Hello Tankers, Although I was previously going to write about the Cross Map, I have changed the topic of this guide to Courage, as it has been given very little attention in this competition. Guide to playing in Courage effectively Map size: 16 players, 8v8 team combat Best tank selections: Firebird/Viking, Ricochet/Hunter Tactics: DM Courage is a small map that does not easily accommodate most long-range weapons. This fact becomes especially clear when playing in DM mode, as the confined space coupled with a lack of cover tend to diminish the potential of turrets that deal splash damage, namely, Magnum, Twins, Striker, and Thunder. Courage is surprisingly open for a map of its size, and this ease of maneuverability tends to severely handicap slow-firing turrets such as Shaft and Railgun. For Firebird, Freeze, and Isida, effective tactics are relatively common, as these hulls are naturally given an advantage over most others due to the close-quarter combat. If you have a light hull, use it to your advantage, and try to stay constantly on the move, circling the outside edge of the map in order to spawn-camp enemy tanks. If you have a heavy hull, head to the center plateau and try to position yourself underneath the double damage drop zones. For Hammer, Ricochet, and Smoky, you will still find yourself at home in the map, but there are a few things to remember. Most of the map's walls are angled upward, which reduces the amount of possible surfaces against which projectiles can be ricocheted. Because Ricochet has an easier time hitting tanks below it than above it, position yourself in the corners of the raised plateau, and take cover behind the towers. Hammer has to be cautious not to apply self-damage to itself by firing into the buildings on the plateau, so the safest method it can use is to stay in the spawn area, crossing between spawn areas through the plateau when necessary. Smoky's range allows it to patrol the edges of the map, staying well shielded from attacking tanks. It's slow firing rate (compared to Ricochet) will put it at a disadvantage on the plateau. Vulcan will find itself somewhat challenged by the map, but it can overcome other tanks by either patrolling the edges or positioning itself on the edge of the plateau's corners. Thunder, Twins, and Striker will all suffer from their turret's self-damage when playing on Courage. Striker and Twins should try to stay in the spawn zones and on the edge of the plateau, in order to make sure that they have room to avoid dealing themselves much self-damage. Thunder should apply a similar technique to Smoky. Magnum does have means of avoiding self-damage and even owning the battlefield, and it can do so by closing off access to the edges of the map with mines, so that it is free to rain artillery fire on the entire map from a completely safe position. Shaft and Railgun are at the greatest disadvantage on the map. They should avoid the plateau entirely, and always use fast hulls, so that they can run from danger while they reload their guns. Tactics: TDM Because each team has their own spawn zone, and consequentially, their own half of the map when playing in TDM, the range of available tactics is much broader than when playing in DM mode. Firebird, Freeze, and Hammer thrive in offensive positions. They should be patrolling the enemy's spawn zone, in order to accumulate lots of spawn-kills. When needed, they should return to the plateau for healing purposes. Ricochet, Twins, Striker, and Vulcan position themselves on the enemy's side of the plateau, and rain down fire on their opponents, while Railgun, Shaft, and Thunder should be positioned on the left and right edges of the map, firing into the enemy spawn area from behind cover. Magnum should position itself either behind or on top of the tall peaks in the map, and rain down oppressive artillery fire. Magnum's splash damage is particularly effective in this position. Smoky can comfortably play either on the sides of the map or the edges of the plateau, while Isida should position itself either under the opponent's double damage drop zone or in the path on top of the plateau, and provide healing for team-mates. Tactics: CTF CTF is by far the most team-intensive game mode, and requires a tremendous amount of cooperative coordination. Every tank needs to have an assigned role and to operate only within their set task. A goalkeeper is best played by either Freeze, Hammer, or Ricochet, equipped on a heavy hull. You should position themselves on top of the colored crate that is next to their flag, and should face the opposing flag. If enemy tanks reach your spawn area, park yourself on top of your flag. Do not sit on top of your flag if there are no enemies nearby, doing so will hinder your team's forwards. There should never be more than one goalkeeper on the team. Defenders are best played by Ricochet, but can also be played by Firebird, Freeze, or Hammer, equipped on medium hulls. You should patrol your spawn area, paying special attention to the ramps, in order to prevent enemies from reaching your flag. A team should have two defenders, who double as defending midfielders. Wingmen are best played by Smoky, but can also be played Thunder, Railgun, or Shaft, with a speedy hull. You should go back and forth on the side edge of the map, alternating between killing enemies in their spawn area and stopping them from reaching your flag. Never leave the side of the map except to get a flag from a team-mate. There should only be two wingmen, one on each side of the map. All other tanks should avoid the map edges, except for Isidas and forwards. Defending midfielders are best played by Ricochet, but can also be played by Vulcan or Smoky, equipped on a medium hull. You should stay on the plateau, on your side, observing the enemy base. Periodically check behind you to see if there are enemies coming from the sides of the map. A team should have two defending midfielders, who double as defenders. Attacking midfielders are best played by Ricochet, but can also be played by Striker or Twins, equipped on a medium hull. You should spend most of your time on the enemy's side of the plateau, spawn-camping the enemy. If needed, enter the enemy spawn area in order to assist forwards trying to get the flag. There should be two attacking midfielders on a team, one on each side of the plateau. The forward is best played by Firebird, but can also be played by Freeze, equipped on a speedy hull. You should run through the plateau to the enemy flag, and either head back through the plateau or go through the sides of the map, possibly handing it off to a wingman. There should only be one forward on the team. Other Positions: If your team is ahead, either the goalkeeper or one of the defending midfielders can equip an Isida and assume a healing role. If the goalkeeper changes, should use a medium hull and heal the tanks on his side of the plateau. If the defending midfielder changes, he should follow and heal the forward, and the goalkeeper should fill the empty defending midfielder position. If your team is neither ahead nor behind, one or both of the wingmen can equip Magnums and use them to blast the enemy spawn area. They should periodically check their own flag, so that they can destroy any overflow of enemies in their base. If your team is behind, the forward can switch to playing as a defending midfielder, in order to protect the flag. Tactics: CP CP is very different from the other modes, because even though it is a team battle you do not have a clear spawn base area. Most of your attention should be focused on the points. If you have a clear lead, consider spawn-camping the enemy. While all of the turrets should be used just as they would be in TDM, there are a few additional possibilities that can be added to your tactical suitcase. Isidas are extremely useful, as they will make up for any handicaps the battle places on your team's hulls. Isidas should never leave the points. Strikers and Magnums are extremely effective at clearing points that have a good deal of enemies around them. Thunders and Firebirds can do the same to a lesser extent.

