Slower because everybody dies more. The respawn change is not to my liking, but what you are seeing is not because of the spawn change, but because of overdrive and the supplies change. Without the repair kit, everybody (nearly everybody) spends more time respawning than fighting. (Applies even to the supplies-haters. They die more too because of the overdrive.)

Idjits act like their Overdrive will be stronger if they wait to use it. And these are players with hundreds of hours of experience. I vote for removing not only the overdrive, but the repair kits. Take them out entirely. The things are counter to good play now. And 50% supplies is a little dumber than dirt. Hardly worth anything at all. I used to manage a pickup, pop a double, and fight my way to the flag, and the RK to get out. Worked most of the time. Now, it is mostly luck. Skill and timing with the supplies just doesn't seem to matter. Mostly, it seems only important whether you happen to approach the flag with low enemies, and did you pick the right route out, away from where they happen to be spawning at the moment.

All of them? No. They were mostly fighting, but after the third flag, the outcome was obvious. I was surprised we ended with 10&10 players and went the full 15 minutes. It was because Overdrive is bad. I'm not sure of anyone's reasoning or intent, but I'd be surprised to find out it was something other than just overdrive.

Overdrive: I just played for a team, all Legend (both teams), that got whooped, butt handed to 'em, got stomped a new mud-hole! I lead the entire 15 minutes for my team, got the most kills of either team, and managed to pick up the flag three or four times (but never got out of their base). (Lost 8 to zero cuz the other team had too many snipers to catch flags faster than that. I think they thought the bullying was amusing.) Being on the losing team, our overdrives filled slow. Being the leader, mine filled twice in the game. I used it both times to decent effect. However, by about the five-minute remaining mark, all my teammates had stars, and none of them used. What? That is messed up! Were all these Legends noobs that didn't understand the shift key? Did none of them know they could help the team and teammates with their overdrive? Hell, you know they all knew. So, why not use? Were they protesting? Were they just too pissed to care? Crap! Overdrive sucks!

I want the update complaints addressed. I want direct discussion of the complaints of the many very-high experience tankers who have voiced frustration with the recent changes. Overdrive sucks. Don't tell us to wait. When one finds the gallon of milk is sour, one doesn't continue to drink in hopes of getting to the sweet milk. One knows there is no sweet milk in the jug. What is to be done? The repair kit is now worse than if it had been taken out. Address that fact.

Thanks again, Cedric. Thorough and straight answer, but not one I like. You have my respect. You offer me no hope. I suppose I'll hang another week or two and see. As to changes, well, the ones that make everything I'm good at not work, those are the frustrating ones. Before The Great Leveling, my twins-viking was a joy. I could accelerate into a cluster, spinning my turret and my hull this way or that, and it responded to my every need, even reversing precisely, to devastating effect, as long as I could keep the opponents guessing and off balance. After the extreme reduction in acceleration parameters, none of that worked. I had to start over. It wasn't learning to do better. It was starting from zero. Sure, I had a pool of knowledge to draw from, but it was a pool that constantly reminded me of how good that rig used to be. (Note, I never met another twins-viking like me before the leveling. Now I know a few. They are skilled players, don't get me wrong, but no one seemed to have the same set of skills I'd developed. Likewise for my son and his smoky-wasp. He could effectively fight four rails or four shafts (or combo thereof) simultaneously because the accelerations and his precision skills and tactical awareness let him keep them from ever hitting him.) Also, it isn't that I don't like Skype-coordinated play, it is that it is so much work. There is extra effort keeping my computer set up, but much harder is the scheduling. If there were a couple dozen players I knew played about the same schedule as I do by happenstance, sure. I could keep the Skype working, and just ping fellow players without forethought, but I don't see that working. It has proving a significant effort to coordinate anyone with my two sons and me, meaning we three were already coordinated. Just getting a fourth always proved difficult. I recall Hazel-Ra addressing coordination and scheduling. He pointed out how hard it is. The matchmaking may help a little in this regard, but it won't stick friends together, and I doubt it can account for players who will Skype if on at the same time. I've seen it suggested that the game needed built-in voice communication. My vague recollection of response was that it was impossible, or at least impractical from the standpoint of the game as is. At the moment, writing seems to sooth the pain. I've about said my piece, though, and then there will be just the pain.

