World of Tanks

[xthetenth]

Well, I can now confidently say that I have turned in the performance of my WoT career. I was playing with White Haven and a friend, and we were playing arty, with me in a priest on Komarin. It was a relatively normal game and I was sitting on two kills. So we found ourselves facing with our three arty their three arty and two light tanks. It wouldn't have been too bad if they weren't capping. So we had to rush from the forest in the northeast over there and try to shoot them. Haven dropped a shell on a sturmpanzer II in nasty cover to slow the timer (which was in the 90's) which gave me time to zero in on one light and end the cap timer. Unfortunately their other arty were paying attention and shot him, and I couldn't capitalize on having line of sight to them. After the next push with one light tank, which I bagged, I found myself squaring off against two artillery. Unfortunately, I picked a bad bush to hide in, and when they started capping, I couldn't see them. I had to pull out, but at least I made the shot. Then I started to get tracked by near misses, and I barely got in behind the rock next to the bridge. I figure in an arty duel the advantage is to the guy who doesn't have to slew his piece around, so I get going into the tank graveyard that is our cap, and I suddenly get a spot on him just in time to pull into cover. He whiffs and I have the time to wait for my gun to center before blowing him away, for my sixth kill and top gun, which was real nice because I really like the things. I'm aggressive enough that when things go my way I'll get them once in a while and they're really fun to get.

I was so caught up in how ridiculous that was that I didn't really notice what was going on in my next round in a Lee until I start apologizing for reflexively shooting a guy and taking a kill in a tank I have elited since I don't have nearly enough gold as is. That's when I realized that I'd gotten five kills already. I saw a light up ahead and blasted it when it popped back out again, and charged, picking up an artillery in the process for seven kills.

I then brought my priest to campinovka and made two shots that were entirely luck, firing with a nearly closed reticule on a fast moving tank in the process of getting eight kills, capping it off by taking down a hetzer face to face.

I have no idea how I did it, but I'm writing a sappy love song to my priest and my lee. The entire night's been like the priest's been paying me back for scattering so badly at times. I must've acquired the zen of the lee chassis or something.


Now to being actually informative rather than gibbering madly on the tail end of one of my very few gaming adrenaline rushes. Mine is awesome, it's basically a reworked Komarin, with the hill in the middle, the town on one side, the watery route on the other, and tank destroyer hill. It's much better looking, bigger and it seems to play a lot better. Steppes I haven't really gotten to play on, being arty two of three times on it, but it seems to be a really interesting rather open map that can actually generate long ranged fights with decent maneuver and not much camping. Mountain pass is really neat from what I can tell and it's really nice looking. Waterfall! It's also pretty interesting because it's got two openish routes where there's some cover you can use but both are open to the middle to some degree, and the middle is tight except for one really open area. All the new maps are huge and quite good. I think they're really learning, and it makes me look forward to more maps. There should be two in the next patch. Mannerheim line (hooray snow!) and something else.

[Slacker]

I'd like for the Easy Eight to be able to mount the 105mm howitzer-every other frigging tank in that tree can mount it, including the T23 and Pershing, you'd figure the Tier 6 medium could. That'd do a lot to make it palatable in those games where it's stuck dealing with Tigers and IS-3s.

[PeZook]

Tigers are not that bad. The 76 can penetrate them from the front.

[Zinegata]

And everyone has issues with the IS-3.

[Slacker]

Tigers are not that bad. The 76 can penetrate them from the front.

"Tiger" is my generic stand in for Tier 7 big meanies, but yes, you're right, although not especially reliably. Or, rather, lining up the shot that can penetrate them reliably tends to get the gift of an 88 long in a weak and tender area.

[PeZook]

Yeah, I'd strongly suggest ganking them from the sides or behind

[Vanas]

I think it's safe to say I've yet to surpass 'competence'. I've got a friend with a pile of medals (7 Top Guns, a 5-match invincible streak, etc), while I just plod along. Beest yet is 4 in my Churchill and i'm not entirely sure how. I hear about all these strategies, try them and then die screaming... so I tend to resume my usual cautious approach.

[xthetenth]

I'd like for the Easy Eight to be able to mount the 105mm howitzer-every other frigging tank in that tree can mount it, including the T23 and Pershing, you'd figure the Tier 6 medium could. That'd do a lot to make it palatable in those games where it's stuck dealing with Tigers and IS-3s.

That's another thing the guys begging for an upgrade to the gun have been talking about, and they even have a picture of an Easy 8 with a howitzer. It would probably be a solid gun, since the Easy 8 has the maneuverability to use it well and that's still a decent amount of damage, whereas with the T20 and beyond it's a lot more questionable.

I think it's safe to say I've yet to surpass 'competence'. I've got a friend with a pile of medals (7 Top Guns, a 5-match invincible streak, etc), while I just plod along. Beest yet is 4 in my Churchill and i'm not entirely sure how. I hear about all these strategies, try them and then die screaming... so I tend to resume my usual cautious approach.

Yeah, I already have far far more top guns than I did in beta. It seems to just be an experience factor. I've played so many different tanks that I really have a good idea what things are going to do and what I can do with my vehicle. Plus, I've taken up driving like an utter psycopath, and when you know what enemies are likely to do, with enough aggression you can really take it to them. However, I just don't know how the guys with great records in artillery do it. I have two top guns in artillery period (I had one early in beta but it was back when they were for five kills) and they were both last night in that streak where my shells could do no wrong. Hell, half the kills in one of those matches were in TD mode. I'm not sure exactly what to suggest to you, it just seems like you'll probably get better with time, but you might want to check out some of the stuff on their forums about the spotting system and a few other non-obvious things. The wiki is also generally decent. The opinions on the tanks can be a bit... off sometimes but the game mechanics stuff is worth reading.

