8.6 Public Test Notes

Changes from Public Test v. 8.5 to v. 8.6

New Content

New map added, Sacred Valley (Korea)
Encounter Battle mode has been added to the following map: Mines, Lakeville, Redshire.
New birds have been added to Ruinberg and Lakeville
Improved the after-battle statistics report
Hits received' - each shot on players vehicle counts as one hit. All ricochets, screen armor damage and non-penetration shots also counts as hits received.
'Penetrations' - all shots on player, which penetrated armor and dealt damage
'HE damage' - all splash damage dealt to player vehicle
'No damage' - all hits, on player's vehicle, which dealt no damage.
Reworked the list of World of Tanks Industry Achievements seen at the login screen
Removed following inscriptions: Popeye, Mickey Mouse, & Betty Boop. All players currently equipped with these inscriptions will receive compensation.
Small improvements made to the Special Battle screen
All new accounts will now receive tier I tanks with 100% crew
Tier X SPGs

As was announced previously, the artillery lines will run up to tier X. The current tier VIII artillery will shift up to the tier X slot and lower tier SPG's will fill in any gaps that are created as the tech trees are restructured.

The USSR SPG line has been reworked:
Tier II - SU-18
Tier III - SU-26
Tier IV - SU-5
Tier V - SU-122A (new vehicle)
Tier VI - SU-8
Tier VII - SU-51
Tier VII - SU-14-1 (new vehicle)
Tier VIII - SU-14
Tier IX - Obj. 212
Tier X - Obj. 261

The German SPG line has been reworked:
Tier II - G.Pz. Mk. VI (e) (new vehicle)
Tier III - Sturmpanzer I Bison

Tier III - Wespe
Tier IV - Pz.Sfl. IVb (new vehicle)
Tier IV Sturmpanzer II
Tier V - Sturmpanzer 38(t) Grille
Tier VI - Hummel
Tier VII - Gw Panther
Tier VIII - G.W. Tiger (P) (new vehicle)
Tier IX - Gw Tiger
Tier X - Gw E-100

The American SPG line has been reworked:
Tier II - T57
Tier III - M37
Tier IV - M7 Priest
Tier V - M41
Tier VI - M44 (new vehicle)
Tier VII - M12
Tier VIII - M40/M43
Tier IX - M53/M55 (new vehicle)
Tier X - T92

French SPG line has been reworked:
Tier II - BS
Tier III - Lorr.39LAM
Tier IV - AMX 105 AM mle. 47 (new vehicle)
Tier V - AMX 105 AM
Tier VI - AMX-13 F3 AM
Tier VII - Lorraine 155 50
Tier VIII - Lorraine 155-151
Tier IX - Bat.-Châtillon 155 55 (new vehicle)
Tier X - Bat Chatillon 155
GAME MECHANICS
Collision models for the following tanks have been improved: SU-8, SU-85B, Cromwell, Comet, Matilda Black Prince, SU-5, SU-76, Т95, Т92, M12, M41, M7 Priest, T57, G.W. E 100, G.W. Tiger, Hummel, Pz.Kpfw. V/IV, IS-6, Pz.Kpfw. III/IV, and Object 268.
Reworked additional absorption bonuses for Spall Liner:
Small Spall Liner - 15%.
Medium Spall Liner - 20% (was 15%).
Large Spall Liner - 25% (was 15%).
For heavy tanks more than 70 tons we’ve added a super-heavy spall liner with additional absorption coefficient - 30%
All spall liners on vehicles with weight above 70 tons were dismounted, moved to the depot and changed to ‘Super-Heavy Spall Liners’
New HEAT shell parameters:
HEAT shells are likely to ricochet if the impact angle is greater than 80 degrees. The armor penetration after ricochet will remain the same
After penetration, a HEAT shell cannot ricochet inside the tank (as the shell is transformed into a continuous stream)
After penetration, the HEAT shell will lose 5% of armor penetration force for each 10cm of traveling distance
After penetration, the force with which the HEAT shell continues to travel through the armor will take into account the angle of impact between the armor and penetration point
Suspension also counts as spaced armor
Changed the mechanism of camouflage calculation when using a camouflage pattern and camouflage net:
From now on, the values for vehicles and camo patterns and camo net will be cumulative. This means that the camouflage net and camouflage pattern will provide fixed bonuses which will only differ based on the class of the vehicle (for example, TD's will receive the highest bonus)
To avoid the likelihood of having nearly invisible TD's, it was decided to decrease the overall camouflage bonuses provided by bushes and fallen trees
Increased income for high tier tanks (the full list of changes will be available later):
For tier X vehicles (except SPGs) income increased by an average of 10%.
For tier IX, VIII, VII, VI vehicles (except SPGs) income has also been increased but not quite to the degree of tier X
Tracers have been temporary turned off:
Removed all tracers from unspotted enemy vehicles, except those from SPGs
The range at which SPGs can see other unspotted SPG’s tracer rounds while using artillery view has been reduced
Changed the mechanism by which shot accuracy is calculated. The amount of shells traveling to the edge of the aiming reticule has been reduced by 20%
Changed the mechanisms for calculating damage and penetration. The extreme numbers (high and low) will be randomly generated 5% less
Removed decreasing coefficients of XP received from dealing damage on TDs an SPGs. TDs will receive 33% XP from damage, while SPG owners will notice 50% boost in the same parameter
Added assist bonus for tracking enemy: if you track enemy and allies deal damage to it, or even destroy it, you will receive an XP bonus. Mechanism will work similarly to current damage on spotted vehicles mechanics
Shell normalization of all ACPR and ARCP shells decreased from 5 to 2 degrees
A mechanism which determines which player gets bonuses (XP, Credits, kill count) for damaging or killing tanks using physics (pushing into water or from cliffs etc.) was added
Added compensation mode for vehicles moving in Sniper mode (can be enabled in settings by selecting ‘Use dynamic camera’ option)
Rebalanced Tank Company requirements for different types of tanks. Now all ‘divisions’ will have same requirements for medium and heavy tanks, TD’s and SPG’s. Limitations for light tanks will still be in place

