Update 9.18: All-Round SPG Revision

jerryatrick53

From Word of Tanks EU.

SPGs have been a thorn in the community’s side for a while now, whether you drive them (think of poor accuracy and frustratingly long reload times), or are sent right back to the Garage by a shot that came from out of nowhere. However, regardless of how mind numbing and discouraging it can be at times, arty belongs in the game. It just needed a thorough revision to help claim its rightful place on the team and on the battlefield. And it’s getting that in 9.18.

The update introduces a set of changes to SPG combat parameters and mechanics, all designed to make them more team-oriented, exciting and rewarding to play, and far less frustrating to play against. Instead of dealing massive damage, forcing draws and base camping, arty now work in close cooperation with the rest of the team, softening targets and helping set the attack direction from afar. The penalty for being hit decreased and won’t send you back to the Garage. So, heavy tanks are less afraid to push out and lead an assault, which should facilitate a more action-packed, fluid and fun experience for all classes.

We touched upon the changes that turn arty into long-range support fire vehicles in the Common Test announcement. Today, we break them down in more detail, while also talking about arty’s economic and individual battle missions.

Limiting the Number of SPGs

Starting with 9.18, each team has at most three SPGs, and they can’t team up in Platoons. Limiting the number of SPGs per side should stop arty-dominated battles, allowing just enough of them in to effectively support the team without scaring the other side into staying put to avoid being hunted down.

Removing the option to play in Platoons should facilitate team cooperation and aid the matchmaker in creating balanced teams. You were vocal about mismatched scenarios where a Platoon of three SPGs is placed at the top of the list and the team ends up with three long-range support fire vehicles as their main strength. The other frustrating issue was frequent cases of arty giving its all to support fellow Platoon members and totally neglecting the rest of the team. To eliminate both problems, we decided to stop SPGs from forming and joining Dynamic and regular Platoons.

Revised Firing Parameters

Large-caliber guns, coupled with the high penetration values of AP and HEAT shells, allowed SPGs to pierce thick armor, usually dealing fatal damage. This scenario forced draws and base camping; no one wants to be in a game where they barely get to play. Players would rather sit in an arty safe spot and never move than be destroyed with full health.

At the same time, the chances of landing a nice shot with arty’s notorious accuracy, long reload time, and bad dispersion used to be rather low. You chose a prospective direction, waited for the enemy to show up, aimed at a moving target—and missed in most cases. Then you had to wait for another opportunity to shoot. If the story repeated, it made you seriously consider never playing arty again.

When revising arty parameters, we tried to fix both issues:

  • To lower the chances of being severely crippled, if not outright destroyed by SPGs, we significantly reduced the penetration and damage per shot for HE shells, while also removing AP, APCR, and HEAT shells for them. Of course, one-shots are still possible if the shell lands on the target and hits its ammo rack, but the chances of it happening are close to zero now.
  • To improve gun handling, we decreased SPG dispersion on the move and their reload time, while also improving aiming time and accuracy. It no longer feels like a lottery: you spend far less time preparing your shot, know where the shell will land, and are certain to stun all vehicles unlucky enough to be in the blast radius, whether your shell hits one of them or not. In other words, you have better chances to meaningfully contribute to the team’s efforts.

Stun Mechanic

The all-new stun mechanic is instrumental in reshaping arty into efficient team players. Now, tanks in the arty burst radius (we are talking about 122mm or larger-caliber HE shells) have their characteristics temporarily weakened. It means that SPGs can help turn the tide of battle by supporting the assault from afar. And they can provide their team with a few precious seconds to break defensive lines and catch the enemy by surprise. As for the other camp, arty won’t kick you out from the game in a single shot the way it did. Now the shell burst causes a shell shock to your tank’s Crew, which worsens a vehicle’s mobility, accuracy, and reload time for a brief period. When the stun duration passes, you can fight on.

Stun Duration

If you look up HE shell characteristics, they now include a maximum and minimum stun duration. The actual stun duration consists of two variables, one permanent and one dynamic, and can’t be less than five seconds. The minimum stun duration shows the guaranteed time you’ll spend stunned should you find yourself in the shell burst radius. Plus, you are getting a certain amount of the remaining stun time that depends on the area within the burst radius, the amount of damage you receive from splash, equipment and consumables you mount.

