[Review] The Tesla Turret (Developer’s Corner #2)

[Viking4s 10,791]

Welcome to the second editorial of the Developer’s Corner. This series is aimed at discussing, reviewing and suggesting innovations related to Tanki Online. I would pick up inventive ideas either from the developers, the V-LOG, Tanki’s update, or from players via the Ideas & Suggestion forum section. The first editorial covered an Amphibious Hovering Hull, and today I scrutinise the rumoured Tesla Turret.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 Introduction 
On the 12th of June 2020, the V-LOG 257 teased us about a new invention from the developers, and it turned out to be quite a surprise: we witnessed a new turret using new technology to destroy tanks. Nobody in the community expected new equipment so soon as we were still waiting for the release of the Ares hull which was delayed till mid-August. After nurturing the suspense for another week, eventually the V-LOG 258 revealed the turret name… Tesla, and that it causes damage via electricity. Alongside these two meagre bits of information, the V-LOGs displayed two short teasers of the turret at work.

In this article I will discuss in detail Tesla's name, the technology at work, its design, firing mode mechanics and the estimated launch date. I will conclude with some ratings of the innovation, followed by a compilation of feedback I gathered from members of the EN community. You readers can contribute to the debate by answering the poll as well as by giving your sentiment in the thread below.
 

 Turret Name
Tesla! This is the given name of this electrifying turret. The nature of the damage and its shape was recognised by a few players which also suggested the same name. This weaponised technology exists in other games such as the “Tesla Tanks” in Command & Conquers, and the “Lightning Gun” in Just Cause 4, among others.

Players guessing the name of The turret after the first V-log (Top)
Tesla Tanks from C&C: Rise of the Reds and Red alert (Left) – Lightning Gun from Just Cause 4 (Right). 
 

Contrary to hulls, turrets are not labelled with a themed name, but rather after words referring to the technology of the turret or its principle of work (e.g. Freeze, Firebird, …). But some denominations are from more complicated origins, like Isida with its ability to heal other tanks being named after Isis the Egyptian goddess of health. The Tesla turret is the second turret to be named after a famous scientist, the other one being named after the physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss.

For the nerdiest of us interested by the history of science, the name is obviously referring to Nikola Tesla who was an inventor, an electrical engineer, and a futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system. Nikola’s dream was to transport electric power without wire, and to achieve this he conducted experiments with mechanical generators, electrical discharge tubes, and X-ray. During his time in 1891, he was mostly famous for his large and intricate Tesla Coil which produced a high-voltage, low-current and high frequency alternating-current that are displaying theatrical lightning. To honour its contribution to science his name Tesla was given to the Unit of magnetic flux density in 1960.

 

 Design: Shape & Appearance
The very first impression I got from the front view is the face of a green insect like a Mantis with a deadly three-fang mandibles mouth. However, from the side view it reminds me more of a scorpion with its pair of clenching claws attached to the shoulder and linked to a large segmented abdomen, minus the stinging and venomous tail. 

 
 Tesla turret: Front view, Top view and Sides view (mounted on a Viking hull).
 

In length and width, Tesla looks as big as Twins, however it is more imposing and more alluring. The two Tesla coils which are seamlessly integrated as a pair of large pincers gives the turret a menacing aura, which is way better when compared to its design seen in other games. The addition of futuristic tech-like details over the insect body creates the perfect fusion of an insect-inspired robot. Let’s wait and see if these stay in the final release. 

Additionally, the turret is made with the latest skin technology which allows the use of numerous polygons, revealing a smooth finish to the ensemble. The developers have introduced moving parts in the design of the last three turrets (Magnum, Terminator and Gauss), as well as in the UT skins of Vulcan, Thunder, Railgun and Gauss, so let’s hope Tesla will have that mechanic by default. If so, I expect that it will be activated in the secondary shooting mode, maybe in the same way that it was done for Isida in Tanki X. I am crossing my fingers here because this kind of thing was not added to the freshly released hovering hulls, Ares and Hopper.

