Update: Storm confirmed that 112 has been removed from this patch, because it needs rebalancing (it was OP)
Superpershing is NOT to be sold for gold in 8.7 apparently
Preliminary US patchnotes from US server:
Added the new branch of SPGs for the British tech tree:
Loyd Gun Carriage (tier II)
Birch Gun (tier III)
Sexton II (tier IV)
Bishop (tier V)
Crusader 5.5-in. SP (tier VI)
FV304 (tier VII)
FV208 (tier VIII)
FV3805 (tier IX)
Conqueror Gun Carriage (tier X)
Added the new Soviet light tank MT-25 (tier VI) to replace the T-50-2 (full details for T-50-2 owners to be provided at update’s release)
Added a German Premium TD, the E-25 (tier VII), to the Store
Rebalanced the T-50 tank (full list of changes to be provided at update’s release)
Added a new urban Soviet winter map, Belogorsk-10
Reworked Highway and Port maps for the new rendering system
Added changes to the Assault mode on Malinovka
Reworked a few graphical effects
Fixed several destructible objects which had significantly slowed down the speed of the tank
Fixed and improved visual models of some environmental objects
Fixed minor issues with the team balancing system that appeared in the 8.6 update
Extended the list of names and surnames of crew members of all nations
Picture (courtesy of Cartoonman, US server) from the (removed) US post
Today, I have a really cool video by player Arti25 (RU) to show you (Thanks to Dom1n, EU), with Object 261, T92 and Batchat arty and it’s…. well, just watch it :) I liked it a lot.
Just a reminder, guys, the 8.7 test apparently starts tomorrow. On one hand I am surprised that almost nothing has been leaked about it, on the other hand, the source of this info is very reliable.
- links from and to the British arty branch? “Wait for open test”
- IF the E-50 tanks are unified (definitely not sure), E50M will simply become a hull option for the E50
- a “Wittman-like” medal (for a big number of kills) won’t be implemented specially for lower tiers, because the developers don’t want to encourage experienced players to go hunt newbies, tier 5 (Walters-Radley medal) is already not sealclubbing/pedobearing
- the rule that “weak gun = limited MM” applies only for premium tanks
- if Sturmpanzer Bär was introduced into the game (SS: SerB emphasized the “IF“), it would most likely be a part of Sturmtiger’s branch
SS: Sturmpanzer Bär was a superheavy (120t) 1943 self-propelled mortar project,armed with a 305mm mortar. The project was basically rendered obsolete by the Sturmtiger project and cancelled. This is how it would have looked:
- with the introduction of researchable hulls, GW Tiger P won’t become an optional hull for GW Tiger, because otherwise there would be a hole in the respective tier
- lowtier tanks, previously leaked from supertest (such as AMR P103, LTP etc.) won’t be introduced at once, but at different times for each
- new British and Chinese tanks? “will tell when the time is right”
- SerB doesn’t know yet what the Japanese tanks’ base color will be
- JagdChieftain (CTR) in WoT? “No comment”
Jagdchieftain:
- SerB won’t disclose the exact mechanism, how XP points are gained from combat, he only states that the XP gain is judged by active participation in the line-of-sight tank battle (as in, tanks have to see each other)
- no plans to give additional XP/credits for protecting allied tanks with your tank’s hull
- it’s too early to tell, what impact the 8.6 had on medium tanks
- SerB states that while the statistics are yet to show, arties are unlikely to be directly buffed. Instead, devs have ideas about some new artillery gameplay elements, which would raise the arty effectivity, but the concept is not finalized yet.
- SerB states that while he doesn’t remember whether the IS-6 in the game has electrical or mechanical transmission, you can check it yourself, if the vehicle can turn on the spot, it’s electrical, if not, mechanical
- the German 50mm L/60 gun module is too light in the game, it should be heavier, but this has low priority
- terrain passability is counted according to the point, located in center of the hull (SS: if the center is located on the road, while one track is located on rough terrain, the game will use the passability of the road)
- Russian players started massive whining about the T-44 being underpowered after 0.8.6, it was dismissed as… well, whining.
