So this came out on the XBox 360 yesterday so I fished the old box out, dusted it off and fired it up and you know what?

Free to play... Fun to play.

But that's how drug dealers work.

Give em the stuff for free... and then tell them later, oh yeah, you're gonna have to pay for more of this.

A lot more.

So when it comes to "World Of Tanks" if I'm not gonna throw money at the game should I keep playing?

Will I be able to steadily improve and plod along enjoying myself or is there an unavoidable glass wall waiting for me in the near future.

One that shall stop my progress cold and can only be shattered by the dollar bill or pound coin?

Will it stay fun or will I be forced to pay or pack it in?

A friend who loved the game, played it all the time, spent money on upgrades because they have to much disposable income, gave it up because they said the new changes made playing pointless, dont know whether it was something to do with ammunition, but some new mechanic in the game had wrecked it.

That all depends, what tank line are you going to go down first?

The only Tank Lines available to me at the moment are "Light" and "Medium".

At the moment I have a very limited grasp of the game but that didn't stop me having a great time with it last night.

I just don't want to start enjoying myself and then realise that 3 - 4 levels in you hit a wall where only paying will allow you to remain competative.

I enjoyed it for the short time that I played it. I'll never dump money on anything as they seemed to do a pretty good job with the free to play model. I'm a bit too much of a stickler for realism and historical accuracy that I stopped playing though. They have quite a blurred line between what's defined as a SPG versus a tank destroyer, as well as a lot of anti infantry models and armaments that irked me. Scout tanks really don't have a significant role and served as a roadblock on a good line of tank upgrading. Panzer IIs for instance. Cool early tank and all, but it excelled at punching through infantry lines and scouting, not really a tank battle thing where you have a minimap and all that.

People who pay will have an advantage over you, but not so much that you can't compete. I get the impression that most players don't pay, especially in the lower tiers, so you should be fine.

Started charging for ammunition?

That would be so "EA"

Well it's a good little game so I'll keep enjoying it while it's good.

Fortunately I've lots to play.

Cheers

If you start going down the light tank route, you'll be hit pretty hard. Playing a stock Luchs with a 75% crew is brutal torture. You've got no speed, armour, penetration or health and you're expected to scout against tier 8s.

Some medium lines are alright, but they can have pretty bad stock grinds in them.

My advice would be to play either the American or Russian heavy lines. Best for new players. Light tanks and most TDs require a good knowledge of camo mechanics to be pulled off successfully.

I played it during the Beta, but only once or twice. Even in games like Battlefield tanks just aren't my jam.

My opinion, though, is if you know you can enjoy it for at least a few levels, then why not enjoy it while it lasts?