Hello everyone,

so, remember that 300 gold for password change event on the RU server from last week? Now we know the reason. Wargaming RU VK page (VK means Vkontakte, it is basically Russian version of Facebook, very popular) reported the following:

Basically, someone (unnamed third party) got their hands on (probably hacked) WG RU database of several thousand account e-mails and leaked it. These players were immediately threatened by the loss of their account, hence the “change your password for 300g” event.

The accounts that were threatened were temporarily blocked in order to prevent their theft. This resulted in a massive whine on RU forums, because their owners thought they were being banned for no reason (one player from Ukraine even wrote to me to report the issue). For those “banned” this way: you can write a support ticket and get your account restored.

And yes, this has happened before – the first “300g for password change” event some of you might still remember was also a result of an account security breach on RU server.

Hello everyone,

in bad need of credits? You probably wish now you were playing on RU server. Russian server just announced the Siege of Leningrad event with the following bonus:

On three Sundays (19.1., 26.1. and 2.2.), if you end up in top 10 of your battle in XP, you will earn 30 percent more credits. BUT if you end up in top 3, you will earn 40 percent more credits. What? Not enough? Okay, listen well. These bonuses add up. Since ending up in top 3 obviously means you ended in top 4, the bonuses add up and you will get 70 percent more credits. (yes, this is specifically stated in the mission description)

And this applies for ALL the vehicles (even premium ones!) and you don’t even have to win the battle. All you need to do is end up in top 10 (or top 3) of your team. Oh yea and there is also double XP for all the battles.

But we’re not on Russian server, so… no extra credits for you, capitalists!

Author:  Vollketten (with some suggestions by Captain Nemo)

The Okinawa Sherman

Of all the tanks in WW2 few could rivalry the sheer numbers produced, the number of front served in or the vast number of modifications carried out. Many of these modifications were on a very small scale so are not necessarily distinct or common enough to warrant a special vehicle. There is of course the battle for Okinawa for which modifications were extensive in both numbers and appearance.

Most people will have seen Shermans covered with sandbags in books or footage of the war. To cover an entire Sherman it was found to take about 170 full sandbags to cover an M4 adequately although up to 200 were used on occasion. Initially secured with wire mesh and later with welded steel brackets and was often done on a wide scale. The 14th Armored Division in Europe “systematically sandbagged their tanks prior to entering combat”. Estimate a sandbag at approximately 10kg and this adds a considerable 1.7 to 2 tonnes to the vehicle.

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Hello everyone,

CypherHK (US server) made a review of the special Chinese server only map called Empire’s Border and he was nice enough to send the video to me. Now you all can have a look – we won’t see this map on EU, US and RU server and I actually think it might be a pity (so much work on a map only to give it to one server) – but, is it good? Well, have a look!

Thanks to lucitribal for letting me know about this one.

Hello everyone,

not sure about you guys, but I almost forgot about the event with the tier 10 discounts – but it looks like the next tier 10 discount will be the Jagdpanzer E-100 according to the calendar on US server.

However, looking at EU calendar, I can’t help but notice the lack of tier 10 discounts. No tier 10 discounts for you, European capitalists!

(Okay, to be fair, the word is, they might return in February)

Hello everyone,

we all probably encountered some bad apples from support section. Most aren’t rude, but some just don’t bother reading the tickets you send them. Take a look at this case for example. Recently, in CW rules, WG failed to specify that draw would be considered a loss for the defender of the province (American CW rules had it though, that’s why it was discovered quickly and is specifically a WG EU fail). Infinity_ from (1337) clan decided to investigate the issue, because the clan, unaware of the rule, lost a province apparently. And here’s what happened…

(TLDR: first support staffmember didn’t bother to read the ticket and answered something that wasn’t asked, second admitted the mistake and confirmed WG EU fail in writing the rules)

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Hello everyone,

well, I’ve finally done it. After postponing it for a very, very long time, I’ve finally installed World of Warplanes to try it out and to see how well it will fit with me – and to share my opinions and experiences with you.

A little background first, so you know about how (un)biased I am. Let me start with saying that I hate flying in real life. Yea, I know, good start. But – that doesn’t prevent me apparently from trying out flying simulators, or, rather – arcade games in this case. I am saying this in advance so you know I am not fond of doing loopings 10 meters above ground and such stuff, but on the other hand, if necessity dictates, I can try. I played other simulator games, but that was a long, long time ago. Specifically, it was Aces of the Pacific and Aces over Europe, probably like 15 years ago. I know the absolute basics (like what flaps do and that it’s probably not a good idea to fly around with your landing gear open), but other than that, I am a complete newbie. I also have not seriously played War Thunder and I will not compare those two games. For now anyway.

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Hello everyone,

here’s a thought. I don’t follow competitions and contests on EU server much – the reason is obvious: even if I was (for example) the best graphic designer in the world, I won’t win anything, because Silentstalker. Therefore, I came to notice this a bit late, but still.

So, there is this competition called In The Headlines, where you were supposed to create front pages of a fictional magazine. You’ve probably noticed it earlier if you are on EU forums, because a mutation of this competition appeared in every language section.

Now, we know that Wargaming will be starting a magazine of its own on RU and EU server. We also know that since Issue 2, there will be a copy available in Czech language too (so it’s logical to assume all the other official languages will get their version – I expect some stronk translatink). And we also know that Wargaming likes to “borrow” other people’s stuff on more than one occasion.

Hmmm, might there be a connection? Maybe someone clueless (in best WG EU competence traditions) is looking for “inspiration”? Maybe it’s like the American Green Card program – for a price of awarding a few green cards via a lottery you get a nice long list of all the potential illegal immigrants, who happily submit their personal data for that small chance?

Meh. Maybe I am just paranoid. It’s a thought though. What do you think?