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Let’s get physical: World of Tanks video teases upside down tanks, more destruction and flying turrets

World of Tanks physics

Wargaming’s World of Tanks is set to become increasingly more complex and realistic as 2014 moves forward. The tanks vs. tanks wargame already realistically models things like tank armour, shell penetration and a plethora of other details that demand players pay attention, but now the in-game physics is getting a major overhaul. 

The developer has put together a diary explaining all the upcoming changes. Expect crumbling buildings, flipping tanks and flying turrets. 

Changes to the engine and the implementation of Havok – which will utilise multi-core processors – looks set to mix things up a great deal. Buildings will break apart in different ways depending on their materials and how the tanks interact with them, smashing into them or blasting them with explosive shells. Wooden houses are smashed into logs, brick and mortar buildings crack along the brickwork joints and these fragments can be smashed into even smaller ones as tanks roll over them.

Tank movement is also set to change. An update to vehicle suspension will make wheels roll over terrain more naturally, and tank tracks will react realistically as well. You’ll see the effect of gear changes as the war machines move up hills and springs react to going over bumps in the road.

Tank turrets will eventually be separated from the tank’s hull, too. Right now – despite the difference in armour values and angles – turrets are part of the whole tank, but eventually you’ll be able to blow them off with a shell. The original tests look hilarious, with the turrets flying off into the distance, but Wargaming assures us that’s been fixed. These rogue turrets will damage buildings if they smash into them and can even damage or destroy other tanks if they land on them.

Objects like cars and trucks will cease to be static obstacles, and tanks will be able to push them around, getting them out of the way or even creating new cover. These vehicles will have their own physics, too, so they will move in different ways depending on where you start pushing them.

The changes to the physics are both client and server-side, so if you have to turn off the multi-core feature, you’ll still see the impact of these updates. All of the new features shown in the video are planned for 2014, but won’t all happen at once.