User:Tankist2020/sandbox

= World of Tanks = World of Tanks (WoT) is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game developed by Belarusian company Wargaming, featuring mid-20th century (1930s-1960s) era combat vehicles[i].

The focus is on player vs player (PvP) gameplay with each player controlling an armored vehicle. Players have a choice of five different vehicle types[ii] (light, medium or heavy tank, tank destroyer, or self-propelled gun), each of which have unique gameplay styles and roles in battle. It is built upon a freemium business model where the game is free-to-play, but participants also have the option of paying for “premium” features.

A four-time winner at the Golden Joystick Awards (“Best MMO” in 2012, “Best Online Game” in 2013 and back-to-back “Still Playing” awards in 2017 and 2018), World of Tanks has also set two Guinness World Records. In 2011, it set the Guinness World Record for “Most Players on One MMO Server”—91,311. Later, the PC title would set another for “Most Players on One Server Cluster”—1,114,337.

Throughout its development, World of Tanks has collaborated with Swedish power metal band Sabaton, former Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, Japanese anime franchise Girls und Panzer, tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000, Swedish actor and martial artist Dolph Lundgren, and Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka.

Since release, World of Tanks has become a cultural phenomenon[iii] in several countries across the globe and as of March 2018, the PC title has over 160,000,000 registered players worldwide.

The World of Tanks series has expanded to mobile platforms with World of Tanks Blitz and on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 as World of Tanks: Mercenaries. In addition to its platform expansion, a board game titled World of Tanks Rush was released in 2013, and a comic book based on the World of Tanks universe, World of Tanks: Roll Out, was written by Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra, and published by Dark Horse Comics.

Gameplay
The player takes control of a single armored vehicle of their choice and is placed into a battle on a random map. The player has control over the vehicle’s movement, firing, and can communicate with allied players through chat[iv].

World of Tanks is not simply about firepower; it focuses on a blend of tactics and strategy as all vehicles have their own unique roles and responsibilities on the battlefield. For example, a light tank is not expected to deal massive amounts of damage, but instead assist the team by spotting vehicles. With each vehicle having its own nuances, being aware of its pros and cons can be the difference between victory and defeat.

All game modes (except Frontline) can be won by destroying all enemy vehicles within the time limit, and some modes include additional methods of claiming victory, such as capturing the enemy base, capturing a neutral base or defending the allied base until the battle’s end[v].

Vehicle Types
In World of Tanks, there are over 700 vehicles from eleven tank-building nations for players to choose. Core to its gameplay, the vehicles in World of Tanks are created, designed and made to be as historically accurate as possible. The development team at Wargaming spends time digging for and finding blueprints from various museums around the world to recreate these vehicles with the highest level of authenticity, and even bringing vehicles that only existed on paper or never made it past the drawing board, to life.

Each vehicle is modeled to closely resemble their real-life counterparts[vi]; however, certain parameters have been simplified or modified to fit game mechanics, and better gameplay[vii]. In addition to the historically authentic vehicles, some more creative and fantastical tanks have been introduced to the game, such as the Sabaton-inspired Primo Victoria and the Warhammer 40,000 mash-up tank, the KV-2 (R) Valhallan Ragnarok.

There are five different vehicle types in World of Tanks: light tanks, medium tanks, heavy tanks, tank destroyers and self-propelled guns. Each vehicle type has gameplay elements unique to their class.

Each nation has at least one line of vehicles (called Tech Trees) that range from Tier I (1), the starting tier, to Tier X (10), the final tier.

Each vehicle is made up of several modules: the gun, the turret, the engine, the suspension and the radio. Every vehicle in World of Tanks is unique, some may offer more or less module upgrades than others and the number of Crew members may range from 2 to 6.

Vehicles have varied roles on the battlefield, which mainly stem from their type. Light tanks are suited to spotting vehicles and assisting teammates whereas heavy tanks are more brawler-like.

