Review [Issue 39] The Evolution of the Product Kits

[Remaine 4,687]

 

Greetings, readers. Being someone that's played the game for over two years, one thing that's piqued my interest ever since its introduction are the product kits. They've undergone a couple of substantial changes during their time here, and that's what this article looks to tell you - by the end of this article, I hope you have a decent knowledge of product kits and how they've changed.

 

Before we can start, we need to have a good understanding of what a product kit is. Here's the basic definition:

 

In essence, a product kit is several goods combined into one.

 

 

Product kits were added on the 9th of April 2013.

If you already own 50% of the kit, you will not be able to see that product kit.

You have the potential to purchase equipment that would otherwise not be accessible to you.

 

Now that we've got the basics out of the way, we can move onto how it all started!

 

 

As aforementioned, on the 29th of April 2013, the product kits were released into the game. It was a brand new idea at the time, one that players were not aware of until that very day. At the time, only M0 kits were available, which meant that the players of the community were mostly indifferent on the update, which is fair, bearing in mind it didn't affect them - this is excluding the "Supplies 100" kit that was available to everyone.

 

All kits had a solid 50% discount, and in buying one of these kits, it was possible for a Private to own a paint over 5,000 crystals. To be honest, that's as interesting as it gets. Nobody really took any notice of these kits; and rightly so! 

 

Five months later, the complexion of the Tanki battlefield completely changed - Update 186 brought the "Product kits for all ranks!" update which, if you didn't guess by now, brought product kits of all ranks into the game. Judging by the fact the reputation is standing at around -120, that should tell you the consensus of the community! Let's take a look at a couple of these kits to gain a understanding of why the consensus was what it was.

 

 

For 120,000 crystals, you can get some of the best M1 equipment at Warrant Officer 1. Granted, that's not in the average Warrant Officer 1 user's budget (that's under the assumption the average player doesn't purchase crystals, of course), but this kit was definitely a problem. One thing we have to remember is that at the time of this kit being in the game, the balance of the game was not the same. This was when the impact force on Twins was significantly better than it is now. Of course, that also means that Hunter had less speed and less HP, but when you're a M1 Twins with impact force equalling a tornado going up against M0 Hornets and Wasps, you're going to have a field day! This is all topped off by the fact you receive a 79,500 crystal paint protecting from one of the some of the hardest-hitting turrets in the game, which tend to be quite rampant at the lower ranks - it seems that the mindset of newer players is that the more damage, the better. Therefore, Shafts and Railguns are particularly common, which means protection from them is always a good time. To me, Swash isn't bad for this kit at all, and without the Hammer protection, Roger generally isn't remotely desirable (excluding appearance, of course, and it doesn't really have that going for it either!) so Digital's the only stand-out paint here, naturally. 

 

 

Overpowered - just look at it!

 

...

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

Fine, let me explain myself - the fact that you could receive Prodigi and Emerald in the same kit is a crime alone. At the beginning of the M2 ranks, you had the opportunity to obtain paints that are commonly used at the very last ranks - how did that register as a 'fair kit'? The ever-popular Railgun was completely shut-down, and you didn't have to worry about self-damage, because you had the Emerald to tank the damage for you. Not only this, the Sandstone included in the kit meant that, at the time, M2 XP players had a 20% paint to go in with. Remember, this was before the format battles update. Notice my prime focus is on the paints - this is because without them, the combination actually isn't that bad. It's completely possible for a player to use Thunder-Dictator at Captain, which statistically doesn't differ too much from Thunder-Viking. It goes to show how paints can skyrocket the potency of a kit. A lot of people do not realise how much of a difference paints make, which is why you see people using Forester at Marshal - however, it was all too obvious here!

 

After looking at a couple of kits in-depth, I understand why the community caused such an uproar about this, and wanted the kits to be removed - what did we get though?

 

 

 

Kits will stay for sure and there won't be a refund

 

That's nice.

