There are eleven turrets in Tanki. Each has its strengths, and each has its weaknesses. But which is more versatile? To determine that, I looked at a few things – a turret’s ability to be paired with the different classes of hulls, how it fares on the different maps (large, like Kungur, medium, like Silence or Polygon, or small, like Island), and its ability to take different roles on the battlefield. Shaft Versatility Rating: Poor Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against Shaft. In fact, there’s nothing that scares me more than a clever Shaft as an opponent. Still, Shafts tend to suffer in many maps, their effectiveness mostly limited to large and the larger medium maps. In small maps, you’ll likely to be steamrollered should you attempt to use Shaft – don’t do it. As for capabilities, Shafts have virtually no offensive virtue: long reload time, tiny damage with an uncharged shot. This significantly limits their abilities to defense and occasionally midfielding. But in this respect, Shafts excel. Without a protective paint, a Shaft can take out most of a Viking’s HP, perhaps even one-hit it, given sufficient MUs. Thus, a Shaft can effectively stall an offensive, by taking out the key driver behind it – perhaps the Isida that’s healing the flag-bearer, allowing for teammates to do the rest. There’s also the psychological factor – no one wants to wander around a corner when they can see the laser sweeping about, knowing that they’ll die as soon as they round the corner. In this way, a Shaft can shut down large sectors of the map to enemy traffic. Shaft works with many hulls, though the choice of hulls also limits your playing style. With a heavy hull, you’re going to have to be a sedentary camper, mostly in your base, as you’ll likely absorb a large amount of damage. On the opposite extremum are light hulls – to avoid enemies from killing you, you look to mobility, not HP. Thus, Shaft-Hornets would be best advised to stay on the move constantly. Moreover, unlike heavy hulls, which can stay steady in the face of enemy fire, still being able to pick off enemies, light hulls are tossed around much by enemy shots. Being able to get a shot off depends on not being seen. Medium hulls offer a good compromise – you can get to far off camping positions in good time, while being able to withstand some damage before having to retreat, and also not being affected too much by impacts. Vulcan Versatility Rating: Poor Vulcan is quite an odd weapon. It excels when there are open spaces, but otherwise is rather limited. This suggests that it would do well on large maps, except its damage is halved at long ranges (also, many large maps have nooks and crannies where you can hide from Vulcans). Meanwhile, on small maps, although Vulcan has high damage then, it can enemies can easily approach you and take advantage of your low turret rotation rate to defeat you easily. Hence, Vulcans are best suited to medium maps such as Polygon, where you can maintain a reasonable DPS while not being out-maneuvered by enemies. Vulcans are best used for defense and midfielding – attacking generally involves combat at short distances, where Vulcans are easily circled and destroyed, in addition to them suffering overheat damage and only being able to target a single enemy. As a defender, you can rely on support by Isidas and Freezes, allowing you to discount overheat damage, and focusing on a single target may even be desirable – taking out one main target may defeat the entire assault. A Vulcan can also perform midfielding admirably – chipping away at enemies’ HP from afar, doing progressively greater damage as they approach – all qualities of an excellent midfielder. As for equipment, Vulcan is similar to Twins – avoid using on light hulls. You will burn out very rapidly if you sustain fire; else, remain limited to firing for rather short bursts, dealing negligible damage against most hulls. Vulcan and heavy hulls are a perfect match – you can fire for an extended period of time, yet suffer relatively little damage comparatively. However, at short ranges you will be extremely vulnerable – both heavy hulls and Vulcan lack rotational speed; a Wasp-Freeze will do you in. Medium hulls offer the compromise between maneuverability and armor. You can rotate to catch up with circling enemies, and also retreat from incoming threats, yet still have sufficient HP to withstand overheating. Thunder Versatility Rating: Poor Thunder performs well on a variety of maps, particular those with open spaces, where approaching enemies can be taken care of at a range. In small maps, Thunder will suffer horrendously; although it has a higher DPS, self-damage will wreak havoc with your playing. Don’t use it there. On medium and large maps, Thunder is well suited to camping in the midfield, where enemies will find it hard to approach you. You should avoid getting caught up in the midst of defending – you’ll likely do more damage to yourself via the splash than to the enemy offensive as a whole. Thunder is also ill-suited to offence, where its self-damaging cripples its ability to take out enemies at a close range. Ultimately, these qualities limit Thunder to the midfield, where it excels, having high damage that is mostly maintained with range. In terms of hulls, Thunder also works well with many of them. With heavy hulls, Thunder can be used to stay in a stationary camping position – you’ll be very hard to displace. Using medium hulls can allow for more dynamic midfielding capabilities – you can move from position to position avoiding enemies, and also hunting down fleeing enemies. Light hulls tend to suffer with Thunder – after all, if you accidentally splash yourself, you can take out up to a quarter of your HP. With a self-protection paint, however, light hulls can work very well with Thunder, forming a glass cannon of sorts, capable of pouring out very high damage yet dying relatively easily. Railgun Versatility Rating: Poor to Moderate Railgun isn’t as good as its worshipers want you to think. Still, they find use in many situations, offering good to mediocre abilities in many maps. Indeed, Railgun is one of the better turrets in the larger maps – able to snipe across the map without damage falloff; this ability is only rivaled by Shaft. Unlike Shaft, Railguns can stay mobile – there is no need to enter a nonexistent scope. Moreover, enemies have a hard time approaching Railguns sniping across the map without getting picked off, making larger maps the ideal habitat for Railguns. Railguns still perform well on medium maps, though it is easier for enemies to force a confrontation that they will usually win. Try to avoid small maps; although it is all