07.09.2017

Developer’s Diary #36

 “Hello, tankers! Today’s episode is going to be a very special one. We’re excited to finally be able to share with you some of the coolest and most important upcoming changes in the game, which we’ve been working on for the past few months.”

“Everyone in the office has been helping us test the upcoming updates, and it was pretty hard to keep everyone from spilling the beans. There’s going to be a simplified leveling-up system, a new mechanic for modules, a ranked mode, and a few new additions. Watch this episode carefully because it contains a lot of new information. If anything is unclear… just rewind!” – Evgeniy Loginov, Artist for Tanki X

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Introduction

You might be wondering why we need big changes

We love Tanki X because of its dynamic battles, weapons variety, and crazy gameplay. As developers, we want to retain these qualities, and if possible, also add a few more exciting goals and rewards for our players to focus on.

Let’s start with the new system for levelling up turrets and hulls.

We’re getting rid of the “Mastery” mechanic. We’re also slashing the maximum number of upgrades to 10 levels, and making them free.

Additionally, upgrades will no longer directly affect a hull’s speed or a turret’s firing rate.

“So… what will the new upgrades do? They will unlock skins or other rewards at different levels. But most importantly, they will unlock module slots, which are now the most important aspect of the new gameplay, and the key to your tank’s power.” – Anna Kudryashova, Analyst at Tanki X

While we’re on the topic of modules, this is the gameplay aspect that will be most affected by the new changes.

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You will have a total of 6 module slots available. You will be able to install modules on both hulls and turrets — specifically, 3 in each. After the update, every module in a hull will grant an ability, and improved armor, while installing a module in a turret will grant an ability, and improved damage. So, your tank’s power will now depend on the modules that you’ve installed, rather than the upgrades.

And for those players who don’t enjoy crafting, the good news is that you’ll no longer need resources to craft modules. Instead, you’ll be using blueprints, which will come in containers. Once you’ve gathered the required amount of blueprints, you will be able to craft the module.

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“You will also be able to upgrade your modules, which will most probably turn the whole thing into a gear race. The higher the module level, the more armor or damage it will grant. For example, it will gradually increase the amount of hit points restored by the “Reanimation” module, or the damage dealt by Spider mines.

Upgrading modules will also require blueprints. The higher the upgrade level, the bigger the requirement.” – Vladimir Beletskiy, Product Manager for Tanki X

The new system will no longer split modules into classes.

Instead, the new modules will simply belong to one of two categories: hull modules and turret modules. Each main element of the tank will have three module slots — two active and one passive. The active ones will be triggered at the push of a button. The passive ones will work independently and will trigger under certain circumstances or they will simply grant a permanent effect. It will not be possible to install duplicates of a module, for example two Spider mines.

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“Another thing we took into consideration, is that the abilities on the old modules had a very long recharge time. Players were getting impatient waiting for an ability to finish its cooldown.  So we’ve decided to allow you to use these abilities more often. This should make battles more dynamic and even more fun!” – Anna Kudryashova, Analyst at Tanki X

But what about the new modules themselves?

We’ve already talked about the “Force Field” and “Reanimation” modules. We’ve also mentioned the drone module. This will be a weaponized quadcopter that will assist you in battle. There are a couple of other modules that have made it through the tough selection process. These include modules such as Rage, Ice Trap, Invulnerability, and a few others. You’ll be able to decide which ones to install on your tank.

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Leagues and modes

Last time, we told you about leagues, and in this episode, we’ll be expanding on that topic a bit more.

Leagues will be implemented along with a special mode called “Ranked battle”. This will be the only mode that will affect the ranking ladder. As you climb to the top of the ranking ladder, you will earn Crystals and blueprints that you can use to craft or upgrade modules. You will also get huge rewards at the end of every ranking season. For now, we’ve decided that seasons should last a month.

