This is not the place to post a message to Visi. :P

Readers, I’m sure you’ve seen the garage descriptions for all your favorite weapons. As a reporter, I’m thankful to whoever took the time to create those descriptions, as they provide a great framework for stories like the ones that I’ve written: Origination of Freeze, Smoky XT, and the Lost Temple series. This article is the first of a new series laid in the same context and with the same characters as in the previous serials, in direct continuation of the last Lost Temple article, and seeks to tell the untold story of why Tanki is the way it is in a manner consistent to garage descriptions, announcements, and events. The virtue of such articles can be explained through the following example: If you’re a diehard Star Trek fan, who’s read a lot of books and written many wikis, you glean more information, and enjoy the television series much more than someone who merely watches. Why? Because you understand the background information, and spot all the hinted references from each episode. Likewise, I hope that Tanki’s cybersport events, announcements and game play will be more enjoyable once you have understood the context from which each garage item or game mechanic has emerged from a fun, fictitious and hypothetical standpoint. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Previously in Secret of The Lost Temple - Part 3: "...You fool,” a deep, husky voice woke Ralph from his daze. Roused back to consciousness, Ralph was in a deep, dark cave, similar to the one he had explored, only smaller. Much smaller. A bright light was aimed at his eyes, but through the lurking shadows and blinding light, Ralph could make out a mirage of figures, black and menacing, bustling around with crates filled with his precious haul. “Your pathetic encryption codes were no match for my decoding algorithms,” the voice continued. “Now we know all your secrets. All of them. It is only a matter of time before chaos breaks loose all around the planet. Each faction and clan fighting for this new found crystal of revolutionary applications. The rarest precious mineral...” The mysterious interrogator chuckled. “Rare, perhaps, but unlike relatively worthless diamonds and gems, we know EXACTLY where to look for each of these. Conveniently for us, you decided to include all your satellite data in your stream.” Another irritatingly smug chuckle. “The knowledge is already being disseminated among the internet and databases. It is only a matter of time until your Lost Temple becomes a war zone, and I will lead the worldwide economy with the newest form of currency.” “The world isn’t ready for this! You’ve made a mistake!” Ralph replied, but it was in vain. “I’ve decided that I won’t kill you or your colleagues,” the dark figure continued. Ralph wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be good news or bad news. “I want you to continue on your ‘groundbreaking’ research. Maybe you’ll give me another big hit.” “What makes you think I’m going to cooperate?!” Ralph yelled. The dark figure lurking in Ralph’s peripheral vision laughed slowly. “It’s in your nature..." ___________________________________________________________________________________________ And now the continuation: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Months had passed since his release from his mysterious captors, and it had been with great reluctance that Ralph obliged to his captor’s sinister wishes: to continue exploring and innovating, searching for new, powerful sources of energy. Well, maybe not that reluctant. Increased security, and a plethora of new safety protocols were just enough to make him feel safe, though the worst damage had already been done. If it was true that Ralph’s find at Lost Temple was being spread throughout the black market and the media, it was only a matter of time before some audacious, ambitious corporation made an aggressive move. A lurking, violent leviathan was about to be released, wreaking havoc on the world’s peaceful progress, and threatening to plunge everyone into a nightmare of savage wars for crystals. Ralph knew that it was his responsibility to salvage the situation, and he had already taken the first steps to counter the black market. It was imperative that the weapons industry and militant nations either be prepared to resist offers from anonymous or illegal sources, or know nothing of the recent discovery. While it would be best if nobody knew anything, the terrible efficiency of the internet rendered such ignorance practically impossible. Ralph decided to take his chances, and warn weapons factories and producers of the coming threat... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deep within the white walls of the Zhukov Research Institute, a drone carried a top secret message into a spacious, extravagant office. Slightly unwieldy in appearance, the drone bobbed as it hovered towards the occupant’s desk, bearing a small flash drive. Ivan was obviously accustomed to such deliveries, as his recent promotion to chairman of weapons experimentation had required. Ivan frowned as he plugged the device into his computer, and an explosion of files and data appeared on his monitor. Who would have thought...not to many years ago, flash drives could only hold about 250 Gigabytes! That was what...2011? Ivan couldn’t be bothered to remember. The late mastering of large number theory yielded such advances, like the petabyte flash drive, and the zettabyte computer, much to the detriment of Ivan’s free time and gray hairs. Ivan’s slightly sarcastic gaze fell upon a curious looking folder. Opening the executable it contained, he watched as a youthful looking man appeared on his screen, and began an unusual presentation. The time of enlightenment had arrived, and Ivan learned more and more of Ralph’s discovery in the distant sands somewhere in a Kazakhstan oasis. Operation codenamed “Lost Temple” flashed on the monitor, as well as analyses of odd, blob-like creatures and luminescent crystals. Enthralled by the prospect of obtaining such crystals, Ivan was utterly aghast with disappointment and spite when the presentation concluded with a stern warning NOT to accept bribes from any source associated with such crystals, and to deny any business involved in obtaining such prizes. The man recorded in the executable saw these crystals as a threat to the world peace man enjoyed these days, the Pax Universum, and the venerable column of human progress! Ivan, on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity. His inner entrepreneur vied for attention and dominance. This rare resource now stood ready for exploitation, and Ivan decided it was time for himself to deal with the matter in his own fashion, if only he knew where to begin... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thick clouds of plasma and superheated gas shrouded the Imposters from detection; the outermost reaches of the crab nebula shielded them from the void, wherein they fed and dwelled in secret. Suddenly a screaming torrent of energy burst into the scene, an Imposter scout had just arrived from the outermost limbs of territory bearing astonishing news: another seed had been found, located in a marble-like droplet covered with swirling clouds and lush continents. A cosmic chatter filled space, then squadron after squadron emerged from the inchoate voluminous reaches of the nebula, and jumped into hyperspace... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ralph was relieved when a reply came back from Zhukov, confirming that the issue of the new found crystals was to be confidential and secret, and that no bribes would be accepted from untrustworthy sources. The preliminary steps to cleaning up the mess completed, it was now time to devise a cover story in order to convince the media that such crystals were nonexistent, in the hopes of maintaining global economic and political stability. Ralph was a scientist though, not a story teller. He left it up to Dr. Meyers’ creativity to make up something. Dr. Meyer’s enthusiastically set to work, having a bit too much fun in the process. The next week, a story was submitted involving some crazy teenagers rappelling down an abandoned well with some flashlights...Ralph couldn’t be bothered to read the whole thing. All the bases now covered, Ralph breathed a sigh of relief. Things had finally begun to settle down, and further escalation wasn’t expected, though the locations of the crystals was monitored closely. Fortunately, no covert mining by the black market would occur in these locations, as each was situated several hundred feet under a fair-sized city. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivan could barely contain his ecstasy when he received a suspicious transmission, offering a huge offer for some weapons, their use unknown. However, it was clear whoever was on the other end needed weapons and mining equipment. Under normal circumstances, Ivan would just block the signal, but this time, he quickly set to work, aided by a couple of his tech’s to track the transmission’s source. Once acquiring the enigmatic speaker’s location, it was only a matter of seconds before Ivan’s own computer tapped into the terrorist database. Now he knew the exact location of Lost Temple and the other mining destinations. Once all the information that could possibly be gathered was saved into ZRI’s internal database, Ivan bluntly declined the offer, and ended the call. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At last the swirl of stars ceased as Khlato watched through the observation portal in the Imposter flagship. His bionic eyes gazed at the beautiful sphere before him: the laboratory in which his ancestors had once performed a great experiment which saved his race from extinction. Having tested hundreds of planets multiple times, capsules containing strains of genetic material were rocketed through space, and smashed into planets with potential life-bearing qualities. Later visited by his kind, Khlato’s race inspected these planets, observing the exotic forms of life which resulted from their seeding. Results from these enterprises yielded leaps in genetic engineering, allowing a privileged few to undergo augmentation, and escape from their dying sun. It was only a few generations ago that his planet’s sun went supernova, the deceased star taking his thriving planet with it. Since then, augments had lived in the nearby crab nebula, shielded by its thick clouds of gas, safe within their ships. Pitying the slight, diminutive race inhabiting this cosmic jewel, this planet would soon be the home to the remainder of the Imposter race, Khlato mused. There were only a few left, but with their superior technology, surely the humans didn't stand a chance. Of course, before any settling could be done, places for colonization would have to be cleared of original inhabitants. Fortunately, there wasn't much planning involved in finding a nice spot to settle; the ancient crystals had been scattered here along with genetic blueprints for a reason. Once triggered by oscillating frequencies of a specific bandwidth, the crystals would once again unleash their terrible power in the form of violent seismic disruption, uprooting the helpless humans from their proud cities. After the ensuing chaos, the Imposters could annihilate the remainder of the human race by force, and stake their claim on an abundant new world. Sensing a near revival for his once thriving civilization, Khlato stopped his daydreaming, and hurried to his post in the Imposter Flagship. Presently an alien buzz filled space, followed by a supersonic blast rocketing from an emitter. Khlato peered from an observation portal. The blast, generated by an instrument similar to a gigantic subwoofer, rocketed towards the blue planet, already dispersing the upper atmosphere in an invisible missile of destruction...

