In the military MMO War Thunder, there are already planes and tanks. Soon, ships will be added in the update “Naval Battles.” But how do Gaijin’s naval battles want to stand out from the established competition World of Warships?
War Thunder started as a complex air combat MMO and later got a mode where you could drive around in tanks. There were also combined battles, where tanks and planes appeared together.
But wars are not only fought on land and in the air. The seas are also very fierce. Therefore, the developers at Gaijin want to introduce a new game mode with ships soon.
We have already had a few rounds with the ships in the pre-beta.
It’s not about the size! Boats dominate in War Thunder
There have already been battles between ships from World War times in Wargaming’s World of Warships. There, big vessels set the tone. The smallest type of ship you control there are destroyers. They look like dwarfs when compared to the giant battleships Yamato or Bismarck.
In War Thunder “Naval Forces,” however, destroyers are by far the largest ships on the maritime battlefield. With their gun turrets and flak guns, they are floating fortresses that are still quite fast. The remaining ships are much smaller and nimbler; these are boats:
- Gunboats: These ships have light guns with which they can puncture other boats or take down planes from the sky.
- Torpedo boats: These nasty little rascals have torpedoes, which they have to aim well with, but then can reliably sink large ships.
- Missile boats: These boats can fire entire salvos of missiles and unleash a true inferno.
The developers are currently also testing whether light cruisers, which are slightly larger than destroyers, can find a place in the game or if it will stop with the destroyers.
More speed, more action
With the small ships, the fast pace that War Thunder is known for is maintained at sea. Because a torpedo-fast boat races through the waves at lightning speed.
If you make a daring attack on a destroyer amidst the thunder of guns and whistling tracer ammunition, it’s a completely different feeling than if you leisurely cruise through the seas in World of Warships and exchange salvos with the enemy miles away.
The developers at Gaijin once explained in a statement that battles between capital ships back then in the war sometimes lasted hours and days. Duels between small boats and destroyers, however, were much faster and more dynamic. So just right for the feeling of War Thunder.
A fast mixture of planes and tanks
The boats in War Thunder are lightning fast and rarely come to a stop. They are always in motion, like the planes in air combat mode, and are looking for targets. Tactical lurking and hiding like with tanks is rather less common with ships. However, the boats are firmly anchored to the water surface and are not as freely moving as aircraft.
So the ship gameplay is a successful mixture of the gameplay of planes and tanks. Moreover, the terrain plays a significant role in your tactics. Because you hardly fight on open sea but in rugged lagoons, bays, and fjords.
There are always some rocks or islets in the way. If you focus too much on shooting, you quickly run aground with your boat. This may not yet be a total loss, but until you free yourself, you are easy prey for other ships or planes.
Not without an airplane
Airplanes must not be missing in the naval battle mode either. In the beta, you can unlock a plane for yourself if you achieve enough success in combat. Then you continue as a bomber or fighter in the air. Unprotected ships without flak are easy targets.
But the destroyers armed with flak guns can quickly saw you out of the sky. The large ships are easy to hit and suffer particularly from your bombardment.
When a plane has designated a destroyer as its target, it leads to a real nerve-wracking situation. It’s about whether the pilot can place his bombs accurately on the deck or if the flak will turn the unfortunate plane into a smoking fireball.
Jürgen’s conclusion: A unique flair that fits War Thunder perfectly!
The ship update for War Thunder is also known as “Knights of the Sea.” And this name captures it very well. Because like an armored knight with his lance, you charge toward each other with your boats and sweep the enemy off the water’s surface with torpedoes, rockets, and cannons.
This leads to enormous speed and a lot of excitement. The ideal middle ground between the rather tactical tank battles and the three-dimensional air combat. And the unlockable planes offer a whole new tactical component.
Because what good is superiority at sea if you are bombed by a treacherous airplane at the wrong moment and your mighty destroyer sinks to the seabed as a burning wreck.
The naval battles are a blast. Currently, the ships are still in pre-beta. Only during selected times can owners of a founder pack engage in naval battles. However, it is planned that a proper beta for naval battles will start in 2018.
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Here you can find some curious airplanes that the French are using to conquer the skies in War Thunder.
