Welcome to The Generalissimo's Handbook - a monthly column in the Tanki Newspaper dedicated to going past the baby-food and providing readers with advanced tips and techniques directed at those who have already reached a high standard in the game. As two Generalissimos ourselves, Fen and I have noticed over time the lack of information provided for those who are already accomplished players, even beyond Generalissimo, and are looking for new things to learn. In light of this, our intention through this new institution is to spur advanced players confident in their ability to improve, learn and ultimately become better players. At the same time, we hope to see less experienced players coming along here and learning some advanced tips to help them in their quest to improve. Before we begin, let's just run through the layout of the article this month. Same as last time - The Tips, The Video, the Question of the Month and a Q&A Session. Any suggestions for new additions to this column - go to the bottom and send in your feedback! ~ Gen's Handbook - Month 1 ~ ~ Gen's Handbook - Month 2 ~ ~ Gen's Handbook - Month 3 ~ ►The Tips◄ Written by hogree I. Anticipation The pet comes out again - Anticipation is one of the things that every tanker has to learn to take their game to that extra level. Predicting an enemy's moves is a secret behind so many players reaching that desired position of pro. And to make sure you are anticipating, there are a number of things you can do to help you. Firstly, what is anticipation and why is it such a key asset to your game? Anticipation's synonyms are "Expectation" or "Prediction" and those two words really encompass what it means to anticipate an enemy's movements. You have to basically guess what they are going to do. Why is it so important? It brings out the best in you. In XP Battles, with the charge of a Railgun, guessing where a player will go and when they will let themselves be seen makes you miss so many fewer shots and direct your aim in much greater positions. This is the first one. Try and have a mull over this. Read the game from another player's perspective. I'm going to repeat that because I think it's so big. Read the game from another player's perspective. We play a multiplayer game - this isn't Subway Surf or something like that. Everybody in this game is a real life person making real life decisions. So everyone on the other side of the map, opponent or enemy, is very likely going through the same thought processes as you yourself. Now, this is a major thing to recognize. If that position across the battlefield is likely thinking the same thing as yourself, you can put yourself in their shoes. Think when HE would move, think who HE would attack, think where SHE would drive towards, think what SHE would do. Listen up now because this is actually massive. If you are able to anticipate the game from the position of another player, this will help you in so many things. Your team-mate is moving into the opponent base and you can anticipate who he is going to aim for and when he will move out in the open. The enemy with the flag is in his base and you can anticipate when he will pop out to take his long-range shots. The bloke running across his base with the enemy flag will take this route because his Isida friend often comes out this way so you can drop a cheeky mine. Couple of other logical things before I close off this point on Anticipation. For those less accustomed to the trick, it is possibly the most vital for Railguns who are using this trick since your weapon automatically holds this extra layer of anticipation hidden in the charging feature. You have to guess so many things. So make sure you're using it. Another smart thing to do is immerse yourself in the world of StarSeries and while your watching your favourite team, just have a look at one of the players and imagine his thoughts. Follow his tracks - as you understand a player more, you will understand the game more and your ability to play will rocket. Be an anticipator. II. Respawning Slightly "dodgier" tip here and I'll keep it short. Here's a question for you - what do you do when you die? In Tanki, obviously. I know some would just mutter a couple of profanities under their breath, others switch to their Skype tab to send a couple of messages, others just think they have 10 seconds to re-focus their concentration again. And, in many ways, especially in the last case, they are right. However, people forget that these 10 seconds or so of respawning can actually be gold dust. The use of the respawn is a vital vital vital asset for a player to gain his whereabouts on the map. The time spent respawning is valuable and don't you forget it. So, what should you do when you are respawning? Here are some brief tips. I've already given a rant in the handbook on using your corpse and I am telling you now that I think that is one of the most important things I have actually ever written out in the newspaper. I've found out it has brought an extra dynamism to my game that not many other things have so I would recommend that - Month 2 of the Handbook which was linked above. And don't forget Corpsing does play a part in spawning as you have died. Make sure you use your corpse wisely. That's all I'll say - I won't go any further since I've dealt with it before. Now, once your corpse disappears, you have some valuable seconds to look around as you go on your flying spawn at the map and see as much as you can. If a flag has been taken away, see if you can get a glance of where the action's going on. Soak in as much as possible. But this isn't the big deal. It's about when you see where you're going to spawn and zoom in onto it that you need to start concentrating. It's always a smart idea to pick someone to ghost into if at all possible. Plan your way into someone's hull so you can pop out when you want and be in control yourself. Another little tip is make your mind up as to whether you want to feign inactivity, spin behind cover, or even distract enemies. These are precious seconds while you spawn so don't waste them. If your decision is clear, it makes things a lot easier for yourself as you know what you are doing. Maybe I haven't really said anything useful but I'd like to stimulate your minds into thinking seriously about how you think while you're spawning. Even sending a message over Team Chat giving details as to whether the flag is still two shots or one shot etc, etc. So don't waste your time spawning. Every second counts. ►The Video◄ Created by Fen-Harel Phew, it's been 30 days and it's about time for another Gen's handbook video. This time I'll show you the proper use of smart cooldowns that will greatly improve your overall score. Needless to say, you'll have to be willing to spend a lot of supplies for these tips to make any sort of sense, but if you can afford it, you'll have no trouble crushing everyone in your way. ►Question of the Month◄ Another initiative which began a couple of months back was the Question of the Month directed at a few of the Generalissimos in the English community, and this month we are continuing on with a brand new question. Guys, just so you know, you are free to suggest questions for this too that you would find helpful! This issue's question was themed on the current StarSeries Finals streaming over this week on Twitch and was: "In your mind, what is the best map for playing Light Format 6v6 Battles?" @Adequacy: To me Light format looks amazing in any map. Not because all maps are suitable for it, but because you will never win unless you have a plan in your head. In my opinion the best map for light format is Barda. This map is simply created for that! The way the bridges, buildings, bushes and even the flags are positioned makes this map an excellent field for Light. : I would say the best 6v6 light format map would either be Bridges or Parma. A lot of people would say things such as "Tribute or Red Alert" but I completely disagree because in Parma and Bridges you need skill and it doesn't matter what team you are on, where as in Tribute or Red Alert even if you have no skill but you have the higher ground you will more than likely win. : In my Opinion the best map for 6x6 Light Format is Parma, because in Parma you need to play as a team,with skilled players to make awesome shoots in this Map. the team need to take the important spots in the map for example the camper positions behind the tower or so. So its always excited to play their, to see if the own skill enough to can play together with 5 other players and win some games .What I also like , are the drop zones they are fair shared to every team so every team has the chance to get a full drugg and capturing the Flag @hogree: Since Light Format has grown once again under the Starladder System, the map that has shone through for me as the most equal, entertaining and skillful map has to be Barda. The way the teams are set up and the choices of holding the flag at different sides of the base during a "flag exchange" on top of the immense equality that has emerged on both sides is a stunning feature. The smoky's role is pretty strong, Hunters are not overpowered and yet the map is not too big to nullify them. A gem of a map, highlighted in Starladder. @erwinfighter: I choose definitely Barda as the best 6 x 6 light format map , because both side are almost equal.. red side has a bit more advantage, but that's just a little difference ... also the drops