9.0 Public Test

The third iteration of the test is available now!

Tankers!

Some changes have been made to the Public Test 9.0, and we're on to the third iteration of the test. If you are already taking part in the test, your "Common Test" launcher will automatically update when you log in. If you haven't already taken part in this test, then here's your chance, because our developers want your help!

It's important for the development of the game to get as much feedback on the changes as possible. By taking part in the Public Test, you can tell us all about your thoughts and suggestions on upcoming updates. This means we can review your feedback and continue making changes before the update goes live.

All World of Tanks players are eligible to take part in the Public Test as long as they registered before March 1, 2014. You don’t need to be an experienced tester to join in, you just need to be willing to try out as many of the new features as you can and send us your feedback!

Main Features Updated in the third version of the Public Test

15 maps reworked to improve lighting
Added an option to disable the aim post-effect for Sniper Mode
Two vehicles reworked
Bugs and defects fixed on eight vehicles
Various other bugs and issues fixed

For the full list of updated changes, please see the Notes section below.

Disclaimer

The Public Test will use a new graphic technology called “physically based shading” that is planned to be the basis for the future graphical changes in 2014, such as HD tank models.
The Public Test will include some of the HD models planned for release in Update 9.0, as well as some new physics functions, such as turrets being blown off upon the explosion of the ammo rack, and realistic suspension behavior in the HD models. We hope to collect early feedback on these functions so that we can make any necessary changes before the release of Update 9.0.
This test’s main focus points are the technical aspects of the new features and the Historical Battles game mode. The content provided for testing should not be considered as final and is subject to change. We strongly encourage you to send us your feedback and opinions as they are very important to help us to improve the features.

How the Public Test Works

To participate in the test you need to take the following steps:

Install a small client file found here
Update World of Tanks via the launcher
If you have already installed the Public Test game client, the launcher will update to the new version automatically

Be sure to install the Test launcher in a different folder from the current game client version. Also, close all game clients before installing the update.

Please keep in mind certain features of the Public Test server:

Payments are not accepted on the server
All test accounts will receive a one-time stipend of:
- 100,000,000 XP
- 100,000,000
- 20,000
- Progress won't be transferred to the main NA server
- Credits and experience rates will not be increased for this test

Public Test Notes

These patch notes are preliminary and do not contain details of characteristic changes of some tanks. The detailed list of these changes will be provided in the final patch notes upon release.

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Changes for the third version of Public Test 9.0

Reworked the following maps to improve the lighting:
- Mountain Pass
- Mines
- Erlenberg
- Malinovka
- Ensk
- Ruinberg
- Province
- El Halluf
- Sand River
- Winter Himmelsdorf
- Serene Coast
- South Coast
- Highway
- Northwest
- Live Oaks

Reworked the following vehicles:
- Т-34-85
- Centurion 7/1

Fixed bugs and defects with the following updated vehicles:
- Т-54
- Tiger
- Panther
- Maus
- M103
- Hellcat
- M4 Sherman
- Tortoise

Fixed bugs and defects with the following damaged vehicles:
- Т-54
- М103
- Tortoise
Fixed an issue with permanent disconnections from the server on PCs with AMD processors.
Fixed an issue affecting the aim post-effect for Sniper Mode that depended on the type of additional mounted equipment.
Added an option to disable the aim post-effect for Sniper Mode.
Fixed certain bugs and defects in the Premium and Non-Premium Garages.
Fixed the camera displacement in the exterior window.
Fixed the blinking lamp in the Premium Garage.
Fixed an issue with the camera clinging to the lamp in the Premium Garage.
Fixed an issue with the tracks of certain French vehicles being too dark.
Fixed certain game-client crashes.
Changed the sound volume of gunfire back to the level used in Version 8.11.
Debugged effects of dust raised by gunfire.
Fixed issues with the display of shadows cast by a number of objects on different maps.
Fixed an issue with the player list (TAB) refusing to go off screen.
Fixed certain bugs affecting the display of a tank’s blown-off turret.
Fixed an issue with blown-off turrets being suspended in midair.
Fixed an issue with vehicles getting stuck against another destroyed vehicle.
Fixed camouflage issues affecting certain vehicles.
Fixed an issue with the display of tooltips in the “Service Record” window.
Finalized text descriptions for the settings in “Graphics” tab.
Fixed an issue with the reticle jumping around when in Sniper Mode.
Fixed an issue preventing a change to graphics settings in certain cases.
Fixed an issue with the display of gunfire effects while in Sniper Mode with some additional effects disabled.
Fixed an issue with tracers being insufficiently bright on certain maps.
Fixed an issue with transparent landscape features being displayed during the first second after the completion of the map download.
Fixed issues with the display of tooltips for the historical setup in the “Service” window.
Debugged engine exhaust effects.
Reverted to the M24 Chaffee tank's previous turret.
Fixed gunshot effects for certain vehicles.
Fixed certain bugs with the battle playback feature.

