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Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-23 07:08pm
by Venator
Vendetta wrote:Ah well, at least when you get to the proper tanks in the line you can get them to 100% faster each time.
True - they're at 88% now after a handful of mostly crappy games, thanks to the x2 weekend. I might end up golding from tier 6 anyway to be competitive, at IV-V everyone has a 50-75% crew except for the seal clubbers.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-24 10:09am
by Vendetta
True.

There's the alternative of only spending gold on the commander, which is what I used to do.

A bit spoiled by the skill system on console now though, you can get the essentials much faster since Camo, BiA, and Repairs are just one slot so you don't eat all your skill slots on them.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-24 12:58pm
by Venator
Vendetta wrote:True.

There's the alternative of only spending gold on the commander, which is what I used to do.

A bit spoiled by the skill system on console now though, you can get the essentials much faster since Camo, BiA, and Repairs are just one slot so you don't eat all your skill slots on them.
:shock:

*mutters something about lazy console baby pandering*

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-24 02:46pm
by Vendetta
:P

WoT's skill system is deeply in need of an overhaul all round really. The skills are either absolutely essential or total shite, with very few actual choices to make. The console version is I think a little better (you only train one skill at a time, and they double in cost every four starting at half the price of the PC ones, so you have about as many active skills as a 4 crew tank but you don't pay the opportunity cost of repairs etc, and there are some new perks and skills that are worth using.), but it's still really diametric between absolute garbage and essentials.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-24 05:47pm
by matterbeam
I dropped my 250% french crew after waiting three years for armored French heavies.

In other news, the Obj 140 is just incredible.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-24 11:06pm
by Simon_Jester
Finally got a better computer for unrelated reasons, re-downloaded World of Tanks...

The graphics are flipping glorious compared to what I was seeing before. But I'm having insane trouble with a documented flaw in the laptop's touchpad (cannot click the mouse while the keyboard is depressed, because palmcheck is never really 'off'). I think there's a way to hack around that in the registry, though.

Also this is the first time I've played the game in my new apartment with its new Internet connection and I had massive paralyzing lag in my last two (out of four) games. At least in the first two I was able to put up a decent fight.

[Yes, yes, "get a mouse" or whatever, no, those are not constructive suggestions in the short term as I am aware that such things are possible. My circumstances are strange.]

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-25 12:20am
by matterbeam
Simon_Jester wrote:Finally got a better computer for unrelated reasons, re-downloaded World of Tanks...

The graphics are flipping glorious compared to what I was seeing before. But I'm having insane trouble with a documented flaw in the laptop's touchpad (cannot click the mouse while the keyboard is depressed, because palmcheck is never really 'off'). I think there's a way to hack around that in the registry, though.

Also this is the first time I've played the game in my new apartment with its new Internet connection and I had massive paralyzing lag in my last two (out of four) games. At least in the first two I was able to put up a decent fight.

[Yes, yes, "get a mouse" or whatever, no, those are not constructive suggestions in the short term as I am aware that such things are possible. My circumstances are strange.]
World of Tanks is the most amazingly optimized game I have ever encountered. The FPS and graphics quality just far exceeds any other game.

However, I cannot stress enough how much you need a mouse. Even the worst 5 euro mouse from your local supermarket is enough to double our effectiveness and vastly improve your enjoyment of the game.

I did have a period where I played without a mouse, so I know. My current mouse costs 15 euros and has two fancy thumb-buttons for quick-access functions. Fancy because I never use them :/

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-25 02:09am
by Simon_Jester
[sigh]

Put this way. I was able to play the game adequately, in the sense that I got enjoyment and was happy, with an old-style 2010-vintage touchpad. The kind with a separate button for 'click.' On a 2015-vintage touchpad with all its kind features to stop me from 'accidentally' clicking while typing... less good.

I freely recognize that I'd probably be killing more tanks if I had a mouse.

And this is entirely separate from the lag issue that is really bothering me.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-25 03:17am
by matterbeam
Simon_Jester wrote:[sigh]

Put this way. I was able to play the game adequately, in the sense that I got enjoyment and was happy, with an old-style 2010-vintage touchpad. The kind with a separate button for 'click.' On a 2015-vintage touchpad with all its kind features to stop me from 'accidentally' clicking while typing... less good.

