World of Tanks News

Greetings, Commanders!
Today, we'll explain how to tailor the graphics settings to your PC and use auto-detect to enjoy the striking beauty of tank combat to the fullest.
Brace yourselves—we’re going very deep here and there’s a lot of technical information to digest (but it's worth it!).

Run an Auto-Detect Test
The test runs in two situations: when you run the game for the first time, and when you click “Recommend” in the graphics settings. It assesses the game’s performance on your system through revised algorithms for the processor, graphics card, quantity of graphics and system memory, and other system performance tests. After running all these tests, the system defines the golden medium in terms of FPS and the quality of visuals for your rig: Medium, High, Maximum or Ultra.

How Does It Work?
The auto-detect system attempts to find the best graphical settings mixed with the most stable framerate. Note that you can see slight changes in FPS after auto-detecting, since providing you the best possible picture is its primary goal. Basically, it can suggest an option that will result in FPS changes, but only if they aren’t critical to the game performance.
If you are not satisfied with the framerate after running auto-detect, you can choose less demanding performance settings, which can increase the overall performance by 30–40% (e.g., choose Medium if you were offered High). Still want to make some tweaks? Then start by choosing the preset option it offers and work from there to adjust the settings to your liking.

Adjusting Graphics Manually

Choose the Render
When deciding to adjust the graphics settings manually, you will first be given the option to adjust the render—choosing between Standard and Improved graphics. The only difference is that Improved supports the full spectrum of new technologies and effects, while Standard lacks some.
If the auto-detect system suggested Improved Graphics and your PC runs the game adequately, we highly recommend using it. If the performance doesn’t fit your needs, you can customize the settings manually in Advanced Graphics Settings, but we don’t advise switching to Standard Graphics in order to get a smoother experience.

Tweak Advanced Settings
Some graphics settings are more important than others. Reducing the right settings may get you comfortable FPS without severely reducing the image quality. You should start with special effects—antialiasing, texture and object quality, draw distance, lighting and post-processing. These are taxing on the system, so toning them down can boost the frame rate.

PCs come in all shapes and sizes, and the exact same tweaks might have different effects on different PC setups.

Take a look at the graphics settings below for a detailed explanation of each option and how it contributes to the game’s appearance. To make it easier for you to choose which to disable, the graphics options are grouped starting from the most demanding in terms of FPS.

Antialiasing
Antialiasing smooths out rough, pixelated or jagged edges in graphics, using different technologies for Standard and Improved Graphics.
With Standard Graphics, anti-aliasing is optional and isn’t tied to any of the preset options.
With Improved Graphics, anti-aliasing is necessary to give the best picture and is tied to the preset options.


Texture Quality
The quality of textures affects the resolution and type of filtering used. The higher the level of detail, the better. However, please note that this will be more demanding on your rig.

Object Quality
Adjusting the Object Quality (Object LOD) setting determines the distance at which an object becomes highly (or less) detailed, depending on the direction of movement. The higher the setting, the greater the distance from the player the transition takes place. This also has an effect on the visual fidelity of tank tracks.


Draw Distance
Affecting the distance at which objects are displayed, this setting only concerns objects not vital to gameplay. For example, the monastery will be a consistent feature on Abbey for all settings, but the fences around the fields will not.
Why is it important to get the optimal draw distance for your rig? Well, on certain maps, with a lower draw distance, your target might be obstructed without you noticing until you fire.

Lighting and Post-Processing

Motion blur and post-processing are cinematic effects like Vignette, Chromatic Aberration, Distortion and Film Grain. They supplement the overall impression of the graphics.
The lighting quality is extremely important for the overall perception of the picture, as it interacts with all other graphical elements. Depending on the quality, the complexity of lighting calculations varies. It is tied to technologies including Screen Space Reflection, Global Illumination, God Rays, Lens Flare, HBAO, wetting effect and puddles.

Terrain and Water Quality

Regarding water, the performance needs vary from map to map. Maps that revolve around the sea (Fjords, Fisherman’s Bay and Glacier) consume slightly more resources than others.
The terrain has also been completely redesigned—terrain quality has been increased and tessellation support has been added. Tessellation has been designed specifically for Improved Graphics and only works on graphics cards that fully support DirectX 11 (this technology is not available on Standard Graphics because the terrain is simplified to improve performance).

Small pebbles, traces from tanks, and funnels from shots all acquire a geometric form with the addition of geometric details to the terrain. This is just a graphical improvement and doesn’t affect the behavior of the tank.

You can switch off tessellation to increase performance when in sniper mode, as well as to ensure tessellation doesn’t interfere with targeting opponents.


Vegetation Quality
This setting affects the detail of the vegetation, the amount of grass and the transparency of the grass when in sniper mode. The level of detail of vegetation, apart from the obvious, affects the complexity of calculating the wind in the trees, therefore the higher the quality, the more complex this will be. You can lower these settings to crank out more frames per second.
The camouflage mechanics work the same regardless of what settings you choose.

Effects

Within the Effects settings, you can set the desired quality of explosions, fire, smoke, and other similar events. This can be very important when in battle, as these effects can give hints about which tanks just fired (clue: there will be clouds of smoke nearby). Consider the game benefits of effects when adjusting their quality.
Improved destruction physics, thanks to Havok Destruction, means that when objects are destroyed, fragments remain. This feature only works with Improved Graphics and is calculated on separate threads. With it disabled, there will be no detailed destruction. Consider disabling this feature if your processor is a weak feature of your setup.

Find the best settings for your rig and enjoy World of tanks to the max!

Greetings, Commanders!

A motionless vehicle is an easy target, so keep moving! To control your vehicle, use the mouse and keyboard.

Hull Controls

To move your vehicle, usethe W, A, S, D keys. You can also move your vehicle using Cruise Control: R – Move Forward, F – Move Backward.

