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 

ftr.wot-news.com

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.

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.

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)

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

Definitive answer: Superpershing stays as it is

Source: http://valltergaming.blogspot.de/2013/06/86-fate-of-superpershing.html

So, after the long and dramatic soap opera (SP nerf announced, Storm says there will be no nerf, SerB says there will probably be nerf and then they both said it's being discussed), it has been decide that

there will be no Superpershing nerf.

Personally, I think it's a good decision.

Storm on 0.8.6 part 2

Here are a few of the answers Storm has given in comments under the earlier article from today (I hate backediting posts, so I'll just make this new one):

- Storm has checked the test hit rate statistics. All vehicles (except for arty) improved their hit percentage by cca 5 percent.
- devs are still thinking about removing the sniper mode reticle shake after shooting
- the new tank being hit sounds have cca 50/50 feedback, about half of the players like it, half don't
- the "exploit" with shooting from behind two bushes will stay too, but the fix was already developed and will soon be implemented
- Superpershing nerf is still not decided
- tests stats do not confirm the opinion of some players that arty was in fact buffed, both arty hitrate and damage went apparently down
- the new sounds of engines, shots etc. won't come soon, but WG is working on it
- it's not easy for the developers to change the date of test server patches, as the test server patch publishing has huge inertia
- the changes in some vehicles' camo factor are connected with unification of the camo factor counting metod on all the vehicles, based on their size - earlier, some vehicles had illogical camo factor, not corresponding to their size
- devs are discussing the implementation of another spall liner function: increase the saving throw of crewmembers and internal modules from arty HE shells by 20-30 percent
- the game crashes in research tree have been fixed in 0.8.6
- according to Storm, the French premium arty wasn't nerfed

4.6.2013

- Zimmerit has no influence on normalisation in the game, like it didn't in real life (SS: no idea where this came from, why would anyone think Zimmerit had any influence. There was a "report" that Zimmerit coating caused fires, but the Germans tested it and came to the conclusion it's bullshit - sort of like WW2 urban legend)
- 3 tier MM spread (as it was before) won't return
- the "miniquest" task system, tested on public test (SS: a lot of folks ran into this - ridiculously high rewards for "nothing") will continue to be tested, it's a first glimpse of how the future will look
- there will be a new arty splash visual effect, experiments are running
- according to Storm, both the tanks with long aimtime but accurate guns and with short time but inaccurate guns will benefit from the accuracy changes roughly the same
- according to SerB, the tested (nerfed) Superpershing model is historically correct (SS: at this moment, it is not yet decided, whether SP gets nerfed or not)
- SerB doesn't play a set number of battles each day, sometimes he only plays double XP battles, sometimes he plays 30 battles per day
- WG won't apparently make anime series about tanks
- SerB has seen Girls und Panzer, according to SerB the tanks in the series are historically very correct
- according to SerB, the game was formed as a casual game, never intended for e-sports, that came later by itself
- apparently, SerB's answering of question is a part of his job (as in, he's not answering stupid questions voluntarily), the worst questions he encounters are: "when's the patch", "when will Type 59 be back in shops", "why do you secretly nerf tanks" and "why do Germans have to suffer"
- SerB on the topic of complaining officialy about him: "Well, since I am the vice-president of the company, you can only really complain to the board of directors. So, go to the company website and put your claims into an official letter. And as a result of your letter, I will definitely be fired for sure!" (SS: edited a bit to make better sense in English)
- the chance of Vickers tier 1 British tank being replaced by Mark V is very low, because there would be no point. Purely in theory an alternative tier 1 tank could be introduced, but the devs don't plan to do that
- SerB on why TD10 shells weren't penetration-nerfed: "It would make no sense to do especially that - if you nerf TD shells penetrations a bit, there will be no difference anyway. But TD's are TD's - next candidates to HATE!!!!!11111 after arties"
- British arty "special" thing will be very good gun traverse angles
- Panzer IX and X won't be introduced - they are the "Goebbels-tanks", desinformations posted in the Signal magazine, there were no projects such as this
- for now, the IS-2 with 122mm M62 gun won't be introduced, but at least one of the prototypes really existed
- SerB states that the tier 10 Japanese heavy won't be heavier than Maus, but he doesn't know yet about its dimensions, he states that a track of such a vehicle, around a meter wide, is situated in one of the Japanese museums
- WoT, WoWp and WoWs apparently won't have common credits (silver)
- multi-layered armor (with various steel types) could be introduced, but is not planned - according the SerB, the players are confused with penetration enough as it is
- HEAT shells lose only penetration on spaced armor, not damage
- SerB is generally satisfied with 0.8.6 test results, there will be a 2nd round though
- the British arty patch won't bring any other non-premium vehicles
- SerB states that the "there are no plans" statement doesn't mean that such a thing won't ever be implemented, because some things are simply done ad hoc, without planning
- SerB on Superpershing: "The thing is, Superpershing is not correctly implemented. It doesn't correspond to the real life vehicle. That's bad and we have to fix that. Type 59 does correspond to the real life tank, that's why it wasn't nerfed, but taken out of the store. We are prepared to have unhistorical stuff in the game in some cases, but this is really blatant."
- Storm states that the armor of IS-3 is correct, model will be fixed in 0.8.6
- artillery tracers won't be removed ("move after shooting or die")
- Argentinian branch of vehicles is planned (SS: now, that's interesting... I know of only two: Nahuel and the AMX-13 hybrid)
- Batchat 25t armor and speed won't be increased
- Q: "This game is getting boring, what exciting and new thing will you add?" A: "We have a great addon for the game. It's called 'real life' - try unlocking it, it helps. This is no joke - one cannot play the game forever, so in your case everything is absolutely normal."
- Jagdpanzer E-50/E-75 are post-war fakes, according to SerB (SS: well... partially. Jpz E-50 is a total fake, but there is a mention - only a mention, mind you - that some sort of TD project was planned on the E-75 hull. No details are known however, so any rendering or "plans" you might see on the web are pure fantasy)
- there are several more vehicles with autoloaders, that will possibly be introduced
- developers state that the WoT wiki can have wrong data
- the T-10 tank was considered for tier 10, but in the end, it was decided it's too underpowered for that

