

  3. Performance Optimization for Real-Time Lighting The Problem: 

Using real-time lighting requires continuous calculations by the CPU/GPU, which can decrease FPS. Additionally, real-time shadows are a major performance bottleneck. When real-time lighting is used, Unity increases the polygon count (triangles) by 4-5 times to render shadows, unlike baked lighting, which uses simple black shading in the lightmap. This leads to FPS drops.

The Common Solution: Many simulation games disable shadows to optimize performance. This can reduce the number of triangles by over 60% - for instance, from 7M vertices to 1.2M vertices, which boosts FPS by 20% on a Boeing 737 with nearly 100 seats and over 50 light sources.

Our Decision: However, we chose not to go this route. Disabling shadows significantly diminishes the visual depth of the game, making it feel flat. As someone with a background in visual design and VFX, I found the absence of shadows highly unsatisfying. Therefore, I was determined to find an optimal solution.

Our Approach: We developed a smarter way to render shadows by incorporating distance-based calculations to limit shadow rendering for objects far away or behind the camera. These calculations also restrict the number of shadows rendered depending on the area, improving game performance by up to 60%. This method allows us to create stunning soft shadows with real-time lighting without overburdening the GPU. 

                        


What's new ? In the next update, we’ll reveal the differences between economy, business, and first-class seating on the flight. Stay tuned.