Find out why tanks are tougher than orcs and elves in the first World of Tanks teaser! These steel beasts can't be stopped with a curse or a magic sword. Leave the world of fantasy behind and come into the World of Tanks. Hear the guns, smell the smoke, feel the power!

World of Tanks: GDC 2011 - Preview

During last week's GDC, MMORPG.com's Drew Wood had the chance for a first hand look at World of Tanks. Drew's 'interest was piqued' to say the least. Find out what captured Drew's attention about World of Tanks.

General Article By Drew Wood on March 09, 2011

World of Tanks, upon first glance, has no business being called an MMO. It's more akin to a Massively Online Battle Arena (or MOBA), not so different from the Battlefield gaming series. Having spent more than a few hours invested in Battlefield 2142 in my day (still one of my favourite gaming experiences), I did take a look at World of Tanks at GDC and have my interest piqued. The game essentially boils down to its two gameplay modes. One was affectionately referred to as “Counter-Strike with Tanks”, which is more or less their flagship for the game. It's also exactly what it sounds like. You select your chosen tank, do any repairs that are needed, add a few tidbits and upgrades to your tank, and then you enter into your queue to start your team battle.


I was fortunate enough to observe a few Counter-Strike matches and I must say, from a MOBA standpoint, it looks very appealing. Each of the tanks holds a different role, structured under the surprisingly popular rock, paper, scissors balance method. Small tanks scout, medium sized and large tanks provide heavy fire power, artillery can provide deadly strikes at long distances. Teams are built to balance, so a game will not launch until the teams are evenly matched. Even in Closed Beta, I was impressed by how quickly a balanced game was achieved and you were launched into the game. Overall, the experience of “Counter-Strike With Tanks” was very entertaining and, if you're a fan of the Battlefield series, or of tanks in a big bad way, then World of Tanks, immediately, is something you're going to want to check out when it does launch.


However. If you're anything like me, you're thinking right out of the gate, 'Okay, how is this an MMO?'. It's a valid concern and I don't blame you for thinking it. But I haven't yet touched on the second gameplay mode. It's been referred to as their Meta Game, but is perhaps more succinctly referred to as “Clan Wars”. This is where I start to see the MMO definition. Is it traditional? Heck no! But that's what makes it really interesting. You're not walking across the plains, controlling an avatar, using special abilities and worrying about your mana. I digress.

Clan Wars is handled, predominantly, through your browser. Now, I know half of you have probably already tuned me out here as soon as I said 'browser', but hear me out. You establish your clan and you are given 'chips' (think a casino) representative of the players in your Clan. Now, as the leader of your clan, you log in to this section of the World of Tanks website and suddenly, things start looking a little bit like a board game. What I was shown was a RISK-like map of Europe and Russia, decorated in colours of all sort. The colours indicate the Clan who currently holds sway over that particular territory. So, as a new Clan, you would land in one of the starting points and then you would be established. One clan equals a maximum of 100 people, and different clans can team-up, or align themselves, with other clans, melding their colours together in an attempt to become the sole territory holder.


From there, if your Clan colour is blue, for example, and the territory next to you is green, you can attempt to take it from the occupying Clan. One chip (as mentioned above) is one chip, so your clan leader (or his/her deputy) would move X amount of chips to a location. So if I moved 15 of my 100 chips from one territory to the neighbours territory, the opposing team is sent an email notification of a battle that will be happening, for that territory, that night at, say, 8PM. When everyone shows up for the party, you choose your chip representatives (in this case, 15) and move them into the battle with you, which is when you engage in a Counter-Strike battle. Clan Wars, unlike the Counter-Strike gameplay mode, does not balance out the teams before it begins. It becomes a game of successful planning and strategy, and resources and supply.

The Clan structure is quite obviously for the hard-core player. You have to be incredibly passionate and incredibly dedicated to your clan for the game to have the ability to drop everything that you're doing that evening to engage in a battle with your rival clans. Your Clan leader can't just be a buffoon who slacks off, but has to actively be logging into this browser based map (available on any computer and does not use flash: good news, iOS users!) to play the strategic game. The territories you hold actually earn you real currency, in game. Let me go on a brief tangent: silver is the in-game currency that you can earn through Counter-Strike and can be used in the micro-transaction Item Shop. Gold is the game's equivalent of real-world currency where you can purchase (with real money) other items in the micro-transaction item shop. You can earn, through Clan Wars by holding these territories, real-life-cash. for use in the game of course (obviously they won't be cutting your a cheque every month).


