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World of Tanks builds strongholds for Update 9.2
Wargaming is betting that players will fight even harder than usual if it's over something they built, which is why the company introduced strongholds with today's Update 9.2 for World of Tanks. Strongholds are a new game mode in which players can lay out a virtual base and fight over it. If a clan can upgrade its base enough, it will be treated to limited-time bonuses that will cover all clan members across the game. Update 9.2 also comes with eight reworked maps, more medal achievements, HD upgrades to a few tanks, and the Fire Arc battle arena. Check out what 9.2 has to offer in the update video after the break.
World of Tanks delivers big Xbox 360 update
The Xbox 360 edition of World of Tanks has grown by leaps, bounds, and treads today with the sizable Rapid Fire update. This patch added two new maps to the game: Arctic Region and Erlenberg. In addition, Rapid Fire has introduced American autoloader tanks and a group of additional German tank destroyers. We've got the action-packed trailer for this update lurking right below the cut, so be careful!
I saw a real Jedi in Star Wars: The Old Republic
Let me tell you about this Jedi Guardian named Nayelii. She lives on Star Wars: The Old Republic's Ebon Hawk server. She could actually be a he, but the avatar (and the name) seemed female, so that's the pronoun I'm going with at the moment. I say "seemed" because Nayelii was wearing hooded robes, it's fairly dark through most of the Kuat Drive Yards flashpoint, and I tend to play dungeons with my camera at max range. Anyway, that's all beside the point because last weekend Nayelii put on what is unequivocally the best tanking performance I've seen in all my years playing MMORPGs.
The Daily Grind: Do you like to tank in MMOs?
The very first serious MMO tank I ever played was my day-one Warrior in World of Warcraft. I'd had dozens of characters in MMOs before that, but I was too chicken to step up and actually tank endgame fights. After all, as Massively commenters pointed out, there's a lot more to tanking than just taunting the boss and knowing when to hit your specials. Tanks need leadership and game knowledge far exceeding what's expected of other party archetypes. They're expected to lead the party, to know how the fights work, and to keep everyone else in line. Tanking is setting yourself up for a world of stress and the judgment of strangers. Depending on your temperament, it can become unfun in a hurry. I still play that Warrior when I resub, Protection-specced for all the days I've played her (minus an hour back in 2006 when I foolishly thought Fury might be nice for a change). But I'm always leery of dungeon-queueing with that character even though I love the actual mechanics of being the meatshield. What about you folks? Do you actually like tanking in MMOs? How do you overcome the stress? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
World of Tanks' 9.1 update rolls out football mode and more
World of Tanks' 9.1 update will officially go live in North America on June 17th, states a press release issued today. Well, technically, it's already live in Europe, it's going live in Korea on the 12th, and Americans will see parts of the update on the 13th too, but by the 17th, you'll have it all. The update includes a World Football Championship mode (seriously), which boasts brief 3v3 battles on a a version of Himmelsdorf "transformed into a football field"; two legendary Historical Battles (The Siege of Tobruk and Bryansk Front) and a new winter map (Kharkiv); and tweaks to "iconic" maps including Arctic Region, Tundra, Komarin, Windstorm, and Northwest. The 9.1 video is tucked beyond the cut. [Source: Press release]
World of Tanks Blitz coming to iOS on June 26th
World of Tanks Blitz, the mobile version of the popular online tank title, will be hitting the Apple app store on June 26th. Wargaming said that World of Tanks Blitz will be exclusive to newer iPad and iPhone owners. The game's been in a closed beta and soft launch in various regions, but will officially release later this month. In it, players will choose from 90 armored vehicles from USA, Germany, and USSR to fight in 7v7 matches.
E3 2014: Hands-on with World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz
If Wargaming.net is known for one thing, it's for being big. Nowhere is that more evident than E3, where displays for games like World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships typically dominate the show floor. Naturally this year's big reveal is the new Warships title. Although it's the third World of vehicles battler, gamers who haven't played the previous two won't be at a disadvantage. That said, it's the hands-on with World of Tanks iOS version that really got my attention.
