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As much as I enjoy the recent influx of players into the game - either completely new, or returning - I am finding myself struggling with the general low level of knowledge of the game. Most people who play this version of WoWP do not know, or do not care, about certain aspects that define the current state of the game. Knowledge of 'flying', if you can even call our animating pixels that, is secondary to the awareness of how this thing rolls. This here is a short guide for those who are interested in getting better - not by statpadding per se, but by generally being better at this game; knowledge of one plane (like e.g. the infamous I-5) will not help on other tiers; knowledge of one map will not help in other periods, where map roster changes, etc. I am aware that most of the new people do not read the forum, therefore will never stumble upon this attempt of making the game more enjoyable for everyone, but I keep hoping. Foremostly I keep hoping my human teambuddies will not destroy every effort I make to win battles *wink wink*
1) In the current iteration we are playing Conquest mode. This means that points for the team matter, not individual kills or feats of skill. If one wants to win consistently, one has to play for win - and this means capturing sectors, or defending them. The easiest way, and arguably the most enjoyable, to play WoWP is just to go gung-ho on anything that isn't marked in blue; this is also the fastest way to being roflstomped by more capable players. Lesson number one then: WoWP is about sectors, not about kill count; frags are just a tool to make your team score more points.
2) Tying to the above - there are different types of sectors on the map, which contribute in different ways to the overall score. While it may seem so at low tiers, airfields are NOT the uberimportant sectors on the map. Currently there is only one advantage to occupying an airfield, which is a repair workshop (marked by a wrench icon on your minimap and radar). Yes, airfields serve as alternate spawn points (some don't know that). No, they no longer reduce respawn time (some still don't know that). You can change your plane in the airbase, for another of the same tier that you started the battle with - but it still is not enough to make airbases and airfields the primary focus on the map. On certain maps these location can sway the balance, but experienced players know this can be always circumvented. Lesson number two: learn the different sectors, think which one is most useful on your map (F1 in battle will give you the info about sectors etc).
3) As a consequence - making a beeline for the nearest airfield or airbase at the start of the battle in most cases results only in two things: someone with a 'better' plane will shoot you down, and your teambuddies will know you're a noob. This is especially true for bomber beginners. Trying to cap an airbase with a bomber is usually futile, it's just a waste of time, and a waste of a valuable resource (a human bomber) to the whole team. Airfields are a noob magnet, and a noob trap. This is the reason why sometimes it seems like skilled players prioritize airfield - not because of its inherent cap value and capture points contributed, but because they know for sure that less experienced and less skilled players, along with bots, will keep coming to this place and keep feeding easy kills. Lesson number three: manufacturing plant, command centre or a missile base are far more valuable for your team than an airfield is. If you have that tendency of getting involved into an endless cycle of dying and respawning over an airfield, please reconsider, please look at the map, try to find a place that is easier to capture or needs defending asap.
4) Though extremely simplified, the game is still based on factual historical planes. That's why there are different classes of planes - each with its own focus - and different types of planes. It will serve everyone well to learn at least the basics of what each plane was designed for. Bf110B or 110E was NOT designed for bombing factories, A6M1 was NOT designed to blow up heavy fighters in head-on attacks, IL-2 or BSh-2 were NOT designed for air to air combat. Stick to your role, which you need to learn (will come back to this). Yes, experienced pilots can overstep those boundaries and make a good fighter out of certain ground attack planes, but there are always limits. Lesson number four: learn at least the basic facts about your plane of choice and how it performs in WoWP (important! it may not be anywhere close to historical realities, because of game's balance!), and try to play according to your role. WoWP is built around simple rock/paper/scissors scheme: your plane will excel either in armament, or in agility, or speed, or altitude performance, or combination of such things; there will however almost always be a situation or a plane that counters your advantages, and can soundly beat you if you don't play to your own strenghts.
