World of Warplanes Pre-Beta Interview

Questions by Bryan King (Bryan), OnRPG Journalist

Answered by Anton Sitnikov, Producer, World of Warplanes

OnRPG: Thank you so much for sitting down with us today to talk about your development team’s newest title, World of Warplanes. Can you introduce yourself and your development team to our readers?

Anton: Hello, I’m Anton Sitnikov, Producer of World of Warplanes.

The team for this project is quite large, divided between Minsk and Kiev. The majority of the game development is taking place in Kiev, where more than 100 people are involved including programmers, game designers, artists and testers. The Minsk team mainly deals with the development and operation of the services that support WoT and WoWP.

OnRPG: How is the game’s storyline set parallel to events in World War II?

Anton: The “tech trees” start with vehicles from the 1930s, up to the warplanes of Korean War. Planes from different nations can join the same team. So the storyline is not set parallel to WWII but instead on clashes of the mercenary short-time unions in different time eras.

OnRPG: At launch it looks like American, Russian, and German planes are available. Do you have any plans of adding future countries to the list?

Anton: The game will feature three nations at launch, and we will continue to introduce new branches and nations down the line. Germany, USA and USSR will be followed by Great Britain and Japan. That’s just the beginning. Many other countries had an interesting range of aircraft which we are looking to incorporate into the game; enough for a full tech branch.

OnRPG: Can you go into greater detail on the correlation between World of Tanks and World of Warplanes?

Anton: There will be different levels of correlation between World of Tanks and World of Warplanes. Players will be able to share their premium account advantages between games, including sharing Gold and Free Experience between the games. Clan level will cover Clan Wars on the Global Map and clans of the two titles will be able to aid each other with different abilities. For example, tank clans will be able to purchase an Airstrike from an aerial clan.

OnRPG: One of the plane archetypes seems to specialize in combating ground targets. Can you discuss how ground based objects will impact the gameplay?

Anton: The impact depends on the game mode. We are testing several modes and will introduce as many as we can before the release. Some of the planned modes will feature convoy and interception, naval combats, etc. Ground targets will be very important in “Assault,” the mode we are currently working on. The role of the ground-attack planes in this mode is to destroy important ground objects, especially AA guns and turrets. These are objects that other classes of planes have little chance of destroying. In addition to defensive objects, there will be vehicles, ships and other targets as well. Players will gain points for the destruction of enemy targets. The more points a team has, the closer is the victory.

OnRPG: What archetypes of airplanes will be available at launch? What does each specialize in?

Anton: We are planning three classes: fighters, heavy fighters and ground-attack planes. Fighters are mostly light, single-engine vehicles, focused on aerial combats. Ground-attack planes possess heavy weaponry and armor, but lack flying performance compared to the other classes. Ground targets are their main priority, so they participate in air combat only for self-defense. Heavy fighters will take the middle place between the first two classes.

OnRPG: Will there be any collector’s edition available?

Anton: Yes, players will definitely see a WoWP collector’s edition.

OnRPG: As of right now, what is your favorite feature in the game?

Anton: One of my favorite features is the flight gameplay, which we call “brisk plane clash.” We have high expectations for our gameplay, and flying really is our main focus. A player’s skills and abilities matter, but we make sure that every battle brings tremendous fun for players at all levels.

OnRPG: Can users (like myself) utilize flight sticks and joypads at launch? These tend to enhance experience with flight games.

Anton: Our alpha testers use a keyboard, mouse, joystick and gamepad controls to ensure that all methods work properly and comfortably, without allowing for combat advantages. Some controls have nuances that should be taken into account, but we are continuing to test each to provide players with as many options as possible.

OnRPG: How many players can we expect to see in your average match?

Anton: The number of teams, map dimensions, quantity and type of additional objects will depend on the tier of vehicles and game mode. For example, “Assault” mode contains two teams consisting of 15 players each.

OnRPG: A recent trailer for German planes showed some of the aircraft to be manned by multiple people. Will these functions all be controlled by a single player or are these multiplayer aircraft?

Anton: Many vehicles can be manned by multiple crew, mostly heavy fighters and ground-attack planes. Crews can include both pilots and gun operators, but the vehicle will be controlled by a single player. The other crew members will be AI-controlled. Skilled players control their vehicle in such a way to provide their gunners with good firing opportunities that will help them to bring down attacking enemies.

OnRPG: When can we expect to see beta?

Anton: Soon! We cannot tell you the exact date but you can heat up you engines.

OnRPG: Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers?

Anton: We are looking forward to sharing this amazing aerial experience with virtual pilots from around the globe. We hope that our “brisk plane clashes” in World of Warplanes will bring together lots of people infatuated with sky and adrenaline, bringing lots of fun to everyone.

OnRPG: Thank you for your time!

Anton: Thank you for your questions and interest in World of Warplanes!