Masterwork, Goldie. You workin' on a PhD dissertation in anything? You ought to. :D

This eve, I erroneously clicked the change mission button on a massive mission near completion. I sought means to correct my error; I found none. Were some techno-wizard who can see the track of my play and error to view and amend, I would definitely do my happy dance. Meanwhile this prompted a thought, a suggestion. How about a two step process? #1. "Change." #2 "Are you certain you wish to do this?" Within seconds of my error, I knew it, but there seems no way to amend. Two steps might've amended this. A courtesy to Tankers is always appreciated. Thank you. MadDof21

Delayed Gratification and Fiscal Self-discipline For those inclined to read lobby chat occasionally or regularly, it’s common to see the covetous laments of players on their way up. Fill the blank with whatever you wish: crystals, specific equipment, micro upgrades and like that, it’s often the same. “I want/need _____.” Firstly there’s a world of difference between want and need. Wants are unneeded but coveted. I want my own Huey UH-1M and the cash to maintain it. I want a Bugatti Veryon, so I can challenge the mega-wealthy duffus, Simon Cowell, to a race. I think I’d crisp his smarmy butt. I want obscene wealth in real life and real money, because every one knows money buys happiness. Har! However regarding needs, I, we, everyone, needs air to breath and live. Same thing with clean water, food and hygiene. In Tanki we want a full garage M4’d to the max, gazillions of crystals and infinite supplies. We need a basic tank, turret and skills under construction. Secondly, whining about wants and needs in chats is utterly pointless unless one’s empathetic momma is listening, takes pity on her covetous, needy urchin and springs for the cash to buy. How best to go about getting those wants and/or needs? It’s simple, beyond simplicity. Play the game honorably and aggressively. Learn as we go. Observe “better” players, and align with some of those as “friends” to have the assistance of competent, able comrades. Observe the rules of the games to avoid bans and censures and strive to become the sort of player we tend to want to friend. It haunts all decisions. That Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you’d have them do to you” is eternal truth. So, to the point of my title, there exists the I want it now. No! I want it yesterday ethos. This provokes Tankers to spend as though the crystals were burning a hole in one’s pocket, but judicious management of one’s wealth provides far better outcomes. The trouble is, we must resist the immediacy of buy it now, RIGHT NOW! Delayed gratification or deferred gratification, is the ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward. Generally, delayed gratification is associated with resisting a smaller but more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more enduring reward later. The trouble for many is that this demands self-discipline and the ability to see the better reward if one waits. Waits for what? Well, sales which Tanki offers generously for one. Discounts from 25%, 50% and even 90% show with relative regularity. That’s where one gets far more bang for the buck. But, reiterating, one has to endure waiting for those golden opportunities. Crystals don’t come easily, especially at lower ranks. It takes time and experience to learn what rigs (Tanks, turrets and skins) serve one’s playing style best, and it certainly takes time, patience and persistence to build a garage with multiple options for varied maps and battle types. Some think it’s an overnight thing as some high school or college graduates think they ought to have the stuff and lifestyle of their parents right out of school. Neither is the case. It took years and discipline for our parents to attain what they own. It’ll take time to fill a garage, and it’ll take far longer if we fail to save, discipline and time our purchases and consider carefully which items to buy that will best fit our preferred playing style. Mistakes will be made. Slow and steady might make those mistakes fewer and at lesser cost. Steady play increases wealth. Disciplined shopping and spending makes the greatest value of that wealth. Here’s a telling experiment that’s been done multiple ways. Google variants if you’re interested and care to. The conclusions are the same. The indicator is that delayed gratification is a maturity issue. The sooner that’s understood, learned and applied the happier a citizen and/or a Tanker will be. Don’t make that piggy bank squeal. Let it grunt under a hefty, growing burden of expanding wealth so when the deals come, you can get much more bang for your buck. Play on, good hunting and blessings. http://www.livescience.com/15821-cookie-test-control.html

