Have your voice heard! Post in the Forums!
Menu
|
|
It seems you can't go anywhere on the internet lately without seeing a banner advertisement for World of Tanks, so to satisfy our curiosity we took the time to have a go to see what all the fuss was about.
Developed by Wargaming.net, the same people who bought us Massive Assault, this MMO game is free to play but has an underlying micro economy to access premium content ("freemium"). Don't be put off by the premium account aspects of the game, though, because our experience is that you are able to compete against the big money boys relatively easily.
The game's roots are firmly set in World War 2, with a lot of the earlier tiers of tanks covering the various development of tanks from throughout the war. You have the choice of playing either as German, Russian, or USA, however in game terms this only relates to the technology tree and tanks you can use, as each battle is made up of a mix of tanks from each of the nations. The initial tank you have is a free tier-one tank that is armed with a pea shooter and uses wet cardboard as its defense. Unlike other MMO's where the new boy is regarded as cannon fodder, each 15 minute game has you pitted against other tanks of around a similar tier.
Games are played over a great set of 3D maps that include destructive terrain features (nothing says power like running over a truck in your tank) and map terrain types varying from cities, plains, hill country, and low-lying coastal areas. So what is a typical battle like? Well, after selecting your tank (our favorite is the BT2 an early fast Russian Tank that was phased out prior to the war), you are set in the queue while the system sets up a game of 15-a-side, loads one of the game maps and counts down to the start.
“Hmm, “Mines” map. A small coastal map, with a hill in the centre, a town in the east, and the coast and some rocky out crops to the west. Our flag and start point is to the south. A quick look around, and I see we are not the best tank in the team, about middle of the pack and there are two SPG's (self propelled guns) on each side.
We're off!. As we are to the left of the pack we shoot north-east towards the coast. Have to hoof it as the enemy will top the rise in the middle of the map in no time and it's not good to be caught out in the open. We zoom to the coast using the folds in the ground and brush for cover. We speed along the beach and across some tidal water (grit the old teeth at this point as water slows you to a crawl and you feel awfully exposed) and up a little rise. Should be right about here that we start seeing the opposition.
Yep, we spot an M2 light US tank, facing towards the centre hoping to pop one of our guys off as they race for the hill. Wham! Smacked him with a 37mm round where the sun don't shine and the armour is weakest. Down 40% or so, he swings his turret around, but my speed outpaces him and I get a second shot in as I top the rise and down the other side. Not enough to knock him out, but the tank following finishes him off.
Cresting the rise reveals two more enemy units, including a Panzer II with an auto-cannon and we immediately take rounds to our front. Some ping off the harder frontal armour but others manage to penetrate. Worse still, we lose a track and come to a dead stop. While the driver tries to repair it, we get off a round at the panzer and manage to take him down by 25% but a combination of his next auto-round volley and a shell from one of the artillery guns knocks us out........dang!
As you can see, games can be fast and furious, while at other times if both sides adopt a defensive strategy it can be a game of hide and seek. Regardless, of the over 200 games we have played, none have gone to full time. Win or lose, you get credits. Obviously winning gets you more and this is done by knocking out all the enemies tanks or capturing their base. The credits you get are spent on repairing your tank or investing in upgrades. These upgrades consist of better suspension and engines, that in turn allow you to carry better turrets and heavier weapons, Eventually you get to the end of the tree and you can then research the next tier tank.
Each of the three faction has 10 tiers of tanks and they can be broken down into light tanks, that are used to scout out the enemy and are lightly armoured and fast. Its important that these have the best radios you can get get as scouting is useless if you get out of range of your team. The Medium Tanks are a good all-rounder and, at a pinch, or preferably in pairs, can take on the Heavy Tanks. The Tank Destroyers rely on stealth and hang around the back looking to take out enemies at longer ranges. Artillery, rather than using the direct-fire mechanics of other units, aim their guns looking top-down on the map and, while devastating, is a tricky unit to master.
The tank crew also gain experience as you progress. The more they have the better they get. While at 100% experience they can then specialise in areas such as tank repair and camouflage.
By paying cash for in game credit you can expand the amount of tank slots you have from the initial 4 slots and you can also access premium tanks, purchase maxed-out crew, as well as specialised ammunition. Our experience though is that all of these don't make up for good gameplay and tactics. Hull down positions, putting your thicker armour to face the enemy and using angles around hard objects to lessen your own exposure are all part of being a good player.
We are not sure where the servers are based but at a regular ping rate of around 200-300 on a standard DSL 2+ connection there is no noticeable lag or delay. Regularly there is 300 to 400 hundred games in progress at anytime so there is never much of a wait for your next match up. The short duration matches makes it an ideal game for those looking for quick thrills and time to surf the net in between.
This is by far the best free to play MMO out there at the moment. Its well polished, with good sound effects, well detailed tanks and terrain and regular updates and maps. Yes it's not historically correct but its a lot of fun for only the price of a download. We highly recommend it.
The Score
 |
"A great online free to play tank combat game loosely based on World War 2." |
8.5
Great
|
More You May Like
Comments (22)
love this game, well worth the time (and even your cash!)
awesome game for what it is, have played it for 4 weeks and already have a tier 10 tank
First of all, it’s false that you can compete when you start playing. The problem is not the big money boys – the problem is the big “I play 40 hours/week” boys. For those of you that have an actual job, you are nonetheless needed so that those with no life will have others they can easily kill and feel special for having played dozens of hours a week to “earn” that right.
This game suffers from the same-old tired MMO model of rewarding those who make said game their life. There are 10 tiers (consider a tier a “level” and in this game someone 2 levels higher than you can easily beat you: your shots bounce, they can kill you in 2 hits) – and they mix up tiers in each battle. So you will be constantly placed in battles where at least 1/3 of enemy tanks will bounce your shots over and over again as they kill you in 1 or 2 hits. Some will say to use heat shots (which don’t penetrate but do small damage anyway) – but those shots do about 2% damage to the tank, so really it’s a joke of a suggestion when you’re dying in 1 to 2 hits to use shots where you need dozens of hits to take them down. Someone 2+ tiers higher than you is going to laugh at your attempt to fight them and you routinely have people up to worst case 4 tiers higher than you in battles. Once in a while you’re the highest tier, but you still have to watch out for people your own tier level – that is the only fun in this game: being the highest tier and having a good fight with others as strong as you are. Now it’s about skill, not tier. But it’s rare.
