Not as advertised.

There are some, out there, that would have you believe this is the current state of World of Warplanes. Are they right? Are they wrong? My answer would be both.

First, how are they right. The build up to and immediately after World of Warplanes was released was a dizzy fanfare of attention and involvement from both those at the staff level right down to the playerbase. Sadly, that lost direction and momentum that has not fully recovered, to date. Excitement turned to bitterness, many left, leaving behind strong words on the forum before slamming the door behind them. Others, just slipped away, silently into the night. As the population numbers started to fall rather sharply, the remaining players turn to the regional staff with questions about the deteriorating situation. While some suggestions seemed rather radical, others were indeed more sensible. Both were, for the most part, treated with silence or a token comment to quiet the episode down.

Currently, the strong sense of abandonment on the North America server just can't be waved off as a trivial thing. The game here has a established history of a high Community Manager turnover rate. Communications, from those the administer the game to those that play it, or even have a passing interest, either comes much too late or not ever. Even the forum interaction and participation from those at the staff level seems to give off a "Well, I guess I pulled the shortest straw" to "I better post something, give the impression we are still in touch with things".

If one spends even the smallest amount of time on the European Union and Russian portals and forums, somebody should be able to see an immediate difference between the regions. The lack of parity for game specials and events. One region, the EU, has been sponsoring a Community based Clan Wars, an ongoing event to give those highly competitive players an arena to show off their skills and collect the rewards of time invested and effort expended. The North America server had a similar event as well, but it was more "for fun". The winners walked away with only short lived bragging rights, now, mostly forgotten about.

Looking at all of the staff level involvement with the established sister game, World of Tanks, has some wondering if and/or when some of the same events and attention will come/return to the game. Unfortunately, that answer appears to be a very strong no. With World of Warships steaming ahead, the North America regional staff look to be stretched to the limits, except for those who are "exclusive" to World of Tanks.

And, that is just the beginning of a bigger problem. From the time World of Warplanes was released, up to the current version, there have been "technical difficulties". Radical changes to the ingame aircraft, weapons characteristics, flight models and the very environment the game is built on. Some of these changes were gradual and/or announced in advance, others were a drastic surprise, with little to no explanation. Very much like starting to eat a fully loaded hamburger and on the second bite, discover it was replaced with a grilled cheese.

While I haven't covered every single issue that some would like me to point out, here is enough to paint a picture that most should see. Part of the problem points upward, to those who have created, changed and administered this game to the players.

Now, here is where I say they are wrong. The current North America Community is still very strong and dedicated to the game and each other, despite being so low in numbers. Sure, there are outbreaks of disagreement and some mudslinging, but not all families get along, all of the time. If you are old enough to remember The Waltons or even Malcolm in the Middle, you know what I am talking about.

There is a small, select number of players that still create written guides and videos, offer advice in a constructive manner and are willing to fly with new players or those who are having difficulties. They have taken it upon themselves, despite all of the negativity surrounding the perception of the game, to maintain decorum and a sense of service. These players are easy to spot on the forums, one only has to look for them.

And much like a town, where the entire staff from City Hall have up and quit, including the Mayor, the Community continues on. I was part of another, rather large gaming community, where the publisher fired the entire development staff. Chaos ensued for a short period of time, but order came when a "caretaker" staff was put in place to keep the game going. At first, the new staff appeared to want very little to do with the game or the community. The initial perception of them was they were there just keeping the servers running and continue generate revenue. However, little by little, they came to the forums, started to interact and then eventually, took charge of the situation. They still stumbled here and there, but even today, that game is still running, albeit with a much smaller population than when I left.

Remember that picture of the hangar, before reading all of this? Perhaps it isn't wrong for others to see this game, in that state. They might be right with all of the current problems and issues being solely on the shoulders of the developers and staff. However, that is my hangar too, and it is still standing. It and myself haven't given up the fight to make sure it doesn't fully collapse to the ground.

I still need to place to put my planes.