Review [Issue 47] Top Ten Tanki: Needed improvements

[Fen-Harel 1,176]

Hello, readers! I hope 2016 is treating you well so far and if it's not, I'll try and treat you with a quick article. Now, this is a list of things that I think should have been added into Tanki. It's a great game, but these little details would really stop me from giving it a perfect rating. I know some of these can't be implemented due to their complexity, but this isn't really a list of suggestions. It's just my opinion on what a perfect Tanki game would look like, based off the current Tanki. However, some of these will be fixed in Tanki X, so I'm personally really excited about that! Anyway, let's get on with Top Ten Tanki: Needed Improvements!

10. I'm banned

A small icon indicator would really help out here, just so others know I can't talk...

We've all pretty much been there. You get banned for whatever reason, even the accidental overkill on the H key to signal everyone your laughter on a subject can get you here. Now you enter a battle, meet friends and they say naturally greet you. However, you can't great back, so you're standing there in silence. They think you're ignoring them (I don't see why they'd think that, they're totally not annoying), get mad at you, unfriend you, block you and quit Tanki from the sheer sorrow of you not responding to them. Not to mention it's difficult to say "Go" in XP battles if you're banned. Tip: If you want to signal the opposing team you're ready to start, shoot a rail shot into the air. Same goes if they do it. So, can we get some sort of icon indicating that we're banned, Tanki?

 

9. Ratings and achievements

Sad to see all these empty achievements, some also take way too much time to do again

Ok, now this can't really be helped. The ratings update was hyped out quite a  bit. I thought it was going to be an awesome update, possibly along the lines of the invite system. However, it really was a disappointment for me. The game simply didn't record all the details that everyone would want to see. The basic Kill/Death ratio is pretty much the only thing you get right now. All those gens that played for years probably felt like they got a slap in the face. You're saying I have to re-do all the achievements again? Earn 1 million exp in CTF for a badge? Sorry, Tanki, been there, done that and I'm certainly not going to waste time doing it again. Also, no crystal rewards for achievements? At least 1k-10k crystal rewards per achievement would've been nice and in some sense expected.

 

8. Friends list

This is probably how the list would look like if you could appear offline in the game

The friends list has been added to Tanki on July 16th 2013. It's really a must in any online game, because if you can't have friends in real life, you might as well get them online, right? For the first month it's all fun and happiness, but you get tired of the same old nuglet following you around every game, right? It's ok, we've all had it happen to us, nothing to be ashamed of. By the way, if you don't know anyone like that, you're the person doing it. So, what possible solution would there be to this huge problem? A "appear as offline" button! Yea, maybe it would result in some awkward situation if your friend actually finds you, but what are the chances of that. Even Skype allows me to pretend to be offline while I lurk in every possible chat group. This really isn't too much to ask for, right?

 

7. Battle list

The battles are switching so fast your eye can only register this one battle! Trust me, it's a GIF.

"Oh, this is a cool battle. Wait there's another one, let me click on it quickly before it fills up. Wait, what's going on... stop selecting random battles... stop... stop!"

Yea, one of the more annoying glitches in the game. The moment when your browser decides to go on a rampage selecting any and all battles, cycling through them faster than... than... Well that kind of ruined the moment didn't it? It's not that you expect me to be witty, so I can't really disappoint you. Anyway, having to load the garage up, then return to the battle list only to find the battle full is so annoying. I don't know if it can be fixed, but it would be a huge improvement to the game.

 

6. Flat walls should be flat

Yea, I'm used to it. It's like learning out of desperation to avoid this wall.

Now imagine this scenario. You're taking away the enemy flag while you're getting shot at by a smoky and you're using rail. In order to protect yourself from the smoky shooting you off aim, you stay close to the wall. Then suddenly you randomly bump into an invisible thingy that moves your entire tank messing up your aim. It's a flat wall, Tanki, where did the sudden bump come from? Really tedious to have to worry about that sort of thing. I may be nit picking here, but it has cost me more times than it should have.

 

5. Bridges' bridges

Worst. Glitch. Ever. Seriously, this like the XP player's nightmare.

Speaking of invisible bumps, this is the most famous one. The random glitch in the middle of the bridge. So, the flag is running away and you have to make that pro shot. You rush on the ramp, but before you get your shot off, you spin on the side and miss while the flag is captured. The whole team looks at you in disappointment, you become depressed and eventually quit Tanki only to return tomorrow. Circle of a tanker's life and it could be repaired by fixing that one annoying aspect of Bridges.

 

4. Chat messaging

It really would be, hopefully it happens.

This must be implemented in Tanki X. A private messaging system. How am I supposed to gossip about a guy spamming nonsense in RU1 with my friend if the guy can easily read the gossip? Not to mention the fact that not everyone needs to know what I'm talking about with someone. There's also a factor that when you type "Hi" to your friend, 5 random people start talking to you. Sometimes you just want to avoid all that, you know. I do get why that would be kind of troublesome, people could spam or insult each other in those private messages, hackers could use the system etc. Although, an introduction of a "Block pm for this person" button would do wonders to prevent that. I don't know, maybe I'm alone in wanting to private message people, but this entire list is what I want in the game. Yea, I'm needy...

Edit: Heh, it seems the update has been announced in the V-log Episode 75. It should be pretty cool to see how it turns out. Thanks for giving us a useful update, Tanki - appreciated.

