World of Warplanes

World of Warplanes

World of Warplanes Logo
Developer(s) Persha Studia
Wargaming
Engine BigWorld
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)
  • CIS November 12, 2013
  • NA November 13, 2013
  • EU November 13, 2013
Genre(s) Action, Arcade, MMO

World of Warplanes is a free-to-play flight combat massively multiplayer online (MMO) action game by Wargaming, set in the Golden Age of military aviation. The game was released on November 12, 2013, in CIS countries and on November 13, 2013, in North America and in Europe.[1]

History

Wargaming's plan to develop a flight combat MMO action game was first conceived during the early stages of World of Tanks’ development. World of Warplanes was announced at E3 in 2011,[2] less than two months after the World of Tanks release in Europe and North America.[3] Development was assigned to Persha Studia,[4] the Kiev-based development center of Wargaming.

The game went from concept to a playable prototype in only two months. Early alpha testing began August 2011.[5]

Wargaming showcased the first public World of Warplanes trailer[6] at Gamescom in August 2011.[7] Wargaming first showed a closed demonstration of the alpha version to journalists at the Igromir Expo in October 2011.[8]

American aircraft were the first planes to be added[9] to the World of Warplanes tech tree.

World of Warplanes alpha test started recruiting test players on February 23, 2012.[10] World of Warplanes closed beta test began May 30, 2012.[11] The game received over two million applications within the first three months of testing.[12]

World of Warplanes was selected as Europe’s "Most Wanted Online Game" at the European Games Awards in 2012.[13]

On April 4, 2013, the non-disclosure agreement was lifted for the beta test players,[14] allowing beta testers to share their thoughts, screenshots, and in-game videos. At that time, the game offered six battle arenas and over 80 aircraft models from USSR, USA, Germany, and Japan. World of Warplanes’ open beta testing started on July 2, 2013.[15][16]

Overview

World of Warplanes features over 100 vehicles from Germany, the Soviet Union, USA, Japan, Great Britain and China;[17] allowing players to choose from four main warplane classes: fighters, multirole fighters, heavy fighters and ground attack planes.

Each national tech tree introduces squadrons of planes ranging from Tier I entry-level machines all the way up to Tier X advanced jet-powered aircraft. All warplanes can be unlocked and upgraded through a continued gameplay progression.

Aircraft of each class in the same tier vary in flight characteristics and firepower across nations. For example, a Soviet or a Japanese fighter of the same tier will be more horizontally maneuverable than its German and American counterpart but has limited vertical maneuverability.

Tech trees will expand as the game evolves. New nations and additional aircraft for each nation’s tech tree have been gradually introduced post-launch.[18]

Game modes

The game features PvP combat sessions with two scenarios—Training Mode and Standard Battles.

Training Mode is aimed at rookies, helping them master basic aircraft control skills and practice shooting static and moving targets over a series of lessons.

In Standard Battles, players destroy all enemy aircraft or achieve superiority by gaining more supremacy points by destroying ground objects and airplanes.

Economic system

The economic system in World of Warplanes is similar to World of Tanks, but finely tuned to fit specific needs and characteristics of flight combat.

The game features three primary types of in-game currency: credits, experience, and gold (tokens were a temporary in-game currency used instead of gold during Open Beta testing stage).

Unified Premium Account

All Wargaming.net games use a "Unified Account System". Players who have World of Tanks or World of Warplanes account can share certain in game currencies, including Premium Time, Free Experience, and Gold (in-game real money value currency).[19] Unified accounts share the same log in information (email and password) that can be used in World of Tanks and World of Warplanes. [20] A premium account provides 50% extra experience and credits for each battle creating a quicker way to boost crew training and upgrade through the tech tree. [21]

Reception

World of Warplanes has received mixed reviews and currently holds a Metacritic score of 69 out of 100.[22]

References

  1. ↑ Flight Combat MMO World of Warplanes Takes Flight into Release. MMOsite.com November 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  2. ↑ Rich McCormick. E3 2011: Wargaming.net announces World of Warplanes. Pcgamer.com June 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  3. ↑ IGN Staff. World of Tanks Invades Europe and North America. Ign.com April 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  4. ↑ Will Freeman. Learning to fly: The story behind World of Warplanes. Develop-online.net November 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  5. ↑ World of Warplanes Full Game. Loadedpcgames.com Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  6. ↑ World of Warplanes: Gamescom 2011 Debut Trailer. Videogamer.com August 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  7. ↑ Jef Reahard. World of Warplanes debuting at Gamescom. Massively.joystiq.com July 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  8. ↑ Команда разработчиков World of Warplanes примет участие в Игромире 2011. Worldwarplane.ru сентябрь 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  9. ↑ Russel. World of Warplanes unveils USA aircraft. Gamingnexus.com December 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  10. ↑ John Papadopoulos. World of Warplanes – Global Alpha Test Starts Tomorrow. Dsogaming.com February 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  11. ↑ Jef Reahard. World of Warplanes closed beta starts today. Massively.joystiq.com May 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  12. ↑ World of Warplanes Soars into Open Beta. Worldofwarplanes.com July 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  13. ↑ BigWorld-Powered World of Warplanes is Most Anticipated European Game. Blog.bigworldtech.com August 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  14. ↑ World of Warplanes NDA Removed. Worldofwarplanes.com April 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  15. ↑ Samit Sarkar. World of Warplanes open beta now available. Polygon.com July 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  16. ↑ Craig Pearson. Chocks Away: World Of Warplanes Beta Opens. Rockpapershotgun.com July 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  17. ↑ "World_of_Warplanes – Global Wiki" (in Russian). Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  18. ↑ World of Warplanes F.A.Q.Worldofwarplanes.com. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  19. ↑ Wargaming.net Portal" . Wargaming.net September 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  20. ↑ Alice Lynton. Wargaming opens Unified Premium Account scheme. Games.on.net September 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  21. ↑ Wargaming.net, Portal. "Unified Premium Article". Wargaming.net. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  22. ↑ "World of Warplanes for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

External links

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