All Good Things…

Dear readers and friends,

now, that’s a change from the usual “hello everyone” and the Star Trek title – must mean something significant, yes? Well, unfortunately, it does.

I am quitting working on For the Record, completely.

The reasons for these are numerous, but the most obvious one is that I was hired by My.com, the producer of Armored Warfare, to become a content manager and a sort of historical advisor (minus the epic hat) with a hint of community management. My contract prevents me from doing anything, that would benefit My.com’s competition and unfortunately, running a Wargaming news blog is exactly the kind of thing that is prohibited. I wasn’t expecting this to come so suddenly (in fact, I was counting on running the blog for at least another month to take it all nice and slow), but the resolution of the situation came rather swiftly and I cannot wait – I’d be in breach of my contract. Don’t worry though, I won’t leave you without any info, there is a contingency plan (see below).

There are other reasons as well though and I do feel like I owe you a longer explanation though, so here goes.

This decision is not new. Some of you might remember that I was considering quitting completely as early as in the autumn of 2014. Wasn’t a good time for me really – along with some health issues, by that point FTR was practically a fulltime job (which didn’t change until today) and no matter how easy it might seem to an outsider, running the blog to any standard was completely exhausting. Another price, even more serious one, was the complete lack of any “life”, a price I was willing to pay, but I am no longer – I found someone very special in my life and suddenly found myself in a situation where I had to choose between my private life and working on FTR. Until today, I chose the latter, but I cannot do that anymore.

But that’s not nearly everything. For a long time, I was doing FTR mostly out of sense of duty, as there was unfortunately no true goal to the entire endeavor. While the FTR numbers between 2013 and 2014 practically doubled, recently, the growth generally just stagnated. I believe that as it is now, FTR has reached its limits, there is nowhere to expand – in fact, I had to get rid of some topics to be able to manage the amount of incoming information.

And add one more factor to that. There is nowhere to go for me even in World of Tanks itself. I am not really interested in becoming a unicum or anything. For me, the real fun with World of Tanks was participating (well, sort of) in the development. As you know, my goal was to have Czechoslovak tanks introduced into the game and by Wargaming actually agreeing to do that, there’s nothing left to achieve.

Combine all these reasons and you have a very tiring mixture. Make no mistake: I liked working on For the Record and I was happier working on it more than I was with my real job. Unfortunately, even with the generosity of the contributors (some were VERY generous and I won’t forget that), FTR could never bring enough money to work as a fulltime job. Well, maybe it could, if I spam the entire site with ads, but the thing is, I hate ads. Plus, ad revenue is extremely vulnerable to reader whims as the Adblock is just one click away.

Sure, you might think – why not contact Wargaming and maybe work something out? Well… for one, you know very well what I think of the entire WG EU. WG RU has some really cool guys and I never had a “beef” with them per se, but the thing is… I am also tired of this game and I don’t like where it is going. Sure, Czechoslovak tanks are cool, but what’s next? The development future and plans do seem a bit like stumbling in the dark from my perspective. I don’t feel like Wargaming has a clear vision, as there is little to achieve gameplay-wise left for them apart from making more and more money. Not that there’s something wrong with making money, it’s just that I have the feeling (especially lately) that it actually sometimes collides with the game development itself (cutting out content that is very expensive to produce, while introducing more and more premium tanks being the most obvious example). Perhaps I am wrong, but that’s how I see it.

That’s why I turned to who I consider to have a bright future: Armored Warfare developers, Obsidian.

Armored Warfare developers have a vision, that doesn’t consist entirely of selling you more and more stuff – and they listen to the players. An example: it took me two years to convince Wargaming to put Czechoslovak tanks into the game. It took me three minutes to do that with Obsidian.

What I do believe is that with proper development, Armored Warfare can not only go toe to toe with World of Tanks, we can even beat it on their own turf.Therein lies the challenge and the goal. Can I personally help to make it better with my dedication? I’d like to think that yes, I can. I have faith, something I lacked for a very long time, a faith that was in Wargaming’s case replaced by cynicism, stemming from some degree of knowledge of Wargaming’s inner workings a long time ago. I am sure you noticed that yourselves from the leaks as well.

I will not tell you that Wargaming is the Great Satan and Armored Warfare is our only savior. That would be stupid and it would be a lie. For all its flaws and the idiocy of some of WG staff, World of Tanks is a good game, even a great game (if you embrace arty that is :D). I just think there’s an opportunity here to build something even better – together with the players and developers actually listening to player feedback without having to spend years to convince them of a good idea.

And so, it suddenly all “clicked” together – their offer, my desire to do something I actually really like for a living and reasons to actually have some private life back. And I said yes. So this is it.

Now, before I depart, two things.

AW beta keys

If you are interested, I have beta keys for all the contributors, who ever donated to FTR. Just write me an email at fortherecordwot@gmail.com with your identification as a former FTR contributor and I’ll send you one. I wish I had beta keys for EVERYBODY but alas, I couldn’t get my hands on so many. But that’s okay… I am pretty sure that if you go to the Armored Warfare site and register for CBT, you’ll get there in no time, the beta has plenty of space for everybody.

FTR replacement

Second – as promised, you won’t be left without information. I was wondering for a long time how to do this – and I opted for one thing, one person who actually has no agenda and who I actually really trust – Ritagamer. Surprised? So was I, when she showed interest. Long story short: I did put her in touch with a native Russian speaker, let’s call him “Ivan”. Ivan will help her with translations for her and she will be posting them in the same style as I used on FTR. And yes, there will still be leaks. She will also cover Armored Warfare actually, so you’ll get everything in a nice, neat package. You can find her blog here:

http://ritastatusreport.blogspot.nl/

Make no mistake, it will be very difficult for her at first and the design of the blogger site is less than optimal, so please, support her as much as you did support me, she is taking a huge risk with this and it’s a lot of work. But, I am confident she’ll be up to the task – you know her from her streams, when she wants something, she gets it right :)

So, that’s it really. I hope to see you drop by on AW forums. This is for the record… signing off.

453 thoughts on “All Good Things…

      • What a bad news it is :(

        Thank You SS for all efforts you put in this project – because FTR has become more then just a blog. It was THE place where we were looking for information about WoT. If WG Eu site would be closed probably nobody would give a shit… but closing FTR? It’s like turning off the small lamp of knowledge in dark room of WGEU incompetence…

        Once more – big Thank You and best wishes to you.

        • @SS: I started reading FTR in late 2013 and have been following the blog ever since. It was a great read and I personally thank you for bringing us that info.

          Wish you all the best for your future endeavors.

          Surprisingly, this post came on the same day when I decided to quit WoT.

          I loved the game but got bored by the sheer sluggishness in development.

          Content has been in the line for years and it is still not released. A decision that is announced takes years to implement (best example is the Havok, re-balancing of vehicles, HD models to state a few).

          The graphics we have on this game were available on other games 5 years ago.

          The content has been deployed extremely slowly and the grind system in the game makes it take years to grind a single line for those of us who don’t free XP it or don’t regularly own a premium account and have a job to do.

          It just feels stagnant at best.

          You have the same set of tanks for months before unlocking a new one then the whole cycle repeats. That, in my opinion makes the game boring and then there is the “How Terrible” attitude of WG that pisses me off.

          Well there is much to say but not enough time.

          I thank you again for the leaks.

          Regards,
          Afrika_Korps (ASIA server)

    • I have been following you from the old blog for around 2 years, thank you very much for your great effort and good times spent.

      Sadly, I may not follow you to AW, due to little interest in modern vehicles and I will soon has less time in online games anyway. I may still play WoT for a while since becone blunicum is not that far away anymore and I still have some things that I want to get.

      Anyway, would Rita cover historical articles too? And since you would not continue the FB pages too, how could we stalk you in the future? Would you create a new personal blog or sth like that?

      • UR blog was a good source of information, but I think UR personal opinions about the game and how to play it SUCK so I won’t miss you at all. If fact, I like RITA way more than U so this change is a good thing for me. I also don’t understand why you were so STUPID to not open the blog up for advertising. It would not have bothered me to see ads.

        Also, UR wrong, WOT’s has not PEAKED and made 500 MILLION last year a new high and in a year or two WOT’s will be number one, possibly in 2015, the highest revenue game in the world. WOT’s is on the rise and it has certainly NOT peaked.

        I rate WOT’s a 9 out of 10, it’s damn near perfect. My ONLY complaint is OP arty, but I am a good player and arty rarely kills me or even hits me and I farm way more damage from arty then those fucking NOOBS farm from me. I would also like more maps and bigger maps and more bush’s but those are minor complaints, the current maps are pretty good.

        From what I have seen of AW from JINGLES, it doesn’t look like a game I will even play similar to WT. I am fully invested with WOT’s, I LOVE THE GAME, and unless another game comes along that is better, why leave WOT’s? AW does not look to do anything better than WOT’s. WOT’s has responded to AW and will be introducing PVE, I think it is called, players vs BOTS. I predict that AW will be a FLOP and will be lucky to be 1% as good or popular as WOT’s.

        Also, you forget World of Warships. That is a game I am VERY eager to play and will spend money on and it looks like it will be a HUGE success. I see WG on the rise and WOT’s as a dream game that WG is making better and better. Looking at old replays the graphics now are INSANE. I have been playing WOT’s for two years, and every single change, except regarding maps, has been for the better. WG is improving the game in leaps and bounds. U say WG does not listen to players, but they are removing the AufE100 and admit it was a mistake.

        • SS – thanks for all the time you’ve spent on your blog. It was informative and entertaining.

          Good luck with your new job – hope you enjoy it.

        • Ehem, if you had actually watched Jingle’s video, you’d know that AW is in ALPHA testing, nowhere near being a finished product.
          And quit your WG fanboyism, you won’t become a unicum faster that way.

