Take a look at past winners of this contest (search "describe this in 100 words" in the newspaper archives), you should have an idea about what your entry should be like. You'll want to write something that captures the feeling of the moment, not a literal description (which would be rather boring to read anyway).

I wrote one a little over a year ago. I hope you find it useful. :)

FTFY

Fraud (noun): wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain Tanki did not deceive you intentionally. Kits are automatically rotated from the garage every few weeks, and unfortunately the time remaining for kits not at your rank is not shown. However, since kits are more often than not rotated in sets, you can take a look at kits available at your rank to determine how much time is left on a kit that's not available to you yet. For example, the Bulldozer kit in my garage was rotated in after the last server restart, and it says that there are 13 days and 19 hours left. The Raiden kit is not unlocked for me yet, but it was also rotated in after the server restart, so it's likely that it will also be available for me to purchase if I were to rank up in the next two weeks. Unlucky situations like yours do happen, but it's not the end of the world, and you are not legally entitled a M2 Wasp. Even if they deceived you intentionally, it would not be in their interests to do so. Tanki's economy relies on players spending crystals, which will lead a percentage of players to buy crystals, giving the developers some money to make a living and run the game. Virtual goods such as crystals and the Mosquito kit that you were about to purchase with those crystals cost essentially nothing to distribute, so the entire dangling-carrot scheme doesn't even make sense in this case. If they took it away to spite you, they just lost a customer. They have nothing to gain by being deceptive. It's also worth noting that the game never guaranteed you the Mosquito kit. You paid money for the crystals, and those are guaranteed. However, the kit was not part of the deal- sure, you could (and, in the future, can) use those crystals to buy the kit, but the kit itself was never part of a "pay us x amount of money for the kit" deal. No false advertising here. The kit will be back in a few weeks. You've already got the crystals for it, so just play around with the other turrets and hulls in your garage for a little while. I see that you've got M2 Isida, M2 Hornet, and Fracture, all pretty good equipment for your rank. It also appears that you have a good number of supplies. You'll manage.

