Storm was just collecting feedback on personal missions (can’t get used to that, I’ll call it individual missions, both names are stupid anyway), no answers there, still – I wonder if anything will change based on vox populi.

- Storm states that the infamous radioman miniturret on KV-5 will not be buffed: “if we do that, it will be overpowered when on the top of the team”
- Storm states that they balanced the 9.5 minimap (specifically the brightness of the tank names) around the way it is made in XVM
- improved garage tank filter: “when it’s done it’s done”
- Storm states that the placeholder stats are not even initial balance parameters, more like some numbers “so that it drives around and shoots so we can test the model”
- developers already have normal balanced tank parameters ready, only they released a really old version on the test server
- according to Storm, the patch is TECHNICALLY ready, so it’s possible to test (things other than the tanks)
- Storm states that to reward most active reporters of bugs with gold and stuff is not an option, because it would just get exploited
- the Ghost Town map will be checked for clipping objects (SS: apparently there are great many objects that should be destructable but instead the tank just clips through them)
- Storm confirms that the IM parameters in the test are not final
- IM’s will not be activated (possible to complete) automatically (like achivements)
- IM’s will be rebalanced to assure that enough players can complete them
- M6A2E1 HD model will not come in 9.6, it will be made according to historical parameters
- Storm reacting on players getting angry about the IM’s: “What a massive butthurt you have here! Next time, we will have to specifically screw with various settings to be able to see such stuff again. Missions are not balanced yet.” (SS: the Russian players were quite pissed about these missions, posting some angry reactions)

Yes, there was a captured KV-1 in the 9.5 ASAP video (visible at one point in the garage). No, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be implemented soon, or – ever. The captured vehicle models are very old – for years now they existed. AFAIK captured vehicles are not planned anytime soon.

- Storm confirms that render range will be reworked to a circle
- players will have to play even types of vehicles they dont like (4 out of 5 anyway) in the personal missions
- the map Ghost Town was made by the same people as the other (random battles) maps
- no final decision was made yet as to whether the Ghost Town map will appear in random battles or not

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I will be gone most of the day (meeting Czech historians and WG people about the Czech tank branch, such consult, many secret, wow), so here’s some info for you guys. In advance. Next translations/articles – in the late afternoon.

- individual missions (I translated the name from Russian IBZ – individualnye boyevye zadachi) were official renamed to “personal missions”
- Q: “personal missions are there not for your fun, but to make you play it a longer!” A: “Yes, we’ll make you by force! By pointing submachine guns at you!”
- Storm explains the presence of platoon requirements in personal missions: “The name is personal missions, not individual. There are generally only a few missions with platoon requirement. Platoons = socializing. A player who is socializing plays significantly longer.”
- it’s apparently not possible to move the names of tanks on the improved minimap to the left from the icon, as it cause graphic glitches
- a render range rectangle was not implemented into the new map because it will change to a circle relatively soon

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Apparently, Russians are reporting FPS losses in 9.5.

- SerB on “anti-bot” system: “The system takes into account that various things happen in life. You have to go to the toilet urgently, your mom called you to eat or your wife needed to turn your attention to her and not to pixel tanks. So if you don’t go AFK regularily (what does “regularily” mean I will not tell, sorry), then an AFKer can be forgiven.”
- SerB states that the radius of the render circle be cca 500 meters
- the fact that WoWp planes are displayed much further than tanks in WoT doesn’t mean much, as the scale is different for WoWp
- apparently, the “XP for tanking” was scrapped? (Q: “How is XP for tanking doing” A (SerB): “About the same as XP for looking badly at the enemy.”)

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About the 9.5 test server – maybe later today, I don’t have exact ETA right now.

- twin gun mechanism is still planned, SerB wants a twin gun tank like the ST-II (SS: ST-II is ST-I with two 122mm D-25T guns)
- if you apply the CW campaign reward camo to a tank that will later on be replaced by something else, then the camouflage will most likely be transferred to the replacing tank
- B1 Bis not having the 75mm gun active in the game? “If you don’t like it, don’t play it, we do not mind.”
- the game engine allows the bushes to be destructable objects (by shelling them, or driving over them with tanks), but the developers decided not to implement this

The option of T-34-85M actually NOT being the EU Christmas marathon tank rose once again, as Ectar made a snide remark of me “starting being known for posting false info” (referring specifically to the Insider articles), thus it’s completely possible the list of December missions was (unlike last months) loaded with placeholders in case of a leak. We’ll just have to see. But then, leaks never came with a guarantee, it is what it is.

Just to be sure, let me just explain you how this works real quick, so there is no misunderstanding. The Insider has access to developer conversations. It’s thus completely possible that he gets the wrong idea from some conversations, or connects the dots incorrectly (the female crews info turned out to be right, but were first thought to be a part of the recruit program and not the individual missions). Unless it’s an official statement by WG RU people (Storm, SerB, Evilly and others) or a supertest leak (those are so common now they are hardly leaks at all), there’s always a chance that the info is wrong or mixed. Even though I do my best to verify stuff from other sources, you’d be surprised of how much I did not post because it was simply unverifiable – a borderline example would be the recent Insider post, but since that particular insider was not the only source I heard the same piece of information from, I decided to leave that part of the Insider post there. On the other hand, you have WG staff claiming the opposite, so in the end, it’s only a choice of who you believe, nothing more).

