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Amateur writing club

Winter is the magical period during which we look forward to the most beautiful celebrations of the year - Christmas and New Year's celebrations. Winter holidays are celebrated not only in my homeland, but also in many countries around the world. This season, its celebrations, holiday traditions and customs differ from nation to nation, and so I invited a few tankers to give you a scoop of how things work in the different world regions. Click here to see Winter, Xmas and New Year's photos Click here to see the Holiday delicacies Flexoo: Welcome everyone. Firstly, let me thank all the interviewees for devoting your holiday time and sharing the holiday spirit with us. For openers, can you tell us a little about yourselves? @Anonono: Hi, my name is Matt and I am 15 years old. I am a keen musician and I want to be a music teacher when I'm older. I am also a bit sporty, with my main sports being tennis and table tennis. @stanzhang: Hello, my name is stanzhang and I am 15 years old and I am from Paris, France. : I am basically a 15-year-old boy managing three things: academics, sport (Table Tennis), and duties as well as fun in Tanki Online. This Christmas, I didn't really go anywhere but I am nonetheless thoroughly enjoying the Holiday Season. I am spending my time presently doing things such as shopping, visiting family, going to the cinema with friends and playing Tanki. Also, I am from a country known as Trinidad and Tobago. @L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y: Hi! I'm currently 16 years old and like to do programming, sports and I love Maths. :P Sadly I cannot play Tanki that often these days. @lukey0: Well I'm just a boy from outback Australia. Some of my hobbies include swimming, architecture/design, building (Welding and making things in general), computer orientated things and of course Tanki Online. I've currently just finished school for the year and I'm now moving into senior school when next year commences. Flexoo: What country are you from? What is your country known for? @Anonono: I am from a town of about 8 000 people in the rural part of New South Wales, Australia. Australia is known for many things, and one of them is our love of sport - more so, cricket. In Australia you can play cricket literally anywhere - On a cricket oval, in the nets, down the street, in the backyard, on the beach, anywhere with an open space. We are also known for our wide diversity of native Australian animals such as the kangaroo and the platypus, as well as beaches, which are a very popular tourist attraction, especially in summer. @stanzhang: I hail from France. Ah, France is known for many things. I will mention fabulous dishes, amazing artists, memorable castles/monuments, its tasty wine and so much more! : Trinidad and Tobago are probably best known for its massive celebration of "Carnival", a festival where persons dress in costumes and go in numerous parades, having as much fun as possible while dancing ad drinking. We are also well known for our typical but unique Caribbean dancing and singing. The people here are very outgoing, enthusiastic about almost everything traditional and colorful (both literally and figuratively). @L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y: I'm from Germany. To be precise, from a small town near the city of Frankfurt. I guess Germany is best known for it's Christmas Markets. You find them in almost every town here. And of course, Germany is well known for its beer, but we rarely drink it in winter. @lukey0: The country I live in is Australia. It's a great place to be with so many things to see and do. Australia is known for is endless plains of land and the many different species that live on it. It has plenty of vegetation that often looks very spectacular throughout the year. Just remember that summer here reaches an average of 43 degrees celsius so bring some swim-ware! Flexoo: How does your country look in Winter? Do you have snow in Winter? What is specific about Winter time in your country? @Anonono: It's actually Summer here in Australia. A typical summer in Australia is very hot, with temperatures going up to 49°C (that's 120°F for all you Americans) where I am. As I mentioned earlier, the beach is very popular in summer, so you can expect them to be a bit crowded sometimes. There is lots of sunscreen advertising in the summer as well. And no, it doesn't snow anywhere in summer but sometimes on top of our highest peaks you can see some snow remaining from winter. And of course, lots of sport on TV, more specifically cricket, tennis and soccer (football). @stanzhang: When winter is here, in France, we take off an hour (so that day we get an extra hour to sleep) because the day takes longer time to start. Unfortunately, due to global warming it doesn’t snow in Paris anymore which is really sad because I love snow. Paris wears the name of ‘’The City of Light’’, especially at winter when streets are decorated with garlands and other shiny decorations. Sometimes, there is decorated Xmas tree on roundabouts that cheers people up. We have also insane Christmas windows display in front of stores with all sorts of lights. : As we are a tropical island located off the coast of Venezuela, the season of Winter does not occur here. However, we do call this time of the year the "Christmas Season" or simply " The Holidays". We definitely decorate to compensate for the absence of snow. Almost everyone enhances their houses with trees and strings of lights in the colors of red, blue, red, green, yellow, purple: anything on the spectrum, Trinidadians also take enjoyment in placing fluorescent lighting statues of things such as Santa