Guide [Issue 55] Dress For Success: The Paint Update

[Thekillerpenguin 1,731]

Recently, we've experienced a radical change in the function and properties of paints. The separation of paints and protections has happened, something that will no doubt have an impact on gameplay and our buying habits. The community's response to this has been less than warm, to put it lightly. This update will take some time to get used to, so I've written this guide to explain precisely what has happened, how to adapt to it, and maybe a few tricks too. Let's get started, shall we?
 

What in the world has happened to my garage?

 
As of July 14th, 2016, all paints in the game have had their protection(s) stripped away from them. Yes, this means that the awe-inspiring Zeus, the tough and reliable Prodigi, and the multish In Love paint are now no more useful than your stock Green paint. Your Jade will no longer protect you from Shaft and Smoky simply by the virtue of being brown. Your Inferno will no longer scare the pants right off of Firebird and Freeze users up close (ok, maybe it still will for a while).

 

 Examples of legacy modules. Names aside, their graphics resemble M0 modules since they lack modifications.

But don't fear. The developers may have basically ripped the spine out of your paints, but they have taken the ripped spine and improved it, allowing it to work on its own.  I'm not sure where I was going with that metaphor, but don't worry, you still have your paint's protections. For every single protective paint you had your garage, you now have a protection module with the exact same statistics and micro-upgrade potential. This means that if you have Africa, you now have a legacy module titled "Module Africa" with the old Africa's micro-upgrade level, and you can micro-upgrade it to 38/38/30/45 protection if it isn't already. So in a way, the paints that you bought in the past are still serving you loyally...even if they're missing their spines, since now their disembodied spines are protecting you. Spooky.
 

 
You did not receive any protection modules corresponding to non-protective paints for what I hope are obvious reasons. Since you can't actually have no module (similar to how you can't have no paint), everybody's been given a "Zero" module with no protections that doesn't show up as a module when the resistance interface is opened (more on that later). I recommend that you don't use it in combat for reasons that should also be obvious.
 
So you've kept all your old paint's protections. That's good, because you can't really buy those protections anymore (at least not with the unique "____ LGC" title), especially if you have a paint with 4 protections. The garage is now filled with a wide array of protection modules defending from 1-3 turrets, with an equal amount of protection against each turret (e.g. 10-10-10).
 

Examples of modern protection modules. As you can see, they're quite expensive at M3.

 
Modules are named after a type of animal (e.g. "Shark", "Ocelot", "Kodiak") with some mysterious letters afterwards. Each module has 4 modifications, just like a turret or hull, unlocking at different ranks. M0 modifications have uniform 10% protections, M1s have 15%, M2s have 25%, and M3s have 35%, all by default. They can be micro-upgraded up to the level of the next modification just like hulls/turrets, and M3 Trio modules can be upgraded to the esteemed 50-50-50, previously only available on Generalissimo paints like Zeus and Clay. Each module costs the same as the others of the same modification and category. For example, M0 trio modules cost 5000 crystals, M0 duo modules cost 2500 crystals, and M0 mono modules cost 1000 crystals. A large portion of modules tend to unlock at certain ranks, so their unlocks are not as staggered paints are.
 
As for the paints themselves...this is the part that most players are up in arms about. As far as I can tell, paints have kept their original unlock ranks, but the prices have been adjusted. And by adjusted, I mean that some paints are extremely cheap and the others are really expensive, and these prices are not as indicative of rank as they were previously (Safari costs 75,000 crystals despite being a low rank paint that's widely considered ugly too). For example, Hohloma (formerly ~91k crystals) is now a whopping 300,000 crystals, Inferno (formerly 160k crystals) is now 440,000 crystals, and Zeus (formerly 250k crystals) is twice as expensive at a massive 500,000 crystals, enough to buy an XT. Even the lowly but useful Lead paint, previously only 2,000 crystals, has been increased to 25,000 crystals. On the other end of the spectrum, Rhino now costs 35,000 crystals, Clay is 10,000 crystals, and Savanna is only 8,000 crystals. While it is true that having the expensive paints no longer gives you any gameplay advantage, it seems unfair to many that paints that were previously relatively accessible are now almost impossible to obtain if you don't buy crystals or save up for a very long time. The paints judged by the developers to be the most aesthetically pleasing, regardless of rank, have generally had their prices boosted, like Sakura (previously quite affordable, now 180k). If you want a cool paint these days, you'll have to be very thrifty with your spending.
 