fun and games hiding behind the walls and buildings on Island and other small maps, once you’re caught (as you will be, no matter how good you are), you’ll be dead meat. Or scrap metal. As an attacker, Railgun has a few functionalities – if you line up your shot correctly, you might be able to take out a slew of enemies with one shot. If you screw it up, then you’ve failed miserably, as the long reload time of Railgun all but guarantees that you’ll be destroyed before having a second chance. Thus, Railgun works best as a midfielder, where missed shots count for less, and a successful shot means that an attacking enemy will be heading for your base with significantly less HP. As a defender, Railgun also has its merits, but remember – your shot will be reduced in damage for each ally it passes through. As for hulls, just keep this in mind – Mammoth-Railgun is the worst combination that ever existed. Ok, maybe not that extreme. But in all seriousness, there are very few situations that merit using that behemoth with Railgun. You’ll be suffering more damage than the extra HP of a heavy hull is worth. Medium hulls work better with Railgun, but remember, the key to success is mobility. Not an ample supply of HP, although that helps. Ultimately, you’ll suffer more from decreased speed than benefit from increased health, so it is the light hulls that emphasize the forte of Railgun. Firebird Versatility Rating: Moderate Firebird is also relatively useful, although its ability to be used on larger maps is rather limited. Firebird is usefulness is highly limited by your ability to approach enemies – if you can’t even leave cover without getting picked off by a Shaft, then what use is there in using Firebird. Thus, on larger maps, one of the few roles a Firebird can serve is as defense, where the enemy comes to you. Even then, if the flag is rather exposed, you’re likely to be destroyed before enemies approach the flag. However, on smaller maps, with more cramped quarters, it is far easier to close on enemies. That, combined with Firebird’s potential to deal huge amounts of damage, makes it excellent for such maps. (Interestingly, thanks to Dusseldorf’s narrow system of alleys, Firebirds can also excel there) Firebird is not the best turret to put on a heavy hull. Limited range plus poor speed turns that combination in to a virtual sign saying ‘Kill me!’ As always, though it may work on smaller maps, generally you’ll end up dead before touching an enemy. On light and medium hulls, Firebird proves to be far better – especially light hulls, where you can sneak in, empty your tank of napalm, and dart off, before your enemy even realizes what has happened. Firebird paired with medium hulls proves to be mediocre at worse, and sometimes better than light hulls. As a Firebird, your goal is to empty your tank of napalm on your enemy. Sometimes, light hulls just lack the survivability to accomplish this task – and that is where medium hulls become of use. Twins Versatility Rating: Moderate Twins is generally more useful on smaller maps. Its range is the smallest of all of the turrets outside of the short-range ones, and consequentially it does not fair well on large maps. Meanwhile, on smaller maps, where you will encounter enemies more frequently, Twins is your go-to choice. Thanks to unlimited ammunition and extremely high sustained DPS at close ranges, Twins will almost always win an encounter with other turrets at short range. More than that, it doesn’t even need to reload between fights – you can move from one enemy to the next without hesitation. As a defender, Twins can be excellent, its infinite ammunition allowing you to take down a stream of attackers. Just make sure that allies don’t block your shots from making contact. Twins can also be relegated to the role of midfielding, though sustained contact with the enemy is required to deal a noticeable amount of damage, as each individual plasma charge does a negligible amount of damage. Twins is a great attacker – in the enemy base, there is likely to be a large amount of enemies. Where other weapons such as Firebird or Ricochet might run out of charge, Twins can just keep firing. Firing, until everything is gone and smoke rises from the scorched ground. Don’t use Twins with Wasp. Please. Although recoil is negligible, to deal a large amount of damage, Twins must be able to close with an enemy and stay there. That’s not going to happen if you die in Railgun shot. Hornet-Twins is more feasible (there’s even a product kit featuring it), but I feel that as Twins’ main feature is being able to sustain a stream of plasma charges, what use is there if you die before a Ricochet’s charge is exhausted? Twins pairs beautifully with medium and heavy hulls, however. With medium hulls, you can approach an enemy easily, and stay alive until they are destroyed. With heavy hulls, you can stay alive for significantly longer, all the while firing and pouring out an insane amount of firepower. Hammer Versatility Rating: Moderate to Good Hammer is limited to offence on larger maps. With defense, much of the time your aim will be obstructed by teammates (pellets cannot travel through allies), so your damage will be dramatically decreased. On offence, high damage per shot means that you can take out key enemies rapidly, thus steal the flag or allow an ally to do so. On medium maps, Hammer can take a number of roles, in particular, as a mid-fielder in addition to an offensive role. As a mid-fielder, you can eliminate attacking enemies and aid escaping enemies, all the while maintaining the ability to retreat to your base to reload. This role is viable because medium maps are smaller and hence enemies are forced to come closer to you on their way to attack. Hammer also is excellent on small maps – the closer quarters means that enemies will be forced to absorb full damage from most of your shots. However, it also means that you will be lacking in retreat options once your clip has been exhausted. I find Hammer’s forte to be in medium maps for this reason. Hammer can be used with any hull; however, range once again dictates which ones are superior. You need to be able to approach an enemy in order to damage them to a significant extent; thus, heavy hulls are generally not the best unless you are on a small or medium map with frequent encounters with enemies. The time it takes to empty your clip, and recoil also comes into play – a light hull might only be able to get one or two shots off before being destroyed, and recoil can cause you to flip in extreme cases. Therefore, in general, I find medium hulls to be the best with Hammer, although light and heavy hulls still have their merits. Freeze