        • Takes the time to write multiple paragraphs, can’t use “You are” or “You’re” instead of text message speak. Idiot confirmed.

        • Good for you, I don’t say I don’t like the game but hey….. you are just idiot.
          1. the player numbers are declined. it’s already down from peak. numbers show.
          2. 9/10 perfect?? what is perfect?? you are out of your mind?? there are BUGS everywhere…. memory leaked just like hell…. glitches here and there… crashed to desktop like crazy… stupidly ruin the visual and collision models….. and arty is OP??? you are good you don’t hot by them??? idiot now I know You are just camper faggot that stay arty safe saying you are good, cuz arty is OP… I must hide from it and they can’t hit me… I am good.. retarded.
          3. WOT introduces PVE….. just a word. Nothing is happening, may be in another 3 years? when no one else ever play, and then full of retarded bug from incompetent developer that can’t even proof reading in the mission statements event and cut paste dialogues in their website.
          4. you forgot WOWP which looks like it is a HUGE retarded failure….. and WOWS will be just mediocre… who knows…. time will tell.. but what is real??? WOWP is shit.
          5. WTE 100 is not removing because of players, it’s because of retarded dev put it in the game without brain and proper testing and even nerfed it’s still retardedly OP and then it is removed. If they are listening to the players why arty still exist??? retard is retard.

        • I don’t like the way how you post your message, not at all, but in the end, you may be very right.From what I’ve seen, I compare AW to BF4 (never played that) but it gives me the shivers. Nope, not gonna play.

    • :( My daily newspaper shuts down. Cant believe it.
      Stronk is the way that he walks ~*~
      I got yearold links in my favorites of your blog followed since the start.
      Wishing you the best and also for AW & My.com.
      Have some fun there in your new job m8.
      P.S.if you still got a invite for aw i dont say no(waiting since last year for it) :)
      Have nice day!

    • SS best of luck, You have a certian get shit done attitude that could really help a game dev if they are willing to listen to you. I sincerly hope Obsidian is willing to do that, Goodbye.

    • It was a true pleasure to read your articles, even if i didn`t comment. From the first time since i started reading your “FTR” i loved it .. and yes we will miss u so fking much mate. Surprising this is like a break-out from my girl… and i must throw u a question why do u think is like that?! Yes … we all loved your work and u for being YOU! Cheers mate..we will see on AW..trust me! For The Record…

      With all the respect,
      Speedy

      • many thanks for all your time and effort, silentstalker. it’s been a hell of ride. :)
        a bright and fun future – you’ll sure be missed.

        • SS you will be deeply missed by me and the community as a whole your work has been amazing I wish you the best of luck on your new job keep us up to date facebook posts etc.

    • This was a good site but you are selling everyone out here; it wasn’t just you who made the site but all the WoT fans who left comments and engaged in discussions.

    • WELL DONE Silentstalker!!!!

      You deserve success. Your FTR website was AWESOME!!!!

      Well done to My.com that they snagged u.

      Shalom from Israel!!!

    • Thanks for all youve done for us SS, good luck moving forward, and best of luck to Ritagamer as you’ve set a pretty high bar for her.

    • he really deserves this for all the good work he’s been doing in both the game-related part and the historical part of this blog

      finally someone takes him seriously and recognizes his work after years reporting the mistakes done in the game and hoping someone would listen (to him and all the others members of the community who share the same opinions) to improve it

    • Thanks for all your work, SS. Superb site you ran. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!

      • To be honest,the ending was very emotional(i think it is the right word i’m not sure:P)…FTR was always a nice company with all news,thoughts,discussions…and all this made from SS hardwork…
        Gl m8 in AW:) Hope i see u again…
        Farewell…

        P.S.(RIP FTR:()

    • Your’s is one of the few blogs I have enjoyed reading. Our loss is Armored Warfare’s and that special person in your life’s gain. Rita is a good choice, she will have a difficult act to follow.

      Best of Luck

    • Ithink i may cry :’(
      SS, the amount of work you put forth was incredible. You will be very successful wherever life leads you. I wish you all the best in your new job.

      • Life is life, u newer gonna know what will happen in next second, but i loved this website:)
        I was happy to know that i wonbt miss any new thing thanks to SilentStalker:)
        Good luck m8.
        May life be good for u and newer give up, u can do that, even u miss us:)(or not)
        good luck being good guy:)

        *Goes to corner and cries and at the same time is proud of SS*(real emotions, no lies:P)

        • ..just came home from work after 12 hours shift, eager for FTR news, and then i saw this…holy shit! :(:( Well, what to say, thank you for the GREAT WORK SS, wish u good luck and…might the RNG be with you ;)

  1. Good for you, dude. Step in the right direction,imo…plus FTR wasn’t going to be eternal anyway, things inevitably progress. In a positive way, in this case.

    Plus, FTR was a huge procrastination tool for me, now i can focus more on work :D

  2. Understandable – i am watching AW with much interest and despite me promising myself i’d never do it, i signed up for AW CB a week ago…how often do they hand out beta keys?

    • Depends. It’s usually giveaways, competitions and such. The only “guaranteed” way of getting a betakey is to buy a pre-order package, but those aren’t available for EU/NA yet (soon hopefully).

      • Interesting. Okay, one more question: Considering ym hardware being around 3-4 years old, can my PC run AW decently on let’s say : medium settings?

        • Currently in alpha stage? Not very well. But next build should be hopefully more optimized. In OBT, AW should have roughly the same requirements as WoT (with improved performance on better computers, no 40 FPS on 2k USD PC)

          • Good, good. I’d rather have them optimize gameplay before they optimize performance. I really, really like the dynamic role’s different tanks have and as far i can tell, Obsidian Entertainment nailed it. + They are the same people hat made The Stick Of Truth! Definitely bonus points for that.

            Regardless, see you on the other side soon hopefully, SS. i’m sold.

          • I can play on a stronger computer, but will my personal laptop – Lenovo G410, which has Intel i5 4200M (2.5-3.1GHz) and Intel HD 4600 Graphics be able to run it? if so, about how much fps ?
            talking Beta and release.

            • I think SS will reply to you as soon as he take a looksy at his cristal bowl…hold tight soldier.

          • I run WOT on minimum graphics 4gb ram 1.7ghz processor will i able to play armored warfare or am i stuck with WOT. anyway thanks for the articles read most of them bored at school. don’t know what i am going to do now Rita’s blog is blocked at my school ! now what am i going to do with my downtime? As i said thanks for the posts they helped get me back into the spirit of WOT as well as excited for armored warfare.

          • Is it still in alpha I haven’t heard anything about when our next test is

      • I will be there aswell, rather sooner than later – how is AW in terms of this hilarious “Rigging Numbers Generator” RNG? I hope it is more honest in that regard, than leaving that bad taste that it gets most likely buffed for noobs, and nerfed for good players (by trend)!

        To me it looks like an evolution of WoT – they obliterate the important Drawbacks that WoT suffers from (Skill based MM e.g. – better Artillery Implementation, and i like the Crew/Tank Setup far more).

        It is also time that WoT gets some more direct competition – normally this shows quite healthy effects for the customer..

        Thank you very much SilentStalker for all the efforts, and keep it up at AW :)

        o7

    • Lol. Look at my clan DDOT’s description. Wasn’t me putting it there but former leader who knows about that reference lol

  3. tnx for all that work , i am sure it wasnt easy and u did very professional job , respect fort that!
    wish u all the best on your new job.

  4. Good job with FTR, best site for WoT news ever. And yes, your decision to join AW was an excellent one.

    There’s nothing you could do to improve WoT, they just don’t care about players at all, even someone who has a voice in the community like yourself. But AW seems to listen and you should definitely guide them to creating a great, fun and balanced game. I trust you know how to do that because you’re a WoT veteran.

    Good luck dude.

  5. Noooo….!!!! :(
    Anyway… I hope Rita will carry on Your excellent job, despite the fact that WoT slowly drowns.

    Good luck, SS! Your blog will be missed…

  6. It was an honor reading this blog SS, thank you for all the dedication that you put into this.

    One question: will we still see You sometimes on Rita’s channel so we can troll You? Kappa

  7. It’s a been a good run, SS. o\ Hopefully a lot of us will see you in AW (if they sort out their CBT applications :<) :)

  8. Oh well RIP FTR. No more interesting and weird info

    Good for you overall. From a blogman of a small blog to getting a job in Obsidian. And here I am, sitting and wishing to find any job for those mere 300 euro/month

    Thx and good luck SS. See ya in the next AW test :)

  9. Does contribution only entail paying via patron service or does it mean those who have previously sent you articles that you published?

  10. Awaiting AW with zeal now more than ever :-)

    signed up for beta some weeks ago but no info yet…

    WoT lately is just plain frustration with missions and MM issues. AW looks currently really promising. Western style of doing things as opposed to “BLEED EU dry” and “FU customers” style WG runs.

  11. Good bye, and Good luck with your new job :D
    This blog will turn into a history where the bad side of world of tanks are kept :v

  12. Tanks for al the effort for all u words of tanks love reading it.
    And have a blasting time at My.com :)

  13. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
    I came from Rita twitch link and now must go back :D

    So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!

  14. Thank you and good luck, see you on AW forums.

    Tak predsa, som zvedavý na tvoj prístup. :)

  15. Thanks SS for all the hard work and info that fell our way! Good luck with the new job and also in life.. :) all the best
    Sparty

  16. I signed with two mails and havent gotten anything… In months -_-

    Anyway I was a Patreon supporter. Gief me one key plix <3

    And Iam in the same boat as you SS… I mean I almost reached 3k WN8, got all the tanks I care for, ranked in top 150 in WoT performance, got two T10 campaign tanks and close to 30 000 games… Iam done with WoT aswell untill the Cz/SK/EU tree comes which will be god knows when…

    Iam looking forward for AW.

