Purpose of this blog

Dmitry Yudo aka Overlord, jack of all trades
David Lister aka Listy, Freelancer and Volunteer

Thursday, January 24, 2013

[WoT] The Map Thing

As I have mentioned a few times, we are currently streamlining our level design workflow and techniques. Your feedback on the existing in-game maps is highly welcomed.

Which of the current maps do you enjoy? Why?
Which reworked maps are overhauled poorly and why?
Maps of what setting/type do you prefer in general?

Let's discuss here.

PS. some extra info to fuel the discussion:
  • Dragon Ridge and Serene Coast will be disabled in 8.4.
  • Bumpy terrain of Prokhorovka, Abbey, El Halluf, and Ruinberg (rounded streets) are going to be addressed.
  • Redshire and El Halluf will undergo some gameplay changes.
  • Swamp and Komarin will be visually reworked and brought back to live.

Monday, January 21, 2013

[WoWS] Rare USN Designs

Hello, everyone.

While I was away during most of January, and half of this time I've spent in Saint-Petersburg, taking part in conversations, meetings, holywars and so on, I still think I have something to say. This is not about the game itself, just because everything small that I can tell, I'm telling at NA and RU forums - and big news aren't going to happen until OBT starts. But as a man, taking part into the making of ship trees process, I want to share some more info.

Today we gonna look at some rare USN ships, which were actually never-built due to some reasons.

Let us start with this one:


This is a so-called "small" battleship, year 1919 project, or, to be certain, the "Small Battleship - Design F-3" preliminary design proposal, dated April 1919.

Normal displacement - 21.500 tonns.
Speed - 18 knots.
Armor - 12" belt.
Guns - two twin 16".

Of course, Mr. Freedman's book can tell us what is it and why it was proposed with far greater detail.
I'll just tell that in my own words: Chief Constructor of USN in 1919, Rear Admiral David W. Taylor, felt that ships were started to grow into a very large ones, so he tried to let see what can be done with less effort in materials, money and crew.

The results were...not the ones he hoped for. Even the smallest of these small battleships were larger than a dreadnought, while being slower, somewhat with same protection and only with four 16" guns (which was half of the firepower of Colorado class, for example).
The 29 knot version of this "small" battleship had normal displacement of 37.000 tonns, which was a 5.000 tonns larger (!) than a Colorado class battleship. Of course, when actual numbers appeared, all of this "small" battleship designs went right to the far-far shelf.

So, you can understand why this beautiful concept of "more battleships with less money" crashed. All in all, for the country with such an industrial potential, like USA, it wasn't so attractive anyway.
While it was not the first time, when great ideas weren't in touch with a reality, this case is a rather demonstrative one.

Thanks for reading,
KGB out