Since I am playing Japanese aircraft in a few other games, it seems only fitting that I showcase the top of my current progression efforts in War Wings with the tier V Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero.
However, using a much more careful eye to detail, I wanted to see if the frailties of this particular nation of aircraft, as depicted in other titles, also transcended to this one....
Something I didn't notice (perhaps I was just too tired) until I uploaded the last War Wings video was how quiet the audio was. I think I have improved on that this time....
With just a day away from the return of Attrition Mode in World of Warplanes, I had better belt out one more familiar type battle while I can. This time, I went with a Japanese plane that defies the standard for how the nation is usually played....
Sometimes, you just can't pack a computer around with you.
Portable gaming has come a very long ways since the days of the original Nintendo Gameboy (or if you go even further back, those cheap, LCD handheld time killers) and in this age of smartphones and tablets, the evolution continues.
Since this blog is aircraft themed, it would only make sense to mention one title I have on the go, War Wings.
As of right now, what I would consider to be the two major players on PC and Console in this genre would be World of Warplanes (Microsoft Windows) and War Thunder (Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, macOS, Linux and reported to be released on Xbox One in the near future). Neither one of them has put out a portable version of their game (WarGaming has the Blitz series, but only covers Tanks and Ships).
Based on the absence of a mobile WOWP and/or War Thunder version, I have downloaded, played and later uninstalled a fair amount of Android air combat titles. Some might have offered okay gameplay action, but was missing a certain....flavor I was looking for. Others were of the "pay to play" variety and I am not about to spend piles of money on possible disappointment.
It felt like I was looking for the impossible, a free to play air combat game with a progression system similar to WOWP/War Thunder, throw in some Gold and Token options? A few months ago I stumbled across War Wings and my search was over. Easy to pick up gameplay, a progression system that I was familiar with, earnable premium aircraft, my list goes on. It might not have been published by Gaijin or WarGaming, but it had enough features from both of their titles that I could now get my air combat fix on the go through my Motorola Nexus 6 phone. Best of all, I just happens to have one of my favorite fighters from World War Two (a plane the is also present in War Thunder/World of Warplanes)....
Sorry about the sound, seems I should have turned the volume up while recording.
This is the idea I have considered doing for some time.
Load up World of Warplanes, select a progression aircraft from my current "Nation of Mood" and play til I win, up to and no more than three consecutive battles. Now, this isn't a new concept, some streamers on other media formats do this type of thing (with their own conditions) on a regular basis, but I haven't started it myself.
One of the reasons for doing it is to see in myself what psychological changes take place if the first or even second battle end in defeat. Does frustration and/or disappointment dull the nerves and senses? Does the weight of not winning one battle carry over into the next? Using myself as a test subject, I am curious to see the answers to those questions.
On the flip-side, the main reason for not starting this experiment is the length of time a person would have to sit and watch my serial performances, up to 45 minutes of me talking, flying and shooting up the sky. I am sure there are folks out there that have better things to do with their time (I do appreciate those who have tuned in thus far and have continued to stick around).
Nevertheless, I put the question to you, should I do this or not? Would you be willing to spend nearly and hour watching my adventures in World of Warplanes with a tech tree plane, no matter the outcome? Is there another way I could have asked a similar question?
While you consider that, here is the first video on that concept, demonstrating a more positive psychological change at the end....
In reality, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force didn't foresee a use for the problem ridden, two-seat Nakajima Ki-8 and after completing just five prototypes, the project was cancelled in 1934.
In World of Warplanes, it lives on as a tier II premium fighter and currently the only Japanese plane with a rear gunner in the game....
One Japanese plane I had early troubles with in World of Warplanes was the tier V premium Mitsubishi A6M3 (exp).
The major issue for me was the effective use and timing of those big 30mm cannons. Not only was I willing to give it another honest go, but I have also decided to try something I don't normally equip my planes....consumables.
Like many other players from long ago, I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Imperial Japanese Army Air Service aircraft to World of Warplanes.
For far too long, all that was available was offerings from the Imperial Japanese Navy line (not that is a bad thing), with a few premiums sprinkled in over the years. Perhaps my patience finally ran out, or my interest had waned enough to not be overly enthusiastic when they finally arrived.