The information on ranks was not wasted, I learned something new.

it does if you are playing n a team battle and using nitro to build up speed, you have to use a team-mate to help you up though. It kind of relies on a glitch in the game, so it doesn't work reliably. Good advice for medium-light hulls

As far as the bushes are concerned, they do work very well, except against striker, which will automatically alert the user to the presence of your tank. The two sides of cover are meant for using shaft on a slow hull, such as titan and mammoth, and, to an extent, dictator and viking, where you are far more likely to survive by having your opponent in front of you and killing him than by retreating and using mines, which, by the way, are an excellent weapon for snipers.

Shaft is designed as a sniping weapon and is best used as a sniping weapon. This means that when positioning yourself, you should make sure that at least two sides of your hull are closed off by walls or barriers, so that other tanks can't sneak up on you. You can also use shaft as a designated marksman rifle, or a mobile sniper, by joining team battles and positioning yourself in the center of the map. Pro tip for shaft users: do not go into sniping mode until you see a target, and do not stay in sniping mode to look for one. Especially since the changes to shaft, sniping mode has a horribly slow rotation speed, so you will not have any peripheral awareness.

Russian, because it is more structured and closer to English/Swahili, my two languages. Would you rather eat Ugali or Irio? ;)

no, I just finished with the Iron Day's sales, so I'm poor now, with 600. I'm guessing 1,100 crystals

Monkey His name is _____

My home country, Kenya, is a nation with a wonderful collection of friendly and out-going people. It is true that we have not had a very stable history, but my people have united against innumerable odds to leave the past behind and produce an incredibly caring environment. Kenya has become a new advocate for democracy in Africa, and regularly boasts champions in international competitions such as the Olympics.

BIG FACE-PALM Mistake today, I logged on to post my photo for the Iron Days Newspaper competition, and discovered that the topic was closed. I completely forgot to factor in the difference in time zones. AAAHHH!!! :)

I get on average, 1-2 hundred crystals per 1-hour silence battle.

Silence battles will be your best bet for collecting crystal boxes, especially on the blue team. My record is 197 boxes in one battle.

Marshall with 4 M3's WYR have a 100,000 crystals, or 20,000 of each drug?

Just as many players play on silence, lower-ranking players are using moon silence more and more. The only thing I notice that differs from the original silence is the backdrop, and the rate of crystal box drops. Has anyone else found anything different or worth mentioning?

Will some more people please vote?

I will change that, thank you for telling me.

I've had the same experiences. The first battle I played after I fought shaft was a fort knox ctf (before they changed it). I joined with 2 teammates, and both left quickly. I was able to keep 4 enemy players from reaching the flag without dying once!

If any readers have suggestions on how to improve the guide, I'm happy to hear them.

The fact that you say that indicates that you have never properly learned how to use shaft. Shaft is the most powerful gun in Tanki Online starting from M0 and going through M3. As for you hulls, proper use of the weapon will fix your problems nicely.

Please PM me if you have questions.

