After a large-scale update in March, Wargaming did not stop and recently introduced new version games 1.0.1. One of the important innovations was the emergence of an Italian branch, against the backdrop of which the developers announced cooperation with the legendary goalkeeper of Juventus Turin Gianluigi Buffon. However, the more important news, in my opinion, was the test launch of the new game mode “front line”.
“Frontline” is a special arcade mode, somewhat reminiscent in gameplay of a competing project War Thunder. I am not very familiar with it, so the WoT innovation was perceived very positively by me. The mode turned out to be interesting, addictive and exciting, not at all like boring 30x30 battles for level 10 vehicles. What is interesting and good about the “front line” battle, how to play it and how it affects performance – I’ll tell you now.
The main features of the “front line” in WoT
Battle in the “front line” mode is intended for only level 8 vehicles. So that all players can evaluate and test new mode, each person was credited with two tanks: the Soviet ST T-44 (similar to the premium vehicle from Rostelecom) and the American TT T32. They are only available in Frontline and cannot be used in other modes.
A truly huge map was developed especially for the new mode, with an area approximately 10 times larger than the locations for “random battle”. It is divided into 9 sectors containing strategic points - bases and bunkers. Two teams enter the battle, the goal of one of which is to capture the bases and destroy the bunkers before the battle time expires, the second is to prevent this from happening. Captured bases cannot be recaptured; as they are captured, the team moves forward. For each point taken, the team receives additional time.
Also in the World of Tanks “front line” mode there is an individual progression system. For useful actions on the battlefield, such as causing damage to enemies and destroying them, capturing bases and destroying bunkers, the player is awarded points and his rank increases. The more benefits it brings, the more high rank will receive and the more bonuses to experience and credits he will receive after the battle.
Unlike a standard battle, which is limited to 15 minutes but lasts about 7 on average, the WoT “front line” mode can drag on for half an hour. After all, after destroying the equipment on the battlefield, the player returns to the hangar and can choose any other suitable tank. This does not happen immediately, you need to wait. The waiting time for the next departure depends on the player's usefulness and his life time on the battlefield.
To avoid getting into the hangar, you can use the equipment recovery points located in each of the squares. Staying on them restores strength indicators, repairs one damaged module and restores the health of one crew member. Also, the stock of shells is replenished by 10% per second.
You can use the repair point no more often than once every 2 minutes, or 10 seconds for each second of recovery, which is done to protect tanks constantly located at the point from immortality.
System of incentives and rewards
Playing in the new Frontline mode, World players of Tanks receive, in addition to experience and credits, other bonuses. Among them - Consumables and equipment, bonus points, combat reserves. The latter can be used to purchase auxiliary resources such as air reconnaissance, shelling, bombardment, smoke screen, inspiration and sabotage squad. Their use allows the player and his allies to gain advantages on the battlefield.
The higher the player’s level in the new mode, the more additional rewards he receives. Among them are first aid kits, repair kits, fire extinguishers, loans, bonds, personal reserves and others. The maximum you can reach is level 30, after which you have the chance to use the “valor mechanic” and start again at level 1 to earn rewards again.
The battle strategy in the “front line” mode is significantly different from the standard “random”. Concentrating on inflicting maximum damage, with a selfish manner of play, may not be the best option even for a very experienced player. The cost of losing a point (or not capturing it) is very high, and this gives the game a special flavor.
- You should not concentrate on causing damage to the most convenient targets. It is important to take into account the tactical situation in order to prevent the capture/loss of the base. It's better to work on targets that take active action at the most important points.
- After destroying one of your vehicles, when choosing the next tank, you need to take into account the situation on the battlefield. If you need dynamics to prevent capture, you should take a fast car that will quickly get to your enemies. To capture someone else's base, on the contrary, it is better to go into battle on a well-armored tank, capable of pushing through the flank by assault.
- It is important to distribute evenly along the flanks, in accordance with the current situation on the map. When going into battle after death, it is better to choose the most dangerous location for revival, where help will not be superfluous.
- When playing offensively, you should not focus on one flank, forgetting about the others. After all, even if you completely capture the left, right or center, and get to the enemy’s guns, you can lose without having time to destroy them and capture all the bases.
