Armored Warfare News

Commanders!

July 14 is celebrated in France as the National Celebration (La fête nationale), but it is more commonly known in the English-speaking countries as the Bastille Day. The name signifies one of the most important episodes of the French Revolution, the storming of the Bastille prison-fortress on the 14th of July 1789. The fortress was considered a symbol of royal power and its fall was a significant blow to the authority of the king.



To celebrate the holiday, we’ve prepared a bonus for you, available from July 9 to July 16, 2020:

• 20% bonus to Credit income from all battles

Additionally, a Bastille Day gift is also available for a week at MY.GAMES Market. It contains:

• French Scorpion camouflage (read more)
• Scorpion player avatar
• 3 days of Premium Time

 


We hope you will enjoy these gifts and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

On the 9th of July 2020, starting from 8:00 CEST (8th of July, 11 PM PDT), the server will not be available for 5 hours due to the application of Update 0.32.7131



[h2]List of Update 0.32.7131 Changes[/h2]
 

• Optimized in-game map terrain performance for lowest to medium graphics settings
• Fixed an additional issue that caused performance loss whenever a vehicle was destroyed (also known as the “exploding vehicles make my FPS go down” problem)
• Fixed an issue with generator smoke deployment, which was responsible for some weird cases of getting spotted and instantly unspotted when using this feature
• Fixed an issue with the appearance of the “ghost shell” effect caused by different client and server hit results (such shells will now appear as hitting ground instead of outright disappearing)
• Fixed an issue where hitting destroyed ERA modules produced no visual effect
• Added an additional asset connected to the Bastille Day celebrations

Commanders!

One thing that doesn’t make us happy to admit is that some Armored Warfare visual vehicle models are not on par with the standards we’ve set for ourselves in the recent years. The new Spirithaven models are, for example, of excellent quality and accuracy, but the same cannot be said for the older models and none of them exemplify this issue better than the T-72B model.



That is why we are working on a number of model improvements and overhauls for Update 0.33, which we will tell you more about in the future. Let’s start with the T-72B model.

The T-72B Tier 6 Main Battle Tank was the second (and last) major upgrade to the T-72 series, introduced in 1984. The most obvious visual difference is the addition of the Kontakt Explosive Reactive Armor kit, significantly enhancing the tank’s protection against RPGs and other HEAT-based threats. The basic armor was also enhanced (making the turret cheeks even more prominent). The firepower was improved by a new FCS and the ability to fire gun-launched Svir missiles. The T-72B was also exported under the designation of T-72S, but not as much as the T-72A and it is currently still in Russian service. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



The main problem with the current T-72B model is that, simply put, it isn’t a T-72B model at all. It’s a T-72A model fitted with Kontakt-1 ERA – this variant does exist in real life, but is correctly called T-72AV. Our goal is to bring the appearance of the model to a real life T-72B from 1988. This was the last model year with the Kontakt-1 ERA. Starting from 1989, the tank received a new Kontakt-5 ERA kit instead and it is not our intention to improve its protection that much since the tank is performing well enough as it is. Instead, we’d like for it to look the part. Here’s what we did to that end.



After reviewing the old T-72A model cosplaying as T-72B, we decided to throw it out and basically model the tank from scratch using publically available references in the form of a 130 page long document, painstakingly describing every detail of the vehicle. This document went to the modelers, who started their work.



The first obvious change is the turret of the vehicle. The basic geometry of the turret is very different with the frontal part being more pronounced. Normally, the Soviet tank turrets are associated with the round shape of a pan, but the T-72B turret is much wider in the front, resulting in very prominent and visible “cheeks.” In real life, this was done to accommodate improved internal armor layout (layers of steel and resin with gaps between them).



The turret elements were obviously changed too, as you can see. The set of optics was overhauled to match that of the T-72B, as was the ERA layout. Please note that regarding the turret (or any other actually) ERA layout, we were working with published official documents so the setup is “the way it was intended by the designers of the T-72B MBT” or, in short, the “factory setting.” In real life, the layout can often be seen with some ERA elements missing (most notably those above the gun mantlet or covering the lower turret parts) or placed elsewhere.