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What's changed in terms of gameplay?

 
In the past, if I was using Thunder and saw a Mammoth coming my way with Emerald, I'd probably try to avoid that Mammoth since Emerald had really high Thunder protection by default. In the same vein, I probably wouldn't try to engage a Titan-Shaft with Jade in a Shaft duel. But now, since paints are no longer intrinsically linked with their protections, you should try to stop always associating, say, a Prodigi user, with Railgun protection. The vast majority of players have purchased at least some paints before the update, meaning that someone with Prodigi has a fairly good chance of having or currently equipping a Prodigi module. However, with this update, it is possible that an opponent with Prodigi either bought it as a paint after the update (in which case they don't have the Prodigi module) or does actually own a Prodigi module but is currently using something else (in which case you might be able to take them down with Railgun).
 
To allow you to figure out who has what protections, the developers have added several new features. First, if you open the Tab screen, which displays the scoreboard, an icon and number next to the names of the enemy team will show how much protection each opponent has against your turret. If you see a lot of big numbers, you should probably switch turrets. If you see no numbers, then great! For some reason, the scoreboard also shows you how much protection your teammates have from your turret, which is rather irrelevant. The percentage of protection is also displayed next to an enemy player's name in-game as long as you are close enough to see it, so fans of close-range weapons don't really need to worry about not knowing an enemy's protections against you. As useful as the scoreboard is, it doesn't show you all of the protections that the enemy team has, and having to check Tab all the time might reduce your situational awareness.

 

An example of the resistance interface. As you can see, although the turrets Emerald protects from are displayed, the percentages aren't. This isn't a big issue for the new modules, but you'll have to remember the percentages for the legacy modules, similar to how it was before. Also, the text on the interface is team-colored.

 

The R key previously did nothing in Tanki. Now, if you hold it down, it shows the resistances and micro-upgrade level of all enemies within visual range and all teammates, via a panel that appears on top of their name. It will display how many steps of MUs they have on their turret, hull, and paint, which can come in handy for determining how strong an opponent is, what module they are currently wearing (good to know if it's a legacy module since you can recognize the name), and icons showing what turrets their module protects against. A panel of your resistances will also be shown above your supply indicators. The icons are different from the protection icons used in the past, and they'll take some time to get used to as well. Just try to remember the icons of the turrets that you use the most often. I've already gotten accustomed to the icon for Shaft. :)
 

 

What should I do in combat?

 

• 

                          Many players seeing the first image will think that I have 45% Shaft protection, but a look at the resistance menu shows that I actually have Urban's module equipped instead and am perfectly capable of being one-shotted by a Shaft.

• Most people in Tanki are still going to instinctively associate certain paints with their protections, so you might be able to still ward off Shafts with only Jade or Railguns with only Prodigi. This won't work if your enemies look at the Tab screen and see nobody with 45% Shaft/Rail protection, get close and notice that you don't have 45% Shaft/Rail protection, or destroy you and realize that you were an easier kill than they thought, but it's still worth a try at the moment.

• You are now free to use whatever paint you want in combat since the protections are handled by the modules. If you really like the look of a certain paint, go ahead and equip it. If you disliked the look of a paint with good protections, you can now just use the protections and wear something more visually appealing. If you really liked the look of a low rank paint but couldn't use it due to its obsolete protections, then you'll be happy to put it on and equip a good module (our current vice-dictator is probably happy about this). If you're a staff member or have any sort of special paint, feel free to use it any time you want. Although I'm not sure if anybody would willingly wear Spectator...

• As a corollary to the above, camouflage is now a lot more viable since you can combine good protections with good camouflage paints. For example, you can now combine the camouflaging properties of Digital with the protection of Prodigi. If you're a sniper, want to infiltrate enemy territory, or just want to get the drop on your enemies, this will come in handy. You can reference the Guide to Stealth and Guide to Camouflage (outdated, but still handy) for stealth tactics and what paints to use in what environments.

• Paints can be useful as anti-camouflage too. If your goal on the battlefield is to tank damage and attract attention, consider putting on a flashy paint while having your teammates use camouflage. This way, enemies will focus on, say, an extremely conspicuous Dictator-Vulcan with Team International instead of a sneaky Smoky-Wasp with Forester.

