World of Warplanes

World of Warplanes is a free-to-play multiplayer action game and has many similarities to World of Tanks by the same developer. The goal of each match (maximal 15 minutes) is to either wipe out all enemy players or gain air superiority by destroying ground targets. The game feature a number of aircraft from different nations which all handle differently and have their advantages; basically they can be divided into fast fighter aircraft with focus on dogfight capabilities, heavily armored ground attack aircraft and heavy fighters which are somewhere in between. The controls are action-based and have helps like a prompt which shows how to lead the target. When a certain component, e.g. motor or wings, is hit often enough it may fail even if the overall health points are in a uncritical state.

The main motivational factor are experience points which are earned in each match and come in three flavours: crew points (used to train the pilot or rear gunner to earn perks), aircraft points (used to research new upgrade modules for the aircraft) and free experience (can be used on anything, including research new aircraft). Specific experience can be converted into free experience. Unlocked aircraft and modules still have to be bought with money which is either earned in-game or bought via micro-transactions. Also available for purchase are premium accounts which accelerate earned experience and money. While the aircraft come from different time periods and nations (which have their own research trees), there is no restriction which aircraft can be paired up in a team.