When will the ships be released in Var Thunder? Sailing ships have appeared in War Thunder

WOT's oldest competitor landed at Gamescom 2016, showed off his fleet and answered players' questions.

This material is a kind of digest for those who have not particularly followed War Thunder lately and are not aware of what was happening there. And there have been quite a few events lately.

Sea battles - knights of the sea

Naval battles will appear in WT this year, and the closed beta will start immediately after Gamescom.

The start of closed testing of naval battles is already this year! Their basis will be the “knights of the sea”: torpedo, artillery and missile boats, coast guard ships, patrol ships - the so-called “small” fleet, which during the war made up the majority of the ships that served in all troops and in all waters.

• It was decided not to introduce the heavy fleet (ships larger than a destroyer) into the game, since they were too slow and clumsy, which delayed the gameplay, making it uninteresting. Therefore, only fast ships were left in the game, which are more suitable for the concept of War Thunder battles.
• Access to testing is given out during broadcasts from Gamescom 2016. You can also buy a package with one of the early accesses (for or rubles).
• Open testing is planned for 2017.

• Ships of all nations represented in the game will be added.
• Large ships (cruisers, battleships, aircraft carriers) will be controlled by bots in some modes for the first time. Based on the test results, perhaps these ships will be given control to players.
• For naval battles, separate locations will be created in the setting of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans, as well as the Mediterranean.
• Water is created based on NVIDIA Waveworks technology.
• There will be no submarines and here's why:

The gameplay of submarines is specific - they are quiet hunters who sometimes waited for their “prey” for weeks, struck and disappeared. A discovered submarine is guaranteed to be dead. And in speed they were, as a rule, inferior to even very slow ships.

• Tests of joint battles between ships and aircraft are currently underway.

A little more details can be found in the video:

Ship preview

S-100 model 1945 (Germany)

The S-100 class torpedo boat, model 1945, is a true child of the war. The boat was created in 1943, taking into account the experience of military operations in the English Channel against the British military and merchant fleets. As a result of long research and experiments, German engineers created an excellent torpedo boat for active combat operations and patrolling of sea areas and straits, in which many of the shortcomings of earlier classes of boats were taken into account and corrected.

For the design of the boat, the shipbuilders chose wood as a light, elastic and reliable material. The wooden structures of the ship were made from different types of wood - oak, cedar, mahogany, Oregon pine. The double casing of wooden cladding was divided by metal bulkheads into 8 waterproof compartments. The deckhouse of boats of this class was armored; the thickness of the steel sheets was 12 mm, which provided good bulletproof and anti-fragmentation protection.

• Maximum speed: 42.5 knots (almost 80 km/h).
• Engines: three 2500-horsepower Mercedes-Benz diesels.
• Weapons:
  • two tubes for torpedoes of 533 mm caliber,
  • automatic 37-mm cannon (analogue of the famous FlaK36 anti-aircraft gun),
  • one twin and one single installation of 20 mm C/38 cannons,
  • at the stern there is a twin mechanism for releasing depth charges,
  • Rifle-caliber machine guns could be installed on the sides of the armored tank.

Japanese patrol torpedo boat Type 11 PT-15

Became the last of the ships of this type in Japanese service. The vessel retained the characteristic features and characteristics of post-war Japanese boats, which were built in the shipyards of Western bloc countries. The PT-15 has good seaworthiness thanks to the successful contours in the midship frame area, which became a characteristic feature of Japanese post-war ships.

Despite its solid armament and external massiveness, in War Thunder this torpedo boat is always at the forefront thanks to its excellent top speed. The main task of the PT-15 is to destroy sea targets, regardless of their size, and the boat copes well with this task. Four large and powerful torpedoes weighing 1800 kg each are the main argument in the fight against large ships.

• Maximum speed: 40 knots (over 70 km/h).
• Engines: two gas turbines, with a total power of 11,000 hp.
• Weapons:
  • four torpedo tubes with American Mk.16 torpedoes,
  • two automatic 40-mm Bofors L60 cannons on the bow and stern of the boat.
• Crew: 28 people.