 

One thing to note is that these kits were in the game for months, months, and more months. Even players that didn't purchase crystals had the opportunity to save up for kits such as these. I recall the "Light Tank M3" kit (this kit gave you Railgun M3, Hornet M3 and Needle) actually being quite popular among non-buyers - due the amount of time it remained in the game for, the slower pace of crystal accumulation was enough! I was personally on track to purchasing that very kit, being only 60,000 crystals away - I purchased Freeze M3 instead. Don't judge me; this was when the turret was actually... you know, good!

 

This system lasted for over a year and a half - I'm not implying that the kits never changed between this period, by the way - however, the fact the all kits changes were announced should give you an indication of its scarcity. 18 months later, the system completely changed, bringing us to...

 

...the second stage. What did this involve?

 

Promotions on items in the kits affected the price of the kit

Full microupgrades on items in the kits affected the price of the kit

Kits only lasted for a limited time

 

For one thing, it definitely added variety to the garage - rather than having to accustom ourselves to the same old equipment we can't afford everyday, it gave us something to look forward to. It provided that sense of wonder. The other thing, which was, let's be honest, probably the reason as to why the update was so well-received, was the fact the kits were nerfed down to the ground. 

 

None of the kits had rank unlocks you could deem as unfair, and none of them had any paints. If somebody purchased one of these kits, unless they told you, chances are, you probably wouldn't know it. There was nothing distinguishable about these kits, other than the creative names they were given. Let's take a look.

 

(Credits to @LeIouch_Vi_Britannia for assistance in the fact file)

 

 

 

 

This doesn't look very interesting at all, does it? However, no complaints can be made about the potency of the kit. It's available from Captain, which just so happens to be the rank that both Hammer M2 and Hunter M2 unlock - there's no out-of-this-world paint included either; in fact, there's no paint included at all!

 

Undeniably, there was a problem. Sure, the kits were "fixed" in the sense that they were no longer overpowered, but they became utterly useless. Unless you were impatient, or the kit itself gave at least a 50% discount, buying these kits would not be lucrative. Other than the gift packages, there really was no benefit whatsoever. Players realised this, and whilst the diversity of the kits increased, the desirability of kits decreased. Nobody was buying them! 

 

 

Take a look at this:

 

As long as every item in the game unlocks at certain rank, kits with "all items unlocked when they are available" logic end up been available too late and were pretty much useless. Thus, logic has been changed. Currently we are conducting experiments on how soon items in particular situations can be unlocked without hurting balance. In the end, item kits will provide early access to one of the items in a kit. This is, most likely, going to be compensated with lover discounts and addition of one worthy paint in every kit.

It's very simple - this leads to...

 

...our current system. To reiterate, this involves:

 

Including a worthy paint in each kit

Changing the ranks kits unlocked

 

The attempt at the solution is here! From then on, every kit in the game had a paint unlocked around that level added to it. It seemed as though a conclusion was made out of the experiment too. Whilst this is something we cannot confirm, it as appear as if the unlocking rank of the kit is no more than two ranks earlier than the latest unlocking equipment in the kit. This is excluding the paints, however. There are some cases where that isn't true (ie. WASP M2 AT THIRD LIEUTENANT), but in general, a lot of the product kits that run through the game abide by this. Let's look at an example:

 

 

In comparison to what we were looking at before, this definitely seems more desirable for an M1 user. The unlocking rank is Warrant Officer 1 - bearing in mind that Hammer unlocks at Warrant Officer 2, and that Dictator M1 unlocks at Warrant Officer 3, I believe it's fair - not too overpowered, but not useless. It's also affordable (for the alternate accounts out there who stock up on crystals - there are more of those than you think) which means buyers and non-buyers alike can seize the opportunity!

 

Some people still argue that you should wait for a 50% sale anyway - I get where they're coming from, to some extent. At the end of the day, it's arguably still more lucrative. It ultimately comes down to whether you are patient enough to wait for one, and the time you spend between each rank - obviously, that differs between each player, so I cannot come to a definitive conclusion.