    See you in AW, fattie! :D

  17. All the best in the new project, I hope AW becomes a success. Many thanks for the huge effort and hours — we will miss you.
    Buena Suerte.

  18. Protože psané angličtině rozumím, ale sám moc dobře nepíšu, nechám tu koment v češtině, snad to nevadí :)

    Hodně štěstí v nové práci, snad ti tento blog nebude moc chybět, doufám že ne tolik jako mně… Je tu spousta užitečných článků, spousta informací pohromadě co jeden jen tak jinde nenajde, je škoda že to tady končí. Ale jak se říká, když něco končí, něco jiného může začít :) Doufejme že http://ritastatusreport.blogspot.nl/ dosáhne brzy takového uznání a úspěchu jako FTR :)

    Good luck!

  19. o7
    Good luck in your future SilentStalker. You have been great source of info regarding World of Tanks.

  20. As a long time reader of your articles I have to say I will miss you. But I’m happy for you to be able to put your knowledge to use for such a company as obsidian who are good, honest people who truly love the games they make. (unlike some company. cough cough) Good luck.

  21. Thank you for doing the fine work, SS. Even if people sometimes disagree on something, I can’t deny you’ve done a huge amount of service for many players.

    Hodně štěstí, osobně i na nové pozici :)

  22. Good luck with new job!

    The story continues: Overlord -> SilentStalker -> RitaGamer
    :)

  23. Much ragrets, such sadness wow…

    Well.. thanks for everything SS. Wish you all the best, may you feel fullfilled and not as you wasted your time. Do whar you love and find your happiness!

    Hope to see you on AW forums, take care! :)

  24. Good luck on your new job SS.

    Doubtful Obsidian would be any great tho as long as they’re answering to their Russian masters. Now if Bethesda was the one funding Obsidian on AW, they pretty much have it on the bag the title of the proper competition for WoT.

  25. Hats off to you SS. I’ve been here since the start of new version of blog (Well still quite some time despite I’d never had a chance to look at the old FTR). You did some Fantastic job here and providing leaks and news about World of Tanks.

    Thanks for All your efforts. I cannot stress this enough. Everything had an end. And hereby dare I say to you SS : Good Bye.

  26. “Another price, even more serious one, was the complete lack of any “life”, a price I was willing to pay, but I am no longer – I found someone very special in my life and suddenly found myself in a situation where I had to choose between my private life and working on FTR.”

    I don’t get it. What’s that “life” you talk about? And what other thing could be “someone very special”, other than a new tier 10 tank or something? Oh… are you talking about a human female, Silent? Man, get your shit together!

    P.S. Is it Rita? :))) Sorry, I had to do it :D

    Srsquestion: Why don’t you continue this blog exclusively for AW?

  27. So, what happens to patreon contributions now? Do we have to stop the patreon donation manually?

  28. First comment here.

    Thanks for almost 2 years of leaks and great information.
    I am a liitle bit sad that a habit I don’t want to miss will go, but I wish you all the best for your private and occupational career.

    Enjoy both as much as you did FTR for most of the time.

    Robert

  29. Thanks for all the hard work and the interesting articles !!
    I wish you a lot of happiness in your life and good luck in your new career !
    Cheers

  30. SS bribed with Czechoslovak tanks xD
    interesting to know the main reason for his commitment…

  31. Sounds good for you SS, good luck with everything you are going to do in your future!
    But, like many others here probably, I will miss this blog badly. It was one of the pages I visited daily, if not multiple times a day.

    I bookmarked Rita’s blog, but I wonder if you will (or actually: can) bring her in contact with all the insiders and testers you got your info from until now. Without all the leaks and transcripts from the developer meetings, I fear it won’t be the same.

  32. this is the end…. beautiful friends.

    you did an excellent job mate. good luck with your new job.

  33. I’ll miss waking up and check if there’s a leak every day :/

    Thanks for everything SS and GL with AW.

  34. Sorry to see you go, but it’s completely understandable.

    Thanks for the exceptional job you’ve done running this blog and keeping WOT players informed about new developments. Best of luck down the line!

  35. Thanks for everything you have done for us.
    A přeju hodně úspěchů s AW ^^

  36. Great news! Good luck SS and see you on the AW battlefield. I totally agree with wot becoming stagnant and the last campaign has left me only playing some 50 odd games the last months…

    Best Regards
    Carrera2

  37. Thanks for everything SS. I had a blast reading your articles daily here, on ftr.
    I hope you’ll get what you need in life :)

  38. Thanks! It was good reading. Have a lot of fun and joy at My.com

    I have registered long time ago for Beta, so looking forward to it.

  39. Leaving a sinking ship…

    I totally approve with the switch to AW.

    Maybe WoT won’t sink, but i bet that it won’t be able to sail like it did a few years ago.

  40. Requiescat In Pace FTR.

    Just a thought, why not simply drop reporting on WG and just replace it with AW? TBH I actually came to FRT in the beginning to get me a nice fat slice of WG fail but over the time I grew attached to the other side of FTR which shows stuff like unique tank designs (even the stupid ones), stories on battles no-one has heard of, and the infamous Hall of Shame (I miss that).

    Anyway, see you in AW forum. I lurk there too. Perhaps we can have a casual chat =)

  41. Good luck dude with your life :)

    For the Record was one hell of a blog, but as you said all good things come to an end ;)

    Hope your future is bright because you are an awesome person and you deserve it! Have fun at the delelopment of Armored Warfare, from my guess it will be a blast for you!

  42. Thanks for all the great information over the years. see you on the other side~

    so what will happen to eduard?

  43. Thanks for all your efforts. We will miss you mate. Farewell SilentStalker!!

    PS. I hope to meet you again in AW ;)

  44. Very sad to see the end of FTR, but a HUGE thanks from myself and on behalf of my 95+ strong clan for all the info and help over the years.

    See you in AW

  45. Thanks to Frank and also all the other contributors to the blog over the years – all your efforts are much appreciated.

    Good luck Frank on the new adventure and also to Rita. Hopefully see you in AW at some stage :)

    Cheers,

    Lemmingtrain EU

  46. Take good care SS!
    We all enjoyed your Blog to the fullest :)

    Enjoy your time at My.com :D

  47. So, the big noses from AW drowned you in shekels and now you ask us to turn to some cumdumpster’s blog, which ironically will cover AW as well. Good riddance.

    Thank you for FTR, for your hard work and all, but the manner in which you leave is really, really shitty.

    • Uhmmm… Dunno how much My.com will pay SS, but Iam safe to asume its more then he made running this blog.

      Imo his reasoning in his post is more then adequate…

    • Try to support a family with generosity of Patreon and PayPal benefactors, kid.

    • Ok, sorry for that comment, got too emotional. Obviously I don’t apologise for what I’ve said, but how I said it. Thanks.

  48. Hey SS, thanks for your blogging over all the time, I really enjoyed it.
    I hope that you never get as disappointed in AW as you are now with WoT and wish you all the best – not only for your future work but also in health and with your loved ones.

  49. I didn’t post many comments here but I was a regular reader and believe me your personal touch to the news/articles will be sorely missed.
    Good luck in this new adventure SS!

  50. thank you for all the good things SS

    it will be a little weird not to have some news to read on FTR but i guess we’ll see you on the other side ;)

    AW forums here we come :D

    BTW, honestly, I think this is a good move from Obsidian, they will get much more new players with you on their team….I considered playing AW if they did something, but now I know for sure ;)

  51. I have a couple of Questions, what will happen with patreon, will it just be closed with Feb or March being the final payment? You mentioned beta keys for FTR contributors will this include patreon user who have contributed over a certain amount, from/over a certain time period or to everyone that is currently on the contribution list? sorry if this has been asked before.

    • “I have beta keys for all the contributors, who ever donated to FTR.”

      ———————————————————
      MotherBomb on March 5, 2015 at 11:30 am said:
      Does contribution only entail paying via patron service or does it mean those who have previously sent you articles that you published?

      Reply ↓

      Silentstalker
      on March 5, 2015 at 11:31 am said:
      The first (Patreon or Paypal)

      —————————————————-
      I would asume that means all contributions.

  52. Thank you for the good times I’ve had laughing at WG, and for giving me too much historical info about tanks :)

    So, where will you be active next? AW forums? Will you simply be writing the news on the AW website?

  53. Well it’s a good news – bad news situation ;) Congrats on your job at My.com, thank you very much for all the hard work you put in FTR, was reading it for at least 2 years now. Hope to see you on the AW battlefields :) And of course good luck to Rita :)

  54. SS thx for all what u have done and be doing for us as players.
    Good luck with ur new job and kick some ass while doing it.
    U’ll be missed by many. Thumbs up and keep them in the air!

  55. My heartfelt congratulations goes out to you SilentStalker, a pity you can no longer run this blog and I thank you for your articles I have enjoyed over the past few months.You shall be missed,and thank you once again.

  56. Good luck SS. There where only 3 Websites on the internet i visited multiple times every day. Google, Facebook and FTR. Lets see how Rita can hold up, but im confident shell get it right.

    Anyways, see you in AW then :)

  57. Thank you very much for all this work ! You have been entertaining me and providing really useful info for such a long time.
    Be happy with your new significant other and your new job ;-)

    It looks like even i could maybe swallow my “since beta” pride and taste some fresh air.

    Btw. Does it really mean that AW will have czechoslovaks too?

  58. UR blog was a good source of information, but I think UR personal opinions about the game and how to play it SUCK so I won’t miss you at all. If fact, I like RITA way more than U so this change is a good thing for me. I also don’t understand why you were so STUPID to not open the blog up for advertising. It would not have bothered me to see ads.

