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EDIT:  22 November 2012 2:50PM Pacific Time (yes, Thanksgiving Day)

This update is HUGE!  All of the images are now up-to-date, most of the old content has been removed, new content added, and the organization is much more in line with the current World of Tanks manual.  Hyperlinks were added all over the place, so people can jump to exactly what they're looking for.  Also, the manual revision name will reflect the build number the game is currently in, so it's even easier to know if you've got the current manual.

Yes, I do understand that there's only a "Getting Started" and "Basic" section to the manual.  Rest assured, more will be added coming up soon!  Enjoy everyone!!

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Welcome to the "un"official site of the World of Warplanes Game Manual!  This manual has been designed to help new Beta Testers understand the basic concepts of the game.

Anyone can benefit from this manual, from World of Tanks veterans and flight sim enthusiasts to absolute newcomers to computer gaming.  I highly recommend utilizing this manual for reference if you have any questions regarding the game.  Many questions can be answered by searching the manual's PDF bookmarks.  (If you're not familiar with PDF bookmarks, download the latest version of Adobe Reader here:  Adobe PDF Reader)

This manual will be in a consistent state of upgrade due to the unknown nature of update content until it's released.  Therefore, some information may be out of date.  If you have any recommendations as to what you'd like to see in future revisions, please leave a reply!

Enjoy!


Update history:

0.7.0 - Initial version.
0.7.1 - 27 November 2011  20:15 UTC
0.7.2 - 03 March 2012 06:40 UTC
0.7.3 - 04 March 2012 07:05 UTC
0.7.4 - 04 April 2012 05:57 UTC
0.7.5 - 14 June 2012 17:10 UTC - massive update.  Too many items to list.
0.3.4 - 22 Novermber 2012 14:50 PST - complete update, overhaul, revision, spit-polish, you name it.

0.1 - 9 October 2012 19:10 UTC - added Quick Reference Card



You're the man Crash! Keep up the good work.

I thought it would be good to post this guide also on the NA forum. Enjoy

Now that with the new patch the role of the bomber and ground atack plane has been better defined, I saw the need of making this guide because some of the players haven't learned yet that they need to protect the bombers, which are left  easy prey for the enemy.

What I am writing now is from historical sources and I will try also to make some propositions about how to use this tactics but at a smaller scale, because we don't have that much planes.  

The Heavy Bomber "Combat Box"

A key to the success of the American daytime strategic bombing campaign against Germany was the evolving bomber formation called the "combat box" Designed to maximize defensive firepower and concentrate the group's bomb load, variations of the combat box included 18, 27, 36, or 54 heavy bombers. Devised at the end of 1942, the basic 18-plane formation, called the Group Javelin Down, consisted of high, middle, and low six-plane squadrons stepped diagonally downward toward the sun.

Originally USAAF planners had hoped that 200-plus .50-caliber machine guns mounted in 18 Flying Fortresses would produce an impenetrable screen of fire around the formation. Even when later formations expanded to include 54 aircraft, their nearly 700 guns could not ensure that the majority of the bombers would reach their target, let alone survive the return trip. It took effective fighter escort, combined with the combat box, to make the ongoing strategic bombing campaign possible.

These large bomber formations provided distinct challenges to fighter pilots on both sides of the struggle. For Allied fighter pilots, the job of escorting the bombers to and from the target was an evolving task as the formations, enemy tactics, and the escort fighters' combat range changed over time. For German fighter pilots, the task of attacking massive streams of bombers flying in ever more effective formations and escorted by fighters with increasing range and freedom of action was a daunting one.



Escorting U.S. Bomber Formations

When it became clear early in the strategic bombing campaign that German fighters were making mincemeat of the heavy bomber formations, American fighter pilots were ordered to stick close-as close as 50-75 feet-to the slow-moving bombers. This very close escort robbed them of the advantages of altitude and speed, but provided opportunities to dive on enemy fighters below the formation. However, by early 1944 the American escort pilots were allowed greater freedom of movement, ranging out to the sides and front above the formation, sometimes scissoring to stay near the slower bombers. As described by Mike Spick in Luftwaffe Fighter Aces, the three squadrons in the fighter group escorting the bomber combat box usually arranged themselves as follows:

-One squadron would overtake the bombers and position above, dividing into two sections, one some miles ahead of the other.
-A second squadron also divided into two sections and positioned above and about a mile out from the bombers on each side of their box.
-The third squadron acted as top cover some 4,000 feet above the bombers, one section directly above and the other about ten miles ahead towards the sun where it would be ready to intercept any attacks from this "blind spot."

Typical Close Escort Formation


The picture above shows a typical close escort formation, with flank escorts, rear escort, and a forward sweep. The latter is the group furthest away from the bombers, usually out of visual range, and is the group's defense against the head-on pass.

This wider-ranging escort made it possible for the escorts to find trouble before trouble found the bombers. Attacking enemy fighters before they could form up for a coordinated attack reduced Allied bomber losses and increased German fighter losses. Fighter group leaders had to resist sending their entire group against enemy attacks, since a well-timed German feint could attract so many pursuing fighters that the bombers would be left vulnerable to attack from another direction.

Attacking U.S. Bomber Formations

While it may sound as if German fighter pilots had the advantage in their freedom to form up at a distance, then hit fast and hard from the most advantageous angle, leaving their opposition little time to react, in reality there was plenty of fear to go around-for the attackers, their intended victims, and the shepherding escort pilots. The combat box formation bristled with heavy machine guns, and in the course of the war gunners aboard the bombers shot down far more enemy fighters than their fighter escort did. As Luftwaffe pilot Hans Philipp noted, " ...curve in toward 40 Fortresses and all your past sins flash before your eyes."

The frontal attack promised the best chance of survival. The German fighters would fly alongside the bomber formation, out of range of the gunners tracking them. About three miles ahead of the formation they would turn 180 degrees and attack from out of the sun at 12 o'clock high, aiming for the big bombers' cockpits. Sometimes they flew so close to their target that they had to zoom at the last instant to avoid the towering tail of the B-17. A two-gun chin turret was added to the B-17G model specifically to counter this head-on attack.

When attacking bombers from behind, the idea was to concentrate the attack by hurling one four-plane Schwarm after another at the target aircraft, quickly firing and then flying over the formation. Whether attacking from in front or behind, the German fighters often finished their attack with a split-S, while taking fire from the bombers' dorsal, tail, and belly guns, to open up as much distance from those guns as quickly as possible.

Other Luftwaffe tricks made life difficult for the American escorts. For example, as Mike Spick notes in Luftwaffe Fighter Aces, " ...one flight of ...FW 190s was sent down through the formation as a decoy; the remainder stayed above to fall on the Americans when they dove after the sacrificial flight." In the sudden, violent and confusing world of aerial combat, it was hard to resist the urge to follow any fighter that flew through the formation.

While German weaponry and tactics improved, the German fighter force was being worn down, with fewer and fewer experienced pilots left to lead the attack against the bombers. Bf 110s and Fw 190s armed with rockets and cannon, accompanied by Bf 109s flying top cover, broke up bomber formations and fell on the stragglers like wolves. These tactics were effective, but it was finally attrition that decided the outcome.

The appearance of the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter allowed circumvention of the defending escorts altogether. In a technique pioneered by Luftwaffe pilots of the Kommando Nowotny, a Me-262 would approach the rear of an American formation at top speed (nearly 600 mph), bypassing the fighter screen. The German jet would then dive to a position roughly a mile behind and a quarter mile below the bombers, pull up into a high-g climb to scrub off airspeed and level off when even with the enemy formation. Now inside the screen of escorts and with a relatively slow closing speed with the bombers, the interceptor pilot could select a target, trigger a short burst from his four 30 mm cannon, roll inverted and dive away.

Notes

-You want as much distance between you and the bomber stream as you can get and still be able to see - and get to - the bomber group. The more distance you have, the more time you have to interfere with bandits on their way to the bombers. Escorts shouldn't hesitate to move beyond visual range of the bombers if they spot bandits further out.

-The escorts usually stay between 5,000 to 8,000 feet higher than the bombers, so as to have enough energy to turn into attacking fighters.

-The conventional wisdom is to stay with the bombers, to break off enemy fighters when they cease to be a threat, and especially not to follow enemy fighters to lower altitudes. This may or may not be the right response, depending upon the circumstances. In an event, where every downed pilot means one less enemy plane, it is often better to release some escorts to follow and kill known bandits, even if they are trying to leave. In an arena, where there are always more enemy planes to come, it is usually best to stay with the bombers rather than chase bandits.

-Maintain your position relative to the bombers by keeping your speed high and flying at angles to the bomber stream. You will be faster than the bombers, and the temptation is to throttle back and fly level with them. You can do this if you are sure no bandits are around, but otherwise, you want to keep your speed high so that when they do show up, you have the energy to deal with them. Stay in position by flying at angles to the bombers. For example, if the bombers are holding 90 degrees, fly 120 degrees for a while, then turn to 60 degrees until you're back in position, then repeat.

-If you have bandits hitting the bombers in a head-on pass, fire your guns at them, even if there's no hope of hitting them. A head-on pass is a tricky thing. It takes place at closure speeds of 500 mph or faster and aiming is very difficult. If the shooter flinches on the approach, it can mean the difference between a bomber kill and a clean miss. Fill the air with tracers, make him think he has to take evasive action or die.

We can use most of these tactics in the game, but we must adapt them to the small number of planes that each team has.For example we can have 5 bombers, 3 escorts in the front, 2 on left side, 2 on right side and 3 in the rear.