Granted, I managed to pull myself away from other projects and areas of interest to causally dabble with a few aircraft of the Army line, only to stop at the tier VI Kawasaki Ki-61 and then, I wandered off again.
Perhaps, I should see if I can re-spark that cold flame of lost enthusiasm....
Although it was my intention to try and fulfill a promise to LMG from the World of Warplanes North America forums to give the
ground a good shake in his month long absence from the game, my tier IX Messerschmitt Me 1099B-2 battle took on a mind of it's own with an unexpected result....
So, it's the day after picking up a tier VII North American Mustang P-51K to top out my Chinese line in World of Warplanes.
Naturally,
as with a lot of people having something new, I was....giddy to take it
out for a flight or two. Turns out that two was needed to collect a
victory. The first battle was an epic facepalming event that I was merely another target for the enemy team to toy with. Needless to say
I didn't bother with screenshots (nor a video) to keep a record of just
how bad things went for the good guys. However, the second battle was a
lot better overall, but still a bit lacking in the personal results
department.
In the grand scheme of things, coming in second isn't so much a bad
thing, but I am disappointed the results weren't more favorable to how I
perceived the battle.
If I was to end my session, especially with Chinese themed aircraft,
taking the tier V Tomahawk IIb seemed to be the right choice to make.
Since I got a good warmup with the Mustang, how bad could things get
with the Curtiss?
You would have a hard time convincing me that Lady Luck and Fate didn't conspire to prank me today.
With World of Warplanes holding a Victory in Europe event, I saw they were handing out discounts on both tech tree and premium aircraft.
Since the one I have been eyeing up for a very long time was finally on sale, I decided to make a video of it, from purchase with my banked gold to the final results of the first battle with it (including a few mistakes along the way)....
Ace pilots are those aviators who have been credited with shooting down five confirmed enemy aircraft.
During World War Two, the United States Navy turned out some notable pilots like Charles R. Stimpson, Lt. E. Scott McCuskey, Stanley W. Vejtasa, Lt. Edward L. "Whitey" Feightner, Donald E. Runyon and Lt. Cdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare who cut their "Ace Teeth" on the Grumman Wildcat.
In World of Warplanes, the tier IV premium XF4F-3 is the pre-production version of this "Ace Maker" and has transitioned rather well into this post-1.9 era....
Almost overshadowed in history by it's successor, the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk/Kittyhawk/Warhawk, the P-36 Hawk/Hawk 75/Mohawk still saw service in World War Two, seeing combat in American hands for the first time in retaliation of the Pearl Harbor attack.
In World of Warplanes, this tier IV premium C version is a capable performer, for those who are patient to collect from it....
Starting today, I will try my very best to bring you this new monthly feature I have called "Blackhawk Watch."
The purpose of this ongoing blog series is to document the progress this project for posterity and share media links, information and commentary concerning the upcoming Steven Spielberg produced (and possibly directed) Blackhawks feature film. Also, I will post some personal comments from my own previous Blackhawks experience and thoughts on the film, as it develops.
First off, just who were/are the Blackhawks? The short answer is the Blackhawks was a long running comic book title, originally depicting a fictional, privately run and operated squadron (a forerunner of a modern Private Military Company that offers nothing but aviation services) made up of international pilots, mostly coming from German occupied countries of World War Two.
The Blackhawks first appeared in the Quality Comics title, Military Comics #1 in 1941. Fifteen years later, the rights, names and likenesses were first leased to and then eventually sold to DC Comics. Major changes came in 1964 and then again in 1967. Despite reversing these changes, the Black hawks were cancelled in mid-1968. A brief, six issue revival was seen on the racks for 1976-77 and gone again, just as quick.
Outside the realm of comics, Blackhawk was adapted into a 15 chapter movie serial (one of the last of this type, since TV was slowing taking over as a more convenient form of entertainment)....
Who is Steven Spielberg? His list of film credits include (but not limited to): Jaws, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Gremlins, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List and Ready Player One. Needless to say, he is behind a lot of the most profitable and easily memorable movies (and a hand in TV shows, like Amazing Stories, Falling Skies and Bull) of the last 40 years.
