Soviet Tier 8 Light Tank Confirmed

 Source: For The Record

Storm confirmed before that along with the RU251 and American high tier LT’s will come together in one patch, but what I missed earlier was the tidbit of info that Soviet LT8 will come in the same patch as well.

(sorry for the watermark, I was lazy to look for the quote myself)
Either way, what does it mean actually: remember how Wargaming said they really want historical tanks? Well… I think I can honestly say after looking through the books I have on Soviet tanks (Russian books), through various Russian history forums and the Russian community itself:
There is absolutely no suitable candidate for Soviet tier 8 light tank.
Anything on that tier will be either completely unhistorically nerfed (as in “nothing left of the original tank but its general shape”) or an outright Wargaming fake á la WT E-100. If we let go of the “usual” limits for tanks (suitable gun/engine/armor), we get to two things – the Object 975 and the tank Yuri Pasholok found in 2012 or so.

Object 975 is a Soviet light tank proposal from the early 60′s with an autoloading gun of an unknown type. Its main fault is that it has MASSIVE armor (turret front: 430-450mm) for a light tank and in the past, SerB (or was it Storm?) said it’s “too modern” and “too strong” to appear in World of Tanks. This is how it looks anyway, but as I said, I don’t think this will be it.

What I do think it will be it is this… the LTTB, as Yuri Pasholok calls it. Originally, he posted some pictures of documents and hull schematics, but the pictures are no longer available in that post (the post itself is very old – August 2012) – in case you know how to dig them out of the post, let me know (because I don’t).
From the info in the post, we can build a picture ourselves however. Basically, it was felt that the T-80 light tank was insufficient and this was a proposal to build something bigger, better and nastier. This proposal if I understand it correctly (hard to say without the pictures) comes from February 1944 (developed since late 1943) from Kirov Leningrad Plant No.185 – they proposed a hull in a shape that was as armored as the T-44 (90mm frontal armor, 62 degrees) , it had a bigger turret ring than the T-34/85 though and its suspension resembled the T-100 heavy tank. The turret was not designed (so any turret design would be a fantasy), but frontal turret was supposed to be 90-200mm thick (!), the gun was 85mm S-53 and it was powered by a 400hp V8 engine. In the end the project was scrapped.
So, basically, what we have here is a somewhat worse “light” version of the T-44, called “LTTB” (legkij tank tyazhelnogo bronirovanya – “light tank with heavy armor”) – a 400hp engine, massive frontal armor (yet completely insufficient for battletier 10-11-12), cca 22 tons (18 hp/t), a tier 6 or so 85mm gun. What I think they will do is they will invent a WG-made turret, uparmor and the (barely historical as it is) hull, give it a bigger unhistorical gun (D-10T?), a bigger (unhistorical) engine (600-700hp) and in the end, what we will get is a heavily armored scout with a mediocre gun and meh mobility, very loosely based on the original concept. That’s going to be fun. Of course, this is just a speculation, Wargaming might surprise us with something totally made-up from scratch new.
Oh, and did I mention there will be no Soviet LT7? That means the MT-25 branch will apparently still end with MT-25 and whatever will the LT8 be starting from god knows where (the LTTB historically it doesn’t fit anywhere, neither does the Object).

9.1 Preliminary Patchnotes

Source: For The Record

Preliminary patchnotes, they are NOT final, Storm states there will be some fixed and additions.
- added new map “Kharkov”
- fixes and improvements on maps Arctic, Tundra, Komarin, Windstorm, North-West
- removed the Assault mode on Sand River
- improved performance on the map Hidden Village
- fixed small visual issues with textures and models for a large number of tanks
- fixed small visual issues with textures and models for some map objects
- reworked exhaust smoke effect for all tanks
- reworked tank explosion effect
- added visual markers on barrels for damage made in battle
- added the mechanism where a turret, ripped off by ammo rack explosion “slides off”
- type of surface now influences the behavior of a turret ripped off

