World of Tanks

[apocrypha]

That would have been more useful to me than the special we got in the EU, since I already have all of these tanks researched:

The Medium Tank Melee special starts on Friday, May 25th at 07:30 CEST (05:30 GMT) and ends on Monday, May 28th at 07:00 CEST (05:00 GMT). During this period, everyone will be able to take advantage of the following bonuses:
 50% off the price of the following medium tanks and camouflage patterns for them:

    Tier V Т-34
    Tier VI Т-34-85
    Tier V PzKpfw IV
    Tier V PzKpfw III/IV
    Tier VI VK 3601 (H)
    Tier VI VK 3001 (H)
    Tier VI VK 3001 (P)
    Tier V M4 Sherman
    Tier V M7
    Tier VI M4A3E8 Sherman
    Tier VI M4A3E2

[WayAbvPar]

Of course I bought my 12t literally minutes before I read about that, then spent the weekend desperately trying to grind it up to the 13_75. Only got about 1/3 of the way there...so hard to earn any XPs when I am constantly getting dumped in Tier IX fights. It is a nice little tank too, but it can't punch that far above its weight. Tier V>VI is a nasty grind. I am sure it gets worse 

[Engels]

The 12t is a rotten joke of a tank that anyone aspiring to teh awesome of the batchat must suffer through. That, combined with your T1 Heavy and M7 grind, makes me feel for you. It can only get better from now on. You could grind the KV line if you wanted to suffer some more, but I think you have enough on your plate.

[WayAbvPar]

At least in the T1 HT and M7 I have a chance to get into same tier fights. The T1 is a beast when it is at or near top tank (and I don't screw up driving it). In the few battles where the 12t was even midpack I have had some fun. I will get to the KV line eventually 

[Ginaz]

I highly recommend the T-49, a US TD.  Very fast and quick (doesn't turn well, though) with a decent gun (M4 Sherman and Easy 8 have it too) and hides well with the TD camo bonus and its small size.  It is fragile and doesn't have many HPs but its fun to play and I've done quite well with it, both with damage/kills and win%.

[Merusk]

I'm glad I got the KV before they redid the line, only because the KV1 is painful because it's fragile (but not too bad on speed).  The KV-2, however, when played with the longun is still very, very fun.   I was tearing things up this weekend and cackling as I oneshot more tanks than I have with my T-29.  You can't be a brawler in it but as a mid-to-long range sniper it's damn fun.

The KV-3, however, is slow AND I can't seem to pen. anything.  I'm still working on upgrades for it, though, so perhaps it will get better.

Also, a big "fuck you" to the MM for making my T-20 the top tank with a KV-3 under me vs. a T-29 and Tiger.  No, really, fuck you MM.

[kildorn]

The 12t is a rotten joke of a tank that anyone aspiring to teh awesome of the batchat must suffer through. That, combined with your T1 Heavy and M7 grind, makes me feel for you. It can only get better from now on. You could grind the KV line if you wanted to suffer some more, but I think you have enough on your plate.

I thought they fixed it up a bit? When I had a 12t it was a huge joke that couldn't aim up or down at all. So even mostly level terrain caused you to be unable to shoot targets because you were up a degree on a random mound of dirt.

As for the T-49: Hilariously fun to drive, but horrible accuracy while moving. Still, WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Also, it leads to the M18 which is by far the most amusing tank in the game to drive.

[WayAbvPar]

Ground out a couple thousand XP, burned all my free XP and 95% of my cash, and am now the proud owner of an AMX 13_75. Even recycled the crew (for 200g each, ouch). Unfortunately I haven't been able to try it out yet...the work part of 'working from home' is getting in the way atm. Hopefully get a chance in an hour or so.

[Merusk]

That brings up a question I've got;

I've recycled the crew on my US-mediums and Russian TDs over the last 3 upgrades of each because I only keep one of those around at a time and they're now 100% crews working on skills.   How much does it actually hurt me that I don't train them to the new tanks they're in?  I heard it drops them to ~75%, which I'm ok with, but I just wanted to know.

[Abagadro]

I think if you mouse over them in the garage it tells you the percentage they are effectively operating at including any commander bonus, vent bonus, and  the deficit from not being trained. 

[Merusk]

You are correct, sir.

Interestingly Brothers in Arms affects this as well, I thought it was only basic skills.  So my commander is 75% but everyone else is 83% Not bad.

ed: That moment when you point out to your arty that the lowe and tiger are exposed but then they get killed before doing ANY damage because all their shots miss.. I had it tonight.

[Furiously]

My t110 crew is at 115%. That's crazy.

[apocrypha]

Also, a big "fuck you" to the MM for making my T-20 the top tank with a KV-3 under me vs. a T-29 and Tiger.  No, really, fuck you MM.

Don't underestimate the T20. I soloed an M103 in it last night, with the aid of a building and some ducking and diving. He did bounce several shots off of my turret, so I suspect he wasn't particularly skilled, but even so I was slightly surprised to win that engagement.

That was also the game that got me enough XP to elite it, so as soon as I have enough gold I'll be getting a Pershing!

[Furiously]

Duo'ing in a t20 is probably the most fun I have had in WOT. It's a very underestimated tank.

[Engels]

A fully upgraded T-20 is waaay more dangerous than a stock Pershing. Agility, lower profile and just slightly less armor. Hull down in that bish and you are giving top tanks a serious problem.

[WayAbvPar]

Wow, last night was frustrating. Just fucked from every direction by the matchmaker.

[kildorn]

I love my T20 so much. Only a few tanks that I absolutely cannot deal with on some maps, due to pen problems. But that tank can be absolutely everywhere.

