WoT Recon Mission 2022: The Results

~ KSA

Commanders!

After two weeks of intense battles on six map candidates, the Recon Mission event is over. We appreciate your solid input into shaping the future of World of Tanks. Over 205,019 players in Europe tested out the proposed map prototypes, and 172,547 of them found time to complete the questionnaires. In total, more than 4,784,850 Recon Mission battles were played in Europe. And we’re happy to report that everything went smoothly: we received valuable feedback, gathered loads of battle statistics, and can now officially name the two most successful locations: Aquila and Anykeyyevka.

Recon Mission Overview

During the event, players could test out six map candidates, three of which were modified prototypes from last year, while the other three were brand new. After playing at least six battles on a map, you could complete a detailed questionnaire, pointing out that map’s strengths and weaknesses.

The Map Roster

During Recon Mission, players had the opportunity to test out the following maps:

  • Airshipyard
  • Anykeyyevka
  • Aquila
  • Canyon
  • Far East
  • Klostertal

You can learn more about each of these location prototypes in the announcement article.

The Winning Locations

To determine which map prototypes to develop further, we looked at:

  • Player feedback and their aggregate evaluation of every map
  • Gathered data on gameplay balance and variety

Aquila

Based on the criteria mentioned above, the Aquila map came out on top. Players really liked the abundance of tactical choices it offered and the fact that every vehicle type could find a niche for themselves in every major part of the map. Their reaction to the size of the location (1,200 m x 1,200 m) was also positive. Moreover, players liked that losing teams could often turn the tide of battle if they were strategic with their last line of defense. The average battle lasted 7 minutes and 40 seconds on Aquila, and the percentage of draws was very low. Therefore, it’s no wonder that the majority of those who completed the questionnaires appreciated the concept and wanted this location in the game.

Still, there’s always room for improvement. For example, there was a slight imbalance in the win rate, which favored the northern team. With your help, we identified a couple of problematic positions at the root of the issue.

1. This position offers fewer opportunities for control of the map than the symmetric position of the northern team.

2. The southern team lacks a convenient spot to meet opponents rolling down the hill slope.

Aquila heat mapWe will make the Aquila map part of our production pipeline and refine it, aiming for release in 2023 (after we finish polishing the Oyster Bay location).

Anykeyyevka

The Anykeyyevka map was a close second, and a lot of you were eager to see it become part of the Random Battles roster. As with Aquila, those who filled in the questionnaires appreciated the opportunities available to various vehicle types all over the map. In fact, Anykeyyevka was voted the most tactically versatile of all six prototypes. The percentage of draws here was higher than that on Aquila, but the win rate spread was smaller. However, this map needs to be “evened out” too, and several key places should be reshaped to deal with the edge that the southern side currently holds.

1. This spot allows the southern team to control the advancing enemy heavies more efficiently than its mirror counterpart.

2. One of the key firing positions provides more options compared to its equivalent on the northern side.

3. The southern team has an easier time making it up this hill.

Registered SPG hits: AnykeyyevkaWe’ll consider this when we start upgrading Anykeyyevka to release quality—which should happen after we finish working on Aquila.

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