or Reindeer in their gardens. You can also see the various parks and trees near roads dazzling with lights placed on them. There are many outdoor concerts throughout the 'season' so very often when you travel you can hear or see performances by little children taking place. @L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y: Winter is one, if not the best season here in Germany. But it's very cold here. At least as cold as in the other European countries. There is mostly snow in Germany, but this also depends on where you are in Germany. At the coast (Baltic sea and North sea) there is not always snow, but instead, the sea brings a stiff breeze. Sadly the snow disappeared in the last years (probably due to climate change). I remember back when I was little and there was snow in October. Then I built a snowman with my friends. But now, already having late December, there is still no snow. However in the Alps in southern Germany it's likely to have snow the whole year round. @lukey0: Well here in Australia our Christmas is actually in summer, so there is no chance of snow. Instead, freezing we fry - literally. Our Winter's are quite similar to Europe's Summer in-act, maybe just a few degrees less. In Winter there is never much happening besides complaining that its cold. But in Summer during Christmas lots happens. Playing in the pool, catching up with friends, cooking BBQ's (Yes the rest of the world is correct on that), camping and if you live in a country town like I do the river is always a favorite. Flexoo: Does your family celebrate Xmas?/ Is Xmas celebrated in your country? @Anonono: Christmas in Australia occurs on the 25th of December, followed by Boxing Day on the 26th of December. It is well celebrated, with 61% of the population identifying themselves as some form of Christian. Of course, many non-Christians celebrate Christmas too. Being a Christian myself and coming from a Christian family, we celebrate the holiday as well, often with extended family members. @stanzhang: Yes, my family and majority of French population celebrate Christmas. I spend this magical time of the year with my family. : Indeed, my family does celebrate Christmas as does a significant amount of the rest of Trinidad @L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y: Of course we celebrate Christmas. Although we usually don't go to church on Christmas, which obviously isn't common here. On Christmas eve the whole family sits together in order to eat dinner. We usually eat goose with potatoes. Afterwards the kids sing some Christmas tunes. If they do well, they may unpack their presents. Christmas is a national holiday here. @lukey0: Yes my family and I celebrate Christmas and we love it. It's just overall a great happy mood of the year. Pretty much everyone celebrates Christmas here but of course with anything there is always some haters, but generally everyone gets into the spirit by hanging decorations and lights around their houses and spending money of gifts for others. Flexoo: What Xmas traditions do you have? Do you prepare any special Xmas dishes? @Anonono: Like many other people around the world, we put up a Christmas tree in our house and decorate it with tinsel and other Christmas ornaments and place our presents under the tree. Christmas Eve consists of watching the Carols on the TV with the family. On Christmas day we have a baked dinner (grandma does it best) with sticky date pudding and ice cream. On Boxing Day the cricket is always on in Melbourne so many of us like to keep up to date with the latest scores. Another tradition we have during the festy festive month of December is the playing of board games. Every night in December everyone in the house comes together and plays a variety of board games, ranging from classics such as Monopoly and Scrabble to more complex franchises like the Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan series. @stanzhang: Here, we traditionally celebrate Christmas dinner the night of 24 December with our families. We start with pre-dinner champagne followed by salmon and oyster. Then for the main dish people get poultry, which is essentially a turkey. For desert, we have a log, no not the wooden one but a cake that’s looks like a log with all sorts of decorations on it. There's a magnificent Christmas tree decorated with bulbs and garlands in every house (so that Santa Claus can find and give children some presents). Traditionally, Santa travels with his sleigh pulled by reindeer and enters from the chimney Children open their gifts the morning of 25 December. : I wouldn't really say that my family has any special traditions, we usually try something different each year. For example, we might celebrate by going over to Grandma's house for lunch or have a special family gathering of our own. The food in Trinidad around this time is...brilliant. I shall name a few. There are dishes such as Christmas lasagna (it could have raisins, creamy cheese, and vegetables), Pastels (a seasoned minced meat in a floury dough, then wrapped in leaves for flavor), Christmas rice (includes raisins, carrots , butter and sweet peppers) or a heart, meaty baked Ham straight from the oven. As for traditional drinks, there is a special, sweet juice of red color called Sorrel for children and for adults there is Ponche de Creme (which has milk, rum, sugar, eggs, nutmeg and a few other spices). Lastly, we enjoy desserts such as Plum Pudding, Cinnamon and Sponge cake or Fruit Cake. Christmas day and Boxing Day are probably the most hectic days for us. On these days, we would probably drive to almost all of our relatives (Aunt, Uncle, Grandparents, Great Aunt and Uncle included ;)) throughout the country, catching up on things with them while sharing food. @L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y: The dishes I guess are just like those in other western countries. But Germany is famous for two things during the Christmas period: 1. Gingerbread. It is said that this delicious pastry was invented in Nuremberg. Today you can find any type of gingerbread on the Christmas market of Nuremberg. 