The Pansy Factor, Drugs and Quitters As with any opinion, stance or position assured disagreement comes. I expect and encourage it. Further, I expect and encourage supporters to raise their voices. Tanki monitors and censures name calling as well as cursing. Good on ‘em! I wish there was more of it. A couple phrases that seem to escape censure suggest these synonyms substitute for far more insulting and/or vulgar calls. Noob in its infinite spelling variations and pansy are these. So, I’ll elect pansy to serve here. Pansies reveal in many ways dependent upon who’s writing and their perceptions. I find certain behaviors to show blue ribbon pansy status, one of which actually goes against Tanki preference. Read on to discern which one qualifies. Some issues own cultural implications. For example, I’ve noted many Russian players expressing great indignation if a battle joins with unbalanced sides. That amuses me for two primary reasons. Having actually engaged in real life and death combat, I know beyond doubt that numbers in one’s favor offer great advantage, advantage meriting favor and covetous. The objection rises from some. "Yes, but it’s just a game!” Indeed it is. A COMBAT game in which parameters model actual combat with slight exceptions. As a gunship pilot, I never captured a flag. I certainly engaged in “death matches” daily, and control points existed night and day when flying or sleeping. The goal? Beat the enemy to their knees till the idea and cost of continuing the fight demanded too much cost to proceed. I also note that the notion of fair play while acting as a reason to delay the start of the festivities does NOT carry equivalent weight as the match progresses. When the sides come to lopsided advantage/disadvantage, I very rarely see any manner of “king’s x,” a slang expression calling for a hold to competition. I’ve seen it, but very rarely. In sum, my notion of exploiting numbers advantage comes to fruition eventually, and the games often end with very lopsided numbers. Related to this, regular displays of what I hold as indications of poor character surface. I’ll leave the multing issue lie for now, but that’s one which merits attention and acid derision. It’s deplorable. Equally contemptible, quitters, deserters and materialists raise the righteous ire of honorable Tankers. Mostly self-explanatory, comments remain in order. Quitters are the most repugnant “teammates” one can encounter. These Tankers lay on with grand enthusiasm, warring with zeal and dedication . . . till the opposing team caps. As astounding as it is, and regardless of the team and/or flag counts, one’s team can instantly reduce by sometimes even half! Can yuh believe it!?! I presume few ever heard the immortal words of Winston Churchill in Britain’s most dire times while enduring the onslaught of nazi Germany’s blitzkrieg. “Never, never, never give up.” It leaves me astonished and amazed that so many have so little grist and courage to fight till the end. Quitters, even worse than slackers, desperately need character adjustment. Of course there’s another reason for quitters. Materialists, profiteers, will play, only, if the promise of profit is strong. If any hint of failing to win surfaces, they saddle up and ride. Why stay if they won’t line their wallets/purses? Well, several reasons exist. If some of your team honor the warrior ethos, they’ll fight TO THE END! This shows a character worthy of admiration and fraternity. These are Tankers worthy of friending. Then the ol’ saw, “Finish what you started,” applies, at least according to my father and grandfather. Enjoying a fight with teammates implies some responsibility to those teammates, a responsibility honorable persons uphold. In the Internet world, observing persons with genuine character and integrity sees too rare. It’s safe. Despite the wishes of the “Desperate Dater Wannabes” who show in chat, the likelihood of ever meeting fellow gamers in face time is slim and none, and Slim just rode outta town. Exceptions exist, of course, like friends who joined with friends, but, mainly, Tankers won’t meet, so who gives a rip what others think? Persons with character and integrity, that’s who. A cost will come in reputation, and that can follow in surprising ways, but that’s for another rant. These represent my perceptions worth, only, what you paid to read ‘em. Don’t be shy about providing yours, but be polite to each other. Who knows? You might get used to it. Har! Blessings.