    Also, UR wrong, WOT’s has not PEAKED and made 500 MILLION last year a new high and in a year or two WOT’s will be number one, possibly in 2015, the highest revenue game in the world. WOT’s is on the rise and it has certainly NOT peaked.

    I rate WOT’s a 9 out of 10, it’s damn near perfect. My ONLY complaint is OP arty, but I am a good player and arty rarely kills me or even hits me and I farm way more damage from arty then those fucking NOOBS farm from me. I would also like more maps and bigger maps and more bush’s but those are minor complaints, the current maps are pretty good.

    From what I have seen of AW from JINGLES, it doesn’t look like a game I will even play similar to WT. I am fully invested with WOT’s, I LOVE THE GAME, and unless another game comes along that is better, why leave WOT’s? AW does not look to do anything better than WOT’s. WOT’s has responded to AW and will be introducing PVE, I think it is called, players vs BOTS. I predict that AW will be a FLOP and will be lucky to be 1% as good or popular as WOT’s.

    Also, you forget World of Warships. That is a game I am VERY eager to play and will spend money on and it looks like it will be a HUGE success. I see WG on the rise and WOT’s as a dream game that WG is making better and better. Looking at old replays the graphics now are INSANE. I have been playing WOT’s for two years, and every single change, except regarding maps, has been for the better. WG is improving the game in leaps and bounds. U say WG does not listen to players, but they are removing the AufE100 and admit it was a mistake.

  59. Thank you for a great blog, that I used to visit almost every time I had a break in my job. Ang congratz to the opportunity you got, I think you deserve it after what you done here. I just wonder how many times I will brainlessly go to this page and then realize it is closed. ;)

  60. Do tell them to lower the system requirements so everyone in RU can play AW as well.

    All the best o/

  61. Thank you for everything that you have done sir. Without you most of the WG community would have been left in the dark as communication with their player base has always been perhaps their weakest of points(WoWp NA it is completely non-existent).
    I hope that Rita can continue this great thing that you have started and keep the light on.
    Good luck on your next endeavor and if AW has faith in you…then frankly I think that it speaks volumes on that product.Can’t wait.

    Again..thank you and good luck.

  62. Thank you, SS. The information you provided us with was invaluable. Congratulations on seizing an opportunity that not only interests you, but also allows you to live a lifer closer to your ideal. You will be missed.

  63. This is about the worst thing that could happen to WOT, the game will not be the same without FTR.. before i log into WOT forums i logged into here, for the past year i have logged into FTR like 10 times a day. it was my new facebook.. lol, in anycase SS Thank you very much for all the time you have invested in this blog, and all the information you have give us, you will be missed.
    See ya on AW. PS.. if you do make a AW blog let us know please.

  64. Massive thanks SS. The best luck with everything in you life(now that you have one). Will you still stream with Rita with AM when it comes out and WOT when it gets fixed? :)

  65. Good luck, man! Thank you so much for you blog, I’ve surely been at least 2 times a day here and was never disappointed.

    So, enjoy your new job and good luck again!

  66. GL with your new venture and thanks for the entertainment you provided up until now.

    A smart move from AW and I guess nothing good did come out from the WG EU line that I thought you where involved in, well WG’s loss.

    With that said personally I will not play AW at all as I planned to because I despise dirty marketing.

    -cb99

  67. What is actually site for AW for EUROPE? I dont wanna be stuck on NA server like im in WoT now -,- thanks for accounts migration…

    because only one i can see is either RU version dor aw.my.com version… that seems to be for NA not EU

    • EU and US share an English site, but there is a clearly designated European server for game purposes. Fun fact: you can use the same account for US and EU servers.

  68. Silentstalker, what will happen to all the articles on here? Will this website be actually taken offline and will those articles be lost?

  69. g’luck SS. if time wills it, many a frequenter of FTR that may roll in AW can and WILL try to slug the living crap out of you in that game if you roll in either NA or EU or if lulz wills, APAC.

  70. http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

    I feel devastated. Rita will never be able to replace your style and point of view. Which was one of the strongest parts of FTR…

    But of course I wish you best and good luck. I’d do the same on your place :-)

  71. Well, see you on the flip side.
    Who wouldn’t take the shorter work hours and bigger salary.

  72. Sad to see you go – but thanks for all the work you put into this. That as well as the insight, the laughs, the facepalms and what else you provided to all of us.

    Good luck with your future endeavours.

  73. Good luck, man i saw early your post in AW about the MM, and title Content Manager! i was OMG!

    i think you made the right call here and i wish you & AW to success in taking down the blind Giant Wargaming it should be fun. :)

  74. SS, you’re the best and deserve the best, thanks for all the time and effort you put into FTR, making it a place where the community could find an oasis of truth and sincerity in the desert of wargaming bs. See you in AW, best of luck in all your endeavours.

  75. Damn, FTR was the big thing in my Web Browsing hours :(

    Will you have some kind of blog for Armored Warfare news?
    I Got the alpha test, but I didn’t managed to play because it was poor optimized for laptops :(

  76. You will be missed SS !

    I have one favor to ask , can you put all the remaining dirt you have for WG EU …

    You said we would see some more stuff in future.

  77. I just joined a few months ago andit’s a shame you have to stop with FTR, but you have very understandable reasons. Anyway, thanks for all the hard work and making this great blog! Good luck at my.com!

  78. Oh, shit.. will miss the FTR for sure..

    But anyway, all the best wishes to you SS in your new challanges, and it’s great that you’ll feel better with the new work.

    And I will keep my fingers crossed for Rita in her new blog, that she’ll have the strenght and patience to keep it up. Because people need a portal like that for the daily dose of WOT news!

    Btw SS – will this blog stay for a while in read only mode or you will pull it off the web? Because even without new updates, it’s a nice place to dig up some info!

  79. See you space cowboy….
    I just applied for AW beta, i hope to get me in like WG got me in WoT Beta….
    I hope it’s like you said and they don’t fuck up the game like WG did…

  80. Obsidian taking ideas of what WG community wants but isnt in game or needs to be changed, and implementing it instantly into AW (doing so without fear of reaction from both sides of player base).

    obsidian you better not be honey dicking us

  81. So I will miss you I now have lost my morning routine. I an glad you moved on just sad that you are doing so. Gl with your endeavors

  82. Im happy for you man! all your hardwork finally paid off. I wish you bright future with Obsidian guys!

  83. Thanks. Thanks for all the work you put into FTR. Thanks for letting us know what’s going on with FTR and with you.

    I’m pretty recent here but FTR has been a great source of information.

    Much appreciated. Good luck in the future.

  84. Thanks for all the work you made for this blog SS. I’m sad that FTR will no longer be updated but if its better for you to stop then go ahead.
    FTR was really important for me, I don’t even play WOT anymore but I was still checking out the blog on a daily basis.
    I hope you’ll be happy with your new job
    See you on the Armored Warfare battlefields

  85. Great news! I am happy for you SS.

    Good luck with your new job and I am looking forward to seeing your AW content!

  86. I’ve been lurking around for a Long while and i really enjoyed your blog. Thank you for your hard workshop and i hope to See you Soon somewhere else. I can See Rita’s already doping a terrific Job and i will definitely folle Her blog From Now on. Good luck with everything mate

  87. Sad to see you go SS, this blogs info from inside WG has always kept me on the right track with them.
    But alas, congrats on everything man, I hope the best for you! :)

  88. Good Luck SS, may your new job offer you everything you desire, as your old one has surpassed all our beliefs!

  89. Sad to see FTR close, happy your life seems to be improving by a lot though! I signed up for AW last year some time, nothing yet though :/

  90. Thank you for all the effort you put on this blog, and good luck to your project with Armored Warfare! You’re not the man we deserved but the one we needed ;)

  91. Good man SS.
    Have some good sleeps, we will see you in somewhere else soon
    ;)

  92. I’m sorry if this is too negative, but this is really fucked up. Maybe I’m the only one, but FTR has been one of the main reasons I loved WoT, the community we had here and the daily news and articles we got here. I will really miss it.
    I think it’s a brilliant move by My.com, but I fear that the ‘feeling’ of checking FTR everyday will be a tremendous loss.
    I’m sorry, I don’t care for Rita, couldn’t someone else just take over FTR? It’s a bit drastic all of a sudden.

    Anyways, I wish you all the best SS, thanks for your commitment and dealings with our shit-talk everyday. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll join you in AW, it’s just that I’m really annoyed by the fact some youtubers get access, while we have to take part in stupid contests. Especially Whinybaby (yes he has becoming fucking annoying). Ending my rant with a positive note: I will always remember FTR as a vital part of the WoT experience!

    • What’s the matter if he is in AW? You won’t play just because QB plays it? Sounds childish and stupid Also:Of course youtubers will get instant acces .. It’s called damn advertising

      • Have you seen QB mentioning AW one time? I have been watching his livestreams, and he hasn’t even mentioned it.

        Maybe it’s childish, but QB is the biggest WoT supporter out there, so I think it’s stupid that he has access to AW, plus SS hates his guts, so this will be fun now that he is part of the AW community.

  93. Fuck this.. I hope you will give those articles which you promised us.. About new vehicles and so… Anyway.. Your hard job did get noticed… I believe you owed us explanation.. Ofc your hard job was the key to get this kind of opportunity but I also believe everything would be different if just a few people would read this blog… Only thing I can tell is thank you and I really appreciate your job here.. But it seems funny to see you leave after posting so many WG dirty things.. :-)

  94. For the Record has consistently been one of the best gaming blogs I have read. Thanks for all your hard work and many, many good reads. I think you’ll make an excellent community manager for AW.