Of course to “fix” this, they offer shells you can pay for: about 5 cents a bullet and now your shots are far less likely to bounce. You can see the lack of “incentive” to fix the fact that your bullets bounce against many other tanks and let the game be about skill instead of tier/level as they let you pay 5 cents/shot to be able to hit them.
The light tanks in this game know they are only good for one thing: suiciding, which is all light tanks do in this game: run over and die in the first 1 min of a round then leave to go play a different tank.
Winning gets you more credits, but in PUGs you end up losing half your games and when you lose you’re lucky if you get 100xp.
Let’s talk about the higher tier “eventually” : at low levels you get hardly any experience, which is fine because the amount of experience needed to get to next level is also very low. It will take you several dozen battles to get past tier 1, then again to do tier 2 and then tier 3. This is where the grind starts to kick in. For the poster that claimed he got tier 10 in four weeks, he’s either lying or has absolutely no life and lives in his parent’s basement.
It takes almost 700,000 xp to get to tier 10. The average xp per battle for the typical player is about 400 (that’s if you pay for a premium getting 50% bonus to xp – take that away and you can earn about 260 xp/battle (and this IGNORES the early tiers where you get 40 xp if you’re lucky – it’s base on how much dmg you do). When you divide that out, this amounts to 1,750 15-minute battles to get to tier 10 if you’re paying the monthly fee (about $15), 2,529 battles to get tier 10 if you don’t pay. Even at an average of 10min/battle, that amounts to 291 hours if you pay, 421 hours if you don’t.
To get that in 4 weeks, that’s 72 hours/week playing if you’re paying – 105 hours/week if you’re not. The poster as I said is clearly lying. Either he is a developer or he wants more lowbie tanks in the game so he can have a greater chance of getting more lower level “you can’t touch me” tanks in his matchups.
The truth is there are hardly any tier 10’s in the game compared to every other tier (b/c it takes several thousand 15minute battles to ever get there) and when you get them in your game, you are fodder for them while the one or two other tier 10’s duke it out. The rest of you just hope to not be killed by them and hope your team’s tier 10 wins. When you’re tier 5 you’ll be up against tier 8 and 9 that don’t even notice your bouncing shots – but when they do notice you, you die.
The game should be about skill, but really each person you fight: if you are 2+ tier above them, you will win unless you play blindfolded and try to make like Luke and use the force. And each battle has people that could be 4 tiers above you. Almost always the case that a person you beat is your tier or lower – person you lose to is higher tier than you (or same).
Is it a fun game? Can be. You very quickly realize, however, it suffers from the same mindless MMO grind to get to the top tiers so you can get back to using skill fighting others your same level – rather than hiding from 1/3 of the other team that can easily kill you in 1 or 2 shots.
For those of you who play World of Warcraft – how much fun would it be going into a battleground in a level range of 10 – 50 as a level 30? Welcome to world of tanks, as that’s how they have set it up.
But if you have no life you can eventually get to the highest level and kill many with no skill necessary – then have skill fights against others who are left standing that are your level.
I still play, but only because I already invested a few hundred hours before I realized the grind this game ends up being. Now I stopped playing other types of tanks and just focused on just one to have any chance of getting to tier 10.
Developers need to get over the dead game model of rewarding people with no life, instead making games about skill. Instead, WoT is about “which couple of you play the most real time, because we’re going to make it easy for you to beat others who don’t.”
This game suffers from the same-old tired MMO model of rewarding those who make said game their life. There are 10 tiers (consider a tier a “level” and in this game someone 2 levels higher than you can easily beat you: your shots bounce, they can kill you in 2 hits) – and they mix up tiers in each battle. So you will be constantly placed in battles where at least 1/3 of enemy tanks will bounce your shots over and over again as they kill you in 1 or 2 hits. Some will say to use heat shots (which don’t penetrate but do small damage anyway) – but those shots do about 2% damage to the tank, so really it’s a joke of a suggestion when you’re dying in 1 to 2 hits to use shots where you need dozens of hits to take them down. Someone 2+ tiers higher than you is going to laugh at your attempt to fight them and you routinely have people up to worst case 4 tiers higher than you in battles. Once in a while you’re the highest tier, but you still have to watch out for people your own tier level – that is the only fun in this game: being the highest tier and having a good fight with others as strong as you are. Now it’s about skill, not tier. But it’s rare.
Of course to “fix” this, they offer shells you can pay for: about 5 cents a bullet and now your shots are far less likely to bounce. You can see the lack of “incentive” to fix the fact that your bullets bounce against many other tanks and let the game be about skill instead of tier/level as they let you pay 5 cents/shot to be able to hit them.
The light tanks in this game know they are only good for one thing: suiciding, which is all light tanks do in this game: run over and die in the first 1 min of a round then leave to go play a different tank.
Winning gets you more credits, but in PUGs you end up losing half your games and when you lose you’re lucky if you get 100xp.
Let’s talk about the higher tier “eventually” : at low levels you get hardly any experience, which is fine because the amount of experience needed to get to next level is also very low. It will take you several dozen battles to get past tier 1, then again to do tier 2 and then tier 3. This is where the grind starts to kick in. For the poster that claimed he got tier 10 in four weeks, he’s either lying or has absolutely no life and lives in his parent’s basement.
It takes almost 700,000 xp to get to tier 10. The average xp per battle for the typical player is about 400 (that’s if you pay for a premium getting 50% bonus to xp – take that away and you can earn about 260 xp/battle (and this IGNORES the early tiers where you get 40 xp if you’re lucky – it’s base on how much dmg you do). When you divide that out, this amounts to 1,750 15-minute battles to get to tier 10 if you’re paying the monthly fee (about $15), 2,529 battles to get tier 10 if you don’t pay. Even at an average of 10min/battle, that amounts to 291 hours if you pay, 421 hours if you don’t.