And these are two of the film companies he is involved with, producing quality entertainment (in my opinion, at least).
A little known fact that during the early 1980's, he expressed interest in a Blackhawk project, which in turn, promoted DC Comics to bring the title in late 1982 (if you click the link, use "Blackhawk" in your browser search function).
It's also during this time period I enter the scene, but more on that at later.
For further reading, take a look at this exhaustive and fantastic fan made Blackhawks site, which has nearly everything you would want to know (and more) on the subject and can be found here. Sadly, it hasn't been updated in years.
Although the battle in World of Warplanes produced a favorable outcome, the struggle to fly
and fight in the premium tier VII Fisher XP-75 Eagle was very real for
me....
Just a few days ago now, World of Warplanes received a minor update that included the files for a new aircraft, the first premium tier IX in the game, the McDonnell XF-85 Goblin.
I was among those speculating on just how a player could lay their hands on one. Theories I offered up consisted of a mission (like the recent Operation Westwall for example), a series of tasks (see Personal Missions from World of Tanks), or even an XP Grindfest (Missouri/Musashi from World of Ships). However, I didn't dismiss a last minute fourth option that I couldn't think of at the time (in other words, no clue what rabbit will be pulled from the hat).
The Canadair CT-133 Silver Star was a license built variant of the
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, a two seat jet trainer which started out
from the original P-80/F-80. In turn the Lockheed P-94 Starfire would
later evolve from the T-33 and appear in World of Warplanes as a tier IX
Multirole Fighter for the American tree.
One of the
major differences between the Lockheed T-33 and the Canadair CL-30 (internal manufacturer's designation) was the choice of engines, the Shooting Star had Allison J33, the Silver Star used
Rolls-Royce Nene 10.
A few years ago I visited British Columbia Aviation Museum, just outside the Victoria International Airport and got the opportunity to see this aircraft with my own eyes. It was hard to get a good shot of this aircraft, due in part to it's location inside the museum, the other planes around it and unfavorable lighting. Despite that, I got one of those once in a lifetime opportunities to do this....
Although you can't really tell from this image, the cockpit was a real
tight fit. Up front, all of the controls were in spots that didn't
promote comfort. For me, once I sat in the seat, that was it, no real
moving around after the straps went on and the canopy was closed.
I had a model of this when I was a whole lot younger, never did finish it though....but the pictures and memories of this experience (especially shared with my son) will more than make up for not completing that long, almost forgotten childhood project.
However, the big kid in me can still pretend to fly it....
In case you haven't noticed, I haven't played World of Warplanes much this past while.
Out in the real world, I have been putting in some very long work-life hours, which just happened to involve some overly physical activities. Needless to say, my energy levels to load up the game, let alone belt any number of battles, has been almost non-existent.
However,
with news of the first tier IX premium plane (final details have yet to
be revealed to me if it is a true premium or something along the lines
of the Missouri/Musashi from Ships and likewise Clan Reward vehicles
from Tanks), I mustered up enough awake time to record a battle with my
tier IX FJ-1 Fury. Little did I know just how tired I looked while
filming....
If you read the World of Warplanes announcement here or saw it on the portal, no doubt some of you already took off down the interest to look the plane up....
McDonnell XF-85 Goblin.
Without going into too much detail, I will briefly touch on what interests me about this aircraft and what doesn't.
First, I like the "Buck Rogers" look to it. The whole squished F-86
appearance of it does remind me of the same tiered Blohm und Voss P.210,
but with a Western twist. Secondly, it's a jet, so that piques my
interest almost immediately.
One thing I don't like about it, historically armed with only 4X.50
cal machine guns. I could see this plane struggling at the upper tiers,
based on my own experience with the FJ-1 Fury, which is armed with 6X.50
cal in total. I am rather curious to how maneuverable it will be in the
game, which could be a strong determination of what would be the less
penalized playstyle for it.
And of course, since it's a tier IX aircraft, acquiring one isn't going to be an easy task, I suspect.