are exactly good for 6 players, not too many drops and also not too few! @B_L_4_C_K_G_O_L_D: The best map to play a 6v6 light format battle would be Parma, because u can only count on your skills and not on your luck. To win in this map, you must train for weeks on long range shots, how to attack without getting shotted , and know where each supply drop all over the map. and also, you need have a good tactic so you can cap flags easily and defend without any trouble. @joostcool: In my opinion the smoky makes the difference in light format. So I'd chose the best map by looking where the smoky plays an average part of the gameplay. Not too much, because gameplay will full of smoky shots, which is not desirable I think. Neither too little because then you may as well replace smoky with a hornet/railgun. When I watch streams from starseries, or play light format itself with my clan, I think that Red Alert is the map where smoky has an average influence on the results. Mainly due to it's many places to hide and no large wide open areas. Hiding is obviously important for railguns in order to take out the smoky. If a railgun meets a Smoky in the open field, the smoky has an advantage of moving the railguns shots. Due to a lack of open field in Red Alert this case won't happen often. On the other hand is there the island in the middle of the map where the smoky can hide and shoot in all directions of the map, so basically troll all players. @Law-Enforcer: Since I was playing with Vengeance clan via starladder and we were in Pro series. the hardest map and still the best in my opinion Parma. Why? because you're exposed to being shot and everybody could shot you but it improves your skills at sniping with long range. even you have to hide behind walls to avoid being shot and choose the perfect time to go to next wall. ►The Q&A Session◄ Thanks for all your questions once again guys! We received a number of questions again and it was a pretty tough job picking 5 out to answer. Appreciate all of your input - the more, the better. Great help to us. Do remember during the month any time a question pops into your mind, this is the place to go! @Lankero: How to use Wasp effectively? The strategy with Wasp is that you dodge shots rather than take them and rely on timing your attacks to take the enemy flag. So, to make that happen you cannot stop moving. Keep taking sharp and unexpected turns to dodge your opponent's fire. Try to damage the enemy team's defense, then re-spawn with full health. Keep repeating that until you see the enemy base cleared or low on health, that's the moment when you attack. However, flipping can be a big risk when using wasp, so pay attention to avoid that. We've covered ways to avoid flipping in the previous month's video. : Does an m3 XP/BP combo have an advantage over an m2 XP/BP combo? If yes then how do I as an m2 XP/BP combo counter that disadvantage? Since the XP Format came out recently, the dodgy paint use of M2 Hornets has been nullified and now there is a lot more fairness in battling between M3s and M2s. However, there are some clear differences between M3s in XP and M2s in XP. Firstly, obviously, there is a speed issue. M3 Hornets travel a significant distance faster than M2 Hornets. But not only the hull - the difference between the Railguns, though not so obvious, does make a difference at the top end. Although two M2 Railgun shots will always kill an M3 Hornet, thus placing both modifications of Railgun on face value at the same effectiveness, the difference comes when you begin double-shots. When an M3 Railgun makes a double shot on a regular M3 Hornet, the Hornet is weakened slightly - to the point that it will be killed by an M3 Railgun shot but NOT always by an M2 Railgun shot. This is a problem for M2s as they cannot capitalize on double shots in the same way M3s can. However, just to clarify, if an M2 makes a Double-Shot, M3's will still be able to kill the opponent - the only problem comes when the M2 takes the main shot after an M3 Double. So, yes, there is an advantage for M3's - particularly in the more skilled genre of XP Battling. There are just a couple of tips I would have for those who are in the case where they use M2s instead of M3s. Obviously, you need to hone your skills - do the normal drill: watch XP Players in Starladder, practise your Double-Shots since yours aren't hindered and follow the normal drill - you can have a look at some of my tips in the XP Comprehensive Guide some issues ago, linked here. One logical thing to nullify the speed issue would be to pick a role in your team where it is not so vital for you to move so quickly. A sniping role is an obvious example. Apart from that, just remember - the main issue isn't your equipment, it's your skills. People often judge M2s on face value - some of the best players I've played against have been using M2's. Prove them wrong. @blackdiamand: For gold hunting, how do you check the location of the spawn quickly? First thing you want to do is to learn the possible gold drop locations on the map. This will help you out so you know exactly where you're supposed to go. Probably the best thing to do when you see the gold notification is self destruct. However, in those 10 seconds, go towards the least popular gold drop locations and see if there's a gold spawning there. If there isn't any, chances are you'll see tanks piled up elsewhere whilst you are on your respawn, which means the gold is in that location. The re-spawn from the self destruction will ensure you have full health and if you're a bit far away from the spawn, you'll gather enough momentum to push everyone off the gold. @Penguin40: I am always beaten in duels. How can I win in duels? There is one classic rule for duelists who don't succeed and need to improve - believe me, I (Hog) know, if there's ever a bad duelist it's me. Be patient. Patience is vital for any person struggling in duels. Just keep frustrating your opponent by not giving them any openings. Protection is primary, force the unforced error. Get into the practice of playing the annoying duelist who won't accept losing. You will find that it helps. Other simple tips that may help out - try and stick as near as possible to your base when both of you hold each other's flags. This way, even if you get killed, you have a chance of spawning in time to halt your opponent from capping. Also make sure you try and keep on the level that suits you most in Sandbox when able - my favourite is staying at the bottom but others prefer roaming the top. Strangely enough, I wrote an article on five techniques to help you win a duel, which you may find useful. Since it's easier to just give you the link than paraphrase it all, here it is - hope you find it an insightful read if nothing else. @CRIME_GUY: If there is a choice between the flag and the enemy what would it be? Lastly, an intriguing question. To cut to the chase, I'd say ALMOST ALWAYS it would have to be the flag. The flag is the primary focus of every Capture the Flag game - the clue's in the name. So focus on the flag. If you have an enemy driving towards your base and you want to shoot him whilst you have a clear route in for the enemy flag, it would be plainly stupid to decide to follow the opponent. Flag is ALWAYS priority in this case. I hate when you see people on your team with eyes all on the enemies but not actually looking at the bigger picture - our flag is getting away and they're just sitting around their base sniping off pointless opponents. However, there is a sense where you must have the understanding of focusing on both. Often people see the flag and it takes their mind off all other things - watch Starladder and you'll notice all the pros are focused on both the flags and the enemies. They don't move in for the flag if it's stupid to. They're smart in their timing and you have to be the same. Enemies have their place, but when you see a route in for the flag, it is DEFINITELY the priority. Your driving with the flag should also not be affected by stalking down enemies. You have one job - to capture the flag. We will be continuing this Q&A Session, and even those who didn't manage to get their questions answered this time out will be able to take part again. We didn't have many this issue and we want more!!!!! Any questions that pop into your head - send them here! Feel free to quiz us regarding issues that you feel experienced Generalissimos may be able to give light on or even just to see their opinion on certain subjects you want to know more about. Once again, we will pick 5 Questions from those entered on the form below and answer them next issue. If your question was sent in but not answered, please send it in again for this coming month so we can consider it again. So send your questions in! Enter your questions here ► Ideas and Suggestions (Again Again Again...) ◄ We are still a pretty new initiative for the community and thus, it's your call as to what we do in the future. Perhaps a neat new section - a short map review or combination summary. ANYTHING. We would appreciate all ideas for this column - we want it to be as beneficial as possible to the community it is for. So below, we would like to request that you post all your ideas and suggestions for the future of the Handbook. Feedback is vital for its improvement. Although we stuck with the same format this time round, we're open to change. So use your voice! Thanks for reading! Hog & Fen

