Jump to content
EN
Play

Forum

Scrutinized: The Great Modification Update


 Share

Message added by kaisdf

Confused about the latest Mk update? Today, our reporter explains the update, as well as weighing up the Pros and Cons, and analysing its effect on game balance.

 

Enjoy!

Recommended Posts

hjrVjpn.gif

R50W9RK.png

nyINrRf.png

Is it the new hull Ares?  Is it a new game mode? Nope, it's the update that's about to change everything equipment-related in Tanki: the modification switch.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whether you’re angrily cursing Tanki or praising the developers at this moment, it’s all for a common reason: the recent modification switch. It's pretty safe to say that this is the next big update after the birth of the Matchmaking System and Overdrives.

 

If you're not already familiar with this update, here's a quick introduction. Previously, equipment had a total of four modifications: M0, M1, M2, and M3. Now, instead of having a total of four modifications, there are three more, for a grand total of seven, spread out along the ranks for much more in-game fun. Each one of the new modifications (except Mk7, which covers the previous M3 to M4) accounts for around half of a previous one, intended to increase equipment balance in gameplay. For more detailed information about the Mk modification unlock ranks and prices, please check out this wiki article. Once you’re done reading, let’s find out how beneficial this update actually is. To start off, the first and most important question is: will this update bring along the balance of gameplay nearly every tanker has longed for?

 

nybR0Il.png?1 Game Balance

+ Increased Balance in Lower/Middle Rank Battles. This update is intended to make battles in the lower and middle ranks much fairer. Back then, a Recruit could enter a battle and be burnt to a crisp by an M0 10/10 Firebird before he could even learn how to shoot. Now, the Firebird is restricted to an Mk1 or maybe a low Mk2, which can give the newbie a bit of time to escape or fend for himself. Sure, it’s not much, but when it gets to the Sergeant ranks, where completely unupgraded M0s face off against stacked M1s, the update will even the odds a bit, giving the new players hope for the future of their Tanki career. The introduction of much fairer lower/middle rank games will likely retain more players. While the equipment balance will keep the domination of buyers at bay, skill still matters, though. And if anyone has a bit of extra skill, it would be nice to lend some to me here with ten left thumbs… 

 

- Not an Immediate “Cure-all” to Game Balance. While it’s true that the game will become more balanced with this update, especially in the lower and middle ranks, it’s not going to happen overnight. At best, it might take a few months for the equipment changes to balance out. These changes likely won’t happen fast enough for frustrated players seeking an instant solution for the unfair advantages buyers (and a select few F2P players like me) have. Honestly, the developers have been working so hard just to achieve more balance, but knowing that it won't really happen, it seems more sensible to have put in gradual patch notes to fix this.

 

krkzthN.png?1 Product Kits

+ Increased Variety. One of the biggest benefits to the game is that there is much more variety in the product kits, with every turret/hull combo in every modification. Instead of waiting for a certain rank just to get that Atlas Kit, the Mk modification kits offer opportunities to buy the ideal combination at any time.

 

+ Only Chance to skip Modifications* Previously, product kits were the only way for a humble F2P player to boost their equipment and enhance their experience on the battlefield. However, in recent times, product kits have been dissed for their lack of value (“unlock ranks are not worth the cost”) and the fact that a product kit isn’t really great for protections anymore (only one module instead of three). However, with the new update, one must buy all previous modifications, and most likely, the only chance to skip a modification is through a product kit, saving precious crystals so you can buy me that Blue Sphere one day.

 

- Increased Price/Decreased Discount. While Product Kits have a lot of perks, there's always a way for the game to convince players to say goodbye to their hard-earned crystals. With just a quick glance at the product kits, the price is definitely a bit more than imagined, and there isn't as much of a discount as before. For example, a Mk6 kit costs just around the neighborhood of a M3 kit from before the update.

unknown.png?width=1025&height=263

 

- Turbulent, if unpredictable, Kit Rotation. The new kit rotation goes quickly, changing once per twelve hours. On one hand, it's good if you want to get a kit (as long as you or someone else knows the rotation), but at first, it will be a confusing and annoying system.

*Not confirmed for sure, but it seems to be going this way.