Each vehicle is made up of differing thicknesses of armor. Not every tank shell is guaranteed to penetrate a vehicle; in the sniper mode, the reticle in-game changes color to relay the chances of penetration with red being severely unlikely to penetrate through to green which notes the player is likely to penetrate the vehicle’s armor. The penetration values of each vehicle are different, and the choice of shells and/or gun can influence it[viii].

Progression
Each national Tech Tree is made up of at least 10 vehicles and all players start with the Tier I (starting vehicle) of each. Some nations have one Tech Tree branch and others have at least one branch for each vehicle type.

For each battle mode (except Team Training), players earn XP and Credits. These commodities can be used for vehicle progression and crew training, and purchasing modules, equipment and tanks respectively[ix].

XP Variants
There are three XP variants: Crew XP, Battle XP and Free XP.

Crew XP can be used to train crew members to 100%, or with Skills and/or Perks. Skills work as soon as they are chosen and increase in performance with training, and Perks only start to work once researched to 100%. Examples of Skills and Perks are Sixth Sense (an indicator which designates that you have been spotted), Repair (decreases the repair time of your vehicle modules) and Mentor (the player’s crew earn more XP at the end of each battle).

Battle XP is the experience you earn in battle. This type of XP is locked to the vehicle it was earned on, unless converted to Free XP with in-game Gold. Battle XP can also be used to accelerate the training of a vehicle’s Crew automatically.

Free XP is earned at a stable rate (unless a special event is on) of 5% of the player’s Battle XP for each battle. Free XP is not limited to any specific vehicle and can used on modules, upgrades, and Crew training[x]. Free XP can be used to research new vehicles; however, players must have already researched its predecessor and the modules necessary for the next vehicle.

Credits and XP
Players are awarded Credits and XP based on a number of factors, including damage dealt, spotted vehicles, and assisted damage (via spotting enemy vehicles or destroying their tracks). For players with a World of Tanks Premium Account, the XP and Credits yield is increased by 50%. Credits will be used to repair and replenish the vehicle, so it is possible to lose Credits in a battle.

By earning XP and Credits, players can then research and purchase high-tiered vehicles. Before reaching the next tier up, vehicles may have prerequisite modules which must be researched (not specifically bought).

Loadouts: Equipment and Consumables
Once modules are unlocked, players are free to experiment with different vehicle loadouts as a different loadout may influence the vehicles’ role in battle.

Players are also free to choose specific loadouts of equipment and consumables which are mounted or carried in their vehicle. Equipment will affect certain parameters of a vehicle’s statistics—for example—equipping a tank with Coated Optics will increase the vehicle’s view range by 10%.

Consumables come in two formats: standard and Premium. For example, a standard repair kit (called “Small Repair Kit” in-game) will repair one damaged module of the player’s vehicle; a Premium repair kit (called “Large Repair Kit” in-game) will repair all damaged modules of the vehicle.

Game Modes
Random Battles

Random Battles consists of three different game modes and all feature a 15v15 format[xi].

           Standard

In this mode, each team has a base. The objective is to eliminate the enemy team or to capture their base within 15 minutes.

Assault

In this mode, there’s one base and it belongs to the defending team. The attacking team must capture the enemy team’s base or eliminate the enemy team. The defending team must survive and defend their base for 10 minutes.

Encounter

In this mode, there’s one base that belongs to neither team. Teams spawn at opposing sides of the map from the base. The objective is to either capture the base or destroy all enemy vehicles.

If both teams are in the base capture circle at the same time, no capture takes place.

Grand Battles

Grand Battles is a special game mode which increases the player limit to 60 (30v30). They take place on larger maps specifically designed to fit the increased number of players. Only Tier X tanks can participate in this battle mode.

Frontline

Introduced in 2018, Frontline is a time-limited event that focuses on Tier VIII vehicles in a 30v30 format. Each team has their own objective:

·       The attacking team need to break through the enemy team’s defenses and destroy at least 3 of 5 pillboxes deep behind enemy lines.

·       By capturing points of interest, the attacking team earns additional time to fulfill their objective.

