[Issue 2] A guide to Midfielding (part 1) [TWG]

[Quarks 2,255]

Guide to Midfieling pt.1

 

The Light hulls.

 

Throughout many articles in the newspaper the reporters have mentioned attacking, midfielder, and defending the flag, when I looked through the forum, I never saw a guide to doing any of those. While for many higher ranks this series may be redundant, there are many players, especially at the lower ranks, who do not understand what seem like simple concepts to us more experienced players.  

In this series, I will be looking at the basics of each and different strategies that can be used and applied in each. Hopefully this will help less experienced players moving up the ranks and maybe even reintegrate what higher ranks should be pros at. Higher ranks might even learn something, who knows. Let us take a look at the fundamentals and strategies of midfielding in CTF, that is also to long for it’s own good.

 

This time around I will be giving each particular hull/ strategy/ turret a rating on 3 categories, Universability, Effectiveness, and Ease of Use. They are color coded. 10 is best, 1 is terrible.

 

Midfielders: The most underrated players in tanki. Everybody in chat talks about were to attack, the need for more defenders, and the almost constant asking for a goldbox. Maybe the occasional get flag and one letter, F. No one ever focuses on the ¨behind the scenes¨ players, the midfielders and their important job of midfielding. The only acknowledgement to their existence is "

 

Midfielding: This style of playing is prevalent in two sections. Noob ranks and Captain/Major+. I know, Noob ranks can’t play, they don’t even turn their turrets. What they DO do is run around going for kills like they are in a constant DM. Yep, running around the field and killing is the lowest form of midfielding, and yes that is generalizing, but for all intents and purposes it effectively the first form of midfielding. They run around and kill each other, the beginning of midfielding. Now that we have covered that, we can go on to more advanced skills for the major+ group.

 

1. What hull should I use anyways?

Back to square one. Midfielding probably has the most forgiving ideas for what to use. Hulls can really be any of them at this stage, however, unless you are in a ping pong or maps of similar nature, I would not use heavy hulls.  Since I can come up with very few universal strategies, since something like hornet will play very differently than Viking, I am just going to jump to specific hull strategies. Each hull is given a grade, but it is not paired with turrets, that comes later. I do not believe heavy hulls to be great midfielders, so they get to be left alone, again, next issue though, they get to have some fun.

1. Wasp: You are most useful on very large maps, or maps that have plenty of hiding spaces. You can run around with the best of them, since you are, and can do almost anything team needs you to do, from finishing that flag cap, to eliminating that pesky camper, you can do it all. Anything offensively that is. Wasps can not stand back and camp/ emergency defend. You also are the best for healing anyone. Equip isida and go anywhere your team needs a heal, you got it. You should mainly on 2 groups of weapons, short range, and smoky, thunder rail. Not the best midfielder, but in a pinch it can do the job. Stick to large maps if you have to midfield.

3/10: Not very universal, infact only good on large maps.

6/10: This combo can be very effective if in right hands and right situation. It can be a terrible choice, especially on maps such as ping pong.

5/10: The main reason this is low is because learning rail and thunder take a lot, and smoky is difficult. The close rangers are what keeps this at normal. Run and shot, close usually counts.

Final Thoughts: Wasp can be used in a pinch or in massive map battles, but it you can, try and find a heavier hull.

 

2. Hornet: Similar to wasp, but with less speed but better armor. I would say that Hornet is a better midfielder than wasp, especially when equipped with longer ranged weapons. In which speed is not so much a factor, but stability. And unless you just bought the new modification, most notably m2, you won’t be off balance, much less flipping, in comparison to wasp, which gets flipped, tipped, and thrown off a lot more than hornet. Hornet has the ability to perform better with more options than wasp, except for isida, nothing beats wasp in using isidas. It still shouldn’t use shaft or Vulcan, but they are more doable than with wasp, however, I still do not encourage it. Try and stick to large maps again, you still are a better attacker.

4.5/10: Better than wasp at being able to use in more terrains, but still not very universal.

6/10: Better with longer ranged turrets than wasp, but wasp holds the grown with short ranged turrets.

