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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!
Obsidian behind new Armored Warfare MMO
From the here's-something-you-don't-see-everyday files, Obsidian -- known primarily for its roleplaying games -- is lending its name to a new MMO shooter thing called Armored Warfare. The game's website bills it as "a new free-to-play massively multiplayer online tactical military video game that puts you in control of some of the most incredible, modern destructive machines to grace a battlefield." Eurogamer speculates that Armored Warfare may be an extension of Obsidian's deal with Russian megapublisher Mail.Ru, which also includes the Skyforge partnership wherein the former company lent its name and its expertise to the Allods Team's latest sci-fantasy MMO project. In any case, you can watch the World of Tanks-style Armored Warfare announcement trailer after the cut.
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.
World of Tanks adds limited-time campaign for Xbox 360 players
Beginning March 18th through the 24th, World of Tanks will offer a brand new campaign that's only available for a limited time to players of the game's Xbox 360 version. Map Madness allows players to combine forces to cumulatively reach a tank destruction quota used to unlock three possible maps. The urban Lakeville map will be unlocked when 10 million cumulative tanks are destroyed, desert-based El Halluf is at 25 million, and the classic Prokhorovka that should be familiar to PC players is at 40 million. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks video shows off destructible physics, World of Warplanes update coming March 6
Wargaming has released an eight-minute look at its physics upgrades for multiplayer battler World of Tanks. If that doesn't pique your interest, how does a Sigmund Freud reference grab you? The video's got one of those, and it leads into a destructibles discussion that's centered around the latest upgrades. Tank pilots can now punch through houses and watch them fall apart in real-time, and brick walls will even crack along the brickwork joints. In other Wargaming news, World of Warplanes' 1.2 update is now live in Russia, with a western release scheduled for March 6th. Changes include an overhauled post-battle screen with detailed combat stats, built-in recording capabilities, and a new matchmaker system that should allow rookies to improve without competing against veteran pilots. The WoWP press release and the WoT video are viewable after the break!
Get down with free World of Tanks and World of Warplanes soundtracks
Music sets the mood, and now you can get in a World of Tanks or World of Warplanes mood wherever and whenever you want. Wargaming.net has released the original soundtrack for both games, and fans can download a free copy for their favorite devices from the official sites, Google Music, or the iTunes store. To grab yours and start jamming out, visit one of the following links: For WoT: North American official site European official site Google Music iTunes store For WoWP: North American official site European official site Google Music iTunes store [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks trailer heralds new dev diary series highlighting fundamental improvements
"It will be a truly transformative year for [World of Tanks]." -- Mike Zhivets, producer. If you are a WoT fan, get ready for a big year: 2014 is slated to bring fundamental improvements to the game. With the release of today's trailer, Wargaming has announced a new series of developer diaries that will reveal the plans for major changes coming throughout the year. Of these changes, Zhivets said: "Enhancements planned for 2014 touch upon the very core of World of Tanks, and each of them will overhaul the look and feel of the title, inducing the tank combat experience we deliver with a whole new level of realism and immersion." These plans include technical enhancements (such as a highly responsive gaming environment, dynamic suspension, blown-off turrets, and damageable small parts), a graphics renderer revamp (that adds more realistic details to vehicles), and a new meta game functionality (Fortified Areas). Additionally, the oft-requested Historical Battles will make an appearance. Each new feature will be described in detail in a dev diary series throughout the year. But to get a taste of what's coming, watch the introductory trailer below. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360
Are you ready to blow up tanks on your Xbox 360? Probably; there have been roughly two million games released for the console based almost entirely around blowing up tanks. But are you ready to do so in World of Tanks? Because the game has launched on the console worldwide, complete with special Founder's Packs. The packs contain tanks, currency, ammo, and crews, but will be available for purchase only until February 28th. Before you run downstairs to fire up your console, keep in mind that you won't be able to play the game for free; an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for continued play. All Xbox Live accounts do get a free trial of the game for seven days, however, so you can decide if it's worth subscribing to the service. You can also take a look at the gallery below to get a glance at what the game will look like on the TV. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks patch pits nation vs. nation
World of Tanks is rumbling for a tumbling with Update 8.11 this week. The patch, which is being rolled out worldwide over the course of the week, has a new "experimental" mode that throws nations against each other. The Confrontation mode groups vehicles from a specific nation against similarly tiered vehicles from another nation to see who ends up the victor. Wargaming was quick to point out that it had yet to balance this mode and that Japanese and Chinese vehicles are not available in these fights. There's more to Update 8.11 than the Confrontation mode, however. The team's added Windstorm, a new European winter-themed battle arena, and revamped the Ruinberg and Himmelsdorf maps. [Source: Wargaming press release]
The coming tank squish?
When Wrath launched in 2008, the last thing I ever expected to see was a decline in the number of druid tanks. We'd just come off a successful expansion of not being Innervate bots, and I thought we'd capitalize on a new set of talents and skills in Wrath to hold our own against the brand-new death knight. Not so: The population of feral (now guardian) druids went into freefall and has never really recovered, and at the time, protection paladins took a hit too. My best guess remains that the popularity of the death knight and the protection warrior in early Wrath pushed a lot of druids and paladins out of tanking. We had more role options than they did, so respeccing to melee, heals, or ranged DPS was a better option than getting yourself or others benched. There were other things going on that probably didn't help much, but at the end of the day it was a numbers game that the bear and paladin simply lost. It was a vivid lesson that design decisions that don't necessarily have much to do with your class or role can wind up having a serious impact on them anyway.
