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Jun 7, 2013

Changes on FTR

Everyone, this is going to be the last post on this blog, so please read it, so there is as little confusion with the transition as possible.

First, a little explanation (if TLDR, you can skip), why this is happening. Those of you, who read this blog regularily have noticed that in last weeks and months I have considered various options what to do with this blog, including quitting altogether. The reasons were simply the fact I had less time in general, FTR took more and more time and quite simply, I am just a human being: when I do something as time-consuming, I'd like to have something out of it, preferably while not burdening my readers with any donation stuff or whatever. At one point, I tried to set up an adsense account, but - as some of you know - that doesn't work when you have a blog like this, you have to have your own domain or something. Thus, the application was denied.

At that point Edrard showed up. We've been mailing to each other over some other matters even before, but even so I was surprised when he made me an "offer I can't refuse". Edrard is the administrator and owner of probably the biggest World of Tanks unofficial webpage in the world, wot-news.com. He basically offered me to move the FTR blog over to his website and I accepted. Took kinda long time to tweak, but thanks to his technical skill and awesome attitude (he was and continues being extremely helpful in all the matters), we (well, mostly he) managed to setup a Wordpress-based copy of For The Record. Wordpress interface gets a little time to use to, but we managed, I think. So, I am proud to announce the wot-news/FTR cooperation:


From now on FTR will continue on 



Now, what does it all mean?

There will be some changes, but not that many:

- Interface remains the same as you can see. Even the functionality stayed. It basically works just like the "old" FTR, so you should have no trouble orienting. The only significant change I made is that from now on, the main page will display only first few lines of the article, not the article whole - for the whole article you'll have to click on the article itself.

- Comments - this is one of the (very few) bad sides of this system. I will have to make the comments allowable only for registered users, not anonymous as before. This is not to limit you in commenting, this is to fight spam, a level of which, as I was told by Edrard who has a lot of experience in this, will be considerably higher. Since I don't want to spend half of the day removing spam comments with cheap viagra ads and offers from Nigerian princes to transfer their money, I think this is the best solution for everyone.

- Adsense - as you can probably see, there are two empty adsense banners, one of the top of the article, one at the bottom. They will become active in 1-2 weeks after the website has enough new and original content (this is the reason why I can't simply copy the old FTR content to the new website, Adsense requires original content). What little profit the banners make will be split between me and Edrard (and of course to cover the hosting costs). I am not sure myself how this will go, but I will ask you one thing: please leave the Adblock and other filters off for FTR - it doesn't cost you guys anything and it would help me a lot.


- Content will also remain the same, the authors who write for current FTR will (if they are still interested of course) recieve editor's access, like they had in here.

- Linking to FTR - since wot-news.com are a very clean site, now you'll be able to link to FTR on all the forums, how cool is that? However there is a price...

- Leaks - no original leaks are allowed on wot-news. The biggest reason is that wot-news.com has very friendly relationship to WG RU and Edrard doesn't want it fucked up by massive leaks. Therefore, there is a rule that no original leaks are allowed, only reposts from other sites. However: obviously, you want your info fresh and I can promise you that you will get it. There is always a solution, don't worry about it.

- the E-mail remains the same: fortherecordwot@gmail.com

Well, that's it for now. I do know that some changes are not exactly desirable, but FTR had to move somewhere, because stagnation equals death by decay. There will be a bug here and there and it will take a while before we polish the new FTR, so it works perfectly, but I hope you can forgive us that - in exchange, you will get more content, more articles and more info.

Gun Accuracy in Real Life

By EnsignExpendable

The issue of gun accuracy (let's forget for a moment that when most people say accuracy, they mean precision) comes up a lot when discussing the game. Obviously, since engagement distances are very short, accuracy is reduced compared to real life, or no one would ever miss. In a previous article, I pointed out how the M-30 gets shafted about half as much as the D-25. Let's use some extremely scientific methods to determine the shaftedness ratio (SR) for some guns in the game: the ratio of in-game dispersion to real life dispersion. A high SR corresponds to a gun that is highly nerfed compared to real life.

The Soviets used a metric called average deviation to determine how precise a gun is. Average deviation is given for three axes. Since the game doesn't tell you the length-wise dispersion, let's focus on the horizontal and vertical deviations. A bunch of them are given here.

Comparing average deviation to maximum deviation is a bit hard, but not impossible. Due to the magic of a normal distribution, you can convert between the two. The current system is allegedly off at 3 sigmas (it will be 2.5 in 0.8.6). In a standard normal distribution, the 50% boundary lies at about 0.67 sigmas. Half of your shots should land within the closest 22% of the circle. This may not be true if the distribution isn't standard (we know it's normal, so please no whining about impulse in the comments), but for the purpose of comparing ratios, it doesn't matter that much.

Now, let's take the figures for the guns in the linked article, and figure out how badly they got shafted! I will use the 1000 meter figure to calculate precision, since they are all 0.1 meters at 100 meters, and that's boring. Since real life deviations aren't circular, but in-game ones are, let's use the larger of the values.

NOTE: the values, in most cases, are given to the nearest decimeter. This means that a small change that puts a gun from, say, 0.5 meters to 0.6 meters, has a sizeable effect on the SR.

Starting at the lowest caliber, we have the DShK 12.7 mm machinegun. Just like in the game, the dispersion isn't that stellar, 76 cm. At 100 meters, that's 7.6 cm. The 100% dispersion is 57 cm, and the 50% dispersion, using the 22% rule above, is 12.54 cm. That's a shaftedness ratio of 1.65.

Cranking up the caliber to 20 mm on the TNSh autocannon, we get 7 cm of dispersion at 100 meters, 100% dispersion in-game of 53 cm, 50% dispersion at 11.66 cm, and a shaftedness ratio of 1.66. Pretty consistent so far.

