World of Warships: Public Test for the Update 0.8.4. – Round 1 and CV road map
14 min readLadies and Gentlemen, before I start this article, I would like to apologize for the lack of content for World of Warships. I’m currently in the middle of my period of exams and this week, as well as the next, will be quite loaded to say the least.
Now that this is cleared, let’s look at the upcoming Public Test’s update that brings some significant changes, especially to aircraft carriers.
General Informations
Update 0.8.4 is the next instalment of the cycle dedicated to Soviet battleships. It brings the second stage of the “Victory” competition, a new season of Ranked Battles, new changes to aircraft carriers, and dynamically changing weather in your Ports!
Schedule
The public test starts on Wednesday 08 May at 18:30 CEST (UTC+2) and will end Monday 13 May at 17:30 CET (UTC+2).
The “Victory” Competition
The rules of the event remain virtually the same. Each day you choose a team based on the difficulty level and rewards you prefer, battle on your favorite ships from Tier V–X, and earn points for the team and your personal rating.
After selecting a team, you will find yourself at the night version of Black Sea Port, painted in the colors of your chosen team.
When the new Stage kicks off, a new collection dedicated to the Russian and Soviet Navy called “In the Service to the Motherland” will appear in the game. By completing sheets of the collection, you will earn “October Revolution” containers, as well as the option to mount a second flag and use an alternative color scheme on Soviet ships.
Your participation in the competition will be rewarded with Provision Tokens, a new temporary resource. Exchange them in the Armory for various items of in-game loot and “In the Service to the Motherland” containers with camouflage patterns, Coal, signals, and items from the new collection.
The main “feature” of this Stage is the new unique Commander, Nikolay Kuznetsov, who comes with the following talents:
- Concealed Reserves: a talent of Commander Yamamoto that you are probably already familiar with. The First Blood achievement provides an additional charge for any consumables mounted on a ship.
- Will to Victory: when your ship’s HP falls below 10%, the effects of Repair Party and Damage Control Party are activated, while the dispersion of shells fired by enemies attacking your ship temporarily increases.
Aside from that, the new Commander has an enhanced skill: Jack of All Trades (–10% to the reload time of all mounted consumables, as opposed to the default –5%).
Nikolay Kuznetsov will join the ranks of historical Commanders, along with William Halsey and Isoroku Yamamoto. Nikolay’s talents will come in handy in helping your ship bring victory to your team.
Please note that Soviet battleships will appear in the Tech Tree in Update 0.8.4, but will not be accessible on the Public Test server.
Changes to Aircraft Carriers
The sooner you spot enemy ships, the better your team can plan their actions in battle. Early spotting is what aircraft carriers excel at, but we wanted to address an imbalance in this area. To give other ships enough time to reach their desired initial positions, we’ve introduced the concept of take-off preparation time for squadrons right at the start of battle. It first appears on Tier VI carriers, and the required time to prepare grows with each subsequent tier, eventually reaching 45 seconds at Tier X.
Every minute is important in battle, so this change will allow ships to better prepare for combat and then meet enemy aircraft with all guns blazing. It doesn’t mean, however, that carriers will spend that time in vain: you can use it to plan your actions and steer your ship to a safe place.
This take-off delay will go up to 45 seconds for tier X carriers. Now, personally, I’m not that convinced as it will at the same time make it easier to strike certain ships that will decide to go on their own adventures early on.
Moreover, the engine boost effect that’s available to all aircraft will change. At high tiers, the power of the boost will be reduced, decreasing the maximum speed of aircraft but also increasing the minimum speed. This way, we are slightly downgrading the reconnaissance and attack potential of aircraft carriers.
Now THIS change is the biggest change of all. On the devblog, it was presented the following way:
The Engine Cooling consumable has been standardized for all aircraft. Now the consumable will give the same increase in speed at all tiers – 35 knots (40 for Japanese aircraft and attack aircraft of all nations) and equally slow down the aircraft by 17.5 knots (20 for Japanese aircraft and attack aircraft of all nations). The change will reduce the effectiveness of squadrons as scouts and also the strike potential at the highest tiers.
