Once upon a time, there was a casual WWII flight simulator called War Thunder. Just over a decade after it entered the scene, the game is now on the verge of adding modern infantry combat, including the fearsome FPV drones that control the Ukrainian steppe.
War Thunder’s addition of infantry came as a shock to its loyal (and occasionally rabid) fan base last year, with many going as far as claiming it was an early April Fools’ joke. The game’s official website dropped the news that they are headed towards the second phase of the closed beta testing for the infantry.
Though this is a Gaijin Entertainment product, the promises made about the future of infantry in War Thunder look like we will get what Battlefield 6 should have been.
What to Expect from War Thunder Infantry Combat?
War Thunder’s infantry maps will have 128-player lobbies split between two teams and with no bots, so you’ll be able to fight and piss off real people rather than [Bot]GenericGamer_67.
This round of testing will introduce new missions to check out all the new features and help balance the multitude of factors that infantry combat adds.
A new map called Al-Massa is being added, which, as the name implies, is heavily inspired by Middle Eastern cities. In the new map, the infantry will have their gear and uniforms adapted to match the environment. Desert skins and tan drip are back in fashion.
Gaijin is limiting the number of armoured vehicles of a single type to keep the game balanced and to avoid meta spam.
Among new mechanics, players can go from the lobby to fight at a respawn point or next to a member of their squad. You can even choose which member of the squad on the minimap or from the drop-down list to the left of it; the server will follow up by calculating a route to the respawn point and the nearest possible location where no one will see your spawn. This will get you back in the fight quicker, but it does not come with the temporary invulnerability of main base spawns.
War Thunder’s infantry maps will have 128-player lobbies split between two teams and with no bots, so you’ll be able to fight and piss off real people rather than [Bot]GenericGamer_67.
New weapons are also coming to the beta test, including the Soviet AKS-74U (a shortened version of the AK-74 5.45x39mm assault rifle), the modern Belgian FN SCAR-L assault rifle, Russia’s new KORD 6P68 assault rifle, and the American Colt 9mm submachine gun (also known as the Colt Model 635).
To aid against enemy drones and ground forces at close quarters, players are getting two military shotguns. From Russia comes the Saiga-12, a box magazine-fed shotgun developed from the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Its American counterpart will be the Mossberg 590, a modern but traditional pump-action shotgun.
Supply crates have also been tinkered with so that there is a limit to restocks from lighter medical crates. The explosives crate, in addition to restocking grenades, will also replenish the UAV launch limit.
The user interface gets a boost with the latest update, as now you can see the equipment weight during the spawn selection phase. The weapon icons are revamped, and a virtual camera is added to better control your drones.
To top it off, the game audio is improved with optimised spatial audio with the accuracy of sound positioning, so it gives a more enhanced sound experience.
There is no exact release date for the War Thunder infantry combat, but you can apply for the closed playtest on the official website.
