War Thunder for PS4

[Elandyll]

War Thunder is a Massively Multiplayer Online Combat Flight sim that focuses on pre - WWII era battles to Korean war era. Originally titled "World of Planes" (not to be mixed up with "World of Warplanes" which is from the same dev as "World of Tanks"), the game was originally going to focus exclusively on planes but will eventually also have vehicules and ships.

The game is already in Open Beta mode on the PC (with up to 3 million players), and is scheduled for release on PC, Mac and PS4.



http://gematsu.com/2013/08/war-thund...debut-gamescom

The PlayStation 4 version of War Thunder will make its world premiere at Gamescom in Cologne this week, Gaijin Entertainment has announced.

“Sony has been a great partner in bringing War Thunder to PS4, and we are excited to show the console version for the first time this year at Gamescom,” said Kirill Yudintsev, Creative Director at Gaijin Entertainment.

“We have harnessed the power of the PS4 to deliver cutting-edge graphics, cross platform battles with PC players, intelligent personalization and deeply integrated social capabilities to appeal to seasoned players and PlayStation enthusiasts alike.

“More details about the console version will be announced at Gamescom 2013.”

The World War II combat game is currently in open beta on PC, and has been played by over three million users.

Intro video for the Open BEta back in January:

War Thunder Open Beta Trailer HD - YouTube

[Derb]

Looks sweet.

Haven't got into any flight games on PS3, but this one looks like it will hold my interest.

[MerrickG]

Bummer.

I was hoping for something better.

Oh well.

[madlost1]

Originally Posted by MerrickG

Bummer.

I was hoping for something better.

Oh well.

Yeah because their only going to show one game during their conference.

Sent from the TARDIS

[Elandyll]

Originally Posted by madlost1

Yeah because their only going to show one game during their conference.

Sent from the TARDIS

Yeah... Not sure I get Merrick's reaction either

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by madlost1

Yeah because their only going to show one game during their conference.

Sent from the TARDIS

I was hoping they would wet my appetite.

Something along the lines of Last of Us 3 or Resistance 5. :-)

[Chef_Boy-RT]

Looks very promising. It's actually going to be a F2P game for the PS4 and also will have cross play w/ PC players!

[Blu Lemmy]

I can dig that, will certainly give it a go

[Mavrick]

A game like this has been lacking on consoles I haven't played a WW2 flight combat game in about 10 years back on the PC. Used to love playing co-op one person fly the other is a gunner.

Can't wait for this to hit consoles

[KB24SD]

War Thunder PS4 gameplay from Gamescom 2013 - YouTube

Honestly not impressed.

Hopefully it gets better the closer we get to the PS4 launch date.

[Elandyll]

The dev confirms PS4 cross platform play with PC users, & HEAD TRACKING with the PS Cameral

I think it's amazing on a F2P title at launch no less.

http://www.psu.com/a021372/War-Thund...ion-packed-MMO

The following interview was conducted with War Thunder developer Pavel Kulikov who talks to PSU.com about a range of current industry topics while giving readers an insight into Gaijin Entertainment's ambitious flight combat MMO and how it's shaping up for the launch of PlayStation 4.


PSU: How does it feel to be involved in a pivotal moment in gaming history with the release of the next-generation of Sony’s consoles and one of the major launch titles for PS4?
Our company is the first Russian developer to make a game for PS4, and this new generation in general. And this is a first time when a Russian game becomes a launch-title on any platform. Of course, we’re very proud of this, and doing our best!

PSU:Your vision for War Thunder, showcased so poignantly in the CGI GamesCom trailer, revealed a spectacular battle between land, sea and air vehicles. Would you say this is the most ambitious game ever to be released on PlayStation consoles due to the complexity, depth and scale of what you’re trying to achieve?
Well, there’s almost nothing to add to that! We want to provide early adopters of PS4 with the best online experience on this new console - and in this generation as well. And the best cross-platform title as well!

PSU:With the release of any MMO comes some obvious concerns. We saw a long beta phase on PS3 for CCP Games’ DUST 514 and even now the company has to work around the clock to fix bugs and improve the experience. Is War Thunder ready for a full release at the PS4 launch and is Gaijin set up for the inevitable issues that come with the launch of any MMO?
We have the benefit of running our game live for a year now (open beta on PC started in November 2012). So we had a lot of issues resolved already and now our main task is to make it work on both platforms (PC and PS4) properly, not to create all of the infrastructure from a scratch. We’re especially proud that our game will support cross-platform battles between different users, so there will be a multimillion community from the day one of PS4 launch.

