Not long ago, Gaijin Entertainment Company announced naval battles v War thunder... Players took the news quite positively in anticipation of sea battles with destroyers, cruisers, battleships and even aviation. But it was not there ... The developers said that at this stage, the introduction of ships more than a destroyer, under the control of the player is not planned. To begin with, we decided to introduce boats.

Many took it negatively, because they so wanted to cut the sea surface on a large, mighty ship, but not on a flat-bottomed boat, which is thrown from the slightest excitement.

Fell immediately negative reviews players say "Where are the normal ships?". But let's look at everything adequately. Firstly, the ships have not even entered the CBT yet. Secondly, as the developers said, it is NOT EXCLUDED that large ships appear under the control of the players, everything will decide the results of the CBT.

That is, a wipe from scratch, however, as always.
Just the other day we were shown the battle of ships on a small test map.

Naturally, the boats that have already been shown to us took part (by the way, most likely they will be put on the 1st rank). The battles came out really dynamic. I don’t know how much this will interest players at the release stage, but at this stage everything looks pretty interesting. By the way, about the optimization, they say that it is better than in tanks, but you shouldn't rejoice because knowing the "snails" everything can change literally in the next patch.
On this moment we know the following:

Fleet CBT very soon. Maybe 1.63
Whether there will be large ships will be decided by the results of the closed beta test.
There will be smoke.
Optimization in ships is better than in tanks.
Joint battles only with aircraft. Joint battles with tanks will be tested at the CBT.
Torpedo response threshold - 50 meters minimum.
Ship destruction methods: critical damage to modules, such as blowing up ammo, fires. Loss of the entire crew, if less than 2 people remain, then the vehicle is considered lost. Gradual flooding after receiving damage below the waterline, not necessarily torpedo damage.
CBT will take place in the main client of the game in the events.
Anti-aircraft guns of the boat under the full control of the player.
There will be no submarines.
There will be no homing anti-ship missiles.
There will be no ramming damage, but the boat can be turned over.
There will be depth charges

We will follow the development and you write what you think about this. Will War Thunder's fleet be interesting to you? What would you like to see in the game?

Here are some screenshots of the boats

Let's start right away with the fact that War Thunder fleet will be part of the WT game world. Already players taking part in air battles, can see different types of ships, have the ability to interact with them, and even land and take off from aircraft carriers. At the same time, the detail of the ship models is very pleasing to the eye and does not raise doubts about the readiness and quality.

War Thunder fleet is one of the most anticipated online client games. Sea wolves missed worthwhile games... How many worthy projects where the fleet has been implemented can you name? Usually only Silent Hunter is remembered with its great graphics, gameplay and realism. Nothing else comes to mind for many.

It is also important and obvious that the company that occupied this gaming niche first will be able to conquer more players. "Snail" and "Potato" are simultaneously working on their projects.

But we can see the progress and activity of the "snails" already now, which cannot be said about the offshore project "Potatoes", which did not find great popularity.

At the moment, information on the fleet is scarce. War Thunder ships are already available as part of closed beta testing! Our prediction is approximately that War Thunder fleet release date this is 2017. Most likely, in 2017 the game will be released officially, because the beta test of the game began on 11/25/2016.

What ships can appear in the game?

Fans of flying might have noticed that a large number of different types ships. So the game now has destroyers, battleships, cruisers, transport ships, landing ships and cargo ships. That is, we see that a certain basis of the war thunder client ships already exists, and it is implemented very well. At the moment, the developers have announced that light ships will appear in the game first - boats, boats and small destroyers.

In theory, submarines can also appear in the game. After all, War Thunder has already implemented a torpedo launch system, albeit only from aircraft. But such a basis is clearly a positive fact, saying that there will be submarines in War Thunder. At least we, as well as hundreds and thousands of other players, really hope so ...

Exciting aerial battles on aircraft and ground battles of tank platoons are already available in the game, but fans are still interested in the appearance of a third type of transport in War Thunder. Ships - main topic discussions since the announcement of the imminent appearance in the project of the opportunity to feel like an admiral. The addition of marine vessels over the years has sprouted a lot of facts and rumors that will be of interest to any fan.

Expansion announcement

Back in 2012, Gaijin Entertainment told gamers about its plans to add ships to War Thunder. The idea immediately found positive reviews in the fan community. After all, test yourself in naval battles and winning must be as exciting as fighting on the ground or in the air.