The remaining stun time is the difference between the maximum and minimum parameters.
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Along with a vehicle’s armor, which partially helps absorb the damage and thus lower the stun duration, the negative impact of arty can be minimized further with Spall Liners and Large First Aid Kits:

  • Spall Liners (all types) reduce the duration by 10%. However, Superheavy Spall Liners prove the most effective against stun as they absorb explosive damage better.
  • Large First Aid Kits reduce the duration by 5%, while both Small and Large lift the stun effect altogether.

If a vehicle gets stunned by several HE shells, the stun time is calculated separately for each shell. The countdown begins after the first shell hits it. And should two stun effects overlap, one is partially or fully negated by the other.

time-3_4

EXAMPLE: The Type 5 Heavy is hit by an Object 261’s shell, resulting in 9 seconds of stun time. 3 seconds later, it is stunned for another 6 seconds by the G.W. Panther; another second later it’s stunned by the Conqueror Gun Carriage for 12 more seconds. In total, the Type 5 Heavy received a stun effect of 27 seconds. But in reality, it is stunned for just 16 seconds. How does it work? There are still 6 seconds of the Object 261’s stun effect left when the G.W. Panther adds its 6s. They overlap and the Panther’s stun time is fully negated by the Object 261’s. The Conqueror Gun Carriage hits the Type 5 Heavy 4 seconds after the Object 261. So, 5 seconds of its stun duration overlap with the stun effect from the Object; the remaining 7 seconds are added to the initial 9.

Stun Effect

When your Crew is struck by an HE shell blast, they all suffer from shell shock, reducing a vehicle’s effectiveness. The stun effect, just like its duration, consists of two variables: you are guaranteed to get 75% out of the maximum decrease in parameters (you can see them listed below), plus a certain amount of the remaining 25% (this one depends directly on the damage you receive). If you are stunned with several shells, only one of them affects a vehicle’s parameters: the one with the larger decreasing coefficient.

  • Engine-specific power decreases 30% and the speed—25%.
  • Suspension traverse speed decreases 20%, while the turret traverse—40%.
  • View range deteriorates 25%.
  • Dispersion on the move increases 50%, dispersion upon turning the hull and turning the turret each increases equally.
  • Reload and aim time increase 50% each.
  • Accuracy decreases 25%.

dm-3_4

Multi-Use Consumables

Starting in 9.18 you can use as many Repair Kits, Fire Extinguishers, and First Aid Kits per battle as you require to keep the fun going. Let’s say you used the Repair Kit in the first few minutes of the battle. Then you were unlucky enough to take damage to your ammo rack right after that and used the First Aid Kit, only to take another hit to the gun. In the past, this would handicap you for the rest of a match. Now, you just need to find a safe spot and wait 90 seconds for the Repair Kit’s cooldown to end. You can then restore the damaged module and fight on with 100% effectiveness.

Multi-use consumables won’t make your spendings skyrocket. No matter how many times you activate any of the three in battle, when it ends, you’ll only have to pay its regular cost. Whether you used the Repair Kit just once or ten times, it’ll cost you 3,000 Credits. And they replenish automatically during the battle. Just keep in mind that once you use it, you’ll have to wait 90 second to get a new one.

Assisted Stun Damage

To cement arty’s new role and make it a rewarding class to play, we slightly revised their economy. Now they earn XP and Credits for the damage their teammates cause to stunned targets. You can look it up in the Battle Results Screen and in your profile (the Achievement section), where it’s listed as damage caused with your assistance.

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The total amount of assisted damage, which is basically all damage dealt to stunned vehicles, gets split between all SPGs whose HE burst covered these vehicles, stunning them while they took damage from someone else. The first SPG to stun enemies receives 70% of this total amount. The remaining 30% is evenly split between all other SPG whose stun duration is counting down while this damage is deal.