World of Tanks to blast Xbox 360 on February 12
The Xbox 360 version of World of Tanks will launch February 12, Wargaming announced. The game will retain its free-to-play-with-premium-purchases structure, but will require an Xbox Live Gold membership. Those with a free Xbox Live account will have access to a trial version of the game for seven days. The tactical, team-based online war game will include over 100 tanks from the Unites States, Germany and United Kingdom. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition entered beta in August 2013. The game first launched on PC in North America in April 2011 following its 2010 release in Russia. [Image: Wargaming.net]
World of Tanks rolls onto Xbox 360 February 12th
Grab your controllers tank drivers, World of Tanks: XBox 360 Edition will launch globally next week on February 12th. Players who currently have an Xbox Live Gold account can download and play the game for free; Xbox Live account holders will get a seven-day timed trial to the game. Developed by Wargaming West (formerly Day 1 Studios), the game will start off with over 100 tanks from the US, Germany, and the UK, and features revamped controls for the console as well as a new user interface. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks lets you roll out national forces in a new game mode
Have you ever rolled around in World of Tanks and thought that it was fun, but what you really wanted was to be rolling your Soviet tank alongside a group of fellow Soviet tanks? Then you'll be happy to know that the game's newest update is letting you do precisely that. A new game mode is being added in which tanks will be grouped up with other tanks from the same nation, allowing you to replicate the feel of British tanks moving into battle against American tanks in World War II! Wait. Something's wrong with that idea. Aside from this new mode, dubbed Confrontation, the update will also add in a new map and revamped "winter" versions of two existing maps, giving players even more battlefields to roll across whilst spreading destruction. You can check out screenshots for the update in the slideshow just below. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks sets new concurrency record of 1.1 million tanks tanking
Wargaming.net's World of Tanks has again broken its own world record for player concurrency, hosting 1.1 million players simultaneously on the game's Russian cluster. This new total handily defeats the previously reported record of 190,541 online players set in March of 2013, though Wargaming.net did note in its press release that average concurrency has been hovering near the 900,000 mark "for the past few months." According to the studio, which now boasts offices in Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle, Austin, Paris, Kiev, Tokyo, and more, World of Tanks has over 75 million players. The press release was not specific on whether these are active players or simply registered accounts. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks update brings Japanese armor
Wargaming.net today announced the launch of World of Tanks update 8.10. North American and European World of Tanks players can now access the brand-new Japanese tech tree, which includes 14 tanks spread across the game's several tank-types and tiers. The Soviet tech tree has also seen two additions in the form of the Object 430 and Object 430 Variant II medium tanks. A Japanese-themed map has been added as well, complete with cherry blossoms. Check out the 8.10 launch trailer after the break. [Source: Wargaming press release]
The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs
Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea. We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore. It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring.
The Daily Grind: What kind of tank do you like to play?
All right, people, today's question is for tanks. Yes, just the tanks. DPS, healers, you're excused. I'm glad you play World of Tanks too, but this also isn't about that. Just the tanks, please. So what kind of tank do you prefer? We've gotten a few archetypes that keep cropping up over and over. You've got the Wall, always, the class with the most hard mitigation and defensive cooldowns that just sits back and is unkillable and usually becomes the default. Then you've got the Dodger, slipping past blows in lighter armor, and the Sponge, who doesn't have a whole lot of mitigation or avoidance but has a huge health pool to chew through. From World of Warcraft to Star Wars: The Old Republic, there are a lot of kinds of tanks. And there are some that don't even fit these archetypes or blend several of them together. So which kind of tank do you like to play? 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 welcomes Japan to the fight
One might think that World of Tanks is starting to run out of countries to introduce to the game if it's diving into Japan, a country not exactly known for tank dominance in World War II. However, maybe the alternate history of the game will vindicate these tanks when they show up with Update 8.10. The upcoming content addition will add 14 Japanese tanks to the game and a revamped lighting and shadow system. The Japanese tanks will be split between four light and nine medium war machines. The crown jewel of the new tank line is the Type 3 Chi-Nu Kai premium medium tank. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition welcomes all to open beta weekend
Listen up, tank commanders: If you have any hankering at all to try out the beta World of Tanks' Xbox 360 Edition, you better do so this weekend. Wargaming has kicked off an open beta weekend today that will continue through Sunday, November 10th, and it will be the last chance for anyone to get in on the beta as registrations will be closed afterward. To smooth the entry process, Wargaming will ensure that players don't have to sign up for a beta key but can simply download the client and boot up the game. To sweeten the entry process, the studio is giving a free premium USA T14 tier III heavy tank to beta testers and a premium USA Ram II tier V medium tank to those who fight at least five battles. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition will also feature double XP during the beta weekend. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Wargaming founds mobile game studio
It seems as though the Wargaming empire is expanding its reach, as the company recently founded a new mobile game studio in Seattle. The studio, which currently lacks a public name, is headed up by mobile game vet David Bluhm. Wargaming is giving the start-up freedom to choose its own direction and business strategy while providing it with its funding, global marketing, and distribution. This studio is separate from Wargaming Seattle (formerly Gas Powered Games). Bluhm had a few words to say about his team's mission: "We think mobile games is still a relatively new space with massive upside. Mobile is ripe for innovative and new core game mechanics." He said that more information about the studio's upcoming titles will be revealed soon.