Getting out of the autocannon region, we advance to the American 37 mm M5 gun. Compared to the TNSh, it's a sniper, at 4 cm at 100 meters. In game, the 100% dispersion at 100 meters is 46 cm, 50% dispersion is  10.12 cm, and SR is 2.5. That's pretty nerfed!

Let's see how the German 3.7 cm gun does. 5 cm at 100 meters, with the same 46 cm of 100% dispersion as the American gun. That's the same 10.12 cm of 50% dispersion, and a SR of just over 2.

Moving up in caliber, the British 2-pounder gun (40 mm). The maximum deviation is 4 cm (although the horizontal deviation is an impressive 2 cm) at 100 meters. In game, it's 36 cm for a 100% radius, or 7.92 cm for a 50% radius, for a SR of 1.98.

Next up is the Soviet 45 mm model 1937 gun. Artillery tables give us a radius of 6 cm, either 46 cm in game, which converts to 50% radius of 10.12, and gives an SR of 1.68. Interestingly enough, this is the only gun where APCR scatters less than AP. Firing only gold, the SR goes up to 2.

Sadly, I have no data on 50 mm guns, so let's skip all the way up to the M2 75 mm American gun. The impressive deviation of 3 cm at 100 meters is increased to a not so impressive value of 47 cm at 100 meters, or 10.34 cm for a 50% dispersion, matching other similar tier guns. Since the real life precision was much higher, the M3 Lee scores an SR of 3.44. Yikes.

The T-34's 76 mm F-34 gun doesn't do much better. At the same 3 cm, both the Soviet and Chinese versions carry a 46 cm dispersion. At 10.12 cm for 50%, that's a SR of 3.37. Not as bad as the Lee, I guess, but just barely.

Skipping up to 88 mm, the Tiger II's gun gets some impressive results: 2.6 cm at 100 meters. The in-game stat is also impressive, 34 cm. The 50% dispersion is 7.48 cm, for an SR of 2.87.

Moving up a caliber, we get into artillery territory. The 105 mm German 1918 howitzer gets a dispersion of 4 cm (same as the 2-pounder, with an impressive 2 cm on the smaller axis), or 49 cm in game. That's a 10.78 cm 50% dispersion, and an SR of 2.7.

The 122 mm M-30 howitzer has a dispersion of 6 cm, and 55 cm on its TD version in-game. The 50% radius is 12.1 cm, giving an SR of 2.

The 122 mm D-25 has long been the subject of debate among those who care about truth and justice historical accuracy. The dispersion is approximately 2.4 cm, and 46 cm on both the Soviet and Chinese brothers. That makes for a 10.12 cm 50% radius and a whopping 4.2 SR.

The biggest gun I have data on is the 152 mm ML-20S. Its real life deviation is an impressive 3.2 cm, but in-game, SerB's cruel nerf bat reduced it to 50 cm, or 11 cm for a 50% radius. The SR is 3.43. Hey, not as bad as the IS!

So, what do we see here? The low tier, low accuracy guns aren't penalized that much, or else you wouldn't be able to hit anything. The penalty at tier 1-4 is about 2. Tier 5s have a harsher fate, with the SRs going over 3.

Here is a sorted list, in summary.

Soviet 12.7 mm DShK: 1.65
Soviet 20 mm TNSh: 1.66
Soviet 45 mm: 1.68
British 40 mm 2-pounder: 1.98
Soviet 122 mm M-30: 2
Soviet 45 mm 20K (APCR): 2
German 3.7 cm: 2
American 37 mm: 2.5
German 105 mm 1918: 2.7
German 88L/71: 2.87
Soviet 76 mm F-34: 3.37
Soviet 152 mm ML-20: 3.43
American 75 mm M2: 3.44
Soviet 122 mm D-25T: 4.2

Yes, the bottom 3 guns are Soviet, but so is the top one. That's explained by most of my data being Soviet. If anyone has tables for Western WWII guns, I'd be grateful. Despite the cries of anti-German bias, Germans are clustered solidly in the middle.

Jun 6, 2013

6.6.2013 part 2

Since there is a lot to translate and tomorrow I will most likely be busy, here's another batch for today:


- SerB considers the Superpershing case thus: "We decided not to fix this issue 2-3 patches back due to mass whine. That was a mistake." (SS: I heard an interesting theory on Russian forums - that the reason for this whole charade was to remove SP from the shop in the first place for some (unimportant and made up) reason. This will increase its sales ("it's going away, let's get it") and at the same time, paves the way for the introduction of the T23 premium medium tank... which was heavily hinted at by some people around RU and US forums...)
- Storm checked the AMX-13 and ELC models and has not found any bugs regarding the collision and visual models relation.
- AFK tank can still light up enemies, if they get close to it
- SerB doesn't worry about trolling too much, he states that when he was making the Reddit Q&A session, he was trolling too and nothing happened
- currently the ROF displayed in the hangar takes into account only the 100 percent loader, not commander's bonus
- SerB doesn't want to implement 4th consumable slot, because it would support pay to win and it would also bring disbalance to the game
- the developers did consider the idea to allow (in company mode) the team commander to take part in "observer" tank (invisible, indestructable), so he can focus on team command while not being distracted by his own tank gameplay. This was apparently scrapped.
- it is possible for both teams in random battle to have different number of platoons, if the MM mechanism considers the MM weight difference between those too small (for example 2x2 man platoons vs 1x3 man platoon)
- Storm states that there is nothing wrong with T57 armor model, just that it's very uneven, which is historical
- SerB states that various organized forum actions of players not buying gold have no effect and that the developers ignore them, this also concerns the forum players, because the devs won't listen to those who simply yell the loudest.
- Tiger, Jagdtiger and Tiger II will have their maximum speed increased at some point (without horsepower buff)

Also, there is an interesting thread about the Type 62/WZ-132 model being wrong. The_Chieftain was on it, we might even eventually get a fix.

