Mar 12, 2021

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

Once again, we collected your questions and passed them directly to the team.

Here are the responses directly from the developers of Armored Warfare:

The T-72 Ural MBT is for some reason on the same Tier as its real-life successor, the T-72A, despite having inferior characteristics both in real life and in the game. Are you planning to address that?

Yes, in the future – we already overhauled the higher Tiers and are currently planning an overhaul of the lower ones. As for details, we don’t have anything to share yet.

Commander Ophelia Kitescu can deploy a shield when you die and this shield can withstand even a hit from a 152mm shell despite being nominally weaker. Is that intended?

Yes. The shield collapses when its hitpoints run out, or when it expires after a few seconds. If a single shot deals more damage than the shield can withstand, all the excessive damage is canceled and the tank is left alive with one hitpoint. If you want to make sure your shell does not get “eaten” by the shield, please wait a couple of seconds for it to expire.

Will you remove Ophelia Kitescu from the game?

No.

Is there a difference spotting-wise between vehicles with panoramic sights and those that don’t have them?

No. All behave the same.

By how much does RST-V Shadow reduce enemy viewrange with its special ability?

By 10 percent. We’ll add it to its tooltip.

You are introducing more Special Operations maps to the game. When will we get a new standard PvE mission?

The second half of this year.

That’s it for today, commanders. Do you have any questions for the developers? Don’t hesitate to leave them on Discord and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Mar 11, 2021

Offer: Asian Week

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:

ZTQ-15 Tier 9 Premium Light Tank (and the Serenity skin for it available separately)
Type 89 Tier 7 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle
QN-506 Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer
Type 96B Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank
Iron Crate (this time with ZTQ-15)

Between March 11 and March 18, 2021, the following items will be available:

ZTQ-15

The ZTQ-15 is the current most modern domestic Chinese Light Tank and is reserved for the Chinese military only with its export counterpart, VT-5, offered for export. The ZTQ-15 Light Tank is intended to be used in mountainous regions of China where standard MBTs are all but impossible to operate. You can learn more about it in our dedicated article.

In Armored Warfare, the ZTQ-15 is a Tier 9 Premium Light Tank. It combines excellent mobility with plenty of firepower as well as adequate protection for its Tier and vehicle class. It also features several neat elements that increase its value on the battlefield, such as its active suspension and the ability to launch guided missiles from its gun or its advanced ERA. For players who prefer fast-paced, high-risk and high-reward combat style, it’s one of the best options out there.

This vehicle is available via Loot Crates, which drop ZTQ-15 parts. Collect 100 ZTQ-15 parts from these Loot Crates to assemble the whole vehicle. This vehicle is also available directly at MY.GAMES Market.

Additionally, we are separately offering the Serenity skin for this vehicle in a bundle, which includes:

Serenity skin for the ZTQ-15 LT
14 days of Premium Time
3.000 Gold

Type 89

The Type 89 Infantry Fighting Vehicle is the current Japanese service IFV. It was built in very small numbers between 1989 and 2004. The low-production meant that, with the development costs sunk into it, each unit was incredibly expensive. In fact, to date, the Type 89 is the most expensive IFV in the world. Otherwise it’s generally unremarkable – last generation steel armor, a 35mm autocannon and massive guided missiles (that were also meant for landing ship destruction instead of just anti-tank combat) are generally being all phased out by now. The Type 89 is, however, still waiting for its replacement. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

In Armored Warfare, the Type 89 is a Tier 7 Premium Armored Fighting Vehicle that is capable of not only deploying Mechanized Infantry, but also to destroy its targets at long distances using its powerful guided missiles. It is also fast and maneuverable, but does not feature thick armor.

QN-506

The QN-506 fire support vehicle is a Chinese attempt to design a cheap, export-oriented alternative to the Russian BMPT series. Instead of converting a second or third generation MBT, the engineers at Wuhan Guide Infrared Co., Ltd., likely to keep the vehicle as affordable as possible, opted to base their project on the Type 59 MBT, which is, in its basic form anyway, a copy of the old Soviet T-55 medium tank from the late 1950s. They jam-packed it with cutting edge electronics and a number of weapon systems, including ATGMs, an automatic cannon or smaller caliber rockets. However, despite the use of an unmanned turret, the protection levels of this vehicle are still quite low and, so far, there haven’t been any signs of interest in the QN-506. You can learn more about this vehicle in our dedicated article.

In Armored Warfare, the QN-506 is a Premium Tier 9 Tank Destroyer that gameplay-wise resembles the popular BMPT series. However, unlike the Russian Terminators, it has a number of interesting features including tree different weapon systems (30mm cannon, 70mm unguided rockets and 151mm ATGMs) and loitering recon ammunition flying towards the end of a map and spotting everything in its path. The last ability is unique to the QN-506 and makes it one of the most potent support vehicles on the battlefield.