For those interested, here is a comparison on Reddit for almost all the planes of the game. This change is a significant one and the carrier that will suffer the most by far is Graf Zeppelin that was basically all about the speed her planes could reach with the engine boost. For the rest, well it’s simple. Slower planes will mean more time spent in anti-air and more damage received.
Since we are talking about Graf Zeppelin, another devblog arrived regarding a buff for her and a buff/nerf for the Hakuryu:
ST, changes to Graf Zeppelin and Hakuryu
Graf Zeppelin bombers got several improvements:
– Armor penetration increased by 11 mm.
– Attack time increased from 6 to 8 s.
– Bomb falling speed increased by 13%.
– Inner and outer ellipses slightly reduced in size.
Due to the behavior of the aircraft at the beginning of the attack, the use of Graf Zeppelin dive bombers is noticeably different from the dive bombers of other aircraft carriers. These changes will make the use of Graf Zeppelin squadrons more comfortable.
Hakuryu’s alternative J5N Tenrai Type 91 mod. 8 torpedo bombers also got some improvements:
– Attack preparation time reduced from 5 to 2.5 s.
– Aiming speed during preparation increased.
– Attack time lowered from 10 to 8 seconds.
– Torpedo arming range reduced from 1182 m to 698 m.
– The smallest possible spread of torpedoes slightly reduced.
– Time between attacks decreased from 4 to 2 s.
– The Repair consumable regenerates half the HP that it does on the standard torpedo bombers.
– Damage reduction during attacks removed.
– Unlike other squadrons, J5N Tenrai Type 91 mod. 8 are vulnerable to AA fire at all stages of the attack, but the squadron returns under the player’s control immediately after the drop.
Hakuryu offers two concepts of torpedo bombers: the main ones imply standard use, and the alternative ones encourage attacking from a distance. The changes will increase the effectiveness of the second option. Hakuryu J5N Tenrai Type 91 mod. 8 will be most effective as a ranged weapon which requires more skill. If used correctly, they will reward the player with great damage due to each flight’s 4 torpedoes. Consider their vulnerability: when entering the middle AA zone, the entire squadron is likely to be lost.
Changes to Hakuryu can be tested on the Public test for 0.8.4.
Now, for Graf Zeppelin, it is a nice change considering how underwhelming her AP bombs currently are. They will now be an interesting loadout choice with the torpedoes. The rockets… well they are still quite underwhelming.
As for Hakuryu’s this change will make a 4 torpedo drop pattern more interesting but at the same time, much more vulnerable to AA fire.
Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary.
We plan to check several other balance changes on the Public Test server, particularly affecting dive bombers carrying HE bombs. The dispersion and minimum drop height of bombs will be increased; the size of the aiming reticle will also be increased by making it narrower but more stretched. At the same time, the aiming reticle will start shrinking when a flight is preparing for an attack, and will shrink faster. Maneuvering will now have less effect on reticle shrinking. This change will make dive bombers less effective against maneuvering destroyers, but will not have much influence on the effectiveness of dive bombers attacking ships of the other types.
Please note that it’s a systemic adjustment that will be applied to all aircraft.
Season of Ranked Battles
Update 0.8.4 will feature a new season of Ranked Battles! Teams will be composed of seven Tier X ships each. The number of ranks and Steel hasn’t changed in comparison to the 11th season, but a new achievement will now be issued for reaching Rank 1.
One of the key features of the new season is the admission of aircraft carriers into Ranked Battles! Unlike any other types of ships, which normally have a clear-cut counter ship type, carriers don’t have much difficulty chasing solo ships. Groups of ships, however, make for a harder target. So, maps and modes for the new season have been carefully chosen to enable ships to support each other in countering air attacks. There will be a limit of one carrier for each team in the new season.
Battles take place in the “Domination” and reworked “Epicenter” modes, the latter being the same as in Space Battles: the center and rings are captured independently, while capture of the outer rings will not be blocked if any of the inner rings are captured by the enemy.
Another novelty is the introduction of ship rentals for Ranked Battles. You will now have access to Ranked Battles even if haven’t yet researched Tier X ships. Play a battle with any Tier VIII or higher ship—and get free rental of a Tier X ship of the same type, enabling you to participate in Ranked Battles.
During the Public Test, the season will be shorter. This is to make it easier to reach Rank 1 and get the achievement.