CrashTailspin's Guide to Successful Heavy Fighter Operation

Hey everyone!

This guide was written to give players some tips, hints, and tactics to get the most effective use out of their heavy fighters.  Note:  I said Heavy Fighters, not "bombers".  These aircraft were not specifically designed to fly straight and level like a heavy bomber.  With their speed and potent armament, they excel in high-speed slashing attacks against even the most armored aircraft.  However, this speed and firepower comes at a price:  reduced maneuverability.  The following information will help you maximize your heavy fighter's strong points while minimizing its weaknesses.


Rule 1:  GET ALTITUDE!
At the beginning of a match, nearly all aircraft start at very close to the same altitude.  Most players choose to remain at the altitude they start at, too.  However, gaining altitude at the beginning of a match gives you several advantages, especially in a Heavy Fighter:

• It gives you a better vantage point of the battle map.
  
• It allows you to better choose which target you want to attack.
  
• It acts as stored energy (since diving converts altitude into airspeed).
  
• A diving attack gives an enemy less of an opportunity to mount a counter-attack

An efficient method of gaining altitude is to enter a boost-assisted climb at a constant airspeed.  This allows you to gain altitude without reducing your most important asset - your speed.  However, you do not want to exhaust all of your boost in the initial climb.  I recommend using at most 50% of your boost.  This allows you to attain a respectable altitude while conserving the rest of your boost for potential egress climbs (more on that later).


Rule 2:  PICK AN APPROPRIATE TARGET
Once at an effective altitude, targets will start to appear.  You may be tempted to engage the first target you see, but I would advise against it.  Look around first and determine which target would be best to engage first.  Here's a few characteristics of proper targets to engage first:

• Aircraft which are unaware of your presence or are currently occupied.  Tell-tale signs of this are aircraft flying in a straight line or on a ground attack run.
  
• Aircraft that are weaker and / or have less firepower (think Japanese fighters / I-16s / lower-tier fighters).  Tehese fighters can typically be destroyed in a single pass and at longer range (due to your cannon) if engaged early and adequate hits are maintained.
  
• An aircraft carrying ordinance.  External ordinance weighs an aircraft down and adds drag, reducing its maneuverability and top speed.  Also, these aircraft are more likely to be focued on attack ground targets, taking their attention away from incoming enemy attackers (see previous tip under this rule).

Occasionally, you will encounter fighters at your altitude.  If this is the case, stop boosting (if you are - you want the most time for your guns to be on-target), aim true, fire as soon as the lead indicator shows up, don't let off the trigger, and plan to break off early if you don't take out the target in time to avoid a collision.  ALWAYS ATTEMPT TO AVOID A COLLISION!  You don't do your team any good if you die in a head-on collision.

Rule 3:  ATTACK IN A HIGH-SPEED PASS / AVOID THE TURNFIGHT
Once you've chosen an appropriate target, it's time to start your attack run.  From your altitude advantage, dive down on your target, and open fire once they're in range.  Here's some tips to achieve maximum damage to the (hopefully) unsuspecting target:

• Try not to overshoot!  Heavy fighters are fast, but you'll do yourself no good if you pass your target before you destroy it.  To avoid this, reduce your throttle (if you have a joystick), or flat-out idle your throttle (keyboard / mouse users) to avoid gaining too much airspeed in your dive.  Also, every aircraft has an "effective speed range".  Overspeeding this range makes the aircraft sluggish to respond to control inputs, potentially causing you to dive right into the ground (and that's bad).
  
• Once you're in range of the target (your lead indicator gets brighter), start firing and DON'T LET UP until you either destroy the target or egress from the attack.  Enemy aircraft left at 1% health can still deal damage.  Better to finish them off then to leave them damaged.
  
• Try at all costs to stay out of a turning engagement.  Heavy Fighters are large, heavy aircraft - nowhere near as light or nimble as their Light Fighter or Carrier-Borne Fighter counterparts.  As such, they cannot turn as well, and are easy prey if caught in a turning engagment.

Rule 4:  EGRESS THE AREA IN A CLIMB
After your attack run, it's time to get out of the engagement, get some range from the enemy, so you can turn around safely and re-engage.  Here's some tips to effectively re-engage with success:

• After your attack run is through, enter a climb at about a 45 degree angle (it doesn't have to be perfect).  This helps accomplish two things - DISTANCE FROM THE ENEMY and ALTITUDE ABOVE THE ENEMY.
  
  • Too steep of a climb doesn't provide enough distance from the enemy (and reduces your airspeed too much).
    
  • Too shallow of a climb doesn't allow for enough altitude above the enemy to re-engage in a diving attack.
• Once the area is clear (typically ~2,400ft / ~800m from the previous target) and no other enemies are immediately near, turn to either re-engage or pick a new target and repeat the process.

Rule 5:  FIGHT ON YOUR TERMS
Eventually, you WILL get an enemy on your tail.  However, do not fret.  There are several tactics which work particularly well against enemy pursuers:

• If you've got boost (and you should), USE IT!  Enter a fairly steep climb and hit the boost.  Most fighters have only half the boost duration that Heavy Fighters do, and are somewhat slower as well.  This combination allows you to pull away from an enemy in a climb.  Enter your boost climb, and once the enemy is around ~2,400ft / ~800m, turn around to re-engage your new target.
  
• If you're out of boost, get some altitude while keeping as much airspeed as you can and find some friendly fighters.  The F7 key is the default macro for "Clear My Tail!", and puts a little "SOS" above your aircraft for friendlies to see, letting them know that you've got an enemy on your tail, and need some help shaking him.
  
• If friendlies are in short supply, try to find some friendly ground targets.  Friendly targets quite often have at least one (and sometimes multiple) AA guns, which can damage the enemy.  The friendly base is full of them, and when loitered over, can significantly damage (or even destroy) an enemy fighter.
  
• Remember, whatever you do, AVOID A TURNING ENGAGEMENT!  As previously stated, Heavy Fighters don't work too well in a turning battle.  If you see an enemy attempting to lure you into a steep turning battle, get into your egress climb, boost away, and if need be, completely avoid engaging the more maneuverable fighter.

Rule 6:  BOMB EARLY, BOMB QUICKLY
Let's review a couple concepts in regard to external ordinance and ground attack concepts (for a better review, check out my Guide to Successful Low-Tier Attack Aircraft Operation):

• External oridnance (i.e. Bombs and Rockets) add additional weight and drag, reducing maneuverability, acceleration, and top speed.
  
• Heavy Fighters are NOT armored like similarly-tiered Russian Ground Attack aircraft
  
• Heavy Fighters do not receive as much camoflage bonus a Ground Attack aircraft when they fly at low altitude
  
• A Heavy Fighter's optimum altitude is typically not low-level

With these concepts in mind, it's beneficial for Heavy Fighters that are carrying bombs to rush to the target they're attacking, drop their bombs, and then do what they do best - fast, slashing attacks.  If you're carrying bombs and looking for targets to hit, here are my recommendations:

• Get to your optimum altitude and gain airspeed.  This gets you to your target faster than diving to the deck, where your aircraft doesn't operate as well.
  
• Stay at altitude until you find a target to your liking.  Once you're close, enter a dive until you see the bomb reticule on-target.  Once on-target, drop your bomb (or bombs), find a new target, drop your bombs again, and regain altitude.
  
• ALWAYS BE AWARE OF ENEMY FIGHTERS!  Even though you're at altitude, you're typically going to be flying in a straight line, which makes you an easy target.  If you see an enemy approaching (other than head-on), do not be afraid to dump your bombs and run.  Staying alive outweighs dying after taking out a single ground target.

TO SUMMARIZE

Use speed an altitude to your advantage.

Avoid entering a turning engagement.

If using bombs, get to your target early.

Remember, each battle is different.  What works in one may not work in another.  These rules and tips are general in nature and are not meant for any specific engagement.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

Good day my fellow forum dwellers. I am Heh, your friendly forum spammer and whale biologist. In this episode of "Heh's biology report on WoWP's fascinating creatures", we're gonna show you the slowest, biggest, and most graceful creatures of the aerial kingdom: sky whales.

Sky whale taxonomy:

 

Sky whales (Caleum Ceti), are big, slow lumbering creatures gracefully roaming at low altitudes in the WoWP maps. Like their marine counterparts, they tend to eat krill, but they only eat dead, highly oxygenated krill processed by ground targets. The sky whale will tend to use its teeth to chew the krill in either big chunks or rapid bites, depending on the sky whale's age. In order to move, sky whales use a powerful nose muscle that propels them forward at a graceful speed, except for the royal whales that we'll explain later. Due to metal birds flying all around, the sky whale needs to defend itself. Since it's too colossal in size and weight to evade them properly, they usually grow up with a dorsal defense system.

Sky whales tend to poop on big targets as well. A sky whale's poop is extremely explosive and radioactive, and some sky whales tend to poop to save their hides, much like a skunk. They also carry 8 explosive thorns at their child stages, which are usually not used, but some like using it to eat metal birds, as their taste is twice better than krill.
The glorious floating whales have 4 main evolution stages, from stubby clumsy newborns to healthy calves to fully grown adults. Those of royal blood are special, but we'll explain them later. Here's all 10 sky whale evolution stages at your fingertips:

Newborns:

Newborns are named TShes, which mean Ticklish Shy fellas. They tend to be only tickled by the planes they face and have to bite at a faster rate than piranhas! There are two varieties, which are very much the same:

TSh-1: Those are the first sky whales, and tend to be only a few days old with two fins. They have no teeth at first, but then they get their piranha bites as they grow up. Because it is a TSh, it tends to be quite a clumsy little thing, always struggling to turn. It loses poop storage organs for stronger teeth at one point, as well as for a stronger nose muscle. There have been rumors about it having thorns at that age, but it is considered a myth.

