Guide [Issue 3] Siege

[skitee 555]

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Last time, I featured my favourite map of all, namely, Magadan. At the time, I was planning to focus on Solikamsk as my next map. But as I have seen “Soli”'s popularity rise in recent days, most notably in “740” battles, I've decided to feature another map instead: Siege.

Siege is a very different map, in a number of ways. In terms of area and space that there is to move into, it is big: nearly the size of Kolhoz or any of the other bigger maps. But in terms of the distances required by tankers to capture a flag or reach the enemy flag, the distances are very minimal, distances which would be more appropriate on a far smaller map such as Magadan or 2042. This is thanks to Siege's very compact respawn points, as we can see in the following picture:



As we can see, every single one of each team's ten respawn points are located in a square area of the map no more than three tank lengths by three tank lengths. This is unique to Siege and Siege alone. No other map in Tanki, not even Magistral or such like, has so many respawn points located in such a small area. And, as you might expect, this makes gameplay very crowded with tanks respawning so close to each. It also means that skills are an absolute necessity, particularly the skills at being able to easily maneuvre around teammates and enemies!

The respawn points being so close, however, does not mean that using Railgun or Shaft is impossible in Siege. It certainly is possible. It is not too difficult to use the full size of the map to full advantage with a shaft and camping on the side shooting at people in the middle. All you need to do is escape the attentions of enemy tanks when you respawn. Once you are far enough away from your own base, you are safe - which reminds me of the map "Carousel". :P

You can also use the full width of the map when capturing a flag. Once you are on the edge of the map, you can follow the side around and then drop down suddenly on the enemy flag. The enemy team will be caught unaware, and if you use skills at avoiding the enemy team, you can capture a flag with ease. An M3 Hornet would help as well! :P

Siege is one of those maps where every weapon can work comfortably. You could shaft it out and sit by the edge of the map; defend at range with thunder; melee with ricochet, or rush with freeze. Each tactic works just as well, as long as you accompany your weapon with skill at using it. Unskilled tankmen in Siege will find it difficult to play there: Train in the simpler maps, such as Silence, before taking on the beast that is Siege.

So who can play in Siege? Well, Siege is unlocked at Master Corporal, so all except the very newest tankmen can take part in the amazing battles that can be had in Siege! And these battles are certainly worth taking part in. Siege's special respawn points and gameplay are things very unique to this map, as I've already said. If you can take part in it, make sure you do so. No tankman can call themselves a true warrior if they've never taken on Siege!

Anyway, before I get carried away with myself, let me give a brief description of what the map is like. Siege is a reasonably simple map. It is generally square, with the corners of the map a little bit "cut off" and rounded into a circular shape. The map is structured around an area in the middle which is set slightly above the area where most of the battling takes part. This area contains the two respawn areas, as we can see in the picture above, and a "hill" area in the middle that surrounds the two areas and stops the two from meeting. This hill means that, to reach the enemy base from your own base, tankmen have to go down from their respawn area into the "valley" area below.

This valley area is the area where most of the fighting takes place. The two flags are also located in this tier, behind each team's respawn areas. This tier is littered with awkward obstacles, like walls and holes, to make sure that tankmen need to be on their guard whenever going through this area of the map. There are also numerous areas to hind, but there is not too much space: if you are caught by an enemy, there is generally not enough space to get away and avoid combat. The best way to avoid combat would be to go on the surrounding tier.

This "surrounding tier" is the same height as the respawn area, but to get there from the respawns you have to first go through the valley. This tier surrounds the whole map, and contains lots of walls, trees and a fair number of buildings as well. This surrounding area is the crowning glory of siege, the "great leveller", so to speak. It reduces the impact of close-range weapons, such as freeze, which would otherwise be too overpowered, and increases the power of Shafts and Thunders.

Well, that's a brief explanation of the map itself. I hope that you can get a picture in your mind. However, a brief description from me here is nothing compared to actually going out and checking out the map for yourself. What are you waiting for? Get out there and take part in the heavy battles that can be found in Siege.

But before we finish, let me give you a personal hypothesis about how the map "Siege" is named. Why "Siege"? Why not something else? Is there any meaning behind it? Surely a more relevant name could be found? Maybe even the name of a famous town, like Berlin or Chernobyl? Or a town near where Tanki is founded, like Osa or Parma?

Well, as you probably know already, a Siege is a term used for when an army is surrounding a city and closing it off from the surrounding world, despite being unable to get into the city. The city would gradually starve as it ran out food, and eventually the city would be so weak the surrounding army could march in and conquer it. This was especially poignant in medieval Europe, where sieges could last for years upon end, with an army attempting to starve the population inside.

