Through my journey as an emerging writer to the fledgeling reporter that I am today, I’ve gained so much experience that really helped me take the next step and blossom into a better person. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Just about a year and some ago, a scrawny little tanker stepped onto the forum, not knowing what would ever happen. That tanker would go through initial success, a cycle of victory and failure, self-deprecation, a nadir, and finally, find the road that led to the ultimate accomplishment of becoming a Tanki Online Reporter. Tankers, that player was me. I went through the pain of losing, the self-hate, the pain of self-made enemies all around me, but I pulled through. Of course, with a journey that wild, I’ve learned so many lessons, not just about Tanki Online and the Forum, but life lessons I’ll never forget. Out of everything I’ve gained in this past year and a half, five points summarize the best takeaways from this journey. 1. Always bring your A-game. I noted that at first, I gained early success in two random writing contests that I just decided to participate in with hours before the deadline. With those clutch victories under my belt, I was sure that I could pull off the same trick in the AWS and have many viewers crowd by my pieces. After all, didn’t I just finish two contests (including a CtS) in under an hour and gain 40 000 crystals in return? Of course, that meant my first few articles were just a rough draft with a superficial edit or two submitted in under thirty minutes. Needless to say, my early articles were a bit of a flop. But because of my headstrong personality, I always channeled various excuses to explain my contest fiascos and low view count: I was an unknown and just as unpopular in Tanki as in real life. However, the truth was that I wasn’t putting in the work to get the feedback I thought I deserved. Finally, I found out the truth. It wasn’t that no one wanted to look at my pieces, but rather that I needed to put in more effort into the writing process to get more out of my work. Once I got that idea in my head, it was a few months before I finally could make a name for myself. 2. Everyone is different, find your strengths. I used to try various genres of writing that I believed would be more “popular” than others: humor, guides, reviews, stories, whatever I felt like would gather more views for me. However, this “strategy” of mine only caused more severe issues: drops in self-confidence and anger management problems. At that time, I often felt that no one understood my jokes or thought that my interpretation of the review was a witty idea. But it wasn’t just that. I suppose as I was writing in my early style (a more humorous, choppy sentence structure with plenty of emotes and strikethroughs), I neglected to think of what I was good at in writing: lyrical, descriptive bits with ample servings of figurative language and alliteration. Once I understood what was pushing my progress back, it was a hard transition to get to, but over the months, I started to make a name for myself. Before long, I was on the road to becoming a reporter. 3. Always cherish your feedback. In the writing class I attended for five years, my teacher often forced us to write feedback for other classmates. Because of my poor writing abilities at the time and the insensitivity of other students, I was often sent back with a truckload of negative comments. It was pretty obvious that by the time I started contributing to the AWS, I viewed feedback as another opportunity to take a shot at the fairly large target on my back, which started me off on the wrong foot. At first, I was always angry because of the words others had suggested so I could improve, but when I started reading, I also discovered that their advice proved correct. Their opinions helped me make more progress as a writer as well as learn how to tolerate negative words directed towards me, a great win-win in my journey to reporterhood. 4. What happens off the forum stays off the forum. If you’ve ever been bothered by me, stop cheering right now, I don’t annoy people anymore. For the most part of my forum career, I was plagued with self-hate and social issues, which often spilled over to the forum. If I felt discouraged by my track teammates or short-changed by my friends, it would often end up fueling my anger on the forum. After several of those “episodes”, I ended up alienating a lot of people who I shouldn’t have. It’s one of the greatest regrets of my life. Sometimes, I think if I were to go back and fix my life, this is probably one of the first things I would change for the better. But since time cannot turn around, I just had to work hard and show the tankers I had annoyed that I wasn’t always like this. These past few months were hard as a tanker, and then Guest Writer, because biting my tongue and deciding not to type out a poisonous message was always one of the hardest things to do. However, as time passed (and with the help of my good friend), I was able to change my personality and myself for the better. This does bring me to another point: Always have someone to talk to if things aren’t going well. I don’t mean to excuse my poor behavior, but I know that at that time, I had no one who I could reach out to and discuss my problems with. As a result, the Tanki Online Forum, the closest thing I had to a real friend, became the prime place to vent. It definitely wasn’t the right thing to do, and I apologize for that. But I think if I had someone who I could reach out to, things would have been different. However, one must learn from past mistakes to improve, and through these hardships, I’ve become a better person. 5. Erasing a bad reputation is an uphill battle, change for the better and never give up to go back to your old ways. Well, of course, I had become a bad name among the reporters for my unique attitude, which stopped me from advancing further into the ranks of the best writers, even though I was just as good as them. To counter the stain I had on my name, I had to work much harder (and crank out a record-number of editorials) to prove myself worthy of joining the newspaper team. At times, it was tempting to lash out in anger, which happened a few times, but mostly, I was able to stop my fingers just milliseconds before they sent that angry message on Discord or the TO Forum. But now, even though some might still have some sour memories of me, it’s easily wiped aside by my now easygoing personality on the forum. It’s a tough and slow process, and there are more than enough setbacks to get even the most persistent of people to lose interest, give up, and snap. However, I assure you that even though the journey will be one of the hardest things to go through, the reward at the end of your hard work will be enough to make the journey worth it. 6. Sit down, shut up, keep your head down, and watch the world revolve around you. So this is more of a recent discovery than a lesson I've learned throughout my journey. It's pretty simple: sometimes we feel the need to criticize that one typo a teacher made or tell that one kid who slept through the math exam that their 85 was only due to the grade curve. Often times, I've found myself making these comments without thinking about the consequences and they've come back to haunt me. However, recently, instead of listing unnecessary and angry comments on the forum and in real life, I decided to focus on other things instead of wasting my breath saying words that would usually hurt my reputation. Sometimes, it would be hard to bite my tongue when I saw injustices or something I really needed to criticize or vent, but I pulled through. I picked up US History and Physics instead of flaming others, suffered through the hard times of losing who I thought was my best friend, and survived a semester of one of the hardest years in school. After that, I went from amateur writer to Newspaper Reporter candidate, from lonely and friendless to content with my life, from struggling to succeeding in academics. It's safe to say that not speaking up isn't the only thing that'll step you up into the next level of life, but if talking is doing more harm than good, it's something you definitely could try. If you’ve snoozed through the textwalls I’ve put in the time to write, don’t worry, all you need to know is: 1. Always bring your A-game, 2. Everyone is different, find your strengths, 3. Always cherish your feedback, 4. What happens off the forum stays off the forum, and finally 5. Erasing a bad reputation is an uphill battle, change for the better and never give up to go back to your old ways. Hopefully, these tips will help you grow not only as a writer, but also give you the tools to thrive in life. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you’ve read this, you’ve now got five new guidelines to help better your daily life. Good luck in both the Tanki world and real life!

