Review [issue 11] Tanki Online - Recent Updates

[GoldRock 6,165]

Tanki Online - Recent Updates
A review of recent changes to the game



A lot of updates have been made in the past few weeks, some bringing new ideas into the game, and others causing controversy and celebration. Here’s a look at the past few updates, and why they’re significant…

Update 138 – Product kits

This update introduced ‘kits’ of hulls, weapons, and paints, aimed at those ranked below Staff Sergeant. For example, a ‘heavy tank’ kit, including a Mammoth M1 hull, a Thunder M0 weapon and the paints Flora, Metallic, and Lead (as well as 85 of each drug) costs 18,500 crystals, which is half the price the items would cost if bought separately.

However, this update hasn’t come without controversy. Many players have commented that only buyers would be able to afford the kits at such low ranks. It has also been noticed that hulls such as Mammoth M1, normally only available for Staff Sergeants and above, are now available to Privates, as long as they have a lot of crystals to spare.

Will this have a negative influence on gameplay at the lower ranks? I don’t know, but it seems certain that these will become more popular, especially now that XP buying has been cancelled (more on that later) and so for new players with some cash to spare, these kits seem the way to go.

You might have noticed that I left out the fact that a supplies kit is now available, too. 100 of each supply (including first aid and mines) for only 17,500 crystals, half the price! And more importantly, any rank from Private to Generalissimo can stock up on these drug-filled kits. Sounds great, right? Well, not everyone agrees – in fact, many were unhappy with this part of the update, with complaints that the amount of druggers will increase being made. Some, however, think that this could benefit all ranks, since buying drugs has become more affordable.

For many players, it’s more the message behind this part of the update than the actual update that counts. It seems that this is just the start of product kits, and that they’ll be expanded for higher ranks some time in the future, with higher modifications of hulls and weapons, better paints, and (inevitably) higher prices. The idea of product kits seems good to some, but it’s the implementation that counts here; I look forward to seeing the kits for higher ranks when they are released.

Update 138 – Team kick by vote

My review for this update should be a lot shorter. It seems this update was introduced as a result of a previous one, in which players could type ‘/vote playername’ in order to report a player who was sabotaging or multing. If enough players typed this command into the battle chat, the battle would be highlighted for moderators to review. This system worked sometimes, but to many players, it wasn’t enough, and the requirement of moderators to sift through all the highlighted battles meant that it wasn’t too efficient, either.

Therefore, this update was introduced. The ‘/vote’ system has been automatically switched off, and been replaced with this method of automatically kicking a player from the battle. Basically, you can vote against a player who is sabotaging the game, and after a certain number of votes, that player will be automatically kicked from the battle. However, you can’t be kicked from a battle if you are in first place, or have spent more time in the battle than any other player; also, players can’t be kicked from smaller team battles with 8 players or less. Instead, the battle will be highlighted for a moderator, as done under the previous system.

Generally, this update has been well received, with players giving positive feedback on its use. However, some have noticed that if a player has played from the start of a battle with the intention of sabotage, that player can’t be kicked, and there has been a little confusion on how and when to use the voting system. Though the rule that those who have been playing in a battle for a long time can’t be voted out of that battle means that this new system is less likely to be abused, some have noted that there are still some improvements which need to take place before this update is perfect.

Updates 142 and 144 – Free crystals in packages and an increase in battle funds by 60%

These two updates are related in their purpose, so I’ll look at both together; I’ll start with update 144, the increase in battle funds. Right, so I’m sure you all know about the changes in game economics which took place in update 123, and how everything was x10. And how the battle funds were secretively halved, causing a lot of complaints and a few well-known players to leave the game. Well, this update has raised them back up to 80% of the original amounts, and has caused a lot of celebration so far, with the effects having been noticed by many.

Up until this point, certain staff members *cough*FBI*splutter* had been insisting that the new game economics were here to stay, and that update 123 wouldn’t be altered or rolled back, under the instruction of the higher Tanki authority. Whether this is a reversal or not, many people were happy that Tanki listened to the complaints of its players, and decided to do something about them.