Also, in this post, Storm jokingly admitted Superpershing might return to the shop... for a higher price.

JD Interview - 1stTanks

SS: Today, we start new series of articles. Our guest reporter will be Jdtherocker. He's an American player, very well known on US forums for his series of interviews, some of which he will be making and posting on FTR. Welcome, Jd :)

First person Jd interviewed is 1stTanks, US customer support representative. The point of these interviews is to bring some of the known WG representatives, employees and players to the community's attention. So, without further ado, here's Jd:


Today I sat down with 1stTanks for a great interview that is worth its length and more!


1. What is the meaning behind your name?

I've heard a lot of jokes about my name.  This is especially true when I die first in a match (which is very rare but occasionally does happen).  It's always "Well now I see why you are called 1stTanks.... first tank to die noob!"

My game name is actually short for the unit I used to be stationed with.  Any Marine that see's my tags instantly knows what it means.  1stTanks = 1st Tank Battalion out of 29 Palms, CA.  I was a M1A1 Abrams Tank Commander in the United States Marine Corps.   I recently separated back in February after 12 years of service and came to Wargaming America around May of this year.

2. How did you start playing World of Tanks?


I actually heard about World of Tanks in February 2011 from a couple of my friends who are also Marine Tankers. I was at Fort Knox as a tank instructor, teaching brand new Marines how to become tankers. They informed me that there was an epic internet tank game that was better than anything released thus far.  Naturally this piqued my interest.  It was still in Beta and both of them (Riidean37 and Black_8) were playing it.  They both had up to about tier 6 or 7 tanks when I began.  I played it for a couple weeks while in Beta and immediately rage quit the game. Instead of taking the time to learn the in depth mechanics, I blamed Wargaming for developing such a bad product.  Obviously it couldn't have been my fault right?

When the official announcement of the April 12 release day was known, I told them I was not going to begin playing such a bad game.  They bugged, insisted, and called me every name in the book until I finally caved and agreed to sign up on the release day.

Well, from that point on World of Tanks has been a passion for me.  I cannot thank them enough for introducing me to something that would change my life.  To some people it is just a game.  For me, it expanded on a deep infatuation for tanks that I already had while substantially reducing risk factors, allowing me to make decisions that I would never dream of doing on a real M1A1 Abrams!

It's funny because even when I was tanking, I was thinking about World of Tanks!  I can recall times where I was on the Abrams (in training) and talking on the radio to other Tank Commanders about how much grinding we had left until we reached tier 4! LOL.  Truly great memories to reflect on.  These two guys are epic Marines and phenomenal tankers in real life.  Give them a shout if you see them in game.

3. What is your favorite tank?


I have a few tanks that I would consider my favorite but I will narrow it down to two.  My first would have to be the T29.  This kept me playing as I almost completely rage quit the game a second time during the T1/M6 grind.  I was really bad@tanks and couldn't understand why my M6 heavy tank performed so poorly.  Again my two buddies kept me in and once I got the T29, I fell in love.  I was running around with the 76MM broomstick sticking out of it in tier 10 battles but didn't care because I finally had armor!  A true game changer for me.  I was still grotesquely terribad at internet tanks but at least I was a heavy!

My next favorite tank is the T110E5.  It is versatile and can be used in many situations.  It has decent armor, a fantastic gun, good speed, and maneuverability.  This is the perfect tank in my opinion.

4. What play style do you utilize?


I'm not really sure how to describe my play style.  When I first began I was strictly a lead from the front type of guy.  If I wasn't brawling, then something was wrong.   I was taught in the very beginning of the game (by my good buddy Riidean37) that the goal was to get to the other side and cap fast!  Capping meant more money.  Or at least I thought.  I did not know nor did I care about damage dealt or stats. (This stunning revelation was introduced to me later).  I cared about winning.  Period.  Accelerating to the next tank quickly was my primary goal.  I remember playing on Komarin and convincing an entire team, on numerous occasions, to all get on cap at the beginning of the match.  Create a wall of big tanks and let the little guys cap fast.  Or even managing to talk everyone into doing a delayed blitz across Malinovka to surprise the enemy and cap fast.  LOL!!  It was different game back then.  Teams listened to each other.  When it worked I was a hero.  More times than not it failed though.

Needless to say, my learning curve has increased since then.  My current style depends on who I am platooned with, the tank I am utilizing, and the situation at hand.  I can be aggressive when needed or conservative to make well thought out decisions.  Situational awareness is key in this game.  If I am not looking down at the mini map at least 30 billion times during a battle, I'm doing it wrong.

Yes I did say "platooned".  To some people within the game, platooning only emphasizes how bad you are at tanks.  Solo play proves true skill.  I say "to each their own."  I have nothing to prove.  Despite the stigma, I can honestly say that I still do play primarily for fun.  If I am not having fun then there is no reason to stay.  I have the most fun platooning and having 3 tanks work in unison to achieve victory!  Your odds of winning are mathematically better than you going solo.

I also look at it from a real world tactical point of view.  A platoon of tanks consists of 4 tanks by American standards.  You will NEVER see a tank without his wingman.  What if a tank breaks down and infantry are trying to overrun it?  What if you get caught in a firefight with an armored element larger than your own?  Or even worse what if you run out of Gatorade's and jerky?!!  It just makes sense to maximize firepower and increase your chance of destroying your enemy with additional guns in the fight.  Plus you know that your wingman has your back.  Heroes can keep the solo play.  You will always see me with at least one other tank in battle.