Versatility Rating: Good Freeze, like its short-ranged brethren, is lacking in large, open maps. However, thanks to its freezing ability, it proves to be a capable defender in any situation, making it more useful than Firebirds on such maps. On small to medium maps, like the other short-ranged turrets, Freeze proves to be very useful. Enemies cannot help but to bump into you, so there will be no deficit of victims. Akin to its counterparts, Freeze is not the best turret to mount on a heavy hull. However, again thanks to its freezing ability, Freeze fares better in such a manner – your slowed down enemy will be easier to pursue. Medium and light hulls remain the best choice for Freeze – with a fast hull and making use of the circling tactic, it is quite possible to avoid most of the damage from enemies. Indeed, this capability of slowing down enemies makes Freeze an excellent choice in most situations – pursuing a fleeing enemy with the flag, slowing down an enemy pursuing your flag-bearer, anything you can imagine. Ricochet Versatility Rating: Good Ricochet has very good range, though it is not infinite – it can shoot across most of Polygon, for example. Range only becomes an issue on larger maps, and even then you’re likely not going to be sniping across the map. Due to this, Ricochet is useful on essentially all types of maps – large, medium and small. Due to teammates being able to block your charges, Ricochet isn’t the best for defense on many maps, where someone grabbing the flag will inevitably result in a huge pileup of tanks. As a midfielder, however, Ricochet works on most of the maps, where the distances associated with combat are well within the effective range of Ricochet. It also works well with attacking – you can take out enemies from a safe distance back with your Ricochet’s rather burst damage, and then move in and snag the flag. Beware when you run out of charge – your DPS drops to pitiful levels, making you an easy kill. Ricochet works on many hulls as well. Mount it on a heavy hull, and you can camp from afar (watch out for Shafts, though). Used with a medium hull, Ricochet can charge in, unleash its clip on some unsuspecting victim, and retreat, victorious. Ricochet is not the best suited for light hulls, in particular, Wasp. It has very high recoil, so your aim will inevitably go off if you do not correct it, particularly when shooting from the side. In addition, you might not even be able to unload your entire clip before getting destroyed. There are situations where a light hull used with Ricochet can be useful, however. It can be useful in a battle mainly dominated by short-range turrets – your Hornet will be much more useful in getting out of the way compared to a Viking. Taking the role as a midfielder can also be better with a light hull – you can close the range rapidly to maximize damage, and retreat to avoid destruction when necessary. Isida Versatility Rating: Excellent This is definitely one of the most versatile turrets. Thanks to its ability to aid teammates, Isida can be used on just about any map, large or small. On the larger maps, it can be used in friendly base, supporting defenders, supporting attackers, or even as an assault weapon itself. Capable of healing its user from damage done to enemies, an Isida generally lives longer in the midst of concentrated firepower – and that extra time can be vital in getting the flag out. On smaller maps, you’ll have no shortage of enemies to confront – and steal health from – so Isidas will be able to remain alive for very long periods of time. Be careful when you run out of charge, however, as you will die very rapidly without being able to respond. In terms of hull pairings, Isida is more limited. As a short-range turret, heavy hulls aren’t the best to use with Isida, unless you’re sitting on the flag or helping a flag-sitter, although it can be of use on smaller maps and single-point CP battles. In general, Isida is best used with the faster range of hulls, Viking through Wasp. The ability to catch up with an enemy and maintain a beam on them is vital to their survival. Dodging shots and making an approach to an enemy from afar is also necessary, which proves to be easier with a faster, more nimble hull. Smoky Versatility Rating: Excellent Smoky is good on many maps, though at extreme ranges it suffers significantly from damage falloff. Despite this, extreme ranges are not the norm when it comes to combat, so it is good in essentially all situations. On larger maps, Smoky can relatively easily venture into its zone of maximum effectiveness, making it very useful in them. Moreover, even before entering the zone, it can snipe away at an enemy, leaving them to wonder where the threat is. On medium maps, Smoky is ridiculously effective – most of the map can be covered, and much of it falls within the range of maximum damage. Smoky also does well on small maps, but it is replaced in effectiveness by other turrets capable of higher damage at closer ranges. Thanks to these attributes, Smoky serves numerous roles very well. It is capable of inflicting significant amounts of damage as a midfielder, and with its impact, can also wreak havoc on the driving of lighter hulls. Although it has a modest DPS at close ranges, it can also prove to be a capable defender – just avoid having your shots blocked by an ally. As an attacker, Smoky also works well; snipe away at the defenders from afar, taking advantage of your long range, then close to finish off the rest and spirit away the flag. Smoky couples well with all of the hulls. Many times have I seen a Wasp-Smoky and a Mammoth-Smoky competing for the top spot in a battle. Each type of hull serves to accentuate different aspects of Smoky – with heavy hulls, it is Smoky’s ability to fire for an indefinite period of time, allowing for a high sustained damage, with medium hulls, the ability to have move to where firepower is the most needed, while light hulls highlight the use of Smoky in hit-and-run as well as mobile camping. A word of warning – light hulls are not going to take you everywhere; you’d do rather poorly in an Island CP with Wasp-Smoky. Still, that is an isolated case – in the vast majority of situations, Smoky can work and will work with any hull. That's all for now; I hope you're still awake. Keep in mind that all of this represents my opinion only. Let it influence your choices, or ignore it. Ultimately, what should decide what you purchase is your playing style - depending on that, you could be the best assault Shaft that ever lived, or an Isida that doesn't know what the flag is (like our dear Remult). Don't base your decisions on something that a random cat on the internet wrote.