REBALANCING
Gun elevation and depression of the Matilda Black Prince have been improved
Balance changes have been made to the Fjords map. Also one-story wooden houses can now be now destroyed
Balance changes have been made to the Assault Battle mode on Westfield
Full re-balance of SPGs was made (full list of details will be available closer to the update)
Overall velocity of SPG’s shells decreased (10-15% for regular guns and 50% for short mortar guns)
Most SPG’s received an increase in reloading time by an average of 10-20%
Re-balancing of premium shells has been performed (the full list of changes will be available later):
Price adjustments have been performed according to the efficiency value, which was calculated for each type of shells taking into account its penetration value and damage
The price for some APCR/ACRP shells has been increased and, for some of them, reduced.
The price for almost all HEAT shells has been increased because they turned out to be cheaper despite the same efficiency as APCR/ACRP shells
Almost all premium HEAT shells remain without any changes except certain HE shell types
Rebalancing of HE shells has been performed (the full list of changes will be available later):
Armor penetration of high tier HE shells was decreased
Middle tier HE shells (105-122 mm) armor penetration was significantly decreased
Players who had premium shells that had their characteristics changed were compensated with credits according to the shell’s purchase price

VISUALS
VK 16.02 Leopard tank model has been significantly improved
Visual models of the following tanks have been improved: Matilda Black Prince, SU-85B, SU-14, T26E4, G.W. Panther, SU-26, Hummel, Е-100 (turret has been moved 10 cm closer to the front), SU-18, Object 212, Т-54, BТ-2, АТ2, Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. G, Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. C.
Graphics have been improved on the following maps: Murovanka, Widepark , and Airfield
Visual changes have been made to the Ruinberg map
Reworked animation for base flags

SOUND IMPROVEMENTS
Sound processing has been reworked. Now it’s possible to play more sounds without sound distortions while requiring less system resources
Changed mechanics of ambient sound placement on the map. Removed dead zones, increased volume of wind in SPG’s artillery view, created new events for water, industrial objects and fire
Decreased amount of sounds from tanks while driving over rough areas
Increased distance of the firing sound, changed dependence of sounds from camera position, added physical model of hearing sounds from a distance
Increased distance of other tank sounds, added Doppler effect to realism
Increased variety of tank hit sounds
Changed sounds of tank destruction
Added 3D parameter to support 5.1 sound systems

TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENTS
Reworked mechanism that informs players of a memory leak
Added an automatic quality regulation system for tuning special effect depending on resource usage and system performance, which will reduce quality of effects (explosions, smokes and fire) automatically, if fps drop is detected

FIXES
Corrections have been made in names of French tanks and their modules
Fixed the low turning speed of some vehicles on bridges
Added small corrections to tutorials
Fixed collision models of small objects
Fixed errors and improved display of dynamic shading effects
Addressed issue with newer driver conflict with World of Tanks client

Tankspot 6: Char 2C Bis

The Char 2C, also known as FCM 2C, was a French super heavy tank developed, although never deployed, during WW1. It was, in physical dimensions, the largest operational tank ever made. In World of Tanks this tank has has a 155mm howitzer, reminiscent of the KV-2. It is known that this tank would be very slow and only have around 45mm of front armour. This tank would have a very large resemblance to the hilarity and play style of the TOG* II. According to screen shots and super tester leaks, it is known that this tank would be implemented into the game as a tier 8 because of its gun and large HP pool.

Historical Information: 

The Char 2C had a loaded weight of 69 tonnes, partly because of its armour - 45 mm at the front, 22 mm at the sides, but much of it just because of its huge size. The armour was among the thickest of World War I-era tanks, though by modern standards this would be considered thin. It is still easily the largest tank ever taken into production. With the tail fitted, the hull was over twelve metres long. Within its ample frame there was room for two fighting compartments. The forward compartment was crowned by a three-man turret (the first such in history) mounting a long 75 mm gun (later refitted with a anti-infantry 152mm howitzer), and the second, at the rear of the tank, was topped by a machine gun turret. Both turrets had stroboscopic cupolas. The three independent 8 mm machine gun positions at the front gave protection against infantry assault.

The Char 2C is the only super-heavy tank ever to attain operational status — a super-heavy tank is not simply a tank that is very heavy but one that is much heavier than regular tanks of its period. The next operational tank to approach its weight would be the German Tiger II heavy tank of World War II.

The fighting compartments were connected by the engine room. Each track was powered by its own 200 or 250 hp engine, via an electrical transmission. Top speed was 15 km/h. Seven fuel tanks, containing 1,260 litres, gave it a range of 150 kilometres. The suspension contained 39 interleaving road wheels on each side, making for a total of 90 wheels on the tank.

To man the tank required a crew of twelve: driver, commander, gunner, loader, four machine gunners, mechanic, electrician, assistant-electrician/mechanic and a radio operator. Some sources report thirteen, probably due to pictures of the crews that included the company commander.

Tankspot 5: Panzerjager 35R

Based on the chasis of the Hotchkiss H35, the Panzerjager 35R was a german conversion of a french Renault light tank into a tank destroyer. They made a lot of those - basically the whole Marder series is made by mounting big guns on small tanks. While its a german conversion of a french tank, is was still slated to be in the french tech tree, either as low tier (tier 2 or tier 3) from a 2nd Tank destroyer tree, or as a premium.

This tank would probably mount the same gun as the Marder II or the PanzerJager I, along with having the low speed of the H35 Hotchkiss.

Tankspot 4: ACL135T

Slated to be added with the french TDs, the ACL1 35T was a replacement for the current tier 4 TD, the Somua SAu-40. The ACL mounted the SAu's long 75mm.

Historical Information:

Prototype of a self-propelled gun by General Garnier and produced by Renault in 1934. 
The chassis is developed on the basis of the french Char D3.
Armament: 75mm Rifled Canon

This machine is the result of a request from the CORF for motor for defense intervals of the Maginot Line.

Tankspot 3: AMX65T / AMX M4 1949

Leaked before the introduction of french heavy tanks, the AMX 50, also known as the AMX M4 1949 is an M103 style turret mounted on the chassis of the AMX 50 120. It was rumored to have the same auto-loader as the AMX 50 120 but with a much stronger turret face and mantlet.

Known Stats: 

Armor: Hull: 80/80/60 - Turret: ?/?/? (2-Man turret) 

Gun: 105mm

Max Speed: 40 km/h - 40~45t 

Update - 1/1/2014

It has come to my attention that this is one of my most popular posts on this blog. I hope to expand this section on the AMX 65t in a new post with more information and pictures. I do not know when it will be out, but you can expect it before the end of February 2014.