2. Glühwein - 8 Mulled Wine), that is a sort of hot and spiced wine you find in every corner on every Christmas market. @lukey0: Our Christmas traditions would be getting into the Christmas spirit. That is either by hanging lights around the house, putting up decorations and a Christmas tree or just being nice to people you meet. For a main course we often have a delicious lamb roast with vegetables, for dessert we normally have a Pavlova prepared and we serve it with Ice-Cream. If all else fails or people are still hungry a bit of steak and a few sausages on the BBQ would please almost anyone. Flexoo: How do you celebrate the New Year's Eve & Day? @Anonono: Most years we just play Monopoly until we got tired, but this year we are hosting a party to make sure 2016 is finished for good (let's face it guys, we've had better years). There will be music playing, a slip 'n slide, drinks, and nibbles, a big guitar jam session and LOTS of mosquito repellent. It will last until midnight, when someone on the other side of town sets off some fireworks. We're expecting around 70 people to turn up. All of this is on New Year's Eve. What happens on New Year's Day, you ask? People come up to me and say "Hey Matt, haven't seen you all year!" *sighs*. Every time. @stanzhang: During all those New Year's celebrations, we often offer boxes of chocolate to our relatives. During New Year it is almost the same thing. We drink champagne, tell our resolutions and wish each other a good year. We call our relatives who celebrate the New Year as well, so at around the midnight, the phone network is often saturated. In big cities we can see fireworks. The best firework show is the one at the Eiffel Tower because it is the biggest and the most beautiful one. : On New Year's Eve my family generally stays at home and relatives may come over that night to celebrate or the following New Year's Day. We also love to light Sparklers or have fun with Bang Snaps when only a few seconds remain until the clock ticks to 12:00. The whole family usually wakes up late and then we have a large breakfast. @L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y: In the past, I always celebrated with my parents. Most people detonate firecrackers and drink alcohol all night. But I still didn't make this experience. @lukey0: We don't necessarily celebrate New Years Day, maybe because a few wake-up that afternoon with a headache, but New Year's eve is definitely a celebration not to be missed! We often end up partying into the early morning of the day with the usual countdown about 20 seconds before the New Year. It's always a lot of fun and a great way to catch-up with family and friends. New Years Day is normally just chilling out while laying about and cleaning up after last night if the party was at your place. Flexoo: How do you usually spend your Winter/ Winter holidays? Do you like this season? @Anonono: I love our summers, it is by far my most favorite season. I have no school for 7 weeks (always a pleasure), there is always sport on TV and you can basically do whatever you want. I have two jobs to keep the money rolling in, one is at the tennis courts and the other is at McDonald's. When I'm not working I can be seen at a mate's place or down the street. For the last week before school goes back the family spends some time on the coast, usually at either the Sunshine Coast or in Sydney, but this year we might be heading to Melbourne for the first time to explore the city and watch some of the Australian Open. I'm very excited for that. Once that is done the new school year will start. I will be beginning year 10 next year, so there will be a bit more pressure on me. Wish be all the best! : I spend this Holiday season at home on my laptop or reading or going outside having fun with friends or family such as venturing to the cinema, mall or arcade. I really do like this period of the year, in fact, it's probably my favorite. It is really one of the few times during the year when I can take a break from school and competitive sports and just relax while planning the next year. I wish all of you happy holidays and an even happier New Year! @L.I.I3.3.I2.T.Y: For most German's it is common to go to the Alps in order to ski. You can say that it is the favourite sport of the Germans. The nice thing is that almost everybody can do that. No matter if you are 6 or 70 years old. After the Christmas holidays, my family and I usually spend the rest of the winter in Austria skiing. @lukey0: We don't necessarily celebrate New Years Day, maybe because a few wake-up that afternoon with a headache, but New Year's eve is definitely a celebration not to be missed! We often end up partying into the early morning of the day with the usual count-down about 20 seconds before the New Year. Its always a lot of fun and a great way to catch-up with family and friends. We have pool at our place so its always great to do some night swimming with friends. New Years Day is normally just chilling out while laying about and cleaning up after last night if the party was at your place. Flexoo: Once again, a huge thanks to all you guys for your willingness to share a little bit from your holiday time. I wish you a warm and merry Christmas in the family circle and all the best in the upcoming New year. Scroll down to check the photos in spoiler below!