Hello everybody, It has been a while since I first posted this guide and a lot has changed since then, so I have redone my guide. If you find anything in my guide to be lacking or inaccurate, please notify me. I hope you enjoy! Tanki Online Guide to Shaft Though there are many people who think shaft is very cool, most do not realize how profitable it can be. Shaft is the most powerful weapon, but also the slowest. This guide is here to show you just how to use it, and is made by someone who gained 12,000 crystals in 3 days using this weapon. Positive Facts: Shaft is the most powerful weapon in tankionline. Shaft has a sniper scope, allowing you to pinpoint targets. Shaft's scope allows you to see through bushes and shrubbery. Shaft can use different shot strengths to allow for a faster reload. Shaft's turret shape is difficult to sight, making shaft-on-shaft warfare difficult. Negative Facts: Shaft has the third-slowest rotation speed of all the turrets. Shaft has a slow reload speed. The view from Shaft's sniper scope can be blocked by Firebird, Freeze, Isida, and Ricochet. When sniping your shot can be thrown off completely by many turrets. When sniping your shot will sometimes fire automatically if tanks are bumping into you. Numerical Data: Previously I had a bunch of numbers under this heading. However, I decided to show some more helpful statistics instead. If you want to see the hard data, feel free to go to the Tanki Online wiki page for Shaft. An un-upgraded M0 Shaft can one-shot an M0 Hunter, M1 Wasp, and M1 Hornet. An M1 Shaft can one-shot an M2 Wasp, M0 Titan, M0 Dictator, M2 Hornet, and M0 Viking. An M2 Shaft can one-shot an M2 Hunter, M3 Wasp, M1 Dictator, M3 Hornet, M0 Mammoth, and M1 Viking. An M3 Shaft can one-shot an M1 Titan and M1 Mammoth. An M3 Shaft can be micro-upgraded to one-shot an M3 Hunter, M2 Dictator, and M3 Viking. Now lets find out how to use shaft: (Tip: Never use shaft at close range). Solid Numbers: In order to use shaft to the maximum performance, it helps to know what is needed to kill your enemy. Turret/Hull Combos: What is ok and what to avoid. Shaft/Wasp: This is just begging for trouble. Shaft always needs a reasonable health bar to give it some leaning space while you aim at your target. Because you are always going to be singled out, you need to have at least 100 on your health bar. Shaft/Hunter: Use this combo only when saving cystals to get a better one. It will get you through, but just barely. It gives average performance in drug wars. Shaft/Titan: This is a highly functional combo that works well for most sniping. It offers more speed than Mammoth, but less armor. Shaft/Dictator: Though some players make good use of this combo, I do not recommend it. Dictator raises the gun dangerously high, giving enemy shafts a good target. That, combined with its turning base, makes the user need extra skill. It does work reasonably well in drug wars. Shaft/Hornet: This is a favored combo for a reason I have never figured out. Perhaps people like it because it makes up for the speed lost in shaft's turret. This combo, however, will not suit you sniping needs, since it is the second-least armored hull in the game. Use plenty of double armor. Shaft/Mammoth: This is my favourite combo. It has the best lifespan, but does not turn or move well. I suggest you use it only in team battles. Shaft/Viking: This combo is in the exact middle. It has good armor, good speed, a good rotation gradient, and good performance. This is your average MBT. Enemy Turret/Hull Combos: Who to avoid attention from. Smoky/Wasp: Easily destroyed. Smoky/Hunter, Dictator: Not much of a hassle, if you catch it at a distance. Smoky/Titan, Mammoth: Try to stay out of sight while shooting. Smoky/Hornet: Quickly destroyed (if you can keep you sights on him!) Smoky/Viking: You will need two shots, so use the wisely. Firebird, Freeze, Isida/Wasp, Hornet: Take care of them at a distance, they cause trouble if you miss. Firebird, Freeze, Isida/Titan, Mammoth: Their slow speed gives you a lot of time for multiple shots, but they are to be killed with the utmost caution. Drug wars means imminent death to you. Firebird, Freeze, Isida/Hunter: This won't be hard if you play it right. Beware of one using nitro. Firebird, Freeze, Isida/Dictator, Viking: A very dangerous foe, on not to be taken lightly. Use drugs if they are necissary for keeping your tank safe. Twins/Wasp,Hornet: Kill them before they get close. Twins/Hunter, Dictator: Not much trouble, but