Maps
In Update 0.8.4 a new map called Greece will appear in the game for Tier IX-X battles in Domination mode. The map has two versions with three and four key areas. It will also feature the Thunderstorm Front, which may appear in Tier X battles. The visuals of the map were inspired by the landscape of Santorini Island.
Be careful and cautious when hiding behind the islands on this map. Those “shelters” are low, and the enemy will still be able to attack you when you are spotted.
We’ve also reworked the Trap map. All objects on the map including key areas have been shifted right and upwards. In doing so, it moves key area “A” away from the map border, adding dynamics to gameplay on this map.
During the Public Test, these two maps (Greece and Trap) will appear more frequently.
Dynamically Changing Weather
We are continuing to work on various improvements to our in-game Ports. In Update 0.8.4 the Philippines, New York, Saint Petersburg, Zipangu, Hamburg, Naval Base, and Ocean will be given a fresh look with the addition of dynamic weather. With this new feature enabled, you can view the traditional Ports in new colors during the day: day will succeed night in “night-lit” Ports; Saint Petersburg will be hugged by a cozy mist; and for Ocean Port, the sun will roll off the horizon and set.
Join the Public Test and enjoy these new changes in your Ports—and the new season of Ranked Battles! Collect your rewards and don’t forget to share your impressions with us!
Rewards
Steam up for the Summer Season!
The Summer Season comes with a special offer for regular participants of our Public Tests, as well as for those of you who want to make waves by contributing to the development of the game.
The nearest three updates will be preceded by Public Tests (PT) with an extra chain of combat missions. Join the Public Tests of Updates 0.8.4 to 0.8.6, complete all of the additional missions—and an extra reward for each mission will be yours, along with the ultimate reward at the very end.
Public Test 0.8.4
- Mission: win 15 Random Battles during the PT.
- Reward: 2x In the Service of the Motherland containers free of charge, credited to your main account when Update 0.8.4 goes live.
Public Test 0.8.5
- Mission: win 15 Random Battles during the PT.
- Reward: valuable in-game goodies from Update 0.8.5 (we’ll keep them secret for now because otherwise we’ll spoil the Update, right?).
Public Test 0.8.6
- Mission: win 15 Random Battles during the PT.
- Reward: valuable in-game goodies from Update 0.8.6 (we’ll keep them secret for now because otherwise we’ll spoil the Update, right?).
Every player that completes all three missions offered during the three Public Tests will receive the ultimate reward of the Summer Season!
Ultimate reward:
- A patch and flag for participation in the Public Tests during the Summer Season.
- Premium Ship VI special container that is guaranteed to drop a Tier VI Premium ship. If you already have all Tier VI Premium ships in your Port, you will receive compensation in doubloons.
Combat Missions and Rewards
| Round | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | ||
 | |  | Play one Random or Co-op Battle. Reward on the live server: three signals of each type, excluding special signals. |
| |  | Play 3 battles with aircraft carriers in Random or Co-op Battles. Reward on the live server: Ten “Type 6” camouflage patterns. |
|  | Reach Rank 1 in the Ranked Battles season with Tier X ships. Reward on the live server: Five of each of the following special signals: Dragon, Wyvern, Red Dragon, Ouroboros, and Hydra. | |
|  | Complete the “In the service of the Motherland” collection in Random, Co-op or Ranked Battles. Reward on the live server: 1 day of Warships Premium Account. Delivered to you via a container so that you can activate it whenever you wish. | |
|  | Play 10 Ranked Battles. Reward on the Public Test server: Unique Commander Nikolay Kuznetsov. | |
You must register your Public Test account with the same email address as your live account in order to collect your rewards. No exceptions. If your Public Test account is registered to an email address that differs from your live server account email address, make sure you register a new Public Test account using your live server account email address.
To claim rewards for your live account please click the button below. You will be able to claim the rewards for your live account within five working days of the Update’s release.
Future Plans for Aircraft Carriers
Commanders,
We continue to work on improving the gameplay of aircraft carriers and today we would like to tell you about the changes that are being prepared for the next few updates.
Please remember that plans sometimes change. The information below is preliminary: deadlines may be moved, and a little later new points may be added.
