The “Insider” Talks

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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.

Straight Outta Supertest: 9.3 New Medals

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Source: VK Wotleaks community

1

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

2

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

23.8.2014

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- according to WG, the popular myth that a bot plays better than bad players is a myth. Bots do not have better stats than even bottom 20 percent of players.
- if 20 percent worst players were banned, Wargaming would not lose any income, because those people don’t spend any money. Furthermore (these are the words of an ex-developer, who recently left WG):

“The ban of accounts of under 48 percent winrate would have almost no effect on making money off the game, if we consider how much do these people donate and compare it with how many people, that really pay, leave the game because of them (or already left), how many people start twinks with bots because of them etc.

Although it’s not the noobs’ fault – it is the fault of game designers, people responsible for balance (both in combat and balance of ingame economics, XP gains) and level designers – they created such a set of problems that if the noobs were the only problem in the game, they would be tolerated. And so, when we consider the large amount of issues which are not trying to fix and which they do not even admit – we get what we have.”

Oh yea, and after some digging – that “super secret Fury movie” tank for the Fury competition? Apparently, it’s going to be either a special camo for the Sherman (so it resembles the main tank of the movie) or a premium “Fury” version of the Sherman. One of those two. That also explains why it was not tested on supertest – there was no point, the tank is in the game already.

Much secret, many original, wow!

Posted in Q&A

8000 Bots Banned

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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…

Pictures from Bastogne Garage

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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…

2014-08-22 09.39.47

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“Super Secret Tank” for the Fury Competition

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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.

Straight Outta Supertest: RU251 Stats

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Source: VK Wotleaks community

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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