I think the jury has made it's verdict. HTML5 has been promised for years, MM was universally hated by players, Game balance is gone, freedom of choice pretty much gone, Bling and more Bling is the thing. The vote is in, the game is having a hard time even breaking 15,000. Every new thing added to the game brings a decline in players. Yeah, the jury, (ie. meaning the players), is voting with it's feet.

I agree with your last sentence. If the Dev's did nothing it would certainly die quicker. Also, while I've been relatively neutral about ODs, (personally I think they add unnecessary complexity to the game), I do strongly disagree about MM. MM caused a big drop in the number of players and was hugely disliked by the community. While being touted as a way to reduce wait times, it had the opposite effect, and took away the freedom of choice as to what maps people could play. Thus causing a large number of players to leave the game. I'm not saying that the Dev's should give total control to the community as to the direction the game should go, but I will say that it is the highest example of foolishness to ignore the facts when the community provides a clear message that a certain course is not good for the game and then votes with it's feet. I don't know if Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's think that when the malcontents leave then new people will replace them and then praise their genius, but the facts have shown that they have been wrong more than they have been right with their changes to the game.

Now while HTML5 may correct some of the bugs that plague the FLASH version and curtail some of the hacking, it still will not correct the bad updates and decisions that have effected game play. It is the over complication, loss of freedom of choice and bling over substance that has been the overwhelming cause of the decline of players in the game. In comparison the problems with Flash are a relatively minor but irritating problem. HTML5 is just one aspect to solving the problems in the game. Also after playing the existing HTML5 version, I don't view it as providing much of a boost to the game because you will still have the problems with game play, freedom of choice, and bling over content (Please see AbsoluteZero's post above). These are the most pressing problems in the game. Don't get me wrong, I think switching to HTML5 will be a good thing, but it isn't the silver bullet it's being made out to be. That being said, you do have to start somewhere.

I have to join in with AbsoluteZero on this one. It IS Tanki's fault because of the stupid updates and over complication of the game that has sucked all the excitement and fun out of the game. They have never listened to the community, saying " Just trust us, we know better than you what is best for the game". Well, we've all seen the results of their gamer wisdom. A continuing decline in players reflected in lower revenue. Which translates into less servers, which causes more delays. It is also reflected in the crappy updates and unfinished code, which is the reason for more crashes and more buggy game play, because they can't pay for good programmers anymore. And please don't make the argument that their revenues are fine. No way can you have the same revenue stream with less than 18,000 peak players as you did when you had over 100,000 peak players. So that argument is a non-starter. The fact that owners of Tanki are still trying to keep things going is proof that they feel that there is still money in browser based games, because if they thought that there was no future in it they would shut it down. The actual problem is that Pony Tail Boy and his Dev zombies, I think, have deluded themselves into thinking that they can still save things in-spite of the continuing stream of bad updates that cause even more players to leave. At this point they have so totally ruined the game that it would almost be better for the owners to reboot the game back to an earlier version, (where it was still fun), rename it and close this wheezing on the brink of death game down. Then completely replace the existing Dev team and it's underachieving leader Pony Tail Boy with people who have a realistic vision for the game and are also able to listen to and cooperate with the community in creating an evolving game that continues to attract new players and also is able to retain a core of player enthusiasts who will support the game long term. Only in that way would you even have a chance to revive the game. So go ahead, be an apologist, and ignore reality. The proof is all there. Read the forums, look at the numbers, and play the game. It's failing and no amount of excuses for Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's will change that fact. People will play something that is fun. Whether it's played on an x-box, ps4, pc , or browser based, fun is fun. Tanki isn't fun for most people now due to bad decisions and bad updates. So people are leaving and not being replaced because the fun factor is now almost zero, not because of some analytics trend.