Last but not least, we can distinguish two distinct types of electric discharge coming from between the front of the pincers: one a simple straight lightning, and one complex ball lightning that slowly moves forward. Contrary to the common straight lightning occurrence within summer thunderstorms, the lightning ball is rarely witnessed, and its existence is still subject to many speculations. Nothing is known about the structure and behaviour of this strange phenomenon which lead to the spread of fantasist tales and stories, and to become a source of inspiration for many artistic storytelling development (e.g. Tintin). 

Tintin and his friends disturbed by a mysterious lightning ball occurrence.

 

 Technology at Work: Tesla Coil
A Tesla coil is a radio frequency oscillator that runs a resonant transformer to produce high voltages at low currents. The system produces output voltages from 50 000 Volts to several million Volts for the most powerful apparatus, which is stronger than the 1 200 Volts of the Taser stun gun but less potent than the 100 million Volts of natural lightning. The simplest spark-excited Tesla coil circuit, shown below, consists of only five key components: 

1/ An alternative current generator (AC).
2/ A high voltage supply transformer.
3/ A high voltage capacitor.
4/ A spark gap acting as a switch.
5/ A Tesla coil which generates the high output voltage and the electrical arc (or lightning).

  -  
Tesla coil schematic (Left) - Tesla Coil in operation (Right)

Many Do It Yourself folks have built gadgets with Tesla coil circuits in the back of their garage, such as coils, guns and other features designed for the entertainment industry. 

 

 - 
A homemade Tesla handgun prototype! (Left)                                     A Tesla gun duel (Right) 

The video-game industry was also inspired and created fictional and futuristic weapons (guns, cannons, bombs, tanks, towers) based on this technology for enjoyment, and now Tanki is coming up with its own design. I let my inspiration go wild and imagined how the Tesla-coil circuit would fit in the Tanki’s Tesla turret:

Tesla Turret Dual Coil Tentative Design
 

I'd say the alternative generator sits underneath the back of the abdomen where we can discern a large cylindrical case. Immediately connected to it, I would place the transformer right in the middle top within the metallic stripped area. The capacitors would be of a large size and would fit inside of the turret’s abdomen. Finally, the two Tesla coils would be the two armaments connected to the shoulders of the front of the abdomen.

 

 Turret Firing Mechanics, Effective Range and Damage
From the teasers we noticed that the Tesla turret exhibits two common traits associated with the new turret generation: more polygons and a secondary firing mode with a distinct visual effect and activity. Having a secondary fire mode is an old trick from the developers since its first introduction in 2012 with the Shaft turret, and it is now available on half of the newer 6. What are the mechanics, the effective range and the damage effect of each fire mode?

The primary fire: The Regular Lightning Mode
  > Firing Mechanics
In the video, the primary fire shoots a lightning stretching toward the enemy hull which then display electric arcs similar to the critical hit from Smoky and the EMP effect from Hunter's EMP. The lightning looks a little bit thin and weak just like an electric arc, especially when you compare it to the large and shimmering Isida beam, and even weaker when compared with the bright and thundering storm lightning which can set alight a whole sky and deafen a whole town.

The electric discharges are fired one at a time, and it doesn’t seem to linger like with the Isida beam. Consequently, this suggest that the primary fire would not operate with an energy pool like the other melee turret (Isida, Freeze and Firebird) or the Vulcan, but would be more like a close-range turret (Hammer, Twins and Ricochet) where you will have to press bar each time you want to fire. This makes sense otherwise we won’t be able to have a secondary fire which needs the spacebar to be held till the lock-on is completed.

 
Tesla’s primary fire shoots lightning straight at its target.

[Animated GIF] of primary fire \/ 

Spoiler

  > Effective Range
I have two possible options regarding the effective range that could fit Tesla modus operandi. The current portfolio of turrets has two empty spots when you sort and pack them by distance: One spot in the melee-range and one in the close-range. 

The range difference is huge between these two: for example at Mk4, melee turrets are limited to 15-16 meters, and close range turrets to 47-58 meters (maximum & minimum distance respectively). In comparison, Hunter's EMP can reach as far as 25 meters and it is visually weird when it does so. I do not see the Tesla electric discharge going to reach out to the tank at 40-70 meters, therefore I strongly feel that the regular mode of Tesla will be in the melee ballpark. 

