As BVVD said in Q&A video,
Q: Are there any plans to introduce more WW2 vehicles to make mid range BRs more diverse?
A:
I checked – each year, we add about 30 to 40 vehicles from the first half of the 20th century.Given how many mid-rank vehicles are already in the game and how well those parts of the tech tree are filled out, adding even more vehicles of that era doesn’t make much sense.
That’s why we more often than not use those kinds of vehicles in special events and activities.
Still, there are quite a few interesting vehicles from that era that can and will be added over time.
I know that you are not saying that you are no longer adding any WW2 vehicles, but I have to reject the premise behind this answer. Does the first half of each tree technically have more vehicles than the second half? Yes. Are there more modern vehicles that need to be added to fill out the top ranks? Yes. However, I feel as if there is an insinuation that these WW2 vehicles are mere roadblocks to players who want to access top-tier vehicles. Or, at the very least, that the development of WW2 vehicles is “done”. This is not fair, and not true to what War Thunder should be. War Thunder isn’t just a modern vehicle game. It’s supposed to be WW2, the Cold War, AND the modern era. There should be no surprise that there are players who favor WW2 vehicles even when they have top tier, like myself, or even that there are players who play WW2-era vehicles exclusively despite being Level 100.
What I am hearing here is that it “doesn’t make much sense” to continue to support these players by adding new and interesting vehicles from this era to the game. There are dozens, if not hundreds of vehicles from this era that can be added to each tree. And I sadly must assert that these additions of “30 to 40 vehicles” each update are really anemic. How many of those are copied from other trees? Take a look at France. It has an extremely underdeveloped air tree despite the storied history of French aviation. If we include early Cold War aviation as well, it seems to me that HALF of the French air tree is just copypasted vehicles from the USA and the UK. This is a disgrace for a country that has countless unique indigenous airframes. And then you added the Netherlands to make the play more interesting, but have decided to drip-feed unique Dutch airframes while adding copypastes wherever you can. And, if we do get any highly anticipated WW2 vehicles, why should players have to hold their breath to see if these vehicles are going to be event-locked or premium? As a Japan main, I see that the only WW2 vehicles added to Japan in the last couple of years were the B7A2 and Ki-48, both of which are technically event vehicles. Where is the Ki-64? The Ki-93, the A6M8? The Ki-46?? I’m sure fans of other nations can name other anticipated planes that have yet to be added to War Thunder. And yet, now you say that it “doesn’t make much sense”. Since when? Did you always think like this? Because as far as I can tell, Gaijin has been kicking the can of WW2 vehicles down the road for a long, long time.
Sure, I get it. A lot of players are excited to see the addition of new modern vehicles and weapons. As am I. However, it shouldn’t be necessary to remind you that War Thunder is also a WW2 game. There should be no reason for it to atrophy. With this announcement, you have simply confirmed the fears of many players. I already know a few prominent suggestors who have decided to call it quits because now their WW2 vehicles are unlikely to ever come. If you think it’s an issue of progress, and you’re afraid of players complaining about “WW2 slop” when they want their shiny new Su-35 in the future, then you need to make the brave choice of separating WW2 vehicles so that they have their own tree to ensure development.
