Detonation!

Recently I had a little bitch about turret destruction on the Atlanta. It was only a little one as War Gaming have seen fit to address it with the next patch but it brings to mind what must be the most maligned mechanic in the game; detonations.

Now, it goes without saying that a detonation in a ships magazine would be a catastrophic disaster. The USS Arizona that still lies in Pearl Harbour is probably the most famous incident of this kind, so no one can argue that this sort of incident has no basis in reality. But World of Warships isn't reality. It's entertainment.

It's entertaining to one shot an enemy ship, sure. But only for the person who rolls the 20 to actually get the detonation. For the victim it's utterly frustrating, dare I say a table flipping moment that, in that moment, ruins the game experience for the victim. Most people can deal with being out flanked, out gunned, out numbered or out played but detonations have no influence on those variables. It's taking one particular real life incident and incorporating it into a game where it has no place and is often the determining factor in a win/loss result.

Take for example last weekend, TankManMick and I were out in our Atago and Mogami trying to flank the main group when we got a brief visual on a Tashkent. Fortune smiled on me with my artillery being already well aligned to his position, I fired a volley and detonated him. Moments later a Hatsuharu appeared briefly to Mick who fired a volley and detonated him. Two Destroyers gone in two volleys, the enemy weren't coming back from that. Yes, it was hilarious, to everyone except our opponents.

Does this sort of game changing, rage inducing mechanic have any place in our game? I don't think so, but I'm interested to hear your opinion. In the meantime I'll just keep rolling the dice and hoping my enemy doesn't roll a damn 20 again...