Two concepts genuinely waste time despite their common popularity. Matters of taste and those of judgement are always the purviews of the individual. If i think something is pretty, I can't prove it. It happens in sports constantly. He was out! He was safe! He was out! There the only opinion that bears any weight is that of the umpire or official. But, have fun. Pointlessness remains a big part of many person's thinking. :D

Tanki Chat Considerations Anytime lobby chat or game chat occurs, certainty promises criticism. Questions and comments both merit some thought and consideration they, too often, do not get. Some queries plainly relate to violation of rules. To know this, it’s useful to read the Rules. Some do; many don’t. One of the clearest clues of chat to ignore comes in the form of “Who wants . . .?” Often these will be solicitations for coveted crystals, some insane amount like nine kazillion. Of first note is that Tanki offers NO method to exchange, share or gift crystals. None! The hope of those who toss that line in the lake is that they’ll catch a fish ignorant or greedy enough to share their password, hence enabling access to the account. Do it, and the account is gone . . ., or worse. I know this is hard. Greed presses heavy on those with no or little experience, but you’ll lose all your experience and gain nothing except the opportunity to whine and howl that you were “hacked” when in truth you simply gave away the proverbial farm. Some relatively harmless questions surface that still waste time and space and hold no merit. “Who’s the MOD?” What difference does it make? Who the MOD is matters not one whit. That the MOD is present and doing his/her job is what counts, and honorable Tankers ought to appreciate their efforts. Same applies to “Who banned me?” Better to not earn bans, eh? Appreciate that the Mod’s present and working. S/he’s striving to make the Tanki environment function well. Their identity is immaterial and certainly not worth inquiry. Asking others what to buy is nearly as pointless. Given, gaining opinions from more experienced Tankers can benefit newer Tankers, but expecting someone to choose for you is silly. When asked, I paste this. “You've watched play. You've seen various rigs at work. Don't waste time asking someone to think or decide for you. It's YOUR decision dependent upon your style of play, and nobody knows that better than you. Man up! Think for yourself.” My main point is that allowing another to choose for you will go quite sour if you find the purchase apart from your favored style of play. Then you may be inclined to place blame in the wrong place on another rather than upon self where it belongs. Choose for yourself; own your choices. Any advice that comes from another knows far less to nothing about your style than you. For example, I tend to be a charger. I relish movement playing CTF mostly. I want to get to the flag or assist a Mate in doing that. The sniping style leaves me wholly disinterested though I know some do exceptionally well with that. Sitting in selected cover waiting for a good shot leaves me cold, respects to Carlos Hathcock, Simo Häyhä, Lyudmila Pavlichenko and their ilk. If I advised a sniper, my advice would fail. I opt for speed, close range effectiveness and armor. A sniper likely more favors a rolling condominium like the Mammoth or Titan with stout armor and distance equalizer like Shaft or Rail that reaches out, way out, and touches