It’s been an action-packed several months for Wargaming, so we wanted to bring you some of the highlights of the season so far.
World of Tanks Blitz on Mac OS X
With World of Tanks Blitz nearing its second birthday, the game has come a long way during its two years. What started out as purely mobile tank combat you could play on your phone and tablet, the game later mobilized on Windows 10 devices.
In March, World of Tanks Blitz welcomed Mac OS X to their platform lineup, letting more than 40 million of you find even more battles. With cross-platform play, those on Mac OS X are able to jump into skirmishes with Windows 10 players for loads of 7-vs-7 quick-fire action.
World of Tanks 9.14
Update 9.14 marked the start of several large changes for World of Tanks. Not just in the game itself, but in how the team approached development. From 9.14 onwards, the World of Tanks took a more feedback-driven approach than ever before. We began turning to the community to discover the most pressing issues, whether it was vehicles, maps, game UI—whatever. From this, the dev team is able to see what matters to a range of players and then act upon it.
Improved physics and enhanced sounds were the biggest changes in 9.14. With these, you’re able to get closer to the battle and really immerse yourself in tank combat. You have to reevaluate the tanks you play with, taking into account vehicles skidding and sliding. Sound took a step forward too, with the introduction of Audiokinetic Wwise. With audio calculated on a different core, you can hear every purr, roar and sputter, providing better performance and less stress on the core.
Tanks now have more of a distinct sound, which was constructed from around 10-30 different sources. New sounds were recorded with the use of authentic vehicles at real proving grounds. Petrol engines are distinguishable from diesel engines; the critical hit bell makes a return; and Sixth Sense has a sound notification.
Wargaming.net League Grand Finals 2016
The biggest event in the Wargaming competitive gaming calendar was back with a bang this year. Grand Finals 2016 saw the WG League return to Warsaw from April 8–9, inviting thousands of fans to flood the stadium and even more to tune in online. Here, 12 giants of the competitive gaming world battled for their share of $300,000.
Day 1 saw EL Gaming, Red Canids, Gold Bass, and eClipse head on home. When Day 2 rolled around, 2014 champion Na’Vi took the battlefield against HellRaisers. Two to one in HellRaisers’ favor, the match looked all over. However, ApplewOw of HellRaisers found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place—caught on a cliff. Teammate Grifon was knocked off by Inspirer, who seized victory 7:6.
Of course, there were lots of activities as well as watching teams face off on the big screen. Inside the arena there were 28 PC gaming stations, an intense VR experience with some World of Tanks professional players, loads of contests and giveaways, as well as real a Sherman and T-34-85 tank outside.
War Knows No Nation 360 Video
Wargaming is no stranger to reviving history in interesting ways, and over the past year we’ve been involved in some exciting digital projects. The latest in our experimentation with 360° video was the unique “War Knows No Nation”. The video brings to life the memories of three veteran World War II tankers, blending live-action panorama footage with CG for the very first time.
The video takes you through seven locations across Belarus, Russia, the USA, and the UK, showing events such as when the news first broke about Pearl Harbor. You can see history come alive using cutting-edge technology; view locations painstakingly recreated with authentic uniforms and real tanks; experience thrilling tank battles realized in CG. All this, combined with the 360° video format, custom rigging and creative film techniques lets you see history from a completely unique angle.
Get a behind-the-scenes look:
You can view the video here:
World of Tanks 9.15
Update 9.15 built on the foundation of its predecessor to tweak and improve a number of features. As part of growing the involvement that the World of Tanks community has in defining which game elements need reworking, we went back to the physics and sound updates from 9.14. Feedback let us know that falling damage needed to be reduced, and that the Garage filters, base capture indication, and minimap needed to be tweaked.
You’ll now notice that the tank interface is a lot more simplified. As part of the Garage UI, you can opt to see vehicle characteristics and check out tanks before you buy them. It’s good news if you’re in a Platoon, too, because now you’ll get more bonuses, and you’ll also find Personal Missions are simpler to complete.
In 9.15 we also laid the groundwork for DX11 graphics. Not only will some players be able to greatly increase their FPS rate, it allows us to bring a lot of exciting enhancements in the future. One of biggest missions ahead of us, which has already begun, is the rebalancing of tanks. A huge part of this is “Sandbox”, a new tool for testing major changes and learning what you all think about them. You’ll be able to sign up and take part in testing game balance within an environment where things will change pretty quickly and really refine the core gameplay.
My Café: Recipes & Stories
It was last year that Wargaming announced its partnership with Melsoft, and it wasn’t long before the popular Toy Defense 2 was on the e-shelves. Then, in May, the company finished cooking up their latest creation: My Café: Recipes & Stories, a fun restaurant sim that puts its own twist on the genre. Melsoft’s latest free-to-play title has already drawn over 700,000 fans in its soft launch period, and you can find the full release on Android and iOS.
Storytelling runs through the core of the game, where you can dive into the sometimes dramatic lives of the people who swing by your budding coffee empire. Don’t get too distracted, though, because you’ll still be managing your shop, and customizing your store with furniture and shiny equipment as you tackle dozens of levels.
So, what will your success story be? Download and play for free now.
- App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/my-cafe-recipes-stories/id1068204657 - Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.melesta.coffeeshop&hl=en
Stay tuned to the official websites to discover even more great news and updates in the future. There’s still a lot of the year left!