 

:Crystals:Overall Value

+ Equipment Update = Equipment Upgrade. Some equipment was actually upgraded a full modification. If you happened to have a M2 10/10, congratulations, you have earned yourself a Mk7 a few ranks early. If you've got a good M1 10/10, it could go up to as far as a Mk6. But overall, not everyone capitalized on this benefit. For me, I didn't upgrade as wisely as I would've wished, so while I did get some good upgrades, it was mostly downgrades from that point on. I've made a chart of my equipment conversions, and it seems to show a pretty obvious trend of late-unlocking modifications going up while early-unlocking modifications go down.

NsC7ilm.png?1

 

The main plus of this is that many of the medium-rank unlocking equipment I have fully microupgraded have moved up a modification. Otherwise, its just the usual ups and downs. If you're wondering what your equipment has trasnformed to, use this link to find out the true conversion.

 

- Too Many Modifications/Upgrades. It’s going to be a hassle to upgrade and buy new modifications, especially if you’re trying to collect a few extra pieces of equipment in case your investment in the invincible Mammoth falls through. Each modification brings ten new microupgrades, which can turn into crystal siphons if you decide to quit on your favorite hull a few upgrades in.

1t0AknM.png?1

Sighh, only 69 more upgrades to go...

 

- The Price Hike, Volume I. Well, Tanki told the players, “There will be no price hike.”, but a quick scan at the wiki page shows a significant amount of price hikes over drops, which is easily going to be a hot topic that tankers will be soon complaining about. A more detailed scan of the values tells the depressing story for tankers. After some light number crunching, there's an average increase of 8879 crystals per hull from Mk1 to Mk7 (as opposed to M0 to M3) and a whopping 19807 crystals per turret. No player will be happy about that. Poor Marcus, his PM inbox will be flooded with mail…

 

- The Price Hike, Volume II. Tanki found a way to openly proclaim a price hike by bundling many of them with smaller price drops, but they’re also included a secret way to siphon your hard-earned crystals. If you would like to buy Ares Mk7 (when it comes out, of course) at Legend rank, you’re going to have to fork over almost twice as many crystals as before to buy all the previous modifications just to get an Mk7 you could once get as an M3. Welp, no one will like it at all. With all the grievances against the extra crystal cost, Marcus and Cedric will easily be drowning in angry fan mail.

 

wpOh10O.png?1 Verdict

While this update will bring along some much-needed game balance, expect the differences to be small at first and the shift gradual, unlike the Overdrives update, which saw a drastic change in gameplay within days. With this update comes several benefits, including a new set of more useful product kits, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages with this update. No tanker wants their crystals spent faster than they can earn them, but with the numbers that they’ve released, it only seems that it’s heading down that sad path.

 

The truth is, players often have a stigma about Tanki updates, believing that each new release brings along bad news. Of course, being a tanker who has experienced the introduction of Matchmaking (and its terrible aftermath) firsthand, it seems impossible to view a change as the developers throwing lemons at the community. For many of the players, it’s just yet another big update to mess around and convince them to quit. However, that’s not always the case. The developers have been working hard to get this update done, and even if it does bring the doom that we’ve all imagined, let’s try to appreciate the work that they’ve done for the game. They, like us, also want the best for the game, but what the developers view it as might be different from what players think of it as.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

While this update might be one of the most dreaded changes to Tanki, it's here to usher in a new generation of fairer gameplay. Before you jump to conclusions and label this update the worst one after Matchmaking, go out and give it a try!

GdWIate.png?1

J5wLOdw.png

SiqB7Jf.gif

  • Like 17
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Confused about the latest Mk update? Today, our reporter explains the update, as well as weighing up the Pros and Cons, and analysing its effect on game balance.

 

Enjoy!

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Price Hike, Volume II.- If there is no product kit available when it is launched then yes. Anyway, my guess is that the new hull will be only available in the shop against Tankoins (for 2-3 months or/and in special bundle). For sure buying with crystals will not be immediate. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Product kits skipping modifications is a positive only because they made it so you have to buy all previous modifications...It is to make a terrible change slightly better.

 

Fabulous explanation though.  Discusses benefits and limitations.

Edited by 123tim456back
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Saw the thumbnail from the community index as "The Great Mod-", couldn't help but click on it and it surprisingly ended up not being clickbait, good analysis.

  • Like 2
  • Haha 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...