World of Tanks 3D Vision Game Review

Developer: Wargaming.net LLC
Video Game: World of Tanks
Platform: Microsoft Windows PC
Price: Free to play / Premium account

World of Tanks (WoT) is a free-to-play MMO-action video game by Wargaming.net that is loosely based on World War II-era tanks from the Soviet Union, Germany, USA, China, Britain, France, and Japan. Players can open either a free or premium account, and earn their way up a tiered ladder by competing against other online players in random battles. World of Tanks is developed for the Microsoft Windows PC platform, and is designed to be played using a wide range of computer hardware: from portable laptops with integrated graphics to high-performance desktop computers with discrete graphics. For those simply wanting to grind their way to the top almost any graphics platform will do, but it takes a powerful video card to deliver immersive high-quality graphics and beautifully detailed scenery. For the enthusiast gamer who wants life-like realism, NVIDIA 3D Vision technology adds depth and out-of-screen effects that help take World of Tanks beyond its flat 2D battleground.

This article will discuss strategy and game play tactics, with an emphasis on video quality settings and NVIDIA 3D Vision technology. If you're already an owner of NVIDIA 3D Vision or 3D Vision 2 hardware, then you'll appreciate that we've included 3D screen captures to help illustrate how well World of Tanks looks with the added effects. It's also suggested that you read our NVIDIA 3D-Vision Multimedia Resource Guide to help make the most of this technology and adjust hardware for the best experience. If you're considering the purchase of 3D hardware, we've included some 2D images with 3D counterparts for comparison. This article contains 2D images in JPG file format, and stereoscopic 3D images in JPS file format. All browsers will display JPG images, however 3D-enabled hardware and NVIDIA 3D Vision Photo Viewer or similar software is required to view JPS files.

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WoT Game Dynamics

First and foremost, RTFM! Most players think they're pro because they've done well at some other game, but without proper training in WoT they'll be a complete failure. World of Tanks gives players a comprehensive guide with every game installation, located at C:\Games\World_of_Tanks\World of Tanks Game Manual.pdf. Even better information is available at wiki.worldoftanks.com, with an excellent explanation of tank camouflage/detection located at wiki.worldoftanks.com/Battle_Mechanics, and a healthy supply of tank tactics located at wiki.worldoftanks.com/Tactics. I've seen top-tier tankers make tragic rookie mistakes covered at length in the WoT Wiki, proving that by reading it you'll have a better chance of surviving, earning more credits, and winning. Read the manual and Wiki, I can't recommend them enough, especially since I'm writing this article for people new to the game.

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World of Tanks won't appeal to everyone, because this is a game that requires extreme patience and constant awareness of others. Even though a first-person view is available, WoT is nothing like FPS (first person shooter) games such as Battlefield or Call of Duty. Tanks do not re-spawn, and players must learn that once their tank is destroyed it cannot be played again until the round ends. F2P (free to play) players begin by choosing a nationality and starting tank, while premium players have the option to purchase higher-tier tanks with better armor, cannon, and ammunition. Players use experience points (XP) awarded for performance in battle to 'research' tanks and components, while credits earned from battle pay for the purchase of these items. Ten tiers separate each level of tank, with costs rising as you ascend the ladder. Premium players enjoy the benefit of earning twice the credits per battle, which helps to tame the expensive operating costs for top-tier tanks (T8-T10), while free players must win more often and offset costs by occasionally playing lower-tier tanks (T4-T6) that earn more than they cost to operate.

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Tanks are divided into categories: light (scout/spotting tank), medium tank (offensive support/sustained spotting), heavy (offensive tank), tank destroyer (defensive tank), and SPG (long-range artillery). Generally speaking, lighter tanks will be faster than heavy tanks, which carry powerful cannons and thick armor. Support tanks such as the TD and SPG have powerful weapons but lack mobility and armor. It's wise to master every tank category, so best understand the limits of your team as well as the enemy. Each tank is critically important to the team, so even when the lowest-tier light tank is lost other players suffer. A team that fights together, wins together.

World of Tanks is a free game available to the public, world-wide. This means that your chance of winning is at the mercy of anonymous players who probably lack skill and understanding. This can frustrate hard-working players who make all the right moves, only to watch most of their team throw away victory because of poor tactics. Winning isn't everything, and there will be times that the players on your team have guaranteed you certain failure, so don't expect to upgrade your tank with every battle. In fact, tankers must often 'grind' their way through many battles, sometimes hundreds, before upgrading. This article will help you make the most of your time in the tank.

In the next section, I explain World of Tanks game strategy...

World of Tanks Game Strategy

Unlike most games that allow you to put nearby enemies in your sights and fire on them, World of Tanks uses a camouflage system that hides tanks from view even if they're out in the open or nearby. The inexperienced player, especially those who haven't read manual or wiki, will cry foul and claim an invisible tank is hacking. As your crew gains experience you can train them to deliver better concealment, as well as purchase a camouflage net that improves concealment when stationary. So long as you're stationary and not within 50 meters of an enemy, you'll be hidden until you fire. Camouflage is a huge aspect of WoT, because even skilled tankers won't risk revealing themselves by shooting what they cannot see. Learn to find a good defensible position, remain stationary to promote camouflage, fire at enemy and relocate to evade long-reaching artillery (SPG) fire.