·       The defending team need to repel enemy attacks and see out the battle timer.

Not seen in any other game mode, Frontline allows respawns meaning players can get back into the game after a short delay. However, players can choose another vehicle to take into battle when their previous one has been destroyed or wait for their most recent vehicle to become available again.

In early 2019, the return of Frontline was announced in a slightly modified format. Instead of a week-long event, the 2019 season of Frontline takes place over 10 months from February to November with one week each month playing host to the event.

Ranked Battles

Ranked Battles is a seasonal mode based on Standard Battle rules; it features rank-based matchmaking and is only available to Tier X vehicles. Each player starts out with no rank but can level up by collecting chevrons, which are awarded to certain players depending on where they ranked regarding base XP on their team. Chevrons are used to place and rank players in the various divisions and leagues.

Team Battles

Introduced as part of Update 9.4, Team Battles focus on a “7/54” format. Each team has seven players, is limited to Tier VI, VII and VIII vehicles, and is comprised of a maximum of fifty-four Tier points, so teams can consist of six Tier VIII tanks and one Tier VI, for example.

Team Battles was removed from the game on August 6, 2019.

Team Training

In this mode, players (a minimum of two) can make their own rooms and select the map they wish to play on. Players cannot earn XP or Credits within the game mode and while vehicle repairs are free, the replenishment of consumables and shells is not.

The mode can be used to experiment with various tank mechanics, learning and understanding new maps, strategic planning and movement, and teaching new players in 1v1 matches.

Special Game Modes
To mark significant events, such as the FIFA World Cup, April Fools’ Day and the centenary of the first ever tank’s debut (the Mk. I), World of Tanks has created and implemented special time-limited modes. The first of these modes was added on April Fools’ Day 2014, in which players found themselves in a destructible 8-bit environment with blocky tanks. Due to player popularity, this idea was taken further for the New Year period of the same year, but this time the map was altered to read “NY 2015 WG” when looked at from a bird’s eye view and became more festive and snowcapped.

Tank Football

To celebrate the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil, a new game mode was created, more commonly known as “Tank Football”. This game type saw players on a football pitch come battle arena, where the main objective was to score goals. Each player was gifted a special tank, the T-62A Sport, only usable in this game mode. The mode was reused for the 2016 UEFA European Championships held in France.

For the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Tank Football was reworked. The core gameplay remained the same, however, players now had a choice of three different vehicles: Defender (E 100 Sport), Midfielder (T-62A Sport) and Striker (AMX 13 105 Sport). Each of these tanks had their own role to play on the pitch and came with attributes and skills which helped them in their position. Also, for the first time, the game mode had a commentary team, which included Juventus and ex-Italy goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon.

Tank Racing

In September 2014, Tank Racing was introduced to the game. Two teams of three navigated a reworked map (Port) to see who could make it across the finish line first. Players were also able to stop enemy tanks by shooting and destroying them. Ultimately, players had the option to capture the base at the end of the race or destroy all enemy tanks to secure the win.

The mode was reintroduced as part of Tank Festival in 2019 and was named The Great Race. Along with other improvements, players now had a choice of three vehicles: the T-50, the Leopard and an improved variant of 2014’s Chaffee Sport.

Moon Mayhem

For April Fools’ Day 2016, an exclusive game mode took players out of the atmosphere with “Moon Mayhem”. Each player navigated craters, lava pits, meteor showers and more random events, all while in the IS-8 Ball, a tank designed exclusively for this event.

Convoy

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Mk. I in September of 2016, players were put in charge of a brand-new vehicle type: armored cars. Each player controlled their own four-wheeled Lanchester armoured car and was tasked with defending the Mark I or stopping it in its tracks, depending on the side.

Homefront

In July 2019, a PvE-only mode, Homefront, was added to the game for a two-week period. Teams of five were tasked with fending off waves of AI-controlled armored vehicles which became increasingly more powerful on two different fronts: Eastern and Western.