Yes, you can.

You can't post it in AWC while the contest is still running.

^ These are contest results which means you can no longer participate. However, you can try your luck in I59 contests.

Canyon GG.

Oh, I can't wait for Canyon and Deck-9. Some of the best memories from my Tanki Online beginnings are connected to these maps. It should be interesting to ride around them once again.

^ This is a writing contest. You can post your video explaining some of the points only as a part of the written guide.

I would, but I am in kind of odd position;

Kinda broke the bad luck I've recently had.

Sure.

Sorry, but I will rate and judge all the resolution after the deadline.

There's one problem with your resolution. It lacks any sort of humor. Actually, this is the mistake that many others made when entering the contest. They sent in just a normal resolution, but it's stated in the description to make the resolution super witty (in other words humorous). Guys, if you want to have any chance at winning, read the description and contest rules carefully!

You can, but try to not overdo it with pictures that ain't yours and always remember to mention the source.

You can re-enter once more as stated in the rules.

Hey! Yes, your entry is valid.

^ Fixed. Thank you.

Within the recent past, a shocking announcement splashed the News section and excited a lot of tankers. Three forgotten maps that propose a potential for some truly engaging battles have been resurrected from the ashes and added back to the map list. Canyon, Deck 9 and Magadan inscribed into the historical memoirs back in 2010 and returned after a two-year break. History As you may already know, Canyon, Deck 9 and Magadan can't be really classified as totally virgin maps. They all appeared on the menu quite a long time ago, to be precise June 4, 2010, in the case of Canyon and Deck 9. Both were created by a gifted map-maker called @M0ONL1ght who also crafted maps like Zone or Gravity. His maps might not be the most popular ones, but he definitely managed to create a playground with unique props and structure that many other maps don't possess. When it comes to Magadan, we do not have the knowledge of the exact release date or author of the map, but the map is approximately as old as the other two on the list and we may also assume it was created by someone from the developer's team. Throughout their history, these maps never reached the popularity peak of likes as Polygon or Silence, but you could often spot few battles marked with their name. Prior to their removal, battles on Canyon and Deck 9 had been created because of the unique map structure that offered a very interesting and distinct gameplay experience and wide possibilities in parkour. Magadan battles had been extremely scattered, almost non-present, and we can definitely consider this one as a riddance-worthy map. Even though a map removal was a thing in the past, the decision to obliterate these maps was quite shocking and unexpected. The official reasoning offered by the developers was the overall low activity on them which actually didn't provide sufficient explanation considering the fact there were other lesser played maps at the time. Despite the multiple pleas to avert this decision, all three maps have been removed on May 20, 2014. Since we all know TO doesn't usually go against their own decisions, we anticipated these maps will never come back and stay alive only in our memories. However, Tanki never fails to amaze us, and so with the plethora of other updates, these three maps have been restored by Patch #429. All of 'em happen to be playable till present day and since I am fully aware that this history talk may induce sleep, let's skip ahead. Overview All three maps stayed faithful to their previous designs and offer hugely the same gameplay experience as they did in the past. Magadan and Deck 9 are small compact maps that can host a max of 8 players, making for a 4v4 team mode battle or max 8 players Death match. Canyon is more of a medium map offering a larger area to play with a maximum capacity of 12 players. All three are available from Warrant Officer 1 which also represents the highest rank limit to unlock a map in Tanki Online. You can also enjoy all four battle modes (CTF, CP, TDM, DM) on Deck 9 and Magadan. Canyon is kind of specific and offers only CTF and Death match modes. Why is CP not available in Canyon is, for now, a mystery, but it's presumably due to its non-uniform layout. | | Canyon Deck 9 Magadan Map Alignment Each map is absolutely unique, offering totally different environment than the other. Needless to say, Magadan resembles a symmetrical square and thus being the most balanced map from the bunch. As @Blackdrakon30 mentioned in his early review, Magadan almost mimics Garder's arrangement having four ramp hillocks placed around the map's middle which is similar to Garder's four passages. Two mildly elevated platforms (one in each base) are placed closely behind the hillocks and form the base for flag holders. The map is also stocked with few additional walls, mainly around the corners, which offers an extra coverage and a toehold for shoot-and-hide tactics. Canyon and Deck 9 have profoundly different bases which also impacts the gameplay experience depending on the team you join. The smaller Deck 9, composes of central building bordered by narrow paths around the perimeter with tunnel stretching under it (blue flag is placed here). The tunnel is directly accessible from the red base through the 'ambush hole' and also contains an escape route abreast