PSU: What have you learned from the community about the PC beta phase of War Thunder that will aid the launch of the PS4 version?
Over the course of last year we were constantly polishing our flight and damage model, adding new planes and game modes, making changes to game’s economy and balance. Our team is much more experienced now in running a popular MMO and we’ll put this knowledge to good use on PS4 as well.

PSU:The trailers for War Thunder look incredible. How much do you think you’ve pushed the PS4 hardware and have you had to scale back any aspect of the PC version of War Thunder for its console debut?

Right now the console version of War Thunder looks as good as PC one on highest settings. PS4 is a very powerful machine and our developers will be getting only better with is in the coming years. Being an MMO allows you to always keep your game up to date in terms of graphics, so we’re going to take full advantage of that.

PSU:Can you go into detail about the simulation aspects of the planes in War Thunder? For example, what type of planes can we expect, how many variations are there, will we be able to buy modifications and upgrades, etc?
There are more than 300 historically accurate planes in our game right now, and we’re adding more in every major update. There are fighters, bombers, attack planes, dive bombers, you name it. Our company is developing flight simulation games for the last 5 years beginning from Il-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, so we have a pretty strong track record when it comes to good flight model. Of course you can upgrade every one of your planes with different modules. But the main addition of War Thunder are player-controlled ground forces such as tanks, which will become available until the end of 2013. And, in the future, the navy.


PSU: What kind of differences are there between planes in terms of weaponry and the way they handle? What would be the highest spec plane on offer?
We cover the historical period from late 30s to Korean War, so the player can progress from wooden biplanes to early jets. Obviously, dogfighting as a fighter is a whole other thing than bombing AI-controlled units on the ground. You have different combat tasks and different weaponry, and addition of tanks brings totally new gameplay to the mix. And the best thing is, you can switch your vehicle mid-combat. If you got blasted by an enemy tank, you can jump to your attack plane during respawn and hunt that bastard down!

PSU: There are three levels of difficulty in War Thunder allowing players to take an arcade or a simulation approach. Who is War Thunder aimed at, and at its most difficult level what skills will players need to have or learn to be at the top of their game?
The thing is, they aren’t difficulty settings. It’s more like 3 totally different game modes. In arcade, you can have up to 9 planes (or tanks) in your hangar and switch between them when you’re killed. Your weapons are reloaded automatically and you don’t need to worry about fuel level, etc. In full real mode there’s only cockpit view, only one plane, you need to take off (on some maps – from the air carrier!), you will run out of ammo and fuel and controls are much more complicated. And there is the historical mode which is something in-between. The point is, anyone can play War Thunder and have fun – from total beginners to hardcore virtual pilots. And this is one our main goals.


PSU:Some MMOs are known for the hard grind that’s needed to move through the levels, which many players enjoy and others hate. Will War Thunder require players to grind and will there be the option to help pay your way to the top?
Our levelling system works in such a way that you can unlock only those planes (or tanks) that you really need once you have enough experience. We don’t force our players to put many hours into upgrading some crappy plane in order to get the next one in desired branch of the tech-tree. But, if you want, you can speed up this process by purchasing premium account.

PSU:What inspiration and materials have you used to help you represent World War II as authentically as possible?
Well, it’ll be better if I just provide this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ8foF7bktQ

This is only a glimpse of all our research that goes into development – hiring consultants, visiting military museums all around the world, recording real engine and guns sounds, etc.

PSU:You’ve worked with Sony’s DualShock controller before with the likes of L-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey and Birds of Steel. Do you think the DualShock 4 brings with it any extra functionality that improves the flight combat genre?
It has a touchpad which helps incredibly when navigating the menus, and improved design overall. Also we implemented innovative control method as well which works like a mouselook on PC – you only need to choose the direction with a stick and the plane will fly there itself. But it’s better to try than explain this.

PSU:The free-to-play business model is gaining in popularity on consoles, with DUST 514, Deep Down, and DC Universe Online also representing this space. Do you think F2P is now the only sustainable business model for MMOs? Why do you think some developers are still adopting subscription-based models?
We adopted this model from start and are very happy with results. Being free-to-play allows you to attract much wider audience and even those people who aren’t interested in your setting (WW2 in our case). But when you remove the entrance fee and promise that you don’t need to spend anything in the future, even those people might give your game a try. And this is very great, as we see our mission in proving that flight simulation genre doesn’t need to be a niche one.


