Purpose of this blog

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

Friday, March 8, 2013

[WoT] How Good 0.8.4 Is

The 0.8.4 update went live. And this is the feedback topic. Let's discuss the pros and ... merits of the latest major patch.

Regarding the most recent poll: What form of eSports are you interested in??

  • None of the above  - 752 (53%) - Totally explainable. 
  • Participating -  308 (21%) - Not bad at all.
  • Watching videos and live games - 255 (18%)
  • Reading news and other -  91 (6%) - this and the group above have a good chance to ultimately join those who actually participate once the necessary support is provide and eSports is more accessible in WoT
 As always the new poll is up. 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

[MISC] Wargaming Seattle


Gas Powered Games (Wargaming Seattle)
Everyone's wondering about Gas Powered Games, our recent acquisition earlier this year. For Chris Taylor, this was a happy surprise - in 2012, the studio was facing an uncertain future with only a now-defunct Kickstarter project keeping it afloat. Being a part of the Wargaming team has given the studio new life; the feeling of excitement in the offices is evident, from the fresh, new ideas coming out of the development team to the eagerness with which they accept opportunities within Wargaming's structure.

Office decorations in Seattle - they already fit right in!
Last week, I got to visit the offices of the new Wargaming Seattle studio and meet with Chris and his design and development leads to talk about the direction the studio is moving, plans for new game development, and just get to know the team and let them know what Wargaming is all about - bringing the fun to free games. Our shared vision turned out to be even more powerful than anything we would have come up with alone.

Their vision is like our vision - a perfect match!
Gas Powered Games and Chris Taylor are already well known for a number of famous products, including Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander, Supreme Commander 2, Dungeon Siege, Space Siege, Age of Empires Online, and Demigod. The studio happens to be the same age as Wargaming - 15 years - so it's no wonder they have developed so many cool games.

Chris Taylor, CEO and Founder, Gas Powered Games
Chris Taylor is the fire under this studio that keeps things hot, in spite of the cold, rainy weather Seattle is famous for. I was extremely impressed with his enthusiasm and desire to take on new projects and become part of the Wargaming team. As he told me over dinner, it's going to be great for him to let someone else focus on administration, so he can go back to enjoying making great games.
Game memorabilia from the past 15 years
The Gas Powered Games offices are located just outside of Seattle, near Nintendo's US headquarters. They're very postmodern, with a lot of glass and steel, and too large for the number of people working there right now, which means they are going to have to start recruiting to get those desks filled. That way they can get to work on The Next Big Game®.

Chris Taylor's desk - clearly a sign of a creative mind!
There is one desk that is already full to capacity - Chris Taylor's! It looks like he's kept every game he's ever played, every magazine and book he's ever read, and enough office furniture to pile all of them on! Fortunately, we all know that chaos is a sign that creative juices are constantly flowing. Another way Gas Powered Games fits right in with Wargaming!  :-)

by ChrisK

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

[WoT] Digging Through Archives: Ferdi's Performance

It's been quite a while since I posted a Digging Through Archives thing. Making up for it.

Taken from communication between Heinz Guderian, General of Arnoured troops, and Adolf Hitler dated 1943 (excerpts):

After 2000km of traveled distance the condition of Ferdinand tanks in such that 4 vehicles ignited spontaneously while marching and became completely worthless.

Repairs are extremely hard and continuous for both unit (Heavy Anti-tank Regiment 656) and army group and can't be performed at this time.

The success Ferdinand tanks have had so far, e.g. 8 Ferdinand tanks destroyed 54 enemy tanks on November 25, indicates that the unit should be brought for reinforcement to ensure its full fighting efficiency.



Central Archive of the Russian Ministry of Defence, fund 500, inventory 12462, case N93, page 115

Actually not bad performance of debut batch of Ferdi's, especially taken into account overloaded chassis.