Free Tank Garage Layout

After playing nearly 8,000 matches in World of Tanks, I might possibly be considered an experienced tanker. I've learned that each map has its own natural plan designed into it, with distinctive paths for attack, cover, and concealment. Some maps are built to promote aggressive game play over defensive, or vice versa, so it pays to spend time in non-ranked training matches to learn these key variables before a team depends on your performance. Because you're only given one chance to win, the best way to play World of Tanks is by switching into survival mode and waiting to ambush the enemy as they reveal themselves. This is a challenge few WoT players accept, and you'll often see the majority of tanks rushing out by themselves only to be consumed by a greater number of enemy tanks. The object is to remain operational and work as a team, because even a slow and badly damaged tank can fire the final shot that ends a battle.

In-Game Battle Layout

The World of Tanks match making system is a controversial topic, primarily because uninformed players complain when they see a bigger enemy tank across the board from them. That's not how the match making system works, and it benefits players to understand how battles are generated. According to the WoT wiki, the purpose of the match-making system is to generate battles with teams of equal 'value' from online players waiting in queue. The 'value' assigned is based on average battle performance of a particular vehicle calculated on a multiplier basis of a vehicle's tier and type. The match maker value system does not take into account installed equipment, modules, upgrades, or crew. The match-making system also ensures that both teams have an equal 'value' of SPGs, but not necessarily an equal number (which can be +/- 1 SPG). Each tank has a limited set of battle tiers it can join, so players will only fight tanks available within the designated range.

Match Maker (Top-Tier Battle)

Speed is of the essence, in World of Tanks. A slow-moving tank is an easy target for enemy tanks, especially powerful artillery damage from a SPG. So it's up to the player to determine the best route to travel, as some surfaces yield better traction and speed than others. Additionally, upgraded suspension and engine modules will deliver quicker acceleration (suspension) and faster top speed (engine/driver). Sometimes speed is all it takes for a fast tank to out-maneuver a slower much heavier and more powerful tank, especially if damage is directed towards the less protected rear of the tank.

German E-50 Medium Tank

Heavy tanks depend on medium tanks for flanking support and sustained spotting of nearby enemies, which tank destroyers can snipe from a distance. To the same extent, light tanks with little chance of inflicting damage are intended to be the scouting eyes for heavy-hitting SPG artillery fire. Some novice World of Tanks players forget that SPGs need them to the very end, and rush into the enemy base only to be quickly destroyed. While the light tank receives points for spotting enemy, they also earn extra points for remaining operational throughout the battle. Alternatively, the enemy light tank is a SPG's worst nightmare, because it can pass through friendly tanks and destroy artillery. The mission of the light tank is not one that should not be taken... lightly.

USA M12 Self-Propelled Gun

Self-Propelled Gun's have a unique artillery view they use, similar to the sniper view of other tanks. This gives them an overhead perspective of the entire battlefield, and enables them to see every tank revealed to friendly forces. To some players this sounds like shooting ducks in a pond, but in reality it much more difficult score direct hits with artillery than any other tank. SPGs have terrible gun accuracy, which forces the artillery player to really improve performance by training the crew to their maximum potential. Additionally, the overhead view doesn't show terrain features such as slight inclines/declines, making it difficult to estimate angle of attack. With lots of skill and some luck from WoT's random variable generator, a SPG will survive the initial rush of scouting light tanks and safely deal out massive damage.

SPG Artillery View

World of Tanks rewards winners, and punishes losers. In random battles the winning team receives an added 50% bonus to their experience and credits, while the losing team suffers with fewer rewards. On a more positive note, there's always something worth playing for: daily doubles. Your first victory of each day (in each tank) is rewarded with twice the experience, and occasionally the developers offer a special promotion that gives you even more - sometimes 3x-5x the regular reward. These same promotions occasionally allow you to buy premium account items for less cost than usual.

In the next and final section, I share my own personal collection of deadly sins and saving skills for WoT. For those enthusiasts equipped with NVIDIA 3D Vision or similar 3D gaming hardware, Benchmark Reviews offers 2D and 3D comparison images to help entice you into the World of Tanks...

World of Tanks: 3D and Tactics

Special Notice: This section contains 2D images in JPG file format, and stereoscopic 3D images in JPS file format. All browsers will display JPG images, however 3D-enabled hardware and NVIDIA 3D Vision Photo Viewer or similar software is required to view JPS files.