Steel Hunter

In August 2019, the battle royale-inspired Steel Hunter mode was added to the game. Twenty lone wolves or seven Platoons of three are given the choice of three vehicles, representing the USSR, the USA and Germany (the three classic World of Tanks nations) and do battle on a special map, Dreamland. As the battle progresses, the map shrinks, with danger zones and death zones spreading across it.

Throughout the battle, players can upgrade their vehicles on the move using Battle XP, which can be earned by damaging and destroying enemies, or by looting crates and wrecked tanks. Also, players can find special Combat Reserves in these crates, which allow for a special advantage; these reserves can help allied tanks or hinder enemy tanks.

Halloween Modes

For Halloween 2017, players were tasked with stopping the Leviathan and his minions from the tank underworld reaching the mortal realm in a special PvE mode. Each player had the choice of one of two mode-specific tanks: Franken and Stein.

In 2018, World of Tanks introduced The Dark Front, an exclusive game mode for Halloween. Players became members of the Dark Runners and were tasked with restoring Nebelburg back to normal, after the map had been corrupted with various mutations.

Clan Wars
Clan Wars in World of Tanks is made up of two components: Strongholds and the Global Map[xii].

Strongholds

If a Clan Commander chooses to do so, they can create a Stronghold. Each Stronghold begins with one Command Center and eight construction sites for future structures.

Several types of structures exist, however only one of each can be built. In order to build a structure, Industrial Resource is required, which is generally gained through Advances or Skirmishes; however, it can also be obtained in other modes, such as Random and Ranked Battles. Advances are a series of battles for Industrial Resource between two clan detachments on bridgeheads. Skirmishes are battles between a clan’s detachment and an enemy detachment on a neutral territory; the enemy and map are selected at random.

Some structures generate (by consuming Industrial Resource) consumables and clan boosters (also known as reserves), which can be used to temporarily increase clan members’ XP or credit yield and enable artillery or airstrikes during a battle over a Stronghold.

Global Map

The Global Map is a collection of fronts on an in-game map based off real-world locations. Each Global Map front is made up of provinces, some of which generate gold for the clan that currently owns them. A clan can enter the Global Map by participating in a tournament for a specific province, facing other clans and ultimately the current province owner.

2008 – 2011: Early Years to Full Launch
The original concept of World of Tanks was thought up by a small development team of Victor Kislyi, Slava Makarov, Pyotr Bityukov and Marat Karpeko in December 2008[xiii]. The game was officially announced by Wargaming on 24 April 2009. The same year, the development team claimed that the game budget was the largest ever seen in the CIS game industry to date[xiv].

In September 2009, the first alpha tests started in the CIS[xv]. Closed and Open Beta Tests started in the early months of 2010 and June 2010 respectively, again within the CIS only. In July 2010[xvi], the Closed Beta started for the English version of World of Tanks and the Open Beta began in January 2011[xvii]. Between the two Beta periods, the English version accumulated 700,000 participants[xviii].

The full launch of World of Tanks in the CIS took place on 12 August 2010[xix]. In January 2011, World of Tanks hit its first significant milestone of 1 million players registered worldwide[xx] and on 24 February 2011, the game set a Guinness World Record for the “Most Players on One MMO Server”—91,311[xxi]. In February 2011, the Global Map—a clan-only mode—was introduced[xxii]. The game would later release in China on 15 March 2011, and in EU and NA on 12 April 2011[xxiii].

The game originally started with two nations—Germany and the Soviet Union. In November 2010, the World of Tanks armory added a new nation—the United States. The next year, another nation would be added: France[xxiv]. The French Tech Tree added a new mechanic—autoloader tanks—meaning players were able to shoot a clip with several shells in it and in quick succession.

2012
In September 2012, Update 8.0 was released, which improved lighting, in-game physics and sounds, and introduced shadows[xxv]. By October 2012, a fifth (and the first tank-building) nation was added—the UK[xxvi]. The same month—a year after release—World of Tanks received its first Golden Joystick Award for “Best MMO Game”[xxvii]. Closing the year of 2012, World of Tanks reached a milestone of 45 million registered players worldwide[xxviii].

