World of Tanks (Vol 2)

[Dr Banjo]

Mastodon2 said:

Am I setting myself up for misery playing light tanks?

probably

[Beati Dogu]

Don't worry about spotting at low tiers. You win games by killing tanks yourself. I wouldn't even bother to play as a scout until at least tier four or five, and that depends on the match up.



The ELC AMX is still my most played light tank, even though I sold it a long time ago. It has the same (albeit none-autoloading) gun as the AMX 13 90 at tier 8, so it packs a punch for a tier 5. Arty players st themselves when they see an ELC in the enemy line up. They usually start pleading in chat for their team to stay back & defend them. Make sure you're alive long enough for the teams to thin out, then you can slip through and kill the bds. Also bear in mind that the ELC's unaided view range and radio range is the same 360m, so if you can't see one of your own team mates, whatever else you're looking at isn't helping anyone. That's why the ELC is a poor scout.

I did go on to play the tier 6 (AMX 12t), which is a bit of a step back gun wise, but it's all right I suppose. That crew ended up playing heavy tanks, so I needed to start again really. That's what I'm doing at the moment in fact.

The tier 2 H35 has surprisingly good armour for a light tank, but it's not what you'd call fast. I didn't think it was a bad tank & had an insane kill/death rate with it. I got a Kolabanovs on Himmelsdorf with it for the Ace Tanker. The machine gun tanks couldn't hurt me & its prem shells will go through the front of a T18 no problem. That's all you really need at tier 2.

I'm on to the tier 3, AMX 38 currently. This is similar, but a better looking tank. Again it's quite well armoured and will bounce a lot of shots. I got the Ace Tanker earlier today with a 5 kill game on Ensk. It would have been a Top Gun, but my useless team mate wouldn't come off the cap (despite me asking nicely ) before I could kill the last enemy LTP, who was on our cap.



The other day I ran into another AMX 38 and we couldn't pen each other. we were both angled and all he could do was keep me tracked. I had to fire prem shells into his turret cheeks to damage him. Then a Marder II butted in between us and took the kill.

When I get the crew up to 100% I'll carry on up the line. I'm loath to play the AMX 40 again, so I may just skip a tank or three. I haven't decided yet.

[cirian75]

mastery in my JP2 yesterday.

10 shots, 10 hits, 10 pens zero gold used.

the 128mm is awesome

http://wotreplays.com/site/1690388#self

Edited by cirian75 on Monday 9th March 09:03

[isee]

Mastodon2 said:

Am I setting myself up for misery playing light tanks?

Yes and no.
You correctly surmised that most light players die within 2 minutes and this is not the way forward.

elc amx leads to the mighty amx 1390. And let me tell you, though I personally don't really get on with it or other light tanks (i do well in them, just don;t enjoy it). My clan-mates use it to great effectiveness in team battles and strongholds. Our best player in clan is a light tank player (he has them all). His win rate is 58%.
Anyway the amx 1390 is a late game-carry tank. If you live past 7 minutes, you won't even need to rely on your team-mates to do damage, you will seek out lone enemy tanks, unclip them for 1000+ hp damage then run away to safety while you reload.

[isee]

ash73 said:

I'm not bothered about being good at the game, I just want to play against people at a similar level so it's competitive and fun. What would be the point of me playing tennis against Djokovic? I wouldn't be able to return a single ball. And would people think Djokovic is good because he beat... me? This is just an ego trip for tank geeks who like to hide in bushes

Get the american T18 (level 2). with a howitzer canon and strong armour as well as good mobility, you might live long enough and deal enough damage to realise that the game is worth persevering with. If you still don't like it by the time you unlock the next tank and elited the T18 then I think it's fair to say that this game is not for you.

[cirian75]

yes, I hate the 13-90

many time my 704 has been carrying the game, enemy have say 3 to 4 tanks left, but one is a 13-90.

I'll obliterate 2 of the remaining tanks only to get pew-pewed to death in the arse by one of those bloody things

[PanzerCommander]

Does anybody else get the odd occasion where as soon as a battle finishes (either play through to the end or get blown up and leave) and the game instantly crashes to desktop?

[isee]

PanzerCommander said:

Does anybody else get the odd occasion where as soon as a battle finishes (either play through to the end or get blown up and leave) and the game instantly crashes to desktop?

