"....but now, with those decreased up-down angles, this shaft weapon is a totally crap, you cant use it except for flat and long maps, we can say bye-bye to maps that we loved to play with shaft, etc....." Well, first of all it is UNFAIR. I explain. One can say that shafts should adopt this change because all other weapons has to move up or down to get an enemy. However this is not correct since other weapons can use the accelaration or the stop to snipe up or down because they move. Shaft has to STOP in order to shoot. So it is unable to reply to a (say railgun or thunder) that shoots from an upper level. I count a couple unfair changes against shaft: 1.inability to shoot behind a teammate or through an enemy with double kill (which for railgun remains) 2.reduce up-down move (which for vulcan is very wide in abnormal way from the point of experience of a real machine gun) Devs had not reason any of these changes. I do not care about laser. A experienced shaft can hide it and in cases of quick/arcade shots it doesn't matter. A general point about tactics: charging in advance is a double blade knife. You can have a powerful shot but you can also loose your target or even worse be killed by surprise. Comrade shafts, do not underestimate the enemies mind. They will not go where you want.

Sorry comrades for I am quite stupid (as a shaft user is supposed to be). I did not catch the picture's point. Does it mean that Captain_Raq got the first place in a high rank game, (either) 1)playing with shaft with no skill? (...therefore shaft is an easy turret) or 2)so got the right to tell the most eligible ascertainment? (...that shaft is an easy turret) or what else?

Well, it is not the easiest thing, but shaft does not have to be a sitting duck. Never sit in the same position, avoid 1 vs 1 battles, use many arcade and quick shots, be where your teamates need you and never use this combo in DM mode. These are my lessons playing precisely in this way.

which is the most probable

One can say the same for shaft. Its penetration has always been 100%. You can't bypass the question "why is it removed only for shaft?". On the other hand, the new power of arcades is good. It helped shafters to be mobile and unite their firepower with the teamates. I am happy to be an equal member of my team that helps the others. It 's far more enjoyable than being "the weird guy with the laserline who can't follow what happens around" or "the easy target to kill by encircling". The new shaft mode helped the shafters who really know their weapon to be flexible. Flexibility was something we needed. It has fun to see our enemies trying to kill us by encircling (or following hide and shoot tactics) and discovering (bad surprise for them) that shafter reacts fast. Also, sometimes I read something I really don't like. "Shaft", they say, "is a troll weapon". May I ask why? I may "steal" a kill, but why don't you ask me how many kills are "stolen" from me? When I reduce the enemy health by 95% with my shot, and then a smoky "bite" finishes it, why don't I accuse the smoker for "stealing" kills? And believe me I won't. I found it normal. This is life. This is tanki. They say that shaft is annoying weapon. So, I guess it is not annoying to be killed frozen from behind. It is not annoying loosing health from a "never die" isida whose "elecricity-wire" extends without limits untill it kills you, or being jerked continously by smoky shots while you try to aim. All the above are not annoying but shaft is. Fellows, give me a break.

Let us accept it. We are not the target group of the designers from marketing point of view. They had better work for kids seeking easy kills with excercised fingers on the keyboard. Playing this game quite a long, I also have excercised fingers and I am impressed of how easy kills you can have with railgun or thunder in comparison with shaft. With shaft you have to think where to stand before you shoot, you have to predict the enemy move and give yourself enough time to snipe. You can't play in any map. Of course you can use arcade shots and I agreee that the new style enpowering arcades fits the mobile shafters like me and many others. However, my above point is also true. So leaving aside the recent changes for a while and looking at the great picture, shaft has been nerfed a lot and we all know that the reason is the cry of the kids. "Kids" means all these players (no matter of what age), chewing while playing and moving fast their fingers (the only thing they can really do). They want to get easy victories, shouting in the chat "without me we would loose" or "how pro am I?" or "look at me, I am fighting 1 vs 3", drugging a lot and unable to accept that sometimes we may loose in any game we play. Playing shaft (in a helpful way for your team) needs iron nerves and to be a good tactician. This is not easy. I share your point about drugs. Now a drugged enemy cannot be killed by an undrugged shaft and once the surprise is lost for the shafter, shaft is easy target. So, if your enemy drugs, you also have to drug. I do not like this. I would prefer a game based on real skills (in fingures and mind). You may ask me, "why don't you change weapon?" Because first of all this is a game and a game means fun. Shaft has fun for me and I love it. If I leave shaft, I will leave tanki.