5. Does any of your experience of utilizing a tank in real life help you perform in game? or do you believe it doesn't translate?


I think my real life experiences helped to an extent but there is definitely a point where game mechanics takes over and you must learn to master it.  When conducting a straight out comparison, real tanking and internet tanking are polar opposite.  To give you an idea, my introduction to tank life went something like this:

“Gentlemen, this 68 ton pig is designed to do one thing and one thing only….. kill.  It does not discriminate in any way.  If used correctly, it will take the life of your enemy.   If used incorrectly, it will take your life just the same.   You must learn to master this beast to maximize destruction while reducing collateral damage and remaining safe.”

My introduction to World of Tanks went something like this:

“Hey man, don’t get ‘invis-i-sniped’ and also be aware your shell will not always hit when aimed center mass!”

Tank terminology, maneuvering, certain real tactics, and communication translated easy for me into the game. What was difficult was initially grasping the complexity of the visibility, spotting, and penetration mechanics.  I mean in real life, a 60 ton tank isn't going to vanish in front of me while engaged in full combat 500 meters away. A bush camouflaging him or the fact I can't see him with the naked eye, isn’t going to stop me from simply using thermal optics to pick up a heat signature and sending a gift in the form of a 120MM sabot.

Real tanking is a lot more complicated than many people think. Multitasking and CONSTANT situational awareness is critical. You are always working.  Always!  It's hot, cramped, hot, has restricted visibility, always breaking, hot, and loud.  As a tank commander, with the aid of my crew,  I had to control the hull orientation, gun position, turret location, target identification, communication on the radio with multiple units, navigating,  perform complex calculations, troubleshoot if needed, maintain ammunition discipline ...the list goes on. This is all done simultaneously while always attempting to remain calm.  Luckily I had amazing crews.

Many gamers thinks that all aspects from real world tanking translates into the game. This is far from the truth. If you want to experience what a real tanker does, I suggest you try this: Take your entire computer outside. Ensure it is over 100 degree weather.  Sit in your car with your heaviest winter clothes on and only one window down. Log into the game and join 20 different matches where you sit there for 15 minutes and never see the enemy.

Service members conduct thousands of missions like this. Waiting for something to happen while maintaining discipline. I have 4 tours to the Middle East with hundreds of hours of conducting various missions. I can say with confidence that I would not be here today if not for the tank. It saved mine and my crew's life on multiple occasions.  My biggest complaint is hearing loss from large IED's. Many people are not as fortunate. A game can mimic a variety of things.  However, you simply cannot replicate the joy of fellow service members and yourself still being alive.

Bottom line, it's a game and a very good one.  You do not have needed to be a tanker to be good at it. Anyone can be successful if they put in the work.  Trial and error, admitting your faults, and learning the deep mechanics is all you really need.

6. So I guess it took you a while to start doing very well?


Oh yes.  There are a handful of players that were able to do extremely well right from the beginning.  Either they learned from beta or did research on their own before having too many battles.  I was not one of these people.  Nothing mattered to me except having fun and getting to the next tank.  If that meant bypassing certain equipment to streamline to the next level, then so be it.

It wasn't until Riidean37 received orders to deploy to Afghanistan and Black_8 was put on a different work schedule than me that I started to change my game play.  I had no one to platoon with really so I decided to check out tank companies. I had always seen them but never participated nor did I ever join a clan.  I had around 8,000 battles at the time with 56% win ratio.  I didn't realize what I had until I was sitting in reserve in one of Badfish1060's tank companies and listening to these guys talk.  They would always say "pick 1stTanks". Then they began to talk about my win ratio.  This exposure to working with an actual team was game changing for me.  It was my first introduction to a "caller" aka a guy that gives orders in battle.  I loved every aspect.  I played tank companies for about 1K battles or so, most of which was in my KV1S.  This is pretty obvious.  I get accused of stat padding because of this but honestly at the time I did not know any better.  I enjoyed finally being apart of a coordinated team that knew how to win.  I also liked the company of people I played with.

This eventually led to my first clan Elvis, and my introduction to many players within the community.   I started to platoon with different players that were good!  I met sr360 here.  He was the first person that really began teaching me things I never knew about.  It was amazing how much knowledge he had about every tank in the game by memory.

Everyone likes to focus on the big name guys within the community that we know are epic.  Garbad, sela, CarbonWard, etc.  In my mind, my clan was some of the best players I had ever seen.  I had no clue about the top players.

I bounced around for a little bit to different clans.  Continually growing my friends lists and range of platoon mates.  Some of the people that stick out are sr360, Kooc, Rosh87, xREAPx (yes I said it), Chizhang, NYPD, roslanking1, drynitz, Chuckspiers, T_om, kriegsmaster17, ieatcookies, AutismSpeaks, Ovid, cycliscs, SturmButcher, Tanker91, SuperGG and many more.  I even gained respect for our Clan Wars enemies as they were great players as well.  Like lozarus.

As my skills improved, so did my ego.  I turned into a really stuck up person in game.  I never considered myself really good but always heard from others how good I was.  I began to ignore old friends, become angry at random players easily, and only associate with similarly skilled people.  I thought I was the best.

Then I met Illusion.  I had never seen stats like his before.  I asked him politely to platoon and he accepted.  He warned me if I was bad, he would kick me off his list.  I agreed.  Well I am still on there so I guess I was not terrible lol.  Anyways, I had NEVER seen players play like him and the people he would platoon with (like _ESA_).  It blew my mind.  If I would make a judgment call and it was incorrect, he would instantly correct me and teach me why.  If I played poorly in a round, he would tell me straight out.  I did not mind because I was learning.