Type 96B

The Type 96B MBT, as its name suggests, is an evolution of the Type 96A, featuring such elements as an upgraded fire control system and a much more powerful engine, resulting in considerably better mobility and speed. Unlike the Type 96A, however, the Type 96B is a prototype, designed for the Chinese military team to use during the annual Tank Biathlon event in Russia. In 2017, the Chinese team won the second place, being defeated only by Russia. You can learn more about its history in our dedicated article!

In Armored Warfare, the Type 96B is a Tier 8 Premium Main Battle Tank. Gameplay-wise, it’s very agile and fast for its class and uses advanced ammunition, making it highly suitable for players who prefer mobility over armor protection, even though it can take a lot of punishment as well.

Iron Crate

We’ve prepared for you an additional offer this week. Between March 11 and March 18, 2021, the Iron Crate will be available on MY.GAMES Market with 50% discount!

The mechanics are very simple. This crate allows you to win one of the vehicles listed in its description (or its value in Gold if you have it already). The crate contains some very rare vehicles.

For a full list, please visit the MY.GAMES Market Iron Crate page.

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

See you on the battlefield!

Mar 10, 2021

Desert Storm Raid: ERC-90 F4 Daguet

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

As you already know, we are working on a new, historical (Desert Storm-themed) Raid event that will take place in mid-April. We have also already unveiled its first prize – the Desert Storm skin for Challenger 1 – as well as the T-72M1 Premium MBT that will be available during this event.

Today, we’d like to tell you more about the second prize of this event – a Desert Storm skin for the ERC-90 F4 Tier 5 Tank Destroyer, called Daguet.

Operation Daguet (named after the word for a young buck of a particular deer species) was the French contribution to Operation Desert Storm. Commanded by General Michel Roquejeoffre, the French forces, generally referred to as Division Daguet, participated in the ground operations with the heaviest fighting taking place on February 24 and February 25, 1991. The French units consisted of various elements from multiple units, including:

6th Light Armored Division (armed with VAB APCs)
4th Dragoon Regiment (armed with AMX-30B2 tanks)
French Foreign Legion (including armor such as the AMX 10 RC fire support vehicle)
9th Marine Infantry Division (light artillery units)
11th Paratrooper Division (armed with ERC 90 F4 Sagaie)
4th Airmobile Division (Gazelle and Puma helicopters)

And several others. The units advanced on the left flank of the assault encountered the Iraqi 45th Infantry Division and routed it, taking some 2500 prisoners in the process while taking very light casualties. This was the only serious French engagement of the war with the rest of the operation being spent on mopping up limited resistance and peacekeeping.

The ERC-90 F4 skin we are introducing is based on a specific vehicle belonging to the 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment of the 11th Parachute Division, which is a unit with an incredibly long history going back all the way to 1719. As its name suggest, it started as a cavalry unit and exists in one form or another to this day. It participated in many major French war campaigns, including the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, the First World War and the Second World War, during which it was disbanded following the 1940 armistice.

The unit was re-established in 1945 only to fight in Algeria, Indochina, Morocco, Chad, Lebanon and, of course, the Gulf War. As you can see from the list of conflicts, the unit is a light, rapid-response one and the light and powerful ERC-90 is therefore ideal for its tasks. It is armed with the ERC 90 to this day with 12 vehicles still in service. Since the Gulf War, the unit has been participating in many military peacekeeping operations, including the ongoing Operation Barkhane to oust Islamic radicals out of Sahel.

The skin itself features the camouflage and tactical markings appropriate to the Desert Storm campaign. The Daguet camouflage consisted of wide brown stripes on sand-colored background – this pattern was used for many other Daguet vehicles, including the AMX-30B2 tanks. The tactical numbers and license plates match the real vehicle (number 6884 004). Camouflage nets and various desert pieces of gear were a part of the Desert Storm kit as well; these are also present on the vehicle.

One of the most important parts, however, was the piece of red fabric pinned to top of the vehicle. This served as an identifier for allied aircraft in order to prevent fire incidents. Other units, including the Americans, used the same technique. That is why it’s included on our model even if it does not appear on some photos. It’s also worth noting that we will be improving the basic ERC 90 model, so, indirectly, all players will benefit from this skin.

We hope that you’ll enjoy this skin as well as the others we are preparing for you and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Mar 9, 2021

In Development: Tier 7-10 HE and HEAT-MP Shell Changes

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

In this article, we’ll discuss one of those relatively small changes that, however, have profound impact on the game’s balance.

