Qbicle

Will PTS ever come back again for major changes, or it's deem unnecessary by the devs? The last time we had a PTS was back in August/September 2020 for 0.33. Stuff like low tier rebalance or autocannon overhaul didn't get a PTS last year.

Regarding the usual "desync" issue, i.e. game client fails to recognise a disconnection from server and does not reconnect automatically, is there anything that can be done about it other than players restarting the game manually? Even if affected players reconnect, it may be too late already in some cases as their vehicles may get destroyed during the downtime, which can be really frustrating.

15 hours ago, Zafir said:

The do now? Tried Stryker ADATS once in American dream and was very disappointed about the ATGMS just slamming straight into the next terrain feature and not tracking the gunships.

I haven't tried using homing missiles in American Dream, but can confirm that self-guided missiles do work on Desert Strike, because I saw an AGDS shooting down all three of the helicopters and thereby completing the secondary objective last month.

Source:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/update-0389138-now-available

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Commanders!

We are happy to announce that the Update 0.38.9138 is now available!

 

List of Update 0.38.9138 Changes

 

• Fixed an issue where weekly Contract Missions were counted incorrectly (previously incorrectly counted mission results will be fixed at a later date)
• Added a number of assets for future events
• Fixed some localization issues

Please note that this update may cause an abnormal amount of false anti-virus detections on some systems. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working on correcting the issue.

See you on the battlefield!

Helicopters and transport plane on Desert Strike are bugged, because their hitboxes don't seem to match their visual models. Self-guided missiles can track and damage them though.

I suspect that the low tier smoke grenades changes may have happened with the May 25 patch, because I can confirm that an unrelated Tier 7 Wiesel HOT's upgraded smokes were fixed on that date.

Originally, Wiesel HOT's upgraded smoke grenades' stats are as shown below - 2 quick pops in succession and you're out:

This is now corrected with 6 charges in total.

Source:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/update-0389119-now-available

Quote

Commanders!

We are happy to announce that the Update 0.38.9119 is now available!

 

List of Update 0.38.9119 Changes

 

• Fixed an issue where firing 57mm autocannons would cause significant drops in performance (also known as the “autocannon lag” issue)
• Tanks obtainable during various events or sales are now marked with a special button
• Fixed the appearance of the German “Ambush” camouflage
• Added a number of assets for future events
• Fixed some small UI issues
• Fixed some smaller localization issues

Please note that this update may cause an abnormal amount of false anti-virus detections on some systems. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working on correcting the issue.

 

3 hours ago, WLWYW said:

Is the "Gongchen" skin of ZTZ-99A2 (ZTZ-99A 2015) wrong

ZTZ-99A2 (ZTZ-99A 2015年型）的功臣号皮肤是不是错了

 

 

The skin is based on the first Gongchen tank (Type 97 Chi-Ha), not the current 99A that inherits the title. That said, I won't mind seeing skins of other tanks that also inherited the title, namely Type 59 and early Type 99.

CSB has been updated today to include Samuel Thorpe, who currently shares the same skills as Fyodor Sokolov and Maximilian König. Thorpe's skills are subject to further changes depending on how Perihelion (2nd Storyline Campaign) progresses, but the build includes his initial iteration for now.

Link: http://csb-hype.5v.pl/

Other minor fixes:

• Ophelia's Berserk skills' HP reduction should now properly stack
• Updated Erin's Specialist skill description ("Trait" --> "Ability")
• Updated Alisa's Tank Rage skill icon
• Fixing a number of typos

Several premium vehicles have been added directly to dealers after today's update. They can be purchased for gold by right-clicking and opening up a context menu, then click on the purchase option.

Eligible vehicles include:

• IT-1
• Object 279
• Object 287
• Object 187
• BWP-1M Puma

This seemingly unintended feature is now apparently intended, so you can now buy the those vehicles if you want.

May 19 Patch Round 2

Source:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/update-0389080-now-available

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• Updated the T-80U Tier 7 MBT model and its skins (learn more)
• The Arjun contract is now available
• Added the assets for the Object 225 event (due to launch in the near future)
• Fixed a number of smaller localization issues
• Fixed a number of other smaller issues
• Added a number of assets for other upcoming events

Please note that this update may cause an abnormal amount of false anti-virus detections on some systems. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working on correcting the issue.

