How balance works in wot. Development news: balancer, graphics and light tanks
Today, which showed and will allow us to test the new balancer, changes in artillery and the completely new LT-X. Therefore, today I would like to briefly introduce you to the new balance of equipment in battle.
An example of the new “balancer in 9.18”
Pay attention to the number of high, medium and low levels in the battle. Highs - less, lows - more.
Why did they change the balance algorithm in WOT?
The topic of balance is probably one of the most painful for players. Personally, I chattered my teeth a lot in irritation when I once again pulled some kind of trick. And finally, Wargaming took up the solution to this problem.Changes in the “balancer” algorithm
The algorithm of the new balancer will try to create such a battle, the level of technology in which +-2 levels, using template 3/5/7. Much will depend on the number and type of equipment in the queue, so this template will not always work. But one way or another, the new balancer will work according to the following scheme:- no more than three units of equipment at the top of the team list;
- no more than five units of equipment in the middle of the team list.
- there is more technology in the middle of the list than at the top of the list;
- there is more technology at the bottom of the list than in the middle of the list.
Priority of the number of low and high levels
- the number of vehicles at the bottom of the list will always be dominant;
- in the middle of the list there will be cars whose characteristics can provide decent resistance to the “tops”;
- and the “tops” will be able to show their advantages in all their glory and at the same time “sweat”, and not play what is called a “one left” fight.
The developers once again call for creating platoons on vehicles of the same level, motivating players with additional experience.
Also now in battle there can be only 3 self-propelled guns on the team, nothing more.
Still happy card balancer selection: he will analyze the locations where you have played and try to select those where you have not played yet.
Another nice addition is improved logic in selecting the battle level: Now, if you have been “thrown” to the bottom of the list for a long time, the balancer will try to find you a more favorable fight (in this case, regardless of the technique).
Today we will talk in detail about how the improved balancer works and look at each stage of team formation. Let's go!
How does this work
The improved balancer forms two teams, taking into account a number of criteria. The main task of the balancer is the same - to send the player into battle as quickly as possible and form two teams subject to the following conditions:
- Equality of capabilities of military equipment: teams must have an equal chance of winning.
- Diversity of team compositions: the equipment sets in each battle should be varied so that the player gets a new experience.
- Unpredictability of the course of the battle and its outcome: the outcome of the battle should depend primarily on the actions of the players.
To achieve this result, the system analyzes the machines in the queue and selects one of the templates - server-side algorithms for collecting commands that determine the number of machines at the top, middle and bottom of the list.
The balancer begins its work by attempting to create a three-tier battle using the 3/5/7 template (three cars at the top, five cars in the middle and seven cars at the bottom of the list) or some other variation of it (for example, 3/4/8, 3/ 3/9, etc.). The option chosen by the balancer depends on the composition of the queue. In any case, there will be no battles where the number of vehicles at the top of the list exceeds the number of vehicles in the middle. Guided by the same principle, the balancer does not create battles where the number of vehicles in the middle exceeds the number of vehicles at the bottom of the list. The following rules will always be followed:
- there cannot be more cars at the top of the list than in the middle;
- there cannot be more cars in the middle of the list than at the bottom.
Thus, the balancer ensures that, regardless of the player’s position in the team list, there will always be a sufficient number of enemy vehicles of a similar level for him, and the influence of such a player on the outcome of the battle increases.
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The “SELECT” button can be pressed several times.
If the 3/5/7 team build causes players to wait in line too long, the balancer will loosen the requirements to create the matchup faster. In this case, two- and one-level battles can be created. The bulk of the battles will be three-level.
If a player has fought several battles in a row at the bottom of the list, the balancer will try to find such a player a place higher, regardless of whether the player went into battle on the same or different vehicles. However, if waiting for such a battle takes too long, the balancer will send the player to any suitable battle. As a result, players will not have to wait in line for too long, and team compositions will correspond to the current situation on the server.
Creating a fight
Stage 1 : determining the range of vehicle levels in battle and the type of battle. First, the balancer determines the number of players and squads appropriate for each combat level, as well as the type of combat. Next, the system analyzes the modes specified by the players, the equipment they chose, its levels, as well as the standard or preferential level of battles.
Stage 2 : creating two equal teams. Having determined the range of vehicle levels in battle and the type of battle, the system tries to distribute players among teams, taking into account balance requirements and restrictions:
- Templates: both teams must follow a pattern: the number of vehicles at the top, middle and bottom of the list must be the same.