• The resistance interface is useful, but it also clutters up your screen. Due to the position of the R key, you also won't be able to turn your turret as well with it held down. As such, don't use it if you're in immediate peril.

• It pays to check the enemy team's resistances in depth before you switch turrets. The last thing you want is to accidentally switch to something that a big chunk of the enemy team has high protection against.

• If you're scouting in enemy territory undetected, check out the comprehensive resistances and micro-upgrade level of problematic opponents. You can then relay the information back to your team. Since the resistance interface creates a large, visible panel, you can also use it to help find hidden enemies.

• Remember that you can't see the resistance panel of enemies that have broken line of sight or are too far away, so if you want to see someone behind cover, you'll have to angle your camera to get at least a bit of their name into view.

• Check the scoreboard every once in a while. You'll want to know if your enemies switch to something that counters your turret, especially if you're using a long range turret since the protection your enemies have won't be readily apparent.

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What should I buy in the future?
 

• From now on, the only reason for you to get a paint is because you really like the looks. Although cheap camouflage is useful, buying paints should not be very high on your list of priorities. Modules typically aren't cheap, and you'll want to be putting your hard-earned (or bought) crystals into those, or into other equipment. Few tankers have the cash to shell out on anything other than the cheapest paints, and using Green from Recruit to Generalissimo is now a valid and the most economical option.

• If you're starting from scratch and would like to get paints for camouflage, stick with Forester (which is now 2500 crystals) for nice camouflage in most common maps, Tundra (5000 crystals) for winter maps (White can also work), Desert for sandy maps (4500 crystals), Metallic (100 crystals) for concrete maps, and Urban (7500 crystals) for universal camouflage. Dirty (3500 crystals) may also be useful in brownish maps like Madness or in the muddy portions of larger maps. These are the best camouflage paints for your buck. Others may be useful for camo as well, but the ones I've listed here are generally readily accessible and are under 10k each. If your really want to save crystals, just use Green. It blends in well enough most of the time. And while it looks plain, it's surprisingly inconspicuous.

• Mono, Duo, and Triple modules all have M0-M3 variants, but triple modules have superior protection, especially noticeable at the M3 modifications. Mono and Duo are cheap, sure, but they only have 50% and 100% total protection, respectively, at M4, leaving you vulnerable to a wide variety of turrets. At lower ranks, Mono and Duo modules are more economical since protection isn't as important and you may only need some protection against a few annoying turrets. Try to get triple modules at M3 ranks if you can afford them, since they are the only modules that can match the most powerful legacy paints like Zeus and Clay. They're really expensive, but a good sale can slice the price in half...or at least to a degree where they're not going to bankrupt you. If you can't afford those, double modules are a good substitute since most of the early M3 paints only had significant protection from 2 turrets anyway.

• While the legacy modules are not available for purchase anymore, most of them can be substituted by a module with similar protections now. For example, if you wanted to buy Needle previously, you can now buy a triple module with Ricochet, Smoky, and Shaft protection instead. While this is more expensive than Needle, it has similar protections and is actually superior at M4 since it can go to 50-50-50. You can think of the modules as being Generalissimo versions of previous triple protection paints, costing 250k just like Clay/Zeus used to be and having 50-50-50 at full MU.

• The new modules have a dizzying array of protection combinations. If you want module with protection from any 3 turrets, it probably exists. Since all the protection percentages are standardized, no module is "better" than the others, meaning that you can just pick whatever you think will be the most helpful. Some modules will protect you at close range, others at medium range, still others at long range, and then the rest in-between. Personally, I would recommend that you generally use a module that will protect you from threats that you will encounter at your preferred engagement distance since it's hard to have a "universal" module with only 3 protections, but the time-tested Thunder-Railgun-Shaft combination (now reincarnated as "Griffon T-A"), something that has proven its worth in many paints, still exists.

• There is now a single module with mine protection, called "Spider-S", with up to 50% protection at M4. This is good, since you no longer need to get a special paint or Premium to protect yourself from those pesky death frisbees. Slap one on a Mammoth, pop a Double Armor, and steamroll through crowded minefields with ease. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any other protections, so it's best to use it only for minesweeping and then switch to another module for combat. The Spider module is also handy for parkour if you don't mind not having Railgun/Hammer protection. Plus, it's only 50,000 crystals at M3.

