[2019] ST, changes to test ships

French destroyer Siroco, tier V:

Detectability range by air is lowered from 3.36 km to 2.7 km;


Main Battery Reload Booster and Engine Boost consumables are changed place. Now, Siroco's consumables are arranged in the same order as the researchable French destroyers.

French destroyer Vauquelin, tier VII:

Detectability range by air is reduced from 4.38 to 3.51 km.

French destroyer Kleber, tier X:

Detectability after firing main guns in smoke is increased from 3.3 to 3.63 km.

Detectability ranges by sea, and after firing main caliber guns in smoke, for French destroyers is corrected considering the basic detection range from sea.

French cruiser Colbert, tier X:

Detectability range by air is increased from 6.0 to 7.41 km.

Soviet cruiser Smolensk, tier X:

Detectability range by air is increased from 5.64 to 7.41 km

When using skills and upgrades for lowering detection range, the AA gun range of Colbert and Smolensk was larger than the detection range by air. This allowed these cruisers to turn the AA off and activate it when enemy planes are already inside the AA zone. The changes will remedy this situation.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary.

ST, changes to test ships

British battleship Thunderer, tier X:

Main battery guns reload time lowered from 30 to 26 s;


Sigma lowered from 2.0 to 1.9;


Lowered the size of the dispersion ellipse.

Thunderer has a relatively weak armor scheme and not the best Repair party, her main strength is her guns. But testing showed that they were not efficient enough.

American battleship Ohio, tier X:

Main battery guns reload time increased from 26 to 30 s;


Sigma increased from 1.9 to 2.0;


Increased the size of the dispersion ellipse;


Amount of hit points restored per second by Repair party is lowered from 0.66% to 0.5% of maximum hit points.

Thanks to effective secondaries and good guns, Ohio was too effective at all distances. The guns parameters were changed to keep the ship strong in close and medium range, but lowering the overall efficiency. Moreover, Repair party had too big of an impact on the overall survivability of the ship.

Italian researchable cruisers

Removed the damage limit of semi-armor-piercing for shells of caliber of 283 mm and lower against destroyers;


Improved ricochet angles of semi-armor-piercing shells from 60-85 to 80-85;


Changed the basic firing range of main caliber guns:

Taranto, tier III: increased from 9.6 to 10.34 km;


Alberto di Guissano, tier IV: lowered from 14.14 to 13.51 km;


Trento, tier VI: lowered from 15.37 to 14.65 km;


Zara, tier VII: increased from 14.32 to 14.65 km;


Amalfi, tier VIII: increased from 13.95 to 14.68 km;


Brindisi, tier IX: increased from 15.21 to 15.57 km.

Venezia, tier X: improved firing angles for the second turret by 19 degrees to both sides.

Semi-armor-piercing shells are an intermediate between AP and HE shells: AP deals good damage when hitting citadel, HE does stable but relatively low damage and can causes fires. SAP shells should deal good stable non-citadel damage, but due to the ricochet angles they were not effective. Also, due to the limit on damage against destroyers, this cruisers were weak against this class, so the limit was removed.

The changes to the firing range will build the progress logically from tier to tier.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary.

Ricochet angles are changed for semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shells:

For 150 mm and 152 mm guns angles are changed from 80-85 to 65-80;


For 203 mm guns angles are changed from 75-80 to 65-80.

Venezia maintains her ricochet angles of 75-80.

We continue to tune SAP shells to provide commanders an option for counterplay - these shells will ricochet more often at sharp angles.

The Italian cruisers’ detectability range by air is fixed:

Eritrea, tier I: lowered from 7.12 to 5.12 km;


Alberto di Giussano, tier IV: increased from 3.96 to 4.49 km;


Raimondo Montecuccoli, tier V: lowered from 6.64 to 6.07 km;


Genova, tier V: lowered from 11.1 to 8.28 km;


Trento, tier VI: lowered from 7.86 to 5.31 km;


Zara, tier VII: lowered from 7.52 to 6.98 km;


Amalfi, tier VIII: lowered from 9.53 to 8.67 km;


Brindisi, tier IX: lowered from 10.18 to 9.2 km;


Venezia, tier Х: lowered from 11.12 to 9.92 km.