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The brand new StarSeries Season IV kicked off over a month ago and is intensely poised after a superb few weeks of endlessly impressive gameplay. Now, with over half of the matches played, the Season is seriously hotting up and the fight for the finals and avoiding automatic relegation is only going to get more and more desperate. In this mid-season Update, we have a Review of the season so far, interviews with a top StarSeries player and a Cybersport Commentator, as well as Plans and Predictions for the rest of the games this Season! Whether you are an avid eSports follower or just a player interested in watching the top of the top and wanting to know more, this StarSeries Update is for you! SEASON SO FAR... A superb opening to the fourth edition of Tanki's Star Series has seen the table well-set heading into the final few weeks and made sure that viewers' appetites are whetted ahead of the approaching showdown at the end of the season and mouthwatering Finals to follow. Let's kick off with a few words of context for you who don't know. The StarSeries is currently the highest division of eSports in Tanki. Funded by a prize pool of real cash and formed of the 12 best clans in the game, the game formats have 6-a-side teams and revolve around Railguns, following many of the skills amateur players learn in the growing XP Format. For full details on the StarSeries and all of the rules, just head over to the Rules Page of the Tanki Starladder Website, or read up on the "Context" which I added in the Mid-Season Update during Season III. Right, it's high time we get down to the real business. Let's have a look at what's happened so far this Season. Well, the highly-esteemed Arcade came out to Season IV on the back of their most impressive victory yet, managing to hold off the crown from GGWP.PRO despite seeming lacklustre for large portions of the season. GGWP.PRO and Psychos also had the wind behind them after superb previous seasons which saw them get positions on the medal table. Along with them saw All In who powered to a top-four finish in Season III, as well as eGuards and Angels & Demons who had suffered poor turn-outs in Season III and were both keen to reach their high standards once again. The remaining teams were Dawn of War, Arm Pride and the four new teams (all co-incidentally non-Russian) from to the scene - the champions of Pro Series Season III, LTU, runners-up Alert, and VIC and #1, two clans who managed to qualify via play-offs against Husky and Wood's who had been in StarSeries the previous season. The transfer window at the opening of Season IV saw quite a few well-known faces move around, with Angels & Demons notably grabbing a few big names off other prominent clans, including Hell.Rider and EDO123456 (proclaimed by GGWP legend A-guero as the best BP player in StarSeries), formerly key members of Arm Pride. A&D's intentions were on clear display, with rumours that they were determined to outdo Arcade this year clearly showing itself by their pre-season moves. Only after a couple of games of Season IV, Fer-legend, a core player from GGWP's successful Season III, moved to All In who also greeted famous smoky The_Best_Boy to their team, with GGWP also suffering the painful loss of leader MyLife-MyRules during June after disputes with the StarLadder referees over rule infringements regarding taking money for positions in the GGWP squad. The Season got underway on the 13th of May, with Psychos kicking off their season in style with two satisfying early victories over fellow-top-4-challengers GGWP and All In proving their early intentions in the season. Last year's strugglers eGuards and A&D opened on a high with resounding thrashings over the newcomers and a couple of decent results against last year's finalists - the former edging past the latter when they met a couple of weeks into the competition. The new teams quickly settled into the goings-about of the StarSeries although with a high quality in several teams, they were mostly dealing in rounds rather than wins - although VIC were able to grab the first points for any of the new teams against renowned StarSeries opposition at the end of the second week with a surprise victory over Arm Pride. finally managing to steal some points. A weak beginning for GGWP culminated in the aforementioned departure of key player Fer-legend and signs of their weakness were evident in two consecutive 4-0 hammerings by in-form clans Angels & Demons and All In. Psychos' strong beginning was also fading - not helped by the departure of key Smoky kiril.132 during the early weeks of the season which only increased the slump in form for the clan. Holders Arcade had a fairly relaxed opening to the tournament with a handful of simple games but their first meeting with a major challenger to their position proved once again they were not the force they once were with a narrow draw with eGuards before suffering a shock defeat by out-of-sorts GGWP. The almost universal format of 3 Hunters and 3 Light Hulls was revealing a focus on individual skill as diverse line-ups became more and more foreign - the unbeaten run of eGuards was especially grabbing attention due to their weak previous season and lack of action in the transfer window. It seemed like the temptation of a LAN Finals in the locality of Moscow was attracting them to once again return to their previous position of domination. An eye-catching piece of news hit at the end of May when Dawn of War, who had suffered a topsy-turvy start to their campaign, suddenly signed a contract with multi-gaming company PRIES to move under that name for the future. On the battlefield, All In were catching the eyes of viewers after three immediate losses in the season with an impressive recovery leading them on an incredible unbeaten win streak that at time of writing is still yet to be broken at 12 consecutive wins, which included the scalps of fellow challengers Angels & Demons as well as a superb 4-0 double over GGWP during June. The first loss for eGuards came during June with a well-earned victory by A&D but that did not halt the Russian clan's form with a satisfying victory over Arcade coming later in the month, giving a sweet hint of vengeance for their painful defeat against Arcade at the first LAN Finals two seasons previous. At the bottom, newcomers LTU were providing hope that one of the four new clans would be able to dodge the bottom four positions with impressive performances which were rewarded with well-earned draws against Psychos and GGWP. And so, the season reaches this stage with a couple of weeks of battling left to play and a tasty-looking table gleaming at us from our screens. To steal a glance at the full list of results so far and watch replays, take a look here. And believe me, it's only going to get more and more exciting! Have a look at the table below: Table on 24th June (To view updated table, click here.) And, don't forget, to view all the games so far this season commentated on in English, click the link here. INTERVIEWS Woop! The highlight of the issue! I was able to grab a few words with a couple of big names in the English Tanki eSports world - one renowned player from Arcade and an English eSports commentator to see their opinion on the Season so far. Enjoy! You_aLways_Iose Tanki Veteran and Member of Arcade, formerly known as "CRAZIER" in the English Community. Me: Hiya. How is Arcade finding Season IV? Are things looking positive? What's your feelings on the season so far? You_aLways_Iose: I think that this Season is the most competitive for us... Now all teams in StarSeries are very powerful and none of them easy to beat, but I believe so far we did a great job and we are handling the pressure. Personally, I am very happy because I returned back to the game and I will be able to help my team by playing all games, something that didn't happen in Season III due to personal reasons. Me: Yes, can't argue that the standard has gone up. Which clan have you been most impressed by so far this season? You_aLways_Iose: Hmm... I guess LTU. They play very well and they're trying to do whatever it takes to stay in the Star division for the next season. Me: kk. eGuards have had a fantastic start to the season, haven't they? Do you see them as your biggest threats? You_aLways_Iose: I don't see them as the biggest threat... They just started the season very well and with luck they reached 1st place so far... But personally I think they will lose some games, cause they are not a steady clan ... In Season II they reached finals and in Season III , they played badly... But soon everything will be cleared and we will see who is the threat for us. Me: Okay, fair enough. Just before I finish, as a Railgun-Hunter who has played with Railgun-Hornet as well, what skills do you think a player needs to use Railgun-Hunter instead of the common XP Combination? Is there a different style of gameplay? You_aLways_Iose: There isn't a different style... The weapon remains the same. For example i play only XP in the game servers and when i play in StarSeries i use Hunter... I don't think it needs any other skills ... Just before any important game you should take Hunter and train a little bit with the tank, make some shots for 5-10 mins ... I think that these things are enough for anyone who wants to use Hunter. If you do the things I said, then after you find the rhythm, everything will be fine... At least works for me :P Me: Alright. Finally, what are your predictions as for which teams will reach the LAN Finals for Season IV? Who do you think is the favourite to win the tournament or Arcade's biggest threat? You_aLways_Iose: That's easy... Arcade, eGuards, A&D and hopefully ALL IN ... Favourite of the tournament, of course, is the 4 times consecutive winning team ................ Arcadeeeeeeee eEEEEE Sports ;) Me: Great, good luck to you guys! We can't wait for the Finals! Thanks for taking part again. :) You_aLways_Iose: Thank you very much. Again i was happy to be a part of this :D Arabiannoble eSports Commentator for the English Community Me: Evening mate. Firstly, just like to say how much you've improved as a commentator recently, really been enjoying the streams so far this season so keep it up. So, first question, quite generally, what's your verdict on the season so far? Been impressed with what you've been seeing? Any improvement on Season III so far? Sami: Aw thanks, I’m honored my love :$ Season IV as compared to Season III? Meh. I hate judging before finals even begin… but I resent the changes they made to the line up rules. Banning savannah and only allowing 3 medium hulls means we only see 2 digitals and 1 tundra hunter in the line up nowadays in pretty much every map :/ Me: Yep, see the logic in that. it has made for less diversity in team line-ups - positive side of that though is that you could argue that means more skill involved for each time. Still, point taken. Any team that has particularly impressed you so far this season? Sami: eGuards :D but kinda impressing everyone. Again though, doesn’t mean anything until the finals. They don’t stop winning though xD Their captain, Holy Hero Alexxx is a monster smoky, I always forget to watch the rest of the team because I’m tracking him (rofl) Me: Too right man, he's a machine. Any other teams that have caught your eye? Sami: e___e hmmmm...Not any that I can think of. I’ve always been a fan of PSYCHOS because of their captain is everything I aspire to be, and Hormony is amazing, but they haven’t been playing so well. Me: Yeah. What StarSeries maps do you most look forward to streaming from the perspective of a commentator? Sami: Not Barda :/ It turns into standoffs so often and I run out of things to say as people just snipe each other. My favorite map has got to be red alert. But then again, it’s everyone’s favorite in terms of its fast paced nature. But other maps like bridges and parma allow me time to break it down more tactically. Me: Understandable. Cheeky question, but who do you most enjoy commentating aside? Sami: Ok mate, trying to get me in trouble. I see how it is. 100 percent honest, they are the same :D GV is that solid anchor that makes sure I don’t go astray and keeps track of everything, I love him. Damn_slow is more similar to me, we can veer off talking about experience and tactics and all sorts of things, but sometimes we have to remember to veer back to what we are watching in front of us :D Me: Successfully dodged, fair play. Back to StarSeries and who are the individual players who have most impressed you in the StarSeries circles recently? Sami: Holy Hero Alexxxxx. SO MUCH KING IN ONE GUY Me: Apart from him? Any Railguns? Sami: Hell.Rider is an incredible xp player… going to Angels and Demons was good for him, he’s competing hard with EDO to win the thing. EDO is one incredible BP player as well, the guy to watch if you want to learn some skills with wasp and railgun. Me: Too right man. Brilliant players. Well, what are your predictions for the season? Who do you reckon will take the top 4 positions and can I dare to ask who your punt is on grabbing the trophy this season come the finals? Sami: You are really asking me to just place the top 4 spots right here and now? I don’t know man!! I’ll just throw it out I guess. 1. eguards 2. arcade 3. angels and demons 4. All In with VIC and ALERT going down of course. Jumping from pro to star series is a hell of a jump, accommodating to the new pressure and respawn times and all. Me: Yep, quality is much higher. Well, thanks mate. Last question - how do you manage to chat in the Twitch chat whilst commentating?! Sami: I keep the battle in a window and then pop out the twitch chat, then place them side by side. Had experience when I used to do my own personal live streams (rock) Me: Cool cool. Thanks a lot, and best wishes for the rest of the Season! Sami: Thanks :D THERE'S MORE TO COME... Season IV isn't nearly over yet. There's still piles more of action to watch this month! Below are a couple of my picks from a packed fixture list. All matches will be streamed on the Russian Twitch Channel, and many of the most important battles will also be streamed via the English Twitch Channel - both linked below We have some blockbusters ahead of us with a final day showdown between last year's finalists GGWP and Arcade tastily eyeing us from the end of the schedule on Monday 13th July - who knows, that could be a vital match for the final position in the top 4 if Arcade have a few more slip-ups and GGWP ensure their form picks up. Other matches to watch out for this month include the showdown between A&D and Arcade on Saturday 27th June and what could become a crucial encounter between Psychos and Arcade on Sat 4th July. As for the bottom, an exciting encounter between promising newbies LTU and floundering Arm Pride on Sunday 28th June could prove vital in avoiding the relegation play-off places, whilst the automatic relegation play-offs could reach a showdown when VIC face ALERT on Sunday 12th July. All to play for as it stands and we could be in for an exciting finish to a quite gripping season! As for Predictions? Have a look at mine below - this is how I expect the Table to look like, come the end of the Season. Well, The Season finishes on the 13th of July, before the LAN Finals in Moscow begin. I'm supporting the disappointing PRIES as always this season, but gunning for eGuards in the potential line-up for the LAN Finals. How about you? Who do you think will bring home the crown? Will Arcade win for the fourth successive time despite their poor form? Will GGWP or Psychos be able to recover to get to the Top 4 as they did last time? Will eGuards be able to avoid defeat for their remaining battles to hold out for a record 20 Victories? Will either VIC or Alert have a late recovery and can Arm Pride avoid the danger of automatic relegation? Find it all out this month! Many of the matches will be streamed on the English Twitch Channel, brought to you by our very own Cybersport Commentator Team. However, in the case they are unable to stream a battle, particularly during the week, you will be sure to be able to watch the livestream on the Russian Twitch Channel. Missed any games? Just head over to the English Tanki Starladder Youtube Channel to catch up with re-runs of the games you missed. If the battle you're looking for was not streamed on the English Twitch Channel, take a look at the Russian Tanki Starladder Youtube Channel which has re-runs of every single game and short highlight clips of the most important games! And so the showdown of Season IV awaits us! Stay tuned - next month in the paper, we'll have an update on the final results of the Table and depending on the date, cover some of the much-anticipated LAN Finals which await us later in the summer! Thanks for reading! Fancy reading more? The eSports Reporters Team will be regularly posting interviews and updates from the StarSeries Season over on the "eSports News" Section of the Forum. Up at the moment is an interview with the leader of eGuards, Holy_Hero_alexxxxxx. Check it all out here!