To get that in 4 weeks, that’s 72 hours/week playing if you’re paying – 105 hours/week if you’re not. The poster as I said is clearly lying. Either he is a developer or he wants more lowbie tanks in the game so he can have a greater chance of getting more lower level “you can’t touch me” tanks in his matchups.
The truth is there are hardly any tier 10’s in the game compared to every other tier (b/c it takes several thousand 15minute battles to ever get there) and when you get them in your game, you are fodder for them while the one or two other tier 10’s duke it out. The rest of you just hope to not be killed by them and hope your team’s tier 10 wins. When you’re tier 5 you’ll be up against tier 8 and 9 that don’t even notice your bouncing shots – but when they do notice you, you die.
The game should be about skill, but really each person you fight: if you are 2+ tier above them, you will win unless you play blindfolded and try to make like Luke and use the force. And each battle has people that could be 4 tiers above you. Almost always the case that a person you beat is your tier or lower – person you lose to is higher tier than you (or same).
Is it a fun game? Can be. You very quickly realize, however, it suffers from the same mindless MMO grind to get to the top tiers so you can get back to using skill fighting others your same level – rather than hiding from 1/3 of the other team that can easily kill you in 1 or 2 shots.
For those of you who play World of Warcraft – how much fun would it be going into a battleground in a level range of 10 – 50 as a level 30? Welcome to world of tanks, as that’s how they have set it up.
But if you have no life you can eventually get to the highest level and kill many with no skill necessary – then have skill fights against others who are left standing that are your level.
I still play, but only because I already invested a few hundred hours before I realized the grind this game ends up being. Now I stopped playing other types of tanks and just focused on just one to have any chance of getting to tier 10.
Developers need to get over the dead game model of rewarding people with no life, instead making games about skill. Instead, WoT is about “which couple of you play the most real time, because we’re going to make it easy for you to beat others who don’t.”
Forgot to add: evidence of the broken model of "you play more so you get to beat everyone else": you will witness:
* medium tanks running around 2 shotting "heavy" tanks just because they are higher tier in that match (basically transforming into a heavy tank that moves 3x as fast and hits 3x as hard as the real 'heavies' in that game that are lower tier)
* tank destroyers, which are supposed to have weak armor (but of course powerful guns) running around like heavies as your shots bounce and they 1 shot heavies. Why play a heavy when it's all about tier?
* SPGs (artillery) which start to run around at higher level towards end of fight to now 1 shot last person or two in close range as they can't be killed so easily anymore b/c of tier.
When you start to see that more and more that's why it hits home even more how much of an epic fail the model of rewarding those who play the most really is.
The only place it doesn't show up is light tanks as you can only get up to tier 4 light tanks.
If the devs would stop making the power difference so drastic between tiers where
* you could kill any enemy tank in, say, 5 shots no matter what the tier difference,
* TDs die in open field because they are TDs
* Mediums die to heavies in at most 2 shots if they heavy manages to get it's sights on it (again no matter what the tier)
the game would be a blast skill-challenge the entire time, not just after you spend several THOUSAND battles working at the game to "earn" the "right" to have fun.
Want to switch to a different tank? Medium? Tank destroyer? SPG? Start over again as if you've not played to do it all over again: go play another several THOUSAND battles of getting 2 shotted and bouncing so often to "earn" the right to have fun with THAT tank type. That is unless you want to pay money, of course - at least then you can take your top tier's experience and pay $$ to be allowed to use it to research tiers of a different tank type.
* medium tanks running around 2 shotting "heavy" tanks just because they are higher tier in that match (basically transforming into a heavy tank that moves 3x as fast and hits 3x as hard as the real 'heavies' in that game that are lower tier)
* tank destroyers, which are supposed to have weak armor (but of course powerful guns) running around like heavies as your shots bounce and they 1 shot heavies. Why play a heavy when it's all about tier?
* SPGs (artillery) which start to run around at higher level towards end of fight to now 1 shot last person or two in close range as they can't be killed so easily anymore b/c of tier.
When you start to see that more and more that's why it hits home even more how much of an epic fail the model of rewarding those who play the most really is.
The only place it doesn't show up is light tanks as you can only get up to tier 4 light tanks.
If the devs would stop making the power difference so drastic between tiers where
* you could kill any enemy tank in, say, 5 shots no matter what the tier difference,
* TDs die in open field because they are TDs
* Mediums die to heavies in at most 2 shots if they heavy manages to get it's sights on it (again no matter what the tier)
the game would be a blast skill-challenge the entire time, not just after you spend several THOUSAND battles working at the game to "earn" the "right" to have fun.
Want to switch to a different tank? Medium? Tank destroyer? SPG? Start over again as if you've not played to do it all over again: go play another several THOUSAND battles of getting 2 shotted and bouncing so often to "earn" the right to have fun with THAT tank type. That is unless you want to pay money, of course - at least then you can take your top tier's experience and pay $$ to be allowed to use it to research tiers of a different tank type.
Maybe he was just good and lucky?
About the high tier mediums... and tanks being useless aganist bigger/high tier tanks...
People choose to play them, thus they HAVE TO ACCEPT that they are dead to rights against a larger armed and armored AFV... thats just a fact of life and part of the simulator aspect of WoT
I'm sorry but I will not stand watching a panzer 4 killing a IS-3 in the same amount of hits as vice versa...
High tier mediums (mainly tier 9s) are perfectly capable of killing lower tier heavies because they are more technologicaly advanced and can carry better guns than there lower tier medium cousins, And no medium can "2 shot" another heavy unless the tier difference is 4 or more... I have the same username on WoT NA server... I know what I am talking about.
Also the only thing I will agree with you on is that the tier spread is too large to be "fair"...
Salutations.
About the high tier mediums... and tanks being useless aganist bigger/high tier tanks...