TSh-3: At this stage, they gain a single fin instead of two, and get 10 teeth that double in power afterwards. They also get a stronger dorsal defense system and regain their poop organs. That is the final stage of newborns for all sky whales.

Calves:

Calf life is very long in a sky whale's life. In fact, most sky whales are actually teenagers! They tend to develop incredible damage systems, better defense systems, and even fully destructive thorns. They tend to have closed backs at that point.

LBSh: After a painful moulting, the TSh loses its teeth and regains sharper ones, though not as potentially destructive as the tiny teeth in the TSh stages. It also gains more powerful poop. The most important development here is the access to some sort of turning ability though. This is the first Odontoceti, which are characterized by their HUGE teeth. The ones with shredding teeth are Mysticeti. All sky whale stages start with a Mysticeti stage except the TSh, IL-10 and royalty stages.

IL-2: Now the sky whale sheds its dorsal defense system off for much sharper teeth that take giant chunks out of ground targets. The sky whale also gains incredible agility compared to its younglings, and has incredibly thick skin impervious to tiny metal bird teeth. It relies on friendly metal birds to help it stay afloat, as its daddy and mommy are far away. It also gains its adult thorns at that point.

IL-2 t: After a painful post-moulting moment of paranoia, the sky whale is rewarded with a very dangerous dorsal defense system. Even though it keeps the same teeth, it loses them right after getting the DDS, which is frankly the same as the old one in its TSh-3 stage, and also losing its first teeth. However, it also gains VERY dangerous poop too. And thicker skin. It's a very formidable foe to any metal bird, but loses part of its newly found agility.

IL-8: Now the sky whale is in its preteen stages, and develops a VERY dangerous DDS. And has bigger teeth. It's an evil evil foe for anyone that stands in its way, unless it's a swallow. Swallows are the main enemy of every single sky whale, only being scared off by the great Moby Dick (tamed and trained by yours truly) and outran by royal whales. The IL-8 stage is just one of two teen moulting processes, and sacrifices all mobility for much larger teeth and stronger blubber, making it part of the Odontoceti suborder.

IL-10: This is another moulting process a sky whale can go through if it hates the immobility of the IL-8 stage. The sky whale then becomes faster and the most agile sky whale of all stages. It's still a Mysticeti and is usually neglected due to how slow it grows and how it isn't as armored, but it's still a fearsome evolution with the NR teeth, capable of dealing the same degree of damage the TShes dealt to the enemies around them. However, unlike the IL-8 stage, it has access to the NR, which helps it grow to a fully well-bred adult sky whale faster.

Adult whales:

All of them are notable by their big heads. Hell, all of them are actually so alike that we call them IL-20s.

IL-20: In this stage, there's a GIANT leap in sky whale puberty. It's even the end of sky whale puberty, as out comes a fully grown sky whale. It gains an extremely powerful DDS called the NR. At this stage, some sky whale riders name them. Adult sky whale poop is massive and can wipe an HQ out with just one poo. An adult sky whale's teeth change from the shredder teeth in its adolecent stages to the biggest teeth in whale growth ever. The most popular sky whale of them all is the legendary Moby Dick, with his trusty tailgun named Ivan.

That marks the end of common sky whale growth. However, some whales are royal whales named IL-40s.

IL-40: This whale returns to grinder teeth, relegating it to a Mysticeti, but this time, they are all on the nose of the whale. Its thorns are seemingly similar to the old ones, but they have a larger blast radius. The main thing that characterizes a royal whale though is the change from a nose propelling muscle to a powerful gas sac, located near the tail. The gas sac allows the king whale to move a lot faster than a commoner whale and also glide at high altitudes. Also known as the King Whale. However, Moby basically hates royalty. He prefers a democratic system.

IL-40P: This is the final stage of sky whale royalty, also known as the Emperor whale, which Moby hates even more because once again, he prefers democracy. It is also known as the pig whale, mainly because of its nose. Even though it's laughed at by the other sky whales because of the nose, the Emperor is still the scariest sky whale ever. There are less teeth, but they're all more powerful to the point of dealing more damage and having more precision than the King whale. The speed is absolutely ridiculous, capable of outrunning most sky dolphins. But what characterizes it is the EXTREMELY thick blubber. Nothing has thicker blubber than the Emperor. With all these aspects combined, the Emperor whale is truly the most dangerous sky whale on the field, and should be treated with absolute caution and should be taken out immediately before it annihilates every ground target.

Mutant whales:

When I went back in here, I discovered new kinds of sky whales not in the normal sky whale tree. I'll call them mutant whales.

Pegas: A baby whale, similar to the TShes. Anyway, it has a single tooth that's remarkably powerful when playing with baby sky dolphins, and quite decently thick blubber. It lacks a DDS, but it can carry poop sacks at such a young age. It is also the most agile sky whale in existence, though a lot less agile than baby sky dolphins, which are extremely agile.

BSh: This one was part of the LBSh stages, but it developed the traits at such a young age. The strange thing about this creature is that it's STRICTLY a Mysticeti unlike the LBSh, which is an Odontoceti. While the DDS is also poor, it has the remarkable ability to drop a lot of poop. We people at the Bureau of Aeromarine Biology thought that the record holder for most poop was the skorca in the Fw 57 stage, but the BSh poops more, even though its poop is smaller. Not one creature poops more than the BSh.

Sh-Tandem: Also known as the ShT whale or the Tandem whale. This is by far the most intriguing discovery I've seen. It's strikingly similar to the BSh, but it has one thing that sets it aside: it has a tail on the bottom. This was an atrocious design that shocked the BAB. Now, it has a more powerful nose muscle, but it carries the same amount of poop as the LBSh. But this is not the weird part folks. The weird part is that it can perfectly imitate a SKORCA. The Tandem whale has the climbing ability of an I-16 sky walrus, thus causing massive shock to those that try energy fighting. The mobility is also tied with the Pegas, but the Tandem is a tier 5. Thankfully it lacks proper teeth, as it would scare every sky whale if it had LBSh teeth. Overall, the Tandem is the weirdest sky whale to glide in the skies of the WoWP universe. An absolute beauty.

Now, let's talk about whale blubber:

-Sky whales are hunted by Swallows for their thick blubber, which is basically a very powerful growth accelerator. Some sky whales have been known to eat their own kind, mainly the legendary Moby.

-Apparently sky whale blubber tastes like crackers, while royal sky whale blubber tastes like honey-coated waffles.
Now, this is the story of how I met Moby Dick, and the story behind him:

One peaceful day, an alpha player was talking to me about finding a sky whale to ride. I always doubted them back in the day, cause I was always a mobility lover. But then, I saw a little sky whale sitting at a shop. He seemed lonely as no one picked him, so of course I adopted him. Had to trade in a cookie for him. And then, I took him out for a walk, then I saw metal birds all up in the air, of the biplane ethnicity. I then commanded him to stay down and smack ground targets, then I noticed, at a pretty young age, his anti-air potential. That's when I had a goal: To make the greatest whale of all time, and ride it.

So I was training my good old Moby all the time, till when I made him poop by accident and I watched a monoplane disintergrate behind him. I then discovered that sky whale poop CAN have the range to beat up people chasing him for blubber. That was in his little IL-8 stage; you can just imagine how cute and curious he was back then. :3

At his adolecence, Moby started to hate other whales. That's when he neglected my usual orders and then punched a younger whale down to the floor. I then found out that Moby had an EXCELLENT talent when it came to beating up his own kind, and then it evolved to effectively beating up anything in front of him. My Moby was starting to no longer be the calf I raised, but a legend.

When he became a beautiful and very graceful sky whale, he had a pretty white color. Then I noticed he could knock out the fastest enemies, sometimes even ALPHA ACES (sometimes) down with his bigger poo. Then I found that his tailgunner was all drunk (no duh, as always), so I took that tailgunner to rehab, and that's where Ivan's famous accuracy came from. Do not tell me how he became sober. Then when Moby had his big teeth, he loved eating up P-51s that are stupid enough to hit ground targets. Then, inspiring from Corsairs in the wild, I taught him how to aim his rockets. Somewhat. And then, he started to FARM metal birds, laughed at everyone on his tail at low alt, always pooped on carriers, making their captains yell at him all the time. And then, he scored his signature triple ace, with a double ground ace, and then he was in the history books, incarnated as Moby: The Whale Whaler. He sits quietly in the hangar nowadays, but I still love him.

And that guys, is how I met Moby, and also the end of my documentary.

Supreme edit to relieve everyone:

How to make the DDS work to your advantage:

We know, the DDS is extremely freaking drunk on vodka and all. However, there's a way for a skilled sky whale to cope with that. Basically, it moves its dorsal fin in a way to move AWAY from the enemy (or yawing). For some odd reason, it seems that the DDS aims where the plane is, not where it WILL be due to weird sky whale anatomy, so if one whale yaws away, it might just lead the DDS teeth stream TO the enemy bird's next location, and so it gets magical results. I've never noticed it since as an Ace Combat addict, I'm very very used to yawturning, but then I stopped yawing back when I still played really, and by god the shots didn't connect that well. Then some adult skorca (I remember his name, but I'm not telling you incompetent fools) tried attacking me, and when Moby yawed, 50-75% of the burst kept connecting and he went down surprisingly fast. The reason why it works when you go in a straight line is because the enemy is ALSO forced to fly in a straight line to damage you, and so there is barely any leading needed, and so the shots connect better.