“Quick play” will be the best way to earn charges. These will work as a kind of currency that allows you to play “Ranked battles”. You will have a few charges available daily, and the number of charges you can earn every day will be limited. Any charges earned over the daily limit, will be converted into Crystals. Keep in mind that the more prestigious a league is, the more charges it will cost to enter a “Ranked battle”.

“Ranked battles will now provide the most intense Tanki X experience! The rest of the modes will mostly serve as training simulations, or simply as another way to level up your tank.

Oh, and by the way, “Ranked battle” and “Quick Play” will only be available for team based modes. “Deathmatch”, also known as DM, will become a separate mode in which players will only earn experience points.” – Evgeniy Loginov, Artist for Tanki X

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The higher the league – the better the rewards. Level up faster and recharge your Teleports in “Quick Play”, in order to battle against more challenging opponents. Ranked battles are also the only way to get blueprints for building the coolest modules, which will ultimately help you build the deadliest tank!

Matchmaking and funds

With the addition of leagues, the matchmaking algorithm will also change. Players will now be matched depending on their reputation, which will be an indicator of their skill. This is the same indicator we told you about in the last episode. It will change depending on a player’s wins and losses in “Ranked battles”. This indicator will also affect your position on the ranking ladder.

Leaving a game prematurely will have even more severe consequences than before, including the loss of reputation points. For those with the “Deserter” status, it will be even worse.

“The reason for having such severe consequences for abandoning a battle, is that players tend to let their team down too often. We believe that this approach will make players think twice before leaving a battle. If they still decide to leave battles prematurely despite the reputation penalty, they will end up at the bottom of the ranking ladder. It is always advantageous to finish battles, because even if you’re on the losing team, you will still earn some kind of reward.” – Vladimir Beletskiy, Product Manager for Tanki X

The usual battle funds will be replaced with new loot containers that will contain two types of rewards – blue crystals, and blueprints for modules. A special progress bar will indicate the number of points you get from each battle. Once the bar has filled up completely, you will receive the container.

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Since there will be no funds in the new system, we will rework gold boxes to make them drop a different kind of reward.

The first Ranked Season will be a trial and will last a month. During this period, the final product may change. However, the season rewards are fixed, so you don’t need to worry about those.

Of course, we will save all of your achievements, the current level of every hull, turret or piece of equipment you own, as well as your modules, resources, containers, and other items. All of these will be converted into the levels and rewards for the new system.

A few final words about 3.0

So, let’s sum it all up. There are three important things you need to remember.

Number one… Fast and free leveling-up, and ten upgrade levels that will open up module slots.

Number two… The strength of your tank now relies on modules. You’ll have four active modules and two passive ones, for a total of six — three in your hull and three in your turret. They will grant your tank new abilities, stronger armor, and higher damage.

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Number three… There are now two team based modes – quick play and ranked battle. You can play the regular quick play, in which you can level-up your tank just like everybody else. Or… you can play ranked battles against more challenging opponents. This will grant you a placement in the league, and rewards that will allow you to improve your tank even more.

“We’re super happy to have reached the final steps in the development of these updates, and very excited to see our game reborn! Hopefully, you guys are too.” – Anna Kudryashova, Analyst at Tanki X

What’s in store for the Anniversary?

In the coming days, we will be celebrating two important events: Tanker’s Day, and the Tanki X Anniversary. For this occasion, we’ve planned a celebration that will last 8 days.

Throughout the celebration, you will be able to earn a new rare container in battle. It will contain all of the paints that we’ve released on every celebration during the past year… plus a new one.

Developer's Diary

Additionally, every celebration graffiti from the past year will be available for Crystals, while a super-container with all the celebration skins from the past year, will be available in the garage for X-crystals. Of course, if the container drops a skin that you already own, you will receive a compensation in Crystals.

Additionally, every third day, we will be increasing battle funds until they become double on the 16th and 17th of September.

We’re also going to run a few special offers including a discount on X-crystals, and releasing a brand new wallpaper.

So, clear up your schedule and get ready for a very unique and rare celebration. See ya!

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