Italian cruiser Alberto da Guissano, tier IV:

Basic firing range of main caliber guns lowered from 13.5 to 12.6 km.

Italian cruiser Genova, tier V:

Basic firing range of main caliber guns increased from 13 to 14.3 km.

Italian cruiser Trento, tier VI:

Reload time of main caliber guns increased from 15 to 16 s.

Italian cruiser Zara, tier VII:

Reload time of main caliber guns lowered from 15 to 14.5 s;


Action time of Exhaust Smoke Generator increased from 25 to 40 s.

According to the test results, these ships needed additional balance changes.

Soviet battleship Poltava, tier VIII:

The ship is moved to tier VII and her parameters are updated to match the new tier:

Fire protection setting lowered;


Plating thickness lowered from 32 to 25 mm;


Superstructure armor thickness lowered from 19 to 16 mm;


Parameters of AA defense changed;


Reload time of main caliber guns is lowered from 30 to 28 s.

Despite all the strong features of the ship (low detection range, good armor and AA defense), the battleship was not strong enough for tier VIII.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary.

Soviet battleship Poltava, tier VII:

Firing range of main caliber guns increased from 16.1 to 18.3 km.


Accuracy settings for the main caliber guns are adjusted to the standard settings for battleships.

Poltava's concept is very similar to that of Sinop, but due to the specifics of armoring it is less effective in close combat. We've increased Poltava's firing range and also changed the settings of her guns. Now the concept of Poltava will be closer to that of 'usual' battleships, but with some characteristic differences such as a limited number of Damage control party charges and a special armoring scheme.

American battleship California, tier VII:

Firing range of main caliber guns increased from 17 to 19.1 km.


Sigma parameter was changed from 1.7 to 1.8

In keeping with many other American battleships of her era, California does not have the fastest speed. Because of this, the ship spent too much time reaching the battlefield at the beginning of the game, and sometimes did not have time to help allies during battle. We increased the range of the ship's main caliber guns so that she can engage the enemy earlier, and also slightly increased her accuracy so that California can engage the enemy effectively at long range.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary and subject to change.

American cruiser Puerto Rico, tier X:

Sigma parameter was changed from 1.9 to 2.2

The test results have shown that the ship lacks sufficient accuracy of the main caliber guns for effective play.

German cruiser Mainz, tier VIII:

Bow and aft armor reduced from 27 to 25mm

Mainz's bow and aft armor is reduced to better match the light cruiser type and to highlight the difference from the Admiral Hipper.

Italian cruiser Eritrea, tier I:

Main battery reload time was reduced from 4.5 to 3.5 s

Italian cruiser Nino Bixio, tier II:

Main battery reload time was reduced from 13 to 12 s

Italian cruiser Taranto, tier III:

Detectability range by air increased from 4 to 5.1 km

Main battery reload time was reduced from 13 to 12 s

Italian cruiser Alberto Di Giussano, tier IV:

Detectability range by air increased from 4.5 to 5.1 km

Italian cruiser Raimondo Montecuccoli, tier V:

Main battery reload time was increased from 13 to 14.3 s


Torpedoes reload time increased from 47 to 55 s

Italian cruiser Trento, tier VI:

Main battery reload time was reduced from 16 to 15 s

We continue to tune the Italian cruisers: the reload time of these ships armaments has been changed to improve their balance. Detectability range by air of Taranto and Alberto Di Giussano was less than AA defense action zone, so it was increased.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary and subject to change.

ST, changes to test ships

German cruiser Mainz, tier VIII:

Main battery reload time was reduced from 7.5 to 6 s.

Tests showed that Mainz's damage per minute was not high enough for a tier VIII cruiser.

American cruiser Puerto Rico, tier X:

Detectability range by sea reduced from 17.6 to 16.56 km;


Detectability range by air reduced from 11.86 to 11.16 km;


Detectability after firing main guns in smoke reduced from 14.27 to 13.15 km.

