Update 9.16 is currently in the following phase: Update 9.16

Tank Commanders,

You may have once sold a Premium tank, regretted your decision, submitted a ticket and waited a week or so to get it back.

If this sounds familiar, you’re in luck! We’ve heard you and we're working on a tool that will make these decisions easily and quickly reversible.

Starting with Update 9.16, you won’t need to contact the Customer Service Center to reclaim tanks and dismissed crew members. In fact, you won’t even have to close the game client to resolve this issue. It will only take a few clicks in the Garage to return a precious vehicle or crew member to you with their combat statistics, medals, skills, and perks intact.

While we're of testing Update 9.16 and squashing bugs, we’d like to give you a heads-up on the ins and outs of this new feature. Let’s get to it!

Study The List

To kick things off, let’s talk a bit about what can be recovered. Following the release of the update, you will be able to reclaim dismissed crew members and Premium/Special Event tanks sold after the launch of Update 9.16.

The following can be recovered with this function:

1. Crew Members
   • Can be recovered for free within 48 hours of dismissal
   • Can be recovered within 30 days after the first 48 hours for 60,000
   • Condition 1: You must have enough available bunks in the Barracks
   • Condition 2: Crew Member must have at least one skill or perk or enough experience points to acquire one
2. Premium Tanks
   • Can be recovered within 72 hours of being sold
   • Buyback price = Selling Price + 10% of Selling Price
   • Condition 1: You must have an available Garage Slot
   • Condition 2: Applies to all vehicles that can be purchased with Gold in-game
3. Rare Tanks
   • Can be recovered at any time, provided that there are enough credits to buy it back
   • Rare Tanks can be recovered once every 3 days
   • Buyback price = Selling Price + 10% of Selling Price
   • Condition 1: You must have an available Garage Slot
   • Condition 2: Applies to Special Event vehicles, Premium tanks given as rewards for missions and other competitions (including campaigns on the Global Map), and those that used to be sold in the past but are currently not available for purchase.

You will still have to be careful when managing your vehicles, because some vehicles cannot be recovered:

• Non-Premium tanks
• Vehicles taken away by the Customer Service Center
• Premium tanks if their recovery period has ended
• Rental tanks credited for completing battle missions if their rental period has ended

Master The Process

Vehicles

Upon confirming that the vehicle you wish to restore fits the criteria, you can send it back to the Garage by choosing this option in one of the following windows:

• The Tech Tree 

• The in-game Store 

When recovering a vehicle via the Tech Tree, right-click and select “Recover the vehicle”. There, you’ll see the buyback cost and a timer that indicates how much longer the vehicle will be available for recovery.

If you don’t have enough credits, you’ll see a notification at the bottom and the sum you lack in brackets right next to “Recover the vehicle”.

Once you have everything you need, simply left-click “Recover” and confirm the action to send the vehicle back to your Garage.

If you prefer to do it via the Store, start by choosing “Recover with credits” in the drop-down menu on the “Vehicles” tab and choose the vehicle types to build a selection.

A list of available vehicles will appear alongside their buyback costs and recovery periods. Left-clicking one will transfer you to the vehicle window where you can reclaim the vehicle.

Crew Members

From Update 9.16 onwards, every time you choose to dismiss a crew member, you’ll be informed as to whether they can be recovered after dismissal.

Dismissed crew members can be recovered through the “Dismissed” checkbox in the Barracks. Hovering the cursor over a specific crew member will open their personal record with their recovery period and cost.

To get someone back into action, simply click “Recover” and confirm this action in the pop-up window.

The Dismissed section can accomodate no more than 100 people. When it’s full and you’re about to send another crew member there, you will receive a notification that they will replace whomever has been there the longest.

Once restored, crew members will no longer assigned to a particular tank. But worry not, this can be fixed in no time: just play at least one battle with the crew members you’d like and the settings will be restored.

Moving forward, we will continue to polish this feature based on your comments. Be sure to give us your feedback and stay tuned for more updates. Also, in case you haven’t checked out the features of Update 9.16 yet, join the Common Test and discover all there is to know about the upcoming update.

See you on the battlefield.

Roll Out!

Common Test 9.16 #2 is currently ACTIVE.

Tank Commanders!

