Overlord and his answers regarding new branches

Overlord has posted a new blog about the future of the branches. I'll point out some of the more interesting questions and answers, I hope hope he doesn't mind. Not all of them, so feel free to read it for yourselves. As always, the questions and answers are modified to be comprehensible (and to remove typos).

Source: http://overlord-wot.blogspot.cz/2013/01/wot-do-you-love-tanks.html

Q (Vipez): Why don't you (instead of new trees) complete the old tech trees and stop putting in more nations... atleast until the "big 3" are complete with all their tds and heavys and stuff?
A: Heh, I believe they are never complete :)

Q: Italian tanks in the EU tree? A must!
A: Sure thing, they are.

Q: Do you plan to add more SPGs?
A: Each tree should have them. Plus there will be tier 9 and 10 SPGs. No ETA, sorry I don't do that.

Q: Have you considered the wheeled armoured fighting vehicles?
A: Nope, not considering them at this stage.

Q: 8.4 content?
A: I have checked with Storm - he says 8.4 will bring British TDs.

Q: Overlord, what about Polish branches? Is there any?
A: Polish and German communities on EU are approx equal in numbers. We will definitely include Polish tanks - however at this stage it hasn't been decided how exactly. It can either be a separate, rather tiny tree, or some substantial part of common EU tree. The same as Italy btw

Q: Do you have already the materials for the Japanese and the EU tree?
A: For Japanese - yes, for EU tree - partially. Japanese will likely come first, the way we initially announced it.

Q: On the topic of Chinese tanks being brought in...
A: Have to account of interests of varios servers and regions - RU is the largest, China is second largest, EU - 3rd, US - 4th. We also have SEA and Korea, both are growing fast. Thus most of the decisions are dictated by global vision.

Q (by me): A rather long question

a) Japanese tanks - earlier in 2012 (nov/dec) there was an info by SerB and Storm that they managed to secure some new Japanese archive and that they still missed the plans for top tier heavies at that point. Does WG have enough data to implement top tier Japanese heavies now?
b) Polish tanks - there was an info (by SerB I believe) that he had enough data to implement tier 7,8,9 Polish tanks, is that so, or was it just the rumor?
c) Is there a candidate considered for tier 10 Polish tank (of any class, something else than the funny Lem tank), or are they still looking?
d) Is there some other candidate for tier 10 Italian tank than the M47 Patton (with the 105mm L7)?
e) Are there any hightier (7,8,9,10) Hungarian tanks available WG found about or are they still looking?

A: a) As far as I'm aware there is still not enough reference material to make up the whole tree, however our guys do know where to dig and whom to approach.
b) In my opinion, up to tier 7-8.
c) Nope, there is no such candiadate. That tank was more of a joke.
d) We are not considering Patton at this stage.
e) As far as I'm aware guys haven't found those yet, however they haven't been working a lot on EU tree.

