Armored Warfare Interview: On February 20, My.com will unleash Armored Warfare onto PS4 after having spent on a nearly three year stint on PC. A futuristic free-to-play, vehicle based MMO where players furiously wage war against each other across the globe to earn money to buy bigger and better vehicles and upgrades, Armored Warfare looks like it could well be what the doctor ordered when it arrives in just a couple of short weeks.
Play Armored Warfare on PS4 now
Ahead of that, PS4 players can already gain early access to Armored Warfare and check out everything it has to offer two weeks before the free-to-play MMO launches.
To get the lowdown on the game we’ve conducted this Armored Warfare interview with the game’s publisher, My.com, in order to see just what all of the fuss is about.
PSU: After being released on PC a couple of years ago, when was the decision made to work on the PS4 version of the game, and how long has the PS4 version of Armored Warfare been in development?
My.com: As developers we were always motivated by the will to expand the Armored Warfare franchise beyond the PC audience and this was considered even before Open Beta. Before the summer of 2016 we actively started looking for means of making the launch happen.
PSU: Can PS4 Pro owners expect any significant visual improvements from Armored Warfare over the base PS4 version?
My.com: At launch there are no differences between the PS4 and PS4 PRO versions. The game has an incredible backlog of content for itself on PC since its Open Beta end of 2015. We are currently focused on getting as many modes and features to PS4, but in the future, we are not excluding the possibility of implementing such differences.
PSU: Now that Armored Warfare is effectively going multiplatform, will there be an opportunity for cross platform play in the future?
My.com: Right now, this is beyond the development scope. The PC game is not at the same stage of development as the console one, so this is not likely to happen soon.
PSU: Armored Warfare's vehicles are split into five different classes, with this in mind, how many usable vehicles are we looking at in total?
My.com: At this moment there is over 100 vehicles available in the current version, and we're planning to expand this list greatly across all classes.
PSU: When it comes to the vehicles themselves, is there a progression tree which unlocks new skills and abilities, or, does progression only come from physical upgrades to your vehicle?
My.com: The vehicles themselves have their own progression through the “dealers” section. Different vehicles have different characteristics and perform different roles in combat. Abilities that can evolve over time are also tied to commanders, which can be shared between multiple vehicles at the same time, and they evolve using their own progression system. So there are direct and indirect to progress the gameplay.
PSU: Given that Armored Warfare is a free-to-play game, how fair is the monetization model? How long can players realistically expect to play before having to pay for upgrades and new vehicles?
My.com: We aim to keep the monetization model as fair as possible. We created a game in which you don't need to pay at all if you aim to discover all the vehicles within the progression lines, as well as buy upgrades for them. Premium benefits are mostly tied to boosting your progress, be that for the XP for your vehicles or crew, or to gain credits. There is also a number of premium vehicles in the game, but those are balanced to be on par with their progression equivalents. Lastly, there is a fair amount of visual customization, which we hope to vastly expand, which can be bought exclusively for premium currency, which is primarily bought for money.
PSU: In terms of the vehicles, can we expect to see extensive damage modelling, and is there an opportunity for attacks to knockout crucial subsystems such as movement, cannons and so on?
My.com: Damage is detailed, until tanks are destroyed in full. It's not necessarily easy to spot at first glance what on the tank has been damaged, this is mostly indicated by notifications. Some pieces of armor can fall off though or reactive armor shows it has been used. Mechanic-side however, the damage model is something we are really proud of. It is extremely extensive and covers multiple factors, such as what type of shells are shot (including a different damage model for rockets), the type of armor the vehicle has, the angle the projectile connects, and much more. Inside the tank, there is a detailed model of modules, which can be knocked out or damaged based on external factors. The system has a healthy learning curve, to understand what is what and how to deal most damage, but it's hard to master.
PSU: There are already two similar titles on the market in War Thunder and World of Tanks; what does Armored Warfare offer that those titles do not?
My.com: The Armored Warfare title offers a different approach to gameplay. Firstly, we have an extensive PVE mode, which will launch with multiple missions and will vastly expand over time. This allows playing in small, 5 player teams, possibly just groups of friends, in engaging scenarios against AI opponents. Secondly, we have our GLOPS gaming mode, which combines PVE and PVP elements. This is the core game mode we aim most of our players to focus on, which allows you to capture objectives, power-ups, and be on a dynamic battlefield which also has AI opponents, not just other players. Armored Warfare also offers futuristic setting, in which we can bridge fiction and fact, allowing us for certain liberties (like using tanks that are at concept stages of design), that historical games can't do without breaking immersion.
PSU: Will the season structure from the PC version carry over to the PS4 version of Armored Warfare, and if so, what can PS4 owners expect from it?
My.com: We are looking into rebuilding many more features from the PC version into the PS4 version, but can't promise any dates as of yet. We are really happy with the results of the seasonal content, so hopefully this will happen in the foreseeable future.
PSU: Armored Warfare's maps span the world; from dusty African deserts to snowy Russian tundra – will any of the extreme weather in these locations affect gameplay, and if so, what special weather effects can we expect?
My.com: Surely, we have a lot of maps for battles around the globe, there is a lot of different time zones, regions and nature. but do remember, that Armored Warfare is a game about most modern tanks. Modern tanks are not that much affected by weather (since they “see” the battlefield with modern visual aids), but yes, sometimes you can face some nature events that will change your gameplay.
PSU: Though Armored Warfare is heavily skewed towards online competitive and co-operative play, is there any possibility in the future of story driven campaign content?
My.com: It's something we are looking into. We can't promise anything right now, but story-driven content in online tank shooters is something that has a possible bright future and we made our firsts steps successfully exploring it.
PSU: Many thanks for taking the time to answer these questions and to help clue our audience in from the answers you have given in this Armored Warfare interview. It’s greatly appreciated.
Before its full release on February 20, Armored Warfare will roll into Early Access on PS4 two weeks earlier on February 6. Additionally, if players sign up now, a special premium MERC edition of the LAV-150 armored vehicle will be gifted free of charge after the game is released. If you enjoyed this Armored Warfare interview, you can visit the official website, and check out our Armored Warfare hub, here.
Armored Warfare interview conducted with the support of My.com.