Purpose of this blog

Dmitry Yudo aka Overlord, jack of all trades
David Lister aka Listy, Freelancer and Volunteer

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

[ALL] Entering Console Market

Watch out! Some official info here:

Wargaming moves to consoles with $20m purchase of Day 1 Studios. Team behind F.E.A.R. and Fracture join free-to-play World of Tanks creator Wargaming.Net.

The Chicago studio will focus solely on console gaming for the MMO company, working on an as yet undisclosed title. The studio is best known for ports of first-person shooter F.E.A.R. and LucasArts' Fracture.


Link and link.

Are you excited? What kind of game do you expect? Feel free to throw ideas. :)

73 comments:

  1. just a quick question since i am not realy into that market, Wich acual consoles will be suported? or is this yet to be decided?

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    Replies
    1. That's to be decided. Market is evolving, and sure thing we will soon see new devices coming out (Xbox 720 / PS4)

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  2. Would love to see a world of tanks-stylish game, which me and my friends could play TOGETHER. So we could play some LAN-partys. !:D

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  3. Well - the console market need some proper tank games for sure... I am however still very sceptic about the european gold prices and/or prices for stuff like camouflage. I'm sure you can tell yourself gold prices are okay because people buy it in large amounts, but very very few people are driving around with camo. I bet WG likes the high prices so they can go out and purchase new companies every 6 months?

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    1. Camo pricing. I think making them collectible would do the trick.

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    2. So much gold spent ... would that make it refunded ? :P

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    3. Not really ;) ... i'd be glad to spend more, and probably will. I just hate thnigs going to waste, when they are a collectible and I wouldn't have to pay for them after an update, but i had to pay before.

      I own 4 premium tanks and 3 low tier gift prems, so I feel hurt but what You've said. I enjoy WoT enough to give some money from time to time, so that company that made it can still support it. ;)

      Ps.
      I wish I could rebuy my sherry that I was given for playing in beta :( ... i am willing to grind 10 times the amount of credits that selling it gave me (at least if we assume that paying gold for prem tank is a form of unlock, and once paid in gold -or awarded- would be unlocked for rebuy :-P ).

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    4. I dont think the sales would increase much making the camo collectible if it means what I think it does. But right now people rarely buy camouflage except for their most precious tanks and I think the game would look so much better with paint on those tanks. I saw way more camouflage before the change and back then it didn't even give a camo bonus. Is WG looking into making camouflage more attractive and do you really think people hesitate buying camo because they might lose it if they change?

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  4. Couldn't care less about the bloody consoles. Not only does that market not appreciate good games, it also causes a crapton of shit games/ports for the PC.

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  5. I'm not excited about this because i don't own console neither will i ever do. My idea is to add support for multiple CPU cores in WoT, add new modes of play in WoT, add better integration with ESL and similar things that will help WoT to evolve and not to die.

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  6. If WG can spend $20 million on purchising a company so they can port to the consoles (Although this may help with my performance issues due to no multi-core support yet), how come they must still charge extremely high prices for gold? Each tier 8 premium tank can cost the same as a game, something like the Lowe can cost as much as a new release. You could get the lastest game (Something like Dead Space 3) or you could buy a single tank.
    If you're making this much money and still continuing to grow, maybe its time to lower the prices of these things. If more people are buying them because they're cheaper, there may be more money flowing through.

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    Replies
    1. By all means it's not a money issue. So as to extend server capacity, you need a lot of time (order and wait for new hardware, contact data center and arrange for new slots, do maintenance, etc) and organizational effort.

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  7. Buy a company for 20 million, but a stable EU server with enough space for at least 160k+ players is not possible.

    Maybe focus first in getting the products that are here now ready and functional and then spend millions buying into a new market.

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    1. this, EU servers crashes about once per 2 weeks or at best once a month, so they can keep saying that lag isnt caused by their servers, btu untill the server doesnt crash I am very sceptical about that

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    2. Replied just above. It's not about the money.

