Welcome to the V-LOG monthly breakdown, readers. If you didn't have the time to watch all the Tanki Online Video Blogs or just want to jog your memory, here's an overview of the episodes that were published this month. In case you want to view them, just click on the picture and it'll link you directly to the video you want to see. Enjoy the read! September 2nd This first V-log of the month announced a series of important events that would happen during September. It included first mentions of the Miss and Mr. Tanki contests, as well as the special V-log contest. For the Miss/Mr. TO contest, the goal was to record a short video of yourself to get a chance for a bunch of prizes. As for the V-log contest, it included a secret code in the episode that you'd have to find and submit a special google form. Another thing that was announced was the Tanki game client that would soon get released. Most people focused primarily on the V-log contest, which was the main topic of discussion for the episode. There was also another variation of the life-hack proposed in the video, posted by @eragon33 here. "Holding down Alt while clicking R or V will work the same way, and it is much faster and easier." September 9th Following on from the previous V-log, the Tanki Downloadable Client has been introduced to the game. You can get it by clicking the "Download" button on TO's Homepage. Another important addition to the game has also been announced - weapon alterations. These add special changes to your turret, but sacrifice its other benefits or just add a cosmetic appeal to the weapon. For example, Railgun may get a different beam colour, while Ricochet may get a longer range in return for a longer reload time. Finally, Tanki explains how playing on overloaded RU1 and RU2 servers will cause your game to lag more, so they recommend playing on less popular servers for the best gaming experience. These are usually automatically selected when you log into the game, however, I suppose most XP/BP players will still stick to the classic overloaded servers. One thing that's been mentioned was the addition of a new turret. It's currently developing its physics and gameplay model, so we'll have to wait for some more time to get the first glimpse at its possible artwork. As a side-note, the main voice-over for the V-log (Alex) was on vacation, so Kasim had to fill in the spot. I personally prefer Alex over Kasim, so I definitely noticed the difference his commentary adds to the V-log's feel, but Kasim still did a great job at giving us an understandable and engaging commentary, too. September 23rd TA lot of content was released with this week's V-log. The first bunch of Alterations were added to the game, with their main purpose being to add some customization to your turrets. This way, you can make the turret you use to fit your playing style more, without causing any imbalances to the game. On a much more important note, clan systems were finally announced. Tanki's planning on giving clans special private chats, different perks, clan battles, new currency, daily bonuses, chat tags... So many things planned for this and I can see it bringing eSports a whole new layer of activity and competitiveness. Lastly, the winners of the Miss/Mr. TO contest were announced. This sparked up some discussion, although most happened in its own official topic here (from page 11 onward). There's also been a foreshadowing of a Masters of Parkour contest with a secret twist to it. There aren't any clues as what that could be, but it's a point worth noting. September 30th This is probably the most important V-log episode so far. To get the small updates out of the way first, though. The Tanki Downloadable Client now also works with Mac operating systems, while the regular Flash player has been updated to a more stable version. This means that the game will have fewer problems running on browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer etc. There's also been a discussion about the recent removal of the 1500 Supply kit from the garage. According to the V-log, the kit was removed because its discount was far too large, and since players had a bunch of crystals left over from playing for such long time, the supplies got devalued. This affected the game economy, so the kit had to be removed from the garage. As for the biggest news this month, Tanki is preparing to make changes to all weapon and hull parameters. This is because some M3s aren't balanced, due to them being unlocked at different rank (such as Isida at Brigadier and Firebird at Commander). They've decided that all M3 equipment should now be unlocked at the same rank - Marshall. In turn, the weapons and hulls will change based on their previous rank requirements. Turrets and hulls that were below Marshall will get buffed, while those unlocked after Marshall will get nerfed. Also, hulls which belong in the same category (light, medium or heavy) will now have the same health point count. This is just a brief overview of all the planned changes and there's just way too much to cover right now, so you can read this wiki article for a detailed explanation of everything. That just about covers it all. A lot of neat contests, plenty of changes and huge announcements made for quite the interesting month this time around. You do not want to miss out on the latest news, so I'll continue this monthly summary of the V-LOGs next month, too. Until then, share your views on some of the most interesting foreshadowing for the future updates below. Thanks for reading!

Welcome, tankers, to a review of the latest paint separation update that completely changed how protection works in Tanki! Here, I'll give you a brief overview of how the update works and how you should adapt to it. I'll also share some of my first impressions and overall thoughts on the entire update, both positive and negative. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it! Introduction The main idea of this update was flexibility in protections and paint choices for players. There were numerous cases where you might like the look of a paint, but its protections are simply too weak to use. Now, this isn't an issue, because you can use any module with any paint. This provides you with a larger choice of paints to use. However, this also means that the paints have become more of an aesthetic than an actual factor in core gameplay. Useful information There are a lot of new modules and protections in the game right now, so that means a huge amount of numbers to deal with. Luckily, there are a few great pages you can visit for detailed information on everything you'll need. (Topics are linked, just click on the titles to view them) Tanki Wiki Page on Paints and Modules - Here you can find all paints and protection modules in the game. All paints are listed with their respective price and minimum required rank, while the modules are shown with their protection, price and the minimum required rank. There's also a garage description included for every paint, as well as basic description of the Protection Module's most effective environment. Let's Discuss Protection Modules - A more condensed set of tables made by @CooperO. Here you can quickly see an overview of what module protects against which weapon(s). You can also see a total number of modules protecting against a specific weapon for each modification. Micro-upgrades of "Single" Modules - Tables showing the costs, time and effectiveness of Micro-upgrades for each protection module. Micro-upgrades of "Double" Modules - Tables showing the costs, time and effectiveness of Micro-upgrades for each protection module. Micro-upgrades of "Triple" Modules - Tables showing the costs, time and effectiveness of Micro-upgrades for each protection module. Mechanics The new update comes with a set of its own new gameplay mechanics, and there are a decent bunch of them so we'll get straight to them. How does it work? The way it works is pretty straightforward, you just select a module and click "Equip". This will connect your module to any paint you're wearing, so even if you change paints, the same module will stay equipped. You can only equip one module at a time, so you can't make any over-powered protection combinations. There also aren't any options to custom build protection modules, which I think is kind of a shame. Garage Look Protection modules can be found under the button in your garage and are basically split into three main types: 1. The "Legacy Modules" - contain the old protections of every paint you've bought prior to this update. An example of the Legacy Module. It has the same design as an M0 module and the same protection with Micro-upgrades as its paint before the update. 2. The variety of regular modules - like turrets, contain M0, M1, M2 and M3 modifications. This also means that if you're a Generalissimo, you won't be able to buy any modifications that are M2 or below due to rank. Like Turrets and Hulls, all modifications of protection modules change as they upgrade from M0 to M3. 3. Special modules - these are given out along with special paints and provide unique protections. Gold plated special module. In-Game Look You can view other players' protections by either pressing the "Tab" or "R" key. The "R" key will display the tanks' Turret, Hull and Module names as well as the Micro-upgrade levels each item has. Additionally, it also displays the Module you're currently wearing, however it doesn't show you the exact percentage you have. If the enemy tank has protection against your weapon, it'll be displayed with a green shield icon and the appropriate percentage number. This is also visible whenever you hold the "Tab" key. When you hold "R" this is how you will see your opponent. In the spoiler below, I've listed a few more different things you'll see depending on some battle factors. (Micro-upgrades on/off, if your opponent has protection against your turret etc.) Gameplay Now, let's move on to how this all works out in actual battle. This update has caused the interface to be a lot more important than it used to be. You'll have to get used to those "Tab" and "R" keys, because they'll provide you with some vital information on who to attack. This is especially the case if you're going to switch weapons, you'll need to remember which weapon is most effective, and the only way to do that is to hold down "R" and watch closely. A problem I see with this is a possible cluttering of the interface, making item information hard to read, so you'd end up focusing more on reading than actually battling. Tip: After you press and hold the "R" key, hold down the "Alt" key. When you let go of both, it'll be the same as if you're constantly holding down the "R". This is incredibly useful if you want to have a constant view of everyone's equipment, but don't want to break your finger holding other keys. As for yourself, you can take a few steps to use modules in a slightly more effective way, if you give it some thought. Main thing I would do is check the popularity of turret's you're facing. You can use the tables linked above to determine your most effective paint module, then equip it. You can also confuse your opponent slightly by wearing an expensive paint and combining it with protection modules that are completely different than the pre-update protection. Mess around with camouflage, too. Now that paints are only there for looks, you can finally give the mighty Forester the protection it deserves. Economy The most controversial part of this update is definitely the change in prices. As it stands, the paints and modules cost more than your entire pre-update fully upgraded garage. Paints are now priced based on the appeal of their look, since that's the only thing they're good for now. Which, luckily, means you don't have to buy them to progress in the game. It should save you quite a bit of crystals, but there's still a lot of stuff to buy in the Protection Modules section. The costs to buy all modules is 13 400 000 crystals, and that's without counting the costs below M3. As you might imagine, micro-upgrading all of that will greatly increase the cost, too. So, how should you spend your crystals? I'd honestly say it's not worth buying paints anymore, because they don't have an actual impact on how you play. Just buy a cheap paint that has a decent camouflage and stock up on modules. One good thing about this is, while the "Legacy" modules have a maximum of 100% protection, the newer Triple M3 modules have a default total protection of 105% at the price of 250k. This means you're getting 5% extra value for your crystals. It's not much, but it's at least something to keep note of. Finally, Product Kits got a huge price increase due to the inflation in paint price. On top of that, you don't get any modules when you buy the kit. So, right now they're largely a waste of crystals, even with the discount. My advice to you here would be to wait for new kits to arrive, which will hopefully be designed specifically for this update. XP/BP Another controversial point is the removal of paint protection for Wasp in XP/BP gamemodes. Format battles are pretty much the only thing I've played in Tanki since I bought my XP kit at Brigadier, and I can tell you that this change is definitely fair. Wasp is superior to Hornet in its manoeuvrability and speed, while only slightly lacking in stability. Although, with appropriate hull control, the stability problem can easily be overcome. There's also a factor of turning, in which Hornet loses speed when it drifts while Wasp simply makes a clean turn. Finally, the most important factor of all, Wasp has a slightly larger height compared to hornet, allowing for a much larger shooting angle. The only advantage Hornet barely has is it's better acceleration and stopping power, which again isn't important for Wasp because, as a BP player, you never want to stop moving. This is the angle difference. From the same spot, Hornet can only reach up to the blue line, while Wasp stretches all the way if you tilt it right. With all these advantages, it really seems like BP is greatly superior, both in theory and practice. A team of three Hornets and one Wasp will almost always beat a team of four Hornets (assuming the skill level is close to even). This is why I find it completely fair to hold a risk of being one-shotted from time to time. In my view, that's how Wasp is meant to be played. You might disagree and, if you do, post a comment below backed up by actual facts. I've presented my arguments here and I do think they're sound, expecting you, readers, to do the same. Discussion Now, I think this update is pretty game changing, if not the most game changing update of all time. The amount of new stuff to buy is greatly increased, while the paints now cater a lot more to buyers. This means you'll have to sacrifice the aesthetics of your gameplay in exchange for more economic efficiency. I'm not entirely sure if that's a fair trade, but I can see how it can be reasonable. Another thing that should've been considered is an option to customise modules. Although, I see how such an option would hinder people from buying any module at all, since they can just buy a custom one. It would make other modules just as obsolete as the paints, which is why the developers didn't include them. Personally, I don't mind the update because I only play format battles in which protection is irrelevant. However, I'm not sure how exactly it'll play out in an environment with a huge variety of weapons. Will people be able to keep up with different protections without a quick way to recognise them? Having to hold down "R" will clutter up your screen in close combat, and you don't really have the time to read everything in the midst of battle. Following from the previous point, players in deathmatches won't be able to kill steal as effectively. This is because you won't be able to know what protections the opponent has from turrets other than your own. Again, holding down "R" makes things unnecessarily cluttered. With that in mind I'd propose an option to see all protections when holding down the "Tab" key. This would make things closely to how they were previously, but I'd rather have it a bit more simplified. Instead of showing the percentage next to every type, I'd like it to show only the type of protection the player has. This won't make kill-stealing inefficient, but it'll reduce it to an acceptable amount where the battle becomes more dynamic. Additionally, most modules have a default protection, so just by seeing the type of module, you can assume it has 35% protection. I think this kind of addition works best for both sides, so I'd like to hear your opinion on it. Something like this, perhaps? You can see protection against your own turret, and types of protections your opponent has. I know my editing is lame, but this is the sort of idea I'm going for. I was pretty disappointed that the "New paints" were actually paints from old holiday celebrations. Although some look nice, I did expect "New" to actually mean what it says. Still, it's nice for the newer