Review [Special] Paint Separation Update

[Fen-Harel 1,176]

Welcome, tankers, to a review of the latest paint separation update that completely changed how protection works in Tanki! Here, I'll give you a brief overview of how the update works and how you should adapt to it. I'll also share some of my first impressions and overall thoughts on the entire update, both positive and negative. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it!

Introduction

 

The main idea of this update was flexibility in protections and paint choices for players. There were numerous cases where you might like the look of a paint, but its protections are simply too weak to use. Now, this isn't an issue, because you can use any module with any paint. This provides you with a larger choice of paints to use. However, this also means that the paints have become more of an aesthetic than an actual factor in core gameplay.

 

Useful information

 

There are a lot of new modules and protections in the game right now, so that means a huge amount of numbers to deal with. Luckily, there are a few great pages you can visit for detailed information on everything you'll need. (Topics are linked, just click on the titles to view them)

 

Tanki Wiki Page on Paints and Modules - Here you can find all paints and protection modules in the game. All paints are listed with their respective price and minimum required rank, while the modules are shown with their protection, price and the minimum required rank. There's also a garage description included for every paint, as well as basic description of the Protection Module's most effective environment.

 

Let's Discuss Protection Modules - A more condensed set of tables made by @CooperO. Here you can quickly see an overview of what module protects against which weapon(s). You can also see a total number of modules protecting against a specific weapon for each modification.

 

Micro-upgrades of "Single" Modules - Tables showing the costs, time and effectiveness of Micro-upgrades for each protection module.

 

Micro-upgrades of "Double" Modules - Tables showing the costs, time and effectiveness of Micro-upgrades for each protection module.

 

Micro-upgrades of "Triple" Modules - Tables showing the costs, time and effectiveness of Micro-upgrades for each protection module.

 

Mechanics

 

The new update comes with a set of its own new gameplay mechanics, and there are a decent bunch of them so we'll get straight to them.

 

How does it work?

The way it works is pretty straightforward, you just select a module and click "Equip". This will connect your module to any paint you're wearing, so even if you change paints, the same module will stay equipped. You can only equip one module at a time, so you can't make any over-powered protection combinations. There also aren't any options to custom build protection modules, which I think is kind of a shame.

 

Garage Look

Protection modules can be found under the  button in your garage and are basically split into three main types:

 

1. The "Legacy Modules" - contain the old protections of every paint you've bought prior to this update.

An example of the Legacy Module. It has the same design as an M0 module and the same protection with Micro-upgrades as its paint before the update.

 

2. The variety of regular modules - like turrets, contain M0, M1, M2 and M3 modifications. This also means that if you're a Generalissimo, you won't be able to buy any modifications that are M2 or below due to rank.

 

Like Turrets and Hulls, all modifications of protection modules change as they upgrade from M0 to M3.

 

3. Special modules - these are given out along with special paints and provide unique protections.

Gold plated special module.

 

In-Game Look

You can view other players' protections by either pressing the "Tab" or "R" key. The "R" key will display the tanks' Turret, Hull and Module names as well as the Micro-upgrade levels each item has. Additionally, it also displays the Module you're currently wearing, however it doesn't show you the exact percentage you have. If the enemy tank has protection against your weapon, it'll be displayed with a green shield icon and the appropriate percentage number. This is also visible whenever you hold the "Tab" key.

 

When you hold "R" this is how you will see your opponent.

 

In the spoiler below, I've listed a few more different things you'll see depending on some battle factors. (Micro-upgrades on/off, if your opponent has protection against your turret etc.)

 

 

This is what you'll see if you don't hold the "R" key.

 

You can still see the paints protections, even though the opponent's paint doesn't protect from your own turret. It'll display the same way, just without the green shield icon.

 

When you hold "R", you can also see any Micro-upgrade levels the other tank has.

 

The display of your own protection after you've held down the "R" key. I guess it's useful if you forget which module you've equipped.

