The results are out. I must say that I was rather disappointed with the low number of entries. Nevertheless, here they are. In one year's time the winner's entry will be posted. In the meantime, enjoy Tanki's birthday celebrations and stay tuned for the upcoming Issue 54. First Place [35,000 crystals]: @mtbarden3 To be published June of 2017... Second Place [20,000 crystals]: @Guanlong999 Third Place [10,000 crystals]: @omrot Honorable Mention [3,000 crystals]: @Read_My_Lips Did you enjoy this contest? Check out the rest of Issue 53 right here!

Please note that the deadline has been extended until June 5th due to low number of entries.

It looks a lot like Haifa, Israel. On a trip around central Europe, through Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. I have about 60 other pictures of tanks sitting on my hard drive, didn't bother to upload them though.

Welcome, readers. This article will be covering a very interesting topic: TankiX. A few issues ago, we interviewed a few community members privileged enough to be given access to the testing. Recently, I was also given the fortunate opportunity to try out the closed beta test. In this article, you will find out everything you need to know about TankiX - from the differences between it and Tanki Online, to the problems currently being faced in the closed testing. Not to mention, there are four invite codes up for grabs. Let’s jump right in. Also, please note that because of the liberal use of gifs, it would be best to view this article with optimal internet speed. The Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSGu10yIaVo Basic Information Unlike Tanki Online, TankiX is a downloadable client game. It is unlikely that the game will be available for browsers in the near future. To download the game, follow this link: http://static.tankix.com. Keep in mind that even if you have the game downloaded, you will not be able to play the game unless given an invite code. Invite codes are distributed in a number of ways. Every few weeks, several hundred invites will be randomly given to emails that have been signed up to participate in the beta test. Invite Codes are also regularly given out in contests and giveaways on many social media platforms, including: TankiX Facebook, TankiX Twitter, TankiX VK, TankiX Twitter RU, and TankiX Odnoklassniki. Additionally, invite codes are sometimes hidden in the weekly V-Logs or given out in unofficial youtube giveaways. Recently, applications have been opened to TankiX. If you would like to participate in the closed test, fill out this form: http://www.surveygiz...pplication-form. Invite codes consist of 32 letters and digits, for example: XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX. Invite codes can only be used to create one single account; after this, they are no longer usable. To stay up to date with TankiX news, follow the official TankiX YouTube channel. The game’s interface - The out-of-battle menu and organization One of the main features in which TankiX differs from Tanki Online is the game’s interface. There is currently no server chat menu, and the Garage is divided up into four sections: Turrets, Hulls, Paints, and Supplies. Once a player logs into the game, he views this screen: If one clicks on the Garage, this menu is then opened (see spoiler). When inside the Garage, a tanker can see his current number of crystals. From here, a tanker can select which classification of Garage equipment he wishes to view. The Garage allows one to preview equipment he has not yet bought, as shown in the picture below. If instead of going to the Garage a player wants to view the battles menu, this screen is displayed: A tanker can then sort through the battles list and choose which battle to join. It is impossible to create a battle; all battles and modes are pre-created and one must simply choose which type of battle he wishes to join. All closed beta testers also have access to Spectator mode and can thus spectate matches in addition to playing. - The HUD (Heads-Up Display) One of the most noticeable changes from Tanki Online to TankiX is the vastly improved HUD of TankiX. The HUD is the interface that you see when in a battle, including: your supplies, the number of flags captured, the rank bar, and the Garage/battle menu in the top right corner. Personally, many players have found the Tanki Online HUD to feel cluttered, unorganized, and simply lacking sophistication. Fortunately, this is not true for TankiX. TankiX has a rather unique HUD, different from most other games out there. It appears that the developers have strived to implement a HUD that will be extremely subtle and much less distracting. Basically, everything in the HUD will disappear unless it is currently being used. The number of supplies disappears unless you are holding the TAB key or have just activated a supply. The battle fund and battle timer will also disappear, except for a few seconds at the end of every minute or when the TAB key is being pressed. Additionally, there is no "rank bar" in TankiX - although you can view your progress toward the next rank if you go to a specific page of the main menu. The Graphics The most noticeable feature