My only remaining alt-account is Ricosck. That is, Ricos Suck! Meaning, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em (fully MUd (M2) Boar Kit). Vulcan was hard to use, but very effective for team battles. (Sarek_V was my alt-account for Vulcan.) Now, it isn't quite as devastating, but it seems much too easy too use. I used to be able to defeat Vulcans anytime I was close by circle strafing. Now they seem to have no trouble keeping up. Of course, I'm driving either my regular M4 Viking, or the M2+ dictator of Ricosck. Neither lightning fast, but both used to be fully capable of circle strafing a Vulcan. Not now. So, the current Vulcan is too easy to use in my opinion, but having not used it in several months, and seldom facing it significantly in battle, it is hard to judge where it stands on the OP scale. As is, isida are sadly overpowered, and totally frustrating. Isida stinks.

Format may not work on this, but I think it worth pointing out. Top 36 players by ranking/rating. (Efficiency rating.) OKDad70 Not in top 100, but for comparison. 109,779 kills 1.7 K/D 524 hours 5181 RK 9.89 RK/hr This parm indicates drugger if over about 5. Tanker note Kills (including before stat) K/D Hours (since stat) Repair kits RK per hour If under 3, player intentionally refrains from supplies. CkuJIoBbIu.Haru6aTop Does not appear to be active. 75,860 2.63 310 7022 22.65 Obvious supplies buyer if this parm is over about 12. CEBEPOK_74 Does not appear to be active. 184,434 1.6 145 3287 22.67 BuPycH9Ik Active, but not in last few days. 74,312 1.71 563 4282 7.61 Below 10, player likely uses only earned supplies. Bossiks Not active since stats. 402,912 1.74 6 137 22.83 qwert.1975 Not active since stats. 83,683 2.52 5 0 0.00 reks79 Not active since stats. 410,010 2.54 14 139 9.93 tisey Active, but not in last few days. 162,448 1.77 234 4692 20.05 121212121212q Active, but not in last few days. 395,464 2.2 219 7549 34.47 dmwmixa Active, but not in last few days. 510,116 3.07 585 3712 6.35 Mirage98 Active, but not in last few days. 159,724 1.88 437 882 2.02 (Player appears to be BP specialist, no-supplies XP/BP format.) ROSSIBEL3 Active, but not in last few days. 124,257 2.99 167 6349 38.02 CATALIN.01 Active, but not in last few days. 245,231 2.33 156 2022 12.96 tisey08 Does not appear to be active. 168,386 1.61 241 1232 5.11 MoNDeBa Active, but not in last few days. 170,813 1.89 201 1751 8.71 gokmop63 Does not appear to be active. 109,080 2.85 80 688 8.60 Cortana Active, but not in last few days. 123,658 1.81 867 15057 17.37 Cortana is active; I've battled. Note, 87 296 total supplies use. Cortana has rep of being among the best. Vengeance Active. 227,800 2.19 687 28702 41.78 Note: 137 903 total supplies. tisei Does not appear to be active. 197,100 1.49 162 1285 7.93 RGAVIY Not active since stats. 190,540 1.5 7 375 53.57 Check for yourself, but that doesn't seem possible. me11on Not active since stats. 348,180 2.7 36 31 0.86 ryadden Not active since stats. 289,119 3.4 46 1025 22.28 Jaguar_AC Active, but not in last few days. 195,974 1.15 870 2950 3.39 Ratsch Active, but not in last few days. 273,533 1.94 883 2256 2.55 kaunas_lt Not active since stats. 53,895 3.38 39 1440 36.92 Well outside of norms. Q.Q Active, but not in last few days. 105,840 2.55 218 4599 21.10 Ra0001 Does not appear to be active. 138,380 3.97 196 1532 7.82 226226leung1 Active, but not in last few days. 169,123 1.06 1250 2902 2.32 A lot of playing time. vovan-42 Does not appear to be active. 316,400 1.78 132 2702 20.47 ROSSIBEL2 Does not appear to be active. 130,740 3.08 177 6187 34.95 Razor Active. 192,018 3.13 632 23037 36.45 HellScull Active, but not in last few days. 143,962 1.41 656 1406 2.14 6opucu4 Active, but not in last few days. 206,387 10.4 510 16566 32.48 Note: 89 210 total supplies. Mammoth-twins. Classicus Not active since stats. 479,153 3.23 12 192 16.00 URAGAN_666 Active, but not in last few days. (Was extremely active.) 169,004 1.26 2666 6081 2.28 Wow, really? That would seem more than 40 hours per week. kreedo Active, but not in last few days. 175,595 2.26 219 5568 25.42 ded-42 Active (somewhat), but not in last few days. 126,878 1.86 87 1291 14.84 Of course, it may change a little next week. But isn't it striking that formerly active top players seem to be taking a break?