Sky whale camo: It's as existent as Manbearpig. Really.

Edit: GODDAMMIT WG STOP UPDATING SO FAST
This here is an actual guide, just in documentary format.

HolySchiff,

 

We had a great fight in the Pacific. You did well to try your best for your team and it ended up with you and I over our Teams HQ. I've never seen a Blenheim F do what you made it do , and we had an intense minute of combat while you tried to take my Bristol Down.

You did well for your team, and you did well to do your best, and for that I decided it would be nice to give back since you are still learning the heavies.

 

Enjoy the new BF110-C6, it should be shiny and waiting for battle when you log in next.

I hope to see you again, on the battlefield.

 

-Wolf

 

Psyrenn

StormTroopr

CrashTailspin's Guide to Successful Low-Tier Ground Attack Aircraft Operation

Hey everyone!

This guide is written to give players a few hints, tips, and tactics to getting the most out of their first few Russian Ground Attack aircraft.  These aircraft have a playstyle that's different from most other aircraft.  They're large, slow, and significantly less maneuverable than other aircraft currently in-game.  However, this does not mean that they don't play an important role on each team.  I'm here to explain how to best utilize these aircraft in order to achieve more kills, and in doing so score more wins.


Rule 1:  Get LOW and Stay LOW!
In Build 0.3.4, aircraft concealment with relation to altitude was introduced.  The closer an aircraft flies to the ground, the more it's concealed ("stealth mode").  This effect is greatest for Ground Attack aircraft, and least for fighters.  The lower you fly, the more you're concealed (starting at 200m off the ground).

The best way to take advantage of this is simple:

• As soon as the battle starts, start diving for the deck.  Not only will this get you camouflaged faster from enemy pursuit aircraft, but it will also give you a slight increase in airspeed, getting you to the enemy targets faster.

Also, if you proceed to an enemy target at a low altitude, you give the enemy AA guns less of a target to shoot at, in contrast to a high-altitude level bomb drop, where all of your aircraft's underside is exposed.

In addition, a high-flying Ground Attack aircraft is an easy target to pick off for a wandering fighter.  Also, most GA aircraft have very poor rear gun depression, which means that fighters can attack from below and not have to worry about taking damage from a tail gunner.  Place that same GA aircraft at low altitude and now the fighter has to worry not only about the tail gunner, but also smacking into the ground.

REMEMBER:  Unseen is safe.  Try to stay that way.


Rule 2:  Choose an approach route and STICK TO IT!
Before the battle starts (or as soon as you spawn into battle), survey where you're at, where the enemy Headquarters is (denoted on the minimap by a flag inside a red circle), and determine what route you're going to take to get there.  Typically, a route along the outer parts of the map will keep you (relatively) safe from roving enemy fighters, and provide enemy ground targets to take out along the way.

Here's the big thing - DO NOT get caught up in an early dogfight! You effectively remove yourself from the entire battle if you attempt to chase an enemy aircraft, no matter how tempting it is.  You're here to DESTROY GROUND TARGETS.  Go do that.

Tip 2a:  Attempt to take out the Headquarters AT ALL COSTS

The Headquarters (or Aircraft Carrier on some maps) is the strongest and most heavily guarded enemy target on the map, and for good reason:

ITS DESTRUCTION NETS 3 SUPERIORITY POINTS AND REDUCES ENEMY AA GUN ACCURACY

Your primary goal should be to survive long enough to take out this target.  A 3-point swing in supremacy points could be enough to cause your team to gain the advantage, and at the very least inaccurate enemy AA gun fire helps out the entire team from taking any additional damage.

As previously stated, the Headquarters is strong - usually at least 3 times the HP of other ground targets.  If you've got large bombs equipped, one well-placed bomb should take it out.  However, if you have lighter bombs equipped, you may need to use two bombs, and even then have to come around on a strafing run to completely take it out.

Tip 2b:  Use ordinance APPROPRIATELY

A Ground Attack aircraft can only carry so much ordinance (bombs and rockets), and as such it should be used judiciously.  Most GA aircraft can take out a target in one pass with only their guns.  However, the use of guns will break your "stealth mode" and allow enemy fighters to spot you much easier.

Herein lies the trade-off:  do you use your ordinance early and maintain concealment, or do you save your ordinance and use your guns to take out targets as you proceed to the headquarters?

The answer to this varies with situation.  If there's a lot of enemy fighters overhead, I tend to use ordinance.  However, if I don't see any enemy fighters nearby, I'll typically use guns only, saving the bombs and rockets for a later time.  

The IL-2 is an exception to the rule.  With 8 rockets and 4 bombs, it's got ordinance to spare.  With the IL-2 I typically wait until I'm about 3,000ft (1,000m) away from a target, then fire one rocket while I strafe it with cannon, repeating this process to as many targets as possible while still proceeding to the enemy Headquarters.  This allows a player to conserve the IL-2s ordinance while still keeping the cannons cool enough to take out targets in one pass.  However, in a Tier 5-7 match, ground targets are strong enough to require multiple rockets AND cannon fire to destroy it in one pass.

Tip 2c:  AVOID CIRCLING A TARGET prior to the Headquarters

If you attack a ground target but fail to destroy it, keep on flying toward the enemy HQ.  DO NOT TURN AROUND!

Why?

Simple:  every time you attack a ground target, that enemy's minimap pings the location of the ground target you just attacked.  By turning around to re-attack it, you're giving the enemy more time to "fly to the ping", find you, and take you out.  Also, by loitering in one spot, you're delaying the destruction of the enemy Headquarters.

Once enough enemy fighters are destroyed, loitering an area to destroy all the ground targets is permissible, so long as the remaining fighters are not nearby or pose a threat to you.

Rule 3: If attacked, Fight on YOUR TERMS
Eventually, every Ground Attack aircraft will take some sort of enemy aircraft fire.  This does not have to mean an instant death for the GA pilot.  Here's some tips to survive (and even thrive) in an aerial engagement:

Tip 3a:  Ask For and Find HELP!

In-game Chat Macros are wonderful things.  They're a quick way to place a chat message to your team and also place a symbol over your aircraft visualizing what you've requested.  The default "F7" key is "Clear My Tail!", with an "SOS" symbol placed above your aircraft.  The "F4" key is "Cover Me" as well.  A combination of these will let your team know that you're in need of fighter support.

If the Headquarters is destroyed and you're out of ordinance, a viable option is to head towards friendly fighters and AA guns.  Any extra friendly firepower in a fight is a good thing, and closing the gap between you and your teammates can help shorten the time it takes to get those guns on target.

Tip 3b:  Maneuver SMARTLY, but not EXCESSIVELY

A maneuvering aircraft is harder to hit than an aircraft flying straight and level.  With this in mind, a GA pilot should keep changing direction.  Bobbing and weaving or a horizontal scissors maneuver (sharp change in the opposite direction when the enemy pursuer changes theirs) gives your tail gunner the most time to engage the enemy.

However, do not attempt any steep pitch attitudes.  You will NOT out-climb an enemy pursuer, and your aircraft generally does not have enough power to climb (at a reasonable speed) for an extended period of time.  What will most likely occur is a stall, which makes you an easy target.  This completely goes against Rule 1.

You can use your slow speed to your advantage in some cases.  If an aircraft of lower tier is chasing you, and your tail gunner has a clear shot, you can actually SLOW DOWN to draw the enemy closer and potentially overshoot you.  The closer the enemy, the more damage your tail gunner can do.  Smart maneuvering and a low airspeed can keep the enemy close enough for the tail gunner to hit while minimizing the amount of damage you sustain.

Finally, try to avoid engaging enemy aircraft AT ALL with ordinance equipped.  A ground attack aircraft has poor maneuverability in general, and any ordinance still equipped will bring down the aircraft's maneuverability even more.  Simply dropping bombs or firing rockets to get rid of them to dogfight should be the absolute LAST RESORT possible.  If there's a ground target still standing, your ordinance should be used on that if at all possible.

To summarize:

Get low and stay there.  Stick to your route.  Take out targets enroute to the enemy Headquarters.  Take out the Headquarters, whatever you do.  Don't pretend to fly like a fighter.  Stay alive!

Remember, each battle is different.  What works in one may not work in another.  These rules and tips are general in nature and are not meant for any specific engagement.

Good luck, and happy ground target killing!

3/5/14:  Patch 1.2 breaks the Res_mods folder for anything that is modded in the .pkg files.

 

There are 2 ways to be able to use the mods again.  

 

We go back to the old way back before Res_mods were used and add the files to the .pkg files (which for some it did not work and others it did). Also people forgot to back up the affected .pkg files and it is a pain to get the original files back to them.

 

Or we can just unpack the whole .pkg files that are getting modified into the Res_mods folder and edit the Paths.xml to reflect this. Only problem is that if you use my mods + skins your looking at up to an additional 7 GB of unpacked files (depending on how many skins you want) added to your WoWp folder.  If not using Skins, your looking at 500 MB of added files.  I feel that the unpacking of the pkg files is the easiest way.

 

If you are here just to use the Camera Mod, you do not need to do gui.pkg unpack.  Just download the Standalone version.

