[ST] Province

Gnomon: Hey, everyone! Hope that you're having a good Friday. I've got some Supertest news for you, and it's that we’re balancing the Province map. Province has always been a special map. Some loved it, some hated it, some were always getting killed by invisible foes. It seemed there were no tankers with a neutral opinion on Province. When we took Province out of the game in 2015, the reaction was mixed. Quite a lot of people were actively demanding that we return it. The map made its comeback in May 2018, and received some mixed feebdack. The audience is split: some are grateful for having the legendary location back (these people exist, we promise), and some are asking us to introduce tier limitations. The latter are saying that the map is too crammed for top tier vehicles with great spotting ranges, and that the teams spend the battle being constantly lit up by the enemy. This opinion is expressed via the forums, social networks, and YouTube. We want to assure you that we are following the situation and examining the feedback very closely. We do think that some time is needed for the Province gameplay ‘stabilization’: the player base can get used to the location and develop map-specific tactics. How long will it take? There’s no exact answer; still, when the audience adapts to a location, we dp see this on our end, because the map’s overall stats stabilize. Usually this happens in 2 to 3 months after a map’s release. So, in Province’s case, we’re not yet ready to introduce any tier limitations: we need more data to support the feedback. We’re going to monitor the average battle duration, how long different tanks survive on Province, what firing positions are most popular, and where vehicles are destroyed most often. The info we collect will influence the decision we take, together with your feedback. If the data supports the feedback that the map isn’t suitable for top tiers, and if the community members continue to have this feedback, we’ll introduce the limitations by tier. Until then we kindly ask you to be patient, and share your reasoning in support (or against) the said limitations. The more info the better!  So what are we changing now if we’re not introducing limitations by tier?Well there’s a certain imbalance in team positions, and we intend to get rid of it. The eastern side currently has an upper hand and wins more often. The western team has less firing positions so they have fewer opportunities for building up and coordinating attacks. Today, we’ll try the improvements that should set the balance right.   They are:  The southwestern corner of the map. Several houses have been moved so it’s easier for the western team to shoot at their opponents right from the start (which the eastern side already had the ability to do.) Near the monastery, on the eastern side’s mountain slope. The nearby buildings’ geometry has changed, allowing the team attacking from below and firing from behind them to be more efficient. We’ve added a cover that will help the western team in a fight for the eastern team’s mountain slope. After the western side takes the position mentioned in (3), they can advance to a large rock which now is more comfortable as a cover and offers better protection from tank destroyer fire. Both teams’ bases. We’ve added several covered positions inside the capture circles to decrease the number of draws. In the current map setup, it’s almost impossible to capture a base, as both teams can be shoot from any slope. Cover will increase your chances to grab a base, and will also make the defending team play more active. We’ll see whether this works; we know that lots of people dislike base cover so we’ll follow the issue closely. We’ll cover the backs of tankers from the western team defending the uphill road from the eastern attackers. Currently, they are often shot at from the opposing slope. Province Screenshots         The Supertest starts today, and we need some time to analyze the results. We hope we’ll be able to eliminate the existing imbalance.As soon as we decide the fate of Province, we’ll make an announcement shortly. Let us know what you think!  Make sure to follow the news, and best of luck in battle!