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    3. so I take it that those steps are being taken for the EU server? might we get multiple(as in two) clusters in the hopefully not too distant future?

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    4. Not necessarily two clusters, but at least extended capacity for the current server. Though we are also considering both options.

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    5. I apologize for asking this in here but is the only way I can get in touch with you. About the transfer of servers already exists something new? Because I wante extend my premium account and do not know if there will be transfer, once again I ask sorry for asking here. Congratulations and keep up the good work in this great game.

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    6. Eu - Na transfer? I know it is in plans, though Im no sure of the dates. Sry

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  8. I didn't realize Day 1 had offices here in Chicago. Should be interesting to see what comes of this.

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  9. Watch out ... You just bought a company that is developing games for 8 year old hardware, that is not keeping up with PC anymore. At the moment almost every gaming journalist is going bunkers crazy and furious about developers scaling down their games and optimizing their games with these VERY old systems in mind, and these are not up for the task anymore. Some fanboys are saying that PC games don't look that much better, but please keep in mind that 80% of the AAA titles are multi platform games, and most of the time they are designed in a way that they can be played on all platforms, so only exclusive releases on PC SOMETIMES make use of current PC power available.

    Gamers expect to get a proper experience if they pay 1000 or 1500 euro for their gaming system, and all developers IGNORE THAT with very ignorant thinking like "we will just increase texture quality a bit, and add AA, and it will all be fine". This is in so many ways WRONG, that it's starting to become a real wave of rage that most likely will lead to some sort of boycott.

    What You should focus on now is most likely figuring way NOT to do all the things above, and the most reasonable way to do that would be just by NOT developing any games for consoles untill new generation of consoles finaly hits the market. IMO it was a really BAD business decision made by WG when it comes to the situation on the gaming market, and as much as I really wish all of You guys all the best, I'm affaraid WG might loose a lot of money on this transaction.

    Another thing that getting this company that i TOTALY FEAR is that You will end up as many other companies with NO field of view sliders, and games not capable of rendering im more than 780p. And it's 2013 already when 1080p is a MINIMUM for 22 inch monitors, and most likely should be only a middle setting. Consoles are often not capable of doing 780p rendering these days with all the effects that the market expects from a modern game, so we end up with a LOT of blury visuals that hide all the imperfect elements of the graphical capabilities of gaming platforms. SO oce again: PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE if You are going to develop a multiplatform game, start with it designed for PC specs, and downscale all the rendering, so that we can run it on cnsoles at their maximum performance we can get, but at the same time making that quality a bare MINIMUM of much more efficient and impressive PC version. Oh ... and never forget about FOV sliders, as average distance from PC screen and TV screen is VENER the same, so we really need our perifferal vision not atacked with LOW FOV on any PC game. :D

    No to the core point of this post: what would I want?
    If You want to somehow make it related to World Of Everything_With_Gns, maybe some sort of trench war and shooter game would do the trick, but I also think that WoWP would appreciate a console controller itself :)

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    1. Still at the end of each generation you have the widest audience with the greatest possible number of devices sold. Though I do agree that it's time for new technology to arrive.

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    2. That is true, but there is another "little thing", as Sony statet that they will no longer support reverse compatibility (that's an absurd, but ...), so You do get the widest audience at the dawn of each generation, but at the same time the "biggest" audience will be the shortst lasting audience, as they will move on to the new gn as soon as it's available (most of them) simply because that 8 year difference in technology. It's like switching from some old single core processor and low end graphics card to a latest i7 with high end SLI.

      Probably some people will stick around as not all systems will get replaced at the same time, but it's the same thing that Jay Leno said about his collection of cars when asked if the steam engine was really that bad, and he said "Of course that tle last days of the old technology are better than first days of the new". This sums it up, but You have to remember that the "old one" will only get older, so that wide audience at the moment is either waiting for at least last 3 years for a new gen, or already got bored with low quality of consoles and are switching back to long forgoten PCs.

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    3. Hopefully, MS wouldn't do the same.