[Nebu]

Wow, last night was frustrating. Just fucked from every direction by the matchmaker.

Tier 6 and 7 seem to be in a rough spot.  Most matches you will be in the middle or bottom of the match and unable to pen most everything.  While I enjoyed the hell out of my tier 6 tanks, I didn't have much love for the MM. 

[Merusk]

I continue to be baffled by the T-20 love.  Fucker's paper and doesn't pen from a distance for me and is massively slower than the AMXs that continually fuck me up the ass when it's not the heavies doing so.  I continue to miss the Easy8 and strive for the next tier.

[Ginaz]

I never cared for the T-20 much, either.  IMO the Panther, with the long gun, is the best tier 7 med.

[Furiously]

The t20 is darn mobile. Supports a decent rate of fire and can take a couple shots. The french lights have made it a weaker tank than it was. But its still a fun tank.

[Merusk]

After playing a few matches tonight I'll confess I'm also way spoiled by my Type 59.  Even at T8 instead of T7 the things just a wonderful machine.  Still not a fan of the T-20 (seriously I'm like one big target) but I understand why now.

Now the AMX40.. ugh.. hooray for a Tier 3 top-gun on a Tier 4 tank.

[Engels]

Yeah, in a way the 59 is a bad instructor due to the unrealistic bounciness on that tank.

[veredus]

I wasn't a huge fan of the T-20 but I liked it better then the Pershing. In fact never made it to the Patton, just couldn't grind through the Pershing. I can't put my finger on what exactly it was about the Pershing I just didn't like it. Specially when compared to the Panther II. Despite that I have seen some really good T-20 and Pershing drivers so with the right play style driving them they can be really good.

[apocrypha]

Well I got the Pershing last night. Already had a bunch of modules researched from previous tanks in the line, plus I had about 20k free XP so I wasn't stock, which is always nice. One high tier match where I got absolutely blatted in no time at all, and one match where I was the top tier tank and proceeded to get 5 kills and a 75% cap 

Still keeping the T20 though, most definitely. It is very fragile, especially if you expose the hull, but for me it has the perfect combo of mobility, accuracy and good damage output. You just have to play hide & seek a lot.

[WayAbvPar]

Yeah, in a way the 59 is a bad instructor due to the unrealistic bounciness on that tank.

It can soak a lot of damage but it can't deliver much in the multi- Tier IX and X fights it gets into. It is fun to drive though...almost plays like a light at times when you get loose behind the lines. And then bounce a few shots off the sides of the nearest IS-8 and cry in frustration. 

[Engels]

Ya, the 59 has a pretty sub par gun for tier 8 meds, but that's sorta the point of gold tanks. They are money makers, but they aren't 'the deciders' that 'real' tanks are. The Lowe is slow, the 34 has a slow fire rate, the KV5 is vulnerable in brawls and has low damage. Each one is significantly hampered compared to its counter parts. The only one I can think of that isn't that gimped is the Mutant M6E1, and that one has had its gold earning potential nerfed to all hell. Its essentially just a pretty decent tier 8.

[apocrypha]

Yeah I tend to play the Type59 in a scouting and interference role in the high tier matches. Defending arty from enemy scouts, keeping our heavies from getting flanked by meds, etc.

They can be fearsome in a pack of 3 (or more, depending on how lol-worthy the matchmaker is being) though 

[Merusk]

Yeah, I've accepted my role as harasser and plink-damage in Tier 8+ fights.  I know I'm not going to one-shot or do heavy damage (without a lucky critical) and that's OK.  I've learned the weak points, aim for wheels and crew and cause harassment.  Plus, combined with the reloader it has a pretty nice rate of fire.

I figure, let others get the kill shot I'm just looking to farm free Xp and money and it works damn good at both.  

Though some days you have a fabulous game in it and feel like a god.

Oh and yes, beware the Type-packs.  We had a group of 4 the other day and were in the top 1/3.. it was brutal.

[Furiously]

Pro-tip for old jerky people like me. Remap fire to spacebar. I tended to hit fire on the mouse and move the reticle a tend. Using spacebar I don't have that issue.

[Abagadro]

I remapped the fire extinguisher to my space bar because I could never find the damn button in the frenzied "STOP THE FIRE!" keyboard mashing.

[Engels]

I remapped the fire extinguisher to my space bar because I could never find the damn button in the frenzied "STOP THE FIRE!" keyboard mashing.

While driving the KV4, I need to remap the fire extinguisher to my forehead. Last few bouts with it, I seem to spend most of my time on fire.

[Ginaz]

I remapped the fire extinguisher to my space bar because I could never find the damn button in the frenzied "STOP THE FIRE!" keyboard mashing.

While driving the KV4, I need to remap the fire extinguisher to my forehead. Last few bouts with it, I seem to spend most of my time on fire.

I hated the KV-4.  Too big, too slow with only decent damage.  IMO, its the worst tier 8 heavy, including premium tanks.

[Abagadro]

I kinda like it but it has a very distinct play style. It plays like the mutant m6 which is my most played tank so it wasn't much of an adjustment for me.

[Kageru]

I remember now why I stopped playing about Tier 4. The grind goes exponential and a lot of the tanks are perpetually in the "victim" role. The Pzkpfw 38na and ausf. A being the worst at the moment, and the T-38 a bulky, fragile little flower. If I can get everything that interests me to Tier 5 it looks like a lot of the lines mature and will be able to contribute to most matches they're in.

This game is a brilliant piece of work in how it filters people towards spending gold.