[Issue 24] The Essential Guide to Gold Hunting

[hogree 4,179]

 
FOREWORD (Edited 18th May 2015}:

The Facts mentioned below about the Gold Box regarding times and techniques in planning are now out-dated due to a new system of Gold Boxes dropping involving a mark on the ground. Please bear this in mind as you read. Techniques to take can still be applicable.

 

For many, it's the main thing that keeps them logging on and playing each day – the rush of a Gold Box. Of course, there is a level of fulfillment in seeing the “Gold Box will be dropped soon” alert in itself, but let's be honest, the real excitement in the Gold Rush roots down to the amazing feeling when you pluck that beautiful box out of the air and immediately become the most envied player on the battlefield. A feeling of ecstasy that can't even be averted from the richest millionaire Generalissimos out there, to whom 1000 crystals is as good as a piece of junk. But of course, to get to that point, you've got to catch the Gold Box first. Sound simple? Not as easy as it sounds, as I'm sure many of us know. In this short guide, I'll outline some techniques of how to make that precious Gold Box yours...
 
Over time, the newspaper has provided lots of information on this revered box – but as of yet, we haven't actually had any serious advice given out there to people who always find themselves missing their chance to get a gold. Of course, the Gold Box has had an incredible history with a number of different alerts over its time, including a period when the gold box fell randomly with absolutely no warning. But it's not my job in this guide to go through all the ins and outs of the history of Tanki. If interested in scanning over the way this cherished box has adapted to life in the battlefield over its years, it may be worth taking a look at Raphael2's recent look on the gold box's history (or perhaps, if more nostalgic, an article written by Tommy60 over a year ago also looking over the history of the highly-esteemed gold).
 
But today, we'll be giving some practical help on the hunt for the gold that overshadows the servers each and every day. To make sure we get to grips with it all, we're going to have to cover all the steps of hunting down Golds from the very beginning – even before you join a battle. We'll split this into 3 different headers and discover in depth the real art of getting a Gold.
 
The Plan
 
Before getting down to the chunky section of Gold Hunting, it's important to have a plan of attack – to get to grips with where, why and how you should go about looking for Golds.
 
Considering a Gold Box brings us back to the basics – we must note how the chance of a Gold Box appearing is calculated. Yup, surprising though it may sound, the maths plays a huge part in how we approach catching a Gold Box Let me sum it up for you who don't actually know. “There is a 1/7000 chance each crystal added to the battle fund for a Gold Box warning to appear.” That means that its just as likely to fall if the game is at a whopping 6374 fund as at a minuscule 39. It ALSO means that there is absolutely no effect on the likeliness of a future gold falling if a Gold Box falls. It's still absolutely just as likely to fall if the fund keeps going up at the same rate. If you don't fully the grasp the concept of the Gold Box drop and how it is affected by the fund, Semyon explained it in the Video Blog Number 3. If you want to watch it, click here and zoom forwards to 3:59.
 
And so, firstly, in looking for battles to find gold boxes, it is absolutely pivotal for a player to realise that gold boxes do not depend in any way on previous Golds, the time left in the battle or even on the amount of people in the battle. It is simply and wholly the Battle Fund which influences the chance of a Gold Box warning lighting up the top of our screens. It's so easy to believe that the fact a gold box has fallen recently is going to affect the likeliness of it falling in the future. Often, you see players in a battle wait for a gold box alert, then go for it, miss/take it... and then look for another battle to hunt a Gold in. Maybe you might enjoy exploring random different maps, but please don't fall into the trap of somehow believing that the fact a gold box has fallen will affect the likeliness of it falling in the near future.
 
Consequently, you often see people asking “gold bil” (“голд был” in Russian Letters) when they join a battle. This is a Russian phrase for asking whether the Gold has fallen. Occasionally, people do ask this out of serious interest as to whether golds have fallen or if by some fluke they join during a Gold Warning, but most of the time, people say it as if the fact that its fallen would influence their decision to stay in the battle.
 
