Update 9.17.1: New and Improved Battle Indicators

Source: Portal

After introducing the detailed damage log and other interface improvements, we reached out to you all to prioritize the next steps to make battle UI more informative. In Update 9.17.1, work continues with a host of enhancements, like tweaks to dynamic fire direction indicators and full damage reports.

The goal of these changes is to make it easier for you to evaluate ever-changing combat situations and adjust your battle plan as needed.

Read on for a detailed breakdown!

Received Damage

In 9.17.1, the report on how much damage enemies caused will be just as detailed as it is for the damage you cause. The battle log (located in the bottom left part of the battle HUD by default; can be moved) will inform you on:

  • Received damage
  • Critical hits
  • Who hit you (vehicle name and type)
  • What type of ammo they used (Premium shells highlighted in a different color, for hits and critical hits, as well as in cases when you block it with armor)
Friendly fire damage or critical hits will also be displayed in the detailed log, in the same color as the enemy damage lines.

 

Next is changes for ribbons. Special new ribbons will brief you on:

  • The amount of received damage
  • The number of critical hits
  • The damage type (caused by shots, fire, ramming, or falling)
  • The type and name of the vehicle that hit you

To avoid spamming you with too many messages, ribbons for machine gun fire and the detailed log will only display the total amount of damage caused by a series of shots.

 

Finally, the ribbon fonts were tweaked to better follow the World of Tanks style. Dynamic Damage Indicators style and duration were also adjusted to provide you with just enough time to process it, without getting overloaded with too much data.

Dynamic Damage Indicators

9.17.1 lets you adjust the width of the indicator that signals how much damage you receive and block. Damage to the vehicle’s total HP, damage indicators come in three types:

  • Small (1–10% of total HP)
  • Medium (11–30% of total HP)
  • Large (30%+ of total HP)

These are calculated based on the ratio of incoming damage to the vehicle’s total HP. Memorizing the numbers isn’t needed; special tooltips in the Settings window will provide you with an explanation.

By default, dynamic damage indicators are switched off to optimize the battle HUD. To enable them, simply select the option in the Settings.

Inflicted Damage

Every battle event can be explained with several ribbons. For example, if you damage two vehicles in one shot or with two shots in a short interval, the info on damage caused to each tank will be displayed on separate ribbons instead of today’s scheme of a single ribbon with the total damage.

At the same time, unhelpful ribbons will be removed. For example, when you destroy an enemy vehicle, you don’t really need info on the number of critical hits to its modules — the job’s done!

Settings

You can adjust the battle indicators to your needs in the Settings panel:

  • Select the info most relevant to you in combat and disable others
  • Completely switch off information about received damage, critical hits, and blocked damage
  • Move the detailed log to the upper part of the battle HUD, to the right of the allied team list (not recommended for low resolutions)

With these changes, we want players both new and old to make informed choices, so you don’t miss an opportunity to maximize your contribution in battle. If you have questions, issues or suggestions not covered here, feel free to share your feedback on our forum.