- Self-propelled guns: the number of self-propelled guns is limited to three vehicles per team.
- Platoons: In random battles, only single-level platoons are allowed. The difference in the number of platoon players should be no more than three.
- Types of equipment: the difference in the number of self-propelled guns, light tanks and tank destroyers within each part of the team list should be no more than one vehicle.
At the same time, the balancer NOT takes into account the vehicle nation, module configuration, equipment, equipment, crew level and player statistics, excluding the number of battles. The latter is taken into account when creating separate battles for beginners.
If you participated in the general test of version 9.18, you could end up in battles with the standard range of vehicle levels, where the self-propelled gun was at the top of the list of commands. Technically, such a composition of teams does not violate the balance requirements, and such battles will be created. However, we guarantee that this will rarely happen. The balancer will try to place self-propelled guns in the middle or bottom of the team's list. Even if the self-propelled gun ends up in the top part due to the long waiting time in the queue, you can be sure that the enemy team also has a self-propelled gun in the top part.
Stage 3 : card selection. Once the balancer finds a template that meets the requirements, he assembles teams, selects a map and creates a battle. Cards for low-level vehicles are randomly selected from a limited set. In other cases, the balancer determines a set of cards that correspond to the type of battle and the range of vehicle levels in the teams. Next, the program analyzes which maps the players fought on in the last few battles, and selects the one with the fewest tankers.
Developing an improved balancer and rebalancing the self-propelled guns took months of work. This is an important stage in the development of a more fair and balanced gameplay. We tried to create an algorithm that will satisfy all the requirements, configured it in a general test and are now introducing it on the main servers. But we don’t plan to stop there. It is very important for us to know your opinion. Your feedback combined with statistics will give us a clear understanding of how else we can improve the balancer.
2 years and 7 months ago Comments: 5
Balance in terms of efficiency () in battle is a new game balance that players are talking about more and more often. Is it possible to implement this in the World of Tanks game? This procedure is very difficult to implement. Some players may gain an incredible advantage because they once played very poorly but have improved their game. And due to the reluctance to change accounts, they will end up with players who do not play very well, because such an indicator as efficiency rises harder and harder with each battle. Accordingly, victories will be easy and will subsequently discourage interest in the game. As a result of this balance, even more players may leave the game, as many will also complain about the team.
Even if we assume that such a procedure is possible, the entire balance of the game breaks down. This is due to the fact that there will be too many tanks of the same class playing.
There are, of course, another option- a combination of balance in technique and skill. But this technology is much more complex, and a couple of lines of code will not be enough. In addition, the developers will not agree to this procedure, because they will lose a considerable audience of players.
Balancer- a software mechanism whose functions include the distribution of players into teams before the start of the battle.
Operating principle
The basis of the World of Tanks game is battles between two teams, consisting of 15 combat vehicles each. The vehicles are divided into classes (light, medium and heavy tanks, self-propelled anti-tank guns and self-propelled howitzer artillery), each class includes 10 levels of vehicle “development”. In order for “random battles” (the main game mode) to be interesting for players, three important conditions for automatic tank selection must be met:
- Equality of capabilities of military equipment of two opposing teams.
- Diversity of team compositions.
- Unpredictability of the course of the battle and its results.
This task is performed by the “balancer” - a module of the World of Tanks server part, which adds tanks to the team, makes them equal in “strength” and sends the teams into battle. The balancer appeared at the beginning of the closed beta testing of the game (it was not present at all during the alpha test). In his very first version, there were only two levels of battles (“sand” with tank levels 1-2 and general battles of levels 3-10). Then it was replaced by a more complex balancer, and the first table of distribution of tanks by battle levels appeared.
Battles in World of Tanks are divided into eleven levels, the first 10 of which roughly correspond to the levels of combat vehicles in the upgrade trees. For example, a heavy tank of level 4, in accordance with the table above, can only get into battles of levels 4 and 5. Balance weight is a hidden numerical parameter that determines the combat effectiveness of each vehicle. It is related to the type of vehicle, its level and role in battle.