Essentially no difference in format battles. If you're interested in using M3 XP in normal battles, then go for it. Else, I would stick with M2 XP.

I have both on my alt. For Polygon CP, I find myself using Minotaur more, although I prefer Firewall's paint. Moreover, even when I do use Firebird, I use it with Viking.

^I wouldn't say so... especially since you can play with your M2 XP.

It's been a few Valentine's Days, haven't gotten it yet so might as well.

Special golds => I'll likely not even see one.

RIP Justice Scalia.

Some GGs. A few with Lukey.

Lukey and I missed gold, some nug lagger Viking floated up on us and we couldn't kill him fast enough. GG afterwards though.

Courage is a rather peculiar, yet quaint map. It is a relatively popular map for XP/BP CTFs, but I rarely see it elsewhere. Still, it offers unique gameplay even outside of that format, and hence I feel that it is sadly significantly underrated. Overview Courage is a medium-to-small sized map, capable of holding up to 16 players. It is perfectly symmetrical, with 7 distinct areas (refer to the picture). I like to call these regions “Central Loop”, “Lower Red Base”, “Upper Red Base”, “Upper Blue Base”, “Lower Blue Base”, “Left Pass”, and “Right Pass”, corresponding to the labeled regions. I’ll be using these terms in the rest of the article; please bear with me. As the two bases are almost completely identical, we will just consider one team – suppose the Blue team. Offense Being a relatively small map, usually an enemy is never far away. This is good news for those who enjoy rushing into the thick of it – Firebirds, Freezes, Twins, and the like. Respawning positions for the two teams are close together: Unfortunately, this makes capturing the flag on Courage a somewhat difficult task, as respawning enemies can catch up to you quickly as you flee with the flag. There are a few routes that could be taken from Lower Red Base, where the Red flag is located, to the Lower Blue Base, where the Blue flag is. First is the straightforward one: simply drive up the ramp, down past the Central Loop, and back to the Blue base. However, this requires driving pass the Upper Red Base, which, as a respawning position for Red players, may prevent you from returning safely. It depends on the positioning of enemy players, of course, but usually I would not choose to take this path. Instead, I would suggest using one of the Left or Right Passes. No enemies spawn along that route, allowing you to relatively safely reach the Blue base without hindrance. Even better, this path is extremely narrow; hence, only one enemy can chase behind you at a time, reducing the net firepower concentrated on you. Moreover, simply putting a mine can stall an entire enemy column. The only downside to this path is its length, which is slightly longer than the more direct path. Due to this, it is possible for an enemy to beat you to your flag and take it, or worse, cut you off before you reach the flag. However, as such engagements would take place in the friendly Blue base, you stand a higher chance of coming out victorious, one flag up. Defense There’s not much to be done with defense on Courage. Although you can place a Mammoth or Titan on the flag, that position is rather exposed to sniping. Enemies can hit you from positions on the Upper Blue Base as well as the ends of both the Left and Right Passes. Moreover, an enemy Wasp can just jump on top of you from the Upper Base and snag your flag (causing you to look like a fool along the way), and dart off with it. Hence, defense on Courage takes a more preventive form – stop enemies from getting near your flag, and if that fails, kill them before they escape. Luckily, two camping locations for potential flag thieves are also the location of respawning Blue tanks – the ends of the Upper Blue Base. This makes the defenders’ lives easier, as it forces enemies to stay on the move to avoid an explosive demise. It also limits them somewhat to the other two areas – the terminus of the Left and Right Passes. Guarding those areas is harder – you can place a mine here, but it doesn’t prevent sniping. Or, you could jump down and surprise a sniper. Either way, there is no definitive way to completely seal off these passes, which is part of what makes Courage offer such dynamic gameplay. (You could stick a heinously large amount of mines on both passes, but that’s just mean…) If someone snags your flag, all is not lost. Remember, respawning positions for Blue team are only a short drive away from the Red flag. A Wasp-Freeze could easily catch up with a Viking in that time. Positional Strategy Now, let us consider each of the illustrated positions one by one. Let’s start with the Lower Blue Base. This area is highly exposed to sniping positions at the ends of the Left and Right Passes, as well as to Red team members lurking in the Upper Blue Base. Moreover, victims trapped here will be effectively unable to return fire, as the elevation difference between the Upper Blue Base and the Lower Blue Base is too great. The only way you could feasibly hit a sniper on the Upper Blue Base from here, is to either shoot from