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    4. Well, let's keep our fingers crossed they won't ;)

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  10. I feel that the existing WiiU in particular could work quite well for porting WoT, and later WoWp and WoWs. Here are some of my reasons and ideas:

    In my experience, Nintendo's gyroscopes are very responsive and precise, particularly in the 3DS and WiiU controllers. They may work as an excellent substitute for a mouse when aiming!

    There are SEVERAL options available, from custom remapping controls to the sheer number of controllers available: The WiiU supports, as controllers, Wii remotes, Wii remotes with nunchuck attachments, the Wii's Classic Controller, the WiiU gamepad, and the WiiU Pro Controller. The console also has four USB ports, so there even exists an option for players to use keyboard and mouse if they prefer!

    It had been stated at one point that, unlike its competitors, Nintendo allows its developers to update, patch, or otherwise add content to its games for free.

    In terms of communication, the WiiU has a stylus which could make for a nice transfer of the Z command circle WoT has, and a built-in microphone as a possible replacement for text chat.

    The WiiU also comes with various options for display, particularly when a player uses the Gamepad, including being able to play the game without the TV on.

    Last I heard, the WiiU is more powerful than the XBox 360 and Playstation 3, so it can probably support at least a descent graphical level for World of Tanks.

    Nintendo has shown interest in using the F2P model themselves for new intellectual properties, so I would imagine that they would have infrastructure in place to allow for it!



    I already have a WiiU, and if WoT hit the system's eShop as F2P, especially if it allowed me to use my existing WoT account from my computer to pick up where I've left off, you can bet I'd download it as soon as I caught word that it was on there!

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    1. I tend to think that Wii(U) is mostly a console for casual gaming.

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    2. And that's an image that Nintendo is doing its best to shatter. Part of this has been done when the console launched with Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and so on. It has all of the interface buttons of its competitors, and interface options to spare.

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    3. Also I don't think World of Tanks is a "hardcore" game in the sense that 14-year-olds would use the term, seeing as World of Tanks has a lot more colors than gray, brown, and blinding orange, nor does it star unrealistically built space marines with regenerating health in a strictly FPS playstyle.

      And in my book, all of those make World of Tanks an excellent title!

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    4. WoT is not a hardcore but "core" game, ie smth deeper and more complicated than plain causal or mid-core games while at the same time WoT has relatively low entry barrier.

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    5. And I think the WiiU could work quite well, specifically in terms of allowing a F2P game with microtransactions, allowing the fairly frequent updates WoT gets, and allowing for the various button inputs from a PC, without needing to sacrifice the speed and precision comparable to mouse movements.

      ... I am probably sounding like a walking advertisement. I tend to do that for things I enjoy, including the Wargaming.net games :P

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    6. Sorry, but I cimply can not see how this would work, and why eactly QiiU is so good? Do You have a drivers license? You should know that it's IMPOSSIBLE to constantly look into BOTH side mirrors at the very same time. That's how it feels like to me while playing WiiU, ans since it's a console that is barely capable of rendering in 780p. for more demanding titles ... good luck with precise aiming for weakspots :D

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    7. I drive regularly, and I look in my mirrors and speedometer when I need to, but otherwise watch the road. Playing in two screens works very similarly for the 3DS and WiiU. It's like the minimap and module damage displays in World of Tanks!

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    8. Yeah, I guess You could have mini map and cnsumables buttons there, but my point stays valid when it comes to rendering. WoT has problems on not that bad desktop systems at the moment, so WiiU would have to run on "less than minimum" settings, and I don't think it would run on 720p. It would probably be rendered in lower resolution and upscaled to 720p (780? can't remember :P) with loss of quality.

      I'm not saying that it's impossible, I'm just saying it's impractical and for me would be very annoying to use, and first of all ... not precise enough in terms of controlls You have available.

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    9. I would beg to differ: Firstly, the WiiU can run on resolutions up to 1080p with frame rates up to 60 fps, and secondly, I can run WoT very well on a gaming LAPTOP at 1366×768!