I freely recognize that I'd probably be killing more tanks if I had a mouse.

And this is entirely separate from the lag issue that is really bothering me.
Is it connection lag or a drop in frame rate?

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-25 03:24am
by Simon_Jester
Connection lag. Frame rate is an order of magnitude better than I'm used to because I sprung for an actual (2015) semi-gaming laptop, compared to the low-end (2009) laptop that I used to have. And that is on top of the better graphics.

I'd be enjoying myself tremendously if I could get the doggone machinery to work.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-28 11:09pm
by Balrog
So I finally downloaded this game for free on the Xbox, having lots of fun but very weary of spending any actual money at all on this game, i.e. buying more slots for tanks. For a lower tier tank, after I've researched all the upgrades and rendered it "elite", is there any reason to hold onto it after I've bought the next highest tiered tank along that tech path? If I sell it and decide to buy that tank back again later, will the upgrades already be there or would I have to research and buy them back again? Same with any specific tank XP I've earned, do I spend the gold and convert whatever is left to 'free' XP or is it not worth it?

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-28 11:39pm
by Imperial528
Converting to free xp isn't worth it unless you got the gold for free, but even then, only rarely, since there's much better things to spend even small amounts of gold on.

Researched upgrades do not go away, the only reason you have for keeping an elite tank is either if you enjoy it, or if it makes a lot of silver.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-04-29 03:47am
by Vendetta
Not only do researched upgrades not go away, if the same module is used on more than one tank researching it on one unlocks it for all tanks that use it. (On the console version that means that any package that includes that module will be cheaper, or free if you've researched all the modules in it elsewhere)

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-05-03 04:47am
by Vendetta
Time to shoot some tanks! (All of the tanks...)



The T-43 is one of the most hideous things ever stock, but upgraded and top tier, it's an oft overlooked but quite capable medium tank. (As capable as any tier 7 medium, anyway. Which is admittedly not very).

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-05-03 05:31am
by wautd
Hmm now the Czech medium line is on sale I'm gonna wait for the AMX 30/121 for now and grind free xp to skip the T34/100 and TVU VTU to go directly to the Skoda T50. Already unlocked an all female crew for this beast :D
I'll keep the Skoda T25 though. That's an awesome tier 6 tank

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-07-21 10:44pm
by Balrog
So I've been having fun in the T1 Heavy and gotten pretty good at it, but the grind is just bloody awful. As is the matchmaking, being the only tier IV in an all-tier VI match is pointless, especially if you're not even a fast light tank that can zoom over to some corner and hid behind some bushes to "scout." So far the only tank I've actually bought with actual money is the Locust, which has been alright, and wasted some gold on getting a couple of crews to 100% to avoid the grind. Don't plan on wasting too much money on this, but it can be fun and it's a breath of fresh air from Call of Honor: Ghost Boogaloo.

Sorta confused on when exactly it pays to switch from using AP to HE, open-topped vehicles make some sense and I've had some success with it but it seems to be a crapshoot other times.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-07-22 06:49am
by Venator
Balrog wrote:So I've been having fun in the T1 Heavy and gotten pretty good at it, but the grind is just bloody awful. As is the matchmaking, being the only tier IV in an all-tier VI match is pointless, especially if you're not even a fast light tank that can zoom over to some corner and hid behind some bushes to "scout." So far the only tank I've actually bought with actual money is the Locust, which has been alright, and wasted some gold on getting a couple of crews to 100% to avoid the grind. Don't plan on wasting too much money on this, but it can be fun and it's a breath of fresh air from Call of Honor: Ghost Boogaloo.

Sorta confused on when exactly it pays to switch from using AP to HE, open-topped vehicles make some sense and I've had some success with it but it seems to be a crapshoot other times.
You want HE against things with paper armour or, rarely, to do incremental damage to things you just can't pen with AP. Mostly save it for artillery and sometimes lights.

