Wargaming’s World of Tanks MMO is already immensely popular, with over 75 million users registered worldwide and concurrent players peaking at over 1 million. The company is not resting on its laurels, though, and it plans a series of significant updates to the game this year, with far-reaching implications for the players. The [a]list daily spoke with North American World of Tanks producer Joshua Morris about the changes.

The first and most obvious change, being introduced this week through the 9.0 patch, will be new, higher polygon count tank models. The game has over 200 tanks available, so this won’t happen all at once, said Morris. This first patch will introduce a dozen of the most popular tanks in higher resolution models. “You’ll be able to see the rifling inside the gun barrels,” said Morris. There will also be improvements to the texture maps both for the new high-polygon models and the old models. The game will also see the addition of weather that will significantly impact gameplay. “Wait until you try to fight a battle in a snowstorm, at night,” said Morris.

The improvement in appearance is coupled with the addition of the Havok physics engine, which will make destruction of buildings and tanks much more precise. Tank turrets are separate objects, for instance, and when you blow up a tank you’ll see the turret spinning skywards sometimes. In one test match, Morris recounts, they watched a turret fly up and land on another tank, destroying it.

The physics modeling changes the impact of terrain on the game. Previously a building was either whole or wrecked, but now buildings can be completely destroyed — which removes them as cover. High explosive rounds can blow up buildings, while armor-piercing rounds will probably go right through. Even the shells themselves are modeled with the physics engine.

While the introduction of the physics model will certainly change the game play, the biggest changes Wargaming has planned this year are new game modes. First up is a historical battle mode, where players can experience the pivotal tank battle of Kursk or the Ardennes. Adding in historical battles wasn’t easy, Morris observed. “The main problem was good vehicle matchmaking” and finding the right balance between historical facts and fun game play. Wargaming had to change vehicle specs for this mode, including things like hit points, in order to provide a good game balance. Historically, air power, artillery and infantry were major factors in tank battles, and of course World of Tanks has none of those factors. Hence the need to change tank specs and add in respawning to the historical battle mode.

Update 9.0 will have three historical battles included, and subsequent updates will have new historical battles added. These will be phased in and out of the rotation in order to keep the game fresh, so you’re not endlessly re-fighting the battle at Kursk. Aside from historical battles, team battle will also be improved to support long-term teams, with many rule tweaks and updates. “We’re going to soften some of the edges to make it more appealing to the U.S. market,” said Morris. That includes interface changes and things like respawns in historical battle mode and the new garage battle mode.

The most important new mode coming this year is what Morris calls “‘Clash of Clans‘ for World of Tanks.” As Morris explains it, clans can stake out an area of territory and fortify it (what they call Strongholds). There’s a new currency of resources, which you use to build up an area. You get resources from developing an area, and also from fighting other clans — and scavenging from their territory. Players will be able to do things like call in air strikes or artillery, create pillboxes or lay down minefields. There’s going to be a lot of revenge going on as clans build up their Strongholds and watch them get trashed by opponents.

Most importantly, players will be able to join clans and begin this process right away, without having to wait until they get to high rank. This will get players into group play more quickly and help them stay engaged longer, Morris believes. Clans will be able to set up specific times when they will be available for battle, making scheduling easier for the members. Of course, you’ll be able to spend real money to help improve Strongholds, as well as using the resources you earn or acquire within the game.

Wargaming understands that there’s competition for players. “We welcome that competition,” said Morris. Adding new features to make the game more social (such as full Twitch integration) will be a critical part of the outreach effort. Marketing a massively multiplayer online game isn’t just about reaching a single player — you need to convince groups of friends to leave their current online games and try out yours collectively. The new features for World of Tanks, especially the Clan battles, look like they will be an effective marketing tool for the game.