of TankiX is the stunning graphics. The graphics outperform Tanki Online by a very wide margin. Everything looks different in TankiX, from the tanks to the maps and even the gold boxes. - Turrets and Hulls The turrets and hulls retain their basic appearances, but overall everything is a lot more detailed. The size of turrets in relation to the hulls appears to be slightly larger than in Tanki Online. Possibly the most interesting graphical feature of the turrets and hulls is that when a supply has been activated, the appearance of the equipment being affected changes. When a Double Damage is activated, this is usually displayed with orange lights on the turrets. When Double Armor is activated, side armor-plates unfold from the hull. An armor plate on the rear of the hull opens up, revealing small orange flames and the engine when Speed Boost has been activated. I would definitely say that Double Armor is the most subtle of the supply effects. It is reasonably difficult to discern between a tank using Double Armor or without. Currently, there is no effect for the activation of health kits. For this reason, it is actually impossible to tell if a tanker has activated a supply kit. Fortunately, I believe that in the future we can expect to see some kind of effect for Repair Kit. - Firing effects Tanki X has very advanced firing effects. From Firebird's burn effect to the path of a Smoky shell, everything related to shooting is extremely detailed and far better than Tanki Online. All weapons that have color (Freeze, Firebird, Ricochet, Twins, Shaft, and Railgun) have the option to change the color of their shooting, from among 2-3 different colors (depending on the weapon). Though extreme realism is not a goal of the developers, the graphics of TankiX are certainly aimed at being somewhat realistic. For example, all weapons that fire rounds (as opposed to Freeze, Firebird or Isida) exhibit blow-back and release shells after firing. For a full list of shell-types, see the below image. I'll go through the graphical features weapon by weapon, starting with Firebird and Freeze. Freeze and Firebird: For both Freeze and Firebird, the graphical properties have been upped by a long shot. Firebird has the option between shooting an orange or dark red stream, while Freeze can choose between a light blue or purple color. When a Freeze or Firebird shoots against a wall or other object, the stream bends as if it is actually encountering the structure rather than seemingly going through it as in Tanki Online. The speed of Freeze's stream is a lot slower than in Tanki Online. This is not true for Firebird. Firebird's stream is far less opaque and dense, but it also appears much more characteristic of an actual flame. When a tank has been damaged with Firebird or Freeze, their appearance changes. Burning damage elicits a bright orange glow, while frozen tanks have a similar glow, only blue. Isida: Isida's beam appears nearly identical to that of Tanki Online's Isida. There hasn't been a lot of change. Hammer: Hammer is another turret that is largely unchanged. The pellets released from the turret are certainly more numerous and clearly defined. While reloading, the the barrel spins three distinct times as if loading three different shells. A cloud of smoke is also released from the barrel after firing. Click the spoiler for details. Smoky and Thunder: Smoky and Thunder's firing effects are largely similar to those in Tanki Online. However, it is a lot more realistic. One can see the path of a Smoky or Thunder shell as it travels through the air. The impact of shells upon objects is very pronounced, and and explosion with smoke is emitted from both Smoky and Thunder. Interestingly, Smoky's projectiles explode and smoke with a lot more gusto than Thunder. Perhaps the developers decided that Smoky should live up to its name. Additionally, as in real guns, the barrels of these two weapons experience blow-back; they jerk backward and then forward after one has fired a shell. Railgun: Of all the differences between the turrets of TankiX and Tanki Online, I like the changes to Railgun the best. Railgun's warm-up is slightly different than in Tanki Online, appearing much more smooth [see spoiler]. For your information, Railgun can choose between shooting Green, Purple and Blue ammunition. When the TankiX Railgun begins shooting, the inner piece of the turret's rear begins to spin. This detail alone impresses me. Vulcan: Vulcan is a very nice looking weapon in TankiX. This turret isn't a whole lot different from Tanki Online, but it does have its differences. The right-hand piece of the gun containing the ammunition spins while the turret is firing, as well as a stream of bullet casings tumbling out of the back. Click the spoiler for images. When the turret begins to overheat, as in Tanki Online, the tank begins glowing orange until it eventually self destructs. Shaft: Shaft is a very deadly looking weapon in TankiX. The whole turret is very detailed, but its design is similar to Railgun. Like Railgun, the center piece of the turret spins when reloading. When the turret fires, the bloom is a lot brighter and bigger than in Tanki online. The scope is pretty