14 replies to this topic

[Gnomon]

Hey, everyone! 

 

Happy Friday! 

 

I wanted to talk to y'all about the new and revamped maps coming in 1.1. 

 

First, I highly recommend you check out our article on the maps, as it contains some interactive stuff (like music, screenshots, and more): Update 1.1: Exploring New and Revamped Maps

 

Here are some basics over the maps:

 

Minsk

 

Minsk occupies a special place in our hearts — it’s where it all started for World of Tanks. A city with a vast heritage and wonderful people, it will finally take its place in the list of maps in World of Tanks. The whole team is very excited as it nears full release; after all, we’ve been planning to pay homage to the city for years.

 

The first playable prototype was created around the same time we introduced Kharkov and Stalingrad, but didn’t make it past this stage. We learned an important lesson before resuming work on the map: while historical accuracy might be appealing, it doesn’t always provide an enjoyable experience (unless you’re looking for a virtual tour rather than a battle, of course). That’s why we’re designing the map around real locations (Victory Square, the State Circus, Gorky Park, etc.) while also changing its general layout to keep the gameplay exciting and rewarding.

 

This urban map recreates the central part of Minsk in the beginning of the 1970s. Though we changed some details for the sake of gameplay, the Plošča Pieramohi (Victory Square) and the circus building, for example, are very realistic. Other houses and landmarks are also recognizable for those who have visited Minsk or currently live there.

 

Studzianki

 

Studzianki was the location of a weeklong battle between the invading German forces and the native Polish 1st Armoured Brigade and Soviet 8th Army on the Eastern Front. For the allied forces, it was a resounding success and was later commemorated in 1969, becoming Studzianki Pancerne (Armoured Studzianki).

 

The map features large fields, lots of vegetation, and small village houses centered around a tall Catholic church. A small brick factory sits right in the middle of this map.

 

Pilsen

Pilsen felt too small and gave little in terms of gameplay to turretless TDs and thinly armored vehicles. Medium tanks kept away from the center of the east flank since it offered no cover from arty shells. The west flank had way too many shoot-through zones, which prevented both teams from pushing/defending certain directions and turned battles into a fine frenzy. Once you entered this area, you were effectively stuck there with no way to retreat or advance. Finally, the central area promoted camping since the impassable big hangar there was a death trap for anyone reckless enough to move past it.

 

Addressing your feedback, we enlarged the map to 1x1 km, added cover spots and increased the distance between hangars on the left flank, removed some of the buildings in no-man's land in the center, and completely redesigned the eastern (right) flank.

 

These changes should foster a more versatile experience, while also making the map friendly for all vehicle classes.

 

The far-right edge of the map now features a long, straight railroad with dense shrubs and hardly any other cover. Circumventing the enemy would take you a few steps closer to winning the battle. Make sure you’ve got support in the hills before you head there, though. You’ll need them to distract enemy TDs after you spot them. Then, move ahead to destroy enemy arty that’s likely to hide there. Stay alert: without any hard cover, you should expect SPG fire if you are spotted and staying still.

 

There were also changes made to Glacier, Siegfried Line, Mines, and Province. Please check the article I previously linked, as there are widgets that you can interact with to see the changes. 

 

Thanks, everyone, and hope you have a great upcoming weekend! 

[NiteDog]

Are there any plans to bring back Northwest, Swamp, and Pearl River?

[KingofDragons]

Played Studzianki on common test...... Too many bushes for lights to spot from and kills the whole game... since the map is small , heavies get spotted while getting into position.. Almost got 8500 spotting and wasn't far from my own base.. I believe this map will not be enjoyable to play..

 

 

Edited by KingofDragons, Aug 17 2018 - 16:39.

[KidK]

Maps!  Big F'n deal!   Work on the ancient spotting Mechanics FFS

[coconut2011]

Based on the changes to the minimap, the changes to the Pilsen looks really nice.

 

I play a lot of lights, but I absolutely hated the old map scouting / pushing the east side, since the east side was basically a kill zone with fires coming from multiple directions.  Because there are no bushes and very limited covers, the tanks get lit easily.  And when there are arties, the life could be even more difficult.  It was possible to push, but there was very little room for maneuvering due to limited space and covers.  Usually it was best to just camp by the center building corner to snipe the east and spot the pushes.

 

The new change made east side much larger, more room for maneuvering, and plenty of covers to cross fire from middle.  It may still be difficult to push east though, since it appears the north / south have major camping / sniping positions.  At least there are a number of hard covers (though not tall enough to completely cover the tank) in the center to allow fast tanks to move in.

 

Need to see the actual map to see some of the elevation adjustments which can also have major impacts to the map play / balance.

[Almighty_Johnson]

I was looking at these last night.  I liked everything I saw except the Siegfried Line map.  It feels like you removed all the TD lines of fire from the south side.  After the 1.0 update, the TD positions were shifted and the line of fire along the front of the town was restricted a LOT.  Now, with these new changes, it appears they were blocked altogether.  And at the same time it was buffed for TDs in the North to shoot into the town from a ton of angles.  Seriously?  I guess the South spawn doesn't need to take the town any more.....

Edited by Almighty_Johnson, Aug 17 2018 - 17:34.

[Gut_zilla]

" Are there any plans to bring back Northwest, Swamp, and Pearl River? "   Damn, I hope so.   Tanks are now faster, it will be more enjoyable on those maps and a few old ones too.          

[FilthyJack]

Just what we need.......more city maps......its like focus is on eyecandy instead of tactical gameplay.

[BluntedBaboon]

Add TD spots. Check.

 

Add Arty cover. Check.

 

Make it worse for everyone else who doesn't camp in certain positions. Check.

 

Claim arty prevents camping. Check.

[ContraMuffin]

Really liking Mines changes. Haven't played it but seems like it'll at least balance out the map a bit. Still hoping for Mines to be expanded into at least 800x800m tho

 

As for new maps, haven't tried them out, but hey, more maps into circulation has to be a good thing.

 

Agree with KidK tho, spotting seriously needs to be revamped. Radio has been a useless module for long enough - why not make it into something useful? Give a slight time delay for transferring enemy team positions to allied tanks. Better radio reduces time delay. Scouting will be safer for light tanks if they have lower time delay than other classes, so LTs are encouraged to scout.

[UnturnedLeaf]

simply put, maps should be larger / bigger. most are too small for tier 8 and above. maps like Mines and even Himmelsdorf are too small. when arties can be spotted parked in the farthest rear area and be one-shotted by tanks that haven't even been spotted yet the quality of gameplay goes in the pooper.

[anonym_63LlYSJJqodW]

675 battles and this Punk is a Moderator

[gooner_1963]

Please add the boundary lines back in. 

[DirtyPicklez]

How about you fix the screwed up spotting mechanics?

[OCEANUS_PROCELLARUM]

How about investing some time to fix the Match Maker program? It's odd that we can send spacecraft to slingshot around other planets 10 years in the future with split second timing, but Match Maker can't be improved? When the opposing force wins with only a couple tanks destroyed, something is wrong.