the ambush hole. The red base is much more open to attack with heaping ledges that lead up to the building and serve as a refuge for red team defenders. The red flag is located farther behind the middle ledge in the quite open area. There are also two channels behind the red flag, serving as a spawn area, but they lack in width for any defensive purposes. The most expansive one and my personal favorite, Canyon, is a hodgepodge of numerous uphills, vaults, and delves making it a slightly topsy-turvy, yet a worthy map (upvote for that rhyme!). Canyon is named after its dominant feature that practically cuts the map into two halves. The higher half, which I will refer to as red team's base, has three floors - underground chamber, which is a spawn zone of red team, has a direct access to the canyon in the middle, the main floor which is also the spawning place of red team and contains the red flag and lastly the upper level that provides an excellent view of the blue base. The second half is the blue team's base. It's more open and in my opinion slightly disadvantageous. It consists of a cauldron in the corner where the blue team's flag is placed and the famous ramp in base's middle. Implemented Changes Canyon, Deck 9 and Magadan are hugely unchanged. The only change I have been able to spot in Canyon are the revised supply drop and gold box drop locations. Since the predictable drops update wasn't in the play in early 2014, supplies have been often distributed through the same place mainly in the canyon area. With the reintroduction of the map, supplies and gold box drop locations now have a wider spread around the whole ground. Deck 9 returned to his prehistoric design from 2010 and received the middle ledge in the red base with direct access to the heart of the blue base through the assault hole. This ledge Has been later removed from the map leaving the side paths the only openings to the bases. This old-new implementation shifted the dynamics of Deck 9 battles and gave the red team the opportunity to enter the blue base quicker and use the surprise factor in the attack. On the other hand, the blue team received a much shorter and much more effective flag escape route. Magadan resembles the old 2014 design and just like in the case of Canyon received only a small tweaks and supply and gold box drop locations' revision. I would actually welcome more changes implemented to this map as its symmetrical design sort of forces me to yawn. I dimly remember the times when Magadan looked entirely different, and I would actually welcome if this older design has been brought back to spice otherwise boringly looking map. Interesting Map Features Canyon The Ramp The dominant feature of Canyon, its famous ramp is sometimes (or should I say oftentimes) the sole reason tankers create a battle on this map. Although it being a little stale and overused, you can do a number of air flips, make some flip shots or even get a truly epic jump kill. Underground Chambers This underground spawn area of red team witnesses fierce battles between the incoming or escaping attackers and the spawning or camping defenders. It's almost non-stop invaded by the blue team and hosts a huge number of confrontations, often being of crucial importance. The Uphill Albeit I don't have any pursuits in overcoming obstacles to get that sentimental viewpoint, I always admired this upper level of the red base for that great view of the map. It doesn't only grant an excellent camping spot, but I can also imagine this spot featured in some blatantly awesome parkour video. The Channel This particular area was always one of my favorites. You can sit there and literally harvest points by killing the spawned tankers entering the canyon or the never-ending torrent of 'parkourists' coming from the ramp. I can't omit the gold box rush inside the canyon, you will get some fine catches if you time your jumps right. Deck 9 Ledges One of the fun elements in Deck 9 is shooting and driving over, under, across (insert any other eligible way) the ledges. It's absolutely necessary to master your shooting and moving around this predominant map feature to be successful in this environment. It requires a little using to, but that just make it far more intriguing and challenging. The Tunnel Ah yeah, the tunnel, or maybe more specifically a fundamental part of the blue base. I am listing this one, probably because of that dynamic action that occurs here. The base is easily accessible, yet it often calls for good timing and skill to escape the ever present defenders. Magadan Ramps Well, there's really not much to mention here other than the ramps. In the end, it's Magadan's main feature and at the same time its best one. As I said already, I personally consider it as less interesting, but I can identify myself with tankers who like the quick-paced gameplay around the middle. After all, shooting from the ramps and consecutive backing off or jumping down makes the experience a little more worthwhile. Gameplay Canyon Standard Battles Standard battles on Canyon (everything goes, supplies and drops are on) are very sporadic and you will more likely find more parkour or format battles around the servers. It's a pity since battles on Canyon are very diverse giving a chance to shine to any kind of equipment and combination. Canyon is best suited for medium hulls that can take some hits and still bug out at a decent pace. Bulkier hulls will do well as snipers in the upper area or as a flag defenders in bases. Light hulls should utilize their speed and serve as either quick offensive