3/10: Hornet is a pain to learn to drive successfully due to drift, this can prove useful with freeze though. But as I said, hornet, even if it is the most popular, is not easy to learn, and difficult to master.

Final thoughts: The better of the 2 light hulls for midfielding, again, bigger is better right now.

 

2.) What turret should I use

Knowing what hull to use is half the battle, as in the words of Goldy, “some turrets can be rendered useless without the proper hull” or something like that. So the actual turret itself will not get a grade, but what is graded is with what hull.

 

Firebird: One of the better choices to use on a light hull for midfielding, the ability to run around and deal massive damage simultaneously and leave them burning for a while is invaluable when either stopping a flag carrier, or causing entrance damage.

 

With Wasp: Wasp is not an ideal hull for midfielding, due to it’s low health and stability. However, on the massive maps such as Berlin, wasp-firebirds can be seen destroying everything in sight by being able to go from one side to another fairly quickly. This combination is still better at attacking than midfielding, but in a pinch, it could work. If you are to use this combination, you can’t stay in place for long

4/10: Not great but not inherently bad, on large maps it can be a pain to go up against, the maps have to be large, and sometimes finding good battles of those is hard.

5.5/10: When in the right hands and map, wasp-firebird can destroy anybody in their path, especially if they have no protective paints.

8.5/10: Point and shot, don’t flip, nuf said. Firebird has lenient damage, so as long as you are pointing in their general direction, you are good. Just make sure they are not out of range.

 

WIth Hornet: Hornet is a better midfielding hull than wasp due to extra stability and armor, but the same goes for hornet as it does wasp, a better attacker than midfielder. But if the the moment is right, hornet can be a devastating midfielder, but as I said in wasp, don’t camp in one place.

Grades same as wasp, nothing special here.

 

Final remarks: Good for midfielding in a pinch, but you would do better attacking.

 

Freeze: The paint that makes a better midfielder and defender than attacker. Due to it’s ability to freeze opponents, it seems to be better at stopping enemies than taking their flag. A freeze can not only damage enemies when they enter the base, but slow them down, a huge advantage for midfielders and defenders.

 

With Wasp: Ah, the common freeze wasp combo, seen through many early ranks and later ranks. Reeking havoc to all those who come to close. For once, low health might not be a problem, as a skilled freeze can take no damage if in right position. However, wasp might have just to high a turning speed, leaving very little room for error. You could probably use smaller maps with this combination, but best to still keep in the large maps.

6/10: Works good in most situations, however, in large maps, don’t go for the kill, go for the freezing.

8/10: Freeze, nuf said. Drift might help when circling

8/10: See comment for hornet.

 

With Hornet: Really the same as wasp, however drift can be very useful in circling. A better choice than wasp for freeze.

7/10: Overall better than wasp-freeze, Freeze really works anywhere, armor might be a problem when in large maps with lots of thunders and shafts.

9/10: It is freeze. Nuf said.

8.5/10: It’s Freeze, get behind them, don’t let them shot you.

 

Isida: The ability to self heal and heal teammates is a great tool, use it well and often. good for every now and then attacking, but leave that to the masters, freeze and firebird.

 

With Wasp: Yay, speed, drive around quickly and heal. Maybe attack flag carrier. But heal. Healing is important. If I did not get my point across, heal a lot.

9.5/10: yeah, almost a 10/10,  speed and running around healing works anywhere, it does. If you don’t see an isida anywhere in a map, you must be in A.) duel, or B.) in a format battle.

9/10:see above^

9.5/10: Heal your teammates, get close enough to attack. The one problem is the small cone of attachment. You have a small area to hit. If you do hit it though, you can do anything to them.

 

Hornet:  Yay, speed, drive around quickly and heal. Maybe attack flag carrier. But heal. Healing is important. If I did not get my point across, heal a lot.

9.5/10: yeah, almost a 10/10,  speed and running around healing works anywhere, it does. If you don’t see an isida anywhere in a map, you must be in A.) duel, or B.) in a format battle.