Armored Warfare accepting applications for closed beta testing
Guys, Armored Warfare is totally not a World of Tanks clone. Guys? Guys? C'mon, don't give me that look. It's not! Well, maybe it is a little bit. The question is, then, will it be better or worse than its competition? Armored Warfare is a "tanktical" (their words, not ours) shooter that features all sorts of heavy combat vehicles. One key difference between it and World of Tanks is that Armored Warfare's lineup is more current, ranging from the 1950s to present-era tanks and other armored trucks. Obsidian Entertainment is pushing Armored Warfare hard these days in preparation for its E3 showing. The title has begun to accept closed beta applications and has put out a new trailer that you can check after the break.
World of Tanks launches update 1.2 for the Xbox 360
If you like to get your World of Tanks fix on your console, we've got good news. The latest patch for the game's Xbox 360 edition has launched, and it brings with it new premium Soviet tanks along with all-new weather effects. Now you can experience the joy of firing your tank's main gun in the middle of a rainstorm as well as on a nice sunny day. Seven maps are in the rotation for weather variants at launch, with more planned for the future. Not enough for you? Well, the update also adds two new maps, Fisherman's Bay and Abbey, which should give you all sorts of new terrain to deal with. The American tank tree has also been expanded with seven new vehicles, one each for tiers IV through X. You can start enjoying the update today, and you can check out the patch release trailer just past the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Warplanes update brings more American heavy fighters
Wargaming is announcing the release of the newest patch for its flight combat MMO World of Warplanes today. Update 1.3 introduces a new line of American heavy fighters and an auto detect feature for graphic settings so everyone isn't playing on the medium setting by default. Wargaming will also be attending the Chicago Comic Con and Entertainment Expo where it will host two panels on World of Tanks and World of Warplanes. For those who can't attend, a stream will be available on the con's Twitch channel. [Source: Wargaming press release]
League of Legends introduces Braum, the Heart of the Freljord
For too long, there's been a hole in the many champions of League of Legends. Braum, the Heart of the Freljord, fills that hole, introducing the first truly impressive moustache to the game and allowing everyone to marvel at every perfectly waxed hair. Oh, and he also serves as a tank support character, which is also a first, but mostly it's about that glorious lip-blanket. Right, you probably want to know a little bit more about what Braum can do. Well, he applies a stacking debuff that stuns enemies with his basic attack, but once the first tap is in place, attacks from allies will also increase the stack count. He also attacks with line-based AoE attacks that snare targets, blocks attacks with his enormous shield, and can dash to his allies to help protect them from further attacks. In short, he's a traditional MMO tank tearing up the League of Legends lanes. And he has a moustache. Did we mention that?
World of Tanks' 9.0 out this week, includes Historical Battles
Wargaming has released World of Tanks' ninth iteration, complete with redesigned battlefields and vehicles and a new game mode called Historical Battles. "With a focus on competitive balance and exciting gameplay, combat locations including Severogorsk, Pearl River, Malinovka, and Serene Coast have all received an overhaul," Wargaming says. The firm has also revamped many of the game's vehicles with new high-resolution models and textures. Finally, the new Historical Battle mode aims to recreate famous tank engagements and simultaneously fill your garage with credits and XP. Don't forget to watch the Update 9.0 trailer after the break.
World of Tanks Xbox 360 gets Update 1.1
World of Tanks' console drivers have a reason to rejoice: Update 1.1 has arrived for the Xbox 360. The update has a slew of goodies for players to dig through, including recruitable crews for tanks, the map of Himmelsdorf, and five British vehicles. Crews earn experience through battles, level up, and add perks and abilities to the tank commander. We've got the new trailer for World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition and its 1.1 update after the break.
