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World of Warplanes??

Devildog73

Devildog73

SOH Staff
Staff member
Anyone ventured into the World of Warplanes online gaming?

The graphics on their promo look really amazing, though their aircraft look.......not as good as CFS2/CFS3 and FS planes.

Just curious.
 
Yes, I have an account.

This is an arcade type game which allows you to participate very quickly in on-line game events. They will be set to 15 minutes or until one side eliminates the other, so it's fast paced, random, and has some really great graphics. That being said, it's an arcade game. Only very basic flight characteristics apply. CFS3 does far better in that regard.

On the other hand, this is probably the easiest, most rapid game network to log into and you will be up and getting shot down in no time.

I did not care for it in the slightest, it's flying engines just don't make it for me. However, I've become massively addicted to it's brother game....World of Tanks.
 
I have been involved with World of Warplanes for over a year now, long before it went into Open Beta or even release.

It is not a flight sim and Wargaming has stated many times it is more of an arcade shooter then a flight simulator and that they have no plans to turn it into a true simulator. That said it is fun, reminds me a bit of CFS1 and the Zone way back when. There is no cockpit view, which takes some getting use to, and the controls vary wildly between the mouse, keyboard, gamepad and joystick but with some fine tuning on the part of the player all the control types can be competitive.

You can not just select a plane and fly it, you start out in a late 1920's or early 1930's biplane and as you battle you earn experience that you can use to research new components for your plane or even new planes. The maps are set to tiers, so you will only see some maps at lower tiers and others only at higher tiers.

Graphics are really pretty good, not the best but not bad either, but then it is a PVP game so you really don't get much time for sight see anyway. The default paint schemes on the planes leave a bit to be desired, but repainting is allowed and actually encouraged to some extent.

If you go into the game with an open mind, keeping in mind it is a game and not a simulator, and give it a chance and yourself time to get use to the way the game works and it can become very fun.

As a side note, a lot of the community has a passion for warbirds and that passion is starting to rub off onto the employees and staff at Wargmaing North America, and it does show up in the official forums as well.
 
a less what-if and slightly more serious alternative:
War Thunder.
Developper has done some IL-2 work already, has no Tanks background and aims high, even though he fails quite regularly.

+A Visually good alternative to the various quick mission builders of CFS3 and IL-21946 (shadowing, reflections, scenery shadows...)
+FM feeling ... okay - sometimes a bit nasty imo (P-40/wildcat spin)
+good TiR, Mic, Squadron integration
+Complex engine management, mags, Supercharger steps, proppitch...
+simple control of all the gunners
+ once logged in,(online login) there are a number of offline campaigns and missions to be played, once unlocked.
+ Stickers and Logos
+ Free. Fun.


-no advanced stuff like folding wings, tailhook, airbrakes, parking brakes set, man. Bombbay, true norden bombsight. Not a simulator.
-Mixed quality Plane models - whilst the single engined exemplares are proper, the multi engine types suffer in detail and even shape.
-young clieneel. Be prepared to fight people that have no clue about airplanes whatsoever, and that fly with mouse and keyboard, egoshooter style. Be prepared to OWN their scrawny little @**es:a1310:
-few paintschemes, no way to paint your own ride.


3 levels:
1)arcade with all the classic helpers you imagine, autoreloading Bombs, use of multiple planes, over maps that resemble Unreal tournament, red and blue side can have the planes they want
2) realistic: proper war map, 1 plane, outside views and icons. Bombs and fixes only on airfield, red and blue can still have a mix of axis and allied planes
3)simulator: only inside cockpit (multiengine have no cockpit, only HUD view:dizzy:) no icons, and the previous pleasing Ride you got in your 109 is over. Now she bites you in the Ozz if you do not watch exactly what you do. real map, carrier/ground start, real factions. but you can still fly a Typhoon over Burma, if the battle plays there.

here an example of the E-1 Warhawk landed and refuelled on a Jap base that our shermans snatched off them.
scoop is too wide and the Panel Flat-ish, but the cockpit is very useable.

E-1.jpg

J1.jpg
J-1 from the front on a Run on the same airfield/Flak Position.
simulator level battle, she feels like an underpowered Battleship
Like she is running on one engine at full pull and STILL overheating like sauna.

outside view constols the gunners. notice the yellow circle - use your mouse to aim that. kind of like the B-29 fire controller.
 
Dakota's comments are right on....

It's a wargame, not a flight sim. If you're looking for a wargame it's pretty good, easy to use, and fun. as HundertzehnGustav indicates, War Thunder would be a viable alternative....not sure how good the on-line experience is.
 
i would say short and to the point.
you can use your mic via ingame comms and push to talk, so teamwork is possible without any hassle, like an inbuilt teamspeak client.

on arcade
you get lots of static, from +1kill messages "target achieved" in XXL all over your screen to to kids complaining, a few adult words too.
A real furball, a mess with some russians and in the mix with their special letters and all.

on realisic battles
the worst Pilots get sifted out, FM gets more complex, and the level of non-sim information decreases. Still a bunch of miles-away icons visible, and still some mouse-and-keyboard flyers... flying and typing away like its an internet relay chat.

on simulator
level battles, when you cannot jump out of your mustang, and the P-40 stalls without giving a lot of notice, you could say its a quiet and businesslike experience not different from CFS3 or IL-2. No Bullshaft on the comms, Players making do with the planes they are given and occasionally teaming up to make it through the day.


======================
You can with a button, remove the entire GUI and really go hardcore on the game.
but then you lose the chat, which by then might be relaxing, or even usefull, and also lose track on whats going on around you.
Since the flights are short, missions lasting from anywhere between 5 minutes (everybody fails and dies on takeoff) to an hour (looking for that last damn Panther blocking our Victory at the Bulge),
you kind of want to know what's going on in the mission itself. You want to win the Mission. you want the points to get the new .50s to replace the worn out ones.
 
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