9/10:see above^

9.5/10: Heal your teammates, get close enough to attack. The one problem is the small cone of attachment. You have a small area to hit. If you do hit it though, you can do anything to them.

*and yes, I did just copy and paste that.

Final comments: Maybe not much a stereotypical midfielder, but the key ability is healing, and only isidas can do that on a regular basis. Go and kill some enemies if you want, but your main job is healing.

 

Hammer: The final close ranger here. Absolute dominance is what best describes this powerhouse. High DPS, average effective range, and 3 quick clips. Put it on a medium hull and you got yourselves a treat. However, this article is about light hulls, so kill that enthusiasm, now.

 

Wasp: Yay, FLIPS, PARKOUR, woooooo. Ya, this combination is really only good for parkour. Sure, the sneak attacks and drive bys are good, but if a smoky or rail catches you in the after you shot, prepare for a LOT of flipping, that was not intended for parkour.

2/10: Yay, parkour. Due to instability, and the ability to almost put a wasp to a halt, this combinations does have the ability to hit and run, but as said above you will flip. Great for parkour though:)

5/10: Moving beyond it is only good for parkour, we arrive to the possibility of actual fighting. In a perfect world, and a hypothetical idea that you don’t flip a lot, then we can look at what hammer can actually do. Hammer does have a massive DPS that can wreck anybody that comes to close.  So hit and runs work, and three quick shots kills most. Attach a double damage, and you can be evil. However, this is not a perfect world, and that won’t happen. The only reason this gets a higher grade is that it can be effective. I have yet to do that, so I will let you figure it out.

2/10: FIgure it out yourself from what I talked about above.

Anyways, just learning to drive without to much flipping, tilting ect. is a challenge.

Final Comments: If you decide to use this combination, attack. If not, don’t play on my team.

 

Hornet: Ah, a hull that sort of works with hammer. Still about the same as wasp with parkour, maybe a little worse. However, for those who are not a part of the The Flying Parkourists, hornet is better than wasp with this. Better stability is the big thing. Health is nice, but stability is the big thing.

Ranking are the same as wasp, except add 4 to each one except effectiveness, that one gets +3.

Final Comments: Yes I was lazy with the rankings. I actually enjoy using this combination from time to time on my alt., and I will go for it if needed in a battle.

 

Twins: The last short ranged turret out there for me to pick on, a great midfielder, for medium hulls.

 

Wasp: If you use this, you are a nug.

 

Hornet: In the right hands, it can work well. For a great explanation, look here---> http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=269208&hl=+combo%20+of%20+the%20+month&page=1

Me and Kev (unwittingly) have explained enough.

 

Ricochet: The first medium ranged turret, the ability to bounce shots off walls is invaluable while midfielding. This allows you to cause plenty of damage without getting up close and personal.

 

Wasp: Look here for a full review--->http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=247285&hl=+bad%20+combos&page=1 It is the second one down. Again, a word that describes this is nub. Please, no.

 

Hornet: And now, for the first time in two sections, a real explanation. Hornet-ricochet is one of the most commonly used combinations in Tanki. Despite the fact that many nugs do not turn their turret while using this combination(I seriously see CAPTAINS using this combination m2 without turning their turret), It is none the less effective, oops, spoiler.  

7.5/10: Presuming you turn your turret, this combination is incredibly effective, and can be used almost everywhere, from small maps to large ones. However, maps such as alexandrovic it will not work as well on, since there are very few perpendicular walls to bounce your shots.

8.5/10: We all love you ricochet. The ability to have high impact force, a large clip, and the amazing ability to bounce shots off of walls. The main reason this did not get higher was once you run out of projectiles, you are weak, having to wait to reload, and shooting once every 1.5 seconds-ish. I don’t use ricochet, so If you have the exact time, that would be great. It is also not as effective when there are no or very few vertical walls, such as massacre, where going with a smoky might be more effective.

