Any addition for m4? :p

Anyone have a good smoky pic, that they don't mind being nicked for an upcoming article? Credit given of course!

The latest round of rebalance has been put in place, and it is a significant one, especially with the recent addition of all the new paints and of course, the new turrets that are Hammer and Vulcan. These recent additions have definitely had some effect on game balance, which of course has been picked up by the community and the keen-eyed developers. With this update, Tanki has promised to resolve the game balancing issues. Have they been successful? Here I share my thoughts! The structure I will try to follow will be this. I will discuss whether the weapon strength has been increased, or decreased, as well as why and by how much. Then, I will try and make a judgment on whether it was a good improvement for the game. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Firebird Let's identify what has actually changed with Firebird first. Damage has been increased across the main modifications, but at M4, the damage is still the same at 72 DPS. So, in fact it has not changed. However, what will indirectly affect the damage dealing capacity of this weapon is the slight decrease in reloading time. The reload time has slightly decreased from 12 to 11 seconds, meaning that you will be able to recharge back to full a second more quickly. Sounds insignificant, and I suppose it's nothing huge, but even one second can be a large difference in a game. The heating speed has decreased so that it now takes Firebird 5 seconds rather than 4 to heat a tank to the maximum temperature limit. However, this is due to the huge 50% increase in burn damage. 30 damage per second is now incredibly powerful, and considering the burn time has not been changed (tanks still burn for over 60 seconds), the potential for afterburn damage alone has increased to a ridiculous 900 damage points. That's insane. Overall, Firebird has definitely been buffed. A slightly shorter reload time, but more importantly, the afterburn effect is now definitely a major asset to its user. Personally, I think this is a welcome change. A slight buff in Firebird's strength makes up for the increased HP update for hulls, and maintains its position as the strongest close range weapon in terms of damage. Freeze Many small changes have been made on this weapon, and will change the dynamics of its gameplay. The first thing to notice is the changes in its firing rate. Freeze now shoots for 6 seconds rather than the previous 7, and reloads in 10 seconds rather than 11. This means that overall, Freeze will be shooting for a lower average time than before. However, this is balanced by the significant increase in base damage of this weapon. The increase from 68 to 80 DPS is huge. Doing the maths, the new freeze only does a slightly greater damage per full charge, but it does so in a shorter time and so at a faster rate, meaning you will take less damage and be exposed for less time. The change in freezing mechanics (it now works more effectively in slowing turret rotation than hull movement) I believe is a welcome update. Now defending Freezes are a little less overpowered, but it makes aggressive freezes that like to circle and outmanoeuvre enemies a little stronger. Turning to face a skilled freeze has now become more difficult than before. One small trick I have seen is ensuring you stay right up close the the side of an enemy tank, making it harder for the enemy to turn the hull, and ensuring you are within the 5 metres in which your damage is maximised. Overall, like Firebird, Freeze has received a definite buff, and it definitely is a great change. Previously, Freeze lacked the firepower to compete with Firebird as a great offensive weapon, and excelled in defence. Now, it is more of a universal and versatile turret. Isida For Isida, damage has increased by a small margin to match healing rate which is 66 per second. This change is insignificant really. However, the shooting rate has been improved by a noticeable margin. Isida now shoots for 7 seconds rather than 6, and reloads in a quick 9 seconds. This means an Isida user can be shooting up to 40% of the time. The slight increase in range but slight decrease in cone angle makes Isida slightly better on flat maps but slightly worse on layered maps. From personal experience, it has become much harder to use Isida effectively at close range, and it requires more skill to keep a hold of the enemy. The longer range is noticeable however, and I guess this distinguishes Isida from the other two typically classified short range weapons. When dealing with other short range weapons, since their damage decreases with range, it helps to keep distance on the enemy while shooting. Overall, I think Tanki has made a good change here. The previous increase in hull HP has meant that Isida has had more difficulty in taking on the heavier hulls especially. Now, Isida can pretty much take out even the heaviest of hulls without protection in one burst, and remains a strong weapon. Hammer I have never used Hammer, but I can say for sure that going up against it has become a lot easier after this update. It has been weakened in two respects. First is the longer reload time - Hammer now reloads in 1.8 seconds rather than 1.6. Now Hammer isn't as strong as it was as a hit-and-run turret. The other nerf has been the increase in the cone of fire, meaning that at any range, less pellets will hit the tank. At short ranges, this won't be noticeable, but this severely cripples Hammer's effective range. I will have to play a bit more against it to come to a conclusion, but I definitely support the change. Hammer no longer seems overpowered, but still remains a strong weapon with its unique perks. Vulcan Vulcan has been reduced in power considerably. Before, a Vulcan mounted on a heavy hull was a nightmare to face, but now it has become a little more in line in terms of strength with the other turrets. The maximum damage has been reduced to 60 DPS. Still strong, but not like the 70 DPS it was originally. The increase in burn damage will also hurt this weapon a lot. 30 DPS of burn damage will hurt a user even with a Firebird protection paint. However, even with these changes, Vulcan still remains an extremely dangerous turret to face, particularly in team games. Vulcan still has the ability to deal large amount of damage indefinitely, and still has an extremely strong impact force that can literally turn your turret as it shoots. Tanki has definitely made a change in the right direction, although I still suspect Vulcan is a little on the overpowered side. Twins Well, twins has definitely got a lot stronger in this