Thunder is a common weapon at all ranks. It unlocks relatively early in general, especially at M3, where it, along with Isida, is the first M3 turret unlocked. It's popular for a reason- hefty power, excellent range, good reloading speed, and splash damage make it a versatile and devastatingly effective turret in the right hands. Let's take a look at it in detail to see how its damage dealing capabilities can be maximized. The History of Thunder Thunder was not present at the very beginning of Tanki Online, as the only four turrets available originally were Firebird, Smoky, Twins and Railgun. It was introduced as a "Tier 2" turret along with Ricochet and Freeze, powerful weapons that were generally superior to the original Tier 1 turrets. Thunder was designed as an improved Smoky, with significantly higher damage, the ability to damage multiple tanks at once, and much better range. This early incarnation of Thunder was capable of destroying Hornets in two hits! This came at the cost of self damage, a slower reloading speed, higher unlock rank, and of course a more expensive price. But these hindrances weren't very significant, and Thunder became one of the most popular turrets for high ranking players. Viking-Thunder was considered one of, if not the best combinations in the game. After the rebalance and graphics updates, Thunder's damage was reduced heavily to balance it out with the other turrets. It was now usually a 3 shot kill against Hornets, but to compensate, the reloading time was reduced by a large amount. Since then, Thunder's stats have been adjusted a few times. Its reloading time has been increased slightly, its damage buffed by a small amount, and its splash damage adjusted a few times. Basic Stats Throughout M0-M3, Thunder retains some key characteristics: Thunder deals a lot of damage. While it's not as much as that of Railgun, it's comparable but lower than that of Hammer. Thunder has a decent amount of impact force. It's not as much as Smoky, but you can still feasibly deflect light hulls and destabilize airborne targets. The reloading speed is slow compared to Smoky, but less than that of Railgun. The rate of fire is quite decent for the most part. The range is quite good. Thunder can still do good damage at long distances, and at extreme ranges the minimum damage is still enough to destroy heavily damaged enemies. Thunder deals splash damage in a fairly large radius around the point of impact for its shots. The splash damage is a lot less than the damage of direct hits, but it's perfect for damaging clusters of enemies and can outright destroy weakened foes. The rotation speed is a bit on the slow side, but decent enough for medium ranged use. Pros and Cons Pros: Thunder's damage per hit makes kill stealing in Deathmatch mode quite easy. The splash damage is perfect for crowd control at a distance. Firing at the central point in Polygon CPs when it is clustered with enemies will often net you many kills and assist points. It can also be used to destroy targets who are hiding in cover. The rate of fire allows you to switch between enemies reasonably quickly. Thunder's shots hit instantly, which gives you an edge in close to medium ranged combat against Ricochet and Twins users. Damage dealt is very consistent compared to Smoky, which deals a lot of its damage through critical hits, which depend on chance. Thunder is very reliable. Cons: Thunder's splash damage can injure yourself at close range. While this can be mitigated with the use of heavy hulls or a protective paint, it's still a downside, especially when you are low on health. Thunder's damage per second is, compared to the other medium ranged turrets, not that good. It's about the same as that of Smoky, but unlike Smoky it less than advisable to use at close range due to the self damage, which means that you won't be able to deal maximum damage when used at a safe distance. It can be outfought by Vulcan, Ricochet, and Twins in an even fight. The recoil, while not as bad as Railgun or Hammer, is still worth being wary of when using Wasp and Hornet. It's useful for stabilizing yourself during jumps. Thunder protection is quite common at medium and high ranks. Many popular paints such as Emerald and Prodigi have Thunder protection, so you may not always be able to deal optimal damage. Possible combinations Let's see how Thunder does on different hulls. Thunder-Wasp An unorthodox but surprisingly good combination in skilled hands (looking at you, Trom). Thunder-Wasp is not a very common sight at medium and high ranks, seeing as how M2 and M3 Wasp unlock fairly late and Thunder is not a very popular choice for light hulls. While perhaps not the best combination for flag capturing, it's a highly mobile tank with good abilities for offensive and midfielding use. How it does in different gametypes: CTF: Thunder is nice for clearing out cluttered flags, but if you have to engage anyone at close range, you're in trouble due to the self damage and Wasp's low health. You can run flags if you can eliminate all nearby opponents, but don't expect to survive being ambushed by, say, a Firebird on your way in or out. It's best used in a support role- you can rapidly get into position to bombard defenders from afar, which will help out any friendly flag runners. You can also chase down enemies who have your flag. DM: Not optimal for DMs. While it's good for kill stealing due to its rapid speed, it will lose to a large number of combinations in a one on one confrontation. There are no teammates to help you out and no safe territory to retreat to in DMs, so this is of limited utility. TDM: Still good for offensive use, but enemies will be less likely to cluster up due to the lack of flags. CP: Nice for bombarding cluttered points, but not so good for actually capturing them due to the low health of Wasp. Switch positions frequently if you can to avoid being destroyed. Special Notes: If you are fighting against many enemies with close range turrets, this is a good combination to use. Wasp can outrun almost any hull in the game, allowing you to stay out of the reach of Firebirds and Freezes while engaging them. It also has some use in parkour, as Thunder's explosive rounds provide some impact force. Thunder-Hornet A rather uncommon combination that most of us have nevertheless encountered. It's quite mobile and packs a punch, but similarly to Thunder-Wasp, lacks the health for sustained direct combat. It's best used in a similar manner, but Hornet is versatile enough for direct assaults as long as you have some buddies with you- if you're in the very front of a charge without Isida support, you'll be torn to shreds. How it does in