* Note: I did go back and update my post on the release of 7.5. Go check it out.
Fresh off the press, an interview with SerB, the head development/vision dude for World of Tanks, posted on other head developer Overlord’s blog.
My favorite part is the excellent resolution of the difficult question of what to with with tanks like the Brummbar and Sturmtiger, that do not really fit into an existing line in the game. They were not intended to be long range vehicles like the current SPG’s, and but also don’t quite fit the mold of a TD either:
Q: Can you tell me when will you add Brummbär and Sturmtiger in the game and in which line you will put those tanks?
A: We have decided to form a separate subline [sic] of assault guns with these vehicles. This subline [sic] is not finished yet, as soon it is, we will announce it to players.
Great news! I wonder if this means that all the vehicles with “derp gun” options (low pen, high dmg, short range weapons) will be gathered into this line. The move of the KV-2 (which is very much in the mold of the Brummbar and Sturmtiger) into its own “branch” of the USSR tech tree would seem to lend credence to my theory.
Also, some bonus news in that interview as well that might excite players:
Q: Will you create bigger maps then currently maps which we have in game?A: Currently we are experimenting with 3×3 km maps with 30-45 tanks on each side. If everything is ok, bigger maps will allow us to introduce bigger battles.
Harbinger Zero 
I remember being amused in Combat Mission: BtB when a Brummbar would manage a soft kill on something like a JS-1. The big HE round would hit and fail to damage the tank, but the blastwave would kill off the crew inside. I wonder if we’ll see the same in WoT.
Right now, derp guns tend to be an all or nothing gamble. If you manage to penetrate, its game over. If not, the best you’re going to do is hinder the internal “components” (including crew). It will actually make for an interesting dynamic in these matches (especially the bigger ones) to have a line of tanks whose real role will be in the kin of a Control archetype from other MMO’s.
There are exceptions of course. The Hetzer falls at a place in the matchmaker where its often at the top of the food chain, and when you have the 10.5 on it, the older/light/lower tier tanks do not stand a chance. Its the only tank where I have multiple top guns…all one-shots…