Blog

Hi everyone,

Today we are launching five new server locations for StratSketch. While StratSketch is most popular in the US, we are seeing lots of growth in other regions. Players around the world should now be able to plan with less lag, which is especially important for the real-time cursor tool.

The new servers are launched in areas we are seeing the most amount of traffic and correspond with the regions of the official World of Tanks servers.

Today we are releasing the first major update for StratSketch web, bringing three new tools, a major performance improvement, and many fixes for issues affecting some users.

New Features

• Three new tools: A circle, rectangle, and measuring tool were added. The size of the map is now displayed in the panel for the measuring tool, and the icons and ordering of the tools were changed.

• New rendering engine: A new, faster rendering engine has been created from scratch. Most users should see a large performance improvement. (Performance stats can now be toggled by pressing D)

• World of Tanks Blitz maps: Maps for WoT Blitz have been added. Expect many other games to also be added soon!

• Blank map: A blank map has been added so you can teach strategies by designing your own situations.

Changes

• The ping tool now only creates one ring, and can be held down while moving to create more.
• Proper Z-Indexing has been implemented. The layering of items will now be consistent and deleting or moving items on top of each other will act predictably.

Bug Fixes

• An issue with the map going blank after switching tabs or windows has been fixed.
• Fix ranks of users not saving.
• Dialogs on Internet Explorer no longer flash when closing them.

In the next update, we will be focusing on an overhaul of the presentation system, and many visual improvements to the website. Follow the new StratSketch twitter account for more news and updates!

I am excited to announce that public beta testing of the new web version of StratSketch will begin today. Six months ago I began on this project as it was the most highly suggested improvement to StratSketch, and now it is finally ready for testing.

Existing users will feel right at home as StratSketch web has a familiar interface and all of the same major features as the old desktop version. Those who were having difficulty getting their entire clan to download StratSketch will now be able to use it by just sharing a link. The web interface works on all platforms so the increasing number of Mac and Linux users will now be able to join.

I have put a lot of work into the web version and have made an effort to fix any bugs before beta, however there may still be some minor issues that I will need help finding. There are a few small features from the desktop version that have not been implemented, as well as some new ideas I have that I have not gotten around to yet. Expect these new features and improvements, along with many of your suggestions, to be implemented soon as StratSketch progresses toward a stable release.

Please note that your current StratSketch accounts will work on the web version, however the briefings will not be transferred over until May 28th, and a week later the desktop version will be discontinued. Once StratSketch is fully tested and beta ends there will be a stronger push to migrate to the web version.

Special thanks to the wonderful users who translated StratSketch to five different languages and to those supporting StratSketch on Patreon.

Please post any suggestions, comments, or bug reports on the forums, and feel free to share StratSketch with others who would benefit from it.

Click here to go to StratSketch web.

Click here to discuss this post on the forum.

Important Dates:

May 28th: All desktop briefings will be converted to the new web format and copied over. This will only be happening once, so it is suggested that you move to the web version afterwards. Any briefings you make before this date will still be in your account.

June 4th: The desktop version will be discontinued. Click here to go to StratSketch web.

StratSketch 1.3.3 for World of Tanks 9.10 has been released. This update addresses a few small bugs, improves stability, and adds some small but useful features.

New Features:

1. Added dotted and dashed line styles.
2. The delete key can now be used to delete the selected item.
3. Briefings can be opened by double-clicking their name.
4. Updated Redshire map for 9.10.

Bug Fixes:

1. Greatly improved server performance and stability.
2. Fixed "ghost" items that appear on the screens of some users after deleting them.
3. Fixed ranks of guests being saved.

If you have any suggestions or comments, check out the StratSketch thread on the World of Tanks forums.

StratSketch has gone through a lot of updates lately, many of which have added small but useful features that have been requested. In this tutorial, I'll show you some of the hidden features you may not know about.

Transferring all users to a new briefing:

If you are showing your clan a strategy and want to move to a new map, it can take a while for everyone to copy and paste the ID and join a new briefing. In the latest update, a checkbox has been added to the join/create windows that allow you to transfer all users in your current briefing to a new briefing. Note that this option is only available to the creator or editors of a briefing, and at least two users must be in the briefing for it to be present.

Formatting text:

Text can be formatted using a simple variation of markdown. Using the characters *, _, and ~, text can be made bold, italicized, or underlined.
Markdown can also be used in chat. In chat, you can also paste briefing IDs that become clickable links.

Tank multipliers:

By typing a number and then "x" in the tank name field, that number will be added to the total tank count.

Copying a briefing or slide:

This feature may already be well known to some, however it is a bit hidden if you have never clicked it. The icon with a path splitting into two, next to the edit icon, allows you to create a copy of a briefing. You can do the same for a slide by right clicking on it. With a copy of the briefing or slide, you can create alternate plans without affecting the old version.

Protecting a briefing:

To prevent users from creating a copy or favoriting a briefing for later use, the creator of a briefing can enable protected mode.