As soon as the emotions passed, a period of intense anticipation began, which lasted until 2016. From time to time, the players raised this topic, but the developers only replied that the work was ongoing and everyone should wait a little longer. During this time, the audience of the game grew, as did the popularity of the project itself.

The first ships

The fact that ships would appear in War Thunder sooner or later was also indicated by the fact that they were on some maps. Locations with coastal waters allowed players to watch the landing of troops from boats and naval forces in the form of battleships or destroyers. However, the whole problem was that they were completely controlled artificial intelligence, and the players did not have such an opportunity. They were surprised that with the introduction of naval battles, developers continue to hesitate. It would seem that they already have ready-made code for some models, and work on creating other samples should not take too long.

Curious gamers who participated in missions have repeatedly tested the power of the flotilla on their warplanes. A direct assault on a destroyer always ended in failure, because the AA defenses had time to target and inflict critical damage even on a fast target. To clean them up and reduce the risk of hitting the shore, gamers flew into the target from above and dropped bombs at coordinates. This tactic proved to be quite effective in the fight against powerful modern ships.

Player reflections on the fleet

After the announcement that ships would become available for control in War Thunder, players immediately began to think about the types of models available. Since the game had already seen destroyers and battleships controlled by computers, fans considered their appearance a must. In addition, gamers dreamed of seeing huge aircraft carriers in action that would be able to take aircraft on board and provide Maintenance... According to this concept, ships should be divided into classes: fast, long-range, defensive and attacking. Such a division would be logical from the point of view of the role component.

The only danger was that a battle involving ten aircraft carriers could lead to the occupation of the entire map space. Smaller ships would have no room to maneuver, leading to outrage from users. That is why the players came to the conclusion about the need to limit the participation of aircraft carriers in battles and brought it to the developers. The developers replied to this that they are aware of a similar problem and continue to work in this direction.

Sailing fleets

The question of when the ships will be released in War Thunder became more open in March 2016. It was then that the developers announced closed testing of the add-on, which will introduce sailing ship battles into the game.

It was decided to introduce this non-standard type of transport due to the huge history of the world fleet. The ships were still in service with the Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans. However, the heyday of the fleet fell on the 17th century. This is the time that will become Starting point for pumping transport.

It is not yet known when exactly the ships will appear in War Thunder. The release date is hiding. However, players can take part in battles right now. To do this, just go to the "Events" tab in the client, and there will be a battle on the seas, if, of course, an event is being held at this time.

The British galleon of the first rank "Golden Hind" was opened for the players to try on the first test. Over time, models of other countries will be added by developers to this section. The planned number of ships is still unknown, but over time, the authors of the project will introduce new samples to increase interest among fans.

Changes in the game with the introduction of the fleet

In 2015, the first hints appeared that ships would appear in War Thunder. The release date is scheduled for about the current year, but the developers do not indicate the exact numbers.

Players guessed about the introduction of ships after the appearance of seawater with realistic physics... At the same time, work was underway to create a variety of weather conditions on the battle maps. When entering the battle, you will immediately have to take into account the state of the water, otherwise the chosen tactics may simply not justify themselves. Calm seas will appear as often as a wild storm. It is worth preparing for the fact that weather conditions will become the main enemy in battle. Sometimes it will be better to take a waiting position and watch the enemy's attempts to fight nature than to make a head-on assault.

After watching the video from the first test, many players had a question about how to play ships in War Thunder and when it can be done. Gamers will have to wait for future tests, because the developers are constantly working on an add-on and do not want to release a raw product.

Graphics and realism

After the developers showed the video from the first test sailing fleet, on the forums more and more often the question of how to play ships began to arise. War Thunder promises more than just the new kind battles, but truly spectacular battles. After all, the transport models are made with high realism, and even the most small parts elaborated in accordance with the historical description.

The destructibility in battle is also pleasing. Chips fly off ships, cannonballs fly off with sparks, sails break through, and as a result they go to the bottom. The developers have tried to squeeze the maximum capabilities out of the game core. The video also shows the technology of photorealistic calculation of the sky and clouds. Players will have to fight more than once at sunset, at dawn or even at dusk.

Together with the change of weather, this aspect will primarily influence tactics. Fans from all over the world just have to wait for the release of the add-on in order to conquer the sea.