players that weren't around during all those events, but it does feel like it could've been advertised in a different way. There's no reason it couldn't have said: "Holiday paints are now in the game!". Not as exciting as "New paints", but at least it's honest. As for special paints, such as Veteran losing its protection and Silver losing 2%, I think it's not that important. Those special paints are a matter of prestige, rather than actual effectiveness. I've always thought that earning the paint itself is much more important than the protection it gives. I somewhat agree with the point of players taking years to get Silver, while helpers need only one month to get Helper and get a better protection paint. However, I also think the recognition of getting Silver is much larger than for Helper. Additionally, some staff members who get helper actually have to work hard for a month, and a lot of that work is actually tough and boring. At least when playing in a clan for Silver, you get to have fun along the way. Finally, Helper only stays in the garage for a month, so it's not something you'll always have unless you keep up a high standard of productiveness, which in itself is tiring. These are my thoughts on the update, although a bit biased due to my gameplay preferences of format battles. Feel free to share what you think about the update below and maybe some of the more eloquent suggestions will get passed on to the developers. But, do try and keep it a civil discussion. Oh, and garage descriptions are back. I really like reading those, although the lack of apostrophes in each and every description is really bugging me. Perhaps I'm nit-picking, but it shouldn't take too much to fix, little details make all the difference. FAQ This section contains some of the more important excerpts from the official topic. If you want to read all of them, click here. Q: Will it be possible to choose the protections you want in your module, or will they be presets like paint protections now? A: You won't be able to pick and choose which protections a module will have. Protections are set by the developers in each module with regards to overall game balance. Rest assured though, there's a wide variety available. Q: Will kits contain paints, modules, or both? (or none?) A: Some kits might contain only a paint (no protection). Some might only contain the module (no paint). Other kits might have both paints and modules. As usual, kits will periodically get refreshed to offer tankers some bargains for buying items in a kit rather than individually. Update : A new batch of kits will be rolled out during the next coming week to adapt them to the new update. All the details will be posted in due time. Q: If it's 35%, won't people that have legacy modules like Prodigi (which has 48% from Rail) get an advantage in Pro battles where MUs are off? A: Not necessarily and here's why: It's true that the new modules will provide only 35% but it's going to provide 35% from 3 turrets, so if you think of it, you might be better off with a new module than with Prodigi's legacy module which only protects from Rail decently and not so well against other turrets. The choice will be yours to make in battle. Good Luck. Q: What about other paints not mentioned in the above, such as veteran or cobalt? A: These paints from now on will be classified as Status Paints. They won't have any protection modules attached to them but they will still be a rare exclusivity that only a few hardcore fighters will be able to unlock. Q: Why is there so much lag after the update? A: This is most likely caused by tens of thousands of players constantly switching between lobby, battles and garage to figure out how the new update works. The lag should gradually subside as players get used to the new system. That's all I've got on the update. It's pretty different from what we usually get, and it definitely merits some serious discussion going on. Now that I've given you an overview of the data and my own thoughts, I want to invite you to freely converse below about your own ideas on the update. The more discussion there is, the easier it is for developers to see exactly what the players are looking for. So, use your keyboard and share your view!

Hello readers, hope you're enjoying the start of the summer! It's been a while since we've had a parkour guide in the Newspaper, so we're bringing you the very best this time around - The Flying Parkourists. This guide and series will tell you everything you'll need to know to start off parkour, along with descriptions of some pretty advanced tricks. Won't keep you waiting anymore, check out the goods! Note: There's a lot of content in this piece (Videos, pictures, gifs), so I recommend giving the page a minute or so to load everything up. TFP Video For starters, we have the latest video from The Flying Parkourists. This guide to Osa is sure to impress you as you watch these orange tankers jump, spin and land using all kinds of tricks. Don't worry if it's too fast for you to follow, we'll do a breakdown of the video further in the text. For now, just enjoy the show! Preparation In order to begin doing parkour, you'll need to do some work beforehand to set up the scene. First thing you'll need is a decent parkour team. You don't need experienced parkourists - even people who never done parkour can make a team. You'll need about 5-6 people to do more complex stuff inside a map, so you either want twice as many members, or people who often play at the same time you do. The important thing here is that they're organised and don't aimlessly run about. Got your team ready? Next thing you'll need to do is choose a map. Pretty much any map is suitable for parkour, but if you want to do some really cool tricks, you'll want to play in larger maps. Although, in my case, I like to look around the map to see potential parkour opportunities and scout different buildings. It's not really necessary to exactly plan out the order of buildings you'll parkour on; it's more a matter of personal preference. The Roles Here we'll examine the team construction a bit more. The primary factor for a parkour team is their organisation, but there's a few small details that can make tricks that bit easier to accomplish. It's recommended most players have similarly upgraded gear, which means your team should mostly consist of tanks with the same turret and hull modification. For example, you don't want to have a Wasp M3 and a Hammer M0. Such gaps in equipment create imbalances in more complex tricks, so try and get your equipment to match with other players. When you get your team together, it's generally a good idea to have people specialise themselves in certain roles for more effective execution of tricks. I'll also reference these a lot in later stages of the guide, so my advice to you is to get familiar with them as well as with their modifications. Most organised parkour tricks will require the following roles: - Jumper (This player is launched in the air and gets on top of buildings) Most common tank: Wasp/Thunder, Wasp/Rail, Wasp/Ricochet - Base (Drives while the Jumper is on top of him/her) Most common tank: Hornet/Rail, Hornet/Hammer, Dictator/Rail, Dictator/Hammer, Hornet/Twins - Miner (Pretty much any player who has available mines to set up tricks) Most common tank: Any - Ramp makers (Their goal is to set up a ramp for the Base and Jumper to use) Most common tank: Dictator, Viking, Hornet - Support shooters (Their goal is to get the Jumper further into the air by providing additional shots from below or behind) Most common tank: Railgun, Hammer, Shaft, Vulcan, Twins. In this Osa video, we can see a set up of a Jumper, Base, 2-3 Support shooters and a Miner. Keep in mind that you can change your equipment in order to adapt to specific parkour tricks and some roles aren't necessarily exclusive to one player. The important thing is you get your team and their equipment ready to begin the trick set up. Set up Now we'll begin breaking up the parkour tricks step by step. To start off, you'll need to set up your tricks properly. This can be done in a various number of ways depending on what exactly you need. Here, we'll cover some of the basic ramp set ups you'll need to use most for doing stunning parkour tricks. However, in addition to this, we'll also put forward a number of variations and tweaks you can make that will make your set up more effective. Let's get right into it! If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. This is one of the most basic ramps that you can make in a lot of different places. It's just one Ramp maker type tank that angles itself on a map prop using some sort of elevation difference or turret recoil. Extremely easy to do, and it'll provide you with a much wider angle, which you can then use to get on top of a desired building. I've also listed some of the variations to this set up below in the spoiler, check them out! Click on the spoiler to view different variations of the previously mentioned trick. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. Sometimes, the map won't allow you to angle up your ramp easily. In this example we want to get our ramp on a wall that's in a flat portion of a map. In order to do this, a Miner places a first mine right in front of the wall. This bumps up the Ramp maker just enough for it to get into position. Notice how in this example the Ramp maker places another mine for a Jumper as he hits the first mine, as well as there being a Support shooter ready to fire on the side. This is exactly how you want to quickly set up your ramp. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. This is one of the basic ways to set up your trick. All you have to do is use your recoil to angle up the Jumper on the tip of the Base, then shoot the ground to get yourself all the way up. It's a good thing it's easy too, because you'll use this set up over a lot of different ramps for some amazing tricks. So, get really comfortable with using this set up before you start doing some more complex stuff. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. This is a combination of Ramp makers and Support shooters. By using your turret recoil to swing your tank on top of the Ramp maker, you can angle up your shooters in just the right spot. Notice how the shooters angle themselves so that the third one aims a bit above the second one, too. Another thing to pay attention to is the mine placed right in front of the set up. This ensures the Jumper doesn't bump into any tanks and goes straight towards the already charging Railguns. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. Now we have a set up I personally find really interesting. This part consists of Support shooters. You'll angle the shooter completely sideways so when it shoots the Jumper, it launches it directly upwards to give it some additional elevation. To get the shooter sideways, all you need to do is get it on top of another tank, then slowly and carefully let it flip to its side. If the tank starts flipping too much, use your turret recoil to adjust yourself. Again, different ways to do this are in the spoiler below. Click on the spoiler to view different variations of the previously mentioned trick. Keep in mind you can always expand on these set ups by adding a different amount of Supports backing you up, or stacking a bunch of Bases to help you reach more air. Be creative and experiment with different stuff! Communication The most important factor in a successful parkour trick is team coordination. Without it, you won't be able to do anything at all. Although you can do some tricks by using the chat box to time your shots, it's pretty much a must to have a voice call for the more complex stuff. Skype or Teamspeak work great in that regard and are fairly easy to use. Trust me, it'll make your parkour life a lot easier. As for the call itself, you shouldn't have the entire team talking at once. Have someone watch the entire trick from the side, without participating in it. This person will direct others and time everyone's shots. Make sure the caller is clear and direct, so you avoid any possible confusion. Short commands and a "3, 2, 1 go!" may not seem like much, but they help a ton when you actually do the tricks. As for others, listen and follow through as best as you can. Practice For those of you just starting parkour, it's best that you practice tricks with an easy setup. Experiment with the basic ramps I've listed above, because they're quick to make and they'll help you practice your coordination effectively. If you use a complex setup and your coordination isn't good, it might take you an extremely long time to master the trick, since you'll probably have to remake the ramp every time you fail. So, my recommendation is to take it slow and steady, one trick at a time until your team feels comfortable with the way you do things. Execution Finally, back to the expert tricks of the Osa video! We'll take a quick look at how the professionals of the EN community do parkour and break down some of the main line ups for the tricks. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. This trick uses the map's own ramp as a setup, saving you time since you don't have to make your own. It consists only of three Support Hammers that are angled in a way to launch the Jumper right where it needs to go. The trick is fairly straightforward, but it requires quite a decent amount of timing from multiple people. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. Now we have a high and long jump across a custom made ramp. The entire trick consists of two Ramp makers and a Base, all of which provide the Jumper with an additional boost by shooting it. Also notice how a mine is placed in order to prevent the Base from hitting the other tanks. Everyone charges up as the Jumper goes across the ramp and the trick ends up working perfectly. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. A simple long jump. Here we see a combination of the map's own ramp, along with one Ramp maker to provide the necessary angle. On the side a Support stands ready to give the needed boost for the Jumper to cover a long distance. Although a mine isn't needed here, pay attention how the Jumper shoots the ground to launch itself up quickly as it leaves the ramp. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. This trick involves using a double Vulcan Support to boost up a Jumper going towards a high building. In order to get a quick height boost, the Wasp is placed on top of a Dictator. Then, as the Dictator hits the landmine and angles upwards, the Wasp gets shot by two Hammers and gets spin from the Vulcans at the same time. The trick is somewhat difficult to get right, but it looks amazing when you finally land it. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. A long jump across the map using the standard line up of tanks. Here we see the Ramp maker, Support and Base, all working together to provide the Jumper with enough speed and altitude, in order to get it on the building at the other side of the map. We can see that the shooters here start charging up as soon as the Base hits that previously placed mine in front of the ramp. Well aimed and well timed shots end up getting the Jumper right where he needs to be. If you're unable to view or load this gif, click here. Probably the most impressive trick of the lot, this is my personal favourite. It includes a bit of everything mentioned so far. We have a ramp consisting of only one Hunter as the Ramp maker, but we also have two Support Hammers placed at different heights and distances. They provide the elevation while the Shaft at the rear gives the Jumper a well-needed push for the distance and spin. The trick requires a huge amount of precision and timing, but it can be breathtaking to see for the first time. Dealing with failure Keep in mind that for every success, you're going to fail these tricks... a lot. Don't let this discourage you. Everyone works best when they're relaxed and focused. If you allow a few miscalculations to annoy you, it's best that you take a break and try again later. In addition to that, mastery only comes through trial and error. You can never predict exactly what's going to happen because there are so many variables occurring at the same time. Just like in any game, competition or sport, a cool head and clear mind will always achieve better results. Finally, you should always know that parkour is meant to be fun. It's a pastime for you and your team to bond and entertain yourselves while doing some cool stuff along the way. Try to stay positive and don't take failure too harshly, and with a positive attitude I'm sure you'll enjoy parkour much more. That's all from the first edition of Parkour Essentials. I want to thank The Flying Parkourists for their wonderful insight and advice on parkour - without it, this article wouldn't be nearly as detailed as it is. I also want to thank you guys for reading, and wish you luck in your future parkouring endeavours. Post any interesting stories or parkour experiences that you've had below!

