You are right there, they are trying to build from the ground up because they drove it into the ground in the first place.

Let's face it Tanki on a PC is almost dead. We're at the point that the game is having a hard time even reaching 30,000 during peak times. Now for you new players that may seam like a lot, but when I began, there use to be over 100,000 during peak times and it was hard to even get on the servers. But after a series of unpopular changes to the game you've seen that number dwindle down to what you see today. Even during special events you hardly see any increase in the numbers of players now. Now many just say it's because the gaming community has moved on and it's an old and tired game. If that is the case why even have a mobile version? The game has had it's day. But instead they've decided to go mobile thus showing that there is still something there. That being said though, I don't care how good you do the interface it's going to be a more sluggish and cumbersome game on the mobile platform due to the complexity of the controls and side items like supplies and special power ups. Hence a worse game. Any still playing the PC version will have an unfair advantage over mobile users due to their ability to respond with quicker controls. I know this will happen because that's the case with every game I've played that uses both interfaces. This will in the end force the Dev's and Pony Tail Boy to discontinue support for the PC version. Probably, they'll claim, due to lack of support. Or they may purposefully cripple the PC controls to "Make the game more balanced". Wev'e already seen minor experiments along those lines in the game. One other option could be to separate the 2 versions like they did with Tanki and Tanki X. But I don't see that happening. I therefore propose the theory that this is just another desperate attempt by Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's to keep the money rolling in. They know a lot of people will give a mobile version a try, and will spend money on upgrades.They've destroyed the PC version, now it's time for them to try and farm another group. It may even get them to retirement. You can see how they're already trying to transition over to mobile by the way they've pushed a match making system that will force you play on the maps that they choose and with, for the most part, the people whom they choose. They're not doing it for us they're doing it for themselves to try and make the mobile version work. Now if you think this will improve the game I ask you to go back and take a look at the last few years. Bad decision after bad decision has driven players away from the game. Broken promise after broken promise til you have a game that is so buggy as to make it extremely frustrating to play. Even the downloadable client is crap. Instead of fixing problems it's been one band aid after another. All you see are gimmicks and glitter. Do you really think a mobile version will be better? I hope that I'm wrong, but knowing the record of Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's this is just another desperate attempt on their part to keep the game going so that their paychecks don't bounce. So what do you think? Will this save Tanki and make it better, or is it just another gimmick to keep the gravy train rolling?

This so called unspoken rule has been around since the beginning of the game. It's a trap for the gullible that has morphed into something for the whiners to complain about. Just think about it, if this was something that was supposed to go into effect with every drop then the Dev's would have included it in the rules and , surprise, it's not there. Oh crap, another gimmick that could be added to the game if the Dev's bother to read this forum. Oh well, it might as well be added, the Dev's seem to listen to the whiners more than those who have played the game the longest anyways. So I say add 100% protections during a drop! We can't have tankers crying, can we, because they don't have the skills to grab a gold box.

That's exactly why I occasionally pop back in. Morbid curiosity. When I started playing the game in 2012 there was over 100000 playing during peak periods. I've watched and played it all these years. Now the game is having a hard time even breaking 30000. There used to be a time when there was almost 20000 playing when the server reset, now it's around 2000. I've barely played since I left over a year ago and Pony Tail Boy the dev's still don't listen as player after player leaves. The game continues to hemorrhage and all that Pony Tail Boy and the dev's can come up with is gimmicks, dumbing down the game and begging for people to do their advertising for them with their YouTube channels. Plus throw on top of that all the promises that they never keep. And don't give me the argument that the game is tired and old. If that is so, why are you, the reader of this post still here. It's because you recognize the afterglow of this game's former glory and even now hope that it can still be saved. But like I said Pony Tail Boy and the dev's think they know better and don't listen to the Tanki community anymore. So I'll go get the popcorn and watch a once great game die. Just out of morbid curiosity of course.

My mistake, however I only said 20+ years. I stand corrected. If my previous post says anything different it was a typo and I will correct it. The steam data I gave was applicable however. It may not show the total picture, but when added to the other information presented it does help provide evidence that Tanki X is at a minimum a flop.

I guess you will accept no facts at all then. But to finish this conversation I'll grant you that Tanki X uses a client and that depresses it's web ranking. But if Tanki X was as popular as you seem to be inferring in your comments, it should still be reflected, to a degree, in it's web traffic rating. You so kindly criticized earlier my use of EVE Online because of it's seemly low player numbers, so we will continue to use them as an example. It uses a client in order to play but it's Website is still rated at 9,627. Now here is a game which you claim is on par with Tanki player numbers wise. Hmmmm, if that is the case then it still shows that Tanki X is a horrible failure with ratings of 67,109 or 153,144 (depending on which service you use). Tanki X is a failure. I've laid in evidence my observations, what is being said on the forums(that you yourself says is there), and also information from independent monitoring services and you dismiss ALL that information. Well, I'll leave you with one last set of hard numbers that I can get of the number of players playing Tanki X. Now while it's true that Tanki doesn't publish the actual numbers playing Tanki X, Steam does publish the actual numbers using that platform. When Tanki X went live on Steam it reached a peak of 451 players playing Tanki X on April 24, 2017, It is now at an average of 112 players over the last 30 days. Seems to be pointing in the same direction as Tanki online. I would say that there is plenty of evidence that Tanki X is a dead end. - end of line- (ps. That's a reference to the movie TRON when a conversation comes to an end)

OK, hard numbers. Web traffic analytics. ALEXA - Tankionline.com has a rating of 2,962 TankiX.com has a rating of 67,103 SimilarWeb - Tankionline.com has a rating of 3,109 TankiX.com has a rating of 153,144 Do you require more? Seems to me Tanki X is a failure in comparison. By the way the larger the number the worse it is. Those numbers include those actually playing and also those just checking the site out.

