Triplane Classic

About the game

Triplane Classic is a dogfight seen from the side. Four countries, each with its own biplane in its own colour, take off from airfields on a small map, climb into a sky full of clouds and try to shoot each other down. Planes are fragile, fuel and ammunition are limited, and the ground fights back: flak guns, machine-gun nests and soldiers with rifles are all happy to bring down a careless pilot.

There are two ways to play. In the solo missions you fly the German plane through a series of missions in which the briefing marks the buildings to destroy and the objectives to protect, and you only win once the targets are gone, the enemy planes are down and your plane is back on the runway. In the multiplayer game up to four people share one keyboard and the screen is split into bands, one for each plane, and the computer can fly a plane for you when a friend is missing. Points are counted for every kill, and the match runs until someone reaches the score you set.

The game started as a 1996 DOS title from a Finnish team. They released its source code and data as free software in 2009, and this is the Classic version, which aims to match the original rules so that old high scores stay comparable.

Playing it here

This is Triplane Classic 1.0.8, compiled for the browser from the project's source code. The game was written for an old version of the SDL library, so we added a small layer that lets it run on SDL2, without changing how it plays. The download is about 3.5 MB and the game plays offline once it has loaded. Your pilots, scores and options are kept in this browser; clearing this site's data deletes them. The game is in English. Gamepads are not supported in this version, only the keyboard and the mouse.

To start a solo mission, click through the title screens and then:

1. Click Roster, click the pen on the right to create a pilot, type a name and press Enter. Click the keys on the left to go back.
2. Click Assign pilots and tick the Solo box beside the red plane at the top left. Click the background to go back.
3. Click Takeoff times, pick Mission I, read the briefing and click Fly.
4. Press S to leave the hangar, hold Tab to speed up and use X to climb.

Controls

The keyboard controls of the four players are the defaults of the game.

Player 4's keys are shown in the Plane mechanics menu. Nose up and nose down together work as an air brake. In the solo missions only the Player 1 keys matter. Esc leaves a mission, and F4 (or Pause) pauses it; press it again to continue. The menus are used with the mouse, and the keys of each country can be changed in the Plane mechanics menu.

Tips

Keep the engine on only while you need it. Hold the power key to take off and climb, and let go to glide. If your keyboard drops keys when several are pressed at once, open the options (Physical examination) and turn on on/off power, which makes the power key a switch instead of something you hold.

Bomb from low and level. Fly low and straight over the target and drop the bomb a little early, since it does not fall straight down.

Land and refill. When the targets are down, release the power, glide onto the runway, use the air brake and press S to roll into the hangar, where you can refill bombs, ammunition and fuel.

Mind your own side. In the solo missions you lose points for shooting down friendly planes and for destroying friendly buildings and soldiers.

FAQ

Can I play with friends on one computer? Yes: assign each country to a human pilot in the Assign pilots page, choose a multiplayer level in Request transfer and start from Takeoff times. Up to four people can share the keyboard.

Why does nothing happen when I press a key? Click on the game once so that the page has the keyboard focus.

Is there music? Yes, there is music in the menus, and sound and music can be switched off in the options (Physical examination, Hearing).

Are my pilots saved? Yes, in this browser. They are written after every mission and when you leave the page.

Credits

Triplane Classic is copyright Dodekaedron Software Creations Oy, free software under the GNU GPL version 3 or later. The original game was made by Markku Rankala, Teemu J. Takanen and Henrikki Merikallio, and the portable version by Timo Juhani Lindfors, Teemu J. Takanen and Riku Saikkonen. The music in the game files is signed by Dragst of the Dodekaedron Squad. See the license file and the source code, which are hosted with the game.