Compiled by HellaCopterRescue from PrivatePinguin‘s Twitch.
TL;DR TL;DR Angle indicator both on the screen and on the minimap is allowed. The minimap indicator is coming to the game but the not the dynamic on screen. “Traffic Lights” is allowed. “X marks the spot” will be coming to the game. “Smart markers” aka MonstroMarkers are being worked on to come on the game.
“”I’d like to clarify the situation with making mods native to the game, as I’ve seen quite a few discussions on the topic. What I’m going to say is our official position, and you don’t have to agree with it, but I believe you’ll be able to understand it better. Please, feel free to spread the word if you feel like it, nothing I this message is a secret. First and foremost – we warn players that use anything that we consider close to cheating, and then we suspend or ban their accounts in accordance with the ruleset published in the end of 2017. I’m talking about mods that give players a tangible advantage, like any of the predictive aiming aids.
Now, let us look at the more popular mods that are allowed and our plans in regards to the UI development.
- Minimap movement vector is going to be added to the game soon. Not a dynamic one, therefore it does not directly replace the popular “traffic lights”, but makes the icon orientation more obvious and easy to perceive. This can make for an interesting combo with the line of sight on the minimap – together they are basically a version of the popular “angle meter” mod. We’re not going to show you the exact degree values between you and the target, you’ll still have the mod for that, but overall, it’s now much easier to measure the angles in a battle, which helps both tanking and dealing damage in many cases. And keep In mind that we’re not providing any new info, this could be deducted before, but required you to closely follow the minimap (maybe even hurting your eyes) or the ship’s model and therefore – far less convenient.
- “Traffic lights” are not being implemented yet. This mod can be useful when there’s a battleship closing in, which then begins to back up (we all had that happen, right?), and the funnel smoke does not really give you a clue. Again, using overclocked eyes, you can get that from the minimap, but that’s not very user-friendly. That’s why some players use “traffic lights”. We’re sure as hull not going to put it in the game like the original mod, adding said lights, but making it a part of the minimap as something less intrusive seems like a good idea.
Everything mentioned so far, is not only harmless, it does not change the game in any meaningful way. These solutions simply show the already available information in a more convenient manner.
- “X marks the spot”. This is something that we want to introduce as a part of the client quite soon, after the movement vector is in. Now it exists as a mod obviously. It’s used for better orientation and shooting at targets hidden in smokescreens. Our version will most likely show the factual aiming spot instead of the camera focus, which will improve upon the educational part of this feature. Heated arguments often begin about the ability to shoot blindly, judging by the markers of latest spotting. There is a video, where Kutuzov cruiser is covering a stationary bot with smoke and then citadels it with blind fire from 3-4 kilometers.
- You might hate me for this, but I’m going to say it anyway: don’t make you final judgements based on synthetic tests. E.g., it is technically possible to citadel a Yamato through a funnel with a 203-mm shell. Seriously, if you fire at a close range there will be enough penetration to go through the superstructure, ricochet against the 19-mm exhaust plating, pierce the first 57-mm deck (piercing value of the shell is less than 1/3rd of the initial one at this point, but still enough) and even the 200-m armored deck (just barely, but still possible). And then – an explosion in the citadel. I even have an outline of proposed shot 🙂 This is a fringe case, but I imagine you get the gist. This can be reproduced in the training room. Ut in battle? One in a million? In the overwhelming majority of cases ships don’t stop instantly in smokescreens, a lot of times they are still on the move, while covered. Additionally, blind fire is seldom left unpunished this close and tracers make it even easier to perform close-range shots. When It comes to standard distances – there’s a huge dispersion penalty if the target is not focused, which doesn’t allow for stable damage from blind fire. As a bonus, putting this mod in game would end the questions about equality and fairness, since everyone will have it. Newbies should be able learn the targeting system faster, as they will be able to better analyze their aim in relation to 3d world and minimap.
- “Smart markers” – markers that show consumable activation. We understand why this is popular, as some consumables are hard to identify in the battle. You can recognize Def AA Fire by the increased output of AA guns, Repair Party by the HP bar, but Hydro or Radar… Basicaly, this info is wanted and needed. However, our game is not just an MMO-action, not an MMMORPG, so we’re not going to make a whole separate section with all the “buffs” and “debuffs”. However, it’d be short-sighted of us not to encourage teamwork and collaboration. That’s why we’re going to work in this direction, but more likely as an improvement to the quick command flower and favor mindful cooperation by communication and warning the teammates. That’s why there’s no timeline for this yet, the task is quite a big one. Thank you! Sorry if I made anyone sad”
