E3 2014 - World of Warships

Wargamming has made its name thanks to the ever popular World of Tanks, recently they launched the next game in the series, World of Warplanes and at E3 2014, and I had the chance to check out World of Warships.

Now as the name suggests, this game focuses on the theatre of war that raged in the pacific ocean throughout World War 2 and was mainly between the USA and Japan.  Although the team did point out that the USSR, Germany and Great Britain would be added down the line. The game features 5v5 combat in large open spaces where players can use 4 different types of ships to destroy the opposing side

Battleships are the ones to use if you want to get in and fight hard, they come with much thicker armor than the others and contain the biggest guns.  But all that extra protection and firepower comes at the cost of speed, with the battleships being the slowest of the 4 ship types. Cruisers on the other hand are quite faster than the battleships but they contain less guns and armor plating but can launch torpedos if the need arises.
Destroyers are also about and are well placed for taking on a battleship, in fact each ship class is designed to be able to combat another very well. Battleships can defeat cruisers with ease, the cruiser being able to take on a destroyer and the destroyer able to fight a battleship. It’s a little bit rock, paper, scissors there. The forth ship type is the Aircraft Carrier which is excellent at range because it has long guns and is able to launch fighter planes to help sink the opposing ships, but should another ship get close enough, the Aircraft Carrier is at a disadvantage as it has no close range weapons.

Fighting the other ships is all well and good, but with the size of the maps finding them may prove to bit a little bit of a challenge. Thankfully, some ships can launch scout planes that will locate enemy vessels, allowing you to move into attack. The planes will not fly around randomly either, players can set way points on a map allowing them to direct the planes to set areas. Working in a team, you should be able to locate the opposing ships with quick ease, allowing you to find them and then sink them.

Of course getting into the fights would mean nothing if the game did not show that you had been in one, if you manage to sink the opposing ship without damage then that’s great, but as most of us will undoubtedly duffer some form of damage while fighting, it is nice to know that the ships will reflect the scars of battle.  Surviving one battle may be great, but surviving the war may not be so easy. The ships themselves can also be upgraded, allowing you to have more guns and armor, different looks as well can be applied if you so desire. Perhaps the best feature is the ships crews, should you win a battle then the crew gain experience. As the level up they become more proficient in their roles, which in turns allows them to be able to load the guns faster, repair the ships more and much more.

Overall World of Warships takes what is known about the Tanks series and adds fresh, new experiences to it making it feel like a whole new game.