CLOSED — Cedric's "Virtual Office"

[ChrisandStefanPRO 379]

Mr Cedric?? Where is the event calendar for october?

[So 1,636]

Mr Cedric?? Where is the event calendar for october?

Events Calendar - October

[I3.R.0 1,700]

What qualifications do we need to become a Tanki Online Game dev?

[swede1 1,726]

Cedric Debono, on 30 Sept 2016 - 10:37, said:

Is it really so bad to be labelled a "buyer"? What's the big deal?

The developers have no one to blame but themselves for the stigma associated with "The Buyer".

 

It all started with battle rank limits where you could have advantage of higher mods in battles against lower ranks, further unbalanced by purchasing experience.

 

When the developers started intentionally overpowering equipment, buffing and later nerfing each piece once it started to saturate the battles in an effort to make players work on one combo only to have it rendered useless once they acquired it. this gave buyers a slight advantage especially in clan battles where they had a huge superiority against players with limited choices. Buyers would unlock everything as they became available, but they were just as upset having spent money only to have it nerfed later on.

 

To escalate the "Buyer" hatred even more, the developers added kits to the game, offering higher mod equipment to buyers at a lower rank making them very overpowered in battles  against the majority of players.

 

This is when the developers really started to turn this game into a Pay to Win game with the implementation of Micro Upgrades, and all of a sudden "Buyers" could dominate at any rank, but made M3 battles the most unbalanced, virtually destroying the endgame for most players.

 

The quick fix by the developers was the handout of full M4 equipment to all players that had one parameter fully MU'd, while it fixed one imbalance, it created an even bigger imbalance as MU's were then only available to buyers through massive price increases, further imbalancing the game.

 

This major imbalance in the game between Buyers and all other players is further imbalanced by garage access while in battle, giving a major advantage to "Buyers" who could switch protections and equipment  at will.

 

The biggest aides given to players that was loved by everyone " The Friends System" is actually one of the biggest issues in this game because of the Pay to Win system the developers have been instituting in this game creating "Super Buyer Groups" that can co-ordinate battles and  making it virtually impossible to win against the "Buyers".

 

All these things have reduced this game from 1/2 a million daily users down to its current 100 thousand daily users and falling. That's an 80% drop in player base.

 

The "Buyer" hatred is in actuality "Developer" hatred

 

What's worse is that the Developers continue to add major power advantages to buyers with alterations to equipment, and are continuing to nerf/overpower hulls and turrets.

 

At this rate this game will lose another 80% of its user-base leaving 20 thousand "Buyers" with no game to play anymore.

[theFiringHand 21,351]

Is this still on or did it get discarded like  the other tourneys and you guys keep saying 'soon' like you did for the whole year? :( Please give us some updates :( Don't keep us in the dark... that's why people (me included) have simply lost faith in ...

 

He may be working super hard behind the scenes, but I forgot the last time I saw a post of his being eSports related, nor answering to any of our questions in the official eSports Q&A threads, nor any news about tournaments :( That to me could mean nothing if I don't see any results :/ and i'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks like that... Hear us out, please :/

Yes, it's still on. We're just waiting for the artwork to be finished.

 

What qualifications do we need to become a Tanki Online Game dev?

That really depends on what position you want to fill, assuming there's a vacancy for it.

 

 

Cedric Debono, on 30 Sept 2016 - 10:37, said:

The developers have no one to blame but themselves for the stigma associated with "The Buyer".

 

It all started with battle rank limits where you could have advantage of higher mods in battles against lower ranks, further unbalanced by purchasing experience.

 

When the developers started intentionally overpowering equipment, buffing and later nerfing each piece once it started to saturate the battles in an effort to make players work on one combo only to have it rendered useless once they acquired it. this gave buyers a slight advantage especially in clan battles where they had a huge superiority against players with limited choices. Buyers would unlock everything as they became available, but they were just as upset having spent money only to have it nerfed later on.

 

To escalate the "Buyer" hatred even more, the developers added kits to the game, offering higher mod equipment to buyers at a lower rank making them very overpowered in battles  against the majority of players.