What really intrigues me about this gameplay method isn't necessarily what goes into the game itself, but rather what the players and Clan Members go through and endure outside of the confines of the 3D gaming environment. Like in RISK, alliances are made and broken, not between yourself and your friend sitting beside you, but between your clan and a clan, say, halfway across the world. These players take part in out-of-game meetings, over Skype, through Email, through the game's forums or even face-to-face. There is wheeling and dealing that happens behind the scenes the likes of which I've never been privy to.

They will be instituting a league based system into their Clan Wars gameplay, allowing for Junior, Medium and Advanced type of structure. They will be expanding the map beyond just Europe and Russia. There is still a lot of work on the horizon for the Clan Wars team, but it's always refreshing to see a team that excited and that confident in their product, particularly when it is a quality product.


While it strays vastly from the traditional MMO, World of Tanks is just another example of how the industry is ever-changing. That isn't to say that traditional games don't have a place, of course they do. But why can't a video game genre push the envelope so far that it broadens the definition thereof? With World of Tanks, if you really are into the game, or if you have longed for a very long time to play through the battles of a game of RISK with tanks rather than dice rolls, then World of Tanks is absolutely something you should check out. It may not be the MMO we've all come to expect, but the precedent that it sets is rather exciting. I, personally, can't wait to start blowing people up on the battlefield (re: can't wait to start getting blown up).

As it has been reported earlier, following nine consecutive months of beta testing World of Tanks is gradually entering the release phase. Beginning today, World of Tanks players can choose from one-of-three exclusive pre-order packages: Heavy, Medium and Light. Players purchasing the World of Tanks pre-order package till April 12 gain access to gold available for a limited-time special price and one of the unique tanks. These exclusive tanks are one-of-a-kind vehicles, each of them possessing unique powers that will allow their owners to benefit from the very first battles.

Thus we offer you three different packages you can choose from:

•HEAVY package: Tank - M6A2E1 (USA), Free slot, Gold – 25000 for only $90
•MEDIUM package: Tank - Pz V/IV (Germany), Free slot, Gold – 18 700 for only $67
•LIGHT package: Tank - А-32 (USSR), Free slot, Gold – 12 500 for only $45
* Pre-order gold is on average 10% off the Release price.

There are 90 paying opportunities that PlaySpan provides for the customers.

* Only registered users can purchase pre-order packages

* Promo code will be sent to you via email

* You can activate your pre-order package only after release and exclusively by using the appropriate code.

* There are no restrictions on the number of packages a player would like to purchase. Any player can buy several packages, but in case of purchase of two identical packages you will get only 1 unique tank, 2 slots and double amount of gold.

* Pre-order package code can be used by any person, but only once, so it can be given away/presented to someone.

In earlier announcements you have already been informed that during preparation stage for release all vehicles, achievements, statistics, inactive/duplicate accounts will be wiped, except vehicles received within PR events! Following the Release the players will be provided with technical support including help in cases of gold not being enrolled for the account and other financial issues. An opportunity of obtaining in-game gold for the real money will remain available.

And as we promised, all players who have made a long way from CBT to Release will get some bonuses and advantages. One of the latter is the fact that the game will be available in 12 languages. Be with us till the end!

In the end of the 1920-s the American Army strictly following the method of using combat vehicles conventional for those times assigned a technical task to develop a light tank of infantry support. This new vehicle was meant to replace out-of-date 6-tonn vehicles and 3-tonn “fords” which were no longer satisfactory on the point of speed and armor. The Cunningham Company was the one who showed great interest in that. They were well-known for their chain-track tractors. Having studied the experience of their foreign colleagues (first of all British) the American engineers came to a conclusion that the classical arrangement of a tank is far from ideal. A light tank Cunningham T1 appeared after they have combined their ideas with the ideas of their foreign colleagues.
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The light tank T1 development started in 1926 and its prototype was sent to being tested in the beginning of the next year. “The tractor past” left its traces. The tank got the chassis which had been poorly adapted to overcoming the obstacles appearing on battlefields wounded by mines and shells (for example a 2-metre ditch was an unsurpassable barrier). However in production it was highly technological. The chassis consisted of 16 road wheels of small diameter (8 for each board) with coil springs amortization. There were 6 carrier rollers, guiding front wheels and leading back wheels. Namely owing to innovations in running gear this armed “tractor” could speed up to 30 km/h.
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The vehicle weight gained 7198kg. It was protected by welded and riveted construction of mill-rolled armor plate 10-15 mm wide. It provided protection from rifle bullets (without a steel pit) from 100 meters distance.

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In the front part of the body there was an engine-transmission section where a gasoline engine Cunningham with 8 cylinders of 132 hp in 2600 was placed. The gas tank was for 221, 5 liters and mechanic transmission with a 4-gear gearbox. The manufacturer engine starting was held with the help of an electric starter. 190 liters of gasoline was enough to move 120 on a road.