  95. Silentstalker, have luck with everything you are going to do. Although I’m sad FTR is over but life still goes on.

    I hoped to get in touch with you as I’m about to finish and interesting piece of software (involving WoT) that could be interesting also for the readers of FTR. Maybe I will try Rita, but I planned personal meeting which is quite impossible with Rita.

    However, is AW going to have replays full of battle stats data? If so, my software could even process them so maybe one day, I will contact you with the same think but over different game.

    Have luck, have fun and enjoy you life. You have all my respect for running FTR for so long.

  96. Pingback: Whoa: "I Am Quiting Working For The Record, Completely" | For the Record - Tank World News

  97. SS, thank you for all those things you gave to us,historys and some random schitz.

    well..there’s a thing I’m a bit curious about… , did jingles know this already? Since he mentioned a lot(or, advertising ) of FTR in his recent Mingles with Jingles series..

    Anyways, sad to see you go,but happy to see you find your life, and see you in AW :)

  98. Thanks for all your hard work translating stuff for the non-Russian speaking community. Maybe I’ll see you in Armoured Warfare some day :)

  99. Thanks for your contribution, nothing lasts forever but was good while lasted. Remember there are alot of happy readers that are silent here so as one of them i´d like to say thanks SS and good luck on your new project. So long and thanks for all the fish.

  100. really smart move from Obsidian. Way smarter than WG.

    Wish you the best. See you on AW !

    Sauge.

  101. Díky za všechnu odvedenou práci pro komunitu a spoustu informací, které snad nejen mě pomohli se trošku dozvědět více o tancích a historii. Je vždycky fajn vidět někoho kdo odvádí kvalitní práci a v životě se dostane do další etapy. Přeju hodně štěstí v životě a třeba se potkáme v AW.

    Howkey [QSF-L]

  102. Well, congratulations on your cooperation with AW ;) and thanks for all your effort. I quit WoT recently so I won’t be affected by this change very much, quite the opposite, I’m switching to AW because I think they have a bright future. In my opinion WoT is not going where it should be (and I’m not a whining red tomato). I do hope to get into AW beta testing if possible but I haven’t gotten the invite yet and I applied a few months ago.

  103. Good luck SS, damn salty to have you leave but I wish you all the luck and I hope that AW turns out to be everything you believe it will be. Going to miss FTR but I’ll follow you on AW.

    To be honest the most interesting articles on FTR weren’t the WoT ones anyway…

    I salute you!

  104. Thanks for everything, you rule, go follow your dreams, as SBB would say ;)

    But I think you make a kind of mistake… You see, long long ago I was very excited about WoW, but I was playing EVE then and finally haven’t switched, also I don’t like the Warcraft world too much. Then I played Warhammer The Reckoning, Neverwinter and tried some more fantasy MMO’s, but You know what? They all wither and fade, but WoW is always there. I think this will be the case with WoT as well.

  105. I doubt you’ll see this, but an honest thank you for the work you put in ftr these years, it’s an insane amount of work. Ftr has been part of my daily life even in times when I haven’t been playing world of tanks. Something nice to read whenever. I think I really should give AW a try, maybe be one of the first one’s there, so I might even be good someday.

    Anyhow, just a HUGE thank you, that is unfortunately all I can do for you. Good luck with AW and life in general.

    Thank you.

  106. Good luck mate, you’ve done a great job here, and I’m sure you’ll do even better from now on. FTR was a good daily read these past years, thanks for the good material and entertainment. Very good job indeed!

  107. Best of luck SS.
    I will miss FTR. All those times I get excited seeing another historical tank article and leaks….learning stuff with every update.

  108. Aww lad.
    What a sudden end.
    If u quit with woras at the same day, many of wot fans go suicide.
    But for real, all the best with AW, and have agood time reserching the archives!
    (maybe independent historical stuff keeps this blog alive)
    And remember ! The Emperor protects.

  109. I imagine WG EU office being like this right now:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1e7zVxYcJM

    Anyways, while I didnt always agree with some of the stuff you posted (arty articles ermagerd), or your illogical hate towards anyone playing better than you, I will still miss this blog :/
    It was one of those permanent links in my Firefox toolbar, and now it is gone.
    Sad panda ;(

    So long and thanks for all the fish o/

    P.S. you still “owe” us the “Challenger drama” that was confirmed during the last meeting with Yuri.
    Now that you are off the WG hook, I believe we deserve to get some juicy stuff inb4 WG EU gets sacked :)

    Have a good one and enjoy your job at Obsidian.

  110. Awww! WG EU are scrubbing their hands in delight now… Who will bash them now?
    On a more serious note, it was a great honor having FTR as a part of my daily routine. You’ve done an absolutely incredible job. Let’s just hope Rita can keep the legacy alive and do this even remotely as good as you did.
    Good luck on AW, we’ll miss ya, SS!

  111. Best of luck, SS. WG’s loss. You kept them on notice, and made WOT a better game.

  112. Good bye SS, don’t blame you to go on to AW. Fuck rng. Great blog as always and will be missed.

  113. SilentStalker, I am quite sad to loose one of my favorite daily reads on the Internet. Often visited your blog many times a day and always felt very well informed about the things going on under the surface of WoT. What was even more interesting were the history lessons you offered with regards to tank development.

    I am really grateful for all the time and effort you put into this site – even your leave is well prepared – and understand that it is time for you to move on. May you have the best of luck with your newly gained private life and your new job as well!

    Farewell Silentstalker. May you live long and prosper. :-)

  114. It won’t work out for you, but I guess it’s worth a try.
    FTR was a great site, my fave go-to-site in the last 5 months, not sure if Rita’s will work, I don’t like her for starters.

    I am deeply thankful to you for your efforts, I did not contribute as your messages were not convincing enough for me to pay-up, but I do appreciate it’s a unique and fantastic effort.

    Thank you.

  115. Thank you for all the hard work and good luck with your new position and
    RL ;-)

    Question though, writing your final post, was there a shed of tears due to relief, or regret ?

    All the best and happy hunting from me and everyone else at clan DIRTY

  116. I’m sad to see you go from FTR, but I’m also quite glad to see you stay at AW. It’s going to be my next scratch for the tank-itch.

  117. I’m genuinely sad about this fella but all the best for the future, and hope to see you in-game on AW :)

    I feel you have made the right choice though!

  118. Thanks for all the effort and interesting info, SilentStalker. Good luck with your new job!
    I’m probably not going to follow you there, as I’m a fan of historical vehicles, but I wish you all the best and – who knows – I may be convinced in the end.

    Farewell!

  119. Well, the best gaming blog on the interweb closes.

    :(

    I wish you the best for your new job, and its nice to see all the unpaid workhours yielded a good job in the end! I wish you the best for your future life, and i want to thank you for your excellent work on this blog. I might not agree to all of your opinions, but what does it matter.
    You are a generous and straight forward person, and i think a good soul.

    O7

  120. Thank you SS for everything you did for us. I support you fully in your decision and wish you the best of luck in future, and in the things you do in life :)

  121. i remember when i came here 1 year ago it was about the bonus code generator XD
    tnx SS for everything you done for wot community it was an epic journey =D
    good luck with your new work. Do for AW what you did for WOT =D
    and please PLEASE DON´T let them make advanced warplane warfare XD

  122. Thanks for the dedication! How long will the blog still be up? I’d like to make a copy of so I can have the data for future reference please.

  123. Good luck with your future plans SS.
    I will not lie, this actually made me cry :(
    See you in AW mate!

  124. Hey! But you STILL CAN COMMENT AS ANY OTHER PERSON I QUESS ;) So it’s not good bye actually ;)

  125. *sadly closes page on phone thats been open for a year and a half*

    God Speed SS.

  126. Many thanks for all the info you have provided over the months.
    I guess WG EU are probably hitting the celebration wine though, the useless bastards.

    Best wishes for the future both professional and personal.
    Hopefully I’ll see you in AW sometime!

  127. T_T7

    FTR was a part of my daily routine ever since it started. I will miss it.

    Thanks for everything SS.

  128. First comment, long time reader.

    All the best SS and thanks for your immense contribution to the WoT community.

    I hope you find more success with AW and the work life balance you are seeking. May your contribution to AW eventually keep WoT in check.

    Good luck and see you on the battlefield in AW some day :)

  129. I’m somewhat sad now, been checking this blog daily last 2 or so years…
    Good for SS on getting that job tho. I just hope AW will hold up to everyone’s expectations and doesn’t fail. I’ll probably be moving on to aw as well, so see you there.

  130. Thanks SilentStalker!! You have been epic. I’ve been reading FTR for a year now, probably visited 3-5 times a day looking for new info. Good luck on your new position at AW! You will be missed, though I’ll still see you around hopefully as my feelings are very similar to yours regarding the two games

  131. Good luck at Obsidian. Your blog was terrific. I enjoyed reading it for the last 2 years. Hopefully obsidian with use stats to balance tanks, and not complaints. Listening to to community is fine, but blindly following the knee jerk reactions to things isn’t.

  132. SS! Thank you for this great website, and thank you for all the hard work! I wish you the very best going forward – in work as in life! Take care out there and hopefully see you in AW

    Rita – welcome! :) let us, the reader base, know if we can help you in any way

  133. Thanks SS like all others you have been part of my WOT life for the last 3.5 years and read you every day. Good luck and I am glad we have Rita as backup :-)

  134. *evil plotting face*

    This was bound to happen, and it happened.

    I’m very happy; All the morons, retards and bastards will suffer even more.