 

This is when the developers really started to turn this game into a Pay to Win game with the implementation of Micro Upgrades, and all of a sudden "Buyers" could dominate at any rank, but made M3 battles the most unbalanced, virtually destroying the endgame for most players.

 

The quick fix by the developers was the handout of full M4 equipment to all players that had one parameter fully MU'd, while it fixed one imbalance, it created an even bigger imbalance as MU's were then only available to buyers through massive price increases, further imbalancing the game.

 

This major imbalance in the game between Buyers and all other players is further imbalanced by garage access while in battle, giving a major advantage to "Buyers" who could switch protections and equipment  at will.

 

The biggest aides given to players that was loved by everyone " The Friends System" is actually one of the biggest issues in this game because of the Pay to Win system the developers have been instituting in this game creating "Super Buyer Groups" that can co-ordinate battles and  making it virtually impossible to win against the "Buyers".

 

All these things have reduced this game from 1/2 a million daily users down to its current 100 thousand daily users and falling. That's an 80% drop in player base.

 

The "Buyer" hatred is in actuality "Developer" hatred

 

What's worse is that the Developers continue to add major power advantages to buyers with alterations to equipment, and are continuing to nerf/overpower hulls and turrets.

 

At this rate this game will lose another 80% of its user-base leaving 20 thousand "Buyers" with no game to play anymore.

 

I'm sorry but I still don't see why a buyer should be hated for spending money on the game. To me it sounds more like a "shaming" tactic simply to stop buyers from buying crystals and getting things faster than non-buyers who have to spend time getting those crystals in-game. Quite frankly, these shaming tactics are childish. If someone refuses to buy, that's up to them and they have every right to do so without being insulted. But the same should be applicable for people who want to buy.

[DageLV 940]

I'm sorry but I still don't see why a buyer should be hated for spending money on the game. To me it sounds more like a "shaming" tactic simply to stop buyers from buying crystals and getting things faster than non-buyers who have to spend time getting those crystals in-game. Quite frankly, these shaming tactics are childish. If someone refuses to buy, that's up to them and they have every right to do so without being insulted. But the same should be applicable for people who want to buy.

Good idea! if im going to be insulted cuz i buy... Like A LOT then i will insult them cuz they dont buy.

[Zenyth 6,494]

are you a foodie? :D

do you think  vegetarians like me can fully enjoy cuisines like Italian which indeed revolve a whole lot around non-vegetarian food?

[theFiringHand 21,351]

are you a foodie? :D

do you think  vegetarians like me can fully enjoy cuisines like Italian which indeed revolve a whole lot around non-vegetarian food?

I'm definitely a foodie. As I've said before, I even edit a food guide every year (will start working on this year's edition in mid-October in fact).

 

As for vegetarians fully enjoying Italian cuisines, I honestly have my doubts. That said, I've read of a company who have managed to reproduce the exact taste and nutritional value of a cheese burger, but using purely vegetarian produce. But I'll believe it when I taste it. I personally am not too fond of going vegetarian, but I do appreciate the motivations of those who decide to take up this particular path in life.

[Phoenix.Raised 5,992]

Malta is a beautiful island-state, do you have your boat?

[Cyborg 3,189]

I have kind of a question which struck my mind.

 

Prior to the game balance update.. All M3's will be available to Marshals... Thus how will newbies still have the desire, and enthusiasm to reach the Last rank of he game when they can pretty much own everything at that rank?

[theFiringHand 21,351]

Malta is a beautiful island-state, do you have your boat?

Nope, not yet  :)

 

I have kind of a question which struck my mind.

 

Prior to the game balance update.. All M3's will be available to Marshals... Thus how will newbies still have the desire, and enthusiasm to reach the Last rank of he game when they can pretty much own everything at that rank?

Because endgame isn't just about buying an M3 of your favorite equipment. There's more equipment to play with and level up, plus the Clan system will bring a breath of fresh air to the endgame.

[theFiringHand 21,351]

Is this still on or did it get discarded like  the other tourneys and you guys keep saying 'soon' like you did for the whole year? :( Please give us some updates :( Don't keep us in the dark... that's why people (me included) have simply lost faith in ...

