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 won’t necessarily be relevant after the update is released.
Please note: The rewards for activities on the Public Test Server may differ from those on the Live Server.
How do I access the Public test?
Click here to join the Public Test!
Lüshun in the Dockyard
The construction of X Lüshun is commencing at the Tan Yun Dockyard.
The process comprises 35 shipbuilding phases, 30 of which can be progressed through by completing Dockyard combat mission groups. You can also progress through shipbuilding phases by spending 1,950 Doubloons per phase and purchasing Starter Packs: 10 shipbuilding phases in exchange for 11,000 Doubloons and 5 shipbuilding phases in exchange for 7,000 Doubloons.
The Dockyard combat missions can be completed during a period that spans Update 12.7; Update 12.8; and the first 3 weeks of Update 12.9. The Dockyard will remain in your Port until the release of Update 12.10.
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Concealed Maneuvers
Update 12.7 features the second stage of the Concealed Maneuvers temporary battle type. We're continuing to test new mechanics for aircraft carriers—specifically, the Air-Dropped Minefield and Smoke Curtain Generator consumables. Battles will utilize a 9 vs. 9 format with Tier IX–X ships.
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For the new iteration, we're adding aircraft carriers X Essex and X Taihō. Essex's bombers will be able to call in a special airstrike to deploy an Air-Dropped Minefield, while Taihō's attack aircraft will be able to deploy smoke screens. We've discussed these mechanics in greater detail here.
Unlike the first iteration of Concealed Maneuvers, this iteration allows you to take submarines into battle. They can interact with minefields. Each mine will have a mooring cable attached to it. If a submarine contacts the cable, the mine will detonate and damage the submarine. The closer the mine is to the submarine, the more damage it will inflict and the higher the chances of dealing critical damage will be.
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Visual and Audio Enhancements
We've made significant changes to the audio and visual components of the game.
Visuals
In Update 12.7, high-detail textures are being added to the New York Port, as well as the New Dawn, Polar, and Islands maps. The islands on these maps will receive updated collision models. The models fully match the contours of the islands in the game, and ships will be less likely to get stuck near the islands.
New York
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New Dawn
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Polar
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Islands
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Maps with high-detail textures will feature more birds and fish; players can even come across sharks there. We've also introduced dolphins that will occasionally follow ships when there's no active combat.
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We've updated the visual effects of water splashing on ship bows; we've added animations of sea foam sweeping across ships and drops falling from the hull and floating away in the wind; we've made sun rays look more realistic underwater and added animations for air bubbles.
We've improved the effects for shells, bombs, and rockets hitting ships and islands, as well as the effects of overpenetration, ricochets, and citadel hits.
We've animated the unfolding of antennas and funnels on a number of aircraft carriers, as well as the rotation of funnels on a few French battleships. These changes will apply only to ships that have these features incorporated into their designs. For the list of ships, please refer to our Development Blog. We've also animated the rotation of secondary gun mounts that players will be able to see during calm moments on the battlefield.
The game visuals will look better at low graphics quality settings. They will be practically the same as the visuals at high graphics quality settings as of 2021. We've also slightly improved the game performance at the lowest quality graphics settings.
Audio
We've updated sound effects of guns firing, shells hitting ships and water, overpenetration, ricochets, and waves dashing against ship bows. The sounds of battles occurring far from players will become clearly distinguishable and accurately simulate sounds traveling over long distances.
The quality of all sound effects and their interactions will be improved. The sound picture will adapt to the battle conditions, prioritizing sounds of greater significance and bringing them to the foreground.
Other Changes and Improvements
Distinctive Insignia Changes
A Distinctive Insignia tab will be added. This is where you can create your personal insignia by combining different available elements—the symbol, shape, border color, background color, and texture. You'll also be able to generate a random patch from the available elements; moreover, the rendering technology will be improved—patches, including existing ones, will look more realistic.
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Trade-In
During the first 2 weeks of Update 12.7, a special tab will be added to the Armory. There, players can decommission certain Tier V–X Premium and special ships, including rare ones. By doing so, they will receive significant discounts on a number of other ships obtainable for Doubloons. Rare ships that are hard or impossible to obtain can be traded for greater discounts.
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We'll share all details about this trade-in opportunity in the future. Right now, you can try out this feature on the Public Test server!
Other Changes
We're implementing an upgrade recommendation system that will cover all ships. Just like Commander skills, the recommended upgrades will now be marked with a special icon. Players will be able to buy all the recommended upgrades and mount them in vacant slots at once with the help of a special button.
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We've reworked the battle type selection screen. The upper section of the screen will display the permanently available battle types, and the lower section will display the temporary and seasonal types. We've updated the existing descriptions of battle types and added some new descriptions. You can open them by pressing the "i" button. We've added tooltips that pop up on hovering over the battle type icon. They contain information about ship restrictions and the time remaining until the end of particular battle types, Sprints, or Prime Times.
We've implemented a new approach to how Premium and special ship features are displayed in the Equipment tab.
We've also fixed the animation of torpedoes exiting torpedo launchers; this change won't affect the gameplay.