much exactly the same as it is in Tanki Online, though the crosshairs have a more advanced design. I'm not really sure what this is supposed to accomplish, though. Click the spoilers to reveal images. Twins and Ricochet: Lastly, we have the two plasma weapons: Ricochet, and Twins. For the most part, these weapons' effects have been unchanged from Tanki Online to TankiX. However, the lighting features for the rounds of these turrets is definitely improved. Overall, the charges are much brighter than in Tanki Online. The firing and shell speed of Twins is markedly slower than in Tanki Online; for this reason, Twins remains one of the more weak turrets in the game. See the spoiler for images. Gameplay Overall, TankiX gameplay is not drastically different from that of Tanki Online. But it does have its quirks, mainly being in the "feel" of the game. When first laying your hands upon the controls, the game feels pretty much identical to Tanki Online. But, as you begin to fight and confront enemies, you will notice small anomalies. The most prominent change with the actual feel of gameplay involves acceleration. In TankiX, every hull is much heavier than one would expect, hence accelerating slower. Basically, hulls do not get airborn as easily, and do not travel as far when going off jumps. The acceleration of the hull is quite a lot slower than in Tanki Online, meaning that it is difficult to gain speed quickly. This trend also is true with turrets: the acceleration of turret rotation is also a bit slower than I would have anticipated. Aiming at dodging and zig-zagging enemies is very difficult because of the added time it takes to reverse the direction of the turret's rotation. Players find that using Railgun in close quarters confrontations may result in an unexpected miss for this reason. Personally, I appreciate these changes: they add a more realistic feel to the controls, whereas in Tanki Online driving is often described as controlling a "card board box". As I mentioned, the weight of hulls in TX is higher than in TO. In fact, I find tank combinations to be more "top heavy" than I anticipated, leading to more rolls when jumping from a platform. If you hit the ground on your side, you will likely roll twice and find yourself upright. But, this trait of top-heaviness has its disadvantages: Using the "helicopter maneuver" when making a jump will not work with the effectiveness as in TO. If you make a mistake, you may discover that your only recourse is to self destruct. Another one of these differences is with the autoaim. It is hard to put one's finger upon what is different about the TankiX autoaim, but it is certainly different. The degree of autoaim from turret to turret is definitely lower than in Tanki Online. The autoaim is also to some extent less accurate, and many players find that the phenomenon of "shooting over the shoulder" occurs with regularity. These minor troubles with autoaim will no doubt be sorted out with further game development. Because of these changes in weight, acceleration, and auto aim, rocking your hull to achieve high-altitude shots is very difficult. The trickshots that could previously be made in TO are now impossible in TX. However, I believe that there is hope: TX only has M0 modifications. The M0 modifications in TO are also very slow to accelerate, and are generally poor in making rocking shots. I believe that once we begin seeing M1, M2 and M3 modifications in TX, we will be able to perform similar shooting feats as in TO. As far as game balance actually comes, I won't remark on this subject in too much detail. The balance of the various weapons and hulls is constantly changing with developmental rebalances. Thus, it is hard to predict how the balance will be in a week from now, let alone when the game is out of closed beta. But there are a few overall trends that I will draw attention to. For one, Thunder and Isida have remained arguably the most powerful weapons in TankiX throughout various rebalances. As this is being written, the game is actually very balanced and it is difficult to make the claim of Isida and Thunder superiority, but these turrets are nonetheless stronger in TX than in TO. However, one irking characteristic of Thunder is the unexpectedly low autoaim degree. I find it very difficult to make shots with altitude when using turret. Surprisingly, Freeze is one of the most powerful close range turrets in TX, while in TO it is by most counts the weakest turret. But, when playing TankiX, I stick to the dependable Smoky/Viking. There is really nothing wrong with this combo in either versions of the game, and I believe it is in general the best choice for Tanki gameplay. Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Bear in mind that all article content is subject to change due to game development. TankiX is in a testing phase for this very reason: to identify problems, and to implement solutions and improvements. Any opinions shared are not to be taken with much weight, as interpretations vary from person to person. With that, good luck on the battlefield! Oh and by the way, four TankiX invite codes have been hidden throughout this article. Let the search begin....

