May 7 Developer Q&A Summary

[ThirdOnion 4,898]

This is a summary of the recent Russian developer Q&A video.

• Terminator and Juggernaut will receive HD skins. In addition, a hovering version of Juggernaut will be added so that players using hovering hulls will not have to change their control scheme upon becoming the Juggernaut.
• GS-based matchmaking will not be implemented. The developers believe the rank-based matchmaking is fairer and incentivizes players to upgrade their equipment.
• There are plans to implement voice chat, but likely for communication between members of battle groups or clans only.
• The ability to view missions and claim mission rewards mid-battle will not be added. The developers want players to finish battles rather than leave them as soon as they complete missions.
• There are changes planned for TO mobile that will allow entering battles from the PRO battle list.
• Adding HD versions of every turret and hull is estimated to take at least one year.
• The developers currently do not see any need to change the movement mechanics of hovering hulls besides Hopper.
• The developers are examining ways to address the Hopper problem, though they seem to be more interested in implementing counters to Hopper rather than changing the characteristics of its overdrive. One idea is making it so that tanks inside an enemy Titan's dome will not be able to activate overdrives. Another idea is providing a mechanism for interrupting a Hopper's flight.
• There are no plans to reduce battle durations; on the contrary, the developers are considering increasing them, starting with battle durations in event modes.
• There are plans to update the profile system, reinstate the gift system, and implement a new achievement system.

Additional information based on answers by the TO YouTube channel to comments under the video:

• It may be possible in the future to alter the in-game interface.
• Work is underway updating HTML5's graphics.

Edited May 11, 2021 by ThirdOnion

[E_polypterus 2,374]

PRO battelz in MOBILE????

Edited May 11, 2021 by E_polypterus

[alkyng 3,080]

1 hour ago, ThirdOnion said:

The developers currently do not want to change the movement mechanics of hovering hulls

Corrected it for them

1 hour ago, ThirdOnion said:

There are plans to update the profile system,

I thought they already started

1 hour ago, ThirdOnion said:

The ability to view missions and claim mission rewards mid-battle will not be added.

I see the developers are trying desperately to make the game perfect in weird things while they left the most important things like overdrives. Yes, it's more practical to make all of the player focus in the gameground rather than going to any other tab, but the game with this way became pale and too boring, players are leaving the game through the time, nothing interesting in HTML5 just a pale gray interface with PLAY button.

I used to check crystals and missions and even shop in battles, chat was way more better (though I rarely chat except with a reason), and Sound icon/friends. Now in HTML5 I don't have a thing than the battle, I used to check the missions between the second I die till I respawn.

Also I think Hopper and Hovering hulls must suffer with us in this

Edited May 11, 2021 by asem.harbi

[wolverine848 13,097]

1 hour ago, ThirdOnion said:

The developers are examining ways to address the Hopper problem, though they seem to be more interested in implementing counters to Hopper rather than changing the characteristics of its overdrive. One idea is making it so that tanks inside an enemy Titan's dome will not be able to activate overdrives.

Why are they so reluctant to tweak the mechanics?  They fiddle around the periphery and never fix it the right way.

The Titan OD is prime example.  So no ODs will be able to activate inside the dome?

1) That means you actually have to have the (slow-moving) Titan in the game.  And for Assault and Rugby it's pointless - the Hopper activates the OD outside the dome anyway and will still cap.

2) Good luck to wasps trying to kill titans.  25m radius for bomb and 20m radius for dome.  BUT - the wasp needs to drop the bomb outside the dome and the damage decreases with distance. Titan moves to far side and survives.

[wolverine848 13,097]

13 minutes ago, asem.harbi said:

Also I think Hopper and Hovering hulls must suffer when us in this sufferance

That was an odd nose-dive.  It's like you ad 3 tons of extra weight in the front of your tank.

[mjmj5558 2,346]

4 hours ago, ThirdOnion said:

There are changes planned for TO mobile that will allow entering battles from the PRO battle list.