There were two distinct instances where I learned that I was not as good as I thought I was.  The first was joining -G-.  It was here that I learned about some of the really talented players from clans like -G-, Forge, S.I.M.P., HAVOK, PBKAC, etc.  These guys performed at such a level that I was lost for words.  The second was when the cap point deduction to stats hit.  (Remember how I was taught?).  I realized my stats that I obsessed about were actually inflated and I didn't even know it.  I dropped a good 200 points or so off my efficiency.

I did a reevaluation of my focus within the game.  I had become someone that I wasn't in real life and was pretty ashamed of it.  I treated many people badly for no reason.  I was too focused on stats and lost the fun factor.

In Anvil I found the best community thus far.  I absolutely loved it there.  I re-shifted my focus back to fun and began to platoon with friends again.  These people deserved better than how I was and I'm not too big of a man to admit that.  I still do not consider myself extremely good.  I am a product of great people, good callers, and platooning 24/7.  I do not need to be the best.  I just needed to start enjoying the game again.

7. What advice would you than give to newer players trying to perform well?


Hang in there and set small goals for yourself. Something that is obtainable in the near future.

Platoon with other players. If you find a fixed crew of about 6 people or so, platoon daily with each other. You will be surprised at how proficient you guys become together.

If you find a really good player that happens to let you platoon with them, take the constructive criticism they give you. They are good for a reason.

Make mistakes. The chances of you making that mistake again are lower the next time.

Do not let yourself get to a point where you feel you cannot learn something from someone else.

Have thick skin. Remember it's just words.

READ THE WIKI!  Everyone is quick to point the finger at other players.  Sometimes a look in the mirror will open your eyes.  I had 13,000 games or so when the YouTube camouflage video came out.  It blew my mind at what I didn't know!

I think CrabEatOff said it best: "it is not a rush to the top!" Trust me when I say it doesn't get easier with bigger tanks.

And most importantly have fun!  Stats are not everything.

8. What makes a good platoon?

Teamwork, communication, and knowing each other’s play style.  Know your buddy's strengths and weaknesses.  This takes time and patience between the 3 of you.  And stay together in battle!  Unless the situation calls for it, why separate from each other?  If my platoon is playing and we see an enemy platooned tank fighting solo, we instantly know to focus him out before his backup arrives.  If the same situation presented itself but his mates are close by, we would be a bit more hesitant to attack.

9. Any tanks you are looking forward to unlocking?


Not really. I just unlocked the T57. This is my first new tank in a long time. I'm not a very adventurous guy. I stick with what I know.

10. What was your most memorable match?


You would think most people remember their epic games from the past. I remember my most epic fail. I was new still, maybe about 3,500 battles or so and playing on Karelia in a public match. The battle was loading and I had just come from the same map a little while before where a rush plan worked. So I begin to rally the troops: "Hey guys! EVERYONE UP THE MIDDLE! It'll work!"  Most were hesitant, one guy was pleading (practically begging) not to do it.   But I was persuasive. "Come on guys, bold moves win battles!"  One by one I gained their acceptance.  Before the countdown was over I talked all 15 of them into it.

Now in the battle beforehand, we all yolo'd right at the beginning. We ran into a little resistance but did catch them by surprise with a 5-0 victory.  This time I thought, we should delay it by 2 minutes. This will cause the enemy to be spread out too far to prevent the cap fast.  In reality, it allowed the enemy to gain the high ground and flanks. Oops.

So at the 13 minute mark, "Guns up, Let's do this!"  We launch with me leading the way.  Full speed.  Confident in my plan.  I looked at my team.  14 tanks following me to victory!  About a minute and a half later, it was a complete slaughterhouse. A massacre. There were bodies everywhere. Back then, it was very rare to see a blowout of 15-0. This was my first one. And I was 100% the cause lol.

Oh man. The rage was strong that battle.  My name popped up in chat so many times I lost count.  I don't think I had that many profanities thrown at me at once since bootcamp.  Of course the enemy team is adding fuel to the fire. Boasting and bragging.  One of them said, "Good job red team, who's brilliant idea was that".....I exited without saying a word, completely embarrassed. LOL!!

11. Any tanks you weren't good in?


Arty and TD's

12. What led you to working for WGA?


I actually found out through the game. For some reason I decided to look at the general chat section. I never go there. I saw a post by SgtGrunt to a player that was asking about jobs at WGA. I was getting out of the military anyways and figured why not. Here I am today!

This is the perfect job for me.  I could not have asked for a better group of people to work with. (interviewer's note: d'awww)

13. Luckiest kill you ever got?

On side one of El Halluf.  I'm in my Type 59.  Game launches and I take off full sprint headed to the beach.  On my way there, two T54's have the same idea.  I realize I am by myself (my platoon mates were TD's sniping from the ridge and missed their shots) and thought it was over. We were all max speed and I take a shot and ammo rack one of the T54's.  He spontaneously combusted.  The second T54 makes it to the beach without getting hit also.  I lay my gun and blind shot with fully bloomed reticle.  Boom! Ammo racked  100% to dead.

Accusations are thrown.  Bragging rights earned. Win.

14. What is your favorite map? (I would laugh if you said Karelia)

Ruinberg and Mines

15. Any in game medals you had difficulty earning?

Yes.  For the life of me, I cannot achieve the Burda's Medal and the DeLanglande's Medal.  I come close and get denied every time.

16.  Last Words?

We're done for! Get out!

6.6.2013

Random piece of fact: Czechoslovak community on EU server has a new community organizer. It's a girl (again) - I wonder why didn't they accept xkatana instead (he was considered earlier for the position), maybe he lacks boobs?

