Your reasoning is completely subjective so I will respond subjectively to one thing you said. You're talking about moving in reverse...IMO, that's one of the most annoying things people do. Sometimes, you're capturing a flag or running towards a tank that just stole your flag to destroy him and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this little tank reverses into you and won't budge, completely blocking your way and your chances of killing the flag stealer. Why did that tank do this? Because he was moving backwards since he knew the map like the back of his hand. I won't tell you how many times this has happened and the flag stealer has got away. Again, all your points are subjective which is why my response is subjective and I don't understand why you're bashing shafts because it's all based on your perspective and opinion and you seem to think you have the only right opinion ;)

No, I move around but not all over the map. I move around maybe about a diameter of 5 lengths of the tank. The reason for that is because I always use a heavy hull and I always position myself in a way where I can see all the entry points and that's only a few places that give you that flexibility, depending on the map.

Using a Shaft in a small map is not the smartest choice :) It's like taking a sniper rifle to shoot someone inside a small room. Not even the best General in the world would recommend that :P Yep :) We can only speak in English in this forum but: Maithri ta Jayaweva!

Well, I didn't want to register another account so I'll link you to the images via a proxy site: 1. http://7.hidemyass.com/ip-1/encoded/Oi8vaS5pbWd1ci5jb20vY2pVTW1Zai5qcGc%3D&f=norefer 2. http://1.hidemyass.com/ip-1/encoded/Oi8vaS5pbWd1ci5jb20vOWV2cHRuNC5qcGc%3D&f=norefer If you can't view it, no worries. The images don't really matter. It's just the technique that I wanted to explain.

I see what you're saying, but using my guidelines, I believe you can get much higher D/Ls. This is from my other account: My average D/L is around 15, I'd say. The above cases were unusual. And I never use drugs unless the opposite team drugs like crazy.

It really depends on your style of play. Big hull works fine for the style I described. I'm talking about coming in the top 2-3 with a D/L between 20-50 without drugs. You can't do that with a light hull. You've also got to make sure you have a strategic spot to take cover when necessary...like that container on the red side of Silenece. That's my most favourite spot in all of Tanki as a shaft. I can see 3 of the 4 entry points from there and I usually end up with a very high D/L and a high score too.

I agree. If you know how to wield it, it can change the flow of a game under the right circumstances. Those circumstances are (in my opinion and this only applies to CTF): 1. You should be in a position where you can have a good view of all possible escape routes from the enemy territory. 2. You have to have a hull that can take a lot of damage so that you're not destroyed in one shot by a drugging rail or shaft at a critical moment. 3. Play a defensive and leader role for your team. Since you can view all the escape routes, you can determine what your team needs to escape with a captured flag. You've got to communicate this to your team. 4. Make sure the map is a medium to large map like Silence or Sephurov, for example. Small maps will never work for a shaft unless you're constantly drugging which is a waste IMO. 5. Make use of the shaft impact force by flipping opponents when they're stealing a flag. 6. Always attack isidas first. If you don't, they will just heal their team mates no matter how much you shoot their team mates. 7. Never live in scope mode. That's a total waste. You're a waste of space for your team since you're not destroying the enemy half the time and you're not watching all the escape routes so you can't really coordinate your team. In short, a shaft user, IMO, should lead the team but don't be cocky about it :P Be nice to your team mates and request, don't demand. I believe if you follow the rules above, you can always completely control the flow of the game unless everybody on the other team is drugging in which case shave your head so you don't end up pulling all your hair out :P PS: I mostly play on the red side of the map in Silence and I can tell you that all you need for that map is a Rail, Thunder/Rico and most importantly a Shaft, 2 Isidas and a Freeze. Get those and you can win.

And sometimes, that can be considered appropriate ;)

Almost everyone hates shafters! In almost every game you're going to have people that talk smack at you. I respond appropriately :)

I agree. Railguns are easy to tackle because you can see the turret light up before it fires a ****. All you have to do is hit them on the side of the hull to make them lose aim. As a shaft, I only find it difficult to play against other shafts, ricos and some smokeys who have microupgraded to have a high impact.

I didn't realize you'd realize that :P

I didn't realize the whole point of this game was to make a fashion statement :P

I really dislike drugging because I feel it's a cheap way to be a better player (only my opinion :)). But, when the attackers drug, I drug too. The funny thing is, they complain when a Shaft drugs even though they're drugging themselves... Another common complaint is the term "camper". How do you define a camper? To me, a camping shaft is a shaft that lives in scope mode and barely even moves. I only go into scope mode where necessary. Most of the time, I'm turning my turret around looking for any approaching attackers. If I see one coming, once I've determined his route, I will get into scope mode and wait for him to arrive to destroy him and that usually lasts a few seconds. And I move maybe 1-2 tank lengths in order to get a better vantage point but I rarely move more than that. Given then above, I don't consider myself a camper but people call me one. I use a Titan, it's not a hull meant for moving around too much so I think my gameplay is justified. Most of the time, it's ironic how the people who accuse you of being a camper are hardcore druggers.