Press either of the Cruise Control keys once to put your vehicle in the lowest speed, twice for medium speed, and three times for maximum speed.

Space – Uses the handbrake to bring your vehicle to a sudden stop. This can be especially useful when you need to come to a halt to fire with greater accuracy.



Gun Controls

To position your gun, use your mouse. Move it left or right to adjust the gun horizontally. Move the mouse up or down to elevate or depress the gun. Left click to fire at the target.

Most vehicles have their gun mounted on the turret, which allows it to rotate 360 degrees and aim in any direction without the need to move the vehicle's hull.

However, this doesn't apply to the majority of Self-Propelled Guns (SPGs) and Tank Destroyers, which are often turretless. In Arcade mode, your vehicle will automatically traverse after the reticle as you move it. In Sniper mode, the hull will remain locked by default.



Reticle

Each accurate shot gets you closer to victory. That's why it is extremely important to master the art of aiming and shooting.

• The reticle is always displayed in the center of the screen and follows the movement of the camera. The reticle indicates only the direction you are looking, not the direction the gun is pointing. Also, the visual style of the reticle can be changed in the game settings, so don’t hesitate to choose the one most suitable for you.
  
• The central point of the reticle is called the Central Marker.
  
• On the top of reticle, you can see the distance to the target in meters.
  
• On the right, there is the Conditional Indicator showing your vehicle’s current HP.
  
• Displayed at the bottom is the number of remaining shells of the chosen type, and the number of shells in the magazine if you are driving vehicle with that type of gun.
  
• On left side, there is gun loading indicator with a loading timer.
  

Aiming Circle

The aiming circle indicates the gun’s current position and follows the reticle with a delay, since the gun cannot move instantaneously.

In the center of the aiming circle is the Gun Marker. For a shot in the desired direction, it must completely coincide with the reticle’s Central Marker.

Traversing your turret and hull reduces your firing accuracy, so wait for the aiming circle to shrink. After moving your vehicle or turning your turret, come to stop and wait for the aiming circle to snap onto the target.



Aiming Modes

Arcade Mode

Arcade mode is the default aiming mode in World of Tanks. With the camera positioned behind your vehicle, you can observe yourself, other players, and the situation on the battlefield. This mode is best suited to battles at short and medium ranges. Press and hold the right mouse button to look around without moving your gun.



Sniper Mode

Sniper mode is available for all types of vehicles except SPGs, and lets you play the game from the first-person perspective. It's essential for long-range shooting and taking precise aim at modules.

When playing in Sniper mode, you'll see the Zoom Indicator to the right of the reticle. It tells you how much the image is currently enlarged. By default, the highest zoom level is x8. You can increase the zoom level up to x25 in the game settings.

Avoid using Sniper mode all the time. It can be very useful when focusing on a single target, but it impairs your ability to maintain overall battle awareness.

Use the mouse wheel or Shift key to switch to Sniper mode.



Auto-Aim

With Auto-Aim (right mouse button on an enemy), your reticle becomes fixed on the center of the enemy vehicle, and the gun automatically follows it. This mode comes in handy when you are firing on the move. Auto-Aim is deactivated when the target moves out of sight.

Artillery Mode

Artillery mode (Shift) is available to SPGs only and allows you to see the map from above and make long-range shots.



The line going to the center of the reticle is the approximate firing trajectory. It's sensitive to the landscape and is color-coded:

• green — your shell will reach its target
  
• red — there's an obstacle on the way, usually a hill or building
  
• grey — the target is out of range.
  

There is also an alternative version of Artillery mode called Trajectory View (G). It's in some ways similar to Sniper mode and can help you more clearly estimate the trajectory of your shell for improved accuracy.



Aiming and Shooting

By default, your enemies are marked red in the game, while your allies are marked green. When you aim at another vehicle, it's highlighted with the corresponding color. Shoot only at your enemies to lead your team to victory!

Shooting

Now that you know how to move the gun and how the reticle works, you are ready to go into battle!

1. To fire at an enemy vehicle, take aim.
   
2. Wait until the aiming circle fully aligns with the reticle. The Gun Marker should match the Central Marker.
   
3. Wait for the aiming circle to shrink onto the target.
   
4. Left click to fire at the target.
   
5. Wait for the gun to reload and the aiming circle to shrink before firing again.
   

Master your skills in vehicle control and good luck on battlefield!

World of Tanks is coming soon to Steam! New players can team up with their friends and immerse themselves in exhilarating PvP tank battles on their favorite platform.

World of Tanks has lots to offer players. With 160 million registered players worldwide, the game is available and supported in 35 languages across four regions: Europe, North America, Asia, and CIS. Over 600 vehicles of five different types across 11 nations available in the game. Every vehicle has been authentically recreated using historical blueprints and museum pieces and the breadth of machines available to players can satisfy any playstyle. Plenty of game modes, an active player community, dynamic meta, and a thrilling clan experience keeps players engaged and entertained. New content is added regularly with updates that bring new vehicles, mechanics, and game modes. In-game events like tank races, football matches, and even rock concerts keep things exciting.

When World of Tanks launches on Steam, players will receive access to all its content. After creating a new account and completing a short tutorial, you'll be able to fight with millions of tankers. Choose your region the first time you log in to play against players in your area; you can change your region later, but doing so will reset your progress. Playing World of Tanks on Steam doesn’t limit what you can do – you’ll still be able to interact with players from other PC platforms without any limitations, including adding them to your friends list, battling together in a platoon, or joining a clan.

Existing World of Tanks players won’t be able to use their pre-existing accounts on Steam; if you start playing on Steam, a new account will be created for you.

We’ve got more information to share in the near future. For now, if you want to learn more, read our FAQ or visit our official site. See you on the battlefield!