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IMPORTANT! Because the Update is still being tested, the information in this Bulletin is tentative and reflects the state of game development at the time of its publication. Some changes and new features may be removed entirely or implemented differently by the time the 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.
U.S. Battleships: Part 1
Update 0.9.9 kicks off an event with the new U.S. battleships VIII Kansas and IX Minnesota right in spotlight! These ships will become available in Early Access on the Live Server only when the Update is released. Meanwhile, we invite you to take part in the testing of the event.
Please note: the rewards for activities on the Public Test server may differ from those on the live server. The new U.S. battleships will not be available on the Public Test server.
Features of the Ship Branch
Numerous main battery guns with a solid salvo weight and decent firing range, which comes at the expense of longer gun reload times.
The ships enjoy great maneuverability for their type, as well as good anti-torpedo protection, but are rather slow.
Their decent AA defenses are reinforced by the availability of the Defensive AA Fire consumable.
Early Access: VIII Kansas can be obtained by completing Directives. IX Minnesota can be obtained from random bundles that are available in the Armory in exchange for doubloons.
Rewards for completing Directives: a new temporary resource called American Tokens.
Rewards in exchange for American Tokens: sequentially available bundles with Gold Eagle permanent camouflage patterns for the new U.S. battleships, as well as other rewards.
The Naval Base Port has been updated.
Mercenaries
Division Commanders will now have the option to invite "mercenaries," i.e. players from outside their Clan, to join their Divisions for Clan Battles.
The new feature will allow Clan leaders to test candidates who want to join their Clan in a real combat scenario, or fill any roster gaps without having to actually accept new players into the Clan.
The following rules apply to mercenaries:
To add a mercenary to the team, simply invite them to join your Division. You can search for players via the "Divisions" tab in the game client.
After a battle, the mercenary receives rewards based on the league of the Clan they went into battle with.
However, the mercenary will not receive the associated economic bonuses of the Clan they fought for.
Other Changes
The barbettes and main battery guns have been updated for all ships. Previously, when a shell hit the main battery turret, damage was dealt only to the module itself, and the player received a "Penetration" ribbon without any actual damage having been dealt to the enemy ship. Now, any damage dealt to the main battery turret also entails a reduction in the ship's hit points in the amount of 1/10 of the maximum damage of the shell. This way, hitting a turret will no longer result in a penetration without inflicting actual damage.
We've changed the visual appearance of aiming reticles for carrier squadrons and reworked the aircraft camera performance. This change will affect only the visual component of a squadron's interface, making it easier to aim with all types of armament without affecting gameplay.
Any aircraft operating within a squadron will now change position in a smoother way; the trajectory of bombers moving in on a target will change slightly, and any damage taken by the aircraft in the process will cause it to shake.
We've improved the visual display of water for all graphic settings. In particular, the visual noise applied to the sea has been removed entirely on the horizon. This change will improve game client performance.
The Spaceport has been updated to accommodate the new lighting model and enhanced HDR technology.
With the release of Update 0.9.9, players will be able to play on all World of Warships servers within one game client, without the need to install separate game instances for each region. The game server will be determined by the currently selected account in the Wargaming Game Center.
If you have any bugs to report, you can submit them here after the patch goes live.
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