 

He may be working super hard behind the scenes, but I forgot the last time I saw a post of his being eSports related, nor answering to any of our questions in the official eSports Q&A threads, nor any news about tournaments :( That to me could mean nothing if I don't see any results :/ and i'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks like that... Hear us out, please :/

UPDATE: Artwork was finished today. Expect an announcement soon

[Kurt_KurtDGreat 2,259]

UPDATE: Artwork was finished today. Expect an announcement soon

Thank youuuu :D

[Magenta 5,165]

are you a foodie? :D

do you think  vegetarians like me can fully enjoy cuisines like Italian which indeed revolve a whole lot around non-vegetarian food?

if u r a vegie for humane reasons (no killing cutie chicks plz) then good news for u-i saw in a NAT GEO TV show that soon scientists r gonna be able to clone meat, though the meat would never be taken from a dead animal-i.e. grown in labs. a tiny tissue taken from a cow was grown in a lab, the cells divided under artificial conditions, and the result was beef-fully identical to normal beef, and safe. it was eaten by a couple of people (scientists, ofc, though tbh u need to know no science to eat :P ). so the cow was never slaughtered. scientists are trying to make this process more efficient. thats really awesome news!

but if u r a vegie for other (religious) reasons, then....... *shrug*

[DageLV 940]

if u r a vegie for humane reasons (no killing cutie chicks plz) then good news for u-i saw in a NAT GEO TV show that soon scientists r gonna be able to clone meat, though the meat would never be taken from a dead animal-i.e. grown in labs. a tiny tissue taken from a cow was grown in a lab, the cells divided under artificial conditions, and the result was beef-fully identical to normal beef, and safe. it was eaten by a couple of people (scientists, ofc, though tbh u need to know no science to eat :P ). so the cow was never slaughtered. scientists are trying to make this process more efficient. thats really awesome news!

but if u r a vegie for other (religious) reasons, then....... *shrug*

Cloned meat? Meh. Im going to eat real meat not clone.

[swede1 1,726]

Well Cedric, I've been a Buyer and I can tell you the buffing and nerfing of equipment to drive sales is a repetitive reality in Tanki, for example, I picked up M3 freeze when it unlocked at the time it was the Buffed turret in the game and i dominated battles with ease, Freezes  were so overpowered and that lasted for about 6 months or more and outrage in the forums were rampant. I later picked up the M3 thunder kit two ranks before average players, it was also buffed during that time and I averaged DLs of 60 or more every battle with it. later I got smoky that had a huge critical hit, unfortunately they nerfed it the week after I acquired it.

 

Over the last 9 months or so Isida has been my buffed turret of choice, and enjoyed massacring battles, not only winning but totally ruining any fun for average players.

 

Buyers such as myself had no problems maintaining superiority over most players, winning battles solely because we bought power. This is the reason for the hatred.

 

The other aspect of this is the two class society this created, as the buyers stick together and do not battle against other buyers, and they also form alliances with other buyers and form hunting and takeover groups with the sole purpose to destroy average players and scoop up all the winnings, leaving the table scraps for the average Joe.

 

There is ABSOLUTELY no reason for nerfing and buffing equipment as a revenue stream, in my opinion it has actually been the main factor contributing to the decline in DAU.

 

The major platforms don't do this, yes they may add a new piece of equipment and buff the hell out of it for a few days and come back saying it was a glitch creating a buying frenzy, but within days they adjust the balance to keep the game play fair. Tanki could easily make minor adjustments as they become known.

 

You say the developers have access to all sorts of analytical tools showing all aspects of game balance at their disposal as well as testers who are in the game seeing this first hand, and are monitoring it continuously. Seriously, it doesn't take 9 months or more to realize that there is a major imbalance in the game, they can adjust perimeters at will  with a few clicks of a mouse and make minor almost unnoticeable changes without any backlash, so the premise that they are closely monitoring game balance is total rubbish.

 

Everyone likes to win, but at what cost, I for one stopped buying over a year ago because of the direction the game was going. Since that time all I did was win battles and spend winnings on supplies to win more battles which in the end resulted in me quitting the game entirely because it just wasn't fun anymore watching team after team give up or leave in despair.  

