Interview: we learn about naval battles in War Thunder. About the development of War Thunder ships When will ships be introduced into 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 power 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 with the Katyusha MLRS installation 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 enemy vital 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).

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.

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

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

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

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

The other side of the project is realism. We, of course, are not making the game a hardcore simulator, but we provide the player with the degree of realism that is generally possible in a mainstream game. So there is no point in doubting that the ships will be made with real characteristics. We will not speed up their speed significantly, as is done in some games, nor will we change their physical parameters in order to simplify or “fun” the gameplay.

In reality, huge ships like battleships fought for hours or even days at vast distances, when even the enemy was not visible. We conducted various tests in small 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 ships, sea hunters, torpedo boats, etc. Most countries had plenty of them, a small fleet is a large and important page in the history of World War II, which for some reason received little coverage in computer games. In general, we recommend everyone to familiarize themselves with these ships!

What other features of naval battles can you tell us about?

The beta test is carried out to test different mechanics and collect feedback from players. The damage model will be absolutely realistic, just like our tanks and aircraft. That is, no hit points or health bars - everything is based on the internal components of the ship. Defeat will occur if a number of key links are damaged: guns, steering system, one of the engines. In general, you can start a fire and watch the ship completely burn down. Or, on the contrary, make holes below the waterline and watch how leaks lead to flooding.

Torpedo tubes can also be damaged; 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.

The battles are dynamic and fast, just like they were in life. Real analogues swam at the same speed; there was no need to invent anything new. Water vehicles fight on equal terms with airplanes, they have powerful machine gun weapons, they can use them to kill both ships and aircraft in separate joint modes.

Stay tuned for news, there will be ongoing raffles and key giveaways. If you wish, you can already buy a special set in the store that will give you a special ship, which will be available both during the closed beta and after entering the open beta. So you will immediately have a good unique ship. I especially like the Soviet armored boat: in front it has a T-34 cannon, and in the back it has a Katyusha complex with 16 missiles - a beast of a machine! Such boats have accomplished many feats, and you can try them out in our game.

What about the modes? What are available now, what are planned to be added in the future?

Well, while closed testing has not even begun, the modes are being worked on. 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 fly out on 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 players' task will be to sink them while on boats. Which, in general, is what the boats most often did during the war. There will be a large number of modes, we will give new ones to try so that players appreciate them.

Will there be any submarines?

Not currently planned. Because, again, like with big ships, if you do it realistically, it will be too boring strategic gameplay. In reality, submarines swim at a speed of 20-30 km/h, periodically surfacing to cause damage. It will be difficult to reconcile the current gameplay with such leisurely technology.

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

We 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. People with a variety of hardware play the game - some on a computer, some on a PS4, and some on a laptop or MacBook with integrated graphics from Intel (one of the most popular, by the way, is the card our players have).

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

Initially, the weather is set randomly on the server, depending on your luck. You can swim out on a clear day, or at a gorgeous sunset or even at night (about 1 in 1500 fights). Since the battles are not particularly long (15-20 minutes), the weather does not have time to change much, so the change in real time is not implemented.

When will the test be on PC and when on PS4?

The CBT will begin this year, and the OBT is scheduled for next year. Regarding simultaneity, it is still difficult to say, since on PC problems and bugs are solved literally in one day, but in the case of 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 are trying to make the game as cross-platform as possible in order to unite players from different platforms on one server - this is 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 in the skies!

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 opportunity 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- one of the most anticipated client online games. The sea wolves miss worthwhile games. How many worthy projects where a fleet is implemented can you name? People usually remember only Silent Hunter with its excellent graphics, gameplay and realism. For many, nothing else comes to mind.

An important and obvious fact is that the company that occupies this gaming niche first will be able to win over a larger number of players. “Snail” and “Potato” are working on their projects at the same time.

But we can already see the progress and activity of the “snails,” which cannot be said about the “Potatoes” marine project, which has not found much popularity.

At the moment, information on the fleet is scarce. War Thunder ships already available in closed beta testing! Our forecast is approximately that War Thunder fleet release date it's 2017. Most likely, the game will be officially released in 2017, because the beta test of the game began on November 25, 2016.

What ships can appear in the game?