Alright, the title may seem like I'm taking some sort of high ground analysing what other people do, but I'd like you to bear with me on this one. I'm generally not an active forumer and I basically only follow the Off-Topic section and the Newspaper. This means that I'll specifically address certain aspects of the Off-Topic discussion, since I think it concerns everyone who frequents that particular section. Sadly, topics with potential for a decent discussion in Off-Topic either go on a tangent about completely irrelevant conversations that can be easily moved to PM, or start up questions that can be answered by a single Google search. Most people just stick to PotD at this point which hinders discussion in other topics where it would be more appropriate. Examples Recently the Off-Topic forum noticeably started lacking any form of actual discussion. Now, I'm all for people posting whatever they want on the forum and I'm not trying to censor anyone, but this doesn't mean I can't advocate a viewpoint that encourages thoughtfulness. Completely useless and frankly nonsensical replies with only an emoticon, a single word, "?", "lol" and such simply flood the page, since you're not adding in anything constructive to the conversation. I can't, nor will I ever try to forbid you to post such things, but I will strive to encourage people to avoid such behaviour. I'm sure many would agree that this open forum would be a lot more pleasant if we have both free speech and constructive ideas, rather than a bunch of replies with practically no value. Even moderators have noticed how much people are straying away from what was initially supposed to be the thread discussion. The Data In case some of you still aren't aware of what I'm talking about, I'll easily demonstrate it with a few numbers I've gathered on the 8th of May. I know I probably don't even need all this to prove my point, since it's so obvious to anyone that looks at the forum, but I just don't want to be accused of making stuff up. As you can see in the picture above, I've taken the 13 most recent "hot" topics on the Off-Topic forum and decided to check if they're actually filled with nonsense as many have implied. The main concern was how I could judge certain posts to be irrelevant to the discussion. Obviously to do so, I'd have to check every single post, which I wasn't going to waste my time on, although I had a pretty good idea of which topics were flooded with pointless ones. This is why I decided to take the top 4 posters that happen to be on the "Top 20 posters of the day" forum page. Now, it may very well be the case that those 4 people happen to post more than they regularly do on that day, but you'll see later why this isn't the case. I didn't really expect the results to be like this, because those I pretty much randomly took my sample of 4 people, but what I found out was quite intriguing. I checked how many times these 4 people replied to the listed topics and concluded that about 50% of posts in the most recent topics have been made by the same 4 people. Then I decided to check if the discussion is actually moving forward by seeing how many different people reply to a topic. For simplicity, I've decided to check how many times the topic creator replied to his own topic. Worryingly, I got the result that, on average, almost a quarter of posts are made by the topic creator. Also, keep in mind this was all over the last 100 days on average, meaning it's not only a recent point, it's something that's been happening for a while. This on first glance may not seem like much since the topic creator might be trying to continue a particular discussion or keep the thread going, but look at some of the topics I've taken in the list (ex. "How tall are you?"), some surely shouldn't require such topic direction since the initial purpose is stated in an explicitly clear manner. So, to quickly recap the findings: - On average, about 50% of posts in the most popular recent topics in the Off-Topic seciton have been made by the same 4 people. - On average, about 25% of posts are made by the topic creator I think this is the cause of the recent dislike of the forum. It's mostly the same people talking about completely generic and irrelevant stuff on pretty much every popular topic. As a consequence of that, those topics become even more "popular" which makes them more often seen by other forumers (perhaps even first time visitors), who then judge the forum as being full of nonsensical discussion and don't want to contribute. Possible solutions? At this point most of you are probably wondering what the point of this topic is. Well, I'm trying to bring people's attention to the problem and hopefully raise awareness that this forum can kick off again. For that to be achieved, two things are necessary: 1. Irrelevant and obviously nonsensical conversations should be removed and discouraged. You might think this will reduce forum activity and lead to even more problems with no one posting at all. I disagree, mainly because I'm hoping that we get people actually putting more thought in what they say, rather than proudly spouting nonsense that no one really wants to see. This isn't a chat, it's a forum. You have the time to think about what you'll say, don't neglect that asset. Just take about 2 minutes to think if you can benefit the discussion in some additional way. It won't be easy to get the entire forum to work this way, but I believe it's the right direction to go towards and, with effort, it'll make this a more enjoyable place for everyone. 2. New players need to join the forum This can generally apply to the game itself. It seems that most of the interesting and experienced people have quit the game at this point. Sadly, we can't quite change much in this regard, because us sharing the game to our friends probably won't do much when we look at the bigger picture. It seems to me this will have to be resolved by Tanki community managers and marketing experts advertising their game on sites that generally have a more mature playerbase. They've probably monitored this situation for a lot longer than I have, but considering the recent changes in the administration of this particular forum, I think it's good to bring this discussion to light. To those that want to listen I'm hoping this topic will get some of you to think about ways of improving the forum and actually take steps to make it better, if you so care. I don't think it's any player's duty by any means, but then again I think it would be nice if we could all pitch in to make it a more pleasant environment for everyone. I'm only inviting people willing and motivated on the subject to speak out on their own views on how the community can be improved. Would love to see players and moderators talk this out here, perhaps even administrators and the CM. Anyway, I've given you my view on the subject, along with some data to back it up - now I'm hoping you'll form your own conclusions and start a decent discussion below. Any sort of ideas for improvement you may have will be greatly appreciated not only by me, but by all players who want this forum to go in the right direction and surely the Tanki crew as well. Thanks for taking a bit of your time to read this.

Hello, readers! This time I thought it would be nice to give something new and learn about you at the same time. Below I've listed a number of personality types that I think most people can relate to. Have a look and maybe you'll find out which one you are. Mammoth Mammoths are commonly laid back and relaxed sort of tankers. They like to take their time to do things properly and don't rush into decisions before thinking them through. In activities they like to make the most out of their work, focusing on using their energy in the most efficient way possible, or rather with the minimal amount of effort. This causes them to look lazy in other people's eyes, but they're actually fairly calculated and can plan ahead quite well. The only problem is, all plans often happen at the same time and at the last possible moment. These tankers also display their emotions in a more conservative manner, making it look like they aren't interested or engaged in the conversation. Point worth noting is that they still experience the emotional feelings, the only thing that's different is that they don't generally show them to others. Python These snake like tankers like to know what's happening around them, but don't enjoy being in the center of attention. They prefer observing from a distance and talking to people individually rather than in groups, since they want to get to know a person better directly. Pythons are also deceptive by nature. Once they learn enough about someone, they tend to use that to their advantage in any way they can. Although others feel slightly distrustful towards them, in reality most Pythons have good intentions and only mildly manipulate people for a mutually beneficial result. This comes from the fact that they closely know what other people want and try their best to those things happen, sometimes making it look like they're causing harm. Pythons tend to stay out of crowds of people and focus more on building more meaningful friendships. A lot of people have trouble understanding their personality, partly because they aren't used to opening up towards only one person. This in turn results in Pythons sticking closer to the bonds they've already made, rather than creating new ones. Dragon These fiery personalities like to enjoy themselves as much as possible. They live for the moment, with little regard about the past and future. Dragons generally have only one goal to strive for - happiness for themselves and people around them. The positive outlook they have makes them quite friendly and fitting for group hangouts and are generally sought after to bring in a bit more fun to the table. The only drawback to this is they have trouble dealing with problems when they finally pile up. They don't hide their emotions at all, which means other people don't really have any trouble figuring out how they feel. Because of this, they sometimes don't acknowledge people who aren't as open as themselves and might undermine the importance of their emotions. Wasp These speedy tankers are easily recognisable by their hyperactive spirit. They're in the midst of any event, contributing in unique and creative ways. All this makes them look more childish than other people which can cause them to be a bit too enthusiastic in social gatherings. However, once you get used to them, they'll think of a bunch of (on first glance childish) games that will keep you entertained for days. Since they don't have a tendency to be serious, important meetings and discussions with Wasps can often be tedious. Specially because they don't take criticism maturely most of the time, causing a burst of emotion for every little thing that annoys them. Jaguar Jaguars are ambitious and explosive. They love to test themselves and push their bodies to the limit. For them, there's no such thing as too much sport or exercise. You'll often find them competing with other Jaguars, either in the gym or in the field. Since they're highly active, most people can't really keep up with them, so Jaguars often join specific clubs to meet similarly minded people. Just like their way of life, their emotions are also fast to show. They'll react in a strong manner, which tends to draw people away if they don't expect it. Hornet These tankers only appreciate the very best and exquisite things in life... and the most expensive. They value money more than most other people, and will always strive to spend it in the most efficient way possible. A possible issue with this is that they can become too frugal, which can create awkward situations on a night out or similar stuff. Although, most Hornets don't have a problem with helping out people in need, they don't particularly enjoy it either. Similarly, they're frugal with their emotions, too. Some people might even think Hornets only care about their money, but this is untrue. This is because it's in their character to play it safe and do as much as they can to prevent wasteful actions. Such behaviour comes to light especially when meeting strangers, which can cause a bad first impression. Of course, after you get to know them, it becomes apparent they're not what they seem at first glance. Tiger Tigers put their family as the top priority. They believe that those closest to them are vital in their lives and will do anything for them. Loyal, honest and hard-working, Tigers are perfect family members. Their relationships with friends can take a back seat, which can cause some difficulty. In order to get the best out if a Tiger, you must be such good friends with them, that they practically add you into their family. Often the backbone of a household, Tigers have learned not to complain and will rather cater and care for their family. A commendable attitude, but it can tire them out if there's no one helping them. Raccoon Raccoons are the jokers of the group. No matter the situation, they'll always find a way to generate laughter out of it. They have a great sense of humour and a really relaxed personality, which can cause them not to take important events as seriously as they should. Still, they can always count on their friends to help them out when things go out of control. In the regards to their emotions, the only one they tend to show is laughter and happiness. It's not in their nature to complain, so they often hide away their problems. This means that others have to put a bit more effort in if they want to help Raccoons. Irbis Exotic lifestyle is nothing strange to these tankers who love to spend their time travelling and experiencing unique cultures. Their passion is going from one place to another creating lasting memories that fulfil their lives. Meeting strangers along the way, turning them into acquaintances and eventually befriending them is an Irbis' goal. Although, due to their dynamic spirit and tendency not to stay in one place for too long, they can have trouble maintaining all relationships. These tankers have learned to focus on the positive sides of life and rarely exhibit any sort of sadness. Even when leaving their newly created friendships, they know they'll have more. This can cause people who don't understand Irbis tankers to feel replaced or disappointed, even if that isn't the actual intended result. Viking Vikings are the type of tankers who crave stability over all else. They don't like taking risks, and always create back up plans. In major cases, this can turn into an obsession for security. While the consistent and safe lifestyle gives comfort, Vikings forsake the joy of life's unexpected events. Their emotions are mostly minor, but if they lose their footing, they can quickly start to panic about the smallest of things. This is why it's important for them to have friends that'll help them through unforeseen events, even if Vikings don't like putting their trust in others too much. Hunter Hunters are Tanki's hopeless romantics. Their favourite pastime is hanging out with their love interest. If by any chance they're not in a relationship, they'll devote all their time to getting one. You're highly likely to meet these tankers across server chats busting out romantic poetry and cringey pick up lines. This kind of lifestyle means they often get judged for their choices and sometimes even lost friends due to focusing their attention elsewhere. Still, Hunters can be quite sensitive and emotional, not only towards that special person, but towards others as well. They do tend to spill their feelings out in public a bit too often though. Alligator Alligators always strive towards careful planning and control. If anything doesn't go the way they've envisioned, they'll quickly erupt in anger. To them, it's important that everyone knows their place and follows the procedures assigned by whoever's in charge. Although they enjoy being in control, people tend to view Alligators as quite bossy and at times even annoying. They don't display their feelings too much when things go their way. However, if someone doesn't listen to them or lies to them, they'll lash out with rabid anger. They'll pretty much be your most trustful friends and best event organisers up until a point you disobey them. Hopefully you've found something that you can genuinely relate to. Maybe you have more than one dominant trait and fit into multiple groups? Post what fits you best below so we can all see the types of people that play Tanki and learn more about each other! Also, if you haven't already, check out the rest of the issue here. Thanks for reading!

