As a starter, my perspective is that an event (which the community waits a YEAR for) should be fun.
The map: Literally flanders, just reskinned. I like flanders but pretty low effort especially regarding the fact there is only 1 variation.
The vehicles: The A7V has 18 crew members. 18. It is practically unkillable by an Entente tank. The beutepanzer and the Mark V are literally the exact same aswell as the garford. The garford is UNPLAYABLE. It cant get over the small hills on the map and is practically useless with horrible cannons. The air vehicles are fine I guess but none are even effective so it matters very little.
The expectations: Gaijin dropped a fabulous trailer the other day. It showcased playable infantry and seemed really fun with an expansive-looking map. Then they dropped this. I’m sure some people are having fun but seriously. I would have preferred a new world war over this.
The rewards: The tanks will be unplayable in normal matches regardless, most of the planes are unattainable except for the least fun one, and theres only a title apart from that. Keep in mind these rewards are also un-sellable.
Overall I think this event will come as a disappointment to a large portion of the community. I wish it was what they showcased in that trailer or at least something else. I would rather have the mad dog event back for a second time if anything. Sorry for my rant, just really disappointed as I usually have lots of fun and play-time from these AF events.
All rewards are BR1.0 and not even premium like how low tier event ones should be. So… basically you get some worse reserve vehicles that have absolutely no use, unless for those “collectors” of pixel vehicles.
Apart from the slightly questionable balance, i think this event is great fun, and the garland car is easily my favourite vehicle, lobbing HE at people is wonderful.
A bit weird that the vehicles arent premiums but to be honest a premium 1.0 isnt that much more useful than any other 1.0
Except four of those vehicles are literally copy-paste of another, with the only unique vehicles being the cardboard bomber, the Saint, and the German thing of doom.
I didnt count the copy pastes, theres 10 if you count the copy pastes
Just because theres 2 of the garland doesn’t mean you completely excude both from being counted either, its still counted as 1 unique vehicle (unique in the regard of not already existing in warthunder)
I haven’t actually played the german team in the event yet, but from fighting it, i reckon the char would’ve been way better, especially the char with the 155mm gun
The air parts are really good. Shooting down a Zeppelin with a Spad was a unique little play moment and I enjoyed that very much, cockpits are gorgeous.
I kinda wish they’d had more plane models to do a WW1 mode just about that. Still keep the infantry as ground targets, same map even, just make the planes what you spawn in first with the tanks as rewards (and earnables). I’d have enjoyed that more. But it’s certainly not for everyone.
I agree that event is a disappointment. It’s not that Gaijin did a bad job. They programmed the AI infantry to actually work well, they made multiple entirely new vehicles, and the map as well.
The problem is that a WW1 event would never be fun in the first place. The vehicles are slow, underpowered, and extremely frustrating to play, and nothing would change that. If you have ever played any of these vehicles in Ground RB, you will find that they are terrible even at 1.0. They are slow, have little armour, and very destructive gun angles.
I have seen players asking for WW1 vehicles for years, but never have thought of it as a good idea. These vehicles simply unfit for the game. Even MRLS systems and strategic jet bombers are much more realistically possible to implement as fun vehicles.