Patch has been delayed again. (Original message link on AW official Discord server)

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Commanders! During the testing of today's build, we've uncovered some additional issues that prevent us from deploying it. Today's maintenance will therefore not feature an update (and will also be shorter). We apologize for the inconvenience.

On 10/5/2021 at 7:39 AM, Qbicle said:

While I cannot be sure of the image's authenticity, perhaps this may have been the inspiration behind AW's Type 99A2? Notice there are three "segments" instead of the usual two in front of the gun's bore evacuator.

Source:
https://war.163.com/photoview/4T8E0001/73961.html#p=A68F8CPQ4T8E0001

TIL this particular turret with a longer gun (L/54) is actually from a prototype of Type 99A, but it wasn't accepted for production.

Compare the pictures below (top: late model of Type 99, mid: production version of Type 99A, bottom: prototype Type 99A)

https://i1.kknews.cc/fzehQxqLiHJlY-vD7kgq9zC-QPcGHq7GrA/0.jpg

The prototype is also missing muzzle reference system.

Source:

https://kknews.cc/zh-mo/military/gjzp4rl.html

Source:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1480186719

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Stuff from the stream:

• SS admits that he always sucks at games that requires skills, because he is too lazy to put in effort into learning them.
• Chance for Brazilian Osório tank coming is "pretty good"
• Game development has a lot of inertia; anything that the devs are working on now are decided 6 months ago. Anything that gets decided now won't be coming for another 6 months (or more)
• The idea of finishing the T-80 progression line or adding any new progression lines is still being considered, but no promises so far.
• There are still no plans for what to do with SPGs in their current state. There were considerations to make SPGs direct fire vehicles (similar to early test builds for Balance 2.0), but that is on the back burner for now because there are more pressing issues.
• No plans for T-72B3 Mod.2016
• SS personally wants the game to have improved graphics, better sounds, and a new balance system (not another major rebalance, but a system of some sort)
• VT5 shooting missiles in PvE will be looked into (they should fix that for WWO Wilk as well)
• No plans to introduce PT-91; will be very similar to T-72M4CZ
• Patch when? When It's Ready™
• Since VE Day (End of WWII in Europe) is coming to an end, they may rename the Object 225 marathon event to something else.
• Again confirmed that Tiger's Claw is not coming back; "it's easier to create another mission on the same map than to fix Tiger's  Claw".
• No plans for new Italian vehicles, but SS mentioned that they have an unfinished model of Freccia (IFV version of Centauro, plays like the Rosomak, was originally going to be a progression vehicle for Francine before it got replaced by something else in the line)
• Again no plans to introduce self-propelled mortar carriers
• When asked about new national skins for T-72M1 (as was intended when vehicle was first announced), SS explains that many of the national variants can be replicated with existing camos and decals, but he is open to ideas for interesting historical skins.
• Again no plans for solo PvE missions
• Which company is developing AW now? "It's complicated"
• Horde mode is back on the table - it's currently in pre-development phase
• No new PvP maps planned in the near future
• A new commander system is being considered, but it's not something that SS wants, though he also thinks that the current one needs improvements, and it may get looked at again
• No new Light Tanks planned for this year
• Will Heroic Mode get new maps? It's "possible" (note: it used to be a definite "no" in the past), and it's something that the devs can look into
• No plans for Tier 11, but it was something that was considered as a possible solution to tackle the crazy amount of Reputation and Credits that players hoard.
• Black Knight (UGV or Challenger) is not coming. The devs did consider a Black Knight Challenger, but it's not interesting enough.
• There are two possible directions that SS is considering for future Spec Ops: the rise of Black Company or Perihelion stuff. The current direction he has in mind is standard PvE for Perihelion, and Spec Ops for Black Company, but he is open to ideas.
• Rinaldi and Kopylov are dead offscreen after Burning Grounds according to SS' headcanon
• The issue where MBTs like Object 195, Strv 2000, and Altay not counting as heavy vehicles in platoon will be looked at again
• The devs may consider moving Type 99s' ammo rack to the back of the turret
• The idea of having a weekend Spec Ops chain available in rotation every 6+ weeks is not a good idea, and the devs are also looking into how to bring Plague back.
• Player made mods are still being tolerated as long as they are derivative works, but if they harm the game's stream of revenue i.e. enabling premium cosmetics even though it's only on the client side but on a wide scale, then they will have to do something about it.
• Clan war overhaul is also being considered. Problem is how to tackle the issue where top clans will always occupy the top ranking bracket consistently and reap the benefits while leaving the rest in the dust.
• No plans to return old BPs as playable events
• SS personally wants a feature where players can create obstacles by modifying terrain (like what WT does) , but he thinks that's mechanically impossible to achieve in AW
• Custom decal placement feature was tested, but it "broke a lot of things", so it's shelved.
• No plans to move the game to a new engine

