It's been almost a month since World of Tanks HEAT launched, and Artyom, our Game Director, sat down on camera to talk through what's happened since launch, your feedback on the game, and what you can expect next. This article summarizes and expands on what he covers in the video.
A look back at launch
The launch wasn't the experience we wanted to give you, and we know it wasn't the one you deserved. The biggest problem was stability: a lot of players hit crashes in the first hours and days, and that disrupted your game at a moment when you were just getting started.
We found the cause and moved quickly. A hotfix went out the day after launch, on 27 May, and Update 1.0.3 on 9 June took a wider pass at the underlying stability issues. Most of the crashes are gone. Some smaller bugs are still in the queue, and we're working through them, but the critical stuff is fixed.
We want to be straight with you: moving fast after something goes wrong is the least we owe you, not something to celebrate. What we can say is that we did move, and the reports and feedback you sent in from day one are a large part of why.
You asked, we listened
Most of the feedback you sent wasn't asking for big new systems. It was about the everyday friction that gets in the way of actually enjoying the game. We read it carefully, and we've built three changes directly in response. All three are coming in a patch planned for mid-July.
Test drive any tank
Right now, you can only try vehicles you already own on the firing range. That's changing: soon you'll be able to take any vehicle in the game for a test drive before you spend your Credits. You get to feel how it handles, learn what it does, and decide whether it's right for your playstyle before you commit. It also means you'll be more prepared before you bring a new tank into battle for the first time.
A Credits boost for everyone
All players are getting a boost to their Credits, enough to close most of the distance to their first new tank.
A switch for Ultimate cinematics
One of the most consistent things we heard was that losing control of your tank during an Ultimate cutscene is frustrating, especially in the middle of a fight. You were right, and we've done something about it.
In this upcoming patch, you'll find a toggle in the settings. With it on, the cinematic plays as it was designed. With it off, the camera cut is skipped entirely and you stay in command of your tank throughout the sequence. Skill timing and mechanics are the same either way: this is purely a camera change, not a balance one.
To give you a clear picture of what the toggle actually does, here are two examples, because not every Agent's Ultimate works the same way.The new toggle in Settings → GameplayChopper: full skip
For Chopper, it's a straightforward case: when you switch the cinematic off, the entire camera sequence is removed.Hound: partial skip
Hound's Ultimate works differently. Because Hound fires a player-controlled air-launched missile, the missile launch and your control of it are preserved when you skip. What gets removed is only the kill cinematic at the end (if we cut the whole sequence, the skill wouldn't function).
Those two examples sit at opposite ends of the range, and the full patch notes will show where each Agent lands.
You're in control: you can switch Ultimate cinematics on or off in the settings, whenever you like.
What's next
Before that update lands, Season 1 arrives.
Season 1 brings a new Agent, a new map, and two tanks: one brand new, and the other the Leo2FK, which some of you will recognize from Alpha. It's the first of the Alpha vehicles to come back, and it won't be the last.
Season 1 begins very soon.
This is just the first step
The changes coming in mid-July are a direct result of what you reported and what you asked for, whether you're playing on keyboard or controller, whatever platform you're on. Every report in the Discord or to our support team helps us understand what needs work and what to build next. Keep that feedback coming.
The new toggle in Settings → Gameplay
Chopper: full skip
Hound: partial skip