  135. Finally this BS blog is OUT. No more czech shit tank introducing and fantasy tank tree NO MORE ,go FU Silent Shiter

  136. Goodbye SS. Those were 2 good years spent reading FTR. Your informaton on raised my interest on the historical side of tanks and that is not something I am going to regret
    Va’esse deireádh aep eigean…
    GL on your new route of life

  137. Told you guys WOT was dying.

    FTR was my daily fix of hope. See ya partner.. Here’s a good ol “Yeeehaw!”from Houston, Texas for your brighter pastures.

  138. Thanks for everything you’ve done here. Much appreciated. Will be following your work on the other side of the fence.

    • It was a place where all the leaks and new video’s came together, on a daily base. You might like spitting out forums and creating relationships with Russian snitches but this blog was greater than you might think…

  139. That’s bad news… I really enjoyed your site and was visiting it every day. Thanks for everything you’ve done here for us and good luck in your new job! ;)

  140. You will be missed SS!!! You were doing an amazing job and I am sure you’re gonna do better with AW!! Goodbye Mate, I wish you luck :)

  141. Thank you for sticking with FTR as long as you did. I truly enjoyed your posts.

    Good luck in your future endeavours young man!!!

  142. Silent, congrats and GL on the new job. Thnx for everything, starting from thread in General discussion, back in WoT official forum,when i started reading, to FTR, ofc.

  143. Thank You for Your time, commitment and of course awesome content :) I was reading Your blog after I stopped playing WoT and it because it was more plakat than playing. See You on the battlefields and good lucky with Your endavours!

  144. I actually had to cry when reading through this post, and I broke with the last line…I can’t help it. Decided to comment at least one time in my life on this great blog which I never did before.

    Thank you so much for spending time in this blog and providing us with so much info and great historical articles! I think it’s very brave to make this step and i wish you all the luck and happiness in the world with your new job and….girlfriend? ;)

    I will miss you!

  145. Goodbye Silent Stalker and Goodbye FTR you will be missed greatly and i wish you the best with your new job. SS i hope you enjoy working for My.com and Armoured Warfare from what ive seen they are pretty cool people and actually listen to their community so good luck to you :)

  146. Well, we all have to move on some day. Have a great future with your new job and the special person of yours. I will never forget all the leaks and information you gave to the English speaking community. After all this I feel a bit bad for using AdBlock when I could have disabled it for ftr.

  147. Shocking but thank you for your valuable service to the WoT fanbase. Good luck with AW. We will see you on the other side sometime soon. We might even get to see what you look like in real life :)

  148. Hey SS,

    I’m reading this right now with a little sadness but with a little smile. Sadness because I’ve been following your blog a while and have come to really enjoy waking up every morning to your write-ups. But I smile because I’m going through a major life change myself, sans the finding a special someone, hah!

    I wish you the best. I’m sure all your knowledge and skills gained over time will be of valuable use with My.com.

    Live long and prosper. :)

  149. Sad day, I have been coming to your Blog for 2 years or so and I will miss it . Good Luck in your new Job, Great work , Cya Bud

  150. at first I was like
    “you fucking son of a bitch just gotta leave us like this?”
    but then, well…
    you’ve done a great job with this blog, I followed this blog since 2013, quite some time now
    I’ve been enjoying my stay too
    but recently, I guess we can all tell that you seem exhausted, tired
    Its…understandable that you want a change of environment
    sigh
    Good luck SS, wish you a happy post-FTR life :)

  151. This site, since I discovered it with a link a friend sent me one day, has become a part of my everyday life. Normally, there’s three things I check in the morning, which is VICE news, the local weather, and this blog.

    It’s unfortunate that you will not be able to keep the blog running, but I’m extremely glad to hear that you’re moving on to bigger and better things. I think most of the people who read your blog can agree on that point. I’ll keep an eye out for what you write in the future!

    I just hope I can continue with my series on camouflage and tactical markings with Rita’s Status Report. Thank you for all the good times and interesting articles, SilentStalker.

  152. Best of luck SilentStalker, congratulations on your new job and thanks for all your work on the FTR Blog.

  153. I liked reading your blog, it will be missed, but I hope that Rita will make up for it. I’d like to say a big THANK YOU for all your effort to bring us the latest news about WOT and I wish you the best in your future endavours: in relationships, family, health and profession alike!

  154. So long (and thanks for all the fish)

    Good luck with the AW gig :) I will miss FTR though (even though i am not exactly a regular reader).
    All the best to you in the times ahead, Silent_Stalker.

  155. Congrats on getting hired by My.com for Armored Warfare! I feel that you deserved a job with one of these gaming companies due to all your awesome work (historical articles, daily updates, etc). It’s (more than) a bit sad to see FTR go, admittedly, but I’m glad to see that Rita’s picking up where you left off. I salute you for all your hard work, and I hope for the best for you at your new job at My.com! <o

    By the way, side question: Will FTR be closing completely or will there be a "new" version opening up for Armored Warfare stuff (since you can't post anything related to WG/competition)?

  156. If by any chance Rita do read this:
    I tried to write this bellow on your blog, but logging in is a drag, have a wordpress account but feel forced to google to be able to post.
    I do not know what SS have here login wise but it works, I hope you enable something similar because I will never get something google wise if I can avoid it.
    But reading works also :)

    ——

    Best of Luck with your blog.
    I will follow it.

    From just one of many that now migrates :)

    -cb99

  157. Welp, this Newsflash hit me like a brick.

    I cannot thank you enough for all the work you have done over these years. This Blog was always a go-to site when I was bored and had nothing to do at work. All the Articles were great, entertaining, interesting and they consumed much of my free boredom time. I’m prolly not gonna get used to it the next weeks and open this page anyway in my daily routine. I wish you SS, that you’re gonna have a blast at your new job and give 110% at it, like you did to FTR :)

    Thank you again, for everything you’ve done to please us.

  158. Gratulations on the Job :)

    but i am sad that you have to go. Your blog was always the first thing i read in the morning. But thanks for all the good work you´ve done, and good luck for your future

  159. I can’t believe this :’(.
    This is a sad/black day for the whole WOT community.

    We will be missing u SS for sure… but we will meet each other on the AW battlefields (we will see).

    I also have to join the others, who are either leaving the game (like U) or thinking about devoting fewer time for the game.
    I have the feeling too that WOT is reaching is limits (especially for me, who plays mainly/mostly german tanks + 1 premium KV-220… guess why?! sealclubbing of course :P). WoWP was interesting only during the major WG competition. WoWS is not that fancy for me as a genre – i have played quite a while with Navyfield and i do think that game was (is?) good; i would have stayed with it.

    We will see what future brings.
    One thing is for sure: all the luck for you, mate!!!

  160. Bye SS, I always respected you. Best wishes for your future with AW.
    WoT once was great and ground-breaking, now it only stagnates. WG has become as greedy as EA or Origin, combined with the chauvinistic political attitude of Putin’s Russia – disgusting!

  161. It’s a bit sad to see FTR end, but I wish you luck on your future endeavors with Armored Warfare, SS. o7

  162. it’s sad to see u leave us, but i’m happy for u
    u will trully be missed
    wish u all the best
    knock them off their feet, SS

  163. So Woras left… SS left… It is so many sad news. But on the other hand AW now has one very good hard-working tank enthusiast, one more reason to change for AW. Good luck for you, good decision as personal life should be always first.

    BTW, is it still time to contribute? Just cant wait any longer for AW ;)

  164. Good luck with new job SS.
    I wasn’t from the start of your blog… I actually came around at the time you started considering leaving – the time when I actually started to consider WOT a serious position on my game list.
    It was fun ride and your insights helped me understand a lot of things.

    You’ll be missed… but perhaps one day you come around and put another blog, about AW :P

  165. Best wishes at AW! I have looked forward to FTR posts, checking them nearly every day for WoT news, insights, and updates. I will miss FTR, to be sure. THANK YOU for the countless hours you have given to us, the Gaming Community!

    QaPla! (that is Klingon for SUCCESS!)

    Take care of yourself. I wish you much happiness with you “Special Someone”. I look forward to following your work at AW.

    That said, I’m off to Rita’s blog to check it out! :) Cheers Mate!

  166. That are very bad news for me. Checked your site daily and enjoyed all your information´s.
    Wish you much fun, success and joy with your new job.
    I´ll check AW when available – and maybe your Information´s there :-).

    Thanks for all your great work!

  167. My.com hires the guy with the largest blog for World of Tanks to take it down.

    GG Obsidian. You have won the game.

  168. Life moves on, I wish you good luck at the new job! Thanks for the work you put ino this site.

  169. Thank you so much for the huge amount of work you’ve put into this blog, I hope you didn’t have to sacrifice too much for us :(
    Best of luck with your new job, you deserve it! and I’ll be sure to get a few Czech tanks in AW (once I can start playing it :P)

  170. I hope this all goes well… Wish you so, and all of us too. And that there won’t be a need for another FTR ;) .

  171. Thank you for all your effort to keep us informed all the time in the past. I daily read your posts and will continue on RitaGamer’s blog.

    Maybe I will follow you some days to AW. But currently, I feel that I have spent too much time, money and last but not least, community-relationships in WoT to leave all behind me soon.

    All the best to you SilentStalker!

  172. SS, you’re a great person, we will going to miss your blog and the “how terrible” comments, you was the best in information about news in Wot.

    I hope see you in some video or something :D

    Best of luck for your new work, SS
    o7

  173. So RitaGamer wasn’t quite honest telling her fans the truth about her creating the blog to replace FTR …. not cool Rita, absolutely not cool.

  174. i cri evrytim ;_;
    no, really, it’s terrible news. still, i think all of us understand your reason for closing the doors, most of the people would have already given up wot and ftr. good luck at AW, and with your ‘special one’ ;)

  175. This may be Obsidian’s first great victory in the upcoming war. All the best to you, SS.

  176. This is my first, but I think and the last one comment. Everyday I was looking at this website for quickiest news of WOT but I think everyone comes to an end. I hope you have good luck in your new work, you really deserve it.