someone. Get my drift? Choose for yourself, and own your choices. Of insult and profanity, much may be said. A concept born of the cyber age resides in the illusion that being distant, separated by half a world and communicating through monitors means little or no consequences for what one says. This assumption errs. Firstly, Tanki staff can find their way to offenders. It’s debatable that they choose harshly enough in the cases of some “chronics,” regular offenders. That’s Tanki’s choice, but offending Tankers ought to know they can. More critically, to those who take their play time and the game somewhat seriously, your reputation is built upon your conduct. Tanki tracks what they call “karma.” Tankers track others in their memories. Tankers who curse, profane, flood, harass and do any number of objectionable chat faux pas garner attention as must be a part of their intent. If staff observe those remarks that violate rules, bans, can and will be issued. For some bans are immaterial. They aren’t here to play, compete and interact positively. Their “fun” is acting like the last three letters of class as often as they can. These are either grossly immature children or emotionally impaired persons of any age. To serve their uninterrupted delinquency, they create multiple accounts enabling the dodge of bans till Tanki staff decide enough is too much. But consequences exist in community, and the block feature or potential hefty ban-hammer from staff aren’t the only solutions for honorable Tankers who don’t care to read such scat. Those consequences promise no assistance from irritated Tankers fed up by such chat nonsense. If scofflaws ever take gameplay seriously, they will have lost the potential of enjoying help from higher ranks in deciphering the nuances of Tanki and tactics learned in veteran play. A better course beckons. Be what you’d wish to encounter. Make chat relevant to the game. Rise to the high standards of the timeless Golden Rule.” “Do unto others as you’d have then do unto you.” Pretty solid plan, that. If wishing to socialize, by all means do so, but resist the “cyber temptation” to insult, offend, solicit crystals, exchanges of which can’t be done anyway, account trades or shares, pleas for assists known as boosting, and, one of my personal peeves, “dates.” Seriously!?! One expects a deep, hand-holding, lip pressing with an allegedly appealing other half the world away? One solicits “dating” another whom s/he’d never meet? And, of course, “She’s hot.” That really entices me. I fantasize about fat, sweaty “lovers” half the world away. Har! Tanki’s community is vastly diverse. Given it could be classified by some as a kid’s world. Then I wonder at the age of some with whom I’ve played and conversed to include a brain surgeon from the Ukraine, a nuclear engineer from Sweden, a commercial pilot from Great Britain and on. I’m pretty certain these folks are older than kidlets. At least I hope so if they’re flying my ride, tuning a reactor near me or muddling about within my sacred cranium! If we deport ourselves with grace and respect, we might savor conversations with ones we’d never meet otherwise. For a long while a personal standard for me has been to make friends with people smarter than me. I favor learning what I don’t know about Tanki and life. That’s tricky if I hang with those who can’t even understand or regard Tanki rules or common courtesies. Respect tendered brings respect in return.

