Update 1.29

Update 1.29 (changelog) was introduced on 19 March 2013. It is most notable for improving the damage model of all aircraft, reworking the in game economy, and adding several iconic aircraft such as the B-25 and Do-217.

New Vehicles

Aircraft

USA

• B-25J-1 Mitchell
• B-25J-20 Mitchell

Germany

• Do 217 J-1
• Do 217 J-2
• Do 217 N-1
• Do 217 E-2
• Do 217 E-4
• Do 217 K-1
• Do 217 M-1

USSR

• Tu-2S-44
• Tu-2S-59

Great Britain

• Meteor F. Mk.8 G.41K

Japan

• G5N1
• G8N1

Game Changes

New Login, Hangar, and Loading windows

• Players may see new interface elements right as the game starts - starting with a new login window with an animated background.

The main window of the hangar was also changed as well, as was the “To Battle!” button. Now you enter the fight with just one click on the “To Battle!” button. If you need some parameters to be changed, just hover your cursor over it.

• Also you may now choose an aircraft for HB/FRB before entering the battle.

Damage Model

• War Thunder’s damage model (DM) was significantly improved in Update 1.29. We’ve added circa 10 new parts and specified and tuned all existing parts for all planes. Along with introducing the correct ammo types for all types of weapons, these changes make the air fight fiercer and much more interesting. And more historical, of course.
• Damage from bombs, rockets and torpedoes was also tuned according to the performance of their real counterparts.

Ammo belts options

• Update 1.29 brings a new feature; customizing fighters’ ammo belts. Separately, for cannons and machine guns, you may now choose from several types of ammunition: universal, for air targets, for ground targets, and for stealth attacks (without tracers).

New Economy

• Read the details of the new economy model here.

Interface

• New option available in Settings to display the fuel amount
• Now you can see any player’s profile
• Checkboxes in the Research window to turn on/off the repair costs in different game modes
• Now you receive one award message both for Lions and experience points
• Default nonlinearity is changed to ‘1’
• Fixed: wrong message when feathering the propeller
• Fixed displaying of the axis nonlinearity in the interface
• FRB mode: huge pop-up notifications of experience gains are hidden now. Small notifications at the bottom of the screen remain.
• ‘Markers on/off’ option for replays
• You may see your squadron member’s exact plane selected before entering fight
• Achievement descriptions are added into the Event Log
• Achievements progress bars are added
• All achievements now have the correct terms of gaining
• Achievements now shown in the Logbook
• Gaming interface now available in bomb-follow camera
• New layout and images for Medals in profile.
• Multi-staged challenges now shown correctly in the debriefing window
• Notification ‘No flaps’ is added when pressing flaps button for the planes with no flaps

Graphics

• Animation of the radiator added for some planes. The number of planes with animated radiators will be increased in upcoming updates.
• Better animation for air brakes.
• Propeller bending added for some planes. The number of planes with bendable propellers will be increased in upcoming updates.
• Improved effects of shells hitting ground units and the ground
• Added ricochets from the ground
• Shadows for pilots and infantry added
• More realistic camera effects when shooting
• Fixed artifacts in reflections
• Improved distant land drawing in cloudy weather
• Fixed pilots’ lightning
• Fixed wrong collision effects when hitting into airstat
• New airfields for many missions
• Fixed visual models for Me.262, Ju.88, Me.410, A5M, A6M3, and P-26,
• Fixed the visual of the British torpedo

Sound

• Improved explosion sounds
• Improved engine shutdown sound
• Improved sound of hitting the player’s aircraft.
• Added sounds for flaps and air brakes
• Added sound of propeller windmilling
• Improved sounds of cannons and machine guns

Gameplay

• Realistic bomb dropping. Some aircraft now may have a limited angle for bomb dropping.
• Adjustable aerobatics smokes
• New flight models for La-5, La-7, Wirraway, Tempest, TBF-1c, SM.79, Me.410, Ki-49, Ju-87B, Ju-87D, Ju-87G, F1M2, D3A1, Boomerang, Beaufighter, Me.262 and Me.163
• Separate engines control buttons added
• New award model for airfield destruction: now you get award not only for destruction, but also for damaging
• Bug fixed: kills not counting, when shot down plane been repaired.
• Improved turret gunners efficiency in HB and FRB.
• Bug fixed: in some situations camera still follows the target even after target is down.
• Minimal amount of fuel changed: 20 min and not less than 30% of the fuel tank
• Squadron leader can’t start the fight when someone from his squadron has unrepaired aircraft of the selected nation
• Bots became smarter: now they takeoff and land properly
• New player can’t enter HB or FRB flights before he completes takeoff/landing tutorials
• Bug fixed: no penalty for friendly bot kill
• Bombs added for P-26
• The order of getting pylons is changed for some planes
• Awards for logins

Misc

• GameTrix tracker is supported automatically now
• Reduced client size
• Significantly reduced time of the initial loading (from log-in screen to the hangar)
• Bug fixed: in some missions of the historic campaigns the plane was not changing after scenario cutscene
• Bugs fixed in tutorial in full aircraft control mode
• Bug fixed: discounts are not showing for the group of planes
• Bug fixed: Typhoon could get up to 700 km/h in tree-top flight using propeller pitch
• Cargo ships have lost their 127mm cannons which were given by mistake

Smaller updates that came afterwards

20.03.2013

• Bug fixed: Friends' statuses may be shown incorrectly in the contact list
• Several client shutdowns fixed