As you can see, we’ve also adjusted the ERA element angles and added a number of smaller details like the correctly sized boxes and other smaller parts. The turret also has a 12.7mm NSV anti-aircraft machinegun and only one smoke grenade launcher.



The hull was, of course, also completely overhauled. The upper frontal plate has a somewhat different ERA layout and a new driver hatch model. Note how the ERA now also covers a portion of the lower frontal plate – that’s also new. The sides of the hull were changed in the sense that they aren’t completely covered by the tank’s rubber skirts but, rather, have several blocks of ERA on them, protecting the central part of the hull. On the left side, the exhaust model was changed and the engine deck is now also accurate.



The roadwheels were significantly improved (to a historically appropriate model) and now have more polygons. They also finally have the correct torsion bar offset as well as a new set of tracks.



And that’s still not all. The model will have its own set of animations:

• The IR projector is now, like in real life, connected to the gun and moves along with it
• Shells are ejected from the turret whenever the gun is fired

And, finally, we’ve split the ERA elements into more groups than before (from 10 to 25 on the hull and from 8 to 15 on the turret). What this means for the gameplay of this vehicle is that smaller portions of ERA will get destroyed with each hit, making the entire ERA set last longer.



All in all, the visual quality of the new model grew significantly but there’s one more aspect to the whole overhaul. The overhauled parts (for example the gun) can be used for other tanks that use them. This way, we’ll be able to improve the appearance of other vehicles while using already developed assets.

We hope that you will enjoy the new model. But until the next article:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

This week, we’re celebrating the U.S. Independence Day (don’t forget to pick up your gift!), so it’s only fitting that we offer you some excellent American items, including:

• Warhammer skin for the M1A2 Tier 8 Main Battle Tank
• Abrams AGDS Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer
• M1134 Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer
• M1A1 Storm Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank
• MERDC camouflages
• Battle Coins on discount

Between July 2 and July 9, 2020, the following items will be available:


[h2]Warhammer Skin for M1A2[/h2]


This skin for the M1A2 Tier 8 progression Main Battle Tank is based on the real American Abrams tanks, which were seen and photographed during the Iraq War. Based on your feedback, we re-focused our effort to bring you real-looking machines and the Warhammer is but the first of several that await you this year. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.



This skin is available in a bundle along with the following items:

• Iraq War ochre base paint (used by the U.S. Army)
• U.S. Cavalry decal
• U.S. Company decal
• Thunderbolt decal (this historical decal appeared on a real early Abrams in honor of General Creighton Abrams’ personal Sherman tank during the Second World War)

Please note that the bundle includes the skin but not the M1A2 MBT itself. This tank needs to be obtained via progression directly in the game, but rest assured that with the improvements to the Abrams line in general planned for Update 0.33, it will be totally worth it.






[h2]MERDC Camouflages[/h2]


The MERDC camouflages are based on the patterns from the 1970s, when the U.S. Mobility Equipment Research & Design Command (MERDC) developed a system for camouflaging armored vehicles. You can read more about these patterns in our dedicated article.



There are seven patterns available:

• Grey Desert
• Red Desert
• Snow Temperate, Open Terrain
• Snow Temperate, Trees
• Europe Summer
• Europe Winter
• Tropics

All seven are available in a discounted bundle. Each of these camouflages can be installed on any vehicle that has the camouflage customization feature available. These camouflages can be used in all three environments.






[h2]Abrams AGDS[/h2]


The Abrams AGDS (Armored Ground Defense System) was a vehicle concept and proposal, drafted in July 1996 by Dr. Asher H. Sharoni (a former colonel in the Israeli Defense Forces) and Lawrence D. Bacon from a Californian company called Western Design Howden. It was supposed to be an air-defense vehicle, protecting the Abrams formations against flying threats, although its weaponry can be deployed against ground targets as well. The United States were, at the time, sorely lacking a vehicle comparable to the Russian Shilka and one of the ideas was to use the Abrams chassis paired with a new turret to produce an armored AA gun that would be able to keep up with the American tank units. This plan was never realized and the vehicle stayed only on paper but you can play the Abrams AGDS in Armored Warfare and experience what it would have been like, had it ever been deployed.



