Why Sailing Fleet Was Never Added as a Permanent Feature

As Jan explained, the Sailing Fleet announced during an April Fools event was not intended to be a permanent addition to the game. This article explores the reasons behind the decision to keep the Sailing Fleet as a limited-time event and how it fits within the context of Gaijin's past and current practices.

Understanding April Fools Events in Game Development

Using April Fools events to test new mechanics and features is a common practice in the gaming industry, especially among developers like Gaijin. These events serve as a platform to experiment with innovative concepts without committing to full-scale integration into the main game.

Previous April Fools Events

Sailing Fleet (2016) - This event focused on naval vessels and tested the waters for future additions to the game. Rank IX (2017) - This event introduced high-tier vehicles, expanding the game's vehicle spectrum. Silent Thunder (2018) - An event centered around stealthy submarines, which unfortunately faced some challenges and failures in implementation.

While some of these features, like the high-tier vehicles from Rank IX, have been successfully integrated, others like the military fighter ponies from 2016 and inflatable Shermans have remained as jokes.

The Case of the Sailing Fleet

When the Sailing Fleet event was announced, many players were hopeful that it would lead to a permanent addition of such vessels to the game. However, much like previous pranks, this was just a temporary event.

For those unfamiliar, the April Fools event of 2016 featured various military and fantasy elements, including imaginary features like fighter ponies, walkers, mech units, and inflatable Shermans. These elements were all presented as if they would soon become part of the main game, despite obvious absurdity. Similarly, the Sailing Fleet, though less absurd, did not fit the game's WWII and post-WWII setting. Hence, when naval vessels were added to the game, they were historical ships from World War I and World War II, not the Age of Sail vessels from the Sailing Fleet event.

The decision to delay or abandon certain features, even those that initially seem promising, is not uncommon. For instance, the Silent Thunder event, which introduced submarines, faced significant challenges and ultimately failed to make it into the main game. To date, there is no news of submarines returning, unlike the case with the Sailing Fleet, which resulted in the addition of naval ships, albeit from a different era than originally advertised.

The Impact and Lessons from April Fools Events

While April Fools events often lead to exciting and experimental features, they do not always make it into the final game. These events are primarily a way to gauge player interest and receive feedback, without the commitment required for full integration. The misrepresentation of features, such as the Sailing Fleet, is part of the April Fools' framing and should not be taken at face value.

In summary, while the Sailing Fleet was a limited-time event meant to test the waters for naval additions, it was never intended to be a permanent feature within the game. Similar to other April Fools events, this was a way to keep players engaged and excited without the risk of permanently adding elements that might not work as intended.