Goldboxes: XP-BP games: Random Games:

I'm left handed, although I've gradually become ambidextrous in most activities (including writing). As for the idea that there is a difference between "left brained" and "right brained" individuals, this is largely false. Although the brain is linked contralaterally, people rarely develop a "dominance" favoring one hemisphere over another. It is true that the hemispheres tend to specialize in different areas, but even this isn't always the case. Read more here.

About Future Overview: Future was created by the player Profnaz for the 2013 “Level Designer” contest. It is a fairly popular map among low ranked players, but gradually becomes less common as one progresses through the game. Though not especially common, this map is a jewel when it comes to dynamic, medium ranged gameplay suiting nearly every turret in the game. With its characteristic urban landscape and the option of night mode, Future can take on a nearly eerie appearance. Battle Modes: TDM, CTF, CP, DM Size: 20 players, 10 vs 10 Tactics CTF Map Layout: Both the red and blue flags are situated in the very confined corners of the map. The Red Team’s base is especially defendable, with the flag sitting under a platform with only three entrances. The Blue Flag is also in a defensive location. One of the map’s most prominent features is the large, highway-like bridge spanning across the center of the map. This bridge offers a quick dash across either side of the map, but is also very vulnerable to attack from the two opposing buildings. A tanker can also head underneath the bridge, but this route is a bit more circuitous. A few other interesting components of Future are the passages. In the Blue Team’s left-hand corner, there is a large tunnel that bends around the perimeter of the map. This passage isn’t very significant, but it is a useful location to hide if you have taken possession of the enemy flag while at a stalemate. On the Red Team’s side of the map, underneath the large building overlooking the bridge, there are three tunnels offering entrance to a small chamber. Two of these tunnels are narrow enough only to accommodate Hornet or Wasp. However, the left tunnel is accessible to all hulls. One can also enter this chamber by jumping from above. If you are making a quick getaway with the flag using Wasp or Hornet, these passages can be very useful. Heavier hulls cannot follow you, and it is usually an unexpected move to opponents. Finally, in the far rear of the Red Team’s base, there is a tunnel that leads just behind the Red Team’s flag. This tunnel can be stealthily employed to nab the enemy flag without being noticed, and is fortunately wide enough to be used by all hulls. On the other hand, this tunnel is only accessible to those who have made their way to the very center of the Red Team’s base, and so may make a poor escape route. Strategy: Capture-the-flag gameplay, like in other maps, is quite engaging. Both sides are very similar and can be played accordingly. When playing in Future CTF, one has several options. Firstly, you can be an attacker, using a lighter hull to dart into the enemy base, and escape as quickly as possible. Be wary of using the exposed freeways, as Vulcans or Shafts camping on the overlooking buildings will tear a Wasp or Hornet to pieces. Taking the flag can be difficult; both the Red and Blue flags are in confined, defensible locations perfectly tailored to heavy-hulled protectors. A Mammoth/Twins guarding the flag can really make a Wasp’s life miserable. Depending on the extent of the opponents’ defense, Hunter, Viking and even Dictator can sometimes serve as acceptable attackers. As soon as an attacker successfully takes possession of the enemy flag, try to return to your base as quickly as possible. This is not to say that one should be foolhardy; it if seems clear that the enemies are all over your base, take a more indirect but protected route. One can also choose to be a “midfielder”. In Future, a very effective strategy is to take position on one of the buildings looking over the bridge. Taking position with Vulcan or Shaft, a Tanker will have a good firing position across most of the center of the map. This location provides an excellent way to both help defenders and attackers, as well as racking up kills and score. Another option is to prowl about the map using a medium hull with a turret such as Firebird, Thunder, Smoky or Ricochet. Medium to close range weapons with high damage power will excel in close-range brawls. Besides clearing a way for attackers, this position grants a player the opportunity to take the enemy flag if the situation arises. Perhaps the most important task of midfielders is to return the flag if the enemy succeeds in taking it. Finally, a tanker can choose to be a Defender. This map is really befitting to defenders, what with the close quarters locations of the flag and limited escape routes. Additionally, a health kit drops within a few feet of either flag. As mentioned earlier, Mammoth or Titan mounted with a high damage turret act as deadly defenders. Simply set up camp around the flag and wait for enemies to come to you. Using mines is an especially potent strategy in the Red base, as the escape routes are very narrow. The blue base also presents a unique opportunity to both closely defend the flag, and cover a great deal of the rest of the map as well. The ramp area leading from the blue flag to the roof of the building is a great place to defend the blue base with Vulcan. Vulcan’s high autoaim enables it to hit