 

With my opinions out of the way, did the solution work? Fortunately, I believe the answer is yes. I do not believe the system is perfect - sometimes the 'two rank rule' doesn't always work out fairly, purely due to the current balance of the turrets and hulls. However, in regards to improving the desirability of the kits whilst maintaining diversity, I believe they've done a somewhat decent job.

 

 

The newer kits haven't quite followed the 'two rank rule' - examples include the Minotaur kit, which gives Twins M2 and Viking M2 at First Lieutenant, the Atlas kit that gives Smoky M2 and Titan M2 at Captain, and the Bulldog kit that gives Hammer M1 and Hornet M1 at Master Sergeant. Nobody said the experiment was over. Are we to see a change in the way kits work? Only time will tell!

 

 

I've interviewed a few people that have shown a moderate interest in the product kits, in an attempt to gather some of the EN community's sentiments on what I've talked about here.

 

---

 

Generally speaking, would you argue that the contemporary system dishes out overwhelmingly powerful kits?

 

@NewbieCake: Compared to the past, I'd have to say no. Some of the kits are actually pretty balanced and manageable to hold off (no offence, but Smoky M3 at Lieutenant General is just.. ridiculous)!

 

@LeIouch_Vi_Britannia: it was good and fair at the first, when devs stood on their word of "we dont want to give Items before they unlock" , good and fair back then. then step by step they changed, like mosquito at third lieut was a total rip-off, Hazel said it was a mistake but really? cant the mistake be fixed in a matter of a moment?

 

and now, kits are starting to get real OP, a buyer can get  minotaur (vik twins M2) and atlas (smoky titan M2)

at the rank of Captain, then wait for a micro sale, and MU their titan twins, Ta da! titan twins M3 at captain

(ggwp fair devs)

 

: i disagree, the older kit from the past wasn't balanced and not fair in the battle. Since the new update on the kits, most kits are balanced and made the battle fair from other players. Speaking of most kit, there are some crazy kits out but they do bring memories back to me.

 

@thunderousrailgunner: I can say that its Pretty Balanced Situation . Kits like Atlas Prove to be the same as Old Kits while Kits like Medic are Good and Changed to fair Level.

 

@Lord-of-the-Snipers: The first product kits were really overpowered. I guess and hope we will never return to those kind of kits. Still some recent kits are also given their owners too much of an advantage. I agree about the mentioned Atlas kit which was too early unlocked. Of course there should be an advantage with getting a product kit: but two ranks earlier for hull and turret should be more than enough IMO! Certainly at the longer lasting medium- to higher ranks.

 

 

As we all know, kits only stay in the game for a limited amount of time; generally no longer than ten days, unless it's a supply kit, or a larger package. Did you prefer it when the kits stayed in the game for a long period of time or the contemporary system (kits with expiry dates and the like)?

 

@NewbieCake: I prefer the system we have now. Now a days, we get a bigger variety of kits instead of just a few that stay for a VERY LONG TIME.

 

@LeIouch_Vi_Britannia: I preferred the old times, not only cause I had got my lovely light M3 (wasp freeze M3 + zeus), but cause even tho the old kits were bit OP, like the prodigi in M2 kit, but at least the kits were limited, and had a 50% off on them all the time,

 

the new kits dont have many great discounts,and if you want an specified kit, you may have the wait months for it,

didnt have this problem in the old times.

 

: I like the expiry kit system. you can to have a chance to pick multiple kits instead of sticking to kits that stay too long. 

 

@thunderousrailgunner: Well , I Prefer Kits With Expiry Dates . Because it gives Tankers to learn patience . Secondly , I Like that thrilling moment that you waited long days for kits and finally you got it.

 

@Lord-of-the-Snipers: With the long staying old kits you had something to fight towards, which was nice. Though I also like the element of surprise you now have with the contemporary kits, and it certainly gives more variety. Yes, I think I slightly prefer the new system.

