World of Tanks

[Furiously]

Encounters are okay (although still bring out some retardation, i.e. rush the cap!) but assaults are just dire. I turned assaults off and been pretty happy. I've done companies that still have assaults on and with coordinated teams they aren't bad, but with 15 random retards they are terrible.

The problem with encounter is every tank that chooses to rush the cap is one tank that isn't helping defeat the enemy force.  At least on a normal map when someone goes off stupidly they might contribute somehow.

[WayAbvPar]

And the problem with Assault is trying to get either group (attackers or defenders) to actually move more than 20 feet. Westfield was the worst (for both sides).

They are going to allow premium members to exclude 1 map from their rotation in one of the upcoming patches. What is everyone's pick? The 2 I hate the most are going away (Serene Coast and Dragon Ridge), so I am not sure what my pick would be. Maybe Port? I wonder how often you could pick...you could customize which one you exclude based on tank type. It would be nice to lessen the chances of Himm/Ensk/Port in an arty, for instance.

[Merusk]

I'd probably exclude ElHalluf or Sand River.  EL always has two outcomes.  Camp fest or heavy tank slugfest in the northwest.  That's it and it's a boring as fuck map because of it.

Sand River isn't a bad map, but it's played badly by so many people that I'm done with it.

Murovanka and Arctic Region are my next two least favorite maps.  Murovanka favors the North team just a little with the woods right there and the way the sniping and hillocks work out on the west end. 

Arctic Region pulls all the morons to the hill shootout on the east, frequently leaving me and only one or two others against the north & west which - in my games - invariably finds the enemy team has sent 2 heavies and a TD with arty for cover.   While I'm trying my damnedest to stall this push I wind up one of the last dead as the morons in the east have been wiped out by peeking poorly or moving around the bend so their arty could pound them to oblivion.

I wish Komarin were back. I liked that one quite a lot and it only had one or two weak points that needed tweaked, primarily on the west side near the flag.

[WayAbvPar]

Arctic Region is not a bad one to exclude. I love Sand River, and just realized I haven't played it in like a week. WTH.

[kildorn]

Arctic Region is basically looking at the tank distribution, and if the eastern team has anything big mean and frontally armored/hull down armored you're fucked. Because nobody goes north, and everyone plays goddamned peekaboo with half a dozen hostile guns pointed at them. Meanwhile the northern chokes are either far enough back that your arty is visible or are crazy easy to flank.

I enjoy sand river, even if it's another one where encounter always winds up with me and one other tank vs the world.

[Tmon]

It would be a coin toss for el haluf or port for me.  The bad thing is that excluding one would automatically increase the number of times I saw the other.

[Nebu]

Saw this on the forums and it made me chuckle.  



As a side note: I played a match with a Conquerer tonight that put up 7500 damage.  Was pretty impressive to watch the guy play. 

[Furiously]

So I bought a Chi-ha last night, and ran a match with a clan mate.  Luckily I loaded like 10 gold rounds and we proceeded up the island line on mines. He had three kill and I had two when crossed onto their side, I suggest we go for band-of-brothers and I solo-kill the tank sitting on the cap. After that there are like 4 tanks left, we each get one more and then there is only one left, so we go sit on the cap and get our free points while the rest of the team is unable to kill the guy.  I get my second mastery badge ever.  On a tank I have never driven before.

Next match I figure I'll load extra gold rounds on my T69, we're on Cliff. I rush middle and so does half their team, I switch to the gold rounds and start screaming to the guy I'm grouped with who is scouting on the top of the lighthouse to help shoot them, I pull the tanks around the side and he and a T34 which had came along to soak up some hits. I get two kills from the four tanks. Guy I'm grouped with gets about the same, I drop down onto the one-line and pop a KV-5, the enemy is at like 70 percent capped on our base, I get a side-shot into the Super Pershing on the cap and reset it to 30. There is a T-28 prototype and an IS-3 between me and the cap so I pop around the corner and reload again, pop out and unload on the IS-3, kill him too. Then our own IS-3 and the T-28 prototype start fighting, I get about half a clip into it and the match ends, get 1900 exp for the round and finally get master class one and band-of-brothers again.

It's amazing because I had rage-quit probably not an hour earlier from the shitty games I had been getting then to get two back-to-back incredible games reminded me how fun the game can be. The game can be a cruel mistress pain at times but also unbelievably fun.

[Simond]

So I bought a Chi-ha last night...

Chi-ha is a hilarious tank - first gun is utterly terrible, second is pretty good and the third is very good and turns into a bloody railgun with gold ammo. Plus you have a stupidly decent final radio so you can just sit back and play Sniper Elite - WoT version if you want.