Since the beginning of the development, high-explosive (HE) shells have been a part of the core game design of Armored Warfare. Even though they aren’t really meant to be used against armored vehicles in real life, they still have their uses on the battlefield, especially when engaging soft targets and light emplacements. That’s the main reason they were added to the game in the first place – that, and the fact that players were familiar with a concept of ammunition that:

Only deals limited damage against thick armor, but is capable of knocking out even heavily armored targets that only have a few hitpoints left due to the fact that at least small damage is guaranteed
Deals devastating damage to very light targets such as various wheeled AFVs or lightly armored areas of MBTs such as their rear

The HEAT-MP shells have more or less the same purpose, sacrificing some base performance for the ability to deal some small damage even upon non-penetrations.

However, as the game development progressed and years went by, the HE mechanics became more and more obsolete despite several deep overhauls, resulting in the current state where high caliber HE rounds are utterly devastating against pretty much any target. If you are participating in high-Tier PvP battles, you have likely been a victim of a 152mm HE shell more than once even if you’ve been doing “everything right” by showing the enemy only your thickest armor.

To address the situation, in Update 0.35, we will be doing two things:

Remedying the abovementioned situation with HE shells for Tiers 7 to 10
Addressing the issue where HEAT-MP shells deal too much damage upon non-penetrations

More specifically, starting from Update 0.35, a high-explosive shell detonation will yield one of the following three results.

Full Penetration – the shell penetrates the armor completely and deals its full damage. The penetration calculation will not take angle into account, only nominal armor. This result will be typically achieved when the penetration indicator turns green, which is common for very light AFVs and the rear areas of MBTs.

Partial Penetration – this result happens when the armor thickness exceeds the basic penetration of the shell, but falls within the splash penetration category, which is usually between 250mm and 350mm. The shell explodes on the surface, a splash wave is triggered and an average nominal armor value within the splash radius is calculated. In such a case, the shell will deal 28 percent of its maximum damage. This result will be typically achieved when the penetration indicator turns yellow, which is common for lighter classes such as Light Tanks and for MBT side armor.

No Penetration – this result happens when the average armor in the detonation area is thicker than the splash penetration, which is typically 250mm to 350mm (depending on the shell). In such a case, the shell will always deal 7 percent of its maximum damage. This result will be typically achieved when the penetration indicator turns red. This is the usual result for hitting the most armored areas of an MBT.

Regarding the rules above, please note:

The exact damage values for non-penetration and partial penetration hits for the HE shells are shown in the Garage UI
Damage (even upon partial penetration or no penetration) is still subject to 10 percent damage randomization, so not every hit will deal the exact same damage
The penetration indicator only changes its color based on the exact area you are aiming at without taking the abovementioned rules into account. In practice, this for example means that while your penetration indicator turns yellow, you may still deal minimum damage because the armor around the weakspot you targeted was too thick (and vice versa)

As a practical example – the Armata 152 HE shell will deal roughly 1575 points of damage upon full penetration, roughly 442 points of damage upon partial penetration and roughly 111 points of damage upon non-penetration.

The next thing we want to address is splash and its effect on module damage. We all know the situation – an enemy tank fires under your tank and suddenly your gun is destroyed, your gunner is dead and your optics are broken. Not ideal, to put it mildly. To address this situation, we’ll introduce the following changes:

We’ve reduced the splash radius for standard HE shells to 1 meter and for 130mm (or larger) HE shells to 1.5 meter
We’ve changed the way how splash interacts with internal modules

The latter warrants some further explanations. Before Update 0.35, the damage within the splash radius was basically the same. The splash formed a globe and within it, everything got damaged, including modules (unless a saving throw was passed, that is). This led to the abovementioned results where large HE shells could just break every single module of your tank when fired below it, or even near it. In Update 0.35, this damage scales with splash range. No more destroyed optics from a blast from below!

And, last but not least, we’ll be addressing the matter of HEAT-MP shells that, right now, deal too much non-penetration damage without having any of the drawbacks of ATGMs (susceptibility to soft-kill APS, flight velocity, missile noise, no warning etc.) That is why we’ll be making the following changes:

Reducing the non-penetration damage from 30-35 percent to 12.5 percent of nominal damage
Increasing the influence of armor thickness on non-penetration damage (the thicker the armor, the lower the non-penetration damage)

This will mitigate the cases where your health gets quickly chipped away by HEAT-MP shells while maintaining their function of knocking out targets that are low on health.