across the base, a difficult shot by any standards (as it requires a fair amount of tipping and for your opponent to be significantly out of cover), or, to go up on the shipping container on the edge of the map. [pic of BP on container] However, try to avoid doing that. Even more, do NOT stay on that container for an extended period of time. Do you see why? It’s one of the most exposed positions in the map. Enemies can hit you from half the map away. Worse, they can employ the tactic of hit-and-run – and you won’t be able to retaliate. Next, is the Upper Blue Base. This area is strategic for both teams – if Red takes over, then they gain valuable sniping positions, able to unleash firepower into the heart of the Blue base. For Blues, holding this position can be tremendously strategic – Reds can be deterred from waltzing down the Central Loop, and opens the way for a Blue assault down the very same path. Blue team has an advantage in the struggle for this territory: there are respawn zones located on the left and right extrema of the Upper Blue Base, as highlighted before. This makes this area a relatively safe camping spot for Blue snipers, as there is a clear line of sight down the Central Loop, so approaching enemies can be damaged or destroyed, and if necessary, you can flee. From the Upper Blue Base you can even access the Left and Right Passes – maybe even surprise a sniper positioned there. The Central Loop is of paramount importance in Courage. Generally, the team that controls the Central Loop also has control of the opposing team’s upper base. Moreover, most assaults come down the main path of the Loop. Having control of the loop ensures two things: You can have easy access to the Red base when attacking. You can flee into safe territory when threatened. It also forces your opponents to use the Left and Right Passes when attacking, reducing the number of variables and making it easier to defend. Controlling the Loop is more difficult than it sounds. Because each team has respawn positions at ends of the Loop (in their respective Upper Bases), there will be no end to snipers that pop out of nowhere to launch a fatal shot. Therefore, it is imperative that your team control your own upper base, and have Isidas stationed there to relieve casualties. Once the Central Loop is conquered, Blues will have opportunities galore in the Upper Red Base. Jumping from here, you can land directly on the flag, making flag sitting a mostly useless activity. In addition, you can snipe nearly anything in the Red base, perhaps excepting those hiding in the shadows, near the edges of the walls. Beware, however, that this area is also a Red respawn zone, so you may be confronted at any minute by a Viking-Firebird. If so, there are two lines of retreat. The most obvious and safest strategy is to double back down the Central Loop, where hopefully there will be teammates supporting you. Alternatively, if you’re feeling daring, you can hop down to the Left or Right Pass, depending on your location. The plus to this strategy, in exchange for a higher fatality rate, is that you can immediately resume sniping at Reds again. Keep in mind that enemies can take this route to follow you. This brings us into our final topic – the Left and Right Passes. These are the premier sniping positions in the map – both very sheltered, and also with huge access. You can cover any position in the Lower Red Base from here, and even hit a few select locations on the Upper Red Base: More than that, enemy respawn positions are separated from you by a solid wall. Yep, a nice solid wall which nothing but lagging Railguns can shoot through. Mines are of great use with these passes. A mine or two will impede most progress past the wall: If in the unusual case that you need to fall back significantly, another mine can block the passage: Still, these passes aren’t entirely risk-free. As mentioned before, enemies can jump from the upper base onto you, so always keep an eye out for that. If you catch them jumping, you have a definite advantage, and might even be able to flip them. In addition, watch out for enemy snipers on the upper base – there’s a crack in the wall through which they can hit you. You may be wondering why I have not mentioned the Lower Red Base. Well, the reason is simple. Staying in there for an extended period of time is simply suicide. Unlike the Upper Red Base, which holds only a few respawning positions, the Lower Red Base is the epicenter of enemy activity. No matter how strong your tank is, hordes of respawning enemies coming at you, wave after wave, will be bound to eventually wear you down to nil. Temporarily surviving in the Red base is necessary, however, to grab the flag. You’ll still have to evacuate the area with rapidity after doing so, so the strategy for a Blue in the Lower Red Base can be summed up in two words: get out! Conclusion Courage has countless other attributes that serve to endear it to me, too numerous to be listed here. You can only find out by playing on it yourself. Perhaps you’ll even deign to follow some of my advice. It just might prove helpful. Hope to see you there one day.

