Tanks VR devlog #5 - new map progress, old map rework, desert map & Windows Mixed Reality

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Tanks VR currently offers only a relatively simple city map. Most players will rush to the middle of the map and trade shots with the enemies. Or take the long route, just to discover that their friends who have rushed to the middle have already died in combat. It is clear that the current map does not offer the diverse strategies that are possible. Therefore, Tanks VR needs more and better maps. We are currently working on three maps. A new city map and an improved version of the current city map should arrive within a week, while a desert map is planned for a release in the weeks that follow.

New city map
The new city map is centered around a church where the cap-circle is located. Fierce battles are expected here. The map will offer four main paths to take towards the church, each with their own vulnerabilities and advantages. It is built in such a way that teamplay is encouraged. Certain areas of the map should be held by teammates, in order not to be flanked. For example: if one flank is left open, enemies can drive without resistance towards an advantageous position and take shots in your side or rear. Players will have to check their surroundings regularly while battling, as enemies could appear from the side when a flank is lost or left alone by teammates.

Top-down view of the new city map

The green and red areas on the map are the spawn zones, the yellow area is the capzone. You can also see several rubble piles positioned in the streets. The screenshot below shows a view of the church, when positioned a bit left of the church.

Getting closer to the capzone..

Old city map rework
Like mentioned earlier, the gameplay on the old city map is quite predictive and most players would agree that it needs a rework. Therefore, we want to give players more choice of routes for their attack. This means that new roads will be made. In a way that, as with the new city map, the map will offer flanking opportunities. Four main paths instead of two are planned for the map, meaning players have to pay better attention to their flanks. As a lost flank could mean for a player that it now has to fight enemies from two directions.

Old city map is being reworked!

New desert map
The planned desert map will provide a new experience for Tanks VR, as it will be on much larger scale. The city maps are great for quick and short range action. But it does not allow players to engage over longer distances. The main cover component in the desert map will be sand dunes with a shallow slope. After some testing, we concluded that a slope shallower than 10 degrees will not make you nauseous. We will be posting information about the design of the map in the coming weeks, and as always your comments and suggestions are welcome! 

Windows Mixed Reality
Good news for Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headset owners, we have been selected by Microsoft to receive a WMR dev kit! This means we will be able to implement full WMR support when it arrives. Microsoft hasn't given a delivery date yet, but we're sure that it won't take long until we receive our dev kit. Keep an eye out for announcements about this!

Coming up
Stay tuned for the introduction of the new and improved city maps next week. Our next devblog will be about AI. We are working hard on creating your bot enemies and bot teammates, for launch at the end of May.

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