Grandson312
Airman
Since the more recent thread devolved into disrespect, it's time for a new one on this interesting and potentially quite frustrating "game".
I put game in quotes because I don't think any pay-to-win title is a legitimate game. I say that because in no other type of game do we find the influence of money on the outcome to be legitimate. Only in video games is this accepted. As the old saying goes, if it's free, you are the product. In War Thunder, you are the product by providing to the developer and paying customers an AI substitute of gimped targets to shoot at. I find that knowing and accepting this is far preferable to getting frustrated at the inherent unfair gameplay that the pay-to-play model creates.
(As an example of War Thunder's pay-to-win, there is a Premium BF-109 that has a climb rate of something like 3200ft/minute, which well exceeds the earlier Jet models.
Another example is that "Crew Level" in "stamina" has direct impact on targeting in Mouse-aim mode. So you pay more to have more bullets hit. That's not much fun IMO, but explains why you might find yourself getting pilot-killed with laser-precision on a regular basis.)
But the debate of pay-to-win, and it's IMO terrible effect on Game Mechanics, can be for another thread. We can discuss War Thunder for what it is here.
So that part out of the way, I'll talk about my experience with War Thunder so far.
I wanted to get to the A-20 simulation, because that the plane my Grandfather was aboard in New Guinea. I realize the flight sim aspects of War Thunder are not terribly detailed, or "realistic", and there is an A-20 model in Microsoft, or some other more heavyweight flight sim.
But WT was an entertaining path to gaining access to their flight model of that plane. I find that, with the Flight Stick, their A-20 model actually handles quite similarly to the 2-place training glider I flew. Minus the 1600hp on each wing and nose-full of .50 cals : ) But the feel, and how it recovers so forgivingly from a stall, especially how it moves and almost recovers itself in a one-wing stall, seems more similar than any other plane in WT. This might be somewhat "realistic", in literature on the A-20 it was described as not needing a lot of training time. (Although Colonel Strauss's (5th Air Force, New Guinea) account was that in wartime, switching over to the A-20 was of course no cakewalk.
Along the way, of course I discovered the rather ridiculous mouse-aim mode, which is not just an aim assist, but actually an AI auto-pilot assist as well. But it does have positive applications.
For new players:
Mouse-aim is good for just jumping into the basic game, and having some fun. It's also lends itself to a more "cinematic" experience, as the preferred view will tend to be 3rd person. This will give you an edge on Situational Awareness. And like any other use of a mouse to aim with, it grants far easier precision in targeting.
It is not an intuitive flight mode for anyone with experience flying in real life, or in Simulators. For bombers especially, the mouse-aim mode makes the plane move very strangely, floaty, weird bird-on-a-wire sort of stuff. It can be very inefficient on the control surfaces, and you need all the efficiency you can get to have a prayer of getting in and out of a hot zone in War Thunder.
Joystick modes are obviously the only way to "fly". Mouse-joystick , particularly with a trackball, is a nice compromise.
A flight stick, in cockpit view is by far the most fun way to go. Downright exhilarating to take a plane like the P-39, and go beach-combing around Oahu. Just don't try to turn her too hard at even medium speeds... I think the mid-mount engine is what makes it more prone to stalls, and recovery from a flat-spin can take 1000's of feet.
Something a lot of new players miss , is that in Test Flight there is a Mission Editor (lower right-hand corner) I can't recommend this enough for anyone frustrated or put off by the pay-to-win and just plain bad battle setups that Multiplayer has. This is the best way to work out your controls, and practice gunnery with a flight stick.
If you use a Flight Stick in the Multiplayer "Arcade" or "Realistic" modes, you'll be going up against 99% mouse-aimers. That will get frustrating for most people. I have found that I can out-fly many of them with the Flight Stick, because the mouse-aim autopilot makes some maneuvers more difficult, but the targeting takes a lot more practice. Note also that "Arcade" mode turns off much of the Physics modeling.
There is one Historical Campaign mode available, South Pacific, which apparently is a direct port from a previous title, "Birds of Steel". There is very little review of that mode available. I may check it out, looks like a good way to practice the Flight Stick, and is the kind of content I wish the developer would put more effort into: pay your money, play the game, no pay-to-win nonsense.
Because teamwork is so spotty in Multiplayer, especially if you're flying a bomber or strike aircraft, often the best tactic is to just immediately turn around or to the side, and gain altitude. I find this is the case for most of the prop American fighters also. You don't want to just dive into a hornet's nest unless you have the energy to get out of the immediate area at high speed. Ignore all team demands to attack ground targets that are still surrounded by enemy fighters, unless it's just to let loose your bombs. P-400 and P-39 is great for this, but you've got to get the altitude first. Be very wary of any BF-109's or Zeros at or above your altitude. This can easily turn into a match-long chess game. You can out-dive them, so make them chase you towards allies, is my advice in that situation. Unless you're really good on the nose cannon - that 37mm the P-39 has is no joke. bonk, bonk, bonk, But pay-to-win will often make that a moot point if your opponent has shoveled cash into the Mouse-aim mechanics, your pilot will be dead in one shot, even at a distance. Head-ons are almost never a good idea. The only time they make sense IMO is if you have alt and energy , and your opponent is trying to ascend into a head-on, you can get off a few good shots and pull up with enough power to mostly avoid their reprisals.
All the frustrations of Multiplayer aside, you do get a decent, lightweight Flight Sim experience for free with War Thunder. I used it on an XBox last week at a Brain Injury program, and using that controller, 4 people attending there had a lot of fun flying themselves in Test Flight mode. So, it is very accessible for that kind of simple fun, which is often the best kind.