kill them quickly. Twins/Titan,Mammoth: Shoot them far away, stay out of sight while they're close. Twins/Viking: Same as with Mammoth, but not so hard to kill. Railgun/Wasp, Hunter, Dictator, Hornet: Not much trouble if they don't see you. Railgun/Titan, Mammoth, Viking: Stay out of sight, even if it means losing the shot. Thunder/Wasp: Easily taken out. Not nessisarily a dange, but can be a real bother. Shaft/Small hulls: Easily killed, but don't catch their eye. Shaft/Big hulls: Kill this tank without being seen if possible, but duel it out if you are fired upon. Ricochet/Small hulls: This tank requires your best skill. Ricochet/Big hulls: Hide or relocate. This is not worth fighting. I'm still kind of iffy on my knowledge of Hammer and Vulcan. I will post my thoughts on them as soon as I can. How to fight: What to do in battle. Deathmatch: This will be the most uncertain of all you battles. Every tank works better with a friend, and shaft is no exception. Once you are put into the game try to move to a good sniping position (a place where you are only exposed from 1-2 sides). If you are far away from them, shoot from where you are until you are killed, the try again once you respawn. Picking out HVTs: High Value Targets are always a sniper's priority. When aiming, kill your biggest threats first. Polygon: Polygon Deathmatches are the hardest battles a shaft will ever fight. Until you respawn at a sniping location, you will be exposed from all sides. This battle is for the guys who know what they're doing. Team Deathmatch: This will be you easiest battle class, and the one you should use until confident in you skills. Find an area at the rear of your team's side and pick off tanks at you leisure. Silence and Moon Silence: These are the easiest maps you will ever face, and they are sniping fields full of good spots. Capture the Flag: Shaft should never be used at close range, so don't try capturing any flags. Set up somewhere safe where you can watch the enemy's flag, your teamates going after the flag, or the routes your enemy will use to attack you flag. Always remember to keep a constant look-out for approaching enemy troops. Team Support: During CTF's your Highest Value Targets are the enemys that stop your troops from getting the flag. Crash: Crash map has the most sniping locations of any map. Find a good spot and stay there, or else! Control Points: Follow TDM and CTF rules, but keep a very close watch around you. Iran: Iran map has plenty of cover, but because of the interlocking paths, sniping through the scope is extremely dangerous. Dueling: Duels fought against Smoky, Firebird, Twins, Freeze, and Isida should be very easy if you are sniping properly. It's the others you have to worry about. Railgun/Small hull: Wait for your shaft to have full killing power before firing. You should remeber certain stats for you second shot. Railgun/Big hull: Try to aim for the corner of the hull, in order to nock you enemy of balance. Wait until you have full power and fire as soon as the blue flash comes out of the rail. (This tactic may not work on Mammoth or Titan, in some cases). Thunder/Anything: Duel it out one-on-one or change positions between shots if possible. Remember stats to calculate your shots. Shaft/Small hull: Aim for the corner again, and fire when you have full power. Shaft/Big hull: Dueling it out may kill you unless you use double power (and sometimes double armour to). Try to relocate between full-power shots. Ricochet/Small hull: Aiming for corners is essential here. Ricochet/Big hull: Aviod this if you can, but if it is in your way, use full power shots (and double armour if you have it), and relocate between each shot. Tip: If any of these tanks are being replenished by Isida, give it up and go somewhere else. Sniping: Straight-forward facts These principles apply to all tanki snipers. Always be on your guard. Keep a constant watch around you and check your score only when you die. Never stay in one place. If you are sighted or shot at, relocate. Be conservative with your shots. Shoot HVT's first before other Tanks. Use this guide to find HVT's. Shoot your biggest threats first. Shoot you team's biggest threats second. Shoot possible threats third. Leave those you are not worried about for last. My favorite battlefield, for those who want to get used to sniping is Serpuhov. Play in a team battle, preferably TDM or CTF. You can't go wrong. This is not a complete guide but it should get you well on your way. Happy Sniping!

