Almost certainly not.

MEMORY Part 1 Part 2 January 24, 2081 “Good bye, Father.” He turned around and looked earnestly into her eyes. “Goodbye.” If there was one thing that life had taught him it was to say goodbye and say it early because you never knew when it would be too late. There was a reason behind his bitterness. Soon afterwards, a pair of wizened guards released him from his cell, escorting him from the facility. At the gates, one of them finally spoke. “You’re free. Go.” He stared blankly at them, mind working to comprehend what had happened. It had been an overcast spring day when he had been imprisoned. Now, the skies reflected the doom of a wintry day. Striding outside the facility, he took note of the chatter of browned leaves as were swept about by an icy wind on the barren streets. It was the only noise he heard; no sounds of radio broadcasts, television announcements. No sounds of life. Is everyone already gone? Am I, again, the last and the only? He walked on. In the plaza, he finally saw a person. An aged man, sitting on a wooden bench, across from him. At other times, he would have walked away from him, but now, he turned and headed directly for him. The refreshment stands were gone. As he drew closer, he began to wonder, Is this a good idea? He might- No, he’s too old for that. The old man made no response as he approached him, allowing him to sit alongside. After a long silence, the old man spoke. “So you’re that unlucky guy, aren’t you?” “I am.” Another pause. “Why do you say that, that I’m the unlucky one? I’m the one who will stay alive. You will die.” The old man laughed, making a horrible wheezing sound. “Haven’t you considered, will there be anyone left? Is there anyone left? No, you’re the unlucky one. You have to live with yourself, Daniel.” The man flinched as his name was spoken. How did he know my name? “Who are you? What are you, to say this to me?” The old man just laughed again, got up, and started stepping away. The man got up as well, and trailed behind him. “Why this?” “I’m an old man, Daniel. Always have been, always will be. Just remember, you loved once.” With that, he turned around and resumed walking. The man made to follow, but thought better of it and stopped, watching the haggard figure disappear into the sunset, leaves kicking around at his feet. “Bye.” You loved once. Loved once. Loved once. The phrase kept cycling through his mind, stirring up turmoil, reviving old memories. Yes I loved once but that was enough and I swore to never again do so. Loved once. Once. Loved. The man turned away from the setting sun, walking towards the train station which would, hopefully, take him home. As the wind beat at his back, a drop of crystal liquid arced through the air, shattering on the cold, lonely ground.

Viking is one of the most, if not the most, popular hulls on the battlefield today. And being such a favored hull, it has every merit of being analysed. Viking was released on April 23, 2010. With better stats than the dominant medium hull at the time, Dictator, many players switched to using Viking instead of the two other medium hulls. This proved detrimental to game balance, and along with lopsided popularity of other turrets and hulls, led to the rebalance of December 17, 2012. A year later, Viking’s speed, along with that of other hulls, was boosted with the introduction of the new physics. Since then, due to an alleged lack of popularity, Viking’s speed and armour have been boosted slightly, by up to 15 HP at M3/M3+. Strengths Viking is a quintessential hull; in the category of medium hulls, it falls exactly in the middle. Practically any weapon can be paired with it, and it can be used in a plethora of situations. (Not recommended: Island CP drug wars, those are dominated by M4 heavy hulls) This is an opinion, but I feel that Viking is one of the smoothest handling hulls out there. The speed is a perfect complement to its agility, and its turning speed pairs well with the turret rotation rate of many common turrets. Thanks to its low profile, Viking is one of the most stable hulls, perhaps even surpassing Dictator in terms of stability - use this to your advantage. Due to its stability, Viking can accommodate those turrets which require sensitive aim - Shaft and Railgun. Using it, you’re less likely to be knocked off aim than with other, less stable hulls when facing high impact force turrets, such as Hammer or Ricochet, allowing you to get that vital shot off. As with most hulls, Viking is semi-rear mounted. Hence, driving backwards to practice hit-and-run may be advantageous, as less of the hull is exposed when shooting from the back as opposed to the front. vs Thanks to its low profile, Viking is capable of evading shots at close range from specific targets. For example, if a Twins-Viking closes with Dictator-Railgun, and harasses the Dictator with fire while strafing back and forth near the rear end of the Dictator, the combination of the impact force of Twins, Dictator’s height , and Viking’s lack of height may cause the Railgun to miss the Viking. Viking can capture flags with ease, thanks to its moderate speed and good armour. Mount an Isida on it, and you’re practically invincible when using supplies on small maps. The speed also helps in CPs - you can reach the point relatively quickly from anywhere on the map in a single CP, and travel between points on multi-point CPs is facilitated. In TDMs and DMs, as a medium hull, Viking can take out most light hulls with ease, and is able to escape from heavy hulls tanks to its speed. Weaknesses Viking’s lack of height can also prove to be a disadvantage. The strategy of tipping proves to be less effective with Viking, as the combination of Viking’s refusal to rock and its low stature makes for a difficult time when trying to tip. This is not to say you shouldn’t do it, as employing the strategy still has a noticeable effect on your range of fire. Another deficiency of Viking also stems from its short stature. While usually Viking is very hard to flip, once you surpass a certain angle to the ground, you’re definitely going to be flipped. Landing on your side is well nigh impossible with Viking. You’re either right-side up or upside down. Hence, it is advisable, when leaping off high edges, to employ the recoil of your weapon, or spinning your hull mid-air, to avoid flipping. As a defender, do not attempt to bear the brunt of an enemy push; you lack the health to absorb it, unlike heavy hulls. Instead, either help heal the heavy hull, or fire at the enemies from the side, preferably with Freeze or Firebird, which are not blocked by teammates. I'd mention that Viking's (lack of) height can sometimes prove detrimental when trying to catch a gold box, but Vikings still get their fair share of gold box catches. In conclusion Viking is an excellent hull, with many characteristics that merit it to the buyer. Don’t simply purchase it because it’s so popular, buy it because it’s a hull with excellent handling and a plethora of endearing qualities. Special thanks to @Yisroel.Rabin for being a noob.