And following on from that, don't be affected by the time left in a battle – even if the battle fund is growing from a high point, it is just as likely to fall at 6374 fund as at the miniscule amount of 20 fund if rising at the same rate. It is worth remembering the fact that a battle ends does not reduce the likeliness of the Gold falling again (though perhaps the Battle fund might not immediately go up at the previous rate, due to people leaving and joining.)
 
So, we've established the key points to build upon when we're planning. Since I told you this would be relatively practical, we've now got to think of where we should start from when planning for a Gold Box. Most importantly, where should we planning to go if we're Gold Box Hunting and what should we be planning to use?
 
It's vital at this point to remind you readers that there's no guarantee how long you may have to wait till the Gold comes. You could be up all night waiting. With that in mind, you must be very careful at how far you go in your idea of Gold Box Hunting. Although there are different techniques to use that can help you to find Gold Boxes, it's worth noting that the best way to find a Gold is just to simply play Tanki. Golds come naturally, it's just often going to cause you heartache if you sit in a battle waiting for a Gold for endless hours.
 
Right, so after nailing that down, it's high time to come up with some good quality advice for you players out there. Firstly, undoubtedly, in my opinion, the best place to start if you really want to learn the arts of getting stuck in when hunting down Golds, is a Deathmatch. Preferably a compact and yet versatile map like Polygon. Polygon Deathmatches are brilliant for learning the arts of Gold Hunting, since it is the perfect learning curve for a player to experience the real way to Gold Hunt. Combining aspects of positioning, timing, mining and offering only a limited area for a Gold Box drop means that the Polygon Gold relies less on luck and more on pure skill. And that's why I recommend it. Of course, lets not forget that all games and game modes have the equal chance of a Gold Alert if the fund is going up at the same rate - so, don't think for once that I'm saying go into a Polygon Deathmatch because the Gold will fall more often. And obviously, if you do decide to join a battle to hunt for a Gold, do make sure it isn't a Pro Battle which disables crystal drops. Because that would kinda spoil the point.
 
However, there is one little tip I use to hunt down Gold Alerts. Perhaps you are incredibly busy - maybe doing your homework, or maybe writing out a piece of work or even chatting to some friend online. And yet you would love a Gold Alert - but can't have the time to play. I'm in this case quite a lot. What I do is find a Deathmatch. Yes, it has to be a Deathmatch - no teams involved. When you join, immediately drive off one of the corners of the map or hide yourself away and go on "Pause" Mode. Don't play! All you need to do is sit there. Then go back to what you do. Leave your sound system on. And then wait till you hear the Gold Box Siren. Don't try this in Team matches, as you can be sabotaging your team - however, in DeathMatches, you are legally allowed to do this. Do make sure that you often check you are not going to leave the battle by time-out, and so every five minutes respawn and then go back to your "Sleep-Mode". Until the Gold Alert! Brilliant! Just a way I get about hunting my golds when I'm busy.  B) 
 
Now I've told you where it is probably best to start (even though the rest of this article will of course apply to every circumstance where you see a Gold Box Alert, not just a Polygon Deathmatch), it would probably be a good idea for me to suggest what combination to use. Or... maybe not. Nearly a year ago, my esteemed colleague Raphael2 (who is obviously much more famous and knowledgeable than me) wrote an article laying out what to use and where to sit in a Polygon Deathmatch when the Gold Box Warning appears. It would be great if you looked through the article, which is linked here. However, the article does cover equipment before the recent “Balancing” and also doesn't take into account the wonderful thing that we know now as Changing Equipment in game, which only entered the game very recently.
 
Of course, different maps will call for different equipment. And sometimes that equipment you are playing with is completely unsuitable to grab a gold box. Perhaps you're sniping in a Serpuhov CTF with Shaft-Mammoth and the Gold Box Warning suddenly jumps up. Now, you're not using an ideal combination to hunt down the Gold in such a big map. Thus, it may be wise to immediately go to your garage and change equipment. IF you do decide to do this, in any case, it is needless to say that you must be as quick as you can! (And don't try it if your computer is very slow...)
 
