During the the short amount of time I tried to get as much done in terms of how things look and the integration between the One and the 360 more so than the features as they are pretty much the same. I recorded a lot of gameplay and intend to make a video version to this which will illustrate my point so it will be happy days when I can put it up on YouTube and be able to free up many GB of space on my HDD.
So let's jump straight into it.
The game from the get go does look very good from menus and then into the game itself. This is a given with it being the One but the detail from the light bouncing off the tanks to the noises of gun fire ( not engine sounds ) and then the graphic detail for the grass of Prokhorovka waving in the wind. Below is a short video from 2 maps and the in game cinematic when you purchase and crew up a new tank. Inmy case it's the AMX 50 120 Heavy. I've also included a game I had on the 360 on Mountain Pass as the closest comparison that I can get between the 360 and the One. If I'm able to get a hold of the 360 footage I recorded not long ago, I will be putting up a proper comparison between the two.
But coming back onto the beta there isn't much that you can talk about as the game itself is pretty much the same as the 360 other than the graphics so I have also come back to how the game has progressed in it's play and how it is now compared to it's release on the 360 all that time ago.
My main gripe with it is the Xbox party system. Not being able to platoon with cross platform friends is an annoyance to say the least. You can play with 360 players in your game but you're unable to join their platoon or vice versa. It made for some very lonely games but at the same time it highlighted an old issue which has really come into its own the longer the game has been out and the better people have got.
Twitch
There is still the issue with twitch streaming. The idea of being able to do it directly from your console is brilliant but one of the main features and what people will enjoy is being able to hear other people either in your party or in the game chat. This is not supported on the Xbox and unless you have a decent streaming set up at home, you're going to be stuck with your voice only being heard on the stream and it doesn't make good for play back. I actually think it makes me look like I was talking to myself rather then people that are actually in my game. I will admit though, being able to export my files to YouTube that are recorded from the in console app is a dandy thing to do. Most of my following is built around my YouTube channel so for anyone else who is the same, there is something to take away from the app as being useful. Now just need to find a way of making it easier to reply to comments mid game.
Below are the two videos that I exported to YouTube during my Live Stream:
World of Tanks Xbox One Beta Live Stream - 11/07/2015
World of Tanks Xbox One Beta Live Stream - 12/07/2015
Platoons
If you're going to play this game, you NEED to be in a platoon in order to win on a regular basis. Xbox party systems lead the way in lack of communication on the battlefield and if you're running solo, you have an issue. The problem is not being stemmed by peoples lack of ability as the examples I'm going to be using are for those in T9-10 games. Anyone at this level is capable of knowing how their tank plays and what would be a good use of it depending on the situation. Yes there are people that base camp E100's but my explanation below will illustrate my point very well as to why they are doing this.
When you run solo, you play this game with an Agenda, that being is it Standard, Encounter, Assault etc and then you have your play-style. Each person playing this game plays their tank their way. When you add lots of single man players to a game there is a good chance that 2 or more will fall into the same play-style and have two different tanks. This is a problem as they may both be using the tank wrong for the job at hand ( that being that the tank will always be better placed at another place of the map for the terrain or support a lemming train ) Then you find that they both are in the wrong place to best support the team for the win and the other team will be better organised with platoons who go onto win. A very good example of this is Prok and the location of E2,E3,F2,F3 ( this is the middle of the cross ) if you spawn on the north side and get a fast medium into this spot and have your team set up behind you, you will get tons of spotting damage and are very well protected by the dip. You also take arty out the game as it is most likely you're the only thing spotted on your team
The Mini Map
I don't understand why people don't amend the mini map to show the full map in the bottom right hand corner. During the start of a game, people get spotted out of your view range. They appear on the mini map but don't appear on your screen meaning you need to load up your back button to spot. The enlarged mini map allows you to see where they are without that need. It takes some getting used to but it will be something that will only benefit you in the long run.
Training
The addition of the live fire training and custom games is a big plus. It will be turning this into a more competitive game for those who wish to go down the route of getting better but at the same time it allows you to explore new maps, play battles with friends and also, much like in the Halo series, there is most definitely going to be some new gametypes. I'm talking about the ones like zombies, tab, VIP etc. Different from your standard gametypes but done so for fun. My only downside to the training is the cost involved. Yes repairs are free but the fact you have to pay for your ammunition is a very big turn off in my eyes and unless you can afford to fork out a fair amount of cash ( in the upper tiers ) it's not something you'll be doing to often.
UI
The look of the game since it's launch after the beta and the addition of the new tanks has got better. There are some that are not fond of the Log to see previous battles but seeing several previous battles is a nice idea. There are occasions that you die early on in a tank and jump into another and complete that game before the current one finishes and quite often I find myself wondering how the team did and how I did. The end battle screen shows a lot more data and in depth detail in your game. Again another feature which if used correctly, you can find yourself learning more about how well you're playing. Seeing the tanks you hit, the damage done to certain modules and you're overall performance against other players in your tank again will help improve your ability to get better at the game.
The garage layout is still similar to the old style with more buttons but still remains simple and easy to use. I'm never one to use the type of tank to find the one I need ( light, heavy td only etc) but then my garage is never that full of tanks and they stay in the same spot so I know where to look.
That pretty much sums it up in a nut shell. Come the release on the One, I will be streaming on Twitch more often as I have my setup working as well as it could be. I will be attempting to iron out some flaws I've found but all in all, its looking good. The links will be at the end for my twitch.
As always with this, please share it as much as possible around and let me know what you think, there is nothing more that I would like to happen then to have it provoke a debate and get people discussing their thoughts on the game and their anticipation for the release on the One.
Twitch: www.twitch.tv/bae2005k