 

Finally, this is how you will see listed protections against your turret when you hold down the "Tab" key.

 

 

Gameplay

 

Now, let's move on to how this all works out in actual battle. This update has caused the interface to be a lot more important than it used to be. You'll have to get used to those "Tab" and "R" keys, because they'll provide you with some vital information on who to attack. This is especially the case if you're going to switch weapons, you'll need to remember which weapon is most effective, and the only way to do that is to hold down "R" and watch closely. A problem I see with this is a possible cluttering of the interface, making item information hard to read, so you'd end up focusing more on reading than actually battling.

 

Tip: After you press and hold the "R" key, hold down the "Alt" key. When you let go of both, it'll be the same as if you're constantly holding down the "R". This is incredibly useful if you want to have a constant view of everyone's equipment, but don't want to break your finger holding other keys.

 

As for yourself, you can take a few steps to use modules in a slightly more effective way, if you give it some thought. Main thing I would do is check the popularity of turret's you're facing. You can use the tables linked above to determine your most effective paint module, then equip it. You can also confuse your opponent slightly by wearing an expensive paint and combining it with protection modules that are completely different than the pre-update protection. Mess around with camouflage, too. Now that paints are only there for looks, you can finally give the mighty Forester the protection it deserves.

 

Economy

 

The most controversial part of this update is definitely the change in prices. As it stands, the paints and modules cost more than your entire pre-update fully upgraded garage. Paints are now priced based on the appeal of their look, since that's the only thing they're good for now. Which, luckily, means you don't have to buy them to progress in the game. It should save you quite a bit of crystals, but there's still a lot of stuff to buy in the Protection Modules section. The costs to buy all modules is 13 400 000 crystals, and that's without counting the costs below M3. As you might imagine, micro-upgrading all of that will greatly increase the cost, too.

 

So, how should you spend your crystals? I'd honestly say it's not worth buying paints anymore, because they don't have an actual impact on how you play. Just buy a cheap paint that has a decent camouflage and stock up on modules. One good thing about this is, while the "Legacy" modules have a maximum of 100% protection, the newer Triple M3 modules have a default total protection of 105% at the price of 250k. This means you're getting 5% extra value for your crystals. It's not much, but it's at least something to keep note of.

 

Finally, Product Kits got a huge price increase due to the inflation in paint price. On top of that, you don't get any modules when you buy the kit. So, right now they're largely a waste of crystals, even with the discount. My advice to you here would be to wait for new kits to arrive, which will hopefully be designed specifically for this update.

 

XP/BP

 

Another controversial point is the removal of paint protection for Wasp in XP/BP gamemodes. Format battles are pretty much the only thing I've played in Tanki since I bought my XP kit at Brigadier, and I can tell you that this change is definitely fair. Wasp is superior to Hornet in its manoeuvrability and speed, while only slightly lacking in stability. Although, with appropriate hull control, the stability problem can easily be overcome. There's also a factor of turning, in which Hornet loses speed when it drifts while Wasp simply makes a clean turn. Finally, the most important factor of all, Wasp has a slightly larger height compared to hornet, allowing for a much larger shooting angle. The only advantage Hornet barely has is it's better acceleration and stopping power, which again isn't important for Wasp because, as a BP player, you never want to stop moving.

 

This is the angle difference. From the same spot, Hornet can only reach up to the blue line, while Wasp stretches all the way if you tilt it right.

 

With all these advantages, it really seems like BP is greatly superior, both in theory and practice. A team of three Hornets and one Wasp will almost always beat a team of four Hornets (assuming the skill level is close to even). This is why I find it completely fair to hold a risk of being one-shotted from time to time. In my view, that's how Wasp is meant to be played. You might disagree and, if you do, post a comment below backed up by actual facts. I've presented my arguments here and I do think they're sound, expecting you, readers, to do the same.