Hello readers and welcome to Tanki Community Hobbies! A while back, we've had the chance to see a series of Developers' hobbies as well as a few Player ones. Now, in 2016, I thought it would be nice to jump start it again with the favourite pastimes of staff members and players alike. Here we'll take a look at the most interesting and perhaps unusual hobbies that the Tanki community has to offer, let's get right to it! Lhamster Naturally, we're starting with the boss himself. When he's not stalking the Skype group or trying to conquer the world, Lhamster has some pretty fun hobbies. His first hobby is Ultimate Frisbee, a competitive team sport played on a field involving, well, a flying disk. Goal of the game is to catch the disk on the opposing team's side, or the "end zone", and score a point. The game in its intensity features a lot of people throwing, running, jumping, laying out and catching the disk in any way they can. However, the opposing team will constantly try to intercept or knock down your throws and go for their own scoring opportunities. From what I've seen, it's a really demanding sport that can sure get you tired out quickly. Hamster's been playing it for a year and a half so far, and, although he doesn't have much time to do so now, he plans on volunteering in the World Championship this summer. Hamster's second hobby is photography, which he's been doing for over a year now. According to him, he likes to take pictures of landscapes, cities at night and people the most. So far, I haven't found any of Lhamster's selfies, because in his words "There's a reason I'm behind the camera". I'm assuming it's because hamsters have difficulty with turning the camera around and taking pictures of themselves. If you're curious about seeing some of Lhamster's work, he actually has a topic open in creativity where he posts pretty neat pictures. Check it out here. TriNitroToluene TNT's first hobby is none other than stamp collecting. He didn't share more about that because I assume it's as exciting as it sounds. Now for some more serious stuff. One of TNT's many passions is playing the piano. He's been doing that for the past 12 years now, and if you closely examine that it means he pretty much started playing at the age of 3. Starting off from a synthesizer, he moved up to an actual piano 4 years later and went to music school. After a while he decided to stop going because he was too cool for all the classical music playing down there. He broadened his outlook on music by playing different genres, including pop, EDM and even dubstep. TNT shares that there's no better feeling than being appreciated for your music as you're playing a concert, which he has done a number of times. He currently has a Kawai piano and his dream is to buy a grand piano that can fill an entire room. Additionally, TNT plans on using his experience to start a quintet band that will earn money for charity! I think I can speak for all when I wish him good luck in that mission. His second hobby is quizzing. It's a sort of competition that involves knowledge about pretty much any topic. This is why TNT and his team of know-it-alls have been participating in them for a few years now. The quiz competitions are held in a lot of different towns and even online. According to TNT, this sort of competition greatly improves one's teamwork, coordination and vastly broadens the mind to new information. Night-Sisters Night's favourite pastime is playing the guitar. With 4 years of experience and 2 years of classes (which she paid for) she knows how jam out to Jazz and Delta Blues as well as rock out to Guns 'N Roses and Bon Jovi. Her guitar is a Singlecut PRS and the amplifier she uses is a Fender Mustang III. According to her it's a good practice amplifier that produces a great sound. Now, over the years she has gathered up quite a set of little gadgets to assist her playing, she said those who play will know what they are. Finally she shares this hobby made her taste in music more diverse and made her have a new found respect for guitarists. Here's some of the stuff NS uses when playing. I'll just let her explain what these thingies do. Going from left to right: Looper Pedal - When using it, I can play a chord or solo progression, record it, and then play overtop of that. Handy pedal to have, that's for sure. Cable- Connects the amplifier to the electric guitar. T-Bar/Whammy Bar - The only easily-removable piece on my guitar. Slip that in, apply pressure, and it will 'dive bomb' or lower notes in play. Metronome - Gotta keep time! Picks - While it's sometimes best to go pick-free and go fingerstyle on the acoustic, you definitely need them for the electric. They're just cheap rounded plastic that give you a better, clearer, louder sound when striking notes. Capo - A good one costs about $30. Clamping it on to your strings at various intervals allows you to raise or lower the key. Handy, especially when you're playing with vocals. Tuner - A portable tuner is probably the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT thing any guitarist owns. A guitar in tune sounds amazing. A guitar out of tune produces ear-grating and nightmarish sounds. Extra Strings - It's always good to keep spare strings on hand, they have a nasty habit of breaking at the most inopportune of times. That's all the hobbies I've prepared for this issue. Planning on expanding this to more than just reporters and staff members. Specifically I want to target you guys, the regular players. So if you think you have a cool or unusual hobby, send me its description along with a few pictures and I might just use it. A picture of yourself and the hobby itself (guitar, bike, whatever) is really a neat addition to have, and I will generally prioritize it over those who just send in a text based description. 'Till next issue, see you around, readers!

Welcome, readers, to the third installment of DAS! This month I've managed to get a glimpse at the Headmaster's computer and read his student database. He also kindly offered a brief description of every student and faculty member. Thought some of it was interesting and decided to share it with you people. Hope you enjoy learning a bit more about the Dictator Academy! (Click on the pictures to enlarge them) Previous issues: Dictator Academy Students (DAS) - Month 1 Dictator Academy Students (DAS) - Month 2 Something a bit different from the regular comics I've done so far. I feel it's needed to describe the characters a bit more, just so you get a better feel for the comics. After this, I'll be returning to my usual format with new comics. STUDENTS DATABASE Description: Bob I3anter, born in 2001. Got accepted into the Academy as the youngest student in class. Character: Lazy and tries to avoid work whenever possible. In addition to that, he constantly plans out pranks and jokes around with other students, even during class. He's not quite the smartest guy ever, but let's say he has street smarts and leave it there. Seems to hold an attraction to Izzy Ez, if you ask me that won't end well. Perhaps strangely, he has an obsession with streaming and painting, no idea where that came from. All around unlucky guy, but at least he tries... sort of. Medical history: Few bruises from following Izzy to her home. Notes: I'm not sure if his grades can be improved. His only good grades are in the two foreign languages - Arabic and Russian. Description: Mike Mate, born in 1999. Got accepted into the Academy through his scholarship. His family aren't in a good financial standing. Character: Not quite sure who he is to be honest, I'll check and update this later. I don't think he's that important, but I have to fill up this database. Seems he hangs out with Bob and Richi, probably to mooch money off of them. I've heard staff complain about his repeating self-destruction, guess the boy doesn't handle stress very well. Note to self: Check if he's paying all of his bills and hide all silver stuff when he visits the office. Medical history: According to the nurse, the only cause for concern is his above average rate of getting destroyed or self-destructing. Notes: His grades are the highest in the class... If only he had money to invest in some competitions, I'm sure he'd get far in his life. Description: Izzy Ez, born in 2000. Got in the Academy by finishing her First Aid training course with one of the top scores. Character: Probably the most popular girl in the Academy. Even though most people like her, the feeling isn't mutual. During the school's Feminist panel debates, she's known to be quite aggressive, lashing out at the people disagreeing with her like a drugged up Firebird. However, word is she likes that Russian Rob exchange student, which may explain her recent improvement in foreign languages. Although, this also means that she doesn't notice the people that try to approach her. For a medic, she really has the tendency to hurt people. Might be good idea to adapt her principles to the people around her and actually form lasting friendships. At this rate, she might end up in a house with a ton of grey cats. Medical history: No illnesses or injuries. Helps out the nurse by passing over random scalpel looking thingies. Notes: Her grades have been slipping recently. The staff informs me that she's been hanging out with the wrong crowd, which is the cause. Hopefully she gets back on the right track. Description: Hichi Richi, born in 1999. Got into the Academy after his parents generously donated a large amount of crystals to the Dictator Academy Fund. Character: Now this is a true example of a good student. Yes, he may cause a few problems from time to time, but he's a good kid in heart. Not to mention the monthly donations from his parents greatly improve the quality of the overall education for all students. Thanks to him, our monthly earnings have risen by 10%! Medical history: Last year his tank collapsed out of the weight from the crystals he was carrying. Notes: Some say you can't go through life by paying people off. Seems to work fine for him and I'm certainly not gonna complain about that. Description: Rob Russian, born in 1998. Apparently we need to be in good relations with foreign schools so they sent us this guy. In return we sent them one of our own students that I didn't like that much. The poor kid probably got destroyed there by now. Character: He's a fairly quiet person, probably because he doesn't speak a word of English. Spends most of his time in the gym. Sometimes I think he understands perfectly well what we're saying, but just pretends he doesn't, just so he can ignore us. Maybe he's smarter than we give him credit for... Our Russian teacher informed me that his dream is to become a professional athlete. Medical history: Someone bet him 100 crystals that he can't break a wall with his nose. He ended up with the nurse, the wall ended up being repaired and reinforced with more concrete. Still don't get how he managed to do that... Notes: His grades are pretty bad, he's hardly passing a single class except for Physical Education. Then again, if he actually becomes an athlete, he won't need much else. Description: Chris Nag, born in 2000. Got accepted into the Academy after his parents threw him out of the house. We were good enough to offer him our dormitories. Big mistake in my opinion. Character: He's motivated to learn, hard working, eager to socialize with everyone, tolerant, accepting and helpful. He would be a brilliant student if he only weren't so annoying. I don't know why, but he's just so annoying. I can't even listen to his voice for 5 minutes! "But Headmaster, you said you were gonna hold a special class for those that want to learn more. I've been waiting outsi-" Ugh, I can't do it. There's just something about his voice that's annoying and I can't quite put my finger on it... Medical history: Nothing too serious, just a few bruises from Rob Russian. Notes: Even if he had straight A-s, I'd most rather have him out of the Academy. Every time I see and hear him I want to destroy him. I'm afraid one of the staff members might one day crack and do it, then how are we supposed to react? We'd probably get sued and, brother, the last thing I need now is a fine! STAFF DATABASE Description: Merry Medic, the Academy nurse. Born in 19... - Wait, how did that picture get into the database? Oh, no, I must've uploaded the wrong one while I was... Oh, Excuse me, but this is the time for you to leave, I have some urgent business to finish! Thank you for the visit, bye! That's all I've found this time. Tell me which character is your favourite below and share your suggestions for future comics! I'll probably be doing more of these as I introduce more characters, hopefully you'll enjoy them all. Also, check out the rest of the articles published this issue here. Thanks for reading and see you in the next issue!