2013
As part of Update 8.3, the Chinese nation was added in January 2013[xxix]. Towards the end of 2013, World of Tanks focused on Japan with its full launch, alongside the start of the Girls und Panzer anime collaboration and the release of the Japanese vehicles, in September[xxx] and December[xxxi] respectively. In December 2013, World of Tanks reached another milestone — 75 million registered players worldwide[xxxii]—and was awarded a second Golden Joystick, this time for the “Best Online Game” category[xxxiii].

2014
On 14 January 2014, World of Tanks set another Guinness World Record for “Most Players on One Server Cluster”—1,114,337[xxxiv]. With the release of Update 9.0—named “New Frontiers”—improved firing effects, physically realistic surface interaction, turrets could now fly off with explosions, and the first HD tank models were introduced in April 2014[xxxv]. Later, in July 2014, Update 9.2 introduced another key element of the current Clan Wars—Strongholds—which awarded Clan-wide rewards and bonuses[xxxvi].

In October 2014, Wargaming and World of Tanks partnered with Dan Ayers’ Fury. A replica of the eponymous tank was available to players in game for a limited time with Brad Pitt’s “Wardaddy” as the tank commander[xxxvii].

2015
In late 2015, Update 10.0—named “Rubicon”—was rolled back soon after its introduction[xxxviii]. After consulting player feedback, the update was renamed as Update 9.12. The main addition with this update was a new game mode—Rampage—which introduced respawns, multi-team battles and multiple tanks per battle (some of these features are current staples of “Frontline”).

The year was seen out with Update 9.13 and the addition of the eighth nation—Czechoslovakia[xxxix].

2016
March 2016 saw the release of Update 9.14 which changed the sound engine to Audiokinetic Wwise and improved the vehicles, making them more realistic and lifelike[xl]. In the same month, World of Tanks hit another milestone—120 million registered players worldwide[xli].

In April 2016, Wargaming announced that a comic based on the World of Tanks universe was in development. Titled World of Tanks: Roll Out, the five-issue series was to be published by Dark Horse Comics and was to be written by Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra[xlii].

Together in partnership with Belavia (the Belarusian national airline), Wargaming launched a Boeing 737-300 with a custom World of Tanks livery in July 2016[xliii].

In December 2016, the ninth nation was announced: Sweden. Coming as a part of Update 9.17, Wargaming announced that Dolph Lundgren would be an inaugural Tank Ambassador in support of the Swedish vehicles release[xliv]. Some of the vehicles themselves brought a new game mechanic—siege mode—which allowed players to increase their angles of depression, forsaking speed and mobility.

2017
In April 2017, Update 9.18 rolled out, introducing: large-scale changes to artillery and their mechanics, a new matchmaking system and Tier IX (9) and X (10) light tanks[xlv].

In August 2017, Update 9.20 was released introducing a new game mode, Grand Battles — 30v30 battles with double-size maps[xlvi]. In the same month, Wargaming and World of Tanks announced a collaboration with the Swedish metal band Sabaton[xlvii], shooting a World of Tanks-styled video for song ‘Primo Victoria’. Alongside the release of the music video, the Primo Victoria tank—based on the Swedish Strv 81—was introduced to the game, featuring the Sabaton logo and its crew. All crew members featured the visual likeness of all Sabaton members, and lead singer Joakim Brodén voiced the tank commander.

In December 2017, World of Tanks picked up its third Golden Joystick Award, this time for the “Still Playing” category[xlviii].

2018
In March 2018, the biggest update in World of Tanks history was released. Named Update 1.0, it increased the visual and aural fidelity of the game with the new in-house developed Core graphics engine and a newly recorded orchestral soundtrack, recorded with the Prague Symphony Orchestra[xlix]. In the same month, World of Tanks reached a new milestone of 160 million registered players worldwide[l].

