We are pleased to present to you the Developer Bulletin for Update 0.6.12. It covers all the latest changes you can dive into in the latest Public Test, including our Halloween Event, Clan Battles, and changes in Ship Detection Mechanics! Read more about it in our Developer Bulletin below, and prepare to jump into the Public Test to try the changes out for yourself.
Round one of the Public Test will begin on 5 October at 18:30 CEST until 9 October at 15:00 CEST (UTC +2).
Important! Because the version update is still being tested, the information in this Bulletin is tentative, and reflects the state of game development at the time of publication. Certain changes and new features may be stripped or implemented in a different way by the time the final version of this update goes live. Screenshots, specific values of certain characteristics, and details of in-game mechanics will not necessarily be relevant after the update is released.
Halloween Event
The upcoming October update, by tradition, will bring a bit of a festive mood with it. Think pumpkins, and a timeless hunt for evil forces. Since one should prepare for the holidays in advance, we decided not to wait. We’re excited to invite all experienced warriors to relive, and for newcomers to finally experience, the legendary event from Halloween 2016. Save Transylvania and keep evil at bay, just like the good old days. Will you accept the new challenge and cut through the frontlines of the enemy Zikasa battleships?
In order to unlock and participate in the Halloween event, you must first win three battles in any game mode to receive the Halloween ships and commanders on your account.
Just like the last time, three ships will be available for players:
- Blade, a destroyer helmed by Commander Abraham V. Hellsinger
- Jackal, a battleship helmed by Commander Henry J. Hide
- Igor, a cruiser helmed by Commander Victor F. Einstein
Remember that your main task is to safely escort the good ship Transylvania through a terrifying labyrinth of evil creatures led by the Rasputin, putting down the enemy and suppressing hellfire-slinging catapults.
But that’s not all. Many of you worried about the fate of Transylvania after the event, and what awaited it behind the mysterious gates.
During the second stage of Public Test, we invite you to continue the story. Transylvania and its defenders returned to the calm waters of Silver Spear Archipelago. Everything was fine for a while, but the evil forces spearheaded by Gordon the Great managed to keep up with them, and gave chase. This time the filth that gradually spread out into the sea, taking over more and more territory, serves the Forces of Darkness. Be careful! If the ships of our heroes get caught in the filth, they will lose hit points depending on the ship type, while the villains of our tale will feel at home there and remain unaffected.
Four new ships with brave commanders will be available for players to use in the new operation:
- Urashima, a destroyer helmed by Commander Mina Hurray
- Svyatozar, a cruiser helmed by Commander Ivan K. Ulibin
- Magnu-S, a battleship helmed by Commander Klaus V. Teslau
- Nobilium, an aircraft carrier helmed by Commander Lazarus Centurio
Become one of the first to continue the legendary Halloween operation in a new thrilling, chilling adventure!
Help the heroes of Silver Spear repel the attacks of the filthy scoundrels and become the dazzling beam of light that will scatter the gathering Darkness.
Clan Battles
In Update 0.6.12, we took your feedback into account, and we will offer you not only action-packed battles against the forces of evil, but also a more serious mode. One of the new features of Update 0.6.12 will be Clan Battles.
The first season of Clan Battles will last for three updates, from 0.6.12 to 0.6.15. You can find out more about the format of Clan Battles in our dedicated article. Keep an eye on the World of Warships portal, as we will be sharing more information about the rewards, economics, and other details of Clan Battles very soon!
Now we offer you the unique opportunity of assembling your own team and trying Clan Battles in the lighter 3v3 format during the Public Test.
There will be four main leagues in the Clan Rating system:
- Squall League
- Gale League
- Storm League
- Typhoon League (the top league)
Each league consists of three groups. To advance through the leagues, a clan needs to fight in Clan Battles. Your clan increases its rating after every victory, and it decreases after every defeat. After the clan reaches a certain rating, it then moves to the next group. Step by step, the clan can then advance to the top league and their desired podium.
By the way, Clan Battles will be fought at Tier X! For those players who haven’t researched a Tier X ship yet, we have added the Tier X ship rental option during Season 1! You can find more details on our website.
Play one battle on a Tier VIII ship or higher, and receive a set of three special Tier X ships (without commanders) for temporary use: Japanese cruiser Zao, Japanese destroyer Shimakaze, and German battleship Grosser Kurfürst. These three ships will be available for temporary use on the main server to take part in Clan Battles.
Please note the special rules of using rental ships:
- Rental ships are provided for temporary use. After three weeks of Clan Battles on the main server, these three ships will be removed, and three other ships will be issued to your account instead.
- So, if you start playing Clan Battles in Update 0.6.12, you will be able to try 9 different Tier X ships during Season 1. Every time there is an update, they will be replaced with ships of the same type. A special timer will warn you about this.
- You can use these ships in Clan Battles only.
- You can’t use a camouflage of any type on these ships.
- You can reassign Commanders to the rented ships without penalties.
- The reward for battles played on rented ships is calculated the same way as for regular ships.
- After a ship is removed, its Commander will be automatically sent to the Reserve, while the upgrades, consumables, and signals will be moved to the player’s Inventory. Any experience accumulated on the ship is transferred to the starting ship of the corresponding nation.
- If the ships have any alternative modules (for example, torpedoes on Shimakaze), you can use them for free.
Changes in Ship Detection Mechanics
During the Public Test of Update 0.6.12, we will continue to test the new Smoke Screen mechanics.