 

So, if you are going to use my mods in this mod list or my mod pack, this is what you will need to do:

 

This is from a clean slate (never have used my compilation or any mods here).

 

1.  Create res_mods folder in the World of Warplanes folder.

2.  Locate the gui.pkg and misc.pkg in the .../res/packages folder.

3.  Open gui.pkg with your favorite Archiver program (WinRAR, 7Zip, Total Commander, etc.)

4.  Extract the entire contents of gui.pkg into the res_mods folder.

5.  Open misc.pkg with your favorite Archiver program (WinRAR, 7Zip, Total Commander, etc.)

6.  Extract the entire contents of misc.pkg into the res_mods folder.

7.  Download my Mod Pack or Individual mods below and unpack them normally into the WoWp folder.

 

If you are updating from existing mods from 1.1.2 to 1.2:

 

1.  Locate the gui.pkg and misc.pkg in the .../res/packages folder.

2.  Open gui.pkg with your favorite Archiver program (WinRAR, 7Zip, Total Commander, etc.)

3.  Extract the entire contents of gui.pkg into the res_mods folder, DO NOT OVERWRITE files.

4.  Open misc.pkg with your favorite Archiver program (WinRAR, 7Zip, Total Commander, etc.)

5.  Extract the entire contents of misc.pkg into the res_mods folder, DO NOT OVERWRITE files.

6.  Download the Modified Paths.xml below and unpack that into the World of Warplanes folder.

7.  If you were using the Movable Radar and/or Hangar Clock in 1.1.2, please download and install the new working ones below.

 

If you overwritten the files you will have to reinstall all the mods you were using.

 

If you want to use skins from the skin modders, if you PM me I can explain which .pkg files you will need to use to get the skins to work.

 

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12/26/13:  I am migrating all my download links to my OneDrive, because I am running out of room on WoWp drive.  All the titles are the download links to my Skydrive for each of the files.

 

NOTE:  I have to link the pictures and the Spoilers do not work after editing, so I removed them.

 

Do not need the Localization folder anymore for the res_mods folder.

 

I am posting up my mod compilation that I use in 1.2. This Mod Compilation uses the res_mods folder that is the similar res_mods folder that WoT players are use to for modding. What makes this nice is you do not have to download a Mod Manager software, do not have to manually back up and overwrite original files to mod.

 

Well, actually there is only 1 file that you have to back up and overwrite and that is the paths.xml file because this is what points to look at the res_mods folder. This is included with the rar file below.

 

My compilation are various mods that I use from the Russian Forums plus some that are my work.

 

DrSinister Mod Compilation

 

 

Installation:

  1. Backup paths.xml located in the WoWp root directory.
  2. Download "DrSinister Mod Compilation.zip" and upack in WoWp root directory.
  3. Play the game.

 

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Modified Paths.xml for 1.2

 

Original Paths.xml for 1.2

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Individual Mods

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Authors of each mod are listed with the Mods.
Also some of the descriptions I put in are the Russian descriptions that I have Google Translated so bear with the broken English.
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Attitude Indicator 4 v1 - Author: roxblnfk

http://imgur.com/9mVLcIH

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Smaller Magenta Lead Indicator - Author: DrSinister

http://imgur.com/6ZuZNeP

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Plane Icon Mod - Author: DrSinister

NOT YET READY FOR 1.2

http://forum.worldof...e-icon-mod-0532

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Hanger Clock - Author: Hyruun

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In Battle Time of Day Mod - Author: roxblnfk
http://imgur.com/ZBPhEyi

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Hootorez Camera Mod - Author: Hootorez

If you are using this Camera Mod as a Standalone mod, download this one:Hooterez Camera Mod Standalone

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Zapperguy Camera Mod - Author: Zapperguy

If you are using this Camera Mod as a Standalone mod, download this one:  Zapperguy Camer Mod Standalone

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Alternate HUD Arrow Markers - Author: Hootorez
http://imgur.com/rmo2CIx

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Alternate Ground Target Icons w/ Alternate Box Colors- Author: Hootorez

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Multiple Crosshairs - Author: Hootorez/Pustah/DrSinister

 

Magenta Crosshair = Crosshair 2, Red
Green Crosshair = Corsshair 3, Red
Red Circle = Any Crosshair, Orange
Larger Red Circle = Crosshair 1, Combined
Black/White Cross = Crosshair 2, Combined
Magenta Circle = Crosshair 3, Combined
Yellow Circle = Crosshair 4, Combined 

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Red Bullets - Author: DrSinister

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Lighter Red Tracers - Author: DrSinister

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Red Tracer Trails - Author: DrSinister

I used this Red Tracer Trails mod to help prove the Aim Assist, I had some ask for it so here it is.

 

Red Tracer Video

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Magenta Lead Indicator - Author: DrSinister

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Magenta Lead Indicator Ver 2 - Author: DrSinister

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Frame Around Planes Mod - Author: Hootorez

http://imgur.com/OZK1Akz

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Alternate HUD Arrow Markers with Cyan Locked Target - Author: Zapperguy

http://imgur.com/wgOZBhQ

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Cyan Lead Indicator - Author: Zapperguy

http://imgur.com/xJY4u4k

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Remove Heavy Effects - Author: Hootorez

This will help increase frames per second by removing certain graphics.

This has been updated by tat2ddeviant so that the jets do not get effected, this should fix the invisible 262s.

 

This is still buggy, run at your own risk, till I see if I can fix this.

 

Broken for 1.2

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Alternate Ground Target colors - Author: DrSinister

 

Pink:

http://1drv.ms/1f9xsYY

http://i.imgur.com/0ZwrJov.jpg

 

Purple:

http://1drv.ms/1f9xujB

http://i.imgur.com/r8l14Jl.jpg

 

Purple Ground + Pink AA

http://1drv.ms/1f9xwry

http://i.imgur.com/bSBayX3.jpg

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Hootorez's Lead Indicator- Author: Hootorez

Hootorez's lead indicator is still like the stock indicator but it is a darker blue and it stays more pronounced.

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Boost and HP Indicator around Crosshair - Author: Hootorez

http://i.imgur.com/adyYjwc.png

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Movable Radar - Author: Hryuun

 

This allows the radar to be moved anywhere on the screen using a cfg file that is added to the res_mods folder, but this also has to overwrite a core file in the res folder.  So here are the steps to use this mod:

 

1. Go to ...World_of_Warplanes\res\scripts\client\gui
2. Locate Radar.pyc, copy and save it in the same location as a copy (this will make a backup of the file)
3. Download the Movable Radar Mod.
4. Unzip the Mod in World_of_Warplanes folder.

 

If, for some reason, you forgot to backup copy Radar.pyc here is the original for 1.1.2, Original Radar.pyc (just unpack it right in the World_of_Warplanes folder).

 

The cfg file will be placed right in res_mods folder it is named as fmt_radar.cfg. Just right click and open it with Notepad. It will look like this:

 

{"radar": {"position": {"posx": 720, "posy": 610}, "zoom": {"range": 125.0, "enable": "yes"}}}

 

Position:

posx: will change the up and down location of the radar

posy: will change the left and right location of the radar

 

Zoom:

range:  This will changed the default zoom range (this is good for people that do not want the original zoom range, for example I like mine to be zoomed in to the smallest range, but I have to change it every time I do a match, this value automatically sets it for me.) Not sure what the value limitations are but I have done as low as 10 and as high as 300.

enable:  yes or no (to turn the zoom range on and off)

 

Note: you can change the values in the cfg without having to exit the game.  All you have to do is exit the battle, change the values in the cfg, then launch another battle to see the changes.

******************************************************************************************************************************

Radar Skin - Author: Hootorez

A Radar Skin that is in this video.

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Colored Variant 3 Attitude Indicator - Original Author: Unknown, Recreated: DrSinister

Gradient Colored Variant 3 Attitude Indicator (requested by Torkeug) - Recreated: DrSinister

This mod changes the Variant 3 Pitch Ladder Attitude Indicator.

 

Here is a video on my YouTube page showing this in game.  

Colored Variant 3 Attitude Indicator Video.  

Gradient Colored Variant 3 Attitude Indicator Video

******************************************************************************************************************************

I had posted this in another thread and decided it is probably better used as its own thread.

Here is a crash course of using the new axes graphs to adjust for sensitivity/precision and getting the joystick properly setup for the game.

Note: I will be showing how to adjust the axes via the yaw axis because this is the only axes I have still linear.


Basic Overview of the Joystick Settings

First thing you need to press ESC, click settings and change the control scheme to Joystick.  (if yours is bugged and shows all joystick or another control scheme, then select through them till the Adjust Joystick Axes button appears.)  Now press the Adjust Joystick Axes button (button encase in red in picture.)


This will bring up the Axes graphs, each axis has its own graph, Roll, Pitch, Yaw, Thrust and Boost (green section), how the game reads your stick (orange section), deadzone and invert axis (red section), and what axis to set for each axis in game (blue section).


Make sure that the orange section reads your joystick all centered, if this is not the case, then exit the game and re-calibrate it via Windows Game Controller screen.  (Google this if you can not find it for your Operating System.)

Now for each Axes on the left, make sure that each one has the proper axis assigned to your joystick (blue section).  Also make sure that it is not set as Axis # (Default Controller), inside the (  ) should have your Joystick Name, like it does for my Extreme 3D Pro in the yellow section of the picture.


You will also notice that there is no sensitivity slider anymore. this is done via the graph.