That’s it for today, commanders. We hope that you’ll enjoy these changes and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Mar 5, 2021

In Development: T-72M1

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

As you might have already guessed from the title of this article, we have decided to introduce another T-series vehicle to the game – the T-72M1 Main Battle Tank.

Now, we can already imagine the first questions that are coming to your mind. Why introduce another such vehicle when we just had a series of Russian or Soviet tech? Why introduce a vehicle that’s for all intents and purposes very similar to a progression one that’s already in the game? Who is this vehicle aimed at?

Rest assured that we are going to answer those questions below, but first, let’s talk a bit about what the T-72M1 MBT actually is.

The T-72M1 is an export version of the T-72A Main Battle Tank. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not really a downgrade compared to the Soviet original even though the western community likes to refer to the export T-series variants as “monkey models.” This derogatory moniker typically includes the T-72M1, which is likely a mistake based on western analysts mixing up the T-72M and T-72M1 models in the past.

The T-72 series was the only third generation Soviet MBT series approved officially for export and foreign license production during the Soviet era (technically some of them still counted as Medium Tanks but for the purposes of this article, we’ll be calling them all MBTs). The approval took place as early as in 1976 with the first export models actually being three variants of the original T-72 Ural. These were exported to various countries of the Warsaw Pact as well as to the Middle East.

The main T-72 export model came, however, a few years later, in 1980. The T-72M was sort of a hybrid of the T-72 Ural and T-72A models. It was classified as an export variant of the T-72A (which featured frontal composite armor), but it only had a steel turret, significantly reducing its protection levels compared to the Soviet domestic version. Nevertheless, it was affordable and incredibly popular. It was used and produced in the thousands and saw a lot of combat in Operation Desert Storm.

The final “main” export variant, the T-72M1, came in 1982. This version was not exactly a copy of the T-72A, but rather an improvement of the older T-72M. It received, amongst other things, T-72A’s composite turret and an additional 16mm steel plate covering its upper frontal hull. These two tanks then became a baseline for a large number of post-Soviet or local upgrades.

The exact amount of produced T-72M1 vehicles is not well-documented and various sources come with different claims. These tanks were produced in the following countries:

Soviet Union (and later Russia)
Czechoslovakia
Poland
India

The Czechoslovak production ran between 1986 and 1993 at ZTS Martin (Slovakia) with 1690 vehicles of both types built. Of this number, the Czechoslovak army received 973 vehicles until 1990, of which 338 belonged to the T-72M1 sub-type. These tanks were also sold by the East Germany army, which received 126 tanks of both types between 1986 and 1989. Other Czechoslovak T-72M/M1 customers included:

Algiers (114 vehicles)
Bulgaria (16 vehicles)
Iraq (90 vehicles)
Libya (119 vehicles)
Syria (252 vehicles)

The numbers above only include newly produced machines. Additionally, hundreds of older Czechoslovak tanks were sold off later. For example, between 2005 and 2006, Georgia received 55 T-72M1 MBTs, which were then used during the Russo-Georgian conflict of 2008. Many of them ended up in Iraq after the Iraq War.

In Poland, the production of the T-72M and T-72M1 models started in 1986 and continued until 1992 with 1610 tanks of both types built. East Germany bought a substantial number of these from the Polish. Roughly one half of these tanks were exported to East Germany, Hungary, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Syria.

In some cases, these former Warsaw Pact tanks had truly interesting careers. Between 1984 and 1990, roughly 70 Soviet T-72M1 MBTs were exported to Finland. The reasons for this were more or less political. Finland had a very interesting, if somewhat strained, relationship with the Soviet Union ever since 1945 and these acquisitions were a side effect thereof. Regardless, in 1992, Finland purchases 97 more tanks of this type from Germany, which got them from the East German military, which in turn got them from Czechoslovakia and Poland. After they were phased out in 2003, a part of them ended... back in the Czech Republic. A portion of them would apparently end in Iraq later on.

India produced its own T-72M1 version under the name Ajeya. The data is really hard to find and the sources differ, but it seems that apart from the direct purchases from the Soviet Union, India built roughly 1000 of its own T-72M1 tanks in Avadi. India currently operates approximately 2400 vehicles of this type.

In total, roughly 5000-6000 T-72M and T-72M1 MBTs were built. They were best known for their unsuccessful participation in Operation Desert Storm, but would appear in pretty much every conflict of the 21st century. Now, decades after their first introduction, they might not exactly represent the cutting edge of warfare, but are still the reliable workhorses of many an army.

In Armored Warfare, the T-72M1 will be a Tier 5 Premium Main Battle Tank.

The model we are working on is based on an East German vehicle from the late 1980s. Gameplay-wise, the tank will be similar to the T-72A progression MBT, only without the Kontakt-1 ERA upgrade. There isn’t much that can be said about its performance otherwise – it will perform adequately, but it won’t outperform other vehicles on the same Tier.