People choose to play them, thus they HAVE TO ACCEPT that they are dead to rights against a larger armed and armored AFV... thats just a fact of life and part of the simulator aspect of WoT
I'm sorry but I will not stand watching a panzer 4 killing a IS-3 in the same amount of hits as vice versa...
High tier mediums (mainly tier 9s) are perfectly capable of killing lower tier heavies because they are more technologicaly advanced and can carry better guns than there lower tier medium cousins, And no medium can "2 shot" another heavy unless the tier difference is 4 or more... I have the same username on WoT NA server... I know what I am talking about.
Also the only thing I will agree with you on is that the tier spread is too large to be "fair"...
Salutations.
23 July 2011, 09:34 AM
Reply to XenomorphZZ
Maybe he was just good and lucky?
About the high tier mediums... and tanks being useless aganist bigger/high tier tanks...
People choose to play them, thus they HAVE TO ACCEPT that they are dead to rights against a larger armed and armored AFV... thats just a fact of life and part of the simulator aspect of WoT
I'm sorry but I will not stand watching a panzer 4 killing a IS-3 in the same amount of hits as vice versa...
High tier mediums (mainly tier 9s) are perfectly capable of killing lower tier heavies because they are more technologicaly advanced and can carry better guns than there lower tier medium cousins, And no medium can "2 shot" another heavy unless the tier difference is 4 or more... I have the same username on WoT NA server... I know what I am talking about.
Also the only thing I will agree with you on is that the tier spread is too large to be "fair"...
Salutations.
Also I am one of these no-lifes...Maybe he was just good and lucky?
About the high tier mediums... and tanks being useless aganist bigger/high tier tanks...
People choose to play them, thus they HAVE TO ACCEPT that they are dead to rights against a larger armed and armored AFV... thats just a fact of life and part of the simulator aspect of WoT
I'm sorry but I will not stand watching a panzer 4 killing a IS-3 in the same amount of hits as vice versa...
High tier mediums (mainly tier 9s) are perfectly capable of killing lower tier heavies because they are more technologicaly advanced and can carry better guns than there lower tier medium cousins, And no medium can "2 shot" another heavy unless the tier difference is 4 or more... I have the same username on WoT NA server... I know what I am talking about.
Also the only thing I will agree with you on is that the tier spread is too large to be "fair"...
Salutations.
Why should the player who does invest time progressing in a MMO not be better than one who does not?
23 July 2011, 06:36 AM
Reply to GamerLight
Forgot to add: evidence of the broken model of "you play more so you get to beat everyone else": you will witness:
* medium tanks running around 2 shotting "heavy" tanks just because they are higher tier in that match (basically transforming into a heavy tank that moves 3x as fast and hits 3x as hard as the real 'heavies' in that game that are lower tier)
* tank destroyers, which are supposed to have weak armor (but of course powerful guns) running around like heavies as your shots bounce and they 1 shot heavies. Why play a heavy when it's all about tier?
* SPGs (artillery) which start to run around at higher level towards end of fight to now 1 shot last person or two in close range as they can't be killed so easily anymore b/c of tier.
When you start to see that more and more that's why it hits home even more how much of an epic fail the model of rewarding those who play the most really is.
The only place it doesn't show up is light tanks as you can only get up to tier 4 light tanks.
If the devs would stop making the power difference so drastic between tiers where
* you could kill any enemy tank in, say, 5 shots no matter what the tier difference,
* TDs die in open field because they are TDs
* Mediums die to heavies in at most 2 shots if they heavy manages to get it's sights on it (again no matter what the tier)
the game would be a blast skill-challenge the entire time, not just after you spend several THOUSAND battles working at the game to "earn" the "right" to have fun.
Want to switch to a different tank? Medium? Tank destroyer? SPG? Start over again as if you've not played to do it all over again: go play another several THOUSAND battles of getting 2 shotted and bouncing so often to "earn" the right to have fun with THAT tank type. That is unless you want to pay money, of course - at least then you can take your top tier's experience and pay $$ to be allowed to use it to research tiers of a different tank type.
To be honest, the whole idea is to work together as a team. If you do this you can get ahead rapidly.Forgot to add: evidence of the broken model of "you play more so you get to beat everyone else": you will witness:
* medium tanks running around 2 shotting "heavy" tanks just because they are higher tier in that match (basically transforming into a heavy tank that moves 3x as fast and hits 3x as hard as the real 'heavies' in that game that are lower tier)
* tank destroyers, which are supposed to have weak armor (but of course powerful guns) running around like heavies as your shots bounce and they 1 shot heavies. Why play a heavy when it's all about tier?
* SPGs (artillery) which start to run around at higher level towards end of fight to now 1 shot last person or two in close range as they can't be killed so easily anymore b/c of tier.
When you start to see that more and more that's why it hits home even more how much of an epic fail the model of rewarding those who play the most really is.
The only place it doesn't show up is light tanks as you can only get up to tier 4 light tanks.
If the devs would stop making the power difference so drastic between tiers where
* you could kill any enemy tank in, say, 5 shots no matter what the tier difference,
* TDs die in open field because they are TDs
* Mediums die to heavies in at most 2 shots if they heavy manages to get it's sights on it (again no matter what the tier)
the game would be a blast skill-challenge the entire time, not just after you spend several THOUSAND battles working at the game to "earn" the "right" to have fun.
Want to switch to a different tank? Medium? Tank destroyer? SPG? Start over again as if you've not played to do it all over again: go play another several THOUSAND battles of getting 2 shotted and bouncing so often to "earn" the right to have fun with THAT tank type. That is unless you want to pay money, of course - at least then you can take your top tier's experience and pay $$ to be allowed to use it to research tiers of a different tank type.
And if you dont like it then unless you are paying to play it .... stop playing.
Plenty of people work at it and have fun. i still enjoy tier 3-4 battles and have good success with it.
Learn to play you tank class to it's strengths and play tactically and not charge in and it's a whole other game if you play it right
Why should anyone “have to accept” they are not going to have fun at a game for thousands of battles just to “earn” the “right” to finally have balanced fights where skill is finally the factor, not “how long have you played?” ?