 

Discussion

 

Now, I think this update is pretty game changing, if not the most game changing update of all time. The amount of new stuff to buy is greatly increased, while the paints now cater a lot more to buyers. This means you'll have to sacrifice the aesthetics of your gameplay in exchange for more economic efficiency. I'm not entirely sure if that's a fair trade, but I can see how it can be reasonable. Another thing that should've been considered is an option to customise modules. Although, I see how such an option would hinder people from buying any module at all, since they can just buy a custom one. It would make other modules just as obsolete as the paints, which is why the developers didn't include them.

 

Personally, I don't mind the update because I only play format battles in which protection is irrelevant. However, I'm not sure how exactly it'll play out in an environment with a huge variety of weapons. Will people be able to keep up with different protections without a quick way to recognise them? Having to hold down "R" will clutter up your screen in close combat, and you don't really have the time to read everything in the midst of battle.

 

Following from the previous point, players in deathmatches won't be able to kill steal as effectively. This is because you won't be able to know what protections the opponent has from turrets other than your own. Again, holding down "R" makes things unnecessarily cluttered. With that in mind I'd propose an option to see all protections when holding down the "Tab" key. This would make things closely to how they were previously, but I'd rather have it a bit more simplified. Instead of showing the percentage next to every type, I'd like it to show only the type of protection the player has. This won't make kill-stealing inefficient, but it'll reduce it to an acceptable amount where the battle becomes more dynamic. Additionally, most modules have a default protection, so just by seeing the type of module, you can assume it has 35% protection. I think this kind of addition works best for both sides, so I'd like to hear your opinion on it.

 

Something like this, perhaps? You can see protection against your own turret, and types of protections your opponent has. I know my editing is lame, but this is the sort of idea I'm going for.

 

I was pretty disappointed that the "New paints" were actually paints from old holiday celebrations. Although some look nice, I did expect "New" to actually mean what it says. Still, it's nice for the newer players that weren't around during all those events, but it does feel like it could've been advertised in a different way. There's no reason it couldn't have said: "Holiday paints are now in the game!". Not as exciting as "New paints", but at least it's honest.

 

As for special paints, such as Veteran losing its protection and Silver losing 2%, I think it's not that important. Those special paints are a matter of prestige, rather than actual effectiveness. I've always thought that earning the paint itself is much more important than the protection it gives. I somewhat agree with the point of players taking years to get Silver, while helpers need only one month to get Helper and get a better protection paint. However, I also think the recognition of getting Silver is much larger than for Helper. Additionally, some staff members who get helper actually have to work hard for a month, and a lot of that work is actually tough and boring. At least when playing in a clan for Silver, you get to have fun along the way. Finally, Helper only stays in the garage for a month, so it's not something you'll always have unless you keep up a high standard of productiveness, which in itself is tiring.

 

These are my thoughts on the update, although a bit biased due to my gameplay preferences of format battles. Feel free to share what you think about the update below and maybe some of the more eloquent suggestions will get passed on to the developers. But, do try and keep it a civil discussion.

 

Oh, and garage descriptions are back. I really like reading those, although the lack of apostrophes in each and every description is really bugging me. Perhaps I'm nit-picking, but it shouldn't take too much to fix, little details make all the difference.

 

FAQ

This section contains some of the more important excerpts from the official topic. If you want to read all of them, click here.

 

Q: Will it be possible to choose the protections you want in your module, or will they be presets like paint protections now?

A: You won't be able to pick and choose which protections a module will have. Protections are set by the developers in each module with regards to overall game balance.  Rest assured though, there's a wide variety available.

 

Q: Will kits contain paints, modules, or both? (or none?)

A: Some kits might contain only a paint (no protection). Some might only contain the module (no paint). Other kits might have both paints and modules.  As usual, kits will periodically get refreshed to offer tankers some bargains for buying items in a kit rather than individually.  
Update :  A new batch of kits will be rolled out during the next coming week to adapt them to the new update.  All the details will be posted in due time.

