Hello everyone,

I really, REALLY didn’t want to get into this topic and postponed this article several times already, but I guess the time has come. I didn’t want to do it mostly because I dislike the XVM mod and numbers, but whatever.

Anyway, here’s the background: as some of you know, the wot-news.com server (that currently hosts FTR) was made by a Russian player Edrard. Edrard is – amongst other things – the creator of the classical Efficiency Rating system (that XVM uses). Some of you might have noticed that post 8.6, your efficiency rating changed. This is due to the changes made in the formula. Edrard explains:

And so it was that with the release of patch 8.6, the artillery, which earlier was ranged from tier 2 to 8 became tier 2 to 10 – and everything would be fine, if the tier 8 artillery suddenly didn’t become tier 10 and not only its tier was changed, but also your account’s old statistics, in which, vehicles tier 8 became vehicles of tier 10. As a result of this, many players had their average tank tier increased. For example, mine (previously 7,65) became 7,77 and I lost 3 points of Efficiency Rating as a result. However, some player’s ER dropped by as much as 10 points.
In the beginning, we planned to simply introduce a compensation by re-calculating (compensating) the artillery tiers, so that during the calculation of average artillery tier, tier 10 arties would count as tier 8, while tier 2 arties would stay tier 2. This would certainly do the job and would produce the desired effect, but in the future, it could bring a number of problems, such as:

- real average tier would differ from average ER
- in the future API from Wargaming, average tier will be calculated and it wouldn’t fit the ER calculation
- third-party (side-) developers will have to take the fact into account, which can lead to errors and misunderstandings

In the end, after consulting the colleagues and guys from XVM, we decided to implement another solution. We won’t implement the compensation at all, but will re-calculate the rating boundaries. At this moment, they look like this:

After the re-calculation, they will change and most likely decrease.

Silentstalker: This was posted roughly two weeks ago. Talked to Edrard today and he actually stated the re-calculations are ready and have been passed to the XVM guys. You can thus expect the new system soon (I am sure it will be announced)

Courtesy of Applesaucebandit (US server), thank you. LTP will most likely be some kind of lowtier reward tank (possibly for WG’s birthday?), so the stats aren’t exactly groundbreaking:

Speed: 45.1 forward 18 reverse
Armor (hull): 30 front (including the driver hatch), 15 upper side, 20 lower side, 10 tracks, 30 rear
Armor (Turret): 30 all around
HP: 230
Hull traverse: 52
Cannot turn in place
Radio range: 360m
View range: 310m
Engine power: 170
Fire risk: 20%
Ground resistance (best to worst terrain): 1.2 1.3 2.3
Weight: 10.8t
Load limit: 13t
Gun: 45mm 20KL
Depression/elevation: -8°/+20°
Dispersion from hull/turret/shooting: 0.26 0.16 3.5
Ammo capacity: 150
Aim time: 2.1
Reload: 25 rpm (2.4 seconds)
Turret traverse: 36

Meet the replacement of the famous Type 59

T-34-3 – Tier 8 Chinese premium medium tank

Ingame description:

The T-34-3 medium tank was to be a modification of the T-34-2. Unlike the Type 59, the T-34-3 featured reduced armor. The design was developed in 1957. However, mass production of the Type 59 was started in 1958, and the T-34-3 project was discontinued.

Pictures:

Armor:

Stats:

Frontal armor: 90mm (lower plate 70)
Side armor: 50mm
Turret front: 190mm
Turret side: 150/120mm

Maximum weight: 38 tons
Hitpoints: 1300
Ammorack hitpoints: 180 (just like on the T-44)
Maximum speed: 50km/h
Engine: 580hp Norinco 12150

Gun: D-25TA (with very bad depression, like 3 degrees)
Ammo carried: 40
Reload time: 14,4s
Aim time: 3,4s
Viewrange: 380
Turret turnrate: 46
Hull turnrate: 46

Price: 7000g

As you probably already know, the T-50-2 is getting replaced by MT-25 and moved to tier 6. This is how the transition looks in the 8.7 tree

First, let’s have a look at the 8.7 tier 4 light tank T-50

This is how it looks in 8.7 (elite, modules)

At first glance, compared to the 8.6 T-50, following was changed (in elite configuration):

- speed limit nerfed from 60km/h to 52 km/h
- weight increased from 12,68 to 13,95
- turret traverse speed buffed from 45 to 48

Until it gets entered to gamemodels3d system, we won’t know more.

The MT-25 is a new tier 6 light tank, unlockable from KV-1S, that continues the line to KV-13. Here (modules, stock, elite):

Compared to T-50-2 in top configuration, MT-25 has following changes:

- it uses the same top gun (57mm ZiS-4)
- +10 hitpoints (570)
- +50 engine hp (600hp)
- 25,72 ton (massive nerf, T-50-2 has 14,69)
- minor ROF buff (22,22 compared to earlier 20,69)
- traverse speed buff (48 from old 38)
- turret traverse buff (48, earlier 45)
- armor buff:
45/40/40 hull (earlier 37/37/37)
45/45/45 turret (earlier 45/40/40)
- same radio and viewrange

British arty tree transition:

Tier 2 – Loyd Gun Carriage

Modules/Stock/Elite

Tier 3 – Sexton II

Modules/Stock/Elite

Tier 4 – Birch Gun

Modules/Stock/Elite

Tier 5 – Bishop

Tier 6 – FV304

Tier 7 – Crusader 5.5in SP

Tier 8 – FV207

Tier 9 – FV3805

Tier 10 – Conqueror Gun Carriage

Downloader:
http://dl.wargaming.net/wot/ct/files/WoT_internet_install_ct.exe

Update: Storm confirmed that 112 has been removed from this patch, because it needs rebalancing (it was OP)

Superpershing is NOT to be sold for gold in 8.7 apparently

Preliminary US patchnotes from US server:

Added the new branch of SPGs for the British tech tree:
Loyd Gun Carriage (tier II)
Birch Gun (tier III)
Sexton II (tier IV)
Bishop (tier V)
Crusader 5.5-in. SP (tier VI)
FV304 (tier VII)
FV208 (tier VIII)
FV3805 (tier IX)
Conqueror Gun Carriage (tier X)
Added the new Soviet light tank MT-25 (tier VI) to replace the T-50-2 (full details for T-50-2 owners to be provided at update’s release)
Added a German Premium TD, the E-25 (tier VII), to the Store
Rebalanced the T-50 tank (full list of changes to be provided at update’s release)
Added a new urban Soviet winter map, Belogorsk-10
Reworked Highway and Port maps for the new rendering system
Added changes to the Assault mode on Malinovka
Reworked a few graphical effects
Fixed several destructible objects which had significantly slowed down the speed of the tank
Fixed and improved visual models of some environmental objects
Fixed minor issues with the team balancing system that appeared in the 8.6 update
Extended the list of names and surnames of crew members of all nations

Picture (courtesy of Cartoonman, US server) from the (removed) US post

Good mooooorning, Vietnam!

Today, I have a really cool video by player Arti25 (RU) to show you (Thanks to Dom1n, EU), with Object 261, T92 and Batchat arty and it’s…. well, just watch it :) I liked it a lot.