If you have a higher tier tank, why not this: you can kill them in 4 shots they can kill you in 5, for example. You’re more powerful but skill would still be a big factor. The way it is now: they can kill you in two, you can’t even kill them in 10 with your shots bouncing and doing nowhere near as much damage. Not fun.
No matter what the rationale, it’s stupid for a *game* to have it so a medium can 2 (or even 3) shot a heavy while the heavy is bouncing shots off the medium tank, doing no damage, just because “he played longer than you – suck it up and play for a few thousand more games to “earn” that right as well” ?
Sure they can 2 shot a heavy – 105mm SPH M4L3 does 410 *average* damage (meaning it can do much more than that on one shot). Heavies 3 tiers lower barely have more than 820 hp – it’s possible to 2 shot – and you can definitely 3 shot a heavy while they can’t return the favor as their shots bounce.
The could easily fix this problem by not making the power difference between tiers so insane, or have at most 3 tiers in one battle. But because you can pay money to deal with shots bouncing (paying 5 cents/shot for bullets that have better chance to make up for it) they clearly are more interested in making the game suck unless you pay for bullets. Which I refuse to pay real money for every single shot just to make the game (gasp!) fun. You’d be paying $1 for every 10 min game.
If you have a higher tier tank, why not this: you can kill them in 4 shots they can kill you in 5, for example. You’re more powerful but skill would still be a big factor. The way it is now: they can kill you in two, you can’t even kill them in 10 with your shots bouncing and doing nowhere near as much damage. Not fun.
No matter what the rationale, it’s stupid for a *game* to have it so a medium can 2 (or even 3) shot a heavy while the heavy is bouncing shots off the medium tank, doing no damage, just because “he played longer than you – suck it up and play for a few thousand more games to “earn” that right as well” ?
Sure they can 2 shot a heavy – 105mm SPH M4L3 does 410 *average* damage (meaning it can do much more than that on one shot). Heavies 3 tiers lower barely have more than 820 hp – it’s possible to 2 shot – and you can definitely 3 shot a heavy while they can’t return the favor as their shots bounce.
The could easily fix this problem by not making the power difference between tiers so insane, or have at most 3 tiers in one battle. But because you can pay money to deal with shots bouncing (paying 5 cents/shot for bullets that have better chance to make up for it) they clearly are more interested in making the game suck unless you pay for bullets. Which I refuse to pay real money for every single shot just to make the game (gasp!) fun. You’d be paying $1 for every 10 min game.
A game is supposed to be fun. It's not supposed to be another "job" where you only get to earn the right to have fun if you play 40 hours/week.
Why should you get to have more fun just because you have no
life? Works for most games. Take starcraft - my units don't have pathetic stats just because you played 5,000 hours and I've only played 200. But your personal skill is bound to be better - that's where your "advantage" is. But people seem to hate games being about skill - so they gravitate to games that hand them the win (via in game STATS of your unit(s)) for no other reason than they sit in front of their computer 40 hours/week and you don't. A broken MMO model.
Why should you get to have more fun just because you have no
life? Works for most games. Take starcraft - my units don't have pathetic stats just because you played 5,000 hours and I've only played 200. But your personal skill is bound to be better - that's where your "advantage" is. But people seem to hate games being about skill - so they gravitate to games that hand them the win (via in game STATS of your unit(s)) for no other reason than they sit in front of their computer 40 hours/week and you don't. A broken MMO model.
Of course you work together, Koliara – how is that nullified just because the power you wield is now more in line with everyone else? It’s not. It just takes away your statistical power in game so now you’re forced to rely on skill, not the amount of time you played handing you the win with no effort required.
See, Koliara, you even admit that plenty of people “work at it” – it’s a GAME. You don’t play a game to “work.” Smooth out the power difference between tiers and you still have a blast with team battles.
Sorry, Koliara – false claim to “learn to play it right” – the people of higher tier know they can just run right into your face no matter how you play and 2 shot you. The problem with tier’s encourages people to play like fools b/c they know you can’t touch them. When I know my damaged medium can easily kill the full health heavy tank on other side of building because I’m higher tier, it’s more proof that the broken tier system eliminates the need to play right for either combatant.
See, Koliara, you even admit that plenty of people “work at it” – it’s a GAME. You don’t play a game to “work.” Smooth out the power difference between tiers and you still have a blast with team battles.
Sorry, Koliara – false claim to “learn to play it right” – the people of higher tier know they can just run right into your face no matter how you play and 2 shot you. The problem with tier’s encourages people to play like fools b/c they know you can’t touch them. When I know my damaged medium can easily kill the full health heavy tank on other side of building because I’m higher tier, it’s more proof that the broken tier system eliminates the need to play right for either combatant.
Well starcraft is an "RTS"
They tried your example in another game... it was Age of Empires III
Didnt work at very well...
In an MMO the progession is often felt as a 'grind' when theres seems to be no change or gratification for too long a period of time, and then the cycle repeats itself...
I still dont see why the player who invests time into a game should not be "better" as a player who does not invest x amount of time... that other person is working and thus can eat and stay alive... it makes no sense to call the MMO system "broken"
An example of sorts is... and ironically could be very applicable in Wargamings next game "World of Warplanes" is as follows...
Do you deserve to win as the Red Baron in his fokker because your so skilled against a player who's in a F-15C Eagle who blew you up with a sidewinder becuase he played the game long enough to get the equipment to kick your arse easy regardless if hes dumb as dirt in a fokker?
They tried your example in another game... it was Age of Empires III
Didnt work at very well...
In an MMO the progession is often felt as a 'grind' when theres seems to be no change or gratification for too long a period of time, and then the cycle repeats itself...
I still dont see why the player who invests time into a game should not be "better" as a player who does not invest x amount of time... that other person is working and thus can eat and stay alive... it makes no sense to call the MMO system "broken"
An example of sorts is... and ironically could be very applicable in Wargamings next game "World of Warplanes" is as follows...
Do you deserve to win as the Red Baron in his fokker because your so skilled against a player who's in a F-15C Eagle who blew you up with a sidewinder becuase he played the game long enough to get the equipment to kick your arse easy regardless if hes dumb as dirt in a fokker?