BP stuff:

The Chinese theme Rise of the Dragon BP is still deep in development, but it will be longer with more prizes and bonus levels (perhaps similar to Warlords of the Wasteland BP with extra ranks and rewards after obtaining the top prize?), but probably not in the way like Wars of the Past BP where players felt they were pressed for time to complete them.

Type 99B (Reference image)
Fictional variant of Type 99, basically a what-if upgrade of some sort. AW version won't look much like that illustration. It will have dual roof mounted ATGM launchers, and it is supposed to solve the vulnerable ammo rack position that other Type 99s do (perhaps moved to a different location like the back of the turret?). The renderer who made that image is supposedly quite popular in China, and the Chinese operators (publishers for the separate Chinese server) asked the devs to make the vehicles for them. SS personally isn't happy with that decision himself.

ZTZ-20 (Reference image)
Fictional Tier 10 MBT. AW's version will not have dozer blades, but basically it will be a Chinese Armata with external ATGM launchers.

ZTL-11 (basically a domestic counterpart of ST1) and maybe VN17 (IFV version of VT5) are also coming.

Shards of the Past:

Flakpanzer Gepard

Olympics theme Vickers Mk.7/2 (idea was scrapped together with another skin for Object 187 when Russia got banned from participating)

Tatooine map (minimap for reference). Many maps were named after Star Wars locations at the time, like Jakku for Al Dabbah (which is what "Tatooine" became eventually), and Coruscant for Moscow.

XM723

Pereh

Source:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/maintenance-march-24

Quote

On the 24th of March 2022, starting from 8:00 CET (23rd of March, 11 PM PST), the server will not be available for 5 hours due to the application of Update 0.38.8749

 

List of Update 0.38.8749 Changes

 

This is mostly a technical update laying the groundwork for several future systems. The promised Arjun contract will begin at a later date.

• T-72B3: Fixed an issue with this vehicle’s turret ring
• Added a number of assets for upcoming events

Article is up:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/development-arjun-mk1a

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In Armored Warfare, the Arjun Mk.1A will be a Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank and the next Contract system reward.

Gameplay-wise, the Arjun MBT will be a mixed bag. Certainly not the best armored MBT on the battlefield, but also with a decent pool of hit points and soft-kill APS. Its average mobility will not be its highlight either though – that privilege belongs to its firepower.

 

Click the image to open a larger version

 

In its basic form, the Arjun Mk.1A MBT will be armed with 120mm rifled cannon with roughly the same shell types and performance as the Challenger 1 MBT on the same Tier. However, it will also feature a 5-round autoloader clip and solid accuracy. The gun will fire APFSDS and HESH shells and will have two additional progression modules available that will truly unlock its potential:

• Gun-launched ATGM (similar in performance to Merkava’s LAHAT)
• 120mm Penetration cum Blast shell (mechanically, this will be a 120mm PELE shell)

Two more additional progression modules will include:

• Adjustable suspension (allowing the vehicle to lower its height, giving it a bonus to accuracy, aiming time and stealth at the expense of mobility)
• Experimental air filter increasing the crew’s performance by 5 percent

In summation, the Arjun will be a potent support MBT with decent survivability and firepower. In PvP, it’ll be able to fire at longer distances thanks to its solid gun performance and the presence of gun-launched ATGMs, while in PvE, its damage output will all but guarantee a good place in the match’s damage ranking.