 
Maximum and minimum damage range of Melee turrets, close-range turrets and Hunter's Overdrive.  

 
> Damage and Other Effects
The damage is caused by electricity via lightning which is a new type of direct damage, therefore there is currently no protection module to reduce it, and we will all have to buy a new protection module dedicated to this damage even if we do not play with the turret. I called it Scorpion, as developers favour animal names for them and I just created a series of icons for fun:   

I personally like the last one that refers to electricity, but which one do you prefer?

Is there an extra effect associated with electricity damage? Most turrets have one or two additional effects, either damaging (e.g. splash damage, critical, afterburn…), and/or non-damaging effect (e.g. impact force, stunning…). All the turrets with explosive payload and/or kinetic force have the non-damaging effect “impact force” associated and sometimes the damaging splash damage. However, the melee turrets have technology that does not produce these effects, and Electricity is likely to follow the same principle. This is another similarity between Tesla and the melee turrets that have no recoil. 

 

However, they all display a secondary effect (healing, cold and heat), maybe Tesla will have one too - a new type or an existing one - unless the secondary fire is the alternative for that. If not, then my first candidate will be the heat damaging effect, because electricity can generate heat within thin metallic structures like in a toaster. My second option would be the stunning effect like with Hunter, because electric surge fry electronics systems, but this would be too much for the regular mode. As this turret is still in development, the prototype shown in the teasers is unfinished, so we can’t rule out these features from the final turret shape and mechanics.

With the amount of information we currently hold, there are several points about damage that cannot be defined at the moment, and these following questions and speculation will remain unanswered: 
- As electric arcs can branch, will Tesla be able to damage several tanks at the time when several enemies within its “cone angle” and damage range? 
- Will the damage stay constant at 100% like with Isida or will it be characterised with a maximum range and a minimum range damage? If the latter, what will be the weak damage applied? 10% like with Firebird or 25% like for a close-range turret?

The secondary fire: The High-Power mode Lightning Ball
The advantage of the high-power mode is that it offers more versatility by yielding more damage, engaging with more opponent and increasing its effective range, but it always requires a warm-up period, either a power-up (e.g. Shaft) or a lock-on procedure (e.g. Striker, Terminator & Gauss).

  > Fire Mechanics
In the teasers, the secondary firing mode generates a sphere made of electrostatic arcs between the pincers, in other words a lightning ball. This structure grows in intensity, and when ready it is fired in following a straight line where the turret is aiming. As the ball lightning gets closer to an enemy tank it emits a continuous spear of lightning which connects with the enemy, and then produces electric arcs around the entire tank. 

   
Tesla’s secondary fire: Ball lightning generation (Left)    Spear of lightning continuously attacking an enemy tank (Right).

[Animated GIF] of Secondary fire \/ 

Spoiler

I have the same kind of assumption with the lightning ball because its mechanics display a similar likeness with Ares’s BFG cannon Overdrive. Its speed, size and the way it interacts with enemy tanks around it are like the BFG minus the healing process, but with the addition of the spear of lightning. By the way, it would be funny to mount Tesla on Ares and fire both balls at the same time

Otherwise, the realism of the ball and other lightning effects are amazing.

What remains unknown for now is the details of the lock-on system: 
- Will it be a visible laser like Striker and Shaft with a long target acquisition? 
- Or a short target acquisition accompanied with a visual mechanism like Gauss’s ears? 
- Or just a silent release like with Ares's Overdrive?

  > Effective Range
Regarding the range of action for this secondary mode of fire, I think it will most likely be increased among the previous turrets with secondary fire, two of them exhibited a drastic increase of range: Gauss from medium to long-range and Shaft from melee-close (20-40 meters) to long-range. I assume a likely increase from melee (15-20 meters) to close-range (40-70 meters) at the least. 
 

  > Damage and Other Effects
The nature of damage would be similar to the regular mode, however it will be greater and will be able to engage with more enemies. 

