[Issue 54] [Review] Revolutionary Map Changes

[Flexoo 6,980]

 

 

 

 

 

Life is always changing, that’s why we love it. Who could not love life? It brings so much joy and worry at the same time. Change is a movement. If nothing changes, nothing moves; it remains in uniform motion as Mr. Newton would say. Change gives things a new direction and Tanki Online is not an exception. Just as everything around us, even in Tanki Online you can find things that constantly undergo the change. This time, I will throw some light on changes implemented in the maps. Interested? Then read about it below!

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POLYGON

 

Implemented change: Barriers around the perimeter.

Reason: Prevention of the frequent self-destruction.

 

Honestly, it would be pretty cheeky not to mention Polygon as the most popular map in the context of changes. Polygon is the enduring classic - it's so overly played that most of us already neglected the fact it was retouched. Although the implemented change seems negligible, it greatly improved and enhanced the gameplay.

 

                                             

Back in the old days, destroying an enemy was far more complicated. Polygon, like many other maps, lacked the borderlines that would prevent players from constant jumps to emptiness. In the past, players were not punished by point loss when they self-destructed. Therefore, they often self-destructed whenever they felt threatened.

 

The developers quickly cracked the enigma behind the complaints and introduced the penalty for self-destruction. Polygon, that was getting more and more popular with players, received a proper improvement in the form of barriers.

Nowadays, a player must sacrifice a fraction of his points when he chooses to self-destruct. Also, it became harder to avoid the unfortunate end  by "deserting the map's area" as barriers cover the majority of Polygon's perimeter.

YEAR 2042

 

Implemented change: Parkour ramp, other Parkour features.

Reason: Satisfying demand after removal of the Canyon map.

Formerly known to us by the plain number "2042", Year 2042 is a particularly interesting map that you will hardly spot in today’s server battle list. Year 2042 is usually created for the sole purpose of parkour. Even before the implementations that slightly amended the layout, the map was quite popular with the general parkour public. Players have often climbed the walls with Ricochet's recoil to practice one-man parkour.

 

After the rebalance, this way of parkouring ended and map started to slowly die out. However, a reversal of fortunes was about to happen. Tanki development sealed the destiny of three unique maps. In May 2014, Canyon, Deck-9 and Magadan were permanently removed.

 

                                        

It was a rather shocking and controversial decision that brought along a lot of critical reviews, but even unceasing requests to rethink the decision have not changed the outcome. The parkouring ramp you can see and use these days in Year 2042 is the sole memento of the once beloved map called Canyon.

 

The ramp in Year 2042 can be considered as the first embedded element that helped this map to partly recover from its demise. The developers also inserted a pedestal near the ramp, which increased the parkouring possibilities.

 

SILENCE

 

Implemented changes: Underground pass (1), paths near the watchtower (2,3), enclosed blue base (4), upper route in blue base (5), elevated path in red base (6), elevated platform in the red base (7).

Reason: Increasing the number of attacking routes, balancing the teams.

 

If there were ever a poll about the map that was tweaked the most, I would definitely give my vote to Silence. The initial look of Silence changed so much that it hardly resembles the map from my early Recruit days.

 

I am not complaining, though. The gameplay is accurately balanced and a lot more dynamic now. I find the new attack routes to be the most positive turning point that Silence could ever receive. Those who retain the memories of the olden times will understand that playing the old Silence often led to stalemate. Assaults were predictable, and sometimes all you could do was to force your way to the base using a large amount of supplies. That quickly transformed with the addition of new attacking routes.

 

 

Another installation that radically changed the landscape of Silence is displayed under the numbers 4, 5, 6 and 7. Various echoes from players signaled that red base is set too low, what gave the players on the other side a significant height advantage.

Thus, Tanki developers introduced the elevated half-covered upper path and the elevated platform in the red base, which reduced height inequality. On the other hand, the blue base changed to a more closed circuit in the upper level and gained the path over the entrance to the tunnel, which I consider to be a great spot for sniper shots directly into the heart of the red base.

 

SERPUHOV

 

Implemented changes:  Restrictive barriers.

Reason: Need for limitation of the access to the perimeter wall.

Have you hardly spotted any difference while playing? That makes two of us! But, I can reassure you that this is a vital change. Closely examine the picture with the path blocked by barriers. You will see that the path starts from barrier B placed between the houses in the blue base, and continues around the perimeter deep into the red base where it is bordered by barrier A, placed behind the L-shaped building.