 

---

 

The unlocking ranks of particular kits have been pretty controversial, in some cases. I'll provide an example - Smoky M2, Titan M2 and Loam being available at Captain was widely deemed as far too early an unlock. Do you think there should be a limit (eg. the unlocking rank of the kit is no more than two ranks earlier than the actual unlock rank of the items), should it depend on the products in the kits, or are there any other systems you may have thought of?

 

@NewbieCake: A limit would be nice; some kits unlock far to early to be considered "balanced". I'd say a two rank limit would be nice as you previously stated. I also thought of a system: Whatever the unlock rank for latest piece of equipment in that kit is unlocked on, go back one rank and that's the unlock rank. Here's an example. We have the Jackhammer kit; Hammer M3, Viking M3, and Tiger. Hammer and Viking M3 unlocks on Lieutenant General, and Tiger on General. So Tiger is the latest piece of equipment in that kit. So if we go one rank back, to Lieutenant General, that's the rank Jackhammer should be unlocked on.

 

@LeIouch_Vi_Britannia: I dont have any special Ideas 'bout this one, Im not that creative.

Anyways I agree with Newb's Idea, maybe just 2 ranks down instead of 1.

 

: I agree with NewbieCake and Remaine, the kits should be unlocked at least two ranks early. When i heard that the bulldozer can be unlock at Lieutenant colonel, i was surprised. Thats really early and some kits are not balanced enough. It's great to kit buys because gives them advantage in battle but what about the other players, this isnt fair for them.But at the end at least two ranks early should be enough to balance the kits.

 

@thunderousrailgunner: For my Perspective , I Think the Kits ranks , price should be depended on The Items inside. For Example , Kits Like Raiden has two ranks Early While kits like Minotaur is Deadly to Young ranks . So , If the kit unlocked is too early in rank then it must really have a Expensive price .

 

Kits are used to get equipment skipping before modification . But , From my Mind , I think OP kits (Only OP) should have a disadvantage that the kit includes prices of before modification too , This way it make the tankers think about it and maybe reduce the threat too .

 

@Lord-of-the-Snipers: As mentioned above I would like to see the simple "max. two ranks earlier for Hull and Turret rule" being applied on the product kits. This rule should IMO certainly count for hull and turret, with paints you can stretch the rank limit because they have a much lower influence on the game balance. Though a paint can be awesome against max. two or three turrets: it still will be completely useless against most other turrets. Four ranks earlier for a Paint could be possible I guess and a kit containing such a tempting paint would certainly attract more buyers. A win-win situation for Tanki and the players: without disturbing the overall game balance too much.

 

Maybe at lower ranks till approximately Warrant Officer 5 TO could use a "max. three ranks earlier for hull and turret rule": simply because these ranks have a shorter fighting span.

 

 

 

We'll finish up with a less heated question - if you could design a kit for the game, what equipment would you choose, what would you name it, and why?

 

@NewbieCake: Dictator M3 with Isida M3 and Irbis. I'd call it the "Big but Deadly" kit. Why? Because number one, Dictator is big, and number two, Isida is a silent weapon; hence the name "Big but Deadly". Unlocked at Commander.

 

@LeIouch_Vi_Britannia: as one would expect from me, a Hunter thunder clay combo, as I love(d) the combo,

and the name would be "reaper" as it reaps enemies apart  :) 

Rank : 

 

an alternative to that would be wasp Rico Raccoon, 

unlocked at  , the name would be "ninja"

as you go around fast and silently and hit using Ricochets which wont always give up your place

 

: hmm, i would go with m3 freeze and m3 hornet with irbis. I would call it Ice-Cream. Reason why? Not alot of players in my rank uses freeze that much, they use firebird now. This kit would hopefully promote equally to freeze 

 

@thunderousrailgunner: I've Always Been a fan of Hunter / Fire . But Since Prometheus came and i seriously dont want a Dic M3 kit , I have 2 kits in my mind 

 

~ Stone ~
Titan M3
Ricochet M3
Rock 
Unlocked at " Marshal   "

~ Jumper ~
Wasp M3
Hammer M3
Inferno
Unlocked at " Major General   "

 

@Lord-of-the-Snipers: Hunter M3 with Smoky M3 and Clay at General:

Hunter M3 at rank-2, Smoky M3 at rank-1 and Clay at rank -4.