5-round autoloader clip, starting with AP and HESH only. Overprogression upgrades include GLATGM, PELE, lowering suspension manually (not tilting), and crew stats bonus component.

Source:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1293596540

----

Random bits and bobs from the stream:

• SS is not a fan of T-15 in general due to its size. He's not fond of Kinzhal's triple shot burst either.
• Draco is OP and SS will ask devs to nerf it.
• SS enjoys seeing the camouflage and skins that players use on their vehicles, especially if they are the ones he personally proposed.
• No plans to introducing more rules to PVP matchmaking at the moment due to PVP queue; "it's more important to get into a match than to have a balanced match".
• The idea of new progression vehicles is still being brought up to the devs from time to time, but there are still no plans for them at the moment.
• SS personally wants to complete the T-80 line, with T-80U-M1Bars on T8, T-80BVM on T9, and Object 292 on T10.
• Puma IFV may be coming at some point.
• SS was surprised that there is a decal written in Russian that translates to "Screw everybody; I park where I want"
• In-game store is being worked on.
• Regarding Labyrinth, the win rate and popularity dropped over time, and it eventually became a mode where many players found it difficult and only a small percentage of players enjoyed or could take advantage of it. It's been taken down for re-evaluation and may be readjusted in the future.
• SS also wants to see more PVE maps, and he has designed/proposed two missions for devs to consider at the moment.
• Fixing Cerberus' lieutenant spawn problem is still in the backlog.
• Other non-Spec Ops War Games have been shelved; they were dropped in favour for Spec Ops development back then. The devs did not want to create more gameplay modes that would only cater to a small percentage of players.
• That said, the latest Spec Ops did not go as well as the devs had hoped, so there will be no new Spec Ops missions in the near future.
• SS will ask the devs how to bring Plague back for players who want to replay the mission.
• The Storyline Campaign, which came to an abrupt end last month, will return in the form of portal events (aka Perhelion event). SS will continue to write the story. No more signups - just hop in, play, and get prizes, should one wants to, or just watch how the story unfolds. As this will potentially become official lore for all clients, some elements of the story will be adjusted so they can be "compatible" with other regions as well. There will be no trackers at the moment, but they hope to have in-game tracker eventually. If it goes well, then the story will become the official story for Armored Warfare, including future Spec Ops, PvE missions, and other events.
• Players who have participated in the Storyline Campaign will get a bonus for the upcoming event.

The Storyline Campaign has come to an abrupt end.

From official Discord server's announcement channel:

Quote

Commanders, please note that due to technical issues, the incorrect Battle Coins and crates containing them were not fixed in this update. They will be fixed during the next maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.

4 hours ago, knutliott said:

it isn't possible for me to get an elimination and someone else get an assist for the same vehicle

Unless the game has made another unannounced change recently, kill assist should not take account of whatever damage that the player with the killing blow deals to a target vehicle. It should only care about whoever deals the most damage to the same vehicle excluding the player with the killing blow.

For example, if I do 1 damage to a vehicle, and you do the rest of the damage as well as the killing blow, then you get the kill (+elimination, because you deal the most damage), while I will still get the assist.

I missed the drama, but this update appears to be another meme tier content.

Let the screencaps speak for themselves:

Update attempt 2, source:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/maintenance-december-20

Patch notes are mostly the same as last Thursday's but with addition of the following text:

Quote

• Recruitment Drive: With this Update, newly registered accounts will (until January 31, 2022), receive the T-64AV Hunter Premium MBT and 7 days of Premium Time
• Enabled the Holiday Mode (until January 13, 2022)
• Fixed the missing Battle Path Shop vehicles issue

Moreover, notes on previously implemented Bgltpz 57 changes have now been removed.

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Original updated from December 16, source:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/maintenance-december-16

Quote

Update 2:

The maintenance will begin at 16:00 CET and will last roughly 2 hours.

Quote

Update:

Commanders, we encountered a critical issue during the deployment of the latest build, which we need to fix. As a result, the maintenance will continue at least until 12:30 CET, after which the server will open.

During the maintenance, all vehicles affected by the issue (Premium vehicles) will be disabled for the time being and unavailable for purchase or gameplay (even if you previously obtained one the correct way).