PR Director of Gaijin Entertainment Alexander Trifonov shared the latest information regarding the upcoming global update. We will find out when the CBT and MBT will begin, as well as the specifics of local water battles!

Hello Alexander. Tell latest news your company. What can players expect from the project?

Our original idea was to make realistic online game about all types of military equipment. That is, with aviation, armored ground vehicles, and now warships. And all this is within the framework of one game, even one server. Ships with planes will fight in one battle, and someday tanks with ships.

At the start of the beta test, there will be about 30 ships for all nations in the game. Let me remind you that these are: the USSR, USA, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, that is, all the main participants in the Second World War. Of course, more and more ships, fresh maps and game modes will be constantly added later.

The other side of the project is realism. We, of course, do not make a hardcore simulator out of the game, but provide the player with the degree of realism that is generally possible in a mass game. So there is no need to doubt that the ships will be made with real characteristics. We will not speed up their speed at times, as is done in some games, we will not change their physical parameters in order to simplify or "amuse" the gameplay.

In reality, huge ships like battleships fought for hours or even days at great distances, when even the enemy was not visible. We spent various tests in narrow circles, and it turned out that excessive realism turns battles into hours of boring suffering.

Instead of distorting the characteristics of large ships, at the start of the CBT we will focus on not the largest specimens: patrol ships, patrol boats, sea hunters, torpedo boats, etc. Most countries had plenty of them, a small fleet is a large and important page in history of the Second World War, which for some reason was little covered in computer games... In general, we recommend everyone to familiarize themselves with these ships!

What features of naval battles can you tell more about?

The beta test is conducted with the aim of testing different mechanics, collecting feedback from players. The damage model will be absolutely realistic, just like our tanks with planes. That is, no hit points or health bars - everything is based on the internal components of the ship. Defeat will occur when a number of key links are damaged: tools, steering system, one of the engines. In general, you can start a fire and watch the ship completely burn up. Or, conversely, make holes below the waterline and watch how the leaks lead to flooding.

Torpedo tubes can also be damaged, the detonation of stored shells is provided, as in our tanks. If you manage to get into the so-called "cellar", the detonation will cause the complete destruction of the ship.

At the same time, the battles are dynamic and fast, however, as they were in real life. Real analogs swam at the same speed, nothing new had to be invented. Water vehicles fight on equal terms with planes, they have powerful machine-gun armament, they will be able to kill both ships and aircraft in separate joint modes.

Wait for news, there will be constant draws and key distributions. If you wish, you can already buy a special set in the store that gives you a special ship, which will be available both during the CBT and after entering the OBT. So you will have a good unique ship right away. I especially like the Soviet armored boat: in front it has a T-34 cannon, and in the back there is a Katyusha complex with 16 missiles - a beast machine! These boats have done many deeds, and in our game they can be tried.

What about the modes? Which ones are available now, what are you planning to add in the future?

Well, while closed testing has not even begun, the modes are being worked out. Initially, there will be 10 vs 10 battles, where victory is achieved by gaining a sufficient number of points (destroying ships, capturing points). You can also take off in an attack aircraft to try to bomb someone from above.

In the future, we are planning such modes where there will be large ships - cruisers, battleships. But they will be controlled by AI, and the task of the players will be to sink them while on boats. What, in general, boats most often did during the war. There will be a large number of modes, we will give new ones for trial so that players will appreciate them.

Will there be no submarines?

Currently not planned. Because, again, just like with big ships if done realistically, it will be too boring strategic gameplay. In reality, submarines float at a speed of 20-30 km / h, periodically emerging to inflict damage. It will be difficult to combine the current gameplay with such a leisurely technique.

Last year, we added support for Nvidia GameWorks technology, which allows us to simulate various water surfaces, especially the sea - key to water battles. The engine allows you to set the excitement, wind speed, as well as to implement a complete calm or a terrible storm. All of this, of course, will have a direct impact on the gameplay. Not just beautiful waves around the ship, but real rolling, which often interferes with aiming. Small ships can even hide behind big waves from enemy fire - water will greatly slow down or absorb projectiles.

We have optimized the water so that it is available on almost any hardware, because this feature is not visual, but purely gameplay. Serious work has been done. The game is played by people with a wide variety of hardware - someone on a computer, someone on a PS4, and someone on a laptop or MacBook with integrated graphics from Intel (one of the most popular, by the way, our players have a card).

Will the weather change during the battle or is it set before the start?