Hey there, tankers! Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tanki. Recently I took a look at what Tanki needs to do in order to fine-tune our gaming experience. This time, however, I'll talk about what I think are the biggest game-changing updates Tanki introduced so far. These will be the updates that have pretty much revolutionized Tanki and completely changed the way we involve ourselves in the game. Without further introduction, these are the Top Ten Tanki: Game Changers! 10. The Improved Friends system This is one of the most useful updates for stalking your friends. Not only can you see which server they're in, you can now message and invite them at any time! It used to be so irritating finding out where your friends are. Yea, you could see if they were online, but that wasn't really helpful. Well, maybe you could say that most people are in the XP craze in RU1 and that's the best place to look. But when I was a low rank I would shift between 3 whole servers! Servers 1, 2 and 10 were a thing, so you had a 33% chance at finding your friend. Imagine that, playing on different servers in non-XP, non-Pro battles in Moon Silence! Good times, good times. I would never go back to that time ever again. XP ftw! 9. Hammer, Vulcan and the New Paints Finally, some new equipment! This was a really nice update. It not only introduced two different weapons, it also gave us a bunch of new paints. Most of the designs weren't anything special for me, but there are some really good looking ones, too. I'd even say Atom is my new favourite paint in terms of looks and its name is also pretty cool. Anyway, some new high tier paints were also introduced that carry some serious protection. All in all, a refreshing change to the game. 8. Smart Supplies The long awaited solution to kit buyers and druggers... Just after I bought two over powered kits, Tanki decided to announce the smart cooldowns update. After fighting my way up all the way to Brigadier without any kits against full on buyers, I can't say the timing for this update was good for me. Anyway, I was still surprised that the developers doubled all of the garage supplies, that was a really unexpected gift there. The update works, it prevents excessive drugging and really adds another tactical layer to the game. Some players still say that drugging is impossible to play against, even if it's just one constant supply. I don't really get that, I've been through full on 234 druggers and ended up just fine. Maybe buying two kits made me less sensitive to these problems, but I just don't see how there's an unbalance of druggers versus regular players. 7. Anti-Flood System Let's limit the typing speed of players in the chat, nothing could possibly go wrong with that!11!!1 I type reasonably quickly and I often chat with a lot of people at once, so this update was a nightmare to me. At times I would have to wait for over 15 seconds to send a message. Not to mention having to talk to someone with a long username. Then you get the people who make flood waves of dots that slow down the chat further. Thankfully, this latest update that introduced private messages has the anti-flood disabled when talking to one specific player. Maybe I can finally have normal conversation with someone now. 6. Format Battles Yea, of course formats would be in this list. No more ruined XP/BP battles, Prodigis, Smokies, Ricos - this update fixed it all. Suggested countless times, the fanatical community of XP players finally got what they needed. When it first came out, it was weird not being worried that someone would join, ruin the battle and steal the battle fund. I must say, I've spent countless hours in these formats and they're really something else compared to the regular battles. There's just this awesome feeling of battling people with the most demanding combo in the game. My favourite update by far, but since I'm trying to keep this list a bit unbiased, I had to put it a few places down ._. 5. Changing equipment in battle Now it's actually worth having a full garage. Here's a direct change to the game's mechanics. Switching your tank combination mid-battle was something a lot of players wanted to do. Since now, instead of being able to use only one tank for an hour long battle, you can adjust to any situation if you have a large enough arsenal in your garage. The only awkward thing is your opponents have the same ability, so at times you'd see constant gear changes as players try to counter each other. Kind of makes a good internet connection vital if you wanna employ this type of gameplay to its fullest. 4. Micro-upgrades Instead of M4 gear, we got M3+ which costs around 500k crystals to upgrade fully. Meh, close enough, right? Another direct change to the game's parameters. The Micro-upgrades were designed to give you a slight edge over your opponent in battle. However, there's still a noticeable difference between a normal M3 and a fully Micro-upgraded one. You practically cannot play a Gen only drug war if you don't have M3+ gear at this point, or at least you can't do it effectively. Luckily for some and incredibly unfair to me and many others, a change to the Micro-upgrading system gave pretty much every tanker an M3+ tank. Basically, anyone who upgraded at least one parameter of a turret (such as 12 reload steps for Railgun which are pretty cheap), hull or paint, got it fully Micro-upgraded for free! Great right? Except I spent 500k crystals on fully Micro-upgrading my Railgun when the update first came out. Now it isn't special anymore... 3. The New Physics Probably the most anticipated update for me. I loved the idea of the New Physics update. Back in the days when I was a little Warrant Officer, I heard about the New Physics update. I've started following the topic, checking for any news and joining every single open testing. Tanks were pretty slow back then and I'm generally a fan of dynamic gameplay. This is why I loved the New Physics update, it changed the whole dynamics of how hulls work. Come on, my Hornet could drift! It doesn't get any cooler than drifting tanks, right? 2. Removal of Crystal boxes R.I.P. crystal boxes... Crystal boxes were always a signature feature in Tanki, along with the Goldbox. What started as an experiment ended in a complete removal of the Crystal boxes. I never really picked them up and they were never a distraction, but I can't stop feeling that they're just missing in every map. I don't know how to describe it... I'd never stop fighting to pick up a Crystal box and the reward they gave me was never anything tempting... I just feel they're part of Tanki, even if they're just a background image to me. 1. Rebalance The most hyped and legendary update ever made... that I wasn't there to see. Yea, if you've read any possible topic about the "Old Tanki" you'd stumble across the Rebalance. As far as changing the game goes, you can't get better than the Update 114. Literally every aspect of the game changed. It was so big that it required Tanki to give refunds to every player in the game, allowing them to buy what they want again. It also included new ranks from Field Marshal to Generalissimo. This is pretty much the update that started off the modern Tanki and is one of the most widely discussed ever. I wish I was there to actually see it happen live, but what's done is done and hopefully the release of Tanki X becomes another huge game changer. Stakes are high to beat this update in its revolutionary changes. And those would be the updates that I think shaped Tanki the most into what it is now. I should probably mention that there were many other huge updates that didn't quite seem fitting for this list, mainly because they didn't have a huge impact on the way I and many others play the game (such as the Rank up effect with rewards and Daily Missions). The ones in the list actually made me adjust the way I play and I think that's what a game changing update has to do. Anyway, that's my two cents on the topic. Tell me what you think below about what's your favourite update, or suggest ideas for the next Top Ten Tanki. That's all from me this issue,'till next time - bye! Previous Top Ten Tanki articles: Top Ten Tanki: Beast Moments Top Ten Tanki: Thuglife Top Ten Tanki: Best Maps Top Ten Tanki: Needed Improvements

Due to popular demand, we're taking another look in our favourite Tanki Academy and its original and gifted students. Let's take a look at what wacky stuff the Dictator Academy Students did this month! (Click on the pictures to enlarge them) Previous issues: Dictator Academy Students (DAS) - Month 1 I really recommend you to read the first article of the series before starting out this one. You might not get the point of what exactly is going on. Anyway, I was really pleased with the reception this series got and I'm hoping to continue it further. I've already started planning on giving you some more insight on all the characters. I'll also be adding in a sort of flashback to explain how DAS met the rival school, so stay tuned for that. For now, though, let's see this issue's comics! Well, those were some of the more interesting events that happened over the month in the Academy. Really hope you enjoyed reading this and maybe had a laugh or two. Now, I did go for some more lengthy comics as opposed to the last time. Tell me which you prefer. I'll also work on getting some sort of a storyline going, that is, if that's what you guys would like to see. So, please tell me your thoughts about this, that way I know exactly what you want to see in the next issue! Looking forward to continuing this because it's really been fun making these comics. Thanks for reading!

It seems you people in the TWG got out of control again. So much so, that you've managed to get Hamster responding to you. I read this forum a lot, specially the off-topic section. I've read every single piece published by every writing group thus far, but after a while each of those ended the same way. Each writing group may hold a different acronym, or may perhaps even have a different leadership, but the member names curiously repeat themselves each time. The organization level also seems consistently low. Now, in the spirit of abolishing the spam of articles you people make every few weeks, I thought I'd give you my opinion of what exactly is happening here. Usually the main concern about these kinds of groups is the amount of flood they can create. When people want to express themselves, they usually create a "My Creativity" topic in the appropriate sub-forum. However, you've kept on posting topics in the off-topic discussion. This has been going on for a long time now and through observing I've noticed some interesting facts about your topics. It appears that the people who read and comment positively on the pieces are always the same. A lot of the times, members of TWG would comment on each other's topics. In case you don't understand where I'm going with this, I'll elaborate further. You see, when a person reads an article and truly enjoy it, they have the tendency to reply to specific parts of the article they liked the most. At the very least, they'll mention the parts that they think deserve recognition. Such replies encourage discussion in the topic, which leads to more people paying attention to it. On the other hand, replies that show the person skimmed through the piece and didn't show interest will be only a few words long with a general compliment that isn't backed up by anything ("Nice." "lol"). My advice is that you shouldn't trust everything you read, there are replies that have value and there are replies that don't. Knowing the difference is a crucial step in analyzing your readers' feedback. You can practice by reading the reply from the Boss himself. He seems to be trying to tell you something, maybe it's some sort of hidden message? Now, about the articles themselves. I won't go into too much detail about what makes a good article since I've done so in this issue already, which I think some of you are aware of. Anyway, I'll start off with your article topics. In the past, a lot of articles were involved in straight out plagiarism. Some forumers quickly exposed this sort of attempt at attention - and rightfully so. Such disregard towards your readers, dishonesty towards the people that play the same game as you and outright arrogance to even think you can get away with doing something like that is shameful! The topics were quickly removed, since it would be a clear disrespect to leave them in the forum. Sadly, this means I can't demonstrate exactly what I'm talking about here, because every time I find the links I need I get this. Still, I felt it would be useful to provide at least a few pictures just to show my point. This stopped for a while, but it seems you've taken up a softer form of the same. This sort of plagiarism is simply disgraceful. I'd blame only the topic starter, but it's evident that you work as a group and you've mentioned numerous times that you have editors. I guess they had a bad day all those times when this kind of stuff slipped by? You've recently started flooding the off-topic section yet again. A lot of it copied directly from the official Tanki Online Newspaper. You might get inspired or motivated by our content and I support that fully. I even said that the best way to learn how to write for Tanki is to watch what official reporters do. But there's a big difference between inspiration and direct copy-pasting of an idea. Originality is important, there's absolutely no point to you copying from the official newspaper. How do you possibly expect to become better if you're doing the exact same thing someone else is? At the very best case you can only hope to match the person you're copying. This kind of limit is unacceptable in any profession that requires a particular skill. Would you look at that! Seems this habit of yours stuck, huh? I thought it was only limited to contest and topic ideas (such as the 3rd or 4th parody of the chicken article so far). Guess I should be flattered you've liked my intro enough to use it. Finally, I'll address the biggest problem in the way you do things. I hope you'll be able to fix it, but so far, it doesn't look promising. Your mindset in the way you publish simply isn't like that of a good reporter. You may say you that like writing, enjoy helping people, but from what I've seen, what you really enjoy to receive most is simply attention. Because if you truly wanted to help, if you truly enjoyed what you do, you would never do the things you do! If you wanted your work to really be a quality piece of writing, you would've put effort in it! At times I stood shocked at how you openly admit to this kind of behavior. I mean, come on, even I took time analyzing your way of doing things more than you yourself did. Do you honestly think it's easy? Do you think most of a persons writing ability comes naturally to them? It comes through experience and hard work. When I first joined the team, my writing was horrible. I had the game knowledge to write guides, but I simply wasn't good enough in presenting my ideas. However, unlike you I realized that I was doing something wrong, so I observed the problem. For hours and sometimes days at a time I'd work on collecting data about what people want to read, what people like to see, how it should be presented and where I should pull their attention towards. I've made countless drafts in my personal messages in order to find the ideal layout for people to follow. I still, to this day, analyze everything, looking for room to improve, not only myself, but my entire team. Documents, spreadsheets and charts with the staff activity and quality of work documented, followed by tables of data showing exactly what readers want. Writing down the number of views per every article and calculating different ratios of likes, replies and overall engagement. Searching for patterns in different article lengths and genres, checking to see what kind of newspaper promotion works best, be it on the forum, in game chats or the main page... This is the effort required to succeed. It's obvious that a lot of this stuff you wouldn't even think of doing for your group, because if you did, you'd see exactly what you have to do. This kind of work isn't easy and you need to stop acting as if it is. Stop talking about how you're trying to learn and improve, stop copying off of other people and start using your brains to actually make something of substantial quality. It may take days, but if you want your goal bad enough you can have it. The problem is, you all want it for the wrong reasons, which is why you won't achieve your goal. In addition, trying desperately like you've done so far is not only disrespectful, but it's borderline breaking the forum rules.Here's a bit of additional irony - this reply is probably more thought out, researched and contains more information than most of your guides. Pull yourselves together and start doing stuff properly. If you think I'm being too harsh with this, it is because all other polite suggestions simply go right through your head. Only thing I can infer from that is that someone needs to be a bit more blunt with you people. Hopefully a bit firmer criticism might actually get you to think about what you're doing. If you think you can't live up to this standard, if the amount of effort it takes is too much, if you're having any sort of doubts while reading this, I say you should just stop it all here and now. It's your decision now on how this is going to continue, make it count.

