Hello everyone and welcome back to Waterline fall of 2022.
My name is Boggzy… And my name is Konception.
It's been several months since our last Waterline,
so let's take a look at where we've been,
where we are now, and where we're going.
Recently we saw the introduction of the French large cruiser branch
in the form of Cherbourg, Brest, and Marseille.
The main feature of the newcomers is the large caliber guns.
By class standards, these guns are light battleship caliber
and all located in the forward parts of the ships.
They have a long reload, which is compensated for
by the presence of Main Battery Reload Booster consumables.
They have a high speed, which is achieved by the improved French Engine Boost.
The citadel of the new cruisers is well protected against armor-piercing shells,
but they are quite vulnerable to HE and SAP shells
due to the thin French plating.
Medium to long range is the preferred for them,
but the new ships can also be effective in close range combat
thanks to their 139-millimeter high-precision secondaries.
The long-awaited line of British battleships or “battlecruisers”
entered the arena with low armor, high speed, and specialized torpedoes.
Excelling at medium range,
they are also equipped with the unique turning torpedoes
that have enhanced firing arcs specifically for close combat.
Unlike the previous UK battleships,
they have standard penetration for their HE shells and medium accuracy.
But they still have the short-fuse AP shells
perfect for battling cruisers with a reduced chance of overpenetrating.
The Engine Boost and Defensive AA consumables
give extra tools to go along with a standard heal
that becomes the Enhanced Repair Party at IX and X Tiers.
A true to form the Indefatigable, Queen Mary, Tiger, Renown,
Rook, Hawke, Duncan, and St. Vincent are all swift hunters of enemy cruisers.
Brand new super ships were introduced to the game
via the Lighthouse for credits for the first time.
French superbattleship Patrie follows in the style of République
with 50% more firepower and a speed boost that lets her boast high mobility.
British supercruiser Edgar improves on the Minotaur with a burst fire
that also increases damage and penetration.
In Update 0.11.5,
the temporary battle type Convoy returned with a number of changes.
The battle format has been updated to include carriers, destroyers, cruisers,
battleships, and finally now, submarines were available to participate.
More importantly, we've added more maps
and placed visible routes on them for the convoys to follow,
while updating the interface and tactical battle tips.
Chatham, Elswick, and Clydebank shipyards
competed for the title of best shipbuilder for the Royal British Navy
during Industry Titans.
Players chose and supported one of the shipyards
to earn special Commanders for their new British battle cruisers.
Since the last issue of Waterline, we've had two new portal campaigns in our game.
The first focused on the war in the Pacific,
with the much sought after USS Black returning during the event.
The second campaign took us aboard a ship
exploring the secrets of the mysterious navigators,
and the Hampshire with its themed camouflage and Commander
added to the Armory.
World of Warships celebrates its seventh birthday in 2022.
During this momentous event, players can acquire Battle Performance Bonuses
known in the community as Snowflakes simply by playing ships.
In addition, we took feedback from players and put in a system
that allows players to knock out several of these at a time
rather than play through the hundreds of ships
that many of you incredible collectors have managed to accumulate.
The farm is open, Captains!
In addition to performance bonuses, the birthday celebration
sees the addition of our own take on a popular board game style
that very much fits our world.
The USS Puerto Rico has come back to the Dockyard for construction.
We heard your feedback about the difficulty of the previous iteration,
so we've come up with challenges that are scaled
a little bit better in line with the previous Tier VIII and IX Dockyards.
The players that already had the Puerto Rico and earn it again
are rewarded with enough Research Points, Steel, or Doubloons
to purchase any other ship with those resources.
The Tribal-class Canadian destroyer HMCS Huron joins the Dockyard
as a midway reward able to be earned completely free
and receives a special camouflage created and voted on by you,
the World of Warships community.
Yo dawg! We heard you like Arms Race.
We returned Arms Races during a few temporary events
and even tried it out in a season of Ranked Battles.
