Interview [Issue 52] [Interview] Tanki Xperiences: The Community's take on Closed Beta

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

 

Closed Beta Testing - It's all one talks about nowadays. Everyone wants to get hold of one of them invite codes, and see for themselves what AlternativaPlatform's revolutionary Unity-based game Tanki X is going to look like. But unfortunately, not everyone has some fortune this good. But chill, what else am I here for?

 

Meet your five interviewees - Ilia.ArchangeI, a pretty well-known figure in the community, an ex-reporter and a YouTuber to cap it all off; katekizem, a Forum Moderator, spectator and head of the parkour club mainstay The Flying Parkourists; that_one_michael, a popular, trending YouTuber of this game; and Sr.I3oSS, veteran of the forums and very popular among peers and Supratikbora, who can always be found helping tankers out. (I colour-coded them too)

 

Excited to know more about Tanki X from these four lucky tankers? Read on!

 

 

Hello, lucky Tanki X invitee! Welcome to this small interview!

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : Heya, thanks for having me  :)

 

: Hi, pretty excited to do this with you!

 

@that_one_michael : Hey there! Glad to be a part of this interview.

 

@Sr.I3oSS : Hi, how you doin'?

 

 : Thanks a lot, TNT! Glad to be a part of this interview!

 

 

So first up, the most obvious upgrade to Tanki X is, the graphics. How well can your computer cope with graphics of a top-notch

quality? And, how immersive are the graphics themselves?

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : The graphics are very impressive, the quality of the dynamic lights, the particles, the models and texture's themselves - I was happily surprised. Not even to mention that my little laptop can render all that without hesitation at about 50 FPS, it's really a great bargain. 

 

: Graphics are outstanding! My computer is fairly good, so I have no problem playing on high quality graphics, but as the game is still in it's early stage, it is not made for the low rank computers yet. The graphics really include it all, everything is 3D (it looks 3D, and it actually is an object aswell). One part of the graphics that really impressed me are the windows tho, they actually reflect the background as you move, really impressive!

 

@that_one_michael : My computer can handle the middle setting perfectly! I've tried the highest setting and its just too much for my computer! The graphics themselves are just stunning; I can see why it would take so long to create this, so much detail!

 

@Sr.I3oSS : So firstly - the graphics. Yes, they are great, but even with an i5 Intel core processor I had to play with the lowest quality to get a high FPS. Overall, the graphics were still good, and those extra animations of when reloading or picking up a drop were absolutely appealing.

 

 : Oh boy! The graphics in TO and TX are worlds apart! The game seems to run smoothly for me on medium graphics. Speaking of how immersive the graphics are, I can say that the developers have put a lot of effort in the slightest details. The bushes and the grasses are 3D, the textures on the tanks are really detailed and the cracks and scratches on the surfaces or walls are well defined.

 

 

Hmm, so I guess we can expect some realistic gameplay! Moving on, how fluid is the UI? Is it easier to use than Tanki Online, or the other way around? How easy is navigating around in the game?

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : The UI is a lot more interesting visually, I'm assuming it will also be used on touch devices, so it will be quite convenient in that way as well. However can't say it's easy to use in this stage, although obviously many things will be changed and added, as the current UI is very simple. For example, imagine listing through 50 battles on one server, 4 battles at a time - that's how many battles the current UI shows. The shiny look and fancy animations are very different from what we are used to in TO, but I can honestly say I like them.

 

: Hm..... interesting question. For now, it is really hard to tell. Again I need to remind you, this is only the BETA version of Tanki X, not everything will remain as it is. Tank controls are smooth, but since we are all used to TO, the UI looks a bit strange.

 

@that_one_michael : Navigating around the game is very easy and anyone who has played Tanki Online before will feel at home. But since you can't change equipment in battle and also since the chat options are in Russian, I would say that currently, TO is probably a bit easier too use for now but I'm sure further updates in TX will change that. 

 

@Sr.I3oSS : It is very much similar to the current Tanki Online - though I didn't see any chat outside the battle. I guess they'll update that because I love the main chat    :P Only 1 server as there weren't much players - and loading into the game was much faster than in the current tanki. We even had the ability to be able to Spectate battles which was great.

 

 : Hmmmm, I think the UI is one area that the developers must strictly look into. The current TX UI is not so diverse and I feel that the transitions are quite slow. Searching for a battle in the battle list can be a hideous task, especially when there are a lot of them. Well, this is just my opinion and of course, we mustn't forget that the game is still in the beta version. The future TX may have a different UI.