The work of the “random battles” balancer is based on the following principles:
- Any combat vehicle can only get into battles of its own level (see table), with the exception of platoons;
- The vehicle's place in the team's list is determined by its balance weight;
- Combat vehicles are selected into teams based on the statistics of the compositions of already assembled teams over the past half hour;
- The total balance weight of two opposing teams differs by no more than 10%, except in special cases;
- The total balance weight of self-propelled guns of two opposing teams differs by no more than 20%, the number - by no more than 1, the number of self-propelled guns per team - no more than 5;
- The longer a particular vehicle waits for its turn, the higher its priority becomes, and if the wait exceeds 1 minute, the balancer tends to send it into battle;
- If both already assembled teams do not satisfy the balance conditions, they are disbanded and recruited again;
The balancer does not take into account:
- nationality of the tank
- tank modules (gun, turret, engine, etc.)
- additional equipment and/or equipment installed on the tank
- crew level
- player skill level
The balancer works with queues of combat vehicles. Each level and type of battle has its own queue, there are 33 queues in total (11 battle levels, 3 different battle modes). Battle statistics are collected for each of the queues separately, and their own statistics are collected for self-propelled guns. Based on the collected statistics, an approximate balance weight is calculated for each of the 15 places in the team and the balancer selects cars for the team, focusing on it.
Let's look at the work of the balancer using an example. The American T14 heavy tank was chosen, distinguished by the fact that it can only enter battles of 2 levels - levels 5 and 6. For simplicity, we will disable the “Assault” and “Encounter” battle modes. After pressing the “Battle” button, the T14 tank enters 2 queues of the balancer, to the last position in each:
Since the tank was at the end of the line, its priority for sending into battle was low. However, when selecting vehicles for a team, the balancer scans the entire length of the queue, so if the recruited team lacked a tank with a balance weight close to the weight of the T14, it can immediately end up in the team sent into battle. But you may have to wait. The balancer in each queue, having sent a couple of teams into battle, immediately begins recruiting the next pair. First, self-propelled guns are added to the teams, in accordance with the rules from paragraph 5, which end up in teams on the ground, the balance weights of which are as close as possible to the weights of these self-propelled guns. Then the balancer begins selecting combat vehicles for unoccupied positions. First, tanks are selected for places with a large balance weight, that is, first the “tops” of the list are added to the team. When adding a platoon to a team, the balancer strives to ensure that the balance weights of all tanks in the platoon are close to the weights of the team's free seats, with priority given to the tank with the highest balance weight.
The balancer ensures that the total balance weights of both teams differ by no more than 10%. For each place in the teams, the queue is viewed in full, and a combat vehicle is selected from it, the balance weight of which is closest to the balance weight of this place. A situation may arise (after all, the composition of the battle queues is unpredictable) that the balance weight of the selected vehicle will differ markedly from the weight of the seat. In this case, the balancer changes the balance weights of the still unoccupied places in order to adjust the total weights of the teams.
When a pair of teams is assembled, both teams are checked to see if they meet the current balance conditions, and only if those conditions are met are the teams sent into battle. Otherwise, the teams are disbanded and their recruitment begins again. It may also happen that the balancer cannot complete the selection of combat vehicles for teams (for example, if there are many vehicles of the same type in the queue that do not fit into those already selected for teams). In this case, the queue seems to “fall asleep”, waiting for changes (for example, someone will leave it because they got into a battle of a different type or level, or someone will be added by pressing the “Battle!” button). At this moment, the queue “wakes up” and the balancer tries to complete the teams again.
The diagram shows that T14 was selected for the level 5 battle team, the formation of which has been completed, and at the same time for the level 6 battle team, the formation of which is ongoing. Since a pair of teams for a level 5 battle satisfies the current balance conditions, T14 goes into battle in this pair:
In this case, the T14 tank disappears from both queues, the place it occupied in the team for a level 6 battle is freed, and the balancer will select another combat vehicle for this place. The longer the player's car is in the queue, the more persistently the balancer tries to send it into battle. With longer waiting times, the selection criteria are relaxed. If an individual tank or platoon waits for more than 1 minute to go into battle, then the criteria become less stringent, and starting from the 3rd minute, the balancer receives permission to create teams of incomplete personnel (but the number of combat vehicles in the teams will be the same). If the waiting time for a vehicle or platoon in the queue exceeds 5 minutes, then a message appears prompting you to select another tank, and you must go to the hangar.
In World of Tanks, despite its enormous popularity all over the world, sometimes there are situations when the number of players online is small. This happens in the first minutes of game updates appearing, on newly opened clusters, as well as on servers for open testing of new versions of the game. The balancer handles such situations correctly, although selecting teams for each level and type of battle in these conditions is seriously difficult. But, firstly, a system of weakening selection criteria comes into play (for example, the difference in the team’s balance weights can increase from 10% to 20%) if the tank waits a long time for its turn to go into battle, and secondly, the balancer itself “adjusts” to the situation, focusing on the statistics of the team composition over the last half hour.
