Another round of questions and answers, with War Thunder producer Vyacheslav Bulannikov!
Armored Vehicles
Q. Would it be possible for the well known Bob Semple Tank to be added into the game on a tech tree, or perhaps as an event vehicle? It is a vehicle that many members of the community would be very happy to see added to the game in some form.
A. At the moment we have no plans for this tank.
Q. It’s been some time since we heard any news on further Japanese Heavy tanks. Are there still plans to add more? Is there a lack of info? What about the O-I being added as a rare event machine?
A. Yes, we still do not have enough information on these machines, and as far as is possible to judge, it is impossible to find the missing info. There will be too much room for guesswork and paper design, which we would like to avoid.
Q. You mentioned plans for the C1 preserie for Italy, does this mean a prototype/early series of the Leclerc is also possible soon for France? As they will really fall behind.
A. We have already said that we have more sophisticated and modern French tanks than the AMX-40 in development. When? Look forward to the publication of future development blogs.
Q. Some time ago, you said that the Panther II and Tiger II 105mm were going to be removed and replaced. Is this still the case?
A. Plans are in motion; just in order to get the equipment out of the game, we need several replacement machines ready, and until they are all ready, we cannot just remove these.
Q. The B1 Centauro has further variants yet to be explored. Are the 120mm gun and SPAAG Draco variants possible? The Draco has a similar weapon system to the OTOMATIC.
A. We do not exclude the possibility of these machines.
Q. Since Japan is rather limited for choice, do you have any possible vehicles in mind for a Rank V/VI SPG? Perhaps the Type 75 155mm Howitzer or Type 16 Tank Destroyer?
A. Yes, almost all Japanese post-war armoured vehicles, and there are not so many of them, are considered for introduction. We are already working on some.
Q. The game already has several Israeli tank modifications and they’re all premium and belong to different nations. Why squander such potential when it’s possible to create a full nation with a unique tech tree, including armoured vehicles from both the Western and Soviet schools, hybrid designs and, of course, its own Merkava line?
A. The branch requirements for a separate nation are rather specific and, unfortunately, the Israeli arsenal does not meet these requirements. It’s impossible to make a full research tree of ground forces (or aircraft) for this nation. So, we’ve chosen the current method, which we don’t consider to be a waste of potential. Quite the opposite, as players of different nations can try the Israeli tanks.
Q. Currently, when launching the Tunguska 2S6 anti-aircraft weapon, the player has to guess at the lead when firing at aircraft. In reality, 2S6 operators hold the target on the centre mark and the missile itself flies at the target. Is this a specific in-game feature or a balancing requirement? Will this mechanic be improved?
A. This is a realistic implementation. To calculate the target impact point, you need both the distance to the target (measured with the target tracking system) and the distance to your missile. Tunguska missiles aren’t transponders, and the target tracking system doesn’t measure distance to the missile. Therefore, we use a three-point guidance algorithm.
Aircraft
Q. “Avenger” and “Blind Hunt” order are often used in Air RB to spot the last enemy aircraft (both orders mark the target even 20km away from any enemy). Do you have plans to change it? Or is it a feature, and not a bug?
A. This is not a bug.
Q. Can aircraft with Mixed Propulsion be added? Is the game engine able to support and calculate the power and thrust of two different engines in one aircraft? For example: Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250 (sometimes called Samolet N); Consolidated Vultee XP-81 (sometimes marked as ZXF-81);Curtiss XF15C; Ryan FR Fireball.
A. Yes, some of these aircraft can be added, the question of creating a mixed power plant is not unsolvable for the game.
Q. Japanese 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun ammo. Several bug reports have already been submitted, but it differs from history. AP-T / AP-T / Fuzed HE-I is the default according to IJAAF’s 1942 instruction. Is the ammo belt based on history, or has it been determined for game balance? Do the developers know about Japanese fuzeless HE-I called Special Incendiary?
A. Not all belts are historical, especially with respect to “default” belts. Yes, in the sets of advanced belts, some of the fillings really repeat the ones actually used at one time or another, but not all. And yes, we know about Japanese 12.7mm explosive bullets without a fuse, but in such a calibre all high-explosive ammunition will have a similar striking effect, especially when we speak of lighter 12.7mm Breda machine guns. Therefore, we did not make a separate Japanese specific bullet. Within the game settings, the difference will be invisible to the player.
Q. Germany had their own unique versions of the FIAT G.91 like the G.91R/3 with 30mm cannons. Now that Rank V premiums are being added, is this aircraft under consideration to be added in the future? It would be great to see.
A. Yes, we have plans for this German aircraft.
Q. Many of the air-to-air missiles added in update 1.85 were intended to be used against bombers. They are not as effective or useful in fights against fighter aircraft, so aircraft like the Javelin (That were dedicated all weather bomber interceptors) can’t really be used like they were supposed to be. You previously talked about plans for more advanced CAS aircraft, however has there been any further consideration or plans for Rank VI bombers like the Vulcan, Victor, Valiant, Tu-16 and early B-52 / Tu-95s? These would be really interesting machines to see in War Thunder.
A. When we talked about more advanced attack aircraft, we did not mean heavy / strategic bombers, but subsonic attack planes or fighter bombers. Aircraft such as the B-52 are still very special purpose.
Q. I’ve the feeling that the gunners on the bombers seem to have got worse. They almost don’t notice approaching aircraft. Don’t you think appearance of new aircraft and missiles, the gunners should get upgraded Keen Vision?
A. There haven’t been any specific changes to the gunners.
Helicopters
Q. The MI-4V is a really unpopular helicopter. It’s not much fun to use even when upgraded. Are you planning any additional starter helicopters to help alleviate this?
A. Mi-4 is a reserve helicopter. It performs the role of the initial helicopter and is fully consistent with its task. It is not planned to change the reserve helicopter in the helicopter tree of the USSR.
Q. Helicopter Battles could really benefit from more AI. Do you have plans for escort missions where you perhaps have to aid cargo and troop transports like the CH-47 Chinook or Mi-26?
A. Maybe in the future.
Q. Do you foresee helicopters of nations not currently in game ever being added to major nations as premiums? Such as the Denel Rooivalk (South Africa) or T129 ATAK (Turkey)?
A. Yes, such options are possible.
Navy
Q. Is there any news on minelaying vehicles? We were shown the VS-8 during a test event, but nothing since then.
A. Yes, we have not forgotten or canceled mine weapons. Just adding it to ships and vessels that could carry them takes some time. Our current plans are to make mines one of the types of exchangeable weapons (instead of depth charges, for example) for those ships that could use mines.
Q. German S-boats are very nice, but are there plans to add more variants? Such as the S-7, S-10 or S-13 class?
A. Yes, we do not exclude the possibility of these vessels. But these will all be low-level boats, because the armament there is rather weak for a large (for a boat) displacement.
Q. In the case of France, if a full Naval tree is not possible soon after Japan and Italy, is it possible we may see a few premium ships soon like what happened with Italian Ground Forces? (P40 and M26 were added a year before the tree to give players something to use)
A. It’s too early to talk about it.
Other
Q. The hit camera is very nice, but it breaks your smoke mechanics, showing the enemy behind the smoke with the help of machine gun fire. Will you be working on this?
A. We’ve discussed this issue with our team several times, but did not find a solution that satisfied us more than the current one. It has its pros and cons.
Q. Do you want to add premium boats to the War Bonds store?
A. They are already there! Check out War Bonds for May.