Well, it was readably formated until I hit the post-button. The chart was a simply listing of the top 36 players pulled from the Ratings tab. All stats from the public player profile rating page.

Format may not work on this, but I think it worth pointing out. Top 36 players by ranking/rating. (Efficiency rating.) I'd appreciate this being pointed out to Hazel-Ra. OKDad70 Not in top 100, but for comparison. 109,779 1.7 524 5181 9.89 This parm indicates drugger if over about 5. Tanker note K (including before stat) K/D Hours (since stat) Repair kits RK per hour If under 3, player intentionally refrains from supplies. - - - - - - - - - CkuJIoBbIu.Haru6aTop Does not appear to be active. 75,860 2.63 310 7022 22.65 Obvious supplies buyer if this parm is over about 12. CEBEPOK_74 Does not appear to be active. 184,434 1.6 145 3287 22.67 BuPycH9Ik Active, but not in last few days. 74,312 1.71 563 4282 7.61 Below 10, player likely uses only earned supplies. Bossiks Not active since stats. 402,912 1.74 6 137 22.83 qwert.1975 Not active since stats. 83,683 2.52 5 0 0.00 reks79 Not active since stats. 410,010 2.54 14 139 9.93 tisey Active, but not in last few days. 162,448 1.77 234 4692 20.05 121212121212q Active, but not in last few days. 395,464 2.2 219 7549 34.47 dmwmixa Active, but not in last few days. 510,116 3.07 585 3712 6.35 Mirage98 Active, but not in last few days. 159,724 1.88 437 882 2.02 (Player appears to be BP specialist, no-supplies XP/BP format.) ROSSIBEL3 Active, but not in last few days. 124,257 2.99 167 6349 38.02 CATALIN.01 Active, but not in last few days. 245,231 2.33 156 2022 12.96 tisey08 Does not appear to be active. 168,386 1.61 241 1232 5.11 MoNDeBa Active, but not in last few days. 170,813 1.89 201 1751 8.71 gokmop63 Does not appear to be active. 109,080 2.85 80 688 8.60 Cortana Active, but not in last few days. 123,658 1.81 867 15057 17.37 Cortana is active; I've battled. Note, 87 296 total supplies use. Cortana has rep of being among the best. Vengeance Active. 227,800 2.19 687 28702 41.78 Note: 137 903 total supplies. tisei Does not appear to be active. 197,100 1.49 162 1285 7.93 RGAVIY Not active since stats. 190,540 1.5 7 375 53.57 Check for yourself, but that doesn't seem possible. me11on Not active since stats. 348,180 2.7 36 31 0.86 ryadden Not active since stats. 289,119 3.4 46 1025 22.28 Jaguar_AC Active, but not in last few days. 195,974 1.15 870 2950 3.39 Ratsch Active, but not in last few days. 273,533 1.94 883 2256 2.55 kaunas_lt Not active since stats. 53,895 3.38 39 1440 36.92 Well outside of norms. Q.Q Active, but not in last few days. 105,840 2.55 218 4599 21.10 Ra0001 Does not appear to be active. 138,380 3.97 196 1532 7.82 226226leung1 Active, but not in last few days. 169,123 1.06 1250 2902 2.32 A lot of playing time. vovan-42 Does not appear to be active. 316,400 1.78 132 2702 20.47 ROSSIBEL2 Does not appear to be active. 130,740 3.08 177 6187 34.95 Razor Active. 192,018 3.13 632 23037 36.45 HellScull Active, but not in last few days. 143,962 1.41 656 1406 2.14 6opucu4 Active, but not in last few days. 206,387 10.4 510 16566 32.48 Note: 89 210 total supplies. Mammoth-twins. Classicus Not active since stats. 479,153 3.23 12 192 16.00 URAGAN_666 Active, but not in last few days. (Was extremely active.) 169,004 1.26 2666 6081 2.28 Wow, really? That would seem more than 40 hours per week. kreedo Active, but not in last few days. 175,595 2.26 219 5568 25.42 ded-42 Active (somewhat), but not in last few days. 126,878 1.86 87 1291 14.84 Of course, may change a little next week. But isn't it striking that formerly active top players seem to be taking a break?

Here is another reason to hate the Overdrive. Teammates have the star, and they take offense when you encourage them to use it. My bet, some are so opposed to the overdrive that they'd rather act against the team than use the overdrive. Understand, I mean teammates act against teammates rather than activate their overdrive. It really is a bad change. It hurts game play in many ways.

The vertical graph is somewhat explained in the question-mark. "Interest over time Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time. A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. Likewise a score of 0 means the term was less than 1% as popular as the peak." I'm not quite sure that is actually representative of game popularity, but it seems a fairly representative comparison of the two games. I suppose you are saying tank games are dying from simple aging, and the devs are trying to change ours enough to revive it. I can't hold it against them to try to save their company, but I'm not at all sure that is what is happening. The game is not currently fun. It used to be. If the game was losing popularity, I suppose it would inevitably become unfun because no one was playing. My current assessment is that what might have happened by simple loss of interest over the next three or so years has happened in only ten months by the choices of those changing the game.

I don't compare them. WoT is an entirely different concept, a concept that appeals to me not at all. I've watched it played a couple of times, and I find no appeal. I've never even bothered to log into it. Tanki's original concept of destruct-spawn-restart is the kind of game I can play for many minutes at a sitting. Something like WoT would have me asleep at the controls more than engaged. With the changes, Tanki is much more an exercise in patience. Used to, I played Tanki, and a match ended, and I tended to think, "Yeah, fifteen more minutes." Now, I finish a match, and wonder if I want to play another just to get another mission. It is getting harder to play that one more match.

Perhaps this is not possible, perhaps if possible it would still be too daunting, but might it be possible to directly survey the daily-active players in the top 1500, per the current efficiency rating? First, about supplies use, second, about this update. Perhaps, also, ask them about expectations of published plans. That would be a worthwhile poll. Likewise, players who started playing between October and December 2016 and have remained regularly active. (If possible, this poll should focus on actual new players, not long-time players who have started over.) If I could see honest results from those two polls, I'd accept whatever the results showed. Assuming the devs implemented according to the established results, I'd give it a fair shot, and if I just couldn't get into the game anymore, then it would obviously be just me. Please comment regarding the feasibility of such polls.

I appreciate the thorough comments, Cedric. I appreciate your efforts. I don't know why some maps can't exclude magnum. I don't know why the team-repairing isida is allowed in nonteam DM. Still, I do appreciate. You never seem to be evasive, notwithstanding some questions never get answers. Seriously, can you offer me a reasonable argument for why I should continue to play when the game has become so bad? (I hope no one tells me to go ahead and quite, like several did in the Tanki-X forum. I should think any honest tanker would want every good player possible.) What is the approximate time for HTML5? Weeks, months, years? Are you sure HTML5 will lead to less cheating and less glitches and fatal errors? (I never play an hour without a fatal error.) Are you sure the matchmaking system will work at all? I'm not nearly as pessimistic about match making as some, but it is hard to be optimistic. What is the time frame for matchmaking? Two weeks, five weeks, longer? Better players than me have left. I doubt a tear has been shed over any, not even over all. I don't much expect anyone will notice if I stop playing. Still, the game is not presently worthwhile. I'll quit from boredom and frustration if it doesn't improve soon. One last comment on magnum: It isn't overpowered in the tactical sense. In general combat, the magnum is probably at a general disadvantage to at least half the turrets. My point is that magnum changes the game by its presence. A match without magnum plays entirely different than if the other team has two or more effective magnums. Then play changes entirely. Tactics must alter, and strategy focuses on neutralizing the magnums, perhaps by traveling safer, slower, routes, or perhaps by hunting the magnums to make life miserable enough for them that they change to a short-range turret. I doubt data will show that. Only getting in there and playing the hours will show that. I also would like you or the devs to address the developmental shifts toward coordinated, practiced, team play. I'm a lone wolf. I've coordinated well with my sons playing in the same room (grand fun), at the same time, but I'm not fond of teaming via Skype. It is essential for clans, and I've done it effectively, but it is not something I would willingly try to implement with acquaintances met in the game. It is a lot of effort. If Tanki becomes mostly a Skype-coordinated team effort in general games, it will not be something I continue with. As to my lone-wolf status, people can say it doesn't work, but look at my numbers and my rating. It works for me.

Thanks for pointing it out. I heard some of that, but I want to hear something new, something that addresses the hundreds of thorough, reasoned complaints. Mostly, I want to hear something that can give me hope that if I suffer through playing for a few more weeks, I'll find things that make the game fun again. Honestly, I can't believe it. The game just isn't what it was when I found it so entertaining. Sure there were always frustrations. Clan-take-overs were always disappointing, but they were at least only maximizing teamwork. They weren't cheating. Spawnkilling was addressed to some extent, but that was always rare enough to not be overwhelming. The Great Leveling was a fail. Taking away the high-acceleration rates, and making everything like everything else was fundamentally problematic. It penalized good skill and minimized the detriment (for the player) of inadequate skill. I see more players that can't or won't turn turret now than a year ago. It is frustrating. The incessant complaints about drugs is wearing on me too. I thought that would end by the time I reached the General-ranks. With hundreds of hours of playing time, I would expect everyone to have gotten good enough at supplies, or they'd have grown to except it instead of constant crying and whining. They tried (and failed) with Tanki-X. They could have tried a Tanki-light, with three hulls, a short range turret, two long range turrets, and one continuous fire mid-range turret, but no. They ruined the game for the good players in trying to make the game something different, something other than what they played for. It didn't work. Their effort to change has failed. I said I'd carry on if given hope of only a few more weeks of suffering. Do you think things will be better by September? By November? Yeah, me neither.

I explained why I hated it with the first try. I begged for it to be left out of team matches, and explained what was wrong with it after the second try. (The second try was the worst, worse than now.) And I explained what was wrong with it in detail when they were asking for ideas. It is bad. If you don't want to look up what I wrote, and the several other long-term players who commented similarly, then tough. It seems you don't care if you can't check for yourself. I have 3.4 years playing. I have played 40 to 90 minutes every day for over 400 days straight. On Saturdays I sometimes get in over 200 minutes. I'm no newbie, and I have played. I don't get used to it. It isn't okay. It has ruined the game beyond bearable limits. The whole game sucks because of it. (Well, overdrive is the culmination of several bad implementations applied over the last ten months or so.) I suppose the noobs are rejoicing. If all of us good players leave, they will have an easier time of it.

The level of dissatisfaction with this update seems to me the highest in 3+ years. The depth of complaint is without doubt the most ever expressed. Yet, silence. Why? Can't someone set up a Vlog or live to tell us why and address some of the complaints?

First, I appreciate your statements. I mostly agree, and I thank you for voicing your circumstances. Some think there is an intent to push for Tanki-X. That seems impossible. First, T-O is established. Keeping it growing is only smart. Developing spin-offs and new versions is the obvious path forward, but pushing out T-O is dumb no matter how one looks at it. I tried T-X in the alpha testing, and my son played a lot for them and sent some feedback. Late in the eternal beta, I tried, and tried. I got good enough to always end battles in the top three, but it was just never fun. It was challenging, and hard, but it was mostly tedious, not fun. That is where T-O has gotten. I'm a little astonished at the lack of addressing the level of disgruntlement. On the few instances where resistance to change was so high, they have addressed it directly. They tried a few fixes and admitted sales and battle fund increase were partially as brides. Things tended to get a little better fast, but not with The Great Leveling (Oct16), and not with this. I assume they had their reasons then, and they seem to have big plans now, but it just isn't working. These changes are exactly that, changes. They are not improvements. They are not counter-play. The changes just make things different, and the only significant difference is more frustration and less entertainment. This update has made the game harder despite making it less challenging. I gave up on Tanki-X, and I may not try it again. I'm feeling just like Dliver, and I just don't know why I keep trying. I've played Tanki-O regularly for 3.4 years. I've played it every day, missing only two this summer for responsibilities, for over a year. It hasn't been that long ago that I wanted a full M4 garage, and I intended to master every combo (except isida, isida stink). I really haven't thought that way in months. I made legend, I have my fully MUd favorite twins-viking, and fairly solid garage. It was a lot of fun. "Was" being the important word here. It used to be fun. It no longer is, hasn't been much fun since they took all the uniquenesses away in The Great Leveling. I don't get it. I really don't understand. Why only three actual hull variants? Why are all the short range weapons essentially the same now? Why change rail so much? It used to be 60-70% of all turrets in matches. Bluh...

Keeping it simple, the game currently sucks. It ain't fun. It is frustrating. Even when I'm doing well, it just ain't fun.

I've commented that total kills per battle have obviously gone up. I've also noticed that while high-thirties to low-forties in a DM earned first, second, or third place most of the time. It seems mid-to-upper-forties now only earns me fifth, fourth, or third place with someone seeming to manage over 60 kills per DM match. That doesn't seem right. It seems like most of the players are spending more time respawing than fighting. It isn't possible to get over four kills-per-minute average if one is spending 10 to 20 seconds in the spawn cycle each minute. Getting over 60 kills necessarily requires a very good K/D. I haven't noticed anything I could attribute it to, yet, except maybe quick supplies use helping get the overdrive charged faster than others in the match. Still, overdrive can't be significant with three, or maybe four, charges per battle. Not sure what it is, but the last few DMs I've been in, someone was over 60 each time. I even noticed a full DM battle on the listing-page with the lead player at 33 kills, and the time was at 9:55 remaining. If he kept up that kill rate of over six per minute, he'd be over 90 by match-end. (I didn't watch. It was full, I found another.) Something isn't right about this update. The complaint level proves that. Maybe it will even out after a few days as players gain experience with it, but I ain't hopeful, and I don't see potential for the return of simple fun.

I haven't noticed significant comments about the new supply times. 30-seconds on, with 30-second cooldown. So, at most, I can spend half the time with supplies. It sure makes the pickups more important. It certainly nullifies the strategies and tactics I've been using effectively for the last several months. Just another update that penalizes the highly-skilled most. Now I will have to experiment to learn what works best, and then get good at doing so. In the meantime, the low-skill players have an easier time of it. The objective of most updates in the last 10 to 12 months seem to have been primarily intended to do just that. The aim of the updates is to reduce the effectiveness of highly effective players and improve the effectiveness of the least effective players. Whiners keep whining about supplies, but the truly skilled players are the ones who keep suffering.

Overdrive. This is the complaint book. Overdrive is the complaint. It truly sucks. The supplies-changes is part of it, but mostly overdrive. Total kills per battle has gone up substantially, but the total number of lopsided battles is excessive. Overdrive makes more killed battles as well as more killed tanks.

Overdrive sucks.

Why no mention of how suckie this last update made the game? Why not at least acknowledge the reception? Most updates draw ire, but I've never seen such venom. I've never before seen so many very-experienced players be so pointed and specific about how bad it is. No mention in the vlog? The more I think about the proposed multiple-ODs, the more I think it will be mostly frustration, not fun.