World of Warplanes [Interview] - Burning skies

09 Feb 2012 at 14:30:00 by Luke Kneller

Having already provided us with tank battles of rather large scale in the subtlely named World of Tanks, Wargaming.net are now focusing their talents on the sky with World of Warplanes. 

We sat down with World of Warplanes producer Anton Sitnikov to get the low-down on the upcoming title, including what it will provide in terms of gameplay, how it will interact with World of Tanks and launch plans.

IncGamers: World of Tanks is fought on very small maps, 30 AFVs jostling on an area that is at most one square km. How large is the play area for World of Warplanes?

Anton Sitnikov: World of Warplanes maps will definitely be much bigger, with the average size of about 250 square kilometers. This won’t be a fixed area size, however, because different plane classes require respective map sizes. Tiny biplanes will find no interest in cruising through gigantic areas searching for each other, while hugely fast jet fighters need much more freedom in terms of available space.

IG: Are the battles fought low over dramatic terrain or is there a high ceiling for a lot of vertical action as well? Or does it depend on the map?

AS: We have compressed 10–15 kilometers of real atmosphere into 2–3 kilometers of in-game altitude to achieve best gameplay. Each plane will have its own optimal performance altitude range, which will be defined depending on its historical characteristics. Thus, players will be able to choose any altitude of that range depending on the engines and other specs of their aircraft. Also, we are adding complex terrain peculiarities, so players can maneuver in canyons and between mountains, cliffs, or even buildings to win a battle.

IncGamers: How do you win a game of World of Warplanes? Do you have to always destroy all enemy aircraft or will there be other objectives like defend the bomber, control a certain airspace or bomb a convoy?

AS: Every game mode will introduce different objectives. The only goal that is the same in every mode is to destroy all enemy aircraft. We are now testing several game modes and have already rejected some of them. At the moment, the most popular mode (which will become the main mode after the game’s release) features assaulting enemy ground bases — both teams will have their fortified control headquarters, and each team’s objective is to ground-attack and destroy a hostile base.

It’s not going to be an easy task though, because each base will be guarded with powerful anti-aircraft artillery, so destroying all enemy planes might seem a better and easier perspective. Another mode we will be implementing is convoying AI-controlled bombers — one team is defending a pack of bombers flying from A to B, while the other one will try to knock them out.

IG: Are there any sort of "cover" or "stealth" mechanics in World of Warplanes, such as clouds and the glare from the sun?

AS: World of Warplanes detecting system includes many different factors: landscape, sun position, clouds, viewpoint, cockpit lights and crew skills. So players will have an opportunity to sneak up to the enemy undetected.

The initial detection of enemy aircraft and ground targets will be rewarded with experience points. The same thing with the assistance system: wingmen will be awarded with credits and experience for their help and the damage caused to an enemy warplane that has been destroyed by the lead aircraft.

IG: What weather types are there and how do these weather conditions influence the game?

AS: Weather conditions and times of the day are now passing technical adjustment stage, and everything looks good so far, which means we will be able to introduce various types of weather conditions on the early stages of World of Warplanes. And, of course, this won’t be just a decorator element. The feature will directly influence gameplay: there will be locations covered with fog and sharp flaws that will hamper piloting and aiming.

IG: What kinds of weapons do we expect to see in World of Warplanes?

AS: We do not plan to implement sci-fi weapons, only the existed samples that have been mounted on aircraft, or weaponry that has been designed and produced but had not entered mass production due to different reasons. Players will have guns, machineguns, unguided missiles, and bombs.

Also we should mention the ammunition. Different types of shells and bullets will be available: high-explosive, cumulative, piercing, etc. And players will be able to define the order in which the ammo will be loaded, i.e. one piercing, two high-explosives, one cumulative.

IG: Are there any more details about the how World of Tanks and World of Warplanes Clan Wars battles will interact?

AS: Tank, warplane, and warship clans will be integrated on a global level. Clans will be able to purchase different abilities from each other. For example, warplane clan will be able to provide tank clan with AI-controlled airstrike ability that could be used by clan commander during battles for provinces.

There’ll be no direct encounters, unfortunately, but doing so would mean getting deprived of the common sense; hard to imagine a fight between a stack of Mustangs and a pack of Panthers. Nevertheless, all clans will be from the three projects will be closely related to each other, and mutual help during fights for provinces will be indispensible.

IG: Will premium accounts be shared between World of Tanks and World of Warplanes? If I buy a month of premium on my World of Tanks account, will I also be get premium in World of Warplanes for no extra charge? Or is only gold shared?

AS: We are still discussing the possibility of sharing premium accounts and other peculiarities of the integration. In any case, players will not be forced to pay the full amounts for premiums for the three titles. There may be a shared premium account for all three projects, or significant discounts for premiums within other titles.

IG: So when can we try the game in closed/open beta form, or even in full release? 

AS: We are still keeping to our internal schedule without delays. I cannot make the dates public, but you will hear the news about CBT launch very soon. The closed beta will start till the end of the first quarter this year, with the open beta and release to follow later on in 2012.

IG: Are you expecting to release the game world-wide simultaneously instead of the staggered release seen with World of Tanks?

AS: We are planning to launch World of Warplanes simultaneously in different regions. The development has been initially organized to achieve the release dates that will satisfy all our players. Due to technical issues, there can be short delays in some regions, but we will try to evade even short time-lags.

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