Very sorry news this though understandable. You have been a very positive presence here. God bless; happy trails.

A reminder for one of the penultimate critics in the game since you, apparently, missed it in my article. Blocking provides a true gift from Tanki. I block ALL profaners, beggars, cheaters, #rules scofflaws and unmannerly twerps. When I do, it's permanent. Why? I don't care to see those persons' drivel. It's each Tanker's option and privilege, and it makes for far more pleasant gaming. You earned the block long ago, and, from your posts in the Forum, you keep earning it.

Looks good to me. Semyon's reasoning is sound. Many need to request what cheese they want with their whines. :P

Talking in matches is akin to lurking, not participating. Talk in the lobby chat; compete in the maps.

The really fine thing about this update isn't the variety of changes applied, though I like them very much. They really great thing is the responsiveness of Staff and Devs to the body of Tankers! Fine job, all. Keep listening; Tankers, keep communicating. Salute!

The Ethics of Camping and “Boxing.” Ethics really bores many, particularly younger folk and/or those who don’t really know what ethics mean. The lexicographers give us this. “ethics |ˈeTHiks| pl.noun 1 [ usu. treated as pl. ] moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior: Judeo-Christian ethics. • the moral correctness of specified conduct: the ethics of euthanasia. 2 [ usu. treated as sing. ] the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.” However, every single Tanker, every individual, gets their knickers in a wad when they perceive ethical wrongs that assail them or compromise their life moments. The consideration and understanding of ethics is for thinkers as opposed to feelers. You know the difference. Feelers are emoters, persons who love the notions of feeling something is right or wrong. Thinkers are those who assess the world and any parts of it with which they’re engaged with reason, contemplation, thought and critical judgement predicated upon the workings of one’s mind rather than the emotions of one’s “heart.” That said, it’s worthwhile to note that the vast majority of complaints, whining and rants in chat or the Forum relate to ethics. Folks dislike being skinned, cheated and shined to apply some English vernacular. In matches, any ethical tanker loathes “mults.” For the uninitiated, mults are tanks placed in opposing teams to diminish the effectiveness and battle capacity of an opposing team. They’re easily spotted in matches by their inactivity and affirmed by their kill count. Their kill count shows nearly no kills and abundant deaths. Yet they diminish a teams’ capacity to function with balance and effectiveness. One aspect of ethical nastiness comes in the form of campers and boxers. While mults frustrate and madden honorable Tankers, they are the least of those aggravators. They’re the signatures of cheaters, plainly and clearly. The real miscreants reveal in campers and boxers. They can shade their treachery by seeming to compete till a keener eye views their behaviors. Let’s define those for the sake of this discussion for any who might find those confusing. Campers are those Tankers, often of lower ranks but not exclusively so, who behave like mults. They tend to favor picking spots by their perceived safety or security, their crystal drop spots, the hope to keep their ratios slght and numerous other reasons logical, only, to those who decline team support. Like mults, they contribute little to nothing to the team’s efforts. In fact when they select certain spots they actually impede the progress of the team. Not only do they fail to attempt flag capping, establishing and holding control points or hunting opponents dependent upon CTF, Control Points or Death matches, they interfere with efforts of teammate Tankers to do so, and they do little to nothing in support of team efforts and match wins. Deplorable? You bet! Boxers, on the other hand, appear to be active, but closer scrutiny reveals that their activity is in pursuit of dropped crystal boxes over and above doing anything to support the team effort. This ignores team goals to win matches, and it’s immensely self-serving. What’s more, they rarely gain as many crystals as they could from their share of a team win. They can be observed in crystal rich drop zones driving themselves dizzy turning circles in hopes of snagging crystal boxes one by one and, in fact, interfering with the paths of warriors competing for team wins. Rather than engaging opponents, they turn, churn and burn for crystals above all else interfering with other’s movements, and, worse, they substantially diminish a team’s chance for a match win. The motives for such strategy are clear, even simple. Greed. Ironically greed is ill served. Were these miscreants to work for team victories, their reward would generally be greater, sometimes much greater, than what they earn by boxing. Surely they’d gain the respect of their teammates rather than justly earning their contempt. It’s appropriate to note current changes within the game regarding these issues. Administration and Developers took note of feedback in the Forum. Temporarily and experimentally, they’ve pulled crystal drops from the games and added equivalency to the battle fund. This should please the warriors while frustrating boxers, even campers. It means anyone who wants to earn crystals in matches needs to actually compete to earn them. Every Tanker needs to support their teams in the battles. Radical concept, huh? This means a sea change in game tactics setting them as they actually should be. It makes the team goal clear to all, and it results in actual team play opposed to the self-centered, toddle about boxers doing literally nothing for a team win. It’s appropriate to note this is a test, and whether or not it becomes a permanent change will be decided in the future. Additionally it also clarifies the reality that Tanki staff, in fact, do pay attention to the community’s feedback and preferences. As an editorial aside I truly hope it becomes permanent. Playing on a team with ether campers and/or boxers is maddening. Mults are bad enough. When we join teams, team support ought to be a standard expectation. This change moves us nearer that. I sincerely hope it renders this article moot. None can control the actions of others. So it is. So it has always been, but we can control ourselves. Competing honorably, vigorously and ethically ought to be a standard, but so, too, ought all humans be ethical and honorable. That fact is clearly not the case, but it remains that we can be so. Good hunting and blessings!

