Guide [Issue 18] Bombing Raids in Tanki Online

[Valletta 834]

 

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   Ever since the implementation of mines in the first patches after the game’s release people have been using them to their advantage in simple base defense and tactical advancement. Some people, however, sometime in the undefined past, decided to take the art of laying mines to the next level. A new use for mines was developed – Active mine placement.

 

 

   The mine is a drug. A passive drug. A drug the implementation of which suggested passive and strictly passive use. No one had ever supposed a device for defensive use could become a replacement for a high-damaging main gun in one’s assault maneuvers. Soon enough a few developed the required strategies and skills to use this potential of the mines, and tactical mining became a thing. Mining as we know it is now far more than creating massive minefields and waiting for “prey”.

 

 

   Here is the trick: Instead of using your mines as an explosive barricade for your base/safety den, you can use the game’s mine placement algorithm to directly shoot enemies below you while you are, for example, flying off a cliff.

 

 

   Anyone who has experimented with placing mines near an edge must have noticed how the mine lands on the platform the tank is parked on as long as most of the hull is on the ground. If you drive your tank so that more than half of the hull sticks out from the edge, a mine dropped from your tank will land on the nearest surface underneath the center of the tank. If there is no such surface the mine will just fall into the abyss and be lost. Why, you ask, the center of the tank? The game engine that deals with the placement of mines works in such a manner that requires the center of the hull (with minor exceptions) to be on the surface for a mine to be dropped. This algorithm can easily be bypassed by driving the hull to the verge of tipping over the platform’s edge and then triggering the placement of the mine. The use of a high-recoil weapon is advised to avoid slipping down from the hill. Using this technique you can deal serious damage or even destroy whatever tanks are staying below your vantage point.

 

[see fig.1]

 

 

 

   Learning this mechanic is very beneficial for just about every other mine placement trick you will perform. The peak-over-the-ledge trick is superbly effective, but there are other, more advanced and more risky ways of dealing massive damage to an enemy.  

 

 

 

BEWARE! If the hull does not stick out enough or does stick out too much you might get this:

 

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   Let us take the ledge on the Blue team’s base in Silence, a classic example. There are various ways to apply the peak-over-the-ledge trick here as well, but many would prefer to try out something more drastic, more aggressive. The hill is a perfect place to perform speed jumps and as such the opportunity mustn’t be missed. Say that you are a light or medium hull rushing to the enemy team’s base to return a cap. The capper is protected by an escort you don’t have the time to deal with. And on top if it all you are using a short range gun, such as Isida, Freeze or Firebird. This is a great opportunity to try out the second most maneuvers that uses the damage of the mine to clear off enemies that block your way to the target. Using this conveniently written guide on how to jump you can jump your tank off the hill, dropping a mine on the capper’s escort and safely continuing the chase. This strategy uses the same technique as the simpler peak-over-the-ledge one, but the difference is that you must calculate your tank’s position to the ground and press the “5” key precisely when you think you’re over the predicted position of your target. This maneuver is effective on just about any high platform, from Silence and Kungur to Esplanade and Fort Knox.

 

[see Fig.2]

 

 

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Much like a bomber plane’s bombardier you have to go through all these calculations, as well as to predict the three second arming period of the mine, but the result is fulfilling and spectacular. 

 

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The results  

 

 

   Having learned how to use the mine placement mechanic you can use the controlled explosion of the Tanki online mine as a downwards shooting gun, a perfect replacement for instant damage (like Railgun and Shaft) on tanks that are equipped with short range weapons. Moreover, if you are using any other gun that has actual recoil (Ricochet, Smoky, Thunder, Railgun, Shaft) you can end up surprising your enemies by using two weapons in the same time, one having the approximate damage and reload of a Shaft mounted underneath the tank and another one in the conventional turret. This works on just about every hull with the exclusion of heavies like Mammoth and Titan, which need a nitrous pack to have the chance of performing the stunt without losing stability in the air.

 

After the new physics update some of the tricks may become harder to execute or even impossible in the case of heavy hulls.

 

 

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   Limited Offer: Explosive Weekend   

 

 

As if the developer team conveniently decided to give you all an opportunity to test out the cool new moves I taught you today, here is a limited 90% discount on all the mines you will ever need for having fun on the battlefield ;)

 

   

 

On top of the good deal, you have the opportunity to earn some extra crystals with the "Mine it All" contest. Have a wonderful explosive weekend! 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2018 by Valletta

[hogree 4,179]

Fabulous article once again, Val. Loving the diagrams. Picked the perfect time too! Never actually considered the "tipping off" technique, so thats cool, even though its a bit defensive a mine technique for me :P

[Valletta 834]

Thanks Hog :)

This is doing pretty well for a request article ^_^

[Ilia.ArchangeI 6,785]

Just in time! Well written :)

[Meliora 1,652]

Deary me, Valletta... Looks like you continue to cut things fine.

Nice article.

[r_Destroyer5431 20]

Nice)

Edited November 30, 2013 by r_Destroyer5431

[Raphael2 3,263]

Epic article Val, even though I never use mines..

[Valletta 834]

Deary me, Valletta... Looks like you continue to cut things fine.

Nice article.

See? It has its benefits :D

[r_The-Player20 313]

Yaaay!

[Valletta 834]

Epic article Val, even though I never use mines..

Well I hope you learn to have fun with mines more often ;)

[lizerdgirl108 397]

Very Interesting!

Nice article, Val! ^_^

[BackSeatDriver 29]

Great article!

[Valletta 834]

Very Interesting!

Nice article, Val! ^_^

Thanks ms. Generic answer, now go read my other article, the important one :P

[MisterGeneral 692]

Wow. Very good job! 

[ATHENA123 56]

Awsome guide!

[toomai51 55]

nice guide

[doduobird 315]

Nice guide, I've never used a single mine before in my life, though  :lol:

[DeebanofSpadez 5]

Fantasticooo

[M1A1Crosby 0]

great idea allowing players to now drop mines on opposition during airborne flights!

[Lt.Tank-Marshall 32]

The air bombing is real funny

[Buggati_The_Best 1,233]

i love when agresive players push me and i release a mine and his tank makes kaboom :wub:

[Gunter_DonnerFaust 2]

Very clever and a great tip, But I already learned this from another tanker who laid a mine on my head XD

[Gunter_DonnerFaust 2]

Also another tip is to see if your enemies are following u in a straight line, if so release a mine and watch them fly through the air!

[oxdropper 0]

what happens if the enemy lays a mine on your head

[FaNTOM_1000 0]

:D wow