I normally take to defending the flag at Monte Carlo, because I find it fun, challenging and I can humiliate other players(specially them druggers when they cross over from that space with all three power ups). At the beginning of the game, I first move to secure the flag and see if anyone is coming for it so I can block them and send them falling to self destruct. If the top is secure enough, I pick one target before moving to the lower level to pick off any snipers or tanks moving in. I don't stick around too long and I'm only around till the danger is warded off, and then I move back up. I hang around the flag for more time than below because there's more danger on top. If ever I find someone coming from below, I first check the situation at where I am, that is with the flag. If no one is about to jump over to steal it and things look clear above, I just hang around near the flag at the slope connecting the two levels so I can quickly get back to the flag if there's trouble. This also enables me to pick off lower level targets more easily. While I'm at the flag, I sort of hide behind the slope which you jump to get to the enemy side, and right at the edge, it gives me plenty of cover and keeps me alive longer

Too true that! Today I accidentaly stepped into battle with an m0 railgun. Turns out, although I missed a few shots, I was still capable of threatening the enemy. I don't see how shaft has affected my ability on other turrets that much(Okay, maybe a wee bit, but it's pretty insignificant). Here's a bunch of reasons why I prefer using shaft: 1. Stealth, my favorite element in battle and my number one reason. 2. Competition against other rails and shafts. Some railgunners know their weapon well and will pop out at that instant when it fires, so you have to be quick to neutralise them. As for shafts, there are times when they're aiming while you reload behind cover. Dodging lasers is one thing, and there are times when you have to throw them off aim when they have aimed at you first, or you're done. 3. Hitting moving targets before they're completely in cover, for example a tank that has almost run behind a building but there's that little bit of it that you can still shoot which should be done while your turret is constantly turning to keep its aim, and that needs an instantaneous reaction. It's something I'm not consistent with still. 4. Every hit counts, specially in CTF, and it makes a massive difference in helping your team win flags by covering flag carriers, or by taking down flag attackers 5. When you become a major nuisance, like stinger said, you're placing a bounty on your turret(in other words, your head. Okay, lame joke). And that's when it gets more fun. Not to mention there's the part where they start calling you a noob because you show them no mercy 6. The laser update. The laser really intensifies the shooting competition between shafts and rails and must be hidden well enough to trap enemy tanks

+1 hehe

Unknown.......... hmmmmm gets me wondering what caused it too eh :P

I can't believe this argument about shaft being a bad turret is still going on. I left it a long time ago hehe

Was playing on the Monte Carlo map and there was a fly hacker on the enemy team, second one I saw today(unfortunately I couldn't catch the first one, who was a teammate in a separate match because I wasn't prepared and I only realised later because I wasn't looking and focusing on my role in the game). Here are a few images for proof. The first six are from the first game I played while the hacker was present. This was just one of probably 3 or 4 instances where he used the hack during this match. The final score in the sixth picture explains how unskilled the guy is delete The next group of pictures is of the next game, which I quit mid way not only because I was frustrated but because I had enough evidence to act delete In both of these cases you can see how unusual the position of the tank is before it lands, because that is not possible at such a low rank and without a speed boost. I attempted to upload a video but cancelled it since I was getting late and it was going to take very long. Sorry about posting the links and not the images because I wasn't able to post it that way, strangely enough, and I have no time right now to experiment. I hope this should be evidence enough, because I pretty much forced myself to do this, or else no one will. And I hope you guys are working on something to counter this hack too. Thanks for helping.

Don't forget when they annoy you by firing at you on purpose, or push you off the map. I just want these people to burn. Costs my team the game sometimes with that immature behaviour. I wish Tanki would come up with something to combat that. I'm no computer geek, but if that is possible, would appreciate it

Haha, would love to. Only problem is I'm pretty busy to do a one on one with anyone till the end of this month. But you have a deal. PM me when your ready to talk;) Just realised, once you get that wasp m2, I'm no longer going to be underestimating your tank, because it's stronger than my m1 hornet. Doesn't bother me, but I'm just saying:P

For those talking about shaft being too powerful and for noobs and stuff, I think they should now take a look at hammer. Way too annoying and it's going to stay that way even without the paint. Hammer now has the top position for most OP turret

Brother, stick to the rail more often if you've been using it before. Maybe you won't take out bad guys in a single shot, but you also can't let them change your choice of weapon. If you've used the rail more often than the shaft in previous times, keep it as your main weapon because you'll soon learn to overcome your worst enemies. Switching to using the shaft more often may not be good for a railgunner like you, I feel:)

Hope I get to play with you sometime then ;) Well, I knew the map well enough as well the drop zones. My aim was to take him out almost without using supplies(except the speed boost, and in few cases the double power and armor separately). The fact that he was using dropped supplies more often was what got me into trouble, because I wasn't. And yes, I was pretty weak against him and I was trying to learn to find a solution to everything without supplies and also with a weapon I wasn't fully familiar with, till I took out the shaft, which was too late(not to mention I'm not upgrading anything till a sale comes up so that cripples my tank against stronger ones. For now I'm just at m1 hornet shaft)