update. Perhaps a little underused before, Twins now has potential for a huge amount of damage. It's DPS has increased from a mediocre 56 to 72. That's just about as strong as Rico now, allowing it to really hurt enemies. This is accompanied by an increase in its already monstrous impact force. The range decrease has been significant however, as Twins only deals maximum damage at 15 metres compared to the original 40. Overall, Twins has been buffed up hugely, especially so at short range. Twins will now become a very strong turret, especially in defence, and I think this turret will be used more now. A good change in my opinion, and this now separates Rico and Twins more in terms of their usability. Twins is now much better at short range but a little weaker at longer ranges. Ricochet Ricochet was always strong, and now this update has allowed it to be used in a greater range of situations. The actual damage rate of the turret has only been increased slightly, and hurts almost as much as a Freeze, however the range at which this turret will be effective at is the main change. Projectile speed has been given a 33% boost, and the range at which this turret will deal damage on has been extended, making Rico usable at an even longer range. The impact force has been increased too. At short ranges, Rico will be stronger, able to effectively knock off enemy aim much more easily. Personally, I'm unsure about this change. Ricochet, although perhaps a little underused before the update, might be on the stronger side, being an extremely strong and extremely versatile weapon now. Smoky Smoky critical hit mechanics haven't changed, so if you would like a detailed explanation of the mechanics, click here. Doing some sums, we can see that Smoky's damage rate has increased slightly from about 42 DPS to 43 DPS. Not a significant change, although the consistency of the turret has increased. Each shot deals slightly more damage, and each critical deals slightly less. Each critical shot now deals double the damage of a normal shot. In general, this consistency is a good thing. It means there is less chance of "wasting damage", whereby a shot deals far more damage than necessary to take out an enemy. However, it's range has been decreased slightly, making Smoky now really a strictly medium range specialist, not nearly as effective at longer ranges. Note that this change is slight. 30% to 10% minimum damage sounds like a lot, but Smoky will still be dealing maximum damage within 60% metres, and this difference will only increase to a noticeable amount at long range. Overall, I feel Smoky users may feel unhappy that the versatility of this turret has been decreased. I can absolutely understand why, but I think it should just be understood that Smoky is a short to medium range specialist now, rather than a turret that can play at any range. Thunder As a keen Thunder user, I was a little disappointed when I first saw the update. The damage rate has not changed in fact, but the slower reloading has taken the dynamic nature and pace from this weapon, and it feels sluggish. The splash ability to deal damage has also been crippled. Thunder will deal less damage from splash now, overall. However, dealing more damage per shot actually has its advantages as I have discovered. It makes peek-a-boo tactics much easier to perform, and the nice round 100 damage per shot is very nice. Even a fully micro-upgraded Wasp will now be taken in just two shots (one shot with a double power), as well as all but the top-microupgraded Hornets. With a double damage, Vikings, Hunters and even Dictators can be taken in just two shots. That's a time-frame of 2.5 seconds. Having played with the new Thunder, I believe it has, overall, become slightly stronger. At longer ranges, it is very strong as it should be. Railgun The main change worth mentioning is the reduced reload for this turret. The extra impact force is nice, but somewhat balanced out by the increased weight of the hulls. Railgun with its now much shorter reload, now has become extremely strong on the long range maps. I think this is a good update. Previously, even on the largest maps, weapons like Smoky, or Thunder could easily do as well as Railgun. Now Railgun is established as one of the strongest turrets at long range, giving it an established place in the game. Shaft Shaft's arcade mode has been increased slightly, and I think this is the main change. The damage the shot deals is now 73 rather than 50. The energy per shot, reloading, and rotation speed have been reduced slightly too. Overall, these changes will mean Shaft users will be relying more and more on arcade shots. I'm not a Shaft user, but personally I think these changes are interesting. I think this will reduce the amount of players who just camp with Shaft, and forces Shaft users to be more on their feet and think about their shots more rather than scoping all the time. I don't play enough with or use Shaft enough to come to a proper conclusion. Hulls There's not too much to say about the hulls, so I will not make a separate subheading for each one. Wasp and Hornet have both been given some extra weight, which, for a light hull, is always welcome. It means the user is less prone to being flipped or affected by enemy impact force. However, it must not be forgotten that the impact force for many of the weapons with impact has also been increased, so the overall effect might be small. Wasp also has that slight acceleration boost, which will make the user more nimble in battle. Hunter and Viking have, interestingly, swapped weight again. This is definitely noticeable. As a Viking user, it is harder to manoeuvre yourself while in flight using recoil. The increased resistance to enemy weapon fire I really haven't noticed. I think this is because, as mentioned, the impact of many of the weapons has increased as well. Hunter and Viking, as well as the heavier hulls, have also been given a boost in maneuverability, by increases in turning speed, and acceleration. I think this will help to make the game even more dynamic, so I welcome these changes too. All in all, I think Tanki has done a great job in this update. Shifting the balance of weapons within reasonable margins keeps the game fluid and exciting, and as far as I can see, there is no severely underpowered or overpowered weapon or hull. Note that these are just my personal opinions. They are by no means the law, and for different people, using different weapons and hulls, they will have varying views on the update. I look forward to see what Tanki plans next! And of course, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the update below, as well as anything I may have missed!