Starting Off Everyone’s been here. You’ve just entered your registration information, and loaded automatically into a short battle, such as a Sandbox DM for the unusual duration of 10 minutes, your crystal count at 500. Popup messages indicate that for completing tasks, like leaving and rejoining a battle, or purchasing something in the garage, you get a one-time bonus of a small amount of crystals. In the battle, you have an unusual contraption, a Green-clothed Hunter-Smoky M0. Figuring out the basic controls, you are able to drive and shoot - but not turn the turret (that skill will come later); until then, you rotate the tank to adjust your aim. In the garage, you find a wider range of equipment; intrigued by one or the other, you buy them. Using them, the skinny green bar at the top of your screen gradually fills up - until, all of a sudden, a radiant beam of light rises above your tank, along with a message of congratulations; you’ve ranked up! The battle ends, and you see that you’ve been rewarded; an impressive 50 crystals have been added to your wallet. As you participate in more battles, you realize that certain boxes that you pick up are good for you - the red ones, for example, seem to make enemies die faster, while the brown one makes you die slower. Picking up a green one restores you to full health! While in a battle one day, a loud siren sounds, scaring the heck out of you. Refocusing, you see the text, ‘Gold box will be dropped soon’. Wondering what that is, you continue your normal activities, until you notice an unusual symbol on the ground; it’s white and looks promising. Sitting on it for a while, eventually a white box spawns and drifts onto you. You’re excited to discover that it added 1000 crystals to your wallet. And so your days continue - earning battle funds, and every so often, adding a gold box to your possession. Monotony is warded off by the variety of modes and maps that are available, as well as the daily mission rewards. Forum Then one day, you find that the game has changed. An update has occurred - you follow the link on the homepage and, in this manner, discover the forum. You find a sign-in button near the top of the screen, and entering your credentials, log in. After doing so, you find out that you can comment on topics. Browsing for a few hours, making a few posts here or there, you discover a vibrant community thriving within the forum, filled with multitudes of different characters. Daily, before you enter the game, or while a battle is loading, you take the time to check the forum for updates on interesting topics, such as Photo of the Day, or the gold box topic. By this point, you’ve perhaps procured several in game friends. Searching them up on the forum, you find that many of them are in a group - a clan. Browsing the clan’s forum topic, you find that your rank and garage are compatible with its requirements. You decide to apply to join the clan. Filling out the indicated form, a few days later you find that you’ve been accepted. Finally, the eagerly awaited clan practice - the first for you - arrives. During it, you find out that your skill level is among the upper echelons of the clan (by now, the art of turret turning has been mastered by you). Your friends and clanmates are impressed. More stability settles in your life - play a few battles every day, catch a gold box every few days, clan practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Every so often, your friends and clanmates organize a clan war; most of these events end in victory. In this way, your level of experience gradually grows, as does your rank and equipment. M2s slide by, and you soon find yourself purchasing your first M3. The glory of that moment fades away as more M3s are added to your garage. Finally, you reach the pinnacle of all moments - your experience bar now reads 1399990/1400000. Final Rank up and Afterwards At your final rank up party, a few annoying tankers are present, who attempt to ruin it. The battle happens to be a CTF, and they try to drop the enemy flag on you, so that you return it and rank up. You see the attempt coming, having previous experience with them, so you create a new private battle; they are not invited. The rank up is concluded in accordance with plan, and messages of congratulations fill the chat afterwards. With no more ranks to strive for, you grow somewhat bored of Tanki. True, there are always clan practices, and getting crystals for upcoming sales, but you’ve nearly seen everything. Searching for a way to continue being engaged in the game, you finally decide to apply to be a member of the staff, with the recommendation of a close friend, who’s already a moderator. You’re well qualified for most positions, with karma only blemished by a few five-minute flood bans, and are fairly active both in-game and on the forum. You apply for one of the positions, and are pleasantly surprised when accepted. You pass your candidacy period with flying colours, and you’re rewarded by an avatar on the forum and a special paint denoting your elevated status. More engaged than ever in the community, with that friend as a mentor, you soon grown into one of the most distinguished moderators of the community. Almost all have heard of your name; you’ve started your own clan, and hold the record for the most upvoted post in the community. You’ve helped multitudes of less experienced moderators fit into their new roles. For that, you are among the most respected of all the members of the community. Now Now, over four years after starting, you’re facing a crisis. Life has caught up with you, and you no longer have the time for your duties, or Tanki. Most of your original friends have already quit - including the fellow moderator who helped you start off; though you are not lacking in friends, you desperately miss the old conversations that you’ve held, the good - and bad - times that you’d been through with them. First, a few closer friends are notified. Then, the rest of the community finds out via a farewell topic - you’re leaving for good. Though you’re gone, the legacy you leave is great. You’ve been a mentor to countless players, many of which are now staff. Some of them, like you, are destined for greatness, being blessed with both the maturity and available time it takes to achieve that. And when they look back on their careers, they’ll think of you, just as you thought of the past when you reflected on your career. They’ll remember: If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. ~Sir Isaac Newton