different gametypes: CTF: Not horribly effective as a flag carrier, but well suited for support and good for midfielding and defense. You can help clear the way for other teammates to grab the flag, distract opponents, and chase down enemy flag carriers. DM: Similar to Thunder-Wasp in DMs, but perhaps a little better since Hornet is more durable- you may not have to kill steal all the time. TDM: About the same as Thunder-Wasp here. CP: About the same as Thunder-Wasp here, but it will be easier for you to hold a point. Special Notes: Not much to note here. Thunder-Hunter An excellent, versatile combination that can hold its own in many maps. It's not as popular as Thunder-Viking, but there are still quite a few users of this combination at all ranks. Hunter provides balanced protection and speed, allowing you to attack, defend, and midfield at ranges both medium and long. The health is also high enough that self damage won't be a huge issue, although it's still worth using a protective paint. It's my second favorite Thunder combination. How it does in different gametypes: CTF: You likely won't be able to capture flags with this, but its survivability lets you defend, attack, and midfield quite well. It's good for frontal assaults, so you can draw fire away from allied flag carriers and generally be present on the battlefield. The beauty of Hunter is that you can switch between roles as the situation requires, which goes well with Thunder's mostly versatile nature. DM: Decent in DMs, although I still recommend the use of heavier hulls. Hunter-Thunder can fight with most light hull using opponents on equal ground at medium range with some skill, but you should still strive for kill steals. TDM: Good here. Use as you would in CTFs in general. CP: Good if you want to stay in the sidelines and bombard the point while still being able of coming in to capture in emergencies, although in that case you may want to use something with a bit more health. Special Notes: Not much to note here. Thunder-Viking A classic, commonly found at all ranks due to Viking providing a robust and stable platform to fight with. It's useful for most things that you would use Thunder-Hunter for, but its speed is usually too slow to run any flags with. It seems to be a popular combination for druggers- a Viking with Speed Boost has just enough speed to get to places quickly, while an upgraded Thunder with Double Power can outright one-shot unprotected light hulls. How it does in different gametypes: CTF: Useful for generally being a thorn in the sides of your enemies. You can stay back to defend your flag, clear the way for other teammates, or just wander the battlefield- Thunder-Viking is a formidable combination in a 1v1. DM: Good here, since the extra health helps a lot. Just watch out for close range weapons- Viking is too slow to run away for very long from them. TDM: Use how you would in CTFs. CP: A popular combination for capturing and attacking enemies. Not as effective as, say, a Thunder-Mammoth at camping in one spot, but good if you want to roam the map. Special Notes: M2 Viking and M2 Thunder were components of the infamous M2 Medium Kit from past years. While most users of it have ranked up since then, you may still occasionally see medium ranked players with Prodigi or Emerald from the kit. Thunder-Dictator My favorite Thunder combination due to its looks and its utility. While not quite as common as Thunder-Viking in my experience, it can be just as effective when used correctly. It can take a lot of damage before going down, which compensates for Thunder's somewhat lower damage per second and lets you camp in a single place for longer. It also helps with your close range survivability- you may not be able to run from your opponents, but you can fight them off enough for you to survive for a little bit afterwards. How it does in different gametypes: CTF: Defense and midfielding, but probably the latter since Thunder's DPS isn't particularly high and Dictator's a bit too slow to chase enemies down. Excellent for distractions due to Dictator's formidable size and visibility. DM: Pretty nice. Lots of health for 1v1s, still quite decent for kill stealing due to the OK speed. TDM: See my notes for this combo on CTFs. CP: Similar to Thunder-Viking in CPs, but it's well suited for camping. On Polygon CPs, I like to hide on the shelf or on top of the wall that the shelf is located on- there are plenty of places where you can pop in and out of cover to blast the point with high explosive divine intervention. You can also move out to capture the point when the coast is clear. Special Notes: Dictator mounts its turret on the very back of its hulls, so you should consider driving backwards in close quarters. Thunder-Titan Not that common, but mostly because Titan isn't very popular. A good combination for campers, but Thunder's range means that you don't really need to get close in order to deal damage, so the speed isn't as useful. I'd personally roll with Mammoth if you just intend to camp. How it does in different gametypes: CTF: Defend and midfield, but due to Titan's slow speed you might not be able to get into battle very quickly. DM: Good. You can win against almost any other light or medium hull combination and can sustain a lot of damage before going down. Heavy hulls are generally the best to use in DMs for a reason. TDM: Similar to how you would use Thunder-Titan in CTFs, but there's less of a rush in TDMs, so the low speed isn't quite as hampering. CP: Good for camping and great for holding down a point due to Titan's durability. Just watch out for Firebirds, Freezes, and Isidas. Special Notes: Not much to note here. Thunder-Mammoth If you see Thunder mounted on a heavy hull, chances are, this will be it. Seen in the powerful Bulldozer kit, it's hard to kill, hard to drive, hard to dislodge, and easy to get kills with. Slap on a paint with Thunder protection and you can practically ignore self damage. Compared to Thunder-Titan, it's even less mobile, although the extra health is very helpful. How it does in different gametypes: CTF: Sit on your flag or around it. Clustered attackers will feel the pain. You can also wander to the outer reaches of your base to damage incoming or midfielding enemies, but don't get too far into enemy territory- while you can win against many combinations, you'll get into a lot of trouble if you get swarmed, and Mammoth is too slow to run away from anything. DM: Pretty great for the same reasons why Thunder-Titan is good in DMs. TDM: See my comments for Thunder-Titan in TDMs. CP: See my comments for Thunder-Titan in CPs. Special Notes: Not much to note here. Thunder Tactics Utilize