Storm on 0.8.6

Source: http://world-of-kwg.livejournal.com/202859.html


SS: Oh well, looks like there IS an official translation from one of the developers: 

The most important - we decided to restore most of the camouflage system to the 8.5 version, with the following exceptions:
    - the changes (buffs) of camouflage patterns and net will be implemented
    - the camouflage parameters for some vehicles will change (here, Storm said this change is kinda natural, the camo factors were normally recalculated)
    - the camouflage bonus for bushes will be reduced by 20% (and not three times, as it was in Public Test #1)
SS: Here Storm adds that it's possible this all won't be ready for test 2, he can't say yet

- A bug with non-load and non-display of vehicles in the open was tracked down and fixed. It had a common cause for everyone, and you finally will be able to test normally on PT #2 (SS: actually, here Storm said the reason for this bug was actually the same reason why there were slow response times in hangar under some circumstances)
 - System of dynamic textures changes will be tested during PT #2 only. It was disabled on PT #1, that's why you have noticed no effect. (SS: the FPS-dependent texture quality and effect reduction)
- Dynamic camera had some incorrect coefficients, so we will reduce the shaking after the shot by a factor of 4 with the next iteration of PT.

- Audio will receive significant changes in PT #2
- SPGs won't be nerfed any further in 8.6. The increased accuracy won't be removed.
- Decision on SuperPershing model changes will be completed and shared later this week.

SS: The translation of that developer (I really can't remember his name) is not really literal - the Superpershing info is for example not in the Russian original. Funnily enough, there are actually some significant differences between Storm's text and the translation. Interesting.

