Many of you in the Armored Warfare Community have asked a lot of questions about the game. As part of our efforts to make it easier for you to get the answers to these questions, we've created a list of Frequently Asked Questions. If you don't find your question/answer below, please don't hesitate to post a thread in the General Discussion forum!
What is Armored Warfare? Armored Warfare is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online tactical military video game that puts you in control of modern tanks, armored vehicles and more! Armored Warfare features stunning next-gen visuals, dynamic destructible environments, customizable vehicles and intense team-based gameplay where players work to crush each other with the power of modern combat vehicles in a free-to-compete experience. Sign up to participate in the beta now at ArmoredWarfare.com!
Who is developing Armored Warfare? Armored Warfare is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, one of the world's premiere role-playing game development studios, located in sunny Irvine, California. For more information about Obsidian, please visit http://www.obsidian.net/
When will the Armored Warfare Beta begin? The closed beta will begin in Q1 of 2015.
How do I sign up for the Armored Warfare Beta? You can sign up to participate in the beta on the Armored Warfare website. On the homepage page, click on the "Sign up For Beta" button, and follow the instructions.
What is my goal in Armored Warfare? Your goal in Armored Warfare is to build the most powerful private military the world has ever seen! As you gain more combat experience and fight through more battles and scenarios you'll meet new characters and suppliers who will give you access to newer and even more powerful destructive machines, improved ammunition and other resources.
Will I be able to customize the Tanks & Armored Vehicles? Armored Warfare isn’t just about putting you in charge of operating tanks & armored vehicles, you’ll also be responsible for upgrading and maintaining these vehicles. We’re reveal more about how you’ll be able to upgrade your vehicles in the coming weeks and months!
What engine is Armored Warfare built on? Armored Warfare is built on the Cry Engine. With this engine you can expect true-to-life visuals and destructible environments that adds a new layer of strategy and complexity across every map and scenario where the face of a battlefield could change at a moment’s notice. The terrain is all-important for combat strategy, and it’s up to you to use it to its fullest potential. But beware, not all cover is permanent. Destructible environments mean you can’t hide behind a building forever!
What are the minimum system requirements for Armored Warfare? We have not announced the minimum system requirements for Armored Warfare. However, we can say that Obsidian Entertainment is developing the game in such a way that it should run on everything from high end PC's to everyday laptops.
What frame rate will Armored Warfare run at? The frame rate is not locked in Armored Warfare; it will run as fast as your computer can run it. The better your PC the higher the frame rate.
Will Armored Warfare have health bars? Currently we are working with a hybrid system where tanks have health bars, but can also be disabled in other ways (e.g. destroying a tread). Obsidian Entertainment is aiming to maintain realism while also give players the ability to make informed battlefield decisions.
What kind of Tanks & Armored Vehicles will be available in Armored Warfare? Armored Warfare is a modern “tanktical” shooter, and will feature tanks and armored vehicles from the 1950’s up to the present day.
What locations are available for battle in Armored Warfare? Obsidian Entertainment will continue to add new locations for battle as the game gets closer to Beta and while it is active. The goal is to include many different kinds of environments and locations, each with their own unique look-and-feel and challenges. Stay tuned!
What kind of controls are available for Armored Warfare? We haven't announced a complete list of supported controllers for Armored Warfare, but currently we are using keyboard and mouse. However, our engine natively supports gamepads as well.
How realistic will the tanks and armored vehicles in Armored Warfare be? Realism and historic accuracy is something we are extremely passionate about, and it's important to us to do these incredible machines justice. Obsidian Entertainment is working incredibly hard to be as accurate as possible with its renditions of vehicles, both in terms of external appearance and functionality.
Can I enter battles with friends in Armored Warfare? Absolutely! Armored Warfare will have a guild/clan system, and you will have the option of battling individually or in a group.
What languages will Armored Warfare support? Currently, Armored Warfare is available in English. If/when we add additional language support, we will announce it to the community.
Will Armored Warfare have PvE (Player vs. Environment) battles? Yes! Armored Warfare features Player vs. Player (PvP) battles, as well as cooperative PvE battles suitable for both solo players and small or large groups.
Will Armored Warfare require a subscription or purchase? No, Armored Warfare will be free-to-play.
Will Armored Warfare be available on Mac/Xbox One/Playstation 4? Currently we are aiming for a PC release. If we decide to launch on other platforms, we will announce it for the community.
How will vehicle progress be reflected in the game? To access better equipment and more advanced armored vehicles, you will need to gain experience. Unfortunately, you will not be able to begin the game with the most advanced modern vehicles and gear. We’ll go into more detail about progression in a future article!
What equipment will the game have? The game will have various armoured vehicles, tanks and artillery.
Will there be mod support, since the engine has a generally accessible SDK? Although the CryEngine does allow for modding, we will not allow this until the developers are convinced that mods are safe for all users, and are not detrimental to the play experience.