 

 

Wow, seems futuristic! Anyway, there are currently four maps available in the Closed Beta Stage; which among them is your favourite in terms of realisticness and why?

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : I was particularly impressed by the new Silence map, with all those details in the background, it's quite a sight to behold. Feels extensively industrial, which was the original goal in the first place. Same goes for Rio, especially with the newly added  beach, the level of detail which creates a real sense of immersion, is amazing.

 

: The most real looking map for me is Rio, it really feels like driving around a city. But, all of the maps look extremely cool and real, the Developers really did an outstanding job!

 

@that_one_michael : My favorite and the most realistic looking map in my eyes would probably be Silence - the way it's set up with the cool factory in the background and all the placement of all these extra background effects really makes it feel like you're in the middle of a town.

 

@Sr.I3oSS : I would say that Kungur is the best out of those. It's big and it looked much better than the others in many ways. Other maps were great as well - especially Rio with the graffiti on the walls.

 

 :  Rio! The developers definitely put a LOT of detail into this map. The beach, the ocean, the graffiti on the walls - this map truly gives one the feeling of the Rio streets!

 

 

I feel so jealous already, but I have to continue. Coming to the weapons; which combo in TX is your favourite to use, in terms of both utility and looks? Any guns/hulls you think are OP? 

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : Aside from the new animation, I can't say there's anything outstandingly different about the Hulls and Turrets. Yes, they were remodeled, they have spinning wheels, flying shells, animations for supplies, but somehow they are the same. A Hammer spits shell fragments, and a Rico bounces off of walls. So unless I'm parkour, I tend to stick to my favorite Hornet Railgun and try to master the new physics, which isn't so easy with such a precise game mode like XP. Sometimes I'm lucky to find several other XP players and we have a good match together. Can't wait for the CTF mode to be implemented. I'm also quite certain that for the time being the weapon statistics are the same as in TO, so it's pretty balanced.

 

: To be honest, I do not really take part in the testing to play it, I still enjoy doing that in TO  :DThe combo I use the most is Wasp and Ricochet, so they will upgrade the most (there are not 3 stages of modifications as in TO, but there is only so called "M0", but it's specifications increase with so called "Mastery levels", after reaching a certain amount of experience, your Mastery level raises, and the specifications of your tank increase.), so that I will be able to have a more upgraded tank for parkour. Every single turret and hull looks amazing, really, you can not judge them by the look. And as for the stability of turrets/hulls, it will most likely get changed, as it is hard to set it perfect in the first try. For now, Smoky, Isida and Shaft are pretty good, but also other turrets aren't bad.

 

@that_one_michael : My favorite turret by far is the classic Railgun - the cool way the turret spins in the back before it shoots and the the power of it with double power...I love it! But I have played against a smoky and he was definitely a very strong player, smoky gave my tank the judders!

 

@Sr.I3oSS : I used the combo that is my favourite even in Tanki Online - Smoky & Wasp. It was easy to handle since it is very similar to TO. When I landed a critical shot on the opponent, it was represented as a fire lighting up on the enemy hull. The looks are much better and realistic - and with the animations of using supplies makes it even better. I would say that Thunder is very Over Powered. In Tanki X, if you earn a certain amount of experience with a turret/hull, it upgrades itself. For instance, if I earn 100 experience with Smoky, it upgrades and next time I might need 200 experience (and it continues). I played with a player who had thunder and he could one shot me even though I had Hunter...

 

 : In terms of stats, I think Smoky+Viking is quite OP. I mean, whenever I enter a battle, I always see a Smoky/Viking user on the top of the leaderboard. Twins with Viking is a decent combo as well, but its lack of range keeps it a level lower than Smoky/Viking. Although when it comes to looks, Railgun-Hornet truly is a beautiful combo.

 

 

Wow! It all sounds so cool...... we've all seen some gorgeous special effects in TX, each better than the last. Which is your favourite one by far and why?

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : I really like the Speed Boost animation, it really makes you feel like a racing car on Nitros, especially if you're using Hornet and drifting around corners - that's amplified even more in Tanki X.

 

: Hmmm, hard to say. All the effects are something special, so I can really not decide which one is better, they are all amazing!

 

@that_one_michael : My favorite special effect so far is the activation of a supply, it's just so cool the way you see armor plates going up or when you get a Speed Boost, the back of your tank is just on fire; and Double Power makes the turret change color a bit - it makes for a really cool effect!

