[MMO] World of Tanks

[Craig234]

I'm not a TD player really. I played the Tier 1 German TD a bit but the whole idea of having no turret and having to turn the whole tank to aim and shoot really turned me off of them pretty quickly even though I like to snipe in WoT with tanks. Last week I bought a M36 Slugger. I researched and crossed over from the M4 Easy 8. Considering how much I disliked TDs in general I find myself really liking the M36 Slugger. It can take a couple hits and even bounce some and with the 90mm gun it can do some damage even against the big tanks. I like a TD with a moving turret. I'm keeping this tank!

That's like people who hate arty's things like the target resetting who like the SU-26 that has a turret. TD's aren't for dogfighting usually, ambush. They suck when they get tracked.

 

[eLiu]

Uhg. Talk about a HUGE grind from tier 2 to tier 3. 4100 credits to get a tier 2...then 36000! WHOAAAAAAAAA. Not sure I can grind it out like that. Is there any good way to make money quicker? I know I am capable of better things, but these tanks are holding me back a bit. Tier 2 TD is just...bad. I get lobbed in with tier 3-4 and die after my first shot. I do enjoy the scout role, so that is my chosen route, but I like goofing around in a TD. Just that I am getting murdered in them at the moment.

lol if you think 2-3 is bad, you're in for a *real treat* going from 3-4. Tier4 tanks cost like 150k-200k, and your credit earning potential doubles at best. I've heard that tier3 is widely regarded as the shittiest tier b/c you'll be pitted against tier5 tanks. Then there are other randomly terrible grinds in the game. For most people, M3 Lee (tier4)->M4 Sherman (tier5) is just painful (sure was for me). And A-20 (tier4) to T-34 (tier5) is another bad one. Or grinding to get the good guns when you first reach the KV (tier5). Others seem to fly by. Like VK3601 (tier6) to tiger & vk3002DB (both t7) was super fun once I got the 88mm/L56 gun. And the M4 Sherman was enjoyable even stock.

One tip I can offer is to run several tanks simultaneously. You have 4 slots to start with so keep every one occupied with a tank you want to level up. In my case, my early garage was something like pz ii, t2 med, pz 35, t-26. Then since I was pretty bad, I could start a game, kill something if i was lucky, then exit & play another tank. Of those, pz ii was my favorite. I don't think the grind from that tier2 to tier3 was too bad; I was averaging close to 300xp per game & something like 5k profit by the end.

Another one would be to play w/some friends or some at'ers. There's an AT chat channel (ATOT, pass: moomoo) so you might find ppl to platoon with.

The path I took to tier5 first was: loltraktor->pz 35->pz 38t -> pz 38t na-> pz iv. 38t to 38na was a horrible experience for me. And 38na was pretty shit until it was fully upgraded (and Craig234 gave me some tips)... similarly pz iv was not impressive till I got the 75mm/L71 gun (<3 <3 <3).

Anyway, I wouldn't really blame the tank. In the right hands, almost every tank is quite playable (doesn't mean there aren't some huge shitpiles though, ugh). Now that I have a bunch of tier5 and some tier6 tanks and like 2000 games under my belt, I recently went back and started replaying some tier2 and tier3 tanks.... and it's fun! haha after having more play experience, fighting generally new players = epic wins. The action is fast paced and kind of random. People don't know tank strengths/weaknesses so they keep banging their heads against my steel wall. Like I've gone back to BT-2 & BT-7, PZ II, T-127, M2 Med, etc. lately (tier2 & 3), and I manage a few hundred xp & 3-5k to 7-8k profit (tier 2 vs tier3) with a few hiccups.

That said I've never played the TDs so maybe low tier TDs are just terrible... in which case you should play other tanks to get $$.

 

[Possessed Freak]

Well, my arty playing has dropped drastically. I now only try to get doubles in my 212 and GW Tiger. The 212 can still put out a world of pain but the stock GW Tiger *SUCKS* since the HE nerf. I am lucky if I do 500 damage on a hit. At that damage output, you are better off fielding a 122 and actually getting a reload.

I have yet to get counter artied, that does not concern me as I just shoot and scoot while in overhead mode. The HE nerf REALLLLLLLLLLY hurts arty.

 

[eLiu]

Well, my arty playing has dropped drastically. I now only try to get doubles in my 212 and GW Tiger. The 212 can still put out a world of pain but the stock GW Tiger *SUCKS* since the HE nerf. I am lucky if I do 500 damage on a hit. At that damage output, you are better off fielding a 122 and actually getting a reload.