the splash damage whenever possible: This is one of Thunder's key strengths- without it, it's worse than Smoky. Aim for clustered opponents whenever possible, unless you have more pressing concerns. You'll often get kills, double kills, or even triple (!) kills from doing so. Even if you don't destroy any of the enemies, they will all be weakened for either you or your teammates to clean up. This is nice for attacking enemies with Isida support- the healing target might be able to be repaired, but the Isida won't. I like to switch to Thunder when the enemy team has an Isida train, since Isidas involved have to focus on healing each other and therefore waste their energy. Memorize the number of hits it takes to destroy different hulls: This can be very useful. The numbers below assume that you are at medium range, since the damage drops off at longer distances. Wasps: Usually 3 shots, possibly 2 if you're lucky. A few micro upgrades will allow you to two-shot non-upgraded and unprotected Wasps of the same modification. Hornets: Usually 3 shots. Micro-upgrading will also let you two-shot vulnerable Hornets, but you'll need more compared to two-shotting Wasps. Hunters: Usually 4 shots. Vikings: Almost always 4 shots. Dictators: 4-5 shots will do the trick. Titans: Roughly 6-7? Mammoth: 7-8? I unfortunately haven't had a lot of experience with using Thunder against heavy hulls, so the numbers for Titan and Mammoth are mostly guesses. Be wary of opponents at close range: Thunder is the only turret in the game that will reliably damage yourself when used up close. This is why it should not be used as a close range weapon and also why you should try to escape if an opponent closes the distance. The extra self damage can lead to your destruction. Note that many opponents trying to get close to you will not be looking out for mines, which will give you an edge in combat. You can also equip a Thunder paint to minimize the danger to yourself. The 50% of Emerald is very nice for this, but even the 15% protection that Sandstone offers is useful. Assorted Tips: If you need to fire at a target continuously, hold down the spacebar. If you keep your aim on target, there will be no delay between the reloading completing and you firing, which can give you an edge in Thunder duels. Splash damage can be used to hit targets behind cover- for example, if your target is hiding behind a wall and there is another wall close behind them, you can shoot the further backwards wall to damage the enemy. If you have a hull that can "tip" easily (such as light hulls or Hunter), you can fire at the ground to damage enemies around corners if there are no walls behind them to shoot. Few expect it. Thunder is fairly stealthy as far as medium range turrets go. On maps like Lost Temple, you can hide in shrubs to attack enemies. If you really don't want to damage yourself at close range, you can damage your opponent by shooting a nearby prop or wall. If done properly, you won't hurt yourself, but you will still do reduced damage to them. Coordinate attacks against clustered targets with friendly Thunders- two or more Thunders shelling the point in Polygon CPs can turn the entire area into a death zone. Thunder against other turrets: This will tell you what to do if you're engaging other turrets in combat. Against Firebird: Probably your arch nemesis at close range. Firebird deals a lot of damage per second, which Thunder doesn't hold a candle to. The self damage puts you at a further disadvantage, so retreat from Firebirds when possible and utilize mines. Against Freeze: Freeze is less deadly than Firebird in terms of raw damage per second, but Freeze users often circle-strafe their targets, and when combined with the constriction effect, it will be hard to hit Freezes. Retreat (pop a Speed Boost if necessary) and use mines. Against Isida: Isida's self repair lets its users (who generally use light hulls) survive at least 3 shots, and you may be dead before that happens. Fortunately Isida does not debuff you in any way, so you can run away more easily. Otherwise, treat Isidas as you would Freezes and Firebirds. Against Vulcan: Vulcan has a higher damage per second than Thunder and also hits instantly, so it can be a major threat on open ground. However, it requires a constant line of sight to deal damage, something that Thunder doesn't need. When engaging Vulcans, find cover and take potshots at offending Vulcans. They won't be able to retaliate very well if you pop out of cover quickly, and the splash damage can hurt nearby Isidas. Against Twins: Twins projectiles are rather slow, don't travel very far before dissipating, and are easy to dodge at medium range, so you should be able to best Twins users if you stay away. Taking cover also works quite well. Against Ricochet: Ricochet has superior damage per second compared to Thunder, but it has the same weakness as Twins and Vulcans, the need to have a constant line of sight. Taking cover is your best bet, but remember that Ricochet projectiles travel faster than those of Twins and the bouncing effect can hit you behind cover. Against Smoky: Smoky has roughly the same average damage per second as Thunder, but it is much less reliable. If you get hit by a critical (or two!), you might lose out, but if you only get hit by standard shots you should be able to win. Thunder also has better ranged damage. Against Hammer: Try not to engage Hammers at close range for obvious reasons. At medium range, the damage drops off significantly, so be sure to hit them before they get close. Against Thunder: Thunder duels are actually kind of boring in my opinion. Winning is mostly determined by who has more health, since Thunder's relatively low impact force compared to Hammer, Smoky, and Railgun makes deflection mostly a non-factor. Hold down the spacebar to maximize the rate of fire and make sure you land your shots. Against Railgun: Thunder can be quite effective against Railguns, as the per-shot damage of Thunder is quite high, so you can hurt Railguns whenever they pop out of cover to fire. Be sure to look out at long range- Railgun doesn't have any damage dropoff, but Thunder does. Against Shaft: Thunders can annoy Shafts at long range, but not by very much. A skilled Shaft can figure out where you are and end you if you're out in the open or otherwise easily visible. Medium range fights are your best bet. That's all, folks. Do you have a strategy for Thunder that isn't listed here? Did I make a mistake? Did you remember to spam Remaine's quiz with nonsensical answers? If you have an answer to any of those questions, post them as a reply. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.