2/10: Ricochet is “easy” at nug ranks, as nobody can do a thing to stop it, and one also does not have the ability to turn a turret, so it seems easy. However, you soon see the professionals bouncing shots off of everything. They took the time to learn to do that. That involves judging angles, distance, angle of depression etc. Does any of what I just said sound easy to become instinctive, I think not. So yeah, ricochet is hard to learn and master, but when done, can absolutely destroy the battle field.

Smoky: A very nice turret, my #2 turret in fact. A great midfielding hull due to it’s great range, good damage, great impact force, and impressive reload. Works on pretty much every hull, and I will not kill any enthusiasm, so let’s go.

 

Wasp: A combo rarely seen in battle, but often very effective. Great for attacking, I said I liked this combination last time. However for midfielding, it can be good, however, I do believe that it lacks the necessary health to stay in the middle destroying everything in sight. The critical hits are what makes this combination shine. Besides that, it is average. Needs more health.

7/10: While large maps suit this combination best, it can still work in most places, from Polygon to Duality. I will say however is that as the size goes down, so does its’ usefulness, working with it on maps such as hill can be a pain.

7/10: A very effective combination, speed + fast reload + high damage is a good win. I will say that a few well placed hits leaves wasp dead or weakened.

6/10: Not the easiest to learn, but with time and patience, anything can work, or at least this can.

 

Hornet: Another good smoky combination, I don’t believe there are any bad ones. However, the greater stability is a plus, but drift can be a pain, and speed is neutral, as smoky is medium ranged, so most enemies don’t have to be touching you.

7.5/10: Similar to wasp, but with more variety on what it can work in effectively. More health means smaller maps.

8/10: Since speed is not the most important thing here, hornet takes the cake on this one, the extra stability and health make this a good combination.

7/10: More health, drift help, more power, an all around good choice. Somewhat easy to learn, and easier to master, this is a combination that can work at anytime.

Final comments: Smoky is a great midfielder, one of the best I would say. Works with any hull, but best with medium hulls, so check into that next time!

 

Thunder: Besides having an epic AC/DC song that involves this turret, when going up against many enemies they will be… wait for it… THUNDERSTRUCK. I am sorry, I could not help myself there. Anyways, thunder is the best turret for midfielding, high damage per shot, a great range, and the ultimate crowd controlling advantage, splash damage. Yes, the ultimate ability for a midfielder besides penetration power, it can stop a horde of enemies with just a few well placed shots. Not only that, but a high damage is the recipe for success.

 

Wasp: Not the best combination for thunder, it has been proven useful, but the combination of low armor and splash damage is just not good for meshing. Sure, as I have said, it has been proven useful, but their are more useful hulls, like viking and hunter.

5/10: Large maps only, need plenty of cover, just don’t get to close.

6.5/10: In the right hands, a weapon to be feared, in the wrong hands, it can break the record for most LOLs in team chats, along with nub.

4/10: A pain to learn, limited usefulness, not the best idea.

 

Hornet: Better than wasp in every way for this powerhouse of a turret. Better armor means it can take more damage and accidental splash, it can drift around corners, and just plain wreck.

7/10: No longer confined to the Berlins and Dusseldorfs, this combination is seen in many places. From the sections of Tribute, The levels of Skylark, and the bridges in zone, this combination has seen it all, and won.

8/10: Me liki. Me liki alots. Thunder in of itself warrants a 5 just for epicness, and hornet is just a good hull. Just think of what I think with medium hulls!

5.5/10: “You’ll splash your life away kid” While not a direct quote, it is close enough. Be careful where you are aiming, and don’t fire too close to you. Besides that, learning to properly use splash damage is a pain, but a great skill to know.  Not the easiest to learn, but very effective.

Final thoughts: Thunder is a great turret, one of the best in my opinion, but that does not mean the best for everything, try and stick to medium hulls if you can.

 

Railgun: Last and certainly not least, we have railgun. The only turret with it’s own format, and the master of destroying many in a row with penetration power, this turret literally can do anything you want it to. Attack, defend, midfield, you name, it can do it. For the sake of simplicity,  XP and BP being so close together, I will evaluate them together. And yes, to all you who know there is a difference between XP and BP, I am one of you, but midfielding they are practically the same.

