Very good article, I won't be surprised if it makes it into the best of the month. I've got a question though. I heard a while back that if I have both of my accounts in the same battle, there is a chance a mod can find them and ban both for powerleveling (if a 2v2), or putting mults in a battle. If the battle is a private parkour battle, and I am not killing myself via my other account, is there still a chance that will happen? I really don't want either of my accounts banned.

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Every idea doesn't need to be a major game changer. This one would make it a bit easier to communicate with your team. I have nothing against it.

It should just carry over. I bought one the day before the update, and it says it will expire on dec. 24. So basically, you bought a 2 month supply of PRO passes.

It doesn't show up every time. From the way you described it, nothing is wrong. Most of the time, it is just once a week (when the Vlog comes out).

I wouldn't say that. The guy has M4 mammy, freeze, isida, and hornet... He would absolutely wreck you in a battle on Ping Pong.

Everyone, PLEASE, when you are creating battles, take a chance and turn off supplies. Just played like 3 rounds of a Rio CTF game with supplies and MUs off, and it was definitely one of the best battles I have been in this year. I would love to see actual options for battles with no supplies. Lets get atleast 1 good think out of this update. Supplies off = more fun.

This update is like the election- I'm willing to let it play out, but have a feeling it will not be good in the end.

How to spot a hacker 101: http://ratings.tankionline.com/en/user/Pabel66/ Look at the thunder stats- 8000 xp per hour with thunder. I caught the little dipstick jump hacking and also he had this strange hack where he could kill anyone from anywhere. Got a great video of him doing both, gonna get him blocked soon.

I don't have a whole lot of experience with golds on Highways (only gotten a few there), but I will do one for Kungur. Thanks for the idea!

My first gold ever on madness. Decided to stay on the bottom, and found the drop zone. Everyone piled up at the ramp directly next to the drop, but I went to the one diagonal from it. Jumped up on it, and it lagged through the dictator, which somehow managed to get on top of me.

Found a pretty big glitch in the system. When I leave a battle and click for a quick battle, I expect (and want) to be sent to a new battle. However, that is often not so. I just got sent back to the same battle 3 times in a row. Maybe add into the code to not put the battle someone just left as an option for the next battle.

Yep, thats definitely a problem. People using equipment that unlocks at Marshal should not be able to play against Warrant Officers...

Wow. He or she has spent over 5,000 bucks on golds alone, not to mention the buyer-only paints and strong equipment.

That combo looks amazing. The second best paint (behind space), and the best looking XT turret.

Multing is not a big enough of a problem to remove such a large aspect of the game. I can already tell I will start to miss longer games. Longer games result in higher funds per time played. That is a fact. My making them less plentiful, it is even harder to earn crystals. Furthermore, 15 minute games are only so intense. The last 5 minutes of a 15 minute game is 1/3 of the time. The last 5 minutes of a 60 minute game is 1/12 of the time. It is hard to explain, but the last 5 minutes are more exciting when there has been 55 minutes of playing building up to them, vs only 10 minutes building up to it. What I am trying to get at is that the intensity of Tanki is gone down as a result of this update, and there is NO excuse to make games less exciting. Mults were simply not big enough of a problem to warrant this update.

So you are saying that having an opinion and speaking out about it is childlike? Based on your grammar, I would take a guess that you are a kid, or pay absolutely no attention to classes in school. Please explain to me why this update is good, and DON'T say "because I like playing 15 minute battles".

While I often don't play long battles, I agree with F16 here. There simply are not enough long battles to choose from now, so if you want to play a long one, you need to make it. If anyone hasn't tried starting a 60 min battle from scratch before, just know that it fails 95% of the time. I have no clue why they would remove the ability of non-pro 30 and 60 minute battles. Completely baffled by the decisions of the developers. The ONLY reason that I still play this game is that it is the only long-term, free, online game that I can run on my computer. The game is getting trashed by buffed drugging, and counterproductive updates (this one, 5 minutes to change, 2 minutes of pause time, etc).

How to be good with thunder: Heavy hull, double damage, fire away.

Meh. Rather useless possibility. The one reason that you gave for any sort of "usefullness" is knowing which battles pay off better, but I already know that stuff. Polygon and Noise games rank high. Serpuhov ranks low, etc. Theres better things the devs could work on.

Whats the thought behind decreasing wait time to 2 minutes? I understand trying to get rid of mults, but we barely even have time to go to the bathroom now...