It's a good turret. Once you learn how to lead your shots and utilize the bouncing effect, M2 Ricochet can tear most enemies apart. Most players also don't use Ricochet protection, so that's a plus.

I'm assuming that the Ricochet and Twins "shells" are actually the discarded batteries.

Railgun's not meant to be an assault weapon, so if you use it like a Thunder or Smoky you're going to be disappointed. It works best as long range support- you can nail opponents from across the map with no loss of damage, which weakens them if they decide to attack or can kill them outright if they're damaged. In terms of (practically) instantaneous damage at long range, it's only bested by Shaft, which takes even longer to reload and prep for firing. The impact force is good for flipping airborne enemies too. It's not some sort of magic god-like weapon that trumps everything else, but it's still a solid turret. You just need to know how the use it.

Not true. Damage is uniform no matter what part of your enemy you hit. There are no "headshots", so to speak. You were likely shooting a damaged Mammoth.

M2 Smoky is simply epic. It meets all my expectations- hefty damage in general, great impact force, fast reload, and a pretty good critical chance. I'm a bit rusty, so my deflection skills aren't up to par, but I still love it. It and M2 Shaft are probably my favorite M2s.

I think you got a random personal discount with no test drive. I think that it'll last until the turret sale tomorrow, so enjoy your massively discounted M3 Smoky!

You can hide your own posts, you know.