A few questions remain unanswered regarding the ball lightning details: 
-    What will the speed of motion of the ball be? This is important as it determines which hull classes can escape its wrath. 
-    Will the lightning ball explode when it touches a wall or other obstacle (like the BFG)?
-    Or will it quietly disappear into the void after reaching the distance limit (like plasma balls from Ricochet and Twins)?
-    What its effective range of damage will be?

 

 Release Date?
The only bit of information shared in the V-LOG 258 is inconclusive: “Tesla will come out after Ares.” Yeah! Meh, Hopper was launched since, though this statement remains true. Consequently to try to tame my distress, I decided to look at the previous turret launches since the beginning in June 2009, and build the following timeline to see if it could give me the start of an answer.

Timeline of Tanki Turret released in the game per year.
 

At the early stage of the game, during summertime, the "first generation" of turrets were introduced: Smoky, Firebird, Twins and Railgun. Shortly after, in September, the vampiric Isida was added. Three more turrets were launched the following year in 2010 as part of the "second generation": Thunder (April), Freeze and Ricochet (July). In 2011, Shaft was the last one introduced before the great rebalance of 2012 were all turret designs were modernised. 

We need to wait for 2014 to get a new turret in the game: Hammer. Onwards, like a Swiss clock, one new turret appears every single year: Vulcan (February 2015), Striker (December 2016), Magnum (March 2017), Terminator (July 2018) and eventually Gauss (June 2019). 

Following this logic and the degree of advancement of the prototype, a release by the end of 2020 would be possible. Additionally, I have a feeling that this turret is not tested nor compatible with Flash technology, therefore Tesla has to be available in December and ready for the Christmas event. 

Be cautious, there is no way for me to be certain and this date remains a pure speculation from my part, and I could be completely wrong as we might see the tip of Tesla’s nose sooner, or worse latter due to TO changing its mind again. 

 

 Ratings & Conclusion

  > Turret novelty - The turret uses a disruptive technology to provide new damage type not already available, and make good use of the lightning effect, but it is clearly inspired from C&C.
      Rating: 4/5

  > Design creativity - This rather original design of a scorpion-like futuristic turret got my seal of approval!  I like it very very very much.
      Rating: 5/5

  > Fire mode - I like the idea of two fire modes with distinct output, however I need to see the final jet (lock-on and ball lighting mechanics) before giving the big 5 rating.
      Rating: 4/5

  > Overall - This well designed turret concept that will lift and invigorate the melee turret set.
      Rating: 4.5/5

Tesla is a melee type turret which can extend to its damage effective range to close-range thanks to the secondary fire mode. The damages are caused by electricity which is delivered either by short electric discharge to nearby foe (primary mode of fire) or by the powerful lightning ball (secondary mode of fire) that can damage an enemy close by via its spiking spear of lightning. Its unique futuristic turret casing is inspired with insectoid design noticeable by the two massive frontal scorpion-like pincers, the spider-like head and a large creepy-crawler abdomen. I hope it will be in the game soon… what about this Christmas!? Nope, in the October Russian live stream @Opex-Rah said not for this year, and he made no promise for next year, either

 

See you later laggers.

Viking4s

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Here is a reward for those who managed to reach that point of the editorial. I did some electrifying experiment on in my room for the sole purpose to understand the Tesla technology and here is the brilliant result of my research: 

 

Me and my powerful Tesla sword and Tesla Viking helmet: mwahahahaha.

Disclaimer: this review is based on demo teasers of unfinished prototypes, therefore the final shape, visual and mechanics could be completely different from what I suggested above. 
 

>> Other publications of the Developers' Corner series:
#3 Crusader: The New Meta? 
#1 Amphibious Hovering Hull

Edited May 28, 2021 by Viking4s

[Viking4s 10,791]

Players Reactions!

I asked a bunch of players about their thoughts regarding the introduction of a new turret after viewing the two V-LOG teasers.

Q: What is your overall feeling about Tanki adding this Tesla turret?
 

@At_Shin: I am excited about the new turret as it will be the first melee-range gun with two modes of firing. The primary mode looks similar to Isida's but shoots arcs of electricity instead of armor-destroying nanobots while the secondary mode looks like Ares' BFG plasma ball. But will it heal allies? Will its plasma ball heal my own tank and explode upon map props like BFG?
I don't know. 
That's why, it will be interesting to see exactly what abilities the Tesla turret would possess, and which combos would work out the best with it.