Project 183 "Bolshevik" (USSR)

It was developed in the post-war years, taking into account the experience of combat use of both equipment obtained under lend-lease and Soviet boats. The design of the boat competently took into account the properties of coniferous and deciduous wood, successful geometry and a power plant of four diesel engines gave the boat good speed and maneuverability, and the combination of artillery and torpedo weapons made the boat a truly universal soldier.

The large Project 183 torpedo boat is a godsend for those players who like active, energetic play. The boat takes off perfectly from a standstill and maintains an excellent speed for its class. Four automatic cannons have good accuracy even when firing at long distances, so you can be one of the first in the team to start shooting enemy ships. The rate of fire of the guns is low (about 300 rounds per minute), but high-explosive fragmentation shells are equally good against the hull of boats and their crews.

• Maximum speed: 44 knots (over 80 km/h).
• Engines: four diesel engines with a total power of 4800 l/s.
• Weapons:
  • two torpedo tubes,
  • two twin 25 mm 2M-3 cannons,
  • up to 12 depth charges.
• Crew: 14 people.

Fairmile D: sea dog (UK)

Throughout 1941, engineers of the British Royal Navy were busy developing and testing a new type of gun and torpedo-gunnery boats to counter the German “schnellbots” - torpedo boats that blocked the actions of British warships and merchant ships in the English Channel. The requirements for the vehicle were quite clear - the boat had to become a universal platform for mounting powerful weapons of various types, and also have a speed of at least 30 knots in order to somehow resist the fast German sea predators.

Fairmile Dee is one of the most popular boats of World War II. The different production series differed primarily in their armament - quite soon the cannon and machine gun armament was significantly strengthened, torpedo tubes and depth charges began to appear on the boat, and many artillery boats were modernized into torpedo and artillery boats. Our guest today is an artillery boat of the Fairmile Dee project from early production series.

• Maximum speed: 32 knots (just under 60 km/h).
• Engines: four, with a total capacity of 5,000 horsepower.
• Weapons:
  • one automatic 40-mm cannon 2-pdr QF Mk.IIc on the nose,
  • twin 20-mm Oerlikon Mk.V cannon at the stern,
  • two coaxial heavy machine guns.5 Vickers Mk.III,
  • two coaxial machine guns of rifle caliber .303 Vickers No5 Mk.I on the bridge,
  • a pair of Mk.VII depth charges.

Project 1124 armored boat: river "Katyusha" (USSR)

Available for pre-order for 1899 rubles.

Large river armored boats of Project 1124 were developed in 1933-34 for a wide range of combat missions in river waters (primarily the Amur, from where they received the unofficial nickname “Amur”) and, despite the simplicity of the design and the great inconvenience of crew accommodation, they combined the most advanced at that time the developments of Soviet industry.

Boats of the 1124 series went through a glorious battle path: the Battle of Stalingrad, Western Europe, the Far East - these river tanks supported infantry actions from the water, landed soldiers in the rear and flanks of the enemy, were the first to break into the waters of European cities and destroyed enemy fortifications with cannon and missile fire.

In War Thunder, the version of the boat equipped with the Katyusha MLRS is a real monster in the hands of a skilled captain. The T-34 tank turret, located in the bow of the boat, allows targeted fire at vital enemy modules and compartments even from long distances.

• Maximum speed: 21 knots.
• Engines: two 900 hp, Hall-Scott gas engines or two 1200 hp, Packard 4M-2500-W-12 gas engines, 2 fixed propellers.
• Weapons:
  • two 12.7 mm machine guns,
  • installation of M-13-M1 unguided rockets, the legendary Katyusha, capable of unleashing a simultaneous salvo of 16 missiles,
  • T-34 tank turret located in the bow of the boat.
• Crew: 15 people.

PT-109: Kennedy torpedo boat (USA)

Available for pre-order for 2399 rubles.

