Greetings, Commanders!
It is not always easy for new players to adapt to the game, learn battle mechanics and show decent performance, especially if they find themselves in matches with experienced commanders. To give them a chance to train by playing in more comfortable battles and master their skills faster, the Random Battle matchmaker will create a separate queue for novices starting with Update 1.12.1.
Helping Novices Improve Their Skills
New players in low-tier Random Battles (Tier I–V) will find themselves in more comfortable battles, because most of the tankers in their queue will most often be fellow novices.
If you purchase a Tier VII–VIII Premium vehicle but continue to fight in low-tier (Tier I–V) battles, you will still be considered a novice.
In battles against new or ordinary players, as well as against A.I.-controlled vehicles, the list of maps for battles in Tier I–III vehicles has been changed. Himmelsdorf and Abbey have been removed from the list. In their place, three new maps have been added: Ensk, Lakeville, and Mannerheim Line. The resulting list includes a total of 6 maps: Mines, Lakeville, Mannerheim Line, Ruinberg, Steppes, and Ensk.
Please note all other maps will be available depending on the type of players the matchmaker sends into battle: If a battle is fought only with new players and bots, the remaining maps will be available from Tier V*, if there are ordinary players—from Tier IV*.
A.I. Players at Lower Tiers
Our top priority is to make sure that novices play against other fellow novices, this will make them more comfortable adapting to the game. But depending on the server, time of day and the current state of the queue, the matchmaker may not have enough players to form equal and competitive teams in Tier I–V matches, so the waiting time may increase significantly. Adding A.I.-controlled tankers will help us quickly get you into battle and allow the matchmaker to assemble battles faster. On highly populated servers, you will be less likely to encounter A.I. players, but it may still happen from time to time.
We want the presence of A.I.-controlled vehicles in battle to be completely transparent, so you will always be able to easily distinguish them by the ellipsis ("...") in the player list interface. Here are other points to note about battles with A.I. players:
- Dealing damage to and destroying A.I. enemies will award you with the same amount of XP as you would receive for damaging and destroying human opponents.
- Just like in regular battles, you will be able to earn Achievements and rewards, and make progress in Personal Missions.
Improving Your Battle Experience
These matchmaker changes are a win-win for both novices and regular players. They will help us maintain the fair and competitive spirit of the game and:
- Reduce the difficulty curve to make it easier for novices to grasp the basics of World of Tanks and motivate them to play and win.
- Match more experienced commanders with skilled opponents, so they can continue to challenge and improve their abilities.
- Decrease the queuing time for all players, especially on low-population servers (will vary on different peripheries).
We will closely monitor how this system works and adjust its settings if necessary.
Let’s improve our tank skills together, Commanders!