I have heard of very famous geographical triangles. What's a fascinating vacation spot?

I read on the SAT reading section that Vantablack is almost complete darkness. What is better, hiding in the darkness or being in the light?

Hey Tankers, looking for a new way to get extra crystals while flexing your songwriting abilities? Then this contest is perfect for you! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Yep, you've arrived at the right place. Your task is simple: just take a song that you like and write in some Tanki-related lyrics to it. It can be just about Tanki in general, but there's also bonus points for writing a coherent plot into your parody. Out of ideas and need an example? Take a look here. But before you immerse yourself in Thor's Tanki rendition of "The Search" by NF, take a few minutes to read the rules. 1. No plagiarism. Easy right? 2. The song must have at least three distinct parts (i.e. two verses and a chorus). 3. Please post the original lyrics and parody in a spoiler below. These should be appropriately labelled. Any entries not in this format will not be considered. 4. Collaboration between multiple tankers is fine, just note that a. all player's nicknames must be stated or mentioned in the entry and b. the prizes will be split evenly. So if you've got a friend who's only willing to write two lines and mooch off of your work for the prize, keep these points in mind before sending in a collaboration entry. Any infractions of these rules will lead to a disqualification and a potential ban from participating in future newspaper contests. And now, of course, the best part, the prizes: 1st place: 60 000 crystals 2nd place: 45 000 crystals 3rd place: 30 000 crystals Any other deserving entries will receive 15 000 crystals each. But hurry, this contest closes Feburary 28th! Results will be posted in around two weeks following the deadline. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ So what are you waiting for? Grab your favorite song, a pencil and paper, and write the Tanki world's next pop hit!