 

                      

 

How could something like this affect the gameplay in Serpuhov? The answer is evident. You can clearly see that the path has no big strategic use: it is impractical, it exposes you to the enemy, and simply put, most of the attempts to use it for any purpose often end in failure. Still, for some tankers, it was a magnet which pulled them forcefully.

 

Some players spent half the playing time just conquering the walls. Since the path is narrow for even Wasp or Hornet, the player was forced to fully concentrate on the act of climbing, which drastically lowered his ability to evade enemy attacks or to help the team.

 

Once the player passed the narrow path, he found himself in an opened area. Indeed, it was elevated with decent insight into the enemy base, but at the cost of limited chance to dodge enemy fire. In practice, tankers got to that desired position just to face inevitable destruction. Once they respawned, they repeated the whole procedure.

 

These type of tankers frequently acted as a burden to the team. Therefore, we have barriers in Serpuhov that force players to concentrate on the main objectives of the battle. The changes influenced even the annoying yet popular camping spot behind the building. Campers there became harder to take down, but their field of vision was constrained. Overall, it is a positive change that improved the quality of the gameplay in Serpuhov.

ISLAND

 

Implemented changes: Expansion of the area, palm trees.

Reason: Better maneuvering, looks.

I'll spare you and make this last one rather quick to read. Island is another map that received subtle tweaks. The old Island map was a tight fit for three tanks on each team, to the level that the battles looked like sidestepping ballet.

 

                                                  

Thus, after the expansion of the Island's area, moving around the map became far better. Maneuvering the tank is easier, and the bothersome collisions are manageable. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the palm trees – those made for a real Island-ish atmosphere!

 

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That’s all for this instalment, fellow tankers. Curtains must be drawn at some point. However, feel free to share your opinions of changes that happened in the maps – our natural habitats - and suggest other maps that have been changed in the past and are worth to be talked about. Till next time, Flexoo.

 

[Quarks 2,255]

Well written. I remember editing the draft when you were still in AWC, I like the new picture orientation.

[anuclearbomb 220]

You missed an "s" but otherwise a great article.

good luck finding the lack of s

[GeeVuh 1,647]

Awww I hate the new Silence...  don't remind me of how good the old one was for sniping with the un-lasered Shaft...

[Flexoo 6,980]

Awww I hate the new Silence...  don't remind me of how good the old one was for sniping with the un-lasered Shaft...

I share your feelings for old Silence, in the end, it was the first ever map I remember playing in. Those memories when three, four Shafts were sitting up there in blue base sniping everything that moved are unforgettable :D. 

Edited October 6, 2016 by Flexoo
Watchful contestant; Hohenzollernbrücke

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

Wow! I really love this Article! I actually didn't know about any of those changes. One of my favourite articles! Congrats!

[NamesAreForNoobs 324]

In May 2014, Canyon was permanently removed. ​

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:( Someone, Anyone I need a time machine!!!

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The parkouring ramp you can see and use these days in Year 2042 is the sole memento of the once beloved map called Canyon.

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​*Starts looking for a 2042 battle but cant find one* :(

​

Edited July 4, 2016 by NamesAreForNoobs

[randomperson123456 17]

Hey guys you forgot Monte Carlo :D

[Flexoo 6,980]

Hey guys you forgot Monte Carlo :D

Hmm, that's actually a nice suggestion for future article. Yes, if I remember correctly, Monte Carlo had something like 'blocks' in the bases.

[Hex 11,520]

Nice :)

[Hex 11,520]

Hmm, that's actually a nice suggestion for future article. Yes, if I remember correctly, Monte Carlo had something like 'blocks' in the bases.

Dusseldorf also had a big block thingy in the middle. Courage had a garage in the middle. Combe had an extra level. A lot of maps were changed. You can easily spot them by using Tanki Online MDK. It has every single map.

Edited July 6, 2016 by Hexed

[Ninja 10,468]

Island current photo is outdated.

[Ninja 10,468]

Hmm, that's actually a nice suggestion for future article. Yes, if I remember correctly, Monte Carlo had something like 'blocks' in the bases.

Yeah, I'm glad they're replaced with the wall thingy.

[studyacc051203 5]

Great article, I loved it. I had no idea about all these deleted and forgotten maps, and now I'm off to have some fun finding info about them on youtube :D