The Virtue of Friends and Friending and the Block. Tanki offers multiple options for comradeship. Clans and Teams provide two of the most organized options availing Tankers to camaraderies within their chosen organizations and options for sanctioned competitions which can be rewarding upon several levels. Clans and Teams can win competitions that bring Tanki wealth: crystals, special equipment and status. There’s more, of course. Working together in Teams and Clans enables the same sort of fluid play as any team in any sport can attain. We can organize our outfits methodically for varied battles. We can plot tactics applying defenses and offenses. We can arrange equipment to provide the best of team efforts. Of course options are essentially endless. Any sports fan admires the fluid, methodical team play observable in their favored sports when a team demonstrates the workings of the proverbial well oiled machine: football (Either kind, American or World), basketball, baseball and many more. And, of course, we can watch Cybersport events live or archived to see the best of Tanki teams and clans do the same. All that said, there remain many who don’t care to team or clan. I’m one. I’ve done both, and my reasons for declining aren’t germane to the intent here. But there is an option of merit. Tanki enabled building friend lists some while back. There are no obligations for friending except that of being being a friend defined differently by some. Yet, even with this simple advantage, some don’t get it. Friends ought to be known, acquainted, met. Now many of us live a world apart, so how does meeting occur? In matches and chat of course. It’s a simple thing to ascertain. One watches another’s style of play, his or her chat and what of a soul, nature and character leaks through all that. Like what you see? Play a few matches with him or her. Then send a request. If they’re the sort with whom you’d enjoy fraternizing and teaming odds are fair to good you, too, were noticed by him or her. Wait for a decision. Rejection? Consider a PM (Private message) via Forum, and state your case. Want to be a friend? Press the issue, and clarify why you’ll be a good one. Do not flood another with incessant requests to friend, particularly if there’s great separation between your ranks. In Tanki, friends compete together. If your ranks are well apart, that can’t happen till the lesser rank gains some ground. Then it may not be agreeable yet, but it’s more likely than less likely. Friending isn't a quantity contest for the intelligent, judicious Tanker. It's an ally list for Tankers who share respect, learn with and from each other and find trustworthy. Random requests waste the time of the requester and the recipient. On a personal note since I receive far too many friend requests, I may, rarely, accept someone with whom I’ve not played or played little. If I see that person enter against me and my team without starting a match that way, it’s simple to remove them from the friend list. I expect “friends” to behave like friends. I’m willing to begin a match in opposition by consent, but if a “friend” enters against me in a match in progress, that’ll end a friendship. Let’s be clear. That’s not friendly. Then there’s the block feature. I use it liberally. Here’s a bit of logic. Blocking provides a true gift from Tanki. I block all profaners, beggars, cheaters, rules scofflaws and unmannerly twerps. When I do, it's permanent. Why? I don't care to see those persons' drivel. It's each Tanker's option and privilege, and it makes for far more pleasant gaming by my lights. Many Tankers, particularly those classed as newbies, seem bent on earning blocks. It must amuse. However, it’s fair to consider what’s lost when blocked. I have a generous nature. Honorable Tankers struggling to gain in the game often solicit help from we more experienced Tankers, those of higher ranks or longer tenure. Some ranked players don’t give a rip about helping; they mightn’t even respond. I and many of my Mates are willing to help Tankers on their way up. But, and it’s a big but, a two axe handle wide butt, if your careless, rude, thuggish, profane, poor deportment earned you a block from a more experienced Tanker who would otherwise happily give you a hand, your plea will never been seen let alone answered. So, curse, mult, insult, flood, violate rules and on, but think just a little, and count what you lose. Or, make good friends, enjoy the camaraderie of Mates and assure that your future efforts will earn you due respect and camaraderie, helping you rather than earning you derision and shunning. Play hard; play fairly. Blessings.

Actually it was a fat-fingered type, ax, but thank you. It's amended. :)

“PeekaBoom!” Round the corners, from behind the walls, The armor rolls and rarely stalls. Each speaks in an unique voice. The final shout is PeekaBoom! Flashing atop the wicked, quick midgets, Their dazzling speed driving enemies into fidgets. The hot licks they carry add loads of sizzle When the hot breathed Firebird speaks PeekaSizzle. The chassis’ size? Doesn’t matter. There’s no hiss, bang, chatter or sizzle. Intense Freeze stops time as moving parts seize. You’re stuck in the grip. PeekaFreeze! Any tanks can carry the kit. First aid and an electric hit Make the venerable Isi the real deal. Get close enough? Then die or heal. PeekaIsida. Constant chatter of endless fire, These two barrels raise opponent's ire Of any tanker hoping to steer or aim. Dive for cover, or suffer the shame. PeekaTwins! Fireballs fly with rapid succession, No corner’s safe from aimed aggression. Bouncing off the walls, even 'round the corners to strike, This nasty bank shot pool shark raises a serious fright. PeekaRicochet! From the haze, it should emerge, But the random critical might inflict a purge. When it does, the pulse ******s, It’s no cigar, but it hits hard! PeekaSmoky! From the Greek god called Thor, All can hear and fear its authoritative roar. From distant reaches comes its shattering heft. It leaves its targets wholly bereft. PeekaThunder! Distance measures all but this. The ingenuity and technology Assure, no matter how distant, it’ll hit. Improbable to foresight, it will sting. PeekaRail! Then it comes from the distance, through the woods. Distance matters not a whit for this to deliver the goods. It’s sound shakes the earth, and its strike is the worst. Vulnerable? Yes, but awe inspiring, it’s the PeekaShaft, The resounding PeekaBoom! Boom! BOOM!