Tankspot 2: Lorraine G1R

This french tier 5 was leaked long ago before the addition of the french TD and artillery lines. This tank would be a tier 5 from the AMX 40 and continues on the tech tree to the AMX 13 FL-11. This tank is essentially an upgraded AMX 40 with what seems to be the same gun and same turret style. This tank most likely shares in the AMX 40s slowness also.

Historical Information: 

Late 1937 the project had been renamed Char G1 and all prototypes then authorised had received an official designation: Lorraine: G1L; Renault: G1R; Baudet Donon Rousel: G1B, Fouga: G1Fand SEAM: G1P. The SOMUA and FCM projects were discontinued for being too vague or lacking innovation; also the production capacity of these two companies had already been directed to the manufacture of other types.


On 1 February 1938 the Direction de l'Infanterie issued new specifications, the third major change in the project concept: a maximum weight increased to 35 tonnes, necessitated by the fitting of a Long 32 75 mm gun in a turret


These new demands caused most companies to slow the design process: they were unwilling to invest much money in an ever more complex system, with uncertain prospects. Therefore the French government ordered on 8 June 1938 that ARL military engineer Lavirotte be detached to guide their efforts, in order to speed the proceedings; if the companies could not obtain armour plate, they should be allowed to use boiler plate to construct prototypes. At that moment Renault was unable to give any indication about a possible production date; the Fouga and BDR projects seemed to become prohibitively heavy; SEAM thought to be able to commence manufacture in the middle of 1940 and Lorraine in 1941.


On 12 July 1938 a much more detailed list of specifications was given. In general they called for a tank that is powerfully armed, immune to standard anti-tank guns and possessing an excellent tactical and strategic mobility. In detail they demanded a long high velocity semi-automatic 75 mm main armament; a 7.5mm machine-gun in the turret that can also serve as an AA-weapon; a machine-gun in the front of the hull or the turret; a minimal ammunition load of a hundred rounds for the gun and thirty magazines for the machine-gun; an empty weight of thirty and a combat weight of thirty-two tonnes. The engine should be able to be both electrically and manually started; the tracks should be fully accessible. A maximum speed is demanded of 40 km/h (average 30 km/h) on the road and 20 km/h off-road; two fuel tanks should allow a range of two hundred kilometres or eight hours off-road. The climbing capacity is determined at ninety centimetres and 85% on a solid or 65% on a wet slope; the trench-crossing capacity at 250 centimetres and the wading capacity at 120 centimetres. For the first time also dimensional limits are given: the width should not exceed 294 centimetres to facilitate rail transport, the absolute height of the fighting compartment should not exceed 120 cm, but yet be sufficient to hold a side-door.


As regards the gas-tight armour, the demanded thickness remains at sixty millimetres but it is forbidden to use an appliqué armour. The armour could be cast — with the sections connected by bolts or electrically welded. Automatic fire-extinguishers should be present.


The crew should have advanced vision and fire-control equipment. The cupola, armed with the secondary 7.5 mm machine gun, should have a large episcope to which the main turret is slaved, allowing the commander to lay the 75 mm gun on the target himself — which is very desirable as he doubles as gunner. The cupola should also be fitted with an optical telemetric rangefinder. The gun is a Long 32 75 mm gun, providing, despite its limited elongation compared to foreign weapons, a good muzzle velocity through the use of Brandt tungsten armour-piercing subcalibre ammunition.


None of the projects in the summer of 1938 could meet these specifications without a fundamental redesign.

Tankspot 1: AMX 13 FL-11

The AMX 13 FL-11 is a Chaffee turreted AMX 13 (base) with the AMX 13 90s 90mm gun. Not much is known about this tank other than its icon file and a few World of Tanks scrrenshots. It is rumored to have very good camo value along with a good top speed comparable to the AMX 13 series of tanks.

The AMX 13 FL-11 as seen in PC Gamer (Credit to /u/maustrap)

8.6 Map Reveal: Korea

World of Tanks Website:

Tankers! As you may have heard from sources overseas, a new map is on the horizon! We're proud to present our first Korea-inspired map. Frosty peaks and muted hues bring the landscape to life, wide roads and low buildings will not afford you cover for very long during the pitched battles fated to transpire here!