This change will help to increase the survivability of Puerto Rico in combat and will also bring the ship's visibility into line with her size.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary.

It's more of "dimensions" than size overall, since height is also one of the determining factors.
And, overall, while concealment is based on size - it's still a balanincing parameter.

I agree with but, I'd like to add that, in practice, Wichita is much tankier than Baltimore (to the point some testers thought her citadel was bugged), and this feature is not so obvious at the first glance.

European destroyer Västerås, Tier VI:

Detectability ranges were increased:

By ships from 6.86 to 7.06 km;


After firing main guns in smoke from 2.44 to 2.51 km;


By planes from 2.9 to 2.99 km.

Effective main battery guns coupled with a relatively low detectability range made the ship very strong on her Tier. An increased detectability range will let enemies spot Västerås and disengage earlier.

European destroyer Småland, Tier X:

Action time of the Surveillance Radar consumable increased from 15 to 20 s;


Main caliber guns firing range increased from 10.4 to 11.4 km.

The action time of the Surveillance Radar didn't let Småland use the consumable to its full potential.

British cruiser Cheshire, Tier VIII:

Guaranteed ricochet angle for armor-piercing shells reduced from 65 to 60 degrees;


Main caliber guns reload time reduced from 13 to 11.5 s;


Main caliber guns firing range increased from 15.7 to 16.1 km;


Detectability range by ships reduced from 12.42 to 11.9 km.

Due to a small number of main caliber guns, Cheshire had rather low damage per minute and her detectability range prevented quick disengaging from combat.

British cruiser Drake, Tier IX:

Guaranteed ricochet angle for armor-piercing shells reduced from 65 to 60 degrees;


Main caliber guns reload time reduced from 18.5 to 18 s.

British cruiser Goliath, Tier X:

Guaranteed ricochet angle for armor-piercing shells reduced from 65 to 60 degrees;


Main caliber guns reload time reduced from 19 to 18.5 s.

We adjusted the parameters of British heavy cruisers based on testing results.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary and subject to change.

European destroyer Klas Horn, Tier IV:

Main battery reload time increased from 5.5 to 6.1 s.


Torpedo range reduced from 9 to 8 km.


Detectability range by ships increased from 6.32 to 6.82 km. Other detectability ranges increased in accordance with it.

European destroyer Visby, Tier V:

Main battery reload time increased from 6.5 to 7 s.


Torpedo range reduced from 9 to 8 km.


Detectability range by ships increased from 6.23 to 6.82 km. Other detectability ranges increased in accordance with it.

European destroyer Västerås , Tier VI:

Main battery reload time increased from 6.5 to 7 s.

European destroyer Skåne , Tier VII:

Main battery reload time increased from 2.8 to 3.2 s.


Torpedo tubes reload time increased from 55 to 59 s;


Detectability range by ships increased from 6.86 to 7.06 km. Other detectability ranges increased in accordance with it.

European destroyer Öland , Tier VIII:

Main battery reload time increased from 2.5 to 2.6 s.


Detectability range by ships increased from 7.22 to 7.42 km. Other detectability ranges increased in accordance with it.

European destroyer Östergötland , Tier IX:

Torpedo range reduced from 15 to 13.5 km;


Detectability range by ships increased from 7.22 to 7.62 km. Other detectability ranges increased in accordance with it.

European destroyer Småland , Tier X:

Main battery reload time reduced from 1.8 to 1.7 s.


Detectability range by ships reduced from 7.92 to 7.82 km. Other detectability ranges reduced in accordance with it.

We adjusted the parameters of European destroyers based on testing results.

French destroyer Marceau, Tier X:

Detectability range by ships reduced from 9.88 to 8.88 km. Other detectability ranges reduced in accordance with it.

Based on testing results, we've decided to revert Marceau's detectability changes to emphasize the differences in playstyle between her and Kleber.

Japanese battleship Yashima, Tier X:

The ship is renamed to Shikishima.

The old name was too similar to the name of the Japanese Tier X ship Yoshino. The new name, as well as the old one, was historically used for a pre-dreadnought battleship.