The 105 SPH fires an HE round that, unless you find a gaping weak spot in the arm, will do heat-wave damage, for a tiny percent of the averge damage listed....
Xeno: It’s not a grind anymore when the game is fun at all times because the power differences are slight – it’s not fun to be in game you KNOW will suck the moment you’re matched with people whose stats make them invulnerable to you for NO other reason than “I put in more hours than you, so even though you have more personal skill, I win!! YAY!”
Using your logic: the person who invests 1000 hours should have units with stats 3x as good as his opponent, who has only played 100 hours. “I don’t see why my starcraft units should not be ‘better’ than a player’s units when he doesn’t play as long as I have.” – same epic fail “logic” – if you play more, you have a slightly better tank – not one that’s so good you can give it to your 6 year old sister to play and have her kill the guy just by hitting random buttons because “you played more hours so you ‘deserve it’”
Why are you against a game being about how much skill you have instead of being about “he played longer so the game stats will hand him the win no matter what the personal skill level of the players – get over it”
And your analogy is faulty: The correct one would be: Do you ‘deserve’ to be forced to fight a person in an F-15 when you only have a ‘fokker’ and the response will be “shut up – he played more hours so sit there and suck losses like that for a few thousand games against F-15’s so you can finally “earn” the right to fight people in similar powered planes.”
Tiny percent of the damage? Please. They frequently take down heavies in a couple of shots and the stats show it does at least 410 dmg with a regular shell (on average, which means it can top 500 dmg). HE shells do MUCH more damage, problem is you won’t penetrate with them against heavy tanks.
Using your logic: the person who invests 1000 hours should have units with stats 3x as good as his opponent, who has only played 100 hours. “I don’t see why my starcraft units should not be ‘better’ than a player’s units when he doesn’t play as long as I have.” – same epic fail “logic” – if you play more, you have a slightly better tank – not one that’s so good you can give it to your 6 year old sister to play and have her kill the guy just by hitting random buttons because “you played more hours so you ‘deserve it’”
Why are you against a game being about how much skill you have instead of being about “he played longer so the game stats will hand him the win no matter what the personal skill level of the players – get over it”
And your analogy is faulty: The correct one would be: Do you ‘deserve’ to be forced to fight a person in an F-15 when you only have a ‘fokker’ and the response will be “shut up – he played more hours so sit there and suck losses like that for a few thousand games against F-15’s so you can finally “earn” the right to fight people in similar powered planes.”
Tiny percent of the damage? Please. They frequently take down heavies in a couple of shots and the stats show it does at least 410 dmg with a regular shell (on average, which means it can top 500 dmg). HE shells do MUCH more damage, problem is you won’t penetrate with them against heavy tanks.
23 July 2011, 10:29 AM
Reply to GamerLight
Xeno: It’s not a grind anymore when the game is fun at all times because the power differences are slight – it’s not fun to be in game you KNOW will suck the moment you’re matched with people whose stats make them invulnerable to you for NO other reason than “I put in more hours than you, so even though you have more personal skill, I win!! YAY!”
Using your logic: the person who invests 1000 hours should have units with stats 3x as good as his opponent, who has only played 100 hours. “I don’t see why my starcraft units should not be ‘better’ than a player’s units when he doesn’t play as long as I have.” – same epic fail “logic” – if you play more, you have a slightly better tank – not one that’s so good you can give it to your 6 year old sister to play and have her kill the guy just by hitting random buttons because “you played more hours so you ‘deserve it’”
Why are you against a game being about how much skill you have instead of being about “he played longer so the game stats will hand him the win no matter what the personal skill level of the players – get over it”
And your analogy is faulty: The correct one would be: Do you ‘deserve’ to be forced to fight a person in an F-15 when you only have a ‘fokker’ and the response will be “shut up – he played more hours so sit there and suck losses like that for a few thousand games against F-15’s so you can finally “earn” the right to fight people in similar powered planes.”
Tiny percent of the damage? Please. They frequently take down heavies in a couple of shots and the stats show it does at least 410 dmg with a regular shell (on average, which means it can top 500 dmg). HE shells do MUCH more damage, problem is you won’t penetrate with them against heavy tanks.
Look I'm sorry If I come across like that...Xeno: It’s not a grind anymore when the game is fun at all times because the power differences are slight – it’s not fun to be in game you KNOW will suck the moment you’re matched with people whose stats make them invulnerable to you for NO other reason than “I put in more hours than you, so even though you have more personal skill, I win!! YAY!”
Using your logic: the person who invests 1000 hours should have units with stats 3x as good as his opponent, who has only played 100 hours. “I don’t see why my starcraft units should not be ‘better’ than a player’s units when he doesn’t play as long as I have.” – same epic fail “logic” – if you play more, you have a slightly better tank – not one that’s so good you can give it to your 6 year old sister to play and have her kill the guy just by hitting random buttons because “you played more hours so you ‘deserve it’”
Why are you against a game being about how much skill you have instead of being about “he played longer so the game stats will hand him the win no matter what the personal skill level of the players – get over it”
And your analogy is faulty: The correct one would be: Do you ‘deserve’ to be forced to fight a person in an F-15 when you only have a ‘fokker’ and the response will be “shut up – he played more hours so sit there and suck losses like that for a few thousand games against F-15’s so you can finally “earn” the right to fight people in similar powered planes.”
Tiny percent of the damage? Please. They frequently take down heavies in a couple of shots and the stats show it does at least 410 dmg with a regular shell (on average, which means it can top 500 dmg). HE shells do MUCH more damage, problem is you won’t penetrate with them against heavy tanks.
Balance like you are suggesting would fit well into a regular FPS game with RPG qualities...
A semi-historical/semi-sim armored warfare game? Not so much, the real answer is simply reducing the range of tiers encountered in a single fight. A M3 stuart should not be in the same fight as a KV-3 or a KV really... but it should not be that a KV-3 can only take 6 hits when a M3 stuart can only take 3 from the M3's gun...