- added 5 new medals for artillery: “Monolith”, “For Counterartillery Fire”, “Medal of Horus”?, “Cool-blooded”, “Stark’s Medal”
- added new awards for team battles: “Battle-hardened”, “Sniper Reserve”, “Pyromaniac”, “Promising Warrior”, “Fight to the Last Breath”
- Billote, Bruno and Tarzay medals’ description was reworked for clarification
- “Operation Nostalgia” medal moved to a different medal category
- fixed the “Armored Fist” medal, which wasn’t awarded under certain circumstances
- updated the FMOD sound library
- reworked the gun shooting sounds
- offline/online player status will now display correctly no matter on which server the player is
- maximum amount of symbols for chat increased to 512
- added the clan icon to the Achievements table, where players can see the date he entered the clan
- added some fixes and improvements to the team battles window
- added the time period display for the historical battles
- changed the dialogue window showing up when graphic settings are changed
- companies: removed the possibility to start the battle without the commander
- changed the parameter order in the “summary” window of the “achievements” tab
- setting of “vibro-something Gametrix” moved to another settings tab
- license agreement now displays after you log in to hangar
- added the “dynamic FOV” setting
- changed the start time of tracer display
- removed the limit for skills and perks of a tanker for a damaged tank
- fixed the incorrect enabling of the EnableBalanceCPU parameter for some processors, which could lead to frequent server disconnects and failures to login
- fixed the incorrect display of trees and bushes not turning half-invisible on some configurations
- fixed the memory leaks, appearing with high details of the tanks enabled
- fixed the bug when the currency for buying gold shells switched from credit to gold incorrectly
- fixed some crashes and freezes of the game client
- fixed the track “shaking” when enabling high tank detail in the hangar
- fixed some errors and mistakes in the graphic setting window
- fixed the bug where the game strained the GPU when the client is minimized
- fixed some errors in recording replays
- fixed some errors in mission table interface
- fixed the bug where the ricochet effect appeared even though the armor was penetrated
- increased the number of the national flag emblems
Vehicle changes
- removed the TD camo class bonus when shooting the gun (apart from premium TD’s)
German tanks
Jagdpanzer IV
- stock tracks turnrate changed from 32 to 34, elite tracks turnate from 35 to 38
- stock tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) improved by 8/14/20 percent
- elite tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) improved by 9/15/22 percent
Panzer I
- accuracy spread when tank moving improved for both suspensions by 31 percent
- aimtime for 2cm Kwk 30 and 2cm Kwk 38 changed from 1,7 to 1,6 and from 1,6 to 1,5
Tiger I
- reload time for 88mm L/71 increased from 6,7s to 6,8s
- 88mm L/71 accuracy nerfed from 0,34 to 0,35
- 88mm L/71 accuracy spread when moving the turret nerfed by 17 percent
- hitpoints nerfed by 100 for both turrets
Tiger P
- 88mm L/71 reload time for stock turret changed from 9,1s to 9,3s, for elite from 8,6s to 8,8s
- 88mm L/71 accuracy nerfed from 0,34 to 0,35
- hitpoints nerfed by 100 for both turrets
VK2801
- stock tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) improved by 20/18/10 percent
- elite tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) improved by 22/20/11 percent
- maximum speed buffed from 60 km/h to 68 km/h
VK3001P
- hitpoints buffed by 140hp (stock turret) and 90hp (710 to 800) for elite
British tanks
Cruiser Mk.I
- reload time of 40 mm Pom-Pom buffed from 8s to 7,8s
Vickers Medium Mk. II
- stock turret: viewrange buffed by 10 to 290, turret traverse from 32 to 35 deg/s
- elite turret: viewrange buffed by 10 to 310, turret traverse from 32 to 35 deg/s
- aimtime of OQF 3-pdr Gun Mk. II and QF 6-pdr 8 cwt Mk. I buffed from 2,3 to 2,2s
Universal Carrier 2-pdr
- maximum reverse speed buffed from 8 km/h to 10 km/h
- aimtime of QF 6-pdr 8 cwt AT Gun Mk. I buffed from 1,7 to 1,6
AT7
- reload time for OQF 20-pdr AT Gun Type A Barrel nerfed from 5,8s to 6,4s
- hitpoints nerfed by 50
US tanks
Hellcat
- stock suspension aim spread from moving and aim spread from turning the hull increased (nerfed) by 60 percent
- elite suspension aim spread from moving and aim spread from turning the hull increased (nerfed) by 57 percent
- stock tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) nerfed by 9/14/9 percent
- elite tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) nerfed by 10/17/10 percent
- maximum reverse speed nerfed from 20 km/h to 12 km/h
- aim spread of the 76mm M1A2 when moving the turret increased (nerfed) by 12 percent
- aim spread of the 90mm M3 when moving the turret increased (nerfed) by 25 percent
- 90mm M3 reload time nerfed from 8s to 8,5s
M4 Sherman
- aimtime for derp 105mm nerfed from 2,3s to 2,5s
- reload time for derp 105mm nerfed from 8s to 9s
T18
- stock suspension turnrate nerfed from 28 to 18, elite from 30 to 22
- stock tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) nerfed by 43/29/7 percent
- elite tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) nerfed by 46/40/12 percent
- maximum reverse speed nerfed from 8 km/h to 6 km/h
- 75mm derp reload time nerfed from 4,8s to 5,2s, aim spread from moving gun nerfed by 12 percent
- 2pdr Mk.IX reload time nerfed from 2,1s to 2,5s, aim spread from moving gun nerfed by 17 percent
- hitpoints nerfed by 5 from 125 to 120
T29
- stock suspension aim spread from moving and aim spread from turning the hull increased (nerfed) by 8 percent
- elite suspension aim spread from moving and aim spread from turning the hull increased (nerfed) by 9 percent
- stock tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) nerfed by 18/11/8 percent
- elite tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) nerfed by 18/20/8 percent
- aim spread of the 105mm T5E1 when moving the turret increased (nerfed) by 11 percent, reload time nerfed from 11,4s to 11,8s
- T136 turret viewrange nerfed by 10
T32
- 105mm T5E1 accuracy buffed from 0,41 to 0,4
T40
- viewrange nerfed from 400 to 370
Soviet tanks
A-32, AT-1
- 76mm (L-10) gun damage changed from 105 to 110
BT-7
- aimtime for 37mm ZIS-19 buffed from 1,7 to 1,6
MT-25
- stock tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) improved by 12/11/6 percent
- elite tracks terrain passability (good/medium/bad terrain) improved by 14/12/6 percent
- top engine 600hp changed to another engine 700hp
SU-101
- aim spread for both suspensions when driving and when traversing the vehicle buffed by 5 percent
- D-54S aimtime buffed from 2,1s to 2s
- hitpoints buffed by 10
T-28, T-46
- 76mm L-10 and KT-28 damage buffed from 105 to 110