Approved. Firstly, welcome to the AWS! I really enjoy your writing; this story felt very personal and filled with very evocative description. If you're thinking about writing some more, you could try extending this story because I'd really want to know where Anil's father is at. Edits:

The condition of a day is often perceived by a person as how it went versus how it was meant to be. Have you forgotten to do your homework? Because I just saw an assigment that I forgot to do...

As much as I would like to, I don't think I can big brain my way through this. Good luck to everyone else, though!

Usually, the places I go for pizza don't ask for flavors (though i think the Pizza Hut buffet in Taiwan does), they ask for toppings. What place do you usually get pizza from?

-425

It's been a while since we've interviewed our reporters, and boy does time fly - they're all seasoned reporters now! Still, let's get to know more about these tankers, starting with my clan leader - pythor20000! _ Pythor20000 A descriptive writer with a talent for suspenseful and entertaining stories as well as the leader of an eSports clan, Pythor's been a star in the AWS community before joining the reporter team. With creative articles and unforgettable stories, he has distinguished himself as an Amateur Writer, and now, a Newspaper Reporter. Hey there Pythor! Why don't you start us off with some quick information about you? Hey guys, it's Pythor aka Thor aka "The helper with a bunch of zeros at the end of his name". My real name is Sam and I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area of Illinois, USA. I'm currently an 18-year-old senior in HS, planning on pursuing some form of career involving engineering. I have been writing in the Tankiverse since September 2018. Ah, I remember. We began writing at about the same time. I remember that you made some great stories and the creative TWNC (Tanki Weather and News Channel). So what inspired you to apply and join the guild of reporters? I have fond memories back in Tanki's golden years of reading every TO newspaper issue I could lay my hands on. As a young kid, I thought it was so cool how my favorite video game had it's very own newspaper. As I grew older and matured, I discovered my own love for writing, and that skill transferred over to when I started my very first series in the AWS. It's truly an honor to write for the EN Tanki community and I look forward to what the upcoming years have in store. That's great! You've actually been on the team for a good while; how are you enjoying the reporter experience? During my six months working on the EN Newspaper Reporter team I've gained a ton of additional writing experience, gotten to meet a bunch of new people who read my articles, and had the honor of building amazing friendships with my fellow reporters. It's truly an experience unlike any other, and I can say without doubt that I work alongside some of the most talented and interesting people I've ever met. Joining the newspaper has brought along some new experiences to each and every one of us. For you, what has been the most rewarding and memorable experience as a reporter? The most memorable moment for me so far, aside from winning my first HOTM award, was seeing the sheer amount of views and positive feedback I received on my initial article as a reporter. I would not disagree at all. You did mention earlier that you were a young kid when you began reading Tanki's newspaper. Now I'm curious... when exactly did you find out about this game? I was first introduced into the Tanki realm in October of 2012. I, a wee 10 year old at the time, was over at my friend's house for a birthday party when he showed me this new game he had just started playing. I remember watching him use Twins-Hunter on his Sergeant account in a CTF battle. The very next day I created my first account "pythor2000" (that's 3 zeros not 4 for you dyslexic nubs). I used that account for about 2 weeks before forgetting my password. It was then that I had the brilliant idea of adding another zero at the end to form a new account "pythor20000". Little did I know at that time how big of an impact this game would have on my life. Yeap, I'd agree. It's really amazing that sometimes the discovery of a great video game like Tanki can drastically change the course of one's life. Knowing that you joined in 2012, I'm sure you've been through the 'golden years' of Tanki, so I really want to know: What was your favorite memory in TO? I gotta say probably the most defining moment of my Tanki career was when I created my clan "Destroying Angels" in November 2017. This could have been topped by my Legend rankup, but the party was ruined when I accidentally planted my Wasp's bomb instead of hitting tab... But thats a story for a different day. That's amazing! Most people can hardly manage real-life and in-game duties, but you've managed to juggle real life, Newspaper writing, and being a leader of an eSports clan. Would you tell us how you manage to excel in all three aspects of life? I don’t think many people realize how much work goes into leading an eSports clan. Attempting to juggle my reporter duties and commander duties, not to mention real life (school, baseball, work) can be very challenging. It is quite time-consuming and sometimes frankly I wish I was just a member and not the leader. But, of course, I one hundred percent enjoy the experience and love the guys on my squad. One of the coolest things to see as a commander is watching your guys gel together and form long lasting friendships. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As far as practices go, I try to schedule at least two per week in between Blitz tournament games. Great! One final question: In the AWS, one of your most popular series, the Tanki Weather and News Channel [link] was an amazing smash hit. Now that you're in the newspaper, will the TWNC follow you to the Newspaper? And now finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. TWNC will indeed be making the shift over to the newspaper. The bad news is, I’m working on a variety of different articles at the moment, so it will not be any time really soon. For now, I’m thinking probably mid to late June, but that deadline could change due to fluctuating circumstances. Oh I totally forgot, one last question: what's the story behind your nickname? Oh boy... Do I have to answer this? ? Alright, that works too. Go send PMs to Thor asking for the answer. Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, and good luck as a reporter! _ That wraps up one of our interviews. More to come soon! Goodbye for now, I need to get going! ~Actually, just kidding... I was browsing through the archive of ideas and saw that many players would like to be interviewed. If you are interested in being featured on the newspaper, please fill out this Google Form, thanks! The nonexistent form now exists, sorry for the delay... it got turned into a contest form along the way

