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Microsoft's 'very strange view' of F2P keeping War Thunder off Xbox One
I always feel like I should speak -- or type, I suppose -- in one of those monster truck rally commercial voices when I bring up War Thunder. You know the ones I mean, where Testosterone Man takes a break from doing action movie trailers to come on your radio and shout "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Come on down to Gaijin airpark for the mother of all airshows! Bring the family, stay for the day, and enter for your chance to win two Steam copies of WAAAAAR THUNNNNNNNNNNDERRRR!" Or something like that. Anyhow, this is supposed to be a news post about War Thunder. The particulars include an interview with Gaijin PR man Alexander Trifonov, who says that a tablet version of the World War II flight sim is currently in process. He also mentions that cross-platform play between PC pilots and PlayStation 4 pilots is still on the table. Finally, he offers a clue as to why War Thunder won't be coming to Xbox One. "The absence of War Thunder on Xbox One has nothing to do with hardware itself. This is a very capable machine, and our team has a long history of developing games for Microsoft systems," Trifonov explains. "But the policy of the platform-holder (no cross-platform allowed and a very strange view on how free-to-play should work) makes it impossible to have War Thunder on Xbox One." [Thanks Heather!]
War Thunder expands Ground Forces beta test
Tanks ahoy! War Thunder has moved into its next wave of beta testing, Gaijin Entertainment announced. A new batch of invites have been sent out for the closed beta of the Ground Forces content. It's not just hard work and bug hunting, however; the team is currently running a Winter Magic event through January 12th that can net participants special gifts, premium aircraft, and a week of premium account access. It's important to understand that while the Ground Forces content is in closed beta, War Thunder itself is in open beta. Gaijin reports that over five million players have given the title a try so far. [Additional source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
Ship-spinning perfected: Hands-on with World of Warplanes' launch
On paper, World of Warplanes is a game I should love. I've been obsessed with World War II-era aviation since learning to walk, and Wargaming.net's free-to-play followup to World of Tanks oozes piston-powered familiarity like a radial engine oozes oil and sweet-smelling (per)fumes. Logging into a WoWP hangar is a nostalgic exercise in mid-20th century iconography, and for that reason alone it's hard to dislike it. I manage, though, because of the title's grindy progression and a design mandate that eschews traditional flight sim mechanics for arcade tropes aimed at gamers who wouldn't know an accelerated stall from a bathroom stall.
War Thunder CEO discusses free-to-play's future on consoles
Free has become the entry point for a lot of games on both mobile devices and the computer. If you enjoy the game, you spend money, but it costs nothing to try it. But what about free-to-play on consoles? War Thunder is on the PlayStation 4 and is looking to the future, but as Gaijin Entertainment CEO Anton Yudintsev explains, the problem with a large number of free-to-play games is a matter of polish. Yudintsev goes on to compare his company's flagship game to Call of Duty and its record-breaking profits, stating, "We're not the greedy bastards here." He sees a bright future for free-to-play on consoles but also asserts that free developers have to step up to a higher level of refinement, delivering more polished mechanics to get past the initial bias of console gamers. Take a look at the full interview with Yudintsev for more elaboration on his views of the console makret compared to the PC market.
Fight your way into War Thunder's ground forces beta
War Thunder's devs have come up with a novel way for interested gamers to get in on the game's upcoming ground forces closed beta test. Starting today, Gaijin is hosting special in-game daily missions, the completion of which could lead to a spot in the beta. There are no guarantees, unfortunately, but Gaijin's announcement says that "the more you complete the higher your chances are." Today's mission involves destroying 60 ground units in War Thunder's arcade mode or 30 ground units in the title's historical battles mode or full real battles mode. War Thunder currently features instanced World War II-era aerial combat. The dev team is in the process of adding ground and eventually naval combat as well. The ground forces closed beta is scheduled to start "before December 4th."
Five million players reported in War Thunder
The takeaway from War Thunder's latest set of player numbers is that while war may be hell, simulations of war work out quite well. Gaijin Entertainment is reporting that the game has attracted a grand total of five million players since its international launch in January. That's good news for the title's future, both on the PC and on the upcoming PlayStation 4 edition; apparently people really like being able to shoot down planes (and blow up tanks in the future). By way of a small celebration, special Golden Battles will be organized on November 10th to give players a shot at earning a special decal for planes. While we don't know if the count merely flags registered accounts or has a specific activity flag, five million is still an impressive figure. If you haven't already played the game, it's available now as a free-to-play title, or you can wait until your PlayStation 4 arrives with War Thunder as a launch title. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
Watch an orchestra perform War Thunder's Symphony of Steel
Gaijin is making a concerted effort to publicize its War Thunder World War II sim of late, and one of this week's more noteworthy reveals is a performance of the Baltic Symphonic Orchestra captured on video. The group is shown recording Symphony of Steel, a new track written for the game's upcoming ground battles. Feast your eyes -- and ears -- after the cut! [Thanks hilaryminc!]
