Work on Update 9.16 is well under way.
In the new update, the visibility mechanics
will be improved, a new map will be added,
and the first Swedish tank will be introduced.
Also, a special event dedicated to the 100th anniversary
of the first tank battle will take place.
The unique game event, Convoy,
will become one of the main features of this fall.
It’s dedicated to the 100th anniversary
of the first combat use of the Mark I tank.
Battles will take place on a special map.
Players divide into two teams
and drive the Lanchester armored cars.
One team has the legendary Mark I tank.
Its task is to reach the enemy base and capture it.
The allied team acts as an escort and helps the Mark.
The enemy team’s goal is to stop it from achieving this.
The Mark I has several route options that are known beforehand.
It can’t receive direct damage, but it can destroy any armored car.
Special bonuses will appear on the map
for interaction with the Mark.
The defending team needs to deliver mines to the Mark
to break its running gear and cause damage.
The attacking team will be able to use
a special repair kit to fix the Mark’s running gear
and help it continue the assault.
It’s important to remember
that several successfully placed mines can destroy the Mark!
Also, there are bonuses
that increase the firepower of the player’s armored car.
“Machine gun” allows them
to deliver fire at the enemy with a short reload time.
“Large caliber” destroys an enemy armored car when it’s hit.
The ammunition of these bonuses is limited.
Players can join the battle
either alone or as a platoo of two or three people.
The visibility mechanics will be improved in Update 9.16.
Now the vehicle draw
will work faster the moment something is spotted.
Previously, when a light tank rolled out from behind cover
at full speed, there was a small delay in its draw.
Now the vehicle will be seen immediately.
This will help players react to the situation faster
and not lose precious seconds in battle.
This improvement is already implemented on the Common Test server,
but it’s important for us to hear your feedback.
Please leave your comments on the game forum
or the official community pages on social networks.
A new map—Paris—will appear in the game!
Players may have already seen it in the Rampage mode.
Now the map has been refined specifically for Random battles.
It’s a city map that is intentionally divided
into three directions of attack:
a city area for the well-armored vehicles;
an open area for fast vehicles,
and a central square for positional combat.
Some unique landmarks of the French capital
can be found on this map such as the Eiffel Tower,
Seine River Bank, and Theatre national de Chaillot .
In addition to the new map, the minimaps were also improved.
Starting from Update 9.15.1,
they are being reworked in a new style.
We gathered statistics and your feedback,
and added 26 more minimaps in Update 9.16.
Also, we further improved
the 4 minimaps we added in Update 9.15.1.
Keep sending us your feedback, and with your help,
we will keep making the minimaps even better.
An important event for World of Tanks
will be the introduction of the Swedish vehicles.
We've already announced
the new vehicle branch for future updates,
and we’re happy to introduce the first Swedish tank
in 9.16—the Strv m/42-57 Alt A.2
This is a Tier VI Premium medium tank.
It’s equipped with the well-known turret
of the French AMX 13 light tank series
and a gun with a drum autoloader.
You can start training
your Swedish crew now and earn additional credits.
The game interface was also improved.
Now players can compare vehicles right in their Garages.
Vehicles can be compared by various characteristics.
Players will also be able to see how the crew members and modules
affect the different technical characteristics.
One of the popular mods,
tank carousel, will also appear in the Garage.
This feature will be especially useful
to the players who have many vehicles.
There are three carousel options to choose from:
standard, two-row, and two-row minimalistic.
The battle interface was also changed.
Additional information such as the damage panel will be shown,
and enemy fire direction indicator will be reworked.
The chat between teams will be switched off.
We decided to do this because the chat
often becomes too heated or is used to reveal
the positions of allied vehicles to the enemy.
Now players won’t be able
to send messages to the enemy team.
Important improvements were made to the game sound.
Among the most significant
is the expansion of the gun caliber sound range.
Now not three but five different calibers
will be heard in Tiers VIII, IX, and X.
The system for the damage received sound indication
was reworked.
Now it’s even easier to identify
the amount of damage your vehicle has received.
The sound settings interface was made more convenient.
A new “infinite” and non-repeating music track
for the Premium Garage was created.
Now you can choose between two sound options
for the Sixth Sense perk, and you can even use
your own MP3 sound files for the Sixth Sense sound.
The option of lowering the sound quality was reworked.
It has become available to all players.
Now the low-quality sound sounds better
at the same performance parameters.
That’s all for now.
Good luck on the battlefield!