Doesn't happen to me but happens to a clan-mate, apparently it is a known issue and is not necessarily a problem with your PC.

[bstb3]

PanzerCommander said:

Does anybody else get the odd occasion where as soon as a battle finishes (either play through to the end or get blown up and leave) and the game instantly crashes to desktop?

Yeah happens to me also, its infrequent but frustrating. Still get the odd CTD in game too, which is worse.

One of the last posts on the FTR blog before it finished was that WG are aware of the end of battle ctd issue and how to fix it, so hopefully next patch sees an end to it.

[scubadude]

Mastodon2 said:

The ELC AMX is a tank I'm looking forward to, I must remember to play it properly, as 99% of them that I see in games die within 2 minutes. Detecting 12 enemy vehicles is great, but if you die before the team are in place to take any shots at them you've still achieved nothing worthwhile. I don't think 95% of ELC AMX drivers go higher up the chain either, I seem to see an ELC in tier tier 5 game I'm in, but higher tier French tanks are a much rarer sight.

I'm a big fan of the ELC AMX, its the only tank I've grinded past and kept, currently training up my crew skills on it- tip, Do Not use it as a scout, despite the speed (because view range and radio) its better to snipe and be close support to mediums and heavies IMO. Aim to survive till the tanks have been thinned out then rush any arty (which you will one-shot much of the time)

Great fun to be had if you get cornered get close to a heavy tank and their lack of gun depression means you can sit against their tracks while you reload and they can't hit you then reverse back and pen them at point blank then hide against their side again :-)

Lastly an ELC platoon can be rather deadly and fun- if you survive. Its hard but I try to wait in the spawn fro 30-60seconds if I can then choose where to play.
We had a PH ELC Platoon yesterday and suicided ourselves in spectacular fashion due to it being a bad ELC map but it was amusing to charge through and see the confusion in the opposition as we rushed them in 3 ELC's :-)

Mastodon2 said:

Am I setting myself up for misery playing light tanks? I know they rely on the team to do damage, and that is where their XP comes from, even if the French lights at higher tiers do get some reasonable guns.

Your problem is the AMX 40- its a total dog of a tank and so different from the ELC which follows.

I think the key is knowing that some of the light tanks are totally incapable of being scouts and play them like heavies (like the AMX 40) follow a couple of heavies around and chip down their targets without kill stealing and you get enough XP to progress.

I have a fully spec'd up AMX 12t now and its a reasonable tank even if the gun elevation and depression is a bit pants due to the autoloader turret.

[scubadude]

ash73 said:

I'm not bothered about being good at the game, I just want to play against people at a similar level so it's competitive and fun. What would be the point of me playing tennis against Djokovic? I wouldn't be able to return a single ball. And would people think Djokovic is good because he beat... me? This is just an ego trip for tank geeks who like to hide in bushes

Keep going Ash, I started WoT on PC at Christmas and play occasionally, having alot more fun now in tier 5 and 6 tanks, some of the 3 and 4 where a bit painful to pass to be honest.

Hang back, watch what happens, watch some of the good YouTubers (I like Quickybaby FWIW) maybe add the XVM mod which gives a few clues as to who to target and who to avoid and where they might be :-)

Join the PH clan if you can, I've got a few low tier tanks still and be glad to have some help in the low tier blood baths :-)

[scubadude]

ash73 said:

I find the street maps a lot harder as there's nowhere to hide, so I tend to just do a suicide charge

Let someone else go around a corner and take the shot then follow them and use them as cover to do the damage ;-)

[Beati Dogu]

cirian75 said:

mastery in my JP2 yesterday.

10 shots, 10 hits, 10 pens zero gold used.

the 128mm is awesome

http://wotreplays.com/site/1690388#self

Edited by cirian75 on Monday 9th March 09:03

Good job. Is it you or does it keep zooming in and out all the time?

[Mastodon2]

scubadude said:

Your problem is the AMX 40- its a total dog of a tank and so different from the ELC which follows.

I think the key is knowing that some of the light tanks are totally incapable of being scouts and play them like heavies (like the AMX 40) follow a couple of heavies around and chip down their targets without kill stealing and you get enough XP to progress.

I have a fully spec'd up AMX 12t now and its a reasonable tank even if the gun elevation and depression is a bit pants due to the autoloader turret.

