Apparently (although this info is NOT confirmed), Wargaming is
working on a new (yet unnamed) map, code name “the pit” (or “the hole”).
This new map is very small (400 x 400 meters) and is allegedly being
made especially for low tiers (1,2,3). The reason behind it allegedly is
that Wargaming wants the new players to “feel the action” straight from
the start, because the fighting starts very soon after the battle
commences and the fighting distance is very short. The respawn points
are allegedly at the south and north of the map, the bases are in upper
right and lower left corner.
As we have seen, Scouts assume
different primary and secondary roles as battles progress. This
tutorial sub-series will discuss the role most commonly associated to
Scout play: spotting.
Spotting is the act of exposing enemy
tanks; an act known in World of Tanks (WOT) as “lighting tanks up”.
There are 4 types of spotting; the 2 most common are called Passive and
Active spotting. The 3rd is Peek-a-View spotting and the 4th is Proxy spotting. The goal of all 4 types of spotting is the same: light up enemy tanks.
Before we look at the different types
of spotting further, let’s look at why Scouts spot. Understanding why
Scouts spot may help some of you non-Scouts or new Scouts overcome some
of the Myths of Scouting.
Scouts spot for 2 basic reasons:
1: Gain intel for the team.
2: Allow allied tanks to fire on the tanks which are lit up
Note the order I list those in. I
didn’t list them in order of importance to wins; rather, I listed them
in the order which they are frequently employed during battle.
Especially with Active Spotting early
in the battle, the Scout seeks to light up enemy tanks for intel
reasons. Based on what he discovers about the enemy team’s deployment,
his team can then adjust and adapt their own deployment. A Scout
seeking to gain such intel CAN NOT wait for friendly Arty or TDs to set
up before making the spotting run. It is normally imperative for the
Scout to get to a prime spotting location as fast as possible so he can
monitor the enemy deployment. Once Arty and other tanks are in position
and ready to fire, he can usually make additional runs with the goal of
lighting up tanks so allies can shoot them. Understand
the differences in his goals and don’t whine at him for spotting before
anyone was ready. His goal was not to set you up to shoot – it as to
get information his team could use.
No matter which goal he has, he uses
the same types of spotting techniques to achieve positive results:
Passive, Active, Peek-a-View or Proxy spotting.
PASSIVE SPOTTING
Passive Spotting is the style most
commonly used in the game today. Shot accuracy has been buffed to the
point Suicide runs are no longer successful often enough to make them
worthwhile. Most maps do not favor Half Court spotting. As a result,
the benefits of covert spotting using passive techniques are favored on
most maps by most Scouts.
Passive Spotting is a bit of a
misnomer as Covert Spotting is more accurate (I prefer to call it
“Ninja” Spotting). Passive means not actively taking a part in or not
reacting to an action. Covert means secret, hidden, unseen. As we
will see, Passive Spotting does require action on the Scout’s part, but
the Scout desires to remain unseen throughout. Despite Covert or Ninja
being the better term, Passive is so ingrained in the psyche of WOT
tankers, we stick with that term. But, whenever you hear the term
“Passive Spotting”, think “hidden”; it will keep your mind open to how
to most effectively Passive Spot.
There are two main types of Passive
Spotting: Bush and Open. Let’s look at each individually, then talk
about some general rules for Passive spotting
BUSH PASSIVE
In Bush Passive, the Scout uses bushes
or trees to hide his tank from the enemy while he keeps them lit up for
his team. The addition of environmental camo bonuses allows the Scout
to set up in what may become extremely close proximity to enemy tanks
and remain undetected.
Ideally, one’s entire tank is
concealed however that is rarely possible. Trees won’t provide 360
degrees of protection and most bushes won’t either. Thus, one should
set up in way which provides concealment from the angles most vulnerable
to discovery. Monitor what is transpiring on the map and adjust your
position as needed to remain concealed. Furthermore, in locations such
as Murovanka’s Magic forest, Passive spotting frequently involves bush
hopping; that is moving from 1 bush to the next, staying hidden while
slowly reconnoitering the entire area.
As I said, Passive spotting is NOT
really passive; even if one never fires one’s gun. Your goal is to
remain HIDDEN, not to remain still.
Notice also, I said "bushes or trees".
There are two ways to use trees. At times, the leaves of a tree
will already provide concealment for you, usually because you are on
terrain higher than the tree, but remember, you can also knock a tree
down to create concealment on the ground right in front of you. Or
maybe knock it down to the side of the bush you are in to provide
lateral concealment.
There is a potential downside to
knocking trees over for concealment. If you do it in a common Scout set
up spot, an alert enemy may notice the knocked down tree, understand
its implication, and blind fire into the tree or bush
PROS:
Much safer than Active spotting; the enemy can’t shoot what it can’t see.
Allows your team to damage and destroy enemy tanks with little chance of them receiving return fire.