1. Game balance is laughable. I do understand the importance to game balance and Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's only give it lip service. 2. You would think that HTML5 would have had a higher priority and an emphasis would have been to hire HTML5 programmers with game experience since it is of such vital importance to the future of the game. But by your own admission they hired a small group of inexperienced game programmers. So it's no wonder It has taken years for even a buggy version to come out. 3. They've had years to make the transition and the only reason they're bringing it out now , with who knows how many bugs, is because of the changes to chrome. 4. The way things are going, there may be only a few thousand players soon. 5. If these buggy updates are helping retain players, then why are the numbers continuing in a downward trend? I mean in every math class I ever attended a smaller number means less of something. So you're absolutely right, the truth is in the numbers and they continue to trend downward. So your arguments are all specious and they have no root in reality.

120,000 peak players online at one time

Now Maf, while mendark27 may have voiced it a bit more forcefully than I would, I have to agree with him. How many years have we been waiting for HTML5? How many updates have they released that they've acknowledged had bugs? How long have we had a client program that is buggy as a dog that hasn't been given a bath in a year? How long have Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's put a low priority on dealing with hackers? Looks to me like Pony Tail Boy and the Dev crew really don't care. Tanki was a timeless game that was simple, fast paced and fun to play. Add in to that PVP game play and you have an endless variation of game play that people enjoyed playing. The question as to whether a game is successful or not is whether or not people find it fun to play. Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's failed to keep Tanki fun, adding one non fun update after another. Why do you see such an upsurge in the return of games from the 80's and 90's? Because they are simple and fun. Tanki is no longer the simple, fast paced, and fun game that it was when you had 120,000 players playing during peak times and you had trouble finding a server to get on. Now you are lucky to get 18,000. Back then you waited because there were too many players. Now you wait because there aren't enough. The reason for this is a No Care, grab all the money you can, and when the ride ends move on attitude. They are not building a game they're riding it down.

And that is the mentality that has killed this game.... Expected failure. I can just see it now when Pony Tail Boy meets with the Dev's: Dev minion - Hey Boss, the number of players dropped again after the last greatest update. Pony Tail Boy - That's OK, I expected that.... A real attitude for success. I know over time a game will peak out, but I also know that you can reach an equilibrium where a game can continue on successfully if done properly. Unfortunately it seems the attitude of Pony Tail Boy and the Devs is that failure is to be expected. Lastly : Don't get me wrong I do respect you Maf. Even though you are an apologist for what they do, at least you try to provide the most accurate information possible. Thank you for that. :D Also I look forward to your article.

Maf, ever the apologist. I do agree on a couple of points however. Mostly it's Eh or disagree. Yes repair kit needed a nerf. Nothing was more irritating than nearly taking a guy out then he fired up the old repair kit and was back to full health almost immediately. And I agree that I'm not overly thrilled with the implementation too. Shortened battles are good? Now you do have a half way good point that it may help the mobile version, but that's about it. We all know the truth of the matter has to do with falling numbers of players and higher an higher wait times. Unfortunately It hasn't helped those problems at all. I really love it when it says you have a 15 sec. wait time and it times out. On average wait times are 4 to 5 times longer than the posted wait time. Yes, it sometimes works out, but that is not the norm in my experience. I won't get to much into MM. My opinion of it is well known. If you truly want to be honest, a majority would probably be overjoyed if that monstrosity went away. You saw a huge drop in players when it was implemented. New turrets, hit and miss there. Worst one though was magnum. Overdrives - I think they over-complicate the game. They're just a new type of drug with very long cool down times that you don't have to pay for. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's figure out a way for you to have to pay for them soon, as the money dries up due to lack of players. Maybe having a system similar to the batteries for drones? The main point is this - No matter how you view the updates brought about by Pony Tail Boy and the Devs, the proof is the game itself. The numbers keep falling. Can't even break 20,000 during peak times now. This is summer break MAN! Numbers used to skyrocket this time of year, but instead they're going down. Once again - However you view the updates, it is obvious that they're not attracting new players and the existing ones are leaving. That's the real proof of whether they were good updates or not.