In Armored Warfare, the Abrams AGDS is a very unique Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer. What makes it so special are its two large guided missile launchers capable of firing an incredibly devastating volley within seconds. The AGDS can devastate practically every opponent on the battlefield with a single salvo, making it one of the best and most effective mid-to-long range vehicles in the game. At close ranges, it can rely on excellent frontal turret protection and its two 35mm autocannons to keep enemies at bay until the missile launcher reloads to unleash another deadly swarm of missiles. The Abrams AGDS is one of the most feared vehicles in Armored Warfare!






[h2]M1A1 Storm[/h2]


In 1985, the Abrams was upgraded with, amongst other things, the 120mm M256 smoothbore cannon. Over 5000 M1A1 tanks were produced until 1992. This tank participated in Operation Desert Storm, which forged its legendary reputation.



In Armored Warfare, the M1A1 Storm is a Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank. The M1A1 Storm look was inspired by Operation Desert Storm, including a gorgeous camouflage net model. But, more importantly, this tank is equipped with a massive frontal dozer blade, adding extra armor and ramming damage to the long list of its advantages.






[h2]M1134[/h2]


The M1134 is an advanced missile Tank Destroyer based on the Stryker chassis, used in the U.S. Army Stryker Brigade Combat Teams to enhance the unit’s firepower against enemy armor. While only lightly protected, its main strength light in the advanced model of the BGM-71 TOW missile launcher, allowing it to knock out practically every armored target it encounters on the battlefield.



In Armored Warfare, the M1134 is a Tier 8 Tank Destroyer. Its main and only weapon is the dual-shot missile launcher. As such, the vehicle is mostly defenseless at close ranges, but can take out any enemy it encounters at long distances thanks to its powerful guided missiles. Mastering it requires patient gameplay and clever use of cover, making it more suitable for experienced players.






[h2]Enigma’s Legacy Battle Coins[/h2]


This week, we are offering you an opportunity to boost your Enigma’s Legacy Battle Path progress and get that main prize you know you want – the Type 10 Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank!



The following Battle Coin bundles are available:

• 1.000 Battle Coins (10% off)
• 5.000 Battle Coins (15% off)
• 10.000 Battle Coins (25% off)
• 25.000 Battle Coins (35% off)
• 50.000 Battle Coins (45% off)

Battle Coins can be used for a number of things, including:

• Force-completing Battle Path missions
• Progressing through Battle Path levels
• Purchasing the Enigma’s Legacy Loot Crates with Hunter AFV (when they become available later in July)

We hope that you will enjoy the offer and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Commanders!

As every year, the first week of July, Armored Warfare is celebrating the United States of America Independence Day. On the 4th of July 1776, following the end of the American Revolutionary War, the thirteen American colonies ratified the Declaration of Independence.



However, this year, the celebrations are of even greater importance because the American symbols, the freedom of the American people and the very foundation of the western world are under attack by subversive groups, seeking to tear down the liberties our ancestors paid in blood in the name of failed ideologies. Let us therefore celebrate this American holiday together because in the end, all lives matter the same and we have to stick together.

For the celebrations, we’ve prepared the following bonuses for you:

• July 2 to July 9: 50% bonus to Crew XP income from all battles
• July 3 to July 5: 20% bonus to Credit income from all battles

Additionally, we’ve prepared a special Independence Day gift for you, obtainable for a week at MY.GAMES Market. It contains:

• American TALON camouflage (read more)
• U.S. Cavalryman player avatar
• 3 days of Premium Time

 


We hope you will enjoy these gifts and that we’ll see each other again next year, hopefully under better circumstances. But, for now, hang in there and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!