enemies just around the flag stand, and fire although into the enemy base to pick off attackers long before they near the flag. Recommended Equipment: Turrets: Vulcan, Smoky, Hammer, Ricochet Hulls: Viking, Hornet, Titan, Wasp DM Adding to Future’s bleak ambience, DM mode suits this map very well. Future has seven areas of combat, all of which suit different weapons and playstyles. Corner Tunnel Area: This section is not frequently visited by players, so if one is playing in DM mode, it is best to avoid this area. However, if you intend on surviving for lengthy amounts of time and accumulating a high D/L, this spot may be for you. I would recommend mounting Hammer or Firebird on a medium or heavy hull in this area. The Left Building: This location is great for Vulcan, but be careful of players attacking from behind as you snipe across the map. Overall, this area is usually crowded. It offers a chance to achieve a high number of kills in a short amount of time, but is also very dangerous for longer periods. If possible, use Vulcan or Smoky to destroy enemies from above. Upper Region: This region accommodates medium to longer range turrets. Thunder and Smoky perform excellently. A Firebird on Hornet can also be an effective combination in this area. With a medium range turret, try to destroy enemies without getting too close. Because Future DM is best for close range weapons, a mid range weapon in this location is powerful, yet vulnerable. Center Region: This region consists of the area below the bridge, and the bridge itself. The bridge itself is slightly vulnerable from attack from above. Nevertheless, the bridge can be employed by longer range weapons to stay protected from close quarters. Additionally, a great deal of drop boxes fall upon the bridge. The underside of the bridge provides an excellent environment for Hammer or Ricochet. This lower level may be one of the most powerful zones in Future. It grants a way to fire upon the upper and lower regions, as well as destroy enemies in close quarters. The numerous walls and structures are perfect for Ricochet. Lower Region: This region is decent for all types of turrets. Like the upper region, Thunders and Smoky may do best. Hammer, Twins, Ricochet, and even Railgun can do great in this area. If you are using a longer range turret, be observant and avoid making a risky move. The Right Building: This position is relatively the same as the left building. Sniping with Vulcan, Thunder, or Smoky may be an effective strategy; however, because this location is usually crowded, it may be dangerous. Use your judgement when entering with a longer range turret. Of course, Vulcan can sometimes hold its own against close range weapons. One thing peculiar to this building is the ability to jump from it to the bridge below. If using a light hull, this strategy can be employed to make quick and harmless getaways. Additionally, one can also jump into the small chamber underneath the building. The Far Right: This region is very similar to the lower and upper regions. It is essentially without cover, other than the two trenches/tunnels that run along the wall. Overall this region isn’t very important and is mainly used as a pathway to get to other regions. Recommended Equipment: Turrets: Hammer, Thunder, Ricochet, Vulcan Hulls: Dictator, Viking, Hornet, Titan CP CP mode in Future consists of five control points. Interestingly, the spawn locations of the teams have been slightly changed from that of CTF. One control point is located in each of the buildings. The other three are situated on the the ground. The two team’s spawn on the lower two corners of the map; because the spawn locations are not as distributed across the map as they are for CTF, it gives a player more decision in which direction he will head. One option is to drive on top of the closest building. Usually you will spawn very close to a ramp leading up to the building. Once on top, one can capture the control point and snipe at enemies below. Again, Vulcans, Shafts and Thunders are effective turrets for this technique. If it seems necessary to continue capturing points, one can easily jump from atop the building and land on the ground below. Twins mounted on a medium to heavy hull are very powerful turrets in CP mode. Because of the high damage and lack of reload, Twins always makes an indispensable capturer and guardian of control points. Recommended Equipment: Turrets: Twins, Vulcan, Firebird, Smoky Hulls: Dictator, Titan, Viking, Hunter TDM The main thing to keep in mind in Future TDM is that there is no reason to be unduly aggressive. Take a more defensive stance, and play cautiously. There is no great reason to use Wasp or Hornet; Heavier hulls are definitely preferable. All turrets will perform decently, but longer range turrets will do best, as they don’t necessarily require a player to advance into enemy territory. Make use of the map’s defensive nature by setting up a strong camping position, and wait for enemies to come to you. Take advantage of the map terrain. Future offers a lot of cover that can be used to pull off “peak-a-boom” tactics. Ricochet can be an advantageous turret because of the number of ricochet angles in the map. A Ricochet is certainly useful to be guarding one of the tunnels or passages in Future. Recommended Equipment: Turrets: Thunder, Vulcan, Smoky, Railgun Hulls: Titan, Dictator, Viking, Hunter This concludes the article. Stay tuned for more guides in upcoming issues. Thanks for reading. Did you enjoy this article? Check out the rest of Issue 53 right here!

