gamescom World of Warplanes Designer Q&A

gamescom 2012 in Cologne may be over, but our official coverage of the event continues.  This time we’ve got the recap of our Q&A sessions with two of our designers for you – and trust us when we say that you don’t want to miss it.

Technical Project Manager Alexander Kasianenko (AK) and Art Project Manager Miroslav Bavanenko (MB) took to the stage multiple times during gamescom, and answered questions not only from the fans in the audience, but also from those watching our live stream as well.  Keep reading to discover what interesting new facts they disclosed about the development of the game.

How long does the modeling process of a plane (for example a Messerschmitt) take on average?

MB: That usually depends on the size of the plane and the level of detail we have to implement. Some of the planes that we’ve got in the game are really big!  Some others are average size, but there is little reliable information available for them.  Sometimes, especially when designing planes that never left prototype stage, we have only got a couple of photographs to go by and little to no blueprints at all.  On average I’d say that the modeling process takes about one and a half months. But you have to keep in mind that the work is not completed at that stage.  There’s still texturing and a lot of testing to be done before a plane actually makes it into the game.

Will there be German maps in the game?

AK: Yes! We will have maps from all over the world in the game. There’ll be something for the German players to look forward to as well.  A lot of dogfights took place over Germany during WWII and naturally we won’t miss out on the opportunity to bring these to you in the game.

Will you be able to concentrate on ground attacks in the game? What’s the advantage of doing so?

AK: Attacking ground targets will be crucial to your team’s success in the game.  As you know, there’ll be multiple plane classes in the game, each with their own abilities and objectives.  Depending on what you do, for example if you concentrate on the ground, you’ll provide victory/supremacy points for your team. Taking out AA guns or bunkers or ships or whatever else you find on the ground will significantly boost your supremacy score. So you should balance your team out and make use of all the planes that will participate in the battle. Whatever you do don’t forget your ground-attack planes!

Will there be different game modes in the game? What about something along the lines of Assault and Encounter, as we’ve seen in World of Tanks?

MB: There will definitely be different game modes in World of Warplanes. We’re in the process of figuring them all out to see which ones work best. You can look forward to multiple PvP game modes as well as multiple co-op modes.

AK: We can already confirm that there will be a team-up feature in the game (like platoons in World of Tanks). At the moment we’re testing how many players such a group will consist of. But there will be modes that will cater specifically to people playing with their friends as one unit.

^{Our World of Warplanes developers tell it like it is at gamescom 2012.}

Will alpha or beta testers be rewarded with special planes?

AK: Yes, of course. But we’ll reveal those when we get closer to release.

Will there be Gold Ammunition in World of Warplanes? If yes, how will it work?

MB: We’re trying a few things out at the moment. As the beta testers already know, we have just recently switched from a limited ammo system to an unlimited ammo system.  However, there is an overheating feature that prevents you from firing non-stop. So far we haven’t decided which one we’ll stick with.  This means that the choice we make will impact the way we handle gold ammunition in the game. We’ll let you know as soon as we come to a final conclusion.

Will there be Chinese planes as well?

AK: Well, it’s gamescom. So we had better give you a little nugget right? Let me say it this way: There will be new nations in the game for sure. In fact, we’ll even go so far as to announce to you today that we’ll have Japanese planes in our beta by late September/early October!  We haven’t decided yet which nation will come afterwards. But it’s very likely that the Chinese will make it in there at some point.

Previously, you have stated that you will limit the planes in the game to those that appeared up until 1953. Why is that?

MB: Well, it takes time to build a plane from scratch and to prepare it for the game. We’ve already explained to you that it takes around a month to a month and a half for us to finish one plane and to insert it into World of Warplanes. If we were to expand our timeframe to let’s say the end of the 50s, then we’d have to include dozens, possibly hundreds of new planes, and this would push back the release significantly. In addition, we’ve also found for ourselves that Wargaming games (such as World of Tanks) work best in our established WWII setting. We don’t want to go beyond that. Although we will deliver a warplane simulation, you won’t find any heat-guided missiles in our games.  This is because the first guided missiles appeared around late 50s, and we limited the timeframe for the game to a couple of years before that. Our main objective is to keep the game fun and consistent.  We wouldn’t be able to do that if the top tier planes have a massive advantage over all of the lower tiers because pilots just have to push a button to automatically score a kill.

Will there be moving ground targets?