Are you sure? How many fireballs do you need to kill a wasp? How many smoky shots? How many thunder shots? Shaft can cause less damage in greater time of all of them. I have to go on sniping mode (waiting for a certain period of time) or to give small arcade shots in greater reload time of course. Why should I need so much time to cause a damage that a thunder causes with 1 or 2 simple press of space bar at almost the same distance? This is my point (I have posted it again extensively and I do not like to repeat myself): Shaft was a one shot kill weapon because it was the most inflexible. They all discuss about its power but none about its inflexibility. Why should I use a weapon of a reload time of a shaft with the cause damage and distance of thunder? In a few words, I wouldn't cry for the lost power but I deserve a brave reduce of the reload time.

I 'm affraid it is. I use other weapons too, but it happens only in shaft. Going in target mode (in fact no other weapon has target mode) the cannon goes out of control upwards to the sky. You can control it finally but losing VERY important seconds. In some other cases the cannon does not go downwards unless you press the up arrow in the keyboard for a while and then down (which is your wish). I have been killed in that way quite a few times. No other weapon has these troubles (I have tested it). On the other hand no other weapon has to be controled in the up-down axis. The problem with the turning turret is quite usual of course in all weapons but this is not my case. I would please the designers to take my note as a trouble report rather than a complaint. I still love shaft though. I might not play tanki without it.

Lately, I have noticed that shaft turret lags in a quite strange way. First of all, in some cases the turret spins without the user pressing anything and you have to press the right or left button following the spin. The button depends on the spin (i.e. if it lags clockwisely, you have to press right button for a moment and then to press any other button you need to aim). Similarly, it lags upwards (just after stop running to aim, by pressing space bar you go to target mode but the turret goes to the sky). In this case you have to press the upper button for a while (i.e. to follow the move of the turret) and then any other button to control the shot. Loosing fatal time in this way, I have been killed many times the last few days. Has anybody else noticed it?

Not really. Look this.

It deserves it and much more. This weapon has only one advantage. It can give one strong, accurate shot from a long distance. This is all. After this, it is full of disantvantages making it very difficault to use in the battle. low rotation speed poor visibility on sniping mode inability to fire on moving high reload time In high ranks even the advantage of long distance and the accurate shot is not so important. Railguns, Smokys and Thunders find the target automatically in high-low axis (up-down angle). I am impressed that Vulcan can shoot almost close to its foot. A smoky M3 can kill a hornet of lower level in two or three shots. In the same time shaft can't load for a fully shot. Railguns, Smokys and Thunders can get a target even in Serpuhov or Rio or Kungur at almost any distance so, the shaft advantage of long shot sounds theoretical. This means that a railgun or a thunder (especially the druggers) can kill you before just load, unless you have a heavy hull which means some other disadvantages (no time to explain now). Arcade shots mean nothing against a hunter or viking M3 (they mean nothing even against a drugged hornet). I don't mention that an M3 freeze or firebird are not any more close range weapons. Their effect approaches mid distance weapon. Just try to fight against them with a twins or smoky and you 'll see. That's why I am laughing in a bitter way when I read that shaft is an easy weapon for noobs. Some of these "skillfull" players accusing shaft for easyness, couldn't even survive in a high rank battlefield if I gave them a shaft.

I agree with the FogOfWar_XXX. Shafter has to THINK. You can't simply go towards the lost enemy flag. If you really can, then do it, but you don't help your team if just got killed. COVERING the flag YES. This is your job. You'd better leave the catch for a wasp firebird or isida. One of the reasons people do not understand shaft as a weapon is the way we tend to react. People say: "Oh someone got our flag, let's run after him". No, the shafter should predict the possible path of the flag carrier and take the appropriate position early enough, for an effective shot. Running after the enemy with continuous arcade shots is not the best you can do, unless the enemy is not very clever (to put it gently). P-Shooter, I share your feelings. I 've been pushed out of the edge at the time of sniping the enemy carrier of our flag. I don't know if that guy was simply a troll or helped the enemy team on purpose. If there are such players in your team, this is a good reason to change team.

respect

Dear co-shafters, I have a question. Does in every upgrade shaft become weaker and weaker in comparison with enemy hulls? I have upgraded my shaft to M3 and I cannnot even kill hornet M3 with a fully loaded shot. I remember that I could kill a hornet M0 when my shaft was M0 and M1 when it was M1 and so on. Did I do something wrong?