The exception is howitzers, with low AP pen but huge HE damage. Watch any reply involving the KV-2 or T49 for a sterling example.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-07-23 08:44am
by Zwinmar
Eh, last I checked, HE is no where near effective as it once was. Never could make it worth it when I was playing even in the Hetzer and KV2, though Alecto was fun back then.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-07-23 07:32pm
by Vendetta
Balrog wrote: Sorta confused on when exactly it pays to switch from using AP to HE, open-topped vehicles make some sense and I've had some success with it but it seems to be a crapshoot other times.
It very often doesn't. You can use HE to reset the cap counter because even a couple of points of damage to an enemy's tracks will take off their cap points, but it's super unreliable against anything that isn't complete tinfoil.

I don't tend to carry any.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-07-23 11:29pm
by Venator
Vendetta wrote:
Balrog wrote: Sorta confused on when exactly it pays to switch from using AP to HE, open-topped vehicles make some sense and I've had some success with it but it seems to be a crapshoot other times.
It very often doesn't. You can use HE to reset the cap counter because even a couple of points of damage to an enemy's tracks will take off their cap points, but it's super unreliable against anything that isn't complete tinfoil.

I don't tend to carry any.
To expand on my previous point now that I have a proper keyboard at my disposal...

HE, unlike AP, is usually effective almost in direct proportion to gun calibre. Bigger shell = more high explosives = more boom. More damage lets the HE shell 'burn' through armour and deal damage even on a non-penetrating hit.

If you have a tank with a big, particularly big-for-tier gun - like the Soviet 122mm and 130mm guns - their HE will reliably ruin the day of an artillery or lightly-armoured light while a titchy British 84mm gun a la Caernarvon or Centurion will have much lower HE:AP damage ratio, so you might as well fire AP and reliably deal damage.

HE also has no normalization (ability to penetrate angled armour) or overmatching (ability to penetrate extremely-angled but very thin armour). I usually carry a handful (say, 3-5 rounds) on all my vehicles in case (a) I see an artillery or (b) I need to reset a cap as Vendetta said.

Overall, I carry about 85% AP/10% Gold (APCR/HEAT)/5% HE on most of my tanks.

If you want the detailed math on the different ammunition types, http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ammo

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-07-24 04:12pm
by Vendetta
I tend to carry considerably more gold and very few HE.

I'll usually have 3:1 standard to gold and one or two HE maybe.

On the PS4 I might have to start carrying some at tier 8+ because waffles still roam the land. (Indeed, even on PC the best use of HE at high tiers is that german paper TD line)

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-12-19 10:05am
by wautd
Forgive me the necro but I felt it would be better instead of open yet another WoT tread.

Anyway, last weekends patch implemented two Swedish tank trees.

One tank tree consists of a bizarre mix of light tanks (tier I to III), medium tanks (tier IV to VII) and heavy tanks (tier VIII to X). The tier VI medium seems like a fun little tank and the 3 heavies look great (stronk turrets with awesome gun depression).
The other tree consists of a pure tank destroyer line. Especially the high tiers looks nice for having highly sloped armour (think of cheese on tracks), good guns, very high speed and a new game mechanism called siege mode.

In reached tier V/VI in both trees (yay free xp) and I'm liking the Swedish line so far. What they lack in armour (for having none) they make up with gun handling (insane gun depression) and speeeeeeed.

Another big update is the holiday event where you can grind trough missions to get christmas decorations which you can use to unlock all kinds of gifts. Whats nice is that it's fairly easy to complete all of those missions. Considering 4 of these missions give a free Swedisch female crew member (so free BiA and a shitload of crew experience) makes it well worth it to play these missions.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-12-28 09:41am
by wautd
You can get ships in crates? News to me, but then again I'm on the EU server and more likely to be gimped anyway

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-12-30 01:23am
by Zwinmar
Yeah, no point in playing heavies from what i can see...light and fast because all they do is load gold and negate your armor anyways.

Re: World of Tanks (new thread)

Posted: 2016-12-30 12:38pm
by Venator
Lights have actually lost ground on a lot of maps due to aggressive corridor placement and physics changes. A lot of the hard carries I see are heavies who have the right tank on the right map, there's definitely no fun being a US heavy on a city map or a Soviet one on a map where all the chokepoints have big elevation changes.

Also, the big news for 2017 appears to be:
- Recharge-based consumables (a la WoWS).
- Ultra-high/HD graphics.
- Major LT overhaul (tree goes up to tier 10, changes to where existing Tier 7-8s fit in.