Wings of War features more than 70 stages of gameplay across 13 unique levels featuring a vast array of missions, including action-packed military assignments as well as additional, "non-regulation" quests. Throughout Wings of War, players will have the opportunity to take side missions and accept duels and challenges from jealous rivals in order to gain points and prestige. By completing missions, side quests, various challenges and secret objectives within the game, new options become available that will allow players to upgrade their planes with new guns, rockets, engine enhancements, armor, and color schemes.
While the Siemens Schuckert D.III was never made in significant numbers, this German fighter's design would prove important to future aircraft design. First appearing in 1917 the Siemens Schuckert D.III was a very maneuverable machine with an impressive climbing rate. Tapped primarily for territorial defense; approximately 80 Siemens Schuckert D.III fighters were built in the course of the war.
The Sopwith F.1 Camel was developed to replace the Sopwith Pup. Initially known as the "Big Pup" the name “Camel” was adapted after a hump-shaped cover was to developed to guard it's twin Vickers machine guns. The Camels’ unusual balance gave it an unexpected maneuverability, which was well suited to experienced pilots stunting but also had a reputation for killing cadets, trainees and novices.
Camels entered the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the middle of 1917 and met with immediate success. Although mainly used in Western Europe, Camels also served in Italy. The Sopwith Camel is undoubtedly Sopwith's best-known design and arguably the best British scout aircraft of the First World War. A total of 5 490 Camels were built.
The Albatros D.III first appeared on the battlefield in January 1917 and quickly helped the German's retain air superiority for the first months of 1917. This powerful and maneuverable biplane was among the most successful German fighters and saw action on all fronts. German ace Manfred von Richthofen received one of the first Albatros D.III and earned the nickname "The Red Barron" after deciding to paint the plane bright red.
The versatile Bristol Fighter was a maneuverable, heavily armed two-seater biplane. Initially designed as a reconnaissance aircraft (the Type 9 or R.2), a more powerful engine led to conversion to the fighter role and a new designation, the Type 12 or F.2 "Bristol Fighter". Although the Bristol would become one of the most successful fighters of the war, the Bristol got off to a poor start when it was introduced to the Western Front in the notorious "Bloody April" incident. Inexperienced pilots and observers of the 48 Squadron were mistakenly instructed that the aircraft was structurally weak, and were instructed to avoid violent maneuvers during combat. The massacre nearly convinced the British to withdraw this aircraft from service, until the remarkable maneuverability and capacity of the craft became apparent. The Bristol Fighter remained in service with the RAF as an Army cooperation aircraft until 1932, Over 5,000 were built
First introduced in the summer of 1917 the Fokker Dr.1 is perhaps the plane most associated with Manfred von Richthofen (The Red Barron). Inspired in part by the Sopwith Triplane this German triplane was deadly in a dogfight. Its three wings and light weight allowed it to climb faster then any contemporary fighter. Other design elements such as its lack bracing wires and excellent upward visibility helped make it one of the best dogfighters of its day. Its small size also made it extremely maneuverable despite it slightly underpowered engines. Problems with the planes’ wings though plagued the Fokker Dr.1 and at one point the Germans Air Force was forced to ground the plane until improvements could be made.
The Nieuport XVII C1 became the primary fighters of the French Air Force after its introduction in March 1916. This lightweight, highly maneuverable fighter was popular among Allied pilots and was flown by a number of aces from different countries. Its introduction helped turn the tide of the Air War to the Allies favor throughout 1916. The plane was used extensively on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme and remained the Allies most effective fighter until the introduction of the Sopwith Camel in 1917.
The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin is considered by some to have been one of the best fighters of the war, and is almost universally agreed to be the most underrated. The ugliest of Sopwith's wartime designs, and one of the very few powered by an inline engine, the Dolphin was untypical in several ways. Designed in 1917, the Dolphin was in part, an attempt to address a common problem in earlier designs. In most biplanes, the pilot's view 'up and forward' is poor, and as that is where the pilot needs to 'see' in the steep turns necessary in combat, this is a serious flaw. The key design feature of the Dolphin was the open center section of the upper wing, with the pilot's head in the center of this opening, resulting in a totally unobstructed view of the entire upper hemisphere. This allowed for excellent upwards visibility, but caused concern in the event of overturning. After initial wariness, the Dolphin turned out to be an excellent high-altitude fighter. Although over 1,700 Dolphins were built, only five squadrons were equipped and operated at the front, and despite it's excellent high altitude performance, the Dolphin was used primarily for ground attack.
The Spad VII, a French designed fighter airplane, made its initial flight in July 1916. By the latter part of 1916 it began to appear on the front in both French and British combat squadrons. The airplane was an immediate success, primarily because of its structural ruggedness, which permitted it to dive at high speeds without disintegrating. Although less maneuverable than the pervasive Nieuports, the Spad VII was a strong, stable gun platform, with a first-rate turn of speed and an excellent climb capacity, up to 12,000ft. In a dogfight, the SPAD could not be turned in so small a space as the Nieuport, for example, and the large bottom wing handicapped the downward view. The absence of these typically Nieuport qualities was, however, more than adequately compensated for by its improved rate of climb, better ceiling and a higher top speed. The famed Lafayette Escadrille was using the Spad VII in February 1918 at the time it transferred from the French Aviation service to the Air Service, American Expeditionary Force.
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