 

This was limited to Generalissimo battles for the most part, but now that all M3s will be unlocking at Marshal, it seems to me that this disparity between buyer and average Joe will now be subject to the same humiliation after only playing this game for 8 -12 months of game play.

I'm sure players are looking forward to that future. 

[DageLV 940]

 

Im buyer too as you can tell by my garage and i totaly agree with you.

But i disagree about buyer not killing buyer.

Im boored from average players cuz they are nothing for me. I can press 1-3 and dominate their team alone for few minutes but if i do see another buyer, i dont care about average players cuz they are nothing on me and im going just for the buyer.

 

Also being boored from average players it forced me to start playing against generalissimos.

Almost in any battle ive been top player since  cuz i bought kits and druggs.

 

There is one girl who is good player with bad garage.

If she is loosing in Monte Carlo CTF 9:0 she invites me to battle. I can cap all 10 flags within 5-10 mins just... Just by driving cuz my wasp dont need SB to jump over the ramp making me to get easy and fast caps.

Edited October 3, 2016 by DageLV

[Magenta 5,165]

Cloned meat? Meh. Im going to eat real meat not clone.

ur choice, but its equally safe and tasty...not so cheap for now, but scientists are working on making it more efficient! the prospect has a huge industry. imagine not having to feed and raise millions of animals, especially cows, cows release so much methane....even global warming would reduce! about 50% of global greenhouse production is caused by livestock raised by humans. the process is fast as well. and the results are the same (taste and quality). once theres demand, it should become very cheap (since more companies will produce it). prototypes are already successful. so theres really no justification in ur statement....

[VaudeVille 1,428]

Cloned meat? Meh. Im going to eat real meat not clone.

Same here. Nowadays they just make everything artificial GMO, AI, meat.. U name it and you have an artificial version of everything.

 

And BTW Cedric, please forward this to the devs if you can.

1. The servers desperately need to be improved, I did not pay to get disconnected from the server every 5 minutes. Yeah ik that you may not like my tone right now but it's highly infuriating to get disconnected for no reason while changing servers or entering a battle. On an average, refresh 3-4 times while logging in. So first things first, tell the devs to optimize the servers before introducing an update.

2. I seriously hope that the proposed changes in parameters of equipment are subject to change because I feel that isida got too big a nerf.

Also, another thing I wanted to know is that are there any plans to release new maps or game modes?

Thank you.

[The-Operator219 1,929]

Any new info on the upcoming turrets?

[OKDad70 862]

Regarding planned major changes.

 

Supplies changes, including kits in shop, favor buyers, strongly! (Pay to win is now obvious. Only the most patient will be able to resist spending cash.)

 

Supplies changes will increase supplies use, and it will increase disgruntlement among those who cannot buy or will not buy, and those few who view supplies use as unsporting.

 

Smart cooldowns will no longer require smarts.

 

Hulls: WTF???

 

Firebird: Wow, can we say overpowered? Afterburn will claim fewer opponents after the firebird tank explodes, but the parameter increases are excessive.

 

Freeze: I have too little experience with it, but the most powerful turret (with drawbacks that keep it from being popular) gets stronger. The reduction in rotation and acceleration will make it even less popular.

 

Isida: I hate isida, but wow, who will use it now? It had its place. I just needed nerfed in damage dealt, and increased in healing teammates.

 

Hammer: Not sure those changes will matter to anyone.

 

Twins: My motto is “Twins is fun!” Reduced impact, from nearly nothing to begin with, will reduce fun. Recoil? Does twins have recoil? Why reduce it further? And how does reduced recoil count as a plus-up? I will have to see how the rotation changes matter, but I'm thinking much less fun. Max damage-range won't matter (no one will ever notice).

 

Ricochet: It seems the most overpowered turret in the game will stay so. Not much change that will matter except the range. It will make it hard for me to snipe the shafts. That was always fun. Reducing its range so much will reduce its fun.

 

Smoky: Do you hate smoky? Why leave it in the game? This will be less popular than isida. With no impact, no critical, no rotation, why would anyone use it? You even reduced its range.