Hello from the other side, readers. Many of you may have noticed that the reporter applications are permanently open. It's been like this for a while now and we've been getting a lot of applications. However, most of you haven't sent a good enough application to be accepted into the team. That's understandable, not many people have experience doing this sort of stuff and no one ever showed you how an application should look like. Well, I think it's time I gave you some proper advice on writing your application. Let's get straight into it! Introduction It's mostly recommended by a lot of staff groups to fill in certain information about yourself when applying. We don't require you to do that. If you want, you can fill in your name, country and age. This general information can be helpful to get the broad idea of a person's application. Still, I personally just cross over that part when reading applications. I look for people who can produce quality content and me knowing who they are doesn't really change what they're writing. Of course, if you're applying to be a forum moderator, this advice doesn't apply. So, make sure you read exactly what the requirements for a specific job are before submitting your application. Layout Now we get to the more important part. Writing for the newspaper takes more than just content. I've been monitoring which articles get more views and what kind of reputation they get, as well as analyzing the comments on them for a while now. It's a distinct pattern that pieces that are better presented get more recognition, including more views, likes and more thought out replies. So, you not only need to write well, you need to show your stuff in the best possible light. It's sort of like how TV programs need to consistently provide entertainment for you not to switch the channel. That's needed in your article, you need to hook in the reader (in this case the people judging your application) on their very first glance. It's difficult, but even the best product will lose out to another if it's not advertised well enough. How do you make your article look appealing? You get there with experience, but chances are you don't have any (at least Tanki-wise), so it's important to plan ahead. You want your piece structured into topics. It's a good idea to separate different topics with either a distinct font of a different colour, or with a picture. You might want to switch from the default font, but don't pick something Courier New or Comic Sans. Most people appreciate simpler fonts such as Trebuchet MS and Tahoma. Good use of fonts can make your article look more dynamic, but don't over-do it. Having a sort of intro or header that's written in a bigger and brighter font is a great way to get a person interested in what you have to say. It should include a short explanation of what you'll be covering in your article, along with a small engagement at the reader, mostly in a form of a question or motivation. After they've read that, it's their decision on whether or not they'll continue reading - you've done your part in giving them a small summary of what they're getting into. Headers are the first thing your viewers will read, make sure they understand what they're going into. Be positive and make them want to hear what you have to say. Another thing to consider is where the emphasis is in your article. If you write the important points in bold or colour them, they'll attract attention and it's more likely the reader will read what they're about. Even if someone is just skimming through the piece, it helps to show them exactly what you want them to see. That way, it encourages the reader to follow through the whole thing instead of reading only the first line of each paragraph. I'm not a fan of painting an entire sentence in a dark colour or underlining an entire paragraph. The strength of an emphasis is in how much or little you use it. Also, brighter colours work better for attracting viewers, however you don't want your article to look like a rainbow, keep it leveled and consistent. A good example is Night-Sisters' The Pathological Drugger, where she, using a different font and colour, moves the guide along by asking questions the reader might have. Introducing pictures to an article can be tricky sometimes. When you add pictures, they're a great way to increase the quality of your application. Even a quality title picture goes a long way to show you're actually putting some effort into writing. However, it's important you take good pictures. If it's a gameplay aspect of Tanki, raise your graphics for the picture and don't make it look too staged (if it's staged at all). A bit of basic editing can also be very effective depending on the content of your work. In my Top Ten Tanki: Thuglife article, I used the popular meme of black and white photos with dark glasses to increase the article's humor. If, for example, you're talking about good camping spots, add a picture of them in the article. I also like putting a small line of text below the picture, whether it's to explain the content of the picture, or just to add a touch of humor in. Visuals will make your piece really stand out as a quality piece of writing and it'll it more memorable for the reader. Good use of visuals can transform an article from a wall of text, to a complete hit! I'd also recommend you to send a personal message to your alt with a draft of your work. This is what I do, it keeps me organized and allows me to edit my work at any time on the forum. Makes it so much easier to just copy-paste everything directly to the forum, too. Content Now that you've planned out a way to structure your points, it's time to start typing them out. This is what determines if you're accepted or denied the position in the team, so pay attention. There's no rush to send in an application, so make sure it's well written and has as few grammar mistakes as possible. Run a spell check after you've finished writing the article and do it again before you send it in. Trust me, it really doesn't look good if every two sentences you have a misspelled word or a term used in completely the wrong context. We don't require you to be an English professor, but there's still a standard. Another thing to be careful about is the article length. You don't want to submit something that's shorter than I am. Also, don't drag it on too far, people lose interest if they see a large wall of text. The ideal article length in my opinion is about 2000-3000 words. However, that can vary drastically is you have a proper layout set up. Keeping your readers attention is key. Generally you want to write something Tanki related. If you submit an essay you wrote for your school's writing competition, it's likely that you'll get a reply telling you to send in another piece about the game. It's just the way it is - this is the Tanki Online Newspaper. You'll have the highest chance of getting accepted if you write a guide to some particular game aspect. This isn't without reason. Guides are pretty difficult to make and demand that you add pictures and sometimes even videos to your piece. They also require a detailed knowledge of the game, specially if you're writing for the players who already know most of the games ins and outs. Don't let this discourage you though, guides aren't the only thing that can get you a high probability of joining the team. I'm personally a big fan of originality. I like pieces that are Tanki related, but aren't specifically designed for its game aspect. Valletta's Tunes To Your Battle piece is a good example. I've also enjoyed Remaine's What makes a i3rilliant username? You'll get most recognition if you're original, people like to see new stuff. Be bold and try to be the first one to do something. You're applying to raise the standards, not pass the minimum. Also, if you get accepted, keep in mind you'll have to keep providing the readers with original content. Your job is to consistently provide new and original articles. This is incredibly difficult and creativity is a huge requirement. Reporters often have trouble thinking of new stuff to write, too. What I want to say here is, basically, don't apply if you don't think you're up for it. If you don't think you can write up something new every month, this really won't be easy for you and you'll struggle all the way. This isn't our goal. We want this to be pleasant for the team members, because positive environments tend to produce a much better product. This job is different from other Tanki jobs and exactly for that reason isn't suitable for everyone. Reporters' opinions Since we look at applications together, I thought it would be useful to see what other reporters think about the whole process. Here's some of their own advice to aspiring writers, I'm sure you'll find it useful. What is, in your view, a good and successful reporter application? @Lhamster, reporter administrator: A good application has a little bit of information about yourself, and an article(s) of a decent length, preferably about Tanki. It will have good grammar and punctuation, and will flow with good sentence structure, making me want to read all of it. It is also well laid out and formatted, with consistent fonts, text size and colour. @conanthedestroyer, reporter administrator: I look for attention to detail, entertaining content, proper grammar and spelling. After that, during the interview, I try to get a feel for the person’s character/personality as best as I can. @Vikingsrallentando: In my view, the article you submit for an application to join the team should be thorough, concise, and thoughtful. To be thorough is to be aware of different sides or angles. Concise in your phrasing, along with grammar; your style. Thoughtful, the one that weighs the biggest. This paper has seen a lot of diversity in writer's style and what they chose to write about. Each piece has its purpose. Each piece has creativity within. Generally, I don't offer much insight during review of applications as I don't think its part of my agenda to decide who joins. My colleagues that do pick out the good apps are already fine tuned to what is paper worthy. I think they would agree that a culmination of the three things I pointed out are concepts which go into writing a successful article. @Phoenix-Warbird: Something creative, easy to read, informative and organized. Anything that draws the reader in and is worthwhile. Here's advice: no matter what kind of article you write, keep in mind that you’re not writing for yourself, but for your audience. Add anything you can to help readers understand you, such as helpful examples, descriptions and sometimes short anecdotes that you think readers can relate to. Always put quality over quantity by giving lots of information while keeping it brief. Finally, humour is always nice as long as it’s not overdone. @Remaine: ok @Contradiction: A good application should demonstrate both great English skills and commitment from the applicant. It should include at least one good article, that is of a length and quality that would fit into the newspaper. The content of this article should, naturally, be related to Tanki. It would be good to include multiple articles to prove that you are a committed candidate that has many ideas. But, be wary of falling into the "quantity vs quality" trap. If you are applying to join, it is always, always better to include a single piece of very high quality than several writings of a mediocre standard. Make sure that everything you send in your PM is something that you could envision being officially published into the newspaper. Obviously, a near perfect understanding of the English language is a necessity for a potential reporter, and any kind of mistake in your writing (even if an accident) will not make your application look good. Other than proficiency in the art of writing, an applicant should make an effort to appear a mature, capable individual who would be an asset to the newspaper team. Before applying, be sure that you have thought through the entire process of becoming a reporter, rather than focusing on the application. Spent some time to brainstorm good ideas for articles. Yea, I know... I told him to keep the answer in a few lines, but he went and wrote his own article. @TriNitroToIuene: In my view, a good and successful reporter application is not the spitting out of fancy words onto the PM; it is something more complex. Firstly, even if your article is something game-related, it should be relevant in today's scenario. An article about getting crystal boxes today is of no use. Secondly, keep your article simplistic and make sure to divide it into paragraphs wherever possible - otherwise nobody's gonna make it till the end. Good English is a necessity for conveying your thoughts - that's what a writer's job is! And the most important thing? Target the audience. Don't use language too complex or too simple; keep it at such a level which is enough to prove your point and drive it home. And also, I feel that a touch of personality throughout the article will be nice. Remember, your submission, if successful, will soon metamorphose into something read by lots of people, therefore, instead of trying to impress the 'judges', make sure that the public can empathize with you. Finally, make sure you put everything into your application - there is no room for slack or error. Hard work pays off, a not-so-hard effort will not. That's all from me. All the best with your application! Conclusion This is mostly what I look for in an application. Even though it's not my decision alone on who gets accepted, each reporter has his say. Most of us also agree on certain points about what should and shouldn't be considered quality. There's no point in trying to please any specific reporter either. Like I said, we value originality. All I can pretty much do now is wish you luck in applying. Hope to see some talented faces join the team in the future. Last thing I can recommend you is to check out the archives for some good pieces. Hogree also picked through the archives before and wrote a list with some of the best articles we've published, I really recommend reading it. Treasures of the Archives: The Top 20 That's all there is to applying for the reporter position. I really do wish this guide helps you people out. The idea behind it is basically what I would've liked to know if I applied to the team. I've also found my work improving substantially after employing this advice, so from experience I predict we'll get some better article submitted. Don't give up, keep improving and good luck from the reporter team!