I was coerced into using Tahoma for one of my articles last issue. Also, classical music is great - the best in my opinion, not just while playing Tanki, but anywhere and everywhere.

Double gold happened on my 3rd Lt. alt on Polygon CP, took both :)

Life.

Great update - I'd just like to point out a flaw. Particularly in cases of XP-BP battles, suppose a General or higher ranked wants to join one, but can't afford/doesn't want M3 Railgun - M2 is not available. I'd suggest allowing one to purchase the modification desired independently.

<-------- Finally!

Results: Describe This in 100 Words! There were numerous highly qualified entries; as judge, I cannot stress enough how difficult it was to sort through all of these excellent entries, knowing only three would win. At any rate, though, here are the chosen winners! In 1st place, winning 30,000 crystals: In 2nd place, winning 20,000 crystals: In 3rd place, winning 10,000 crystals: Consolation prizes of 3,000 crystals go to the following: Congratulations to all who won!

*Ahem* I am a cat. A grey one.

Time allotted for submissions has elapsed. Good luck to entrants.

Got a gold on Polygon.

Some random guy ranked to Gissimo.

^As in how the author came about to become a reporter?

^Your entry is significantly above 100 words; I advise cutting it down.

I understand it's a mental exercise, but I also noticed that someone (@Contradiction) already mentioned something I was planning on pointing out (Occam's Razor). The very fact that this subject has more 'body' to it makes it unfit to stand; far to many assumptions are given.

I can similarly claim the existence of a teapot belonging to Russell orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars - yet does that mean anything? The burden of proof is on you.

Perhaps not the best decision, but my brother really wanted it...

0.

Better than nothing, I suppose...

I died a little inside when I saw this.

Thanks for the feedback, I've modified it.

Congratulations to @Sewegart for becoming a Forum Moderator!

He left the team :c