It applies to the rules mentioned in point 3 and is an awesome combo I think. 

I would call it "Hedgehog": it is very capable of defending itself no matter from which direction the attacks come, it will truly hurt you if you are not careful (and even then...) and is always prickly...  ;)

 

---

 

 There's only been one kit that has included Dictator M3 ever. This was the "Medium Tank M3" kit that went for 499 900 crystals. Ever since then, to this day, even with the contemporary system, there has yet to be a second kit that includes Dictator M3. In addition to this, the only kit that gives you Dictator M2 is the Boar kit - a kit that is currently in the system's circulation.

 

 Prodigi is the only paint to be included in five different kits - we have Legend (Railgun and Hornet M3 along with Prodigi), the "Paint Kit" which gave you Rock, Inferno, Zeus, Prodigi and Picasso, the "Paint Kit M2" kit which gave you Spark, Rustle and Prodigi, the"Medium Tank M2" kit which gave you Thunder M2 and Viking M2, along with Prodigi, Emerald and Sandstone, and the "Heavy Kit M3" kit which gave you Twins M3 and Mammoth M3, along with Taiga and Prodigi.

 

 In the current system, the combinations of Smoky/Titan, Smoky/Viking and Railgun/Hornet have M1, M2 and M3 variants.

 

 Smoky/Titan M3 is the one combination that has costed over 500,000 crystals on two separate occasions (the old "Heavy Kit M3" and the "Guardian" kit).

 

 The "Starter Kit XL" and the "Supplies 1500 kit" are tied for the largest discount, standing at a whopping 80%.

 

 Raccoon is the only paint to have a kit named after it, sporting Ricochet M0, Hornet M0 and Lead.

 

 Due to the current product kits, it is, although in advanced circumstances, possible to have an M3 combination at the rank of Colonel (a rank before M3s are actually accessible). I'll provide an example - if a buyer were to purchase either the Bulldozer or Ant kits, along with either the Huntsman or Centaur kits, there you have your M3 combination! Heck, even buying the Centaur kit alone would give you an M3 combination. 

 

 In the current system, 5 out of 11 turrets have been paired with Viking M3. We have Jackhammer (Hammer-Viking), Medic (Isida-Viking), Refrigerator (Freeze-Viking), Paladin (Smoky-Viking) and Raiden (Thunder-Viking). 

 

 

There you have it - hopefully, you have gained an insight into what the product kits were like, and more about what they're like now. Did you prefer it when kits stayed in the game for months on end? Should the contemporary product kits have a limit? Have you ever purchased a kit of your own? What kit would you put into the game, if you had the chance? Feel free to comment below.

 

See you around.

 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Hexed

[hatealien 138]

I think new kits are way better than the past ones, I think Devs could find a certain balance between the 1st generation of kits and the 2nd generation of kits

[kostas604 106]

On my alt I'm first sergeant and I have unlocked anvil :P

 

That thing about rank unlocks, did you know you could buy vampire kit on sergeant? The same rank where isida m0 unlocks!

Edited September 4, 2015 by kostas604

[fightermalikio20115 374]

nice article ;)

[M1-A2 840]

The hull kit could get fairly OP too. 4 M2 Hulls (Hornet, Hunter, Viking, and Mammoth) all at WO5.that plus a 50% discount on it buyers could have a field day with it. Though not as much as the Medium Kit M2.

 

Nicely written Rem!!

[Remaine 4,687]

On my alt I'm first sergeant and I have unlocked anvil :P

 

That thing about rank unlocks, did you know you could buy vampire kit on sergeant? The same rank where isida m0 unlocks!

That is true.

[anuclearbomb 220]

 

 

 

 In the current system, Digital is the only M2 paint not to be used in a kit.