Hello, readers! I hope 2016 is treating you well so far and if it's not, I'll try and treat you with a quick article. Now, this is a list of things that I think should have been added into Tanki. It's a great game, but these little details would really stop me from giving it a perfect rating. I know some of these can't be implemented due to their complexity, but this isn't really a list of suggestions. It's just my opinion on what a perfect Tanki game would look like, based off the current Tanki. However, some of these will be fixed in Tanki X, so I'm personally really excited about that! Anyway, let's get on with Top Ten Tanki: Needed Improvements! 10. I'm banned A small icon indicator would really help out here, just so others know I can't talk... We've all pretty much been there. You get banned for whatever reason, even the accidental overkill on the H key to signal everyone your laughter on a subject can get you here. Now you enter a battle, meet friends and they say naturally greet you. However, you can't great back, so you're standing there in silence. They think you're ignoring them (I don't see why they'd think that, they're totally not annoying), get mad at you, unfriend you, block you and quit Tanki from the sheer sorrow of you not responding to them. Not to mention it's difficult to say "Go" in XP battles if you're banned. Tip: If you want to signal the opposing team you're ready to start, shoot a rail shot into the air. Same goes if they do it. So, can we get some sort of icon indicating that we're banned, Tanki? 9. Ratings and achievements Sad to see all these empty achievements, some also take way too much time to do again Ok, now this can't really be helped. The ratings update was hyped out quite a bit. I thought it was going to be an awesome update, possibly along the lines of the invite system. However, it really was a disappointment for me. The game simply didn't record all the details that everyone would want to see. The basic Kill/Death ratio is pretty much the only thing you get right now. All those gens that played for years probably felt like they got a slap in the face. You're saying I have to re-do all the achievements again? Earn 1 million exp in CTF for a badge? Sorry, Tanki, been there, done that and I'm certainly not going to waste time doing it again. Also, no crystal rewards for achievements? At least 1k-10k crystal rewards per achievement would've been nice and in some sense expected. 8. Friends list This is probably how the list would look like if you could appear offline in the game The friends list has been added to Tanki on July 16th 2013. It's really a must in any online game, because if you can't have friends in real life, you might as well get them online, right? For the first month it's all fun and happiness, but you get tired of the same old nuglet following you around every game, right? It's ok, we've all had it happen to us, nothing to be ashamed of. By the way, if you don't know anyone like that, you're the person doing it. So, what possible solution would there be to this huge problem? A "appear as offline" button! Yea, maybe it would result in some awkward situation if your friend actually finds you, but what are the chances of that. Even Skype allows me to pretend to be offline while I lurk in every possible chat group. This really isn't too much to ask for, right? 7. Battle list The battles are switching so fast your eye can only register this one battle! Trust me, it's a GIF. "Oh, this is a cool battle. Wait there's another one, let me click on it quickly before it fills up. Wait, what's going on... stop selecting random battles... stop... stop!" Yea, one of the more annoying glitches in the game. The moment when your browser decides to go on a rampage selecting any and all battles, cycling through them faster than... than... Well that kind of ruined the moment didn't it? It's not that you expect me to be witty, so I can't really disappoint you. Anyway, having to load the garage up, then return to the battle list only to find the battle full is so annoying. I don't know if it can be fixed, but it would be a huge improvement to the game. 6. Flat walls should be flat Yea, I'm used to it. It's like learning out of desperation to avoid this wall. Now imagine this scenario. You're taking away the enemy flag while you're getting shot at by a smoky and you're using rail. In order to protect yourself from the smoky shooting you off aim, you stay close to the wall. Then suddenly you randomly bump into an invisible thingy that moves your entire tank messing up your aim. It's a flat wall, Tanki, where did the sudden bump come from? Really tedious to have to worry about that sort of thing. I may be nit picking here, but it has cost me more times than it should have. 5. Bridges' bridges Worst. Glitch. Ever. Seriously, this like the XP player's nightmare. Speaking of invisible bumps, this is the most famous one. The random glitch in the middle of the bridge. So, the flag is running away and you have to make that pro shot. You rush on the ramp, but before you get your shot off, you spin on the side and miss while the flag is captured. The whole team looks at you in disappointment, you become depressed and eventually quit Tanki only to return tomorrow. Circle of a tanker's life and it could be repaired by fixing that one annoying aspect of Bridges. 4. Chat messaging It really would be, hopefully it happens. This must be implemented in Tanki X. A private messaging system. How am I supposed to gossip about a guy spamming nonsense in RU1 with my friend if the guy can easily read the gossip? Not to mention the fact that not everyone needs to know what I'm talking about with someone. There's also a factor that when you type "Hi" to your friend, 5 random people start talking to you. Sometimes you just want to avoid all that, you know. I do get why that would be kind of troublesome, people could spam or insult each other in those private messages, hackers could use the system etc. Although, an introduction of a "Block pm for this person" button would do wonders to prevent that. I don't know, maybe I'm alone in wanting to private message people, but this entire list is what I want in the game. Yea, I'm needy... Edit: Heh, it seems the update has been announced in the V-log Episode 75. It should be pretty cool to see how it turns out. Thanks for giving us a useful update, Tanki - appreciated. 3. Ghost walls Just plain annoying... sometimes ruins parkour, too. This is another annoying thing that you forget about in the rush of battle. The roof models in the game are mostly boxes, so you'll have an imaginary solid that prevents you from shooting through it, even though you can clearly see your opponent through it. Yea, I can get used to getting around that obstacle, but I shouldn't have to do it. If the game were perfect, that would be fixed already. However, I'm gonna cut some slack to Tanki on this one, because Tanki X announced that this will be fixed in that version of the game. Cheers for that! 2. Night mode Why doesn't my favorite map have night mode? I want to push those dynamic lights to the max... So, looking through the battles it seems most don't have the night mode option. There's probably a reason for it, but I don't know what it is. If any mods want to explain what it is, post below. Seriously though, there are a lot of maps that would be quite cool with the night mode. It's not like it was recently introduced, too. Plenty of time has passed since, enough for it to be a bit more widespread in my opinion. It just seems like a waste not to distribute it along all maps. 1. Invites Probably the most useful addition to an update I can think of. The option to invite someone to a battle was probably one of the best updates in the game. Everyone has used it so much and it has made private battles a lot more effective in keeping unwanted people out. Not to mention how easy it is to gather a group of friends to play with. However, I'd suggest just one more extra feature - a messaging system. I would like to know what I'm being invited to, so an option to write a message below the invite would be a lifesaver. "I need help", "Rank up party", "Photoshoot", "Make a place in that battle for me", there are a lot of different reasons for inviting a player. I just think it would be a huge improvement on the way you can communicate with friends on Tanki. Make it happen, Tanki. Just make it happen. That's all from me. I understand that this seems a bit harsh and critical, but it's not really my motivation. I don't want to bash the game for every small thing, I just want to demonstrate how little details in the game can make the overall experience a lot better. It's a fact that Tanki is a pretty cool game, however I just wish the developers would fix these little things. It would also be great if they added a bit more effort when originally publishing certain updates. In the end, what's done is done and I think we should look forward to 2016 and the new Tanki X. Thanks for reading and see you in the next issue!

First of all happy new year to all you readers! Now, to start of 2016 the Dictator has opened its first Academy. Here diligent, hard working, honest and banter loving students spend their time learning to be the best tankers in the game. The Academy has it all, teaching students the most important virtues of how to properly play Tanki, create banter in everyday conversation and "d3s" anyone in their path. Let's welcome its grand opening everyone! (Click on the pictures to enlarge them) Now it's time to finally enter the Academy and see exactly how to lessons progress and what adventures await our ambitious students. Note that these aren't just random people, students in the Academy have all passed a specifically designed entrance exam, proving their banter potential. Although the details of the test are kept hidden in case any other rival schools try to steal its perfect method for determining humorous prodigies, we can say that the exam room did smell suspiciously of chicken while the walls were covered in complex equations that all pointed to one solution - rekt. Anyway, without further stalling, here are the stories of the Dictator Academy Students! There you have it, the first preview of the Dictator Academy. If you enjoyed reading about their days, feel free to express it below. Depending on your feedback, we might introduce new students, more events and longer comics! So, tell us what you want to see. Classes? Outside activities? Weekend banter parties? School rivalry? It's never boring with DAS, stay tuned for their latest plans!