Thanks for the translation. Was anything specific mentioned here?

[ThirdOnion 4,898]

44 minutes ago, mjmj5558 said:

Was anything specific mentioned here?

No.

[LambSauce 1,891]

Something funny I discovered: when you type "Opex" in Russian (meaning how they were referring to Hazel in the comments), it resembles the Russian for "nut"  

[Blutaar 1,904]

52 minutes ago, LambSauce said:

Something funny I discovered: when you type "Opex" in Russian (meaning how they were referring to Hazel in the comments), it resembles the Russian for "nut"  

Opex's earlier name was Hazel-rah, people often joked about it by saying hazelnut. Don't know if that has anything to do with it... or Opex really likes nuts

[Flexoo 6,980]

I am not surprised they do not want to implement GS system for MM, since GS can be manipulated. You can be a Legend who is holding on some Mk1 equipment, go to the battle with low ranks and then change your equipment to 9k GS. So if they would change the system to take GS into the account, there would have to be a mechanism that prevents you from changing the equipment to more powerful one.

The voice chat for battle groups and clans goes directly against the point of MM. One of the points of Matchmaking is creating balanced teams, and since battle groups can basically play random players, the matchmaking is oftentimes no different from the old days when clan joined your battle and initiated the takeover. Giving a battle group the power to effectively communicate in MM battle means you are giving them further advantage against players who just join the battle on their own. This might be good for eSports battles, perhaps PRO battles for training, but in MM it would just further contribute to already poor balance.

Also the Titan idea seems incredibly broken. It will make the dome too powerful. Wasp bomb will become borderline useless because it will not have the range to destroy the enemy, I don't know if Hunter OD will be effective as well since it will have to stay away from the dome so it's range of effect will be probably significantly lower,  Mammoth will also be forced to activate its OD outside the dome, possibly giving the player space and distance to avoid it, and if you got AP Immunity from challenge some time ago, you also will be immune to that counter. So, this just seems as way too advantageous for Titan users.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Flexoo

[TWICE 798]

9 hours ago, ThirdOnion said:

• There are no plans to reduce battle durations; on the contrary, the developers are considering increasing them, starting with battle durations in event modes.

Just don't turn it back to 15 minutes.  It would be a bit long for fast-paced battles now.

[Tokamak 1,021]

Wat? No plan for more P2W feature? 

Edited May 11, 2021 by Tokamak

[alkyng 3,080]

I think after this update for Hopper, Titan OD must get changed. Like many suggest before making it like a wall, and you have to destroy it, the wall will have E.x. 20,000hp.  I think this will make it more interesting also, but not sure about Titan players. I don't use Titan nowadays

35 minutes ago, Tokamak said:

Wat? No plan for more P2W feature? 

This is between

This will come with every single update of the listed ones

[wolverine848 13,097]

2 hours ago, asem.harbi said:

I think after this update for Hopper, Titan OD must get changed. Like many suggest before making it like a wall, and you have to destroy it, the wall will have E.x. 20,000hp.  I think this will make it more interesting also, but not sure about Titan players. I don't use Titan nowadays

This is between

This will come with every single update of the listed ones

So what good is the wall on maps where you can easily flank the Titan?  Even 100,000 health won't help if enemies can just drive to the side and shoot you.

[Tanker-Arthur 2,971]

Where is Tesla?
 

[Ethiaa 135]

4 minutes ago, wolverine848 said:

So what good is the wall on maps where you can easily flank the Titan?  Even 100,000 health won't help if enemies can just drive to the side and shoot you.

I think wall in this context is intended to mean something you can't drive a tank through, not long straight thing you can drive around.

[wolverine848 13,097]

5 minutes ago, Ethiaa said:

I think wall in this context is intended to mean something you can't drive a tank through, not long straight thing you can drive around.

How long is this wall?

Many maps are big enough that an enemy can drive around it, then start shooting the unprotected Titan.