Despite some concern
that it might throw stat tracking and metrics off-balance too much,
this, thankfully, did not turn out to be the case.
The mode was enjoyed by players immensely,
so we added it to randoms permanently replacing the aging mode of Epicenter.
The models of all researchable US destroyers
have been updated with brand new textures and graphics.
Even the USS Sims was given a fresh coat of paint to go along with them.
The biggest economic change to the game thus far
took place with the separation of economic bonuses from exterior visuals.
No longer do camouflages and signals give economic bonuses
but are instead replaced by economic boosters
that let you choose any visual you want without being tied to its bonus.
Along with this change came a major visual overhaul of the interface
to go along with the new aesthetic.
In Update 0.11.8, we updated all Operations and even brought some back.
New options allow players to participate in more of their favorite ships
and earn valuable rewards for it with the new Tier system.
Now Tier VI through VIII ships are able to go into battle together at the same time
and the final composition of the team
will affect the strength of the bots and the post-match earnings.
In addition, the fee for re-entering the battle on the same ship will be removed,
so you can return to battle immediately.
The economics of Operations have also changed.
Previously, after completing an Operation,
a player earned a variable number of stars based on their performance.
The rewards for which could only be received once.
Now the stars are removed entirely, and the rewards can instead be earned
by completing special daily and weekly combat missions
specifically designed for Operations,
which will now give Community Tokens as a reward.
Together with the update of the mode itself,
three Operations will return in Update 0.11.8.
The Ultimate Frontier, Hermes, and Cherry Blossom.
In Update 0.11.8, there are no Operations of the week anymore.
When playing with a random team selected by the matchmaker,
the Operation scenario itself is randomly selected.
However, you can of course still choose to play any scenario you want,
as long as you enter into it as part of a Division.
The battle camera has been improved in Update 0.11.7
to make gameplay experience more comfortable.
We've changed the default base viewing angle in the Port and in battle.
The camera is now focused more directly on the player ship.
Field of view and camera height sliders were added
to let you customize it to your liking.
Launching torpedoes should now be smoother
as we've adjusted the camera changes when you are lining up your tubes,
as well as a smoother tracking of the shells that are in the air.
Aiming when using Spotting Aircraft has changed.
To make it more comfortable, you can now swap between the spotter view
and the standard binocular view at will.
Ultimately, these changes should make the camera in combat
more comfortable for all players
and additional options will help customize it just the way you like it.
In addition to the Spotter Aircraft change,
we've made some more quality of life improvements based on your feedback.
The bots in both training rooms and co-op battles
have been enhanced to provide a more dynamic challenge.
The Minimap was given a specific marker when pinned
instead of highlighting the entire grid square. Incredible!
The container barge can now let you choose
which containers you want to open and which you want to store,
while also offering a link to the contents and drop rates
of every single variety of containers.
Lastly, we updated the descriptions of all Premium ships
in the Armory and the Shop to be simpler
and better reflect their place amongst newer ships.
The long-awaited new map Faroe Islands arrived in game.
It's a brawling island-filled map from frigid waters
that you, the community, decided would come next.
We will continue to watch how the map performs
and hope to see it in competitive mode soon.
A new branch of Japanese light cruisers have been released for testing.
The Agano, Gokase, Omono, Shimanto, Takanashi, Yodo,
and Premium cruiser Tokachi each bring a variation of a stealthy cruiser
armed with many low-caliber guns.
Good concealment supports long-range torpedoes
with good damage and extended arcs,
allowing these cruisers to deny area to the enemy when not using their guns.
Now, much like the British battle cruisers, the wide torpedo arcs
that are made possible by the turning torpedo mechanic are on these ships.
They range from 150 to 155 millimeter in caliber guns,
but each tier packs an ever-growing number of barrels,
all the way up to the Tier X Yodo.
Very soon, superships Patrie and Edgar will be out of Early Access
and will soon be joined by the Dalarna and the Clausewitz
that you have likely already seen.