Or you can do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygNZ8L2jMNM

[Brolan]

So I bought a Chi-ha last night...

Chi-ha is a hilarious tank - first gun is utterly terrible, second is pretty good and the third is very good and turns into a bloody railgun with gold ammo. Plus you have a stupidly decent final radio so you can just sit back and play Sniper Elite - WoT version if you want.

Or you can do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygNZ8L2jMNM

I just discovered the Chi-Ha myself.  I got Top Gun the first time out with the top 47mm.  Its got punch, decent armor, and good mobility.  I love the little thing.

[WayAbvPar]

So I bought a Chi-ha last night, and ran a match with a clan mate.  Luckily I loaded like 10 gold rounds and we proceeded up the island line on mines. He had three kill and I had two when crossed onto their side, I suggest we go for band-of-brothers and I solo-kill the tank sitting on the cap. After that there are like 4 tanks left, we each get one more and then there is only one left, so we go sit on the cap and get our free points while the rest of the team is unable to kill the guy.  I get my second mastery badge ever.  On a tank I have never driven before.

Next match I figure I'll load extra gold rounds on my T69, we're on Cliff. I rush middle and so does half their team, I switch to the gold rounds and start screaming to the guy I'm grouped with who is scouting on the top of the lighthouse to help shoot them, I pull the tanks around the side and he and a T34 which had came along to soak up some hits. I get two kills from the four tanks. Guy I'm grouped with gets about the same, I drop down onto the one-line and pop a KV-5, the enemy is at like 70 percent capped on our base, I get a side-shot into the Super Pershing on the cap and reset it to 30. There is a T-28 prototype and an IS-3 between me and the cap so I pop around the corner and reload again, pop out and unload on the IS-3, kill him too. Then our own IS-3 and the T-28 prototype start fighting, I get about half a clip into it and the match ends, get 1900 exp for the round and finally get master class one and band-of-brothers again.

It's amazing because I had rage-quit probably not an hour earlier from the shitty games I had been getting then to get two back-to-back incredible games reminded me how fun the game can be. The game can be a cruel mistress pain at times but also unbelievably fun.

See what happens when you don't have me dragging you down?

[Furiously]

I had been grouped with a 46 percenter. And man I was getting annoyed at his rushing into five tanks and saying well I turned their turrets around for 11 seconds, should have given people a few free shots.  I might have to uninstall xvm so my faith in humanity isn't destroyed.

[Nebu]

I had been grouped with a 46 percenter. And man I was getting annoyed at his rushing into five tanks and saying well I turned their turrets around for 11 seconds, should have given people a few free shots.  I might have to uninstall xvm so my faith in humanity isn't destroyed.

This is what kills me.  I like to think that I play much smarter than this and my win rate is only 47%.  

I need to start recording my matches and seeing what I'm doing wrong.  I'm still putting up decent damage and kills in my losses, it just seems that games turn too fast for me to have much impact.  When I hold a flank with a friend and then entire rest of the team folds to 5 people, there's really not much more I can do. 

[Gets]

Watch other people's replays instead. It's less time consuming than more entertaining to learn from other playstyles.

I played my PzIV all day and made like a million credits without premium. And it was fun!

[Nebu]

Watch other people's replays instead. It's less time consuming than more entertaining to learn from other playstyles.

Tazilon has some wonderful videos.  Most of the rest... people getting good scores because their opponents are terrible.  If I had 20 shots at the sides and backs of tanks, I'd put up amazing numbers too.

[WayAbvPar]

Watch other people's replays instead. It's less time consuming than more entertaining to learn from other playstyles.

Tazilon has some wonderful videos.  Most of the rest... people getting good scores because their opponents are terrible.  If I had 20 shots at the sides and backs of tanks, I'd put up amazing numbers too.

Speaking of Tazilon, Furiously and I ended up in a match with him on our team and Gets on the other side. It was like WoT Celebrity Week! Taz completely pulled the game out for us after the rest of our team went up in flames (except Fur). He was in his 2801 (21k battles and counting)...he is AMAZING in that thing.

[Furiously]

I was sad I didn't get to shoot Gets but I was being foolish guarding one flank with a T25/2. Talk about a tank with no damage for its tier.

I continue to get horrid teams with my t69.

[Nebu]

Played against Garbad in a 3-man platoon with all -G- people in a tier 8 match last night.  Those guys are VERY good.  It was humbling to watch the 3 of them dismantle an entire team.  

[Amarr HM]

I've only been in a Garbad platoon a handful of times he's an excellent player, played with him in CW where he gets blown up a lot. I think enemy teams just primary him to say 'well at least we got Garbad right?'