If an SPG stuns an enemy that’s already been stunned by someone else, this SPG earns a portion of the 30% until the first stun has worn off. As soon as it has, the second receives 70% of the total amount of damage dealt while its stun duration is counting down, etc.

If just one SPG stunned vehicles that were damaged, the player in this SPG gets all the assisted damage.

Finally, the damage arty causes to the tank it also stuns isn’t included into the assisted damage.

EXAMPLE: Let’s get back to the Type 5 Heavy, Object 261, G.W. Panther and Conqueror Gun Carriage described in the Stun Duration part above. The Object is the first to stun the Heavy. It gets 100% assisted damage before the G.W. Panther hits, i.e. it gets it all for 3 seconds. Then, the total damage is split 70%/30% between the Object 261 and the G. W. Panther for a moment, before the Conqueror Gun Carriage joins the fun. When it does, the Object 261 continues to receive 70% of the total assisted damage until its stun wears off (for another 5 seconds). The remaining 30% is split between the G.W. Panther and the Conqueror Gun Carriage, until the Object 261 and G. W. Panther’s stun time runs out. When their stun effect wears off, the Conqueror Gun Carriage gets all assisted damage for the remaining 7 seconds.

Team Coordination

To help a team succeed, SPGs need to be in sync with other players and coordinate their actions accordingly, so we introduced several UI elements to make this easier:

  • Target area marking for friendly vehicles: Arty is now able to mark an area for incoming fire, helping teammates know where to focus the attack. To do this (with a radius of up to 15m) press the Requesting fire/Attacking key (“T” by default).
  • Stun indicators: SPGs can view the damage their teammates deal to stunned vehicles, both in-battle, and in their after-battle stats (is listed as damage dealt with their assistance). In battle, everyone can see how much stun time is remaining above the stunned vehicle. In addition, when you are stunned, you are able to see how much HP has been lost, and the decreased combat parameters, in the lower left of the HUD.
  • Alternative Aim: Inspired by Battle Assistant, this displays a clear projectile flight path for SPGs, in addition to a helpful terrain overview. It’s perfect for large obstacles, urban areas, and uneven terrain. By combining regular and alternative aim, you should get an edge in battle.

Gameplay

The changes in firing parameters along with the increase in HE shell burst radius and the stun effect should force SPGs to change their play style. They’ll aim to hit multiple targets, letting their teammates finish the job. Now, arty can be a linchpin in paving the team’s road to victory, if they play their cards right. So, watch carefully as the battle unfolds and analyze the situation. Should the opposing team attempt an offensive, stifle it by stunning the enemy. Should your team attack, clear the way for them by stunning the enemy.

If you aren’t playing in arty, pay attention to the minimap, too. If a friendly SPG signals you where it’s going to fire, help it stun as many enemy tanks as possible by luring them into the target area—but make sure you escape before a HE shell hits.

Individual Battle Missions

Following massive changes to arty, we also updated their individual battle missions. Check out the list below and embark on the mission to earn rewards!

StuG IV

SPG-1: A Bold Claim

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles at least 3 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 3 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-2: Time Is Money

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 50 seconds in total.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Destroy at least one enemy vehicle

SPG-3: Slow and Steady Gets Stunned

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer at least 2 times.
  • The stunning shots should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-4: I’ll See You Through

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer for at least 30 seconds in total.
  • The stunning shot should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-5: Sharing is Caring

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause at least 600 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 3 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-6: Hammer of the Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause damage to at least 2 enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-7: Careful Consideration

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 2 enemy vehicles.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-8: I Did My Best

Primary Conditions:

  • Be among the top 7 players on your team by experience earned.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-9: Collateral Damage

Primary Conditions:

  • Destroy any modules of enemy vehicles or injure members of their crew, totaling at least 3 modules and crew members.
  • The number of destroyed modules and injured crew members is totaled across all enemy vehicles you have damaged in the battle.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Survive the battle.

SPG-10: All Included

Primary Conditions:

  • Total damage caused by you and your allies to enemy vehicles that you have stunned or immobilized must be at least 1,000 HP.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Allies must destroy at least 1 enemy vehicle stunned or immobilized by you.