Earning experience and credits in World of Tanks isn't about kills, it's actually about dealing out damage and claiming victory. You wouldn't know this by playing the game, because the scoreboard only displays the number of tanks destroyed beside your name and not your actual earnings. Don't get caught up in bragging about a kill, because according to the Battle Mechanics section on the WoT wiki site it's worth more to damage an enemy tank for 300 hit points than to destroy a tank with only 100 HP remaining. You earn the most points by inflicting critical crew/module/armor damage to higher-tier tanks, spotting enemy vehicles, and capturing an enemy base (if your tank is inside the circle). Destroying a tank, close combat with the enemy, surviving the battle, and defending the base during capture will also add a small bonus to your experience. Again, and I can't stress this enough, the wiki is a goldmine of helpful information regarding experience and credits.

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Tactics will never be the same, and change depending on each map and which side of the map you start from. The initial deployment is critical, and often overlooked by inexperienced players. One of the most annoying things you'll experience is having teammates who deploy to places on the map that won't intercept the enemy, essentially hiding from the battle and leaving fewer tanks to fight. Another tactic that regularly fails is when most the tanks on your team go in one direction, which leaves those few remaining defenders to be rolled over by greater enemy forces. My point here is simple: displace to where you're needed most. It's a good idea to be near to other tanks, as they lend support and their radios relay positions down the line, but don't get it set in your mind that one spot is prime because World of Tanks is a game where you must relocate often.

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Setting up your controls is critical to performing well in a virtual tank. Some people adapt to the default game settings, but even the best players custom tune the settings in their favor. Although WoT is a very flexible game that can run on even the most under-powered computer, frame rate performance is still very important. Ideally you want to enjoy 30 FPS at a minimum, denoted at the upper left corner of the screen during battle. The graphic quality settings that affect this most are Post Processing, Shadows, Water, Foliage and Flora. If your system runs below 30 FPS it's a good idea to turn off Advanced Post Processing/Post Processing, Shadow Quality/Enhanced Shadows, Water Simulation/Water Quality, and Foliage Quality/Flora Density.

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NVIDIA 3D Vision wasn't originally part of WarGaming's plan when they developed World of Tanks, but it seems to work flawlessly. In fact, NVIDIA gives WoT a 3D Vision rating of 'Good', but after playing many matches in 3D I would consider it closer to great. There are only a few times you'll see out-of-screen effects, namely when you're in the garage or free-looking around the tank, but all of the other 3D effects really bring World of Tanks to life. Playing in 3D can take some getting used-to however, as artillery and sniper mode work fine but zoomed in views make the depth of a target seem very far away compared to the 2D world. Of course, players can toggle 3D on and off with the CTRL+T hotkey.

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Of the many pearls of wisdom I've shared, my most important is to never rush a shot. World of Tanks depends on randomly generated variables to determine the outcome of actions within battle, and the last thing you want is an added factor working against you. Always face your tank towards the target and make patient, focused shots directed at sides and rear of enemy tanks. Armor is thickest in the front, so if you're forced to fire head-on aim carefully to hit for the underbelly. If you're engaged in battle out in open space where SPGs can rain down supporting artillery fire, hit the tank track for critical damage to make that enemy tank into a stationary target.

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Concealment helps a camouflaged tank ambush an approaching enemy, but once that first shot is fired you're exposed in all directions to the opposing team. Cover is your friend, and by using buildings, rocks, the slope of land, or even a destroyed tank to block enemy fire, you're guaranteed to survive much longer into the battle. In the image below you can see that a windowless building allows for peep-hole shots at the enemy, and by using sniper mode from a distance a skilled tanker can effectively fire through the window and hit enemy tanks from a distance. Be forewarned that when using cover your tank must move out beyond protection to take shots, and suffer a delay to focus sights on the target that your enemy won't have to wait for. It's a good idea to move your sights in the general direction of the enemy tank beforehand, and lock sights/turret in place by holding down the right-mouse button.

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World of Tanks utilizes physics mechanics that calculate how effective a round can penetrate armor. Tanks wear thick armor in front, and by facing the enemy there's less chance their attack will penetrate your armor. As in real life, angles matter and even the thickest armor can be penetrated with a direct shot. Ricochet shots are very common in WoT, and while they create a frustration for the attacker they can also become a survival tool for the veteran tanker. Rather than facing directly forward, angle the tank slightly away from the enemy. This will create an increased chance that their attacks will bounce off your armor with little more than a scratch. Alternatively, when in battle against other veteran tankers it's wise to search out the most perpendicular panel of armor to increase your odds of penetration with each shot.

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As I said in the beginning of this article: World of Tanks isn't a game for everyone. It's free to play (register at worldoftanks.com), but since premium tanks and players enjoy much larger rewards it makes sense to invest as your reach beyond tier 7 tanks. Patient players will enjoy the intricate challenges required to master each tank, while impatient players will be easily frustrated and regret they've downloaded the game. Teamwork is critical in WoT, and no amount of individual skill will compensate for the lack of coordinated comrades. If you're a run-and-gun style player then every round in World of Tanks will end in frustration, so I urge you to either change your strategy or reconsider your expectations. If you're comfortable with patiently waiting out the enemy and making strategic decisions, World of Tanks is a game that will reward your efforts.

Benchmark Reviews invites you to leave constructive feedback below, or ask questions in our Discussion Forum.

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