Environmental concealment allows spotting of enemy tanks at fairly close ranges.
CONS:
Frequently takes your gun out of the game.
If no hard cover is quickly available, discovery often equals death.
If you guess wrong and no enemy shows up, you just wasted a few minutes of game time.
PRIME CONSIDERATIONS:
If they provide the same view, a bush
right next to a building or rock is better than a bush standing out in
the open by itself. The ability to quickly get behind cover if spotted
is life-saving.
Immediately after setting up in a
bush, rotate your camera around and see if you are well hidden,
especially from the direction you expect to see enemy tanks. Not being
truly hidden is one of the most common mistakes Scouts make.
Remember that an enemy tank exposes you the instant he is 49m away, no matter whether he has Line of Sight or not.
ROLE COMBOS:
Bush Passive can frequently be combined with Anti-Scouting and Sniping.
OPEN PASSIVE
Open Passive spotting does not use
environmental camo; rather it relies on distance and superior View Range
to provide concealment. It is especially effective against Heavys,
Arty and moving TDs.
Once again, Passive is not really
passive. Frequently one must move in order to maintain the separation
required to remain concealed. Remember, when speaking about Spotting,
“passive” really means “hidden”.
Because distance is required, this
technique is much more common on Open and Mixed maps, but if one remains
aware of opportunity it can still be pulled off successfully at times
on maps such as Himmelsdorf and Ensk. (I use it a lot at the start of
games in Ensk).
PROS:
Usable anywhere one has Line of Sight at the distance required.
Allows your team to damage and destroy enemy tanks with little chance of them receiving return fire.
Under the proper circumstances, usable on every map in the game.
CONS:
Scout is normally extremely vulnerable if exposed.
Only usable in specific situations
Requires intimate knowledge of View Ranges to maximize effectiveness
PRIME CONSIDERATIONS
If a spotted tank has Binoculars and stops, its View Range can increase dramatically.
Because you are exposed, you must
remain acutely aware of enemy tank locations on the map and adjust your
position or abandon spotting before you are exposed.
KNOW the distance between you and
spotted tanks. That means keep your reticle on them often enough to
always have a current range to target displayed. This is NOT the time
to guesstimate range.
ROLE COMBOS:
Open Passive can often be combined with Sniping.
GENERAL RULES FOR PASSIVE SPOTTING
During the countdown timer, tell your
team you will light up tanks, then click on the map to show them where.
This will alert them to where you will work; hopefully some will set up
to take advantage of your spots.
Ex: “Spots coming here:” Then click on 2-3 of the sectors where you will see the most tanks.
If possible, do not duplicate spots
with another Passive Scout. It is much better to go elsewhere and light
up a different area of the map than to park 2 bushes away from a
Passive team mate and spot the same places he is.
Positioning your tank to so it points towards your escape route saves you precious seconds if you are exposed.
Eventually, the spots at your location
will run out. Move on. It does your team no good if you sit in a
location which has no tanks left to spot.
When multiple targets are it up, encourage focus fire by requesting fire on a specific tank.
Spend your “down time” doing Quick
Counts, analyzing the positions of both teams on the battlefield,
updating in your mind what you will do if exposed, and what you will
when you stop Passive spotting.
Be aware of opportunities to Passive
spot as the game progresses; it isn't just a thing you do when the game
starts! Other tanks may get the glory, but it is almost always a
better idea to get hidden, spot and let a distant ally get the damage
and kill while you conserve hit points than it is to go Rambo and get
beat up needlessly. The Hit Points you waste may prove critical later
on.
In the next tutorial, we will look at Active spotting.
- returned the 9.0 shooting sounds
- Hellcat and Jackson engine sounds returned to the ones in 9.0
- returned the tank explosions from 9.0
- fixed several cases of the appearance of the “black screen” bug
- fixed the appearance of black and blue tracers in sniper and arty mode
- fixed the bug where the map took too long to load on low graphic settings
- fixed the quick FPS drop when switching to the sniper mode while having other than maximum landscape settings set
- fixed the bug that caused FPS drop when shooting with rapid fire automatic guns
- fixed some crashes and freezes of the game client
- fixed the bug where the sound effects and voice alert was missing in some cases of shell hits
- fixed the 9.1 test 1 bugged changes of SU-100 camo when shooting
- changed the settings of some of the German tanks in the Bryansk Front HB
- fixed the bug where, when you switched from artillery mode to arcade
and then back again while holding the RMB, the size of the aim circle
was incorrect
- fixed the bug where the resolution setting resetted every time you ran the game in fullscreen mode
- added the support of 5:4 screen ratio
- fixed some of the errors in switching between your tank and allied tanks when you die
- fixed small graphic model issues of some tanks
- fixed small mistakes on some maps
- fixed the destruction effects of some objects
Strongholds is a
new game mode designed for clan members. It is available in the game
client and has no connection to Clan Wars or any other activities on the
Global Map. Strongholds represent clan property and consist of a
virtual military base, zones surrounding it, and auxiliary buildings.