I put game in quotes because I don't think any pay-to-win title is a legitimate game. I say that because in no other type of game do we find the influence of money on the outcome to be legitimate. Only in video games is this accepted. As the old saying goes, if it's free, you are the product. In War Thunder, you are the product by providing to the developer and paying customers an AI substitute of gimped targets to shoot at. I find that knowing and accepting this is far preferable to getting frustrated at the inherent unfair gameplay that the pay-to-play model creates.
(As an example of War Thunder's pay-to-win, there is a Premium BF-109 that has a climb rate of something like 3200ft/minute, which well exceeds the earlier Jet models.
Another example is that "Crew Level" in "stamina" has direct impact on targeting in Mouse-aim mode. So you pay more to have more bullets hit. That's not much fun IMO, but explains why you might find yourself getting pilot-killed with laser-precision on a regular basis.)
But the debate of pay-to-win, and it's IMO terrible effect on Game Mechanics, can be for another thread. We can discuss War Thunder for what it is here.
So that part out of the way, I'll talk about my experience with War Thunder so far.
I wanted to get to the A-20 simulation, because that the plane my Grandfather was aboard in New Guinea. I realize the flight sim aspects of War Thunder are not terribly detailed, or "realistic", and there is an A-20 model in Microsoft, or some other more heavyweight flight sim.
But WT was an entertaining path to gaining access to their flight model of that plane. I find that, with the Flight Stick, their A-20 model actually handles quite similarly to the 2-place training glider I flew. Minus the 1600hp on each wing and nose-full of .50 cals : ) But the feel, and how it recovers so forgivingly from a stall, especially how it moves and almost recovers itself in a one-wing stall, seems more similar than any other plane in WT. This might be somewhat "realistic", in literature on the A-20 it was described as not needing a lot of training time. (Although Colonel Strauss's (5th Air Force, New Guinea) account was that in wartime, switching over to the A-20 was of course no cakewalk.
Along the way, of course I discovered the rather ridiculous mouse-aim mode, which is not just an aim assist, but actually an AI auto-pilot assist as well. But it does have positive applications.
For new players:
Mouse-aim is good for just jumping into the basic game, and having some fun. It's also lends itself to a more "cinematic" experience, as the preferred view will tend to be 3rd person. This will give you an edge on Situational Awareness. And like any other use of a mouse to aim with, it grants far easier precision in targeting.
It is not an intuitive flight mode for anyone with experience flying in real life, or in Simulators. For bombers especially, the mouse-aim mode makes the plane move very strangely, floaty, weird bird-on-a-wire sort of stuff. It can be very inefficient on the control surfaces, and you need all the efficiency you can get to have a prayer of getting in and out of a hot zone in War Thunder.
Joystick modes are obviously the only way to "fly". Mouse-joystick , particularly with a trackball, is a nice compromise.
A flight stick, in cockpit view is by far the most fun way to go. Downright exhilarating to take a plane like the P-39, and go beach-combing around Oahu. Just don't try to turn her too hard at even medium speeds... I think the mid-mount engine is what makes it more prone to stalls, and recovery from a flat-spin can take 1000's of feet.
Something a lot of new players miss , is that in Test Flight there is a Mission Editor (lower right-hand corner) I can't recommend this enough for anyone frustrated or put off by the pay-to-win and just plain bad battle setups that Multiplayer has. This is the best way to work out your controls, and practice gunnery with a flight stick.
If you use a Flight Stick in the Multiplayer "Arcade" or "Realistic" modes, you'll be going up against 99% mouse-aimers. That will get frustrating for most people. I have found that I can out-fly many of them with the Flight Stick, because the mouse-aim autopilot makes some maneuvers more difficult, but the targeting takes a lot more practice. Note also that "Arcade" mode turns off much of the Physics modeling.
There is one Historical Campaign mode available, South Pacific, which apparently is a direct port from a previous title, "Birds of Steel". There is very little review of that mode available. I may check it out, looks like a good way to practice the Flight Stick, and is the kind of content I wish the developer would put more effort into: pay your money, play the game, no pay-to-win nonsense.
Because teamwork is so spotty in Multiplayer, especially if you're flying a bomber or strike aircraft, often the best tactic is to just immediately turn around or to the side, and gain altitude. I find this is the case for most of the prop American fighters also. You don't want to just dive into a hornet's nest unless you have the energy to get out of the immediate area at high speed. Ignore all team demands to attack ground targets that are still surrounded by enemy fighters, unless it's just to let loose your bombs. P-400 and P-39 is great for this, but you've got to get the altitude first. Be very wary of any BF-109's or Zeros at or above your altitude. This can easily turn into a match-long chess game. You can out-dive them, so make them chase you towards allies, is my advice in that situation. Unless you're really good on the nose cannon - that 37mm the P-39 has is no joke. bonk, bonk, bonk, But pay-to-win will often make that a moot point if your opponent has shoveled cash into the Mouse-aim mechanics, your pilot will be dead in one shot, even at a distance. Head-ons are almost never a good idea. The only time they make sense IMO is if you have alt and energy , and your opponent is trying to ascend into a head-on, you can get off a few good shots and pull up with enough power to mostly avoid their reprisals.
All the frustrations of Multiplayer aside, you do get a decent, lightweight Flight Sim experience for free with War Thunder. I used it on an XBox last week at a Brain Injury program, and using that controller, 4 people attending there had a lot of fun flying themselves in Test Flight mode. So, it is very accessible for that kind of simple fun, which is often the best kind.