@TheCongoSpider: If you were to ask me what the best turrets were, the top 3 would not consist of melee turrets. Over time, they seemed to be less effective than ranged turrets. I often wondered if the melee turrets dealt too little damage, or the ranged turrets (in particular, the long-range turrets) dealt too much damage. Recently, the devs have seemed to take notice of the state of melee turrets with their...take on Freeze's balance. 
The addition of Tesla would imply that the devs will look closer at the performance of the melee turrets in the game balance and hopefully rectify their performance issues. 
 

@Joeguy: I'm sorry, I have only a slight opinion about Tesla...just a vague impression. It seems to be a turret that is similar to Ares OD gun. I would guess it will operate about the same way...maybe a faster projectile speed. I doubt it will add anything to the game other than a bit more chaos, but who knows...wait and see. The V-logs don't give much to go on. 
I don't personally care for the two new hulls and I doubt I will like the new turret, but it is a legitimate straight forward way for Tanki to generate revenue as opposed to their usual obnoxious and unethical buff/nerf cycle. Tanki gotta make a buck or they can't stay in business.
 

@RIDDLER_8: I have watched the V-LOG episodes about the Tesla turret. My feeling is very exciting that Tanki's developers are adding this turret to the game. I really like its unique electric shock damage and its Isida-like design. The Tesla turret will be added soon to Tanki Online. Hopefully, it will be at some point at the end of this year. I hope that the electricity will be strong. I bet it will be strong otherwise Tesla would be non-effective.

@ThirdOnion: I don't have any strong opinion for or against adding Tesla, although a turret with a slow-moving projectile seems interesting. I am mainly concerned about how it will affect game balance. If on release it is similar to Striker in power, then I will be fine with it. If it will be like Magnum or Gauss however, that will be problematic.
 

@DieselPlatinum: Sure, why not.

 

@Maf: The idea of this turret excited me as soon as I saw it in the V-log. In fact, I suggested a very similar idea all the way back in 2011, when equipment was still divided into two tiers, and this turret (which I believe I called "Lightning") was meant to be an upgrade to Isida, just like how Rico was an upgrade to Twins, and Thunder — an upgrade for Smoky.
My own idea involved an electric arc connecting to the enemy tank, but also spreading to any nearby enemy tanks in a chain, dealing damage to all. The V-log teaser seems similar, but will also have a secondary shooting mode, like a less powerful Ares OD.
I have no idea how interesting it will turn out to be, but am definitely looking forward to trying it out when it's released. 

 

Thank you all for taking the time to answer. Readers, you can also contribute to the debate by answering the poll as well as by posting your comments, reactions and questions below.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Viking4s

[Tidebreaker 1,669]

Approved.

This is literally the script that I would follow if I was ever to come up with a video discussing this. Not the clickbaity stuff like "I GOT TESLA?!?!?!?!", but the good, quality stuff like "Tesla - My thoughts and speculations" that discusses everything in depth.

And, of course, you've done that well, very well in fact. You broke down every single avenue that I, as a reader/viewer would want covered, and made sure to do so in a very easy-to-understand manner with the help of images and GIFs, and even got interviews too. Oh, and also - that formatting is flawless.

So what if it's borderline conspiracy theories? I still love your take on it.

Edits: Quite minor, really just capitalization/spelling and stuff.

[Tidebreaker 1,669]

I think the image formatting might have been thrown off

Edited November 9, 2020 by Tidebreaker
never mind, it got fixed

[Venerable 2,967]

Awesome "review"!!!

I enjoyed reading it!

You always manage to get into details without actually boring the reader... 

BTW, is that actually you in the GIF?

On 10/9/2020 at 2:49 AM, Viking4s said:

 

[Viking4s 10,791]

19 minutes ago, Venerable said:

Awesome "review"!!!

I enjoyed reading it!

You always manage to get into details without actually boring the reader... 

BTW, is that actually you in the GIF?