Elco patrol torpedo boats were designed to perform a wide variety of missions not only in the coastal zone, but also on the open sea. The United States Navy placed a government order for 94 units of 80-foot (24-meter) torpedo boats immediately after the country became involved in World War II. The boats turned out to be very successful and were subsequently actively modernized (mainly by increasing firepower).

Almost three years ago, the developer company Gaijin announced the imminent release of ships as the third available equipment for the player. Since then, topics have periodically appeared on forums and social networks about when it will be possible to fully enjoy a controlled naval battle. Take command of a battleship or submarine. Most often, topics are closed by moderators with the words “we have to wait.” There is not even an approximate date for the release of a controlled fleet in War Thunder.

At the beginning of 2015, enough messages appeared on the network that ships could be controlled. However, this is only available through closed testing, to only a small number of human testers. And this is most likely true, since in the fall of 2014 some information sites close to Gaijin even posted video reviews about Japanese aircraft carriers from the Second World War.

At the same time, an approximate list of future equipment was announced - battleships, destroyers, aircraft carriers. However, given Gaijin's desire for realism, they will not be able to limit themselves to this technique. The above mentioned fleet cannot do without smaller vessels. And don't forget about submarines. Without the famous wolf packs it is simply impossible to imagine the fleet of Nazi Germany. But, more reliable and accurate information has not yet been provided.

However, there is still a fleet in War Thunder! The only pity is that it is currently controlled by a computer. It appears on many marine and coastal charts. Such as Wake Island, Guam, Merchant Marine, Rocky Coast, etc.

Types of ships in the game.

The fleet in War Thunder is currently represented by the following ships - heavy cruiser, light cruiser, aircraft carrier, destroyer, battleship, cargo ship, landing ship (landing ship).

The role of the fleet in War Thunder.

Despite the fact that the fleet is still controlled by the game's artificial intelligence, it sometimes plays a significant role during the battle. It plays both an auxiliary function for attack and the role of a protected object.

On maps like “Pacific Secret Base”, landing ships land tanks to capture a ground point, which ensures a win. If you let enemy ships get to the shore, it will be much more difficult to destroy the tanks. And in the “merchant fleet” mission you need to protect your transports and destroy enemy floating targets.

It is worth noting that the role of the fleet is more visible in arcade air battles.

The ships presented in War Thunder are equipped with air defense. Shells from anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns that ships are equipped with can damage structural elements of the aircraft, which will affect its flight characteristics. A leaking radiator, a broken oil line, or shot through ailerons can lead to rapid destruction by the enemy. But the ship's air defense itself does a good job of shooting down unwary pilots.

How to destroy the enemy fleet in War Thunder.

To prevent a tank landing on the coast, it is necessary to destroy enemy landing ships. They are equipped with weak air defense, but they can harm or shoot down. It is also worth noting that the landing is almost always covered by enemy fighters. But this type of ship easily shatters into pieces from targeted shots from 20 mm Berezin, ShVAK, Hispano and the like cannons. There is no need to talk about heavier aviation artillery, like the YAK9-K and others like it. Large caliber destroys small ships with a bang.

Destroying small landing ships brings victory in the mission closer and brings additional points to the pilot who destroyed them.

And if boats with landing troops are easy to destroy, then a cruiser, battleship, or destroyer is worth tinkering with. There is no need to fly headlong into the bristling vents of the ship's air defense with your machine guns and small-caliber cannons. Well, you can cause some damage, and also become an additional frag for artificial intelligence. It is optimal to destroy large ships with bombs from a height inaccessible to the ship's air defense. Or torpedoes, launched from the appropriate type of aircraft.

For destroying large enemy ships using torpedoes, you can be awarded the title “sea wolf”, “sea hunter”. For bomb attacks on ships, the titles “destroyer” and “thunderer” are counted.

Still, we should hope that the current modest presence of ships in War Thunder will not last long. And each player will soon be able to say to the other “seven feet under your keel.”

Exciting air battles with aircraft and ground battles with 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 have been the main topic of discussion since the announcement of the upcoming opportunity to feel like an admiral in the project. The addition of sea vessels over the years has acquired many facts and rumors that will be of interest to any fan.

