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War Thunder "Red Skies" brings many new machines and new locations

Do you hear that? It's the War Thunder! It's back with another huge upgrade named "Red Skies" which comes with plenty of new toys to play with across different nations.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/06/war-thunder-qred-skiesq-brings-many-new-machines-new-locations

Meet Major Update “Red Skies”!



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Rank VII for aviation, brand new commander's sight for selected vehicles, naval shell chase camera and almost 30 new machines are joining the game! Two new locations, new effects for the nuclear blast, updated sounds, and much more!

Ground vehicles


11 new ground vehicles and brand new mechanic - commander's sight!

T-80BVM

Marder A1-

Devastating beauty of the nuclear blast!

https://youtu.be/ZIlXOyv0_oU
Aircraft


Rank VII for most modern jets in line with the expanded 11.0 Battle Rating

Many new aircraft, including the MiG-23M and a premium F-5C in the famous Red Menace camouflage!

MiG-23M

Sea Vixen FAW.2

Naval Fleet


6 new naval vessels and a new naval shell chase camera view for better aiming!

Dante Alighieri

New locations and missions


Red Desert

Drowned City

It's fixed №7


This time “It’s fixed!” comes together with the hotly anticipated major update “Red Skies”, and as usual, we have included positive changes and fixes inside the update’s changelog to make it even better!

Ground vehicle DM improvements

We have changed the calculation of effective armour penetration in cases where a projectile hits several armour elements at once, for example, a junction of armoured plates of different thickness, or several vehicle parts.

Previously, the resulting durability was equal to the sum of protection of all parts involved at the hit point. As a result, protection equivalent at a joint’s impact point might be excessively high.



Look at the hitpoint of a 120mm round to the Tiger’s front plate. The large projectile touches the edge of the driver’s observation device. The new calculation algorithm selects a part with minimal overlap at the point of contact of the projectile. Touching the neighbouring part does not limit the effect of penetration anymore.

Previously, a huge obliquity angle might affect a penetration calculation at the juncture of several plates, and the effective protection could be incorrect.



Previously, a high calibre projectile could overcome the side plate on the King Tiger at an acute angle ignoring the large area of the front plate. As a result, only the thickness of the side plate was taken into the calculation.

It’s fixed now in the “Red Skies” update as well!

Additionally, a new animation of the overpressure damage has been added to the hit camera in battle and the protection analysis in the hangar. Also, a value of the heading angles has been added to the protection analysis for more precise research on the ground vehicle armour.

Master your knowledge!

Tail fin model revision



This change will increase the survivability of all aircraft in the sky and make air battles even more interesting!

Previously the stabilizer (horizontal tail fin) was in the damage model as an inseparable unit and in the case of receiving critical damage, was destroyed completely no matter which part of it was shot at. In such a situation the entire aircraft lost altitude control and was destroyed.

We have reworked this DM part for US, Soviet, German, French and Chinese aircraft plus all helicopters. Now the part of the stabilizer that received damage destroyed will be exact and the remaining part will keep functionality and will allow you with skill to reach an airfield.

In the near future we will also rework the British, Japanese, Italian and Swedish aircraft.

Control of tracked vehicles



We have improved the responsiveness of tracked vehicles in dynamic turns - the vehicles will become less inertial in the direction of the turn and they will be able to complete the maneuver faster when the turn control is released. This change is most noticeable in powerful and large vehicles especially in the AB game mode.

Targeting improvements for missiles

Global targeting improvements come to War Thunder missiles with semi-automatic guidance (mouse controlled): ATGM’s for ground vehicle and helicopters, as well as SAM’s on AA vehicles.

We have improved the guiding algorithm for a missile to follow the aiming point specified by you on your mouse. The new algorithm takes into account the movement of the target or the missile carrier much better, it guides more accurately and does not lead to a swinging in the trajectory of some missiles, both with automatic and manual tracking of the target. Launch at will!

Improvements on semi-active seekers



Radar seekers now have a target lock quality indicator, making it easier for you to understand the perfect launch moment and estimate the risk of the missile losing the target and self-destructing.

The signal-to-noise indicator is displayed as a ring that grows with an increasing change of locking on target. It shows how effectively the missile seeker can distinguish the radar signal reflected from the target against the background. A changing colour in the ring from grey to red indicates that the signal-to-noise ratio is high enough to successfully lock on target.



The outer arc shows the actual signal-to-noise ratio for pre-launch locking seekers. A red colour means the target is locked and the system is ready to launch a missile.

For missiles that lock on target after launch, the arc shows forecasted signal-to-noise ratio after the missile is launched to the time of locking on target. A red color means the lock will be successful and a missile is ready to fire.