threads or guerilla raids. When it comes to turrets, anything does the trick, but my personal favorites for this map are mid range Smoky, Hammer, and Thunder which are suitable for mid ranges, narrow paths, and varying map ambient. in a nutshell, gameplay is relatively fast, with decent funds and exp. ration, however, the specific environment of Canyon sometimes lead to stalemates, especially in CTF where capturing or returning the flag can be quite problematic. XP/BP This format rules the non-parkour battles for a reason. It's quite engaging and requires a little bit of strategy and environment knowledge to master all the ramps, terrain roughness, and trapdoors especially in non-supply battles. Planning the attack is necessary to succeed and you are often forced to co-operate to get anywhere near the flag. Sometimes the game turns to stalemate as the terrain greatly supports campers, nevertheless, it's a great map to train peekaboo tactic, offensive pressuring and tactical approach. Parkour Let's not even talk about all the OMP parkourists on the ramp, because seeing these guys rehearsing the same old trick again and again and again is just making me sick. I personally worship Canyon and I consider it a great parkour-worthy map, but I would definitely welcome something slightly new than ramp side flip. There are buildings, garage, water tower and a wall that can be only reached while parkouring. You can even try to use the ramp in co-operation with two or three other tankers and fly to the other side of the map and somehow land on the garage in the corner. I don't even know if this can be executed, but the Masters of Parkour finals persuaded me it is. Deck 9 Standard Battles As a small map, Deck 9 is perfect for dynamic battles filled with confrontations behind every corner. It's practical for any type of hull, light hulls, and medium hulls are great in quick assaults, heavy hulls will prove foolproof in defense and flag/point guarding. Deck favors majorly close and medium range turrets. I would avoid using Shafts and even Railguns, as they lack in reload speed for quick moving gameplay. Deck 9 offers a really quick offensive gaming experience. XP/BP Is Deck 9 predestined for XP/BP? I would say yes! One visit on RU1 will assure you that it became an instant hit. XP/BP is the most common format played on Deck 9. Battles are engaging, fast-paced with quickly raising funds. The map is relatively open with a minimum of really effective camping spots or defensive positions further supporting an offensive style rather than stalemates. You will mostly run into CTFs with disabled supplies or enabled supply drops, less into CP or Death match modes. Format battles on Deck fill quickly and offer a huge experience point gain and rewards in relatively short span of time. Parkour Two main map features to conquer (well, the only features I can think off) are the building in the middle and the hummock abreast of it. I am not at home in parkour stuff, but laying few mines on the ledges and performing a 'Sandwich trick' will surely get you up on the house and hammock easy-peasy. You will definitely need someone to accompany you, Deck 9 is not meant to be an OMP parkour map. In tandem, you will most likely be able to climb both the house and hammock. Magadan Standard Battles I am repeating myself when I say this map is dynamic, but the truth is that it is the features all three maps have in common. Magadan as a symmetrical map presents a balanced gameplay suitable for the majority of combinations. It's pretty straightforward, with a minimum of enclosed areas. When fully stocked with players it offers a decent quick-paced gaming, best for CTF and Death matches. XP/BP Well, it's quite rare to see a Magadan XP/BP, but this map is definitely convenient for this format, especially because of the fair conditions provided by its design. The balanced symmetrical arrangement grants a suitable environment for duels or tandem battles. Parkour Rotate your turret so it forms a 90° angle with your hull. Equip Speed Boost and drive on the ramp. Shoot while being in the air and make a side flip. Voila. You're welcome! In all seriousness, my naked eye doesn't see many other parkour possibilities in Magadan. The whole area is accessible by normal means, there are no buildings or other elevated elements eligible for landing and doing even the hardest trick just to touch down the ground is not enough visually appealing. Supply Drops and Routes Canyon Supplies lie practically behind every Canyon's corner, and thus you can easily squeeze the potential these boxes offer. There is a total of ten supply drops. Both teams have one from each supply type present in their base (excluding Repair kit), which makes for balanced conditions in every map. However, there is also one from each supply type on the upper-levell path behind the pole that is only accessible to reds and drastically overpowers their side. It's a huge flaw of this map and the only possible way to reduce the inequality on blue side is to grant blue team access to the upper path from their base. If you play for reds you can follow two supply routes. First one is the supply route in the upper Canyon's level starting with Speed Boost and ending with Double Damage. Since it's available to reds only, you won't have any problems dueling enemies for drops. You can easily collect them and jump on the house below from where you can easily enter the blue base and go straight for the flag. You will most likely expose yourself to enemy fire, but since you can safely grab Double Armour, you will be