There's another guy in -G- who's possibly better, Camador, he doesn't play as much & I've only ever played against him.

[Merusk]

I continue to get horrid teams with my t69.

Speaking of horrid teams, I had one yesterday in my Type.  I'm the #4 tank and it's Dragon Ridge and we're starting at the north span.  I take off up and over the hill to swing around back because you know it's going to just be the usual slugfest in the valley and top.  I want to plug a few guys from down below and surprise them.   I've done this before with other meds or lights following me and it's worked pretty well.

In the time it takes me to go from my start point, around to the choke point on the north we've lost 5 tanks. By the time I get in to the enemy valley we've lost 10.  By the time I hit their flag it's just me and an arty that promptly dies as they move on to the cap.

Elapsed time: 4:15.  Total dead enemy 1.   I see their arty and make it a 3:15 loss .

[Pendan]

I take off up and over the hill to swing around back because you know it's going to just be the usual slugfest in the valley and top.  I want to plug a few guys from down below and surprise them.   I've done this before with other meds or lights following me and it's worked pretty well.

I don't know what exactly happened in your match but you described a situation that upsets me quite often,  top tanks decide to take the long way around the map and leave the middle lightly defended. The other teams top tanks take the short route through the middle destroying everyone while a few from other team bog down the top tanks taking the long route.

Maps this is a problem with Dragon Ridge (low areas both sides), Fjords (following edge of map up hill or around mountain), Lakeville (valley), Cliff (around lighthouse), Abbey (low road), Himmelsdorf (hill), and South Coast (beach). Once you go these routes you are completely useless in helping with any other part of the map. Everyone has a time where it worked real well to take these routes so they repeat them even though it fails badly more often. Many maps you want to stay out of the middle because the outer routes can spot and shoot the middle from multiple directions. The maps and routes I listed are not these cases.

[WayAbvPar]

I would disagree with many of those. Leaving the hill undefended on Himmelsdorf leads to a loss a good 80% of the time. Same with Abbey and Cliff- they offer a back door entrance to your base. If you do not defend them and the enemy comes in any numbers at all, the game is over. South Coast- the beach takes too long, and is easily defended at the cap side, so you can safely ignore it. Same for Fjords- if top tier heavies go north (up and around) their team loses automatically unless the other team is grossly incompetent.

As for Dragon Ridge- why does everyone swarm to the valley to get murdered? If you win the village, you control the whole map.

[Nebu]

As for Dragon Ridge- why does everyone swarm to the valley to get murdered? If you win the village, you control the whole map.

I really like riding the side hill alone the village and picking people off.  Then head to the edge of the valley and potshot people from above while they are engaged.  Good times.

[UnsGub]

Not all maps are equal.

http://joi.betra.is/?p=1641

[Nebu]

There's another guy in -G- who's possibly better, Camador, he doesn't play as much & I've only ever played against him.

This is a thread that Garbad posted about a platoon with 3 unicums against pubs.  It's pretty interesting to see how he analyzes the battle.  I quoted because Camador is a part of his trio.

[Merusk]

I take off up and over the hill to swing around back because you know it's going to just be the usual slugfest in the valley and top.  I want to plug a few guys from down below and surprise them.   I've done this before with other meds or lights following me and it's worked pretty well.

I don't know what exactly happened in your match but you described a situation that upsets me quite often,  top tanks decide to take the long way around the map and leave the middle lightly defended. The other teams top tanks take the short route through the middle destroying everyone while a few from other team bog down the top tanks taking the long route.

Maps this is a problem with Dragon Ridge (low areas both sides), Fjords (following edge of map up hill or around mountain), Lakeville (valley), Cliff (around lighthouse), Abbey (low road), Himmelsdorf (hill), and South Coast (beach). Once you go these routes you are completely useless in helping with any other part of the map. Everyone has a time where it worked real well to take these routes so they repeat them even though it fails badly more often. Many maps you want to stay out of the middle because the outer routes can spot and shoot the middle from multiple directions. The maps and routes I listed are not these cases.

In slow, heavily armored tanks, I totally agree with your sentiment.  When you're in a quick, agile Medium or Light, not so much.

I wasn't taking a Super Pershing or a British tank up and over, to merrily bump along at 12kph.   The type is fast, and when you look at the elapsed time all I could have done was die with everyone else.  It should not take barely over 4 mins to wipe out an entire team on this map unless your team has decided to drive right in to the guns of the other side.

I sure as hell can't slug it out front end to front end with a T34, Lowe and an IS6, (their Tops) so why would I try?