Firing out of Smoke Screen has always been a standard tactic of destroyers and light cruisers equipped with a Smoke Generator. However, using a Smoke Screen as a means of attack wasn’t intended for heavy cruisers and battleships. Acting wisely, a battleship or heavy cruiser working in cooperation with a destroyer could deliver huge damage to opponents, keeping them at bay. In Ranked Battles, the use of this tactic resulted in passive play, where players would simply wait and test their opponents’ nerves behind Smoke Screens. Respecting and addressing players’ feedback, we started to work on improving the Smoke Screen mechanics. Taking into consideration the fact that these mechanics were basic ones, we held multiple tests and we’re finally glad to show you the new version of Smoke Screen. Don’t worry, the new mechanics won’t dramatically affect ships, which were balanced taking into consideration the Smoke Generator option. These changes will only take effect in short and mid-range battles.
As a reminder, according to the previous mechanics, a ship that fired from a Smoke Screen was completely invisible, and it could be only detected from an assured acquisition distance of 2 km (or 3 km if the Target Acquisition System Modification 1 was installed), or with the help of the Hydroacoustic Search or Surveillance Radar consumables.
Now, if a ship that hides in or behind a Smoke Screen fires, it becomes visible.
How does it work? Each ship will have Detectability after firing its main guns in smoke parameter, which depends on the gun calibre and type of the ship (you can see the parameter values for each ship at the end of this section). If an enemy ship hiding behind a Smoke Screen is within the range determined by this parameter value, it will be detected after it fires its main guns. The new mechanics won’t take effect on islands, aircraft, secondary armament, and AA capabilities, but only the main battery and detectability from sea.
The assured acquisition value (2.0 km) and Detectability after firing the main guns value will be displayed in the ship’s specifications in the Port, when pressing the “H” key in battle, or when hovering on the hit points (model) of the ship.
- If the ship has not been detected and it doesn’t sit in a Smoke Screen, the circles, as before, will display the current ship’s detectability value (basic value plus modifiers).
- If the ship has not been detected and it fires while not being in a Smoke Screen, then the circles will expand up to the ‘Detectability after firing the main guns’ value.
- If the ship has not been detected and it sits in a Smoke Screen, then the assured acquisition circle of 2 km will be displayed; the ship cannot be detected by aircraft.
- If the ship sits in a Smoke Screen and fires a main gun shell, then the circle will expand up to the ‘Detectability after firing the main guns in smoke’ value. If the ship is detected after firing a shell, the circle width will remain the same. Additionally, if the ship leaves the Smoke Screen before the detectability penalty ceases, the circle will expand up to the ‘Detectability after firing the main guns’ value.
In other words, if a ship fires a main gun shell, Smoke Screen won’t guarantee its invisibility. Earlier, firing from Smoke Screen didn’t influence ship detectability (it remained invisible). After the changes are applied, enemy ships are more likely to spot you after you fire from Smoke Screen. After firing, the detectability range value will be 2.5 km for destroyers, 5.9 km for cruisers, and 13.6 km for battleships. The time period within which a ship can be detected will be 20 seconds.
Each ship will have its own ‘Detectability after firing the main guns in smoke’ value. These values will be included in the full list of changes for Update 0.6.12.
As the smoke screens are being changed significantly in the forthcoming update, especially for the three premium cruisers (Kutuzov, Belfast, and Perth), we understand that there are going to be some questions concerning the new mechanics. While some of you may find the changes a tad sudden, let us assure you that we’re fully prepared and hope to make the transition as smooth as possible. Please consult the upcoming patch notes for the full list of changes and tweaks in Update 0.6.12.
Interface
Using the Hydroacoustic Search and Surveillance Radar consumables is even easier now! You can easily enable the view of Hydroacoustic Search or the Surveillance Radar operation range on the Minimap.
What can you earn!
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Get three signal flags of each type (except special signals) on your live account for playing one battle (PVP, CooP, PVE, and Clan) on the Public Test server. |
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Play three Clan Battles and get 1 day of Premium Account time on the live server. |
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Play one battle on a special Tier X clan ship (Zao, Shimakaze, or Grosser Kurfürst) and get ten type 6 camouflages on the live server. |
Complete the Halloween Event and get 5 of each special signal flag on the live server:
| Image | Flag Name | Flag Effect |
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Dragon | +333% Commander XP |
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Wyvern | +50% Credits |
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Ouroboros | +777% to Free XP |
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Hydra | +50% to XP
+150% to Commander XP +250% to Free XP |
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Red Dragon |
+100% to XP +100% to Commander XP |
You will be able to claim your rewards on the dedicated website. Information regarding when you will be able to redeem them will be sent to your registered Test Account email address on the day of the release of the update or slightly after. Please note that only players with a Public Test account registered to the same e-mail as their live server account will be able to redeem their rewards.
What resources will you get on the Public Test server?
- Tier VIII+ ships with 15 Skill point Commanders will be credited to all players at the start of the test.
- Research prices for ships Tier VIII+ will be discounted so that players can easily reach Tier X.
- Research prices for modules will be discounted.
- Account Level 15 upon first login.
- 14 days of Premium Account will be given to all players on their first login.
- 30,000 Doubloons – giving everyone the opportunity to retrain Commanders.
- 500,000,000 Credits.
- Assorted signal flags for testing: 10 of each Signal Flag, except the special Signal Flags.
- Ability reset for Commanders will be discounted: 1 Doubloon = 1 Skill Point.
Please note that resources from the previous Public Tests have been wiped.
We can’t wait for you to try Season 1 of Clan Battles, the Halloween 2016 and Halloween 2017 events, the new mechanics of Smoke Screen, and other changes during the Public Test of Update 0.6.12! Collect your rewards and don’t forget to share your impressions with us!