I have yet to get counter artied, that does not concern me as I just shoot and scoot while in overhead mode. The HE nerf REALLLLLLLLLLY hurts arty.

lol I personally couldn't be more pleased with the HE nerf. Not being able to point & shoot with HE is a bit of a pain, but I'm happy to pay that price for the reduced numbers of arty out there. I hate having my options limited b/c if I go out into the open, I might get blasted by arty. Or as we're dogfighting w/enemy tanks, random explosions blow me up... or I'm in a sniping position where the enemy tanks are oblivious to me but their arty isn't. Ughhhh lol.

And I personally find playing arty to be incredibly boring so no loss there haha I wouldn't say I'm a genius at arty but I'm decent; I usually damage 5 or 6 enemies and get 2-3 kills with my su-26. I can hit moving targets & counter-battery (pre tracer) decently. I've only played su-26 at this point though so I might try su-51 (when i get it) or wespe some time and see if those are any better. But I'm not holding my breath.

edit: tho if reduced arty is contributing to the bonkers MM, then I'm I'm less sure whether I like the new patch better or not. And by bonkers MM, I mean like having to play ~20 tier9 matches in a row in my tier6 tank. Nothing spells "fun" like being CONSTANTLY at the bottom of the pile. Sometimes I was literally the only tier6 in the game! WTF I also had matches where each team had 1 tier8 and the rest were tier4/5/6. What sense does that make? One game was pretty enjoyable; I teamed up w/a KT in my Sherman E2. Some of my team ran ahead of us & died stupidly b/c they plowed into like 10 enemy tanks. But I let the KT lead, helped him focus down their PantherII, and then we raped everything else. We had 12 out of 15 kills between us. Since we only ran into enemies 2-4 at a time, I was able to keep his flank completely clear. He'd facehug the strongest target and we'd crush. But that kind of match is soooo broken.

Like I don't mind being the tier6 cannon fodder in tier9 games now and then. But the MM should make efforts to track players' recent history and so that nobody is constantly at the bottom of the pile. I'd be much less miserable playing tier9 games if there were tier6 and tier7 games interspersed. So sometimes I'd be at the top, and other times I'd be at the bottom... instead of constantly being fucking powerless. Fuck you MM

 

[Elcs]

Has anyone got a sniper view mod that removes the black background for 7.0?

Also, eLiu, you said the sights/reload timer mod I use still works right?

Our server is going to be down for at least 3 hours still so I'm getting ready to rock

 

[eLiu]

Has anyone got a sniper view mod that removes the black background for 7.0?

Also, eLiu, you said the sights/reload timer mod I use still works right?

Our server is going to be down for at least 3 hours still so I'm getting ready to rock

The 6.7 sniper mod still works (the one that involved replacing the file ScopeShadow.swf). I can provide the file if you can't find it but it should still be on the forums.

And yup, the sights/reload timer mod worked like a charm. I didn't have to change anything or download new files.

If you find a good icon mod (that isn't mirrored for hte enemy team, haha) please let me know!

 

[novasatori]

I just got the Panther II and I have to say it has to be my favorite tank of all the ones I have.

Its gun is extremely good for its tier (especially on a medium), and in the champion company battles you can pretty much shred everything tier 8 that you could possibly go against. For regular battles it also does really well in that you can damage just about anything except for high tier battles where you can't damage the T9/10 heavies and T9 TDs from the front.

It is also really fun to ram people with it and do 300-400 damage, I hear the E-50 is even better in this respect. I shall know soon enough as I consistently get 1200-1500xp a game in my Panther II.

 

[PowerYoga]

The HE nerf is probably one of the best things that's ever happened to WOT. 1-2 shot arty hits ruin a game where tank battle is supposed to be the center piece. I don't mind getting hit for 300-400 if I'm exposed, but getting hit for 1200 damage or plain 1 shotted is ridiculous when you're in a big heavy tank. I don't even own a Maus so I can't imagine how frustrating it is to have it get 3 shotted by 3 obj 212/t92s on the other team.

For the panther II, you can still damage ferds and jagdtigers from the front if you're lucky and hit the bottom of the chassis. (and you can shoot through the driver's hatch easily on the IS-4...) Doesn't the ferdinand have some weak spots above the headlights and on the angled portion of the front chasis?

I've took out a few ferds and 1 JT that way, killed a ferd yesterday... though you most certainly don't want to be doing peak-a-boo with any of germany's TDs unless there's no choice.