In May 2018, Wargaming and World of Tanks announced a partnership with Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon[li] as part of the time-limited Tank Football game mode and the introduction of the Italian Tech Tree. The Italian Tech Tree introduced a new game mechanic — the autoreloader—similar in fashion to the French autoloaders however, the drum would automatically reload, even when it wasn’t empty. Buffon was made a Tank Ambassador and a commentator for the Tank Football game mode. A Buffon commander, featuring his likeness and voiceover, was added to the game in June 2018.

In August 2018, the Polish Tech Tree was released as part of Update 1.1[lii]. In December 2018, World of Tanks won back-to-back Golden Joystick Awards in the “Still Playing” category (becoming the first game to do so)[liii]. The same month, Wargaming and World of Tanks announced an extension of their partnership with Belavia. An Embraer 195 was branded both inside and out, the first commercial aircraft to be decorated internally and externally in video game livery[liv].

2019
In February 2019, wheeled vehicles were introduced within the light tanks[lv]. These vehicles are made for active spotting, in comparison to their tracked counterparts which can do both active and passive spotting.

In August 2019, World of Tanks launched the first-ever Tank Festival to mark the 9th anniversary of the game’s release. The two-month long event featured five separate sub-events including the return of Tank Racing (last seen in 2014) and the battle royale-inspired Steel Hunter.

In September 2019, a partnership with American punk band The Offspring was announced. The Californian four-piece were added to the game as crew members for their own Premium vehicle, “Pretty Fly”, named after 1998’s ‘Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)’ single.

Versions
World of Tanks has been custom-tailored for different platforms.

World of Tanks: Mercenaries
At E3 2013, World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition was announced as part of Microsoft’s press conference[lvi]. Developed by Wargaming West (formerly Day One Studios), the Xbox 360 version was released on 12 February 2014[lvii]. In July 2015, the Xbox One version was released and allowed the first-ever cross-platform battles between Xbox One and Xbox 360[lviii]. In January 2016, the PlayStation 4 version was released[lix].

World of Tanks Blitz
In the same year, World of Tanks Blitz, the mobile version of World of Tanks for tablets and smartphones using Windows 10, Android and iOS, was announced[lx]. The game focuses on 7v7 battles, as compared to the 15v15 battles on PC and consoles.

The Closed Beta Test (CBT) started on 19 March 2013, running until 3 April. World of Tanks Blitz launched (on iOS only) in May 2014 in select European countries, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland[lxi]. On 27 June 2014, it was released in North America (again, on iOS only)[lxii]. A Beta Test of the Android version was conducted in Russia and World of Tanks Blitz was released worldwide on 4 December 2014[lxiii].

The game was released on the Windows Store on 28 December 2015[lxiv], making it available to PC users running Windows 10, and on 9 November 2016, World of Tanks Blitz was released on Steam[lxv].

As of June 2018, World of Tanks Blitz has accumulated more than 100m downloads[lxvi].

Reception
World of Tanks received “generally favorable reviews” according to the review aggregation website Metacritic[lxvii] [lxviii] [lxix] [lxx] [lxxi]. GameZone gave the PC version a score of eight out of ten and states, “for a free-to-play game, World of Tanks is insanely detailed and has combat that takes a while to get used to. The more you learn about the game and the more you play, the better you’ll become at it.”[lxxii]

Nathan Meunier of Gamespot also gave a score of eight out of ten stating, “the deeper you delve into it, the more World of Tanks grows into a delightful playground of deadly rolling metal and military might.”[lxxiii]

Accolades
At E3 2010, World of Tanks was announced as the “Best New Concept” and since launch, the title has received four Golden Joystick Awards: “Best MMO” in 2012, “Best Online Game” in 2013, and two in the “Still Playing” category in 2017 and 2018, becoming the first game to pick up the award back to back.

World of Tanks also is the holder of two Guinness World Records. In 2011, it set the Guinness World Record for “Most Players on One MMO Server”—91,311. In 2014, the PC title would set another for “Most Players on One Server Cluster”—1,114,337.