And yet the number of players still keeps falling. HTML5 - I'm glad it's finally here, but if previous releases of other great ideas are any indication of what will happen with the release, I would wager to say get your bug repellent ready, it's going to be buggier than the deep jungles of the Amazon. Yes it needed to happen, but Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's have a long history of putting out unfinished products. They've been working on this for years now so hopefully this will be better. I'm not going to hold my breath but I will keep my fingers crossed and hopefully miracles of miracles will happen and Pony Tail Boy and the Devs will finally put out a quality product. Oh yeah, we got some more gimmicks that they hope you'll spend your money on. WHOOPEE! Like I said the proof is in the pudding, THE NUMBERS KEEP DROPPING! They didn't break even 19k this week. That used to be the numbers when the server reset before all the ill advised so called upgrades began happening to the game. Hopefully HTML5 will start the turn around.

To quote the 10th Anniversary web page for Tanki : "CELEBRATING 10 YEARS Back in the olden days of 2009, at the beginning of June, Tanki Online was born. It became the first online MMO about tanks. Back then the game had just one language, one server, 4 turrets and 4 hulls. And look at the game now - how much it has grown! Happy birthday to us!" Yeah see how much it has grown...... Can't even break 20,000 peak players anymore! Congrats to Pony Tail Boy and his magnificent Dev team!

I think you're being a bit over optimistic. Peak numbers didn't even break 21,000 over the first weekend of Tanki's 10th anniversary. Of course you still have the rest of the celebrations, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Even with 50% deals, competitions and more bling than you can swing a cat at, not too many people are being drawn back in.

You are totally right as to what you say, and it is truly refreshing that you are also willing to admit the you are ignorant too. Yes we don't know all the ins and outs of the daily operation of the company, but we are very well informed as to the results of all the ins and outs of that operation. The results have been a steady and continued decline in the player base and a game, that we would very much like to enjoy, is no longer enjoyable at all to play anymore. You confuse our observations about the decline of this game as statements of dislike for the game. That is so untrue! Rather they are statements of dismay and lamentations over how a once fun and great game that we love, has been slowly destroyed by people who stubbornly refuse to recognize that decline and continue to implement one bad idea after another that further that decline along. I am very happy over the fact that Tanki has made it 10 years, but it is overshadowed by the realization that unless Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's pull their heads out, that this could very well be the last anniversary. So Ostrica, you just continue to be an apologist for the mismanagement of this game. Keep your head buried in the sand like your namesake. I truly hope that people will still find some enjoyment in the game, but sadly that number continues to dwindle on a daily basis. Oh yeah, speaking of which, before I close.... Peak numbers didn't even break 20,000 today. Unlike previous anniversary celebrations, not so long ago, where you had a hard time finding a server that you could get onto. Yes I am ignorant of the daily running of the business, but I am very well informed as to how the game has been ruined.

Well said ByeByeBye, and that is the main point, it WAS a classic kind of game. That's what originally attracted so many players. They were looking for that classic simple fast action tank game that was fun to play daily or even just occasionally to blow off some steam and relax. Pony Tail Boy and the Devs have turn it into a complicated muddled mess that has become a chore to play. Not too many players that I know of want to play a game that becomes a second job.

To me it looks like Tanki is finally taking the final plunge. Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's have ridden it all the way down and I'm sure the resumes are starting to go out. Crap updates, poor coding, worse and worse lags and crashes all show that they aren't even trying now. All they're doing is adding some glitter to ring out the last few dollars before the end. The last of the core players are leaving and soon Pony Tail Boy and his yes men and yes women Devs will be turning off the lights and screaming at the top of their lungs that it wasn't their fault. They'll claim that they did everything they could to save the game but it was the community's fault for not understanding what they were doing so it failed. I'll tell you why Tanki failed.... Pony Tail Bay and the Dev's never listened to the community. They over-complicated the game and removed freedom of choice from the game. They treated their customers with no respect and contempt. Disdaining every input from the community with an arrogance and hubris that knew no limits. I'm not saying that they had to do everything the community asked. But when it was evident that Developer decisions were harming the game, then that was a time that they should have listen to the input from the community. Which they didn't and thus the reason we are here. Any business that fails to listen to and fulfill the needs of it's customers will inevitably fail. Tanki is a textbook case of this fact. Those customers will go somewhere else to have those needs filled, and they have. When I started Playing Tanki 7 years ago there were 120,000 peak players and a vibrant community. Now they are having a hard time breaking 20,000 and not much of a community. Dying, Dying, Dying, and pretty soon dead.