Commanders!
Community manager CptFancyPants answered a number of hot player questions assembled by one of our esteemed moderators, Terror_5FDP!
When will the 0.22 premium Chinese vehicles be available? What will be their Gold prize?
At this moment we have no information to share on that as some tanks are temporarily exclusive for Chinese server. Their price in gold has not been set yet, but I would aspect them to be in line with other premiums of the same Tier.
How will the 0.22 Chinese progression vehicles fare against other tanks of the same Tier?
High-tier Chinese tanks will have a few specialties – high tech gadgets, they won't be exceedingly fast but they will be well-armored and very agile. Their firepower will be more focused on damage per minute than single shot damage, it will be lower than the one of the Armata but still very good.
Will we see TV ads like the Chinese have currently in our regions?
It's unlikely will we see TV adverts here for the EU/NA. They do look super cool, but in terms of efficiency and costs-to-effect ratio they are not that effective, they are very expensive and it does not really draw new players to the game.
Can you explain for those who don't understand what soft advertising is?
The ads based around the internet sites like Facebook, YouTube, banner ads and such.
Will the base return in some form or another? Or maybe as a new garage theme or interactive UI garage where players can move from one part of the base to another depending on what tanks and tiers they are looking at or for?
An interactive base sounds like a super cool idea, but the reality of it is that would take a lot of developer time to do and the developers right now are focusing on core mechanics, balancing, fixing bugs and getting new tanks that they have been working on ready. If something like an interactive base garage theme was to happen, it wouldn't be for a while. Certainly not this year. It's possible that it will appear in some distant future but it is not on any current developer plans.
Are you planning some form of skill matchmaker for Global Operations?
Not planned for Global Operations, but we are planning a skill-based competitive mode that should be coming in the near future, called Rank Battles.
If you run events with Top 100 tables in the future, would it be possible to split such events into shorter periods of time so the players don't burn out?
Yeah, I think that's possible, it's a good idea. We are gathering feedback such as yours for the storyline event and looking for ways to improve each episode. We are currently still working on Episode 3 design.
Will artillery get a direct fire mode in the future?
We're not planning that.
Will Updates 0.23 and 0.24 come this year?
It's possible that you will see at least one this year, but it's not guaranteed. What we are looking at is releasing two more big updates this year and one of them will be the biggest ever released, possibly even bigger than Update 0.19.
What about UI customization, UI colors, sights/reticle, Heads-Up Display and other UI options players are asking for?
The development is currently not proceeding in this direction.
What's happening with the Lords of War mode?
There's no new info on the Lords of War mode, it still needs some work. However, as we said earlier, there's a new competitive mode coming very soon.
Will there be more retrofits added to the game?
I think it's possible to have more retrofits in the future, but I don't know of any specific plans for that.
Will there be an option to compare tanks in the garage?
Yes, this feature is coming.
Regarding the NA server specifically, are there any plans to improve the game to keep old players occupied and attract new ones so that the PvE mode isn't the only viable one like now?
We're always working on the game to improve it, that's what every update is meant to do. We just added new tanks in 0.21 and a new map and there's more new things coming in the next patch.
Regarding the ATGM spam, can it be made more balanced or at least reduced? Especially in PvE where the bots wreck everyone with ATGMs.
We're always looking at feedback, especially after new updates, to see what needs to be adjusted and changed. There's a lot of ways we can go about changing it, for example by not allowing AI MBTs to fire ATGMs, or by adjusting the ATGM rate of fire AI or adjusting their behavior and so on.
Will there be any form of gold premium ammo in AW?
No.
Will artillery support rounds (smoke, illumination) return? What about introducing the Copperhead guided rounds?
There are no plans to return smoke or illumination rounds. We might be testing the Copperhead rounds in the future.
When will the in-game replays be fixed and enabled?
They already are since the last downtime.
Will you introduce more camouflages and base colors?
Yes, we're planning on adding regular paints and special skins as well.
What tank lines are planned for 2018?
I won't spoil the surprise!
When will the third episode of the Storyline Campaign start?
Mid-September.
With the economy changes introduced in Update 0.21, will the logistics costs change to compensate for the lower income? There is also a concern where non-premium players at high Tiers don't get too many rewards.
