- Network Update - 28 September 2026
Some of you told us about occasional disconnects or crashes in multiplayer matches. We couldn't reproduce them ourselves, but we took a good look at the network code in general. As we know, there is quite a bit of tidying up to do. Please also refer to our Welcome to Tank Wars: Anniversary Edition thread for this, particularly the section regarding online play. Hoping to have already achieved some improvement, we have tackled the following: Network improvements Searching for servers in Internet mode is more reliable now, and established connections are more stable. Far less network traffic in hectic moments: the game now bundles its updates, and the terrain sync at the start of each turn shrank to a tiny fraction of its former size. So go ahead and fire those Dirt Blasts, the line won't clog up anymore. Host and clients check whether they are running the same version of the game, and th…
- Minor Update - 8 September 2026
Following the recent updates, today brings only a few quick, minor bugfixes:BugfixesThe calculation for the Homing Missile's targeting has been further refined to account for gravity over the remainder of the flight path.In Big Picture Mode, the Steam keyboard could sometimes reopen immediately after being closed if the mouse cursor was positioned over the respective text input field and the Right Trigger (RT) on the gamepad was still pressed. This issue should now be resolved.
- QoL Update: Zoom, Auto-Scroll, Steam Input, Controller Glyphs - 30 August 2026
Today's update brings a few quality-of-life improvements for added convenience, specifically zoom and auto-scroll, along with a few other things. Before we get to the heart of the matter, a brief word on the thematic background: For nostalgic reasons, the game tries to emulate a vertical height of 200 pixels from the old 320x200 VGA resolution, so-called "Mode 13h". Even though we know that not everyone likes this, all of this was and remains intended. For matches on large maps, there is a (manual) scroll function to shift the view sideways. Admittedly, that was more of a hassle than anything else. Feature updates We have gone ahead and now added a zoom feature for matches where the game world exceeds the screen size. In doing so, we’re also addressing community requests again, at least between the lines. We remain of the opinion that the huge virtual pixels on your screens are not an a…
- Medium Update - 19 July 2026
Do you remember what we said in our last minor updates some weeks ago, that we still have quite some possibilities for further development in the pipeline? Well, party people, here we are now with a few feature updates, in order of increasing dramatic intensity: Feature updates Vertical Rocket has been renamed and is now called Vertical Strike or simply V-Strike. That’s all there is to say about this. The Homing Missile no longer drags your shell towards the target like a gravity well, it now actually steers it. The guidance turns the missile instead of accelerating it, so it corrects your aim without whipping the shell around the target at the last moment. The correction is strongest early in the flight, while there is still time to act, and fades out as the missile closes in. That makes the missile do what it always promised: it takes a shot that is slightly off and puts it on target,…
- Minor update - 25 June 2026
Here’s another quick update. If you wanted to be uncharitable, you could call it a bugfix, but we’d rather frame it as a feature update because that sounds more positive.Feature updatesTo avoid melting your graphics cards, which would be a real shame, especially for a game with such modest requirements, we’ve finally enabled VSync. Once again, many thanks to the community here as well! Bottoms up!And do you remember what we said in our last minor update a few weeks ago, that the game was nearly feature-complete? Yes, but we also mentioned, however, that we still have quite some possibilities for further development in the pipeline. Well, that’s exactly what we’re working on right now. Don't worry, the changes won't be too drastic. But, as we know, it's the little things that bring joy to life. So, stay tuned!
- Minor update - 5 June 2026
If you thought this game was dead, you were mistaken. It’s just that we consider it to be nearly feature-complete. Of course, we still have plenty of possibilities for further development in the pipeline, and good ideas sometimes come from the community as well. But we always have to consider how new features might impact existing elements, and, being a hobby project, limited resources are another factor to contend with.Anyway, last week we played another internal round and ran into a bug. Of course, that had to be fixed with priority. So, here we are:BugfixesFor stability reasons, projectile speed is capped at a specific rate, specifically 1,000 pixels per tick. Previously, this was achieved by limiting the magnitude of the velocity vector whenever the speed would have otherwise exceeded the limit. However, this could result in the vertical velocity component having almost no influence…
- Minor updates - 5 September 2023
After a long time there is finally an update with some minor adjustments and fixes: Feature updates AI players now "fake" some thinking time to avoid shooting too fast in real-time matches. The thinking time depends on the skill level of the respective AI player. After "faking" some thinking time and before an AI player finally fires his/her shot, it is briefly checked whether the selected alternative is still valid/meaningful. If not, a new shot is calculated. The AI trait "Jelly Monkey" primarily considers the victory count and secondarily the difference between kills and deaths (not just the number of kills alone) when selecting the "best" shot. A tank now earns money for winning a round with less than 10 energy left. Napalm Bomb cost reduced from $ 475 to $ 450. Tesla Bomb cost reduced from $ 1.500 to $ 999 and damage radius increased from 3 pixels to 4 pixels. Goo Shot blast power…
- We have left Early Access - 13 March 2021
Hello everyone, Exactly four years ago today, the groundbreaking ceremony for the game's development took place. And this day we have now used to leave Early Access. We are of the opinion that there is no longer need for fundamental changes. However, this does not mean that we will not continue to care. If we see the need to change certain things or even add new features, we will of course do so. We will also be happy if you tell us about any bugs or other problems so that we can hopefully address them as soon as possible. We hope you continue to enjoy the game!
