Camo still does the same thing it did realistically. It breaks up the lines of the ship and can give a color scheme that is harder to discern.
There may not be direct gameplay benefits in a Stat sense, but having the noise of a camo pattern makes it a little harder to dial in on a specific part of a ship when leading your reticle.
I'm not saying it's protecting weak spots. I'm saying it make the visual of the ship "noisier" so that it's harder to discern individual features.
No Camo:
With Camo:
When glancing at the hull to identify secondary or torpedo placement, the visual pattern used in the camo causes a blend effect that is harder to discern.
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For the Albemarle, you clearly see the lines of her Citadel on the outside of the ship with no Camo:
With a Camo, the indentation is still visible but the paintwork does make it less clear:
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I started a free-to-play account because of the oft-voiced concern that the new system would make F2P unplayable. So far, I haven't found issue, but I'm still riding out the Premium Time from fresh starting the Account (you're given like 2 weeks or so).
Prior to the Econ/Camo Separation, I did not use a Camo on my ship specifically to save credits. Granted, I was in a Cruiser that did not live and die by the detection game, but it was a conscious decision to help me grind faster.
I did forgo Camo even while the bonuses were available (started the account the week before the change), but this statement is still fairly correct. Having gameplay aspects on the camos gives them purpose, which is nice... but you will have players that feel compelled to use them every game because of those bonuses. Not "needing" to run them does ease the strain on Free-to-Play players.
As you can see by your start date, your account is not new:
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I was given 3 Days of Premium after a few Battles, an additional 7 after many battles, and recieved some from the Supercontainer that was given when I unlocked Containers (if I recall correctly).
I am holding onto the 7 Tactical containers as they each give 1 Day of Premium Time for when the current Premium runs out. Also, I have advanced to the final stage in the first Campaign which gives 7 more days when I choose to finish the mission and redeem it. Also, 2 more days of Premium from 5 starring 2 Scenarios (Defense at Naval Station Newport and Aegis).
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From my F2P account:
Account was started on the 8th of this month (14 days ago).
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