The USS Alabama, an American battleship which saw action in the Atlantic and Pacific in World War II, is coming to World of Warships. To the annoyance of many in the community, however, it will be exclusive to the game’s so-called ‘supertesters’.
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Supertesters are players who spend a lot of time testing new builds of World of Warships (or Tanks) on a voluntary basis. They have to abide by an NDA and the focus is on performance and stability rather than gameplay or balancing, so much like working as a professional QA tester, it’s not really about playing lots of games and is nowhere near as much fun as it sounds.
In the words of Trevzor, World of Warships community manager: “USS Alabama is going to be a ship that will only be available for Supertesters as a reward for the ridiculous amount of effort that they put in testing World of Warships. This ship is a reward, not a perk, so there are even going to be Supertesters who will not earn this ship.”
The World of Warships forums and subreddit have been musing over this for the past few days. Among the concerns raised are that the Alabama will be a tier eight ship, and thus will be among the strongest in the game. Moreover, the Alabama will be a Premium ship, meaning it gains various perks. Specifically, Premium ships earn more credits per battle, they start each game with their weapons unlocked and mounted (so there’s no need for research), and commanders from other ships of the same nation can be transferred without penalty. The American faction currently has no Premium ships at tier eight. For those who appreciate historical accuracy or pretty ship models, the real-life USS Alabama is a museum ship open to visitors, and as such, its in-game equivalent is likely to be incredibly detailed.
“I understand the frustration that most of you are experiencing but please understand this group of people gives the players a direct voice in the development process of World of Warships,” says Trevzor. “The amount of effort that I personally ask from them is pretty high, and they put in this effort to make the game a better place for everyone.”