However, a few think that this is too little, too late. There have been criticisms that the battle fund is still not as high as it once was even after this update. However, for the vast majority of players, this update was a reason to rejoice, and a general sense of respect has been shown for the decision the developers took to go ahead with this update.

Now, I’ll talk a little about the crystal packages that have been introduced. Basically, if you purchase crystals in the new packages, you’ll receive a bonus amount of crystals. The size of this bonus depends on the value of the packages themselves. Again, this received positive replies, with most players pleased with the fact that crystals had become more affordable. To put this into perspective, with these packs and a double crystal card, it’s now possible to get an M3 weapon or hull for around £30!

That may sound like a lot, and some complain that crystal prices are still too high. Others have complained that this is yet another plot to encourage buyers. However, it’s a massive step forward, considering the previous crystal prices. Hopefully, Tanki continues to make crystals more affordable; it has been noticed that crystal prices were too high, possibly even extortionate, and so this is a step in the right direction in the view of most.

Cancellation of experience buying

I’m nearing the end of this lengthy analysis; now to describe the experience buying system. Basically, this system was first introduced as a way for players to buy their way to Sergeant-Major. It worked pretty well for those who wanted to rank quickly, but managed to annoy some low ranked non-buyers (such as myself), who felt that this defeated the purpose of experience through the first few ranks.

After the rebalance, this became available for all ranks to use, and this annoyed many more non-buyers. There were complaints that experience had been rendered pointless, and that high-ranked buyers were roaming around in battles without even turning their turrets or playing properly, effectively acting as mults. Many thought that this was the wrong way to go about things, as it meant that buyers could literally buy their way to the best hulls, weapons, and paints in the game without playing once.

Recently, this system has been cancelled, with a short 25% discount on experience buying before the cancellation took effect. Most players were happy with this, since it means that experience will now be earned rather than bought, and some took advantage of the discount to buy a few ranks before the option vanished altogether. However, quite a few non-buyers, including myself, feel that the idea wasn’t bad. Experience buying could have been beneficial to a player’s career in moderation, even that of a non-buyer.

Therefore, though most players certainly didn’t support those who used the system to buy their way to a high rank, a few people feel disappointed due to this cancellation. Interestingly, one of the reasons given for the cancellation (as well as the fact that many players were against experience buying) was that only 4% of players used the experience buying system, and so it wasn’t making much money, it seems. Some have criticised this reason, saying that the cancellation might not have taken place if the system was being used more and so making more money. Either way, it’s been seen as a positive step by the majority of Tanki’s players.

So, there you have it. My super-long analysis of recent updates, which have been so significant to the game, is complete. What do you think?

Edited July 31, 2017 by Hexed

[skitee 555]

Not that long. :P Fairly decent article though, but it really is not particularly long. You covered the main updates thoroughly, though, which is good. :)

[Raphael2 3,263]

I like all of these update, even if I wanted to buy experience..

[GoldRock 6,165]

Not that long. :P Fairly decent article though, but it really is not particularly long. You covered the main updates thoroughly, though, which is good. :)

 

Well, it seemed to take forever when I wrote it, I don't really like this sort of thing but decided I'd give it a go ^_^ Thanks!

[Turpz 18]

Cool!

[r_SwagBoy110 421]

Very nice, nice picture... :P

[GoldRock 6,165]

Yes, the picture is really great for the article... I wonder who created it? ;)

[jokjinari 160]

Well, it seemed to take forever when I wrote it, I don't really like this sort of thing but decided I'd give it a go ^_^ Thanks!

Yeah, it always seems longer when you write it, especially on MS word, but then when it gets put on the forum it seems a lot shorter :o Anyway, good job GoldRock!

[Meliora 1,652]

Very nice ;).

[GoldRock 6,165]

Very nice ;).

 

Thank you, Mademoiselle ;)

[r_Arnes0 0]

I like all these uptades,especially the one that was canceled experience buying.