    I wish you all the best !

  177. Long-time reader – but just signed-up today because I also wanted to say thanks “in person” and show my gratitude for all the work you put into FTR. It was one the best informed gaming blogs for a specific game I have ever seen and there isnt anything even close to it for WoT (at least for an English-speaking audience).

    A big thank you and the best wishes for your professional and personal future
    from Austria

  178. Oh man, I didn’t think I would be THAT sad to hear that… Thanks for the effort, it’s been an epic journey, I remember reading your posts on WoT forums… You’ve come a long way, best of luck working on AW!

  179. I have ben reading this blog for 1 and a half year and I was enjoying everysingle post, I understand what you mean about the game to since I havnt played it for 6 months my self becus the way wargaming is taking this game. Best of lucks with your work and persional life! you will be missed!

  180. Thanks for the great work and good luck with that “special person”! :)
    Just one question:
    “listening to player feedback”
    What’s that? Can anybody explain that to me?

  181. Pingback: SilentStalker dołącza do AW jak Content Manager

  182. In the words of the recently deceased Leonard Nimoy, live long and prosper SS.

  183. It wasn’t just the World of Tanks info…

    This was a location for contributors to post all things tanks.

    It was the other articles and info that I valued even more. The history of the Type 59 tank was one of my favorite reads ever.

    I’m bummed about this, but happy that you have found a place to go, and something to do. I got the impression many times that your dealings with Wargaming was like bashing your head against a wall. My dealings in my own clan cause me to sympathize.

    I’ll leave here with a small contribution of my own:

    People may not know that the video about the Carden-Loyd carrier actually pertains to World of Tanks. What a peculiar little thing it was, yes?

    The French created the UE-57 tank destroyer based on that chassis. Go back and look at the video now, and then look again at the UE-57. How about that? :)

    Wargaming won’t realize what a boon you were to their game until after you’re gone. Too bad for them.

    Ciao!

  184. First off

    Thank you very much for your Time and Dedication to Your Fans and benefactors who supported you for so many years

    Myself and my clan steel_wolves from the NA server have benefited from everything you have posted Since i first found you on the Wot Forums

    I personally have enjoyed my reading of your blog over the time i have been reading it lots of good information and such

    I am looking forward to Seeing your Blog (if you decide to do one ) about Armoured Warfare
    It will be as amazing as this one is/was

    I Salute you and wish you well on your Future Endeavours
    Lostmymarbles
    NA Server Player

  185. So long, and an insincere good luck. All things need to have an end ? Fuck that, this is sad.

    And “it peaked”. Yeah, World of Warcraft also “peaked”. Years ago. And now it still has a third of market shares.

    Hail Rita.

  186. Good luck in your future endeavors sir! I think it’s pretty cool that Rita is willing to keep the home fires burning, as it were. She seems pretty solid.

  187. good luck :)
    you will be missed, even though i hope Rita will be a good Replacement

  188. Funny thing that in this week I stopped playing WoT. After playing from close beta , I’ve just got fed up. 22+ 10 tiers , and I don’t feel like playing any more -.-
    Gl with new job , I should look for one too :/

  189. Take care of yourself SilentStaler :) Thank you for every article, picture and leak I read here. For your work and your passion. I’m happy you’ve found that special person and work connected with you passion. Farewell…

  190. It was a pleasure to be with you for over 1 and a half year, providing leaks and awesome info to us. I hope you will take it easy.

    Farewell!

  191. Firstly, I would like to thank you for FTR.
    Lastly, I would like to wish you the best in all things.

  192. @SS: FTR was my morning newspaper, im sad to see it go. But hearing you will be a part of AW gives me great joy. and hearing that Ritagamer will be running the new tank news blog is a good thing. Also SS congrats on finding someone special, i wish you a long and happy relationship.

    Side note, those that did contribute to this site SHOULD email him and get that beta code.

  193. Many thanks for all the work you have done on FTR and best wishes for the future. See you on the battlefield!

  194. Thank you SS for the years of great, entertaining WOT news. I’ve read nearly everything you’ve written since I found this blog a few years ago. It’s hard to see it go, but I can certainly sympathize with you as a fellow blogger (in an utterly different field), blogs are fun, but also a pain in the neck!

    Good luck with your new job,
    Live Long and Prosper

  195. Been reading this blog scince somewhere in 2013.

    Well i wasnt expecting this that is for sure, while i inderstood it must come to an end sometime i did not expect it to be so soon.
    I liked your artikles a lot, same for your sarcasm wich made for a nice change of pace.
    So i am very sad to see you go like this but it had to come to an end sometime i guess.

    I wish you the very best in your future and am looking forward to seeing your artikles for armored warfare.

    Still kind of curious is thr for the record brand going away know, or will it be remembered in the artikles you post for armored warfare?

  196. Just give you thanks for all your work this years, I hope that this new step on your life will be successful and you take advantatge of all the new oportunities!!

    I can notice your positive mind :D.

  197. I’ve been reading FTR for over a year by now. Thank you SS, for all your hard work.
    I’ll really miss it.
    But hell, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy. I wish you good luck with your special one :)

    Plus, it’s just another reason to play AW :E

  198. Hey SS first of all I would like to say a massive Thank You for all the things you did.
    Second I think that you should try to give Rita this domain, because it is perfect and works, besides it looks pretty.

    I want to finish by wishing you all the luck in the world and I hope you dont regret the decision.

    THANK YOU SILENTSTALKER

  199. Reader for 3 years here, barely commenting (maybe 4-5 times during this period). Guess you won’t read this either, but this news is worth putting my 5 cents here I think. So be it!

    Good luck, man, you deserve the chance for a change! I’m glad you took your oppurtunity, really! I think AW just won a really dedicated community leader with you. Hopefully it won’t change you (like politician has a change of heart when he gets into the viper’s nest). Much, of course, because a new job changes us all.

    I wish you a lot of patience though, you will need it. You will get in touch with a lot of people, ranged very diverse in intelligence, temper, and all that makes us all a person. Based on your previous work here, you too will have to learn some new things to handle them (us) all properly, but that’s the awesomeness of a new job I think. I think you will cope with the new situation very well.

    Tbh, I feel the same about WoT right now (like what you wrote), and with woras and you leaving, this just made this feeling stronger. I was in AW CAT a few weeks back, and I felt it’s already at the same level as WoT (but with fewer tanks and maps)… Just way better optimised. With you handling and pulling some strings, I think you (both the developers and yourself) will be able to improve AW way beyond the level WoT is now. Yes, I’m sort of talking about industrial/corporate spying. :) Hope you have the stomach for it too. -.- Lol, just kidding. I am, right? Geez. :-s :-D

    Long thoughts short: Take care.

    PS.: Also, I think FTR will needed the refreshment in staff, but I hope Rita can separate things better than you, and it won’t interfere her real life as much as it interfered with yours.

  200. I salute you for the great service Silent Stalker! I have to say I will probably still come back to this page and read it and its past articles though, out of habit. :P

    Good luck with your new job, and hopefully I will see you on AW! (I want that Chally 2!)

    -Trainspite-

  201. Here have another thanks! Your millionth one.
    Thanks for everything!
    This was quite a shock though… It’s hard to accept that tomorrow FTR won’t be posting stuff as always.
    BTW will Ritagamer also do historical articles and the like, like you did? I think that is going to be the thing I will miss the most.
    Time to bookmark Ritagamer’s blog now and try to get away from this depressing feeling.

  202. Farewell SS! I loved reading your blog, literally gave me something to look forward too in the days…… Thanks SS for all you have done ;)

  203. Thank you for everything and good luck ! Maybe you’ll be back, who knows ? :)

  204. Silentstalker: blogger, player, vigilante, historian, arty-sympathiser (trollolol), hero.

    Silentstalker is many things and will always be remembered for his grandiose contribution to the WoT community.

    I wish you, SS, the atmost of luck in your future and I thank you for all you have done.

    RIP
    -
    FTR
    (2012-2015)

    I look forward now to see what Rita has in her. :D

  205. Lived almost the same thing 14 years ago, and you chose right.

    Thanks for what you have done so far, thanks for not leaving us with no other information source, and wish you the best of luck for the upcoming challenge.

    See you on AW ^^

  206. Frank,
    I have been with you a long time :)
    It will continue, I’m in the AW alpha, I finally have a new fire breathing gaming rig, running 127fps with everything on max for WOT, i am looking forward with a smile.

    Thank you for all you have done, it’s been a great ride. I look forward to continuing it with Rita.

    One favor though, if you can.
    Try to get to US M50 Ontos and Argentinas TAM Tank to AW :)

    Congrats and Cheers,
    Appy/Samantha
    Semper Fi

  207. I always enjoyed reading your translations. Thank you for the insights. Thank you for your funny comments. Thank you for all your hard work. Thank you for making it possible to get a lot of information in a short amount of time.
    Thank you SilentStalker

  208. There is some justice in life afterall.SS best of luck on your new job and salute from Croatia.

  209. It is sad to see FTR go, it has been my newspaper on the stuff I have interest in.
    I will try to keep up with Rita’s blog, but I feel like it wont be the same.
    Congrats on getting a job on AW though, as well as having found a special someone.

    I am anxious to try AW, but, despite being one of the first to sign up, I still have not been accepted. The design philosophy with modern tanks seems to be less about armor, but with the introduction of better and better guns, WoT has gone the same direction. Even my KV-4 can get eaten alive by a E-25, which I think is totally wrong.
    Despite my quest into the tourney world, I have been getting tired of WoTs power creep and new gameplay style. I refuse to play WT’s slip-n-slide with guns… I guess my only foreseeable tank game is AW.
    I shall continue taking to the skies in WT, mostly sim battle, but may try WoWP if it does get fixed as promised.
    My naval theater will be WoWS, and as an alpha tester, I hope that it stays similar to the way it is. Without giving details, I think it is closing in on perfection.