AK: We actually wanted to reveal this information later. But what the heck? Yes! We can confirm that there will be moving ground targets such as ships or trains in the game. Look for them in future beta versions and in the released game of course!

How many people work on designing the planes?

MB: We’ve got around 35 designers and 3D artists who work in our art department. Overall this group has already prepared well over 100 planes and they will keep working to make you guys happy.

How much time was there between the first idea for World of Warplanes until the start of the Closed Beta?

AK: That didn’t take too long. We worked very hard on it and so we’re proud to be able to say that it took us only a little under a year to get the game from conception to Closed Beta stage. Don’t forget that we have over 100 people working in Kiev. They are all putting in the time to make sure the game progresses quickly.

What gave you the idea to create World of Warplanes in the first place?

MB: Well, we think that planes are cool!  Having built World of Tanks, making a game about planes seemed like the logical next step.  We follow the history of WWII – and military aviation has been a big part of that story.

Do you have any vacancies at Wargaming right now?

AK: We’re always looking for capable people. If you want to join us, have a look at our corporate website. All of our job offers are listed there. 

Are there any maps from World of Tanks that you’ll recreate in World of Warplanes?

AK: You’ll find maps of multiple nations in the game, much like in World of Tanks. Some of our maps you’ll be able to recognize. Beta testers already have the chance to fly on El Halluf, for example. More will follow soon.

Will we be able to drive anti-plane tanks in the future once the two games have merged?

MB: At the moment we don’t have any plans for that. For the time being we are just concentrating on planes for World of Warplanes. Once this is done, we’ll see where we can take the game from there.

^{Left to right: Alexander Kasianenko (Technical Project Manager), Oleg Gotynyan (Development Director), Sergey Ilushyn (Producer), Miroslav Bavanenko (Art Project Manager)}

What does the balancing process for the planes look like?

AK: We take balancing the game very seriously and spend a lot of time on it. We want to achieve a game where all planes of a specific tier would be equally powerful, but differentiate themselves from one another through their affiliation to their respective country. Every nation is supposed to have some particular characteristics that make it stand out and make their planes unique. For this we conduct tests that sometimes go on for days. Once we’ve done testing, we put the plane in the game. And then, when we add another warplane, the testing starts all over again, because we have to see how the “older” planes compare to the newer ones, and check that the balancing didn’t get skewed by the latest additions.

What modules, plane parts or equipment can we expect in the game?

MB: We’re still in Beta and some things are still in the process of being figured out. European players have just seen the introduction of the modules feature a couple of weeks ago when we updated the beta client. But we can already say that there will be more parts and modules in World of Warplanes than those you have seen for any vehicle in World of Tanks.

Will the pilots/flight crew have specific skills that they’ll be able to learn?

AK: Yes, there will definitely be a skill system in World of Warplanes. At the moment we’re still balancing the different skills that we intend to implement into the game. Some of them will make aiming easier for example. Others will increase your defensive capabilities. Depending on which kind of plane you’ll fly, there’ll be multiple options for the progression of your crew. Players who play ground attack aircraft, for example, will develop different skill sets than pilots of light fighters.

How do you decide which planes to include in the game, and which ones to leave out?

AK: We have a group of consultants and historians working for us, whose job it is to hit the books and to find out as much as they possibly can about the planes of the WWII era. Then they all get together and discuss their findings. Based on the amount of data we’ve got and the significance of the plane to our lineup, we decide together with our gameplay designers which planes we can or can’t afford to include. Usually these discussions end up being pretty heated debates and sometimes our opinions differ.

MB: But don’t worry guys. Even if we have to make a plan to concentrate on some planes first, eventually ALL of the planes from that time period will make it into the game. So you’ve got a lot to look forward to.

Will there be hot or cold airstreams or other kind of environmental factors that will influence a plane’s flight performance?

MB: At the moment we don’t plan to introduce different types of air currents onto our maps. However, we can reveal that there will be changing weather conditions in the game. We’re about to figure out if you’ll be able to see them per map/battle or if we’ll even go so far as to allow different weather conditions throughout the duration of one battle. These conditions will have an influence on your plane’s behavior and obviously on your performance as a pilot as well.  You’ll be able to see more or less easily, depending on the weather that’s around you.

That’s it! We hope you liked our Q&A session. Now put your freshly acquired knowledge to the test and enter your virtual cockpit, Pilot!