How to read the Graph

This is what the graph looks line in default state:


The bottom of the graph (horizontal plane or the yellow line) is the representation of the physical joystick positions (or %).  Each graph line represents 5 points in a scale of 0-100 points.
The left side of the graph (vertical plane or the orange line) is the representation rate of roll, pitch, or yaw (or %).  Each graph line represents 5 points in a scale of 0-100 points.

Setting up the Curves

Each graph has 8 movable points, green section, you can add (left clicking anywhere on the graph) or remove (right clicking the point) from the graph and 2 stationary points (0 and 100 and are not displayed). Note: In default state only 1 point is displayed.

In a default state, the graphs shows a 45 degree line from 0 to 100.  This is also known as a Linear curve.  What this represents is that all points are 1:1.  For example, if my joystick is at 50% axis then the game will roll, yaw or pitch the plane 50%.


Now with the picture above you will see a non-linear curve. I have plotted 3 points, 15%, 25% and 35% of the Joystick Position, also these points are at the 5%, 20% and 35% of the Rate of Pitch, Roll, Yaw.

What does this mean? Well, what it means is that when my joystick is at 15% of the axis the game will represent the rate of pitch, roll, or yaw at 5%, at 25% joystick axis at 20% and at 35% joystick axis at 35%.  This also will lower the sensitivity of my joystick at these said points because they are not outputting the same % as what my joystick is positioned at.

Basically how you will look at the graph is anything below the 45 degree line will lower the sensitivity and anything above the 45 degree line will raise the sensitivity.

Also you will be doing a lot of tweaking of the graph at this stage till you can find a curve that will work for you.

Examples

The picture below will show how I lowered the rate by 5%, which is pretty much still a linear curve just adjusted lower.


What this curve below achieves is that from 0 to 35% it reduces the sensitivity of the rate of pitch, roll, or yaw near the center of the joystick, this also will allow more precision tuning of the plane at the center of the joystick.  Then after 35% its the same linear 1:1 curve for the remainder of the joystick positions.


Now my curve that I use looks like this:
(do not look at the additional points that I have in my curve, this is advanced modding of the xml to get more then the 8 points to adjust, I am just using my curve itself as an example)
This is my old curve.

This curves overall has a slight lower sensitivity.  In the center of my joystick its lowered to where I feel I have the best fine tuning for me then it rolls back up in sensitivity around 30-50% of my joystick then it rolls down in sensitivity again after 50% to about 99% to give me even more fine tuning at this point (this would be used more in a turn fight because this is roughly where my joystick is when I am lining up a shot) then at 100% stick it gives me the full rate of pitch or roll.

My new curve as of 4/17/13, both pitch and roll are different curves now:



Well I hope this helps explains the graphs a bit.  I am not sure if I went enough in detail.  If you have any questions just leave it here or PM me.

Pilots!

We figured since our collection will continue to grow, it would be nice to have all our Youtube videos in one spot.
So we will post them all here from now on!

Thanks for watching!

~Hathore

Having played a lot solo before and after release, and since I would say the majority of the player base plays solo the majority of the time, I thought I would share some general tips I've learned from facing the best pilots in the game or picked up on the forum from those same pilots.

 

Plane selection:

 

The current meta in 1.1 still dictates that a solo player who expects to carry games regularly should select a high altitude fighter. You need to limit the number of enemies that can target you at one time, particularly when heavily outnumbered. I prefer light fighters because when attempting a hard carry (i.e. heavily outnumbered) you can get back into the attack quicker and they typically conserve energy better than heavy's, giving you more ability to escape, more options to limit damage taken and more escape options, even after multiple attack runs. Heavy's I have a harder time carrying with against long odds (unless the enemy is cooperative), but they can tip the balance faster since they kill much quicker.

 

In the middle tiers where most of the full battles take place on our server, the strongest lights are arguably the 109B, 109E (sans cannons), P-51A and P-51D. These planes have some of the highest speeds, energy retention, altitude limits combined with good manuverability. They are maxed for BnZ, which is the only consitent tactic for pulling off the hard carry.

 

You generally want very full games when playing solo, as it gives the enemy more targets and it's harder for you to get singled out. You may even get the cooperation or mistakes needed to crack a uni flight solo with more teammates. This, for me, means playing the majority of games in the middle tiers and playing daily for doubles in the higher ones or possibly during peak hours depending on how the queues are running. Tiers IV and VI generally give the best MM and the two planes I've identified (109B and P-51A) can hold their own when down tier, but it depends on the evening and who's playing, sometimes it's an even higher tier that gets the better MM. MM can only work with what it has, so try to get into that groove of where the best games are running.

 

Tier IV is a good training tier until you brush up on your BnZ, as the number of enemies that can climb well are few (meaning threats to you are fewer), pilot skill is generally lower, the 109B is very good even against Tier V's. Tier IV receives preferential MM meaning you'll be high tier more often. Tier V is harder, as you're regularly bottom tier. Tier VI will drop against Tier V fairly often but does get pulled up regularly too.

 

Pre-battle strategy:

 

I generally do roughly the same thing at the start of every battle. Climb at the start using boost at about a ~60 degree angle, taking care not to get too far towards the enemy's side. After I'm done boosting, I'll level off and continue to climb at an angle that allows me to maintain or even gain a little airspeed until I'm well into my red zone. This usually puts me above and behind most of my teammates. I find this useful as they will spot and sometimes engage the enemy first, distracting them. I'll also generally select a larger group of friendly's to follow. Use the Alt key and make sure you're following heavy's at altitude or lights. If you know other players on your team are good, try to find them and follow them (at least initially, it's difficult without different coloring once the battle is joined) as they're the most important to keep alive and the most likely to return the favor.

 

Target Selection and Positioning:

 

This game is primarily about positioning. Get on someone's 6; they'll have a hard time shaking you. If they do shake you, or you them, it takes time and energy. With short games, you don't have time to dicker around dodging fire and burning energy and solo, you rarely will have someone to clear your tail for you. So try not to get engaged by an enemy, particularly early on and with an energy deficit. Situational awareness is key. Try to get ignored early on and bait enemies into climbing up well into your and their red zone if you have the better energy position. If you see many planes at altitude and you're alone, turn around and find a better time to attack them when you have a better position. If you can't outrun them, at least bring them down in altitude.

 

Select a target that is a threat to you first. Heavy's at altitude, other mirror fighters or other high altitude fighters are priorities. Try to kill them quickly, as early damage and numbers are more helpful to your team. If you can clear a friendly tail, do it. Even if your teammates don't kill anyone, they're useful as distractions to the enemy. If everyone is down low turnfighting, take out the climbers first.

 

Think of the battlefield like layers on a cake. Eat the top layer first before dropping down to the next. Don't give up your altitude advantage unless your sector is completely clear of high altitude threats first, then alway prioritize regaining altitude. Think of your own survival and escape opportunities before attacking. Survive first and foremost. You can't do damage when you're dead. Usually, your escape is up, so make sure you have a very good energy position vs. the enemy before dropping down.

 

The vertical BnZ is the primary effective tactic in a light like those I've identified early. Whether mouse or joystick due to view limitations and spotting mechanics, it's harder for a player to keep and eye on you when directly above. The joystick can't see straight up unless the player is in a 90 degree turn and using the free look mouse is problematic while manuvering. The target lock window is only somewhat helpful and only functions if they actually have you locked.

 

If players want to point their nose up to take a look at you or even better, chase you, this causes them to lose energy, making them a floating target. Take advantage of this with your attacks. Bait your enemy into chasing you upwards and stalling if you can, it makes for easy kills. The worst thing is when a bunch of enemies are down low circling and won't take the bait and you're badly behind on supremacy, not because they're hard targets (they're usually sitting ducks) but because it usually takes more time and energy to kill someone who's not cooperating by stalling out and it's harder to dodge fire if they all stick together. Also, It's typically your death knell if you continue to overshoot your targets with your dive after a BnZ. Pull out early so you can conserve more energy and make another pass.

 

Spotting mechanics favor attacking from above and behind. Try to split-s onto a target instead of going head on whenever possible. It gives you longer on target and you aren't as likely to collide or take return fire. If they see you and point their nose up to attack, bait them upwards. If you can't get a top shot, try for the flank. Shooting from directly behind someone does the least damage. Make sure to hold your fire until inside of effective range if your target is not aware of your presence, you have a better chance of killing them in one pass as they'll have less chance to evade. I've survived many times because I immediately take action when tracers start flying or I hear impacts. Don't continue to chase that target you're attacking, dodge the incoming fire.

 

Throttle control:

 

Some planes carry too much energy to turn in their optimal range. Some even have a dip in thier turning curve at the right speed range so they turn faster at a specific speed than anywhere else. Make sure to use the throttle control (or even speed brake) and properly timed use of flaps to tame the speed if caught in a turnfight. Manual flaps and speed brake work well too to give yourself more time on target in a dive if you can spare the energy. A small amount of boost (~1 sec.) timed after a small amount of speed brake (~1 sec.) will often give a tighter turn than the plane should be capable of under normal circumstances, depending on your speed of entry. Often, just a little speed brake or throttle reduction is enough by itself.

 

Equipment and Perks:

 

Equipment that should be first - polished covering. Optical gunsight is really only a nice to have on fighters with wing mounted guns. Everything else isn't that critical.

 

For Perks, view range and engine guru first, then crack shot after that, take your pick really.