A GG. Burning a lot of supplies these days...

Hello there, old mate. Do not get Thunder M3 unless you intend to MU it significantly. Honestly, I'm beginning to suspect that stock Thunder M3 is only useful from Lieutenant Colonel to Brigadier - when you get Bulldozer. As for the other options open to you: I'd suggest buying a M3 kit, depending on your preferred equipment and paints. You don't like Viking (am I right?) and Hunter M3 kits unlock rather late, so I would recommend Boreas - it has Wasp M3 and a nice paint, Taiga (though it may need MUs, I've heard). At your rank, Tundra and Cedar will do relatively well, so I guess you could just go for the outright purchase of Hammer/Wasp M3. A close range turret paint (such as Taiga or Inferno) would be pretty nice to have, though.

Poor, laggy Grey Cat.

page 666 eek 'twas claimed by less scrupulous reporter.

like two years ago lol

Generalissimo. The final rank. One million, four hundred thousand experience points - for anyone, a daunting feat. Most take years to achieve this. And that is why it is so special - it represents the dedication some have put into their accounts (and evident lack of a life). Here's what a few Generalissimos and non-Generalissimos think of the rank. First up, @lukey0. @greyat: What does 'Generalissimo' mean to you? @lukey0: To me Generalissimo basically means I have finished the game, but that doesn't mean there is nothing left for me to do as there are plenty more of things to reach for after you reach 1,400,000 XP points. What I do mostly now is Gold hunting, it's a really fun thing to do for me and also a decent crystal income if you catch hundreds of them like me. It also means you'd have a little bit more respect from lower players as you are a higher rank than them, and would have more experience in-game. Just watch-out for alt accounts. :P Being a Generalissimo also means you can start another account and give it 100% focus like what I've done. Yes I know you can be any rank to create another account but this way you'll have plenty of experience and give it the attention it needs and not make bad weapon choices. There is also no harm in playing your Generalissimo account again. Q: You mentioned that, basically, you've finished the game. Do you play less now that you've achieved that? A: Overall I probably play more Tanki more than I did before. :lol: Though now that I'm really only going for M4's on my lukey account I play a lot less than before as there's not too much to achieve besides getting more completed missions on the ratings page. Also that there's only 4-6 maps that are mainly played and it gets a little repetitive. Now I play more on my Total_Drama and Goldie account as they are now my goal to get to Generalissimo and it's fun to go though all the ranks again. Q: What would you say your goals are as a Generalissimo, aside from alts? Moreover, do you feel that the perception that Gissimos have super-expensive garages/drug extensively is true? (I understand that you yourself have a few M4s) A: I guess my goal right now on this account would be to get a full M3 garage. Hopefully Valentine's or Iron Days will have a good sale to I can complete this. Or if there is a good MU sale plans might change like they always do. After that I'll probably just add to my collection of M4's or maybe save for some XT's, I haven't decided yet, but Tanki X will be soon to launch around that time so what happens to accounts may also change my decision. Old experienced Generalissimos like me do have a super big edge over recently ranked/lower ranks. By now we would have 2 or more M4's and most would have a stash for supplies by now. (Thanks, smart cool downs.) M4's are a huge difference to M3's, I felt that as soon as I got M4 Hammer and Dictator and tested it in a battle, super strong. Supplies aren't as OP as people think or want people to believe. I rarely go in a battle and have more than six people drugging, that's if its 8vs8. I believe drugging is only more common now because Smart Cool Downs have made it harder to use them. Before that you could use 5 or more supplies per death, now you can only use 2-3 per death depending how long you stay alive. Generalissimos will always have a better garage, and even possibly M4's. The best advice I can give to a player in the M3 ranks is find your combo that suits you. Then MU it like crazy, but don't use speed-ups. That way by the time you get to Generalissimo you'll have an M4, or at least be close to one and you'll have a huge advantage in battles. There's no point having ten M3's, you can only use two at a time. Q: How do you think your experience as a Generalissimo has affected your playing/decisions on your alts? A: Being a Generalissimo, and almost reaching 3,000,000 XP points has allowed me to see all M3 guns, hulls and paints at their very best, some even at M4. But probably most importantly I've found my playing style. Knowing this has allowed me to build an alt almost only buying kits but still making great decisions. I had planned this when I bought Bulldozer Kit. I wanted my alt to be different to my main (buying different items at different M's) but it still being an account I'll love to play. Its allowed me to save and earn crystals in the most efficient ways. A little tip to building a powerful alt, have an alt but you don't play it much, or are you saving for a Kit that's really expensive? Just play and complete your 3 missions everyday crystals or not. You'll earn heaps of crystals and make very little XP. Look at my alts' profiles. Averaging at 7,000 XP but getting 20,000 crystals per week, that's what missions can do. I never bought those Kits with real money, do I look like a millionaire? :lol: Also having lots of experience it also means my skill level is way above my opponents, I still see some Brigadiers or higher not turning this turret/not very well. It gives me a huge advantage, and with Kits its too much of an advantage. Whether it's a takeover or dominating a Polygon CP, powerful alts are something to watch-out for. Q: Do you think that Generalissimos are generally more skillful that other players, or there are just as many of the so-called 'noobs'? A: Yes, Generalissimos are generally more skilled than other