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Combined with the combat section, the section of operation was close to the after part of the tank. The Т1 crew consisted of 2 persons: a driver and a commanding officer (who was also a shooter). Because of the lack of room the commanding officer was forced to basically stand on their colleague’s shoulders.

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The armament was mounted in the cylindrical turret of the tank and consisted of a 37-mm gun M5 L/50 (ammunition: 104 shells or 80 shells according to other reports) and coaxial 7.62-mm Browning M1919A4 (3000 rounds) machine gun. Despite the small caliber the initial velocity of the firing shell gained 777 m/s and that allowed to penetrate any enemy armored vehicle at range up to 1000 meters.

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This tank is also known as the armored vehicle that stayed in service less than any other engineering technique: from January 4, 1928 – March 30, 1928. That is a little less than three months. Therefore, in short terms it was returned for the improvement. The following prototype Т1Е1 had improved hull design and in 1928 the Army accepted it into service under the designation M1. T1E2 modification was equipped with more powerful engine, modified turret (without inclined armor plating) and up-armored frontal armor plating. Later this tank was re-equipped with 37-mm long-barrel gun. In fact, the era of American light tanks began.

Drive historically accurate World War II tanks onto the battlefield and test your skills in 15-v-15 multiplayer team battles in this incredible, free-to-play PC MMO-shooter.

GamePro Score
*****

I can’t think of many “freemium” games that have truly captured my imagination. They’re usually super-casual time sinks that get really repetitive after a while, or they’re fun for a bit, but simply don’t offer much in terms of lasting gameplay. Not World of Tanks.

This absolutely brilliant tank warfare game snuck up and caught me by surprise a few weeks ago, and I’ve been playing it solidly ever since. It’s a simple enough concept – a PvP WWII tank warfare game that pits teams of 15 players against one another in a number of superbly designed, European-themed battlegrounds – but it’s executed incredibly well.

The game features a roster of some 150 historically accurate tanks from three nations – Russia, Germany and the US (British and French tanks are going to be added in a future update). Players start out with three basic, lightweight tanks, one from each nation, which can be taken into combat immediately simply by entering the battlefield queue. Once you’ve been automatically put into a team by the game’s matchmaking system, the action commences – usually within a minute. Battle objectives are simple – either destroy all enemy tanks, or seize the enemy’s flag (usually located on the opposite side of the map) by occupying and holding the area immediately surrounding it long enough to capture it.

Success in battle earns you credits and experience points that are used to “research” and buy new performance-enhancing parts for your tanks – such as tracks, turrets, guns, radios and engines – or indeed acquire newer, better vehicles. You can speed up this process somewhat – and this is how Russian developer Wargaming.net makes money – by buying in-game gold with real-life money, which you can exchange for additional credits. But even without gold, leveling is a manageable, albeit slower and steadier process.

There are basically ten tiers of tanks, which are broken down into five basic types – Light, Medium and Heavy tanks, Tank Destroyers and SPGs – each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. Light tanks move fast, making them good for scouting and finding where the enemy is hiding. However, their light armor and generally small caliber guns don’t make them particularly effective in a firefight. Heavy tanks are slow moving, but pack a serious punch and can take a beating. SPGs – self-propelled guns – are the artillery. Generally lightly armored, but packing huge firepower, these machines are best used way behind the front lines, where they can “snipe” the enemy. Tank Destroyers are lethal killing machines, but can be outmaneuvered by more nimble tanks. Medium tanks are fairly fast, with decent firepower and good all-round maneuverability, making them ideal support vehicles in almost every situation you can think of. All tanks are driven around using a third person view, but when shooting, a first-person perspective is used, apart from the SPGs, which use an overhead view since they are shelling from long range. WoT’s matchmaking system ensures that battles pit reasonably matched tanks together. The game doesn’t care what nationality of tank you’re driving – just the class. So, if you’re a beginner, you’ll find yourself fighting battles with the same superlight tanks with thin armor and very small caliber weaponry that everyone else starts with. But as you begin to put higher tier tanks into your Depot and drive them into battle, you’ll find yourself coming up against increasingly tougher, higher caliber tanks.