I watch the vlogs. So Yep, my assumption and my analysis due to my experiences with what Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's have done in the past. Also my confidence in what Pony Tail Boy believes is very low due to his track record and poor management of the game.

I'm pessimistic because I have seen the changes over the years, and they usually start out with small changes. Also I've seen the decline of the game due mainly to those changes. The proof is in the numbers. A steady and consistent decline, usually accelerated after most changes. The Mobile version hasn't been released yet. This adjustment was an experiment. Who's to say that in order to better balance the game for the mobile users, once released, that it will be decided by the Dev's that the controls for the PC users need to be nerfed so mobile users can be competitive? I guarantee you will see even more leave if that happens.

So says the Dev who has failed to keep his game alive and current. I'm not saying that a game should remain stagnate. There have been some good ideas implemented and that have made the game better. The point is this though, when bad decisions have been made and the community has clearly pointed these out to the Dev's and have made cogent recommendations that would have made the the idea work, the Dev's have consistently not listened. Hence the decline in players. Yes there is going to be a turnover in players. But to have retention of a fair percentage of any new players you have to have an interesting and challenging game that is also fun. The Dev's and Pony Tail Boy have slowly over the years been removing that aspect. I know they are putting all their money on a last throw of the dice with the mobile version because TankiX is a total failure. From what I've seen in the videos showing the mobile version, it is overly complicated and ponderous, hence it will not be fun for those on mobile devices. Also those playing the PC version are going to have a huge advantage over those players because of their more nimble controls and will be pounding those on mobile devices. Also not fun for those on mobile devices. So probably your going to see a nerf to the control responses for those on PC's. Oh yes they're already playing with that solution right now with changing the control responses for driving the tanks. Another thing that will probably happen is that they'll probably end up splitting the mobile version from the PC version to supposedly enhance game play when the mobile version starts to fail. Once again dragging this once great game down into oblivion. Now as to being a quick action packed and interesting game, that is exactly what this game was before all these changes that were supposedly made to improve game play. Many of those changes have actuality made the game overly complicated, expensive and boring to play. Hence the loss of so many players. Well that's about it. I suggest going back into the archives and read what we were writing back then and you will see that many of the things going on today were actually predicted back then if the Dev's made certain decisions. Now it's getting so bad that they are now tying to entice people to setup YouTube channels so that they can garnish free advertising. Which is smart on their part because the money must be drying up due to the sharp decline in players and they can't afford to produce their own advertising. The ship is sinking guys, and the Dev's are doing too little too late to save it I think.

Do the same for Tanki and see what you get. You will see a huge difference. There is no comparison, Eve Online is used as an industry standard for quality game design and content. Also Eve Online has not become an irrelevant game. It has a news presence, it is used as a teaching tool, and has many many popular YouTube and related websites. Also Eve online is consistent and has survived because of keeping a core player base due to consistently good and interesting content. The Dev's for Tanki are chasing their core players away because of bad decisions on content, changing things that players want retained, not delivering on promises and over all poor management of the game.

Sniva you know that's not what you said. You said, and I quote - "People who leave TO because "the grass is greener" often come back when they discover that other games have the same issues." Thus implying that they were mistaken in their belief that there was anything wrong with Tanki. The point I made is they're not coming back. Thus pointing out the fact that most are leaving because of bad decisions made by the Dev's and Pony Tail Boy. If you meant something different then clarify. As to the other stuff, you're obviously happy with the game. So enjoy it while it lasts. All I'm doing is sharing my opinion and those of others who have been around for a long time. (for me since 2012) Just ask yourself why has a game that boasted over 100000 players playing during peak times now can barely muster 30000. While Tanki might not have been perfect in the old days, it was more fun, more challenging, and, yes, required more intelligence. I'm not going to list every bad decision the Dev's have made. I don't need too, just look at the numbers. The Dev's have never listened to the experienced players and have never pulled back a change that was obviously wrong and was causing people to leave the game. So like I said I'll let the number's speak for themselves. You started in 2016. Back then you would have 50000 to 60000 during peak times. Now it's 30000 to 40000. All during that time the Dev's and Pony Tail Boy have been making great and wonderful changes to the game. (I say that sarcastically) What does the evidence point towards? And don't say it's because the game is just getting old. I can point to many games that are going strong even after 20 years. Best example Eve online (now over 20 years). If you have a good game people will play it no matter how old it is. Pony Tail Boy and the Dev's ruined this one. *I made a correction. EVE ONLINE has only been around 15 years. Thanks to the person bringing that to my attention. I do try to maintain accuracy in my statements*