Announcement of the addition

Back in 2012, Gaijin Entertainment told gamers about its plans to add ships to War Thunder. The idea immediately found positive feedback among fans. After all, testing yourself in naval battles and achieving victory should be no less exciting than fighting on land or in the air.

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

First ships

The fact that ships will appear in War Thunder sooner or later was also indicated by the fact that they were present on some maps. Locations with coastal waters allowed players to watch landings from boats and naval forces in the form of battleships or destroyers. However, the whole problem was that they were completely controlled by artificial intelligence, and the players did not have such an opportunity. They were surprised that the developers continued to delay the introduction of naval battles. 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 the missions repeatedly tested the power of the flotilla on their military aircraft. A direct assault on a destroyer always ended in failure, because the air defense had time to target and inflict critical damage even on a fast target. To clear them and reduce the risk of hitting the shore, gamers flew to the target from above and dropped bombs according to the coordinates. This tactic turned out to be quite effective in the fight against powerful modern ships.

Players' thoughts on the fleet

After the announcement that ships would become controllable 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 mandatory. In addition, gamers dreamed of seeing huge aircraft carriers in action that would be able to take on board aircraft and provide maintenance. According to this plan, 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, which would lead to user outrage. That is why the players came to the conclusion about the need to limit the participation of aircraft carriers in battles and conveyed this to the developers. The developers responded that they are aware of this problem and continue to work in this direction.

Sailing fleets

The question of when 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 would introduce sailing ship battles into the game.

It was decided to introduce this non-standard type of transport due to the vast history of the world fleet. The Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans also had ships in service. However, the heyday of the fleet fell in the 17th century. This time will be the starting point for pumping up transport.

It is not yet known when exactly ships will appear in War Thunder. The release date is hidden. However, players can take part in battles 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 that time.

The British galleon of the first rank, the Golden Hind, was opened for players to try out in the first test. Over time, models from other countries will be added by developers to this section. The planned number of ships is not yet known, but over time the authors of the project will introduce new models to increase interest among fans.

Changes to 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 approximately this year, but the developers do not indicate exact numbers.

Players guessed the introduction of ships after the appearance of sea water with realistic physics. At the same time, work was carried out to create a variety of weather conditions on battle maps. When entering a battle, you will immediately have to take into account the state of the water, otherwise the chosen tactics may simply not justify itself. Calm seas will appear as often as wild storms. It is worth preparing for the fact that the main enemy in battle will be weather conditions. Sometimes it will be better to take a wait-and-see attitude and watch the enemy try to fight nature rather than make a frontal 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 will be possible to do this. Gamers will have to wait for future tests, because the developers are constantly working on the addition and do not want to release a raw product.

Graphics and realism

After the developers showed a video from the first test of the sailing fleet, the question of how to play ships began to arise more and more often on the forums. War Thunder promises not just a new type of battle, but truly spectacular battles. After all, the transport models are made with high realism, and even the smallest details are worked out in accordance with the historical description.

Destructibility in battle is also pleasing. Chips fly off the ships, cannonballs fly out with sparks, sails break through, and eventually they sink to the bottom. The developers tried to squeeze maximum capabilities out of the game core. The video also shows the technology for 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 in weather, this aspect will have a primary impact on tactics. Fans from all over the world just have to wait for the release of the add-on in order to conquer the sea.

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

Preliminary testing of the fleet in War Thunder has begun! (updated)

The long-awaited ships are ready to take on board the first commanders from among the participants in the preliminary beta testing. Are you ready to join the team and conduct a full cycle of testing a new type of equipment in War Thunder?

How to join?

Very simple. Become the owner of one of the Marine sets, the purchase of which will automatically make you a participant in testing. In addition, the sets contain game bonuses, as well as unique premium ships from Germany, the USSR and the USA, which will become available during beta testing when branches of these nations appear.

Note! Sessions of the first stage of testing will be available according to the schedule in special Events (Events and Tournaments - Naval battles) - only at certain times and on certain days of the week.