- COVID-ready: Internet mode - 21 February 2021
Good news, everyone: Tank Wars: Anniversary Edition is now "COVID-ready"! Better late than never: Feature updates In addition to LAN mode, we have implemented another networked multiplayer mode based on Steam Networking that allows you to play with your friends over the Internet. It was a deliberate decision to limit this mode to players who you are friends with on Steam. There are many reasons for this, but the two most relevant are the following: Tank Wars: Anniversary Edition is still best played as a hotseat match on a Saturday evening with some friends. The main intentions for networked multiplayer mode(s) at all were to enable simultaneous mode and real-time mode against each other and to address unfavorable room situations with regard to input and output devices with several players. While the first is more of a "gimmick", the second aspect is becoming more important with spatial…
- New options: keep/sell weapons/items - 28 December 2020
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The Christkind has granted us two new game options: Feature updates "Keep weapons/items on death": If this option is not activated, a tank will lose one copy per weapon/item when it dies. (Tanks which did not get a turn at all are spared.) "Weapons/items can be sold": If this option is not activated, purchased weapons/items can no longer be sold.
- Steam achievements - 27 November 2020
Today there is a quick little update: Feature updates Steam achievements have been added and enabled, a whole bunch of them. Bugfixes A bug where the Tesla Bomb did not cause any damage has been fixed.
- Major Revision, AI System, New Options - 14 November 2020
First of all, I am sorry that the update has been a long time coming. But we did a major revision and, for example, completely renewed the AI system. And extensive activities are not so easy for a private hobby project with a full-time job and family in mind. However, we have tried to respond to community wishes as much as possible, provided that they did not conflict with our own opinion (for example, we already implemented game options for making the initial money and the per-round earnings configurable per player, but then took that out again because we felt it would negatively affect armory development during a match). This is what we've been doing for the past few months: Feature updates The AI system has been completely renewed. Not only can the basic skill level be set for each AI player as before, but now also different character traits. We hope that this will address some commu…
- In-game chat - 10 June 2019
Every now and then we come to a few improvements: Feature updates A first draft of the in-game chat has been added. Bugfixes Networked multiplayer mode (LAN) has been improved (but still beta).
- LAN mode - 18 May 2018
We just deployed a first beta version of the LAN mode. Feature updates Networked multiplayer mode (LAN) is in beta now: It could still be a bit jerky. And the in-game chat is not implemented yet.
- 0.9.3b - build 294 - 3 January 2018
Happy New Year everybody! We are still working on the networked multiplayer mode. In the meantime, we deployed some minor changes and fixes: Feature updates The Plasma Melter is slightly bigger now. The Sequence Bomb doesn't come with overlapping sounds and lights anymore. For real-time matches, an optional "action cooldown" has been introduced that can be used alternatively to or together with round/turn timers. For classic (turn-based) matches, the turn order of the players has been improved. The "intelligence" of AI players has been worsened. The lights of the tanks changed from point lights to spot lights. The calculation for the total ambient illumination intensity has been updated. Water reflections have been updated. Bugfixes A bug where the match wouldn't proceed to the next round has been fixed.
- Some minor updates - 3 January 2018
Happy New Year everybody! We are still working on the networked multiplayer mode. In the meantime, we deployed some minor changes and fixes: Feature updates The Plasma Melter is slightly bigger now. The Sequence Bomb doesn't come with overlapping sounds and lights anymore. For real-time matches, an optional "action cooldown" has been introduced that can be used alternatively to or together with round/turn timers. For classic (turn-based) matches, the turn order of the players has been improved. The "intelligence" of AI players has been worsened. The lights of the tanks changed from point lights to spot lights. The calculation for the total ambient illumination intensity has been updated. Water reflections have been updated. Bugfixes A bug where the match wouldn't proceed to the next round has been fixed.