• You can't buy paints with 4 protections anymore. Since you're now limited to 3 protections at most, you won't be able to run with a single "universal" paint like Picasso/Africa unless you have bought one before the update. This won't really bother you if you were planning on buying, say, Prodigi, since a M3 Griffon T-A module is a close approximation and probably superior if you didn't care for Prodigi's relatively insignificant Firebird resistance. If you were planning on buying a 4 protection paint with significant resistances...yeah, you're out of luck. I bought Jade not long after the update was announced, and although I bought it a full month before the update ended up rolling out, it paid to be over-prepared.

 

Anything else I should know?

• Legacy modules aren't always superior to modern ones. I bought Swamp when I was a low ranker, and now I'm stuck with a legacy module with 10% protection that doesn't have any modifications and is completely inferior to a current M0 Mono Twins paint. I suppose you can't expect much mercy to be given to a paint that only cost 500 crystals, but yeah.

• Don't try to memorize all the module names. As far as I can tell, the format for the names is "[animal] [Letter1]-[Letter2]", with "Letter1" being either T, D, or S (standing for Triple, Double, or Single) and "Letter2" being a letter indicating the variant of the paint (there are multiple Double or Triple modules for each animal name). The animal name doesn't seen to have a big correlation with the protections, and different variants can be completely different. Just look at the icons in battle and look up the names when you need to reference it somewhere.

• Remember the protections of the old paints if you can. The appearance may not be indicative of protection anymore, but if I see someone using "Irbis LGC-50", I'm probably not going to engage them with Isida. Your knowledge will still be put to good use, don't worry.

• The resistance interface still works in Shaft's scope mode. Probably not very useful, but cool to know. Who knows, it might help you notice an enemy approaching through thick bushes.

• If you're using a long range weapon, memorize which enemy has which combo if you can. Since most people aren't going to be switching paints in combat (instead switching their modules), if you memorize that, say, Night-Sisters is using M3 Hornet-Railgun with Blue paint, and you're using Shaft, you can just check the scoreboard every once in a while to make sure that she hasn't switched to a good Shaft protection paint. Fortunately, she currently doesn't own any. :ph34r:

• You can see the resistances of "ghost" tanks. Not especially useful, but cool.

• The formerly-protective paints now have flavor text for their garage descriptions primarily based off of the old descriptions prior to the update in 2014, excluding the paints added later, of course (they have flavor text too, just not the traditional ones). They are fun to read, and some of the descriptions have useful information- for example, Forester's description references its camouflage benefits.

• If you managed to buy a paint before the update and find that it's now really expensive, count yourself lucky. Those lucky Generalissimos who bought Zeus or other players who bought Stormbringer/Prometheus prior to the update now possess the third most expensive paint in the game, an excellent module, and all for literally 1/3rd of the price of what buying Zeus + a equivalent triple module costs now. Heck, you'd be very lucky to have Sakura or Spark.

• Kits still include paints at the moment. Because paints now range from dirt cheap to bankruptcy-inducing, certain kits are now either a lot cheaper or highly expensive. As of 7/29/16, they now include protection modules that approximate the protections that the paints included in them used to have- for instance, the "Touche" kit contains M3 Wasp, Railgun, Prodigi, and M3 Griffon T-A. Griffon T-A, as mentioned before, is a pretty good substitute for the Prodigi module. The "Turtle" kit contains M3 Hunter, Smoky, Clay, and M3 Kodiak T-F. The last of these is a close substitute for the Clay module and is functionally identical when fully micro-upgraded. The discounts on these kits have also been increased. While they are generally more expensive than they were before, they allow you to save more crystals. As long as your kit of choice doesn't have a super expensive paint, they are well worth the money.

• Smoky's protection icon is now a lightning bolt. Don't confuse it for that of Thunder, which looks more like a starry explosion reminiscent of the one on the Double Damage box.

• There are apparently a few ways you can make the resistance interface continuously appear without having to hold down the R key. Fen-Harel recommends that you hold Alt after pressing the R key and then simultaneously let go, which is probably the best method. I find that if I use the prt sc button on my keyboard to activate Lightshot (a screen capture software) while holding down the R key, then immediately cancel the screenshot by pressing esc, the interface will become "stuck" and act as if the R key is held down until I press R again. I'm sure that's not the only way to do that, so try things out yourself. This might be handy for scouting, probably not so useful in a firefight.