Please note that the information in the Development Blog is preliminary and subject to change.

Aloha,

This was a formatting issue from our program side to the forums for those that select the "Dark" theme for the forums. It should be fixed now.

Thanks for bringing this up!

Mahalo,

-Hapa

Please note that all information in the development blog is preliminary and subject to change during testing. Showcased features may or may not end up on the main server. Any final information will be published on our game's website.

We adjusted the parameters of ships based on testing results.

Japanese battleship Shikishima, Tier X:

Main battery reload time reduced from 35 to 27 s;


HE and AP shells' initial velocity increased from 720 to 765 m/s;


AP shell maximum damage reduced from 19400 to 17000;


Shell ballistics changed. Accuracy settings for the main caliber guns are now similar to those of the Japanese Tier X battleship Yamato, and the shell trajectory became flatter.

Soviet cruiser Ochakov, Tier VIII:

Torpedo range reduced from 10 to 8 km;


Main battery firing range increased from 15.2 to 15.6 km;


Main battery reload time reduced from 6.5 to 6.1 s.

Soviet cruiser Riga, Tier IX:

Parameters of HE and AP shells were changed:

AP shell maximum damage reduced from 6,200 to 5,950;


Shell trajectory became more arched;


AP shell penetration was reduced.

Soviet cruiser Petropavlovsk, Tier X:

Ellipse of main caliber shell dispersion is increased.

Soviet cruiser Alexander Nevskiy, Tier X:

Sigma parameter increased from 2.0 to 2.05.

Soviet cruiser Pyotr Bagration, Tier VIII:

Main battery reload time reduced from 12.5 to 11.0 s;


Main battery firing range increased from 18.0 to 18.5 km;


AA parameters were changed:

Number of explosions in a salvo increased from 6 to 8;


Damage from shell explosions increased from 1330 to 1400.



"Repair Party" consumable was added.

French destroyer Marceau, Tier X:

Torpedo tubes reload time reduced from 150 to 142 s;


Third turret no longer rotates 360 degrees.

German cruiser Ägir, Tier IX:

Secondary battery reload time increased from 3.1 to 3.6 s.

Please note that all information in the development blog is preliminary and subject to change during testing. Showcased features may or may not end up on the main server. Any final information will be published on our game's website.

German cruiser Ägir, Tier IX:

Main battery firing range increased from 17.0 to 18.5 km;


Sigma parameter increased from 1.8 to 2.05;


Main battery reload time reduced from 22 to 20 s;


Secondary battery firing range reduced from 7.6 to 5.3 km;


Accuracy settings of secondary armament are adjusted to the standard settings for cruisers

The concept of Ägir initially implied close-range combat with the help of torpedo armament and secondary guns which were uncharacteristically strong for the class. However, her constructive features - bad aiming angles of the aft turret and her armor - didn't allow to fulfill the ship's potential in this role. New settings will make Ägir a mid- and long-range ship, and she will still be effective in close-range combat against single targets.

Soviet cruiser Kotovsky, Tier V:

Main battery reload time incresased from 8 to 10 s.

Soviet cruiser Voroshilov, Tier V:

Main battery reload time increased from 12.5 to 13.5 s.

Soviet cruiser Mikoyan, Tier V:

The angle at which the check for ricochets is made for AP shells is reduced from 55 to 50 degrees.

Soviet cruiser Petr Bagration, Tier VIII:

Detectability range by ships increased from 12.6 to 14.0 km. Other detectability ranges increased accordingly;


Turret traverse speed reduced from 8 to 6 degrees per second.

American battleship California, Tier VII:

Main battery reload time increased from 30 to 34.2 s.

Soviet cruiser Riga, Tier IX:

AP shells maximum damage reduced from 5,950 to 5,750.

Japanese battleship Shikishima, Tier X:

AP shells maximum damage increased from 17,000 to 19,400.

We adjusted the parameters of these ships based on testing results.

Aloha,

Balance changes to test ships

https://blog.worldofwarships.com/blog/16

Please leave your feedback below.

Mahalo,

-Hapa