Well, when considering equipment, you must take into account three important things. The size of the map, the amount of players and the variety of drop zone areas. If a smaller map with few drop zone areas, like Island and Combe, for example, it's almost certainly a good idea to go all out and get Mammoth. A short-range mass-killing weapon would suit nicely. As for Farm, however, though it is small, the Gold Box does fall in a slightly wider radius - thus, perhaps a medium tank like Dictator or Viking may work better.
 
Many of the most famous gold-hunters prefer to use Dictator as their hull in all circumstances as it is strong, has a good balance of speed and health, and is also tall enabling it to get the Gold in a quicker time if it is still dropping. Some use Mammoth because of its large hull and its ability to stay alive under heavy fire. Others like light tanks, since they can run in and steal the gold all over the map, and can easily jump on top of other hulls to give them more chance of a catch. However, although equipment helps,  even if you have the perfect combination in the perfect drop point, it goes without saying that you still need to actually catch the gold. So that's what we're going to look at now. We've got a plan of attack - now lets go about putting it into action.
 
The Alert
 
The Gold Box Alert is a wonderful thing. Truly wonderful. There's nothing quite like those orange words lighting up your screen and setting your heartbeat to Quadruple-Time. As many of us know to our downfall, its too easy to lose your cool and go hyper-ballistic, or just shrug it off and don't really consider your actions till its too late.
 
Well, I don't want to gabble on about nothing so lets get stuck into business. Gold Box Alert. What to do? Now, I would suggest that when you see a Gold Box Alert, there is one thing you should immediately do, in almost ALL cases. Self-Destruct. Yes, you heard me right. I am a strong believer in the usefulness to self-destruct. The Gold Box takes over 40 seconds after the warning to drop, in almost all cases. Thus, immediately pressing Delete and then respawning will enable you to take only about 23 Seconds to be alive again. And you will have your supplies, and your full health on your hull. You will then have suitable time to find a sensible position to be in, and then will be able to wait without having to worry so much about your Health. This is a must-use tactic for almost all situations apart from large battles with very few players - and even then, if you have drugs equipped, or have lost a bit of life, then it's probably wise just to self-destruct for good measure. There is also the possiblity for you to use the Pause Button, if for example, you die earlier than you want to. You can just click Pause to tick a few more seconds away from the clock and lower the risk of you losing health.
 
Now, some of you may not like that tactic of self-destructing and prefer to stay alive and see what happens. In this case, you don't want to drug immediately. It can be tempting to see the Gold Box Alert and immediately drug to clear the route out for yourself to the Gold. But just remember, the Gold can take a lot of time to fall - even over a minute in some cases. Thus, make sure you wait at least 15 seconds before you equip your drugs. This means that you will be able to survive as the Gold Box is dropping because your drugs will last, and also means that you will have your drugs on for a significant period before the Gold drops to help boost your health and damage.
 
Now, the immediate aftermath of the Gold Alert is the time where immediately players have to consider what they're using. There is suitable time for players to change equipment when the Gold Box Alert comes. Don't forget that! You do have time! However, don't dilly-dally making choices for no reason - or you could respawn just too late to get into position. Also, if you do suffer lag, do make sure you know whether your computer will be fast enough to change garage equipment in time. Have a good idea of what you want to get and change. Now, for compact games, its probably wise to get a tank like Dictator, Titan or Mammoth, large tanks which occupy space and have able abilities to get a gold. However, the hull and weapon is not the important thing to think about - but sometimes, the paint can be. Getting Railgun, Shaft and Smoky protection can be useful, since they can deal damage in huge proportions, especially in the case of a critical hit. In most circumstances, however, it is normally wise to get the paint that protects against the most amount of enemies.
 
Now comes to the part of the Gold-Rush that I call the Dodgy Truce. Everyone suddenly decides not to shoot each other (wisely, I may add), and its time for you to find your position for the Gold Rush. Always try and find a position where there are few enemies, many Gold Drop Zones in range, and make sure it is a position suitable for your hull. This latter point is very important because sometimes Wasps decide to go into the middle of Iran for example, thinking that they are in a brilliant position since Golds often drop in the middle of Iran. However, Wasps gold hunting should always stay in cover and run out when they see the Gold. This will give them the ability of surprise and also can get in and grab the Gold before sustaining too much damage.
 