Also, Slavamakarov (surprisingly his real name is Slava Makarov, one of the producers/developer head honchos) confirmed that Superpershing will be taken away from the shop. It is not yet decided whether this will be a permanent thing, or just temporary. It's also not yet sure when that happens. He himself was the author of this proposal and it was approved by SerB and Storm, he doesn't view it as a compromise.

 - apparently, Maus ROF won't be buffed
- the system where only the best players of each team are rewarded (like in sport) won't be implemented, as WoT is a team game
- the new SU-26 top gun AP shell has the penetration of 80, while the golden HEAT shell has the penetration of 74. This is intentional, as the AP shell loses a lot of penetration over distance, while the HEAT one doesn't.
- automatic fire extinguisher test price (10k) is just an experiment, it's not definitive

Oh yes, and as a bonus (I forgot to add it to the last post):

Change of Lorraine 40t model (courtesy of MotorizedPatriot)




0.8.6 test 1 armor changes

Source: http://world-of-ru.livejournal.com/2043751.html
Author: Awasaky

Note from author: when there are different colours on various models, it doesn't necesserily mean that the thickness has been changed, the armor zone might have simply been moved into other armor group.

IS-6

The miniature spaced armor strips over the tracks and the rim around the hull (violent on picture) - earlier 10mm, became 30mm

Earlier:


Became:


SU-8

Gun armor reduced from 50 to 30mm, frontal hull armor increased from 20 to 30mm, rear part (earlier 0) recieved 6mm armor

Earlier:


Became:


SU-85B

Driver's hatch and the armored cover on the front were previously weakspots (10mm), their armor got increased to 42mm, turning them into zones more armor than the rest of the frontal hull.

Earlier:


Became:


Cromwell

The rim of the mantlet recieved the same thickness as its center (64 to 76,2mm), the center got buffed from 76 to 76,2mm. Various turret weakspots (hatches) buffed significantly.

Earlier:


 

Became:



Comet - no armor layout changes.

Matilda Black Prince

Apart from changing the size of the turret, new armor groups between 70 and 55mm were added. Commander's copula and hatch armor was improved.

Earlier:



Became:



SU-76

Buffed the 0mm spaced armor to 10mm and improved the frontal armor driver's hatch and armor cover weakspots from 10mm to 42mm

Earlier:



Became:



T95

In frontal armor, the small triangle weakspot recieved 305mm armor (left above the gun)

Earlier:


Became:



Panzer V/IV


The weld between lower and upper frontal plate has been reduced from 110mm to 85mm, the lower frontal armor is slightly better angled.

Earlier:



Became:



Panzer III/IV

Lower frontal armor recieved a slightly better angle

Earlier:


Became:


Object 268

Recieved new miniature 20mm  spaced armor plates on sides.

Earlier:


Became:


E-100

Besides the obvious moving of the turret 30cm forward, the turret angles have been slightly nerfed,  track covers above the tracks have been nerfed from 90mm to 30mm (the green thin strip) and the side armor was nerfed from 130mm to 120mm.

Earlier:






Became:





Superpershing is allegedly going to be removed from stores...

Source: http://forum.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/243069-breaking-news-super-pershing-will-be-removed-from-the-store/

Basically, Korean server (which for some reason announces this stuff a lot in advance) released the following statement (text translated/transcribed by Krasnayazvezda, US server)

Tankers!
We are sorry to inform you that the Super Pershing will be removed from the stores of all servers around the world upon the request of Wargaming.net headquarters.
Thus the planned discount of the Super Pershing (note : local event for Korean server only) will be cancelled according to this.
We'll let you know about the details regarding the Super Pershing within a few days.

We apologize you for the abrupt change of the details of the specials.
We'll do our best to provide you better services in the future.
Thank you.

SS: So much fuss over one wrong frontal armor angle....

Test server round 2

Round 2 of test server starts tomorrow. Just so you know, guys :)

Jun 5, 2013

Chi Ri II - Japanese tier 6/7 medium

Author: Soukoudragon (US forums)

A practical merging of the Chi Ri and Chi To

With the name Chi Ri II, the patterned way of thinking would figure that this Chi Ri II would be a better tank than the Chi Ri.

Well... yes and no.

Let’s look at Germany. The Tiger 2, the Jagdtiger, the Maus…bigger is better was the trend. But bigger meaning better is highly debatable. What if Germany made more of less complicated and lighter fighting machines? Well, the E-series was apparently going to help with that… a little.

With that concept in mind, the Chi Ri II was designed to be more practical than the Chi Ri. The designers were considering the final desperate battle for the homeland of Japan. They imagined destroyed bridges and railroads, the need to transport over water with landing craft, limited resources, and so on. A simplified Chi Ri sounds like a good idea, thus a better tank…for this kind of dire situation. However the war ended before development could begin.

The other point is that the Chi Ri II took many characteristics from both the Chi Ri and the Chi To while removing some characteristics from the Chi Ri. It could be said that it is as much a Chi Ri II as it is a Chi To II.

Characteristics to be borrowed from the Chi Ri (likely a none exhaustive list)

   Electrically moved Turret rotation.
   The wide 600mm treads.

Characteristics removed from the Chi Ri

   Secondary 37mm cannon.
   Large H9II gasoline engine. This enabled reducing the size of the hull.

Characteristics borrowed from the Chi To (production model).

   Similar 7 road wheel style coil spring suspension
   Upper front hull armor sloped (Chi To production model still has a better slope)
   400 HP diesel engine supercharged to 500 HP for the Chi Ri II.
   Very similar turret.




Main armament was the Type 5 75mm cannon.
Shell Weight: 6.615 kg
Muzzle Velocity: 821 m/s
Kinetic Energy: 2229 kj
Historical Pen: 75 mm (1,000 meters) goal (met), 80 mm (1,000 meters) expected

There is really nothing innovating about this tank. Bringing the good points of both the Chi Ri and the Chi To together created a stable and sound tank design.

