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Latest Naval Q&A

Not so long ago we talked about how the development of the War Thunder fleet was proceeding. Today we present new developer answers, many of which you might have heard in the broadcast of an interview with Vyacheslav Bulannikov on Alatriste's channel on Sunday (was in Russian).

Will the aircraft and ground game mechanics concept remain the same for naval battles? Specifically, will the historical characteristics of the vehicles be more important than balance?

Historically accurate characteristics are an important part of the game but it doesn’t mean that we do not try to find balance for different types of vehicles. We do it through match-making, choosing suitable opponents for specific vehicles or through mission tasks and conditions where different vehicle types can gain victory in a different way.

How is shooting at long distances implemented?

At the moment the main mechanics remain the same as in the first tests - a player takes aim himself, distance to the target is calculated automatically and guns change their elevation angle accordingly, the speed of a player’s vehicle and the speed of the target are not taken into account - player should make corrections themselves. This system, especially with stabilizers, works fine at large distances but small miscalculation in aiming causes big mistakes in rangefinding thus making accurate fire very difficult. We plan to change the aiming mechanic so it will be comfortable at all distances, but keeping such things as range finding, adjustment of fire - can actually improve game play of the large distance shooting.

Will adjustment of fire mechanics be implemented?

At the moment we already have these mechanics and they are automatic, if you aim at a target that moves steadily and does not change range, hitting the same target is much easier than hitting a vessel that maneuvers and changes its speed.

Do you plan to implement “varied weather” and will it affect shooting and visibility?

It is planned and we have already implemented various weather types and sea conditions, but while we are testing the core gameplay mechanics, we will be using calmer weather conditions.

Will the vessel’s size affect the stability of fire when the sea is rough?

You could see it already during the previous tests - currently the sea is relatively calm for Destroyers, but if you chose a lighter craft, such as a Torpedo boat you could feel the difference.

Will AP and HE round roles will be implemented in a historically accurate manner? ​

We have already described how AP and HE rounds work in our latest devblog. If you want to inflict constant damage, cause local fires, create big breaches above the waterline - use HE shells, If you need to destroy powerplants or destroy ammo storage and cause a fire in compartments inside the ship? Go for AP rounds but aim accurately.

How accurately will “armouring” be reproduced?

As accurate as is possible in the game - no worse than for ground vehicles or aircraft. And yes, we divide the armour and construction elements of the vessel. Here’s an example for the pr. 1124 armoured boat.

“Tanking” principles? Should we rely on maneuvers or “angle” the vessel?

You might rely on “angling” in case you have decent armour defense which will increase or decrease at specific angles. Craft that barely have any armour should not rely on this - it may prove deadly for your vessel, e.g. an AP round may penetrate several compartments damaging both crew and modules and even reach the powerplants, maneuvering in this case is much more preferable.

If there’s a duel between a destroyer and a torpedo-boat the latter has no chances. How can they fight on one map?

It’s simple. A destroyer will not be able to see a torpedo boat at distances further than 500m - I’m Joking :) Of course smaller boats have no chance on open waters that's why we plan to separate maps into several zones: there will be open waters for artillery duels at larger distances and zones with lots of cover and capture zones.

Will shallows be implemented? Meaning that will there be places where boats would be able to operate while destroyers will ground in the shallows?

Yes, we already have maps with different depth levels that are suitable for craft with a shallow draft, whilst DD’s find it impossible to traverse. We also plan to use underwater landscape in the gameplay.

Boats and destroyers have depth charges that can be used in battle - does it mean that there will be specific targets for them?

Depth charges for smaller craft can be used as “grenades” with fuse delay against enemy boats. It won’t work for DD’s that’s why we removed this weaponry for them at the moment. Probably we will have PvE missions with, for example, submarines in the future. Then depth charges can be used for destroyers as well.

What do you think about dividing larger ships controls between several players - one is the commander, second one is responsible for the main calibre guns, third - for AA guns and secondary armament.

Our tests have shown that dynamics of the larger ships battles are slower that is why dividing controls between several players might not be a good idea. The most exciting and interesting moments are when you have to decide what you should prioritise - fire from the main guns or take the controls of the AA guns to shoot down an incoming torpedo bomber. Dividing controls between players will divide the action as well which will make it boring for everyone, Moreover the cooperation problem between random players will still remain.

Which ship classes do you plan to introduce after the destroyers? Should we expect destroyer leaders and light cruisers?

Cooperation between boats, aircraft and destroyers already causes many problems/questions from the balance point of view as well as map design etc. Adding bigger ships that will have an armament advantage over destroyers similar to what advantage destroyers have over boats is a more complex task. It is too early to say right now, however we are not completely excluding the possibility of larger ship introduction.

Can a ship be destroyed by flooding?

Yes. Vessels can be destroyed both from a single powerful explosion (for example if hit by a torpedo) or several breaches beneath the waterline. During the test you should have noticed that if your ship had buoyancy of about 70%, its draft increased (more under the surface), consequently with a speed reduction because your craft was heavier with a few tons of water.

Unrepaired breaches will cause flooding and sinking

Will another player be able to help me with repairs?

We are not excluding this possibility, but it’s too early to say - vessels have much more survivability than tanks and probably there will be no gameplay necessity for this feature. But as I have already mentioned - it is too early to say at the moment.

How will smoke screens be implemented?

Smoke screens will be implemented similar to what we already have in ground vehicles and thus smoke will make things difficult for the enemy, hiding you, but it will also obscure your vision concealing your opponents.

Do you plan PvE-missions? Convoy defense, search and destroy submarines etc.?

We already have certain PvE elements in our PvP missions - we have already shown convoys and this time we had tasks to destroy cargo ships behind enemy lines. In the future, once we decide that PvP mode is more or less prepared and accepted by the players we are not excluding that PvE will become available - we have PvE for ground and air battles after all.

What nations vessels do you plan to show us?

I think that we will show some American and probably Japanese craft.

You can ask your question to the developers on our official forum in the "Questions to the Team" section.