It's no coincidence, or secret, that we're putting together maps that feature landscapes and battlegrounds from areas other than those commonly associated with the glory days of tank combat during World War II. Many armored vehicles were utilized on the Korean peninsula during times of conflict.

The new map will be made available with the release of the 8.6 Update. A date has not yet been officially set for when it will arrive, but keep your eyes peeled for more news very soon. We hope the gallery below whets your appetite for more

One of the most beautiful maps yet, the devs have stepped up their game to release this new Korean map which has not been named yet! Keep and eye out for it in the 8.6 test server!

Preliminary 8.6 Update Notes w/ Additional Information

DISABLED TRACERS

Tracers will be disabled for all vehicles, except for SPGs. This means that tracers from SPGs will still be visible for everyone, just as it currently is in the game. However, when in strategic aiming mode (using the map), we’ve limited the area where tracers from invisible vehicles is shown. To see them, you must be close to the point where they originate from.

As part of this process, we have also removed the tracers from your own shots. Don’t worry too much about this, since we’ll probably bring it back with the 0.8.6 release, maybe even along with the tracers of your allies’ shots.

NERFING HEAT SHELLS

As announced previously, this is still planned. A detailed list of the changes will be shared closer to the release date. 

100% TRAINED CREW FOR NEW ACCOUNTS

These will be available only for the Tier 1 tanks that come with account creation. This feature will not be applied to any newly purchased Tier 1 vehicles.

CHANGES IN GAME ECONOMY

The income of all vehicles from Tier V to the Tier X, except SPGs, will be increased. The changes will also be applied to Premium vehicles. Premium tanks up to Tier VIII will be equivalent to the most profitable Tier VIII vehicles. The income of less profitable vehicles will be increased. The income of other Tier VIII vehicles will remain unchanged

OPTIMIZATION OF SNIPER MODE VIEW

This is just a mechanism for reticle stabilization in sniper mode. It helps a lot during aiming on railroads, crushed fences, and other rough terrain. You can fire faster, since you won’t have to wait until the tank stabilizes itself on this difficult terrain. It’s really useful and after internal tests we decided to implement it.

NEW PREMIUM TANKS

In 8.6 we will add the long expected Tier V Heavy A33 Excelsior tank. But we won’t add the Sexton, because there will be too many changes for SPGs in the next update and we want to analyze their performance first. USING IN-GAME PHYSICS

“A mechanism was added, which allows determining what bonuses (XP, credits, frag count) will be granted for damaging or killing tanks using physics (pushing into water or from cliffs etc.) and who should receive them.”

This sentence means that there is not only a mechanism, but that this actually works. We will provide you with more details in further patch notes. 

SUPER-HEAVY SPALL LINER

USSR: KV-4, KV-5 

Germany: GW typ E, Jagdtiger8,8 , Jagdtiger, JagdPz E-100, VK4502 B, Maus, Lowe, E-75, E-100, VK7201 

USA: T95, Т110Е3 

Britain: Tortoise, FV215b, TOG II*


If any of these tanks has a spall liner installed, it will be automatically changed to the new super-heavy version, which will be moved to your depot. We’ll move it there first, since the new spall liner weighs 1.5 times more, and may not be compatible with your current vehicle set-up.

NEW CAMOUFLAGE MECHANICS

Prior to the update we will release a separate document about these new mechanics. Stay tuned.

TURRET SHIFT FOR E-100
The turret on the E-100 will be shifted forward by about 30 cm (scaled)

8.6 SPG Change List

Changes:

USSR SPG line has been reworked: New SPGs added: SU-122А (Tier V), SU-14-1 (Tier VII)

NOW THE TREE WILL LOOK LIKE THIS:

TIER II - SU-18

TIER III - SU-26

TIER IV - SU-5

TIER V - SU-122A (new vehicle)

TIER VI - SU-8 (moved from Tier V)

TIER VII - SU-51 (moved from Tier VI)

TIER VII - SU-14-1 (new vehicle)

TIER VIII - SU-14 (moved from Tier VI)

TIER IX - Obj. 212 (moved from Tier VII)

TIER X - Obj. 261 (moved from Tier VIII)

