Q&A Session with the Developers

Much has happened since we last disclosed information on the status of the World of Warplanes. Patches have been installed, contests have been held, producers were hired, and overall the game has made a lot of progress in the last couple of months. We thought this would be the perfect time to check in with our developers and share their answers to some of our fans’ questions, giving you an update on all the topics that you want to know about. For this we scooped up some of the most popular questions to ask them.

Read the results of our Q&A session below, and don’t forget to apply for your own seat in the Closed Beta if you want to try out the action for yourself.

Will night battles and radar be implemented? There are already some planes which historically played a night fighter role, not to mention the possible appearance of the game mode for intercepting AI controlled bombers.  The first radar wasn’t reliable; however, it could make the gameplay much more interesting… kind of a scout class in special battles.

Both advancements – night battles and different weather conditions – are on our radar, but there are higher priorities at this time. Generally the introduction of night battles – good-looking, with searchlights, tracers and flashes – depends on improvements to the graphics engine. Such works have already been in progress and are quite successful, thus Closed Beta Test players will find that the visuals have significantly improved without sacrificing frames per second.

During the introduction of flights into the game, what sort of maximum numbers are planned for them?

 In version 0.3.5, flights will be limited to 3 warplanes. It’s quite difficult to say now whether this limit will ultimately be increased or decreased. We don’t need to copy the World of Tanks model exactly and are free to choose our own sizes, therefore the decision will be based on the results we see in testing. The limit for vehicles in a flight is limited by the matchmaker resources, but for technical limits we’ll get a better picture during the Closed Beta stage.

1. With the beginning of the Open Beta stage there will be a large number of players joining the game, and I’m curious whether the servers will be able to handle such an increased load?
2. Someone told me that participation in the Open Beta stage will be a New Year’s present, is that true?
3. Will the British Tech Tree be implemented closer to the final game release or to the middle of the Open Beta?
4. As you know, many testers haven’t played a single battle and the reward system is planned to be like in World of Tanks. Will there be any reconsideration of it? E.g. Alpha Tester Aleksey_1 hasn’t played a single match, with the release he’ll receive a plane (Tier VI for example), and Beta Tester Oleha_2 has played more than 1000 battles and will receive a warplane (Tier V for example). Don’t you think this is unfair?

1. Yes, we can already foresee the situation where lots of players rush to log into the server and overload it. Of course, a huge influx of players is a serious problem, both technically and organisationally. We have some estimated numbers of how many players will join at that time, and thus we are currently preparing on all levels: hardware, support service and much more.
2. The Open Beta access is nothing more than a rumor. We are not in a hurry and are more concerned about the quality of the final product than rushing into Open Beta. Luckily we are not bound to any specific timing or to other project events, so as soon as we are comfortable with the quality of the game, we will announce Open Beta.
3. The British Tech Tree is not connected to either of those – Open Beta or release. As soon as the British planes are balanced, and we gather enough statistical data for the other nations, they will be released. We wouldn’t want to miss out on the statistics for the Japanese warplanes, for example! 
4. We do not want to devalue the notion of “Alpha Tester” or “Beta Tester”. Those who haven’t participated in a single battle won’t receive a token of our appreciation for sure. Unfortunately I can’t talk more about the criteria right now.

1. The majority of players only have a mouse and a keyboard; how well will the mouse and keyboard controls system work? Will they be comfortable to play?
2. Will warplane classifications (light fighters, fighters, heavy fighters, ground attack planes, carrier based fighters) be different for each nation? And how they will be balanced in random battles? (In World of Tanks, everything is much easier!)
3. At which point do you plan to start the Open Beta (when the Tech Trees are finished, when the maps are polished, once there are more battle modes, etc.)?
4. How many warplanes, maps or game modes are planned to be added prior to the Open Beta?

1. Our approach to the controls is quite clear. There are two main principles which we’re following when developing the controls. The first one: players should not receive any advantage based on the control type. The second one: a player should fight with enemies, but not with his own plane! It is important to mention that the control type equality is based not on artificial restrictions, but on our ideas. In other words we don’t balance each individual control type’s convenience, but instead aim to make all the types comfortable. It’s challenging, but we are moving in the right direction.
2. Warplane classification is not nation specific. Of course every nation had its own design concepts for warplanes and their areas of appliance – the Japanese warplanes are very much different from American and German ones – but this changes as we move into the game itself. Battle tactics will differ from warplane to warplane, but the binding of warplanes to a class was made to form consistent research trees, and to help players better understand their role in a battle.
3. This question has been answered many times. Please look for it in this topic and elsewhere on the forums!
4. I’m sorry but I can’t answer this question. This is because the Open Beta release date hasn’t been decided yet, and because we don’t disclose all parts of the development plan beforehand.