I haven't tried horseradish in a while. What is a good salad dressing?

I think here, 'you' in the story is being addressed as Nathan by the sphere, so it would make sense, at least in my opinion.

Approved. Firstly, welcome to the AWS! Excellent story, as I was editing, I really enjoyed the plot. At first, the second person POV intimidated me a bit, but I realized it was a really good addition (though first person would have worked as well). One quick note, though, please remember to start a new paragraph when you switch speakers, as it was a little confusing to navigate through at first. ? Edits:

This song is now embedded in my head, which I suppose is a good thing ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9DnUII28fI

-313

This game, like a fist fight, needs only two people to play. How many people do you want to participate in this game?

An Oxford comma, if i remember correctly, is an optional comma. Do you practice grammar in English classes?

Approved. Sorry for the late approval - I was a little confused and didn't notice this topic. It's a very inspirational story that might even make me go back and fix my noobness in Tanki. However, I feel like the execution can be improved by adding more unique words and varying sentence structure. I can't wait for a sequel or a more detailed story! Edits:

I think you forgot the apostrophe; it should be "What's down?". So anyways, let me steal your question: What's down?

Up and Down are opposites. Do opposites attract?

What is a wheb? Have you invented your own language?

Bored? Try Tanki! Boring? Try something new that’ll keep this game fresh and fun! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In the last few years, boredom and I have become the best of friends, playing tricks on each other and trying to get each other to succumb to the other. I hate to admit it, but boredom often got the better of me, taking me down and delegating its ugly relatives, such as anxiety and jealousy, to torture me. However, Tanki never got boring for me, and it easily became my way to evade boredom. But I suppose, even a good game gets a bit boring for players, especially if you’re stuck in the same rut, collecting stars for the newest Challenge. After a bit of thinking, I’ve collected ten unique ways to give this gaming experience a makeover. 1. Change Equipment. Most likely, we’re all just playing with the same combination through each battle, from last month’s Cross CTF to today’s Bridges TJR. While it’s good to get to know the equipment you’re playing with and become a true expert, sometimes, it can be the reason why you feel bored in battle. A Fire-Hornet is always going to outplay you, but you’re going to end the Thunder-Wasp before it gets close enough to land a good shot on you. It’s predictable, but after a million battles, don’t you ever feel like you should come out on top over the enemies that keep striking you down? Usually, a change of equipment allows you to experience a fresh point of view on this game and more importantly, get an advantage over the tankers who’ve always come out on top over you. Who knows what adventures a different turret or hull will bring? 2. Group up with Tanki friends for a battle. To most of us, group mode is a hassle: trying to get friends to join, choosing a game mode, making sure everyone’s ready for battle, playing against a larger variety of ranks and equipment levels all adds up to a file into the “Don’t Do” list. But on the other hand, playing with friends can actually be fun and advantageous. Usually, the extra communication you have with friends brings along better teamwork for much more efficient and effective gameplay. Additionally, the peer pressure that comes along gives you motivation not to look like a fool in front of your friends can benefit your performance, so that’s a win-win! 3. Parkour! Parkour can help you relax, get to know other tankers better, and cure boredom all in one. For me, the exhilaration of landing a trick always inspires me to try another. And even if you can’t do parkour, watching a Tanki video made by skilled parkourists is definitely a good substitute (and a way to learn some tricks to try with friends). 4. Join an event. Events are definitely a great way to bond with fellow tankers and showcase your parkour and battle skills. The thrill of seeing an event coming up, joining the “Events” chat, and earning a few extra crystals always stops boredom in its tracks. Even if you don’t get in, the fun of autoclicking and spamming the chat leaves you energized for another round of quick matches. 