 

@Sr.I3oSS : My favourite would be applying Speed Boost. The engine represents a heated up, full of energy, engine and it doesn't feel like it's 2x speed, seems much more in TX  :P

 

 : I really like the supply activation effect, especially the speed boost one, because it makes the tank look really dynamic! In TO, there's no supply activation effect and we can't even tell if someone has supplies activated if he/she is quite far away from us. Secondly, the supply boxes in TO is really realistic as compared to TO, where the supply boxes launch upwards and fade when picked. I really like how the supply boxes break into several pieces. There is also this effect when your tank gets destroyed. Your tank starts to burn bright red. Trust me, it is way, way, waaaaaaaaaay better than the one in TO! One sad thing is that I haven't still seen the rank-up effect in real time. Yeah, I saw the rank-up effect video on the Facebook page and it's really awesome!

 

 

Ha ha, I guess that's a unanimous decision. In terms of practicality, how close to reality is Tanki X? How easy is it to drive a tank as compared to Tanki Online? Do you feel like you're battling inside an actual city? Tell us a little more about it.

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : The feeling of the gameplay itself is a little unusual, I guess since we're used to the Flash engine, it will take a bit of time getting accustomed to the new feel. Although the developers have tried their best to emulate the physics of Tanki Online, and while they're still working on perfecting it, I think they can only get so  close and we will have to get used to the new physics sooner or later. My first impression is that everything is slower, kinda like playing on Moon Silence back in the day, but on second thought (after noticing the fast reload of the Railgun and the delicate swerving of the Hornet) I realized that it's not slower, it's just different. Tanks somehow feel heavier (albeit more realistic), guns feel a little more complex to use, which will bring out the really skilled players. It does feel a lot more realistic than TO, simply because so much detail has been put into modelling the battle props, it's quite amazing.

 

: Tanki X is more real than Tanki Online is, but still it is not like WoT for example, it is still a pretty much effect-centred game. Some of the maps look more real than others, Rio is a perfect example of that. It looks really real, and for this one, I could say it looks like battling in a city. It is amazing!

 

@that_one_michael : All the graphics of the new Tanki X are very astonishing and when you go on spectator mode and take an outside view, it really is just inside a city or arena; all the realistic backgrounds do so much! And it's pretty easy to get used to the tank driving part, I honestly thought that all the tanks would be really slow but turns out it isn't how I thought it would be. Tanks really do have a close similarity to TO!

 

@Sr.I3oSS : It is very realistic in terms of physics; drifting causes marks on the ground, driving on different surfaces makes different sounds - in short, everything is just very much more realistic than in the current TO. When playing on the lowest grahpics possible: no, it does not seem like driving in an actual city. Haven't tried the high graphics since I get low FPS (about 1-10).

 

 : TX feels a lot more realistic than TO. There are several effects such as the thudding sound of your tank when it hits a wall, the wind breezing through the grasses and bushes, etc. that make you feel that you are actually driving a real tank! The structures are really well defined as well. Driving on different surfaces actually feel different! *ahem* I'm having a little difficulty in driving tanks. I guess it's because the tanks in TX are all M0.

 

 

Very realistic, then. What do you feel is the most stark difference between Tanki Online and Tanki X? What makes it so radical?

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : Probably the weapon effects. While the battle props are quite different, everything has that familiar feel of when you're playing in TO. But the animation for the turrets and the projectiles is very foreign, especially the first time you use them. The fire is so realistic - no more spinning sprites flying at you, it actually looks like a flame. Rico and Twins look like real plasma balls and not a Tesla coil malfunction. Isida appears like a swarm of Nano Bots like it's supposed to be, and not a Taser Fork. Thunder, Smoky - great flares, great explosions, and even dropping shell casings to top it all off.

 

: The looks of it, of course, and the 3D objects. In Tanki Online, everything is a box, but in Tanki X, everything is an actual object. It is one of the best changes from Tanki Online if you ask me.

 

@that_one_michael : The biggest/most obvious difference between the two would definitely be the physics, I haven't fully understood them yet. For example, if i try to do a flip with Railgun and it looks like I'm going to hit the ground upside down, sometimes that is what it does, but other times my tank will roll and it will look like a super cool parkour move, but I just can't predict whether I'll be on my tracks, or be forced to self-destruct. You know, it's pretty unpredictable but fun!

 

@Sr.I3oSS : I think the main difference would obviously be the graphics. Controls, physics and the rest are pretty much the same. TX is way more realistic - not just an island floating in the middle of nowhere! It's got 3D bushes; yey! Ok, seriously, it's got pretty good graphics and now the surroundings are actually solid ground. Interaction between tanks and objects are real too - thud sounds, different sounds on surfaces, etc.

