Guide [Issue 25] Mines: On the Battlefield

[Tommy60 406]

 

Ow, that Railgun shell hurt! Your Hunter only has a few bits of energy left after that, and you’re carrying the flag! It’s a very close game - the score is tied, and the next flag capture wins the match! Who is going to break first? You, or them? It’ll be you if you don’t do something about that oncoming Hornet/Isida coming around the corner! You stay still for a moment, get your surprise ready, then you run as quickly as you can away from the mechanical vampire. As you start firing your Twins in the your drugging enemy’s direction, you see his tank pop up into the air, spin once on its tail, and fall over, upside down. To rub in your smart play, you retreat back to cover, where your opponent has yet to self-destruct - taunting him with your being so close to him, while he is unable to do anything other than take up space. Such is the power of mines!

 

After having been acquainted with the game’s newest supply in Issue 24, you are now ready to explore its uses in battle. Mines can be used in a plethora of ways, either defensive or offensive- it really is up to you.

 

For Defense

The classic use of these guys is to plant them around a camping spot, a flag, or a flag holder’s hiding spot. And, there is reason behind this method’s popularity: It works, and pretty well, too! Often times, players know to plant mines in places with limited space, such as in a gateway or doorway, so that missing the mine is all but impossible for incoming hostiles. This is good when put into use en masse, as most tanks won’t be deactivated by a sole mine on the battlefield.

 

The second, and rather less-common defensive use of mines, is as tank flippers. One should exploit the mines’ new knockback characteristics as well as possible - these guys are capable of putting even Dictators out of commission! Only two criterion need to be satisfied for this form of usage; Said mine should be deployed somewhere other tanks drive by often. Also, the mine should be set where tanks’ inertia shifts directions a bit, as to catch them at their most unstable/vulnerable moment. Ideal places would be around forced corners (where the map permits turns in only one direction or path), or on the edges of commonly used ledges, or even right at the top of a ramp or slop to a bridge. All these places, when booby trapped with a mine, can be extremely frustrating, even for the most experienced of tankers.

Note: Unless in a (Team) Deathmatch, it’d be wise to let the victim of your trickery remain in that position for as long as possible. This is because, the sooner they are destroyed, the sooner they respawn and become pains to the rest of your team.

 

Mines are also good in melee fights. Often times in close-range battles, tanks like to charge into each other head-on, to see if they can either shove their enemy off a cliff, or just knock their turret up and out of the way, rendering it benign. During encounters like these, I like to give my opponents some pushes and changes of direction for a little while, then lay a mine, stay on top of it, and back up slowly once it’s activated, if they’re still pushing. Then, I love seeing their overeagerness get the best of them (and their tank), flipping them on either their side or back, giving my team a better chance to capture a flag.

 

For Offense

Admittedly, this little weapon is typically a defensive tool. However, it is in fact a weapon, and it can be used as such. Two typical uses are as follows:

 

When you see a an enemy below you, from atop a ledge or higher platform, you can easily aim, and drop yourself on top of your unsuspecting foe, planting a mine as soon as you leave the upper level you were just on. You need not wait to be physically on top of him, because mines are planted on the ground directly underneath your tank. This is effective on nearly every kind of tank, provided one has a short-range weapon to finish off whatever the mine left for you. This is particularly helpful when trying to take out an enemy Shaft on the more dynamic maps in Tanki Online - they won’t even notice you land on them if they’re in sniper mode. More about this can be found in an article by Valletta here.

 

Second, spawn-mining. This is when a particularly cruel mine layer drops a mine underneath where an enemy tank is about to respawn, or where it is about to go. This works on less experienced players and heavier tanks such as Titan or Mammoth - neither of which move much before their tank becomes tangible. And, if you want to be really mean to your enemies, you and your team can take over the opposing team’s base, and lay mines at all your adversaries’ spawn points, killing them as soon as they are able to start fire at you.

 

Thanks for reading! Ask any questions you want below, and I'll have them answered within a few days!

 

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by Hexed

[Guest Maserati]

another fantastic article keep it up :)

[Eragon 13,876]

Good job. I see you put hard work into this one 

[TheLonelyEpic 212]

Jumping on the guys on the ramps in Silence is so fun. Nice piece Tommy.

[mitropam 18]

I've been waiting for this for a month now (as well as pestering you incessantly in main chat for spoilers  :P), and you haven't disappointed, @Tommy60. Especially informative is the knockback thingy.

[ORDINARY_DUDE 44]

nice

[shadewarttt 3,350]

I've a question. Is GodModeOn's paint mine protective? 

[jack2b111 130]

yes

[sniper14c 118]

i do that everytime. Mine gets me to first place

[121qwert2 0]

   :ph34r:

Edited April 4, 2015 by 121qwert2

[donut70 97]

Great job again Tommy, I can't until you decide to finish your smoky XT chronicles. Oh well, maybe next issue part 9 will come out.

[7919zola 252]

Good job. I see you put hard work into this one 

It's not just this one, he puts hard work into every article.  :)

[legos-rule 0]

-Do not flood-

Edited August 13, 2014 by Tommy60

[SL-Din 6]

Cool

[red_tank_the_best 300]

GJ :)