Thanks Vlad 🙂
Q: What will happen with WT E-100 and Grille 15?
A: We planned to switch the WT for Grille. But there is no final decision yet, we’re collecting statistics from the supertest.
Q: One of the hot topics are modifications. There are a few extended mods which even give an edge over players with vanilla client. Maybe they should be added to the client to even out the odds?
A: We have done some steps already – the view circles on the minimap, for instance. Now we are working on other mods to implement them into the client. Our position is simple: we aren’t interested that the player does not feel comfortable installing and re-installing mods or installing any “fishy” mods. And we’re not even talking about securtiy here.
Q: Are any new modes regarded, for example a night mode?
A: No priorities on this now. I tried some night maps on PS and didn’t feel very satisfied. So we focues on more important points at the PC version – balancing, matchmaker, artillery.
Q: What about the current state of light tanks in the game? They are basically not needed right now except for personal missions.
A: Firstly, when tanks were just released and there were less tiers and nations, light tanks were supposed to act together with artillery. But with the increase of tanks, especially tier 10 MT, the LT role became less significant. Now we are working on the rebalance of all vehicles to return the specific class roles, including scouting. I cannot tell any details, but there will be soon information on the rebalancing process. This also concerns the crew skills – we are working on a new system, but this is not number 1 priority.
Q: Are new premium vehicles being developed and what awaits the existing ones?
A: Yes, there are a few vehicles which cause discontent and we are working on these tanks’ characteristics. Basically – making them better. Development of new tanks, especially with preferential matchmaker, is not a priority right now.
Q: Is the update 9.14 an overall success?
A: We collect feedback, blogger opinions, and overall it looks very positive. It helped very much that we conducted three rounds of testing on the new physics and there, player feedback helped.
Talking about such a huge conduct as the new physics, we have to understand that this concerns 100% of the players. The last global update of this impact was 8.0, where we introduced a physics system into the game and tanks “lifted off” from the earth. Now, many say that this update was the best in history of WoT, but at the moment of it’s introduction, there were many bugs and shortcomings. But time will pass, we will fix the mistakes, and the players will get accustomed – thus, we will get positive feedback.
Q: Will the new physics change the game dynamics?
A: The main task of the new physics, aside of realism, was the introduction of new elements: track blocking, drifts, police turns. All in all – the realization of the tank’s suspension. This in return allows for a better maneuvrability and change in terrain passability. But the game dynamics will largely remain the same. The single tank class which seriously feels different are light tanks. They became more difficult at some points because of inertia and tipping over, but also have more possibilities to maneuver.
Q: But what if you turn over – is the battle over?
A: No, allies can turn you back. Or you can shoot in this position. I had a situation in the M41 where i tipped over, but scored two hits before i was sent to the garage.
Q: Another important point of the patch is a Ukrainian localization.
A: We have accomplished a full translation into Ukrainian – from in-game commands to the web-interface. We don’t have full statistics yet, but there is positive feedback already. This is, again, comfortable – no mods are needed.
Q: New sounds – why were they changed at all and how were they made?
A: The changes were tied to the fact that the previous engine was, simply put, very old. We decided to switch to Audiokinetic Wwise, this is a very good engine, easier to work with, it’s easier to implement changes. This engine is used in major games, for example Assasin’s Creed. Now we can generate different sounds in real time. For instance, shot sounds. We have 6 main calibers, each caliber is divided by three distance classes and a randomizer is applied afterwards. And in the end, the engine generates a unique sound depending on the caliber and traveling distance.
Q: What about the sounds themselves, they became less imposing on certain tanks. Is this intended?
A: Earlier, each tank had it’s own track, and the new sounds seem more realistic. A special team was traveling to various museums around the world, placing microphones next and inside of tanks, recording various sounds: shots, tracks, engine. This means everything that is in the game are real tank sounds. But some may just not be accustomed yet.
– And at last, i want to address the players. We are now trying to be more clear and transparent. We provide more information up to discuss and are collecting feedback. As such, watch the news and give us feedback.