Awesome, very pleased about the viking hunter swap as a viking user. Very pleased about the freeze and isida buff. Unsure about the thunder, the damage rate is the same though, pace has slowed a bit but I can now go back to four hitting mediums and dictators!

70-90 compared to 90-70 what's the difference?

It's fun, and doing my bit to help the community :)

I honestly don't rate twins. There was a point in time when I had twins m3 and smoky m2. I used smoky m2 more

Emerald is a much much better choice for Thunde viking than inferno. I feel extremely vulnerable using inferno with thunder viking, it just doesn't suit the style of play

Then smoky, thunder or rico would be good choices at m2

I CAUGHT A 5K GOLD

I CAUGHT A 5K GOLD

Tundra or alien is good enough, you won't get your crystals worth in benefits from paints at your rank. Once you rank up and get the best paints, you'll never use these paints again Not at much experience with either, personally I would get Vulcan, not many paints around right now, and it's quite powerful from statistics alone Get viking m2 on 50%. I would invest in another m2 turret on at least 50%. Freeze is a little underpowered at m2, I would suggest thunder, smoky or rico. After that, I wouldlook towards m3

Personally, I don't think railgun viking is a particularly outstanding combination, and certainly isn't the best for drugging with. M4 Thunder is very very strong. It does not take 6/7/8 shots to take out a tank without protection... Put on a double power and you can one shot weak hulls, two shot nearly all medium hulls, and 3 shot even full MUed heavies. Try your thunder viking m4 combination with a suitable paint like emerald for example. If your combination has as much MU as you say, you shouldn't be struggling at all...