Frontline and WoT performance
The new mode involves playing on a much larger map and allows for a large accumulation of equipment in one place. Naturally, this could not but affect the performance of the game. In a standard battle, on maximum settings graphics quality in FullHD resolution, the average FPS on my computer is about 80-90. In the “front line” the indicators are not at all so optimistic.
In the absence of a significant number of vehicles nearby, the frame rate differs little from “random combat”. But if you get involved in a heated firefight, the frame rate sags. Basically it stays at a quite acceptable level of 50-60 FPS, but sometimes drops of up to 30-40 frames per second occur. It turns out that in the “front line” mode, WoT performance is halved.
The performance hit doesn't have much of an impact on gameplay on fast modern PCs. But if you play on a laptop or an old computer, it can be critical. After all, if you can still play safely at 30 FPS, then 15 FPS is already beyond tolerance, the brakes will be visible to the naked eye.
Conclusion
The new frontline mode in World of Tanks has reignited my interest in the game. Lately I haven’t been playing it very often, since after 5 years the usual “random” has become a little boring. But after seeing Frontline and trying out the mode, I played for three hours straight, not just to try it out and write a review, but simply because it was truly addictive.
So far, “front line” is only being tested, and the game client is not without bugs. So, one day I crashed from the game, something I hadn’t seen before for a long time. In addition, gamers' interest in the mode causes difficulties when entering battle. It is not always possible to connect to the entry queue the first time, and if it does, the waiting time for commands to be generated may take several minutes.
And this is not in the middle of the night on a weekday, but during the evening rush hour, when the audience on the servers is usually the largest. This picture is completely opposite to the waiting time to enter battle in the “random” mode.
An unpleasant feature is the “ceasefire regime”, which in this moment on all servers lasts from 00:00 to 11:00 hours. Therefore, you won’t always be able to play in the new mode, which is upsetting.
Despite the existing shortcomings and shortcomings, the WoT “front line” mode seemed very exciting to me. I would like the developers to leave it and continue to develop it, eliminating the disadvantages and introducing new advantages.
What do you think about this, do you like the new mode in World of Tanks? What changes would you like to make to it for the best gameplay?
New content, especially large sizes- this is what always attracts the interest of the audience. Today Wargaming released a special test server(known as "Sandbox") a new game mode called "Frontline". Below I will introduce you to the main points regarding it.
Game Settings
Technique
All average and heavy tanks, self-propelled guns and tank destroyers of Tier X, as well as light tanks of Tier VIII (NOTE: the limitation of Tier VIII tanks is temporary, it is due to technical features testing. In the future, the new mode will be tested on all types of Tier X vehicles).
Teams
Each team consists of 30 players, who have the opportunity to form super platoons of five players.
Team Roles
One team defends, the other attacks.
Cards
In Frontline mode, the battle takes place on the spacious map "Epic Normandy" with an area of about 9 km 2. At the beginning of the battle, the defending team appears on the first defensive front, and the attacking team appears in the landing zone located on the coast. During the battle, the attacking team must capture territory and move deeper into the defensive fronts. The first and second fronts are divided into three zones: “West”, “East” and “Center”. Each zone is the same size as the standard one World map of Tanks (1 km 2) and has a capture point. Once the attacking team captures a zone, the action moves to the second defensive front and three new zones open up for both teams. The final battle takes place on the third defensive front, which is fortified with five large-caliber guns - firing points.
Goals
The attacking team must break through the defensive fronts and destroy at least three of the five available firing points (read more below). The defending team must resist and defend at least three of the five firing points.
Duration of the battle
The duration of the battle may vary. Initially, the attacking team has 12 minutes to break through the defensive fronts and destroy firing points. Each successful zone capture on the first defensive front gives the attacking team 2 additional minutes to complete the objective, and each successful zone capture on the third defensive front adds another 2.5 minutes. If the defending team cannot resist the onslaught of the attacking team, the game ends in the first round. On average, the duration of a battle can range from 5 to 20 minutes.
Battle plan
At the beginning of the battle, team members are placed in three zones of the first defensive front (10 players from each team per zone). The attackers must seize control of the front, the defenders must prevent them all accessible ways. During an attack, your goal is to capture the zone or eliminate players of the defending team; When playing for the defending team, you must destroy attacking players and break down tackles. Overall it's very similar to Assault mode, with a few exceptions:
- Five players can participate in capturing a zone instead of the usual three. The more players participate in the capture, the faster the zone is captured.