 

Vulcan: Good to see its impact reduced. Now maybe I can drive my titan while approaching a vulcan. I'm not sure how the other parms are going to affect play. Seems very little affected over all. It will still be overly effective.

 

Thunder: Other than slight damage nerf, this may be the most effective turret in game. Anyone using smoky instead of thunder must be dumb or just too traditional. For that matter, why use rail instead of this?

 

Railgun: Why take out the railgun and replace it with this? This turret isn't suitable for the standard fighting style of most railgunners.

 

Shaft: In my opinion, shafts are only in the game to kill. Killing shafts is fun. I suppose they will still be fun to kill.

 

My basic overall take is these changes level the playing field such that good skilled players cannot find niche expertise. These changes will bring the good down and let the poor look better, especially if they are willing to part with cash for 1500-supplies, especially at the lower ranks.

 

 

The scheme changes the game. It takes much and gives nothing. Specialization not only looks impossible, it looks to be actively quashed.

[OKDad70 862]

What is the time frame on the major changes?

[theFiringHand 21,351]

 

Im buyer too as you can tell by my garage and i totaly agree with you.

But i disagree about buyer not killing buyer.

Im boored from average players cuz they are nothing for me. I can press 1-3 and dominate their team alone for few minutes but if i do see another buyer, i dont care about average players cuz they are nothing on me and im going just for the buyer.

 

Also being boored from average players it forced me to start playing against generalissimos.

Almost in any battle ive been top player since  cuz i bought kits and druggs.

 

There is one girl who is good player with bad garage.

If she is loosing in Monte Carlo CTF 9:0 she invites me to battle. I can cap all 10 flags within 5-10 mins just... Just by driving cuz my wasp dont need SB to jump over the ramp making me to get easy and fast caps.

 

 

Well Cedric, I've been a Buyer and I can tell you the buffing and nerfing of equipment to drive sales is a repetitive reality in Tanki, for example, I picked up M3 freeze when it unlocked at the time it was the Buffed turret in the game and i dominated battles with ease, Freezes  were so overpowered and that lasted for about 6 months or more and outrage in the forums were rampant. I later picked up the M3 thunder kit two ranks before average players, it was also buffed during that time and I averaged DLs of 60 or more every battle with it. later I got smoky that had a huge critical hit, unfortunately they nerfed it the week after I acquired it.

 

Over the last 9 months or so Isida has been my buffed turret of choice, and enjoyed massacring battles, not only winning but totally ruining any fun for average players.

 

Buyers such as myself had no problems maintaining superiority over most players, winning battles solely because we bought power. This is the reason for the hatred.

 

The other aspect of this is the two class society this created, as the buyers stick together and do not battle against other buyers, and they also form alliances with other buyers and form hunting and takeover groups with the sole purpose to destroy average players and scoop up all the winnings, leaving the table scraps for the average Joe.

 

There is ABSOLUTELY no reason for nerfing and buffing equipment as a revenue stream, in my opinion it has actually been the main factor contributing to the decline in DAU.

 

The major platforms don't do this, yes they may add a new piece of equipment and buff the hell out of it for a few days and come back saying it was a glitch creating a buying frenzy, but within days they adjust the balance to keep the game play fair. Tanki could easily make minor adjustments as they become known.

 

You say the developers have access to all sorts of analytical tools showing all aspects of game balance at their disposal as well as testers who are in the game seeing this first hand, and are monitoring it continuously. Seriously, it doesn't take 9 months or more to realize that there is a major imbalance in the game, they can adjust perimeters at will  with a few clicks of a mouse and make minor almost unnoticeable changes without any backlash, so the premise that they are closely monitoring game balance is total rubbish.

 

Everyone likes to win, but at what cost, I for one stopped buying over a year ago because of the direction the game was going. Since that time all I did was win battles and spend winnings on supplies to win more battles which in the end resulted in me quitting the game entirely because it just wasn't fun anymore watching team after team give up or leave in despair.  

 

This was limited to Generalissimo battles for the most part, but now that all M3s will be unlocking at Marshal, it seems to me that this disparity between buyer and average Joe will now be subject to the same humiliation after only playing this game for 8 -12 months of game play.

I'm sure players are looking forward to that future.

