guide [BDay] 10 reasons why HTML5 is better than Flash

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

Tanki is heading in a different direction than the simple arcade game that it was in 2014. All sorts of new mechanics have been added in, and presumably newer ones, such as the upcoming Ares hull, will continue to be introduced. In these changing times, it can be somewhat frustrating to look to Tanki and see that things are changing fast, so here are ten reasons why HTML5 is far superior to the old Flash version of Tanki we all know and love.

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10. Things are written in a much better way

 

This is a relatively minor but essential difference, and certainly a nice detail which got the attention it deserved. If you pay real close attention, the Flash version of Tanki has everything written in a reasonably tiny font, and more often than not, everything is not nearly as easy to read as in HTML5. For example, the garage button in Flash is nestled in the top, taking up a tiny space. In the case of HTML5, it's pretty clearly visible as soon as you enter the game.

 

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9. There's a fun fidget spinner at the home screen

Once again, relatively small but a nice detail to have. The newer interface of HTML5 allows you to play with your tank as you wait for battle. You can spin it around or take a few pictures of a new combo in your garage to flex your crystal count and the new shiny toy in your garage. The detail to the new garage is also much greater, and this makes it nicer to look at. Features such as a crane, or the stack of containers or the overhead lighting system make the HTML5 version far nicer to use. For most people, this sort of thing isn't particularly relevant. Nonetheless, it shows how Tanki has taken their chance to re-work their game quite seriously and is going ahead and adding all the tiny details.

 

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8. The battle list now has larger buttons and cooler images

Yes, I know, you're probably getting sick of these relatively small things, but I promise I'll get to the big stuff soon enough. The old battle list consists of buttons and green text. While there doesn't need to be extreme levels of sophistication in buttons, the HTML5's pictorial layout makes it far easier to go into the right battle mode, not to mention it looks a whole lot better too. 

 

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7. You get to see container rewards as well as rarities

This is quite a valuable addition, at least to me, regarding containers. In the Flash version, you can't tell the rarity of paints or augmentations that can be dropped. This allows for more transparency from Tanki. I do agree that it would be better if we could have numerical probabilities, but this is a step in the direction that many players want Tanki to head. Furthermore, the ability to tell what skins a container can drop, for example, can certainly have a massive impact on whether you decide to splurge on it or not. 

 

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6. You get to buy paints using tankoins if it takes your fancy

Yes, I know most people don't. Nonetheless, buying paints for Tankoins has one use that I feel is hugely useful. If you are perpetually irritated by getting football-themed paints from Tanki, you can buy them all up for a few hundred Tankoins and then only get the cooler paints which you want. If you're incredibly interested in collecting paints, you can also go ahead and get the legendary ones for a price in Tankoins. I do recognize that for the vast majority of the player base, this isn't useful, however, I'm certainly going to spend some Tankoins never to have to see football paints ever again.

 

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5. You get to play pro battles without having a battle pass

Not overly significant, but I certainly think that playing pro battles without paying 5,000 crystals a month is a good deal. This is especially true if you're not too keen on pro battles and just want to join the ocasional parkour match to relax or if you're an XP/BP player trying to deal with Tanki removing funds in XP/BP battles. It also takes away the thinking about "when will the pass expire?" while saving 60,000 crystals if you wanted a pro battle pass for every month.

 

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4. There are benefits to playing in HTML5 which aren't present in Flash

There are significant advantages that HTML5 players will get over Flash players. For example, when you press the Tab button in HTML5, you get to see the alterations equipped by players as well as all protection modules. This allows you to provide yourself with the best equipment you have to deal with and lets you know which enemies you can easily take on and which aren't kidding. The presence of GS rating also lets you know if an enemy is masquerading in a Mk7 hull and turret but doesn't have the Firepower or armor to back up the cosmetics. Furthermore, if you use Railgun, for example, and aim at a bush, then you'll see a red outline on enemies. This is quite useful because in Flash, enemies can hide behind a bush or the corner of their hull poking out from the building they are using as cover, and you'd take a lot longer to catch on. Their location being marked is a significant advantage that HTML5 will grant you. 