Will player combat statistics be tracked and displayed? The game will have a statistics screen. More will be revealed about it later, as this feature is currently being developed.
How many players will there be on the PVP map? This number is currently being determined. The developers are selecting the number of players to ensure a comfortable situation without making it a burden. We can only say for certain that the number will be more than 10.
Will the physics be arcade-like or more realistic? The developers will aim to maintain a balance between these styles. It is important to ensure that even a beginner can easily start the game, while maintaining room for improvement and expertise through advanced features, tricks and strategies within the game. We can say for sure that it will not be a simulator.
How will damage to vehicles be represented? The game will have hitpoints. The reason for this is simple: hitpoints provide information that enables players to easily evaluate risks and make strategic decisions on the fly. For example, should you remain under cover or can can you afford to come out and face the enemy.
How will the damage system work? Different parts of the tank will have different armour and, correspondingly, different vulnerability. As such, simply landing a hit on a tank will not be enough to incapacitate it in most cases. When hit, different modules can be damaged.
Is there any chance of ricochet or non-penetration? Yes. Ricochets are possible and much will depend on the type of armor.
How will ballistics work? Will projectile flight time be calculated individually? Yes, flight speed and trajectory will depend on several factors, including weapon and type of projectile.
Will there be any targeting assistance when firing? Yes, there will be a slight autocorrection for shooting ease.
To what extent is the environment destructible? Almost everything in the game world will be destructible. For example, houses (even stone buildings) will not provide reliable shelter against enemy fire. Given enough damage, they will be destroyed. Trees and bushes will also be destructible. This serves to create a tactical environment for the game. However, not everything can be destroyed (you can’t raze a hill, for example).
How will vehicles cross water hazards? Most vehicles can get navigate shallow water. However, if a vehicle enters very deep water, it may sink.
Can a machine get stuck in combat, for example, in the sand? In order to alleviate excessive frustration, getting stuck will be difficult. However, vehicles might fall into areas where they cannot escape due to their innate characteristics (such as falling into a ravine).
What will happen to vehicles when they are struck by enemy fire? Depending on their level and armor, vehicles will suffer various degrees of damage.
How will terrain affect tank speed? The type of surface will determine speed. Of course, much will also depend on the type of vehicle in question.
Will there be battles on maps based on historic locations of conflict? No, there are no plans to directly reproduce any real historic conflicts. Of course, some maps will be inspired by real-world locations. Some maps will be based on images from space, but the goal is not to duplicate those places.
How will the surroundings change during combat? Apart from the destruction caused by the players themselves, your surroundings will be dynamic. This means that at certain times there may be events that the player cannot influence, for example, a bridge could blow up, an airstrike could take place, or some other event could occur. These environmental elements can have a significant impact on combat and tactics.
What kind of rewards will there be for teamwork and collaborative play in PvE and PvP? How will players be incentivized to work together? In PVE, maps will contain secondary objectives that will be designed to require teams to work together to accomplish some goal. These secondary objectives are usually designed around accomplishing a task in a certain amount of time or coordinating efforts in multiple places within a short time frame to reward teams that can coordinate and cooperate. Accomplishing these secondary objectives will provide rewards for the whole team. In PVP, the nature of the game will require cooperative play in order to achieve victory. While individual players can make decisions or plays, no one can expect to win matches all by themselves.
How will you maintain the balance of tank characteristics? Will they correspond to reality or have deviations? The key to balancing vehicles in Armored Warfare is to start with the realistic properties and parameters of the vehicle and stay as close to them as possible. And then, during balance iteration, tune the parameters that are less realistic in the first place, such as Hit Points and Damage per Shell while trying to avoid touching the parameters that have published, real world values. Finally, when even more is required to balance vehicles, adjustments may be made in some of the softer stats of a vehicle. In other words, stats that are bit more variable, such as performance of a vehicle in various off-road conditions, typical reload times of the vehicle while under non-ideal conditions, such as being on the move or being fired upon, are likely candidates for balance adjustments when necessary.
Many games focus heavily on shooting/destroying an enemy. How will players be rewarded for playing Recon? Will it be competitive with other roles? Recon vehicles will be capable of packing a punch in the right situations. Recon vehicles armed with rapid firing autocannons will be able to sustain high damage per minute against light armored targets (other recon, artillery, tanks from behind). Recon vehicles armed with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) will be a threat to even MBTs from many angles. In addition, Recon vehicles will have access to unique mechanics related to being the eyes on the battlefield. Recon players that provide a lot of vision on the battlefield for their team and actively use their unique mechanics will be rewarded in terms of match rewards every bit as much as other roles can be rewarded for gaining damage and kills.
Will vehicles have special perks? Every vehicle class will have special perks that set it apart from the other vehicle classes. We will go into more detail about what these different mechanics are at a future time.
