War Thunder’s developer has announced new tracked-vehicle steering mechanics for the dev server, aiming to bring their behavior closer to their real-world counterparts. The official announcement says testing will include dual-transmission and planetary — or epicyclic — gear mechanisms, alongside changes to double-differential steering.
Double-differential steering was already tested on a previous dev server, but the new mechanics will change how quickly equipped tanks pivot. Some vehicles may take longer to complete that maneuver, making this more than a straightforward mobility upgrade.
Turning while moving brings another important distinction: for vehicles with double-differential steering, the minimum turning radius increases depending on the gear being used. At maximum gear, that radius can reach 30 — 40 meters for some tanks, and sometimes 70 meters. Those figures make the gear-dependent behavior a consequential part of the test, rather than a minor handling adjustment.
There is a benefit to that wider turning circle, though. Tanks with double-differential steering retain speed through turns better than other tracked vehicles. The interesting trade-off is therefore momentum versus maneuverability: preserving speed does not necessarily mean being able to take a tighter corner. For players evaluating the dev-server changes, those are two distinct aspects of tank handling to weigh against each other.