Also I come from playing a little game called NF or "NavyField"
I know how it feels being cannon fodder... forever.
I know how it feels being cannon fodder... forever.
23 July 2011, 09:51 AM
Reply to GamerLight
Why should anyone “have to accept” they are not going to have fun at a game for thousands of battles just to “earn” the “right” to finally have balanced fights where skill is finally the factor, not “how long have you played?” ?
If you have a higher tier tank, why not this: you can kill them in 4 shots they can kill you in 5, for example. You’re more powerful but skill would still be a big factor. The way it is now: they can kill you in two, you can’t even kill them in 10 with your shots bouncing and doing nowhere near as much damage. Not fun.
No matter what the rationale, it’s stupid for a *game* to have it so a medium can 2 (or even 3) shot a heavy while the heavy is bouncing shots off the medium tank, doing no damage, just because “he played longer than you – suck it up and play for a few thousand more games to “earn” that right as well” ?
Sure they can 2 shot a heavy – 105mm SPH M4L3 does 410 *average* damage (meaning it can do much more than that on one shot). Heavies 3 tiers lower barely have more than 820 hp – it’s possible to 2 shot – and you can definitely 3 shot a heavy while they can’t return the favor as their shots bounce.
The could easily fix this problem by not making the power difference between tiers so insane, or have at most 3 tiers in one battle. But because you can pay money to deal with shots bouncing (paying 5 cents/shot for bullets that have better chance to make up for it) they clearly are more interested in making the game suck unless you pay for bullets. Which I refuse to pay real money for every single shot just to make the game (gasp!) fun. You’d be paying $1 for every 10 min game.
gamerlight: 1st, i play ~ 2 hrs a day...Why should anyone “have to accept” they are not going to have fun at a game for thousands of battles just to “earn” the “right” to finally have balanced fights where skill is finally the factor, not “how long have you played?” ?
If you have a higher tier tank, why not this: you can kill them in 4 shots they can kill you in 5, for example. You’re more powerful but skill would still be a big factor. The way it is now: they can kill you in two, you can’t even kill them in 10 with your shots bouncing and doing nowhere near as much damage. Not fun.
No matter what the rationale, it’s stupid for a *game* to have it so a medium can 2 (or even 3) shot a heavy while the heavy is bouncing shots off the medium tank, doing no damage, just because “he played longer than you – suck it up and play for a few thousand more games to “earn” that right as well” ?
Sure they can 2 shot a heavy – 105mm SPH M4L3 does 410 *average* damage (meaning it can do much more than that on one shot). Heavies 3 tiers lower barely have more than 820 hp – it’s possible to 2 shot – and you can definitely 3 shot a heavy while they can’t return the favor as their shots bounce.
The could easily fix this problem by not making the power difference between tiers so insane, or have at most 3 tiers in one battle. But because you can pay money to deal with shots bouncing (paying 5 cents/shot for bullets that have better chance to make up for it) they clearly are more interested in making the game suck unless you pay for bullets. Which I refuse to pay real money for every single shot just to make the game (gasp!) fun. You’d be paying $1 for every 10 min game.
you sound angry. if you only getting 200xp per battle you are obviously doing something wrong... I agree that you die in 2 shots from a higher tier tank, at the same time though you can kill a lower tier tank in 2 shots. it evens out. if you rush ahead and fail to acknowledge that teamwork = survival then you will end up dying in the first 30 seconds. I currently have a kv3 (tier 6) and always get put up against IS-7 (tier 10) sure i die, but i get good shots using high explosive rounds, and get rewarded accordingly, often 700xp per battle, even when i die. the game is challenging with a medium learning curve. So, my conclusion is that you are raging because you have zer0 skill.
go back to playing CoD, boy.
23 July 2011, 06:36 AM
Reply to GamerLight
Forgot to add: evidence of the broken model of "you play more so you get to beat everyone else": you will witness:
* medium tanks running around 2 shotting "heavy" tanks just because they are higher tier in that match (basically transforming into a heavy tank that moves 3x as fast and hits 3x as hard as the real 'heavies' in that game that are lower tier)
* tank destroyers, which are supposed to have weak armor (but of course powerful guns) running around like heavies as your shots bounce and they 1 shot heavies. Why play a heavy when it's all about tier?
* SPGs (artillery) which start to run around at higher level towards end of fight to now 1 shot last person or two in close range as they can't be killed so easily anymore b/c of tier.
When you start to see that more and more that's why it hits home even more how much of an epic fail the model of rewarding those who play the most really is.
The only place it doesn't show up is light tanks as you can only get up to tier 4 light tanks.
If the devs would stop making the power difference so drastic between tiers where
* you could kill any enemy tank in, say, 5 shots no matter what the tier difference,
* TDs die in open field because they are TDs
* Mediums die to heavies in at most 2 shots if they heavy manages to get it's sights on it (again no matter what the tier)
the game would be a blast skill-challenge the entire time, not just after you spend several THOUSAND battles working at the game to "earn" the "right" to have fun.
Want to switch to a different tank? Medium? Tank destroyer? SPG? Start over again as if you've not played to do it all over again: go play another several THOUSAND battles of getting 2 shotted and bouncing so often to "earn" the right to have fun with THAT tank type. That is unless you want to pay money, of course - at least then you can take your top tier's experience and pay $$ to be allowed to use it to research tiers of a different tank type.
This guy obviously doesn't get it. There is a match making system that matches you up with only a limited number of tanks above or below you. The teams are not balanced down the list but across the list. If you keep getting 1 or 2 shotted you need to learn your role based on where you are on the list and what vehicle type you are in. Not everyone gets to be the big guy every game, sometimes you are the b*tch and its your job to not be a bad b*tch and die in 1 or 2 shots. If you have foresight and can count this is rather quite easy.Forgot to add: evidence of the broken model of "you play more so you get to beat everyone else": you will witness:
* medium tanks running around 2 shotting "heavy" tanks just because they are higher tier in that match (basically transforming into a heavy tank that moves 3x as fast and hits 3x as hard as the real 'heavies' in that game that are lower tier)
* tank destroyers, which are supposed to have weak armor (but of course powerful guns) running around like heavies as your shots bounce and they 1 shot heavies. Why play a heavy when it's all about tier?
