https://youtu.be/eKj8iC0vzd0
Gaijin Entertainment announced today the forthcoming start of the closed beta test for a new kind of warrior in War Thunder - to be available in game very soon: Naval Battles!

The participants of the upcoming naval battles closed beta will be called the "Knights of the Sea". Made up of torpedo, artillery and missile boats, coast guard vessels and submarine chasers, this so-called "small" naval contingent served in all oceanic theatres of the World War II era.

""The high level of realism is one of the key design features of War Thunder. Vehicles are as close to their real life counterparts as possible. Classic large ship battles during the war were contests of patience and planning, where engagements could last from several hours to several days. In War Thunder, where all kinds of vehicles fight in one battle and players can control aircraft, tanks and ships, it is not possible to change the size of the ships or make time run faster, as everything needs to remain consistent.

Our internal testing showed that battles with large battleships would be too long and boring, or required design changes that made ships entirely unrealistic. For this reason, we are focusing on fast attack-based craft, which are rarely reproduced in games. Ships, that are more suitable for the formula of our game. These fast, agile and dangerous “Knights of the Sea” are worthy contenders for aircraft and tanks on the ground" - says creative director Kirill Yudintsev Gaijin Entertainment.









Existing nations in War Thunder will get attack boats from the start. Testing will take place on the main game server during specific hours. The testing team, other invited players and those who purchase one of two Starter packs with unique ships, will be able to join the closed beta testing as soon as the testing phase begins later this year. The first Starter Pack includes the Soviet Project 1124 Armored River Boat with the unguided rocket launcher, the legendary Katyusha. The second starter pack includes the famous American PT-109, a motor torpedo boat on which the future US President John F. Kennedy served and performed acts of wartime heroism. Both ships will be available at the start of the closed beta testing as will other nations vessels.

Buy Now: American PT-109

Buy Now: Soviet Project 1124 Armored River Boat

The first to take part in the naval battles of War Thunder will be the visitors of Gamescom 2016. In the game booth in Hall 6, Gaijin Entertainment has organized a special closed area, where guests can try their hand as captains of attack boats. For those unable to visit the exhibition, there will be a special video broadcast on the official Twitch channel and new devblog updates each day, where developers of the game will talk about the latest addition, present ships of different nations and run giveaways of access for the closed beta test for the viewers.

More details - from Monday. Follow the news!