There will be some visual differences between the T-72A and T-72M1 models. Most obviously, the T-72M1 is missing the radiation lining on top of the turret, there’s the 16mm steel plate on the hull and the stowage box layout is different.

But let us finally get to the point of this vehicle’s introduction.

Since the beginning, we considered different ways how to enhance the future Desert Storm Raid experience even further. It will be our first Raid based on a real-life event and it will feature several appropriate visual customization options such as the Mk.3 ODS skin for the Challenger 1 MBT.

We thought it would be appropriate to include a separate Premium vehicle and from there, we started considering various candidates. We wanted the Iraqi side represented as well and the T-72M1 did fight during the Desert Storm operation in Iraqi hands.

But the real reason we chose it runs a bit deeper.

Armored Warfare has tens of thousands of players, many of whom come from the countries that used or use the T-72 series MBTs. By introducing this vehicle as a separate platform, we’ll also be able to produce various skins for it. This tank served all around the world and we’re sure that many of you would like to see your specific configuration represented in the game.

Without having a separate T-72M1 model, this would be difficult to do. The reason for that is that none of these countries historically used the Kontakt-1 ERA, which is an integral part of the T-72A model and cannot be excluded from skins in general. We’ll also be potentially able to use this model in the future as a baseline for various highly requested vehicles that wouldn’t otherwise work as simple skins.

Regarding the T-72M1 itself, it will be available at the start of the Desert Storm Raid event. To enter the Raid, you’ll either have the option to purchase it for Gold, or to enter the event for free by completing 10 Contract Missions as usual.

And, finally, as for the future, there’s one more Russian (or, rather, Soviet) vehicle that awaits you in the foreseeable future (yes, it will be obtainable for free) and then we’ll start taking a look at more western designs. We’ll also tell you more about the other Desert Storm Raid skins soon. Stay tuned and, as always:

See you on the battlefield!

Mar 4, 2021

Camouflage Loot Crate now available

Armored Warfare - Silentstalker

Commanders!

Today, we’re launching another Camouflage Loot Crate on MY.GAMES Market.

As its name suggests, this new Loot Crate, available until March 11, 2021 (along with the other weekly offer), contains various camouflages and skins.

This iteration contains the following ones (click on their names where designated to learn of their real life background):

Skin: Mistwalker (Kornet-EM) (NEW)
Skin: Mistwalker (WPB Anders) (NEW)
Skin: Mistwalker (VT-4) (NEW)
Skin: Mistwalker (Griffin 50mm) (NEW)
Skin: Eraser (B1 Draco)
Skin: Eraser (M8 Thunderbolt II)
Skin: Eraser (Merkava Mk.4)
Skin: Eraser (Leclerc)
Skin: Cyberwarrior (K21 XC-8)
Skin: Samurai (Al Hussein)
Skin: Samurai (Challenger 2)
Skin: Samurai (Sphinx)
Skin: Samurai (T-15)
Skin: Sentinel (Stryker)
Skin: Sentinel (Bradley)
Skin: Sentinel (Stingray 2)
Skin: Sentinel (XM1A3)
Skin: Barracuda (OF-40)
Skin: Barracuda (Leopard 2A5)
Black Eagle (Desert)
Black Eagle (Snow)
Black Eagle (Woodland)
Techno (Desert)
Techno (Snow)
Techno (Woodland)
Berlin Brigade
Uralvagonzavod 2015
Modern Urban
Swedish
Swiss Digital
Australian Bush
Russian Arctic
Russian Airborne Forces #1
Russian Airborne Forces #2
Russian Airborne Forces #3
Russian #4
Russian #5
Russian #6
German #1
German #2
German #3
German PSO
Polish
Commonwealth #1
Commonwealth #2
Commonwealth #3
Canadian #1
Canadian #2
Canadian #3
French #1
French #2

The mechanics are very simple. Each crate allows you to win one of the listed items (or its value in Gold if you have it already, in this case 1.000 Gold per camouflage).

To learn more about what's in a chest simply click on it, this will launch a small pop up window to show you what’s inside. You will find everything from in-game currency packs to consumables and exclusive skins that can only be found in these chests!

Please note:

After opening the crate, you will immediately roll on one of the items that are inside this Loot Crate and will see what you receive before you have to actually pay anything. No more random chances – you immediately see what you get and what you don’t. You can then opt to purchase the item you rolled on for the Loot Crate’s price. Until you do so, you will be unable to buy any other Loot Crate of the same type.

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

See you on the battlefield!