The Common Test for Update 9.17 has started.
New Swedish vehicles, buffed Premium tanks,
changes to the armor penetration system,
and improved sound.
You’ll learn about all this and more right now!
9.17 SWEDISH VEHICLES
One of the main events of the Common Test
is the introduction of the Swedish vehicles.
Nineteen combat vehicles rolled off the production line.
This nation is represented by two branches at once.
The first branch consists of light, medium, and heavy tanks.
The second one is a prominent branch of tank destroyers.
But first things first.
Tier I is occupied by the big and crude Strv fm/21.
It doesn’t seek to be your favorite.
But you can already choose your path for vehicle research at this stage.
There are solid average vehicles from Tier II to Tier V.
They don’t differ much from their counterparts,
but they have an ace up their sleeves
—excellent gun depression angles.
The Tier VI Strv 74 medium tank maintains the great gun depression
and has a good gun as a bonus.
This tank has the lowest aiming time
and dispersion among all medium tanks in its tier!
The gun is also a main feature of another Swedish tank, Leo.
This Tier VII medium tank received a 105 mm gun.
But for its high damage,
it pays with low accuracy and long reload time.
However, this vehicle is very dynamic:
its power to weight ratio is 25 horsepower per ton,
and its maximum speed is 60 km/h!
Tier VIII is occupied by the Emil I.
This vehicle can’t avoid comparisons with the French AMX 50 100.
But there are some differences, and they are quite significant.
The Scandinavian has better armor.
The drum autoloader reloads faster, but it has fewer shells in it.
However, the gun depression of the Swede is better
by as much as 6 degrees!
And this is the Emil II, one of the fastest Tier IX heavies.
Only the French heavy tank is faster.
The gun characteristics of both vehicles are similar,
but the Swede has a stronger turret and better gun depression angles.
The top tier Swedish Kranvagn heavy tank
is doomed for success and popularity.
It’s a fusion of the French AMX 50 B and American T57 Heavy.
It has a sturdy turret, good gun,
and nice gun depression angles.
It’s a true predator
that calmly waits for its prey behind the hill.
But once it senses action,
it will immediately rush at its enemy, tear it to pieces,
and drive away just as quickly.
And what about tank destroyers?
The branch starts off with a vehicle with a nice rate of fire
and a name that is hard to pronounce.
The next is the Lkv 72.
It’s a low stealthy TD with excellent dynamics
and excellent gun depression angles.
The Tier IV and V TDs are very similar in their play style.
Their lack of armor is compensated for with 105 mm guns!
The vehicles in Tiers VI and VII have the same problem—lack of armor.
But their dynamics come to the rescue.
These TDs are faster than many medium tanks,
and additionally,
they have accurate guns with good penetration.
The top three steps of the branch
are occupied by the vehicles that have a brand new game mechanic.
Their main difference from any other vehicle
is the hydro-pneumatic suspension.
With its help, the TDs can angle their hulls and aim at a target.
These vehicles have two game modes:
one for movement, and the other for firing.
In the basic mode, the vehicles can roll, turn, and even fire.
But the accuracy of shooting like this will be very low.
To do it more efficiently,
you need to press the X [eks] key and switch to the firing mode.
Travel speed is the lowest in this mode,
but the firepower of the vehicles will increase several times over,
because they are equipped with super-accurate guns.
Switching from one mode to another takes time.
And when there’s no time,
the hydro-pneumatic suspension will come in handy.
It allows you to change the vehicle’s armor angles.
It’s particularly effective
for the top tier Strv 103B tank destroyer.
This vehicle is equipped with an anti-HEAT grid.
It works like spaced armor
and helps catch enemy shells without being damaged.
At first glance,
playing these vehicles may seem difficult,
but the use of hydro-pneumatic suspension
won’t cause any trouble after a few battles.
ARMOR PENETRATION
The Common Test brings changes to the armor penetration system.
The current system will be replaced
with the simple unified mechanics
that will consider the armor thickness,
angle of the shell, and the shell caliber.
In simple terms, players who like absorbing damage
will now be able to do it even more effectively.
With the correct hull positioning, you will have a chance
of bouncing an enemy shell even if you play a tank with thin armor.
New rules will make the armor penetration mechanics
fairer and more consistent.
PREMIUM VEHICLES
In Update 9.17, the technical characteristics
of several Premium vehicles were improved.
The British FV4202 became faster and more profitable.
Its maximum speed was increased by 5 km/h,
and its profitability is now 10% higher.
The STA-2 is also faster now.
The Japanese vehicle received a new engine
and can now accelerate up to 55 km/h.
The French M4A1 Revalorisé
also received a new engine and became more powerful.
The gun elevation and depression angles were improved,
and aiming time and dispersion were decreased.
The Chinese WZ-111 also became more powerful.
Its turret and lower glacis plate became stronger.
The firing characteristics were improved.
Now the tank aims faster and fires more accurately.
The German Löwe also built up its armor
without a loss in dynamics,
and its gun has better depression now.
Another German tank,
the Panther 8.8, became more mobile.
Its engine power increased by 100 horsepower,
and its hull traverse speed
increased up to 40 degrees per second.
We continue to improve
the characteristics of Premium vehicles
and are not going to stop at what we have achieved.
We hope that you will enjoy these changes.
SOUND
Full support for multichannel sound
on 5.1 and 7.1 audio systems appeared in the game.
The players with such systems
will be able to immerse themselves
in the atmosphere of tank battles even more.
Auto-aim sounds were added.
Locking onto the target, releasing, or losing it
are now confirmed by a voice message.
This will help players use auto-aim more effectively.
The sound system for falling and vehicle collisions
with indestructible objects was revamped.
The sounds are now more vivid and realistic,
and they also inform players about the degree of damage received.
These are just some of the changes that await players in Update 9.17.
Take part in the Common Test,
be the first to try the new features,
share your feedback,
and contribute to the game’s development!