Something to remember when fighting against twins: Most people aim for the center of the hull when fighting twins. If your enemy is shooting at you you will never get a shot because he will throw you to far of balance. You should aim behind the hull and let his shots push you on target. If you are using shaft you should aim low as well.

Some things to remember when buying paints: 1: Every gun goes through a craze when it seems like all your enemies use it. DO NOT FALL VICTIM TO THIS TRICK AND BUY PAINT FOR THAT GUN!!!! You will buy the paint and use it while the craze is on, then need a new paint when it's over. 2: Some paints have qualities that make you difficult to shoot at long range. (Now they won't make you invisible or anything, but they will break up your shape and make sighting you difficult). Find which map you most commonly play in and buy paint for that map. 3: Buy a paint that helps you with your battle tactic. I fell victim to the craze trap in buying Forester and Lava. As a long-range sniper, however, I was in the most need of Dragon. You should out not which guns do the most damage, but which ones make it hard for you to return fire (ex. Twins will through your sights of if you have a small hull), and buy paint protecting against that. 4: BUY YOUR PAINT DURING A SALE. This may seem like a lot of waiting, but by buying during a sale, I managed to afford both Mammoth M1 and Dragon with the crystals I had (which couldn't buy either without the sale).

I have the same problem against ricochet when I'm using shaft. Against twins, you should quickly find out which direction the force of impact is pushing you in (It only forces you a certain way when your close up), then aim your gun behind that force, and fire as the force aligns you with the target. If you know about duck hunting or skeet shooting, you should "lean in" to your shot and "follow through".

My freeze often seems to stop working as a weapon. The ice comes out, but there is no killing power. I have had other problems due to a slow computer and internet, but when this happens the visual quality of the other players works fine. I have seen what appears to be the same case with ricochet, but I can't tell since its power is reduced with length. Can anyone tell me why freeze malfunctions and what I should do about it? :)