SPG-11: The Area of Effect

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 2 enemy vehicles with a single shot.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 50 seconds in total.

SPG-12: The Evil Eye

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 50 seconds in total.
  • Allies must destroy at least 1 enemy vehicle stunned or immobilized by you.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-13: C for Cooperation

Primary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 4 times or stun them at least 6 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-14: Part of the Crew, Part of the Ship!

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 70 seconds in total or enable your allies to cause at least 400 damage to enemy vehicles by immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-15: War Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Be among the top 5 players on your team by experience earned.
  • Enable your allies to cause at least 1,000 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Survive the battle.

T28 Concept

SPG-1: A Bold Claim

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles at least 5 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 5 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-2: Time Is Money

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 100 seconds in total.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Destroy at least 2 enemy vehicles.

SPG-3: Slow and Steady Gets Stunned

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer at least 4 times.
  • The stunning shots should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-4: I’ll See You Through

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer for at least 50 seconds in total.
  • The stunning shot should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-5: Sharing is Caring

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause at least 1,000 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 5 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-6: Hammer of the Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause damage to at least 3 enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-7: Careful Consideration

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 3 enemy vehicles.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-8: I Did My Best

Primary Conditions:

  • Be among the top 5 players on your team by experience earned.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-9: Collateral Damage

Primary Conditions:

  • Destroy any modules of enemy vehicles or injure members of their crew, totaling at least 5 modules and crew members.
  • The number of destroyed modules and injured crew members is totaled across all enemy vehicles you have damaged in the battle.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-10: All Included

Primary Conditions:

  • Total damage caused by you and your allies upon your stunning or immobilizing enemy vehicles must be at least 2,000 HP.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Allies must destroy at least 1 enemy vehicle stunned or immobilized by you.

SPG-11: The Area of Effect

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 2 enemy vehicles with a single shot twice.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 100 seconds in total.

SPG-12: The Evil Eye

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 100 seconds in total.
  • Allies must destroy at least 1 enemy vehicle stunned or immobilized by you.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-13: C for Cooperation

Primary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 6 times or stun them at least 8 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-14: Part of the Crew, Part of the Ship!

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 100 seconds in total or enable your allies to cause at least 600 damage to enemy vehicles by immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-15: War Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Be among the top 3 players on your team by experience earned.
  • Enable your allies to cause at least 1,500 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Survive the battle.

T 55A

SPG-1: A Bold Claim

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles at least 7 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 6 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-2: Time Is Money

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 150 seconds in total.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Destroy at least 3 enemy vehicles.

SPG-3: Slow and Steady Gets Stunned

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer at least 6 times.
  • The stunning shots should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-4: I’ll See You Through

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer for at least 80 seconds in total.
  • The stunning shot should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-5: Sharing is Caring

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause at least 2,000 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 6 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-6: Hammer of the Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause damage to at least 5 enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-7: Careful Consideration

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 5 enemy vehicles.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-8: I Did My Best

Primary Conditions:

  • Be among the top 3 players on your team by experience earned.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-9: Collateral Damage

Primary Conditions:

  • Destroy any modules of enemy vehicles or injure members of their crew, totaling at least 8 modules and crew members.
  • The number of destroyed modules and injured crew members is totaled across all enemy vehicles you have damaged in the battle.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Survive the battle.
  • Win the battle.
  • Remain unspotted for the battle.

SPG-10: All Included

Primary Conditions:

  • Total damage caused by you and your allies upon your stunning or immobilizing enemy vehicles must be at least 3,000 HP.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Allies must destroy at least 2 enemy vehicles stunned or immobilized by you.

SPG-11: The Area of Effect

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 3 enemy vehicles with a single shot.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 150 seconds in total.

SPG-12: The Evil Eye

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 150 seconds in total.
  • Allies must destroy at least 2 enemy vehicles stunned or immobilized by you.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-13: C for Cooperation

Primary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 8 times or stun them at least 10 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-14: Part of the Crew, Part of the Ship!