3.6.2013

- currently, the spare tracks attached on the armor have no influence on armor thickness, because theoretically after first hit they'd have to fall off. The developers will first implement client physics (spare tracks falling off after being hit) and then will rethink the whole issue
- Q: "I heard a rumor that you will change the Maus frontal turret armor from 240mm to historical 250mm, is it true?" A: "The truth is that historical frontal turret armor thickness was 210-240mm" and "You can go to Kubinka and measure it yourself - simple as that :)"
- apparently, weakened armor zones after being hit by a shell to that spot won't be implemented
- Q: "Regarding the Superpershing issue, how many people would have to lift their voices for developers to consider their opinion?" A: "Well, I think 5 percent of active users would make us at least pay attention to the issue. That's like - 500 thousand. As in: get 500 thousand signatures."
- SerB confirmed that new reward system is being tested (as in special rewards for archievements), it won't be however active on regular basis
- SerB regarding the question, whether 112 (which is really good on supertest) will be nerfed after it comes out: "If we make a mistake, we fix it. If we don't, we don't. Simple as that."
- SerB can't promise, what the number of HAVOK patch will look like, whether it will be one of the 0.8.X series, or 0.9
- dynamic collision model will come hand in hand with its visual respresentation (SS: As an example, if a part of original hitbox "falls off" using Havok (for example a piece of box, or external tanks), the hitbox will change too"
- tanks with shell ejectors won't have any special bonus for that, it will be counted in the vehicle's overall characteristics
- apparently, the ground resistance for hard, medium and soft soils (as in: good, medium, bad terrain) is roughly (in ratio of) 1,2,5
- drowned tanks can't be shot at, because developers consider their full destruction (all modules gone) sufficient
- basically, SerB confirmed GW Tiger P is a fake - he confirmed they basically used the development order for 210mm mortar Elefant and rough dimensions of the vehicle to deduce it was an artillery vehicle (more on that here).
- in connection with midtier derp nerf, midtier HE shells will not be buffed
- improved ventilation for M53/55? "Tests will show"
- regarding the aforementioned client physics implementation, it's being worked on, it will work so that for example Schmalturm Panzer IV's mesh side armor (Schurzen) will fly off after being hit, it's possible that after its implementation, there will be additional armor implemented, such as sandbags
- SerB on Superpershing nerf (if there will be any): "Tests will show" - SerB also states that after the HEAT and APCR shell changes, Superpershing's armor was actually increased (SS: and thus he implies that armor nerf would actually bring it to pre-8.6 level of protection)
- US T71 was chosen for a number of reasons (SS: nothing specific), as for T92 implementation: "no comment"
- there are no plans to introduce the possibility to actually sell garage slots, for silver or for gold
- T23 to return? "no comment" (SS: a few days back there was an interesting post on US forum: one of the players was ranting on how he wants the T23 back as a premium vehicle, on which The_Chieftain (US developer) replied: "I know something he doesn't know....  But I'm not allowed to tell")

2.6.2013

- there is no free skill reset planned in connection with new camo system introduction
- the initiative to change the camo system apparently came from SerB
- WoT not suitable for cybersport? "You don't have to take part in cybersport events"
- SerB on cheat mods: "If you don't value your account too much, you can try. They offer no exceptional advantages, but nasty surprises are guaranteed." and "Nasty surprises - I must warn you. No details, of course." (SS: currently, it is sort of confirmed that developers do have a system, which recognizes used mods from replays. I assume it's not really that hard to apply the system into the client to work in real time...)
- players won't be able to put their own inscriptions oh tanks (SS: SerB mentioned earlier he doesn't want a "chuj" (dick/fuck in Russian) and Waffen SS inscription epidemy)
- apparently, the reason behind the earlier Superpershing nerf was historicity (SS: it was confirmed by Storm that the nerf won't come)
- Q: "What the hell, I can't see a tier 10 TD shooting at me from 56 meters..." A: "What a horror..."
- Q: "So we can forget the 'no nerfs to premium tanks' principle?" A: "You can of course forget anything that you made up by yourself - noone can stop you from that. Look at the wording of our responses: we try not to change the characteristics of premium tanks without serious need. Incorrect configuration of vehicle hull does fall into the "serious need" category."
- if you get automatically unlocked the new arties implemented into the game, because you researched its predecessor, you will have them unlocked, but they apparently won't have their modules researched in any case, even if the original arty has the same gun as the newly unlocked one. This is intentional.
- premium accounts running only when players are playing won't be implemented
- it's possible Tiger will have its maximum speed increased like the IS-7 had (without buffing horsepower)

1.6.2013

- while final patchnotes are not realized, the fact that tier 7 arty can fight tier 5-6 teams (as a top tank) is intentional and will be even in the live server
- accuracy was improved roughly by 20 percent in 0.8.6, devs don't consider it overpowered

