Pilots!
We’re approaching the start of the Open Beta test phase, followed by the official release of World of Warplanes. Today we're going to share with you our outline for the development, how it will be handled, and what features are still in store for you, our players.
When Open Beta begins, at a date that's still to be determined, we'll perform a "hard wipe" that will reset all of achievements, planes, Credits, and Gold earned by pilots. This is a standard industry procedure to make sure we have an even playing field for all of the new pilots that join our ranks in the next phases of Open Beta.
Another element slated for a change is that we'll completely remove "Test Gold" from Warplanes, replacing it with Tokens. The number of Tokens given to each pilot will be determined by how much experience they had accumulated before the wipe, and everyone will have the option to earn more Tokens through playing in our Open Beta.
The first stage of Open Beta will see the implementation of this Token system. The only exception will be Premium account status; that will be given automatically to all players.
The second stage of the Open Beta test will will have another wipe of the remaining Premium accounts and Tokens. At this point players will be able to purchase a Unified Premium Account for the earned tokens, this will be active for both World of Tanks and World of Warplanes if the accounts are linked. Moreover in the World of Warplanes the tokens can be used for purchasing premium aircrafts and hangar slots, converting experience and crew training, as well as converting them into credits.
There will be one final server wipe before the release of World of Warplanes to ensure all players are on an equal footing in regard to Tech Tree progression, whether they were test pilots or not.
At this point, we'll also enable Gold for purchase with real world money. Conversion of plane specific experience to Free experience will also be implemented. Expect to see a similar model to that which appears in World of Tanks.
For those of you have been actively helping us test World of Warplanes as test pilots, you will be suitably rewarded for your hard work and dedication. The level of reward will be directly related to the level of activity for each player, measured by the number of battles in which they participated.
Testers will be broken up into two groups: pilots with at least 100 battles and those with more than 700 battles across the entire testing period (from the Alpha up until World of Warplanes' release). You can check this stat in-game under Achievements or on your profile on the World of Warplanes website.
Pilots with at least 100 battles will be rewarded with an exclusive emblem and medal in game, while pilots with more than 700 battles under the belt will have access for up to three unique tester aircraft (the specifics of which will remain a secret for now). Suffice to say that these planes herald from the Soviet, German, and American branches of aviation development, two of them are fighters, and one is a ground attack aircraft.
Testing of World of Warplanes is not yet complete, but is steadily approaching the end of the runway. Expect to see large scale air battles, epic victories, and heroic achievements. In the meantime, we encourage you to continue to take part in testing out various types of new aircraft and the immersive and exciting air combat experience. Get airborne!