  210. Oh well, good luck to you and enjoy your new stay :).

    P.S. You’re great at history, but don’t do politics that has never suited you from what I have observed :).

  211. Just wanted to add my voice to the many. Thank you and good luck. Your dedication has been appreciated and I wish you every success for the future.

  212. Nooooooooooo! :”’(

    I’ll miss you SS :’( I’m sure Rita will do a great job, but your blog is special and nothing can really compete with it. But I want to wish you all well and good luck on your path and future :) And thanks for all updates and insider info, I really appreciate it mate :)

    Best Regards,
    fighting_falcon93.

  213. You have done a great job with FTR and I am sure you will do a fantastic job at Armored Warfare, I came for the WOT post, but I stayed for the historical post.

  214. Thank you for all your efforts SilentStalker, especially for continueing even when it was hard on you. I wish you all the best at my.com, in your private life, and all your future endeavours.

  215. I will keep coming to this site everyday eventhough I know there will be nothing new
    Good old times my friend

    You shall be remembered

    Have a nice life my friend

  216. Right now am just shocked…… what the hell am I now gone look forward to read after a hard day’s work…. :( I quitted WOT many times, but always come back after reading some great interesting stuff in this blog, that draw me back into the game…… I wonder if anyone on WG realise how big PR and how important this blog was for the crap WG EU comunity. And I hardly ever visit the portal site.. it just spams whit some E-sport shit now days that they are trying to press down my throat…
    It has been a daily enjoyment for at least 2 years to read your articles.
    But I also many times thought of how much time you must have spent daily to run it and I thank you greatly for your work and effort SS.
    Best Regards Cribb

  217. Good on ya mate. Congrats on picking up the AW gig, you definitely deserve it. Hopefully I’ll see you round when AW gets a server suitable for NZ.

    Be a few weeks yet before I stop opening my PC and typing “ftr” into the url box though :\

  218. O well

    Someone might do a better job at this. It might not be a bad thing but a good one.

    Thanks for the time you’ve put into this.

  219. Hell, I just signed up here” :). Anyway, even the brief time was enough to realy like the blog. Farewell SS, u deserve it, both personally and professionally, I’ll see you on AW ;).

  220. Congrats with the move, I have already been participating in testing with AW and hopeful that will end my aggravation with WG so I guess I will see you on the “Bright Side”

  221. Well what do you say to something like this? Congratulations? Good Luck?
    I have been following your posts for years, your one of only two blogs I have visited daily and read religiously for fun and a distraction from everyday life. I have been around since beta and at some point stumbled across your previous blog iteration. Its kinda stupid to be sad over something like this but its been part of my daily routine for so long now. Well to you my friend God Bless and go in peace. ~ Forged

  222. Dear SilentStalker, I have been following FTR for a while and believe that I got to know you to some extend. First of all I want to thank you for all the effort you put in. Second I am very happy for you to get this opportunity and you really deserve it. I think this is a case of getting what you deserve :-) So I wish you all the best in your new job and your life and who knows I’ll get interested in AW and follow you there.

    All the best!
    //Martijn

  223. Aww this is too sad bye we will all miss you! ;(
    Been reading your blog since like 2013 now it’s gone is sad..

    Regards,

    GravityTrash – WoT/WoWS (Alpha)

  224. Thanks for all the hard work, dedication and of course, all the info you provide/translated to us. You’ll be missed… kinda, because we will see you on AW. Btw, are you going to create FTR AW as you planned before now that you’re officially AW ambassador? Or no blog for you and stick on the contributor side for AW and enjoy “life”?

    I hope I could get some beta though..

  225. Thanks for all the time and effort you have put into this.. I terribly appreciated it.. I will miss it!
    THANKS again!!.. My hats off to you!!
    All the best to you in the future!!!

  226. Aw man, I’m gonna miss my daily fix of FTR :( I love this blog, but I glad it’s going to continue at least. Thank you for all the cool previews, videos and links for all this time. And good luck with AW – I may have to try it once it comes out. Although I’ll always be playing WoT too.

  227. Really glad life is working out for you mate and hope you’ll be happy in your new job. Been looking forward to AW for a long time and I’m sure that with you onboard the players will have a powerful advocate.

  228. We all love your blog SS :( Personally, I’m glad that you have found something you like doing & I hope you have fun in your new job & that everything works out with your special someone ;). I trust Rita & I’m glad that she volunteered to replace you. I loved your blog SS, I can tell everyone else did too from the 422 comments so far :D I think you’re a great person & I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.

  229. … meantime in WG EU:

    - WG EU Employee1: “I have another guy reporting player who’s using Warpack. What should i respond?”
    - WG EU Employee2: “What’s Warpack?”
    - WG EU Employee1: “Neverming…”, *Sending generic response about credit card payment options”

    … meantime in Minsk:

    - *SerB while opening champagne and eating his shushi*:
    - “Buff: WT-E100 and all russian meds. Cancel: Chieftain exchange, EU tree, Czech tree. Nerf: Everything what’s left”
    - WG RU Employee1: “But, But..”
    - *SerB’s turning back and dusts off old notebook with title:”My crazy, never realized fake tanks ideas*….

    • Believe it or not…

      But the opposite will probably happen.

      SerB and Yuri are not too bad. And WG EU did not have the field day they wanted.

  230. I wish to you all good things in RL, and thanks for all the work till now, and now on for Obsidian.
    Really really thank you SS, for the info, the leaks and all the fish.
    Cheers!

  231. Congratulations on being able to follow your dream! I appreciate all you’ve done over the years with this blog. It’s not just my favorite WoT site, or even favorite gaming site but my favorite site period.

    While I will miss you, perhaps it’s for the best. My own gameplay has decreased over the last few months, only the individual missions have kept my interest up lately. I actually found it more interesting to read about WoT here than to play it.

    So good luck and thanks again for all you have done.

  232. Thanks for all the work you have done silent.
    I wish you a great time ahead.
    The emperor protects!

  233. I’m happy for you and thank you for a chance to say goodbye. I will also miss your participation in my little world. I always clicked on your blog before I started the wargaming client. I’m not done with WOT so I’ll miss you…your news, the gossip, the history. The camaraderie that ensues when one shares something of value.

    A good relationship, a job that’s actually fun. Well done and don’t let the jealous or envious bring you down. Enjoy it while it lasts, and may your cup runneth over.

  234. Sorry to see you leave this aspect but will follow you on the new sites ans follow your successor.
    If you’re ever in NZ give me a call.

  235. This blog was the main reason why I started and continued to play WoT for the past few years. Also made my fascination with tanks grow with all your postings. Congrats on the new career and thanks for such interesting site.

    *Salute*

    See you in the battlefield of Armored Warfare!

    -Von Heimlich

  236. Was I the only one, who came to work this morning and clicked on the FTR bookmark in the browser?
    It took me about 5 seconds to realize that it is gone.
    Thank your for your dedication in running this blog and good luck in your future endeavours.

    Cheers!

  237. Thank you for what you did so far, I appreciate it.
    GL/HF (Get a life, have friends)
    See you on ftr.aw-news.com :-)

  238. Goodbye SilentStalker,

    I am really gonna miss you, first thing i did when booting my pc was open my browser to check FTR.
    Just wondering, are you still allowed to play WOT?
    and do you also really read ALL of the comments?

    gonna miss you,
    (will there be an Armored Warfare FTR blog from you?)

    Good luck with your new job.
    Daniël (UNDEAD_DC)

  239. Oh well! I am not even slightly interested in AW since the newer tanks are not the particular period I find exciting. Also the gameplay videos are way more CoD to me than anything else.

    To your point of not having anything to do in Wot: I get that. You reached your skill level and you being “not interested to become an unicum” leaves space to interpretation. Too be honest most of the whining that has happen in WOT is die to the fact that so few people seem to be able to master the game (no, wn8 padding is not mastering the game). People knowing and coming from WOTLABS know what this means and includes.

    Good look on your ventures! Being part of a company is very much different from being an external observer. So obviously you are now part of the system, not somebody talking about it form a personal viewpoint anymore. Good luck with that.

    P.S.: “your comment is awaiting moderation” … wow

  240. SilentStalker, the loss of your blog will be dearly felt by the community. It was a great time to have you around as a special source and kind of a “links to everything interesting vaguely related”-source and Obsidian/AW gained a tremendous resource with hiring you. I’m looking forward to seeing your contribution to AW’s success and congratulate you for that prospect in life. I hope you enjoy your future life and occupations (both private- and work-life related) and gain some peace of mind by knowing, that you were and are very important to a lot of people on this green-blue-and-white ball tumbling through the endless eternity of space (o.-)b

  241. Couldn’t he have just let Rita take over FTR since its well known and has a decent format for the info posted? Sorry but Rita’s blog needs a lot of work to get up to par with what FTR is… was :(

  242. As everyone Im sad to see you go, I wish you the best of succes with AW something I will look closely into. Also I wish you succes in your love life :-) Thank you for all your hard work on the blog you have been such a great source of information im very sad to see you go. Take care SS

  243. Funny thing is that it is 0 : 1 in the WG : My competition. WG will miss SS too, their wallets too, and they will realize how they shoot themselves in the foot by not only failing to hire SS but also by antagonizing him and letting him to stop being involved in WoT stuff.

  244. Buhuhuhuhu. Going to miss posting here. Although i mostly got involved only whenever a political hurricane blew in the comments section and not on the topic of the articles. :-)