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 180 seconds in total or enable your allies to cause at least 800 damage to enemy vehicles by immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-15: War Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Finish the battle as the top player on your team by experience earned.
  • Enable your allies to cause at least 2,500 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Survive the battle.

Object 260

SPG-1: A Bold Claim

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles at least 10 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 8 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-2: Time Is Money

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 200 seconds in total.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Destroy at least 4 enemy vehicles.

SPG-3: Slow and Steady Gets Stunned

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer at least 8 times.
  • The stunning shots should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-4: I’ll See You Through

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun an enemy heavy tank or tank destroyer for at least 120 seconds in total.
  • The stunning shot should also cause damage.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-5: Sharing is Caring

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause at least 3,000 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 8 times by shooting or ramming them.

SPG-6: Hammer of the Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Enable your allies to cause damage to at least 6 enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-7: Careful Consideration

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 6 enemy vehicles.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Survive the battle.

SPG-8: I Did My Best

Primary Conditions:

  • Finish the battle as the top player on your team by experience earned.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-9: Collateral Damage

Primary Conditions:

  • Destroy any modules of enemy vehicles or injure members of their crew, totaling at least 10 modules and crew members.
  • The number of destroyed modules and injured crew members is totaled across all enemy vehicles you have damaged in the battle.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Survive the battle.
  • Win the battle.
  • Remain unspotted for the battle.

SPG-10: All Included

Primary Conditions:

  • Total damage caused by you and your allies to enemy vehicles that you have stunned or immobilized must be at least 4,000 HP.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.
  • Allies must destroy at least 3 enemy vehicles stunned or immobilized by you.

SPG-11: The Area of Effect

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun at least 3 enemy vehicles with a single shot twice.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 200 seconds in total.

SPG-12: The Evil Eye

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 200 seconds in total.
  • Allies must destroy at least 3 enemy vehicles stunned or immobilized by you.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-13: C for Cooperation

Primary Conditions:

  • Cause damage to enemy vehicles at least 10 times or stun them at least 12 times.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-14: Part of the Crew, Part of the Ship!

Primary Conditions:

  • Stun enemy vehicles for at least 250 seconds in total or enable your allies to cause at least 1,000 damage to enemy vehicles by immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Win the battle.

SPG-15: War Gods

Primary Conditions:

  • Finish the battle as the top player on both teams by experience earned.
  • Enable your allies to cause at least 3,500 damage to enemy vehicles by stunning or immobilizing them.

Secondary Conditions:

  • Survive the battle.

 

 

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Update 9.18: All-Round SPG Revision

41 thoughts on “Update 9.18: All-Round SPG Revision”

  1. SpottableSky says:

    They should really tinker more with the stun mechanics, because getting stunned for 10 seconds around a hiding spot is fucking annoying. But no more 1-shots, no AP/HEAT/APCR is a step on the right direction. The splash/stun needs working on. We can hope for LT buffs in 9.18.1 if we protest enough

    Reply

    1. Kind of agree stun should have a minimum of 0 instead of 10 or so seconds. It does seem weird a Type 5 Heavy might tank no damage but still get stunned from the edges of the splash radius. It is certainly glorious to not be one shot by premium rounds anymore.

      What do you think are the chances of wargaming nerfing the view range of all other tanks to indirectly buff light tanks? They did try out an extreme version on the sandbox.

      Reply
      1. SpottableSky says:

        I don’t think it will be good nerfing the view ranges on other tanks, the only way to fix it is to buff the view ranges of LTs *just* below of what they were previously were in the CT. Nerfing the firepower was reasonable for the LTs, but for the lower tiers it is kinda unreasonable, as they technically still have the same MM pre-9.18 but having less firepower doesn’t make sense.

      2. I was not aware that the light tanks at lower tiers still had scout mm. That’s pretty brutal.

        Fire power for view range sounds like a fair trade. Thanks for getting back to me on your thoughts 🙂

  2. siralexice says:

    I see they are delaying the update for the EU region. Which makes some sense considering that basically 99% of the non-russian players are in the EU region.
    Such a big change might lose them quite a lot of income, considering that EU is their cash cow and most important paying customer.
    So one more time:
    – SPG change seems OK, less damage, stun mechanics, no more platoons of overpowered french cowards
    – LT nerf is a shitty move, sending light tanks with less view range, less damage per drum, less pen against tier 9 and 10 tanks that can out-spot them and out-damage them easily.

