FlowState: ATC guides
The rules the server actually runs on, what each mode does to your traffic, and how good players keep a sector calm when it should be falling apart.
Separation distances, spawn rates, wind strength and scoring here are read straight out of the simulation, so the numbers in these guides are the numbers running while you play.
Separation: the only rule that really matters
The two numbers that decide whether aircraft collide, and why altitude is the cheapest way out of any conflict.
Scoring, waves and how a run ends
What each wave actually changes, why a wrong exit costs two points, and how to use the speed slider nobody touches.
Turbulence mode: reading wind and storms
Prevailing wind versus per-aircraft turbulence, the real size of a storm cell's dangerous core, and how to lead your turns.
Portal chaos: a sector that moves your aircraft for you
Portals as the fastest transport in the game, punchers as pure tax, and why both move every time the wave ticks over.
Multiplayer: two controllers, one sector
Shared score, visible cursors, and the coordination failure that ends more runs than traffic ever does.
Where to start
Read separation first. It covers the collision and proximity rules every mode runs on, and the mode guides assume you know them. After that, take whichever mode you play: turbulence for wind and storm cells, portal for teleports and punchers, multiplayer for shared sectors. The scoring guide is worth a read whatever you play, because the wave table decides how much time you have.
New to the game?
Start with the tutorial: the controls and one full run, first plane to game over. Come back here when you want to know why a sector that felt fine at wave 4 falls apart at wave 9.
What separates a wave 5 player from a wave 15 player
Almost nobody loses because they cannot steer a plane. Runs end three ways, in this order of frequency:
- Exit misses. A plane leaves through the wrong edge. That costs a point and a miss, and three misses ends the run. Most misses are planes the player forgot about, not planes they misjudged.
- Late collision avoidance. Two aircraft converge while you are busy elsewhere. The flashing warning gives you a short window, and acting on it straight away is nearly always enough.
- Score decay. Wrong exits subtract points. Enough of them and the score drops below zero, which also ends the run.
Every guide below is about one of those three.