Welcome to The Generalissimo's Handbook - a monthly column in the Tanki Newspaper dedicated to going past the baby-food and providing readers with advanced tips and techniques directed at those who have already reached a high standard in the game. As two Generalissimos ourselves, Fen and I have noticed over time the lack of information provided for those who are already accomplished players, even beyond Generalissimo, and are looking for new things to learn. In light of this, our intention through this new institution is to spur advanced players confident in their ability to improve, learn and ultimately become better players. At the same time, we hope to see less experienced players coming along here and learning some advanced tips to help them in their quest to improve. Before we begin, let's just run through the layout of the article this month. Same as last time - The Tips, The Video, the Question of the Month and a Q&A Session. Any suggestions for new additions to this column - go to the bottom and send in your feedback! ~ Gen's Handbook - Month 1 ~ ~ Gen's Handbook - Month 2 ~ ►The Tips◄ Written by hogree I. Invisibility The art of not letting your enemies know where you are can be applied in almost every situation in Tanki and an art that is ignored by far too many players, even at the upper end of the game. Invisibility is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek term because it's obviously impossible to truly not be seen - don't worry, I'm not advertising a hacking system. The art of invisibility is simply not being seen from your opponent's perspective. And there are many ways to implement this vital art which is so often ignored. The first question is: why wouldn't you want to be seen? Well, there are two main options - you want to creep up on your enemies so you can get the fire in first or you want to grab the flag without being noticed. The latter is my particular focus today. We've all been there - it's one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. You are an assault attacker and after millions of attempts of faliure, you just drive into the enemy base ignored until the last second, and you're away. Do remember this attempt for invisibility is most wisely used with Wasp or Hornet as they are fast enough to make a getaway when the flag alert sounds. First thing to do is be careful you do NOT shoot on sight. Take care when you shoot. Your role is to capture a flag, not take potshots at opponents. Remember, when an opponent is shot, he always wants to find who shot him. It's natural instinct. You WILL, and I guarantee it, lose the "invisibility" status if you start shooting at opponents. It is a MUST to be discreet, and that does sometimes you mean you shouldn't shoot at opponents. This can even be true for players in Clan Wars or XP Battles - just because you can kill the opponent doesnt mean they can't warn their team and get backup in. Make sure you're confident you can get away or sure you've been seen when you start shooting. Now, invisibility's art is best come by approaching the enemy base from a different direction to your team-mates. This is known amongst many players as a decoy attack. A fantastic way to enter the opponent's base un-noticed even though it does require teamwork in attacks. One group of players bomb down one area to take the attention of the defence and meanwhile you creep in and make a runner for it with the enemy flag. To perfect this, you need to include the aforementioned tip of making sure you don't take unneccessary shots. Included in this is the reminder that you should always try and remain in cover as much as possible. Especially when equipped with a fast tank, it doesn't take much to go the long route round a map to avoid being shot when you enter the enemy base. And remember to be patient when you're sitting there un-noticed. Wait for the backup from another player to attract the attention from the defence, run in and grab the flag! Best for light-hulls if you're attempting this assault. Another humorous tip I find works is to change equipment so as to imitate one of your opponent's combinations. This gives you the chance that some of the defenders could see you and think it could be one of their own team-mates. Worth trying, you know! There are other ways to increase this art of Invisibility which can gain a team so many flags. Avoid turret turning as much as possible, for one. The less your turret turns, the less sound you will make; thus the less obvious it is for opponents to spot you. Another one was explored by eGuards leader Holyhero_alexxxxx in a recent V-Log when showing a clip of directing Shaft's laser into a wall until the very last moment when you spot an enemy - at that moment you pop out, reveal your laser and obliterate the said enemy. Very smart, especially for Shafts but also something all players can learn from - making sure that we are not easily visible from afar. If you're in a standard battle, never ever use your Double Power before you use your Double Armour and Nitro. Those two are the most important drugs to use by far, and I'd even say Nitro can be the most helpful for these assault attacks, particularly when a Freeze is in defence. A final tip I would recommend to you all is using a discreet paint. At high levels, this could be a paint like Prodigi rather than, say, Inferno. Don't look obvious - for understandable reasons. You want to be invisible; un-noticed. II. Decision Making This little piece on Decision Making will never do justice to a topic that warrants such a huge amount of information. Now I'm not talking about the kind of dilemma when you're waiting for a Gold Box and thinking whether you should shoot the bloke next to you. I'm thinking about those split-second decisions you make about where you should drive when you spawn, who you should aim for, where you should move when you hear your flag being taken. The fact is, one of the most significant things that make pro players the best in the game is quite frankly that they make the right decisions when it matters. Here's a little taster as to how you can hone this area in your game. I think the most important thing to remember in this topic is that you actually realize you have decisions to make. You realise you have a choice. You realise that you have an aim. Your mind actually processes that you have different options. This is VITAL. If you drive and shoot random enemies without any consideration of the bigger picture, you are as good as a sabotaging "mult" and may as well quit. Now since I'm not primarily lecturing to the lower-ranked players, I'll leave that there for you to mull over. Practically, here are some tips which I personally find helpful in regards to this topic (and I speak as someone who is a failure, admittedly). Direct your movements/shots upon the movements of the biggest threats. Always pay the most attention to the people who are the most skilled or the most well-equipped - or of course, if they have the flag. You see them coming, direct your focus onto them and take some shots on them rather than a not-so-important threat. Deal with the people with supplies all the time, deal with the people who have the strongest stuff. Sometimes this is disguised, you see an enemy who is using Freeze-Viking with a Double Armour and Double Power who is being bombarded by your team-mates and you see a Hornet with a Nitro speeding towards your flag. Probably smartest to make sure you hit the Hornet rather than the Viking - since they are not being watched by anyone, they are the biggest threats. With that in mind, what should you do if someone takes your flag? This would be my suggestion - avoid chasing enemies with your flag in their tracks, particularly criminal with short-range weapons. By this I mean hearing the flag alert, and chasing the fellow who took your flag in the exact direction he took. He's going to get away quicker than you, most of the time. The best way to counter offence from opponents is to mount an attack on them and cut them off that way. Normally, when a player has taken your flag, your best shout is to make it as quickly as you can to the opponent's flag-base whether or not that takes you in the path of your own flag. Lastly, a tip with picking your shot. Too many prioritize on killing enemies. They think aim for the weak is the most successful option all the time. Killing enemies is what you want, right? The more you kill, the better! WRONG. There are many, and I repeat many, occasions when the best shot to take is on a strong player. This can come down to team co-ordination - we all know what it's like in an XP Battles all four in attempt to cut off the flag-carrier take shots at him when all it really needed was one person to take the shot, and in the end, one full-health player simply grabs the flag and takes it back to base with you all helpless with lack of charge. But more often, it comes down to logic. A weak defender is better than a strong just-respawned defender. So you don't want to kill off a defender just so he can return with full health later on - now sometimes, when camping Isidas are around, it might be smart but the idea still stands. Weak enemies are better than strong enemies. Keep the weak weak and get the strong weak and you have the upper hand. Finally, couple of obvious tips to remember. Always focus on the guy with the flag. He is the threat. I did mention the situation in the above paragraph which can be a problem but you should really aim for him on most occasions. And perhaps the most important thing - you as a tank in your team always must consider your options and remember it's not about the kills, it's about the flags. ►The Video◄ Created by Fen-Harel Hello, Tankers, welcome to the new Gen's Handbook video! This time I'll show you how to control your hull and make it a challenge for your opponents to do the same. Got any of your own tips? Post them below along with your impressions of the video. If the video was helpful to you, feel free to share it with your friends. Enjoy! Note: You can turn on video subtitles by clicking the CC button if it makes it easier for you to follow the video content. ►Question of the Month◄ Another initiative which began a couple of months back was the Question of the Month directed at a few of the Generalissimos in the English community, and this month we are continuing on with a brand new question. Guys, just so you know, you are free to suggest questions for this too that you would find helpful! This issue, the question was:"In your mind, what is the best combination to equip in a regular Silence CTF battle?" @7919zola: Given the relatively small size of the map, I'd argue that the 'best combination to equip' would be Freeze-Viking-Africa. Considering that both bases are tremendously close to each other, if a tank were to steal your team's flag, he/she would be just seconds away from capturing it. That being said, freeze provides unrivaled defense and modest offense for your team. With its balanced speed and reasonable health, Viking is easily the best choice... again concluded based off of the surroundings. Simply said, light hulls get wrecked :P far too easily, and heavy hulls are only practical if accompanied by heavy drugging (which should be absent, especially if this is a plain-old, plain-old non-Pro, good ol' fashioned CTF match). Last but not least, the paint Africa... which was purely chosen for its diverse protection against common short to mid range turrets. Of course this is just my opinion, and I am often more biased towards defensive combinations, thanks to my scarred for life experiences with "druggers" in my early days of TO. ;) @Lankbouv: Hammer/Viking. The reason is simple, mine is m4 and therefore can plough through anything pretty much, whether they are drugging or not. : Silence map changed a lot in these years, in the old tanki I used to play with viking python and freeze, it was very compact combination, but now, everything changed, and you need to use a heavy tank, but fast at the same time, so the perfect tank could be the Titan, and the perfect weapon could be something at medium range, it could be the Twins, good and strong, and the paint should change according of the enemy weapons, but the perfect one, and I like it a lot is Zeus, because sometimes the firebird it's so annoying, and we also have 25% against freeze and smoky, that it's not so bad. @SpHryfBoss: Simply starting off, Silence is a medium map, so a logical combination to use would be a medium hull (heavy for campers) with a turret you are skilled with. From my experience in Silence CTF battles, I found that the most effective combination consisted of a medium hull such as Viking or Hunter (I prefer Viking), towered along with my Freeze, since I mostly took on attacking. The