In terms of WoT, the answer to the question “better” is where the “no” comes in. The simplification and practicality delivers a tank that is somewhat less, or perhaps, equally potent to the Chi Ri. Therefore the Chi Ri II could be either a tier 6 or tier 7 tank and not a tier 8 tank.

Armor

Front Upper Hull: 75mm
Front Lower Hull: 50mm
Side Hull: 35mm
Top Hull: 20mm
Rear Hull: 35mm
Bottom Hull: 16mm

Front Turret: 75mm
Side Turret: --
Top Turret: --
Rear Turret: --

Estimated values for optional cannons


Tier 6 Type 5 75mm model II (no auto loader)
AP Damage: 135
AP Penetration: 137
Rate of Fire: 14.5 r/m
Accuracy: .36

Tier 6 Type 5 75mm model I (single tray auto loader)
AP Damage: 135
AP Penetration: 137
Rate of Fire: 19 r/m
Accuracy: .36

Tier 7 Type 5 88mm cannon
AP Damage: 220
AP Penetration: 144
Rate of Fire: 10 r/m
Accuracy: .38

The 88mm cannon may be a bit of a squeeze but looks feasible, especially for WoT purposes.

Mobility
Weight is about 35 tons. The 500 HP supercharged Mitsubishi AL Type 4 V12 diesel engine gives a 14.2 hp/ton rating. This is undoubtedly the weak spot in the Chi Ri II as far as game implementation is concerned.

Dimensions

It is quite a bit smaller than the Chi Ri and thus a common size medium tank.

Length: 6,492
Width: 3.05
Height: 2.792

Assessment

The weak spot is the hp/ton rating. With 14.2hp/ton, it just cannot compete with the other tier 7 medium tanks in mobility. All the other attributes such as firepower, armor, and soft stats are workable in tier 7 if mobility was good enough. The weak engine bumps it down to tier 6 quality. There are no other engine options available for the Chi Ri II. The large H9II engine would be too large to fit in the Chi Ri II, thus shutting access to the H9II’s rich de-tuned upgradability.

Sources:

Maru [丸] 2011 October magazine edition. 平成23年10月一日発行 
WoT Discussion forum: Japanese Tank Tree & Guns Discussion: posts by Daigensui

Chi Ri Kai - Japanese tier 8 medium

SS: Today we have 2 articles about the Chi-Ri development from Soukoudragon (US forums).

Author: Soukoudragon (US forums)

Chi Ri Kai for Medium Tier 8

The Chi Ri Kai is what would be grabbing historically existing features and components and bringing them together. The most important part is the gun. I see no choice but for the 105 to be used.




Ho Ri 105 long cannon

According to the Japanese wiki article that has this gun picture, this 105 has the single tray loader attach to it. By looking carefully, it can be seen. If this single tray loader was removed, it seems like the cannon can be mounted into the Chi Ri plan 2 big turret. That would give the Chi Ri Kai a big alpha and a high pen but with a slow reload. The 105 would be the top gun and the 75mm belt fed would be stock with the 88 available in the modules. This 105 would also be used, likely as the top gun, for the Tier 8 Ho Ri TD, but with the single tray reload attached. The pen, alpha, and accuracy, would still largely be of tier 8 or tier 9 TD gun quality on this tier 8 medium tank.

The hull would be based on the Ho Ri sloped TD.


Technically speaking, this sloped hull was based off the Chi Ri hull anyway. It's just a matter of taking this design and giving it back to the Chi Ri for the Chi Ri Kai. If you look closely, the picture identifies where the transmission, engine, ammunition, and the fuel tank would be located. Just like how these components were switched around in the Ho Ri 2 (e.g. the engine is in the rear in the Ho Ri 2), these components can be switched around to fit the large Chi Ri turret in the middle. As of now, I don't know what the armor would be of the front slope. But even by maintaining the 75 thickness, this very sharp slope of perhaps as much as 70 degrees would make for strong frontal armor.

For suspension, one of the various suspensions examined for the Chi Ri can be used. The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Torsion bar plan gives the most modern feel.


So these 6 road-wheels with Torsion bars instead of the springs portrayed in this picture.
The Chidori suspension system is also a nice option.


The resulting tank could look something like this example: The Sloped Chi Ri hull, a 105mm cannon, and the MHI torsion bars suspension.


(Image made by forum poster: sp15)


The engine would still be based on the same Chi Ri engine, the H9II. Just different levels in the de-tune would make a suitable engine. After loading on the 105, the Chi Ri Kai's weight may go up to 38 or 39 tons. The series in HP can go like 550, 675, 720, 800. However the 800 may not be needed, perhaps for the tier 9 TD. The Chi Ri Kai at 39 tons will get 18.4 hp/ton with the 720.

And finally, all of the advance features from the Type 5 Chi Ri will carry over, such as the wide treads, the turret basket, gyro-stabilizer, long range observation, the electric motor that rotates the turret, and so on.

With that said, the Plan 2 Chi Ri turret would be quite under armored for tier 8. So then maybe an improved armored plan 2 turret could be used as the upgrade turret. Put on an additional 25mm from those add on plates to make 100 front or go with 125 to match the front thickness in the Ho Ri, whichever seems most appealing I suppose. Add on another ton in weight and make that 720 engine a 725 engine instead.

Aside from the optional upgrade plan 2 turret, everything here are real components creating a realistically feasible tank for tier 8.

The GWE arty seems to have opened the door wide enough for this Chi Ri Kai. But if the door was to get shut, then the STA-1 has to be used for the tier 8 medium. If the Chi Ri Kai gets welcomed, then the STA-1 can be a premium tier 8 medium tank.

