We continue to talk about the improvements in the game's appearance that will be brought by the updated graphics engine ‘Dagor Engine 6.0’ in the next major update “New Power” for War Thunder.

We recently showed new skies and visual improvements for War Thunder aircraft. Today we continue to expand on how the new graphics engine in War Thunder will change the look of the game.

Hit effects on armoured vehicles

War Thunder: New Power has improved the appearance and “physics” of hits on ground vehicles. Physically correct armour scars appear on ground vehicles in places where shells hit, now their shape depends on the angle of the shell's collision with the vehicle's armour. In some cases, the projectile can even get stuck in the armour! If armour is penetrated, holes of different diameters appear on the armour, depending on the calibre of the projectile. If a vehicle is on fire, you can see the flame through any holes.

Illuminating shells

In a previous update, War Thunder introduced night vision devices and thermal imagers, which completely changed the feeling of combat at night or in poor visibility conditions. However, not all vehicles in the game have such equipment, and it takes time to research the night vision modules. To make players without night vision able to combat in the dark, we are introducing illumination shells to night locations. AI artillery shoots illumination rounds from time to time over various areas .This improves visibility in combat in the most critical areas of the location. Slowly descending through the air, the illumination projectile lights for a short time, and then goes out. Thus, players without night vision devices will be able to navigate the battlefield more effectively. At the same time, players with night vision devices will be able to see targets better through devices, or not use the active IR spotlight to avoid detection by the enemy. In addition, a parachute with an illumination projectile can be shot down by machine gun or cannon fire.

Shadows from dynamic lights

We’ve increased the maximum number of dynamic lights and  added dynamic shadows. Now we’re able to model reliable lighting effects from different sources, such as spotlights and streetlights!

Effects on the grass

In Dagor Engine 6.0, the physics of grass has been improved - when firing a ground vehicle cannon, you can see the effect of the shock wave on the grass.

Burnt out vehicle towing

In the new version of the game, the hulls of destroyed ground vehicles remain on the battlefield until the end of a battle. In some cases, this can be a problem for advancing tanks: for example, when a narrow passage to a capture point is blocked  with wrecked vehicles. Now you can use the tow cable to drag a destroyed tank out, or even to barricade an enemy's advance! Additionally, a burned-out tank might be good cover that you can bring with you to a capture point and have cover to hide even in an open field. Experiment!

Bending and vibrations on wings

Now wings can bend in flight under the influence of turbulence. Also, visible vibrations appear on the wing during takeoff, landing, or maneuvering and at high speeds. The nature and intensity of such vibrations depends on the flight model of each aircraft.

Pixel reflectance of surfaces

Various materials in the game environment have a texture with a reflectance power. In previous versions of the game, all dielectrics had a reflectivity value of 0.04, like most dielectrics in the real world. However, in some cases, this may not be enough - for example, normal water reflects half as well and the painting of metal surfaces leads to a complex interaction of dielectrics and metals, and a constant value for all materials becomes insufficient. The correct reflectance on the surfaces creates accurate reflections from various light sources, which make the overall game more natural.

Deep learning super sampling

Thanks to the DLSS 2.0 technology (deep learning super sampling), artificial intelligence performs correct smoothing of objects in the game world for high image resolutions without overloading the computer hardware. This type of image upscaling works with the RTX series of graphics cards.

Hit marks on the environment

In the New Power update, we are implementing realistic hit marks on objects in the game world. Depending on the calibre and type of projectile, voluminous hit marks of different shapes remain on all surfaces. An AP shell hit on a concrete wall will leave a pothole with carbon deposits around the point of impact, and a hit of, say, an APFSDS shell leaves a hole with a small chip around the penetration point. Realistic hit marks of different diameters and types of damage also appear on unpaved and rocky surfaces.

Dagor Engine 6.0 allows us to introduce lots of improvements to War Thunder. In the following Major Updates we will present new graphical features for ground vehicles and naval vessels, stay tuned and see you soon!