- while WoWp actually has a linear skill improvement (levelling up the crew from 50 to 51 costs the same XP as from 99 to 100), there are no plans to introduce this to WoT. The reason for that is that such a system is less forgiving for casual players (hardcore players would get insane crews much faster and there would be a lot of them)
- in the future, drowning an enemy (pushing him into water) will count as a kill and might even yield a bonus
- when deciding what vehicle gets the XL spall liner, base weight was taken into account, that's why the T110E3 doesn't have it
- when your client version is not up to date, the client won't run (server won't allow it)
- graphics weren't changed in 8.6
- E-25 price was not yet decided
- camo mechanism was reworked because the developers wanted to improve the effect of camo net and camo pattern and also to get rid of the 2-bush exploit
- Storm is not sure, when the fix for Redshire FPS drop will come
- the accuracy of all vehicles (except for arty) was increased by the same amount
- based on yesterday's article on JPZ E-100 (SS: see earlier blog post, I translated it), Storm will re-check the influence of ventilation on masking
- it's possible the Korean map resembles one real life location (Yonchisan valley)
- the Nvidia issue was not yet fixed, there are still problems apparently
- intertia is not taken into account when moving the turret
- the fact a tank can't steer when going fast and its engine gets destroyed is a "feature", but Storm also adds that to do it differently would be difficult with current physics system
- VK7201 Failowe won't be obtainable thru random battles
- there will be a list of tanks, which get a profitability boost in 0.8.6, it doesn't concern tier 8 premium tanks, but some lower tier premium tanks it does
- SerB is personally responsible for the SU-26 122mm gun removal
- it's possible that all the WG projects won't have only unified premium account, but also unified gold
- there will be no rebalance (compensation) of tanks that pre 8.6 relied heavily on their accuracy, like the E-50 and some players think they lost the edge in 8.6, since all tanks are more accurate
- the reason behind the camo/accuracy/profitability changes was constant incessant whine: "Why am I getting killed by shooting bushes?" "Why can't I hit anything and shells fly to the edges of the circle?" "Why do I make so few credits and always have to play with a premium account?"
- for now, there are no plans to nerf tier 10 TD HEAT/APCR shell penetration, as those shells have their limits, they aren't as universal as before
- the dynamic camera is still being discussed, but devs will definitely reduce the camera "jump" after shooting
- no additional test server will be implemented, devs are happy with current situation
- the British will for now recieve no highpen gold shells as an alternative to HESH
- tier 10 vehicles won't be changed in 8.6 beyond the changes currently on the test

And here's SerB, commenting on the 8.6 artillery whine:

31.5.2013

- there was a tank SerB wanted to implement, but couldn't (it wouldn't fit) - Object 167M with D-83 122mm gun
- Soviet gun rebalance was scrapped (SS: there was a plan to increase Soviet penetration to Chinese levels)
- Chrysler TV-8 in the game? "We don't smoke need that."
- there will be something like dynamic objects on the maps with the implementation of client physics
- in connection with common premium account for WoWp and WoT, SerB states that it will be impossible to run those two games at the same time ("you don't have 4 hands anyway, or?")
- it's not planned to inform the person, who sent the ingame complaint about its result
- StuG III with derp HEAT nerfed too much? "Don't play StuG III with derp HEAT"
- SU-26 nerfed too much? "Don't play SU-26"
- gold ammo nerfed too much? "Don't use gold ammo"
(SS: judging from the trollanswers, I guess we can be fairly easy they don't consider these things overnerfed)
- 25 percent RNG on pen and damage won't be reduced
- Durchbruchswagen didn't appear in the new Leopard branch because devs decided not to make it
- according to Storm, publishing (implementing into the game) 3D model armor schematics was not done yet because it's complicated to implement
- according to Storm, all the maps and modes have same chance of "dropping" (SS: player was complaining that Siegfried Line encounter drops way too often)
- the fact that when the dynamic camera is on, tank barrel "swinging" gets turned on too automatically is intentional
- current Scripts mod series (SS: whatever that is) can't run on 0.8.6, according to Storm that's normal for every patch that messes with game mechanics
- the removal of French premium arty from the 0.8.6 test is intentional, as it is not yet decided whether it will be removed from sales
- according to Storm, dynamic camera on Object 268 is working fine
- 0.9.0 will be even bigger than 0.8.6
- there will be a new article on 0.8.6 camo mechanics by Storm
- besides the XL spall liner, there are no further plans to improve Maus/E-100 survivability against arty
- the 10vs10 arty battles on supertest won't apparently happen on public server, as under some circumstances the cap is removed (like when the queue is full of arty)
- it's possible some (specific) HEAT shells have different ricochet value than the default 80 degrees

