[2021] 0.11.0 Public Test, Changes to ASW Armament and Submarines

Hello Captains~

A new devblog has been posted here: https://blog.worldofwarships.com/blog/255

Please leave any feedback you have right here!

Thank you!

Realistic Answer: If it was an overwhelming majority, it would be hard to argue the point.

If it was 90-95% against, then there's a real situation to have to look at and evaluate.



If it was 60-70% against, then there's an interesting distribution of opinions, as you'll have a number that's going to dislike change regardless of issue. You can consider that a hardliner segment. If hardliners ended up amounting to 30% representative, then a 60% dislike would indicate 30% Non-HL Against and 40% Non-HL Pro/Neutral.



If it was 30-40% against, then there's a very different situation. The Against is made up of Hardliner and normal players, but it's at a relative percentage of a whole. 40% could be the Majority and outnumber 30% Pro and 30% Neutral, but it still indicates a 60%+ acceptance possibility, with more acceptance as things become known/accepted through association.

Polls are a science, and poll interpretation is a rather deep vein of study/experience.

Still, it's worth remembering that while you might see polls that dislike Subs on the forums, or hear a lot of anti-sub stuff on YouTube/Twitch, we have our own internal testing, focus grouping, and polling to our players. While I can't reveal that information, the fact that submarines are still in testing should indicate that they are not as hated as a forum poll might suggest.

A few responses:

1) We have entire teams of Data Analysts that parse and analyze data. We do internal QA, Testing, Polling, and Feedback Collection. Feedback Collection is part of my job as a Community Interface point. Yes, it's certainly hard to process all of this information, but it's something that we do employ a fair amount of people to assist with.

2) "Subs are inherently boring" - This has two responses.

a) Not all games are fast. You've likely noticed X or Y player complaining about island hugging, camping, or staying-in-the-back. Some players have learned that 12 enemy ships alive on the enemy team means Going In Early = Death.

-- You have an Early Game where shots are traded and positions are claimed.
-- A Mid-game where attrition starts seeing ships sunk and flanks begin to break up or move.
-- A Late-game where damage ships try to make pushes or last stands.
To a player that just wants to get in and brawl, everything about what I just said above seems BORING! They want to BRAWL. They want ACTION. There are players that cannot fathom how people can enjoy playing a match that lasts 15 minutes when the first 10 minutes is hiding and trading. Which leads me to...

b) Players play different. Some want aggressive, constant engagements. Some want long stretches of quiet broken up by action. In this way, all players will find their playstyle represented in X or Y ship. While you may not enjoy the slower, secretive playstyle of a Submarine, that doesn't mean it isn't the greatest thing ever to other players. For me, I dove into this game through CVs post-rework, and now play all classes... everyone has their "gateway experience" that appeals to them personally.

3) I can assure you that the Devs have played them. The SuperTesters have played them. The Clan SuperTesters have played them. They've been playing them for Years at this point because of all the development work that's occurred behind the scenes. The idea that things like this haven't happened is more of a meme than a reality.

It's easy to assume people just aren't trying to understand when you "easily spot the problem". However, it can just be that other folks don't have problems with the same things to you do.

I try to explain processes and concepts we use to help players better understand things. However, please know that when I say something it has the burden of someone assuming it's coming directly as a Statement From On High. As such, I'm not able to give you a Devblog-like amount of information on what we do and why we do it.

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As to your point about maps/game experience feeling emptier with subs, this is a feedback point which has been tracked for months. Some players suggested increasing the player count per match as a remedy, for instance. Ultimately, the maps that are in-game right now are the maps that exist to be played on. If/when subs become an official part of the game, maps can created/altered in ways that fit more dynamically with expected player situations. However, that's something way off in the future because right now Subs are merely being tested.

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As to being data-driven, I don't have any form of direct answer for that. However, the general procedure for us is to collect data for something for 2-3 patches to see how it plays out, then work to adjust if adjustments are required. This gives a solid amount of information/data to work with, as well as a pool of player feedback/expectations. While the changes/results that ultimately get implemented may not be something every player agrees with, our formula has served us well enough to survive and continue to grow for 7 years.

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World of Warships tends to be balanced to "player token", which will likely sound strange. Every player has a piece on the map, so ideally every player has an equal amount of importance on the map. While DDs or CVs can be said to have too much influence, this is suggested because of Spotting and Threat. However, Battleships and Cruisers have more armor and health, so they are better at claiming and holding space, which is equally important. Ideally, Subs will have a part in the battle that is equally significant as other classes.

As for "power level", each "tier" should represent a rough approximation in "capability". Cruisers without Radar should still be in shouting distance of Cruisers with Radar by virtue of other stats/capabilities, for instance. Subs, ideally, will hold a power-level that is synonymous with the tier they are placed in.

As they are in testing, you may see buffs/nerfs as we're trying to dial in the systems/mechanics they use. You may see large swings or surprising changes during Testing, because inventing a new way to bake a cake is much different than making a cake off an old recipe but changing a few ingredients to give it a different feel/taste.

You'll be pleased to hear that we don't.

Popularity being high or low can be an indicator of a problem. However, popularity itself is not a sole metric used in balancing purposes, so it's not about Buffing/Nerfing X or Y Class because there's some magic number to strike.

The was a massive community concern that the CV Rework would be buffed to hit player population targets, and yet CVs have continually been nerfed for years. Ultimately, the game being healthy means the game will continue to grow and be played.