    Reply
    1. Fyoutoo says:

      Light tanks are wolf packing now like the old days with the Type 59s. Regardless of what you hear from the whiners, they are doing just fine and determining the oucomes of games with their guns and not their eyes.

      Reply
    2. Maxxonite says:

      MADOGTHEFIRST – plz check the video once more and tell me if there is no Doorway opening just in that location where the ARTY aimed and hit, next time plz have decent proof before you try to misslead some others, i´v been using that same spott some times before with my arty.

      Reply
  5. dimo says:

    this stun mechanics will be so annoying for all decent non-arty players that it will be removed 🙂 just bring back old arty with less damage

    Reply

  7. Still think patch 9.18 should be sent back to the Sandbox for more test, SPG and definitly LT are no where near ready for the live server.

    No idea what dank shit WG are snorting but if it makes 9.18 seem ready for live server I want to get among it

    Reply

    1. Seriously though, cou.d you guys stop posting about 9.18 unless it’s about it getting taken off the servers? I feel myself gaining mild autism each time I see a post about what they are changing and that some fuckwit approved it to go live

      Reply

      1. Easy there Deadarashi, I think wargaming decided to risk it and use the live server for testing as a more accurate ground for statistics. No doubt big changes are coming in 9.18.1 and they will probably address a lot of problems are complaining about. Right now, I guess they are really looking for solid numbers rather than an execution.

        It might not seem like it, but most people haven’t tried the test server or sandbox out except for the avidly curious. We both know the sandbox and test server will never stand in for the real deal because people don’t play as they normally would thanks to all the credits and gold everyone is given.

        Chances are status report will release similar posts for the RU and Asian server so heads up to not read those man. I can certainly understand this can be a bit much for a mega patch like this. The chaos will be over before you know it I’m hoping ^^”

        Patch definitely needs a lot of polish

      2. putting aside the time where nearly half a million players were queued to join the 9.18 test server… (which is still active mind you)

        I understand where you’re coming from… but it’s a risk that may very well not be worth it and the amount of hate proves it.

        I will say this, SPG rework is close to ready. A few more minor tweaks and it would be ready but right now the balance between damage and stun is off putting too much reliance on your team to do well.

        It is my opinion that Arty rework and reusable consumables could have been 9.18 in another two weeks of testing.

        Light tanks should still be on the sandbox. They were tested there for a single week before moving to the common test for 2-3 weeks before suddenly appearing on the live server.

        You can say that it provides a more accurate test, and for the most part you’re right, it does… However live server data should be for refining and making minute changes, not re-balancing an entire tank class.

        Yer sure, keep the Arty and reusable consumables, they can be tweaked in 9.18.1/9.19, but right now the LT changes should be removed from the patch, get the testing they need to refine them, then reintroduce them in much later patch.

        But honestly there’s a lot more that should be done for LT to really come into its own: larger maps, different max view ranges for different classes, full class re-balance.

        It’s not a quick process but they have, in my opinion, shot themselves in the foot by starting at the best place (arty) and also starting which what should have been left till last (LT).

        LT aren’t even an issue which is what really makes me question why they were rushed, this is why I said it should be the last thing to be addressed and come in a much later patch.

        Sorry if I’m going on a tangent or sounding like I’m ranting, I’ve been awake for 24hrs and the last 8 of them was me working a graveyard shift so sleep deprivation is currently a thing

      3. That’s a lot of players, roughly 20k on NA servers so live testing is probably a necessity to make sure there’s enough players for the new mm.. did not know there were that many. That’s really impressive.

        You might be right on the risk not paying off and true, live server certainly should be used for more minute changes. I suppose a couple more weeks of testing would have been alright. Got scared it might stay on the sandbox for months and die there haha.. It really is a fear without much reason. But thanks for understanding o7

        Larger maps, different max view ranges for classes, full class rebalances, and other things you suggested sound really complicated but certainly manageable. Would be amazing to have those improvements and polish and I agree would solve a lot of the current problems.