* SPGs (artillery) which start to run around at higher level towards end of fight to now 1 shot last person or two in close range as they can't be killed so easily anymore b/c of tier.
When you start to see that more and more that's why it hits home even more how much of an epic fail the model of rewarding those who play the most really is.
The only place it doesn't show up is light tanks as you can only get up to tier 4 light tanks.
If the devs would stop making the power difference so drastic between tiers where
* you could kill any enemy tank in, say, 5 shots no matter what the tier difference,
* TDs die in open field because they are TDs
* Mediums die to heavies in at most 2 shots if they heavy manages to get it's sights on it (again no matter what the tier)
the game would be a blast skill-challenge the entire time, not just after you spend several THOUSAND battles working at the game to "earn" the "right" to have fun.
Want to switch to a different tank? Medium? Tank destroyer? SPG? Start over again as if you've not played to do it all over again: go play another several THOUSAND battles of getting 2 shotted and bouncing so often to "earn" the right to have fun with THAT tank type. That is unless you want to pay money, of course - at least then you can take your top tier's experience and pay $$ to be allowed to use it to research tiers of a different tank type.
If you do want to level up to tier 10 in a respectable time you do NEED a premium account as only tier 1-6 is designed for free players. Don't expect to level up as fast as everyone else if you are too cheap to pay, if you have played far enough that you feel its holding you have probably played over 50 hours and should pay for the game. No one wants to hear the whinging of a peasant who cant afford to pay for a game.
As far as the experience goes you can actually still get large amounts on a loss provided you do enough damage and contribute to the team. A win does not add as much of a bonus as people might think, if you don't fail you can still get 500-600 exp on a loss. Getting 100 exp means you are horrible and you are probably one of the reasons your team lost.
So in the end if you want to compete at tier 10 you should quit being a peasant and pay for the game (it will only cost you 20-40 NZD). If you don't understand roles and positions you should stop playing online team games. If you cant get more than 500 on a loss or 900+ on a win you should go watch some guides. If you don't understand any of this you should probably just uninstall.
23 July 2011, 10:00 AM
Reply to GamerLight
Of course you work together, Koliara – how is that nullified just because the power you wield is now more in line with everyone else? It’s not. It just takes away your statistical power in game so now you’re forced to rely on skill, not the amount of time you played handing you the win with no effort required.
See, Koliara, you even admit that plenty of people “work at it” – it’s a GAME. You don’t play a game to “work.” Smooth out the power difference between tiers and you still have a blast with team battles.
Sorry, Koliara – false claim to “learn to play it right” – the people of higher tier know they can just run right into your face no matter how you play and 2 shot you. The problem with tier’s encourages people to play like fools b/c they know you can’t touch them. When I know my damaged medium can easily kill the full health heavy tank on other side of building because I’m higher tier, it’s more proof that the broken tier system eliminates the need to play right for either combatant.
So if it bother you so much you could ask for a refund ... oh wait your not paying anything for it so why not uninstall it and then go find something else to play that suits your idea of what a game should be and how it should play.
Of course you work together, Koliara – how is that nullified just because the power you wield is now more in line with everyone else? It’s not. It just takes away your statistical power in game so now you’re forced to rely on skill, not the amount of time you played handing you the win with no effort required.
See, Koliara, you even admit that plenty of people “work at it” – it’s a GAME. You don’t play a game to “work.” Smooth out the power difference between tiers and you still have a blast with team battles.
Sorry, Koliara – false claim to “learn to play it right” – the people of higher tier know they can just run right into your face no matter how you play and 2 shot you. The problem with tier’s encourages people to play like fools b/c they know you can’t touch them. When I know my damaged medium can easily kill the full health heavy tank on other side of building because I’m higher tier, it’s more proof that the broken tier system eliminates the need to play right for either combatant.
23 July 2011, 02:01 PM
Reply to Koliara
So if it bother you so much you could ask for a refund ... oh wait your not paying anything for it so why not uninstall it and then go find something else to play that suits your idea of what a game should be and how it should play.
amazing how people complain because they cant play a game... grab the patton go for it... heck my tier 8 heavy can pwn a tier 10 heavy easily.. just have to know where to hit it.. but of course people arent goin to think and just go hell for leather thinking they can just barge in and pew pew.. well you have to strategise think ...to be successful in this game.. as for money... lol... hardly any advantage with the cash option at all so gamerlight learn to play the game ... before flaming the game you have no idea about
So if it bother you so much you could ask for a refund ... oh wait your not paying anything for it so why not uninstall it and then go find something else to play that suits your idea of what a game should be and how it should play.
You guys should see how big my tanks d*ck is
I love this game. I love the strategy. I love the team work. I love that even if you are in a light tank that you have a roll in the battle. There is nothing more satisfying then being in a tiny little light tank and playing peek-a-boo with a heavy to spot its position for your sides artillery and watching as it gets pounded into dust. I love it if you are medium and are up against heavies, because you can quickly dash in and out of cover damaging them in increments - or wolf pack them. I love playing heavies because you can be the bully and slug it out. I love playing arty and hiding in a bush and figuring out where the enemy will be or where they will move to and then pounding them.
The key to enjoying it is understanding your role in the team and adapt your playing style to it. You will not always be top of the pile, but that doesnt matter because you can really contribute if you figure out the best strategy and tactics of your tank and how to use it in the best way given the circ*mstance of what is occuring in any given battle.
The key to enjoying it is understanding your role in the team and adapt your playing style to it. You will not always be top of the pile, but that doesnt matter because you can really contribute if you figure out the best strategy and tactics of your tank and how to use it in the best way given the circ*mstance of what is occuring in any given battle.
The last couple of patches have tightened the tier spread and with the addition of a dozen new tanks the match maker seems to be a lot more even (odd things do still occur but infrequently now)
About This Game
Follow
Want your opinion heard?Screenshots
Log in to comment or Register now!