Fixing the torpedo detonation mechanics



We have slightly improved the mechanics of torpedo detonation under different conditions and from different impacts. Now the chance of torpedo detonation with its destruction will be from 3 to 7% (depending on the destruction conditions).

A torpedo onboard can detonate with a heavy fire and detonation of other nearby torpedoes. But detonation will not necessarily be the end for the naval vessel - the weight of the explosive mass and the detonation point will be taken into account and a fair damage will be calculated.

Virtual Reality reboot



Now War Thunder uses the OpenXR standard which provides better image quality, increasing picture sharpness compared to the previous implementation at the same supersampling settings. For example a picture at 100% SS in SteamVR is comparable in quality with 140% SS in the previous implementation! The new standard allows us to fix a lot of bugs, for example the incorrect display from the gunner position or blurred object outlines.

We using asymmetric eye protections where the depth perception and display accuracy have been improved. Also in this update we have implemented TAA support in VR mode and the owners of the RTX GPUs will be able to use DLSS to improve performance.

In addition, VR owners now have access to all graphical settings including SSAO, reflection quality, and the effect of hot air. Simulator players in VR helmets will be able to capture and broadcast the game process thanks to the special “streamer” mode that allows them to show the image of one of the screens on the monitor in the usual resolution for the live stream!

This and much more waits for you in the game!

CHECK OUT THE FULL CHANGELOG

Assistance when extinguishing fires



The “Red Skies” update is almost here! While the development team is finishing work on the update, we are describing another useful game mechanic coming to War Thunder tank battles in the upcoming “Red Skies” release.

Now light tanks and squadmates can help extinguish fires. The new mechanic works in a similar way as repair assistance: you need to drive up to a burning vehicle, wait for the indicator of assistance for firefighting, and after holding the help button, the ally will stop burning. In this case, one kit of fire-fighting equipment on the helper tank will be depleted.

The new mechanic works for burning tanks that are not able to extinguish the fire on their own - the FPE kit has run out or has not yet been installed. The firefighting assistance function makes light tanks even more useful on the battlefield, as well as improving the survivability of allies in a squad.

[Development] PGZ-09: short bursts



A modern Chinese SPAAG, equipped with radar and domestic versions of the well-known Oerlikon KDA anti-air cannons.

In War Thunder, the PGZ-09 will be a new SPAAG unit arriving in the top ranks of the Chinese ground forces tree with the release of the major update. Equipped with domestic versions of the familiar 35 mm Oerlikon KDA cannons and a radar system, the PGZ-09 is set to expand the Chinese SPAA line into the modern era!

As already mentioned, the PGZ-09 comes fitted with a pair of PG99-35-2 35 mm cannons which are in essence domestic versions of the well-known Oerlikon KDA cannons tankers are already most familiar with from vehicles such as the German Gepard or British Chieftain Marksman. Known for their excellent ballistic properties and high rate of fire, the PG99-35-2 cannons can even do serious damage to some armored vehicles with the appropriate ammunition loaded yet alone to fragile aerial targets, especially considering that the vehicle has access to a sophisticated radar detection and targeting system. It is worth mentioning that the vehicle has very limited acces to AP rounds - only 20 per gun.





The PGZ-09 will be arriving in War Thunder as part of the “Red Skies” major update and will be available for research to all tankers as a new Chinese rank VI SPAA unit. Be sure to stay tuned to the news to find out more about what the upcoming update has in store for you. Until then, happy hunting tankers!

Check out the full Dev Blog article here!

[Development] Aerfer Sagittario 2: The Legacy Continues



An Italian prototype jet fighter of the early Cold War era, distinguished by excellent flight characteristics and devastating firepower.

In War Thunder, the Sagittario 2 will be a new jet fighter awaiting all pilots at the higher ranks of the Italian aviation tree. Combining superb flight characteristics with lethal firepower makes the Sagittario 2 a very focused jet fighter and one which should quickly find fans among already seasoned jet jockeys in particular!

Glancing over the Sagittario 2’s visual appearance, in particular its streamlined fuselage and swept wings, already gives off a strong impression that this aircraft was built with performance in mind. And the aircraft’s performance figures certainly back up this sensation! Powered by a single Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.9 turbojet engine - the same one used on modifications of the well-known British Gloster Meteor fighter - the Sagittario 2 can reach a top speed of 1,050 km/h at sea level. However, being an early Cold War era jet fighter means that the Sagittario 2 doesn’t come equipped with an afterburner, resulting in worse acceleration than some newer aircraft.





The Sagittario 2 will soon join the high ranks of the Italian aviation tree as a new jet fighter awaiting all pilots with the release of the next major update Red Skies. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the news as we continue showcasing what other exciting new additions await you in the upcoming update. Until then, clear skies pilots!

Check out the full Dev Blog article here!