[Enigma]

I wonder, are those who are top guns, are players with badges with numbers by their name? Does it serve any practical purpose? Or is it like a achievement?

[Zinegata]

Top gun means killing 6 or more tanks in a single match and nobody else did better than you. I have a couple. It's not that hard if you know what you're doing and you have a few favorable placings by the matchmaker.

The badges on the side of the name are used to denote platoons - which is a premium member feature to let you play with your friends.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Looks like the clan war world-domination metagame has begun.

[White Haven]

Well that was hilarious. Rolled out of bed, took a piss, stumbled downstairs, flopped into my chair by the computer and figured I'd get a quick match in.

My Priest was the only artillery on my side. Their...something...was the only artillery on their side. Counterbattery...oh, there you are. *BOOM* Alright, now I'm the only artillery on the map, so no need to shoot and scoot. Now then...what's that? Friendlies who can pot the fuck out of enemy scouts before they break past? SWEET! Heavies and mediums that are smart enough to stay in contact with the enemy front without dying horribly? Oh yes. Enemy heavies and TDs that stay put or just wiggle around slightly? My my my. Main battle occuring in open desert with only low rolling hills? Aaaawesome.

Perfect arty map, perfect arty-friendly support, perfect arty targets. As the only arty, well...I partook. Games like that make me giggle madly as I point-and-kill. By the end of that game I had, between kills and damages, bludgeoned 2/3 of the enemy team and fired off half my entire ammo rack.

More days need to start this way.

[Agent Sorchus]

Has anyone else read up on the clan wars system?

Looks complex, but I appreciate the fact that you can get in game gold from fighting and conquering zones in the clan wars. Too bad you need 15 people with T6+ vehicles to participate (or at least that is what I read it as, could be T5+). I don't think they all have to fight, but they have to be present in you clan.

[Mr. Coffee]

Hokay, fearsthat the T-29 was actually nerfed in a meaningful way can be laid to rest. The only thing those dumbasses in Belorussia managed to accomplish is making my kills slightly more expensive as they didn't lower shell cost when the gave the slight damage nerf. Other than that, same great tank, same ability to fuck bitches up.

[Thunderfire]

The match engine hates my new T1 Heavy - tier 8 enemies nearly all the time. At least I managed to get top gun & scout in one match with a different tank.

[Rightous Fist Of Heaven]

Hokay, fearsthat the T-29 was actually nerfed in a meaningful way can be laid to rest. The only thing those dumbasses in Belorussia managed to accomplish is making my kills slightly more expensive as they didn't lower shell cost when the gave the slight damage nerf. Other than that, same great tank, same ability to fuck bitches up.

I can comfortably confirm this seeing as to how I got one-shotted in my T-34-85 by a T-29 yesterday. Damage nerf? Whats that?

[Highlord Laan]

I've shifted gears for the time being to the German tree, giving me something to do in between my Lee getting obliterated by heavies three tiers higher than it in match after match.

[Slacker]

Brothers Grim is resting comfortably in Najaf this evening, our plans of dividing the Middle East between ourselves and our allies underway.

I don't get half the frigging mechanics of the Clan Wars systems either. I just know I'll have to randomly shoot some puds who decide they want a piece of our shit.

[PeZook]

Hmmpf. When I get back into the game (I've been on a bit of a hiatus recently), could I join your crew? Should have my Easy 8 soon

[Slacker]

We're pretty capped right now-we're literally at 97 accounts. We're talking abbout splitting off a second Clan, at which point I could well see about getting you guys into the swing of things. I was talking to McAwesome the other night, he was saying you guys were talking about going Merc, though.

[Tritio]

I had a great time last night when I first got my SU-85, the first USSR Tank Destroyer which is not open topped. Was shooting light and medium tanks left and right. Although I do envy the better accuracy of the German TDs. I'll go up that line one day.

[Tritio]

Is anyone else experiencing completely horrible lag when they play around 00:00 UTC/GMT on the American server? My lag icon is flashing green and red like a hazard light.

[Keevan_Colton]

Is anyone else experiencing completely horrible lag when they play around 00:00 UTC/GMT on the American server? My lag icon is flashing green and red like a hazard light.

Welcome to server rollover. It's at the stroke of midnight UTC and prompts a crapton of lag and automated messages and such fun.

[Highlord Laan]

I'm so close to the PzIII that I can almost taste it. Bedammed Ausf A.

[Mr. Coffee]

Is anyone else experiencing completely horrible lag when they play around 00:00 UTC/GMT on the American server? My lag icon is flashing green and red like a hazard light.

Welcome to server rollover. It's at the stroke of midnight UTC and prompts a crapton of lag and automated messages and such fun.

Overlord made a post about it over on the WoT forums, but apperently a lot of the lag seems to be caused by a single ISP in Charlotte, NC going "you want how much bandwidth to go through us?!"and shitting itself. They're also considering some sort of compensation for the lag and other bug issues the last patch created.

I'm so close to the PzIII that I can almost taste it. Bedammed Ausf A.

The PzIII rocks. It's not a medium so much as it's a really hilariously well armored light. Drive it like ya stole it, man.