0.9.0 is going to be next big hit for World of Tanks with:
Especially interested in feedback on the points above. And anything else you wish to comment on.
- Historical Battles mode. How do you like it so far?
- HD tank models for some tanks (T-54, Tiger I, M4 Sherman)
- Physically based shading (better and more realistic materials)
- Disabled Confronation mode
- Reworked maps - “Malinovka”, “Serene Coast”, “Steppes”, “Redshire”, “Mountain Pass”, "Pearl River" and "Severogorsk"
- FOV configuration
Especially interested in feedback on the points above. And anything else you wish to comment on.
1. Historical Battles
ReplyDeleteKursk: Very unbalanced in favor for the german side, only 33% win rate on russian side, 60 matches with SU-152: http://i.imgur.com/PoFZvAm.png and 15 matches with SU-85: http://i.imgur.com/0M6JvfH.png
Balaton: Slightly unbalanced in favor for the russian side
Bulge: Balanced
Depends strongly on the teamplay and setup.
Setup: To few tanks, so every loss counts way more. Sometimes the hitpoints were extreme unbalanced: 9000 HP for the German side, 3750 HP for the Russian side -> Autowin for Germany.
Teamplay: For example in Bulge: 2 Tiger II going together = autowin, splitting up = no chance to win.
2./3. HD models and shaders
Awesome graphics, very beautiful. But the new shader is so well made, even the old models look like they were heavily improved.
4. Had this disabled, MM failed to hard. So I don't miss this mode.
5. No Comment, only historical battles so far.
6. Didn't fiddle around with this. So far, it looks like the #611 build, everything is fine (even for my Eyefinity setup).
1. Historical Battles mode.
ReplyDeleteFrom all ideas that were appearing in last 3 years that is one of best solutions for sure. I am happy that it is random (not company-like), and that there can be different, random setups of tanks. But HB will surely need lot of fine tuning in incoming months to balance teams more properly, (maybe also some bonuses for using some tanks, cause US teams full of Hellcats and without Shermans are strange from historical point of view ;) ) but I think that HB are feature that can cause that I will come back to playing on live server. Good to see them.
There were also some problems in setups like reported on forums and blogs BL-10 on ISU at Balaton or 75 L43 on PzIV at Balaton and Ardennes, while at Kursk it used L48 which has better penetration. It seems that in the end of war Pz IV's should have better gun then in 1943, not worse :)
4. Disabled Confronation mode
Very good idea. It was totally unbalanced.
@There were also some problems in setups like reported on forums and blogs BL-10 on ISU at Balaton or 75 L43 on PzIV at Balaton and Ardennes, while at Kursk it used L48 which has better penetration. It seems that in the end of war Pz IV's should have better gun then in 1943, not worse :)@
DeleteYup, we are on it.
Actually ... Pz IV. tanks should have both configs there as nobody said that only new vehicles were used in fights ;)
DeleteM103 HD is awsome!!
DeleteHistorical Battles mode. How do you like it so far?
ReplyDeletePretty much like them, there seems to be some work on balancing as mentioned above, but the system itself works nicely.
HD tank models for some tanks (T-54, Tiger I, M4 Sherman)
Fabulous - I have Tiger and Sherman currently and they look 100% better, most importantly rounded shapes.
Though that bug with camo leaking inside the barrels is funny~
Physically based shading (better and more realistic materials)
Noticed improvement, certainly looks better
Disabled Confronation mode
Meh - I actually liked it, the biggest flaw is that players don't understand national characteristics and can't play them well and they blame it on "OP" (trying to go close combat with Germans or sniping with Soviets is a good example)
Reworked maps - “Malinovka”, “Serene Coast”, “Steppes”, “Redshire”, “Mountain Pass”, "Pearl River" and "Severogorsk"
I welcome most of these changes (especially on Pearl River, since it activated the mountain), though I can't but notice disappearing of high hills - it would be nice to keep at least one or two maps that have those not only as a decoration and where it would be an important key to victory - like on Cliff map.
FOV configuration
Didn't play with that one, since I never had issues (1920x1080 fullscreen)
Oh, one more minor thing, I mentioned it on FTR, but it never hurts to repeat it - the mouse controls in the garage (moving around tank) are simply horrible - usually I want to look at some part of the tank and now it means that I have to either move painfully slowly or have to predict where the movement will stop if I move this fast this far...