Now, listen. If you are in any sort of Battle, but particularly Team Battles, and are faced by enemies, it MAY be wise for you to ignore them and not shoot. However, it depends on whether you/they are using a heavy tank and what sort of level of threat that they pose to your survival. If they shoot at you and you feel they will win the duel, RUN. Don't stay around if you are in doubt of your survival and if you may not be able to fully concentrate on getting the Gold. Get into another position. Always keep your options wide and open. It is a mistake that so many people make to find one position and not be willing to sacrifice it and find another because they have put too much forethought into that position that they can't even consider another option. You may even need to self-destruct again if you have been severely damaged, but only do this if there is a place to jump off and self-destruct very near by, and if you feel that you will have suitable time to respawn and then go for the Gold.
 
This last point in this Alert Section will lap over with the Drop, but may be needed to be considered before the Drop is seen. You should know before the Drop how long it will take between the Gold Box's Appearance in the air and before it touches a Tank. Let me give you an example. Gravity. The crystal boxes, most of the time, just appear. Its the same with the gold. It just appears on the ground. This means that you will have no "time" to drive towards it and get under it. This means you will have to be more aware. Constantly turning your turret. And get right underneath a crystal box drop. And then lets put Stadium into context. The box takes a good 10 seconds to reach the ground. Thus, there's no need to be right in the middle and under fire. Stay in cover by the sides, see it, and then even wait till you run in. You don't want to be there too early. So, you must take notice of how the Crystal Boxes drop in each map, since the Gold will drop in the same way. And you don't want to be caught napping. Get into a position which is suitable for this minor ploy in the Gold Rush.
 
Okay, so we have a complete plan before the Gold Box drop. We know what to do, how to cope with the Alert. Everything is set. And now it all comes down to this. Catching the Gold.
 
The Drop
 
The Drop. This is the moment. You see the Gold... and everyone - everything - goes wild. It's time to show off all you've learned and grab it. Sounds easy, but how do we go about doing this...?
 
Admittedly, the Gold Drop reaction is largely instinct. But you've got to have an idea of what you're at least PLANNING to do. Here are a few tips on what to do when approaching the Gold Drop - and when it finally appears.
 
Keep Looking Above and Around. You've got to be looking round when you're waiting for a Gold Box to drop. Not only moving your eyes and scanning all horizons, but also using your tank to keep as much control on the situation as you can. Since the update when Gold Box Drop Zones were added to multiple areas in a map rather than just one, players have had to control their "slice of luck" by being constantly aware of as many possible drop zones as they can. This is done by all sorts of turning - tank, turret, camera and even head. Camera, in particular, is useful for Gold Boxes as it can give you an early glance at the gold so you can see it early. This must be changed a lot though, since a low camera view is useful to see around, but a high camera view is useful to see if the Gold Box is above you. It is a simple error for some players to make to keep watching only one position for the Gold, and not being open to the wider number of places where the Gold could fall - sometimes meaning what should have been an easy gold is completely ignored.
 