Changes for the second version of Public Test 9.0

Added new improved models and textures to the following vehicles:
- M18 Hellcat
- M103
- Tortoise
- Maus
- Panther

Fixed certain bugs and defects in the updated models of the following tanks:
- Tiger I
- M4 Sherman
- T-54

Fixed the following maps for better game play balance:
- Steppes
- Severogorsk

Improved lighting on the following maps:
- Malinovka
- Steppes
- Abbey
- Himmelsdorf
- Mountain Pass
Reworked textures and models of 150 vehicles to match new lighting
Added new garage for standard accounts (Non-Premium)
Corrected mistakes in descriptions of certain awards
Implemented blown-off turret slipping from tank hull
Added "Change Graphics Settings" modal dialog box on initial game client launch
Supplemented gunshot effects with dynamic lighting sources
Fixed certain game client crashes identified during Public Test 1
Fixed issue with tanks burning underwater
Fixed garage camera response delay
Fixed certain bugs with rewinding/fast forwarding during battle playback
Fixed certain malfunctions in updated graphic setting window
Fixed performance drop on the "Widepark" map
Removed option to join Historical Battles in a vehicle of non-historical configuration
Fixed certain tracks display issues affecting updated tank models (gray contours, excessive stretching, etc.)
Fixed issue with improper types of texture being displayed on updated tank models
Reconfigured volume of tank engine and suspension sounds
Reconfigured volume of shooting and explosion sounds
Fixed issues with display of tooltips for historical ammunition
Fixed penetrations indicator performance in after-battle statistics window
Fixed certain graphics issues and new Premium Garage defects
Fixed issue with graphical artifacts appearing when "Motion blur effect" is set to low
Added synchronization of tracks and driving wheels
Fixed issue with tanks occasionally getting stuck in a battle

Changes that were made for the initial version of Public Test 9.0

Added new German vehicles:
- Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. A, Tier III Medium Tank
- Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. D, Tier IV Medium Tank
- StuG III Ausf. B, Tier IV Tank Destroyer

Reworked and improved the following vehicles:
- Т-54
- Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger I
- M4 Sherman

Added new “Historical Battle” mode
Fixed the suspension issues for improved vehicles
Reworked and modified the following maps: “Malinovka”, “Serene Coast”, “Steppes”, “Redshire”, "Mountain Pass," "Severogorsk" and "Pearl River"
Removed “Confrontation” Random Battle mode
Added new “Graphics” settings window
Added the option to reduce the game area resolution while keeping the Graphical user interface (GUI) resolution unchanged (“Dynamic resolution” option in graphics settings)
Added the FOV configuration option
Added the option for setting color filters' intensity
Added the option for setting screen refresh rate
Added new animation for turrets flying off tanks due to an ammo-rack explosion
Added full screen effect in Sniper mode
Added a language indicator to the login screen.
Added new awards in Team Battles: “Fighting Reconnaissance”, “God of War”, “Will-to-Win Spirit”, “Crucial Shot”, and “For Tactical Operations”
Reworked the “Vehicles” tab in the “Service Record” window
Reworked the “Statistics” tab in the “Service Record” window
Adjusted the requirements for the “Steel Wall” award
Added improvements to certain characteristics of the British Light Mk. VIC and American T7 Combat Car tanks
Replaced the after-battle statistics “Potential damage” score with “Damage blocked by armor”
Fixed “Voice chat” malfunctions
Fixed the visual depiction of the “Dispersion indicator” during battle playback
Fixed minor bugs during the battle playback
Fixed the issue with artillery shells landing out of the dispersion circle in Artillery mode
Fixed the issue with artillery shells exploding in midair
Fixed the issue with the game client hanging up on exit
Improved the game client performance on some PC configurations
Optimized quality of decalsand motion blur effect
Fixed the performance issue after enabling track traces
Fixed the display of shadows on flora at medium and high settings
Fixed the garage notifications and invitation windows
Removed the table displaying tiers of vehicles in queue
Added a “Ammunition is empty” message when pressing F8 after running out of shells
Altered the Auto-Aim point selection system
Reworked the auto-detect system for graphics settings
Optimized the quality of long lists of vehicles in the “Missions” window
Re-mastered the music soundtrack
Increased the limit of complaints per day from 5 to 10
Altered the complaint titles
Moved the “Will-to-Win Spirit” award to “Honorary Ranks”
Fixed minor bugs in the “Missions” window
Fixed the audio interruptions during automatic gun fire
Fixed the disappearing and flickering track traces
Fixed the occasional issue with shells hitting vehicles without sound effects
Fixed the uncontrolled relocation of destroyed vehicles
Fixed the loading icon being displayed every minute while in the Garage
Fixed the issue with the “In Depot” icon displaying after removing permanent Camouflage that was purchased prior to the release of 8.11
Fixed the issue with the amount of experience displaying in tooltips in respect to researched vehicle or modules
In the “Vehicles” statistics tab, the display of statistics by awards obtained in Team Battles
Fixed the issue with the occasional delay in awarding or not awarding the “Abrams' Medal”
Fixed the win percentage rounding
Fixed the issue with connecting to training room voice chat upon client re-launch
Fixed the quality issue with the tracer outside of the shell trajectory
Added the dynamic target (Gunner's) viewpoint to target points subject to visibility checks from (Commander's above-turret and Gunner's on-gun) viewpoints
Fixed the issue with after-battle saving of distance from the camera to the player's vehicle
Removed the effect ofHigh-Explosive shells exploding when hitting a crew member located outside of a vehicle (for open-type artillery)
Fixed the performance issue with the Tank Company filter by Commander's name
Decal is a special texture that can be applied over a base texture. For example, bullet or shell holes, logos, etc

Altered the characteristics of the following vehicles:

T7 Combat Car:
- Increased the maximum forward and reverse speed from 38.6 to 56 km/h, and from 16 to 20 km/h, respectively
- Altered the ammunition capacity from 1,100 to 1,350 shells
- 12.7mm MG HB M2, 12.7mm MG HB M2 A and 12.7mm T23 heavy machine guns:
- Increased the rate of fire per shell container from 450 to 550 r/m
- Increased the gun range from 350 to 395m
- Increased penetration from 22 to 27mm

Light Mk. VIC:
- Increased the gun range from 350 to 395mm
- Increased the penetration from 25 to 27mm

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