able to tank few hits. Second supply route starts at the red flag. Take the Double Armour and follow with nearby Speed Boost. You can also collect the Double Damage if you spawn near water tower, but if you do not, don't waste time by driving to it, you will loose your precious supply time. Blues have only one supply route. You may start by taking Speed Boost behind the ramp and afterwards seize the Double Damage on the lug and Double Armour in front of the caldron or follow the same routine backwards. After that, you should directly invade the blue team which might be an obvious thing to do, but frontal attack often yields abundant harvest. However it's safer to go the other way, grab the Repair Kit below the ramp and enter the enemy base from the underground chambers. Deck 9 Deck 9 has two supply drop zones from each type. They are equally distributed between both bases and considering the overall small area of Deck 9, you can effectively reach and use them in succession. Giving tips how to use supply drops wisely would be ridiculous in this case as it's painfully obvious what supply route you should follow. Whether you play for reds or blues, grab one of the primary supplies (Double Armour or Double Damage) and consecutively equip the opposite one. Speed Boost is not that much essential because you are not reliant upon speed to travel huge distances here. Leave the Speed Boost to slower hulls, so that they can cope with more dynamic attackers. Magadan Similar to the Deck 9, Magadan also has two drop zones from each supply type. In contrast to Deck 9, locations are dispersed differently. Repair Kits, Double Damage and Double Armour boxes are placed in the corner area while the middle is almost empty and contains only Speed Boosts. Double Armors and Double Damage boxes are inverted in bases, so you won't take two supplies of the same type in one supply route. Speaking of supply routes, they are just as obvious as in case of Deck 9. Hold firm to the corners to grab the supplies of the upmost importance and use the inbuilt walls as cover while driving towards them. Ignore the Speed boost drops or at least do not prioritize them. Speed Boosts are in the middle area, you're the most vulnerable here, so stay in the corners and proceed from there. Gold Box Drop Locations Credits for pictures of the Gold box drop locations: @MiZ0o0 Canyon In team modes, Canyon's gold box drop locations hugely favor the reds, and thus if you want to have a better shot at gold hunting, I hugely advise you to join the red team. As you can see, there are a total of 6 Gold Box drop locations. Two are situated on the upper level path behind the pole. They are easily approachable from red base and if the gold sign ever appears there, it's 90% sure that red player will grab the coffer. Third gold box spot is located between the water tower and house in the red base. Again, it's a slightly favorable position for red team as it's still a part of the red base, but it gives blue team a far better chance than previous two. Other two spots are set directly in the canyon. Since they are in the middle, it may look as the chances of both teams are equal, however the famous ramp shifts the odds to blue team with its height dominion. Last gold box location is near the pipes. It's probably the most balanced one from the bunch, but considering the height I would again adjudge the advantage to reds. Indeed, this gold box drop distribution looks unbalanced, but I can't really blame the development as Canyon is unique and finding any neutral ground with even chances for both teams is almost impossible. Deck 9 Deck 9 bears a resemblance with Canyon when it comes to number of gold box drop locations. You can count them six, four in red base and 2 in blue base. This may look strangely uneven. In fact it is since reds have majority of drop zones in their base and can easily take a run and jump on the pile ups when the drop spot appears in blue base. However, eyes deceive and you should not trust them. Soon, you will notice that this layout isn't as discriminatory on the second look. Reason for that is the extremely small area of 300 square meters. It often doesn't matter what team you play for, as you will spawn and forward to the spot very quickly. When hunting for Gold box in Deck, you have to time your approach and more importantly get a toehold for good jump or a favorable place near the drop. Magadan Magadan has surprisingly big amount of drop zones, a total of 10 distributed mainly around the ramps. Since Magadan is a symmetrical map, drop zones are spread fairly for both teams. Four drop zones are placed around middle in sort of ellipse, one is placed behind every ramp and two are placed in the corner area near the billboards. Gold box hunting focuses mainly around the ramps as total of 8/10 gold boxes can be caught if you jump in right time. You should aim to occupy a fitting position on one of the ramps. Never stay way too behind as others may drive in front of you and block you in the key moment, but you also don't want to tower above as you may be exposed to enemy fire. Try to preserve a middle ground and push any possible opponents near or in front of you. The corner drop zones are made for heavy bulky hulls and Dictators that can sit on the spot and take advantage of their weight and height. This comes little later than the update itself, but I still guess it may come around helpful. I hope you'll use this newly acquired information in your future battles on these maps and squeeze the max from this review. See you on the battlefields, tankers!