[Asia Pacific] Rare rallies in Vietnam: "China Back-off !"

REUTERS:
"(Reuters) - Hundreds rallied on Sunday in Vietnam's biggest cities to denounce China's setting up of a giant oil rig in the South China Sea, a rare protest likely to prolong a tense standoff between the two communist neighbors." (more details)

Protester Truong Van Dung (C) holds a photo of captain Nguy Van Tha who was killed in the January 1974 Battle of the Paracel Islands, during an anti-China protest in front of the Opera House in Hanoi May 11, 2014.

Boys hold placards which read "Chinese invaders, get out of the East Sea (South China Sea)" (L) and "China get out, East Sea", in front of the Chinese embassy during an anti-China protest in Hanoi May 11, 2014.

A protester holds a placard which reads, "nation first" while marching during an anti-China protest on a street in Hanoi May 11, 2014.

 AFP:
"Protesters staged one of Vietnam's largest ever anti-China demonstrations Sunday, decrying Beijing's deployment of a deep-water drilling rig in contested waters as territorial tensions soar." (more details)

TUOITRENEWS:
"Tens of thousands of Vietnamese people took to the streets on Sunday in Hanoi, Hue City, Da Nang City, and Ho Chi Minh City to protest China’s illegal deployment of a giant oil rig to Vietnamese waters in the East Vietnam Sea." (more details)

A large number of people gather at the Opera House during a protest in Ho Chi Minh City on May 11, 2014 against China's illegal deployment of oil rig HD 981 to Vietnamese waters in the East Vietnam Sea on May 1.

"China is threatening peace, stability, and freedom of navigation by illegally deploying a giant oil rig to Vietnamese waters in the East Vietnam Sea early this month, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said at a summit in Myanmar on Sunday." (more details)

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (L) speaks at the ASEAN Summit 2014 in Myanmar on May 11, 2014.