18.1.2013

- the free camera mod was banned due to "game decisions" (SS: abuse), including the fact that players could watch for falling trees, destroyed objects etc. freely with such a mod
- second branch of German meds will not use the 88mm L/100 and 75mm Konisch guns
- it's possible visual upgrades for hangars will be introduced
- Chinese IS-2 has higher penetration values because of "late model shells"
- the goal the devs want to reach regarding the arty balance is 3 arties per team on all tiers
- no plans to change the Object 261 gun model (SS: some player claims it was thicker in real life and it had a muzzle brake)
- no other tanks suitable for the role of tier 5 Chinese medium have been found (SS: actually Kuomintang was using Shermans too, but they weren't implemented, because they were completely stock, they'd be a direct copy of the existing Sherman without different guns etc.)
- SerB won't disclose how teamdamage points are exactly calculated (SS: not the damage itself, but how much of what you need to get banned - this is related to the issue that TOG players keep complaining that retards actually ram them intentionally and by damaging themselves, they actually cause the TOG player to accumulate teamdamage points)
- the asterisk in the TOG 2* name is historical
- superplatoons (5 members) won't be implemented, they would be too unbalanced
- snow on the maps (like it was in the hangar during the seasonal christmas hangar event) would reduce the performance too much, for now anyway
- it's possible hitpoints will be modified for the historical battles, not yet sure
- regarding the Chinese tanks: the tier 10 heavy and medium vehicles' plans impressed SerB quite a lot, altogether these two projects roughly form an equivalent of the Soviet Object 167M (T-62B, the D-83 122mm version), the medium vehicle with its 122mm cannon and the heavy with its 68 degrees frontal armor - and all this despite the fact that the Chinese didn't know about the Soviet prototype research, they archieved it on their own (apparently, the frontal armor shape, similiar to the one of the IS-7, evolved from the IS-3 concept). Regarding the Chinese cast turret shape - there were other turrets, welded ones (to compensate for the low depression of the guns), but those came later, not in the 60's. There might even be a book about the Chinese tanks from WG. As for the T-62 similiarity, the Chinese acquired the T-62 first in 1969 during the Sino-Soviet border conflict at the Damanskij island.
- the turret rotation speed is a balance parameter, all tanks have it higher than they had in real life
- battletier of all non-premium tanks won't be lowered (SS: no idea why someone asked such a stupid question)
- SerB answers on the question how would an appearance of a T-54 tank company influence the war in 1942: "If they appeared in Ural (SS: where the factories were), positively - if they appeared on the front, German engineers could get a lot of ideas from them also"
- the armor value displayed in the tank statistics is the most characteristic one of the concerned part, usually it's also the thickest part
- tier 10 "121" does NOT equal WZ-121 aka Type 69, it's a different project and an early version at that (there is only a very weak connection between 121 and WZ-121)
- the T1E6 gun has a maximum range of 375mm (as far as SerB remembers)
- the dynamic tank naming is principially possible (but not sure to be implemented)
- it's possible that there will be a Soviet arty or TD based on the T-27 tankette implemented into the game
- two-barreled tanks might be introduced into the game, it is theoretically easier to implement than multiturret designs, but also requires some work
- machineguns (as secondary weapons) won't be implemented because it would strain the server too much, however the Soviet 12,7mm DShK will appear as a main weapon at some point most likely
- it is not planned to introduce antiaircraft (and amphibious) tanks in forseeable future (SS: regarding the possible introduction of the T-90 AA light vehicle)
- elite Chi-Ha roughly corresponds to the Japanese Shinhoto Chi-Ha

8.4 WILL bring the British TD's

Well, apparently Overlord got confused and wrote earlier today that there will be no British TD's in 8.4, giving some guys on EU forums nearly a heart attack :) It got sorted out quite fast though. Thanks for the news, Overlord :)

Source: http://overlord-wot.blogspot.cz/2013/01/wot-do-you-love-tanks.html?showComment=1358500123268#c5615116135126582253

8.3 arty splash changes

Object 212 — earlier 6,54 -> now 6,07 // Golden shell 9,16 -> 8.49
Object 261 — earlier 5,14 -> now 4,91 // Golden shell 7.62 -> 7.28
GW Tiger and GW E — earlier 7 -> now 6,44 // Golden shell 10,02 -> 9,21
М40\43 — earlier 6,54 -> now 6,07 // Golden shell 9,54 -> 8,49
Т92 — earlier 9,14 -> now 8,13 // Golden shell 13,09 -> 11,64
Batchat and Lorraine 51 earlier 4  -> now 3,97 // Golden shell 5,38 -> 5.34
АМХ 13 (tier 5) earlier 3,81 -> now 3,78 (gold shell removed)
SU-8 stock gun 2.36 -> 2,49 // top gun 3,81 -> 3,78
SU-14, S-51, Object 212 stock gun 3,67 -> 3,66 // Golden shell 5,13 -> 5.11
Hummel and GW Panther – no changes
GW Tiger stock gun earlier 4,55 -> now 4,45 // Golden shell 6,57 -> 6.37
М41 earlier 3,81 -> now 3,78 (top and stock gun) // Golden shell 5,34 -> 5,30
М12 earlier 4 -> now 3,97 // Golden shell 5,38 -> 5.34
Tier 6 Lorraine earlier 3,82 -> now 3,78 (gold shell with 5,2 splash removed)
Tier 2 arty (except for the Bison that didn’t get changed) earlier 0,92 -> now 1,09
SU-26 earlier 2,36 -> now 2,49
SU-5 earlier 3,67 -> now 3,66
М37, Priest, Wespe, tier 3 and 4 French  — earlier 1,75 -> now 1,91
Grille – no changes — 3,57