 

Q: If it's 35%, won't people that have legacy modules like Prodigi (which has 48% from Rail) get an advantage in Pro battles where MUs are off?

A: Not necessarily and here's why: It's true that the new modules will provide only 35% but it's going to provide 35% from 3 turrets, so if you think of it, you might be better off with a new module than with Prodigi's legacy module which only protects from Rail decently and not so well against other turrets.  The choice will be yours to make in battle.  Good Luck.

 

Q: What about other paints not mentioned in the above, such as veteran or cobalt?

A: These paints from now on will be classified as Status Paints.  They won't have any protection modules attached to them but they will still be a rare exclusivity that only a few hardcore fighters will be able to unlock.

 

 

Q: Why is there so much lag after the update?

A: This is most likely caused by tens of thousands of players constantly switching between lobby, battles and garage to figure out how the new update works. The lag should gradually subside as players get used to the new system.

That's all I've got on the update. It's pretty different from what we usually get, and it definitely merits some serious discussion going on. Now that I've given you an overview of the data and my own thoughts, I want to invite you to freely converse below about your own ideas on the update. The more discussion there is, the easier it is for developers to see exactly what the players are looking for. So, use your keyboard and share your view!

 

 

 

[Yisroel.Rabin 16,224]

How mean, I was gonna right an article on the update :( I go cry.

Nice read though. I think instead of making topics saying the update came out, they should just give links to the articles on them XD

 

Also, if you know, won't you mind telling us what LGC stands for on the already existing paint modules?

 

Let's Discuss Protection Modules - A more condensed set of tables made by @CooperO. Here you can quickly see an overview of what module protects against which weapon(s). You can also see a total number of modules protecting against a specific weapon for each modification.

Ehem! I made it at first, then a mod told me he hid the topic and I should only create it after the discussion topic in News & Announcements was closed. Then came along Cooper and made it :C Everyone's stealing topic ideas now days.

Edited July 25, 2016 by Yisroel.Rabin

[Rico_Viking_9000 942]

reserved

[Zenyth 6,494]

Also, if you know, won't you mind telling us what LGC stands for on the already existing paint modules?

LGC stands for Legacy, I believe.

[TheContractKiller_GT 374]

LGC stands for Legacy, I believe.

true

[I.ZEUS.I 865]

Nice, Thanks, :)   i was looking some more info about the update,

 

still i will prefer the product kit without protection module, in this way the players will be able to choose which protection modules they prefers, as the protection modules are quite expensive at an m3 protection with 35% each. the thing is that they need to be really careful which protection they will buy 1st, wrong choice will affects the players game plays.

 

on the other hand its good to have protection modules in the product kits as it will be more interesting to have the protection modules a the cheaper prices. i think players will not buy a product kit , if they dont like the protection module that is being offered to buy.

[bobby-bonga 2,008]

Nice

[SpeedyRailgun 183]

if wasp is taller and can shoot where hornet cant damage hornet. What happens when wasp is placed on red line? Hornet cant damage it? or it can?

If hornet can kill wasp there, then here is hornets advantage over wasp...

[Boeing_787 1,455]

What? So now modules can be upgraded to over 100% protection? That means you gain health when shot! :huh:

[studyacc051203 5]

What? So now modules can be upgraded to over 100% protection? That means you gain health when shot! :huh:

Yeah, I didn't understand that part of the article

 

Overall, this is a great article when it comes to condensing all the information, minus the speculations and comments on it, this is a much less confusing guide than the ones I've seen so far. When I started to read "Discussion", to be honest I was expecting more talk on tankers' somewhat incensed reaction to this update, maybe something about the numbers who have left because of it and what people are so, ahem, "incensed" about. 

 

 

 

These are my thoughts on the update, although a bit biased due to my gameplay preferences of format battles. Feel free to share what you think about the update below and maybe some of the more eloquent suggestions will get passed on to the developers. But, do try and keep it a civil discussion.