 

[stag3]

does the HE nerf not affect the S-51 203mm ? i'm still doing 50&#37; damage to lowes and other 8's, hell i even 1 shotted a tiger II for the first time haha.
i didn't really notice the credit nerf, but i think that's cuz i finally hit 100% and didn't notice it with my crew, so i'm more accurate now.

 

[novasatori]

For the panther II, you can still damage ferds and jagdtigers from the front if you're lucky and hit the bottom of the chassis. (and you can shoot through the driver's hatch easily on the IS-4...) Doesn't the ferdinand have some weak spots above the headlights and on the angled portion of the front chasis?

I've took out a few ferds and 1 JT that way, killed a ferd yesterday... though you most certainly don't want to be doing peak-a-boo with any of germany's TDs unless there's no choice.

Yeah you can definitely take out some of the beefier tanks from the front, but it is less than ideal even with the Panther IIs above average gun. Another good one is the E-100 bar, since the Panther II gun is so accurate you can hit it from really long range.

But it absolutely manhandles other T8 and less.

 

[PowerYoga]

HE shots, if they land ON the tank they'll still do a hell of a lot of damage. That's the way it's supposed to be. S-51 is sort of like a mini nuke launcher anyways so that's the way it's always been. Lowe also has shit armor... and the tiger 2... well, if you don't hit the front it's pretty squishy. A T-34 (the little russian medium) can penetrate the sides and back very reliably.

the real problem was having the huge HE splashes that land next to your tank kill you, when it wasn't suppose to do that much damage. I think those near-misses are doing the appropriate amount of damage now, which is great.

 

[Genx87]

Got out with my IS and Tiger last night. Interesting changes. Have to be much more precise. But when you are and hit the right spot you are rewarded. However, holy crap is the E-75 a tough cookie to crack now. Neither my long 88 on my tiger or 122 on my IS were doing squat to it at point blank on the front. I didnt have a shot at its sides or or rear. Time to get back to studying where to hit these tanks. The Derp 152 is fine against the E-75 though.

 

[PowerYoga]

I was face hugging the E-75 (had no choice, qq) and it is near impossible to crack from the front. The only soft spot I found was the commander's hatch on top of the turret, had a 50/50 of penetrating it with the long 88.

 

[stag3]

yea e75's and T32's LOVE face hugging, i just hit the hatch on top of the turret nowadays and they start to back up after getting hit twice there LOL

 

[Possessed Freak]

Like I don't mind being the tier6 cannon fodder in tier9 games now and then. But the MM should make efforts to track players' recent history and so that nobody is constantly at the bottom of the pile. I'd be much less miserable playing tier9 games if there were tier6 and tier7 games interspersed. So sometimes I'd be at the top, and other times I'd be at the bottom... instead of constantly being fucking powerless. Fuck you MM

I have repeatedly said that the HE nerf screws mid tier tanks. MM *needs* to be tightened now more than ever. The only mid tier tank I have left is my derpy KV. That tank now does such pathetic damage that I am VERY close to getting rid of it. I did ONE great shot on the T59 on the rear for a crapton of damage, but on average I now only deal 200-300 damage. That is fine if I am in a tier 5-6 game but since 7.0 I have been in many more high tier games. 22 second reload for a 200-300 damage shot *if* it hits is not worth it.

This is also the reason why I certainly don't play my arty now. My GW Tiger has a crap reload for REAL crap damage at the tier it gets tossed into. It makes less money, so unless I do not take damage I don't turn a profit. I really can't think of a single reason to keep playing this pig except I have already invested so much time in grinding to it.

If WoT's goal was to completely destroy playing arty, they did it. I just wish they removed it completely and I got the damn exp and credits back for that whole tree.

 

[stag3]

damn if it wasn't for the free slots for the kv and kv-3, i'd just sell them.
i dont want to rebuy right before the patch

 

[eLiu]

damn if it wasn't for the free slots for the kv and kv-3, i'd just sell them.
i dont want to rebuy right before the patch

Wait do we know when the russian tech tree change is happening?

 

[Skott]

Considering this last weekend was the last full weekend before Xmas if that had anything to do with number of arty? Fewer people playing possibly? I ask because last night after about midnight while playing in my Slugger (Tier 6 TD) the number of arty players was normal as before patch. In either case we'll probably need to wait until after Xmas before we get a good clear picture of whats going on.

Oh, and I bounced a HE shell finally with my Slugger last night. It was against a Panther. It was just the one time so probably just bad luck on my part. The Panther was facing me at a angle. I switched to AP after the shot. First time I remember having a HE shell bounce though.

