It’s not common for MMOs to boast strong mod scenes but World of Tanks is something of an exception to this trend. While its modding community might not be as large or as active as that of a major FPS, there are modders out there, tweaking and tinkering the game to bring changes large and small. Some of these changes have even been incorporated into the game itself, such as support for colourblind players.
Here’s a roundup of six of the best mods currently available and compatible with version 8.1. Note that any mods which are deemed to confer you an unfair advantage on the battlefield (and yes, those do exist) are likely to get you in trouble if you’re caught using them, and I’ve not included any of those here.
Now
this is very clever. The Tactical Tablet allows players to sketch out
battle plans and share them with one another. The Tablet pops up at the
touch of a button and, with a few strokes of the mouse, you can sketch
out directions and share these with other Tactical Tablet users. The
Tablet doesn’t update in real time, but instead generates a code that
you’ll need to cut and paste to other players using a chat client, and
you can update your own Tablet by pasting in codes sent to you.
Of
course, this means you’ll all need to be using the mod beforehand,
meaning it’s ideal for organised clans who want to discuss tactics, but
less useful for those playing random battles.
J1mB0’s Crosshair Mod
This
is a simple but very popular mod that gives you a very different
crosshair and HUD, incorporating a much clearer rangefinder and a
countdown reload timer, rather than just a progress bar. The new
crosshairs work for both tanks and artillery and once you see how bold
and how clear they are, you may well wonder why you ever bothered with
the old ones.
A variant of the increasingly popular XVM statistics mods that are out there, XVM Config tells you a lot more about other players than you’d usually
find out on the battlefield, causing some players to debate
how powerful this mod is. I don’t think it confers an unfair advantage
and so I’m tossing it into this roundup. This mod lets you know the
ratings of the other tankers that you’re going into battle with, showing
you how efficient these players are and what percentage of battles they
win.
From
these values, XVM Config even goes on to calculate your chances of winning the
upcoming battle, but don’t worry about those numbers. They’re all just
speculation, right? Right?
The My Little Pony mod compilation
This
isn’t just one mod, but a whole collection of them, introducing new
skins, new sound effects and completely overhauling the garage. I
covered this mod just last week and I’m shaken by how brutal and
realistic the whole thing is.
Since
it’s almost 6GB in size, the best way to download the compilation is
via a torrent, so remember to get yourself a decent client first.
GnomeFather’s Historical Gun Sounds
This is another one of my favourites and one we’ve also covered before, but it’s well worth mentioning again. It makes many of World of Tanks’ sounds bigger,
giving you more distinctive differences between the types of cannon,
heavier thuds and clunks from reloads and ricochets, as well as a much
more realistic sound for shells passing through the air.
Metal Gear Solid Sixth Sense mod
Yes,
this is as silly as it sounds, but that’s exactly why you should
install it. This mod replaces the default lightbulb associated with
Sixth Sense with that sound from Metal Gear Solid. Never be surprised again.