So, unless the Titan does this in a corner of the map (dumb strategy) enemies can easily flank a Titan protected by a stationary wall.

[Ethiaa 135]

19 minutes ago, wolverine848 said:

How long is this wall?

Many maps are big enough that an enemy can drive around it, then start shooting the unprotected Titan.

So, unless the Titan does this in a corner of the map (dumb strategy) enemies can easily flank a Titan protected by a stationary wall.

I think the idea is it would be circular like the dome is... so it would prevent Wasps driving in to bomb you but could (depends on hit points) be taken down by the damage from the bomb.

This is not my idea, just trying to make it make sense. I'm not sure it is a good idea. But Titan dome does need to change.

[LambSauce 1,891]

1 hour ago, Ethiaa said:

I think wall in this context is intended to mean something you can't drive a tank through, not long straight thing you can drive around.

Reminded me of this: https://youtu.be/zLFbm6YckoU?t=20

 

[Akame 4,580]

7 hours ago, Flexoo said:

I am not surprised they do not want to implement GS system for MM, since GS can be manipulated. You can be a Legend who is holding on some Mk1 equipment, go to the battle with low ranks and then change your equipment to 9k GS. So if they would change the system to take GS into the account, there would have to be a mechanism that prevents you from changing the equipment to more powerful one.

 

Restrict games to 7min length, allow no changes, gear scores to be matched via independant componenents, i.e mk1 turret mk7 hull cannot match with vice versa etc, but the game has hardly any players for this to work unfortunately.

[wolverine848 13,097]

45 minutes ago, LambSauce said:

Reminded me of this: https://youtu.be/zLFbm6YckoU?t=20

 

Well one big difference I see is in that example is moveability.  But how does that affect other ODs?  There's no "area" to prevent other ODs from activating.  It's just like walking around with a riot-shield.

41 minutes ago, Akame said:

Restrict games to 7min length, allow no changes, gear scores to be matched via independant componenents, i.e mk1 turret mk7 hull cannot match with vice versa etc, but the game has hardly any players for this to work unfortunately.

"allow no changes" will just result in more players exiting battles - especially if they have the wrong equipment for the map.

Or it will result in no one ever using Mammoth.  Imagine equipping that then getting stuck on dusseldorf of Lost Temple...

Edited May 11, 2021 by wolverine848

[Ethiaa 135]

1 hour ago, LambSauce said:

Reminded me of this: https://youtu.be/zLFbm6YckoU?t=20

 

That would also work I guess although it'd be a lot less team orientated as a result (which in my opinion would be sad).

Maybe it will be one of the overdrive alterations that you will be able to buy with tankoins come autumn

[cosmic666 1,055]

3 hours ago, Tanker-Arthur said:

Where is Tesla?
 

Being chased down by @RIDDLER_8

[Flexoo 6,980]

3 hours ago, Akame said:

Restrict games to 7min length, allow no changes, gear scores to be matched via independant componenents, i.e mk1 turret mk7 hull cannot match with vice versa etc, but the game has hardly any players for this to work unfortunately.

Agreed. For quite some time now, I have the feeling that MM itself is not actually bad, and the problem is not exclusively in the system or programming itself (although, the distribution of players could probably do with some tweaks), but actually in the playerbase, or the lack of it respectively. I am not sure if it's still possible to check the daily login graph and amount of players at a time, but it seems the amount of people playing is super low for MM to work properly. When we take into theaccount that MM must work with the already low number of players online who are distributed on multitude of ranks, quite a big number of different modes, pro battles, people online but just hanging in chats, and people it cannot pick because they are already battling, it does not even come around as surprising that the MM cannot create more balanced teams.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Flexoo

[fghjkl54 1,520]

so the match will last more than 7 mins they can remove the score limits in solo modes and who has the highest points win 

and what do you mean by changing profiles and alter the interface _{(unless it's fake news XD but i don't think it is)}