effectiveness of this combination can be increased by many times if you have an Isida by your side healing you, so I recommend choosing one or the other! If you don't like capturing the flag, I would suggest you using Thunder for simply lowering the enemies' health. The damage from Thunder is already fairly decent, and the splash makes your job easier. As for the paint: I would just tell you to use the one that protects you the best from the enemies! @Maestro.Italiano: Well, for me the answer is obvious, Ricochet and Viking. Personally, I've been in awe of this combo for a while now and it's not losing my attention yet. Viking is balanced, powerful, quick, and well armored. Add the fact that mine sports high micro upgrades in health make it really hard to stop. It gets into the enemy base, is fast enough to pull away from a Freeze and heavy hull that might be defending or just running from the enemy fire, and armored enough to survive too. Ricochet is extremely high damage, fast shooting, and just annoying as a whole. Under fire from a Ricochet means basically no one can shoot you back except for that annoying Vulcan, and of course close range guns. It's high Damage per second will help you fight your way out of any fight you may be in, and in 1 on 1 situations, your the winning ticket unless you meet that drugging Isida or Firebird <_<. Silence can seem to be an impenetrable base for either side, it will take the right combo, tactics, and drugs (if they are on) to get a flag out successfully. Of course, the back up of your team is as critical as your attack. Good luck on the battle field Tankers and have fun. @trollface.jpg: My ultimate choice for a Silence CTF would be Freeze/Viking, weird eh? In Silence, we can see many tanks cramped up together either defending or attacking, so freezing them all together will be a huge + for us, with Viking's HP and speed we can defend and attack at times. We again have an advantage of Freeze where we can just freeze the opponent and easily snatch the flag and move away. And while defending too, we can freeze the flag holder and by the time he gets out of our base, we will have our teammates to take care as he is not fast enough to escape thanks to the freeze. Another idea is where one of your teammate can take out some light/medium defenders and sacrifice himself and you just freeze the slow moving heavy guy and run away. Freeze is one of those turrets with which you can attack without a Isida behind you, you just need to get the timings right. As far as for defending, as already said, just freeze him up and wait for your teammates to get around, and with Viking you can take bit of damage and still survive to kick freeze other tanks. @unholycloak5: With my current equipment, I would definitely choose Vulcan-Mammoth. I have been using this combination since I have bought this beauty. Unfortunately, this is not great for offense as a fatty cannot easily get fast enough back to the base to do a capture. On the bright side, this is the best and most effective (for me) combination that may be used for destroying several tanks real quick. Blue or red side, it doesn't matter unless you have one spot or two that can help destroy incoming tanks. However, with its overheating thingy, you will definitely need an isida or two to be able to survive for a period of time or defend well against a Freeze especially. I guess that's all I can say now. This fat tank can definitely eliminate tanks than you expected. :) @Winner_Of_Turkey: Silence is one of the hardest maps in the game. Each side has their own advantages. The only way to win a battle in Silence is choosing right equipment. For example if you choose light hull it will make you easier target. If you choose heavy hull it will make you slower. Medium hulls are most preferred in these kind of maps. It works perfect on both teams. Of course the turret you have chosen matters a lot. Pick your turret by looking at your enemies paint. But I would prefer Freeze, even if they have protective paints. If you want to attack get Viking and Freeze. Choose the best paint against your enemies, with 1 or 2 isida behind you and a little experience will lead you to the victory. ►The Q&A Session◄ Thanks for all your questions once again guys! We received a number of questions again and it was a pretty tough job picking 5 out to answer. Appreciate all of your input - the more, the better. Great help to us. Do remember during the month any time a question pops into your mind, this is the place to go! @Lankero: When to enable the Repair Kit to benefit the most from it? The repair kit is the most expensive and arguably the most useful supply in the game. With that said, you don't want to waste it by using it at the wrong times. First make sure you're actually low on health points, this will help take most of the repair kit's effectiveness. Try and take a double armor before using an hp kit, it won't push back the timer any further for it and you'll practically double your health points. However, seeing as the supply heals 400hp and most hulls have below that number, there's still a bit of benefit going to waste. That waste is what you want to minimise. You'll want to use the repair kit once you're low on health points and under heavy fire. That way you'll keep regenerating health while your opponents waste time trying to damage you. This also ensures that you take all 400hp from the repair kit, even if your hull has much less health than that. Another useful moment to use it is to counter freezing and burning effects, but try to save the repair kit if there's an Isida close by - let her heal you instead. MiniRocket: I am slowly learning how to turn my turret and shooting while driving at the same time in a different direction, but I am still having difficulty. Do you have any tips for me to improve this area of my game? Superb question. I know many newer players are in exactly your situation and that is the perfect question to be asking - too many players don't go out of their way to ensure they work into their gameplay an apt use of their turret whilst driving and end up going into the Lieutenant Ranks suffering from the all-too-common disease of turret trouble. I would just give you a couple of tips to improve this area of your game. Firstly, do some private practice by yourself. I'd recommend going to Deathtrack, since it has a route around the map which is quite nasty to manoeuvre and is quite fun too. What I'd say is get your Smoky equipped with either Wasp or Hornet and drive round the map whilst constantly turning your turret. That's one way of getting used to driving your tank without associating it with your turret too closely. Another tip I would recommend is long-distance shots at buildings whilst driving. Set yourself a notable point such as a window in the distance to aim for as you drive which requires your turret to turn, and as you drive, take a shot and see how close you get. This can be multiplied to include spin shots and to make it more difficult, try aiming as you drive round the map so you can combine two techniques - hull control without sight and long-distance aiming whilst moving. Finally, it can just be a mindset issue. Try and split up the turret and the hull in your mind. Remember your hull is the ONLY thing that affects where are you are driving. Once you have this, you will be free in your mind knowing one hand is controlling where you are going and one hand alone. This can free up your hand to be more confident in it's turning. Also, look ahead so you know and get to know maps so you can understand where are you going without having to constantly look ahead. : In XP battles what is the best way to keep yourself composed when you are losing because it seems difficult to get yourself together when you go 1 or 2 flags down (Special reference: Sandbox)? The main problem once you start losing more than one flag in a row is that you get "spawn locked". This means that the enemy team is pretty much camping in your base while shooting you before you even re-spawn. That way you can't do anything to counter them and they'll freely cap flags. Your best bet is to try and "ghost" into your opponents or nearby corpses to dodge their shots and attempt to kill anyone approaching your flag. If your teammates manage to do the same, the spawn lock is broken and the game can continue on the same course. The other problem is morale. This happens numerous times in random battles and in Starladder clan games alike. Once you start losing it seems like there's no point in fighting back, but this is the moment when you need to show that you're not just some average player. Relax for a second, take some time to see what's everyone's doing on the battlefield and look for an opening. If your team can't stay calm, it's vital that you do, instead. Don't panic even if you get spawn killed, use every moment to search for cracks in the opposing team. Then, once you see the opportunity, attack as hard as you can. Even if the attack isn't enough to capture a flag, it'll show your teammates that there's still a chance to takeover the game. That's what raises morale and keeps the team alive, so it's imperative that at least someone knows how to do it. @Legolover3: Which is the most underappreciated map in Tanki Online? Great question. For me, this is one of the things I feel really strongly about actually - the fact you see awful maps like Noise and Camp littered around the servers and other gems are virtually non-existent. There are several under-appreciated maps in the game, for example maps like Rio, Bobruisk, 2042, Courage, Red Alert (my personal favourite) and Fort Knox which really provide fantastic gameplay and indeed, quite stunningly designed. Some of these are indeed appreciated by many but still don't deserve the position on the servers they warrant, in my opinion. However, in my opinion, the most underappreciated map in the game is one of the old-school gems of the game that never receives the praise that it deserves - Subway. The quality of the map-making involved in this map always astounds me but what makes it such a good map is its superb gameplay with the two open areas and placement of the flags directly next to the steep ramps. It particularly thrives in an all-out drug war and suits all weapons which is another of its countless positives. Yet I often feel it is not given the renown of other maps and ignored as one of the most well-designed maps in the game. That's why I feel it's the most under-appreciated of several in Tanki. @Propelar12: How can you get on top of a Dictator easily? Dictators have always been a force to be reckoned with, whatever way you look at it, and as the tallest hulls in the game, are the highest to climb upon. I imagine this question is written in mind of going for Gold Boxes, since they give you a height-boost. I would suggest that there are two main options for this, logically. The first choice is to use Recoil. The best weapon for this by quite a long shot is Railgun - Hammer can also help and other weapons too when using Wasp but Railgun is the best. Simply drive backwards sideways alongside the Dictator, shoot and just as the shot fires, let go of your drive and swivel immediately in the direction of the Dictator - timed well, it always works. The other option which is quite obvious would be jumping from a height onto the Dictator. Simply go above it, and move yourself down onto it. You can do this even in mini-drops, like the middle area of Polygon. Just drive on top of the Dictator. Good places are beside ramps where there is a small drop and you can simply drive your hull on top of your Dictator friend. We will be continuing this Q&A Session, and even those who didn't manage to get their questions answered this time out will be able to take part again. Feel free to quiz us regarding issues that you feel experienced Generalissimos may be able to give light on or even just to see their opinion on certain subjects you want to know more about. Once again, we will pick 5 Questions from those entered on the form below and answer them next issue. So send your questions in! Enter your questions here ► Ideas and Suggestions (Again) ◄ We are still a new initiative for the community and thus, it's your call as to what we do in the future. Perhaps a neat new section - a short map review or combination summary. ANYTHING. We would appreciate all ideas for this column - we want it to be as beneficial as possible to the community it is for. So below, we would like to request that you post all your ideas and suggestions for the future of the Handbook. Feedback is vital for its improvement. Although we stuck with the same format this time round, we're open to change. So use your voice! Thanks for reading! Hog & Fen