Kits that provide access to testing

Players who pre-ordered have already received bonuses:

• Pre-order bonus 3D decorators Matrosov cast/Danforth anchor;
• Pre-order bonus sticker “Capless cap”/“American cap”;
• Pre-order bonus title “Forward Looker”.

In addition, we are also opening enrollment for participants in the already closed beta testing, which will start later. You can submit an application and we will consider your candidacy for the role of commander of a warship.

How to participate?

Are you an Early Access kit owner? Congratulations, everything is simple for you!

Launch the game client and the first time you log in, the game will prompt you to download the necessary files to participate in testing. The testing schedule can be found.

How will the testing take place?

At the first stage (pre-beta testing), special missions will be available at certain times and days of the week, and equipment will be awarded directly in the missions.

At subsequent stages (beta testing), the development trees of several nations will become available to participants for research, and some of our selected players from among those who applied will join the testing. Also at the second stage, owners of early access packages will have access to ships from the sets.

Important! You can participate in testing from your account from no more than two different computers.

In a special section of the forum you can learn about the testing schedule, news, and also discuss our future ships with the developers. We are waiting for you!

Question answer

Q. Will those who are not participating in testing have to download the update?
ABOUT. No. The game will offer to download the necessary files only to those players who have access to testing. The offer will appear when you enter the game and click “participate” in a special naval event.

Q. Can I participate in testing from a work computer, for example?
ABOUT. You can log into your account from two different systems. It is from them that you will have access to test events until the end of testing. The third and subsequent computers can also be used to play from this account, but you will not be able to see special missions on them.

Q. When will I receive the ship I purchased with the pre-order package?
ABOUT. Access to these ships will appear after entering the researchable and upgradeable trees of the corresponding nations.

Q. At the testing stage, when the research tree is opened, will there be any additional restrictions?
ABOUT. There will be a limit of two computers. No other restrictions are planned.

Q. Can you tell me more about improving ships?
ABOUT. At the first stages of testing, there will be no equipment modules.

Q. What about the skills of the crews?
ABOUT. At the second stage, when equipment is already available for installation in slots, experience from ship battles will not be used for crew training.

Q. Will testing be available to PS4 owners?
ABOUT. Yes, bundles with ships and access to pre-release testing are already in the Sony store. PS4 players will be able to take part in testing.

Q. Can I stream and record videos?
ABOUT. Certainly. But remember that you are an early testing participant. The gameplay and mechanics of playing on ships are just being formed, as are the features of the ships themselves.

Q. I purchased an early access kit after testing began, what wave will I get to the test with?
ABOUT. Immediately after purchase. Don't forget to check the testing schedule.

Q. Will the progress made during the beta testing phase be reset?
ABOUT. Yes, before the start of open testing of ships, all fleet progress will be reset.

Answers to questions from test participants

Q. Will the system requirements of the game change with the release of the fleet?
A. If necessary. We are currently actively working on optimization of the graphics component of the mode. It’s too early to talk about system requirements at the stage of early tests.

Q. Where do shells fly from different guns? You shoot at the green marker, and they fly in different directions.
A. The circles indicate the impact point of the shells for the corresponding weapon. The gunners of each gun make vertical adjustments for range themselves. But since each gun has its own ballistics and its own vertical and horizontal aiming speed, it takes some time to set the correct elevation angle for each gun. For the player, this means that in order to hit the target with all guns, you need to wait until all the indicators of the projectile impact points are aimed at the enemy ship.

Q. Why doesn’t the crew fire their guns?
A. This is only possible in the following cases: a) the shooter is disabled and there is no one to replace him, b) the gun has run out of ammunition (they are not endless), c) the gun itself has been disabled.

Q. Do ships have gear shifting?
A. Specifically, you, as a commander, have the opportunity to choose the speed: Low\medium\full\fullst and others.