I sort of hoped I wouldn’t need to explain all this again, but… okay. I think most of you guys understood even before this post, but just to be sure.

Now, to news.

Just in case you missed it – 9.5 common test comes tomorrow.

- SerB states he cannot comment on the company monetary policy of tying the prices to USD (SS: a player was complaining about price increases on RU server, caused by sharp ruble drop compared to USD)
- SerB states that the three caliber rule is not a myth, it works
- T37 hitpoints are given by “complex of characteristics” (a balance parameter)
- more lowtier Soviet tanks are not planned for now, it’s possible some will be released as some sort of reward/event tank

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Hello everyone,

WoT producer Anton “Evilly” Pankov made a short interview for one Russian video blog or something. In it:

Individual missions will not arrive with the 9.5 patch. They will be implemented and activated only after the Russian New Year marathon is over (15.1.2015). It’s likely that the datum is valid for EU as well, since the T-34-85M mission is ending on 15.1.2015 also. IM’s be split to seasons, with one season taking cca half a year. They will be separated by difficulty (StuG will be easy to get for everyone, while Object 260 will be obtained only by the most skilled players).

Currently, all the “leaked” numbers (requirements) from IM’s are testing versions only. Evilly also confirms that you will be able to get the woman crews, but there will also be other items as rewards for the missions: consumables, equipment, credits and premium account days.

Regarding the Russian marathon, there will be a different reward than T-34-85M for Russian server, it will be a vehicle, that “never appeared on any other server than the Chinese one”, so my guess would be WZ-111, but who knows.

Anyway, back to Evilly – developers actually developed the mechanism for renting of premium vehicles, they are testing it now. As a first step, this mechanism appears only on Chinese server and after its results, WG will decide whether to introduce it to main regions or not. Oh and about the PvE, it’s possible that the mode will have “raid bosses” á la White Tiger or Ratte.

And that’s all.

- the fact that RU251 HEAT shells are flying much faster than AP shells is correct (historical)
- apparently, STA-2 will not have limited MM either (just like Panther 88)
- historical and garage battles and new chat are still being developed
- Storm says he can’t talk about the Havok development, but he mentioned that one of the issues is that with a lot of destruction on the screen, it consumes too much memory (RAM), there are also performance issues
- 9.5 KTTS video was apparently already made
- developers were working on TXAA anti-aliasing, they scrapped it because “it turned out to be shit”
- the amount of 200 people working on WoT includes artists and testers
- dynamic tank characteristics are still in the development queue, Storm admits they were pushed numerous times to the back due to other priorities
- there is generally no such thing as a plan for unification of WoT, WoWp and WoWs interface
- HD models are being made by outsourcers
- chat 2.0 server part was gradually implemented since spring 2014. After that is done, developers will add the client side.

You wanted more interesting news? You’ll like this then.

- no ETA on HD IS-3
- it’s decided that Panther 88 will not have limited MM
- Storm states that the statement that Panther 88 will see tier 10′s in 2/3 of its battles is false
- Panther 88 will be a premium German tank (not an event one)
- apparently, the Panther 88 MM spread was not a balancing department decision (SS: I wonder whose then)
- Storm on the future of WoT: “We also want progress. We are trying. Maybe it’s worse than it has to be, but we are trying.”
- Storm cannot say (is not allowed to) which nations will get their own branches in 2015, but it will be two EU branches (SS: Czech and Italian or Swedish IIRC) and one non-EU branch

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Source: http://world-of-ru.livejournal.com/3622376.html

The real source of these answers is the non-public section of RU forums, if I see it correctly. Here’s what Storm wrote:

- new (reworked) crew perks will not come very soon, perhaps next year
- no plans to implement “crew memory” (SS: crew “remembering” skill from tanks on which it was previously used) – “at least at this moment”
- Storm on Havok: “We are working on it and we will for a long time yet, unfortunately.”
- the worst issue with Havok is the performance. “Small amount of destruction or the destruction of small objects works normally, but everything’s difficult with buildings”
- new French tanks will definitely not come in 2015 (SS: he means HT and new TD branches, AMX-30 minibranch still planned)
- there will be new regular branches in 2015
- Waffenträger E-100 will not be removed and replaced by any other vehicle, because “unfortunately, there’s nothing to replace it with”
- new tree, grass and bush render, circular render range and camo system rework are all planned for 2015
- currently, cca 200 people are working on World of Tanks (counting only developers)
- Storm states that RNG factor in the game will not be reduced, rather actually increased, but only by a little
- Storm states that following things are currently developed and it’s possible to start expecting them: “Havok, new physics, new sound, most (all) vehicles reworked to HD and camo/viewrange system”