 

[PowerYoga]

To be fair if you're shooting the sides of the tank you should still do sizable damage, 300-500 depending on thickness and random rolls. Having a HE shell do 400 from the front and knocks out 3-4 modules is pretty ridiculous to begin with, that's about how much damage the S-70 on the IS 4 does minus the crew deaths.

So I think the HE nerf did the right thing, specially considering the derp still does enough damage to be a threat and I got killed by one in my tiger II last night.

Also have you landed direct hits with the GW tiger? I was still getting nailed left and right by GW panthers last night and one shot by a GW tiger took out half of my hp on my IS-4, which is really what I'm expecting. Otherwise games all turn into "who has the better/bigger arty" and it's boring as fuck.

 

[Possessed Freak]

Also have you landed direct hits with the GW tiger?

I only count hits in my arty. Misses do dick in damage. Keep in mind this is still sock gun in the tiger, but grinding 63k research in this POS is mind numbing.

 

[Daverino]

Good heavens.

HE has always been a crutch. The big change now is that if you want to use HE, you need to aim it like AP. Outside of guns specifically designed for HE, like the various howitzers you find on the M5 or the Hetzer or artillery, HE should never be your primary ammo. People have gotten used to just spamming HE off the front of heavily armored tanks with the idea of a guaranteed small hit. You really should be thinking of how to get into a position where your AP will penetrate. If you're in an Easy 8 and trying to shoot at an IS-4 with HE, you're not really performing your role correctly. You should be using your mobility and RoF to find the things you can kill and engage those. Or sit still as passively spot that IS-4 so the heavy hitters behind you can hit him without being spotted. I shudder just thinking about a Slugger firing an HE round at a Panther. A Slugger can pen a Panther under almost all circumstances, even with the 76.

The reticile in WoT is VERY heavily center-weighted. Regardless of the size, if you're going to take a shot, you need to aim it appropriately. Even if your aiming circle is wider than the tank you're aiming at, if you're shooting at a tank with a weaker lower glacis, you need to have the center of your reticle on that glacis. And, preferably, shooting AP. I cannot count the number of times I've escaped from situations where I should have died because my opponent was lobbing HE at me.

tl;dr AP >> HE

 

[PowerYoga]

I only count hits in my arty. Misses do dick in damage. Keep in mind this is still sock gun in the tiger, but grinding 63k research in this POS is mind numbing.

Oh you have the stock gun. I'm sure others can relate to the pain, I heard the GW tiger's stock gun is probably the worst thing ever even before the HE nerf.

 

[Skott]

Good heavens.

I shudder just thinking about a Slugger firing an HE round at a Panther. A Slugger can pen a Panther under almost all circumstances, even with the 76.

tl;dr AP >> HE

If this was directed at me I should point out that the reason why I fired a HE shell at the Panther in the first place was because I was previously using HE on a much larger tank that kept bouncing my AP rounds. I hadn't changed shells because I swung my gun around to shoot at the Panther that came running into range so didn't have time to change rounds. Panther tanks do not bounce shells all that well. I know. I have one. That is why I was kind of surprised it bounced considering it was a HE shell. Once I changed to AP however the Panther was in trouble. I did damage to it on the next shot as it took the hit in the side. Two shots from team mates finished it off.

Still, I was surprised the HE bounced. Like I said, first time I could remember a HE shell bouncing. Usually they do some kind of percentage damage when they hit even if its only 1% or 2%.

 

[Daverino]

If this was directed at me I should point out that the reason why I fired a HE shell at the Panther in the first place was because I was previously using HE on a much larger tank that kept bouncing my AP rounds. I hadn't changed shells because I swung my gun around to shoot at the Panther that came running into range so didn't have time to change rounds. Panther tanks do not bounce shells all that well. I know. I have one. That is why I was kind of surprised it bounced considering it was a HE shell. Once I changed to AP however the Panther was in trouble. I did damage to it on the next shot as it took the hit in the side. Two shots from team mates finished it off.

Still, I was surprised the HE bounced. Like I said, first time I could remember a HE shell bouncing. Usually they do some kind of percentage damage when they hit even if its only 1% or 2%.

OK, whew. I feel a bit better now.

 

[Elcs]

The reticile in WoT is VERY heavily center-weighted.

In 6.7 and previous, this was not the case for certain guns.

Take the long 10.5cm on the E-75. Very accurate, you point, aim, fire and it hits.

Try the 12.8cm on the same tank. You point, you aim, you fire... and have about the same accuracy as you do as a child playing 'pin the tail on the donkey' but within a restricted circle.

Point: the 10.5cm is weighted towards the centre. 12.8cm is much less so.