Q&A with Slava Makarov - Head of R&D for World of Tanks PC

Ph3lan: Hi guys!   Recently the Head of R&D for World of Tanks PC - Slava Makarov - took his time to answer some questions about the game on the channel of Jove, a Russian streamer, giving some insight into the future of World of Tanks. We thought you might also be interested in this and prepared a summary:   What employee changes were there after the Rubicon update? WoT development management was replaced. Currently, Slava Makarov acts as the Creative Director. What's your attitude toward arty? The vehicle type should be redone in its essence. This is being experimented with on the Sandbox server. We will not rush the introduction of changes from the Sandbox. None of the current changes will go live without improvements. Does the issue with super fast defeats exist? Yes, and this is one of the main topics in testing on the Sandbox server. Will you educate players on how to play? The task aimed at educating players, at least in terms of basic combat tactics, has started. How will you address the issue of repeating maps? The issue with maps is a big one. It should be investigated and analyzed. Old maps may be removed or overhauled. The department that is currently making maps are doing their job really well. For the new matchmaker to work correctly, Tier X light tanks are required. These vehicles are being worked on really hard. How will you address the issue of premium shells purchasable with credits? It is imperative that this situation is addressed, but the problem mainly originates from the inflation of the overall penetration and excessive visibility ranges, rather than from premium shells themselves. This is the cause that we will try to fix. Will the new balance be ready by New Year's? Too soon to tell just yet. We are actively working on it. We're looking for good solutions and performing fine-tuning. We may test some new mechanics using the old balance. What to do with slow tanks? There was a suggestion that such vehicles should be made faster. What is the current role of Michael Jivetc on the project? Michael currently helps to figure out the condition of the project. He will not play any crucial role in the project in the future. Will the +/-25% scatter in penetration and shell damage change? We can return to discussing this point after all the questions with engagement distance are solved on the Sandbox server. What will be done to personal missions? Personal missions will be reviewed and those that are not working will be fixed. Slava thinks that the idea of personal missions in itself  is good. Implementation of some of them could be better and this is what he is going to focus on. Slava believes that this was the right thing to nerf the T-22 med. He was the originator of the idea. The vehicle was conceived for motivating players to play in the new Rampage mode. This is a bad idea to motivate players through the reward in form of an overpowered vehicle. Slava, what do you think about the Master of Orion release? It is a normal 4X game that is suited for massive audience. Slava, tell a bit about Tanks 2.0? We should first address all the affairs with the current version, and only then switch to the new one. With you introduce +/-1 battle level rules? The new matchmaker may help to solve the problem with comfort of play. The new matchmaker is planned to have a restriction on creating Platoons consisting of SPGs, as well as a more defined tier distribution pyramid within a team.
Currently, Slava is responsible for the creative part of game design. In addition to game design, there exist other aspects of project management, such as marketing-related matters. The latter will be handled by a new employee who was part of the old team. Responsibilities of Anton Pankov have also been extended. Half a year is a normal term within the project's development processes. The September patch is already locked. The results of the team's work will be evident by the end of the year.