>no O2 >low temperature >no food >cramped conditions >no internet >tfw you get hypothermia >tfw you can't play Tanki

Don't get too confident. M2 Vulcan isn't as powerful as the later M2s such as M2 Smoky or M2 Twins in general. You'll also have problems with Shafts, Thunders, and Railguns on maps with lots of cover.

You regain consciousness, noticing that it's pitch dark and you're hurting all over. You're sitting on a hard wooden floor with your hands tied behind your back. There is a faint smell of peppermint in the air. You put two and two together and figure that you've been captured by Santa. What will he do to you? Why are you not dead? "Ho....ho.....ho........" echoes in the background. You know not how far away the voice is, nor where you are. You strain your ears to figure out which direction it's coming from, but it's no use. A hand grabs you by the back of your neck and plunges your face into freezing cold water. You struggle, trying to lift your head up to catch your breath, but Santa's grip is too strong. Panic ensues. You simply cannot breathe. You finally run out of breath and start to inhale water. You feel your lungs filling up with cold liquid, and soon your body decides that there's no way you're going to make it and pumps you full of chemicals to make your last moments more comfortable. Except those weren't your last moments. Santa pulls you out of the water and punches you in the gut. You cough up all the water in your lungs with great pain, and when you catch your breath your lungs feel icy cold. Hopefully you don't get pneumonia. "Ho...ho.....ho......" echoes once again. "You see.....I didn't like it when you kidnapped me.....tortured me....took my presents...and disgraced me for a year.....now,....hopefully......you understand my point now.....but....we're not quite done yet, kiddo..." He rummages for something in the background. "This...is what you force fed me last year.....now....I'm sure you don't like it either....so why don't I give it a try?.....". He slams you onto your back, sticks a funnel into your mouth, and waterboards/force feeds you with a mixture of oatmeal raisin cookies and soymilk. Option A: Eat the mixture and throw it up into his face. Ewww... Option B: Resist the torture. I hope you had fun playing this. Now that you're done, feel free to open up all the options. Hopefully you didn't do that on your first try. If you did so, shame on you. :P Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone, and I'll see you next time!

Dictator-Thunder on a Polygon CP. It's not very good for taking the point, so I mostly sat back, picked enemies off, and bombarded the point with splash damage. I think our team had another Dictator Thunder, and the rest of my teammates were using Firebird or Freeze. Lots of multi kills were to be had.