Another update to World of Tanks is close at hand. The Development Team is preparing for the Closed Supertest for Update 9.16, and we can now reveal some information about the Supertest!

What Is The Super Test?

Supertest — a process whereby a project is tested in the early stages of completion.

The Supertest involves testing the concepts behind a new version and determining the most critical issues. In World of Tanks, Supertests are divided into production tests performed during feature development (testing a new map, balancing a new vehicle, etc) and version tests.

Version Supertests are intended to check game's content before they are officially released. Generally, they are performed a month and a half prior to release. If version Supertests prove that the features are ready, Common Tests are conducted so that the general public tery out these features.

What Does Update 9.16 Include?

Recently, we implemented some new game interface features, prepared the first Swedish vehicle for release, adapted the Paris map for Random Battles and introduced the concept of same-tier Platoons. There's even more coming up!

Additional information on Update 9.16 can be found below.

Major Features of Update 9.16

The First Swedish Vehicle

At Gamescom 2016, held in mid-August, we revealed that the Swedish nation would be introduced to World of Tanks in the upcoming update.

We will implement a new Swedish vehicle in Update 9.16: you will be able to train crew and earn additional credits driving the Strv m/42-57 Alt A.2 Premium medium tank, the first Tier VI Swedish vehicle introduced into the game. 

This vehicle mounts the AMX13's oscillating turret on the Strv m/42 Swedish medium tank's chassis. Mounting the French turret allows this vehicle to become the first Tier VI medium tank in the game to boast an autoloader!

The vehicle's crew setup is identical to Swedish top-tier heavy tanks and includes three members: the Commander (who also performs the functions of the Radio Operator and Loader), Gunner (who also performs the Loader functions), and Driver. The new vehicle will be introduced in World of Tanks just after the release of Update 9.16.

New Map: Paris

The Paris map was initially developed for the Rampage mode. The map featured interesting gameplay and was rather nice and atmospheric, so considering the feedback we received, we have adapted the map for Random Battles.

There are several real-life objects located on the map that make it particularly interesting: the Eiffel Tower, Seine River bank, Théâtre National de Chaillot, etc.

The map can be divided into three gameplay areas:

• Urban area suitable for combat between heavily armoured vehicles

• Open area near the Seine River bank suitable for fast vehicles

• Central square with clear view and good firing positions, but little protection.

Battle Chat Modifications

Recently we started to get an increasing amount of feedback that Battle Chat between opposing teams provides no value to players in battle. We've heard from players that the chat often becomes too emotional and provocative, and is abused to reveal position of your teammates to the opponents.

To prevent this from occurring, we’ve decided to disable the cross-team Battle Chat in all battle types except Team Training.

In addition, Battle Chat will receive some new features: upon hovering over another player’s nickname or a message, the player will have an option to complain about another player, block messages from him for the course of a single battle, or blacklist him.

Restoring Vehicles and Crew

Players often contact us about selling a tank or dismissing a tank crew by accident. Previously, the only way to solve this was to reach out to the Customer Service Center.

From now, players will be able to restore Special or Premium vehicles and dismissed crew members from the Garage itself!

Improved Spotting Mechanism

In Update 9.16, we will continue optimising the performance of our server code. Thanks to such improvements, the time to display a vehicle model upon spotting was greatly improved.

The GIF below shows the difference in spotting mechanics between Versions 9.15.1 and 9.16:

Changes Based on Player Feedback

Vehicle Comparison in Garage

For a long time, players have been asking for an option to compare tanks directly in the game. We will provide this feature in Update 9.16. This feature will make it possible to compare several vehicle characteristics. Additionally, the player will be able to mount different modules, evaluate crew qualifications and the effects of equipment.

Implementing Popular Modifications

We're also enhancing the game UI based on the most popular 3^rd party modifications.

In Patch 9.16, we are adding a two-level carousel and a battle events indicator.

Two-level Carousel

This feature will allow the game to display more vehicles in the carousel. It will be most useful for players who have a lot of vehicles in their hangars.

There will be three available options:

•          Standard Selector

•          Two-level selector

•          Minimalistic two-level selector

Downscaled slots with minimalistic two-level selector for players with resolutions 900 vertical pixels or smaller. 