Strongholds may be created by clan commanders for free. Please keep in mind that Strongholds can only be created by clans with at least 20 members.
This new mode should not be thought of as a kind of browser strategy
game. All features of this mode are free of charge, and the resources
for it can be earned in tank battles.
In order to develop your Stronghold and achieve various bonuses (Orders) you will need to earn Industrial Resource by playing in the following battle types:
Skirmishes.
Attacks on enemy Strongholds.
Defending your own Stronghold.
A clan may increase the level of its stronghold at its own
discretion. As you increase the level of your Stronghold you will be
able to earn more frequent and higher quality bonuses. On the other
hand, its increased size requires more forces to defend it. Defending
and attacking Strongholds will only become available from certain
levels, in order to protect new players to the mode.
Skirmishes are 15 vs 15 battles, where teams are randomly matched up
from all of those who are currently queued in the Skirmish mode.
Companies may be created by any player to fight in Skirmishes. However,
before joining these battles you’ll need to choose the type of Skirmish,
which will define the maximum vehicle tier allowed in the battle.
Currently there are three types of Skirmish:
Medium (Tiers I-VI).
Champion (Tiers I-VIII).
Ultimate (Tiers I-X).
The rules of these battles follow standard principles similar to the
Tank Companies battle mode. The battle results determine the amount of
Industrial Resource earned by each participant and team as a whole.
The Industrial Resource acquired can be spent on building and
upgrading Structures. The Structures then issue Orders that activate
temporary in-game bonuses for all clan members in all game modes,
including Random Battles.
Table of Orders available in the first test version of Strongholds
Order
Bonus type
Maximum value*
Produced by
«Battle Payments»
Increased earnings for all battles (credits)
Up to 50%
Financial Unit
«Tactical Training»
Increased earnings for all battles (XP)
Up to 50%
Tankodrome
«Military Maneuvers»
Increased earnings for all battles (Free XP)
Up to 50%
Military School
«Additional Briefing»
Increased earnings for all battles (Crew Experience)
Up to 100%
Training Unit
«High-capacity transport»
Increased earnings for all Skirmishes (Industrial Resource)
Up to 100%
Transportation Unit
*These values may be altered depending on test results.
We plan to introduce new types of Orders in further updates.
You can try this new mode during the special public test. Keep an eye on the news for the announcement!
The tier
10 American heavy tank T110E5 has a great frontal armor profile
but sacrifices armor on the sides and rear of the tank. Frontally many
will struggle at first since the “go to” commander’s cupola is actually
pretty damn strong and the lower glacis is an eggshell shape which makes
it strong in some places. The index
at the bottom of each picture describes a few abbreviations used and
also the format in which the armor details are described in. Effective
Armor (EA) refers to the overall effectiveness of the armor without
normalization.
The
armor values are presented in three different scenarios for the angled
view of the tank.15° frontal(75° side), 25° frontal(65° side), 35°
frontal(55° side), and 45° frontal(45° side).
Frontal
Frontally
the T110E5 can be very difficult to deal with if you treat it like any
other tank. The commander’s cupola is heavily armored and only the base
and small machine gun sticking out of it can be penetrated regularly.
If you hit it in the sloped sections your round will simply bounce off
which makes this location difficult to hit reliably. Moving down the the
turret you find yourself faced with a very strong mantlet and frontal
turret armor. The main weak spots here are just around the gun and also
to both sides of the mantlet if you have enough penetration. The upper
glacis should be avoided in almost any situation since it is thick and
heavily angled. It is capable of bouncing most shells in the game
unless you can negate the armor by shooting down into it from above.
The lower glacis is an eggshell shape and below the “beak” area is very
weak for most tanks facing the T110E5. Simple shoot at the armor that
is facing you and you will be hitting the least angled part of the lower
glacis. Towards the bottom of the lower glacis inside of the tracks
are 44mm “flaps: in A1 which can be difficult to hit since they are very
small but are there for use if you are stuck in a light tank. The ammo
racks are located behind the “LFG #1 +20°” sections.
Side
The side
armor of the T110E5 drops considerably compared to the frontal armor.
The turret still retains some protection especially in the front half
of the side turret armor. The ammo rack in the turret is located in the
rear portion of the turret on the right side(if you were driving the
T110E5) while the radio shields the ammo rack in the back left section
of the turret. Parts of the frontal armor do bend around to the side
view of the T110E5 so avoid shooting towards the very front of the side. The side
hull armor is only 76mm thick below the turret and drops to 44mm towards
the bottom of the tank. Simple avoid shooting to low so that you do
not hit the track areas with no hull armor behind them and you will be
fine with damaging the hull armor.