 

Manuevers:

 

The most effective manuevers are the hammerhead (stall turns to kill enemies dumb enough to chase you up- really in WoWP due to the stall mechanics, you're better off completing a tight loop and not stalling completely at the top), barrel roll (for avoiding fire) and yo-yos (to get inside of a slower fighter's turn when you have more energy). Most other manuevers IRL don't work in WoWP. Scissors lead to rams fairly often.

 

Consumables:

 

Engine restarter and Av gas always. Then pick either Fire ext. or med kit depending on your perks. Fire ext. is probably more useful, getting wounded in a DE or US plane is rare.

 

Ammo:

 

I don't find that using anything but silver ammo (AP or I) is neccessary. I've played thousands of games running everything with AP without feeling disadvantaged. Solid core and HE are better, but only marginally so and not enough to typically swing a game.

 

In Closing:

 

I hope this helps newer players. It will probably be old hat to the veterans. I know it's general, but it's impossible to convey specifics for every possible situation.

Here are also 2 videos which can help you make an idea how it was back then.  

THIS IS A RE-POST TO EXPLAIN MYSELF TO A NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE. It's a year later and test results show that short term memory, hand to eye coordination, multi-tasking, dyslexia, and 3D spatial thinking skills are all down dramatically. I can't 3D model anymore either. Sucks

 

Greetings,
I'm Mac Myers.... aka SkyWolf__WM..... and I'd like to offer an apology of sorts to some great people.     At least the ones who read the forums. Everyone should however.
I'm apparently making people feel like poop or fed up with me because I rarely (now almost never) Flight up and have also turned down some offers to join a couple of Clans. I DO appreciate the offers, but my play is just too erratic. I'm also erratic on the Forums as well I'm told.
So what's with me? Who TH this guy hanging out on the fringe of everything?    Always saying "
Is he a Lone Wolf? A James Dean like Rebel without a clue? A  hidden force for good (think incompetent Batman)? Is he a snob? Is he Antisocial? A narcissistic anal pore? A Masked man? An  enigma, wrapped in a riddle, surrounded by bacon and mystery?
No.... That ain't it.
Here's the actual reason why:
I was not so recently diagnosed with a Terminal Degenerative Brain Disease which makes me dumber by the minute and will kill me in 2-3 years. It also makes me tense and cranky at times.   
I have found solace in Religion and the comforting embrace of the FSM.    I was also quite brilliant to begin with so most people who don't really know me can't tell I'm down 20 who the heck knows IQ Points.
It's not that much fun most of the tine but the complete lack of fear (of anything), the complete lack of regard for my well being or the social mores, as well as the lack of impulse control (like posting this at all)  is awesome, Incredibly Liberating. It does on occasion get me RO'd here cause I can be a bit...uh... "Direct" (Spelled d.o.u.c.h.e.y).
If you rag on the WoWP, whining like a 4 year old at the Kmart, and offering no positive criticism/suggested improvements in the game then I will imply that you are a dim bulb and will speculate that your parents were not married at the time of your birth..... or something a bit less palatable.
My game play at times (probably most times) is terrible as I have little to no short term memory,  can't multitask (I can either watch who I'm killing or watch my 6 but can't really do both very well).
I am  dyslectic, CSS, I forget which buttons are what on my Joystick, and recently can actually get turned around on the Asian ALMOST ANY map, get lost in the fog, and lose all SA. I can barely watch myself much less a  Wingman(men). I lose track of them 8 seconds after the battle begins.
I don't feel that I would be a consistent "win" for a team or Klan as I often fail to fail to suck. So I suck in silence.. accepting my lot in life and drinking Ice Tea so strong that it would give Si Robertson heartburn.
I love this game and will probably stop have stopped playing the other two Sims I fly as I find the complexity an annoyance rather than a challenge now.... I also think Warthunder is a dooky but I'm sick of talking about it.
Sometimes I'm okay or somewhat near okay. Of course okay for me would send most people screaming like a banshee, running voluntarily into a padded room.
I'm working on a bucket list of inane things.... mostly stuff I've done before that I would like to do again. Like failing to have a terminal illness or bungie jumping.  Much of it concerns food apparently..... Specifically eggs over easy with bacon and hash browns or home fries,  fried up in bacon grease along with some toast to soak up the left over greasy egg yolk.  I mean like what? It's bad for my health?
Also....
Life's a female hound and then you are me.
Once Mac never back.
If you call me Big Mac then it just means you've never seen me naked.
TMI?
Sharing too much?
You feel weird and really uncomfortable now?   
Tough poop, walk it off. If I can joke about it so can you. 
So to recap: Thank you for the offers, sorry to annoy those who ask, I like bacon, the FSM... I am failing to fail to suck, I R stoooopuder that I used to be, I'm not very good at WoWP but really like playing it anyway.
Regards,  
Mac "SkyWolf" Myers
Last known surviving member of the 1980's Widow Maker Squadron.  
PS: I don't expect people to reply to this... it's for informational purposes. 

Thilix

Thing #1 (which you probably already know, but it bears repeating): No matter what you personally think of someone or their skill, degrading them in in-game chat doesn't profit anyone. New pilots are made to feel like idiots (and who wants to continue to play a game where that is the case), and other more experienced pilots just have one more thing added to whatever bad situation they may already be in, plus the pressure of letting the team down. I don't think ANY player enters a match thinking to himself "hmmmm, what's the best way I can louse this up for everyone?"  Sure, it's frustrating to do your best, and get a loss, but, really, so what? We're not curing cancer here, we're playing an online video game. Sometimes I have to remind _myself_ of that. Once in a great while I slip and say something stupid to someone (I regret it later). Occasionally I _do_ something stupid (like coughing while 10ft above the surface of Pacific, and plonking right into the ocean). But I _know_ I've done something stupid, and don't need to be told. It does get frustrating, but does it help imrove a player's abilities to tell him how awful he is? Really? There are any number of factors that go into _any_ player's ability to play, some within his control, and often more times than not, many more that are NOT in his control. Even if the degraded pilot said to himself "they're right, I'm a worthless idiot", and proceeded to work on his skills to the degree that he had a  %100 win rate....again, so what....a %100 win rate in an online video game. Whooo-de-doo. My suggestion is, make constructive comments, or make no comment at all.

Thing #2: I was thinking to myself about this game...and in spite of all the flaws, it really does rock. Where else can one virtually fly around in any number of classic aircraft and try and kill stuff? Or, alternatively, try to _not_ get killed? It's the next best thing to being there without risking your rear end. There's a lot of flaws, to be sure. But, I've played games since Atari "Pong" came out, and this really is my favorite. That's why I play it so much.

It's just a game.

 

World of Tanks Vet, Personnel Advice for WOWP New comers

 

Hello All, I may have a few suggestions for new players that haven’t had a chance to play World of Tanks (WOT), but have joined World of Warplanes (WOWP) to experience the Wargaming Experience. Now, you have to understand that World of Tanks logistical set up, the games’ interface dynamics, as they relate to crew training, researching of aircraft/tanks, their components, equipment,  all share a common parallel ground, it’s familiar.

 

Before I start, and since I am suggesting some humble advice, I thought it to be fair to tell you a little about myself; I started playing World of Tanks in Beta, And have I played it religiously ever since, I have about 29,000 games, and have ascertained a respectable (IMHO) 57.42% win percentage.  I have recently started WOWP.

 

When I first started playing WOT, I was all thumbs, and I spent a lot of unnecessary money that I shouldn’t of because I made stupid mistakes, i.e., researching equipment that I didn’t need to research, dismissing crew that had one skill almost completed, That I shouldn’t have dismissed, and I should have kept tanks that I sold, I bought tanks that I shouldn’t of, and sold equipment with that tank that I should have dismounted, but I failed to remove.

 

I lost so much money and time making stupid mistakes, I was over eager to get to the preverbal tier 10 tank(s), that I ignorantly skipped through lower tiered tanks, that statistically (If I’d kept them) would have benefitted me more in the long run. Really, I could have built my crew member(s) with a few skills before moving onto the next tier; I could have become more proficient with tactics at lower tiers where the penalty for losing wasn’t as extreme as it related to repair bills and the cost of ammunition (i.e. Premium Rounds).

 

When you play lower tiers it helps you to gain a stable platform, by a stable platform, a better understanding; I mean to suggest that my winning percentage, accuracy, would have been much better. It is a lot easier to receive a better win percentage while your total amount of games played is low, Unlike what I did, I was in such a hurry to get to tier X, I had a higher loss rate due to inexperience, playing higher tiers that I wasn’t ready for, nor was my crew experienced enough, and could have definitely used more (XP) before moving on to the next tier,  in addition, I didn’t have all the best equipment, and little money for premium rounds, I found myself at 5000 games with a 49% win percentage when I started WOT.

 

I recently started to play WOWP with a more seasoned approach, I am not in a big hurry to get to tier 10, I have played about 40 games and I have ascertained a 56% win percentage at present. I have no aircraft over tier 4. I purchased 3 Premium planes, removed crew acceleration,(As to build up experience that I can buy back) and I have researched to tier 6 down the German line, but I am only playing the tier 4 with the crew acceleration on, this approach is logically a sound approach (IMO). I will explain this a little more in detail later, I am being patiently Stallworth in my approach, my main goal at present, is to progress through to tier 8 (Me209A; this will be my next purchase).

 

I am not suggesting this for you per-se, this is my personnel preference.  I feel tier 8 is solid at the moment, due to WOWP current state, this may change with further updates, BUT, my crew progression and gained experience will be “nurtured” not carelessly or ignorantly wasted.