30.5.2013

- there will be more Soviet tanks implemented in general (SS: possibly one medium and one more heavy branch at least)
- the first game SerB ever played was "Skeet shooting" from 1974 on BESM-6
- eventually, shells will be able to penetrate a whole tank and damage targets behind it
- Prokhorovka in game doesn't have to resemble the real Prokhorovka: "There are many Prokhorovkas in the world"
- SerB doesn't care about the "In development" portal section
- SerB spends one hour or two per day on forums
- SerB answering, whether he saw the War Thunder tanks: "We've seen it. I'll see, what will exactly be in the game. And when."
- historical battles won't come anytime soon
- SerB on War Thunder: "We - unlike competition - actually heavily prefer cybersport, that's already a done decision. And 'historical battle mode' like the competition has - with MiG 15 over Stalingrad - doesn't make us happy in particular. To do this right is very difficult."
- SerB on War Thunder realism: "The same damage system (as in WT) on tanks - so that a tank will be detracked and won't move for another half an hour? And if you get hit in the gun - that's it, you won't shoot until it is fixed on the base? No, we don't need such a mess. Very few people want it that way in fact - see how few players play the "realistic battles" in War Thunder."
- SerB does drink tea and does smoke
- it's possible British arty will have HESH shells
- various nations don't have to have similiar light tank branches
- US full light tank line will most likely happen, Soviets don't have enough vehicles for a full line yet
- there is no plan to allow light tanks to be taken as "free slots" in Clanwars (SS: as in each team would have a few extra slots exclusively for light tank scouts)
- SerB expects that in 0.8.6 the scouts will remain roughly the same, arty will have more hard time hitting them, so their number might rise
- Q: "Is this your reaction to the fact that Gamebox is countersuing World of Tanks?" (SS: the Chinese company that made the WoT copy)

A: "No comment :)"
- not all the maps that were developed made it to the game, some didn't pass the tests
- according to SerB, the map rotation works okay
- the minor arty name changes (Object 212 to Object 212A) are apparently for historical reasons
- in 0.8.6, arty shell trajectory will remain the same despite arty velocity nerfs
- it's possible, but not yet sure, that arty might be the top tank of the team
- there will be new soundtrack implemented into the game, but not many tracks
- British artillery is practically ready
- Sexton I was delayed because the devs need to implement and balance the tier 10 arties first
- T71 model fix (SS: currently, T71 is not historical, it's a mashup of two various projects) doesn't have a priority atm
- special effects such as rain and snow will eventually come
- press-accounts can choose which map they want to play, they can also disable maps from rotation
- various times of the day during battles will be implemented (SS: dusk, dawn, noon etc...), but they won't be tied to real time
- there most likely won't be more maps for new players (tier 1-2), it would be too complicated for newbies
- arty shell velocity was nerfed, because the devs feel it's too easy to shoot moving and maneuvering targets
- the idea to reduce terrain passability when the tracks are damaged was never considered