Deleteok, thx
Delete+ german tanks look more “metallic”
ReplyDelete+ rocks, stones look much better
+ flying turrets
+ independed suspension
+ T54 HD model
+/- Tiger HD shapes are ok, but texture need more ” metal noise ”
+/- Sherman shapes are ok, metallic texture is ok, but is too brighter and glowing too much
- small FPS drop on old render, BIG fps drop on new render.
- some american tanks look like… ( texture look like “caffè latte” with too much milk ) for example: T32, T57, but Pershing look good ( more metallic )
- all french tanks are ugly, too brighter and the contrast between bright armor and black traks is totaly ugly !!! ( same situation with STB-1, too bright, traks, but it armor is more metallic )
- IS7 is too dark and ugly now, but changes on IS6 are ok
- Churchil III is too bright
Tested with new and old render (C2D 3GHz, 4GB RAM, Radeon 4870 and i3 3,6 GHz, 4GB RAM, Intel HD 4600, on new render [ all low or disabled ]game on Intel GPU it isn’t playable in 8.11 and 9.0 but in 9.0 FPS drop is big.
Regarding historical battles, i assume on test server there aren't really strict limits on numbers of say, tiger Hs. Everyone clearly wants to play them, but having them against su152s usually means russians losing.
ReplyDeleteYou will also need to give a good experience/credits incentive for those willing to play not much relevant tanks like the t-34 for example.
Roster numbers will be tweaked a bit.
DeleteIncentivize with credits/exp (now) and respawn (later)
Any idea how big that credit/exp incentive would be? Or is that not yet desided?
DeleteAnd i like the update in general. Games runs smooth with me, but that should be with my hardware ^^
I also like the fact there is a noise when a tank dies, aldough its a bit a weird noise.
If I remember correctly about 25%. Not sure though.
DeleteOnly thing I really don't like is the green tint in sniper mode.
ReplyDeleteToggle option is the thing You need ;)
DeleteIs confrontation being removed permanently?
ReplyDeleteMost likely will rework it (balance) and put the mode back.
DeleteI like that they are removing or fixing confrontation.
ReplyDeleteHistorical Battles menu is awkward. There is no easy way to know how to exit the mode after you exit the queue since to close icon for the pop-up window secretly doubles as exiting the mode.
Since historical battles modules are fixed - but you can add your own equipment like binocs etc- it is not clear which of these are retained in the mode during the game. They are hidden. So if I want to buy equipment for the HB mode - the tank in the garage needs the bigger suspension to mount it - but then once in game you have no idea what you are actually driving. I would like a way to view the tanks in the garage in "HB" mode- so I know whether or not to actually research or buy equipment I might not need.
You can use all equipment in HB.
Deletedoes that mean you can load equipment on to an HB selected tank even if the stock suspension would not support it in standard mode? I noticed watching quickybaby's video there were more options in the garage battle pop-up window (with a non-intuitive UX I may add). I am guessing some tanks have standard suspension and some do not depending on the tank and battle mode?
DeleteDear Overlord,
ReplyDeleteI hope this will be correted:
- tier3 vs tier9 in historical battle? (http://tinypic.com/r/b8trid/8)
Numbers/balance will be tweaked if you mean that.
DeleteMy uestion would have been aimed for the inferiority of the SU-85 compared to the JT.
DeleteLearn to play ^^^
Deletebeen playing for 2 years so I have learnt to play at least 1.5 years ago. on the other hand i was referring to the survavibility and hp of the SU compared to the JT nothing else. but if you cant see/understand this then ... well you loss.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeletecouldn't test HB much, will see when it hits the live server.
But what i don't understand is the garage.
I was running GPU Temp and was surprised that WoT still needs more GPU inside the garage then in a match. Sure, i don't rally now how these things work, but from my naiv clueless PoV
your new Garage and the old ones look pretty static. So why do tehy need so much gpu?
Can't it render once you get inside the garage and that's it? Does it need to calculate constantly, or is it possible to limit the FPS inside the garage to a level that is enough?
Maybe someone can shed some light on that matter.
Thx
I know its a bit late, but the most disturbing issue for me is huge hp pool difference between tier 5,6 and 7. Take this example: Tiger has 3x more hp than t34. add to this better gun, viewrange, armour... Currently t34 needs 18 PENETRATING shots to kill tiger, while tiger needs max three for t34. I can play with worse tank, as long as playing it is not a suicide. I hope this will be solved via separate tank statistics for historical battles.