In the evening, another maintenance will take place and we’ll roll the game back to the previous version (Update 0.38.8612). All the in-game purchases made during the existence of the bug will be reverted (vehicles removed, Gold compensated). Update 0.38.8630 will return once this critical issue is fixed. The Premium vehicles will once again become available during this evening maintenance.

Quote

On the 16th of December 2021, starting from 8:00 CET (15th of December, 11 PM PST), the server will not be available for 5 hours due to the application of Update 0.38.8630

 

List of Update 0.38.8630 Changes

 

Carson City PvP Map

We are adding a new PvP map to the game, called Carson City. This map, based on a city in Nevada, offers both open terrain and city fighting. The map is available in both the standard and the encounter version. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

Autocannon Overhaul

The long-awaited autocannon overhaul is here. It consists of two parts:

• Autocannons are receiving the overheat mechanic (read more)
• Adjusted the autocannon penetration and damage (read more)

We are also adjusting the penetration loss over distance for all autocannons so that it starts at 100 meter distance and is reduced by 70 percent at 400 meters.

Premium Vehicles assigned to Dealers

In this update, a number of Premium vehicles that could previously not have been used to complete missions (including those in the ongoing Battle Path) are getting assigned to specific dealers. You can read more about this topic in our dedicated article.

B1 Draco Overhaul

We are changing the B1 Draco Tier 9 Tank Destroyer as such:

• Stock armor-piercing shell penetration changed from 350mm to 680mm
• Stock armor-piercing shell damage changed from 250 to 330
• Upgraded armor-piercing shell penetration changed from 460mm to 730mm
• Upgraded armor-piercing shell damage changed from 250 to 360
• HE shell penetration changed from 40mm to 45mm
• HE shell damage changed from 375 to 540
• Reduced the amount of shells in magazine from 12 to 10
• Reduced the rate of fire from 100 to 75 rounds per minute
• Increased the magazine reload time from 16 seconds to 17.5 seconds

General Changes

• Fixed an issue where the AI opponents wouldn’t drive towards and capture their assigned objectives in a number of Special Operations missions
• Moscow Calling, Chapter 2: Fixed an issue where players could see through terrain (and other visual bugs) near the final objective
• 2S38 Derivatsiya: Adjusted the smoke grenades to match those of the BMP-3M AFV (6 charges within a magazine, 3 seconds between discharges and 25 second magazine reload)
• 2S38 Derivatsiya: Changed the shell names to match their real-life counterparts
• AS21: Fixed the bugged Upgrade window module placement in the Garage
• Begleitpanzer 57: Increased the gun ammo carried from 140 to 450 rounds
• K21: K40 gun rate of fire increased from 200 to 275 rounds per minute
• M50 Ontos: Fixed an issue where the module that increases the recoilless rifle rate of fire also affects the vehicle’s machinegun
• TR-85M1: Increased the maximum speed from 50 km/h to 60 km/h
• The Holiday Mode map received a small lighting and terrain update
• Fixed the flying tree and incorrect shadows (on Medium settings) in the Exodus Garage
• Fixed a number of small visual model issues

The Draco changes are probably going to get the most attention. Much AP greater penetration and damage, but slightly smaller clip and slightly longer reload time.

A few more notes from SS regarding the Draco:

----

Bgltpz 57's ammo capacity buff actually occurred on 0.38 launch patch, albeit an undocumented change.

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We'll have to see how the autocannon overhaul may change the whole meta and the game's "ecosystem". May also have to look out for MBTs with coaxial autocannons, as well as vehicles with clip-based autocannons like Griffin 50mm or BWP-2000.

Source:

https://aw.my.games/en/news/general/development-type-62-replacement

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Today, we’d like to tell you more about one change in particular that’s based solely on your feedback and wishes. The short version is, in the foreseeable future, we’ll be replacing one of Armored Warfare’s Tier 1 vehicles with another one. More specifically, we’ll be replacing the Type 62 Light Tank with the Type 59 Main Battle Tank.

 

Type 59

 

To understand why, let us go back to the Tier 1-6 rebalance process when, after looking at the game’s metrics and having taken the early player retention into account, we decided we needed a Main Battle Tank on the spot. The result of this line of thought was a decision to turn the Type 62 – a quintessential Light Tank in real life – into an MBT, all for the sake of gameplay and new players.