As for Dragon Ridge- why does everyone swarm to the valley to get murdered? If you win the village, you control the whole map.

I have no fucking clue.  Like Nebu I use the sides and the hills.  If my team had lived I'd have come up right behind the enemy at the 10:30 mark and been able to throw some big damage in to the sides and rear of that IS6 and T-34 that were camping at that first turn along the ridge. 

[Pendan]

I would disagree with many of those. Leaving the hill undefended on Himmelsdorf leads to a loss a good 80% of the time. Same with Abbey and Cliff- they offer a back door entrance to your base. If you do not defend them and the enemy comes in any numbers at all, the game is over. South Coast- the beach takes too long, and is easily defended at the cap side, so you can safely ignore it. Same for Fjords- if top tier heavies go north (up and around) their team loses automatically unless the other team is grossly incompetent.

As for Dragon Ridge- why does everyone swarm to the valley to get murdered? If you win the village, you control the whole map.

In no case would I leave an area un-scouted. Abbey and Cliff are just like South Coast, easily defended at the cap side. Going around the lighthouse on Cliff also leaves you quite far from the base and exposed to arty when you make it around. That is how these maps are fought in clan wars. Put a scout over in the area and react to it when a blob is spotted. Himmelsdorf is done that way in CW too but is harder to pull off in pug matches however Himmelsdorf is also the easiest to lose in pug match if your heavies spend the match climbing the hill while other teams heavies shoot down the 8 line.

On Dragon Ridge medium tank like the 59 can go to the backside of the buildings up top and then make the decision if team needs you more at a different location or doing as wanted and dropping down to go behind. Once you drop down you are out of the fight for several minutes no matter what is happening.

[Furiously]

I just need to vent a bit....

Victory!
Battle: Airfield Tuesday, February 05, 2013 2:02:34 AM
Vehicle: T69
Experience received: 3,285
Credits received: 42,855
Battle Achievements: Top Gun, Master Gunner

I didn't get Ace Tanker! This is gonna be hard....And no - that isn't my daily double.

edit: ahhhh - operation top gun = an additional 1500 exp when you get top gun.

[Engels]

Still a pretty bitchin score.

[Nebu]

Saw this on the WoT forums and, if true, I'm VERY excited.

from WoT ru Forums by WoT dev.

Storm:
Мы на 8.5 будем реализовывать туман войны очень скоро в игре в ответ на людей, сват несправедливо. когда битва закончилась, вы сможете увидеть всю команду для обеих сторон по докладу экрана.


Let me translate for you:

By patch 8.5 we will implement fog of war pretty soon in the game, in response of people who think Matchmaker is unfair.  when the battle is over, you will be able see the whole team for both sides on the damage report screen.

[Merusk]

Very interesting change. You never know where you are in the match hierarchy.  I expect much bitching and quitting on the NA servers over it.

[kildorn]

Meh. While neat, it's useful as a faster tank to know if you should even bother rushing a spot (they out-fast tank you), or if a lane will be TD alley or not.

Makes the game harder when you can't really count tanks, which is good and bad.

[Merusk]

It makes the game a LOT harder, counting tanks or not, which is why I expect much bitching and quitting.  You don't know what kind of arty to expect, what the enemy top tier is or if they have 3 IS-6 or 3's to your single.   

The best you know looking at your own composition is what the tier ranges will be and how many arty are out there to start with.  Unless you wind-up in one of those fucked-up games where you've drawn the "All Medium Tanks are <x>" card.  (Typically 4-5 Type 59s to a side, but I've seen it with M4s and Pershings, too.)

[Gets]

Saw this on the WoT forums and, if true, I'm VERY excited.

from WoT ru Forums by WoT dev.

Storm:
Мы на 8.5 будем реализовывать туман войны очень скоро в игре в ответ на людей, сват несправедливо. когда битва закончилась, вы сможете увидеть всю команду для обеих сторон по докладу экрана.


Let me translate for you:

By patch 8.5 we will implement fog of war pretty soon in the game, in response of people who think Matchmaker is unfair.  when the battle is over, you will be able see the whole team for both sides on the damage report screen.

Latest set of SerBFacts outright denied this.

[WayAbvPar]

I take back 10% of all the nasty things I said about Serene Coast. Have rolled it from the north twice now. 2nd time was pretty eventful-

Victory!
Battle: Serene Coast Tuesday, February 05, 2013 3:17:26 PM
Vehicle: Churchill III
Experience received: 4,434 (x2 for the first victory each day)
Credits received: 48,570
Battle Achievements: Mastery Badge: "Ace Tanker"