- StuG IV in WoT? “No comment”
- SerB believes he does have the T92 light tank documents/drawings, because The_Chieftain (US forums history expert/developer) sent him a lot of stuff
- SerB considers the “miniquest” (combat task) principle okay, but its implementation was a bit off.
as you probably know from earlier FTR entries, parch 0.8.8 will bring the alternative Soviet medium branch. But the question is: how will this branch look and where will it start? First, here are some articles on vehicles, suspected to be in the branch:
However, as stated earlier by Storm or SerB, it’s possible the T-44-122 will fill in the branch at tier 7. Does that mean there will be two tier 7 tanks, or is the A-44 getting scrapped? Or perhaps kicked up to tier 8? I don’t know.
The original branch idea, presented last year by Wargaming, was:
T6 – A-43
T7 – A-44
T8 – Object 416
And that was it. No tier 9 and 10. Since then, the Object 430 was confirmed to be the tier 10, making the line a “Kharkov” line (all the vehicles in it were tied to the Kharkov plant, temporarily evacuated to Nizhny Tagil during the war). I very much doubt that everything will simple be shifted one tier up – Object 416 seems too underpowered for tier 9 (though – with unhistorical buffs, everything is possible), so we are looking for one more vehicle, that would fill in the tier 9 role, something comparable to the T-54 and worse than Object 430.
Now, I am not a Soviet tank expert, but when looking thru various experimental tanks and Objects, I found one that could fit, so it’s possible it will come at tier 9: the Object 140
Object 140
This vehicle was mentioned as a tier 9 candidate several times on Russian forums, but never officially, so this is just a speculation. As the name suggests, it’s a Soviet experimental tank. Basically, what happened was that in 1950 or so, it was decided to design a brand new medium tank in Nizhny Tagil (Ural), designated “Object 430″, under the supervision of A.A.Morozov (this name is probably known to you, if you have read the A-43/44 articles). In 1952, there were some internal disputes between the designers and the directorate of the Ural Plant, resulting in a whole bunch of designers and technicians (including Morozov himself) moving to Plant No.75 in Kharkov (where he took many of the Object 140 solutions and used them to designt Object 430).
The work on Object 140 continued in Nizhny Tagil under the leadership of L.N.Karcev – a decorated tank designer, responsible for the T-55 and later T-62 and T-72 tanks (he died cca two months ago by the way, he was 90 years old). Some solutions, implemented into Object 140 were later used in Object 430 (so there’s a clear connection there).
By 1957, two prototypes were ready – one took part in comparative tests against Object 430. During these tests, a number of serious flaws (mostly connected with the engine and the transmission) was uncovered and by the initiative of Karcev himself, it was withdrawn from the tests and the project was basically scrapped. Later, some of its components however were used in the T-62A/T-62 tanks. This way, the vehicle is tied to both Soviet branches, but the T-54 is tied to Nizhny Tagil more, so I guess this would do just fine as a tier 9 “Kharkov” vehicle.
Characteristics
Another reason why this vehicle could become the T9 of the Kharkov branch is that it is in almost all aspects inferior to the Object 430. Let’s make a comparison – first number is Object 140, second number Object 430.
As you can see, engine-wise, Object 430 has the upper hand. Both vehicles suffered from engine issues, but Object 430 apparently had it worse, so engine hitpoints might be somewhat better for Object 140.
The armor, as you can see is roughly comparable. While the Object 430 has the upper hand in frontal armor thickness, Object 140′s armor is somewhat better sloped.
Gun: D-10T (stock)/D-54TS (D-54TS or U-8TS)
Here, the Object 430 clearly is better. The U-8TS performance is roughly comparable to the L7, while D-54… we know that gun, don’t we.
It’s also worth noting that the Object 140 characteristics are practically identical to T-54, with one exception (frontal armor – the turret is 40mm thicker, but T-54′s frontal hull has better slope), including the same weapons and engine.
Verdict
IF this tank makes it to the game, it would roughly be a T-54 clone. Why on earth do would we need more of those, I have no idea, but… *shrugs* Maybe they found something better to fit the line in. Either way, historically this vehicle would fit.
as you all probably know, the EU forums’ language sections are sometimes running separate competitions. These competitions are intended for the players of that section (since they are written in that respective language and all), but other nations’ players are not banned from participating (that would be discrimination! They are just not expected to participate due to language barrier).