Thanks! 
No, it is not me in the gif, I found it on internet. It is a modified gif, I am pretty sure that the helmet with the lightning effect was added.

Edited November 9, 2020 by Viking4s

[The_Voltage 178]

I can't unsee Ares in the second mode. I think, it'll have infinite range, but you cannot really use this feature, 'cause projectile speed would be too slow. Good article.

[Iron_Man 2,376]

I loved the part where Tintin came. I basically am a HUGE FAN OF TINITIN. You just nailed it man!!

[yellowghetto 3,206]

I am just stunned on how well written this article was, and I LOVED reading it! (unlike some other anger posts I'm reading in Game Discussion) For real though, you should apply to be a helper! I loved the formatting of it, and like @Tidebreaker said, the formatting was perfect. I am personally highly anticipating for the release of the new turret and I was looking for someone to make a topic about Tesla. I only hope that this turret will be well balanced in the meta and will involve strategy when playing. Not another Gauss or Vulcan. pls... Anyways; Thank you so much!  I 

[Viking4s 10,791]

23 hours ago, Tidebreaker said:

Approved.[...]

Edits: Quite minor, really just capitalization/spelling and stuff.
I think the image formatting might have been thrown off

Thanks. And thank you very much for your time spent correcting.
No problem, I fixed the formatting issue.
 

18 hours ago, At_Shin said:

Great article Viking, i can't fathom how hard you must have worked on this. I really loved how you explained everything in depth and great detail and the pictures/GiFs you used kept the article very engaging! 

Thanks. Trying to be a bit more modern and adapt to our time with animated visual.

 

[Venerable 2,967]

2 hours ago, yellowghetto said:

For real though, you should apply to be a helper!

Nice joke, don't you think Monsieur @Viking4s?

As far as I know, Viking4s has seen generations (yep, plural!) of tankers come and go on the Forum, and has various interests - from science to writing, from French to Japanese (Anime ) and from gaming to memes, you name it. He's at least 30.

Considering all this, along with his writing prowess and knack of deciphering statistical data with ease, do you think he hasn't been a Helper before?

I can't fathom how a man can be so versatile...

Spoiler

Viking4s was a Newspaper Reporter once. He might have had other positions too, but idk about them...

 

[Viking4s 10,791]

On 11/9/2020 at 7:43 PM, The_Voltage said:

I can't unsee Ares in the second mode. I think, it'll have infinite range, but you cannot really use this feature, 'cause projectile speed would be too slow. Good article.

Thanks. Yes the secondary fire would probably be slow like with Ares BFG, but also very deadly. Even if in theory is is long range, it would be efficient at melee and short range. However, if you aim from afar to a CP or Siege point, likely a significant amount of player will not move and dare face the ball till the end. So, to be used in specific situation for maximum efficacy.
 

On 11/10/2020 at 6:30 AM, Ironmantonystark said:

I loved the part where Tintin came. I basically am a HUGE FAN OF TINTIN. You just nailed it man!!

Thanks. Who does not like Tintin and his amasing adventure?
 

On 11/10/2020 at 9:28 AM, yellowghetto said:

I am just stunned on how well written this article was, and I LOVED reading it! (unlike some other anger posts I'm reading in Game Discussion) For real though, you should apply to be a helper! I loved the formatting of it, and like tidebreaker said, the formatting was perfect. I am personally highly anticipating for the release of the new turret and I was looking for someone to make a topic about Tesla. I only hope that this turret will be well balanced in the meta and will involve strategy when playing. Not another Gauss or Vulcan. pls... Anyways; Thank you so much!  I 

Thank you that you loved it. A new melee turret would be a good addition. Meta or not is mainly driven by its stats that are under control of the developers. However, some inner mechanics can be OP by nature, we have seen that a secondary fire is always better (more flexibility and increased range and damages). A secondary fire mode that allow to engage with several enemies is also a big plus. Tesla seems to have both, so it would very likely be superior to the other melee turret by design. But again the owner needs to create the favourable situation to make the best use of it.
I used to be a French and EN Reporter - now I am Freelance.
Some notable articles:
[Issue Fools] [Guide] Viking: The Ultimate Guide
[Special] Happy New Year! Map 2017
[Édition 4] Overdrive (french)
 

On 11/10/2020 at 11:57 AM, Venerable said:

As far as I know, Viking4s has seen generations (yep, plural!) of tankers come and go on the Forum, and has various interests - from science to writing, from French to Japanese (Anime ) and from gaming to memes, you name it. He's at least 30.

