After completing the first iteration of ammo rebalancing tests we carefully analyzed your feedback and the data obtained. We made the necessary conclusions, revised some of our previous decisions, and are now excited to invite you to participate in the next round of tests!
According to the results of our surveys, many players who had taken part in the ammo rebalancing tests on the Sandbox server agreed with the suggested changes. Most of their questions and suggestions were related to individual, but certainly important, aspects of the implementation of this concept, which we need to pay close attention to.
We’ve tackled those issues in this iteration, so jump right in and let us know what you think!
How Can I Take Part?
Testing will again take place in an open format on the Sandbox server. This time, all players have access to the tests; just download and install the client using the link below.
If you participated in the first round of shell rebalancing tests on Sandbox, you will be able to continue where you left off in the second iteration.
Testing Period:
5 - 15 July 2019
The proposed HP improvement for low-tier vehicles was received positively by the players, so it will remain unchanged. But the rest of the proposed changes will be slightly adjusted. Let's take a closer look.
Special vs. Standard Ammo
During the tests, standard shells performed much better than the special ones. As a result, our testers rarely used special rounds, even with unlimited resources. We would like the effectiveness of special shells to be comparable to the effectiveness of standard ones so that both types of shells are used by players depending on the situation.
But at the same time, we strive to avoid a scenario where special rounds would be overlooked. During the previous iteration, the use of special shells decreased slightly below the expected threshold. This is why in the second iteration of the Sandbox we want to adjust the ratio of standard and special shell effectiveness by reducing the increase in damage of standard shells.
Standard Shell Damage
Many players pointed to the greatly increased efficiency of vehicles with large-caliber guns (150 mm and above). As a most vivid illustration, the German TD branch with the Grille 15 at the top can be cited. The large calibers of this branch received a much too significant increase in damage and showed increased efficiency.
In the next iteration, we will make the damage distribution more linear and reduce the damage increase for guns with larger calibers from 40-43% to about 25%. So the increase in damage for Tier VIII-X vehicles will not be as significant.
Most other tanks will also lose some of their damage increase, but this loss will be less significant. For clarity, check out the alpha damage values for a selection of tanks compared to the first iteration of tests in the table below:
|
Vehicle |
Caliber (in mm) |
Current damage |
Sandbox Test #1 |
Increase (%) in Sandbox Test #1 |
Sandbox Test #2 |
Increase (%) in Sandbox Test #2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
МS-1 |
45 |
47 |
57 |
21% |
55 |
17% |
|
Т-34 |
76 |
115 |
145 |
26% |
140 |
22% |
|
M26 Pershing |
90 |
240 |
315 |
31% |
290 |
21% |
|
IS |
122 |
390 |
525 |
35% |
480 |
23% |
|
IS-7 |
130 |
490 |
670 |
37% |
600 |
22% |
|
Object 268 |
152 |
750 |
1060 |
41% |
930 |
24% |
|
Grille 15 |
150 |
750 |
1060 |
41% |
930 |
24% |
These adjustments will help us level the effectiveness of all vehicles relative to each other.
Changes to HP for Tank Destroyers and Individual Vehicles
For third-line tank destroyers (i.e. poorly armored vehicles such as the Grille 15), we will reduce their HP pools by about 5% (considering rounding). For some tanks, their parameters may reduce very slightly. This is due to the fact that we’re adjusting the rounding formula.
HE Shell Damage and SPG Durability
Some players pointed out that the increase in damage of the artillery standard shells by 22% was too significant, which were confirmed with our test results. Therefore, we will increase the damage of standard shells by about 11%, instead of 22% as was previously announced.
In addition, we’ll slightly reduce the HP of SPGs by around 10%.
Future Tests
During the first iteration of testing, many of you left your feedback not only on specific changes in shell mechanics, but also related areas, such as in-game economics, Personal Missions, and statistics.
We know that these are very important aspects of our game, so further testing will certainly be required before we implement changes. Let’s review some of your key concerns!
Personal Missions
Most Personal Missions are in one way or another connected with dealing or blocking damage, so only after obtaining the final values of these parameters can we reconsider the conditions of the missions. Stay tuned for further updates!
Changes in the Economy
Until we have finalized the ratio of damage to HP values, we cannot determine the optimal purchase and repair costs for vehicles. We will certainly keep this for further review, together with the profitability of battles. Our main goal is not to make fundamental changes and try to keep the balance of expenses and income of the player at the same level as now.
Game Statistics
Some players raised concerns that after increasing the number of hit points, the game statistics (average damage done, average experience earned per battle, etc.) would no longer be relevant. This is an important issue, and we're working on a number of possible solutions to resolve it, which might affect the way statistics are displayed. As soon as we have a prototype ready for this functionality, we will introduce it to the Sandbox.
HE Shell Damage
We don't plan to change the settings of HE shells at this time; however, we will continue to closely monitor their effectiveness. We would like to make sure that they are used mostly when:
- Firing on poorly-armored vehicles or targets with low HP
- Resetting base captures
Overall, HE shells should deal slightly more damage than AP shells, with the latter penetrating more often. Our current priority is the rebalancing of standard and special shells, while HE shells will be considered for revisions after this iteration.
Ammo Rack Capacity
For Tier I-VII vehicles, ammo rack capacity was proportionally increased to compensate for a more noticeable gain in their durability compared with the increase in their alpha damage.
For Tier VIII-X vehicles, their durability and alpha damage improvements approximately balance each other out, so they don’t need their ammo rack capacity to be increased yet. Of course, we are aware that when changing the ratio of the use of standard and special shells, it may be necessary to increase the ammo rack capacity of individual tanks, so we will examine this issue in future tests.
Get ready to join the next round of tests, Commanders! This is your game as much as it is ours, so we strongly encourage as many players as possible to participate in the Sandbox and share detailed feedback.
Let’s shape the future together!