First gameplay videos of War Thunder: Ground Forces roll onto the scene
Virtual pilots who revel in dogfighting have most likely been watching the development of War Thunder, which earned the title Best Simulation Game at Gamescom. But did you know that there is ground assault in the War Thunder world? If you don't believe us, check out these first images of gameplay in War Thunder: Ground Assault. You'll need a chunk of time to watch it all; the first clip is pretty brief, but the second clocks in at almost 20 minutes. Unfortunately for the non-Russian speaking, the accompanying commentary is a mystery, but you can still watch tanks rolling around the landscape blasting holes in one another after the break. [Thanks to Skurvel for the tip!]
Gamescom 2013: Destiny, ESO take top honors
Over 340,000 attendees descended on Cologne to see what the biggest in the business had to offer at Gamescom 2013, with the upcoming battle between Microsoft and Sony's next-gen consoles taking center stage. So what came out on top? According to this year's Gamescom Awards, pretty much the games you'd expect. Bungie's MMO-shooter hybrid Destiny took home the award for Best PlayStation game, along with Best Action Game, Best Online Multiplayer Game, and Best of Gamescom. Meanwhile, ZeniMax Online and Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls Online walked with Best Role-Playing Game and Best Social/Casual/Online Game. Gaijin Entertainment's War Thunder was named Best Simulation Game. Other awards were meted out to non-MMO contenders; Titanfall, Forza 5, Mario Kart 8, FIFA 14, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Battlefield 4 all ended up with some sort of official recognition.
War Thunder now flies under Steam power
Already gaining a following in open beta on the PC and currently under development for the PlayStation 4, the dog-fight laden War Thunder is now available on yet another platform: Steam. And virtual pilots who take to the skies via Steam will get an exclusive content package. The War Thunder Steam Pack includes two premium airplanes (XP-38G and A6M5 Ko "Zero"), two single-player campaigns (USA Pacific and Japanese Pacific), and a 30-day premium account with 1,700 Golden Eagles, War Thunder's in-game currency. Players also receive the Steam exclusive P-36A "Hawk" fighter, the plane that belonged to lieutenant Philip M Rasmussen, famed for being one of the few American pilots who was able to take off and protect Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attacks. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
Coming soon to a console near you: MMOs
Remember E3 2013? That huge video games conference thing from earlier in the summer? Weeks have passed since Microsoft and Sony squared off in the Los Angeles convention center (while Nintendo posted up at Best Buy and Ouya sulked in the parking lot), but the news made there continues to reverberate through the games industry. One curious trend seems to have been missed amid the clashing of proverbial titans: There sure are a lot of MMOs and online-focused games due on consoles this generation. And since MMOs are the business of Massively, we thought it might be fun to compile a quick list of all the ones we can find that are either already available on our current consoles or set for launch on the next batch. The list, as it turns out, is pretty extensive.
DC Universe Online and PlanetSide 2 confirmed for PlayStation 4
Sony's next-gen console may not have a fancy tablet controller or an all-seeing, always-on eye that watches you watch things, but it does look as if it's getting a couple of high profile MMOs. Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed that both DC Universe Online and PlanetSide 2 are headed for the PS4 as free-to-play downloads later this year. DCUO is currently available on PS3, but PlanetSide 2 has yet to make a console appearance. This may be why more information is available as to the implementation of the former than the latter; DCUO's official Twitter account is currently fielding questions about the PS4 announcement, while PlanetSide 2's doesn't seem to be talking about it at all. For those keeping score, that's now at least four free-to-play MMOs due on the PS4 either at launch or soon after: War Thunder, Warframe, DC Universe Online, and PlanetSide 2. Larry Liberty (producer for DCUO) might have been onto something when he said the new console would be a "great platform" for MMOs.
War Thunder opens US beta server, starts development on mobile version
War Thunder, formerly World of Planes, has been soaring through open beta for several months now. Gaijin Entertainment decided that it's time to make a few flight adjustments, however, and announced that it has opened up a separate US gaming cluster to improve latency times for North American players. The developer also let slip that it has begun development on a mobile version of the game for both iOS and Android platforms. Gaijin said that War Thunder has attracted 1.5 million active users who have flown a total of 224 million missions since the start of beta. The developer recently put out version 1.29 for the flight sim; the patch makes a number of significant improvements such as four new aircraft, improved damage models, and a new economy. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
War Thunder enters open beta, new trailer released
Gaijin Entertainment has announced that its War Thunder World War II-based online flight sim has officially entered open beta. The title, formerly known as World of Planes, has been in development for over four years. The open beta comes almost a year to the day after Gaijin's announcement that the game had evolved "beyond pure aerial combat." Gaijin previously developed Birds of Prey, a console-based entry in the long-running Sturmovik series. The company has released an open beta teaser trailer that you can view after the cut. You can also join the beta test via the game's official website.