Every issue, the TO Newspaper hosts a few contests for the routine readers. Naturally, a lot of players covet the all important crystals that are on offer to the best entrants in every contest. Because of this competition, winning isn't easy, but there are ways to improve your chances. Here, I'll give you a few tips and guidelines on how you can easily increase your chances of winning any contest. Let's get straight into it! Get there on time The sooner you see the contest topic, the more time you'll have to think about your entry. Keep track of that date. If you're lucky enough to be among the first people to read the latest issue of the Tanki Newspaper, you'll have a pretty big chance of winning contests that are based on task solving speed. These pretty much include any contests that provide a reward for those that answer the contest's demand first. Most popular of these contests are "What's the Password?" and "The Crossword", followed by "What map?". The sooner you start, the sooner you'll finish, so keep following the Newspaper. Publish dates depend on the number of weeks in a particular month, but the issue is always public on a Friday. It might be a good idea to check up on the previous issue main topic, often reporters would announce a publish date for the latest issue.. Of course, arriving first to the party doesn't mean all that much in skill related contests where quality wins out over speed. Choose your battles If you want to win, you'll need to pick contests that align with your personal skills. It's important that you know your flaws and virtues, which I guess is useful outside of Tanki as well, but I digress. Anyway, if you see a contest that suits your talents, don't be afraid to enter. Interest in a certain contest topic can lead to greater motivation and fun during competing, not only raising your mood but also increasing your chances of winning. So, are you a dramatic writer or a romantic poet? An aspiring artist or a humorous comedian? The Tanki Newspaper team tries to cover a wide range of contests, so you should eventually find something perfect for you. Of course, if you want to enter contests you're not that good at for fun, go for it. It's a great way to expand your skill set and improve overall, trying new things is always an enlightening experience. Read the contest demands It's vital that you completely understand what the contest requires you to do. Although it might seem obvious, there are many cases of people failing to understand a particular contest. Most common mistakes are not sending a proper entry via a google document, either by posting your entry in the forum topic instead or not filling out the form correctly. These are pretty much technicalities that you should fully understand before entering. Rules of the contest, along with the contest's theme and goals, are always explained in the respective topic. Additionally, if some questions are still unclear, the contest organizer will answer them when asked. Professionalism It's hard to win if your entry looks like it has been mashed up together with no particular idea in mind. This is most important in writing themed competitions. Avoid using excessively large fonts for no reason. If you want to make some part of your text stand out, try writing out the world in bold or coloring it. While on the subject of coloring text, please don't paint the entire thing in an annoyingly bright or invisibly dark color. You want your stuff to be readable, so keep your audience in mind. Reserving a post doesn't really go in your favor either, some contests even ban this trend, so be careful. Use of proper grammar is also important. We get that not everyone is a native English speaker, but a lot of our contests give you plenty of time to prepare your entry. Yes, it may be tough to do, but it'll improve the look of your entry immensely. As for spelling, a small mistake can be forgiven, but do try and use spell check - one click should point out any possible mistakes, so you can easily correct everything 'till it's perfect for the contest. Effort Most things in life aren't easy to get. You want a certain benefit or reward? Work for it. I can't stress enough how crucial this is. Let's analyze this one step at a time. Putting actual effort into a contest entry means that you didn't just make the entire thing in a few minutes. It really does take time to do things well, so don't rush it and focus on quality. Over the years we've truly had some amazing entries that have stunned both the judges and the readers. Even if you don't win, a lot of contests hold consolation prizes. Trust me, the reporter team easily notices hard work and it almost always gets rewarded. Another reason why you should try your best is to impress other readers or competitors - there are plenty of entries that unfortunately didn't get any prizes, but were incredible in their own regard. Such entries get the appreciation of readers and you might just get a bit of popularity for them. Finally it's important that you enjoy what you do. Once you've finished a tiring project and checked the result, it's the best feeling in the world. Looking at what you created from scratch, seeing it being appreciated by other, it's worth more than any crystal reward. Examples Here are a few quality contest entries that have truly deserved to be remembered by the Tanki newspaper readers. By @MetalMann The winning entry for the Design your own Tank contest. There was a bit of controversy about this entry, since many believe it was too good to be true. Still, in the end the entry was accepted as legitimate and got its deserving prize. A great example of skill, effort and creativity, and a true representative of what digital art can accomplish. By @Phoenix-Warbird Second place winner in the Artist of Tanki Online contest. This entry demonstrates creativity, originality and artistic prowess. The transfer between paints followed by three different backgrounds is beautifully done. The attention to details such as the graffiti, the drawing on the wall, the tree stump/trash bin and the Sun representing the Railgun's beam is outstanding. Certainly an entry worthy of memory. By @Supra.the.Ninja The winning entry to the second Tanki Online Custom Paints contest. This is what a quality entry should be. It's well made, original, wonderfully presented and is an overall quality entry. It might not be as impressive as the previous examples, due to it only being a paint and not an entire tank, but that was what the contest requested. A custom made paint from players, which is what the entry perfectly resembled. This is why I feel everyone should check out this entry and the whole contest - lots of cool stuff there. By @LaserShark Placed third in the Equipment Advertising contest. I like this entry because it's really clean, elegant and to the point. The colours are placed just right to attract attention, but keep that calm look of the entire picture. Not to mention the stunning effects on the Shaft M3, followed by its key characteristics. Nothing more to say really, I3rilliant entry. By @tanker538N Finally we've had great entries in The Parody Contest. This contest asked players to actually record their own singing rather than just typing out their entry. Such call to action was a huge amount of fun to both viewers and participants with even the reporters joining in. A great contest that'll always hold its place as one of the most fun competitions organised in the Tanki Newspaper. It's really heartwarming to see players from all over the world try out something they might've never done before if not for this contest. That's really what contests should motivate people to do - try out new things and live through different experiences. Perseverance If at first you don't succeed, don't cry. If all else fails, you have to be ready to take a loss. Sure, it sucks, but it happens. Even though criticism is welcome, don't abuse this right. Brash assertions won't get you far and it might even hurt your credibility in later contests. The best thing you can do is practice, get better and participate again. It's not just our victories that define us, it's how we deal with failure. No matter what your situation is, no one will condemn you for attempting to improve, to reach new heights and to push your limits. When there are people that make snide remarks against you because of this, always know that eventually you won't be able to hear them from your place at the top. Well, that's all I've got. I'm hoping that this will get you the general idea of what you should strive for to win a Tanki contest. Maybe if you read this carefully enough, you can pick up a few things that might help you outside of these contests, too. At least, that's what I was going for. Either way, I wish you luck in all your future callings and thank you for taking the time to read this. 'Till next issue, bye!

There are 11 turrets and 7 hulls in Tanki. That makes for 77 different combinations you can make without even looking at the paint choices. Add maps into the equation and you have a practically inexhaustible source of fun. If you still think it's not enough, Tanki developers are always there to bring out fresh updates with new stuff! So, here I'll take a look at some of the combinations, maps, updates and other cool stuff that happens to arise in the game. I'll start with a review on a tank combination, where I'll show you its effectiveness, style, difficulty and overall feel. This month I'm checking out Hunter-Ricochet. Let's get right on it! Statistics and price Hunter The hull all tankers began their first journey and at the same time one of the most versatile hulls in the game. Hunter is a medium hull that balances out health and speed, but takes a drop in acceleration in power as a result of it. When we compare Hunter with other hulls, we see that Hunter has 1.08 speed more and only 6.8 health points less than Viking. It also just manages to beat Dictator in maneuverability by having 1.9 points more. All this doesn't come without a price, since it does lack a bit of stability and that all important acceleration. In addition it unlocks quite late and will take 214k crystals out of your wallet at M3. Ricochet This weapon is pretty much a counterpart to Twins. Ricochet's shots pack more punch than Twins' but don't have quite the fire rate and have to reload after 12 shots. Even so, those 12 shots dish out 366 damage on average without double power - just enough to destroy a Titan M3. The basic rule with weapons is that the stronger the hit, the more valuable it is, the more accurate you have to be in order to avoid wasting it. However, with Ricochet's special ability even a complete miss may rebound to become a direct hit. The special ability that gave Ricochet its name is the bouncing shots that reflect off any surface. Learning how to use it properly will allow you to hit targets that you can't even see and, more importantly, targets that can't see you. It does unlock pretty late so unless you get it in some product kit you're stuck waiting until Commander to get your hands on this piece. On top of all that you'll have to spend 252k crystals that you hopefully have laying around your garage. Tactics and strategy With this combination you're well suited for the midfield position, but by using nitro you can easily move to both an offensive and defensive position pretty quickly. Although, with Ricochet's medium range, you'll want to move around a bit to get closer to your opponents. With a weapon such as Ricochet positioning is of utmost importance. If you position yourself in the right place, you'll have a wide angle of targets to hit. Try and get into places where you can get your opponents clustered in, such as houses, tunnels or maybe even ramps. Then use that bounce to kill them while you're at a safe distance. Knowing where to shoot and how the plasma balls will reflect will come in pretty handy at this point. The more you play the more beneficial opportunities you'll find and it'll be easier for you to take people out without breaking a sweat. Billboards are incredibly useful to change the direction of your shot if you can aim accurately enough. Many other opportunities like this exist around all maps as well - be creative! You can also try and go for a more defensive gameplay style - let your opponents come into a vulnerable position. For example, you can wait behind a fence while an enemy approaches you. You can optionally activate a double power if you want. Then shoot at a nearby wall to kill the approaching tank without even being in his direct field of vision. A similar technique can be applied to tunnels. Use it to push back potential attackers, or even catch up to those speedy Wasps. Your bullets are still faster than them after all. Fences like this give you perfect cover and provide you with a great angle to shoot tankers approaching you from behind. Keep an eye out for them, they just might save your tank! Since you're likely going to play midfield, I'd suggest you be on standby to help your teammates out. If you're attacking, be sure to have a Wasp or Hornet with you. This way you'll have that all important speed to get away with the enemy flag. There are two ways you can go about this, either let the light hulls take the flag away, then back them up or try and deal as much damage as possible, then pass the flag off to the faster tank. Naturally, you'll want to employ the ricocheting shots to wound the enemy base, reload and afterwards charge in. However, due to Hunter's low power, you might have a tougher time pushing defenders off the enemy flag, which can waste you valuable time. Yea, all the supplies in the world won't help you if it takes you 5 minutes to touch the flag. Hunter really isn't suited for pushing other tanks, so don't even bother. Just time your charge and attack when the enemy base doesn't have a heavy tank sitting on the flag. This combination isn't too bad in Deathmatches, too. Only problem is the abundant amount of Clay, Nano, Needle and Hive paints in some games. Still, in my opinion it's not as frequent as Railgun or Thunder protection, so it's a pretty decent bet for a DM. You should use Ricochet to get rid of those pesky Railgun campers around the map. Since they're likely to have a lot of cover around them it won't matter if they run - your shots will just bounce off right into them. This means that even if they try to block your way with a landmine, you still have a chance to kill them. Another thing to watch out for is your reload bar, once you use up all your shots, standing in an open spot can be dangerous. Try and switch between offensive and defensive gameplay based on how much health and ammo you have. If you're low, take cover and try to kill steal by using ricocheting shots from building walls, at least until you're ready to head back into action again with rested and replenished. Once you get to a camper and hit him with your ricocheting plasma balls, he won't be able to run away or hit you. That means he'll have no choice but to approach you, which just increases your damage output. When your flag gets taken you need to make a quick decision. You can either try and take the enemy flag, or intercept the player who took your team's flag. There are a few key pointers you should look out for to make this decision. You shouldn't try and take the enemy flag if, say, a Titan with Twins is standing on top of it, it just won't work due to the previously mentioned problem with Hunter. On the other hand sometimes you're just too far away to catch that nimble Wasp running away with your flag. This is why positioning on the map is incredibly important for medium hulls. You want to be in a place where you can have all your options open for you. However, having reliable teammates can really negate these problems greatly, allowing you to experience the full potential of this combination, since you won't have to constantly worry too much about where you are. Gameplay This combination is fairly powerful, but I've found it quite difficult to use. A lot of times I would try and do some amazing ricocheting shots, only to fail and damage myself instead of my enemy. Still, when I do land a hit, it's incredibly satisfying. Whenever you destroy someone practically out of your camera view, that's when you see what this combination is all about. I also think the best way to demonstrate this combination is to actually show it to you. So here's a short example of how Rico/Hunter gameplay looks like: Conclusion It's time for my closing remarks and final opinions on this tank. I've found that Hunter is surprisingly quick when it comes to turning, at least on nitro. With a decent protection paint it also provides you with enough health points to survive pretty much any encounter if you're careful enough. Its handling is similar to Hornet, which is my favorite hull, so bonus points for that. As for Ricochet, it's a really powerful and fun weapon. Its ability does set it apart from Twins a lot. You just have to love those moments when you miss someone, but the shot reflects back from three different angles and ends up hitting the mark. Then you just sit there pretending that you actually planned all that ahead. Anyway, with all that said, I'm definitely gonna use this combo from time to time, simply because it's different than the normal straightforward weapons. That's it for this tank review. Hopefully I've given you enough facts and examples for you to decide whether or not you want to buy this tank. If this is your playing style, make sure you obtain this combo as soon as you can. Or maybe you have both of these items in your garage, but haven't used them at the same time yet. Try it out, experiment - it's one of the many factors that make this game enjoyable. Of course, make sure you leave your comments on the review below! Tell us if you've ever used this combination and what's your favorite thing to do with it. Spark up that discussion and stay tuned for the next installment of the series. Good luck in your battles!