ReplyDeleteThis is called historical not fictional for a reason. Btw if you engage Tiger 1on1 in a t34.. your fault. This should be teamplay. l2p.
DeleteWaited all this time for historical battles so I'm excited about it (should've been priority from the very beginning IMO).
ReplyDeleteMy only worry is the long queue times. More tank choices should be added to hopefully fix it. For example, Nashorn and Marder 38t also fought at Kursk, yet I don't see either tank listed. M5 Stuart was also in the Ardennes. Don't put hardcaps on any tanks in HB because I fear it will worsen queue times. I don't mind seeing lots of SU-152s or Tiger Is, as long as we can get into battle. I mean just how many players have the SU-152 on one server anyway?
Great to see lower tier versions of the Pzkpfw IV and StuG III. Speaking of which, please consider splitting the M4 Sherman as well, as several variants also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, notably the M4A3. The more the merrier.
Alternatively, wouldn't queue times be shorter if the MM randomly picks a historical battle for the player? This should especially work for the likes of the T-34 and Pzkpfw IV which are eligible for more than one historical battle.
DeleteHistorical battles are fun except for the USA vs Germany one.
ReplyDeleteI had one game where it was 7-8 sniping turreted American TDs vs 1 panther, 1 tiger 2, and 1 jdpanther. The german side really had no choice other than camp, but the camp just got mobbed like ants over a chunk of apple. I understand the germans being out numbered is to balance, but maybe 3 against 8 is a little un balanced. Maybe 4 vs 6-7
Other historical battles I like. Very fun. Will be playing a lot of these.
HDs models, love them. Individual suspension is just amazing. Hoping for more of them, especially the wz 132.
Physically based shading is pretty cool, but in the new garage it looks weird because the edges glow like an alien space ship kind of. In battle, its fine. (probs bc garage has more than 1 light source or something)
Confronation mode... I already disabled that. hehe. Beat you to it.
I havent really seen a lot of them so I cant really say. I saw pearl though, which was pretty nice.
FOV, I like the scroll bar thing. GJ.
I read on FTR that round 2 of 9.0 test will be up tomorrow. Overlord do you know anything about the bug when people with old pre Open Beta account couldn't log in, will it be fixed?
ReplyDeleteI think everything is awesome except for the fact that when I try to login I get to the updating tankers part and then It says please wait and then I get a error code. Also when I try to copy it, nothing happens? I am not a beta tester by the way.
ReplyDelete1. Historical Battles
ReplyDeleteAm very highly anticipating the introduction of this mode. Played around a dozen of them on test so far, and I love it. Just keep chipping away at the balance in it, and I'm sure it'll be one of the most popular/successful additions to WOT gameplay in the past years.
2. HD Tank models / 3. Physically based shading
Lovely stuff, only complaint so far is that some of the old models have somewhat lost their metallic look; some of the German tanks in particular look like they're made out of concrete.
4. Confrontation mode
No comment here. I haven't even gotten a chance to participate in a single confrontation game myself, at all (I do have it enabled in the options). Seemed like a neat idea, though I can understand some of the balance concerns people had. Would like to see it return in the future.
5. Reworked maps
From what I've seen (and taking into account previous reworkings), this is all good stuff.
6. FOV
A nice little addition, thank you. Not enough games have this option. Especially nice for us widescreen users.
Oh, and as an addendum, for some reason in 9.0 in the garage I get 10-20 fps less than I usually do, but more than that it "feels" really sluggish and laggy when I move the camera around - I get around 39-40 FPS in garage, but it feels like I'm getting 15-20. Not sure what's up with that. Turning shadows down to medium alleviates this to some extent, but not fully (I usually run most settings at maximum).
DeleteIn an actual battle, though, framerate seems fine with any settings, or even slightly better than 8.11.
I used to organize player driven (realistic)HB's (WG english one after Zorinwarfield left) so I hope you are interested in my feedback.
ReplyDeleteI was looking forward for HB's to the masses. Sadly they don't deel like it. The feel more like randoms with a set amount of tanks with specific equipment.
The problems I have:
-The Crew:
Players are able to put OP crew with 5 skills in it. The causes huge imbalance on certain battles, like al Tigers in Kursk have 5 crew skills while russians only have around 100%, could possible even worse for premium tanks.
Its Historical accuracy in regards to tank performance.
Tigers and Panthers with 3 or 4 second reload time, you serious. Should be 50 or 100% more.