True man, same here. But then I understood the value of shaft as I got to higher ranks. The fact that an enemy shaft or 2 would always be haunting me or my team in a game made me learn a lot, so I had to change tactics and learn to overcome the difficulty. In the end, I see myself trying to dominate the other enemy shafters while also helping my team. Got into a DM with a viking hunter on highways map just now. Initially I was using freeze and trying to understand using a different turret instead of the shaft. He came in and I decided to fight with a freeze to see how good I was. The guy kept using the supply drops around and I was trying to get around him without any supplies (experimenting). Switched to shaft later and still found it hard because he kept getting back to full health with the supply drops(I was too, but mostly one, sometimes 2 at a time. This guy was on all three for most of the game). By the time I decided to do the same as him, the game was nearly over. He ended up being nearly unstoppable. I seemed like a noob. Still, learnt a little from that, but frustrating it was:/

I will agree on the fact that Athena has quite a point. Very few use the shaft in a decent manner, and the remaining children just use it because it's actually powerful enough to take most tanks in a single shot. The shaft is not given enough respect by many who use it, and is just used to get easy kills. I love the turret mainly because I enjoy competition against other shafts and railguns, specially against those with a hunter or viking hull (with the obvious exception of drugging). The laser update has made me love it all the more, because not only do I have to think fast about decisions, but I also have to figure out how to get that laser away from being pointed at me, to give me time to make my move.

I know brother, wasp is faster, but when you're being chased by a wasp(for example while capturing a flag), hornet has the best chance of shaking an opponent off, with the exception of wasp vs wasp(I've never considered that face off and I'm not sure how it will turn out). It's not always that you can get rid of a wasp, but you can if you know the map well enough. Of course, other option is to use a speed boost, but even the enemy can do the same too, so knowing the map will matter most in the end to escape.

Haha that 713 score. As a shafter, I keep to support and defense unless I see an opportunity or if my team is losing, and in those cases I attack as long as the defence without me is reliable. During such times I feel a hornet is useful. Maybe I should shift to hunter. It's only monte carlo that keeps me from doing so, as well as the speed factor which enables me to escape better from a wasp.

Damn keyboards, I completely forgot about WASD, and I didn't know < and > could be used. Must try that out. I did try Z and X, but it worked just like the arrow keys I got a question for you. When you're on a map like Monte Carlo, playing CTF as Hunter, aren't you unable to jump over that space that wasps and hornets can jump (with the speed boost at lower mods)? What would be your solution to that, since taking the underground route can get you killed much before you get halfway through, because only hornets and wasps can just jump over that space, snatch the flag and jump back over again?

True true, given the upgrades you've made on your turret, a hornet m3 without protection is near to done in one shot. In several occasions I've considered switching to Hunter, but I don't want to lose out on speed, which is something I've gotten very used to relying on now

Freeze is my second turret, I use it when I'm on the complete defensive. So annoying when I'm up against a freeze and I'm a shaft user, but I love using it, and your reason is also one of the reasons why I use it as well. I'm not so good with since I'm a default shaft user, and my keyboard doesn't like me holding three buttons at once, which I have to find a solution to and practice it.

Haha I know I know, that was terrible. Wasp m0 and m1 look pretty similar, but it's not like someone's going to use an m0 wasp at such a rank is it? By the way, why are you showing me that pic? Well, it does have enough to take a full shot from a shaft while it still has good protection

Well, there are times when it's useful, like when you're up against a stationery target right in front of you, then you have a better chance surviving in sniping mode, otherwise before you land a second or third normal shot, you're done. Even if you're not able to kill your target alone in team matches, you can at least weaken him better in sniping mode to prevent him from taking your teammates down. Of course, if you're up against a moving target circling around you and picking on you, sniping mode is terrible. Worst part is when you project your enemy's path wrongly when they're coming to you, and then they see you charging your shot on them and divert, and you have a charged shot but the turret isn't fast enough to reach them

Do enlighten me as to how it is false. That was pretty much what I meant, just said it in a different way

I will agree to that. In all my face offs against shafts, I've never met a wasp shaft combo threatening enough.

Well, I will agree that Hornet Shaft is not a good combo, although it's my main combo. It's only because I have the Dirty paint that I can take a fully charged shot and 1 to 3 regular power shots(depending on the shaft I'm against). But a wasp is a lot weaker and even a paint with good shaft protection like dirty will not protect it unless the paint gets upgrades. I don't know about m2 wasp though. And I'm pretty sure the wasp I faced off with was m1, since the guys rank was either 1 below me or equal to me(can't remember prefectly sorry). The fact that he had green paint made my job easier.

Got into a random DM against a wasp shaft today, and it was pretty clumsy a fight. I was a hornet shaft so I was better off and kept killing him over and over. He did get me once though, but man they're so weak even with double armor. You just need a full charge to take them out. Very nooby playing in some cases by me, but still survived lol. Wasp shafts are easiest to face off against

Haha look what the second placed guy had to say on the battle chat looooooooooool!!!!