So... someone directed me towards yet another "Free-To-Play" RPG made by Russians.
World of Tanks is set in the ambiance of WW2 tank battles. So, instead of warlocks and archers and dragons... you have Tanks and Self-Propelled Guns and "Stuff".
It's in beta right now. You can submit a application to join the closed beta like I did and they might send you a code.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJd9iCbpwuI
It's not a tank simulator.... but not quite a tank shooter ... it's got some persistent roleplay to bridge the gap between the two.
So... you start out with a basic tank... commonly refered to as a loltraktor.... because it's the entry level rolling distraction.
You play in basic arena battles (so far) which pits a certain number of players against each other... usually a 32 player game (right now). It's basic team deathmatch with a capture objective (base flag) to control. First team to have all their players killed or their base flag lost... loses. So, it's pretty simple right now... I don't know what they have planned for it in the future.
After the game you earn Experience and Credits. This is where you spend your time in the "Garage". You have crew you can recruit and they learn skills that make them better drivers, gunners, radio operators ect as you play (and I think survive battles). You also have an extensive technology tree to spend your research points and credits on. You progress through the research trees upgrading equipment like you Main Gun, your Turret, your Radio, Engine ect ect... you unlock new tanks you can research and buy.
Graphics get the job done, they're decent but nothing spectacular. Sound is decent.... as far as overall gameplay I go from "Hey this is fun!" to "Holy **** this is gay!". I've been just soloing it though in random games... I think there is potential for some good times with a few buddies to team up and roll with.
Anyone else heard of it?