Same with manoeuvrability.
Both this one and the former where fixed with forcing 50% crew (not 75 because it was free mainly)
Its always a random battle
Sadly you won't be able to truly re-enact certain battles like ambushes or certain conditions like defend/attack, althought the planned respawning system would be interesting.
I doubt you implement some realism things in it but you can always try.
Overlord,
ReplyDeleteturrets flying off will be triggered only by ammo rack detonations with penetrating hits or can it be triggered eventually by fire, after the tank is already destroyed?
Since both .50 cal and 15mm BESA got a buff, the russian 12,7mm DShK should also get a pen buff to 27mm.
ReplyDeleteHistorical Battles mode. How do you like it so far?
ReplyDelete- I'll be happier when all the tanks are rebalanced differently from how they are from Random pub matches and have crew percentages adjusted to further this effort. Otherwise its a good step, but feels a little hollow playing on already existing maps that are not epic and too small.
HD tank models for some tanks (T-54, Tiger I, M4 Sherman)
- Tanks look fantastic, unfortunately they look great in the garage and just avg in game. If the in game levels looked as good as the garage and the tanks had 3 point physically based shading with upgraded materials all the time, that would be amazing. The levels need to be all re done so they are to the same level of detail as the garage (which looks amazing).
Physically based shading (better and more realistic materials)
- Great step forward. But while the game LOOKS better and more real, the game plays like ridge racer compared to gran turismo. By this i mean, Invisible Tanks (very arcade) / top down arty implementation (some times pin point accurate) is awful / levels are death match levels with some exceptions. Windstorm is great, while maps like cliffs are not (lots of choke points are better than 3 or 4). Let the players aim vertically to account for shell drop. Making the game look more real while it plays like a lite arcade game doesn't really fit. You should make it look more like Girls und Panzer if you want your graphics to match your game play.
Disabled Confronation mode
- I liked this mode...not sure why you'd remove it. I'd remove TC's before I'd remove this.
Reworked maps - “Malinovka”, “Serene Coast”, “Steppes”, “Redshire”, “Mountain Pass”, "Pearl River" and "Severogorsk"
Really good in terms of game play - but your going to have a visual break when you have 100k poly tanks driving around in low res poly and texture environments (even if they are lit better at some point). When you set a visual target it should be to improve the Tanks - Level quality - Sounds and the FX (which are lack lustre).
FOV configuration
FOV should be set in stone. This will just be abused by elite players that also use XVM and zoom mods (which WG says gives no advantage and is pretty much BS).
Historical Battles are a great idea, After few Tweeks(Platoons, Respawns?) it should be Perfect
ReplyDeleteThey look good, it could be a bit Optimized but it's OK
I would miss the Confrontation mode I hope it will be fixed soon and comes back
Ill just give feedback on the HD models... The models are great polygon wise. There needs to be some more work on the color of the models. The M4 looks much better because of the color used. The tiger is too dark and the T-54 is also off in some way. Maybe lighter shades on both would look better?
ReplyDeleteOther area that needs some work is lighting. When you pan the camera to the opposite side of the light stand in the garage there is this strange white glossy reflection on the models. Looks really strange.
Oh, Overlord, a suggestion if I can, please.. WE NEED THE OPTION TO REMOVE THE INTERFACE IN THE GARAGE! There really is no reason why we could have it in battle (V button) but not in the garage with the new fabulous models.
I've just one question about 9.0 and Historical Battle :
ReplyDeleteWhy the heck did Wargaming wait SO LONG to bring this battle mode ?!
==> Is it just because of War Thunder ground forces competition ?
What kills me is Stormm claiming that it only took about 1 month so far to develop that battle mod ! Same about confrontation, he claimed it took only a very short time to make confrontation mode available...
Well, IMO HB are far from being finished :)
DeleteAnd as I know from my experience usually most things that are planned in most companies do not take much time to do, but to do them, you need to have that time. In other words, there were many things that developers considered more important and worked on them while HB were waiting in a queue of to do things.
The only problem I had with the HD models was mainly with the Sherman, the suspension animations are pretty terrible, the metal is stretching on the coils and so on. However I expect you need Havok for this?
ReplyDeleteThe other being that the tracks sticks too much to the support rollers, specially on the Tiger the tracks barely moves when the Tiger jumps around the tracks jump up and down in real life and specially when it turns the tracks really tightens, is it possible to simulate this exact thing in the game? Or will we get this also with Havok?