During last month's Operation Westwall event, I saw a lot of comments, from both sides
of the fence, on the mission requirements and available time needed to
park just one of the aircraft into a player's hangar, let alone both. I
can accept this should be a challenge (seriously, it's an earnable tier
IX) and for some, this plane will be an out-or-reach goal (real life
events, poor timing and other things that can/will prevent a player from
obtaining the Goblin). Others will make "jumping the hurdles" look so
easy (or make claims to the effect), which could inspire some to
preserve through the journey, or just anger and alienate others from the
quest.
I don't have any details of what will be
needed to get a Goblin, so this last comment of perspective might turn
out to be a moot point.
I think it could be the most iconic American aircraft of World War Two and I was introduced to it thanks to a Tongue in Cheek movie.
Steven Spielberg's 1941 could be a hard
movie to make today, since it breaks so many social, gender and
other taboos of our modern, sensitive society.
Long before I learned about the adventures of the American Volunteer Group,
Claire Lee Chennault and the air war over China's skies, my introduction
to the Curtiss P-40 was through the late, great actor, John Belushi.
Thanks to his over the top comedic portrayal of Captain "Wild
Bill" Kelso and his antics in that plane, he "burned" (if you have seen
the movie, you will get the reference) the Warhawk into my memory from a
more innocent time....
For the longest time, this was the whole Chinese tree in World of Warplanes.
While the Breda Ba.27 and Nakajima Ki-43-Ic both came in Update 1.5.0,
back in August 2014, it would be some time yet before more aircraft
would be added to this....shrub (the Curtiss Tomahawk IIb tier V Fighter
was floating around, but in the hands of select players and not
available for the general public until a much later date).
Now, in this post-2.0 era, I was curious to see if the Chinese captured tier IV Nakajima Ki-43-Ic was still a capable aircraft, since the game would favor it's Turn and Burn attributes more then previous versions....
The Italian designed Breda Ba.27 is a sad tale for an aircraft.
As
some air forces around the world were making attempts to move away from
the tried and tested biplanes into the monoplane era, Società Italiana
Ernesto Breda put forth a low-wing braced monoplane of mixed wing
construction materials and fixed landing gear to the Regia Aeronautica
for consideration.
The
first prototype Ba.27 was tested and evaluated by the Regia Aeronautica
in 1933 and was met with generally unsatisfactory reviews. Lackluster
performance and excessive vibration, especially while turning/banking
were the two biggest concerns. The test pilots of the day favored the
inservce Fiat CR.32 biplane over the prototype, so the Ba.27 went back
to the drawing boards for revisions.
An
extensive redesign of the aircraft began, first with replacing the
wooden two blade propeller with a three blade, variable pitch unit.
Next, the fuselage was rounded off more and the open cockpit was moved
up and forward to improve visibility. The corrugated skin was discarded
and replaced with smooth sheet metal and the mixed construction wing was
now all metal, earning it's name, Metallico.
The
Regia Aeronautica tested and evaluated this second prototype in June
1934 (some sources claim earlier flights in May) and despite Breda's
best efforts, the appraisal was only a little more positive over the
first aircraft. The Regia Aeronautica would retain the second prototype
for extended testing until it was lost in 1937.
With
a lost of Italian interest in the aircraft, the Breda Ba.27 was
demonstrated to the Norwegian Air Force, but no interest or sales came
from that venture. In November of 1934, it was shown at the Salon de
l'Aeronautique in Paris, but once again, no buyers.
However,
in 1935, an order for the Breda Ba.27 was finally sold to the Chinese
nationalist government for 18 aircraft, of which 11 were mysteriously
delivered.
Only one account of the Breda Ba.27 in combat in China has been recorded and even then, it is in dispute by some.
Over
Nanking on October 12 1937, a mixed formation of 20 Japanese aircraft
encountered what they believed to be a lone group of 7 Mitsubishi A5M
fighters operating in the area. As the two groups closed on each other,
the mistaken fighters, who the Japanese claimed were Ba.27's in Chinese
National markings, engaged them. The Japanese suffered the loss of 3
A5M's and were turned back, it is unknown what the Chinese casualties
were.
