Join us on a tour of the new Japanese cruiser Azuma, or, perhaps we should call her a “super-cruiser”, since this predator of the waves walked a fine line between what’s considered to be a heavy cruiser and a battleship.

The historical equivalent of American large cruiser Alaska, fans of the Japanese fleet now have a new refreshing brand of long-range punishment in the form of Tier IX Azuma. Discover all of the ins and outs of the new ship in our article below!



Imperial Japanese Navy ship Azuma: a powerful piece built to fill a very specific portion of the jigsaw puzzle that was the Japanese naval doctrine. In this case, the project B-65 cruiser (which Azuma is based on) would play a key role in the dogma of the “Decisive Battle”, a philosophy which was central to Japanese plans for victory in a potential war with the United States. This idea was inspired by the singular naval victory at the 1905 Battle of Tsushima, which virtually settled the Russo-Japanese war in favor of the latter. Their goal in future wars was to whittle down the numerically superior enemy with mobile carrier strikes and night-time torpedo attacks, before dispatching the protective escort of lighter ships and then closing in and destroying the enemy capital ships with their own battleships. It’s in this capacity that Azuma would have come in.

In order to eliminate the protective cushion of destroyers and cruisers in this hypothetical event, the plan was for the Night Battle Force (Yasen Butai)—composed of destroyers, cruisers, and battlecruisers—to engage and neutralize them as night fell. The battleships would then duke it out with whatever forces were left the next morning. The initial requirements placed on these new cruisers called for a 40-knot top speed, three triple 310 mm gun turrets, and a heavy layer of armor.

Anticipating the new American ships that might be deployed as part of the enemy’s outer escort screen in their vision of the Decisive Battle, the Japanese design entered its second iteration—B-65. The new design, modified to deal with the new threat, strongly resembled a downscaled Yamato-class battleship and could reach 34 knots with her 32,000-ton standard displacement. Two B-65 ‘Azuma-class’ ships were ordered as part of the 1942 shipbuilding program, but their construction contracts were never awarded. The Battle of Midway had shown that a lot had changed since 1905, and that surface engagements were no longer the key to victory. Accordingly, the Japanese super-cruiser project was postponed indefinitely in favor of aircraft carrier and auxiliary ship production.

The Azuma that can be seen in World of Warships is the B-65 type as it would have appeared if it had been completed in the originally planned timeline of 1945-1946. As such, Azuma strongly resembles Yamato in her physical features, from her tower mast and swept-back funnel, to her gun configuration and stern aircraft catapult facilities.


Main armament: Nine 310 mm/50 Type 0 guns mounted in the standard 1940s battleship configuration of three triple turrets—two forward in a superfiring position and one on the stern. These guns were to be specially designed and built for the ‘Azuma class’, but they never even reached the prototype phase after the whole ship project was put in doubt. If she’d been completed, Azuma would have possessed the largest guns in the history of Japanese cruisers.


Secondary armament: Sixteen 100 mm/65 Type 98 dual-purpose guns in twin mounts on either side of the superstructure. These enclosed mounts were one of the most effective naval anti-aircraft weapons to come out of Japan in World War II. In addition to being used as the main armament for Akizuki-class destroyers, their success led to them being so popular that they were also adapted for use as anti-aircraft defense on land.


AA: 25 mm/60 Type 96 anti-aircraft cannons. Based on the Hotchkiss machine gun design, this weapon was perhaps the most widespread in the Japanese Navy during World War II, with over 30,000 constructed. By the end of the war, these guns would have become mostly obsolete due to the superior range and muzzle velocity of the 40 mm Bofors guns that were in heavy use on American ships.



When it comes to prepping your Commander to take control of Azuma, here’s a 10-point configuration to work off as a base, favoring survivability and gun handling:

Priority Target
The detection indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at your ship with their main battery guns. For an aircraft carrier's squadrons, the detection indicator will show the number of ships whose AA defenses are currently firing at your planes.

Expert Marksman
Increases the traverse speed of main battery guns.

Superintendent
Increases the capacity of your ship's consumables. Does not apply to the consumables of an aircraft carrier's squadrons.

Concealment Expert
Reduces the detectability range of the ship and the aircraft carrier's squadrons.

Azuma has access to three consumable slots besides the standard Damage Control Party. For the first slot, you have a choice between Defensive AA Fire to add extra spice to your anti-aircraft defenses, or Hydroacoustic Search for spotting torpedoes and nearby destroyers. Since Azuma excels at long-range engagements and lacks the maneuverability required to go weaving between islands hunting for destroyers, you may get more out of the first option. The last two slots are occupied by a spotter plane, which will allow you to bring your deadly accurate guns to bear on the most distant of targets, and a unique version of Repair Party with a shorter cooldown and one extra charge.