Platoon Balancer
The number of platoon players on one team cannot exceed the number of platoon players on the other team by more than 3 people. How does the balancer determine the level of battles that a platoon will end up in? The balancer evaluates which tanks are part of the platoon, finds the vehicle with the highest balance weight and then works with it. The platoon only gets into those battles that are suitable for this tank; the balance weight of the rest is not taken into account in any way.
Features of the formation of a command template and its nuances
The correct template is created after 30 minutes of balancer operation. With it, the balancer knows exactly which vehicle to take from the queue, as a result of which players wait less in the queue for the start of the battle. The balancer constantly monitors which vehicles the players use when entering battle and, if necessary, makes changes to the template. In the first half hour, the balancer works without a template, which is why not entirely balanced teams can be formed. The percentage of such battles is extremely small in relation to all battles on the server.
Answers to basic questions
1. Is there a preferential battle regime for recently purchased stock vehicles? Answer: Newly purchased vehicles without a platoon have an increased chance of getting to the top of the team list, however, this rule is neutralized if the server cannot create such a battle at the moment. Also, a preferential battle mode exists for the first twenty battles using first-level vehicles. 2. Do premium cars have priority to get to the top of the team's list? Answer: No, premium equipment has no advantages other than increased profitability and reduced repair costs. Some premium vehicles have reduced combat levels. You can find out which from the table in this topic. 3. At what point is the card selected? Before or after team formation? Answer: The choice of map is made after both teams are formed.
The World of Tanks random battle balancer is constantly being improved to ensure that the three principles stated at the beginning of the article are met. Currently, work is underway on an algorithm designed to ensure an even distribution of light tanks among teams. Changes to the team selection algorithms for the Assault mode are in the works. But the principles inherent in the balancer initially remain unchanged, providing both equal balanced teams (±10%) in the vast majority of battles, and unexpected compositions of battles that require non-standard decisions from players.
Table of battle levels and equipment distribution
How to use the table: The level and class of the desired tank is determined. For example, the IS tank is a heavy tank of the seventh level. Accordingly, the first column - line 7 - heavy tanks - battle levels from 7 to 9. By moving along columns 7-9, you can identify potential opponents of the IS tank.
In update 0.8.11, the 12th level of battles was removed from the table.
Card restrictions
Attention, this section is about battle levels (columns in the table), and not about tank levels.
Low-level battles are held on a limited set of maps. In particular,
Level 1: ,
Tankers!
A test server codenamed “Sandbox” starts today.
“Sandbox” is a special server for testing prototypes of the new World of Tanks balance. Here we plan to test various balance options and choose the most suitable one, which will solve the problems we need and will appeal to the players. The primary task is to set up a new balance of equipment for the “top” levels. First, testing will be carried out on Tier X vehicles and Tier VIII light tanks, then the approved solutions will be applied to lower levels of equipment.
Access to the test server may be terminated or limited at any time for failure to comply with the provisions of the User Agreement and.
In particular, according to clause 9.2 “Beta testing” of the User Agreement, “any information received by the User during beta testing is confidential and is not subject to disclosure.” Any distribution of information from the Sandbox server (live broadcasts, video reports, etc.) without the consent of Wargaming representatives is prohibited. You can agree on the publication of such materials in a special topic on the “Sandbox” server forum. Only those players who have access to testing can submit applications.
We do not promise that the tested prototypes will be released on the main server in their current form. Their final implementation will depend on the information collected and analyzed.
Goals of the new balance of technology
- Increasing the role of armor in the game. Now the game value of such an important aspect of a tank as armor is significantly lower than that of mobility and combat power. We hope to increase the impact of armor in the game.
- Reducing the cost of mistakes in battle . We are going to reward players for active actions in battles. Increasing the role of armor will allow you to act actively, without fear of going to the Hangar at the first detection, because it will become much more difficult to penetrate a tank at a long distance. Risk is a noble thing, and the reward for it in battle should not be excessive.
- Reducing the risk of focused fire at long ranges. Increasing the role of armor increases the survivability of the tank at long distances, including under fire from several opponents. Collective control of directions and firing at an enemy tank when it is “spotted” will become less effective, since it will be more difficult to penetrate armor at a great distance.