PSU: Do you have a roadmap for War Thunder planned out? How do you plan to evolve and enrich the experience over time to keep players engaged five years from now?
The ground forces are joining battles of War Thunder until the end of this year, and in 2014, expect to hear more about our ships!

PSU:What features does the PS4 have that helps to make War Thunder the game that you envisioned?
For a start, we’ll support PlayStation Camera, which will be used for head-tracking – so you can look around in battle freely. And we may support new devices developed by Sony if they'll fit into our game nicely

PSU:Will PS4 gamers be able to drive tanks at launch? We’ve heard that infantry troops are incoming. Will this be A.I. controlled infantry, or do you see a time where players can control ground troops, perhaps to command anti-aircraft missiles etc?
The tanks will be available on PS4 until the end of this year together with PC version, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be out on day one. And we aren’t going to implement any infantry in our game – War Thunder is a combat vehicles simulation, not multiplayer FPS and it’s not going to turn into one.

War Thunder is due for release on PS4 on November 15 in the U.S. and November 29 in Europe. To find out more, check out our War Thunder hub where you'll find news, previews, videos and features.

[Mavrick]

It's a shame the controls were terrible on the version I played at EGX. You could only fly aircraft though no other vehicles were in the game. They just felt really awkward.

Hopefully it's all sorted for release.

[Elandyll]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

It's a shame the controls were terrible on the version I played at EGX. You could only fly aircraft though no other vehicles were in the game. They just felt really awkward.

Hopefully it's all sorted for release.

As he says the land vehicules (Tanks...) are planned for before the end of year, and the Naval units sometime in 2014.

[StereoMike]

I was getting ready to try this game as I read some flying sticks will be supported(got one from Saitek), but since no accessories are compatible with the PS4, it is pointless. I figured I would do the tutorial with the DS4 anyway to get a feel of the game, but it froze in the middle of it...

[Mavrick]

I've put in a good few hours on this game now, and my thoughts since last playing it at EGX have changed.

It takes quite a lot of concentration to get to grips with the controls, and you really do need to go straight to the tutorials, which you couldn't do at EGX, you were just thrown straight in to battles which wasn't fun at all.

The menu system seems to be quite confusing. That might just be me though, but there are so many different options and you never really get told what the buttons on your DS4 do, can be used to select things but you can also use R2 as well as the touch pad and double tap to select. I still don't fully understand all the different options in the menu.

Once you get to grips with the basics though, battles can become quite fun and addictive.

It's so satisfying when you start racking up kills in dog fights. It's a pretty decent simulator too, seeing your wings getting torn to shreds after taking fire is a nice touch. And if you accelerate using your afterburner too much and you can blow your engine (I found that out the hard way )

Apparently you can repair your plane during a battle by returning to your base and landing, but I've never been able to test this out. You are also able to bale out too, but I don't have a clue how. All I found online was that you hold J, but no controls for the PS4 version.

So whilst I'm still getting to grips with the finer details it's still really fun knowing only the basics. And I'm happy I that I didn't let my first impressions of the game put me off.

I can't wait for this to get out of Beta, and for ground and sea vehicles to be added. Has great potential.

[Derb]

You saying the beta on PS4 is ready Mav?

I've tried Head-tracking on Forza 5. Yeah not fun unless you are dead center with the Kinect. I fear the same experience with this option on WarThunder using PS Camera will require you to be dead center as well.

[Mavrick]

Originally Posted by Derb

You saying the beta on PS4 is ready Mav?

I've tried Head-tracking on Forza 5. Yeah not fun unless you are dead center with the Kinect. I fear the same experience with this option on WarThunder using PS Camera will require you to be dead center as well.

The Beta is on the store, that's what I've been playing.

Haven't tried the head tracking yet, but never been a fan of it.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

The Beta is on the store, that's what I've been playing.

Haven't tried the head tracking yet, but never been a fan of it.

Cheers!

Just have to wait 10 hours for my controllers to charge.

[Derb]

Not available in NA PS Store.

[Elandyll]

Unfortunately, while War Thunder made it as scheduled on Nov 29th in Europe, it looks like it is being delayed in NA by SCEA.

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/...lay-at-launch/