Some
modern researchers believe the Japanese formation were attacked by the
very similar looking Boeing Type 281, the export version of the P-26
Peashooter. Others claimed if the action did take place, as recorded by
Japanese pilots who were involved in the event, the planes would have
been piloted by Italians, since they would have been better trained for
such an action. The truth remains evasive to the this day.
Be
it through training or combat, the Breda Ba.27 was in operational
service in China until 1938, no examples are known to exist today.
Starting in March of 1936, China received the initial delivery of the Curtiss BF2C Goshawk, also known by it's export name, the Curtiss Hawk III, to replace it's rapidly obsolete fleet of Hawk II's.
By all accounts, 102 Hawk III's were delivered to China by June 1938, 12 in complete, flying condition and 90 shipped in crates to be assembled by the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company at Hangzhou.
When the Sino-Japanese War started in July of 1937, both the Hawks II/III were the primary fighters in the Chinese Air Force and as more Hawk III's made it to the squadrons, the Hawk II was regaled to training and light defense duties.
However, by October that same year, the Hawk III was already considered obsolete itself, despite proving itself in battle, sometimes against seemly impossible odds and making Aces out of it's pilots, it was slowly replaced by the Polikarpov I-15/I-16, Gloster Gladiator and a few others.
However, the Hawk III wouldn't go without a fight and was involved in one last aerial action over the skies of Chungking, trading bullets with Japanese bombers in May of 1940.
This time around and with everything on it unlocked, I decide to revisit the tier VI Hawker Tornado in a battle that had the momentum for a defeat in World of Warplanes....
Found this on the EU forums, it's too bad we didn't get this event over on this side of the pond.
A mod created back in the 1.4 days of World of Warplanes.
Through the use of this modification, a player can turn select Soviet Ground Attack aircraft into the A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog.
Here are the instructions for installation:
First, go to World_of_warplanes/res/scripts/db and find the cacheddb.bin file. Either rename it by adding a number (for example cacheddb.bin1) or delete it.
Now, download the core mod model from here, extract the World_of_Warplanes/res_mods/currentversion (the bottom number on the list should be the current version).
Then, download and extract (see above for location) the vehicle file for the aircraft you want swapped out from the following:
To deactivate the mod, delete the xml file located in World_of_Warplanes/res_mods/currentversion/vehicles and select either German (for the Ao192) or USSR (for the IL's).
A sneak peek if the steps were followed correctly....
If I do say so myself, I think this video is a good gameplay demonstration of the tier VII premium Gloster Meteor and proof that I shouldn't make movies as soon as I wake up. Perhaps, allowing the morning coffee to work through my system more might have helped....
I know I can't be the only aircraft enthusiast who has some kind of memorabilia associated with the topic.
Some might have the odd book, picture, model or memento from a loved one that actually served in an air force, past or present. Others might have rather large collections and able to convey the special to them meaning behind every piece. I think I am somewhere in the middle, a few items from all the columns.
However, this one is rather special to me.
A recent internet search produced some surprising results. Turns out this is a fairly inexpensive and widely available tea towel. In my case, an old man, claiming to be part of a wartime, Commonwealth bomber crew, gifted it to my captivated and interested younger self. Before I noticed that girls were a very good thing, I would sit with a small and growing smaller every passing year group of old men, who shared their experiences of the war. From those who claimed to be fighter pilots, dancing in the skies to other who rode up high on what one described as the "Rocky Bomber Highway," I would listen and absorb their adventures, good and bad, imagining myself with them on their journeys of recollection (no doubt that some details might have the embellishment treatment).
The tea towel was one of those few gifts that has survived all these years, bagged up and folded away, waiting for the right time to be mounted and displayed. My plan is to someday put into a "shadowbox" and hang it on the wall, next to some other items of interest to me.
Until then, barring any interruptions, I will fly the virtual versions of those aircraft in World of Warplanes, as more of them become available....
I got a Flight invitation from LMG from the World of Warplanes North America forums, I selected the tier IX British Heavy Fighter, Gloster P.228 and hit record....
I guess for bragging purposes, I should have had the cameras rolling on the solo battle right before that one....