I would buy on 50% personally

I suggest avoid both those paints, wait till the higher ranks. Hammer is more common and more annoying in my opinion. I have rock, it's my favourite paint. Not for the twins protection primarily, but because of the 50% isida and 40% freeze protection on top, not to mention the 15% hammer protection which is just enough to let me survive an extra hammer shot

This is as expected, thunder m3 is not a big improvement on m2. But from m3 to m4 thunders damage output increases by 50%. Which is why I didn't suggest the kit to someone else unless he had the crystals to MU the thunder. Primary parameter to upgrade are obviously damage and reload, I would put a few into the others, since it's generally still cost effective. Try and get 25% of damage and reload first of all, and then any extra is a bonus

Sure :) Viking needs MUs, but take it from me it is a really nice hull

Viking m4 for the early unlock. It's great, from experience :)

You might make it through, but you'll struggle a lot... Anyone with strong micro upgraded m3s wil destroy you. You need something else. Personally, I would drop hunter for viking which unlocks earlier, and then MU it. If you love hunter, maybe get hornet m3.

Smoky at your rank is realy really good. Freeze is a little underpowered at m3, it needs MUs. For your hull I would suggest viking. Very strong again at your rank, m3 unlocks early though it needs MUs. Great hull pairing with smoky. Not to mention both wasp smoky and viking freeze are both decent and fun combinations. Strongly suggest smoky and viking m2 from me.

Maybe he meant 12 hours? And a little more on weekends so at least 7 days. Points per hour*12 hours*7 days*4 weeks = 1000000 Roughly 3000 points per hour. With 50% score boost that's 2000 per hour. Sounds a little exaggerated still but within reason I guess... As BOP mentioned, I guess it's a no lifer temporary thing :) i for one certainly could not keep that up...

You are excused ;) That's great, thank you for understanding. Your entry was definitely a good one, and on a different day maybe it would have won a prize. Indeed, it should be done professionally, and we will continue to do so to the best of our ability. Hopefully you decide to enter again, if not that's a shame and we wish you the best!

Welcome to the second edition of continue the story! If you have not heard about this contest before, you can find all the previous chapters of the first edition in the newspaper archive. The final product is here: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=236842 The idea is for you, the readers, to write the entire story. Each issue will ask for a new chapter to be written, as a continuation to the winning chapter form the previous issue. As this is the first chapter, you can write about literally anything you want! (Within reason) The winner will receive a 50,000 crystal reward, and the recognition of their extract being featured in the next issue. Your entry will be judged on the following, in order of importance: It must be your own work, completely original. Content - it must be interesting, and something that has potential to continue on to be a great story. Quality of writing. Furthermore, to emphasise quality over quantity, there is an informal word limit of 500 words. Slightly over is acceptable, but not too long please! Make every word count! Deadline is 20th May! Late entries may not be considered! Other notable entries will receive a 10,000 consolation prize. Good luck!

Both isida and thunder are very strong with MUs, I think you've made a good choice!

I thought I addressed your concerns privately, but apparently not. The direction was clear, it stated clearly the quality of ideas AND your writing quality were both important factors. Your argument seems to be based on the fact that your ideas were the best. I have said it, and I will say it again - your entry was a good one, with some creative ideas that certainly appease the players. However, your writing quality was poor to me. It's not just about no grammatical mistakes as you keep on saying - to me it read too much like a list. It didn't read or flow coherently as much as some of the other entries. Opinions may differ, but unfortunately judging a writing contest can never be done without a degree of subjectivity. If you can't deal with this, I suggest you avoid all contests. There is no reason as to why any of us would deliberately choose a worse entry over a better one. If you don't wish to support the press, that's ok :) Wipe your tears and let's all move on.