Incoming! Mediterranean Invasion

To add to our PREVIOUS POST . Wargamings own introduction to the Italian tree and the mechanically loaded drum loader on the higher tier Italian tanks. From Wargaming:

It’s been several weeks since WG Fest, where we announced that a new nation would be joining the ranks in 2018. We can’t keep it to ourselves anymore, so please welcome the Progetto M35 mod 46, a future member of the upcoming Italian line.

While some may think this is just another tank, the Progetto M35 mod 46 introduces a gameplay mechanic that presents a unique way to approach each battle. We’re calling it an ‘autoreloader’, a feature that will be available to higher-tier Italian medium tanks once the nation makes its official debut.

Currently, the game offers a couple dozen tanks that carry autoloaders, and so does our newcomer. However, there’s a crucial difference. It’s a tricky, unusual, and very tempting concept we’re testing that opens up a new way to play. And this is the main reason we’d like to get you acquainted with the upcoming Tech Tree at this stage, so that there’s enough time to gather your feedback and test the mechanic until it’s molto bene.

How it Works

We all know the basics of autoloader mechanics. You have a certain number of shells in your cylinder, and once it’s loaded, you can unleash a damaging salvo in around 10 seconds. This comes as one of the two modes available for the Progetto M35 mod 46. Let’s call it the ‘classic’ autoloader.

However, there’s also the ‘Italian’ way to get things done. Right after you fire your first shell, the autoreloader instantly starts nesting a fresh one. Here’s where you have the freedom to choose whether to wait for loading to complete, or spit out your remaining rounds. If you go the classic autoloader route, every successive new shell will gradually take more and more time to load.

Gameplay

The Progetto M35 mod 46 will have a classic layout with a middle-mounted turret, and it very much resembles the Western school of tank building, with good mobility and gun depression countered by weaker armor. It also leans towards becoming a sniper rather than an up-close fighter thanks to its good view range, and a multipurpose loading mechanism.

Yes, it’s the autoreloader that allows you to adapt to changing combat conditions. You can either play the role of a support vehicle, or endure a long cooldown after several seconds of rapid fire.

There are certain pros and cons with each of these options, but again, the best way of applying the autoreloader is to assess the situation and act accordingly. If there’s an enemy tank close by and you can take it out there and then, don’t hesitate to. Just remember that by winning in the short term, you’ll have to sacrifice your ability to shoot, and you’ll have to wait longer than with a common autoloader-equipped machine.

If you’re keeping enemies at bay, firing as a regular tank will be a better option. This way, you will save time on reloading and have those precious extra seconds to aim more precisely. All in all, your adaptability is the key to success.

What’s Next

The autoloader has the potential to be a challenging yet rewarding experience, and as the Progetto M35 mod 46 will be the pathfinder for the feature, we will be thoroughly adjusting the tank’s specs in the following weeks. We don’t know what the final set of characteristics will look like, but it will surely differ from the current values.

Our main priority for now will be tweaking the new mechanic and balancing the gun to fit the current gameplay. We want to take a complex approach, where the uniqueness is defined not by single parameters (such as DPM or penetration values), but by a set of interconnected specs, and the ability to fire while reloading.

As this is the first testing stage, what you see are completely raw parameters that will be altered during future stages.

 

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Incoming! Mediterranean Invasion

16 thoughts on “Incoming! Mediterranean Invasion

  1. this “autoreloader” seems to be a more realistic autoloader, it’s just that they complicated it without needing
    in my opinion it makes more sense than the american autoloaders, since they use an incorrect model, think about it
    >> the mechanism grabs 1 round and rams it into the breach, the gun is then ready to fire
    >> while the gunner aims and stuff the mechanism restarts and picks up another round and delivers it to the rammer
    >> the mechanism restarts once again and picks up a 3rd round, bringing it up close to the rammer
    >> because the rammer/tray is not empty it cannot leave the round and go back to pick another one

    this also means that if you fire 2 or 3 shots in quick sucessection the mechanism would still be going back to the ammorack to grab the next round, since it would only be free when the 3rd round was finally placed in the rammer, and that is why it would take longer to reload all 3 at once than it would take to reload the 2nd and 3rd with 1 round already in the chamber

  2. mirotordaji says:

    great…..now there will be medium tanks that play as “regular” tanks in first part of battle but with burst damage potential to assassinate damaged (below 50 % hp) tanks in later part of the battle……yea that makes sense

      1. mirotordaji says:

        Type 5 and its line are abominations that should have never been put in game……arty on the other hand: its better then it was before but still need some work……but be honest, there need to be arty in this game in some form or most of the games would be a 15 minute campfest

  3. Jurrunio says:

    Will there be a human loader or any crew member taking the role of one? I mean, this mechanical loader replaces the human loader completely so there’s no need for him, but in the game it means players cant use loader specific perks.

    1. If there is a loader, will there be a gun rammer? My thinking is that WG can introduce a new equipment type along with the new loading mechanic. I realize that WG hasn’t released new equipment along with a new mechanic (i.e. siege mode), but I feel they should just go all out for once and do something crazy finally.

    2. Nocomment says:

      It should be no different to standard auto-loaders like the amx lt’s, they still get loader perks.

      Someone still needs to feed the loader storage bin/tray/rack/cassette..at some point.

      1. Jurrunio says:

        This new auto-reloader takes the shells directly from the ammo rack, rather than from drums filled with shells loaded by the crew.

  4. Erm Polish tech tree hello WG hello remember the unpleasant log of a t6 prem you dumped last year then said polish tech tree coming soon no bypassing that promise going straight to the Italian tech tree okay am assuming that they have no armour are immensely fast in reverse and by the end of the game if you are on the losing team it switches sides. Relax Italians am kidding but hell you never know with wg if people were willing to pay to never lose a game you can bet they would implement it along with a new series of t8 premium tanks i like to call the no shame class.

  5. To be honest when I first started reading I thought they were going to say that you could mix your ammo now into the manual loading drum, But this sounds interesting aswell. I like it.
    Still think Swiss tanks should come first, but they got my attention with this.

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