Slightly bemused as to how this map was introduced in the future. Clearly I need to get out more. Didn't realise it's already 2027. All joking aside, positives in the writing, clearly a Kevred-wannabe but aren't we all. Little bit of work on grammar and plot could do with a little bit of building but there's promise, nice one.

Nah, I believe it was a family issue out in his home country (Zimbabwe if I remember rightly?) What a man. :D

TOPIC UPDATED! Yes. I know. Sorry. Too long. Must say a thanks to the people who waited patiently. You guys can't guess how long it takes to open up each page, look through each name, look through each date, edit, update. But thanks a lot, and I'll do my best to update a bit sooner now exams are up. Happy Belated Birthday to BlueLightning32, yathessh100, reecerandcharlie, hhgb, DOGLOVER, megan55, epickiller546, Loackie, Tazzak, JamesM10, Playep, mitsosGReek, iron-man_0007, sha77777_super, dizio02, stefanosb3, dionyshs02, LITTL3_XXmonstaXX, applications, emre-bmx, ryansolanki, mcmonkey25, vaxo.jibo, TheCoolestGuy16, AMDTU, TankCraze, momy950666, joshy1215, chrome1234567, miahak, blackseac, VURKAC_36, DEADMAN2000, Darkiwan28, captionsam, rampagerhino, fudalix, The_Crazy_Man2, Micky_Nickz, Michalus, AnuBoi, miltos210, TheDeathly1, JackN1, sektonsebra, Demiano_Visconti, crashy, tankermaster, Wall-flower, beaku, Hero_No_1_unbeatable, skitee, SjukCro2, viking_tank_smoky, caproz, LavaDragon2012, tenkedtanker, aniketsharmarocks098, matqrory, 044578071, hassann, kkkk3157, adams202, pereimarko, 7919zola, EddyBeGood, Tanki Online, Guerradoeuro, deadhello, coocoobird123456789, Aidarklord, kEwEi, WarTank007, aqwzxedc, stanzhang, will7766, tomatenpurree, AureumSanguinis, tsdd2000, Reeco9, sudeeprauta, PhantomMeat, msuprodigy, liquisim, Viper28, armenia1313, Andrewhero100, HimalayanPanther, hghost, ARCIV14 and zoom602! Happy Birthday to urallnoobs and YOUR1NIGHTMARE! Best three names of the birthday list. 1. @HimalayanPanther 2. 3. @rampagerhino Keep Posting! Final thing - I'm going to be getting a bit busier soon. If anyone who is extremely committed would like to consider taking this Birthday thread over, please PM me or post here. Thanks.