 

So, off the top of my head, for new players to the Wargaming experience, as to reinterate, this advice is relative to the game dynamics and logical nuances comparable with WOT & WOWP.

 

• First thing, buy Premium days (Account), i.e. 30 days, it’s like $15.00 (U.S),the benefit is too good to pass up.
• Conduct some research on what nationality tier you’re interested in, Stick with that tier for a long enough time, as to gain ample experience for your crew. DON’T BE IN SUCH A HURRY to get to the next tiered aircraft or nationality (Keep you apples in one basket; so to speak).  (As an example I stopped at a German tier 4), it has good match making, I win a lot, it’s good for me, It may differ for you, but, the idea is to gain personnel experience, gain XP for crew, and aircraft experience. I would much rather move to tier 5 with a 3 skilled crew (IMO).
• When you “Research” the tier tree, OK, Of course you’re going to research every component for the aircraft your presently flying, BUT, if you wish to skip a few tiered aircraft, i.e., Your flying a tier 4, but your goal to get to Tier 8, Well, gain the experience to research the tier 5, this could be done by buying back experience, But the simplest way is just remove the crew acceleration from your present aircraft (IV) and build the necessary experience on your aircraft to train into the next, (this is the easiest way). Now the next step; (1) once you have researched to the Tier 5, turn your crew acceleration back on for your tier 4. From other aircraft, (my suggestion, Premium Aircraft that you have purchased, as I had suggested earlier, that should have had Crew Acceleration OFF,  with crew acceleration off it allows the pool of  experience  for you to buy back to build up at an accelerated rate.)
• OK, Once your Tier 4 is fully researched it becomes (ELITE) this will allow you to research the tier 5. Once you research the tier 5, you will able to research through its tech tree. (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT); ONLY RESEARCH THE EQUIPMENT THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO UNLOCK THE TIER 6 (Next Aircraft in your progression) let me break it down, if the research lines from one gun to the best gun will allow you to unlock the Tier 6 Aircraft, (THAT’S THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO RESEARCH) UNLESS, your planning on buying the Tier 5, (BUT If you not going to purchase it, YOU DON’T NEED TO TRAIN ALL THE RESEARCH COMPONENTS,  Just the guns, DON’T Train the Engines or anything else. Your main goal here is to unlock the next Aircraft with the least resistance. Don’t waste, Experience, or In Game Currency (Silver) or gold, on researchable plane parts that are unnecessary to achieve the next tier. (I MADE THIS MISTAKE SERVERAL TIMES AS A NEW PLAYER)
• Don’t ever  dismiss any crew members that have started a crew skill, Keep them no matter what, you can always retrain them for a different aircraft in the future even though you have to retrain (BUY) them to reestablish the 100% proficiency, they will never loss the percentage they have gain in their skill(s). (I MADE THIS MISTAKE, I would have a skilled crew member, i.e. (Increased View Range) and haphazardly just sell the tank and in the process dismissing the crew member.  It takes a long time to max out a skill, so if you have crewmember(s) with a 70% skill for example, that probably, most likely took  4 months to reach that percentage, and just to dismiss the crew member by mistake is, and was Stupid on my part. KEEP YOUR CREW MEMBER(S)!
• DO NOT Accidently sell any of your equipment, i.e., aircraft lacquer; reinforced skins, etc. always remove your equipment before selling the aircraft. (STRIP YOUR AIRCRAFT OF CREW, EQUIPMENT AND CONSUMABLES, BEFORE SELLING IT) You will use all of them later on, as you progress through the game. YOU DON’T NEED TO BUY THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER! THEY ARE INTERCHANGEABLE, based on class of aircraft, etc.
• When you finally achieve tier 8, 9, and 10, the deciding factor of your aircraft, win chance etc. THE POSITIVE STUFF, will rely heavily on a highly skilled crew, when you have achieved  4 to 5 skills on a crew member(s) this will improve your win percentage tremendously, that’s the secret ladies and gentlemen, one of your main, and foremost goals is to have excellent crews, there is a reason why it takes so long to achieve skills, it’s one of thee, if not one of the top factors in tipping the scales in your favor, especially at the highest tiers.
• Lastly, don’t be in a hurry to get to tier 10, season yourself at lower tiers, HIGHER Tiers will not make you any better statistically or otherwise.
• Read the forums on suggestions and advice. Check your “you tube” on strategies. There is seasoned players (Good Players) out there that have posted, or made videos on how to make you a better player, what planes are good or bad, listen to them, they are not telling you how to play, they are telling you how not to play bad.
•  

In Conclusion, I hope that you’ll find this post helpful, I know its long winded, but I strongly believe all the stupid ignorant mistakes that I made when I started as a novice in World of Tanks, won’t happen to you in World of Warplanes, My advice will hopefully save you a lot of time, money, and energy, whilst achieving a pleasurable gaming experience.

 

Respectfully

 

SOJO

Going into a battle in a Tier V plane, and you get a Tier VII match.  Over the chat window, someone starts whining about MM being 'unfair'.  You know instantly that that guy has lost.  In his mind, he cannot win; so he won't.  A self-fulfilling prophesy.
Two questions arise:  

• Is it you doing the whining?
  
• If not, is the loser on your team?

If the answer to both is "no" you're in pretty good straits.  If yes to the second; you and the team have to pick up his slack, and whomever else he has demoralized.  If yes to the first: this post is for you.

Strategery.  Tacticalness.  Planz.

All have to change based on the situation.  Your plan should never be: fly the way the game points me until I see a plane then try to shoot it down.  If that's your current plan, reassess.

Being top tiered is not a key for success; it simply means you can survive more mistakes.  Your equipment can make up for you pulling a stupid.

Being bottom tiered is not a recipe for disaster; you simply must avoid or minimize mistakes, because your equipment cannot pick up the slack for poor decision making.

So, first off, what do you need to know?  Here's how I do it:
Situation

Mission
<p>

• Going to climb to get altitude and linger over our base.  During this time I watch the minimap for where the enemy has most of its planes - I'm going the other way.  Need to stay near our blob and avoid theirs.  Priority targets include base sneaking mid-low tier bombers, and their escorts if any.  After that, I will go where we have a numeric advantage and assist in the swarm.

Execution
<p>

• When high tiered, I don't mind fighting the enemy up front, but this time I'm staying back, watching the map and flying high.

Administration and Logistics

Command and Control

And what do you know... It worked.
TL;DR - change your tactics to be much more conservative and maximize your advantages (AA, Turning Ability, Situational Awareness) when low tiered.  Minimize mistakes; your equipment cannot cover for you making stoopid decisions.
Profanity
6h RO issued
~GM/Mod Teams

Take this as you will i truly hope people have fun in this game these are my thoughts.

 

1. No promotion of any team work via game mechanics. Everything from a statistical standpoint minus win percentage is a solo venture.

2. MM needs ALOT of work from having 1 ga on a team, to having multiple ga's on a side and no heavies to counter on the other. Having multiple flights on one side.  Not to mention the tier spread planes are rarely balanced in their own tier let alone 2 tiers higher. People want to be able to contribute so they feel as their time is not wasted.

3. Unoptimized maps leading to huge fps drops when close to ground leads to more frustration.

4. Game being released too soon from chat, clans or maps seems like this was grossly mishandled with the player base to deal with it.

5. A severe lack of any type of competitive games easily 80% of all games are decided in 2-3 minutes or less. For whatever reason that seems to be the game model wanted from Wg.  Win, lose then reque and repeat Ad nauseam. It ends up being 6 people chasing the last kill or you being chased by 6. This ended up being a huge drain on me personally game by game the fun taken out by these i never like winning games like that and i surely didn't like losing them like that either.

 

Anyways i wish everyone the best and hope you have fun. I wanted to give a few thoughts on how i felt instead of just bolting. If you feel differently post here and let them know.

WOWP & WG need to salute & honor their pilots who sell your product every day on this forum to every one that needs help or asks questions out of the kindness of their heart we owe them & how do we put a price on their time and service . these guys post hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands for new and old pilots GOLD ? PLANS ? PREMIUM ? let their voice be heard here are some examples                   HEH      10,000     ROCKETSPAMMER    5,578     SKYWOLF_WM    2,948    DR SINISTER    2,305    QUESNEL    1,975   AN_AVERAGE_JHO   1,898    PAPPABEAR    1,764   TOGGLE   1,695   MERCSN   1,653   CAPTAIN F22ACE   1,499   WULF NOSE   1,479   SANDMAN 1964   1,324   MAGUS GERHARDT   1,245   TRIPTYX   1,200   OLDKYE   1,028   ELISURF 81   978   ZEN 35   907   LASERGUIDED   897      TAHEE 59   805   HEIBGES   744   CRAYOLA CRAYON   714   FRYADUCK   1,221   LOSTWINGMAN   641   BITTER CLINGER   587   ZAPPERGUY   557   BINESTAR   276   PRETTYWOODS   111   THERE ARE MANY MANY MORE. Here is a example not to mention bitter clingers name he found out he could go to the store and sell his old guns bombs rockets etc. he was 1.9 MILLION RICHER LOL without this forum and these pilots this game would struggle or die . PAPPABEAR  is there to give advice and (BEAR HUGS) my friend OLDKYE to help with expert advice  DR. SINISTER with computers and advice LASERGUIDED  with ace metals and staying alive advice . PLEASE HONOR THESE PILOTS and many more let your voice be heard and thank you from a humble want to be LOL good luck have fun and get high