 

 : As I mentioned earlier, TO and TX are two worlds apart. The biggest difference, according to me, is that TX is a lot more realistic than TO. Driving a tank in TO is similar to playing with a cardboard box in your backyard.  Whereas driving a tank in TX gives you the feeling of a real tanker. The moment you start your tank, the engine makes a certain sound and your heart starts to beat rapidly. The tanks look really bulky and heavy. It is not like TO, where the tanks look like they were made out of cardboard. In TX, when someone fires towards you using Smoky or Thunder, you can actually see the bullet pacing towards you! The developers also put a lot of work into the sound effects. While driving through the bushes, you can hear the sound of the ground beneath your tank tracks. Every moment in TX is breathtaking!

 

 

So I guess I can safely infer that a lot of stuff is different! Upcoming, a question most of you may not like - is there anything that you do NOT like in Tanki X? What for?

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : I don't like the upgrade system that is currently in place - no modification levels, only micro upgrades, there are very many, they start very cheap and go up into the millions. I know of course that this is just an example, but I hope it won't be anything similar to what it currently is. I like the M-levels we currently have in Tanki. That aside, I have one complaint about the graphics, and that is that there is no Anti-Aliasing filter. It makes all the edges look really pixelated, no matter how high you turn up the graphics, and that makes it pretty much impossible to make any decent quality screen shot or video. While the current options of "Low", "Medium" and "High" graphics are convenient, I hope we will have the options to customize the graphics levels ourselves.

 

: No. There are a few issues that will disappear with time, as once more, this is only the BETA version, and not all features are working for now.

 

@that_one_michael : The main thing that I don't like about TX is that it can sometimes feel all too overwhelming, all the changes to the physics, to all the effects can sometimes be too much, But the more the people that get an invite code, the better, because it's so hard to test out TankiX when there is no one on...Tanki Online is a very simple game and right now, Tanki Online has just taken years of time with all the constant updates and currently it is just so perfect! I couldn't complain about anything about TO right now, but eventually when TX becomes just like TO I think that will be very very amazing!

 

@Sr.I3oSS : Everything is fine except that with an Intel Core i5 processor I can't even play on Medium graphics. I hope that is improved. In the current Tanki Online I get 60 FPS with good graphics (not with all on, but I don't really like all on anyways). Other than that - it's a great game.

 

 : There are a few bugs such as mines don't appear when activated. Other than that, everything's fine.

 

 

Hmm, so TX seems pretty flawless at the moment. Given a choice between the two, which one would you prefer? Tanki Online or Tanki X? Please explain your choice.

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : Well at this time I obviously prefer playing Tanki Online, because in Beta mode, there is hardly anything to do in Tanki X, and progress isn't saved. That, along with the fact that there are hardly any players online, not to mention no friends, leaves me only one reason to play Tanki X - to test the game and make videos about the experience.

 

: Hard question. For now, I'd stick to Tanki Online, as Tanki X is not fully developed yet. Once everything will be done, Tanki X will become an outstanding game that will quickly take over Tanki Online. It just is a better game, however you look at it.

 

@that_one_michael : As of now, I enjoy TO a bit more considering the fact that i have minimal lags in TO and a whole bunch in TX and I can't do my usual stuff that I do in TO, for example, to pick up a supply box I have to drive really slow and just inch my way into it, or I can't activate supplies using the right side of my number keyboard; things like this just make TO a bit easier/more fun to play.

 

@Sr.I3oSS : I'm balanced on both ends. In the current Tanki Online, I am much more used to it and most friends claim that they will not play TX (Probably). Even the maps are great and I will surely miss them (which I guess won't be there except the four chosen). As for TX, great graphics, similar physics, everything is much similar. Currently, if I can get a reasonably good FPS on Medium graphics on TX, I am planning to make a new account on TX and enjoy TO and TX at the same time! I will eventually stop playing one of them depending on different things such as if my friends move to TX or not, or if I get good FPS or not, etc. I'm really excited about TX though, can't wait for the Open Testing to come so I can play with lots of people  :P

 

 : Hmmm...I think it is a bit too early to decide which is better. I mean, TX is still in the beta stage and we never know what will happen in the future. But if I were to choose one right one, I would go for TX. It is just better!

 

 

Well, we've come to the end. Thanks a lot for sharing your time and your experiences! Hope to see you in TX! (If I get an invite code, that is)

 

@Ilia.ArchangeI : Great to see members of our community interested in the future of the project. Thanks for your contribution  :) Good luck!

 

:  Thank you for an invitation, it was a pleasure for me. Awesome quality of questions, and I'd like to say that sooner or later, with an invite code or not, everyone will switch to Tanki X, so see you there!