Q. Which shells are better to shoot, high-explosive or armor-piercing? Will the high-explosive breach be enough to penetrate the boat?
A. Almost all the ships presented at the first test had a hull made of wood of different types and thicknesses - with the exception of the Project 1124 armored boat. 76-mm high-explosive shells will effectively hit the hulls of such ships. For Project 1124 with its citadel with a total thickness of 14 mm, when firing at the middle part of the ship, it is better to use armor-piercing shells; high-explosive 76 mm are enough to hit the ends and superstructures.

Q. How well developed are the mechanics of ship flooding? Does the nature of flooding depend on the location of the hole in the hull?
A. The flooding system works as honestly as possible. Depending on the type of impact on the skin (kinetic or high-explosive), a hole appears on the hull, the diameter of which for kinetic ammunition is equal to the caliber of the projectile, for high-explosive ammunition - the radius of constant penetration by the high-explosive effect. That is, for example, a 76 mm AP shell, if it hits the skin, will leave a hole with a diameter of 76 mm, while a high-explosive shell will leave about half a meter.
Next, the position of the hole is constantly checked relative to the draft of the ship and its speed; water flows through the hole only if the hole touches the water - including taking into account the list of the ship and waves. Those. a hole at the waterline level will let more water through if the ship tilted in its direction, and vice versa, will not let water through at all if the roll was reversed and completely lifted the hole out of the water. The position of the hole when the ship is flooded is also taken into account: several holes above the waterline will not affect the buoyancy of the ship, but if the next hits give holes at the waterline level and the ship, starting to sink, submerges the old holes under water, they will accelerate the flooding.
However, we also implemented a compartment system that physically divides the ship by the number of skin sections. Those. multiple holes and destruction of the plating in one of the sections will result in only partial flooding - about 1/6 of the total mass of water that the ship can contain.

Q. Will a fleet benchmark be introduced to evaluate the performance of the user's system?
A. Most likely.

Q. I fired several depth charges on the BMO, being close to 1124. They fell 2 meters from him, but did not cause any damage to him. So the question is: are bombs really that weak? Or is 1124 too armored?
A. The damage of depth charges now depends on their detonation depth; Perhaps your bombs managed to sink deep enough, or the boat moved further from the epicenter, received damage, but was not destroyed.

Q. Will it be added to display the ammunition load of auxiliary weapons, and not just the main battery?
A. The interface will still be improved, but there are conceptual difficulties with displaying the ammo of auxiliary weapons, especially with a large number of barrels (we have boats with more than 10 large-caliber machine guns). First of all, we will display the status of the main caliber and auxiliary caliber.

Q. Will the ability to refloat be added?
A. The cable has already been implemented, but in general there are special mechanics that make it easier to refloat if the propellers are in the water. If the ship is completely on land, then in this case we will count the player for the destruction of his ship.

Q. Will there be a directional marker added to the scope to help avoid crashing into islands? Maybe sound a warning?
A. Yes, we are thinking about such an indication.

Q. Will ramming damage mechanics be added?
A. Rams from enemy ships still cause damage, as do collisions with land and rocks. Damage when ramming allied ships is disabled.

Q. How is ship repair time calculated?
A. Repair time depends on the number of damaged modules, the degree of their damage, and the number of crew members who can fight for survivability - i.e. everyone not directly involved in the control of the ship (commander, helmsman, gunners, loaders).

Q. At what distance from the ship are torpedoes cocked?
O. 50-60 meters.

Q. Will there be a mechanic for replenishing ammunition/crew?
A. Modifications of the equipment are still in development, but we will certainly get to this issue.

Q. Please clarify the conditions for the destruction of the ship, obviously only after the departure of the crew?
A. In the current DM, a ship can be destroyed in the following ways:
1) disablement of the entire crew, by analogy with tanks (less than two capable crew members);
2) destruction of the hull skin on one of the sides - i.e. blackening of all three sections of the left or right side;
3) flooding, which requires the presence of holes at or below the waterline and the destruction of the plating of several non-adjacent compartments;
4) fire, explosion of fuel tanks or ammunition on a ship if this entails at least one of the first three points. In itself, the explosion of ammunition or tanks for ships is not a guarantee of death - it is only an explosion with some damage parameters, it can either destroy the ship or severely damage it.