The Czech community is running an interesting competition. Wouldn’t it be a shame if players of other nations took the prizes instead? :)
You can probably see where this is going. You make a picture of a tank that is designed for women and post it in this thread (important!)
Rules of the contest:
- must be in jpg or png format
- no bigger than 1024*768 pixels
- pictures must be hosted online (for example on imgur) and posted in that thread I linked above
- one picture per account
- no animation
- the tank must be functional (must have a gun, must be capable of winning battles).
Prizes:
So, here’s your chance to win and grab some gold, the competition closes on 17.7.2013.
Please note I am not suggesting you do some silly and immature stuff, like making troll accounts and spam the thread with let’s say penis tanks…. that would be very rude and immature (almost as much as my sense of humor is) :D
Well, I am sure a lot of you have heard already, so… the 8.7 open test starts this Thursday (unless something happens that is)
- T57 Heavy nerf? “Will nerf, if needed. If not needed, I won’t nerf.”
- there is exactly one difference between Chinese tanks 111 and 112
- according to SerB, autoloader tanks didn’t break the battle balance
- Object 263 has subcaliber shells instead of HEAT shells, because the developers haven’t found historical HEAT shells.
- tier 8 heavies fighting too often in T9/10 battles? “How terrible…”
- SerB wants to have a close look at Churchill GC and reduce its tier by 1
- Japanese top arty will apparently have a short range 300mm caliber gun, Chinese top arty has not been found yet
- it’s possible that the VK4502 Ausf.A and B will be united as one tank in the future (specifically, both will become hull options for the VK4502), developers already started to work on this feature
- as a part of the aforementioned feature, it’s possible that the T-50-2 hull will return as a T-50 hull option, IS could recieve a streamlined frontal armor as its second hull option and the US T23 medium might appear as another tank’s hull option also
- removing of the top unhistorical Panther engines apparently does concern other vehicles on their bases (Jagdpanther I and II), they might get an improved terrain passability, “if needed”
- the fire damage is tied to the projectile it was caused with. In other words, if someone sets an enemy on fire and that tank is spotted by someone else, the fire damage that “ticks” while the vehicle is spotted will not count towards spotter’s XP
- regarding the hull module impementation (as mentioned above), Centurions and Panthers will most likely not be unified as one vehicle…
But…
Okay, you will like this:
- there is an idea (SerB emphasizes, just an idea) to actually push the E-50 to tier 10 (and to unify its hull with E50M) and make the “Turbopanther” a new tier 9 (SS: apparently a GT101-equipped Panther is meant – for those who don’t know, GT101 is a JET turbine, hehe)
- one of the hull module variants for Panzer IV is one with additional side armor (“schürzen”)
- SerB is thinking about implementing visually different suspensions (for example narrower tracks)
- visual implementation of camo net is complicated, according to SerB, the developers haven’t figured out how to implement that yet
- premium tier 8 Centurion is highly unlikely
- apparently, the leaked tier 7 T-44-122 will be a Soviet medium tank in the 8.8 second medium branch (SS: interesting)
- Panzer 38H (“Micromaus”) at the bottom of the team all the time? “How terrible…”
- SU-152 152mm gun has higher damage than the KV-2′s one, because “it uses different shells in the game”
- Q: “How much money would I have to bribe you with to return the 122mm gun to SU-26?” A: “For that you don’t have enough”
- Q: “And if all the SU-26 drivers pooled their money together?” A: “Even so it’s not enough”
- the camo factor in 8.6 still does depend on whether you move or not, no matter how little you move
- Q: “M48A1 is underperforming?” A: “Don’t see its pluses? Don’t play it.”