A few months ago, I did a gold guide on Polygon, which got a good response. I’ve been thinking about doing another one for a while, and now was the best time to get into it. Noise is an incredible map for golds. Skill and knowledge is crucial to success here, and I will try to help with the knowledge part in this article. Throughout the article, I will have several spoilers with the map overview picture, so you do not have to scroll back up to see what zone I am talking about. So, without further ado, here is the gold guide for Noise. In total, Noise has 19 drop zones. There is a wide array of strategies to get these golds, creating for a challenging, yet rewarding gold box experience. Drop Zone 1: To get this gold, it is best to come from the tunnel. If possible, go to the right on the ramp (pictured), and get on top of the tanks driving up the tunnel. They will either make it on top of the pile with you on top, or get stuck while you drive forward onto the gold. A common strategy that I see is jumping from the top floor, but it is not the best idea. There is an incredibly high chance of flipping. The safest way to get on top of the pile for Drop Zone 1 Drop Zone 2: There are three great options for this one. The first is the one I explained for Drop Zone 1. The second, and most popular, is going from on top of the blue shipping crate. If you are going for that method, get on top of the crate early, and hold your position. Once the gold starts falling, wait until you can get on top of the pile, but make sure to not launch more than three seconds before you can grab the gold. The third option is jumping from the top platform (pictured). If timed right, it can get the gold almost every time. Unfortunately, it is only a real option for Wasps, Hornets, and Hunters on the red team. At this drop zone, I often take the tunnel option, mainly because getting a good spot on the crate is almost always futile. Picture showing the distance Hornet M3 can jump from the platform with no Speed Boost Drop Zones 3 and 5: The best way to get these two golds is to jump onto a tank from the top deck. However, this strategy only works with Wasp, Hornet, and Hunter. If you are using one of those three hulls, make sure to equip a Speed Boost. If you are not using one of the three, treat these drop zones like any on a flat map such as Dusseldorf - find the best place to push the pile. Drop Zone 4: This one is all about riding the pile. Jump on top of a tank from the top balcony, and ride all the way over to the drop zone. If you manage to stay on top, make sure to have a health kit ready - you will undoubtedly take a lot of damage on your bull ride. If you are using a heavy hull, this is a great drop zone. Use your size and power to block off the drop zone, and when the time is right, make your move. By you blocking off the zone, there will be less competition to grab it. Be careful with this technique - you don’t want to get stuck by a bunch of tanks pushing on your side. Labeled drop zones Drop zones 6, 17, and 18: These are all the spawning golds. The only real way to get these is to get to the drop zone early, and hold your ground. Position yourself to the side of the zone with the most tanks, and you will be pushed onto the zone. There is no use in trying to fight off five other tanks - you will get pushed no matter what. Another decent tactic at these zones is to get on top of the pile. If a tank is on the drop zone when the gold spawns, it will take about 3 seconds to be picked up. If you can drive over the gold after it has spawned but before those 3 seconds, it will be yours. Drop Zone 7: Zone 7 and Zone 8 are possibly the two most hotly contested drop zones. I will split them up to describe the many great strategies at these zones. The best method for Zone 7 is to start on the lower platform where Zone 8 is, and get on top of the pile. However, if there is more than one tank (or a Dictator) on the drop zone, you will be blocked from moving. If that happens, steer clear, by taking the left side of the ramp. Another option is taking the ramp at the left of the zone. Simply hop on top the pile, and drive over to the gold. If you are feeling extra risky and are using a light hull, there is another great method - jumping. Go over to where Drop Zone 12 is, and jump down onto the pile. If you have a Speed Boost, you will easily get enough air to land on top of the pile. If you can get your timing right, and good enough luck, it will be a sensational gold grab. Drop Zone 8: Use the terrain to your advantage - push people off the tier. It is best to start on the main floor here - just drive onto the slightly lower drop zone when a tank is on top of it. This zone also has a very gutsy grab possibility- From Zone 4, drive straight up, and get on the tanks on the ramp. If you manage not to flip, you have a very high chance at grabbing the gold. Proper timing is key here. Drop Zone 9: There is only one good method here, and unfortunately, it is the one everyone takes: jumping from the main tier. If you spawn in the blue base to see the gold falling, there is not much you can do to take it, other than zipping on up to the main floor to try to jump down. Trying to use the angled white wall will be futile at best, so it is not recommended. Labeled drop zones Drop Zones 10 and 11: For both, the arrow marks the best route - specifically, the Speed Boost on the top tier. It is an easy jump onto the unsuspecting tanks below, and almost a sure grab when timed right and paired with a Speed Boost. However, you will have to fight for the launch point. Do whatever it takes to get it. If you do not manage to get to the top, or are using a heavy hull, there are more options for both zones. Jumping from the intermediate white colored platform is your second-best choice. For Zone 10, it is tempting to come up from below, but ONLY do this if you do not have the time to get up to an area where you can jump from the top. Drop Zone 12: For this zone, it is best to have a heavy tank. You will have almost an entire team trying to use the closest ramp to get up. To combat this, simply position yourself like pictured. When the gold is about to touch down, move to the drop zone to push away your teammates. If you are using a light hull and are on the blue team, Use the ramp right below Zone 16. If there is anyone blocking the zone, you will be able to get around them. If not, use a method like described for Zones 1 and 2. Get on the left of the ramp (on the brown ground), and hop on top of the swarm of tanks going up the ramp. If you time it right, shoot backwards (if using a high recoil turret), and launch yourself either through the gold, or on top of the pile over the drop zone. Ideal positioning for a heavy tank blocking access of other tanks to the drop zone Drop Zone 13: This zone is almost completely tailored for the red team. The only good method here is to jump down from the red base. It is a tricky move, and you will need a good deal of speed to get on top of your teammates, due to the ramp. If you are on the blue team, it is all about pushing. If you are using any hull other than Dictator, Titan, or Mammoth, it is doubtful you will get the gold. However, it is still worth equipping a speed boost to enhance your pushing power. Drop Zone 14: While this zone is on the map overview, I honestly think the devs took it out of the map. In my year and three quarters, I have never seen a gold here. If you do see the drop zone there, go back up to your base and act like you don’t know it is there. Once the time is right, go on over to the drop zone. If combated, use the slanted white wall to the left of the zone to climb on top of any challengers. Labeled drop zones Drop Zone 15: This is an exciting zone. While not many blues normally find it, it is still quite the fight for the gold. The best method here is not to jump directly out of the tunnel, but to come from the area right above the tunnel (pictured) and get on top of the tanks going up the ramp. Make sure to jump directly on top of a tank, generally a little off center of the ramp. If you do not do so, you have a very high chance of nicking the edge of a tank and flipping. The best method here is to come from the place of the pictured tank, on top of tanks in the tunnel Drop Zone 16: The best method here is like 10 and 11 - jump from the red base. If you manage to get control of the launch zone, just make sure to time your jump, and angle your tank so it will fall though the drop zone. While it may seem tempting, jumping on top of the building is not a good option. While it is possible, having enough time to get to the top part of the roof is doubtful, and you will also self-destruct. If you cannot take control of the upper launch zone, the ramp to the right and bottom of the zone are your other options. For the one to the right, just time it correctly to get on top of the pile. For the upper ramp, go from the little part of brown floor to the left of the ramp (pictured), and get on top of the tanks driving down the pile. For both, watch out for the person jumping from up top - set yourself to the lower portion of the pile, so they cannot jump on top of you. Once they land, push them away before they can get their footing. Image showing the best place to get on top of the pile from the upper ramp Drop Zone 19: Once again, a zone that favors the red team. This one is also great for large hulls. Position yourself in the same manner as for Zone 12, and wait for the gold to fall. If you are not a heavy hull, it is best come from the ramp, but only if there is not a heavy hull blocking the passage. If there is, circle up through the red base, and push your way to let the gold fall on you. *If you are on the blue team and manage to not flip during the gold drop, quickly take their flag and capture. This works for Zone 15 as well* That concludes the gold guide. If you have anything to add, feel free to leave a comment. Also, if there are any other maps you would like for me to make a gold guide for, let me know. Other articles in this series: Gold Guide: Polygon - @Jwimmer, @jwimmer2

The random battle button keeps sending me to empty battles. Got put in a Magistral CTF, all by myself... The feature seemed good in the test server, but not so much in the real game. Once it sends you to a battle in any server, it should be good.

Grabbed both of these within like 5 minutes, along with taking about 800 cry from a fund in a Poly CP that I destroyed in.

When is the glitch where Vulcan does not do damage going to be fixed? It has been like that for a while now. The damage counters help you know when you are not doing damage, but it still disrupts gameplay to have to stop firing and reload.