Q. How does a torpedo work when it hits a target (does the “boat skiff” script work or is there some kind of mechanic?)
A. When a torpedo hits a boat, the usual mechanics of high-explosive fragmentation damage are triggered; the explosion parameters of the torpedo warhead are usually sufficient to completely destroy the hull.

Q. Will markers on boats and torpedoes be removed in Belarus?
A. Playtests will be shown.

Q. Does the speed of flooding depend on the speed of the ship (i.e., can the ship additionally “scoop up” water when moving with flooding)?
A. Yes, the greater the speed of the ship, the greater the rate of flooding through the existing holes.

Q. When do ships sink? I didn’t observe any flooding even with a completely black hull, and it’s a bit difficult to dislodge the crew on some 1124.
A. Ships are sinking, compartment flooding has been implemented. You need to understand that for flooding the hole must be at or below the waterline, you should also take into account the fact that the crew is fighting for the survivability of the ship - constantly repairing holes and pumping out water.

Q. It is not clear to me why there are depth charges on the boats.
A. They can be used against an enemy pursuing you or on intersecting courses, dropping them in the path of the enemy's movement.

Q. The mechanics of eliminating gun crews is unclear. It is not clear why, if one of the crew “loses consciousness,” the boat cannot fire at all.
A. The gun's firing is blocked if the gunner responsible for the gun fails.

Q. It is not clear what happens to the blackened compartment: all the equipment is destroyed and cannot be repaired, or the compartment is conditionally destroyed and is simply not visually displayed, or the compartment is destroyed, the equipment is destroyed and flooding has begun?
A. The plating of this compartment has received critical damage and does not prevent flooding if there are holes at or below the waterline.

B. The mechanics of fire extinguishing are unclear.
A. The crew extinguishes the fire automatically, the extinguishing speed depends on the number of crew members not employed at gun points and controlling the ship. The more sailors are conscious, the faster fires are extinguished, components and assemblies are repaired, water is pumped out and holes are sealed.

Q. Will it be effective to attack an enemy boat with aircraft missiles, starting with the RS-82?
A. On a direct hit, a Soviet 82mm RS is about equal to a 76mm HE shell, so yes, it will.

Q. How much different will the results of hitting a boat be with aircraft torpedoes and naval torpedoes installed on boats? Because at the moment, according to observations, an aircraft torpedo quite successfully hits the enemy - whereas when hit by a torpedo from a boat, the enemy has the opportunity to survive (judging by the hits in the bow zone according to Project 1124 and S-100, made from Elko, but which did not lead to immediate destruction of the enemy - they went to the bottom with the 2nd torpedo).
A. For a boat of such displacement there should be no difference. A hit from any torpedo usually destroys the boat.

Q. Will it be possible to carry out a successful ramming attack on a boat by an aircraft?
A. There are no plans to play kamikaze.

Q. How does torpedo launching work? It feels like it's completely random. I press the spacebar - then one torpedo flies out, then none, then all four at once.
A. When you briefly press the torpedo launch button, all torpedoes available for launch are immediately released. If you hold down the button, you can use the mouse to select specific torpedoes that will be launched.
We will slightly change the settings responsible for the time spent holding the key to turn on the torpedo sight. At the first launch of the test, the time to hold the key to turn on the torpedo sight was too short, so even a single press was sometimes perceived by the game as an attempt to turn on the torpedo sight, which is why the launch did not occur, since torpedo tubes were not highlighted in the field of view. We also slightly expanded the sector of the field of view with which the desired TA is selected.

Q. Talk about the interaction of shells, bullets and bombs with water - to better understand when it makes sense to shoot below the waterline and when not.
A. At the moment, projectiles do not pass under water, i.e. hitting water disables the projectile and the damage system for kinetic projectiles. For shells containing explosives, a normal detonation occurs at the point of impact in the water.