5) Talking about classes, please please please pay attention. Even if your plane has bombs, it doesn't mean it is an effective bomber. If it has wings, it doesn't mean it will win every single turning fight. And on and on. Your team buddies are expecting you to fullfill certain roles, based on the plane you are in; if you are not doing it, you are effectively playing against your team. Lesson number five therefore must be this (and I need to split it into points):
- heavy fighters (HF) are not bombers; their primary role is to combat bombers and other HF; diving on your first sector to bomb something will result in you a) crashing into something, or b) getting eaten alive by defence planes
- light fighters (LF) are not ground attack planes; spending your time on shooting AA guns may be helpful in some way, but at the same time you could've shot down incoming fighters or ground attack planes (and that's your job, to protect the more specialized planes)
- multi-role fighters (MRF) are not supposed to involve in heavy air-to-air combat; they don't have the agility to win duels with LFs or most other MRFs, but they do have the speed and ordnance to make capping certain sectors a lot easier and faster
- ground attack planes (GAA) are not meant to combat other planes; they may seem tempting, thanks to impressive forward armament, but their pitiful agility just makes them xp pinatas; when you are not destroying ground targets, you are not contributing to your team in any way
6) You have both a minimap and a radar on your screen - use them. Look at them. See where your team is, where the opposition is. Check for incoming threats. Check where you can easily cap something, or where you could help defend an objective. Do not double up on something; if you see someone shooting some target, there's no point in you doing the same (aka KS) - waste of time, waste of resources. Lesson number six: work on your spatial awareness, do not get tunnel-visioned. As the real pilots keep saying, a good pilot (and an alive pilot) has his head on a swivel; according to some accounts up to 80% of air kills in WW2 happened with the victim being surprised, with the victim not paying attention to the surrounding. Believe me, one can waltz through entire battles without a scratch, if one is aware of what's happening around.
7) Humans are a minority in this game, compared to bots. Sometimes in your battles you will have more, but most of the time less human players. Bots are scripted and predictable in both how they fly and what are they trying to accomplish - it pays off to observe and learn, and then exploit that. Humans on the other hand are unpredictable, and your presence on the battlefield can be the deciding factor. Whether for good or for the bad, depends on you. Not on your team, nor on the bots. Lesson number seven: make yourself an asset for the team, do not count on other humans or bots to do your job, and do not blame other humans or bots for your failures. Left alone, bot battles usually end in Draws. Humans make the difference, and you are one of them - if you do your job (because of the plane you are in, and because you remember it's about capping and not simple frags, etc), your team has higher chances of winning. If you don't do your job, if you do things that do not contribute to the win, then there is only you to blame for losses.
8) Last but not least - please do not rush in tiers. Gameplay changes quite a lot with the progression of tiers, and if you are relatively fresh to the game, buying a high tier premium or rushing head-long into your dream Me262 will not work. The higher you go in tiers, the less humans you will meet, but they generally will be more experienced. Take it slow, take it easy, enjoy the learning process. Give yourself time to 'git gud'. If the game will keep you interested, it will not matter if you get to t8 in a week or three months; if it doesn't keep you playing, you will waste your real money by buying something you will eventually not even use. Lesson number eight: take it easy, take your time playing WoWP, do not rush it. The more you rush, the less skilled and experienced you will be, and the easier prey you will be - and that's certainly no fun at all, getting killed by you-don't-know-what and you-don't-know-how.
It's just a few points I kept thinking about watching my fellow humans try hard to throw the battles I was in, over the last few weeks. These are basics, but overlooked so often it's incomprehensible. Sure, YMMV, and sure, 'dont tell me how to play my game' - but if you want to win, there are some things that just have to be done or learned. If you don't want to be insulted or ridiculed, there are things you can avoid doing. If you want to enjoy the game by winning more often, and by having the feeling of 'I did it well, I flew this one well' - some pointers need to be followed. I hope the above helps a bit, and if it does, spread the word please.
Edited by apartclassic, 24 April 2020 - 05:50 PM.