5. Take a break from Tanki. I remember deliberately refraining playing Tanki last year when things started to both get boring and annoying. At that time, I was more prone to anger outbursts, which was affecting my mood (and interpersonal relationships) at school, Tanki, and home as well as my performance. Often, this caused people to either provoke me more or stay far away from me, keeping me in a vicious cycle of anger, self-hate, and depression. Because I eventually saw that Tanki was negatively affecting me, I quit, knowing that it was the best thing to do. Within months, my anger (and some of my depression) had subsided, allowing me to turn over a new leaf right in time for the new school year. Ever since I quit playing Tanki during every free moment of my life, I’ve only played around ten battles, and I’m here to say it was one of the hardest but best decisions I’ve ever made. If you’re ever feeling the same way, taking a week or two off won’t hurt, but rather give you some time away from the game where you can learn to love it again. 6. Start another account. Have you ever wanted to try Shaft after reading expert guides about it? How about a do-over on your embarrassing 0.01 K/D? This can easily be solved by creating another account. Power through the low ranks using the dream combination you’ve always wanted! 7. Get a friend to join. This time, I don’t mean Tanki friend, but rather in real life friend. Use a low account (or create a new one for more fun), and ask your friend to do the same. For optimal enjoyment, don’t forget to use a communication platform like Discord to initiate a voice chat or play together in real life. Sit back, chill, and enjoy the rush of emotions released as you and your friend play one of your favorite games together! 8. Explore the Tanki Online Forum. Well, if you’re reading this, then I suppose you’re already doing exactly what I told you. During a boring time, why not browse around the forum, get to know a few others who like (or hate) the game like you, and post a few posts? If you’ve got an idea that you think Tanki needs to implement right now, head on to the Ideas and Suggestions Forum. If you want to rant about your opinions on the updates, the AWS and Game Discussions are open for your use. And of course, to cure boredom, head right to the Off-Topic Discussion or play a few Forum Games! Still bored? The nooks and crannies of the forum hold a great amount of conversation and information both helpful and interesting. 9. Get to know your Tanki friends. I’m sure if you have joined the community Discord (or various smaller Tanki Discord servers), you’ve found a few people that you really enjoy talking to. So why not get to know them better in your downtime? I’ve talked to a lot of people in Tanki, and many of them have helped me through lonely times or provided support for me that I’m eternally grateful for. Sometimes, just talking to those friends can brighten up your day, so why not reach out to someone who loves the same game that you do? 10. Change up your gameplay environment! Most of us just play Tanki in the same place, similar times each time. And the rest of us don’t play Tanki. This routine can be a positive, familiar aspect of your day, but if going to the same desk and turning on the game client becomes a chore, find a way to set the scene with something new and subtle. Sometimes, these small things have a huge impact on how you perceive gameplay. If you have no idea where to start, I’ve got a few ways to change up your normal. Instead of sitting in a confined place, play in a relaxed place, like a beanbag chair or bed. (and vice versa) Mute the Tanki sounds and start up some music! Right now, I’m stuck on listening to this diverse playlist that evokes the best memories one could wish for. If the varying tempos don’t suit you, then I’d recommend listening to just one song, perhaps Tattoos Together by Lauv, an upbeat piece that primes your mood for the brutal Tanki battle that lies ahead. Try playing in a different location (say, the local Starbucks or during free time in class) and watch all those pairs of confused eyes wonder what you are even doing. And that’s ten different ways to change up Tanki for you. These are just suggestions, not strict guidelines, so feel free to mix and match some of these methods. Of course, if you’ve got an idea to share with your fellow tankers, leave it down below! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hopefully, these strategies will help you win your next battle against boredom. Next up: conquering boredom in real life!