17.1.2013

- the buffs and nerfs are implemented on the server side, but the mechanics are copied into the client, so there are no server-client prediction issues
- there were turrets, in which the guns could be adjusted not only vertically, but also horizontally without moving the turret itself (for minor corrections), these however won't be implemented into the game
- IRL when the turret rotates, the engine RPM increases, but this won't be implemented into the game
- TD SU-76BM? "no comment" (SS: there was an icon of this vehicle in one of the earlier patches, it's a failed TD project that basically had the properties of SU-76, only with closed compartment)
- current repair costs of tier 7-8 arty will transfer to tier 9-10 arty "if necessery", more arty nerfs might come if needed, nerfs seem to be the most effective way to deal with the arty issue
- the Chinese LT branch won't be changed from how it is now
- the MS-1 engine is heavier than the engine of the Maus (despite vast power output difference) simply because it was very bad
- detailed data on what arty will be switched to what tier during the tier 10 arty implementation will be released later, but it is not sure, what arty vehicles will be implemented where, it's even possible that everything from tier 3 up will get kicked on tier up and new tier 3 vehicle will be implemented
- the devs do have the data about vehicles only in garages (eg. not played), but those are generally not used for anything
- Q: "Dear developers, does WoT generate so little profit that you have to reduce the profitability of the tanks?" A: "Dear players, do you play so bad that you have to imagine the profitability drops all the time?"
- tank popularity is only one of the secondary parameters, when considering how well it is balanced
- bigger maps and more players per battle? "When the project is ready, we'll implement it"
- 8.4 test will bring new company and platoon garage interface
- Q: "You implemented an OTM mod analogy into the game, do you plan to implement other popular mods' analogies?" "Not the popular ones, the necessery ones"
- currently, the XP prices of "blind" Chinese modules (SS: unused in any other tank) are not being reviewed
- there might be an increase of the role the radioman and radio module play in battle
- mods won't be configureable from within the game client (SS: apparently because of cheats)
- Q: "So far, there are regular vehicles in the game to unlock the next tier and premium vehicles for farming, will there be any 3rd type of vehicles?" A: "no comment for now"
- the implementation of "hull" modules (as it is in WoWp) (SS: sorry, never played WoWp, how does it work?) - yes, but it's technically very difficult so they didn't start to implement it yet
- Sherman engine wouldn't fit into the engine compartment of the Stuart
- 47mm Type 1 gun on the Chinese Stuart is so good because it has good ballistic properties (SS: a player asked whether it is charged with the samurai spirit)
- sometimes, in lowtier battles, it can happen that one team is full of tier 2 tanks and the others has for example 4 tier 1 tanks, this doesn't happen often, it's not desirable though - it happens when MM decides the team differences are acceptable
- SU-76(i) won't be introduced instead of SU-85(i) (but rather along with it), tier is not yet decided, it's likely it will be a promo/gift tank
- the Leopard 1 in the game will be an "early model", it will be shown later
- crewmember models will not be introduced
- for the bombardier archievement, damage done by setting a vehicle on fire does not count
- no info on possible replacement of Lorraine (because it underperforms steadily) - probably just a rumor
- after ricochet, a shell loses cca 10 percent of its penetration
- 7/42 company mode: opposing team will be selected at random (as it is now in companies), it might be possible to select the map played (this is unclear, SerB's answer "Иногда" can be interpreted as "sometimes", but also as "some other time" - any Russian speaker can confirm?), it's unclear what the top allowed arty tier will be - "we'll see", it's not clear whether it'll be implemented in 8.4 along with the new player selection interface
- the 59-16 tank top autoloaded gun penetration (85mm PEN) is okay according to the devs ("should it be improved by magical Chinese kung-fu?")
- there was an idea to introduce tier 1 arty - was refused
- Q: "If there comes a time when not a single tank will need a buff/nerf in the next patch, will that mean the end of the game?" A: "It's the other way around - the end of the game means that not a single tank needs a buff or nerf in the next patch"