 

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3. You can only buy the more useful hull augments in the HTML5 version

 

This is a pretty significant difference. The only way you can buy hull augments is if you play HTML5. If you're a Flash player, you won't be able to purchase hull augments. To a large part of the player base, this isn't that problematic, but if at some point you feel like spending the 45 or so USD on one, you won't be able to do so in the Flash version thus putting Flash players at a disadvantage. More than just this, it shows that HTML5 will be getting the newest updates while Flash will shortly be left in the dust.

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2. You can only do special missions on the HTML 5 version

Special missions are one of the most exciting aspects of Tanki Online, in that they tend to be far longer than regular missions, but the rewards go along quite well with difficulty. If you notice, the Flash version of Tanki lacks special missions. This certainly isn't a massive deal for casual players who don't bother themselves with special missions. However, special missions do grant good rewards for completion, which can be used to help you take that gold box the next time, or help you save up crystals for that Thunder Mk7 you've always wanted. This is one of the ways that Tanki is trying to get players to move over to the HTML5 version, and to me, getting extra rewards simply for using a different interface seems pretty worth it.v

 

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1. It will continue to work.

 

The developers have been quite clear about their intentions. Keeping up with the Flash version of Tanki has only come in the way of better updates which the developers were interested in launching. To quote @theFiringHand "We're spending so much time fighting fires in the Flash version, that our development of the HTML5 version is practically moving at a crawl.". He also went on to say that "Tanki Online was never intended to be a game. It was simply meant to be a showcase piece for the Alternativa Engine, which was to be a Flash 3D engine for games. That's what the company originally set out to do 11 years ago. When, Tanki blew up in popularity, they capitalized on that. However, since Tanki wasn't meant to be a proper game, no effort had been made to code it in a properly structured way.

Over the years, our programming team had to balance between adding content to a messy piece of software, and keeping it running without anything blowing up in their faces. In turn, this accrued a lot of "technical debt" - lots of stuff needed to be fixed, but there was no time or resources to fix it. And what's worse, the older, bigger problems kept getting buried deeper and deeper, making it harder to dig them up and fix them without making the whole thing come crashing down around our ears. One such problem is what caused the Tankopocalypse a few years ago.". The major reason for Flash being put out of operation is that it simply isn't worth it anymore. If massive errors keep popping up, Tanki developers will continue to play a whack-a-mole forever. HTML5, on the other hand, is getting the proper treatment. It's being set up as a game, using all that's been learned from past years. If the only way to play is HTML5, then it only makes sense for players to start migrating to the HTML5 version sooner rather than later to help give developers feedback on how to fix it. 

 

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Ultimately, if you can't play the game, holding on to nostalgia really won't fix anything for you. The matter of the fact is that HTML5 is where the future is. Tanki isn't trying to make players move to it to get some twisted pleasure; Flash is dying, and that's a reality we'll need to accept sooner or later. I, too, quite disliked the HTML5 version initially, but it has since grown on me, and frankly, the only real benefit of Flash is nostalgia. It's a moment that'll be remembered in Tanki, fondly by some and sadly by others, but the old Tanki we all loved is gone. I would argue that this is an evolution. Gameplay won't go back to being oversimplified, and that's not a bad thing. It makes everything more exciting and makes you think more. Being different doesn't make something bad.

 

 

[Dosheg 868]

On 5/17/2020 at 4:27 PM, LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH said:

9. There's a fun fidget spinner at the home screen

say no more

[Viking4s 10,791]

There is huge disadvantage with HTML5, you cannot see the stats of the above equipment mastery. You have to go the the Wiki for that.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Viking4s

[frankionline1 50]

I play the HTML5 version and its good but the only bad thing is that you can't send any gift to your friend.

[Viking4s 10,791]

23 minutes ago, frankionline1 said:

I play the HTML5 version and its good but the only bad thing is that you can't send any gift to your friend.

give him a cal instead

Edited June 5, 2020 by Viking4s