World of Tanks – Sandbox last test – all changes for a new game

Sandbox WoT. Testing a new balance. The time has come for the most ambitious and crucial stage of the tests, which will begin on February 10 at 18:00 (Moscow time) and will last 10 days.

It will include numerous potential changes, and active participants will be awarded a tank premium account and a commemorative medal.

Everyone can take part – you just need to download and install a special client through Wargaming.net Game Center. And do not forget to leave feedback on the proposed changes in a special questionnaire.

Contents:

• Rebalance of shells
• Changes in the mechanics of high-explosive shells
• Artillery as an integral part of World of Tanks
• Another step forward
• Review of tech research branches
• Section with current statistics
• Improvement of personal combat missions
• Adjustment of game economy parameters
• Rewards for participation in testing

Rebalance of shells.

Initially, all the proposed changes were conceived as a shell rebalance system, within which we wanted to adjust the efficiency ratio between the basic and special shells. There have always been several types of shells in the game, but one of them was considered an absolute favorite in terms of efficiency – this is a special (or “gold”) shell. It is available to all players for credits, it inflicts, as a rule, the same damage as the basic one, but its armor penetration values ​​are much higher – accordingly, in most game situations, its effectiveness is also higher, since it becomes more likely to cause damage when using it.

In the framework of the new system, our main goal is to adjust the efficiency ratio between special and basic shells, so that in different game situations both types of ammunition have their own advantages. And we realized that in order to achieve this goal we need new approaches and a consistent system that will affect other aspects of the game, in addition to shells.

We started working on a concept in which all shells will be more balanced and each of them will have its own role. In the new paradigm, the base shell has the most damage, good armor penetration and low cost. A special shell, on the contrary, has the greatest value of armor penetration, but deals less damage compared to the basic ammunition. The cost of this shell is several times higher than the cost of the base.

– In what situations should you use each of the types of shells?
• The basic projectile is best used when you are sure that you can accurately penetrate the enemy’s armor and inflict maximum damage per shot.
• A special shell (gold) is necessary in cases where it makes sense to sacrifice damage per minute for the more likely penetration of the enemy’s armor.
• A high-explosive fragmentation projectile will help when you need to bring down a base grab, finish off an enemy with a minimum margin of safety, or damage an external module (for example, to knock down a track), as well as when it is impossible to damage other types of shells.

Changes in the mechanics of high-explosive shells.

HE – a very important part of the existing ammunition system. Their main feature is the unique mechanics of dealing damage. Of course, with the rebalance of basic and special shells, a rebalance of high-explosive fragmentation is also required. We wanted these shells to be effective in some specific tactical situations.

Compared to the existing system with a new balance, these shells will become more effective with calibers less than 120 mm and lose effectiveness with calibers greater than 150 mm. And we also want to improve the mechanics of dealing damage with these shells, so that it is more predictable for both the shooters and those who are firing.

For machines that have high-explosive shells as the main element of the gameplay, we tried to adjust the parameters of the shells in order to maintain the previous average efficiency. Almost all high-explosive and HESH-shells under the new mechanics will not be able to penetrate the armor. High-explosive shells, which in the old system differed from the rest in higher armor penetration values, will now do more damage as compensation (this applies, for example, FV 4005, FV215b 183, Centurion Action X, Progetto M40 mod. 65, Super Conqueror, Type 5 Heavy (high-explosive gun), HWK 30, Pz. 58 Mutz). The only exceptions will be the KV-2 and KV-2 (P), which will still be able to penetrate armor with HE shells.

Artillery as an integral part of World of Tanks.

Artillery is an important part of the game system, but due to the radically different gameplay, all changes to the self-propelled guns are of a different nature. We do not want to change the effectiveness of artillery in terms of damage and instead change the approach to its gameplay: make changes similar to the rebalance of shells.

In accordance with these changes, new types of shells will be added to the arsenal of self-propelled guns. This will allow:

• to make the gameplay more diverse;
• increase the influence of the choice of the type of shells in each specific situation on the overall effectiveness of the player;
• reduce the total amount of damage caused by artillery landmines;
• reduce the total duration of stunning.

Therefore, when playing on self-propelled guns, you will have at your disposal the following types of shells:

• Basic high-explosive shells. They are still stunning and remain unchanged.
• Special (gold) high-explosive fragmentation shells. They are characterized by increased damage, have a large radius of flight of fragments, but DO NOT stun.
• Armor-piercing or cumulative shells. Their distinguishing features are high armor penetration and predictable, but reduced damage dealt. These shells do not have flight of fragments and stuns.

One more step forward.

During the previous stages of testing, we changed the system of shells and reviewed the parameters of special and high-explosive ammunition. In addition to rebalance, we also adjusted the HP values ​​of the entire equipment in order to increase its average life time in battle. We increased the safety margin for all tanks of I – VI levels and made the sequence of HP increase from level to level more smooth. Now this tier has a higher survival rate, and the cost of error for it is reduced.