players because they have played the game much longer, and probably know most maps like the back of their hand. I do see "noobs" in some of the battles I play, whether that's using M0's, green paint, or can't turn their turret. I tend to see them more in CP than CTF. Not sure why, maybe because they can get to the point and get XP easier. @lukey0: Thanks for letting me participate in this interview. I hope you enjoyed reading and got something out of it, whether it was the read, or tips on building a powerful alt. Thanks for reading. :) Now, . @greyat: What does Generalissimo (the rank, the state of being that rank, etc.) mean to you? : The rank of Generalissimo means a lot to me. Everybody wants to be that rank and I'm proud of being it. It took me approximately 1.5 years to reach this rank. What is the best part of being a Generalissimo you may ask? Probably the fact that you can access all equipment in the shop. I also enjoy Generalissino-only battles (I hate Polygon CP ok?), simply because it's an easy way to avoid mults. When I was first a Generalissimo the rank looked beautiful to me, eventually I got used to it. This rank is also where I started focusing on Micro-upgrading my equipment a lot because I had finally accomplished that full M3 garage I dreamed of since I was a noob. Later tanki released another one of thier noob updates - the changes in the MU system. The only part of the update I enjoyed was the free M4s I received! I play more tanki at this rank then I did when I was a low rank. If only I was a Generalissimo before all those old OP kits, like Medium Tank M3 kit got removed.... :( My main priority currently for being this rank is Micro-Upgrading my equipment, but I am temporarily taking a break from MUs and I'm purchasing new paints. Q: Now, as I understand it, Generalissimos are seen as constantly drugging with their M4 combos. How true would you say that statement is? For example, do you spend more time in no-supplies PRO battles or normal battles? A: I wouldn't 100% agree that Generalissimos are constantly drugging, but they do drug a lot. Not all of them are M4s. Sometimes Non-Generalissimos drug more than Generalissimos. When I'm in a drug battle some Generalissimos are heavy druggers, while others don't drug at all/very little, which is why I refer to them as 'mults'. I personally prefer no-supplies PRO battles because I don't like wasting drugs and the battle is generally more 'balanced'. Since the ratings system was released, I have used 1k of each drug. It might seem a lot, but have you checked other tanker's profiles? Some even have over 10k used! I currently have 1k HP kits, 3k Double Damage, 2k Double Armour and 1k Nitros and mines. Before I was a Generalissimo/new Generalissimo, I had 3k of each drug because I played in no-supplies PRO battles a lot, so my drugs simply started building up. I then had less and less because I was using them in battles to much and I did parkour quite a good bit. As for 'drugging with M4 combos', the easiest way I tackle this problem is by drugging back with an M4 combo :P Overall, I do agree Generallisimos drug a lot, but not all of them do it continuously. A Generalissimo constantly drugging with an M4 combo may be seen as a buyer, but you could be wrong! Q: As one who is in one of the highest positions in the game, what is your opinion of lower ranks? (Do you call them mults, etc.?) A: When it comes to playing in battles with lower ranks using M2 equipment, I simply can't stand it! I only play with lower ranks in XP/BP and DMs. Other then that, I avoid them. You might disagree with me on this, but I consider all lower ranked players as noobs. Yes, I do call them noobs/mults if they are on my team if they are making me lose. I tell them to leave and usually after a few minutes they do. If they don't then I rage quit. Of course I was a low ranked player before, but I still consider myself as a noob B) From my perspective, a lot, if not all low ranked players, seem to 'cry' more than higher ranked players. When I'm in a server with low ranked players (E.g EN8) and I say something in the chat, like 90% of the time random low ranked noobs send me friend requests. Of course I deny them. Why would I want my friends list full of a bunch of noobs who I don't know? Q: What if said low-ranked player has fairly decent equipment (perhaps a kit buyer)? A: It depends on the situation. For example, if he is using M3 XP/BP in a non-format battle and he's a and performing well, I wouldn't consider him as a mult. XP/BP might not be the best combo in some cases, but at least he is doing better than some noob multing with M2 equipment and not helping the team. I always play in battles with MUs (except if it's XP/BP), and I would prefer if I had a team using M4 equipment, rather than the standard M3. I can tolerate low-players using fairly decent equipment like Wasp M3 + Isida M3, but if they are using a bad M3 combo like Hornet M3 and Shaft M3, then yeah I consider them as noobs. It also depends on what map they are using their 'fairly decent equipment'. : Thank you for the interview! Now let us hear from a few lower ranked players. Introducing Generalissimo @Night-Sisters. @greyat: What do you think of Generalissimos? @Night-Sisters: Most Generalissimos are of a decent sort, though some come with an extra-large helping of hubris. There is a certain status that you achieve by finishing the game, though. Gissimos are, purportedly, the best of the best, and it's undeniable that you can find an insane amount of skill in that strata of Tanki. Q: Do you aspire to be one yourself one day? A: I do, but life comes first, of course, and writing for the paper has taken up a lot of my time that used to be spent in gameplay. I've been playing for four-ish years, another four won't hurt me. :P Q: Do you find that with that skill, comes arrogance? A: To a certain extent, yes. Arrogance is a trap that anyone can fall into, but I've noticed that Generalissimos in particular seem to easily forget that there is a person behind every tank. They often seem to judge others on their skills alone, instead of by character or heart. @greyat: Thanks, nug. @Night-Sisters: Finally, this is what our beloved @MarineMan2 had to say on the topic:

First gold in a while... @The_Beast_Walrus2 joined just a bit too late. Couple of battles including the above: Any Gissimo interested in doing an interview for the Paper? It'll be about the meaning the rank Generalissimo holds for you. (A bit tentative at this stage)

I think RU and EN servers are the same, while your account wouldn't even exist on BR servers.

A few thousand years, no worries.

GG, defeated a takeover that ran out of steam.

On a WO5 alt: should I max MU Titan M1 (currently 30/50), and buy Vulcan M2 with that, or buy Boar or Atlas or something like that?

https://web.archive.org/web/20121205131044/http://en.tankiforum.com/ https://web.archive.org/web/20130101154521/http://tankionline.com/en/start/ olden days, when i wasn't around

I have no presumptions on your character, other than that you seem rather argumentative. More on the point, if this is 'nonsense', as you so claim, why are you not spouting expletives onto every topic you see? You say that this is a place where your real life is irrelevant. Why not take the opportunity to do something that your real life would rarely provide a chance to do, behind a mask of anonymity? As I see it, one's behavior online is a fairly good judge of their values. If they are spamming hate and expletives with every post, I wouldn't like to associate them in life. If they are copying without giving credits online, I would have doubts on their honest in general.

Could be because of high burst damage, but need to reload?

Perhaps unlike you, we care about honesty. We have moral values. And we certainly are guided by it in all our actions. Perhaps you don't, and aren't. I could care less. Just make sure it doesn't affect me.