 

3. Ghost walls

Just plain annoying... sometimes ruins parkour, too.

This is another annoying thing that you forget about in the rush of battle. The roof models in the game are mostly boxes, so you'll have an imaginary solid that prevents you from shooting through it, even though you can clearly see your opponent through it. Yea, I can get used to getting around that obstacle, but I shouldn't have to do it. If the game were perfect, that would be fixed already. However, I'm gonna cut some slack to Tanki on this one, because Tanki X announced that this will be fixed in that version of the game. Cheers for that!

 

2. Night mode

Why doesn't my favorite map have night mode? I want to push those dynamic lights to the max...

So, looking through the battles it seems most don't have the night mode option. There's probably a reason for it, but I don't know what it is. If any mods want to explain what it is, post below. Seriously though, there are a lot of maps that would be quite cool with the night mode. It's not like it was recently introduced, too. Plenty of time has passed since, enough for it to be a bit more widespread in my opinion. It just seems like a waste not to distribute it along all maps.

 

1. Invites

Probably the most useful addition to an update I can think of.

The option to invite someone to a battle was probably one of the best updates in the game. Everyone has used it so much and it has made private battles a lot more effective in keeping unwanted people out. Not to mention how easy it is to gather a group of friends to play with. However, I'd suggest just one more extra feature - a messaging system. I would like to know what I'm being invited to, so an option to write a message below the invite would be a lifesaver. "I need help", "Rank up party", "Photoshoot", "Make a place in that battle for me", there are a lot of different reasons for inviting a player. I just think it would be a huge improvement on the way you can communicate with friends on Tanki. Make it happen, Tanki. Just make it happen.

 

---

That's all from me. I understand that this seems a bit harsh and critical, but it's not really my motivation. I don't want to bash the game for every small thing, I just want to demonstrate how little details in the game can make the overall experience a lot better. It's a fact that Tanki is a pretty cool game, however I just wish the developers would fix these little things. It would also be great if they added a bit more effort when originally publishing certain updates. In the end, what's done is done and I think we should look forward to 2016 and the new Tanki X. Thanks for reading and see you in the next issue!

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by Hexed

[Rico_Viking_9000 942]

Yes. Number 10 though. Probably the one I really want to see. But these are all great. I love reading the Tanki newspaper. The only news I ever read.

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

All of these are @I3rilliant ideas. I hope they are all implemented in Tanki or Tanki X!

Edited January 22, 2016 by DragonOfStorms

[Quarks 2,255]

Good ideas m8, I think these are all useful.

[Roadrunner15 47]

I particularly agree with #9. I think that there are way too many top-tier achievements and not enough low-tier achievements. Maybe also have the reward system for completing certain numbers of achievements? Like, every 5 achievements receive an amount of crystals proportional to your current rank? That would give players another 'quest' to focus on while they are completing Daily Missions and playing regularly.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Roadrunner15

[KillerGnat 3,135]

I agree with you so much! I can't wait for the messaging system to come out.

[Wishtaker97 62]

Yeah! Im in an Article :) 

Those who are lookin for me check the second chatbox about sending pms :)

[Zenyth 6,494]

Totally agree with 6, 2 and 1.

[wow349 4]

nice article!!!!!!

[r_snowleopard0512030 66]

I can't wait for Tanki X to come, with some of these added, and others, it will be great. Nice article!

[TheGoldenTanker 4,951]

I agree with number 10 the most.

[Enforcer 627]

Nice and useful topic! :)

 

I agree with all your ideas!

[Supernatural 2,053]

All ideas are awesome, 6. and 5. the mostly as I am XP/BP player (despite my full m3 garage :lol:)

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

Now, THIS is one of the best Articles ever written. It was great! Thoroughly enjoyed it and it's nice to hear a Reporter not defending Tanki and being completely biased. You wrote this Article from a Player's POV, not a Staff Member's POV. The last idea is the best for me as I invite a LOT.

[l.Eat.My.BuIIets 483]

Nice one mate, I totally agree with you, except for the part where you said that the picture in the 7th section : Battle List, was a gif, when it was actually a PNG image. Sorry for busting you :P

[MandolinMarc 874]

A beautifully structured article and I agree with most of your suggestions. But I find most of them relatively trivial. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it would be pretty cool to see a brainstorming article of radical ways that Tanki could be re-worked, put in a new light, etc. Maybe even a way to give Tanki some kind of backstory.

[Skepta 405]

Yes excellent article m8 ;)

There shoukld be an 'Invite All' button so you should'nt need to scroll through

and,

Maps that need NIGHTMODE:

Cross

Dusseldorf

Subway

Year 2042 (best map)

Tribute

Chernobyl

Esplanade

[AN_602 280]

Very cool list! Also:

 

Yes excellent article m8 ;)

There shoukld be an 'Invite All' button so you should'nt need to scroll through

and,

Maps that need NIGHTMODE:

Cross

Dusseldorf

Subway

Year 2042 (best map)

Tribute

Chernobyl

Esplanade

Chernobyl, Esplanade and 2042 would be epic  :ph34r:

[Palm-Face 378]

The one I would really loved seen fixed is number 10.

[Rth1131999 4]

Welp, I'm back from the dead. Definately agree to most of this(don't know about 6 or 5, but I've never encountered them, to be honest). 

[Bugs.meeny 1,013]

I think #1 was the best. I always wanted that. If u decline u should be able to send a message too