We are almost done with balanced changes, and the feedback from the players who participated in the Sandbox show that we are moving in the right direction. As a result, each type of projectile is suitable for different game situations.

Testing this February will be the last stage in which all previous and future changes to the new balance will become one. All previously announced changes remain, and other innovations will be added to them.

Revision of tech research branches.

This is one of the main changes that will appear as part of the new balance. We know that the research trees of some nations are quite “branchy,” and players often get confused in them because of complex and obscure transitions. This applies most of all to the trees of the USSR, Germany and the USA. It may be difficult for players to navigate and calculate the optimal path of research, so the problem needs to be addressed.

Here’s what we offer:

– A simplified structure of the research tree.
– Clear and logical transitions.
– Grouping equipment by type. The central branch will be the most understandable and simple – this is the branch of heavy tanks. Transitions to branches of medium tanks and tank destroyers will go from it, and around the edges the research tree will be framed by self-propelled guns and light tanks.
– Convenient orientation in premium technology, which will now be located separately from the tech tree.
– Zoom function for low resolution monitors to simplify viewing a specific area. On large monitors, the entire research tree will fit on one screen.

To optimize the technology branches, we moved 92 machines from the research trees.

Tanks of I – V levels are added to a separate tab “Collectible equipment” in the game store. This tanks will not be removed from the game, but simply moved to a new tab and divided by nation. There are two ways to get there: through the game store and from the research tree. To get access to the collection tanks of a certain nation, you need to research at least one tier VI tank of that nation.

* All tanks purchased from the research tree will remain in your Hangar.
** For research and purchase of collection tanks you only need credits, experience is not needed. Basic configurations will be available for all machines, so that after purchase you can begin to study their modules, as is the case with conventional equipment. Collectible equipment will not differ from its previous version, except that it will be sold through the game store.

Tanks from VI to X level remains in the game, and you can still get it in the future. We will provide detailed information later. If you have any of these tanks in the Hangar, they will remain there. Moreover, they will move into the category of promotional vehicles.

*** If the machine that you have already researched and purchased is derived from the research tree, the machine (or machines) following it in the branch will be automatically researched.

Not all functionality will go to the test server. So, the interface of the collection technology in the in-game store at this stage of testing will not be sufficient. But we would like to share some information on how it will change if the new balance is successfully tested.

**** All fragments of drawings of unexplored equipment will be translated into universal and national at the rate of creation of these drawings in accordance with the level. For example, for the drawing of tank of level IV, it is supposed to charge 4 universal and 1 national drawing.

Section with current statistics

When changing the main game aspects the current statistics associated with these parameters may become irrelevant. However, this does not mean that all your statistics for the entire time in the game will be lost – they will continue to be updated even after the release of a new balance.

At the same time, we want to add a section with current statistics for a certain period (for example, for 3 months). At the end of this period, a new one will begin with the same duration. The duration of this period is still under discussion.

New statistics will allow you to correctly track your progress in a changing environment.

Refinement of personal combat missions.

All these changes will affect the personal combat tasks of both campaigns. We plan to adjust their conditions to ensure you the best gameplay after the release of a new balance. And here it may be necessary to temporarily suspend some combat missions.

Correction of the parameters of the gaming economy.

The battle economy, which directly depends on the damage dealt and received, will also be adjusted. If you highlight the main thing, all changes will be proportional to the balanced changes, but the profitability of the battles will remain at the same level. We want to keep your current profitability and experience gained so that players with the same level of combat effectiveness can continue to earn as much as before.

Rewards for participating in testing:

We are grateful to everyone who participated in previous iterations of the Sandbox and left their feedback. Now it’s time to conduct the most ambitious and important testing in order to make the final decision on the implementation of all the announced changes.

The participation of each player is important. The more players test the new balance and share their feedback, the more effective the test result will be. This is the last stage, and if the results are positive, we plan to implement all the changes in the game.

And we want to reward test participants as a sign of our appreciation for their contribution to the new balance.

During testing, special combat missions will be available. To receive rewards, follow the conditions of the tasks and fill out a special questionnaire, which will be sent out through the game client after February 19. As soon as you answer all the questions, on the main server you will be awarded all the rewards for the tasks performed.

Total Earnings:

5 Days Tank Premium Account
10 personal reserves: + 300% to crew experience for 2 hours
10 personal reserves: + 300% to free experience for 2 hours
10 personal reserves: + 100% to experience for 2 hours
10 Automatic fire extinguishers
10 Large repair kits
10 Large first-aid kits

Testing a new balance starts on February 10th and lasts up to 10 days. We will also transfer the accounts of all test participants to the server of the new balance in order to simplify the testing of changes and track their impact on specific machines.

source – wotexpress