Has anyone recognized you on the street and asked you questions about the game? How do you react?

It happens. I usually take care of any witnesses afterwards!

Are you planning to implement horizontal bombers or dive-bombers as a single plane for a single player?

We have big plans for the development of the game after release. At some point it’s possible that we may implement dive bombers, though carrier based and heavy fighters are successfully fulfilling that role at the moment.

Will there be different configurations of weapons for premium aircraft? We know that in World of Tanks the configuration is fixed, but for planes the armament affects not only the firepower but the maneuverability as well.

Yes, some premium planes will have optional armaments.

Is there any chance that we will see different game modes at СBT stage (historical battles, duels, cover and intercept bombers/ground attack planes)?

No.

Will Yaks and MiGs be represented at the СBT stage?

No. We could have time to introduce them… however, we feel that introducing too many different aircraft during the CBT stage is not the best course of action.

Will there be any moving land vehicle convoys (motor, armored) as targets for the teams?

Yes.

Yes, yes, no… for the moment.

Will the weather conditions change? It would be great to fly in snow, rain or fog. Additionally, will some battles move above the clouds, at higher altitude?

These features, as well as night battles, have been moved to distant future plans.

1. How soon will you add additional modules, ammunition (with manual packing), and a Depot for storing everything? Could you please give an approximate game update number for these?
2. Can we suppose that World of Warplanes will be release after 0.4.5 update, since that is the update in which World of Tanks left Open Beta testing?
3. In which game update will Japanese planes be released?
4. Will you add some kind of ‘In Development’ section to the forums, serving the same purpose as its current World of Tanks counterpart? How about one with more details and more distant plans?

1. In 0.3.7 approximately. You must understand that everything depends on the development speed and not the specific update number. Features will be released only when they are ready.
2. No, World of Warplanes update numeration has no connection to World of Tanks numeration.
3. In the next update!
4. We may add such a section. Unfortunately, we do not have enough time to work on this currently – we have to choose between conversing with players via the forums and our main occupation. Additionally, we do not want to promise something and then remove it from the update plans. So if we do create such a section, it will only contain plans for the next update or two.

1. Will there be any bonuses after release for Beta Testers? What should we do to obtain them?
2. Will you add American maps with skyscrapers?
3. Will you add bombers? At least as NPC or bots.
4. When should we expect the OBT and wipe?

1. Yes, the only requirement is activity during the CBT.
2. Yes, we do have such plans.
3. Yes, we probably will add bombers in one way or another eventually.
4. Well, the OBT will start as soon as the game is ready for such a milestone. And yes, there will be a wipe when the OBT starts!

1. Will all nations have all types of warplanes (as in World of Tanks, each nation has TDs, SPGs, etc.)?
2. Will you add the Ju-87 dive bomber?
3. Will the class of carrier based fighters differ from other classes by something more than the simple possibility to mount bombs?
4. Will you add a system of a “living” ground battle (ground targets controlled by bots fighting amongst themselves)? IMO, this will offer the possibility to create many new game modes.
5. Will you increase the number and diversity of ground targets?
6. Will you create separate sensitivity control options for horizontal and vertical movements on the keyboard?
7. Do the game Developers play World of Tanks? 
8. Are you tired of the constant comparisons with World of Tanks?
9. Will you add additional and detailed information about turrets (rounds per minute, initial round speed, etc.) into the game?
10. Will you add any information about calculating gun damage?

1. All main nations will have a diversity of warplanes classes, but, for example, the USSR will never have carrier based fighters.
2. Probably after the game’s release.
3. They have some attributes which historically existed in real life; for example, low stalling speed. But, all in all, they are very close to the light fighter type.
4. Yes.
5. Yes.
6. We will add this, yes.
7. The majority of us do play World of Tanks. Not a lot, however, as we have very little time to do so! For example, Overlord has less than 4k battles on the EU server with a 60% W/L ratio, while trollmel, who plays on the RU server, has almost 4k battles with a 61% W/L ratio.
8. World of Tanks is a good road map for World of Warplanes , though the games are very different!
9. Yes.
10. In a general and easy to understand form, yes.