Sandbox 2021: Try the Reworked HE Shells!

Greetings, Commanders!

Earlier, we announced a series of Sandbox tests that will affect the entire game, as well as every commander. Together, we will decide on some very important changes that will significantly affect World of Tanks and its further development.

The first test starts today and will last until February 15. The main aim will be to test the reworked mechanics for causing damage with HE shells.

We ask you to put on your testing hats and see how much easier it is to survive HE shells when playing in heavily armored vehicles, and how much more effective HE shells of low and medium calibers have become. Play in different vehicles, complete the questionnaire, and give us your feedback! To show our gratitude, all active players who take part in the test will receive valuable rewards for their contribution and time.

Sandbox: HE Shell Rebalancing Test
TEST STARTS:	TEST ENDS:
Monday, Feb. 8 at 05:00 PT \| 07:00 CT \| 08:00 ET	Monday, Feb. 15 at 01:00 PT \| 03:00 CT \| 04:00 ET

Previous HE Shell Tests

Previous HE shell tests on the Sandbox proved very useful. They emphasized the value of HE shells and gave us a direction for further reworking this shell type. The survey results, feedback, and statistics provided us with the necessary information on how to change the HE shell damage mechanics. The tests also made it clear to us that the suggested changes did not meet your expectations, especially those of you who used HE shells and actively played in vehicles equipped with howitzers.

Today, we invite you to test the updated HE shells and decide whether the WoT community is satisfied with this concept. Note that in this version, HE shells can penetrate armor, but it is the damage of non-penetrating shots that was changed. Please assess the changes from different perspectives, complete the questionnaire, and provide your direct feedback.

Our main goal is to keep the things you enjoy the most about HE shells:

Fun and exciting gameplay
Ease of use
High chances of causing damage

However, at the same time, we want to improve the behavior of HE shells during the following negative scenarios:

Causing high point-blank damage to well-armored vehicles, no matter which part of their armor is getting hit.
The lack of demand for HE shells for low and medium-caliber guns.
Some other frustrating aspects of the current mechanics. For example, the situation when the enemy sets your engine on fire after hitting the commander's cupola.

HE Shells: Pros and Cons

Before we talk in detail about the suggested changes, let's once again outline what you like and dislike about HE shells.

Pros

Fun and exciting gameplay unique to the game: Without a doubt, HE shells are the most thrilling shell type in the game. Upon penetration, which rarely occurs, they cause high damage, sometimes a lot more than expected. As a result, you remember such memorable and satisfying shots for the entire battle or even for the entire play session.
Ease of causing damage: When firing an HE shell, you don’t need to know the thickness of enemy armor or aim for its weak spots. In point-blank situations, HE shells allow you to fire earlier without needing to aim and focus on the weak spots of the tank you are brawling with. You can deal damage even without penetrating the armor.

Cons

Well-armored vehicles take high frontal damage from large-caliber HE shells (130+ mm): HE shells are not usually used against well-armored vehicles due to their low penetration values, except by certain vehicles with high-caliber HE shells (130+ mm) that lack other viable options. In some game situations, HE shells can cause excessively high damage, which can be especially frustrating for vehicles whose frontal armor should be able to easily handle such shots.
It is impossible to predict how much damage you will cause or take: With the current system, HE shells are the most unpredictable shell type due to its very wide range of damage values and unclear damage calculation mechanics. Much depends on random factors that you cannot influence. Those of you who fire an HE shell do not know for sure how much, let alone whether any, damage will be dealt. Vehicles on the receiving end of such shots have difficulty avoiding, or at least reducing, damage taken. As noted above, in some rare cases, HE shells that penetrate the commander's cupola can even set the vehicle’s engine on fire.
The low popularity of HE shells for low and medium-caliber guns: HE shells are rarely used for guns with calibers under 130 mm due to the unpredictable damage that such guns cause. Of course, sometimes they cause decent damage, but this does not happen very often.

Our goal is to improve the behavior of HE shells in these three scenarios. At the same time, we would like to keep all the positive aspects of HE shells: fun and exciting gameplay, ease of use, and high chances of causing damage. Let's take a look at the solution that we suggest.

Changes to Damage Mechanics

1. Transition from damage within the burst radius to damage at the point of impact.

First, here is a quick overview of the current HE shell damage mechanics for both penetrating and non-penetrating shots.

With the current mechanics, each HE shell causes damage within its own burst (or splash) radius. This radius depends on the gun’s caliber. Upon penetration, the HE shell enters the vehicle and detonates, dispersing shrapnel, causing maximum damage, and destroying internal modules and injuring crew members within the burst radius.

If the shot does not penetrate, the HE shell detonates at the spot where it hits the vehicle. Within a sphere-shaped burst radius at this point, the shell deals damage to the most vulnerable spot on the armor (which will take the highest damage). Since the most vulnerable point may not necessarily be where the HE shell initially hits, the result of the shot is unpredictable.

Let's have a look at an example of these mechanics in action.

The FV 4005 fires an HE shell at the side of the Maus' frontal cheeks (which are 260 mm thick). Failing to penetrate the armor, the shell explodes, causing burst damage. The mechanics search for the most vulnerable spot to cause damage within the burst sphere, and they find a hull cover that has a thickness of 50 mm. As a result, this shot, even without penetrating, can cause 570–850 HP of damage to the well-armored Maus.