29.5.2013

- the reason why the new XL spall liner will be changed from large to XL only after it gets removed from a tank and put to your depot is that the XL one will be heavier and under certain circumstances (stock tank for example), by leaving it on the vehicle it could actually overload the suspension (eg. the vehicle weight would be bigger than suspension allowance)
- spall liner will be removed from tanks even if the suspension has enough capacity to allow it
- all the tanks of all the nations have the same shell distribution within the aim circle (SS: well, apart from arties in 0.8.6 that is)
- France has a superheavy tank candidate, China doesn't
- French "monster" tanks á la TOG II will be implemented (SS: Char FCM etc.)
- SerB sees the possibility of tanks with twin-linked D-25T on tier 9 - as for the issue that the pen is too low for such a tier, he states it's possible for such a tank to fire HE, or to fight medium tanks
- additional equipment and consumables? "If there is such a thing planned, I will tell you"
- the MTLS tankette twin-linked 37mm doesn't work with a twin-linked gun mechanism in game, it simply acts as a single gun firing very fast, in the case of autocannons it doesn't matter according to SerB, but two big guns would have to work differently
- the twin-linked guns are just an option at this point, there is no guarantee such tanks will come, the main issue is to develop the recoil mechanism, how the guns will fire (one at a time?) etc.
- the 0.8.6 shell velocity nerf doesn't mean the range will be nerfed too, devs will simply change the gravity acceleration
- crew skills for gold won't come
- tests will show, whether the E-25 will be on tier 7 or 6
- 0.8.6 test will last at least a few weeks
- balance weight of vehicle doesn't depend on its configuration (stock/elite)
- apparently, there are some references to GAZ-74b in the game files. According to SerB, it's a Soviet self-propelled gun (tank destroyer), basically not yet implemented, a predecessor (first version) of SU-85B, its model was not yet implemented
- the tank damage model (client-side physics) will possibly include equipment such as boxes, machineguns or logs getting ripped off by enemy fire from the tank, devs are working on that
- Q: "Will we see realistic simulated environment like destructible bridges?" A: "Yea, how about a 25kg heavy Wii joystick to simulate reloading the IS-2 shells?"
- change of MM weight won't be displayed in official patchnotes
- Caernarvon won't recieve the Centurion 105mm, it would be too OP
- the system for more reward for potential damage will be implemented

28.5.2013

A lots to translate today, but first, thanks to Cubayashi for gold donation :) Much appreciated.

The official 0.8.6 public test will start this Thursday (May 30th)

From player Taifuuni, a demonstration of how the new dispersion in 0.8.6 will look like:

Edit: to prevent confusion, disregard the "scales", they don't represent the circle size, but sigma deviation. Unless you really want to bother with statistics, consider them two same circles.

0.8.5

0.8.6

- SerB has roughly 50 vehicles in his garage and it takes him 5 seconds to sort thru it
- 5.1 sound is not yet implemented into the new sound engine, but it is planned, along with the 7.1 sound
- echoes from distant explosion/cannon fire (for example in valleys) will be implemented eventually
- better sorting of the archievements will be implemented eventually, but it has very low priority
- some vehicles have AAMG and some don't (resp. Type 58 doesn't have it), because "machinegun model consists of too many model details (SS: SerB said specifically "triangles", I am pretty sure there is an English term for what he meant: is it "vectors"?)
- the E-100 turret was moved in 0.8.6 30cm forwards, because it's historical
- German E-10 ingame will be implemented as a TD, not LT
- SerB doesn't consider the "In development" section necessery
- arty won't recieve bigger firing angle than 45 degrees (SS: a player was asking, whether it is possible to implement the arty to be able to hit a certain target using two different trajectories - one for below 45 degrees and one for above 45 degrees elevation)
- according to SerB, the best account protection is using your brain, for example not using "password1234" as your password
- fog of war was considered for random battles, but it won't be implemented for now, same goes for companies
- Q: "SerB, how is it possible you have so many battles played, yet your effectivity sucks?" A: "That's because I prefer to improve in real world and to only have fun and relax in the virtual one. Which is something I recommend to you too."
- according to SerB, there are no server-side cheats (SS: for example someone advertised a cheat for instant aiming)
- SerB was banned only once in WoT, it was a trolling from someone
- it's possible that the T69 gold ammo (300 pen) penetration will be nerfed (despite the fact SerB claims that the 300 pen is historical)
- the crew national voices might still appear
- the E-100 turret move forward does not mean improved depression or elevation
- SerB is playing the VK4502 Ausf.B (30k XP left to Maus) and is happy with its gameplay
- historically, ST-I shouldn't even have the M62-T2 gun, eg. it's pointless to compare its ROF to IS-8 (SerB is joking about replacing the gun with the historical D-30)
- it's generally possible the ST-II (ST-I with twin-linked D-30) will be introduced, because the twin-linked gun mechanism is easier to introduce than for example multiturret mechanism. However don't think it will simply have double ROF, that would be way too OP. Another historical option would apparently be two D-10T guns.
- SerB is thinking (SS: but only thinking, no panic!) about removing the top IS-4 gun (because it's unhistorical) and buffing the shells of the other one.
-