There is some variance in matching, so, for example, if you’re commanding a mid-tiered tank, in one battle you might be ranked as one of the stronger members of your team in a generally lower-tiered match, whereas in the next battle you might be ranked weakest in your team because you’re in a slightly higher-tiered match, where your tank isn’t so good. Ultimately, no matter how you’re ranked, you’ll be in a team that’s equally matched with your enemy – the system ensures that no matter what you’re driving, you’re not always going to be in the best tank in every game. I think this variance is excellent, as it ensures that you often have to approach each battle differently, which that’s one of the real beauties of World of Tanks – you never quite know how the next battle is going to play out. While WoT is fundamentally a PvP action shooter, it nevertheless requires an approach and thinking that is more thoughtful and measured than most, more aggressively tuned combat games. Having been a keen reader of historical tank battles and tactics as a kid, I learned that concentrated positioning, unified action and creating “centers of development” are hugely important to winning a skirmish. World of Tanks incorporates all this into its gameplay to create what feels like very realistic tank battles. You have to really think about what you’re doing and be aware of your position, and what your teammates are doing. Generally speaking, aggressive, solo-oriented play gets you turned into a smoking crater very quickly. Playing on the strengths of your vehicle, being patient, moving as a team, and outflanking and outmaneuvering your opponent garners success.

When a battle starts, you have no idea where the enemy is. You can clearly see your team as green dots on the minimap, but no enemy is visible. However, once an enemy is “seen” by a tank, it gets lit up on the minimap as a red dot, meaning it can be targeted by artillery – or anyone else in range. However, if that sight is lost, the enemy drops off the minimap and cannot be manually targeted. This adds a dynamic element to the game, because you want the enemy lit up as much as possible so they can be targeted and shot at. Which means your team’s fast-moving lightweight tanks need to be going forward and scouting at all times to keep the enemy in view. This is particularly important for the SPGs – essentially the team’s snipers – because if they don’t have things to aim at, they are useless. However, you need to protect your scouts because they’re generally vulnerable to heavy weaponry, so you need your middleweight tanks to roll in and cover fire… and your heavies to draw fire. And this is just a simple, basic take on the way team play works in this game.

The more I play WoT – and at this point I’ve played some 500 battles – the more I appreciate the subtlety and detail of its combat and gameplay. On the one hand, tank combat is slow, and oftentimes you need to be very patient, so you find yourself sitting back waiting to make that one shot really count. Yet sometimes you find yourself in an incredibly tense firefight where you’re trying to outmaneuver packs of opponents or head to cover while being shelled, or trying to cover fire, or draw fire. And that’s as intense and adrenaline inducing as any fast-action fps. It definitely makes for exciting, and often unpredictable action.

This is further enhanced by the game’s numerous battlegrounds that are nicely designed to deliver a variety of different battle types. There are several urban cityscapes that offer very tight firefights where you’re moving tanks around narrow streets where battles can get very intense. There are also open battlefields – including a desert with rolling dunes and small villages where there’s very little in the way of cover – and you have to be absolutely on your toes to make sure you don’t get picked off by some bastard large-caliber tank sitting at the back of the battlefield. Throw in a valley battleground with high and low-ground to take, a map split by a river with strategic bridges providing choke-points, and several hybrid urban/open battlegrounds and you end up with a nice variety of maps that – thanks to their random nature – helps further ensure that you never quite know what to expect for your next battle.

What all this delivers is a game that has a high ceiling for tactical sophistication, yet is still fun to jump right in and get blasting. Watch new-to-the-game players in action, and it’ll look unorganized and crazy – a simple, but fun firefight. But at the higher tiers, you see a very different game emerge, with players covering one another, forming wolf packs, flanking and maneuvering and playing on the strengths of the vehicles they’re commanding to outwit a usually similarly cunning and canny team. If any game deserves a “thinking man’s shooter,” it’s World of Tanks.

The game’s audio-visuals are a perfect match for its action. As you’d expect, WoT’s tanks are beautifully rendered – definitely the best recreations of historic tanks I’ve ever seen in a game. But the scenery too is top-of-the-line – detailed and atmospheric, from depressingly ruined city battlegrounds to beautiful, but dangerous alpine meadows. And the sound, while simple, does an excellent job in adding the right kind of atmosphere to the game. I particularly like the fact that you have the tank’s “commander” giving you a running audio commentary of what’s going on while you play. From the effectiveness of your shots through the condition of your drivers to the damage that’s being done to your tank, you’re given updates in real-time that help ensure you know exactly what’s going on. Add in peer-to-peer communication and you’ve got a totally immersive experience.

The best thing of all about the game – it’s free to play. It’s incredibly easy to download and get straight into battle, and you’ll know pretty quickly whether it’s the right game for you. For me, it’s become an obsession that’s had me playing extended sessions at weekends and late into the night, and had me thinking about its maps, strategies and potential new tactics while I’m at work that I can’t wait to try out when I get home.

If you’ve ever had dreams of being a wartime tank commander, you just absolutely have to try it out. To register and download the client, just head over to the official World of Tanks website.