Battle Indicators

We have added an option to display some extra combat information to the battle UI:

Other Improvements

New Minimaps

In 9.15.1 we started reworking the minimaps into the new format. In this patch, we are adding 14 more minimaps into the game: Cliff, El Halluf, Ensk, Erlenberg, Fisherman's Bay, Kharkov, Lakeville, Malinovka, Arctic Region, Murovanka, Prokhorovka, Swamp, Paris, Widepark, and Westfield.

Commanders,

Paris, the City of Lights, made its way into Random Battles in Update 9.16. Forget about hotel bookings and buying plane tickets because you can now go sightseeing in the French capital in World of Tanks!

Just don't forget to keep your eyes open for enemy vehicles.

A while ago, we talked a little about the historical side of the new map. Now, with the history lesson covered, we’ll go over the basics of gameplay on this map and discuss how different vehicles should approach the map.

A Whirlwind Tour of Paris

The Paris map can be divided into three play areas: an open space along the Seine riverbank, the urban districts to the south, and the map’s center—the round Trocadéro square. These segments make Paris a dynamic, atmospheric map full of opportunities for manoeuvres, epic battles, and surprise attacks.

Each play area is covered with its own unique blend of buildings, lanes, trees and bushes. They could either give you an upper hand or expose you to the enemy depending on how wisely you approach them and adjust your tactics. Rest assured, we won’t leave you to explore this new location all alone. We’re inviting you on a guided tour of the map, right here!

Seine Riverbank

Gameplay

Located in the northern part of the map, the Seine Riverbank is a hotbed of confrontation. Most encounters will take place in the park and along the riverbank. The park has four gravel hills along its perimeter and another one with an excavator at the very edge of the map, all of which provide good cover. So, you can bet that each side will for it and fight tooth and nail to keep it.

Now, it's time for a stroll by the Seine riverbank.

This place provides a great opportunity to augment your team’s attack. You can capture the map’s centre to offer supporting fire to allies in urban districts or help them break through to the enemy base. Keep in mind, though, that cover on the riverside is sparse and you are putting your tank on the line taking this position. So, don’t be surprised if you get sniped from across the map or if the other team is waiting patiently for their chance to take you down... not to mention that fact you’ll be easy pickings for artillery.

Recommended Vehicles

The Seine riverbank is the domain of medium and light tanks: they're manoeuvrable and fast, and they’ll make sure you have a good fight over the hills in the park. SPGs and tank destroyers should keep to the rear guard, closer to the map’s border, and support their more manoeuvrable allies.

Urban Districts

Gameplay

If you are a heavy tank player, then you’ll be at home here because this area was made for getting up close and personal. The bridge at the city’s outskirts is a key area to hold and will thus be a hot zone. Controlling it lets you advance towards the enemy base or attack the central map area. Vehicles at the first line of fire will be unreachable to enemy SPGs, unlike those at the second line.

Recommended Vehicles

This is another area that has “heavy tanks” written all over it. However, tank destroyers are welcome here, too. If you prefer medium tanks, you should exercise extreme caution and remain at the second line of attack or use heavy tanks as your shield.

Central Square

Dotted with bases and spawn zones, the central square is the perfect area for light tanks to spot enemy manoeuvres. If you are a particularly savvy light tanker, you can even spot enemy SPGs. While it’s rather risky, your team will be glad they have you on their side.

Scouts will be able to discover enemies right from the start of battle. To accomplish this, quickly move to the central square, spot enemies moving along passages, and aim to flank them.

The map’s center is also a perfect firing position. However, you'll out in the open there, so expect that damage indicator to light up. Also, you’ll have a hard time securing this place at the start of battle, since vehicles in the area tend to come under heavy fire. It may be safer to put it off for later. The square becomes a key strategic point when the majority of enemy tanks are cruising around the rest of the map. This is when you should attempt to outflank the enemy. As you already know, it’s always better to hunt in packs. You team should make good use of light and medium tanks, as well as fast heavy tanks like the T-10.

Prime Locations

Check out this interactive Paris minimap below, which includes the firing positions for different vehicle types.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While Paris may be one of the world’s most romantic destinations, it’s also set to be a perfect location for virtual tank battles. Lots of interesting tactical situations will be waiting for you, so now you just have to hop into your tank and start sightseeing for yourself.

See you on the battlefield!