1000p x700p ~chriswu

And he's available ladies. :lol: :lol: :lol: Flip, how does Miz think about this?? :lol:

Good job for a first. :)

Hello, tankmen! It seems one can hardly go through a day of serious gaming without encountering a multitude of lags. Of course there’s nothing unique about having lags now - tanki players have always experienced the dreaded “zombie tanks”, falling through skyboxes, spinning turrets, and nonresponsive pickups. In fact, most, if not ALL online games supported by a server have experienced lag at some point in time. Well, what to do? Before anyone gets any false preconceptions about this article’s content, please note that this is NOT meant to be a complete guide on the minute details of the cause of lag, nor a manual on how to completely FIX it. Rather, this article’s intention is to be an informative look at the general causes of lag and game mechanics, as well as a guide on some techniques and solutions to compensate for lag and poor performance. No prior knowledge is expected, though a basic idea of how online multiplayer games work is helpful. Anyhow, let’s get started. What is Lag? Formally defined, lag is a delay between a player’s actions and the server’s reaction. While a common cause of this is high latency, lag can also be a symptom of insufficient power in the player’s computer and/or in the server. Latency is a measure of the delay experienced by user; basically how “late” a reaction time is. While it can refer to a variety of things depending on its context, in online gaming, latency specifically refers to the hardware delay. In technical terms, if the “latency” of a system is high, its reaction time is low. Note the distinction. In “tankman’s terms”, “lag” is the irritating delay in which you cannot pick up boxes on the playing field, enemy tanks are unresponsive to weapons, and tanks spin in circles and/or drive into walls or off the map. I’m sure that everyone is familiar with this. In addition to the occasional zombie tank, lags are also considered to be any FPS rate (frames per second) lower than that projected by your internet speed and processor’s power. This type of lag is usually on the client’s side (to be discussed later). While lags generally occur in ANY multiplayer internet game, they only have a noticeable effect on live action games, called “twitch games”. Twitch is the term used for any game which relies on the player’s reaction time. Such games include FPS (first person shooter, not to be confused with “frames per second”), tetris and other simple reaction games, and TPS (third person shooter) like Tanki. On the other side of the coin, lags don’t really have an effect on turn based games, like online chess. What Causes Lag? What to do? Remember when I said that lags occur on any multiplayer internet game? Well, the reason why, is that every multiplayer game requires a server to support player-to-player interactions. On each side, the players give inputs to the server through their computers, and the server takes the data, crunches it, and sends an updated string of feedback to the users. For example, every time you press the spacebar to fire your weapon, your computer takes the input from your keyboard, and sends it over through your browser in a string of binary. Once the server has received the information, it automatically updates and sends an output back to your computer, which, in this case, shows that your gun has fired. Every cycle of sending and receiving input over the server is represented by a “frame”. When you look at your “frames per second”, or FPS (not first person shooter in this case), you know how fast your internet communication with the server is running, and how many cycles can be executed per second. Now on a side note, just for clarity, I find it necessary for some novices to define exactly “what” a server is. The general usage of the term “server” refers to tanki itself, and while this form of usage is basically correct, it leaves out the important fact that the “server”, is NOT the actual internet page (tankionline.com), but actually a real, physical piece of hardware. In