And right now, new superships Sekiryu and Ushakov are in testing.
Dalarna is a classic representation of the European destroyer line—
powerful torpedo armament, strong AA defense, no smoke,
and very capable main guns giving her a wide variety of uses on the battlefield.
In addition to an extra turret over her predecessor Halland,
the Dalarna can alternate between two types of torpedoes in combat.
A heavily armored cruiser with twelve 210-millimeter guns,
powerful AA, and torpedo launchers designed for long range raiding—
the Clausewitz’s gameplay is an evolution of the Tier X cruiser Hindenburg,
having higher HP, better armor, greater firepower, and more torpedoes.
However, to compensate for this notable improvement
over its predecessor in the Tech Tree,
Clausewitz will not have any unique supership mechanics.
Sekiryu, the Japanese super aircraft carrier,
is a further development of the Taiho type.
It is vastly superior to its prototype in size, hangar capacity,
and air defense strength.
The project continues the Tech Tree branch after the Hakuryu,
receiving tactical jet squadrons equipped with either rockets or torpedoes.
Their main feature is the high maximum speed of the planes,
which allows them to quickly cover significant distances
and make swift raids on enemy ships.
Admiral Ushakov is an absolutely massive ship
with a total displacement of over 100,000 tons.
One of the variants of the post-war battleship project—Project 24.
With nine 457-millimeter guns as main caliber artillery,
it follows the Kremlin in the Tech Tree
and carries the main features of its predecessor
with a large HP pool and powerful armor at the expense of maneuverability.
The main battery excels at close range
and Ushakov carries many-many secondary guns to assist in a brawl.
After the successful firing of the main artillery,
combat instructions can be activated to give a temporary boost
to the accuracy and range of the guns. It literally has four Smolensks on it!
Huge amounts of work have gone into submarines
since we last saw you on Waterline.
Over the past few months, we've made many fixes and improvements
based largely on your feedback.
For example, we changed the matchmaker for submarines
and made their queue shared with destroyers.
We updated the visual and audio effects for the acoustic pulse
and have tweaked countless other details to create a better experience.
The Hydrophone is now split into two separate consumables.
Submarine underwater speed has been reduced
and dispersion has been added to the torpedo launchers
to make shotgunning more difficult as a tactic.
You can read about these and other changes in our Development Blog.
Throughout this time, we have been testing different concepts
and looking for unique and entertaining gameplay for this class.
During both closed and open testing, almost all elements of submarine gameplay
underwent substantial changes of some kind.
ASW of some kind was added to most ships, alternative torpedo types appeared,
and some submarines even got deck guns.
As we move submarines from development to final polishing,
your feedback has been extremely important
for making the fixes that have come.
Development has moved into its last stage, as we are now confident
that subs are ready for a full- fledged release into our game.
Therefore, we are ready to announce that Early Access to this vehicle class
will begin in the fall.
Initially, players will be able to get Early Access
to the US and German submarine lines;
British submarines Undine, Sturdy, Thrasher
will also be introduced for testing around this time.
Based off player requests,
a new Operation specifically for submarines will be added to the game,
in which players will have to hunt a convoy
based on real interactions from World War II.
We hope that this new Operation will help Commanders both beginning and experienced
to get acquainted with the new class and its features.
Come the fall, players always eagerly await Halloween.
This year, operations Ray in the Darkness and Saving Transylvania
will return to the game and a temporary Twilight Battle themed mode
will be available to celebrate this holiday.
This fall, we will conduct a major testing of cross-realm matchmaking technology.
Players from different regions will be able to participate in the same battle.
Since the implementation of this technology involves a lot of difficulty and risks,
in the beginning, we will only use it in the new player matchmaker.
The specifics of the new player matchmaker
will allow us to solve potential technical problems more quickly and efficiently.
If the experiment is successful, we will consider including this feature
in other modes and types of battles.
Black Friday returns in the fall, and with it,
a new batch of ships with special black camos!