Lastly the shader based rendering causes some weird looks on some tanks, they appear to be very bright and some are a bit dark, also some have dark and bright parts which looks really weird.
1. Historical functions well enough, I'm enjoying it. I'm ok with the idea that lower tier tanks will be rewarded for being played, but I would like to just have less higher tiers in the battles. Specifically would love to see just "minor" tanks in historical settings (Just Pz4s/T34s, less "beasts" at the top of the tiers)
ReplyDelete2. Really looking forward to seeing the game when all models are done. They look good. Changes to some other tanks is really peculiar though. See: T49 and Pz3
3. Hard to notice due to either seeing no change, huge change (last point) or just seeing it as different, like some of the US tanks.
4. We all knew it wouldn't work.
5. Been enjoying historical too much, haven't played the new changes to maps.
6. It works at the setting I prefer, which probably was how it was, no comment.
I think you shouldnt be able to repair modules and revive crew members in HB. This wouldnt be a big issue for smaller tanks but would enable them to cripple a tiger for example, since he would not respawn.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe historical battles is a real eye-opener. I can easily see myself living in this space. Gives one an idea of the impossible odds some tankers faced during the war. (And making their efforts that more remarkable) Suddenly the watery-eyed old timers on the WW2 documentaries makes much more sense when they relate their experiences. I also read the accounts of the tankers on the Eastern-front with new eyes. They all deserve our respect, and it is fitting to remember them in this manner.
ReplyDeleteOn the historical battle mode:
In all the historical battles I have played thus far, I have noticed much more communication and "team play" than in other public match formats before - that is a good thing for this game indeed.
I know the modules are historically correct, and that should remain as such. However, the "damage model" is not historically correct.1 well placed shot from a T-34-85, Hellcat, etc should have the possibility to permanently neutralize an opponent - as it did historically. This will make the battles even more playable.
On the map changes:
I really like the map changes so far. Even Malinovka is a fight to look forward too. Well thought through - thank you very much.
Good work on what we have seen so far. I am really excited about 0.9.0
How the camo is applied to the Panzer III and StuG III B needs to be changed. At present it looks sloppy and horrible.
ReplyDelete1.) Good, some battles needs some tweaking in regards to balance though.
ReplyDelete2.) Awww yeah! Keep them coming at a steady pace please. :)
3.) Lighting seems more realistic on tanks.
4.) Played it only a couple of times and turned it off on Live, not going to miss it tbh.
5.) Changes look interesting. Redshire changes worked wonders.
6.) Good addition, needs revert to default button next to it or some text in brackets "default: 105°"
Toodles.
i have been testing only historical battle and nothing more so i will focus on that subject. first of all its so sweet that we have tanks with proper module configuration, thats add more atmosphere to the game and force players to think. problem with this mode is in number od tank which can take part in battle -> it should be doubled. if we dont have more people in game then cap zone must be removed coz german tanks are outnumbered so it end on camping on cap zone (or next to it), and even if german attack allied position they are overrun and enemy starts cap the base. 3rd problem imo is a ide of spawning tanks -> as we all can see spawning mechaics in war thunder is not an ideal option coz germans will be always outnumbered and enemy will camp on their spawn point so its not funny die after spawn, and even if we can decide where to spawn for example near lone wolf tank who is hunted by wolfpack it also problematic. in order to encourage ppl to play tanks from tier 1?? to 5 -> playing them should be more rewarding and some tank/gun characteristic should be changed:
ReplyDelete1st option->buff damage of smaller guns like german 75 (the same way american 76) and soviet counter parts
2nd option ->lower modules hp to for example to detrack tiger or isu faster and even prevent track repair by Small or Large Repair Kit -> longer detrack = more reward for assistance
sorry for my english ;)
Why disable something (confrontation) for all, when it can easily be turned off individualy? Just tweak the matchbreaker for some more tank diversity and it is good to go...
ReplyDeleterichmi
1. More Gamemodes are always good. Especally if you could choose your favorite maps in random mm.
ReplyDelete2. More good graphics like HD tanks are always good. Especally more good ambient graphics.
3. like 2.
4. I liked Confrontation mode
5. Didnt noticed any differences yet. But again more ambient is better.
6. FOV configuration is quite good. With low fov the tanks look so big, which is nice.
Are there new soundeffects ? Like tank explosion sounds, they are awesome. The flying turrets are as well awesome. These additional ambient effects make the game so much richer.