 

Understatement of the year when you look at the overwhelming majority some of the posts on the Paint Separation Update topic.

 

I also found your largely positive view of the update interesting. But, seeing as this is getting quite long, to finish my mini review of this much needed article:

 

Good job!

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

Great article! Just a couple things I'd like to point out:

You can view other players' protections by either pressing the "Tab" or "R" key. You can now use the "V" key, too.

 

Wasp has a slightly larger height compared to Hornet, allowing for a much larger shooting angle. 

[riphound 0]

 The update would be better if you can make your own moudle and the max defence of the turrets is 4

[r_D_E_S_T_R_O_Y_E_R3 0]

man i was saving up for tornado kit but now that the price of spark paint went up from 70 000 to 200 000 crystals tornado kit is going to bee soo exspensive

[theFiringHand 21,351]

man i was saving up for tornado kit but now that the price of spark paint went up from 70 000 to 200 000 crystals tornado kit is going to bee soo exspensive

That was a genuine oversight. As has already been explained, the new kits won't be suffering from that problem.

Edited April 19, 2017 by theFiringHand
Phanto thinks he's cool.

[Ninja 10,468]

man i was saving up for tornado kit but now that the price of spark paint went up from 70 000 to 200 000 crystals tornado kit is going to bee soo exspensive

Wait until the next rota. They should be back to normal.

[saranshbansal3023 0]

Why u stopped generalisso handbook

[Claudiu 562]

That was a genuine oversight. As has already been explained, the new kits won't be suffering from that problem.

Cedric check my PM..

[jinbaba 0]

Thanks for clearing some air and now we keep thinking about next kits? :D

[Gulp 210]

Dont wash our brains, this update is made for getting more money, not for us. These new modules are better than our old paints coz they have everything 35% and can be mued to 50%. Our old paints cant do that or only some of them can. This game is going downhill. They care only about money. There are also other companies that make games and want money but atleast they show little respect to the players.

[celroti 133]

we can't buy kits (

[eefschietscheef 246]

These new modules are better than our old paints

I don't see a problem in that....

[iceburst 10]

xp/bp

 

1) wasp can get easily flipped over compared to hornet.( A shot can now flip it to d ground or destroy it)

2) in dm battles wasp becomes the main target due 2 one shot kill.

3) catching gold and capturing flag  as become way more difficult to wasp den hornet

4) shooting a fast moving target is difficult,Likewise to shoot while moving fast is also difficult

5) wasp gets killed right after you re span getting no chance to retaliate.

6) its xp/bp not xp vs bp

7) d game was nicely balanced b4 not now.

 

#wasplifematters

[H030 108]

 

 

Q: If it's 35%, won't people that have legacy modules like Prodigi (which has 48% from Rail) get an advantage in Pro battles where MUs are off?

A: Not necessarily and here's why: It's true that the new modules will provide only 35% but it's going to provide 35% from 3 turrets, so if you think of it, you might be better off with a new module than with Prodigi's legacy module which only protects from Rail decently and not so well against other turrets.  The choice will be yours to make in battle.  Good Luck.

 

i dont think so

what about 1 vs 1 battles? or even 2 vs 2 ?

i think u have to put an option to disable protection modules in pro battles in next update

trust me thats the only way

i am not buyer and i have not drugs so i cant always play against m4 druger players in normal battles and i cant be loser everytime i play

i want to enjoy

pro battle is my only hope to play in generalisimo rank

this update had many good things but legacy modules suck

there is no fair

i think my suggestion is good

[xX.GoldBox.Xx 176]

 

Something like this, perhaps? You can see protection against your own turret, and types of protections your opponent has. I know my editing is lame, but this is the sort of idea I'm going for.

 

 

how this ?

[Gulp 210]

I don't see a problem in that....

Dont see a problem? i was working hard to pay for those paints and now they release new stronger ones? now buyers will buy them and we old players have disadvantage again.