I free XP'd out of the AMX 38 tonight, it's surely a contender for worst tank in the game. Incredibly slow, terrible turret traverse, little gun depression, st gun selection, always seemed to be bottom tier etc. The AMX 40 feels deadly in comparison, especially with the top gun. Thankfully, another 2 hours in the AMX 40 should see me at the ELC, the unusual, anomalous crossover point before the french light DNA from tier 6-8 really gets established.

The French premium artillery is on sale too, I'm unsure whether or not I should buy one. It's 2800 gold with a garage slot, so only about £8, but I don't know if I'm all SPG'd out, and whether or not I'd get any use from it, or if I'd just run the Conqueror Gun Carriage instead. I suppose the lef does get nearly 8rpm with BIA and a rammer, and it is pretty accurate. Unsure at the moment, it won't be on sale for long though.

[Beati Dogu]

Go for it I say. It's a capable arty and would be a good crew trainer if you play the regular French arty. They removed it from the PC shop ages ago because it was so OP. It's very slow though, but the front armour will bounce stuff. I wrecked a Hellcat once at point blank range who thought I was an easy kill.


Edit: Maybe you can actually scout at low tiers:



I used the little hill to the left of the south spawn on Campinovka. I don't have 6th sense, but if they start firing at you, it's time to back off.

Edited by Beati Dogu on Monday 9th March 21:31

[Mastodon2]

I bought the lef105, it's good but it's not the crusher destroyer it once was, when it was tier 4 it must have been ridiculous, it's merely very good now. Nice rate of fire, but the splash is appalling, penetration is not amazing etc. The gun arc combined with the range is what sets it apart from the other tier 5 SPGs, the French tech tree tier 5 is better in just about every way, apart from that critical soft stat of gun arc. As it is, the lef enjoys corner to corner gun range with a nice tight drop zone for the shell. However, it's still not ridiculous, but it is a worthy buy. Like any tier 5, it makes healthy income, and it's fun to play.

I just played a draw where an M12 on the enemy team got 9 kills. Holy st. Still, I fking wrecked st and picked up my Ace Tanker and a Confederate along the way.

Edited by Mastodon2 on Monday 9th March 23:00

[Z06George]

fking hell, first stint on the game for a few days and I seem to be getting game after game of people blocking shots or retreats. Half of them seem to be doing both. Tank pulls in front of me just as I fire (so lucky xbox doesn't have friendly fire, definite ban material) they then realize they can't pen the tank in front so dig in behind me, blocking any chance of me to back up when I need to! 3 times in the game I just played. Probably my fault for playing by myself and not in a platoon, I've gotten complacent with pub stomping.

[cirian75]

Beati Dogu said:

cirian75 said:

mastery in my JP2 yesterday.

10 shots, 10 hits, 10 pens zero gold used.

the 128mm is awesome

http://wotreplays.com/site/1690388#self

Edited by cirian75 on Monday 9th March 09:03

Good job. Is it you or does it keep zooming in and out all the time?

its my style, makes some people ill when they watch my replays.

[PanzerCommander]

bstb3 said:

Yeah happens to me also, its infrequent but frustrating. Still get the odd CTD in game too, which is worse.

One of the last posts on the FTR blog before it finished was that WG are aware of the end of battle ctd issue and how to fix it, so hopefully next patch sees an end to it.

Good to know, thanks.

[Alan O'Hagan]

ash73 said:

Will do, I'm going to try isee's advice; the American starter tank is definitely my favourite as it's fast, I like the German one too, the others not so much.

I did enjoy some battles yesterday, one in particular I got in really close with someone at the enemy base and we circled round each other and I shot him up the ass, just like Fury! Then I got cocky and was blown away in seconds in the next battle.

I find the street maps a lot harder as there's nowhere to hide, so I tend to just do a suicide charge

Hey Ash. Looks like things are starting to click a little for you

My own recommendation to you is to get the tier 4 British Matilda. The tanks preceding it are rubbish but the grind is short so you won't have to endure that pain for too long, and the Matilda is so worth it.

If you can endure it's slow speed you will have a well armoured tank with a rapid firing death needle of a gun. In my opinion it is a very forgiving tank for players still feeling their way around the game.

Did I mention that it is slooooooow?