21.03.2013

• Standard ammo belts are also available to equip
• Now you can see the scattering range when drop bombs from wrong angles
• Tracers visibility improved
• Summer came to the hangar
• Arcade bombing crosshair bugs fixed for dive-bombing for bombers, attackers and fighters
• Bombing sight is fixed for bombers
• Fixed repair on the airfields being taken
• Fixed fuel amount when starting a battle
• Fixed respawn after repair - no more distant respawn away from the airfield
• Slightly improved maneuverability in Arcade Battles
• Fixed excessive effects of wing damage on the aircraft steering
• Improvements in the gaming interface
• Minor optimizations in shadow drawing (less potential freezes now)
• Better mouse aiming and the Instructor reactions when the plane is damaged

22.03.2013

• Fixed shadows in cockpits with telescopic sights
• Further improvements for bombing crosshairs
• Fixed saves for autopilot settings
• Improved “New rank” window

25.03.2013

• Improvement of the server's efficiency and optimization of client synchroniation with servers.

27.03.2013

• More informative ammo belts description
• Shutdowns on Intel graphic cards are fixed
• Shutdowns on the ATI 1950/1650 are fixed
• Bug fix: engine sound dissapears when playing some maps
• Damage Model (DM) is fixed and now works as supposed in v.1.29
• Turret gunners behavior is changed

31.03.2013

• Client is ready for Golden Eagle Battles

03.04.2013

1st patch

• Fixed problem, when launcher downloads update for too long without any visible progress.

2nd patch

• Bugfix: "Mouse-Joystick" controls may switch on by default for the new players.

05.04.2013

• Preparations for the Premium Day event

18.04.2013

• Fixed: Air kills and assists counter malfunctions in some situations
• Render efficiency was improved
• Fixed: several shut-down issues
• New color indication of aircraft types in the development trees

• Added: tracer bullets for ammo belts for Japanese 7.7mm Type92 turret machine guns;
• Added: armor-piercing incendiary bullets for Brittish 7.7mm machine guns;
• Ammo belts for MG131 have been revised, now immediate-action ammo belt has the correct type of bullets;
• Ammo racks for Japanese 20mm Type99 and Type99 Mk.2 cannons have been changed for better efficiency;
• Ammo racks for Japanese 30mm Type5 cannon have been changed for better efficiency;
• Tracers were removed for 30mm HEF (high-explosive fragmentation) shell for Type5 cannon;
• High-explosive fragmentation action of Japanese 20mm Type99 and Type99 Mk.2 HEF shells has been revised and improved;
• Improved localizations mistakes in the descriptions of ammo racks for 7.5mm, 7.7 mm and 7.92mm bullets;
• Added: custom ammo belts for Ju-87B2/R2/D3, OS2U.
• New heating parameters for large caliber automatic cannons M4, M10 and NS-37. Long bursts of more than 5-7 shells now lead to gun jamming!
• Improved materials for engine parts of single-engine fighters;
• Bf-109 F4 - number of shells for MG 151/20 cannon increased from 150 to 200;
• Bf-109 G2 - number of shells for MG 151/20 cannon increased from 150 to 200;
• Bf-109 G6 - number of shells for MK108 cannon increased from 60 to 65; wing mounted MK108 cannons now have 35 shells per cannon;
• Bf-109 K4 - number of shells for MK108 cannon reduced from 150 to 65, wing mounted MG151/20 cannons now have 135 shells per cannon;
• FW-190A-5 - number of bullets for MG17 machine-guns reduced from 1000 to 900 per gun;
• P-40e - number of bullets for M2 machine-guns was reduced from 425 to 235 per gun;
• F4U-1c - number of shells for AN/M2 cannons was increased from 220 to 231 per cannon;
• Spitfire Mk. IX - number of shells for Hispano MkII cannons increased from 60 to 120;
• A6M3 - number of shells for Type99 MkII cannons increased from 60 to 100;
• A6M2 and A6M2n - number of shells for Type99 MkI cannons reduced from 100 to 60;
• P-51b - number of shells for Hispano MkII cannons reduced from 280 to 125 shells for the first pair of cannons (closest to the fuselage, right and left) and from 350 to 125 for the second pair.

25.04.2013

• Several shut-down issues fixed

25.04.2013

• Updated flight models for: Yak-1B, Yak-7, Yak-3, Yak-9T and all modifications of A6M (see details)
• Bugs fixed in the flight model of B-25
• Fixed some typos and mistakes in the texts and descriptions
• Bug fixed: player may respawn on the captured airfield
• Bug fixed: spawn point might be saved from previous sessions
• Bug fixed: engine is damaged after repair
• Traffic is reduced for the mission’s start
• ‘One-second burst mass’ parameter is back

15.05.2013

• Some minor exploits were fixed

18.05.2013

• Update for servers

20.05.2013

• Several client shut-downs have been fixed

23.05.2013

1st patch

• We continue to fix crashes of the game client.

2nd patch

We have added 5 new maps for arcade battles:

• Stalingrad (Ground Strike)
• Khalkin Gol (Ground Strike)
• Khalkin Gol (Domination)

for low levels and:

• Pacific Hidden Base (Ground Strike)
• Mozdok (Domination)

for high levels.

24.05.2013

• Fixed: fragmentation and explosive effects for ShVAK 20mm cannons
• Fixed: Blenheim's weapons select bug
• Few client crashes have been fixed

01.06.2013

• Few client crashes have been fixed

05.06.2013

• Net traffic optimized and some client crashes fixed

07.06.2013

• Some client crashes fixed