With the new system, HE shells will still be able to penetrate armor, but they will only cause damage to armor at the point of impact, instead of within the burst radius.

As a result, firing HE shells at well-armored areas of enemy vehicles will become less effective—it will be impossible to cause as much damage as before. Just like Armor-Piercing (AP) shells, you will have to aim at vulnerable spots and wait for a good moment to cause high damage.

Upon penetration of enemy armor, nothing will change—if a shell gets inside the vehicle, you will still be able to cause maximum damage. But if the shot does not penetrate the armor, things will be different.

Upon impact with the armor, the HE shell will still try to penetrate, but if its penetration value is not high enough, damage will be calculated at the point of contact with the armor. At the same time, after exploding, small pieces of shrapnel (spall) will be created inside the vehicle. By scattering inside the vehicle hull, the spall will cause damage to modules and crew members, as well as to the armor itself. The spall radius will be the same as a shell’s burst radius in the current system.

Now, damage to armor will depend on the armor’s thickness* only at the point of impact—other points will not be considered. The thicker the armor at the point of impact, the less damage the shell will cause if it does not penetrate, and vice versa—the thinner the armor, the lower its nominal value and the greater the damage.

Let's see how it works using the same example with the FV 4005 and the Maus.

With the new mechanics, the FV 4005 fires an HE shell at the side of the Maus’ frontal cheeks (which are 260 mm thick). The shell hits the armor, but due to an insufficient penetration value, it does not penetrate the armor. Instead, the shell explodes on the surface. Spall is created inside the vehicle, causing damage to the Maus, but the value is noticeably smaller (250–350 HP of damage) than it was with the previous mechanics.

This is because the new HE shell mechanics will not seek out the most vulnerable point to cause maximum damage. The HE shell mechanics will interact not with the hull cover (which is 50 mm thick), but rather the armor at the point of impact (specifically, the frontal cheeks of the Maus), which is 260 mm thick.

2. Penetration of screens, tracks (wheels), and small obstacles.

With the new mechanics, we want HE shells to be able to penetrate screens, as well as tracks and the wheels of wheeled vehicles at the point of impact. We also want them to be able to penetrate insignificant and/or destructible obstacles (fences, destructible structures, etc.).

The principle of their action will be the same as that of AP shells. However, if, after penetrating a screen, an AP shell hits armor that is thicker than the remaining penetration value of the shell, no damage is caused. For HE shells in this situation, the "spall" mechanics take effect and cause guaranteed damage.

If an HE shell does not penetrate a screen and therefore does not reach the armor, it will not cause any damage at all. To fire HE shells effectively through screens, you will need to consider the thickness and slope of the screens.

Let's look at the same example with the Maus again.

In the current system, if the FV 4005 fires an HE shell at the Maus' gun mantlet, the mechanics will work the same way as in the example above when firing at the side of the Maus’ turret. The shell will not penetrate the armor. Instead, it will explode on its surface, and the resulting sphere will again find the hull cover, which is 50 mm thick. The Maus will receive 570–850 HP of damage.

With the new mechanics, when firing at the gun mantlet, the HE shell simply doesn't have enough armor penetration to pierce the screen and reach the armor. Since there is no point of impact on the armor, no spall is created, and there will be no damage to the armor, internal modules, or crew members.

To cause full damage after piercing a screen, track (wheel), or obstacle, the HE shell will also need to pierce the armor. Thus, there may be situations where HE shells will cause full damage even when firing through a track.

The armor penetration indicator will also be improved. In Sniper Mode, you will be able to use the indicator’s color to determine the outcome of your shot:

Red: No damage (the shell will not penetrate the screen/track/wheel and will not cause damage)
Yellow: Damage will be caused, but not in full (the shell will penetrate the screen/track/wheel, and it will reach the armor but not pierce it)
Green: Full damage (the shell will penetrate the screen/track/wheel and pierce the armor).

Damage Probability

Based on these changes, HE shells that do not penetrate will instead deal a low amount of guaranteed damage, so long as they hit the enemy’s armor. This damage will depend on the shell’s base damage and on the thickness of the armor at the point of impact.

Though this damage may be quite low, it can still be very useful in some game situations. This will be especially helpful for vehicles equipped with low or medium-caliber guns, which will now be able to use HE shells to reset a base capture, damage an enemy’s track, or finish off vehicles that are low on HP.

As for Premium vehicles that mainly use HE shells, they will be rebalanced with great care to retain their unique gameplay and characteristics.

All test participants will have an opportunity to complete a questionnaire and provide their opinions about the changes suggested above. Once we have assessed whether the basic mechanics work, the detailed characteristics and exact numerical values will be adjusted in later iterations based on your feedback, so be sure to try them out! If the tests show unsatisfactory results, these changes won't be added to the game.

Rewards for Participating in the Test

Considering the high importance of the Sandbox tests, we would like to thank all who take part in the test for their contribution. We really appreciate the time you devote to World of Tanks, especially when it comes to the further development of the game and discussions on such important issues as HE shells.

During the test period, you will have access to special missions on the Sandbox server. By completing them, you can earn special Tokens. You will be able to exchange Tokens for the missions you complete during each test for useful rewards of your choice on the live servers before the start of the next Sandbox.

Step by Step, Part 1

Step by Step, Part 2

Step by Step, Part 3

Step by Step, Part 4

Step by Step, Part 5

Step by Step, Part 6