Today :).

Finally posting these after like two weeks or something...

There's one special moderator class that operates on the daily battlefields of Tanki Online. Battle moderators are Tanki's most mysterious group of Helpers, hidden from the eyes of players and operating from the shadows to bring you the best gaming experience possible. Who are battle mods? Battle moderators are TO's unique Helper force that is specially trained for possibly the most challenging task out there. These guys moderate hundreds and thousands of battles every day and watch for any sort of violation happening in the game. Battle mods deal with violators that spoil the game of honest players by sabotaging, trolling or multing and have the power to punish them for such actions. What do they do? As mentioned earlier, battle moderators monitor battles for any violation that may appear. This task is extremely time-consuming and demands hours of practice to effectively distinguish between a real violator and, for example, an innocent lagger. Each and every report is carefully checked by battle moderators and the Administrator himself to prevent any mistakes that can have fatal consequences for players. I believe a video made by @Yele will demonstrate much better what battle moderators do in their work and the workload they face. You can check these monthly reports regularly in this topic. Without further ado, check the recent report in this video. This was just some basic information to start, but now let me welcome one of the battle moderators himself. @Mr_STIFFLER has been working as a battle mod for over a year now and will answer all the most common questions thoroughly. He will present you his own advice, opinions and knowledge coming from hours of experience. Proceed to read more! Flexoo: Hello, Mr.Stiffler. Thank you for finding time in your busy schedule. For starters, can you tell us a bit about yourself? Mr_Stiffler: Hey! My name is Mr_STIFFLER, and I have been working as a Battle Moderator for about a year now. I’ve been playing Tanki Online for almost 4 years, I was actually away from the game for about a year due to work overload, but came back to help Tanki Online, battle mods and players. Flexoo: How would you describe your typical day at Tanki Online working as a Battle Moderator? Mr_Stiffler: Well, I am a member of Tanki Online’s special force, hidden from the public eye, fighting against sabotage and other violations that may happen in our lovely game. Battle moderators, in general, deal with players who have gone too far trying to spoil the fun of honest players by cheating, sabotaging or being inactive. So my daily job, in short, is to protect players from any violation that can happen in battles. Flexoo: You have more than a year of experience doing this job. What do you find most challenging about it? Mr_Stiffler: That's really hard to say, I mean every action can be really challenging in such a serious job. Our admin, Yele, is doing her best to make everything better for us and we also appreciate help from every player when it comes to catching violators. Flexoo: What do you find to be the most enjoyable aspect of your job as a battle moderator? Mr_Stiffler: Mainly helping players, whether when we kick a mult that disturbs other players, or when we save a player that has been attacked by other players who violate the game rules. Flexoo: This job requires a plenty of time. How many hours do you work in your typical week? Mr_Stiffler: It really depends on the number of violation reports we receive from players, mostly somewhere between 50-60 (fifty to sixty) hours a week, sometimes it's even more. Flexoo: Which violations are the most difficult to handle? How much time does it take to carefully evaluate the violation reports? Mr_Stiffler: The hardest decisions are usually linked with reports concerning cheaters and consequently dealing with them. Sometimes it takes week or month to take the right decision. We always try to avoid mistakes or punish players without reason; all cheats and hacks shown in videos are checked by our admin Yele personally before blocking any player. Flexoo: Before the interview, I also heard most Battle Moderators work and speak only in Russian - why is that? Mr_Stiffler: That's true. In the beginning, we had to be in calls all the time to test the system and discuss daily problems in Tanki Online and to fix everything as soon as possible. So, it was hard for us to add English helpers and translate all the calls, messages or updates that we made. Our admin, Yele, works hard to solve all the problems before she adds more English helpers to Battle mods' team. Flexoo: With this information in mind, can a person who doesn't speak Russian become a Battle Moderator? Mr_Stiffler: Yes, as I said before, our admin Yele is the one who decides if more English helpers are needed in the team. If you're interested in becoming a Battle Mod, the applications are currently open, so give it a shot. You can check out the application rules in this topic along with the video description. Flexoo: We learned that you also serve as a "translator" in the group. What does it feel like to translate back and forth to other battle moderators? Mr_Stiffler: Yele, our admin, always says; "Together we can make Tanki Online better, and better". We help each other out, we have weekly calls where we discuss new rules and everything other related to the job and if there's any problem, we immediately try to solve it. So, our group is like a family to me and since I can speak both Russian and English, I am always ready to explain everything to all English colleagues. Flexoo: Would you mind telling us more about the functionality of the /vote command? Is it still worth using this feature? Are there ways to use it more effectively? Can we expect refinement of this feature in the future? Mr_Stiffler: Vote command only works in battle chat when at least 25% of all players in battle will use this command on the violator. After voting the violator, battle will color in Yellow which is the signal of players using the vote command. Then we can come and assess the battle situation and examine whether there really is someone violating the game rules. Once the battle revision done by one of the battle moderators is finished, this message will appear in the chat; Afterwards, we will deal with any and all violators present in that battle. Flexoo: Very interesting! Can you provide some more tips/advice on reporting the violators? What are the most common mistakes tankers commit when they report violators? Mr_Stiffler: Firstly, let me thank all the players who are helping us to hunt cheaters, hackers and saboteurs, either by directly reporting violations in chat or in the appropriate Forum section (Game Violations). Most mistakes that tankers do in violation reports posted on Forum, are usually linked with lack of evidence. Or they often record a video long less than 5 minutes. So, the best tip I can give, is to read both Game Rules and Game violations section rules before creating your report topics. Flexoo: Lastly, what advice would you give to someone who's looking to become a battle moderator? What skills are required? Mr_Stiffler: Well, first and foremost, anyone applying must be over 18 years old, not under Brigadier rank, and have at least one year of experience in Tanki Online. After his/her application has been posted, our admin Yele will study the application and respond via Forum PM. If you do get picked, Yele will interview you, with a webcam and voice chat, so pretending you’re older than you really are, is not a chance. Make sure you don’t lie about your age, this will not help you become a moderator, but will surely make us put your name in our bad books! If you do get picked, we will all be sure to welcome you to the team, and happily work with anyone. Flexoo: Thank you for helping us understand a typical battle mod's job, Mr_Stiffler. Do you have any last words or message for tankers? Mr_Stiffler: I'd just like to say this; Our game is made for everyone, some of the tankers are strong skilled players and some are not. There are many players who come to the battles to pass their time and enjoy the game and sadly there are also these so-called mults and other violators. Our job is to deal with everyone who distracts players in battles and allow those who want to have fun playing to do so to the best of their possibilities. So, please respect every player and play fairly. I, and the whole Battle Mods team hope that tankers understand our message, and that you all will help us to solve every problem, and make Tanki Online a fun place to be! We wish only the best for everyone. And that's all, everybody! Battle moderation and dealing with violators effectively is an extremely demanding duty. I trust you've learned how hard a battle moderator's work is. Many thanks to @Yele and @Mr_STIFFLER for collaboration on this article, as well as to the whole battle moderators team for doing their best to make the battles a better place for all players. Hope you enjoyed the read, tankers, and don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments below!

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How should I name this pirouette? Catches from previous week