German SPG line has been reworked: New SPGs added: G.Pz. Mk. VI (e) (Tier II), Pz.Sfl. IVb (Tier IV), G.W. Tiger (P) (Tier VIII)

NOW THE TREE WILL LOOK LIKE THIS:

TIER II - G.Pz. Mk. VI (e) (new vehicle)

TIER III - Sturmpanzer I Bison (moved from Tier II)

TIER IV - Pz.Sfl. IVb (new vehicle)

TIER IV Sturmpanzer II (moved from Tier II)

TIER V - Sturmpanzer 38(t) Grille (moved from Tier IV)

TIER VI - Hummel (moved from Tier V)

TIER VII - Gw Panther (moved from Tier VI)

TIER VIII - G.W. Tiger (P) (new vehicle)

TIER IX - Gw Tiger (moved from Tier VII)

TIER X - Gw E-100 (moved from Tier VIII)

USA SPG line has been reworked: Added new SPGs: M44 (Tier VI), M53/M55 (Tier IX).

NOW THE TREE WILL LOOK LIKE THIS:

TIER II - T57

TIER III - M37

TIER IV - M7 Priest

TIER V - M41

TIER VI - M44 (new vehicle)

TIER VII - M12 (moved from Tier VI)

TIER VIII - M40/M43 (moved from Tier VII)

TIER IX - M53/M55 (new vehicle)

TIER X - T92 (moved from Tier VIII)

French SPG line has been reworked: Added new SPG: AMX 105 AM mle. 47 (Tier IV), Bat.-Châtillon 155 55 (Tier IX)

NOW THE TREE WILL LOOK LIKE THIS:

TIER II - BS

TIER III - Lorr.39LAM

TIER IV - AMX 105 AM mle. 47 (new vehicle)

TIER V - AMX 105 AM (moved from Tier IV)

TIER VI - AMX-13 F3 AM (moved from Tier V)

TIER VII - Lorraine 155-50 (moved from Tier VI)

TIER VIII - Lorraine 155-151 (moved from Tier VII)

TIER IX - Bat.-Châtillon 155 55 (new vehicle)

TIER X - Bat Chatillon 155 (moved from Tier VIII)


From now on, the values for vehicles and camo pattenrs and camo net will be cumulative. This means that now the camouflage net and camouflage pattern will provide fixed bonuses which will only differ based on the class of the vehicle (for example, TD's will receive the highest bonus)


To avoid side-effects with having nearly invisible TD's, it was decided to decrease the overall camouflage bonuses provided by bushes and fallen trees.


The area in SPGs aiming mode where tracer of invisible vehicles are being shown has been reduced.


Removed decreasing coefficients of XP received from dealing damage on TD an SPG. TD’s will receive 33% XP from damage, while SPG owners will notice 50% boost in the same parameter


Added ‘assist’ bonus for tracking enemy: if you track enemy and enemies deal damage to it, or even destroy it, you will receive an XP bonus. Mechanism will work similarly to current damage on spotted vehicles mechanics


Full rebalance of SPG’s was made (full list will be available closer to the update)


Overall velocity of SPG’s shells decreased (10-15% for regular guns and 50% for short ‘mortar’ guns)


Most of SPG’s receive an increase in reloading time by averagely 10-20%

Chinese Tier 8 Premium: WZ-112 Added for Super Testing in 8.6

Let me start off by saying that this is a very well armored tank. It has a 120mm upper frontal plate with good sloping. The front off this tank is almost unpenetrable by sub 200mm penning guns. The turret is very thick, and  the cupolas are thickly armoured. This tank is the hellspawn of the IS-3 and the IS-6 making it a very worthy opponent.









Stats

GENERAL:
Tier 8
Health: 1550
Hull Armour: 120/80/80
Turret Armour: 240/130/60 (with Spaced Armour)

ENGINE: Diesel
Power: 580 
Fire Chance: 0.12
Traverse: 26
Speed Limit: 45

CREW: 5
Commander / Radio Operator
Driver
Gunner
Loader

GUN:

Gun: D25-TA 122mm

Damage: 390/390/465

Penetration: 175/300/61

RoF: 5

Aim Time: 3.1 Seconds
Accuracy: 0.46
Arc: -6/+17

RADIO:
Singal Range: 600
View Range: 380