Been quite a while - just a couple of recent additions that I recorded on my not-so-new potato.

Something like Hogmeister. Maybs. ;)

Most intense rank-up party evah

Any suggestions for the column? Open for ideas which you would find interesting - perhaps a "Weapon of the month" Review or a "Map of the month" Review? Anything that comes to your mind, please do share, it'd be great to have some constructive feedback.

Guys, guys, guys. Remaine has made it clear. No RESERVING is permitted.

Read here!

Any decent General should have an M3 Combination by that rank mate.

Maybe Wolfenstein?

Welcome to The Generalissimo's Handbook - a monthly column brand new to the Tanki Newspaper aimed at going past the baby-food and providing readers with advanced tips and techniques directed at those who have already reached a high standard in the game. As two Generalissimos ourselves, Fen and I have noticed over time the lack of information provided for those who are already accomplished players, even beyond Generalissimo, and are looking for new things to learn. In light of this, our intention through this new institution is to spur advanced players confident in their ability to improve, learn and ultimately become better players. At the same time, we hope to see less experienced players coming along here and learning some advanced tips to help them in their quest to improve. Before we begin, let's just run through the layout of the article this month. Same as last time - The Tips, The Video, the Question of the Month and a Q&A Session. Any suggestions for new additions to this column - go to the bottom and send in your feedback! ~ Gen's Handbook - Month 1 ~ ►The Tips◄ Written by hogree I. Flag Drop-Offs I start off today with a tip that is perhaps one of the least adhered skills at any rank for CTF play. Dropping the flag to a team-mate. Simply down, obviously, by pressing "F" on the keyboard when you have the enemy flag. Firstly, what are the basic rules? The person with most health points holds the flag. When both flags are taken and at home-base, this is normally a Mammoth with full health or in the case of an XP Battle, an undamaged player. However, this isn't the problem - every civilized tanker should know these things and adhere to them for the benefit of the team. The problem is, the people who don't understand how to drop a flag. No, no, I don't mean what button to press. I mean how. In action. Let's give an example. An Isida takes the flag and running alongside him is a Hammer. Suddenly, it crosses his mind that he should be the healer so he drops the flag. Unfortunately, the Hammer keeps running alongside him for a second and then turns back, grabs the flag. By then, opponents have spawned and manage to crowd him out before he escapes. Foiled. Now, what was the problem here? The problem was that the Hammer was not in a sensible position to take the flag. Now, whose fault was this? On face value, it may seem like it should be the Hammer but really, he wasn't expecting a flag drop-off. The person at fault was holding the flag. When you want to drop a flag off to a team-mate make sure they are running INTO or NEAR the path where the flag will be. So, you with the flag, you drive into a position where you can make sure your team-mate notices it. Easier if you're on a call so you can communicate but bar that unlikely scenario, you've got to try and grab their attention or make it completely fluid so no consideration is needed. However, think twice before dropping the flag. Let's give an example of when you might not want to do an immediate flag-drop. Always good to do that. You've got the flag and you've got two enemy Railguns approaching towards you in your base intending a return. A full-health player has just spawned and you're weakened. Now, obvious thing to do is immediately drop the flag, right? But think again. If you drop the flag, the focus of the enemies will immediately bomb onto him. Bad idea. You want to take the shots. So drive into their line of sight, making sure you don't line up a double-shot and drop the flag behind you as they both start charging at you. If timed correctly, your corpse should block their path and you should be able to let your team-mate grab the flag and deal with them. If you pass and let your team-mate withstand the brunt, the flag would be in more danger. Of course, this is rare - just an example of a time you may have to think twice about dropping the flag. Also, on that note, when you do drop the flag, make sure it's not in a place where the opponents have easy access to it. Even if you think your team-mate will pick it up in two seconds, better safe than sorry. So, let me run through five ways to drop the flag. Driving on top of a team-mate. This is one of the most fluid ways of dropping a flag as it will immediately switch hands and you will not have the danger of dropping it and leaving it vulnerable for return for a second. "Flag Exchanges". When both flags are held and the strongest team-mate holds the flag. Drop-off on the way back. Fluid drops where your team-mates are in line to pick up the flag. Dropping for a capture. This may sound kind, I'm talking about the moment when someone takes your flag at the last minute and is shot at and killed as you drive in for the capture. You've got team-mates behind you so you drop the flag off to one of them and you return the flag, a few metres away form the flag. Smooth and doesn't face the danger of you going into the open and having to face the force of enemies driving towards your flag whilst holding it and having to reverse. Saves time and sometimes saves flags. You're about to die and you don't have a team-mate so you jump "off" a level and drop it very near to the wall. This last one is quite clever, even though rare in use. Making sure that it's very near the well will often mean enemies chasing you jump over it and so your team has more opportunity to get rid of them and pick it up. Teams survive by someone smartly dropping a flag. It's a fact. Hone it. Oh, and please please please don't be that guy who doesn't drop the flag. Seriously. Please. Just don't. Take care in dropping, but make sure you do it. II. Controlling your Camera There are three things you need to control as a Tanki player. Your hull, obviously. You've got to be able to drive. Your turret too, naturally, because if you want to be half-decent, you've got to be able to shoot in different directions whilst driving. And you all should know what else. Camera Control. It's quite obvious, really, the game pretty much tells you. However, though hull and even turret control is easily mastered, camera control takes much more thinking. Some people think that it can come to you naturally, over time. Unfortunately, for many, it doesn't. So, firstly, what is camera control? Camera is controlling the view by which you see your tank by either using the keys "[ and ]", "Q and E" or "Pg Up and Pg Down". It's different from the other controls because your opponent does not know whether you are using it or not. They cannot see it on your hull. Quite simply, it doesn't affect your tank. It does however seriously affect your gameplay. A high camera view, in particular, is a danger that many beginners adapt to using which makes them far less aware of their surroundings - this can pay when a flag-carrier slips out of their vision due to their poor camera view. So, what is the best camera view to keep your hull in? This is my primary camera view - the normal view I use. However, I tend to turn down my view quite often. As a general rule, you want to keep as low a camera view as possible. The lower camera view, the more you can see. However, there are times when you want to adapt your camera view. For example, close combat. If you change your camera view to something resembling the "birds-eye" view a bit more, it will enable you to time your movements with a bit more clarity and help you to dodge more shots by clearly seeing the line of the opponent's aim. Here's the summary - Big maps, low camera. Very small maps, high camera. Close Combat, high camera. Sniping, low camera. Low Position, low camera. High position, higher camera. Note the higher - you often will want to have it pretty low when you're high up as well, but often it's easier to move your way around with a slightly higher view - like Combe, for example. Well, what keyboard controls should I use to control my camera? Personally, I use Pg Up and Pg Down. I know the majority of players use Q & E. I wrote an article about Keyboard Controls over a year ago, it may be worth a read. All you need to do is make sure that it's easily within your grasp and does not in any way disable your ability to drive whilst changing controls. It needs to be easy. So, get out there and think more about how you're using your camera. Try and keep it low for as much gameplay as you can - it may change things! ►The Video◄ Created by Fen-Harel Another month, another press issue and with it a new video. This time I'll explain the theory behind the most attractive hits in the game - double shots. These not only improve your gameplay and allow for an easier win of the round, but also make your own playing much more satisfying. And if you get really good at it, you could record a montage of your best shots - that's fun for everyone. Enjoy! ►Question of the Month◄ Another initiative which began last month was the Question of the Month directed at a few of the Generalissimos in the English community, and this month we are continuing on with a brand new question. The question was:"Currently, what do you think is the most overpowered weapon in the game at M3 and why?" : Vulcan, an absolute monster of a weapon, on a medium tank like dictator, keeps you alive for long and absolutely tears into enemy tanks. Doesn't care whether you have a double armor on or not. @xMoneyMaker: Most powered weapon would be Railgun. I chose it because it can be