One more thing to point out is exactly how other tanks can be implemented will affect how or even if the Chi Ri Kai could be suggested for use. For example, the planned successor to the Chi Ri, the Chi Se is optional for tier 8. While there is very little to go with on the Chi Se, the cheaper Chi Ri II and it's hull might be the more realistic approach for the Chi Se. Work in progress, work in progress...

Sources


Maru magazine [丸] May 2013 edition pages 76-81
Maru magazine [丸] October 2011 edition page page 124-131
Japanese wiki: http://ja.wikipedia....rg/wiki/試製五式砲戦車
WoT NA forums/"In Game" Vehicle Comparison/Japanese Tank Tree & Guns Discussion thread

Official E-25 and 112 pics

Source: wot-news.com

112











E-25






E-25 on test server

........aaaaaaaaaand it's leaked. Not like we didn't know the stats before. Enjoy.

Source: wot-lol.ru


5.6.2013

Thanks to Tengelsen for wonderful gold donation, much appreciated :) (sorry, noticed your gift too late)

- Q: "KV-1S with 122mm is not historical"
  A: "Home-educated experts, huh?" (and SerB adds the picture of 122mm KV-1S)






- the vehicle on the above picture is KV-122 by the way. It's possible that in time, KV-1S will move to tier 5 and will become a hull module option for the KV-1 for more historicity
- SerB states that the "maps are being remade for arty to better hits tanks behind covers" is just a conspiracy theory
- SerB states that during war and post-war firing tests in Kubinka, no side-effects of Zimmerit were ever confimed. Recently, very simple tests were made with magnets and it was found out that Zimmerit has no effect on magnetic mines. It's possible the whole Zimmerit project was made for other reasons

SS: to explain this - there are various theories and hoaxes running around about Zimmerit. The most common are that Zimmerit caused more vehicle fires when shot - it didn't - and that Zimmerit caused enemy shells to penetrate better - again, it didn't. Personally, from what I could find out, in very thick layers (we are talking 5cm or so, which noone applied on tanks), Zimmerit can probably disrupt magnetic mines (just like a piece of wood of the same thickness would), but it doesn't have any side effects and in the setup Germans used it was useless. Nevertheless, some Allies (Americans I think) actually thought that since Germans do it, it must have SOME use and therefore started using captured stock at one point. I believe that the common WW2 author consensus is that it useless. Looked good tho.

- SerB doesn't consider the Saukopfblende gun mantlet (Jagdpanzer IV for example) underpowered
- Jagdtiger hull thickness won't be buffed
- Mark IX Centurion turret is different from Mark 2,3,7
- theoretically the L7 could fit into Mark 2,3,7 Centurion turrets (won't be implemented)
- it's possible Centurion will have its speed increased to 48 km/h
- it's possible (and desired by SerB) that the Chieftain prototype will be introduced into the game, they are looking for proper data for 6 months already, SerB promised to rush the search
- the FV215b 183 won't probably have its ammo capacity increased to 15 pieces
- SerB states that the fact that Himmelsdorf houses are so close to each other is historical and based on old German cities
- SerB doesn't consider the Sturmpanzer II with gold ammo overpowered in 8.6
- SerB admits that the 198 pen for 75mm L/70 was not historical, it will also likely not be solved by using APCR shells for the gun as silver ammo (also unrealistic for 1945)
- the new camo system rollback was caused by a great amount of bugs in camo
- when various models of one tank with different setups (turrets, guns) historically had various numbers of crewmembers (KV-13, Hetzer), the crew amount obviously remains the same. Developers know about this and don't consider it too important, unlike errors in vehicle armor.
- SerB states that they are TRYING not to change premium vehicles, but they do have the possibility according to Terms of Use
- will teamkillers be punished more? "If necessery. We decide what's necessery."
- theoretically, some nations could have 2nd arty lines - but that won't be implemented for now
- on unhistorical E50M: "If you find us a more historical E50M, we will immediately put it into the game" (SS: how did that Weserhütte E-75 go, Zarax and Daigensui? Did anyone on Russian forums mention it?)
- currently, modelling works has begun on the Japanese branch (SS: the German TD's are allegedly already modelled)
- (as a sum of several SerB's posts) SerB basically doesn't care about the Superpershing shitstorm, he mentioned that he developed immunity to whining
- the increased accuracy for guns is fine according to SerB
- the speed of sound (delays between shots and sound) might eventually be implemented into the game, but has a low priority
- the "invisible enemies" camo bug has been found and fixed
- it's not yet clear whether the British tier 8 premium tank will be a medium, or a heavy
- for now the Lowe will not be removed from the shop
- SerB states that it's normal for vehicles to be rebalanced after a while when they come out on live server, test server is not enough to balance them once and for all
- SerB confirms that the source for E50M was Spielberger's book, but also states that the project from the book did not meet success and had to be "further developed" by WG


Bonus: Vallter (one of the developers) on the new reward system


Hi all!

I've seen a lot of questions all over the forums regarding the following message on Public Test server:


In this post you may find some explanations to this.

The case is that in 8.6 we enable a new functional for automatic in-game events - 'Missions'. Shortly, these are combat tasks, for completing which players will receive certain award. There are lots of variants for Mission conditions that allow us to create really interesting challenges. In the same time there are a lot of awards, which may be received for completing this missions. In future we will even add some unique things....

You will be able to check them out on the live server in July (most probably). Currently we are just testing the functional on Public Test that's why no specific announcement was made. We want to test as much parts of the functional as possible, that's why missions are quite easy, different, and provide lots of rewards.

I would share more with you, but I cannot atm. Stay tuned and follow our official portals in order to receive more information in future.

Thank you for reading and... What are your thoughts on this?

Best regards,
Vallter