- limited MM spread is applied only to tanks with weak guns
- under equal conditions, fallen coniferous trees do not give better camo bonus than fallen trees with leaves, but under some circumstances, they might (if their silhouette is big enough)
- the developers considered a mode where each side would have more than one base, but it was rejected, because it’s too complicated for players
- 15 vs 15 random format was selected, because it was considered optimal, when it comes to server load
- basically, if I understood this comment correctly, SerB thinks that the Gaijin’s plan for War Thunder to unify ships, tanks and airplanes on one map is BS.
- the beginning of the shell trajectory curve lies in the axis point of the gun, the position of this axis can change, depending on the turret rotation
- the shell accuracy is not influenced by the level of zoom in the sniper mode
- SerB states that in this situation, there is no camo bonus difference between both cases, but if the tree is small and has a complicated shape, it’s easier to be spotted because one “tank visual checkpoint” (SS: for explanation, see wotwiki, spotting) might not be covered by the tree
- the abovementioned mechanism was not changed for ages, but it might change (not anytime soon), if the developers decide to implement bonuses for only partial vehicle cover
- Foch 155 needs nerf? “Don’t play Foch 155. Or vice versa – play it, noone will mind”
- T-44 needs buff? “Don’t play T-44″
- PVE contant is not being worked on at this moment
- China is the only WoT region, in which it is required by law for the game to force players to take breaks (even by bans)
- if I understand this correctly, it’s theoretically possible to build a Maus branch with VK4502P and Maus prototypes on tiers 7-10, VK100.01 would be typical tier 9
- premium tanks will not be rebalanced (as a whole category) and they won’t be hardcapped per battle
Some interesting info about new vehicles (official descriptions) from our Russian friends:
T-34-3
The T-34-3 medium tank was to be a modification of the T-34-2. Unlike the Type 59, the T-34-3 featured reduced armor. The design was developed in 1957. However, mass production of the Type 59 was started in 1958, and the T-34-3 project was discontinued.
Loyd Gun Carriage
A proposal to mount a 76.2-mm gun on the chassis of the Loyd Carrier artillery truck. Developed from 1940 through 1941. No prototypes were manufactured.
Birch Gun
The first SPG originally designed in Great Britain. Development started in 1923. The prototype was built on the basis of the Vickers Medium Mark II in 1925. A few prototypes were manufactured, and underwent trials starting in 1925. The project was canceled in 1928 due to lack of interest by the British government.
Bishop
Developed by Birmigham Carriage and Wagon in June 1941 on the basis of the Valentine II infantry support vehicle. From 1942 through 1943, a total of 149 SPGs were produced. In general the vehicle was unsuccessful. The vehicle was used for training purposes since 1943.
Crusader 5.5-in. SP
A modification of the Crusader featuring a 140-mm howitzer. Soon after WWII a prototype was completed. However, the vehicle never entered mass production, nor saw service.
FV3805
A modification of the Centurion featuring a 140-mm howitzer. A total of 2 prototypes were built in 1956. The development of the FV3805 was discontinued in 1960. The vehicle never saw service.
Conqueror Gun Carriage
A proposal to mount a 234-mm howitzer on the chassis of the Conqueror. Existed only in blue prints.
FV304
Prototype light SPG developed by Vickers. Development started in 1947. However, the prototype was not manufactured until 1953. The design of the SPG was already obsolete by this time, and the project was canceled.
FV207
An SPG variant on the basis of the А45 Conqueror. It was planned to mount either a 105-mm, 140-mm, or 152-mm howitzer in a closed armored cabin. The vehicle existed only in blueprints.
LTP
A proposed light vehicle developed by Lieutenant Provornov in the summer of 1942. No prototypes were manufactured.
MT-25
A proposed project of a light wheeled caterpillar vehicle. The draft was completed in February 1943. The most innovative feature was the suspension design. The suspension wheels were interleaved, and power was delivered to all wheels. No prototypes were manufactured.
Maps:
Empire Border
Scout vehicles and SPGs are vital on this map. Other vehicles have little choice but to stick to the conventional line of attack: directly through the town.
Belogorsk-19
A town is the primary setting for combat actions. Mountain trails can offer tactical advantages. High-speed vehicles should provide cover for friendly SPGs that will probably linger near their base.
![objekt-140-1[1]](http://ftr.wot-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/objekt-140-11.jpg)