Even with the introduction of the laser, I feel like shaft is still the most powerful weapon in Tanki. I'm still hitting the top 3 with a Shaft. All you guys who think the Shaft is for "noobs" simply don't know how to use a Shaft effectively so maybe it's you who is the "noob"? :D

I have absolutely no idea who that is ;)

It takes a big man to reply with civility. I failed to do that but you didn't :)

You're insinuating saying that I said using the scope is a bad thing. All I said was LIVING in scope mode is a bad thing. Let me tell you why. All your team mates racing around frantically trying to grab a flag or kill the other team players while you're just sitting there looking at a very narrow stretch, passively waiting for a tank to come your way. IMO, the least you can do is look around and see if you can assist your team mates. If you see an enemy tank approaching your team mate, then you can get into scope mode and destroy the tank, helping your team mate. Notice how I use the word "team" :P Like I said, it's probably to do with the style of play. The last 3 days, I had 5 instances of a D/L above 20 and I was always in the top 3-4 players on the list and I ONLY use drugs if the attacker uses them against me otherwise I hate using drugs. Maybe it's time to adapt and alter the way you play. Wow. You're reading that completely wrong. When I say use a scope when necessary, I mean don't live in the scope mode because you'll become a waste of space. Let me explain it in more details so you can understand better. If I'm defending base (like I usually do), I won't just sit and point my shaft in scope mode at the flag I'm defending. Instead, I will look around, see which enemy is approaching from what direction. Once I spot the enemy from one of the many possible paths, I will put myself in a position to take a shot at him and only THEN do I get into scope mode and I hide my laser by pointing it at an object close to my like a wall or even a friendly tank till the shaft is fully charged and then I point the laser at the enemy and shoot and he's usually dead in one shot. Simple strategy that works all the time. If I was just sitting there pointing my shaft at the flag, the enemy is going to see me when he approaches and he will probably kill me before I even see him. Also, there's no need to get all frustrated in your responses. It would be nice if people behave on the internet as they would in real life.

It all depends on how you play. If you live in scope mode, you will hate the laser. If you play a more dynamic game with the shaft, it can work to your advantage. If you just live in scope mode all day then everybody will know that and they will just avoid the laser but if you get into scope mode only when necessary, none of the tanks will have the time to react to the laser. I think the laser encourages shaft users to play with the shaft the way it was meant to be played because living in scope mode is just...well...boring.

I tried the new shaft and I didn't mind it at all today. I actually liked it better without the wobble. It's a matter of positioning yourself properly. If you are close to an opponent or if they have a lot of space to move about, then it's going to be harder so just choose spots where the opponent doesn't have much space to move around and they will eventually be forced to come in the line of fire of your shaft. I did notice another change...one that I really hate... In order to play fast, if I come out of hiding from a spot, I will hit the space bar just before my shaft comes into view so that as I'm skidding into position, the shaft begins aiming. It usually takes a few milliseconds for the shaft to go into scope mode. Now when I do that, the shaft immediately goes into scope mode which kinda sucks because now I have to get into position and then hit space bar which basically takes about a second off my time...a small number but it makes a big different when everyone's aiming everything at you!

I don't mind railguns because they always come with a light hull and, for some reason, are always very impatient which makes them easy to kill. Also, the glow at the end of their turret lets you know when they're going to shoot. My favourite part is hitting the top of their turret with the a shaft shot just as they are shooting so they flip over :D Ricos are very hard to play against though...especially if they've micro upgraded their impact power. Also, other shafts are hard to play against because it's hard to know when they are going to shoot, unlike railguns (in case you want to make yourself visible for a moment to take a shot at them). Thunders can be dangerous but a lot of thunder users don't use it well enough to be a significant threat. My favourite part when there are a lot of thunders in a game is to position myself in such a way that they have to come quite close to hit me and when they do, I rush towards them while taking arcade shots. That combined with their own splash damage ensures their demise :)

Case in point: I joined this 60 minute battle when there was about 40 minutes left and only died once because of a drugging thunder. It's not unusual to end up in the top 3 with an average D/L of about 20+ in Silence with a Shaft. That's why I think it's overpowered. It's getting too easy to play and I need a challenge. Also, I only used double power twice because that drugging thunder kept drugging on everything and trying to steal flags. Other than that, no drugs. :edit: Ignore the D/L in the screenshot above though. That high D/L was all thanks to a very good Isida that kept healing me.

First of all, Shaft isn't meant for close combat battles. You have to use it in a mid sized - large sized map otherwise you're going to be miserable. Secondly, almost 99% of the time, the rail gunners use light tanks. You should micro upgrade your impact and if you see a rail gun popping around the corner to take a shot at you, give that rail an arcade shot. With your impact force and his light hull, he's going to miss you. I do this all the time. Personally, I find rails are one of the easiest opponents. I find it very difficult to fight against ricos, though...and sometimes smokey and twins.

Well, I wasn't talking about one shot kills. I rarely live in scope mode. I only live in scope mode if I know an attacker is going to come my way. Despite that, it's too easy to be on the top 3 in a CTF battle. This is why I think shaft is OP right now. It's not much of a challenge to overpower the enemy if you have a shaft. The main problem with this laser is that when you're in scope mode, the laser will reveal where you are. IMO, using the scope mode all the time is a waste of the shafts potential. Like I said, I only go into scope mode when I know an attacker is going to appear in front of me from where I'm hiding. Given all of that, I think I'd welcome this change because it's annoying to see a fellow shafter just sitting in one spot all day without moving an inch, living in scope mode. I don't move much because I use Titan but I'm always taking shots and helping my team in some way instead of just sitting there waiting to get one kill. Maybe it just comes down to style of play and the kind of maps you choose.

I really doubt there will be an option to turn off the laser. IMO, the whole point of the laser is to diminish the effect of the shaft because, to be honest, the shaft is OP. I use shaft exclusively and unless the opposing team is FULL of druggers, you can pretty much control the flow of the game if you're a shaft in a well placed spot (especially the red team on Silence, behind that container). I welcome the laser because it will make it more of a challenge now :)

It's strong, period. It's not all about one shot kills...with the shaft, you can, at the very least, weaken your opponent so your team mates can finish him off. You can flip a flag stealer which means your team mates can destroy him and restore the flag. If you're good enough, you can draw all attention to yourself so that the rest of your team can rush to the base of the other team to collect a flag. It's at its full potential in a team situation as a defensive weapon.