 

XP/ BP: Two proven combinations, each destroying the battle field, with usually more than half of one team consisting of these combinations, it certainly is effective. You just run around and kill people people with high damage. Have fun and make sure you press “3”.

8.5/10: Anywhere and anytime, duel to Dusseldorf, this combination works everywhere, and is seen everywhere. While in small maps populated by twins and ricochets, it gets harder to make your shot. But do your best, I BELIEVE in you, JUST DO IT!

9.75/10: Penetration power and high damage, 2 of my favorite words. You can use it anywhere. It works. Turn your turret.

3/10: For those of you who have been playing XP/ BP for a while, you understand that it is hard to learn. If you haven’t done either, well, try it. It is not easy. Due to long reload, a missed shot means almost certain death, and not immediate firing is a blessing and a curse, as you can adjust your aim before firing, or for somebody else to knock off your aim.

 

Shaft/ Vulcan: I am sorry, but neither of you belong on light hulls, You get to have a good read next time.

 

Normally down here I would I would put down strategies and what not to do, however, I am not down with midfielding, in fact, I am only part way done. I still need to go over medium hulls, which I was not able to do due to a deadline, and there is no point in giving strategies without the medium hulls, so wait for next time.

 

Next time on TWG

 

and strategies. Readers, stay tuned!

Edited November 20, 2015 by Quarks

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

Nice article Bigy :)

 

one more potato for you, great job ho-ho-ho 

[Quarks 2,255]

Nice article Bigy :)

 

one more potato for you, great job ho-ho-ho 

I prefer bacon :( But as a true Irishman(though not native, only 50%, I am sorry) I still love potatoes. ;)

[r_priyangshu0 270]

Where are the medium hulls..

[dilsharox 2,395]

Nice

[Mr.Cashier 1,622]

Thumbs up ;)

[Flexoo 6,980]

In some places it looks "crowded", maybe divide it in more paragraphs. Also I would change this coloring:  "Hornet", I can´t almost see it and maybe I would add some pictures, just to enrich the article. Nevertheless, it´s a very good piece from you and probably your articles are currently  the best in TWG.

[Quarks 2,255]

In some places it looks "crowded", maybe divide it in more paragraphs. Also I would change this coloring:  "Hornet", I can´t almost see it and maybe I would add some pictures, just to enrich the article. Nevertheless, it´s a very good piece from you and probably your articles are currently  the best in TWG.

Thanks for the feedback, sorry about the coloring, It looked good in the writing system. And I am too lazy to go through the post picture work. :P  Thank you for the compliment on my writing, though the other group is still very good.

[Tap_Dancer 1,360]

It's too cluttered. Good job overall I guess.

Edited October 14, 2015 by BirdKnights

[r_GaIaxy2 8,611]

Wow, I cant even write a Wiki guide anywhere near that long :o

 

Good Job though, it was a bit cluttered so my tip for next time is to...

 

1) Ditch a lot of bright colours, its harder to focus on. Maybe on 1-2 words that are important, but not for groups of text

2) Use different Sizings for headers. Take this as an example: http://en.tankiwiki.com/Guide_to_playing_in_Noise_effectively

 

A few layout issues, but the content of the Guide was really good. Well Done. I can see you have a place in the future Reporters

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

^ +

 

I think you sorted out your layout issue, it was pretty easy to read, and above all, superb quality! Keep it up! ;)

[Quarks 2,255]

Wow, I cant even write a Wiki guide anywhere near that long :o

 

Good Job though, it was a bit cluttered so my tip for next time is to...

 

1) Ditch a lot of bright colours, its harder to focus on. Maybe on 1-2 words that are important, but not for groups of text

2) Use different Sizings for headers. Take this as an example: http://en.tankiwiki.com/Guide_to_playing_in_Noise_effectively

 

A few layout issues, but the content of the Guide was really good. Well Done. I can see you have a place in the future Reporters

Midfielding is really a very broad topic, So it is inevitably going to be long. And this is only part one, what have I gotten myself into :huh: