38.

Thanks guys! Glad you enjoyed!

51.

Part III * * * Read Part I Here Read Part II Here The thud of my worn backpack hitting the floor beside my faded indigo recliner dully echoed through the empty house. Wearily, I followed suit and flopped onto the seat. 2:51, my mind registered as I glanced at my wind-beaten watch. Not bad. Shaved off a good fifteen minutes by jogging. Now, onto business. I slid my trusty ASUS out of its cozy slot within a wall of pillows, followed by a half-eaten bag of Sharp Cheddar Lays. As I waited for my custom Gastrodon screen saver to flash to life, I mentally recalled the events of yesterday. I hope Medic got the message about the clan war. I should check Skype; he should be on by now. I wonder if those headphones he was talking about ordering finally came in... A white number one hovering adjacent to the sky blue 'S' icon confirmed that TankiMedic had received my message. Once Skype had fully initialized, I switched into a Chrome tab and sifted through my bookmarks until I found the clan forum page. Aside from Jabinatorisawesome sending in a repaired banner code, all was quiet in my PM box. Shrugging, I returned to Skype just as the message from TankiMedic popped to life in the upper right corner of my screen. [TankiMedic: Ok who is it from?] Confused, I was about to type in a snarky comment about TankiMedic's memory when I remembered: I forgot to add him to the PM. Shaking my head to myself in disbelief, I shot TankiMedic another message. [shedinja: Hang on, I'll connect you to the PM, hang tight for a sec.] [TankiMedic: Lemme know when you're set up.] Sliding back between tabs, I reopened my PM box and located the message. Clan War Request. A tap on the mouse pad began the loading process. [T3chio:] Clan War Request Tanki Brethren [TB] vs Polyatomic [Pc] Map: Sandbox CTF Members: 4 vs 4 Time: 12:30 a.m GMT +0 on Saturday, January 26th Format: XP/BP Members: [TB] 1.) T3chio 2.) LIlsims 3.) MHSxc1 4.) fake02 [Pc] 1.) ??? 2.) ??? 3.) ??? 4.) ??? We hope to hear back from you as soon as possible. T3chio. It's been a looong time since I've heard from that guy. Seems like he's just as organized and punctual as usual. Scrolling back up to the top of the page, I located the 'Add Member' box and whimsically input TankiMedic's name. Once complete, I popped between tabs to Skype and sent him a message confirming that he had been added to the conversation. He replied with an 'ok hang tight' several seconds later. As I took advantage of the lull in chat to mine for the remaining cheese crumbs nestled in the bottom of the bag, a mechanical ping broke the silence that had settled over the house. Wiping the oil off of my hands, I scanned the new message and prepared to reply. [TankiMedic: Ah, Tanki Brethren. I've heard of them before. Hey, you said you used to run with them once, right?] [shedinja: Yeah. I did more than run with 'em, though; they were the start of my career as a clan member in Tanki.] [TankiMedic: Really? TB was your first clan? I thought Target Locked was.] [shedinja: Nahh. TL was the just the first one I led. TB was where it all started for me.] [TankiMedic: I know Target Locked was shut down after a bit, but what about Tanki Brethren? What's the history on that?] A wave of nostalgia suddenly hit me like a tidal wave. Tanki Brethren. Good Lord, it's been almost a year and a half since I've ran with them, but I remember it all like it happened a week ago. Stretching my palms towards the ceiling to loosen up, I began to clack away on the worn keyboard. [shedinja: Well, like I said, Tanki Brethren [TB] was where my career as a clan worker began. I was playin' as Sigma_Ctu-s1_V3 back then. It wasn't the strongest clan out there, but we made it along well. They had a neat little axiom, to boot. Went somethin' like, "We may not look like much, but we're... * * * "...a good group of people; we are brothers, until death do we part," AllTimeGerman99 said. " I like it, how about y'all?" "Kinda sounds like something you'd hear in a wedding ceremony," T3chio replied. My headset crackled as several people chuckled. "Yeah, but it has a nice ring to it," I chime in. "I think it'd stick well." "I think so too. Every clan needs a good motto!" takumi12 chirped. "Well, then, I guess that's what we're sticking with," AllTimeGerman99 said. "Lemme get 'er up on the forum page, and we'll have that set." "Hey, guys, you all online? We could have a little get-together of some sort," I suggested. "I'm not set yet, Sig, but I'll be on in a shake and a half," Potatoe10937 grunted. "I'm on. Let's make a Chernobyl!" T3chio cheered. I chuckled. "T3, the only reason you like Cher so much is so you can fall through the little hole on top." "Hey! That's not true! ...okay, so it is, but c'mon, you can do SO much parkour up there!" After killing the headset and shutting off Skype, I crammed Tanki's URL into the dinosaur Toshiba. As I traveled to the third EN server, I opened a new tab and googled 'tanki forums'. Instantly, the forum page appeared as the first option. Now, let's see if I can figure my way around this place, I thought as I began scrolling through the dull charcoal webpage. In the lower recesses of the page, I spied a section labeled eSports. Luckily, the most recent post was made by AllTimeGerman99. How convenient. Lazily clicking the clan name adjacent to my clan leader's, my screen burst into a pixelated wall of grey, purple and orange. Sure enough, the clan motto was up there, as clear as day and written in bright orange. Eesh. A little too hard on the eyes. After searching for a few minutes, I found the PM section and began to send AllTimeGerman99 another small advisory message: [sigma_Ctu-s1_V3: Howdy AllTimeGerman99, just making a few more suggestions. For the members, we should probably have an easier to read list. Y'know, make all of the names purple, instead of different colors for each one. Somethin' a bit more uniform, 'ya follow? The logo I'm making for the clan is comin' out swell, just need to draw in the minor details. Also, I found you a few more members I want to add to the list: keithsciguy and someoneuno. Lemme know what you think about 'em, please? And by the way, let's not use BRIGHT orange for the clan motto. You'll make us go blind. -Sigma] I was using M0 Railgun, M0 Hunter, and Forester when I first met AllTimeGerman as a representative of the clan. Though he was merely a Sergeant-major, he was armed with Dirty, M1 Isida, and M1 Wasp. Hm. He must've bought some sort of kit to get Dirty so early on. Probably that new Starter's Kit... [AllTimeGerman99: alright now that we have everyone together lets have a small practice] Echoing my current thoughts, Potatoe10937 spoke up. [Potatoe10937: again, what are we supposed to do?] [AllTimeGerman99: let's try target practice. everyone get wasp and hornet or railgun no protection paints] [sigma_Ctu-s1_V3: But I don't have M1...] [AllTimeGerman99: ok get it with forester] It wasn't long before we had all returned to the bright, icy Sepurhov with our equipment in place. The moment our new leader gave the signal, we let loose and lashed our shots all over the place. Frankly, it was a mess. Little more than 25% of our shots hit each other, and our ability to shoot was mitigated even further by our poor driving skills. It was almost a standard to have our shots interrupted by propelling ourselves headlong into the side of a building. Often times, the buildings themselves would wind up with a black mark due to miscalculating the distance between their tank and the wall. One time, AllTimeGerman99 attempted to crawl along the wall to take a shot at T3chio, only to find himself looking directly into his barrel after turning the corner. Our clan leader wasn't too happy about being caught up in such a simple manner. I was no exception to mistakes: the maximum number of shots I planted on an opposing hull during the fifteen minute practice measured up to a measly six. However, despite how messy of a practice it was, I still understand that it was merely practice. I'm having a great time with my new-found friends, and if we keep practicing, we might have a future with Tanki Brethren. I can believe the fact that we're not the best now, but there's a chance we can become great someday... * * * [shedinja: ...and eventually, we'll be good enough to play with the best clans out there. You could say we had some ambitions for the future.] [TankiMedic: Sounds like. So, T3's leading it all now? What happened to Germ?] [shedinja: He quit a while ago. But that's a different story.] [TankiMedic: Uh huh. Hey, you wanna see if there's a Poly CP open?] [shedinja: Sure, I could game. Lemme get my Dictator on and we'll get rolling.] With minor dexterity, I shunted aside the Skype tab to open up Tanki Online. I happened to chance a glance at my watch as I tossed my empty Lays bag into a nearby wastebin. 3:29, 16th of January. We've been chatting for a long time; practice is gonna start soon. Maybe we'll do a live field practice today; nobody's ever online on Fridays anyways. So, T3 wants a war with us. If he's repaired the clan to the point where he's prepared to take on other clans, then he must be packing some serious heat. If there's one thing I know about him, it's that he's meticulous. He wouldn't attempt to take on a fully organized clan unless he KNEW he was set. I shook my head. This isn't the time to worry about this. You're online right now to collect a few golds, so enjoy yourself for a bit. However, as the initial loading bar made way for the plethora of battles, I couldn't get my mind off of what T3 could have lying in wait ahead... Read Part IV Here .

58!

~Stars 'n Stripes~ What to Buy? ~Part 1~ You know how it is. You're in your garage with a full crystal bank and want to pick out something worth your while. But, like almost every type of market known to man (or otherwise), there's a plethora of choices and it's difficult to tell which way is up and which is down. Everyone who's played this game, at one point in their lives, has asked themselves the question, "What's the best choice for my play style? What will get me the most kills? Keep me alive longer?" In other words, "What should I buy?" This series is dedicated to players between the ranks of Private - Staff Sergeant and Brigadier - General. What's On The Market? In order to buy a piece of equipment in Tanki Online, one of your requirements is that you must be at the required rank of purchase. In this case, we're covering a pretty broad span of items, but in this issue we're going to be focusing mainly on the M0 category. By the way, because Recruit is the starting rank, I'm not technically going to include it on the list of ranks, but the items in stock then will still be mentioned. Private Gefreiter Corporal Master Corporal Sergeant Staff Sergeant What's My Strategy? Depending on what playing style you have, there are a lot of different ways you can go from here. However, if you want to be able make your way through these stripes as fast as possible while still having plenty of crystals rattling around in your coin box, then here's a set of strategies to take a look at. v v v START HERE v v v That's just a small list of possible strategies available. Hope y'all enjoyed the first part of this two part series. Peace! . Psst! Here's Part 2.

62

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Bored of Tanki? What Now? After many grueling hours of grinding on high-end Polygon CPs, you've finally made up enough crystals to get that paint you've wanted to buy this upcoming sale. Now, with time being your only impediment to the new protection, you have several choices ahead of you. You could read those new books you grabbed down at the local library the other day, or watch the next TBS special. However, if you don't plan on quitting Tanki until the sale (since it's still such a ways away), and playing on your primary account has gotten quite tiresome, then what do you do? It's simple! Make a secondary account, and start a whole new adventure! Tankers make new accounts on Tanki Online for several different reasons. Be it due to wanting to start the whole grand adventure over again, mismanagement of crystals on their main account, having their main account banned for a span of time (this happens to people more often than I'd prefer), or just simply boredom with the tank they own now. Secondary accounts have almost become a standard for tankers with a current rank higher than Third Lieutenant, and sometimes lower. With a secondary account, many more possibilities are opened. So, you've ordered a new tank, fresh from the factory; engines are primed, turrets are loaded, and you're ready to go! What now? Invite Some Pals Everything is better when you're doing it with a friend, right? So, why not bring along some of your fellow higher ranked tankers and have them make some secondaries as well? Take it from someone who knows a thing or two on the subject: you tend to pass the time much easier with some allies by your side. Record Your Progress There's certain to be more than a few YouTubers out there on TO. You think you've retained enough skill from your primary? Start off from the beginning, and record your process along the way! It's an easy way to attract the attention of other tankers, or the simple viewer. Besides, you're more likely than not to catch some rare moments on camera this way! Try Out New Equipment I'm certain that not everyone has access to every single weapon and hull upgraded to the highest at their rank. Most tankers tend to stick like glue to a select combination of equipment. (For example, I rarely stray outside out Smoky, Railgun, Hunter and Hornet.) So, when most players start up a new account, they try to step outside their usual comfort zones and buy some new tech. Sure, there are those who hold to the equipment they owned on their primaries, but I say, where's the adventure in that? You've gotten everything set up and ready to roll. With your increased level of skill, you're assuming you're going to be ranking up faster than you remembered. But how do you maximize your speed through the stripe ranks? Here are a few tips: Utilize The Boxes Like you would in a match of your own rank, when a supply box comes your way don't hesitate to grab it and milk the charge as long as you can. In a lower ranked match, most players tend not to notice these boxes and pass them by as assumed props. Grabbing these item boxes will not only allow you to stay on top during some of these lower matches, but it'll allow the newer players to witness the power of these items, causing them to yearn to learn more about them. Stockpile Your Crystals Surely, you've tried saving up your earnings on your main account, but most players have tinges of regret towards that one item or more that they purchased. By setting up a secondary account, you have the chance to make those amends and purchase your equipment at a rapid pace. Also, a little hint: try and take it easy on the micro-upgrades. Taking the first ones is a smart choice. I'd even go as far as to purchase the second MU stages. But, really, anything beyond three stages is simply not worth the money in lower ranks, with easier M1s lurking around the corner. Battle Higher Ranks Let's face the blunt facts. Higher ranked matches usually have larger funds (if only a minuscule difference) than most Recruit battles. To follow up on the crystal stockpiling point, most matches with First Sergeants are likely to yield a larger crystal count. Also, Master Sergeants and above tend to have a higher level of skill, ergo making the competition more interesting. It's a win-win! So, if you've found some spare time (and don't feel like getting some extra vitamin D), feel free to give this a shot.

49.

I get into the nasty habit of punching people in the throat when they pass me. Also, I found a giant spider, befriended it, and am now riding on it.

Alright... are you going to do anything with it? Meanwhile, I stole your kidneys.

Hey, for most lower ranks (and unfortunately, some higher ones as well), that's the norm. So for them, Freeze is little more than a Firebird without burning damage.

Infatuation.

The radioactivity of the item you threw at me had a half-life of six seconds. In short, you just hit me in the head with a rock. Still hurts, but I lived. "Porygon-Z! Use Hyper Beam!"

You fail, but are rewarded by another event. I wish I wasn't so frickin' bored that I have to consult the forums for entertainment.

I think it's supposed to be YOUR wish, not someone else's... I wish I could visit Area 5.1.

51. I swear I gonna get #1 one at least one time before I reach 'issimo.

The other day I entered an Arena match that was entirely comprised of people wearing Tiger. (It was a Second Lieut.--Lieut. General match.) Not sure if it was coordinated or not. :L

You do, but then your account is reported for acclaimed hacking. I wish I could raise enough crystals to purchase M3 Wasp, M3 Smoky, and Taiga (my light dream tank)

Winter.Shedinja.Warning

Tell someone about it. What would you do if you suddenly had animate Sour Patch people running rampant in your house?

As much as I agree with your words fixated on mid-range maximizing capabilities, i must disagree with facing Shafts. Depending on yours and their skill level, you can easily pop out from behind cover and shoot the edge of their tank, completely throwing them off. When they start to figure out your game, they'll be waiting in the same spot. Then, you can easily feint the tip of your hull out and pull it back in, causing them to release early, giving you a free second shot. After that.... well, then you're just lucky. This works usually best with Wasp.