 

 

well didn't i pick a good paint to save up for then... oh, i think i know why, it goes to 50% so buyers would have a m3 capable paint... then again, it's only 79 500

Edited September 4, 2015 by anuclearbomb

[lukey0 27,543]

Kits are mainly for buyers or players starting/playing their second account now. Most players playing their first account don't really have the knowledge to save enough crystals quickly or not to try out a new weapon.

 

Very nice guide though Anvil Kit now unlocks 2 more ranks earlier, the same is with Hero Kit (Dictator Railgun M1 Pixel)

[NewbieCake 3,067]

Kits are mainly for buyers or players starting/playing their second account now. Most players playing their first account don't really have the knowledge to save enough crystals quickly or not to try out a new weapon.

 

 

This - is true. I started my alt about 2 months ago, will be better than my main, that's for sure.

[deafeat1 271]

Nice one Rem :)

[Ruthick 83]

Really gud

[Mr.Kenan 1,331]

I hope u guys will still bring some of the old kits back like the kit with mammoth m3, vulcan m3, and africa it was such as op kit and it was awesome and i really wait to buy it hopefully on sale cause I've been waiting forever for that kit and it would save u a lot of crystals 

[Luke_M3_Railgun 1]

i hope that u will give a kit with m1 twins and m1 mammoth for 10k

[Luke_M3_Railgun 1]

I ALSO WANT A KIT WITH m1 Vulcan and M1 mammoth for 10k

[pwhite 120]

Speaking of kits, its time for me to get vandal.

[buddersword 26]

I like the old pitbull kit coz it was cheaper than the new one :)

[Brubook 1,161]

Quote

As long as every item in the game unlocks at certain rank, kits with "all items unlocked when they are available" logic end up been available too late and were pretty much useless. Thus, logic has been changed. Currently we are conducting experiments on how soon items in particular situations can be unlocked without hurting balance. In the end, item kits will provide early access to one of the items in a kit. This is, most likely, going to be compensated with lover discounts and addition of one worthy paint in every kit.

 

 

 

As long as you define ranks system balance, it is quite obvious that selling stuff 3-4 ranks before their actual availability is a big unbalance of the game. If you studied a balance in the first place, a major change like this is unbalancing ... quite clear!

 

Your message with kits is: "with money you can win" over lower Ms players! Pay and blow them up!

 

If you add that who spend money buys drugs kits as well, you come with overpowered equipment further overpowered by drugs ... is this your idea of balance? Why you created the ranks system in the first place then? Why don't you give a recruite a nice M3 combo for say 400.000 crystals?

Despite the exaggeration, this is what happens in battles!

Also, you call that "experiments", I call that "greed". Early access to equipment is a further game unbalancing and should be eliminated!

 

Let's also remember that at high ranks a 3 ranks earlier availability means about 350.000 XP difference, which is 1/4 of the whole tanki career.

 

Think about it!

[Baby_Sam 614]

Good job, @Remaine.

 

The first two proposed kits are useless because Thunder and Isida unlock at , a few ranks before those kits.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Baby_Sam

[Heles 9,220]

thnx for interviewing me :D

[B.R.A.V.E 734]

Great!

[Yonko.Kaido 5]

 

The Best Kit In My Rank  B)  :blush: 

[momy950666 960]

true

[r_priyangshu0 270]

What I don't get is why is Hazel saying that as long as kits unlock at their equipment ranks, they are useless.

It would be openly disclosing that buying items seperately is useless and not to be looken upon, and saying that the more inappropiate OPness exists in kits, the more 'useful' they become.

[Brubook 1,161]

What I don't get is why is Hazel saying that as long as kits unlock at their equipment ranks, they are useless.

It would be openly disclosing that buying items seperately is useless and not to be looken upon, and saying that the more inappropiate OPness exists in kits, the more 'useful' they become.

Ohh nice!!!

Finally someone that use the brain, read and understand what he reads!!!!

:)

[classyplebs 1,786]

Interesting :)