Is it the new hull Ares? Is it a new game mode? Nope, it's the update that's about to change everything equipment-related in Tanki: the modification switch. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Whether you’re angrily cursing Tanki or praising the developers at this moment, it’s all for a common reason: the recent modification switch. It's pretty safe to say that this is the next big update after the birth of the Matchmaking System and Overdrives. If you're not already familiar with this update, here's a quick introduction. Previously, equipment had a total of four modifications: M0, M1, M2, and M3. Now, instead of having a total of four modifications, there are three more, for a grand total of seven, spread out along the ranks for much more in-game fun. Each one of the new modifications (except Mk7, which covers the previous M3 to M4) accounts for around half of a previous one, intended to increase equipment balance in gameplay. For more detailed information about the Mk modification unlock ranks and prices, please check out this wiki article. Once you’re done reading, let’s find out how beneficial this update actually is. To start off, the first and most important question is: will this update bring along the balance of gameplay nearly every tanker has longed for? Game Balance + Increased Balance in Lower/Middle Rank Battles. This update is intended to make battles in the lower and middle ranks much fairer. Back then, a Recruit could enter a battle and be burnt to a crisp by an M0 10/10 Firebird before he could even learn how to shoot. Now, the Firebird is restricted to an Mk1 or maybe a low Mk2, which can give the newbie a bit of time to escape or fend for himself. Sure, it’s not much, but when it gets to the Sergeant ranks, where completely unupgraded M0s face off against stacked M1s, the update will even the odds a bit, giving the new players hope for the future of their Tanki career. The introduction of much fairer lower/middle rank games will likely retain more players. While the equipment balance will keep the domination of buyers at bay, skill still matters, though. And if anyone has a bit of extra skill, it would be nice to lend some to me here with ten left thumbs… - Not an Immediate “Cure-all” to Game Balance. While it’s true that the game will become more balanced with this update, especially in the lower and middle ranks, it’s not going to happen overnight. At best, it might take a few months for the equipment changes to balance out. These changes likely won’t happen fast enough for frustrated players seeking an instant solution for the unfair advantages buyers (and a select few F2P players like me) have. Honestly, the developers have been working so hard just to achieve more balance, but knowing that it won't really happen, it seems more sensible to have put in gradual patch notes to fix this. Product Kits + Increased Variety. One of the biggest benefits to the game is that there is much more variety in the product kits, with every turret/hull combo in every modification. Instead of waiting for a certain rank just to get that Atlas Kit, the Mk modification kits offer opportunities to buy the ideal combination at any time. + Only Chance to skip Modifications* Previously, product kits were the only way for a humble F2P player to boost their equipment and enhance their experience on the battlefield. However, in recent times, product kits have been dissed for their lack of value (“unlock ranks are not worth the cost”) and the fact that a product kit isn’t really great for protections anymore (only one module instead of three). However, with the new update, one must buy all previous modifications, and most likely, the only chance to skip a modification is through a product kit, saving precious crystals so you can buy me that Blue Sphere one day. - Increased Price/Decreased Discount. While Product Kits have a lot of perks, there's always a way for the game to convince players to say goodbye to their hard-earned crystals. With just a quick glance at the product kits, the price is definitely a bit more than imagined, and there isn't as much of a discount as before. For example, a Mk6 kit costs just around the neighborhood of a M3 kit from before the update. - Turbulent, if unpredictable, Kit Rotation. The new kit rotation goes quickly, changing once per twelve hours. On one hand, it's good if you want to get a kit (as long as you or someone else knows the rotation), but at first, it will be a confusing