I also like the Airplane flying at the Dessert Airport map. There should be even more.
Re: 2nd iteration of 9.0 test from today:
ReplyDelete- There seems to be a bug where the scoreboard "sticks on" (won't disappear after releasing tab key), have to press escape and hit return to battle to get it to go away
- For some reason now, my game displays grass in sniper mode despite my having that setting disabled in graphics options.
- Forgot to mention in last post; I don't like the new green tint effect in sniper mode, would be great if I could turn it off
- In-garage camera seems a bit less sluggish now which is good, but the garage still doesn't run nearly as smoothly as it does in 8.11
Other than that, so far good stuff :)
The historical battles are extremely poorly balanced. The hit point totals simply don't work well for the vehicle matchups. I find that in general battles (especially the Ardennes Offensive) are heavily skewed towards German victory, in no small part due to the great hit points of the German tanks (often the German tank has 2-3 times as many hit points as a tank it is facing). Further, base trading is far too easy, because of the low density of players on a given map.
ReplyDeleteThere is an error in the HD Sherman tank model. The gun mount on the stock turret is incorrect with the 105mm howitzer, and there is no gun modeled behind the mantlet with either the 75 or 105mm, this gives the effect of the gun tube and mantlet "floating" in front of the tank. It looks very weird. I've had very little fun playing historical battles; they're really not much fun at all, especially if you're not playing an "OP" tank.
I have observed the Tiger's track model stay stationary while it is moving. That is to say, the sprocket and roadwheels are turning, but the track model is static. I only observed one track doing this, not both.
Loading times for historical battles are atrocious. I have made several attempts to play even lower value tanks (Shermans, T-34s, etc) and been stuck trying to load historical battles for several minutes, sometimes being kicked out of the queue.
Several of the tank models (MS-1, Centurion, Matilda) look overglared, and almost luminescent with the new shaders (especially with white camo patterns). Most tanks look good.
I also experienced the sticky scoreboard bug.
I found a solution for that bug pretty soon. First, I was closing the client and getting back in. Then I just hit Escape and then got back in the game after seeing the menu. No more sticky scoreboard! :)
DeleteRegarding the historical matches, I have seen in the spanish forums some good points regarding one issue: for a team with less number of tanks, it is very frustrating having to defend the flag. It limits the options for that team and it would make these matches very predictable and repetitive. There is a need to ensure people engage and dont hide nor camp but at the moment this is a sort of a problem.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the updated graphics functionality, a new setting named "resolution scale" was added in the options, why did you set 100% to maximum? Is there some reason you haven't implement 200% resolution scale?
ReplyDeleteI really don't like historical battles because they are unbalanced and because there need to be more tanks ( at least 15vs15 with respawn for low hp tanks )
ReplyDeleteOften you get 7 SU-152 vs 7 Tigers on prohorovka, no t34, panthers, pzIV's and pzIII's
I'd want to see 15vs15 players in prohorovka with each team having it's own HP pool for that battle, say 20-25k german 50k russian side and have them at each other for 20min. When you deplete your hp pool you can't respawn anymore and you lose.
Also nobody will play t34 while they have only tigers to fight, give them some t34 vs pzIII/IV action.
I really don't care about anything else on test server, still waiting for havoc.
What about separate clients, will I have to download probably 30GB patch when it comes out ?
Will you make optional in the preferences of the client downloading of HD models ( HD models download and install separate from 9.0 patch ? )
the green tint in sniper mode is shit, remova that ASAP
ReplyDeleteHistorical Battles:
ReplyDelete1. The interface to switch between special battles is clumsy once you are sent back to the garage when the MM is unable to create a match-up. Say you are waiting for a battle on the Battle of the Bulge map, but MM is not able to create a match. You are then sent back to the garage. You remain in "Special Battle" mode, but you cannot select any other battle, unless you first quit "Special Battles" then re-enter it, and then select another battle. If you are in a Panther for instance, you are good for any of the 3 maps, but you still have to quit "Special Battles" and re-enter before you can switch to another map. Would have been better to return to the "Select Battle" screen, rather than just the garage without option to switch to another battle.
2. Currently you hardly meet a good "tactical" match-up. It's the biggest you have got, or nothing. I guess that this will pan out differently on live servers, because not everybody will have a full garage. The re-spawn for light tanks is a great idea, and will surely get them back into the battle mode.
Once again, thanks for this battle mode - it is awesome!