Hi everyone!
Year 2015 was pretty intense for all of us.
The development team did a great job and the resulting product
made quite a stir among gamers around the world.
Now, as we enter 2016, we are picking up steam
and ready to share some of our plans.
2015 was very important for World of Warships—we finally released the game!
What will 2016 bring us?
In 2016 we want to concentrate on the things that our players ask for the most.
There are three main things:
the first is team gameplay and team interaction,
the second is weather effects,
and the third is submarines.
One thing is for sure—there won’t be any submarines.
However, we'll do our best to introduce weather effects
and better team interaction this year.
Our audience keeps asking for some kind of team gameplay.
In 2016 we are going to concentrate our efforts on this task:
pretty soon you'll have the opportunity to try the first version
of this functionality.
What will it do?
Well, players will have more coordinated gameplay, for one;
they will be able to team up based on interests, skills, etc.
You don’t have to only fight for a high ranking:
you can just play together with friends,
and enjoy having reliable allies
that are always there for you.
We also receive a lot of questions about the game mechanics;
players are interested in what happens inside the game.
We plan to cover this topic as well.
This year we are going to introduce an interesting feature
that will allow you to see a ship's armor layout in the Port.
First of all, this feature is intended to make it easier for players
to understand where they should aim and where they shouldn't.
I don’t think it’s a secret that the visual component of a ship
is just its visual representation.
This means that the physics of a shell hitting a ship
are calculated based on a completely different model,
which players don't see.
Before, people used some cunning tricks to extract these armor meshes
from the game client and then shared them on third-party websites.
Now it's all going to be officially supported and displayed right in the game client.
You launch the game, select a ship,
click a button, and see the armor as it is—the entire armor model is at your disposal.
You can view the armor's thickness, you can see the internal armor;
you can learn which parts of the ship are important and which are not.
And this understanding influences game tactics.
If you see that a certain part of your ship is well-armored
you can try to turn this side towards enemy fire.
Let's talk about the long-awaited newcomers.
The epic confrontation of Japan and the U.S.
in the Pacific during World War II favored the creation of a
large number of different warships by both countries.
These two nations are represented by a large and diverse fleet in World of Warships.
However, other countries built unique warships as well,
which also entered the world's naval history.
Our virtual shipyard works at full capacity
and this year we will add reinforcements to the in-game fleet.
In 2016, we are planning to introduce four new ship branches,
including the branch for both Soviet and Russian cruisers
and the branch for German battleships.
A Soviet cruiser that deserves special attention is cruiser Kirov.
It defended the city of Leningrad during World War II.
Cruiser Moskva of Project 66 will be at the top of the branch.
Among the most noteworthy German battleships are
Nassau and Kaiser, with Grosse Deutschland at the top of the branch.
In 2016, a new tech tree will be added to the game.
For now, I can only say we’re considering
a number of candidates from Great Britain to Australia.
Naturally, the entry of new ship branches will gradually change gameplay.
Tactics will change. New solutions to challenges, new ships, and new tactics
will present themselves.
Plus, we're planning to add small improvements to the game.
These additional features will help players make their tactics
more varied and maybe try some new tricks.
They will be able to fine tune their ships according to their play style.
Among the planned features are new skills for commanders,
new consumables, and new options for upgrades.
What’s more, there will be individual upgrades for specific ships.
Shortly, we will introduce changes to anti-aircraft defenses.
We're planning to provide our players with broader opportunities
for team cooperation so that teammates can cover each other.
This way we hope to encourage players on both sides to do their best
in exercising their team skills.
Aircraft carriers won't be left behind either.
To make their gameplay simpler, nicer, and more interesting,
we're going to make a few changes.
The research for aircraft will be completely reworked;
ill-fitting planes will be removed; and anachronistic models,
represented by early multiplanes, will be eliminated.
The year promises to be interesting for aircraft carriers.
One of the exciting elements we're planning to add this year is weather.
I can promise you it will be spectacular.
The way in which weather could influence gameplay
brings up quite a sensitive question.
Right now we're experimenting and considering what we can do.
Since weather has an element of haphazardness to it,
it's unlikely that it will affect gameplay too much,
but it will certainly make it more spectacular and immersive.
Our team is improving World of Warships nonstop
to keep you interested and comfortable while you
send enemy ships to the bottom of sea,
surrounded by beautiful scenery and accompanied by your teammates.
New knowledge about ship armor and design
will help you deal more damage and receive more experience
and awards in exchange.
New ship branches will add variety to the game,
making naval battles even more intense and dangerous.
All these improvements are designed to make the game
more comfortable and enjoyable for players.
We will continue to seek feedback from you
and do our best to make the game better.