There's no one proper definition of "skill". That's why it's silly to say that skill is being able to score #1 in your team in XP/BP or that skill is being good at Sand XP 1v1s, or that skill is your combined proficiency with all the turrets you own. Going on a tangent, I feel that the whole idea of "skill" frequently gets overblown, especially among XP/BP players. Tanki is about a heck of a lot more than having more akill than the average player.

While the laser update did significantly decrease the popularity of Shaft, that's because it was such a dramatic change that it required re-learning the weapon, which many didn't particularly want to do. But, I think the update has made it a much more interesting gun.

So what? Skill isn't about aim. And moreover, the point of every turret isn't simply to show off skill.

Critics of this update keep claiming that it's "silencing feedback." On the contrary, it's forcing people who disagree with a post to voice their feedback, instead of clicking a little red button. That sounds like quite the opposite of silencing to me! Besides, this update will make players give more thought to their responses to controversial posts, such as unpopular opinions or changes to the game. The days where players pile downvotes onto every new update before even testing it out or giving it thought just might be gone... And that's nothing short of terrific news for the community.

Hmm, interesting point. However, when you like a post, it's the equivalent of saying, "I agree with what this player said," which doesn't need much further explanation. When you dislike a post, you're saying "I disagree with what this player said," which I would argue does warrant further explanation. What in particular do you disagree with? If the post you're disliking is opinion-based, what is your own opinion on this matter? And so forth. So, for this reason, I'm more or less in support of this update, as I do believe it will foster more discussion. Now, when you disagree with someone, you're forced to explain yourself, and contrary arguments are exactly what sparks discussion. At the moment, too many tankers are responding to posts/threads with a simple downvote, which shows how much support this post/thread has, but doesn't do much more.

Ooh, this is a sweet idea!

In one sentence, why do you live?

Sorry Canadian, but this is simply absurd. There's not the slightest chance that any game developer in their right mind would sabotage their own game to promote their new game... especially considering that the new game isn't even close to being released yet! Neither is there any chance at all that Tanki is purposefully incurring this flood of complaints and negativity. And why the sidehanded remark at the Tanki staff that this "sounds like something they would consider"? It makes sense that you're frustrated with the recent lag issues (aren't we all?), but the TO staff does an incredible job making the game engaging and the community lively, and it hurts me to see remarks like these thrown out at them.

Why so harsh? 3-4 days is an incredibly small time frame... lag is a very complex problem involving both hardware (game servers) and software (game design). You can't reasonably expect the Tanki team to identify and fix these issues so quickly. They're human, too! Semyon has announced that an update that will fix the lag is coming up. Hang in there ;)

I personally have no lag issues, but I seem to be the minority!

The bluntness is overwhelming.

I would suggest finding a way to differentiate your group from the "real" TO Newspaper, in whatever way you might choose. Just a thought!

A very thoughtfully written goodbye post. I too am a bit worried that Unity graphics might be overdone, such the explosion animations. However, I have a feeling that a large part of why the Unity graphics seem so odd is that we're so used to Flash graphics. Oh, and one thing to keep in mind: you write that education is more important than a game. Just remember that school and education aren't the same thing.

The forum is on the whole an awesome place, but you just summed up perfectly the only bits about it that annoy me. It's true that a lot of these underthought posts come from a desire to have a higher post count. However, the forum would be a lot less active if it weren't for the post count incentive, so I'd say it's worth the trade off.

Very nice work -- I enjoyed the time lapse video!

Floccinaucinihilipilification

I would go for more contrast. Get some darker tones in the image to make the tank really pop. I would also consider a patternized black-and-white background, making the nice shade of green you've got really stand out. Great work!

See you next week.

Falco, Thank you for this clear, touching message -- it's very kind of you to take the time to explain yourself. Sudden, unexplained departures can tear apart the TO community, and the fact that you bothered to create this post is nothing short of a testament to your care for the community. Tanki is a community-based game, and that's what we all love about it. If it weren't for the friends we make, the clans we form, the discussions we have, the contests we partake in, the articles we write, etc., Tanki would be meaningless. You've done incredible work for the EN community, giving it not just order but also giving it love. Good luck in your medical studies. ^_^

It's a cycle, really. Your friends leave, causing you to feel lonely and leave, causing your friends to leave, causing their friends to leave, etc. But that's the natural way of things. Nothing great can last forever.

Hm, interesting. I liked the brevity of this story and the way that it started in the middle of a scene, with background context slowly trickling in. You seem to have a knack for mysterious, imaginative writing. My recommendation would be to go further with the mysterious aspect of your writing. Make your scenes even more absurd. Let your reader be even more in the dark. Here's a short story by a writer who I feel has a similar style to you. Let me know what you think!

Classic @Remaine!

I used to be worried that the Unity graphics were going to be overdone, and that they were going to distract from Tanki's awesome gameplay. But my mind has changed recently -- I like that TO is going against the recent trend of minimalism, and creating a hyper-detailed game. I wouldn't want TO to lose its unique character that we all love so much by surrendering itself to modern trends. Oh, and the level of thoroughness (is that a word?) here is quite impressive! A job well done.

Beautifully put.

Yeah, I don't keep posting photos of mandolins in here!