[Game Interview] GAMES Interviews the Developers Behind World of Tanks

[Zardon]

GAMES had the privilege of taking the time to interview the developers behind the military-based MMO, World of Tanks. The following questions were answered by World of Tanks Game Designer, Anton Sitnikov.



1. What exactly is World of Tanks? How does it compare with other military-based MMO games?

World of Tanks is a not very typical MMO. To be exact, it’s not an MMORPG full of grinding, casting and stuff like that. The game will consist of two main modes, and while the latter is still to be launched by the release date, the former is something our players are calling Counter Strike on tanks. And it includes short and dynamic 15-on-15 PvP battles, where tanks are the main characters. There’s no infantry, no air support, no base building. It’s just tanks and pure multiton steel fun.

As for the other mode we are currently working on is the global domination mode with a working title Clan Wars, which can be compared to Civilization, Total War and Europa Universalis series. This will be a virtual global war over the persistent world with thousands of players fighting over multiple provinces. We recon it will be a lot of fun, because apparently most of the clans will be single-country ones (American, British, French, German, Russian, etc.), so we expect fierce life-or-death World War II reenactment by dozens of thousands of players.

2. Are there different kinds of armored vehicles and buildings that players can use in the game?

We have several classes of fighting vehicles in World of Tanks, which include light tanks, medium tanks, heavy tanks, tank destroyers and long-range artillery (or SPGs).

Light tanks are very fast and agile, and this makes them perfect scouts. Their task is to go to enemy base and detect enemy positions, thus helping friendly artillery destroy them. They also have to engage hostile artillery, thus depriving an enemy of their main firepower.

Medium tanks are the jacks of all trades, they are well-armored and have decent top speed. Their task is to act in “wolf packs” of 3 or 4 and use flanking attacks.

Heavy tanks are the giant, low-speed killing machines. They have the biggest guns, the thickest armor, and deal the most damage.

Tank destroyers have thick frontal armor and powerful guns, and they are considered the best defenders and can set ambushes for the enemy.

As for the artillery, they are the gods of war. They have their unique gameplay with top-down view in the sniper mode. They are so powerful that can oneshot any tank of corresponding tier. But at the same time, they are very vulnerable in close combats, so you’d better defend them as long as you can.

As for buildings, they add to the gameplay variety serving as obstacles that you can stand behind in order not to get battered. But you have to know that some building are destructible, which means that a seemingly solid defensive construction can be destroyed in a couple of shots.

3. How many different territories can players explore and go to battle on with their vehicles?

As long as you are in the Random Battle mode, there’s no need to explore any territories. It’s all about taking part in battles on one of the maps which the game has to offer at the moment. All the maps World of Tanks features are very different as far as tactics and strategy are concerned. We’ve got a couple of purely urban maps, and the gameplay on these maps will differ from the ones that are based on countryside landscapes or mountain sceneries.

4. How does the system work where players can team up with each other? Is it easy for players to collaborate with each other? Can players fight on their own?

After clicking on the Battle button, you get into the pre-battle room, where other players are awaiting for battles to begin. While you are there, the game balancer picks 30 players and divides them into two teams that may contain different vehicles, but are equal in overall power. Secondly, considering that there are 10 tiers of vehicles in the game, there are certain limitations for machines of different tiers. For example, if you’ve got a tier 2 tank, you won’t get into a battle with tanks of tiers 8 or 9 and vice versa. Every tier has a certain range of tiers that it can participate in one battle with.

As of now, there is a game chat within battles, in pre-battle rooms, and in the main game menu. Also, there are hot keys for instant messages, similar to ones in Counter Strike. We are planning to include a voice chat, so that all team members can develop their own tactics for a battle.

5. Does the game have any issues with lag or client crashes? What does a user need to be able to play the game?

There are some bug issues, but it’s a normal situation for a game that is still in its closed beta. Our beta testers help us reveal bugs that we missed during the development process, so we can correct them and give our players improved versions of the game in the patches that we roll out. As for crashes, the game client proved to be very stable in both Russian and global beta tests, so we’ve got no problems with that.

6. How do battles work between teams and players?

Every battle includes two teams with 15 players each. When a battle begins, both teams have 15 minutes to either destroy all hostile vehicles, or capture an enemy base. If at the end of 15 minutes both teams have some tanks left, and neither of bases has been captured, a draw is declared. But that’s a very rare occasion, because usually a battle ends within 5 to 7 minutes.

There’s no ability to respawn within one battle, instead we offer players to leave the battle right after their tank is destroyed, grab another vehicle from their garage and jump into the next battle. While they are playing, the previous battle ends and they get all the experience points and credits they managed to earn. Thus, if you’ve got three or more vehicles in your garage, you can make playing World of Tanks a non-stop action.

7. Do players get special skills when going into battle?

There are no skills that you can get while starting a battle, but at the end of every battle, your tank crew will gain experience that will evolve in enhancing your vehicle’s characteristics. Apart from that, once your crew members reach 100% of their primary skills, you can teach them additional skills, which are Camouflage, Repair and Firefighting. These perks will improve the respective characteristics of your vehicle as well.

8. What features can players expect in the future for World of Tanks?

With the upcoming patch that will be rolled out within a couple of weeks, we are planning to release the American line of tanks, as well as some game balance modifications. As for a bit longer perspective, the main addition will be the Clan Wars mode and historic campaigns where real-life battles will be reconstructed.

Thanks for the interview!


You can check out more information and download the game client at www.worldoftanks.com/