Mad Catz announces new Combat Pilot multiplayer flight sim
Flight sim enthusiasts who want to fly and train as military pilots while interacting with other enthusiasts from around the world will be able to do so in a new multiplayer flight simulator experience called Combat Pilot. Developed by Mad Catz Interactive's new internal studio ThunderHawk Studios, the game will launch summer 2012. "We believe that Combat Pilot will prove to be an important destination for the flight simulation community to gather, interact, and share experiences," states Mad Catz President and CEO Darren Richardson. "Combat Pilot will allow the flight simulation community to come together and interact as never before." However, just as real pilots can't just hop in the cockpit without a license, those entering the Combat Pilot world won't get to just hop into formation with others without earning their wings first. Interested folks should note that the game does not stand alone; it is built around Flight Simulator X from Microsoft, which must be purchased separately. For a look at the game, check out the gallery below and watch the video after the break. [Source: Mad Catz press release]%Gallery-161001%
The Firing Line: 16th century fragging edition
What do War Thunder, World of Warplanes, Leonardo da Vinci, and Tribes: Ascend have in common? Not a whole lot aside from their respective appearances in this week's edition of The Firing Line. Won't you join me after the cut for a rundown on some recent and notable online shooter news? If you're feeling particularly ornery, you can point and laugh at the fact that I'm still not in the War Thunder beta.
Retired Boeing 737 repurposed as garage-kept flight simulator (video)
A fresh concept it's not, but a fresh look? Yeah, we'll take that. California resident, air traffic controller, pilot and all-around gentleman James Price has converted the actual nose of a 1969 Boeing 737 into his own personal flight simulator. According to the man himself, he "gutted" the bird, installed "all new" parts, slid it into his garage and... well, took a few minutes to show it to the world. While pretty much any flight sim owner would claim that his or hers was "just like the real thing," it's hard to deny that fact with this one. We're told that it took some three years to complete, and the end result leaves no doubt of James' toiling. Head on past the break for the vid.
World of Warplanes' Soviet tech tree revealed
Ready for World of Warplanes' third tech tree reveal (and a load of in-Soviet-Russia jokes)? It's here, and Soviet aircraft take center stage in today's update. Twenty classic warbirds have been added to the action combat game, including the La-5 fighter and the renowned Il-2 Sturmovik. As with the American and German tech trees, Wargaming.net says it will add additional aircraft to the Soviet tree as the game nears launch. World of Warplanes is currently undergoing global alpha testing, and you can sign up to be a part of it at the game's official website. Before you go, though, have a look at the new Soviet tech tree and a new video clip after the cut as well as new screenshots in our WoWP gallery. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] %Gallery-130862%
Microsoft Flight is free as a bird on Feb. 29
Microsoft clearly has no care for the silly paramaters we call "seasons," as its launching Microsoft Flight on February 29, bucking the original "spring" launch window. Microsoft Flight's official site will be hosting downloads of the free application starting that Wednesday -- no other distribution channels are named, but we suspect it'll also be up on Games for Windows Live's Marketplace as well.That guess' accuracy is bolstered by the news that the "Hawaiian Adventure Pack" wil be made available as well on the 29th, coming in at $19.99. The pack is said to include the "remaining Hawaiian Islands, a new plane, and 20 new missions," should you have already exhausted your enjoyment of the other content, perhaps during the simulation's beta period. More details on the DLC can be found just after the break, including two additional planes, priced at $7.99 and $14.99 (for regular and "deluxe" models, respectively).At this point, we were gonna make a flippant joke about Flight being little more than flying simulation, but then we thought about that Louis CK bit and started feeling all guilty. So, here we are. Either way, how about those DLC prices, eh? Madness!%Gallery-146616%
World of Warplanes reveals German tech tree, new trailer
It's time for the next big World of Warplanes reveal, and this time around, Wargaming.net is focusing on its fearsome collection of German fighters. Following on the heels of its American fighters release, the company is showing off its German tech tree, a new screenshot gallery, and a new trailer. The tech tree boasts 19 flyable models which are broken into two groups -- fighters and heavy fighters. Notable aircraft include the Bf109 and the jet-powered Me262, both marvels of World War II-era German engineering. World of Warplanes' German fighters feature "fast altitude climbs and power dive attacks," and you can get a preview of each machine via the gallery below and the trailer after the cut. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] %Gallery-130862%