• Some of the old paints available during the past holidays (mostly variations of the base Holiday paint) are now available for purchase in the garage. This isn't really part of the paint update that this article is about, but I figure that it's still worth noting since it's paint related and occurred about a week after it. The original version of In Love is now available as First Love. These paints range from somewhat affordable ("Night", the Halloween 2014 paint, is 35k) to stunningly expensive. Case in point, the most expensive paint in the game is now "Golden Star", which is a paint from one of the past Tanker's Day (I think) celebrations, equal in price to 1.5 XTs. It and Frost (from NY 2014, 2nd most expensive paint) are only available to Premium players and likely won't receive discounts, like XTs, but you don't get super missions for them like XTs. You'll have to wait until you get a Premium mission to purchase them if you don't buy Premium directly. If you see someone with either of those paints, you know they have deep pockets and aren't too concerned about sticking out like a sore thumb or looking like a pizza. I'm not kidding, Golden Star really does look like a pizza when you think about it. I don't know about you, but I'm not paying 750k to look like a pizza.

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And that's about it for this article. Did you enjoy it? Have any corrections? What paint is suddenly the most valuable in your garage now? And would you be willing to pay 750k to look like a pizza? If you've got anything else to add, feel free to post it below.  For another view on the same update, check Fen's review of the Paint Separation update here. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2017 by Hexed

[Achilleus 156]

To answer your question, yes, I am willing to pay 750k to look like a pizza. thxbyehaveagudonenicearticlebtwgtgcya!

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

I'd like to note that the Kodiak T-A (Fire, Railgun, and Thunder) module is amazing at M0 and M1. At those ranks, Fire and Railgun are extremely prolific (probably the most prolific at M1), and Thunder is relatively common as well. Fire and Rail is also a protection combination previously non-existent, unless you count Prodigi's 6 percent against Fire.

[Rooky 414]

In "What I do in combat" section, 5th bullet point, first line. I think it should be take damage not tank damage.

You forgot to mention that we can use the "V" key now which does the same function as the "R" key.

There is also another way to keep the resistance interface constantly appearing without having to hold down "R" or "V" keys which is opening a new tab while clicking "R" or "V", then stop clicking it and finally, return to Tanki Tab.

Generally, a well-written article. Good Job :)

[Sleek 43]

In "What I do in combat" section, 5th bullet point, first line. I think it should be take damage not tank damage.

 

You forgot to mention that we can use the "V" key now which does the same function as the "R" key.

 

There is also another way to keep the resistance interface constantly appearing without having to hold down "R" or "V" keys which is opening a new tab while clicking "R" or "V", then stop clicking it and finally, return to Tanki Tab.

 

Generally, a well-written article. Good Job :)

I think at the time of writing this article, the "V" key might not have been a factor in gameplay, as the developers may not have implemented it yet. Don't fret, though, I'm sure for the people that don't know, they'll see your comment and will be informed :P

[I.ZEUS.I 865]

nice

[AlphaandOmega_tanker 0]

To answer your question, yes, I am willing to pay 750k to look like a pizza. thxbyehaveagudonenicearticlebtwgtgcya!

LOL

[Gordiel_Belizar 4]

good thing i had the spark paint xD best investment evah

net worth +200 000^ ooohh yeahhh

Edited August 3, 2016 by Gordiel_Belizar

[DESTROYER_13 1,019]

I had Jaguar so yeah.

 

GoldRock is watching you.

Edited August 5, 2016 by DESTROYER_13

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

Justa  small teeny tiny question, how was this update a sucess?

[Thekillerpenguin 1,731]

Justa  small teeny tiny question, how was this update a sucess?

I think you're misinterpreting the title. "Dress for success" is a common saying about how dressing well can be important for work/life/whatever (being a slob is unlikely to get you much respect). Since the updates in question are paint-related, and this is a guide, I figured it was relevant.

[anuclearbomb 220]

Lava increased from 1 500 to 50k... expensive.

Edited August 11, 2016 by anuclearbomb

[ksa_enus 248]

nub I can see the protection against my turret next to the username I don't have to press R