Over the years, I’ve noticed that direct APHE hits to ammo racks in War Thunder very often cause little or no damage – even when the shell clearly explodes right inside the ammunition storage. A textbook case: the BR-350A/B fired from a T-34 penetrates side armor, detonates inside the ammo rack… but the enemy tank survives. The ammo turns orange, maybe a crew member dies, but no explosion, no ammo rack detonation, no kill.
Gaijin frequently emphasizes that War Thunder is based on “realistic physical models.” In multiple dev responses (including Q&As and Wiki statements), they explain that ammo “can explode when damaged,” and that it “depends on shell type, impact energy, and module location.” The official Wiki says: “Ammunition may explode when damaged.” Sounds logical – but in practice, this rarely behaves in a predictable or realistic way.
Historically, a hit to dry-stored charges in WWII tanks (like the Sherman, Panzer IV or early T-34s) almost always resulted in ignition or detonation. APHE shells were specifically designed to do exactly that: penetrate, delay, explode – and trigger secondary destruction. But in War Thunder, this outcome is tied to invisible RNG factors, making carefully aimed ammo shots feel random and inconsistent.
So I ask: is this really about balance? Or does it actually reduce tactical depth and realism? When players learn crew layouts, ammo positions and shell behavior to improve – but are denied the expected result due to behind-the-scenes probability mechanics – it doesn’t feel like balance. It feels like a punishment for knowledge.
Balance should reward skillful shots, not override them with invisible dice rolls.