Yes, I meant patch updates, not alterations earlier - sorry.

Long question, sorry, but it's an important one: All the recent alterations have been designed to reduce the number of crystals available to non-buyers, and so encourage more of them to become buyers. The benefits to buyers are huge now - especially the daily crystal bonuses - and they quickly acquire powerful kit, leaving non-buyers as cannon fodder. Expanding the range of ranks in each battle leaves lower ranks having to compete against much higher ranks with powerful kit. Again they become cannon fodder. They can't compete fairly, and will find it very difficult to build up their tanks simply through playing the game. You're not stupid - you knew that these things would unbalance the game. Why did you do it? Much of the appeal of Tanki was in the community spirit of fair play, but now you've driven a wedge through it. Why?

eat

Axiomatically true. PUM had to look up 'axiomatically' in a dictionary.

You write your name with a cool flourish. I hope you don't use a similar password. Hackers would love you for it.

zbha\fctfresrdmnatfhg (you did say type with your a**e, didn't you?)

Thank you for reviewing the patch, Savage. I've posted elsewhere about the mission updates which reduce the available crystals. This is another in a long line of patches which do that - you have to complete a battle on the winning side to have any chance of achieving those crystal missions, and for that, you generally win just a few supplies. It's really not worth the while. To award daily crystals for premium buyers really unbalances the game, particularly at lower ranks. Beginners will be up against L1 tanks almost from the outset. It will be difficult for them to progress, and frustrating as they become cannon fodder for the rich kids. I wonder whether you'll lose new players as a result. Now, I'm all for folks getting something for their money, but why unbalance the game to do it? Why not give them a double bonus for crystals instead? - make them play to earn those extra crystals, not just sit on their backsides. Why not give them more exclusive equipment and discounted kits? Why not make new turrets like Striker and Magnum available to premium buyers for a month before anyone else? And finally, now you've battered the honest, hard-playing non-buyer for the last few patches, why not give something back, to show you still love us?

Another kick in the teeth for us guys who don't have the money. I earn around 50 crystals for an average 15m battle. It now takes me an hour to earn a 200-crystal mission - in some candy-ass Battle-button battle which doesn't suit my tank. And what's the prize? A few supplies. And now you're giving 2500 crystals for free to premium buyers? Every day! Where's the fairness in that? This is a poor, poor update.

So, farewell then, Tanki Online, MMOG. Well, to be honest, it wasn't particularly M. And if player numbers fall any further, the other M's in trouble, too. And I thought it was O, but it keeps crashing. But it was definitely a G. So, farewell then, Tanki Online, G.

Thank you for writing this article about the one true art form ;-) I don't recognise myself particularly in your four categories (Defensive / Offensive / Reconnaisance / Diversion), but you've made me think about what my strategy actually is. First and foremost, it's to win the game for my team (I rarely go Deathmatch, and probably won't until they reinstate the proper Madness map). I camp to either shoot flag-carriers in CTF, to secure areas around a control point in CP, or to blast as many bad guys as possible in TDM. I like an area where I can cover routes used by the enemy, especially those which approach my position. I shouldn't say this, but the tanks I fear most are Magnum (in expert hands) and Ricochet (as it's too disruptive to a shaft). Oh, and anything up close and personal, in which case I've had it. Viking hulls have the armour to survive one shot, but the speed to get close, so they're the ones I try to pick off first.

Yeah, looks like we now have the vandalised map without the bouncy castle. I just don't see the point. As you said earlier, you could always snipe tanks on the lower level. I used to enjoy turning a CTF game around doing that - you join at, say 0-4, camp on the staircase, then take them all out. It didn't take long for the good guys to arrive and make it 5-4. You could keep the others out of the game by sniping them before they hit the ground. Oh well, another happy memory shot.

I don't want to sound ungrateful. The holiday paint was the best I've seen. But what you've done to the Madness map is nothing short of vandalism. Playing in zero gravity is fun - for about 10 minutes. I've seen enough of it now. Not many tank battles in reality were conducted in zero gravity (I checked). The novelty has worn off. Please have our old map back? It was so much fun to play.

I know Tanki Online is a business, not a philanthropic act. I know you need players to buy things in the shop, as it pays the guys' wages. I understand that restricting the number of crystals available in the game will encourage more people to go to the shop and buy things. Could you just be a bit more subtle about it? I'm struggling with why you expanded the ranks for battles. As a sniper wanting to earn crystals, it's hard enough finding a non-pro battle with a map I can compete in, let alone having to deal with opponents 10 ranks higher, with massively powerful equipment. All this change appears to do is award more of the (fewer) crystals to the ranks who already have them. Do higher ranks buy more in the shop? They may not need to now - they can steal the crystals from the lower ranks.