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    10. Of course it CAN run 1080p and 60 FPS, but except high FPS and resolution there would be not much of system power left to do anything. Now add particle effects, add shadows, and You're down t 40 FPS. Add some AA and reasonable resolution of textures with at least fairly decent model quality, and Your 1080p is left with unplayable 20 FPS if You force it to go 1080p all the way. And please remember that many consoles do "fake resolution" as they often render in 720p and upscale it to 1080p, bcause are unable to kep their performance on 1080p.

      Oh ... I forgot, add some lighting effects, bloom and blur, and You either have 30-40 FPS on 720p., or nothing as no developer will alowy You to see that his game is a slideshow on resolutions over some point. So once again You get an upscaled 720p pretending to be 1080p. :)

      Go read about it, 'cus I aint talking out of my butt here, just basing on a shitload of articles all over the web.

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    11. Though it's not sounding like you're basing this on actual playing experience from World of Tanks. World of Tanks has so many graphical settings options that it's virtually impossible for the WiiU to not be able to run the game! Also bear in mind that Day 1 Studios, the former name of Wargaming West, has been hailed for excellent PC-to-console ports!

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  11. Consoles... hm. Related to the poster a few posts above (Ziggy), people like me and him are dinosaurs I am afraid (no offense intended). I never really learned to play on the console and today while trying out the new PC Devil May Cry, I just realized how terribly old I am, these action games are actually too fast paced for me (and that's what you get with consoles: fast-paced games). I play World of Tanks because (apart from actually liking tanks) the game isn't brutally fast, it allows you to make some mistakes - not exactly a thing the console crowd is looking for IMHO.

    There are "console kids" within current WoT too. I could name one guy who is a typical example. It is my belief these players expect something different: fast-paced reflex stuff. So in this sense, considering out of the Big 3 WG projects only the warplanes have the potential to be seriously fast-paced, I hope WG knows what's it doing. But I accept it would be an economical suicide to leave out the console/pad market, just as it would be bad for business if WG left out for example China.

    PS: I still think smartphones and pads should be used for work and not for gaming

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  12. WarGaming tries to enter console market, not even current generation market, but next gen
    the earliest possible for this new game 2015, .....

    instead of fixing the god damn fucking piece of crap BigWorld engine client side, or I dunno .. finish WoWp and WoWs they decide to give a fuck and enter console market, but just not yet

    the next gen consoles will 101% have multicore CPUs and we all know how well BigWorld does with those - terrible
    guess you have to create a new engine from scratch or hmm .. buy a new game engine dev for 60mil USD this time

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    1. Those are the things to be worked in parallel.

      Anyway that will stimulate BW team to work harder.

      And I have always loved your optimism.

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    2. you deserved it
      my optimism with WarGaming and you personalty went dead back in 2011 or so

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    3. And you are doing great job supporting this for nearly 2 years. I'm impressed.

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    4. I still have hope some inside WG actually do their jobs and supports the community
      have you read serb's Q&As lately, I dunno if I should laugh or cry

      ps: it's 2y+ since I'm a CBT

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    5. quite a lot of things, just read the translation Silent Stalker does on the EU forums
      there isn't a day when I don't slap myself reading the Q&As

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    6. Serb is good at being provocative.

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    7. That's not his job, his job is to try and explain with straight eyes why WG keeps implementing stuff noone asked for and omits the actual requests from the community.

      I support the GAME World of Tanks, but my support for the developer behind it has dwindled, especially over the past year. (Been playing since closed beta)

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  13. Considering some teasers have been put out eluding to a title involving infantry, I'm pretty sure they're working on WG's version of call of duty, except it's a ww2 title, you know, like call of duty isn't anymore.

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  14. I have 1 problem, will we be able to buy the game once and still have it constantly updating?

    Will the online server connect the PC and gaming console users?

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    1. comparing to current gen consoles, playing PC and console games is only possible on PS3
      XBox360 does not allow this since all of the game servers are hosted by MicroSoft in a closed system

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  15. Would have made more sense to buy the Company of Heroes IP from THQ, just sayin...