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

In theory, submarines may also appear in the game. After all, a torpedo launch system has already been implemented in War Thunder, although 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...

Today, multiplayer computer games dedicated to the theme of war are becoming extremely popular. Gamers get into tanks and planes, lead entire armies, or go into infantry combat themselves. The military theme is again becoming popular, as at the beginning of the century, but at the same time it is taking on a new form - now it has a multiplayer flavor. And one of the most popular computer games in this direction today is War Thunder. Here you can choose any of the sides that took part in the Second World War and fight for it against real opponents. However, attention has already been drawn more than once to the fact that there are no naval battles here - the fleet does not exist in the game in principle. Therefore, it is worth answering a very important and interesting question for many - when will ships appear in War Thunder?

What kind of game is it?

Before considering the question of so much interest to all gamers about when ships will appear in War Thunder, you need to take a look at what this project represents. So, here you have to choose one of the sides that fought among themselves in World War II, and then start leveling up on various units of military equipment, earning yourself points for more advanced models. At the moment, the game has a fairly large number of models of tanks and other combat vehicles, as well as aircraft, which makes it very diverse and exciting. For many, this is quite enough, since other games like this do not even offer such variety - for example, projects from Wargaming allow you to get into a tank or a plane, but only in two separate games. But in the case of War Thunder, everything is different, and gamers want to know when ships will appear in War Thunder.

Announcement of ships

You are mistaken if you think that reflections on this topic are lengthy and groundless. In War Thunder, the ships were actually already announced by the developers. Of course, it is worth noting that no one has named specific dates, and the work is just beginning, but the very fact that the developers listened to the opinions of gamers and began to work in the right direction is important. Of course, this may have been their own initiative, but this will no longer play any role if ships do appear in the game. So far there is not a lot of information, but it is still there - and quite interesting. Of course, the developers will not admit when ships will appear in War Thunder, but they have already provided basic information about what exactly will be added to the project so that gamers can guess how it will all be implemented.

in War Thunder

The question of whether there will be ships in War Thunder has already been answered in the affirmative, so it’s time to look at this question more deeply - for example, figure out what exactly will be added. According to the developers, three types will be available in the game - aircraft carriers, destroyers and battleships. You can choose any of these types, but at the same time, naturally, you will have the opportunity to decide on the models that interest you. Naturally, no one has yet announced specific names, so you will only be able to find out the models much later. But it has already become clear that, for example, there will be as many as ten variants of aircraft carriers in the game - this gives us the right to believe that other types of ships will be represented in approximately the same ratio. However, some questions about implementation already arise here, since this is a very important point that should never be forgotten.

Implementation of ships in the game

As all gamers know very well, realism plays a big role in this project - all models of combat units are reproduced with maximum accuracy, and it will not be easy to do the same for ships. There is a very high probability that when ships are released in War Thunder, there will be quite a few problems with balance, as well as simply with their use in the game. It will be necessary to think through not only the specifics of battles between ships, but also the features of confrontation between aircraft and ships. In general, this leaves developers with a very complex and large-scale job. And this leads to the final question - when will ships be added to War Thunder?

date of release

So far, unfortunately, there is no specific information about the release dates of the ships. They may appear quite soon, but for now this is very unlikely, since the developers still have a lot of work ahead. However, if we take into account the fact that on the Internet you can already find images of ship models in a fairly ready-made and playable version, then we can assume that there is not much left to wait. On the other hand, if we take into account all the features of the confrontation between the three types of ships, as well as all types of ships with aircraft, the work may drag on - it is already very, very difficult to implement such a large-scale project. We can only hope that the developers will succeed, and gamers will eventually be able to enjoy new types of technology, which until now have not been competently implemented in any project, neither modern nor old.

Gamers' opinion

Initially, gamers supported a similar initiative to introduce ships into the game. Naturally, this is such an incredible step forward. It will allow you to get impressions that you could only dream of before. But over time, the fuse died down a little, and the reason for this was the game itself, or rather, the actions of the developers in the process of updating it. If earlier this project was considered the best and most realistic, now it is gradually beginning to lose popularity. The reason lies in the fact that in pursuit of entertainment and attracting large crowds of gamers to the project, the developers began to change the balance, and now some sides have become practically unplayable.