Background (by Basiliskos_kms):
About 30,000 people from various clan communities decided to boycott the new season on the Global Map. They created a movement named CONTRAS, which includes top clans and alliances of the RU server. Members of the organization have already put forward demands to the company: they want to meet with the leadership of Wargaming and discuss with them the perspectives for the development of the clan mode in the game. The application was already responded by Vyacheslav Makarov, the new head of the Wargaming office in Minsk. He asked to mail him with any suggestions, ideas and thoughts of players on how to improve the situation in all gaming segments of clan activity. Makarov also offered to meet with representatives of CONTRAS personally. The meeting will be held at the end of July in the Wargaming’s office in Minsk.
Open letter from RU clans to WG (translated by Vlad) (Source):
„Open letter from clan representatives to the World of Tanks administration
Clan Wars Crisis
We do not like:
Targeted killing of strategy on the global map
Demotivation of clans
Disrespect towards players and clans
Closed nature of the global map department
Global map is…
Goal
Strategy
Mutual benefit
What do we want?
Return of the prestige of the global map
Popularization of the global map and clans
Development of the global map
Feedback
How would this be achieved?
We do not like:
_Targeted killing of strategy on the global map_
The global map was created as a mode in which the strategic component was dominant. But WG itself, despite stating that they support this, deliberately kills off active strategic action with its’ decisions.
The political interaction and balance of power between clans is being replaced by quests to achieve amounts of destroyed tanks, amount of battles etc. – marathon principles from random battles. As a result, clans are forced to abandon conquered lands. Such a global map could very well be replaced by tournaments with gold as a participation prize. But the global map department receives a glorious statistic and reports to the upper management that activity in the mode increases. That today’s activity influx will be replaced by tomorrow’s desertedness is not discussed.
_Demotivation of clans_
WG’s last years decisions led the way for clans to lose motivation for improving their gameplay and increasing their standard.
The constant prioritization of the amount of battles over their quality in all modes leads to each clan member wasting more and more time on the game, this scares away normal players from clan activities.
Equalization of prizes leads to a clan receiving the same amount for a battle against a tough enemy and a weaker enemy.
All of this leads to reluctance of fighting against stronger enemies. Instead of searching for ways to increase the combat capabilities of the clan, they search for loopholes in the game rules.
The recent developments lead to planned destruction of the clan segment of the game, players are more inclined to play Ranked Battles, mini-tournaments and other modes non-dependant on clans, since they are more profitable and easy.
_Disrespect towards players and clans_
The lack of a proper plan for conducting certain activities for the clan community does not allow for clans to plan their operation to demonstrate maximum results. We would like to understand the future plans regarding clan content. We shouldn’t be panicking to train games on tier 8 or 6 because the global map department announced an event or campaign a week before it starts. A clan does not consist of 5-6 people, but of several dozens which also have a real, non-tank life: family, studying/working. They are ready to adapt to the schedule if needed, but they should know this schedule in advance and not two days ahead.
_Closed nature of the global map department_
Complete lack of feedback between the global map developers and the playerbase – all community proposals are met with replies about expensiveness and labor intensity of the development or trolling about lust for gold. There are no contact groups to discuss upcoming improvements and proposals on a permanent basis. We only see rare trips to Minsk by some representatives of the community, based on which, reports about working with the community are made, since these meetings did not bring any real changes.
The global map is…
_Goal_
The global map is the pinnacle of clan activity. Clans should strive to participate on the global map, honing their skills in training, raids, offensives, attracting new players. This gives players an experience they cannot receive in other game modes, develops the players and makes them learn new tactical approaches.
The global map should attract and stimulate clans with its’ possibilities. And also reward each participating player for their effort.
_Strategy_
The global map should be interesting in the first place by application of strategy, diplomacy and fights on territories, bringing interaction between players on another level than it is in a single battle. It is a strategy which provides clans with long-term goals, the feeling of belonging to something greater, feeling immersed in battling with tanks.
Successes on the global map always determined the strength of a clan and its’ glory – legendary clans of the past and present would not be themselves without having participated on the global map. The measure of strength of a clan is the capability to capture and hold lands on the global map. This idea should guide the development of the global map.
_Mutual benefit_
The developers always talk about the unprofitability of the global map mode, but is that really so?
We deem this untrue, because:
– To play on the global map, a player needs at least 2-3 vehicles from different branches. He researches these vehicles and doesn’t just leave the game after unlocking the IS-7.
– Playing in the clan environment requires many silver, which the player earns by using premium account and/or premium vehicles. The money for this lands directly on WG’s account.
– The clan keeps a player in the game, since clan life is the strongest social component of this product.
What do we want?
_Return of the prestige of the global map_
We propose to return the glory of holding land on the global map.
To do so, a change in prize distribution is necessary with lowering the reward for deployments and increasing it for holding provinces. Stimulating battles shouldn’t happen through quests, but by creating conditions where it is advantageous and neccesary for a clan to fight. Alternative prizes on the global map (scrap, bonds, clan reserves etc.) should stimulate activity of developing clans without increasing the gold resource on the global map. We’re fighting for several years already to expand the clan portal and would like to see our rewards we’ve earned on the global map.
_Popularization of the global map and clans_
We demand that the WG staff responsible for the coverage of the game faithfully perform their duties regarding the clan component.
It is neccesary to easen the understanding of the global map mode by creating training content.
It is also necessary to provide clans with the possibility to inform the playerbase of their successes themselves.
Provide the clan press the possibility to publish news on the official portal of the game, like it was before 2015. Create an official video channel with the company’s support to broadcast battles on the global map.
Regularly cover clan activities and reward clans which advertise the game mode.
Regularly publish news about the global map, events, map freezes etc. so players and commanders can plan ahead.
_Development of the global map_
We propose to include an alliance functionality into the game, which was unofficially present since the start of the global map.
Alliances are the top level of socialization between players and should be understandable and accessible. This would provide players with an unique feeling of depth in the game process. Socialization is one of the most important achievements which keeps active players in the game.
_Feedback_
We propose to create a department or designate a personal manager to work with the clan community.
We deem it neccessary to create a focus-group which will consist of the most experienced clan leaders and alliance leaders.
The main task of this group would be assisting the new department in optimizing the proposed changes and working on documents regarding clan activities, and also collecting feedback to constantly improve the quality of the global map. Feedback is neccessary to provide the community with a means to influence the taken decisions.
_How would this be achieved?_
Together!
We require cooperation with WG and the clan community, built on mutual respect and the desire to improve the game.
We are currently creating a shortened version of our proposals to improve the global map which will be sent to Mr. Makarov on July 10th.”
