Closed Test 14.7 - Aircraft Carrier Changes and Survivability Improvements
Update 14.7 is one of the steps in larger changes of aircraft carriers and related aviation mechanics, which is focused on resolving core issues.Our testing and fine-tuning are ongoing to ensure we deliver an improved gameplay experience.However, while many changes are still in development, we would like to implement some of the already prepared tweaks, quality-of-life features, and improvements on the live servers now before the next closed testing.Look out for additional DevBlogs later this summer diving deeper into further changes currently in development.
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Aircraft Carriers & Aviation Improvements
- Maximum Base Detectability Range by Air for all ships set to 10km.
This value replaces any previous aerial detectability ranges higher than 10km and can be reduced further still via Commander skills and upgrades. The change will particularly benefit battleships, large cruisers, and carriers by lowering the frequency and likelihood of being spotted from the air.
- Standard Spotting Range (render distance) for all planes increased: 15 to 20km
All aircraft will now have a standard spotting range (rendering distance) of 20km. This allows carrier players to better assess battlefield conditions, coordinate with spotting provided by allies, and make more informed decisions about strike targets.
These updates aim to make aerial spotting more intuitive and consistent across all ship types and supplement the improvements announced below
Enhanced Spotting Mechanics
This update introduces optimized aerial spotting and visibility mechanics for more intuitive and consistent gameplay:
-
Reduced Fire Detectability
Ships on fire now have aerial detectability increased by 2km (down from 3km), matching surface detectability penalties.
-
Standardized Aircraft Spotting
All player-controlled and NPC aircraft (except jets) now share a consistent 10km detectability range.
-
Removed Aerial Detectability Penalty
Firing main battery guns no longer increases your ship's visibility to aircraft.
Secondary Battery Upgrades
All aircraft carriers with secondary batteries now feature manual secondary control, providing enhanced defensive capabilities using the German heavy cruiser system:
- Manually-controlled secondaries receive adjusted range, accuracy, and reload parameters
- Players can still designate targets for secondaries when not in manual control mode
Carrier secondary ranges are now standardized like surface ships, scaling with:
- Ship tier
- Secondary battery type
| Tier IV | Base Secondary Range (km) | Manual Secondary Range (km) |
|---|---|---|
| German | 4.5 | 8.0 |
| Improved* | 4.0 | 7.5 |
| Standard | 3.5 | 7.0 |
| Tier VI | Base Secondary Range (km) | Manual Secondary Range (km) |
|---|---|---|
| German and French | 5.0 | 8.5 |
| Improved* | 4.5 | 8.0 |
| Standard | 4.0 | 7.5 |
| Tier VIII | Base Secondary Range (km) | Manual Secondary Range (km) |
|---|---|---|
| German | 6.25 | 9.5 |
| Improved* | 5.35 | 9.0 |
| Standard | 4.5 | 8.5 |
| Tier X and Superships | Base Secondary Range (km) | Manual Secondary Range (km) |
|---|---|---|
| German | 6.85 | 10 |
| Improved* | 5.9 | 9.5 |
| Standard | 5.0 | 9.0 |
Improved are the secondary battery type which have better range parameters than the standard but are inferior to more signature ones based on German and French ships. An existing example of this is Shinano, which might be joined by more ships in the future.
To ensure balanced performance, many carriers will receive adjustments to base secondary battery reload times and shell ballistics.These changes are aimed at improving DPM consistency and enabling comfortable use even at longer engagement ranges, especially when fully built for secondaries.
Carrier Balance Changes
Tier IV
- Langley: Secondary battery reload time reduced: 7 to 2.5s
- Hōshō: Secondary battery reload time reduced: 8 to 3s
- Hermes: Ballistics on 102mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter
- Komsomolets: Ballistics on 130mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly floatier on both hulls
Tier VI
- Ranger: Secondary battery reload time reduced: 4.5 to 3.5s
Ballistics on 127mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter - Béarn: Secondary battery reload time reduced: 9 to 5.5s
- E. Loewenhardt: Ballistics on 105mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter
Tier VIII
- Aquila: Secondary battery reload time reduced: 10.7 to 3.1s
- Yorktown: Secondary battery reload time reduced: 6 to 3.1s
Ballistics on 127mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter - Hornet/AL Hornet: Secondary battery reload time reduced: 6 to 2.7s
Ballistics on 127mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter - Enterprise: Ballistics on 127mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter
- Graf Zeppelin/Graf Zeppelin B: Ballistics on 105mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter
- Kaga/Kaga B: Ballistics on 127mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become flatter
Multiple Tiers
- Ryūjō/Shōkaku/Shinano: Ballistics on 127mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter
- Essex: Ballistics on 127mm secondary battery shells changed, they will become slightly flatter
Enhancements to in-Port and in-Battle tooltips further improve the experience of manually controlled secondaries.For ships equipped with secondary armaments of multiple calibers, tooltips will now display a unified segment showing common parameters such as secondary range in both automatic and manual firing modes, making it easier for players to assess performance at a glance. For ships with only a single secondary battery caliber, these stats will still appear in the standard section alongside other weapon characteristics.
Fire and Damage Control Changes
Aircraft carriers will now experience more damaging and longer-lasting fires, making sustained artillery engagements riskier.However, an improved Damage Control Party will balance these adjustments:
- Fire duration increased: 5 to 45s
- Fire damage per second reduced: 1 to 0.3%
- Damage Control Party updated:
- Duration decreased: 60 to 30s
- Cooldown decreased: 90 to 70s
These changes are designed to increase the strategic impact of fire when playing against or as a carrier.
Survivability Improvements Against Aerial and Acoustic Torpedoes
Survivability mechanics for all ships are also receiving a notable adjustment, as the mechanics of damage application on airborne and acoustic torpedoes have been changed.
Currently, a torpedo may deal damage in 2 different ways depending on the area it hits:
How the damage application works now
1) If it hits the bow, stern, or any other part of a ship that is not covered by torpedo protection armor, a significant part of the damage dealt can be healed back by the use of the Repair Party consumable. The exact percentage that can be healed back varies, but is generally above 50%.
2) If a torpedo hits the torpedo protection armor, all damage that is ultimately dealt to the ship is considered damage to the citadel. In that case, a significantly lesser portion of the damage dealt can be healed back. Once again the exact value varies, but the average is around 10%.
Starting with Update 14.7, airborne and acoustic torpedoes will never be able to deal "citadel damage". If one of such torpedoes hits the torpedo belt of a ship, she will not only get the damage reduction provided by this armor, but also retain the same healing ability as if the torpedo would hit an unprotected part of the citadel. Basically, ships damaged by acoustic and aerial torpedoes will now be able to restore the same percentage of HP lost, regardless of where they have been hit including the citadel.
This change is aimed at improving resilience against submarines and aircraft carriers.Moreover, this update emphasizes the lethality and risk of ship-launched torpedoes compared to more easily usable, but less damaging, acoustic and aerial torpedoes.
Please note that all information in the development blog is preliminary. Announced adjustments and features may change multiple times during testing. The final information will be published on our game's website.