With regards to Upgrades, if you want to play to your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses, you can try this setup:

• Main Armaments Modification 1 or Spotting Aircraft Modification 1
  
• Damage Control System Modification 1 or Defensive AA Fire Modification 1
  
• Aiming Systems Modification 1 or AA guns Modification 1
  
• Steering Gears Modification 2 or Damage Control System Modification 2
  
• Concealment System Modification 1 or Steering Gears Modifications 3
  
• Main Battery Modification 3

• Azuma’s greatest strength lies in her 310 mm guns. The combination of an excellent base range of 19.1 km, pinpoint accuracy at a distance, Japanese HE shells with increased damage, and especially hard-hitting AP shells can suddenly and unexpectedly ruin an enemy cruiser’s day.
  
• Your survivability is good with a considerable pool of 58,350 HP and an augmented Repair Party consumable. However, your armor won’t hold up well against battleship AP salvos or torpedo spreads. Always keep your distance and single out vulnerable targets while staying aware of how many enemy ships have a bead on you.

Cruiser IX Alaska's nemesis—the powerful and fast Japanese cruiser IX Azuma—is already in the game! To bring her to life, some design solutions were borrowed from Yamato-class battleships. Nine 310 mm guns and good anti-torpedo protection allow her to confront any enemy ship. Azuma will join the list of Premium Tier IX ships.

You can also obtain this cruiser without signals, consumables, or a commemorative flag in the game for 1,000,000 Free XP.

Azuma is a special ship that requires a reverential attitude!
https://youtu.be/RknNa5eBErU

Bundles are available for purchase until Fri. 19 Apr. 07:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Please note: through July 31, owners of this bundle will have access to a special combat mission for quicker upgrading. The first 25 battles played with this ship in any battle type will bring you three times more XP than usual. You can receive this combat mission only once per account.

For a detailed look at the ship's technical specifications, follow this link.

Replay System
When level is completed, a replay of your gameplay appears.
UI
Pause menu - Added option to go to mod settings
Removed Level completed and Level failed UI

Hi, everyone. This update brings many changes to the game. I've added first 10 runes. Weapons is now have tiers: Gray, White, Gold (you need to combine weapons to receive higher tier). Each map now have a loot spawners, that spawn a random weapon or rune (with timeout). Also many other small changes, changes in game parameters and AIs logic.

Main Changes:
- added 10 runes
- created Weapon Tiers and Combine system
- added loot spawners on each map
- created UI for Inventory
- change AIs threat logic
- improve First Person View
- many other small changes

Hey everyone!

Version 0.2.0 of Heroes of Fortunia just went live. We've been going through all of your feedback, as well as the data we've gathered so far to determine the best changes & new features to introduce. Below you will find a list of what's changed.

• In-app purchases for treasure chests have now been enabled. Now you can choose to support the development of Heroes of Fortunia and get some nice rewards in return! Keep in mind that pricing and contents of these chests is subject to change over the course of development.
  
• The elixir you've accumulated so far can now be put to use, in the new "My Collection" menu in your Treasury. Elixir is used to craft minions & traps you don't already fully own yet, so if you find yourself getting unlucky with your chest contents, this is the place to fix that!

• Spike Field (common trap): 4 defense rating, "Periodically shoots spikes out of the ground that damage the enemy hero."
  
• Mist of the Damned (rare trap): 6 defense rating, "If the enemy hero spends too much time in this mist, arms of the damned will rise and start attacking them until they leave."
  
• Haunted Tomb (legendary trap): 9 defense rating, "Whenever a nearby enemy dies, summon a Ghost at the tomb that will immediately start attacking the enemy hero."
  
• Ghost (common minion): 3 defense rating, 2 attack, 8 health.
  
• Alarming Hound (rare minion): 4 defense rating, 2 attack, 12 health. "Engage: Cause all other nearby minions to engage. Does not work on minions with similar effects."

Traps:

• Wall: Cost reduced from 4 -> 2
  
  The Wall is just a tiny bit shorter than 4 Barrels in a row, each having a defense rating of 1. A reduced defense rating of 2 should give the Wall a little more bang for its buck, considering it can't be freely placed anywhere in the dungeon due to its shape.
  
• Explosive Mine: Cost increased from 2 -> 3, no longer sets the enemy hero on fire, but deals all of its damage instantly.
  
  The Explosive Mine has been a strong contender for most annoying trap in the game (alongside the Defense Gate), partly due to the plethora of effects that are going on when it is triggered. The removal of the fire debuff should rectify that, at least mostly.
  
• Defense Gate: Automatic reopen timer reduced from 60 seconds -> 30 seconds.
  
  There are several instances in which a player would accidentally aggro a minion behind a defense gate, have the gate close, and then be locked out and unable to fight the minion. With the reduced reopen timer, players will no longer have to sit around and wait a full minute before getting back into the action!

Minions:

• Night Prowler: Cost increased from 4 -> 6
  
  The Night Prowler has been a powerful addition in minion packs so far, and the stealth enables it to cleverly circumvent single target attacks until it's locked on and has applied its poison effect. An increased defense rating means an increased placement box, which means that the Night Prowler can no longer be used as freely as before.
  