the context of computing, a server is an actual computer dedicated to the sole purpose of supporting a certain function, like tanki, in this instance. For example, if personal computers are like self sufficient bacteria (having all the necessary abilities to survive), then a server is like a neuron. If you’ve taken a basic biology or anatomy course on the human body, you must remember that neurons are EXTREMELY specialized. In fact, without the aid of supporting glial cells, they can’t even survive on their own. On the other hand, bacteria, while primitive and basic, have the ability to live life without any help or support. Using this analogy, a PC can run basic applications, but can’t really do anything big, like communicate and interact with multiple users while running a complex program. On the other hand, specialized servers devote all of their computing ability to running a very specific application, without any other nice, user friendly features. Typically, servers are stacked on a rack, and linked together for even more power, similar to neurons’ dendritic and axonal connections. Tanki currently has 25 servers, which are (this may need confirmation) physical machines located on a rack, sitting somewhere in Tanki’s headquarters. This is a typical server configuration. Note the little grayish boxes sitting on the shelves. Each box is a server, and they are linked together to form a "server rack". Tanki has 25 of these. Getting back on topic, high latency is caused by some error on the part of the physical server, or a player’s computer. Which end the error occurs on can be discovered, depending on if all players experience lag, or only a few. If you see everyone spamming the chat in fury over a recent lag, then the problem is with the game server. On the other hand, if you’re the only one who’s lagged out, and while you were incapacitated, a couple of your flags were captured, then the problem is on your end. A lot of times, players blame ANY lag they experience on tanki. However, I’m sure they’d be interested to know that almost 50% of the lags (at least those that I experience) are actually caused on the client end. For every application that you run, your cpu has to run through each one every time it refreshes. To help speed things up if you experience lag which is caused on your end, close some applications in your task manager, and see if there is any improvement. This will lower the number of instructions your computer has to execute, and you will see your “cpu usage” will lower in your task manager (at least on windows). To make this relevant, I find it necessary to address some issues which players have experienced over the past weeks since the new graphics update, which arrived in update 1.100. If you notice, in Tanki’s Video News Blog 15 (), Ivan Zykov, tanki’s art director, said that photo textures were eliminated in order to increase object’s resolution close up (0:46). While this has the benefit of making gameplay a bit more dynamic and, even perhaps more realistic, this increases the amount of data players’ computers have to process, despite the simplistic details of the new design. This is why global lags have been more common throughout the servers and on client computers. To compensate, it helps to exit any extraneous applications while playing, and to lower your screen resolution to 16 bit High Color, as opposed to the default 32 or 64 bit, depending on your system, of course. To sum up, there are two culprits for lag. The first is a problem with the game server, located in Tanki's headquarters in Perm, Russia. The second is a problem with your machine. Lag on the client end generally originates from a slow computer or poor connection. A slow computer is usually the result of too many applications running at once, or simply an outdated cpu. A poor connection is the result of bad weather, your machine's distance from an internet router, or other networking deficiencies. The way to solve such problems, is to lower your moniter resolution, get closer to a router if you're using a wireless connection, and/or close any running applications.