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. HomeWorld 3 comes to mind
      I'll hail the devs who'll make it

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    3. Khagan,

      reasonable. Looks like we were to slow here. :)

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  16. Why not invest in Men of War sequel "Call to Arms"

    It has the potential to be one of the best strategy games and they are desperate for money

    http://www.shacknews.com/article/77100/men-of-war-dev-crowd-funding-call-to-arms

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  17. In my experience PC games ported to consoles look awful and consoles, especially the current 8 year old batch, never have produced a game that looks as good as a PC one, even with all the detail dialled down.

    Perhaps the XBox 720 and PS4 will bring the 2 platforms a little closer together (any serious gamer should have a flat screen TV capable of 1080p, which is close to the resolution of a bog standard computer monitor) but I would bet real money that the PC will still be light years ahead.

    Besides all that there is the control issue: no handheld dual-stick, 8 button, motion-sensitive, vibrating gizmo will ever be as precise as a mouse and keyboard combo. Hence the reason why many FPS console games have auto-lock targeting features and dumbed-down gameplay.

    If you hooked up an FPS MMO with PC players and console players in the same world I know who would get their arse kicked most.

    So as long as WG aren't intending to make a cross-platform (console / PC) title then I'll happily watch them bring a tank / plane / battleship MMO to the XBox / PS.

    Perhaps WOT Generals is this new title?

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  18. Hmmm, if WOT is ported to the console market I would be interested (it would certainly have better graphics than my PC). Would there be keyboard and mouse support? Would my existing account be synchronised with my console one?

    Also, non-related question (sorry for badgering you about this), will the British tanks be remodelled any-time soon?

    http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/fattoler/shot_028.jpg

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    1. Whats wrong except Your level of details? That gap beteween elements is totaly correct, as turret there is not a solid monolithic part. there is a turret with two additional boxes attached to its sides ... You would know that if You had ANY TEXTURES turnef on in options, of if You would check with google images for real photos.

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    2. fattoler,

      good Qs! Sry, no answers at this stage.

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    3. @Przemysław Majkowski

      Yes, I am aware of the fact that the stowage bins are not built into the turret. Now let's crank my graphics up to maximum and see what we find?

      http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk171/fattoler/shot_035.jpg

      A bit better, but still not connected to the turret.

      However this is no-where near egregious as the Frankenchurchill...

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    4. Ant these never should be connected to the turret anyway, why would You think such nonsense ? :D It would have no gap if this was attached useing some weird glue, but this has to have some sort of element that it is hanging on and some distances as well.

      Check this photo out:
      http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/centurion-tank-small1.jpg
      Or this one:
      http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ta-00a2-cfd0-0ab7/centurion-tank-forrest-australia+1152_12855246237-tpfil02aw-20972.jpg
      Ad again here:
      http://military-vehicle-photos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2148.jpg

      All these tanks have like 2-3cm (on some points it looks like up to 5 cm) gap between that box and turret itself, and making that visible in the game is actualy a GOOD thing that represents how it really looks like. f these elements would be totaly "connected", that would be bizarre, as the tank would look like a plastic toy with turret made of one piece of material!

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    5. One problem, there is literally NOTHING connecting the box to the turret on the in game model, no hooks, no screws, nothing. Unless you are suggesting that the stowage boxes levitated then there is still an issue.

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  20. Replies
    1. I don't believe MS would allow them to have a microtransaction based multiplayer without them getting payed, a lot

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    2. That's the way platform-owners work. Apple takes 30% commission.

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  21. If World of Tanks is Ported over to Consoles, would it connect to the same servers clusters that PC uses? Unite Console and PC! Cause that would be awesome!

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    1. In this case, those on PCs would have a huge advantage of having more precise controls. Alternatively, console players would require some serious aiming assist which may not be fair in PvP type of game.

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  22. No it wouldn't. PC players would pwn console players. It wouldn't be a level playing field.

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