Christmas Adventure 2: Electric Boogaloo Santa's Revenge It's been a whole year since that fateful night. The night when Santa mysteriously disappeared. The night when 90% of the world didn't receive their Christmas presents. The night when the people of the world were up in arms, trying to figure out what happened to Santa and his gifts. The night when the United Nations sent a joint military strike force to the North Pole in the effort to figure out if someone took Santa hostage. The night when they didn't find anything. The night when the Russian president declared that an oppressed Russian minority had been found in the North Pole and that it would be annexed. The night when the US president declared that Santa was an oppressive dictator, oil had been found in the North Pole, and it would be liberated in Operation Enduring Presents. The night when everyone was too full of Christmas food to do anything and the status quo didn't change. But to you, that night was the night you kidnapped Santa, did some, uh, convincing, and stole his bag of presents. Yeah. That's totally what happened. He disappeared into the night and was not seen since. You've been helping yourself to the heaps and heaps of presents inside of the Magical Bag of Presents, meant for the entire world. Everything you could ever wish for is inside- PS5s, Xbox Twos, Halo 6: Blarghs, Call of Duty 17: Black Ops Advanced Modern Warfare at War: Big Red One, and Half Life 3. Why was Half Life 3 inside it? Who was Santa going to send it to? Well, that's not your concern. You played it and it didn't meet your expectations. The presents are cool- their combined worth is probably about equal to the GDP of a large country. You've been selling a lot of it off, donating some of it away, and sending all the Twilight novels and Nickleback CDs to your worst enemies. But while getting the presents is possibly the best thing that's ever happened to you, with your infinite wealth and whatnot, there's been a persistent feeling in the back of your head. Thanks to you, Santa was not able to do his time-honored job last year. Hundreds of millions, no, billions of people didn't get their presents. Each and every one was disappointed, with reactions ranging from depression to cursing Santa to step on legos wherever he walks. His homeland was desecrated by the footsteps of uninvited beings. He isn't dead, so any wonder why he wouldn't want revenge? That thought has stayed in your head for a while, but today your fears have been confirmed. Your buddy who told you about Santa last year sent you another letter. hey bro santa's coming again i would watch ur hed if i were u m8 otherwise he could like kill u or sometin xD stay safe kthxbai It's been settled. He may not know exactly who you are, but he will find you and maybe kill you. Or force feed you oatmeal raisin cookies and soymilk, I'm not exactly sure. But in any case, you've prepared a fortress and locked your house down. Hopefully he forgets which house is yours and gets arrested by the police for trying to murder your neighbor, but if not, you'll be ready. Because Santa Claus is coming to town. 12:00 AM, Christmas Eve. Your parents are out for the night to go to some party, so you have the house to yourself. Unfortunately, this means that you'll have no backup if you need it. You've barricaded the doors with tables and chairs, covered the windows, glued Nokia phones onto the walls, and made a pentagram composed of oatmeal raisin cookies on your front door to deter Santa. You're huddled up in the basement, hiding in a fort made of random appliances from your present bag. All the lights have been turned off and you've shut off the power. Sitting in absolute darkness, the only things you can hear are your heartbeat and the sound of your breathing. It's really cold since you shut off the air conditioning, but you're huddled up in blankets so it's OK. A plate of cookies and some hot chocolate sits at your side to provide nourishment. You bide your team, hoping that Santa won't intrude into your house before the sun rises. But it's nice and cozy, and soon you find yourself drifting to sleep... ...you are awakened by a sudden noise. It was a crack, the crack of someone stepping on your floorboards. Was it Santa? Was it a ghost? Was it the Spanish Inquisition? You don't know for sure. You want to check the security cameras you set up earlier, but you realize that you shut off the power, so no cameras for you. "Dang...should I investigate or should I stay here?" Option A: Arm yourself and investigate the noise. Option B: Stay inside your fort and wait it out.

It's viable on Noise, Island, and in Polygon CPs, but it's not very good elsewhere. Slow, awkward to drive at close quarters, no long range firepower. If there's a large distance between you and your opponent, they can back up and take you out before you can reach them.

"Shaft sucks"

No, it actually reloads more slowly. The time listed for M1 Shaft (3.75 seconds) is the time for half of the ammo bar to refil, or the energy for 1 arcade shot. If you want to do full damage, you have to enter scope mode and consume the entire ammo bar, which means that the actual reload between full power shots is 7.5 seconds. Slower than M2 Railgun. Oh, and let's not forget that it takes ~2.8ish seconds for your shot in scope mode to charge up. So the overall reload for maximum power shots is about 10 seconds, compared to 6.55 seconds for M2 Railgun. Not very fast, huh? I like Shaft a lot, but you should be realistic about its capabilities. It is not superior to Railgun. They're both equally good when used correctly.

It's barely visible when you first start charging. Unless you're on a night map, you can charge up to around 50-60% before it becomes visible enough for your opponent to see.

Fully MUed Zeus has 50% Smoky protection. Using a Double Damage will basically negate that. The only issue is that your opponent can use a Double Armor (judging from the amount of drugging in high rank battles, this is common) and you'll be right back to doing half damage.

There's no reason to get both, since they're quite similar. If you like to move around a little bit, use Titan, since it's noticeably faster. Otherwise, use Mammoth.

Thunder is best for medium ranged combat. On Stadium, it's best used for attacking enemies in the central areas- it won't do a whole lot of damage against enemies on the opposite side of the map. On Monte Carlo, it's good for use in the upper area, but for optimal damage you should move to the upper middle bridge (where gold boxes usually fall). It's not good for use on the lower bridge, which is usually the domain of Shafts and Railguns.

The damage actually goes down a bit at longer ranges, but not by a whole lot, and definitely not as much as Twins.