Version 9.14: Improved Vehicle Movement Physics

On 10 March, update 9.14 was released for World of Tanks. Besides the Improved Sounds and other changes that are intended to improve the gameplay experience, players are now also able to check out the alterations to how the vehicles move, as with the release of this patch, the vehicle movement physics has been improved. In this article you will be able to see the process of the development, adjustment and testing of the feature.

From Tests to the Release

One of the most important concerns when working to improve the vehicle movement physics, was the need to strike a balance between realism and fun, in the established gameplay, Excessive realism in how the combat vehicles moved could have a negative impact on the dynamics of the battles, as players would have to fight not only the enemies, but also overcome difficulties with managing their own tank. As per the results of the tests, that which took place during 2015, we have received a lot of feedback from players and analysed and adjusted the physics settings.

Thanks to the great amount of work done by both the developers and our players, a compromise between realism and playability was found. Where possible, we have minimised the changes to the usual behaviour of tanks and added new battle manoeuvres. Also, some older flaws in the mechanics of the movement of the vehicles has been fixed - reduced speed when driving through small obstacles (rails, etc…), the complete loss of speed and getting stuck when traversing slopes etc...

New Opportunities

By locking one of the tracks (space bar), while driving full speed, and pressing a directional button, you can sharply change direction. This manoeuvre is perfect for escaping from enemy fire.

Now, when colliding with an object or another vehicle, a tank can flip under certain conditions (mass difference, map terrain and so on). Consequently, ramming an enemy vehicle can lead to it getting flipped over and subsequently destroyed.

Thanks to the improved movement physics, vehicles now lose much less speed when going through small obstacles.

The work on improving the vehicle physics is not over yet, and currently players’ feedback about the implemented changes is being collected.

Share your experience and suggestions on the forum. Your feedback will help us to make the game even better!