A new "Flight School" video for World of Warplanes gives an overview of the game's four classes of planes and their uses in combat.
Light fighters are maneuverable and fast, designed for gaining air superiority, however they struggle against well-armored targets and will take significant damage on ground-attack runs. The more heavily armored heavy fighters are not nearly as maneuverable and suffer in dogfights that require them to bank, but are faster and carry higher firepower, making them well-suited for diving runs from above.
Attack planes are made for destroying ground emplacements and are the most durable of the bunch, gaining a bonus to camouflage when flying at low altitudes. Their tail gunner offers some protection from other planes, but they are at a severe disadvantage in dogfights. Carrier-based aircraft are the most customizable and hardest to classify, with Japanese aircraft being more like light fighters and American aircraft being more like heavy fighters.
The trailer also offers a quick look at different compositions for a three-plane flight, and the sort of tactics each flight might use.
According to the closed beta infographic posted on the Warplanes site, the most popular planes for each class are the German BF-109B light fighter, the German BF-110B heavy fighter, the Russian LBSH attack plane and the American F2A carrier-based plane. The infographic also says that players in the beta fought more than 95 million battles, more than all commercial passenger flights in 2012.
World of Warplanes is currently in open beta testing.
