Thanks to Adam for these invite codes!

BNV7K-8GVC8-MRRWT-YZEEA
BNV7B-K23GR-59H8S-T8P27
BNV7U-D6ZUX-7GURR-V4GHP
BNV7Y-39PFR-59EN3-G2728
BNV7X-M4VS3-349R8-M64CU
BNV7G-85E87-7Y8CE-E5NDE

Hello everyone,

it’s time for another batch of insider information from Wargaming.

- as mentioned previously, the “super secret” reward tanks is indeed a “Fury” Sherman

Regarding the “8000 bots banned” – the actual number is more like 7900 and the detection was apparently based on procedures, not on WG pressuring the bot maker to release data (“not worth the trouble”). The detection is actually really simple, they took the players with highest amount of daily games and compared them with an amount of ingame bot reports (complaints) against each account. People above certain threshold were banned.

Players with high amount of reports but low battlecount were instead put on a “waiting list” and they get checked manually somehow, but there is no info on the exact procedures at this point. Winrate is not considered in the bot detecting procedures however. WG discovered that statistically, every botter has 2-4 accounts, there are plans to ban ALL of them (even the “main” accounts on which the bot program was not used).

- on RU server, an entire clan supporting the Ukraine separatists was permabanned for political propaganda
- the “developer trip” is indeed covered by “developers” (mostly community people), who get their tasks covered by other people, so WG will not be short of manpower. The WG convoy will have t-shirts and stuff, no Type 59 tho
- developers started to look into the Maus line. There is a vague idea of upgrading the Maus, possibly with another turret (SS: “Maus II” turret is historical) with deadlier weaponry. The problem with this approach is that Maus would become a “grind” tank, which is not exactly good. Shifting Maus to tier 9 or splitting it into Maus and Maus II are not an option. There is no ETA on this, nor is it sure that it will move past concept work.

Source: VK Wotleaks community

From left to right:

“Bonebreaker” – for hitting at least 5 enemy tank modules or members of crew in random battle
“Supersticious” – survive victorious random battle while recieving damage from at least 4 different enemy players
“Demolition Man” – for ammoracking an enemy in random battle

From left to right:

“Shoot to Kill” – cause more damage to enemy than is the amount of hitpoints of your tank. Fire damage and ramming counts, but it is not awarded to arty
“Reliable friend in battle” – do not damage any allied tanks in 50 random battles (damage to modules, unless they get destroyed, does not count, non-penetrating hits and ricochets also don’t count, series can continue on any vehicle)
“Impenetrable” – recieve more potencial damage (damage blocked by armor) than hitpoints of your tank, only in random battles and you have to survive the battle

Source: http://worldoftanks.ru/ru/news/pc-browser/1/lets_comfort_3/

Hello everyone,

according to the news post, published on RU portal, Wargaming, using new improved bot-detecting procedures, banned recently over 8000 botters from its servers.

Well, at least that’s what they claim.

I’ve heard however a different, interesting version of this event as well – some claim that Wargaming in fact forced legally the bot creator to reveal the names of accounts, that use bots and banned them all. Not sure which is worse for the botters themselves, but if either option is true, botters on EU/US servers are in for a nasty surprise…

Hello everyone,

player Crazytony0 was recently in the Bastogne armor museum – we already had pictures of that on FTR I think. What is however very interesting is that he got into the “garage”, a place where tanks are being repaired and restored and is not normally accessible for public. Enjoy!

The vehicles currently in (hopefuly) running condition there are the Cromwell, the M16, Stuart, both Shermans, the Patton, the IS3 (altough not in great shape), and the green Renault UE.

For me, the most interesting part is the disassembled StuG…

Continue reading →

Hello everyone,

so, yesterday, I got asked several times: “what is the super secret tank, awarded for the Fury competition”? Well, unless it gets leaked by the “Insider”, we won’t know for sure of course, but it’s not that hard to guess.