 

@that_one_michael : Thank you so much for having me, it was a pleasure. Take care!

 

@Sr.I3oSS : You're welcome, and good luck in getting a code  ;)

 

 : Thanks a lot, TNT! See you in TX!

 

 

So there you have it - five tankers, all with access to Tanki X, talking about their preferences, choices, and opinions within this new, wonderful game. Reading all their replies must have given y'all more knowledge about the workings of TX (it did to me), and now all of us will be waiting more eagerly for those invite codes.

 

Till that happy moment, this was TNT. See you on the battlefield, or in Tanki X. Explosions out!

 

 

Edited November 18, 2017 by Flexoo

[Ambitious 2,084]

Awesome xD

Thanks for the awesome interview ^.^

[arnav0506 2,777]

GOod J0b

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

GOod J0b

THank Y0u

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

Awesome! Hope I get my invite soon, you never know. I hope they add modification levels, it sounds like the only way to get good equipment is to choose ONE combo and stick with it. I don't like that, that defeats the purpose of saving and wise spending decisions.

[lukey0 27,543]

Very nice.

[pwnertanker 2]

Anyone here already get an invite code? I did.

[takethat_thebest 1]

Great job!

[bossman161 276]

Wait a sec so you are all saying we are stuck with some dumb mu system for Tanki X and we have to mu our weps and stuff? Bogus. NO modification levels? ick....

question: when you say "auto upgrades" for mastery levels, are crystals taken from your account? or do you only pay if you want a improvement then and there without earning exp? That actually seems kind of attractive to me; use your favorite equipment more and more and it gets stronger. Definitely like that if that is how these mastery levels work...maybe we all will be seeing a hell of alot less buyers on TX

Edited April 3, 2016 by bossman161

[Quarks 2,255]

Supra, you NUG! How did you get an invite code? I call hax. Supratikabora has 12 letters, 12/4=3. A triangle has 3 sides. lOOminati confirmed!!11!!!!111

[xX_I.Love.Her_Xx 2,650]

^ lol

 

Great interview :D Can't wait for TX to go official :D

[Nikosking2000 0]

very nice (the only problem was that it took me 1 hour to read ;) )

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

^lol

 

Nice interview :)

[Fruit 6,570]

Wait a sec so you are all saying we are stuck with some dumb mu system for Tanki X and we have to mu our weps and stuff? Bogus. NO modification levels? ick....

question: when you say "auto upgrades" for mastery levels, are crystals taken from your account? or do you only pay if you want a improvement then and there without earning exp? That actually seems kind of attractive to me; use your favorite equipment more and more and it gets stronger. Definitely like that if that is how these mastery levels work...maybe we all will be seeing a hell of alot less buyers on TX

There are some kinds of modifications that you can buy (I bought a lot of them, and I didn't see any improvement in the actual game), but the Mastery Levels grow with experience only, no crystals needed.

[Manish_17xxx 75]

The questions you asked were really awesome. I think that this actually gave most of us a brief idea of what the game is like. Anyways, waiting to get an invite code soon.  :D

[suhas_best 334]

Great! I found the v-log invite codes a bit too late i guess ^_^

 

But np! The game will surely have a great future ahead :D

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Looking at some videos I get the (wrong) impression that there is less auto-aim.

Also Ricochet seems to shoot a lot faster and maybe there 's

also less "bounce time"?

 

Is there a Tanki X Beta tester who can confirm or deny this?

[Thug 3,435]

Nice interview! ^_^ 

[ll.DonT.Even.Try.ll 513]

Good interview and even more impressive answers. Now I am a lot more interested in play TX than before.

[fordmustang12345 3,910]

Tanki X :wub: can't wait to start drifting around corners in my Speed boosted hornet :wub:

[Cammando.007 3]

when is the opening date?

[Fruit 6,570]

Looking at some videos I get the (wrong) impression that there is less auto-aim.

Also Ricochet seems to shoot a lot faster and maybe there 's

also less "bounce time"?

 

Is there a Tanki X Beta tester who can confirm or deny this?

I'd agree to less auto-aim, but as for Ricochet, I never use it in TO, so I can't really compare :D

[donut70 97]

I'd really like more information about the Tanki X upgrade system. What I'm hearing right now makes me dubious.

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

I'd agree to less auto-aim, but as for Ricochet, I never use it in TO, so I can't really compare :D

Thanks :) 

[Infinite_Maelstrom 0]

You mean there will be NO MADNESS!!!  That is Not Cool.    :angry:

But, will there be, like, Weather?? :ph34r: That would be... 

...INTENSE!