26.5.2013

Developers haven't answered anything today, I'll just add a few answers I forgot from the last of the Storm's blog posts:

- tracers weren't removed because the players were complaining about the "Star Wars blaster effects", this has nothing to do with the real reason (SS: which was the fact they got hacked)
- the new sound system (crew comments) will come in two versions: long and short one. Long one means that the commander will talk to you in whole sentences ("The engine caught fire because it was hit") - this is mostly for the newbies, so they know what's happening and why. Short one will only say everything in one or two words ("Fire"). The players will be able to enable the shortened system in game settings.
- linear XP requirement for more perks was scrapped, because it's bad for average players, XP requirements for skills/perks won't be reduced
- gear changes sound will be implemented

Oh and one more thing: tomorrow there will be no updates from me, because I am going to be very busy. See you on Tuesday!

25.5.2013

- according to Storm, test server shouldn't be as overloaded as it was in 0.8.5
- 10 percent T10 profitability increase was SerB's idea
- Chinese WZ-111 premium heavy won't be introduced to EU server, because such a tank is already in the regular heavy branch
- if you have Object 212 unlocked from S-51, it doesn't mean you will have the SU-14 unlocked too in 0.8.6
- 0.8.6 camo net won't be tied to various vehicle types
- tracers are removed for re-work
- 0.8.6 won't bring other new vehicles, apart from the arties and the premium Excelsior
- the 10 percent T10 profitability buff is tied partially to the pen reduction

- Credit arty costs in 0.8.6 will be roughly equal to TD costs:

900k  - T6
1400k - T7
2500k - T8
3500k - T9
6100k - T10

- in 0.8.6 it is possible for tier 10 arty to end up as team's top vehicle
- according the SerB, the short guns from the thirties were short because the engineers didn't know yet how to deal with recoil, and because HE performance was more important anyway
- there will be no interplayer auction in the game
- in 0.8.6, Wargaming (!) fixed the Nvidia interface crash, after its release even those who experience crashes can use latest Nvidia drivers
- it's not known whether post-battle statistics in replays and ingame reload timer will come in 2013
- it's possible a function will be implemented into the game to shoot as soon as the gun is reloaded (there is a mod allowing that currently)
- new French tanks won't come by the time the French celebrate the Bastille day (SS: July 14th)

24.5.2013

- Storm on removing the tracers in 0.8.6: all the tracers for all the vehicles in all the cases (spotted/unspotted) (with the exception of arty, both spotted and unspotted) will be disabled, in the arty "satellite" view, the area in which the arty player can see the tracers of enemy unspotted arty will be reduced (SS: harder counterartillery)
- the subcaliber/HEAT nerf will affect also the vehicles, that use subcaliber shells as silver ammo (hightier meds)
- the upcoming profitability buff of hightier tanks won't apply on tier 8 premium vehicles
- vehicles that are getting XP buff (arty, TD) won't get a retroactive XP refund for crew XP lost because of the earlier low XP modifier
- the current information policy (SS: patch notes available in advance as it is now) will continue for the following patches
- new Nvidia 320.18 drivers weren't tested by WG yet
- it's "impossible" to impelement functional (even coaxial) MG's (SS: that would work the way guns do)
- AA tanks with twin-linked weapons won't most likely appear in the game
- apparently, multi-rocket launchers such as Katyusha (tracked) won't appear in the game
- tracers aren't taken down to make them better visible
- the hull modules won't come in 2013 and they won't be exclusive for TD's only apparently
- devs are still considering to implement the option to disable your least favourite maps

And a few answers from Storm from his blog:

- currently, the bushes (which sometimes reduce FPS for some players) are still not optimized
- devs are still discussing making your stats hideable so XVM and other such mods won't see your winrate and other stats
- Sexton I won't come to the store in 0.8.6, more tests in the new arty system are needed
- test server capacity will be improved, but only slightly (the previously announced increase in test server capacity in 8.5 was cancelled for some reasons)
- the T-50-2 / MT-25 switch is planned for 0.8.7
- lowtier premium tanks will have their income also buffed
- the new XL spall liner for superheavies will be cca 1,5 ton heavier than the current large one
- anti-aliasing is slowly being worked on
- it's possible the spall liner will also be buffed by reducing the chance of module/crew damage
- the sound gameengine is completely new, it's not the old one, only rewritten
- the name changes for French tanks are little things, such as the dots in the German patch
- there will be no "Art of War"-like competition for 8.6
- E-10 TD will come too (later)