 

It seems you two tend to agree that overpowered weapons are fun only for a short time. And that's precisely the reason why these changes in balance are being made. Why it took so much time, I don't know, but it needed to be done.

 

Same here. Nowadays they just make everything artificial GMO, AI, meat.. U name it and you have an artificial version of everything.

 

And BTW Cedric, please forward this to the devs if you can.

1. The servers desperately need to be improved, I did not pay to get disconnected from the server every 5 minutes. Yeah ik that you may not like my tone right now but it's highly infuriating to get disconnected for no reason while changing servers or entering a battle. On an average, refresh 3-4 times while logging in. So first things first, tell the devs to optimize the servers before introducing an update.

2. I seriously hope that the proposed changes in parameters of equipment are subject to change because I feel that isida got too big a nerf.

Also, another thing I wanted to know is that are there any plans to release new maps or game modes?

Thank you.

1. They know and are working on it.
2. Let's wait and see how it works out. Numbers on paper are just that. We need to play the game with the new stats before we can judge accurately.

 

Any new info on the upcoming turrets?

None yet.

 

 

 

Regarding planned major changes.

 

Supplies changes, including kits in shop, favor buyers, strongly! (Pay to win is now obvious. Only the most patient will be able to resist spending cash.)

 

Supplies changes will increase supplies use, and it will increase disgruntlement among those who cannot buy or will not buy, and those few who view supplies use as unsporting.

 

Smart cooldowns will no longer require smarts.

 

Hulls: WTF???

 

Firebird: Wow, can we say overpowered? Afterburn will claim fewer opponents after the firebird tank explodes, but the parameter increases are excessive.

 

Freeze: I have too little experience with it, but the most powerful turret (with drawbacks that keep it from being popular) gets stronger. The reduction in rotation and acceleration will make it even less popular.

 

Isida: I hate isida, but wow, who will use it now? It had its place. I just needed nerfed in damage dealt, and increased in healing teammates.

 

Hammer: Not sure those changes will matter to anyone.

 

Twins: My motto is “Twins is fun!” Reduced impact, from nearly nothing to begin with, will reduce fun. Recoil? Does twins have recoil? Why reduce it further? And how does reduced recoil count as a plus-up? I will have to see how the rotation changes matter, but I'm thinking much less fun. Max damage-range won't matter (no one will ever notice).

 

Ricochet: It seems the most overpowered turret in the game will stay so. Not much change that will matter except the range. It will make it hard for me to snipe the shafts. That was always fun. Reducing its range so much will reduce its fun.

 

Smoky: Do you hate smoky? Why leave it in the game? This will be less popular than isida. With no impact, no critical, no rotation, why would anyone use it? You even reduced its range.

 

Vulcan: Good to see its impact reduced. Now maybe I can drive my titan while approaching a vulcan. I'm not sure how the other parms are going to affect play. Seems very little affected over all. It will still be overly effective.

 

Thunder: Other than slight damage nerf, this may be the most effective turret in game. Anyone using smoky instead of thunder must be dumb or just too traditional. For that matter, why use rail instead of this?

 

Railgun: Why take out the railgun and replace it with this? This turret isn't suitable for the standard fighting style of most railgunners.

 

Shaft: In my opinion, shafts are only in the game to kill. Killing shafts is fun. I suppose they will still be fun to kill.

 

My basic overall take is these changes level the playing field such that good skilled players cannot find niche expertise. These changes will bring the good down and let the poor look better, especially if they are willing to part with cash for 1500-supplies, especially at the lower ranks.

 

 

The scheme changes the game. It takes much and gives nothing. Specialization not only looks impossible, it looks to be actively quashed.

 

 

As I said earlier, let's wait and see how these changes actually affect the game. We can only know by playing.

 

What is the time frame on the major changes?

Mid October.

[Phoenix.Raised 5,992]

When you make an announcement about upcoming update of game balance, can we see the results of the survey ?

[theFiringHand 21,351]

When you make an announcement about upcoming update of game balance, can we see the results of the survey ?

Unfortunately the results of the survey are for internal use only.

 

As for announcing the update, yes, I'll make a full announcement.