16.1.2013

- Chi-Ha is implemented as a light tank even though "Chi" in Japanese is the designation for medium tanks, because it is generally classified as a light tank
- the idea to make World of Tanks came in the last days of 2008, the original "founders" were Petr Bityukov, Slava Makarov, Viktor Kisly and Marat Karpeko - and it took a few months to bring the idea to alpha stage
- The equation for repair costs: (HP lost * repair cost for 1 HP) + (module HP lost * repair cost for 1 module HP)
- there is no special autoloader module, it counts as a part of the ammo rack module
- the peak times lag isn't cause by servers themselves, it is generally caused by the data paths being overloaded (SS: sorry, I don't know the proper IT terminology - SerB means the "wires" or "pathways" that lead the data)
- the speed reduction when driving close to rocks, slopes and other objects is realistic, won't be removed
- reworking the "expert" archievement? "no comment for now" (SS: the issue was that the devs blamed the expert medal for being a part of the reason for too much arty, as it is generally easier to archieve expert medal with artillery)
- the shot (trajectory) calculations are the same in sniper mode and arcade mode, even though the arcade mode seems to "jerk" less when driving over rough terrain - it's the same, just that in the sniper mode it's simply more noticeable, also, devs state that the gun aim circle spread after shooting in sniper mode is NOT bigger than after shooting in arcade mode, just more noticeable
- SerB doesn't care about the caricatures of him on the forums
- there seems to be no difference between the stock and upgraded Chinese IS-2 turret ("up to you whether you want it or not") (SS: ROF?)
- when a tank is destroyed (regularily), it does not mean all modules get destroyed (and counted as repair costs), they only appear so the players don't get confused
- module repair costs are not tied to the module purchase price
- barrels of AFK tanks move when you move close in front of them, because the aiming point automatically changes
- tracers weren't changed in 0.8.3
- currently, a drowned tank gets all modules destroyed (extra repair costs) in order to deter the drowners
- Panzer B2 has the tier 4 MM max and S35 tier 3-5 out of "balance reasons"
- there will be a special MM for light tanks too (SS: same amount of LT's in each team)
- there is no "ricochetability" (description) parameter planned (SS: the ability of a tank to ricochet a shell), because it's impossible to determine
- the Chinese Type 34 is historical and correctly balanced (SS: from what I could gather)
- the American R-975-C1 350hp engine will be rebalanced to match the Chinese one from the M5A1 stuart (400hp instead of 350hp, but 16kg more), the whole US M5 Stuart will be rebalanced
- capture points from capping the base apparently count towards the cappers' XP even though the battle is won by destroying all tanks
- the Foch 155 autoloader is realistic (SerB argues that it was made even for the FV4005 183mm gun)
- M10 Ersatz has German camo for "technical reasons"
- the removal of the maps from the random pool for players is really complicated, no decision yet
- the 3 degrees gun depression for Chinese tier 9 and 10 meds is final for now
- it's possible Lend-Lease tanks will take part in historical battles
- the components of various Stuarts might be a bit modified in order to differ them (and the US from Chinese)
- the modules with the same names in Chinese and other nations' tanks differ in properties because they were "produced differently", there are no plans to make Chinese modules compatible with other nations' modules "for technical reasons"
- the devs don't see the existence of the bug where the graphics card runs at 100 percent in the hangar
- Info about 0.8.4 will be "soon"
- there are no plans for new equipment (SS: such as ventilation, rammers etc.)
- some new company formats (apart from the developed 7x42) are not planned (for example limited to odd number tiers)

15.1.2013 part 2

- you get a free slot along with the tier 1 Chinese tank even if you have empty slots in your garage
- the 113, 120, 121, WZ 131/132 tanks have the same internal layout as the T-54, eg. the ammo rack is at the back of the tower and behind the frontal armor on the right side, the fuel tanks are also there
- announcements about tanks splits and transfers (IS-4, KV split etc.) had strong impact on the amount of those vehicles (both in hangars and in games)
- the aforementioned is not expected to happen with the artillery being transferred to tier 10, as the arty won't improve (quite the opposite)
- it's not yet sure whether the introduction of tier 10 arty will mean that the hardcap will get disabled or not
- Meeting engagement shouldn't be enabled for tier 1-2 vehicles, seems like this bug appeared in 0.8.3 - Storm will investigate tomorrow
- 120mm M62-T2 and M58 guns have the same primary (silver) penetration and different gold penetration "due to different shells"
- regarding the plans to revive tanks long gone (SS: T23): "no comment", however the former tier 10 Chinese heavy (from 0.8.2 test) was incorporated into the tier 9 heavy.
- no plans to enhance the flightpath of the projectile in sniper mode
- T110E3 and E4 recieved the 155mm guns straight away because (unlike the mediums) there are no tier 10 TD's in the game with unlockable guns
- the Chinese top tanks' names consist of numbers only because "Chinese comrades said it's that way and they know about the Chinese tanks more than anyone else"
- tank guns aren't balanced only around gun penetration, but also around other characteristics (SS: Storm explaining why the tier 9 Chinese tank has good penetration, there is a lot of "WZ120 is overpowered" whine)
- Object 268 and Object 704 won't get a damage nerf