Part one: http://ftr.wot-news.com/2014/09/05/9-3-first-feedback/

The complete list of changes in the test patch can be found here (including list of vehicle changes, which is good). Detailed vehicle info (numbers) can be found here:

- light tanks
- KV-1S, KV-85, T-34-85M

Let’s continue with the vehicle feedback for now. A few small points:

- some players reported crashes in the 9.3 patch, as well as a loss of performance. Let’s hope Wargaming works that out. Personally, I haven’t seen any problems in the patch.
- new explosions look… strange. Kinda like over-exposed photograph image, I’ll make a video and show you.

RU-251

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Hello everyone,

so, this is it. After months and months of waiting, another patch with new vehicles is finally here. In the immortal words of Tychus Findlay: “Hell, it’s about time!”

The best part of course is WHAT new vehicles are we getting, but I’ll get to that. First things first.

The installation of the patch was uneventful and the server wasn’t even overloaded with players (that will come tomorrow I suspect), so I got on straight away. No problem. After logging on, one interesting thing immediately caught my eye: there is a small tutorial screen, explaining the new garage interface. Rather practical I’d say. No worries though, the interface is relatively intuitive, although I did have to look around once or twice. Old habits die hard and when you get used to click on one place for years… well, you’ll see. This is how the interface looks:

Well, I wasted no time and got straight into testing the new vehicles. I even made some videos, but that will come tomorrow, in feedback part 2 (takes a while to edit), so words first. The new vehicles I tested are:

- Chaffee, T37, M41, T49
- LTTB, T-54 Lightweight
- RU251
- KV-85, KV-1S

The complete list of changes in the test patch can be found here (including list of vehicle changes, which is good). Detailed vehicle info (numbers) can be found here:

- light tanks
- KV-1S, KV-85, T-34-85M

Continue reading →

Hello everyone,

9.3 Test started updating. You can get the test client here:

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

Hello everyone,

it’s September again and with it, yet another sad anniversary of the German (and Soviet) invasion of Poland. Often, as a result of propaganda, the defense of Poland is depicted as chaotic and incompetent, but the chaos of war was present on both sides of the invasion. On the other hand, both sides did have truly exceptional units – and on Polish side, it was the 10th Cavalry Brigade (also called “Black Brigade” because of the color of their leather coat uniforms) of Colonel Stanislaw Maczek, one of the best Polish units of the short but brutal conflict in Poland. Its history is also an example of the fact that Poland too had brilliant military commanders, just as skilled in the craft of war as Rommel and Guderian were at that point.

Ironically, the raison d’etre of the unit was to prove that armored and mechanized forces are not as useful as everyone claims. The brigade was transformed from a cavalry force to a mechanized one on 30.4.1937. Its formation was shrouded in secrecy, with not even some of the officers knowing what’s going on, when the brigade suddenly started getting rid of its horses and replaced them with motorcycles, armored cars and tankettes. This was a step many of the “traditional” Polish officers abhorred, as it meant getting rid of their beloved animals.

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Hello everyone,

those of you with sharp eyes probably already noticed this bit in the 9.3 video:

In case you are wondering, what’s on the screen (apart from the playing T49 and the T-28 on the right side):

- the left tank is T54E2, a non-autoloader version of the T54, that was originally to be in the second American medium line (the T95 one, not the T57 Heavy one) as tier 9 apparently. The model is very old, like two years, it was shown several times. Currently, there is no ETA on that tank (or, whether it will be in the game at all).

- the other tank is AC4 Sentinel “Thunderbolt”, carrying a 17pdr gun – an Australian tank. Also a very old model that has been around for a while, currently there are no plans for it (technically it is a tier 6 vehicle like the Firefly). Possibly a premium.

Hello everyone,

English version of ASAP video with Miroslav “Veider” Kargin.

Inside:

- new HD tanks T-34, IS-7, ISU-152, M3 Lee, M5 Stuart and Jagdpanther
- M24 Chaffee also reworked to HD and rebalanced, got new improved maximum speed (70 km/h)
- KV-1S split to KV-1S and KV-85
- new LT’s (Soviet, German, USA)
- T57 Heavy was rebalanced, T92, Object 430 as well
- Murovanka was reworked heavily
- hangar interface was reworked
- new effects of explosions (check out the video, cool stuff)
- the anti-AFK/suicider/leaver system
- bonus for “tanking” (for shells blocked by armor), for heaviest vehicles it will provide up to 10 percent bonus to current XP, this bonus will be disabled for arty and light tanks
- engine/transmission split (transmission damage works like engine damage – same effect, only without burning)
- stronghold improvements (new tiers) and others (see the video)

Hello everyone,

according to Evilly (RU developer – he got promoted apparently), test will come tomorrow (“If we manage to check everything”).

Hello everyone,

under the original link, Ectar explains the reasoning behind the new 9.3 anti-AFK and anti-suicide system. I think it is worth reposting, because there is a lot of truth behind what he wrote. Here’s what he wrote.

This system is set up to take action against people not playing, there is a key difference here. If I play 5 aside football with you and you stand still for 10 minutes (and you’re not a goalkeeper) you’re not playing and I don’t want you on my team or benefiting from our success. Likewise If you enter a team based computer game and go afk multiple times or quit multiple times before the battle is done, you’re not playing and I don’t want you on my team or benefiting from our success.

If you want to defend passive play then you don’t play passively every game by sitting still. This system won’t punish people who play hyper passive. It will punish people who are blatantly abusing the game mechanics by not actively taking part in the game. – You can justify playing cautiously in a few matches, heck you can even likely throw up specific examples. You can’t justify it for every battle and it’s those types of players this system is set up to deal with. I find it rather sad in a way that when we take measures to do something about repeatability being afk or not participating. We’re still wrong for doing something just because it’s not XXXX player’s specific idea how to deal with people.

When this system is implemented, If you don’t want to be punished from leaving the game early – Don’t leave the game early! You still have the choice to leave the game early if you want however it will come with consequences. If you don’t want to be punished for being AFK multiple times… Don’t go afk! If there is something external causing you to be away from the PC all the time or away from the game then perhaps that’s not the best time to be playing a team game..

Life is full of decisions, many of them however have consequences and repercussions. Eventually you’re going to have to deal with those choices wither you like it or not.

And as a bonus, you don’t have to worry about looking at a Soviet commissar, because apparently, the pictures of the warning screen will be server-specific:

Source: http://worldoftanks.asia/en/news/pc-browser/21/premium-tanks-new-features-added/

Edit: they pulled down the article (apparently it was posted too early). Screenies at the bottom of the post.

Hello everyone,

all premium (and reward, including CW reward) tanks will recieve an interesting buff, specifically two bonuses:

- 50 percent bonus to crew XP
- bonus to XP income, depending on tier as such:

These changes will be applied via a micropatch on 12.9.2014 (for ASIA at least). Very nice!

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