1. Update 0.8.4 will bring a period of time at the beginning of each battle during which aircraft carrier squadrons will be unable to take off due to them having to go through some initial servicing. This change, taking into account the time it takes squadrons to reach the targets, will allow ships on both teams to start moving to the control points and take advantageous positions before any squadrons are in the air.
2. The Engine Cooling consumable has been standardized for all aircraft. Now the consumable will give the same increase in speed at all tiers – 35 knots (40 for Japanese aircraft and attack aircraft of all nations) and equally slow down the aircraft by 17.5 knots (20 for Japanese aircraft and attack aircraft of all nations). The change will reduce the effectiveness of squadrons as scouts and also the strike potential at the highest tiers.
3.In Update 0.8.4 we plan to change the interaction between destroyers and dive bombers with HE bombs, while maintaining the effectiveness of this type of aircraft against other ship classes. Now, due to the mechanics of aiming and scattering, it is relatively easy to hit a destroyer with a large number of high-explosive bombs. This in itself is normal, but there is a problem: evasive maneuvers on the part of the destroyer being attacked by bombers don’t do enough to prevent being hit. To solve this problem, the required drop height of bombs will be increased, the shape of the aiming ellipse will be changed, and the scattering of the bombs will be adjusted. Now the ellipse will be elongated and narrow, with an increased chance of bombs falling closer to the edge of the ellipse and a reduced chance of them falling closer to the center. Thus, the squadron’s choices of timing and approach to a small target such as a destroyer will be more important, and destroyers will have more opportunities for counter-play against bombers. For example, hitting a destroyer that is perpendicular to the line of approach of the bombers will be much more difficult. In order to keep the interaction of bombers with the rest of the classes at the same level, we changed their aiming parameters. Aiming will now be faster and will begin in the preparation for the attack, and maneuvers of the flight will not influence the spread. These changes can be tested on the Public Test for Update 0.8.4.
4.In future updates, we plan to improve the ship autopilot function and “teach” it to avoid obstacles. This way you will be able to put one point on the map, and the autopilot will plot a route to bypass the Islands. If a collision (for example, in a narrow strait) with an island still happens, the autopilot will bring the ship back to open water and send it further along the route.
5. Some good news for fans of co-op and training room combat will be the addition of aircraft carrier bots in these modes. However, bots will not yet be making an appearance in Scenario mode. The bots will first need to be “taught” how to execute the unique actions that occur in this game mode.
6. The mechanics of the priority AA sectors will be completely redesigned. We decided to change not only the visual component, but also to significantly improve the interaction of the ship with squadrons. It is too early to talk about any details, but the main goal that we want to achieve is for the player to get more effective AA with the proper use of the priority AA sectors and the choice of appropriate skills and upgrades.
7. In future updates credits and experience rewards currently earned from shooting down aircraft will be transferred to damage dealt to aircraft. In Update 0.8.4 we will add this indicator to the post-combat statistics, but in order to make this change to the economy, we want to sure of the stability. Therefore, changes to the economy will occur after the change to the priority AA sector in a couple of months (after the statistics become stable). Around the same dates, we plan to update the achievements related to airplanes.
Once again, we remind you that this is a preliminary and possibly incomplete list of changes that are planned to be implemented in the game. We will continue to inform you about plans and future changes.
Thank you for your honest and constructive feedback.
Good luck in Battle!
The 3 first points were already covered above so let’s look at the rest.
Point 4
Boy, that would be hell about time! Anyone who played CVs will agree, the autopilot is just drunk. Sometimes, you will ask you CV to go in a certain direction but for some reason, it will start moving in circles. Otherwise, it will sometimes beach for no reason.
Point 5
Well, nothing much to talk about here. I’m more interested in the comeback of Operations focused on plane assaults.
Point 6
Now that is also a truly welcomed change. Currently, the AA reinforcement system is really not user-friendly and AA builds, in general, aren’t really effective. Hopefully, this will come with 0.8.5.
Point 7
This is also something that should have been rewarded from the start. These days, it’s not anymore only about killing the planes but also about damaging them. As for the achievement, well that is also a nice thing that it will come back but sadly, we will still have to wait for this.
Anyway, that’s all for today, we have some hopes for the upcoming updates. On this, have a good one!
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