Considering all this, along with his writing prowess and knack of deciphering statistical data with ease, do you think he hasn't been a Helper before?

I can't fathom how a man can be so versatile...

hehe, Thanks. Anything to help really.
Here is list of the work I have done on the AWS under Viking4s.

[Review] The Halloween Map 2016 (with elxtrolux1 aka Ninja)
Lexique du Tankist (French)
Developers's Corner #1 - Amphibious Hovering Hull - Triton 
Developers's Corner #2 - [Review] The Tesla Turret
[The Twilight Zone] The Keyboard - Chapter 1
[The Twilight Zone] The Keyboard - Chapter 2
Beginner’s Guide to Overdrives  (when I was a forum moderator)
Beginners' Guide to Drones (when I was a forum moderator)

Edited May 28, 2021 by Viking4s

[Viking4s 10,791]

 I took the icon from that sign  and animated it.

[yellowghetto 3,206]

Reading this article again makes me even more hyped about this turret. I don't know whether this turret looks very cool, or very weird. 

I still want TO Mobile iOS thooo

[Blutaar 1,904]

It would be fitting and awesome if the XT-skin represents a mantis/locust since the design resembles one a lot

[Tanker-Arthur 2,971]

I always knew Tanki would add some type of true Electric weapon eventually. 
My 2017 dream finally came true XD.

On the other note, I'm sad that it's confirmed when Tanki will release this, only those that pay real money can obtain it for the first week or two.
I miss 2016 and 2017 where we got to try Striker and Magnum instantly.
 

[Tokamak 1,021]

If you mount that insectoid turret on a 6 legged hull the resulting tank combo will look awesome!   
With a the black smoke animated paint!!! Gosh I can't wait now that I pictured it in my head!

Edited December 7, 2020 by Tokamak

[Viking4s 10,791]

Thanks for those who participated to the Poll (25 respondents)!

 

80% wish to a have a secondary fire mode. I think that is to be expected. 

48% think that Tesla should be a melee turret, against 28% to belongs to the close-range and 24% to medium-range.  Medium range is a bit far-fetched but why not.

More than half the respondents would like the second firing to be long-range. After seeing many secondary mode with long range and even two Hovertank overdrives  (BFG and Icicle) displaying the same long range behaviour it seems very likely. Even thought it ends up only Medium range, this is still powerful enough for me.  

[Venerable 2,967]

You'll know about Tesla's arrival when it appears in @Opex-Rah's garage.

Don't forget to keep stalking his Ratings page!

[Viking4s 10,791]

6 minutes ago, Venerable said:

You'll know about Tesla's arrival when it appears in @Opex-Rah's garage. https://ratings.tankionline.com/en/user/Opex-Rah

Don't forget to keep stalking his Ratings page!

or when it is available on the Test Server ...

Edited December 18, 2020 by Viking4s

[Viking4s 10,791]

Update from the developer on tesla.

Spoiler

 

 

The shape changed, the body  is shorter and the pincer are bigger. Looks more like a crab now  (far less fearsome) and less like a Scorpion .  

The firing mechanics and damage looks really interesting for new game play and tactics, especially the damage effective cooperation ability. Really looking forward to its release. 

 

[Sabry 1,072]

Nice article

[Wiz-Green-Gaming 26]

Amazing article!

 

Clearly can see the hard work you put into it. Explained everything in detail, Amazing work.

[Viking4s 10,791]

latest design shared during the Episode 300 of the V-LOG! 

Also 5 of these babies will be given away during Tank's 12th birthdays (June) 

[FrozenRailgun 1,771]

I am guessing the protection module for Tesla would be either Rhino, Cheetah, Tiger or something like those.

Or maybe even Scorpion or Mantis because of Tesla's shape.

Edited May 28, 2021 by FrozenRailgun