Q. Starting from which BR will full-fledged ships be presented, the hulls of which will be penetrated only by the main caliber, missiles and torpedoes? It’s not interesting to get crits on half a ship, knocking out the engine and setting fire across half the map with small-caliber weapons.
A. Even at the top ranks, some ships will actually have no protection from small arms fire - but this will be compensated by the high speed of the boats, up to 100 km/h. This is if we are talking about torpedo boats, for example. Getting crits on half a ship from half the map from one ship with small arms is quite difficult, unless you are standing in one place. In addition, we should not forget about the struggle for survivability - if you come out from under fire, the ship quickly restores its combat capability.

Q. Why am I only given boats from Britain? Whichever nation you enter into events as, they give you equipment for that one, right?
A. You guessed correctly.

New equipment, new gameplay, new battles in War Thunder!

At gamescom, seasoned Scot Keith Donaghy, international community manager for Gaijin, begins the story about the Knights of the Sea expansion from afar.

“I like to launch and fly in real time from London Heathrow to, say, Cologne. I don't care if it's long and boring. I like it. But at the same time, I understand that I am an exception. Most players will get bored with this.”

Donaghy has played every naval battle simulation (and not so much) imaginable (and not so much), so he had a story to tell. In his story about the ships that will soon appear in Russia, he gave a thousand examples of what not to do.

It was suspiciously interesting to listen to him.

"...For example, . A wonderful, wonderful game... but it had four by four kilometer maps. If anything, real ship battles of the Second World War lasted from several hours to several days. One of the fastest battles in history took place in two hours, ending after one successful hit from a distance of fifteen kilometers - and even before that they had been taxiing to the shooting position for several hours.

Oh yes, you know that warships usually come into line of sight only when they need to finish off someone?..”

Sea battle and the time factor

It’s clear what Donaghy was leading to all this time.

“They’re good in their own way,” he says. - But they greatly compress the time factor so that matches don’t drag on: huge battleships or, say, aircraft carriers in WoWs sail five times faster than in reality.

Now think about it: in War Thunder, ships can meet in the same game with planes (just like tanks with planes - Gaijin diligently uses the opportunity to pit different types of equipment in one battle). Imagine a ship accelerated for the game, moving at a speed of two hundred kilometers per hour to get into position. And above him is an airplane flying at the usual speed of two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. The game definitely won’t work like that, you’ll have to speed up the planes too, and in the end the whole game will break.

Well, if the ship moves at normal speed, imagine how disappointing it will be when you spend three hours going to a firing position only to have one bomb successfully dropped on you, forcing you to take a new ship and take three hours to go to the position again. I repeat, I don’t mind, I love this. But most players will not agree to this.”

As a result, the Gaijin problem is solved radically: there simply will not be large ships in the game. There will be small nimble vessels such as torpedo boats, patrol and assault ships. Larger pieces of equipment may appear as, for example, targets for escort. Personally taking control of ships heavier than destroyers will be allowed in some modes, but only if the upcoming CBT shows that this makes sense. The test starts later this year.

There were no health points in War Thunder either on land or in the air, and there won’t be any at sea either - ships are also subject to a complex zonal damage system. A new concept has appeared in the game mechanics - buoyancy. If a ship's hull is penetrated below the waterline, it will begin to leak, and if the onboard pumps fail, sooner or later the ship will sink. With a fire, everything is similar: if on a tank there is nothing special to burn, then on boats the fire walks as it wants, spreading from one system to another. Ships are destroyed beautifully and always in different ways.

At launch, the expansion promises a total of thirty ships, including ships from all five major nations. In the future, Gaijin intends to display all theaters of war to the maximum: the Mediterranean Sea, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the North Sea, and so on. Several maps will be available in the CBT - some in open waters, some in coastal ones, with large and small areas of land between which it is convenient to set up ambushes.

And in most cases, aviation is involved in ship battles. In talking about all this, Donaghy talks a lot about the scenarios that could play out. When I ask about ships and tanks in the same game, Donaghy gives the example of Vietnam, where they shot from water into the jungle: maybe one day we'll get to that.

Open testing of ship combat will begin in 2017.