Changes to Armour Values for HD Models in Update 9.12

In the 9.12 update in World of Tanks you’ll be able to find 28 new HD models of vehicles. These are 27 vehicles remade in HD quality that already gained their reputation on the battlefields, and a replacement for the Tier X British medium tank - the Centurion Action X.

Why does armour change when we rework tanks in HD?

Reworking existing vehicles in HD brings the game closer to real-life and adds to the atmosphere of smoke, fire and steel that armoured vehicles convey in World of Tanks. In addition to the external, aesthetic changes, reworking existing vehicles to HD also allows us to revisit and change a vehicle's armour values. This decision was taken for a number of reasons:

• We have now obtained more accurate historical data (e.g. updated information on schematic drawings or existing vehicles etc.).
• Changes in the geometric accuracy of individual hull/turret elements after re-modelling will naturally create new angles and alter where a tank can be penetrated.

Vehicle models in World of Tanks come in two forms: visual and collision.

Basically, the visual model is what we see on the screen during the battle or in the Garage, i.e., a graphical image of the hull, suspension, and turret with the gun. The collision model is used for server calculations, it contains full information about vehicle armour, the arrangement of modules (internal and external) and the positions of crew members within the tank.

Reworking a vehicle to HD not only changes the visual model but demands a revision of the collision model so that it is consistent with the new geometry of the tank as well.

Out of 27 combat vehicles remade to HD quality in version 9.12, the most noticeable changes occurred for the following 3 tanks:

T34 – increased standard value of hull and turret armour. The collision-model of tracks have been added to the frontal armour – this change will add 20mm to the effective armour thickness. The commander’s hatch has become smaller.

IS-8 – with the 9.12 update, the vehicle has been renamed the T-10. The standard value of its frontal armour was changed and the protection on the sides was improved.

KV-220 – with the 9.12 update, the vehicle has been renamed the KV-220-2. Its armour was improved on the lower frontal plate and the standard armour values of the upper frontal plate changed as well.

Your favourite tanks are far more than a pretty face, tankers.