World Of Tanks' January Update Adds Italian Tanks And New Auto-Grouping Platoon System

World of Tanks' first update of the new year is almost ready, adding new Italian tanks and an easier way to play with friends. Update 1.11.1 brings the Tier VII Carro d'assalto P.88, Tier VIII Progetto CC55 mod. 54, Tier IX Progetto CC50 mod. 66, and Tier X Rinoceronte into the fray, with the Tier VIII, IX, and X tanks implementing a new auto-reloading system. This system makes for quicker reloading of a shell slot if you fire while the slot is partially reloaded. The video below probably describes that better than I can, starting at the three-minute mark; it makes for only a small difference, but in the heat of battle, just a couple of seconds can make all the difference.

Fitting with the Italian theme is a series of battle missions that hand out a Roman legion-themed emblem, inscription, and decal as rewards for each of the new tanks.

Also in this update is "Platoons 2.0," which has as its highlight the ability for you to be auto-matched with players with similar vehicles and skill levels, with other search parameters including things like clan membership or voice chat. Learn more about the features in Update 1.11.1 on the World of Tanks site.

Meanwhile, in the console version of the game, the Winter Warriors season is underway until March 8. This offers 100 levels of progress and rewards, including gold, boosts, vouchers, and premium tanks. Notably, there's no licensing tie-in with this season, as there was with the previous one and the one before that, and the one before that -- which some players see as more of a good thing than a bad one.