Initially, the weather is set randomly on the server, how lucky you are. You can swim out on a clear day, or you can swim at a gorgeous sunset or even at night (about 1 out of 1500 battles). Since the battles do not differ in a particular duration (15-20 minutes), the weather will not have time to change much, so the change in real time is not implemented.

When is the test on PC and when on PS4?

CBT will begin this year, with MBT scheduled for next year. Regarding simultaneity, it is still difficult to say, since on the PC problems and bugs are solved literally in one day, and in the case of the PlayStation, everything happens through Sony with a delay of several days. Therefore, you may have to wait for the most stable version of the CBT and only then launch it on consoles.

We try to make the game as cross-platform as possible in order to unite players from different platforms on one server - it's always more fun, and there will be no problems with the number of players and match selection.

That's all, thanks for the interview! Do you have any parting words for the players?

Good luck to everyone in the battles! See you on land, sea and heaven!

ATTENTION! Obsolete news format. There may be problems with the correct display of content.

Development progress War ships Thunder

From the very beginning of the development of the War Thunder fleet, we understood that this would be a difficult task, since the format of our game, on the one hand, provides the player with maximum realism, and on the other hand, offers him dynamic battles in the form of relatively short game sessions. Also, if we talk about naval battles, it is difficult to combine the participation of equipment from different types of troops within the framework of one battle, so the choice of combat boats and ships of small displacement for our project was quite logical. Battles involving such ships would be dynamic and interesting enough.

The playtests carried out with your help helped us to identify flaws in the gameplay, find various errors and adjust our plans. After analyzing your feedback, we decided to focus on improving the main gameplay and not to launch new ship models for tests until we make major improvements and improvements in this direction.

According to the results preliminary stage testing, we decided on improvements, improvements, and sometimes a complete rework of the following systems.

Stabilization of weapon systems to compensate for rolling

We believe that in the game the effect of excitement on ships should be modeled, otherwise you will end up with “tanks on blue grass”. But, at the same time, on real ships, a variety of stabilization systems were used for firing at different waves, including even three-plane ones, so on our ships we also implemented stabilization of gun platforms, including manual stabilization, which allows us to fire on running with excitement.

Damage system

The damage system has undergone refinement: even small boats combine a large number of different systems- there can be several dozen firing points alone - while in the game it is almost impossible to make an aimed shot at a unit or unit that has small size... Therefore, we moved on to modeling larger units and modules of ships that can be hit with aimed fire, while their defeat is distinguishable in the hit camera. We also decided to move away from the tank logic of scoring the destruction of a ship by incapacitating all crew members - or, to be precise, from that part of this logic that caused maximum criticism in the ship's gameplay: searching for the “last sailor” on an enemy ship. In the new Damage Model, to defeat the crew members, it is enough to hit the compartment in which they are located, or the combat post. Damage inflicted on the compartment will automatically disable a certain number of crew members assigned to it.

Fire control of guns of various calibers and purposes

A large number of firing points of different caliber makes it difficult to meaningful aiming and adjusting fire, and the uniform control of them also forces the player to focus the fire of all guns in the direction of one target. Therefore, we plan to split the guns for different purposes on different groups and give the player the opportunity to choose independently which of the weapons he will take under his control, and which will automatically fire at air or sea targets, taking into account the player's target designations.

New logic of the ship's damage control mechanism

Repair, elimination of fire and flooding - we plan to add more gameplay to these critical actions for the life of the ship and move away from the full automation of these processes, implemented at the moment.

Smoke screens

Ships of small displacement usually do not carry constructive armor protection, therefore systems for setting up smoke screens are important for increasing the survivability of ships and increasing the variety of gameplay. We already demonstrated the smoke screen technology during the April Fools' event, and now we are working on its implementation for ships.

Other innovations

We also plan to change the logic of the torpedo sight and add a torpedo lead indication.

In addition to improving the overall gameplay of our fleet, all of these changes will allow us to add larger warships to the game.
And now a little in numbers about what has already been done and what you can see in the near future.

Currently under construction or ready

• More than 70 ships and boats of various classes and playable nations are completely ready, and about 20 more ships are in development;
• 10 maps (both ready and in development at the moment);
• weapon stabilization systems for warships;
• mobile torpedo tubes;
• procedural destruction of ships;
• new logic of work of the Ship Damage Model;
• gyro-correction of the course of torpedoes.