NEWSTRAITSTIMES:
"NAY PYI TAW: Asean Foreign Ministers are expected to make a collective stance on the ongoing territorial disputes involving the South China Sea by the end of the 10-nation bloc's annual summit here." (more details)

NHK:

"Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are meeting in Myanmar amid mounting tension in the South China Sea following collisions between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels." (more details)

Super Pershing FTR Giveaway

Source: For The Record

FTR:
"If you want a chance to win a Super Pershing, all you have to do is go to the For the Record Facebook page and “like” it.
Now, here’s a twist: in order to recognize all the people that were with me until now, one Super Pershing will be given to one person, who already “liked” the For the Record page until today. I already picked that person and he or she will be announced at the same point as the other winner. Second Super Pershing will be awarded to someone, who “liked” the FTR FB page after this competition was published (which means if for example 100 prople like it from now on, each has 1 percent chance of winning). I think it’s fair that way.
You have until midnight today to “like” the FTR FB page. After that, I will publish the two FB accounts that won. Those guys/gals/ponies will then have to contact me via FB (just write me a message through the FTR FB page with your nickname and server, ideally straight away or in the morning and I will send you the reward). In case the winner already has a Super Pershing, I will talk to him/her individually to deal with it, but I presume we can settle it with Super Pershing’s gold value instead (but that’s ONLY for people who already have it, gold as prize is otherwise not optional, sorry – a proof of SP ownership will be required).
If the winner doesn’t contact me tomorrow, I will try to contact him/her via his/her FB. If I don’t succeed within 3 days, I will pick someone else.
This event is valid for EU, US, RU and ASIA servers.
PS: Oh yes, one more thing. I have the list of all players that ever appeared in the Hall of Shame. These are specifically excluded from the giveaway. Once the winner is announced and contacts me with his nickname and server, I will crosscheck the winner against the list. If he appears on the list, I will pick someone else."

(9/5/1945-9/5/2014) Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square 2014

[Asia Pacific] Vietnam Seeks to Be a Tough Adversary to China

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: 

"Long before China towed a huge oil platform into disputed waters east of Vietnam this week, the Vietnamese government started making preparations for just this situation.

Its response to the increased assertiveness of its powerful neighbor to the north, leaders decided, should be to invest heavily in advanced military capabilities—especially naval systems—that would make Beijing think twice before threatening Vietnamese interests."(more details)

AFP:

"China sending an oil rig to waters disputed with Vietnam is a move to assert its legal claim and practical hold over contested territory whatever the short-term political and diplomatic costs, analysts say -- but could play into Washington's hands." (more details)

"Southeast Asia's regional bloc voiced alarm on Saturday over escalating tensions in the South China Sea after members Vietnam and Philippines squared off against Beijing in the disputed waters." (more details)

GLOBALPOST:

"U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has urged China and Vietnam to exercise restraint over a maritime standoff between the regional neighbors concerning Beijing's oil drilling activities in the South China Sea, a spokesman for Ban said Friday." (more details)

REUTERS:

"(Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers voiced "serious concerns" on Saturday over naval clashes between Vietnam and China as the regional group's top official urged Beijing to step up efforts to advance talks on maritime security." (more details)

Tanktoon: Hollyday- RanZar

[Asia Pacific] Japan, U.S. express concern at China-Vietnam maritime dispute

REUTERS:

A Chinese ship (L) uses water cannon on a Vietnamese Sea Guard ship on the South China Sea near the Paracels islands, in this handout photo taken on May 2, 2014 and released by the Vietnamese Marine Guard on May 8, 2014.

"(Reuters) - China accused Vietnam on Thursday of intentionally colliding with its ships in the South China Sea, but called for talks to end a bitter row sparked by Beijing's parking of a giant oil rig in contested waters." (more details)
 "May 9 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry blamed the United States on Friday for stoking tensions in the disputed South China Sea by encouraging countries to engage in dangerous behaviour, following an uptick in tensions between China and both the Philippines and Vietnam." (more details)

JAPANTODAY:

"TOKYO —Japan and the United States said Thursday they were deeply concerned by the latest flare-up between China and Vietnam over contested waters, with Tokyo urging Beijing to rein in its “provocative” actions." (more details)

Wargaming Official Radio Broadcast

Source: For The Record

Wargaming now has official radio broadcast (in Russian), it’s mostly music (pretty various mix, some pretty cool retro stuff) and some chick reading the news from the Russian Wargaming portal.

http://81.25.32.234:8050/wgfm

If it doesn’t work for you, open the link for example in Winamp or other player. It works.

Weather Effects in WoT Xbox

Source: For The Record

Wow, awesome effects. I want in WoT too :)