Rear
The rear of
the T110E5 is straightforward as far as damaging it… Simply avoid
shooting the sloped sections of the turret and commander’s cupola as
they are the strongest sections of armor on the rear of the tank. The
remaining hull armor and the flat section of the rear of the turret are
very lightly armored.
Angled
I did not
include a detailed angled view for the T110E5 since the weak spots stay
the same from the frontal view in this guide. Simply stick to shooting
the lower glacis sections that are closest to you(least angled) and also
the turret weak spots if the lower glacis is not available. If the side
armor ever falls below 70° then it is easy pickings and you can cut
through the paper thin side armor of the T110E5. If a T110E5 ever
“wiggles” back and forth simple aim at the lower glacis and do not move
your aiming circle. If you keep it still you can simply wait a half
second and shoot when the weakest point of the lower glacis is moving
into your shot. If you try and follow where you want to hit on the lower
glacis then you will only increase your chance of bouncing off.
Source:
http://world-of-kwg.livejournal.com/294238.html
For The Record
Storm is asking for Test round 2 feedback (performance, bugs etc) –
he adds that the gun and Hellcat/Jackson engine sounds were returned to
9.0 standard because they were added to the test mostly to gather player
feedback, there was no plan to release them in 9.1 live patch. The
feedback on the gun sounds is conflicting, for the engine sounds it’s
positive. Wargaming will take these opinions into account when
developing the game further.
There is also a bug that changes the screen side ration, it will be fixed in the live server.
From the discussion:
- the 9.1 test sounds will be polished and they will return in one of the upcoming patches
- more tank engine sounds than Jackson and Hellcat are being recorded
- Storm states that the “moving corpses” bug was already fixed (players claim it is still there)
- engine sounds for exotic tanks will be recorded from “a similiar type of the engine”
- Storm doesn’t consider it a problem that the GPU is stressed in the new hangar more than in combat
- Chat 2.0 – “medium perspective”
- HD model mass-production system is not yet finished
- the mechanism of automatic platoon searching is not being developed yet
- the file “availablecontent.xml”, that appeared in the test client,
does not mean there will be DLC, it is tied to the split of the HD and
SD client
- the HB crew transfer without penalties “cannot be guaranteed for now”
(SS: there was a plan for some of the tanks to act like “premiums” by
being able to use crews from different tanks)
- there is little data collected from the test on the 9.1 historical battles
- reworking the decals and hit effects is not in near plans
You
have just acquired your first true scout tank; a Luchs, Pz38nA, T-50,
A-20, M-5 or M5A1 Stuart – it doesn’t matter which Tier IV it is – and
press “Battle!” in your garage. Moments later, the map loads and…
“WTH?!?! Tier VIII tanks? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE???”
If
you are foolish enough to ask or complain in chat, you are immediately
labelled a noob, or worse, and informed you are a Scout.
By
this time, the 30 second countdown timer hits :00 and off go the other
tankers while you, still somewhat confused, creep forward to the nearest
rock, bush, or building you can find, all the while trying to figure
out how in heck your baby tank can possibly help your team while
fighting those Tier VIII behemoths.
Before
you can come close to deriving an answer, team mates start complaining
to you and order you to “Go Scout!”. 30 seconds later, while you still
confusedly try to grasp what is going on, someone yells at you again for
not scouting and TKs you.
CONGRATULATIONS! You are now an official member of World of Tanks’ Fraternity of Scouts!
The
good news for some of you is running a Scout tank is a temporary
affliction; grind through a few and you are closer to your goal of
owning some higher tier Medium or Heavy. The bad news for those of you
who purposefully choose to run recon tanks, the disease scientifically
named “smalltanx spotomania”
(commonly known as “Scouting”) is NOT covered by the Affordable
Healthcare Act; even Obama was scared to address people crazy enough to
WANT to play Scouts.
So what is a new Scout, voluntary or involuntary, to do?
The
forums are full of advice, some good, some bad; often both mixed
together in a single post or thread. Tankers in battles are full of
advice, usually bad, however well-intentioned.
PROScout
is one of your answers. The original Word/pdf Scout Guide passed
2,000,000 downloads long ago. After migrating online, the PROScout
website has far surpassed that, reaching out to help neophyte and
veteran Scouts alike.
In
the upcoming WOT Forum series, PROScout will look at all aspects of
Scouting, 1 detail at a time. If you don’t want to wait for it all to
come to you, feel free to go to it. Head on over to the PROScout website
and watch as it updates as the series unfolds. Not only will you find
pages of information and ideas to browse through, but you will also
discover hundreds of narrated YouTubes featuring many of the best pub
Scouts from the NA, EU, and SEA servers.
Count on a new update at least once a week but the pace will normally be more rapid than that.
The first topic will hit the forum this weekend. Until then,