and annoying system. *Not confirmed for sure, but it seems to be going this way. Overall Value + Equipment Update = Equipment Upgrade. Some equipment was actually upgraded a full modification. If you happened to have a M2 10/10, congratulations, you have earned yourself a Mk7 a few ranks early. If you've got a good M1 10/10, it could go up to as far as a Mk6. But overall, not everyone capitalized on this benefit. For me, I didn't upgrade as wisely as I would've wished, so while I did get some good upgrades, it was mostly downgrades from that point on. I've made a chart of my equipment conversions, and it seems to show a pretty obvious trend of late-unlocking modifications going up while early-unlocking modifications go down. The main plus of this is that many of the medium-rank unlocking equipment I have fully microupgraded have moved up a modification. Otherwise, its just the usual ups and downs. If you're wondering what your equipment has trasnformed to, use this link to find out the true conversion. - Too Many Modifications/Upgrades. It’s going to be a hassle to upgrade and buy new modifications, especially if you’re trying to collect a few extra pieces of equipment in case your investment in the invincible Mammoth falls through. Each modification brings ten new microupgrades, which can turn into crystal siphons if you decide to quit on your favorite hull a few upgrades in. Sighh, only 69 more upgrades to go... - The Price Hike, Volume I. Well, Tanki told the players, “There will be no price hike.”, but a quick scan at the wiki page shows a significant amount of price hikes over drops, which is easily going to be a hot topic that tankers will be soon complaining about. A more detailed scan of the values tells the depressing story for tankers. After some light number crunching, there's an average increase of 8879 crystals per hull from Mk1 to Mk7 (as opposed to M0 to M3) and a whopping 19807 crystals per turret. No player will be happy about that. Poor Marcus, his PM inbox will be flooded with mail… - The Price Hike, Volume II. Tanki found a way to openly proclaim a price hike by bundling many of them with smaller price drops, but they’re also included a secret way to siphon your hard-earned crystals. If you would like to buy Ares Mk7 (when it comes out, of course) at Legend rank, you’re going to have to fork over almost twice as many crystals as before to buy all the previous modifications just to get an Mk7 you could once get as an M3. Welp, no one will like it at all. With all the grievances against the extra crystal cost, Marcus and Cedric will easily be drowning in angry fan mail. Verdict While this update will bring along some much-needed game balance, expect the differences to be small at first and the shift gradual, unlike the Overdrives update, which saw a drastic change in gameplay within days. With this update comes several benefits, including a new set of more useful product kits, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages with this update. No tanker wants their crystals spent faster than they can earn them, but with the numbers that they’ve released, it only seems that it’s heading down that sad path. The truth is, players often have a stigma about Tanki updates, believing that each new release brings along bad news. Of course, being a tanker who has experienced the introduction of Matchmaking (and its terrible aftermath) firsthand, it seems impossible to view a change as the developers throwing lemons at the community. For many of the players, it’s just yet another big update to mess around and convince them to quit. However, that’s not always the case. The developers have been working hard to get this update done, and even if it does bring the doom that we’ve all imagined, let’s try to appreciate the work that they’ve done for the game. They, like us, also want the best for the game, but what the developers view it as might be different from what players think of it as. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ While this update might be one of the most dreaded changes to Tanki, it's here to usher in a new generation of fairer gameplay. Before you jump to conclusions and label this update the worst one after Matchmaking, go out and give it a try!

Wait, I am PR. When is lunch again?

A billionaire can be defined very differently across the countries - for some, the change in your pocket you have renders you a billionaire! Do you have a dollar to spare so I can buy something for lunch?