        And all good on going off on a tangent, your writing and thoughts are pretty fun to read haha. I think the dream is to work on every class all at once since everything is balanced hand in hand. Still got over half a year to go so you never know. I think wargaming dug there own grave a bit by not preparing not enough standard tanks for release and focusing more on complicated rebalances for content. They made a steep ladder of quotas for themselves to climb and keep up with.

        Get some sleep! First time I met someone who worked at a graveyard, kind of in awe and not sure what the job is like. Hoping it wasn’t too rough on you but you do deserve some well earned rest.

      4. I will offer a small correction a “graveyard shift” doesn’t mean I work at an actual graveyard, it’s a term used when you work an overnight at your place of employment. For me it’s a part time job at McDonalds and the shift is 10pm to 6am

      6. Fyoutoo says:

        “roughly 20k on NA servers” Actually we are seeing 20-25K on east and another 10K on west in ht evenings, so they will get good numbers. Sorry you guys will get screwed on the free gold and credits though…

      3. I think what happened there was the shell hit the top of the wall and the splash radius was so large that it scratched the Patton’s top hat that only has 25 mm on the top. It didn’t actually splash through the wall and it would probably never work on tanks that aren’t as tall the shanghai tower. That’s why it only did 51 damage. Smart play, not broken.

    3. I’m not going to pretend I know what’s happened here, but based on what I can see from the video it may be that there is a gap in the terrain there, similar to how you have floating trees. You would need a free cam to do some upclose shots of what’s happening but that’s my theory on the matter

      Reply

      1. Close, Crusader SP has stun with a 139.7 caliber artillery which is the lowest but you’re right, 105’s and 122’s don’t get stun mechanics. Would be funny for tanks like the KV-2 and T30 to get stun mechanics without the huge splash radius but I think that would be a bag of laughs and nightmares haha

  10. Maxxonite says:

    From 9.18 ARTY cant even defend them self longer in close combat quarters, just stun them and all know the reload time arty compared to any other tank class, allways a lost to arty, so remove all arty or let arty have their incresed dammage effect within 50-75 yards from the arty them self.

    Reply

    2. That’s dumb as fuck. The whole point is for arty to be weak when tank gets close.

      If it happens regularly it’s because you aren’t doing your job of shooting them properly when at range. Stop your whining that you can no longer 1 shot lights who are moving across your view at 80 kph.

      Reply
  11. ElPoto says:

    I know, it has been said, but I need to add my voice: the stun mechanic is the most idiotic idea ever. There have to be some big wigs at WG that have a COD that consist of fapping while playing arty.

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says:

    9.18 makes sense now ,the ones making the changes to play , play the game for a job ,
    not for the fun of it like most of us gamers ,
    arty nerf should have been two or three shots to kill not stun ,so you still have the happy campers in game

    Reply
  13. red says:

    9.18 makes sense now ,the ones making the changes to play , play the game for a job ,
    not for the fun of it like most of us gamers ,
    arty nerf should have been two or three shots to kill not stun ,so you still have the happy campers in game

    Reply
  15. Wahnfried III says:

    Without platoonmates artillery will not enjoy any teamwork at all. WG is delusional to believe otherwise. As a result instead of properly supporting the – non existant – team artillery will be yet again in a primary damage dealing role. Except self defense does not work anymore – not that it was a particular effective thing beforehand – and as such I believe high mobility arties will become significantly more powerful, because they are going to be the only remaining arties that can at least run.

    You cannot run in stuff like SU-14-2. Your already slim survival chances are now exactly zero. For this to be a worthy sacrifice, the SU-14-2 has to deal well more average damage compared to high mobility artillery.

    Reply
  16. Someone says:

    You morons still play WoT ? Hah, what a stupid remake of arty. You know what, I’d rather receive a 600 dmg shot than have my tank completely useless for 12s.

    AW did what WG should have done a long time ago – REMOVE THE ARTY COMPLETELY. Enjoy being “stunned”

    Reply

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