- Reducing combat distance. Long-distance artillery duels should not be the main tool for achieving victory. Combat vehicles must fulfill the roles originally intended for them: “tanking,” pushing through directions, and much more.
- Increased variety in gameplay. If different types of vehicles have different roles and the ability to play them effectively, battles will become more diverse. By choosing a different class, you will choose new gameplay, new game problems and ways to solve them.
- Smooth increase in combat dynamics. Changing armor penetration with distance will encourage players to take more active actions in battle to achieve victory.
Major changes
To achieve the goals of the new balance in the Sandbox, several core game mechanics will be changed.
Distribution of shells in the aiming circle
To reduce the effective fire distance, the distribution of projectiles in the aiming circle will be changed so that the need to aim completely will increase. This will increase survivability under fire at long distances.
You can learn more about how projectiles are currently distributed in the information circle on the main game servers in
Reduced armor penetration of shells with distance
WITH increasing the distance b armor penetration will drop more noticeably - this is done to increase the role of tank armor in the game. It will become more difficult to fire at a greater distance, and in order to increase the likelihood of damaging an enemy tank, players will have to take more active actions: getting closer to the enemy or taking up positions to fire at their weak spots.
In addition, it will become more difficult to penetrate a tank at a long distance into the most protected frontal projection - thus, heavily armored vehicles will have more opportunities to push through directions.
Changes in the degree of decrease in armor penetration with distance will not affect close fire combat - the features of its conduct will remain the same.
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Systematization of projectile damage
There are currently many more large-caliber guns in World of Tanks than there were in the initial stages of the game's development, and there is a need to recalculate the damage of guns. As part of the Sandbox, a new system for distributing one-time damage of various weapons will be tested. The system being tested should reduce the number of shots that deal critical damage and increase the value of the damage per minute metric compared to one-time projectile damage.
Change in vehicle maneuverability
Along with increasing the survivability and lifespan of a well-armored tank in battle, it was decided to add gaming capabilities for weakly armored but mobile vehicles. Class or role relationships between the rotation speeds of the chassis and turret will be determined. As a result, more maneuverable vehicles should be able to actively maneuver and “twist” slower, but better armored vehicles.
Role models for various types of equipment
At the moment, almost any class of equipment performs most game tasks equally well, with the exception of self-propelled guns and some light tanks. This situation reduces the variety of gameplay, because the effective actions taken by the player in battle are practically the same for most classes.
The gameplay changes listed above are intended to introduce a division of equipment into game roles. Based on expert assessment, 7 main game roles were identified, and through game parameters we emphasized the game functions that the machine should perform. Please note: role names are not finalized.
In general, among the system changes we can highlight a general change in the maneuverability of vehicles, due to which it became possible to identify some game roles, as well as a noticeable decrease in visibility indicators.
It is important to understand that the changes made are not final and will be changed repeatedly, both taking into account feedback from the gaming community participating in testing, and taking into account the analysis of statistical data.
Self-propelled gun class rebalance
As part of the rebalancing of self-propelled guns, it is planned to change their main task in battle. In the new role, self-propelled guns will be refocused on supporting allies by stunning enemy vehicles, and dealing damage for this class will fade into the background. In addition to changing its role in combat, the self-propelled gun class will receive several new features to increase efficiency and ease of use.
New features of self-propelled guns:
- Explosive/shock wave, stun. Spreads along with the splash after the shell explodes. Tanks that fall within the radius of the blast wave temporarily suffer a deterioration in their performance characteristics. Damage dealt to stunned tanks is counted as damage dealt with your help.
- Allied artillery marker
— display of the approximate area on the map where the allied self-propelled guns are deployed. Appears when you press the “Attack” key (by default the T button), provided that the central crosshair marker is not on an enemy vehicle (in this case, an alert will appear about a possible attack on this tank). Allies will see a graphical display of an approximate circle on the mini-map and directly on the location, and a message will also be displayed indicating whether the self-propelled gun is charged. This is intended to improve team communication.
- Alternative sight for self-propelled guns. The new sight changes the type of aiming on self-propelled guns, making it similar to sniper mode on other types of equipment and more convenient for the player.
The changes will also affect high-explosive shells: the amount of damage inflicted in most cases will be reduced, and the spread of fragments of high-explosive shells will increase (splash radius). We can say that self-propelled guns will switch from dealing damage to a specific player to dealing damage to clusters of enemy tanks.