- it is something that is in the game already or was developed previously (competition end might not line up with new patch)
- it is something that was already supertested (which means it is something that we have seen before)
- it is not something EU server exclusive (WG does not work that way)
- it is something lowtier (current policy is that hightier tanks are not given out as rewards, only lowtiers do)

Well, basically there are only two options and one is much more likely. SU-76I and Grosstraktor – and given the fact that a Soviet tank destroyer is in no way related to the movie and it was tested ages ago (years, really), I think it’s going to be the Grosstraktor, which is… not a good tank, to put it mildly.

Edit: hmmmm looks like I might have been wrong with my guess. On it.

By the way, at first I was actually thrilled by the competition – not that I want to participate (even if I was Steven Spielberg himself, I wouldn’t win anyway) but the first prize is very exciting (a paid trip to USA – you don’t have the option to win that every day) and I thought we’d some some very creative things.

Then I checked the rules and damn, they are pretty strict. Pretty much no creativity is allowed, I think that all you will get is a bunch of videos showing a Sherman shooting at a Tiger with the “allowed” clips in the background and then a big “Fury” title and that’s it. How will it be decided which clip is better, I have no idea. But who knows, maybe I will be surpised.

Called “Reload time”

Source: VK Wotleaks community

Statistics (with 100 percent crew, elite tank)

Price: 2440000 creds
Weight: 25,625 tons
Hitpoints: 1200
Viewrange: 400
Radio range: 745
Engine: 630 hp
Power-to-weight: 25,625
Terrain resistance: 0,767/0,863/1,534
Maximum speed: 80/24
Traverse of hull: 44 deg/s

Top gun: 90mm Rheinmetall DM1
Penetration: 190/250/102
Damage: 240/240/320
Depression: -5,8/18
Rate of fire: 10,092
Reload time: 5,945
Accuracy: 0,345
Aimtime: 2,01
Turret traverse: 45,9 deg/s

Hello everyone,

today, we are going to talk about one prototype, that could become an European (Czechoslovak) tier 3 premium medium tank, the ŠP-IIb prototype.

ŠP-IIb, as its name suggests, was a cooperation attempt between two major rivals of the Czechoslovak armed forces industry, Škoda and ČKD (Praga). During the thirties, both companies were unsuccessful during the “IIb” (infantry support tank) program (Praga with its P-IIb, Škoda with its Š-IIb) and as a result, both firms agreed (reluctantly) on cooperation on the next attempt to design a tank for this category. The cooperation contract was signed on 30.7.1936 and the army was not against such cooperation, so the project recieved a green light.

The initial hope of both companies was that the prototype would be ready in July 1937, but this proved to be too optimistic, as there were frequent disagreements between both companies and the specifications of the vehicle changed constantly. Originally, the army was interested in a 13 ton tank with 25mm armor all around and a 37mm gun. After the disastrous results of the Škoda Š-III and Tatra T-III designs, this was changed to 16 tons, 32mm of armor and a 47mm gun by Škoda, which however did not fit the IIb category anymore, such requirements corresponded more like to the category III (“heavy”/medium tanks).

Continue reading →

Source: http://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20140821_01226857/cromwelltank-vandaag-weer-in-antwerpen

Thanks to Rudy Maes for this one.

Looks like the city of Antwerp has a new pride and joy. A Cromwell tank monument, previously rusted and unkept, was restored to its former glory. This Cromwell was given to the city by the British in 1947 to commemorate the advance of 11th Armored Division, that passed Antwerp on 4.9.1944 and since then it stood as a monument at various spots.

It was not the first time the vehicle was actually restored – it happened once already in 1971. The vehicle was restored from late 2011 until today by the military factory at Rocourt, called “Competentie Centrum Rollend Materieel en Bewapening”, a company that previously restored the famous “Bastogne” Sherman.

The vehicle now bears the “Black Bulls” crest of general Roberts from the abovementioned unit, that liberated Antwerp.