We’ve put a lot of effort into the rebalance process, changing thousands of values during the year-long undertaking. Unfortunately, as things happen, some other mistakes were made (such as the incorrectly high armor or damage per minute values or Tier 1) that compounded this already controversial change. Suffice to say, the result was neither to our liking, nor to yours.

And that’s not all that was off. Another problem was that the Type 62 model has never been a correct one. Our Type 62 is basically a resized Type 59 model with some proportions off. The real Type 62, while resembling a smaller Type 59, looks quite different. This is a very old issue going back to the Obsidian times and we wish we could have solved it sooner.

 

Type 62

 

However, the need to have a Tier 1 MBT instead of an LT presented us with an opportunity, one which you, the players, also noticed right away. We already have a Type 59 model (which admittedly needs some fixes), why not put things right and turn the Type 62 “Light Tank” (currently an MBT in the game) into a proper Main Battle Tank?

And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing – we’ll be replacing the Type 62 with the Type 59 MBT. The power level of the tank will match the “Type 62 MBT” we have now, although some change will be made:

• Gun caliber changed from 85mm to 100mm with all the corresponding changes (lower rate of fire, higher damage)
• AP shell with 400mm of penetration and 270 damage per shot
• HEAT shell with 480mm of penetration and 370 damage per shot
• HE shell with 40mm of penetration and 400 damage per shot
• Reload time of 6.2 seconds
• Slower acceleration due to its nominal weight increase to 36 tons
• Slightly reduced lower frontal plate thickness

And so on.

We’ll also introduce some fixes to the model as well, such as replacing the incorrectly sized gun. It won’t be a new model made from scratch, but we’ll improve its visual quality.

 

Old model shared by the current Type 62 and Type 59

 

As for the Type 62 – unlike the PT-76 from the past, this tank is going away forever and will not stay in your Garage as a legacy vehicle. The main reason for this decision is that, like we wrote above, there’s no proper Type 62 in the game in the first place – the model is completely wrong so there’s nothing to preserve. This decision will also allow us to funnel more resources into bringing you more new content and updating what’s in active use instead of having to support another legacy vehicle.

You will not lose any progress either. All the Experience, Credits, Retrofits and everything else from your vehicle will either be compensated or transferred to the new Type 59 MBT.

• A very long time ago: Type 59 Legend debuted as a Tier 3 Premium MBT.
• A fairly long time ago: Type 59 debuted as a Tier 3 Progression MBT on Zhang Feng, the third dealer. There were no tier 1 or tier 2 vehicles on Zhang back then.
• Balance 2.0 (Proposal): Progression Type 59 would downtier to Tier 1
• Balance 2.0 (Actual): Progression Type 59 became Type 62 Tier 1 Progression Light Tank due to "player feedback on too many similar vehicles appearing in the game", while keeping the model unchanged. Legend remained as a Tier 3 Premium MBT, but with its main gun upgraded to 105mm, and was renamed to Type 59-IIA Legend (the gun model didn't change until much later).
• 0.27: Type 59-IIA Legend got uptiered to Tier 4 along with most other Tier 3 Premium vehicles at the time.
• 0.38: Type 62 silently changed class from LT to MBT as part of the "Tier 1-6 Overhaul patch". Official reason for the change was that they "needed one more MBT on Tier 1 and of all the existing vehicles, the Type 62 LT was the best candidate since it kind of is a mini-Type 59".
• Now: Let's just rename Type 62 back to Type 59 and change some values again; model is still the same.

The English article misses one particular detail: Sabra Mk 2 will fall under Sol Schreiber. This can be confirmed on the Russian article.

SS sure spent a lot of effort writing the tank's background history. I remember seeing him asking questions on the discord server's real life tank discussions channel. Afterall, he wants the T-72M4CZ to be included in the game for quite a while.

The remaining BP vehicle is the TR-85M1 (Romanian MBT, an evolution of the T-55 modernised to NATO standards)

Source:

SS on ArmoredLabs Community Discord server (message link)

Quote

The final vehicle of the next BP is TR-85M1

SS also said that Derivatsiya may be the blueprint vehicle this time, but he's not sure about it.