Therein lies the debate: specialization vs generalization. I have (with the gracious privileges of a salary) both hornet m3 and mammoth m3. I haven't even touched viking, because in my opinion, what's the point of having to special characteristics? In a battle with viking, you're neither the fastest nor the strongest... Don't you see what I'm trying to say?

There aren't any reporter positions, as Nick and Lham said above. However, one constructive tidbit I can give anyone who's interested, though, is write up some polished articles containing roughly 1000-1500 words long about some aspect of tanki. If the need ever arises, you can be the first to submit a beautiful article, or, if you are really confident in your ability, go ahead and pm Bruce or even one of us reporters with your article and standard application. Yes, there aren't any spots, but we try to keep an open policy towards exceptional talent.

Selena, go play and enjoy your battles. :-) We've talked enough, and I think we all know who's saying what. :P

4 IC reporters FTW!!! :tank:

+1

I can only see 1 difference!! The 2nd picture is way better than the first one! O.O

Well, at least my article was able to generate a good demonstration of its content in action. Selena, again, I tell you: PM me if you want to talk the way you've been doing so far. Thanks everyone for bearing with us. :-)

Selena, you make me laugh. I KNOW why we didn't choose you, because it was me, Tommy, skitee, Lhamster, conan, and Les all voting for the best article. While you can guess at why you weren't picked, we reporters in our Newspaper Material forum know exactly why, and we all had a say in who is and isn't the next reporter. Oops! So sorry! It looks like you don't have permission to view that forum! :-o

I have a feeling that this is getting futile...no more poll, and video blog 16 seemed sooooo optimistic...

Why do you complain about getting responses from the staff, whom you're complaining to? Your "feedback" was harsh and superlative enough to generate an equal and opposite response. Now, all in good favor, would you please elaborate on how you think my articles "drone on and on?" I don't have any problem with you thinking so; everyone is welcome to voice their opinions, and as reporters, we should seek to please the audience while maintaining professional integrity.

I like the new textures on the tanks, but the contours and lines are so thick and artificial!!! The maps are so cheesy, and I can't enjoy this game anymore. The administration has to please the playerbase!! According to the poll so far, more than 50% of the players have voted against the new update. As of 9.6.12, 57.6% of the 531 voters have voted "no", as well as vows to quit tanki because of the pathetic nature of these new graphics. If tanki wants to lose half of its income, so be it. I for my part can confidently say that these new graphics MUST GO AWAY!!!

I don't care whatever "tweaks" the developers will make. They have to please the playerbase!! According to the 1.100 poll, more than 50% of the players have voted against the new update. As of 9.6.12, 57.6% of the 531 voters have voted "no", as well as vows to quit tanki because of the pathetic nature of these new graphics. If tanki wants to lose half of its income, so be it. I for my part can confidently say that these new graphics MUST GO AWAY!!!

PLEASSEE!!!!

I really dislike the graphics...mostly the map textures I love CP though

That's because in a story, you have your: Setting__Rising Action___Development___Climax__Resolution It makes sense that the rising action and the Climax/Resolution grab people's attention.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Realize, though, that you are just one voice from the pool of input my co-authors and myself receive. Some people prefer series, because they provide a fuller context from which one can read. I have to admit, though, that you're the first person I've heard who dislikes series. You want me to hear your feedback, and I have. However, presuming that the person you are criticizing is dull and stupid, as can easily be inferred from your original post, is a terrible way to send your comments. If you want to be treated with courtesy and respect, learn to treat others likewise. P.S. What’s in a name, anyways? This article has totally different subject matter than all the previous “all you needs”. The only reason I titled this article under that particular series was to help address some player’s concerns about how it takes more than a good garage to be a “pro”. Hypothetically, if I had named this article something else, would you be happier? P.P.S. Don’t try to throw in “Quantum Physics” to buy an intelligent impression. :lol: Any person with the slightest philosophical background knows what “Schrodinger’s Cat” is.