used for long ranges and can hit multiple targets. Its a unique weapon it has a pretty good damage and roation speed @Alklines: Vulcan. Why? Because it's a killing machine. Usually equipped with Mammoth/Zeus, I've seen it just sit a bunch of times in defense and help take out several enemy attackers if done right. The impact force will make a tank that's turning a corner spin out of control. We've all seen it ;) : With opinions, it comes down to ones perspective; the following is coming from a player who plays mostly XP now a days, so forgive me if I'm wrong in your eyes. Its hard to narrow it down, especially with the developers constant adjustments in attempts to achieve balance (which wont ever happen). Based on experience playing against this weapon and seeing its versatility that enables it to combat most other weaps/hulls, I'd say Vulcan is slightly OP. Regardless of its post game introduction updates, its high rate of fire enables its users to deal a decent amount of damage at a medium distance, which attributes significantly to its use that is suiting to the ever popular small to medium sized maps. It is designed to be a mid range turret like Twins and Thunder, although I could see a Vulcan outperforming either a Twins or a Thunder. The fact that the gun is still new play a bit of a role in its indiscernible prominence. Many players probably don't have a paint to protect against the weapon yet. So there you have it. : I think the most overpowered weapon is Freeze or Twins. Freeze because the freezing effect seems to have got a lot more powerful and quicker; meaning that it's incredibly annoying if you are a Rail user with which every shot counts due to its slow reload. @I.King.Lagger: Vulcan or Twins both are over powered at M3 because both the guns can fire continuously. Let's talk about the +side: 1) Vulcan has more range than twins is able to provide so long range maps Vulcan is preferable. 2) Both the guns are good for CP battles. 3) No reloading time. 4) Impact force of the Vulcan is powerful too. Now the down side: 1) Vulcan has self heating damage it sucks unless you have fire protection paint. 2) Vulcan also is not good at short range because of the rebound force of the gun. Vulcan obviously wins it whatever it is whether defending or attacking it's the best if you have drugs and fire protection paint against it. @Xenophobia: Well, in my opinion the most overpowered M3 is Ricochet. It can deal a lot of damage, it has a lot of impact force and the projectiles travel quite fast. Ricochet can kill tanks really fast. It is always a threat, even when I'm using clay. ►The Q&A Session◄ Thanks for all your questions guys! We received a pile of questions and it was a pretty tough job picking 5 out to answer. Appreciate all of your input. Great help to us. So here goes! @Legolover3: Where exactly does the mine come out of your tank? I've accidentally laid mines on too many platforms when I was hoping to bomb the player below me. A rather interesting question here. We were expecting that the mines would drop down depending on your turret position, but that's not the case. After experimenting with different hulls and turret positions we've got to a different conclusion. Turns out mines are deployed right from the middle of your hull. Keep this in mind when trying to hit someone below you with a mine. It might help if you zoom out your camera to a bird eye view when jumping from a ledge, just so you can have a better feeling of when exactly you need to drop the mine. @blackdiamand: What is a good way to dodge with slower tanks? (Hunter,viking) Hunter and Viking lack the appropriate speed for a lot of dodging techniques, so you might have to adapt a lot more. You can always use the classic peek-a-boo tactic - hide behind cover and quickly pop out whenever you want to shoot, then swiftly return to cover just to repeat it all again. With Viking's acceleration speed combined with its stability, you won't have a problem hitting people before they even notice you. If anyone gets too close to you, you can ram them to the side just a bit and move back. This is the gentle push move that was covered in one of the earlier articles. You can read it here for a better explanation. (Technique no.5) @Gbobb: Is there a way to get down safely from ANY HEIGHT guaranteed with short range weapons? If you're talking light hulls, there is indeed. Maybe dubious to call it guaranteed but if adjudged correctly every time, you will simply be turning in mid-air with your hull permanently at an angle to the ground where it will hit and stay upright. It is known as the "Helicopter Manoeuvre". There is no involvement with impact force, so short-range weapons are perfectly applicable for it. Although this issue, jumping was not covered in the Handbook, we are planning to include a feature next issue, in video or in text, dealing with the issue of jumping from heights. In short, however, the "Helicopter Manoeuvre" involves driving directly towards your jump ("Up Arrow") before joining the right arrow to the up arrow at the last moment as the first part of your hull. If timed correctly, it will mean your hull turns in the air at an angle which will guarantee your stability at landing. To ensure you aren't confused by your jump, it may be a good idea to turn your turret left whilst in mid-air so that you maintain a stable view. If using a heavy hull, other techniques have to be adapted and used in different circumstances - sometimes it will be possible to do the helicopter but at higher heights, it may be wise to simply approach your jump slowly sideways, tip off, and do a complete flip in the air before landing on your tracks. Again, should be more on this next issue! @Kenzok: How do you know where the enemy is if you can't see them or their fire? ​This was mentioned briefly in last month's issue. It's pretty difficult to achieve, but with enough game time you can acquire a feeling for it. First you have to get used to a lot of counting, keep track of how many opponents you're up against, how many are in your base, how many are dead and how many are defending. The top right corner provides information about who has most recently been destroyed, so you can use that to help you out. Now you'll need to use deduction to figure out where your opponent is. It will be much easier if you've been playing on the map long enough and know most of the common camping locations. If, for example, you see 5 out of 6 tanks attacking your base, chances are there's one camper defending the enemy one. Also, look for where your teammates are aiming for, this helps greatly if they saw someone you didn't. Another thing you can do is reverse track your adversary's Railgun trail to find the likely spot he's hiding. As you can see there are many different ways of using your surrounding to get information that can potentially win you the game, always keep track of the little things - that's what separates the winning from the losing team. mikeizcool15: What is the best way to deal with a freeze if you have a light tank, such as the hornet? Dealing with Freezes - something that's been at the forefront of everyone's mind since those pesky hoovers invaded the battlefield five years ago. Certainly the most frustrating weapon to face off against so completely get your question. Actually, you've made it a little bit easier for me by saying you have a light tank - a light tank is a good choice against a Freeze as you will be able to use your speed to full ability. So here are three quick options I'd say you could use. This does depend on the fact you are using a short-range weapon because if you are using a long-range, the best way to deali with freezes would obviously be avoiding them and taking pot-shots at them from range. Firstly, you could try out the old-school method of dealing with Freezes - attacking at them from their side so you are right next to their hull before they start freezing them. This ensures that they will not be able to freeze you and get round you for quite a while, especially if you are pushing into their hull. Secondly, sneak up on them. Don't make it obvious you're approaching a Freeze as if they are in control of your confrontation then they have the ability to use their powers. If you see them approaching you and you know they've seen you, try and avoid them and then sneak up on them again. So avoiding and ramming - probably two of the best options. Of course, if you do get frozen, just make sure you keep turning both your turret and hull so that you can get as much of your fire onto your opponent as you can by turning as quickly as possible. We will be continuing this, and even those who didn't manage to get their questions answered this time out will be able to take part again. Feel free to quiz us regarding issues that you feel experienced Generalissimos may be able to give light on or even just to see their opinion on certain subjects you want to know more about. Once again, we will pick 5 Questions from those entered on the form below and answer them next issue. So send your questions in! Enter your questions here ►Ideas and Suggestions◄ We are still a new initiative for the community and it's your call as to what we do in the future. Perhaps a neat new section - a short map review or combination summary. We would appreciate all ideas for this column - we want it to be as beneficial as possible to the community it is for. So below, we would like to request that you post all your ideas and suggestions for the future of the Handbook. Feedback is vital for its improvement. Although we stuck with the same format this time round, we're open to change. So use your voice! Cheers guys. Hog & Fen

5 Crystals for Red and Blue. :lol: 44 Months for me. (3 Years 8 Months for the less mentally gifted) Even though I did buy a cheeky 150k exp on my way from Major to Major General.

Winning the Friendly Fire duel #thuglife

*cough* GoldRock *cough*