Source: http://forum.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/359576-proscout-tutorials-active-spotting/
ACTIVE SPOTTING
As implied, Active spotting involves
constant or nearly constant movement. When Active spotting, the Scout
relies on his speed, agility, and camo rating to keep him alive. Due
to changes in the game, Suicide spotting has greatly decreased in
popularity with experienced Scouts; however, Half Court spotting remains
popular. Open and Suicide spotting is generally reserved for the most
agile of Scouts. Any Scout is capable of Half Court spotting.
SUICIDE SPOTTING
Back in the old days when we all had
to walk five miles in the snow with no shoes on just to get to our tanks
before a battle - even on the Summer maps - Suicide spotting was
common. But times have changed, tanks have changed and more
importantly, gun accuracy has changed, making Suicide runs much more
difficult to pull off successfully.
Unfortunately, The Myths of Scouting
have not changed. The lower tiers are full of new players who are told
that Suicide Rushes are THE way to Scout. So as players graduate upwards
to the Tier IV Scouts, it is no wonder many of them think proper
spotting = Suicide Rush.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. If you are new to Scouts, do yourself a HUGE favor and repeat after me,
“Suicide Rushes are rarely the best way to spot.”
Now repeat it again,
“Suicide Rushes are rarely the best way to spot.”
The reason is this: the countdown
timer hits :00 and off you go, racing towards the enemy side of the
map. Before too long you are close enough to enemy tanks to light them
up and, if you are lucky, blaze by a few of them and get close enough
to light up most of their team.
“AWESOME! I am doing GREAT!”
Well… not really. Look behind you
when you get blown up. Notice you can’t even see any of your team
mates? Guess what? They can’t see any of the tanks you lit up…
Which means, they can’t shoot any of the tanks you lit up... Which
means, you just died for nothing.
OOPS!
Meanwhile, the enemy Scout, who was
smart enough NOT to Suicide, has begun to run a Half Court Spotting
route which it lighting up your team’s tanks AFTER his team pulled
forward into locations from which they can fire on his spots.
You end up with 13 short-lived and totally unproductive spots but the other team ends up with the win.
OK, so Suicide spotting sucks and I should never do it then, right?
Wrong,
There are 4 times when Suiciding may make sense:
1: Lots of Arty:
Let’s say you’re on Murovanka and
there just happen to be 5 Arty per team. Tell your Arty you will
Suicide once they are set up and ask them to tell you when they are
ready to fire. Then say,
“Here is where I will go.” And outline your route in 2-3 clicks on the minimap.
Now, when you Suicide, you have Arty
already aimed in at the spots you will likely see tanks. If you die
after lighting up enemy tanks and Arty, you will probably have not done
so in vain. A situation like this is perfect for Suiciding. If you
can assist in taking out 2- 3+ enemy Artillery early in the game, you
have given your team a big advantage.
5 Arties or not, if you decide to
suicide at the same time 2 enemy T95s are lit up on the other side of
map, you probably won’t get much support. Your Arty will be focused on
those big exposed TDs, not on you. If
you are getting ready to do a Suicide Run, you will get more support
and be more successful if you wait until there is a lull in the action
before you go for broke.
2: To expose dug in tanks:
Or perhaps later in the game on
Highway, you know the enemy has 3 TDs sitting up by the North base,
waiting to demolish your team as they approach. You have multiple tanks
with good View Ranges sitting beside you in the Northwest corner. You
bush hop towards the river but can’t uncover any of the TDs. So, you
tell your team you will run in and make sure they are all loaded and
ready to fire. Then you gun your engine and go for broke. Chances are
you may not see any of them before they fire. But when they do fire,
you are now close enough to see them as you die, exposing them to your
team’s return fire. Even if they don’t die, your team now knows where
they are and how to approach them in the most safe manner.
3: To take the hit so a team mate can get a kill:
It is late in a game and 2 heavys are
in a Peek-a-Boom standoff around the edge of a hill. Your heavy is hurt
- he can't afford to take a hit. You don't have a viable way to come
in from behind the enemy tank, so let your teammate know what you will
do and pull out and try to flank the enemy. If he shoots and kills you,
your team mate can now safely pull out and score a free kill shot while
the enemy reloads. If the enemy misses or fails to kill you, you now
have his flank.
4: To reset cap:
Sometimes the only way to reset cap
and prevent a loss is to suicide either to provide spots or create the
ability for you to reset on your own.
Note that the key to success in the
first 3 of these scenarios is that you had support in place and ready to
fire before you Suicided – AND they were aware on your intentions and
committed to helping you.
PROS:
Can deal a fast, fatal blow to the enemy.
Can break down an enemy killing field.
Can cause the enemy to focus on you instead of deploying properly.
CONS:
Usually results in death, thus preventing you from helping your team later in the game.
