World of Tanks to Get Visual Overhaul on PC

Developer Wargaming announced today that we will soon be seeing an update for its hit multiplayer game World of Tanks.  The update will provide a nice visual upgrade to its new CORE graphics engine and over 25 realistic maps. The update is for the PC version, not the PS4 or Xbox One games, and is on track to hit production servers in March.

25+ Improved Maps

Wargaming went back to redesign every single map element already in the game.  A water rendering system, skyboxes, terrain texture, a lighting system, shadows were all redesigned in order to add greater depth and realism to battlefields.  Each map now provides a greater immersive experience and flare due to the new and improved technologies and effects.  Here is what we can expect from the map upgrades:

• Vast expanses: They have designed miles of outland that extend past the map’s borders.
• Realistic terrain: The new graphics engine let them blend 16 textures so that terrain looks truly volumetric, detailed down to the smallest blades of grass.
• Soaking and responsive water: Tanks and any other environmental object that interacts with water get wet. When a vehicle crosses a river, it disrupts water as it moves, and firing a shell creates circularly spreading 3D waves over its surface.
• Rich volumetric flora: Foliage reflects the seasons, and trees no longer resemble flat images. A good amount of volume has been added to trees in addition to designing over a hundred unique trees and several variations for each.
• Photorealistic skies: Moving clouds and photorealistic skyboxes for every map have been added to give them a unique and dynamic feel.
• Advanced lighting: The lighting system features realistic shading/lighting models, environments, improved dynamic shadows and global illumination technology that accurately follows the natural lighting laws of physics, adding harmony to the picture.
• Destructible objects: The reworked maps get long-awaited Havok® Destruction technology. So now you can gloriously crash environments, rolling over them as you rumble into battle.
• Post-effects: Bloom, god rays, chromatic aberration, and screen space reflection effects improve image quality and clarity of detail.

Sound enhancements

Visuals won’t the the only upgrade that we will be seeing.  They have also added 15 terrabytes of audio to increase immersion.  They teamed up with over 40 composers and musicians to bring a unique atmosphere to each map. Arabic composers will bring their musical aesthetic to Sand River, Airfield, and El Halluf.  Kazakh musicians will play traditional musical instruments as you roll over Lost City.  And Gregorian chants will echo as you traverse Mountain Pass.

Will you still be able to run the game?

Of course, with upgraded graphics, come upgraded hardware requirements.  Wargaming has said in their briefing that:

“If you’re playing on Normal settings, you might have to switch to Low or Minimal with the new graphics engine. It won’t affect the framerate or picture quality, though: they’ll stay the same or even improve.

Also, please note that custom configurations won’t transition to the new engine. So you’re likely to notice changes in the visuals and performance when playing for the first time. Take a few minutes to redo your custom settings, and things will return to normal.