• Alarming Treant: Health reduced from 8 -> 3, defense rating reduced from 4 -> 2
  
  The Alarming Treant is meant to be a core part of every dungeon, as it is one of the few minions that has the ability to cause other minions to engage. However, at its current state, it is relatively difficult to counterplay it, and using it involves not much strategy. Reducing its health to 3 allows it to be killed instantly by the Archer, thus rendering it unable to perform its *engage* skill, forcing defenders to place it in strategic positions where it can't be sniped.
  
  The previous functionality of Alarming Treant can be found in the newly added Alarming Hound, which is a rare minion, meaning you can only place a maximum of 5 of it in your dungeon.
  
• Burly Brute: Cost increased from 8 -> 9
  
  The Burly brute is one of the stronger common cards, a bit too strong for a rating of 8 in fact, hence the increase.
  
• Big Brute: Health increased from 40 -> 45
  
  The Big Brute has been underwhelming to some extent, considering it's an epic minion. A slight health increase should allow it to live ever so slightly longer, and thus increase the threat it presents.

• Bonus Gold for successful attacks increased from 50 -> 75
  
• Bonus Elixir for successful attacks increased from 5 -> 10
  
• Daily bonus cap reduced from 30 -> 20. Keeping the above changes in mind, this changes nothing in regards to how much gold you can earn per day, but it increases the maximum amount of elixir from 150 -> 200.
  
• Maximum number of dungeon rooms reduced from 8 -> 6.
  
• Maximum defense rating increased from 240 -> 260.
  
• Players can now use the R key to rotate minions/traps while they are moving them.
  
• Reduced the chance to find players running the default dungeon when matchmaking.
  
• Fixed an issue that would cause the Explosive Mine to behave incorrectly in replays.
  
• Fixed an issue that would cause the Immunity Tower to behave incorrectly in replays.
  
• Fixed an issue that would cause the Holy Wizard's healing projectile to engage minions.
  
• Added more sound effects to Dagron the Undying.
  
• Changed the way music loops during a dungeon attack.

Please let us know what you think of these changes by commenting down below, or by using the in-game feedback form (accessible by pressing ESC while in edit mode). The next update is scheduled to bring Ranked mode into the game, as well as player profiles and leaderboards, so be sure to look forward to that!

Chinese translation is currently in progress.
(Traditional, Simplified)

Please wait until the translation is complete!

Hello Everyone, The 0.15.3 update is available.
This is an experimental build so you need to select the Beta branch to install it. We did balancing on the counter espionage.

WARNING: this version will delete your previous saved game.

---- 0.15.3 ----
Various

• Various UI improvements

Counter-espionage balancing

• Enemy spies will act faster
  
• 4 enemy spies max in your country
  
• Ennemy spies will focus more on scientists (less hack of drone / datas)

Bugs

• Fixed bug where scientists couldn't work on sigma project if all technos of the field were discovered
  
• Fixed bug when scientist in a relationship with an agent died
  
• Fixed exfiltration freeze when two visible threats merge
  
• Fixed bug when fleeing in exfiltration could result in a dead agent marked as only captured
  
• Fixed bug when trying to travel to a country with which the player is at war
  
• Fixed bug where some tutorials where displayed to late
  
• Fixed bug where agents with dimensional gate could go past the end point in exfiltrations
  
• Fixed bug where travel road of agents that left could still be displayed
  
• Fixed bug where agents didn't notify player when escaping prison
  
• Fixed bug where hover icon for cancelling travels stayed on when it shouldn't
  
• Fixed bug where some missions from terrorist organisations weren't validated
  
• Fixed various errors in feedback texts

Various

• Added display of time during which an agent is unavailable and time before an ennemy agent does an action

Guard management - by placing alien-looking markers.
Watch the devlog video on Youtube!

Some players have informed us that the "Best Moves: and "Best Commands" were not clear, as well as the fact that for some levels the ideal solution for one of the achievements is not the same as the other.

Have now included explanations to help notify new players.

Still finding a way to notify players that all "Best" solutions are achieved by other players and not predetermined by us.

Hello players,

you people are amazing!
And with this introduction welcome to the most creative name for an update ever: UPDATE 1
Big thanks for your support and love for life, the universe and progress itself.
We decided to finish and publish a bunch of things that didn't made it into the initial release as soon as possible to you.

The change log overview:

• 5 new screen effects
  
• 3 complete new Progress Bars
  
• 2 minor bugfixes
  
• 1 renewed Progress Bar
  
• new sound effects for the all new Progress Bars
  
• modified the main menu text a bit

keep progressing :ghsmile:

This morning we are performing an unplanned VM migration of the UL server to another host. I do not expect it to take longer than an hour and a half. If anything changes, I will post an update here!

Much appreciated!