Get ready to see Napoli B, Kearsarge B, Mainz B, Chkalov B, and Shinonome B.
We're currently working on a new map—the Seychelles Islands,
a map inspired by real geography.
This is a new experience for us, as we need to adapt
the game mechanics and balance specifically for the features of this map.
Among the first reviews of the map, many players noted
that the location of the islands is a bit unbalanced.
So now we're experimenting with the location of the spawns and control points
to try and make this map a bit more balanced and interesting to play.
We'll keep you updated on how this arrangement works.
This year, we are going to have a long and colorful New Year's celebration.
We do not want to spoil all the surprises, but be prepared
for Snowflakes, Christmas gifts, and several special holiday events.
Among them will be a Dockyard featuring the new cruiser Admiral Schroeder,
with the intermediate award being UK battlecruiser Renown
in her 1944 configuration.
The battleship Renown is part of our British battleship line,
but many of you mentioned that you would like to see an upgraded version
with air defense guns and secondary circa 1944, so we decided to add this
as a free reward available to all players as a holiday bonus.
One of the new features we plan to release in the near future
will be collective combat missions.
These will be tasks with special conditions
that require the combined effort of the entire server.
The tasks will be performed like normal combat missions
and everyone actively involved will contribute to the progress
and reap the rewards if it is completed.
Do not let your server fall behind!
Last year we updated the graphics in our game
and made HD versions of several maps.
In the coming year, on top of adding new maps,
we will begin the update the maps that are already in the game.
This time, Mountain Range, Strait, North, Northern Lights, Estuary, Shatter,
Neighbors, New Dawn, Polar, Islands, and Land of Fire will receive a makeover.
We often organize special game events in which players volunteer to be targets
and have the community hunt them down for rewards.
We call them bounties.
These events will be officially sponsored in the game client this fall,
with special in-game identifiers highlighted directly in battle
to make these events more organic and fun for everyone involved.
Big, big, big thank you to everyone who has been a bounty volunteer in the past!
We salute you.
Traditionally, the celebration of the New Year
will be followed by the Lunar New Year.
As always, players will be able to enjoy themed events and content
such as a new collection and a unique Pan-Asian Commander.
Earlier this year, we introduced a dynamic new temporary mode—Dirigible Derby.
In its first appearance in our game,
Dirigible Derby became one of the most popular temporary battle types.
And it also gathered extremely positive feedback from players
despite being extremely difficult to say.
It's no secret that we regularly test new mechanics in temporary modes
with the goal of adding them to the game permanently.
And Dirigible Derby is just that case.
In addition, you often ask us to add new modes to the main battle types, so…
If the updated version of the mode performs well this year,
it is very likely that Dirigible Derby will be a prime candidate
to add to Random Battles in the future.
We are working to add more achievements into the game,
so look forward to seeing them in different game modes
as well as Co-op and Clan Battles.
At the end of this year, we also plan a number of technical improvements
ranging from an updated settings menu with a more user-friendly interface
and the ability to add new settings
to a revamp of the import notifications and the commander interface.
As 2022 draws to a close and the winter/spring section of 2023 arrives,
look for new Tech Tree branches entering the game.
First will be a branch split of American hybrid battleships
coming to players in the winter.
The three newcomers will be the Nebraska, the Delaware, and the Louisiana,
and they will feature tried-and-true US 406-millimeter guns
with hulls based on the Montana branch and the ability to launch
tactical squadrons similar to Kearsarge, Ise, and Tone.
In early 2023, a new branch of European destroyers
representing European countries Poland, Norway, Turkey, and Greece
will arrive in World of Warships.
The concept is under development, however, it will include Tiers V through X
and feature powerful artillery reaching calibers of 140 millimeters
to complement their torpedo-focused European cousins.
Thank you all for staying with us this whole time,
and we hope that you've enjoyed a quick recap on 2022 and a brief look into 2023.
Have a great rest of the year, and we'll see you in the next Waterline.
Bye everyone!