And, in a little way, sieges do happen in this map in Tanki Online as well. Not for years upon end (yet), but there are, in a smaller scale, sieges. For example, it is often very difficult to get out of your own base with the enemy team “sieging” your base. As the respawn points are all in the same area, often you will find enemy tanks in the other team's respawn area “spawn-killing” and putting the other team “under siege”. During these periods, it is very difficult to get kills, to capture flags, or to do anything except die! The enemy team is "sieging" you inside your base so that you cannot even leave to get to the outer rim of the map.


The blue team is "sieging" the red team's respawn area

Unfortunately, this often results in tankmen who don't like losing leaving the battle. If you have a strong team with true tankmen, however, your team will try to push the other team back and then put the other team “under siege”! These times of Sieging, in my opinion, have given the map it's name. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, check the map out for yourself, like I've said!

On top of that, what fame does the map itself hold? Well, Siege does not have too much history about it, if compared to other, more famous, maps, like Tribute or Silence - I don't even think it has been featured in any hunts like Magadan was. However, Siege is one of the maps that is at stake in the recent clan contest which competes for maps. At the moment it is owned by the clan “Easy”, who recently defeated the former holders "Peppers" in a comfortable victory. I’m sure that there will be many hot battles coming up soon in Siege for you to watch, if you keep an eye out here!

And lastly, who created Siege, and when? The map was originally created back in December 2009, when Tanki was still in it's fledging years, by a player named Stefman. I think that he did a pretty good job, don't you think? Find out for yourself in the game! See you in the battles!

God bless,

Pictures by WhiteKnight170

Edited July 31, 2017 by Hexed

[Inui 0]

Great article about Siege! :wink:

[CleanFight 3]

an excellent post skitee

[Fjelstad1678 186]

I wish i could see more siege battles in the servers. its a fun battle. :D

[r_galiant0 33]

Good job Skitee !

[Tommy60 406]

I like this series, with you bringing all the older maps to light. Excellent writing, as well. :thumbup:

[skitee 555]

I wish i could see more siege battles in the servers. its a fun battle. :D

 

Create some. You may find other people like it as well and are waiting for somebody to create a Siege battle.

[Fjelstad1678 186]

I wish i could see more siege battles in the servers. its a fun battle. :D

 

Create some. You may find other people like it as well and are waiting for somebody to create a Siege battle.

I guess somebody has to! :mrgreen:

[r_Snowflake110 1]

I really love your article about Siege. It is unusual map, which is being overlooked by many players as many other maps.

It makes me crazy, when I can see, that only Polygon and Silence is played and nothing else and I can´t find any of my favourite maps...

So, thanks!

:thumbup:

[65536g 20]

:thumbup:

[65536g 20]

It really is a crying shame that the popularity of the battlemaps has shifted so dramatically towards just a mere handful: Silence, Madness, Island, Deck-9, Highland, Polygon, Fort Knoxes, Farm, Hill, Iran, Tribute, Molotov, Massacre, Kungur, Serpuhov, Monte Carlo... Barda, Bobruisk, Brests, Stadium, Lost Temple, Red Alert, Scope or 2042 from time to time. Camp is almost forgotten; Courage, Chernobyl, Desert, Esplanade, Highways, Industrial Zone, Siege, Kolhoz, Novel, Opposition, Rift, Skylark, Valley or Subway appear once in a blue moon only; Berlin, Forest, Wolfenstein, Parma, Bridges, Cross, Deathtrack, Magistral, Magadan are almost like from another world already. Not a day ago I've come across a marshal who never heard of Dusseldorf! :thumbdown:

 

:tank:

[skitee 555]

It really is a crying shame that the popularity of the battlemaps has shifted so dramatically towards just a mere handful: Silence, Madness, Island, Deck-9, Highland, Polygon, Fort Knoxes, Farm, Hill, Iran, Tribute, Molotov, Massacre, Kungur, Serpuhov, Monte Carlo... Barda, Bobruisk, Brests, Stadium, Lost Temple, Red Alert, Scope or 2042 from time to time. Camp is almost forgotten; Courage, Chernobyl, Desert, Esplanade, Highways, Industrial Zone, Siege, Kolhoz, Novel, Opposition, Rift, Skylark, Valley or Subway appear once in a blue moon only; Berlin, Forest, Wolfenstein, Parma, Bridges, Cross, Deathtrack, Magistral, Magadan are almost like from another world already. Not a day ago I've come across a marshal who never heard of Dusseldorf! :thumbdown:

 

:tank:

 

I agree. Whilst I feel that Forest, Wolfenstein and Parma are not played because as a map they are useless (Along with Silence, Madness, Valley, and Fort Knox III, admittedly: those are my 7 maps which I think are absolutely abject), so many maps are played simply because people know them, because of "inertia". But what can we do to change it? :(

[r_chris2230 0]

Siege is an amazing map, the developer of it did a great job on it. People should play on it more often.

 

~Chris

[lietuva24 1]

All maps cool! Yes, I saw it. :tank: :tank: :tank: :tank: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

[Truthteller 4,204]

: thumbup :