We're evaluating the data now, but from what we can see, there hasn't been a sharp decline in income for players. We are still looking at the data and will see if anything needs to be adjusted or changed.
Will there be a premium shop where you can buy any premium tanks individually or as bundles permanently? Will there be options for paying for premium content in other ways than with Gold that you have to buy?
We are currently not planning to change the current sales format and we are not planning any changes to payment options.
Will commanders, camouflages, premium tanks and other stuff be added to loot crates?
We don't currently have anything to share.
Will unique base paints be added for newly introduced vehicles?
Yes, like we said earlier, we will be adding more paints and camouflages as well as overhauling the whole system.
Will you buff all auto cannons to the level seen on the new polish vehicles?
The changes you are seeing with the Polish vehicles will affect all tanks. It is, however, still work in progress.
Will you add technicals, Humvees and other such vehicles?
Anything's possible but there are no current plans.
Will we see MLRS or other rocket launchers in the game?
This is currently not planned.
Can we have more flag decals?
We will be adding more, but not soon.
When will the game be advertised for the NA/EU regions?
We already are advertising as we said earlier, on the internet, Facebook, YouTube and so on. We don't have plans for TV commercials mainly because of how much it costs versus what we get out of it, so it's really not worth it.
Will the AFVs be rebalanced to bring them back to being spotters or make them better spotters?
Balance and vehicle roles are something we are always looking at and adjusting. I think that everyone has their own idea as to what tank classes should and should not do, so we have to look at what makes sense and what is best for the game.
Will we have the option to change the camouflage on vehicles with permanent camouflage like the MERC ones?
This is currently not planned, although we'll take a look at the question when we tackle the upcoming skin system.
Will there be some sort of end game content or such apart from the Lords of War mode to keep players playing after events like the story campaign?
Keep an eye out, we've got some cool stuff coming.
Will the wheeled vehicle controls be changed to make handle better?
Yes, that's a part of Update 0.22.
Are there any new crew or commander system changes in Update 0.22?
The commander overhaul system is planned for Update 0.22. Crew changes will come later.
Any updates on whether AW is going to be launched on Steam anytime or other platforms like Steam soon?
I don't have any news regarding that right now. We launched in China just recently, something that's being handled by a different team, and we currently just announced AW coming to PS4 soon, so that's we're currently focusing on right now.
Will there be an account crossover with the PS4 version?
For us, the PS4 version will at times not be running the same game version the PC has, so it will be impossible to keep synchronized and have all those players play together when the PS4 version is for example two patches behind the PC version.
Are you planning to make separate events for the NA server, more suitable for its playerbase size?
I don't know if we'll get to the point where each server has its own events, but we want to make all events work on both servers.
Will you introduce WoT-style purchasable garage slots?
No.
What about Clan Wars or Clan Battles?
There are no near future plans for that mode, but we do have some features coming up for competitive players for both PvP and PvE.
Can we have a calendar-like tracker for events and special?
That's unlikely as all our events and specials are constantly in flux and our plans sometimes change.
Will the AW staff start making official streams for the community again?
That is currently not planned.
Will you introduce new battalion decals or approved user battalion decals?
User-made custom battalion decals are difficult to implement as we would have to set up a new system, where you would make fitting decals and we would have to spend time approving them to remove unsuitable ones or those that contain copyrighted material.
What is the PvE extreme mode status?
We are currently developing a new approach to PvE that features an "insane" difficulty with hand-crafted maps as a part of the upcoming PvE campaign system.
What's going on with the team damage and report system?
It's working and not going anywhere.
Will the retrofit prices be lowered for lower tiers?
We have a plan to take a look at the retrofits as a whole.
Do we know what maps will be removed to be reworked in the next update (if any)?
Not at the moment.
Are the ammunition loadouts going to be separated for PvP and PvE?
This is currently not planned.
Are there any events or bundles that will allow players to obtain the IS-7 Tier 3 tank coming?
Maybe. Our intent is not to keep tanks away from players who want them.
Any news regarding the release of the Sabre?
I don't have any new news on the Sabre right now.
The next Q&A session will take place after the release of Update 0.22. We'll see you then!