Sorry but you're wrong. That's the problem, the people aren't coming back. In fact the number of players continues to decline because of how the Dev's have dumb down the game and because of all the stupid gimmicks that they have added to the game. They've taken away choice, they've taken away skill, they've tried to make the game so balanced that it has taken away the necessity of being intelligent in your choices of equipment and protections. They've simplified the maps so much that they're boring and offer no challenge. You've got to ask yourself why was there so many players in the bad old days of overpowered weapons and drug wars (over 100,000 players during peak periods and impossible to get on some servers) and now, where the game has all these bad terrible things removed ( and it's getting hard to get to 30,000). I'll tell you why....It was because at that time the game was challenging, it required skill, and it was FUN and addictive. You had choice. You could build a garage with in game funds with effort. You could go almost anywhere on the maps (It took actual skill to navigate them and they had cool sniper holes that you could use if you had the skill to get to them). Plus many many other things that the Dev's have either watered down or taken away. The Dev's took a wonderful game that took skill to play and was fun and they made it bland and boring. Sort of like taking a beautifully cooked Steak and then boiling it to take all the flavor out of it. That's why people are leaving and not coming back.

Does that mean that if we offer any criticism, at all, of what the Developers are doing that our channel will not be allowed in the contest. I say this because I've noticed that a few of my analytical posts have been deleted from the forums. I'm always respectful but I don't mince words either. Especially my last one where I pointed out the fact that the number of players has been in constant decline because of some of the foolish and completely nonsensical decisions that they and Pony Tail Boy have made over the years. I also pointed out the fact that they now want us to use our YOUTUBE channels to do some free advertising for them to try and save the game because they have destroyed such a great game. This is also probably due to the fact that funds are now starting to dry up due to lack of players and their paychecks are now in jeopardy.

Yep, The Dev's have destroyed the game and now they want who are left to try and save it for them. They still won't fix the game , they just want us to do free advertising for them.

Sorry, this bunch of incompetents only put in the things that the community give negative reviews and hate. Especially Pony Tail Boy.

Dream on.

Please read the context of the post. My comment had to do with the upcoming changes to game. Those changes will pretty much make pro battles useless. Except for practice and making recordings. Also it may help you understand if you watch the latest vlog and see the dramatic changes coming to the game.

The matchmaking system is a taking away of freedom of choice. Also the taking away of rewards for Pro battles takes away freedom of choice by making choosing them worthless and pretty much pressures people to use the matchmaking system. The first thing that the incompetent take away is freedom of choice because they aren't smart enough to deal with it.

Ah, the final death throws of the game. Total loss of freedom of choice. The last chance grab for players by putting out a crappy mobile version and "simplifying" the controls. Yep, Pony Tail Boy really showed the high intelligence quotient that exists in the development department with his air demo of the new controls. Yep, tankionline is pretty much dead now. I'm so glad I've not spent a dime in over a year on this once great game that's now just crap.

Roughly 40,000 peak numbers online for the Christmas Celebrations, need I say more. So sad so sad. I remember when it went well over 100,000, and after New Years there is always a big drop in players. I think they'll have a hard time getting even 30,000 during peak times then. Even the forum posts are drying up with most posts being made by relatively new players. (At least that's what I've noticed) I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tanki goes belly up next year because they still continue to put out bad update after bad update and players keep leaving. Of course it's not the fault of Pony Tail Boy and the rest of the Dev's.......Yeah Right! LOL

That's only a weeks worth. Go back 5 years to present and you see a steady decline from over 100,000, even during the week, to not even being able to crack 40,000 and having usually under 35,000 during the week. Go look at the analytic's that Google puts out and it becomes even more evident. While this update may not make a huge difference to many, it is indicative of one bad decision after another made by the dev's. Pony Tail Boy and his minions have, over the last 2 years, practically run this game into the ground, and lately almost every change to the game has been made to wring every last dollar out of the community before it eventually collapses. Including this latest change to changing names. You used to be able to build a garage with in game earnings. Now it is almost impossible if you want to be competitive. It's all about the money now, It's pay to play guys. Unless, of course, you already had a good garage built.

All we've seen is unfulfilled promises and gimmicks. If the product is so great why is there a continuing decline in players. It's getting very hard for the game to crack even 35,000 players during peak times now. Last year at this time it was around 45,000. 5 years ago over 100,000. The Dev's don't listen to the players and they keep taking freedom of choice away from us and forcing bad changes to the game down our throats. Overdrives, don't get me started on overdrives, that stuff is the largest gimmick yet. the only thing they do do half way right is the holiday events. That's why you usually see a temporary rise in the number of players. After the holidays are over you see a sharp drop. Go and look up the analytics yourself. the proof is in the numbers.

What I see is a dwindling customer base and another gimmick to grab money to try and compensate. Pretty soon everything is going to have to be paid for with cash and in game currency will be totally worthless. A quality product is a secondary concern now. Instead of fixing the game they keep trying gimmicks to get people's money. Any good business man knows that for long run profitability you need a quality product. The Dev's have forgotten that basic principle.