- If hit points are lost and/or the module is damaged, the attacker's vehicle is temporarily unable to participate in the capture.
- Capture points are reset only when a vehicle that captures a zone is destroyed.
- Each successful capture of a zone on the first defensive front gives the attacking team two additional minutes to complete the combat mission, and capturing a zone on the third defensive front extends the battle by another 2.5 minutes.
The captured zone becomes the possession of the attacking team. Players on this team can continue the attack, fighting their way through the second defensive front and further until they reach the third defensive front.
Players of the defending team must immediately leave the lost territory within a minute. You cannot hesitate: all the defenders’ equipment will be instantly destroyed within 60 seconds after their territory is captured.
At the same time, attackers should not get carried away, because if they did not capture at least one zone of the first front, but immediately moved to the second, their equipment will also be destroyed by an airstrike.
Once the players of the attacking team reach the third defensive front, they can concentrate on the primary task of destroying the firing points equipped with long-range guns. Each point has its own safety margin. The firing points are reinforced with armored caps, and they cannot be penetrated by a frontal attack. Go from the rear, because their rear is more vulnerable. It also doesn't hurt to look into their booking scheme first.
Zones for revival, repair and replenishment of equipment.
It’s quite a shame to find yourself without shells or simply destroyed in the midst of a battle, right? But don't worry, there is no reason to panic, because each player will have several lives at each stage of the battle. Players on the attacking team start the battle with two lives, while the defending team has only one. Each player receives one extra life for every 5 minutes of combat. As a result, the maximum accumulated amount per player is three lives. If the attacking team captures all six zones of the first and second defensive fronts, the rules of the game change. In this case, defensive players must play as carefully as possible, because each of them has only one life left without the possibility of revival.
After your car has been destroyed, in the respawn window you can:
- Select any Tier X vehicle (or Tier VIII light tank) in the Hangar, except for an already destroyed vehicle.
- Select the most suitable configuration, equipment or ammunition. Standard shells and equipment are restored automatically, and premium equipment and shells are taken from your warehouse.
- On the territory belonging to your team, select a spawn point and return to the battle.
In addition, special points will appear in the active combat zone where players can restore strength points, repair modules, and replenish ammunition. A point will be available in each zone of the map, allowing the player to repair equipment and at the same time replenish ammunition. These points can only be used by the team that owns the zone. When reviving premium vehicles, premium shells and equipment are restored only if the player has them in stock; standard shells and equipment are restored automatically.
Don't forget: repair and replenishment zones become temporarily inaccessible after they are used. And if you have completely restored the strength of your car, then you will be able to use this zone again only after 120 seconds. The time until the next recovery is counted separately for each player - thus, these points can be used by several players at the same time. If your vehicle is hit by a shell while repairing or replenishing equipment, you will have to wait 20 seconds before continuing to repair or replenish equipment.
Ranking system
For high combat effectiveness (capturing a zone or knocking down capture points, damaging or destroying enemy vehicles), players are awarded special ranks. You can get several ranks in one battle: start playing as a “Private” and rise to the rank of “General”!
Join the fight
Interested? Then join the testing! Go to the “Sandbox” server and select the “Frontline” mode in the drop-down list of modes in the Hangar (to the right of the “Battle!” button).
Important : The economy system of the Frontline mode is under development. As part of the first stage of testing the mode, we first of all want to focus on collecting statistics and player feedback on the gameplay, new mechanics, map and other points. All this will ultimately allow us to determine directions for further work. And after that we will direct our efforts to adjusting the economy of the regime.
Afterword
This is the mode Wargaming provided to players for testing. If you have the desire and access to the Sandbox server, I recommend trying out the new game mode. Plus, you can always unsubscribe in a special forum thread about bugs, shortcomings or wishes regarding the new mode. The more players actively participate in the life of the game, the better they make it, because the vast majority of mechanics, maps and other content are made with the gaming audience in mind.
And that's all for now. Download, install, try the new “Frontline” mode. Happy fighting!