Can produce little or no damage to the enemy team.
If performed as the game begins,
provides intel of very little value. Knowing the enemy team is, in
fact, leaving spawn isn’t exactly earthshaking news.
PRIME CONSIDERATIONS
Make certain you have support in place before you begin your Suicide Rush.
DO NOT drive straight. Don’t make it
easy for the enemy to kill you – and remember, it is quite likely they
will see you before you see them.
Be unpredictable in your zigs and
zags. If you always turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right, you
won’t last much longer than if you simply drive straight.
Use terrain, environmental objects,
and foliage as much as possible to shield your approach until you are
close enough to make your big move.
ROLE COMBOS:
Suicide Spotting can often be combined with Arty Hunting
OPEN ACTIVE
Open Active spotting is a bit safer
than Suiciding, but not much. In Open Active, you circle around in the
open close enough to the enemy to spot them. The biggest difference
between Open and Suicide is you don’t plunge headfirst into the enemy
formations; rather you stay farther away and bet that your agility will
provide the “armor” you need to avoid incoming shots long enough for
your team to smash the tanks you see.
While not as common as in the old
days, when T-50-2s and pre-nerf T-50s scurried about mocking both enemy
and the Laws of Physics alike, some Scouts still successfully pull off
this technique.
PROS:
Allows exposure of tanks, especially Snipers, Half Court and Passive Scouts may never see.
May cause enemy to focus on you instead of deploying or shooting bigger targets.
Can quickly transition into a Delayed Rush if a hole in the enemy line is found.
CONS:
Frequently results in death.
Limited to the most agile and smaller Scouts.
Constant movement reduces your ability to effectively deal damage.
PRIME CONSIDERATIONS
Agility is imperative for success. Don’t try this in a Pz38nA.
Size is also important. The smaller
your tank’s profile, the better. Luchs, ELC AMX , T71? Go for it! But
your Auf P probably isn’t a great choice unless you are testing the
enemy’s ability to hit the side of a barn.
Once again, it is a good idea to get
your team’s support before heading out. Success hinges on your team’s
ability to take out tanks you expose so it is a great idea to tell them
you are about to go maniac.
ROLE COMBOS:
Open Active can often be combined with Delayed Rushes and Sniping (on the fly).
HALF COURT
Half Court spotting is a much more
conservative and much safer form of Open Active spotting. You use
superior View Range, speed, and terrain to provide your team spots while
sticking close to cover at the most vulnerable portions of your route.
Think Prokhorovka. That Scout who
rushes up to the crest of the ridge running parallel across the middle
of the map, perhaps barely crossing the crest , gaining spots, then
darting back to the safety of his side of the map. THAT is Half Court
spotting.
You move towards the middle of the map
and as soon as you light up a tank you turn around and begin a large
circle; one which will allow you to come back and light him up again
over and over until he is dead. Then you go back, find another enemy
and repeat the process, slowly moving up the field as you
eliminate tanks.
It is an extremely effective method of spotting, especially if your team has Arty capable of hitting the far side of the map.
PROS:
Allows spots across a much larger area of the map than Passive spotting.
Great at spotting holes in the enemy defense.
Can force your team to focus fire by only exposing 1-2 tanks at a time.
CONS:
Frequently requires you to expose yourself to enemy fire, no matter how brief that exposure may be.
Usually will not expose locations of enemy Arty.
Effective on less than half our available maps.
PRIME CONSIDERATIONS
DO NOT get stuck in a pattern. Pop up
in different locations; don’t be predictable. I frequently
deliberately appear to turn left or right after reaching cover then,
after certain I am totally invisible again, change direction and pop up
on the opposite side of the field from where the enemy saw me going.
Surprise keeps you alive!
If you are spotted, drive erratically,
even after reaching cover. Enemy Arty will continue to have a shot at
you after the other enemy tanks will not.
Use terrain features such as rocks and buildings as shields if you are spotted.
Only light up 1-2 tanks at a time.
Unlike Suicide and Open Active, you can often control how many tanks
you see before circling around for another run. Instead of lighting up
5-6 tanks, turn around as soon as 1-2 are lit up. this forces your team
to focus fire and helps eliminate your spots quickly.
ROLE COMBOS:
Half Court spotting can often combine with Anti-Scouting and on a limited basis, Sniping.
GENERAL RULES FOR ACTIVE SPOTTING
Get the support of your team before you make your run. It sucks to get great spots and die before your team even fires.
Use terrain features as much as possible to help keep you out of enemy Line of Sight and Line of Fire.
Be aware of opportunities to exploit seams in the enemy line.
Except for Half Court, small, agile Scouts work best.
In the next segment of the series, we will look at Peek-a-View and Proxy spotting.
HAPPY HUNTING!