1. First of all, how did you first get involved in the Tanki Online project? How long have you been working with Alternativa Platform? 2. I believe that you are living in Malta. Are you a native Maltese? 3. What does a day in the life of a Community Manager look like for you? What are a few of the duties that you see to during the day? 4. Do you have any hobbies or interests? 5. When TankiX is officially released, will you serve as the community manager of both TO and TX? 6. What is your favorite turret/hull combo? What is your favorite map?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ctThxwJNB0

If you changed your keyboard settings to Russian, this will not translate every sentence you write into Russian- it just changes your keyboard to write in the Cyrillic alphabet. This is the layout of a Cyrillic keyboard: It obviously has the same structure as a traditional English keyboard, but the keys correspond to the Cyrillic alphabet. If you want to actually translate your sentences to Russian, you will have to use Google Translate or some other software.

With a mult.

Finally got around to making one of these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ctThxwJNB0&feature=youtu.be

Welcome contestants. In this new and unprecedented contest, your task is to put together a message for the future tankers of Tanki Online. In one year's time, the winning entry may be published in the Newspaper for all to read. Objective: Create a written message to the future readers of the newspaper. Be creative! Mention the recent major community events. Include pictures, the community's dreams for the upcoming year, or even speculate on the future of Tanki X and the Newspaper. There are no strict guidelines. The goal is to create a definitive message that will intrigue the 2017 readers of the Tanki Online Newspaper. Rules: No more than 1000 words are allowed. Any plagiarism whatsoever will result in an immediate disqualification from all newspaper contests. Only one entry per participant is allowed. Deadline: Entries are accepted no later than June 5th (2016) at 12 PM UTC + 0. Rewards: 1st Place: 35,000 crystals 2nd Place: 20,000 crystals 3rd place: 10,000 crystals Honorable Mentions: 3,000 crystals Entries will be judged primarily on creativity and proper English skills. Send all entries in a PM to @Contradiction. Good luck!

Can the 30 second video include multiple gold catches? In other words, could I make a 30 second compilation showing two or more gold catches?