On the other hand, the game will offer significant control flexibility. Players can use gamepads, mouse and keyboard, or joysticks to fly. However, Belozerov noted that users on specific controller types won't have an advantage over the basic mouse interface. "It's all about the flying skill," he says.

I used to play flight sims heavily in the past, and even had a sophisticated rudder and joystick setup, but I decided to try out an arena mission with just mouse and keyboard, using the Russian La-5, which offered a balance of agility and weaponry. The mouse behaved much like the controls in the old Microsoft Game Freelancer. The cursor essentially leads the aircraft, and a small reticule shows you where your bullets will go.

It took a few minutes to get back into the swing of flying, and only a few of my bullets actually scored hits. But I survived until the end of the combat, with my "team" winning. The whole battle took all of ten minutes--this is not a game where you need to immerse yourself for hours at a time, though players often spend hours pushing through multiple missions.

Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi discussed the levels of involvement players can take in both World of Tanks and World of Airplanes.

Most seem to be casual players, jumping into arenas, winning or losing, while gradually leveling up their vehicles. However, more serious players can participate in a clan system, in which teams fight a persistent war over many territories laid out on a virtual map of the world. Kislyi recognizes that the clan system requires a substantial time investment, and the company is looking for some middle ground better suited for players with limited time.