World of Tanks makes more per user than LoL, GW2, and everyone else
Wargaming's tank-based lobby battler generated more revenue per user than League of Legends and Dota 2 over the past 12 months. In fact, World of Tanks generated more ARPU than any other major F2P title, according to Superdata. "There's World of Tanks, which has a monthly active user base of around 9.1 million and makes $4.51 per month per user. And there's League of Legends, with 58.5 million average monthly actives over the past twelve months, and a $1.32 spend per user. Five times the audience, but less than [a] third of the earnings per player," Superdata says. After WoT, the top five includes Team Fortress 2, Guild Wars 2, War Thunder, and PlanetSide 2.
World of Tanks shows off new game modes for 2014
World of Tanks continues rolling along and updating, and it has some big features on deck for 2014. The latest video development diary shows off some of the new game modes which will be coming to the game in the near future, starting with Fortifications. The Fortification system allows clans to build structures and collect bonuses while at the same time defending their fortifications against other clans. The result is a complex interplay of new elements like pillboxes and aerial strikes that give both sides the tools to take fortified structures or defend them as needed. That's not the least of the additions being made, however, as Historical Battles are also incoming. While this game mode has been in discussion for a long time, due to massive differences in tank capabilities, it's been tricky to create battles with an equal chance of victory for both sides. The solution is asymmetrical team composition, a rebalancing of stats for this specific game mode, and respawning lighter support tanks. Take a look at the video past the cut for a more in-depth examination of these changes. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks crowns new e-sports world champion
In the ultimate showdown between hulking metal death machines, World of Tanks has crowned one victorous team that emerged triumphant over the battlefield. Wargaming announced today that team Na'Vi won the world championship in the grand finals of its e-sports league. The new champions will take home $110,000 in prize money, with the runner-ups Virtus.Pro and The RED Rush: Unity receiving $100,000 and $40,000, respectively. The Wargaming.net League World Championship took place in Warsaw, Poland, as 14 teams battled over three days for the top spot. According to the studio, "millions" tuned in to watch the grand finals on Twitch. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Wargaming earmarks $10m for e-sports, WoT up to 80m registered players
Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi recently announced that the developer behind World of Tanks and World of Warplanes will invest $10 million into its burgeoning e-sports business. Kislyi said that 30,000 pro players fought in 120 WoT tourneys in 2012 while in 2013 those numbers rose to 200,000 players and 1,000 tournaments. "With our e-sports team we founded a company within the company," Kislyi said. "They take care not only about game features to cater to spectators, but also about the physical organization of the tournaments." Kislyi also explained that the e-sports initiative was driven by player requests rather than Wargaming desires. Finally, Kislyi said that World of Tanks now boasts 80 million registered players.
World of Tanks unveils new 7v7 combat mode
Wargaming.net has just announced a brand-new combat mode for its tank-flavored MMO World of Tanks. The mode is a 7v7 random battles mode called Labyrinth. David Bowie is not included, but a new vehicle is: The only vehicle available in the upcoming mode will be the German self-propelled gun Karl-Gerät that will be added with Update 1.04 as well. Tankers will also get an original battle arena, developed specially for Labyrinth, as well as a new medal, awarded for exceptional performance in the new mode. The translated version of the latest WoT developer diary discusses the new combat mode in depth; we've got it embedded below. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks to become better-looking than ever before in 2014
World of Tanks is poised to get a major graphics upgrade this year, and the devs want to show you a preview of the changes. Hopefully you're cool with that. Wargaming promises that the look of the game will become clearer, more realistic, and more detailed when the changes go into place. The team is utilizing advanced texture mapping and new material models to provide a higher level of visual fidelity than previously present. One of the big improvements is a giant leap in the polygon count for each tank, going from 8K-18K per vehicle currently to 50K-100K in the future. For more on this beautification process, check out the video after the jump!
Here's how you can play World of Tanks Blitz on your iOS device
It's been nearly a year since Wargaming announced World of Tanks Blitz, its 7-on-7 mobile title inspired by World of Tanks and said to "rival anything on a console." The firm has officially announced that WoTB's closed beta will commence once it "roll[s] out the server infrastructure and accumulate[s] enough beta applications." That's where you come in, because Wargaming has also published beta application links for both Europe and North America.