23.5.2013

- all the promo tanks have the same rules as the premium ones, when it comes to crew
- the AMX-13/Chaffee hybrid will go to the nation, "to which it is more convenient"
- whether it is introduced: "no comment"
- if Object 430 is ever introduced, it will be tier 10
- in the next patch, the HEAT mechanic won't be changed further, after that - "no comment"
- British tanks won't have HESH rounds replaced with HEAT
- the turret and hull hitpoint changes reason is better HP distribution when switching turrets
- 0.8.6 won't be the last 0.8.X series patch
- devs consider the "newly researched tanks get better MM" a proper thing
- T-43 lost the 100mm gun (long time ago), both because it wasn't historical and for balance reasons
- 100mm D-10T won't return to the Soviet medium tanks on tier 7
- T-43 won't get an alternative gun in the future

List of superheavy tanks (for the purpose of extra large spall liner):

USSR: KV-4, KV-5
Germany: GW E, JT88, Jagtiger, Jagdpanzer E-100, VK4502 Ausf.B, Maus, Lowe, E-75, E-100, VK7201
US: T95, T110E3
UK: Tortoise, FV215b, TOG II

- devs are permanently fighting illegal mods
- there will be no game mode without arties
- it's possible that Walker Bulldog will be implemented as the US light tank one tier higher than Chaffee
- if you have a spall liner on Maus or other superheavies installed, it will be uninstalled automatically, changed to extra large and moved to depot
- 8.7 will apparently bring US rebalance + British arty (SS: earlier it was said that 8.7 will come very soon after 8.6, possibly within 2 weeks)
- 8.8 will not contain German TD's
- there is no plan to introduce decals for kills (SS: such as the German rings on barrel, or skulls like the fighter planes did)
- Storm explains the XP for detracks: "It will be only for XP, there will be no credit bonus. The detrack bonus will be 25 percent at the most (and not 50 percent like when lighting up).
- there will be more premium tier 8 tanks in 2013, they will be introduced gradually (not all at once)

Also, you might have noticed there are basically 0.8.6 changes out already officially - allegedly, it's because the developers are certain that by the time the "finished" 0.8.6 hits the last phase of supertest, some supertester would leak the info anyway. In this sense, the leaks worked to open the "WG kitchen" a bit more.

The EN translation is not exactly top notch either this time (for example EN "flight velocity of shells for short mortars will be nerfed by 50 percent" RU: "UP TO 50 percent") but it's okay. Big changes then. Here's what Storm commented under his article.

Following changes were done to the economy  - rebalance of gold shell prices:
- with each gold shell, its effectivity was considered (taking into account its damage and penetration) and its price was changed to match its effectivity
- subcaliber shells were sometimes made more expensive, sometimes cheaper
- HEAT shells were almost all made more expensive, because they proved to be cheaper for the same performance of the subcaliber shells
- premium HE shells were practically not touched, apart from some exceptions

- dynamic camera does mean that the camera will stop that nasty twitching, when the tank is going over the railway
- there will be no special opportunity to buy new camos (camo reset + price refund)
- 0.8.6 will come in June
- the Korea map will use winter camo
- Storm has no info on the Nvidia crash bug yet
- France will (as seen on the previously released pictures) have more modern camos
- the E-100 armor nerf reason is "unification" (SS: with Jpz E-100 I think)
- railway tracks were not yet sunk into the ground (as Storm planned to do) in 0.8.6

Mistake in english "Let's share" translation

There are a lot of confused folks out there from what I've seen, so, for the record:

There is a mistake in the official english translation of today's article. The original author of it is Storm, it was almost literally translated from his original. 

Storm says: Уменьшение нормализации всех подкалиберных снарядов до 2 градусов (с текущих 5).

It means the normalisation was reduced ONLY for SUBCALIBER (APCR/APDS) shells. The english version says "all AP shells", which is wrong.

Damn. They should really pay me for this shit.