Time your Run. Once you see the Gold Box, in most circumstances, the defining moment comes down to when every player decides to make their move. This has to be the most important thing to remember in all Gold Box Hunts. If you see the Gold, you can't just run underneath it without thinking. It doesn't work that way. It's not the race to be underneath the Gold, it's the race to get the Gold. And it's such a huge difference. This ties in with the latter step in the Gold Alert section regarding knowing how long it will take the Gold to hit the ground. It's part of the Gold Box Rush to see the massive pile-up of Tanks in the rush for the Gold. And its so easy to rush underneath it, and either get bombed by all the enemies before it drops, or have tons of people push you out of the way or climb on top of you - and leave you with absolutely no hope. Please, understand me. It is deadly CRUCIAL in the Gold Hunt to time when you go for it. Often, you will just have to drive towards it and hope all tanks in front of you die before they get there. However, many times in Gold Hunts, I myself have jumped in there after seeing the Gold, and just get either killed before I can make any effect, or shoved out of the way and miss it completely. Now, I can't guide you into every situation. However, its normally best not to get "stuck in" immediately. When I saw this video in the Video of the Week, I couldn't help laughing. It shows perfectly how just because you're under the Gold doesn't mean you're going to get it. Particularly watch Number 2 and Number 1. Number 2 shows a typical Gold, whilst Number 1 just shows exactly how you can't get the gold just by being close to it or even underneath it. Now, as for tips, it's a good idea to run in after other people have done so they can get bombed, and even explode - meaning you can often climb up onto their exploding tanks. Other ways of timing your run is making sure, when you are at a height and the Gold Box is falling near you, you can just jump and take the Gold in mid-air. You do not want to be in the situation where you are underneath it but someone jumps on top of you and takes it. And this can be avoided by biding your time and making sure you jump at a sensible time. This follows on to the next point...
 
Get on top of another Tank. (Not all circumstances!). Does this sound like a dumb idea to you? What's the point of climbing on top of someone? Now, of course, in many circumstances, this will be useless. For example, in Madness, you'd not exactly like to be on top of somebody considering that the gold box falls all around the map and also appears on the floor and so if you are on top of someone then they will get it and not you... However, being on top of other hulls can be really useful. This is particularly true for Rushes in maps where the Gold Box falls from large heights. Of course, the most obvious one to pose to you is Stadium. I just recently watched a video by one of the best Gold Hunters.. and he shows you how it's done. If you ever doubted the usefulness of getting onto another hull, think again. He is an absolute genius, and it works, damn well. Take a look at the video by clicking this link here. His way of getting on top of people by using the Railgun Impact Force is clever, but often you will be unable to do this. Therefore, try and get on top of other hulls by jumping on top of them. Or, for example, if the Gold Box is falling in the middle of Polygon, wait for a tank to drop down into the middle, and then jump straight on top of their hull. This will give you the incredibly important bonus of height. Do note, once again, however, that in most maps this may not be useful.
 
Get the biggest side of your Hull out in front. A little small point I would like to bring out. With certain hulls like Dictator and Wasp, its best to get the biggest side of your hull out in Front (The back of the tank). This will increase your surface area and give you more chance of getting the Gold. Just remember, you want to get as much of your tank as possible underneath the Gold.
 
Time your First Aid. One of the final and most important things to do when going for a Gold is timing your First Aid. It's far too easy in the Gold Rush to lose concentration and just drive toward it blindly. Always be thinking before the Gold Box Drops, "I need to get ready to First Aid". The ideal time to First Aid is often immediately when you get hit the first time, especially if a short-range weapon like a Freeze or a Firebird is hitting you. This means that you will be constantly damaged and so your First Aid will last longer. Its a criminal offence to wait too long to First Aid, and explode without giving yourself a chance to Aid. Of course, this does not apply to No Supplies Battles. But better early First Aid than late is what I think. However, obviously don't press it the moment a Smoky hits you when you see the Gold Box, as your First Aid could expire within a millisecond.
 
Learn from the Pros. In the end, all my going on about what to do at a Gold Drop isn't going to get you a Gold. It will be you doing it. However, this article hopefully has inspired you a little bit about what to do when the Warning pops up. The last bit of advice I can give you is to watch the pros getting Gold Boxes. It's all well and good looking at words and seeing what they say, but it's completely true that the best way to learn is by watching. I requested one of the English Community's most esteemed Gold-Hunters, jiangreo, to suggest a few videos of Gold Box Compilations for you to watch. Of course, many of these players have large amounts of Gold Box videos to their names. One of the most famous of all time, PORTES_S recently had his Youtube Videos deleted by hackers; but there are many other awesome Gold Hunters out there. Here are some videos linked from some of the best.
 
nick-10: Linked
warmers: Linked
Lol221: Linked
POCCUUCKUU_TAHK: Linked
jiangreo: Linked
 
And there are obviously so many more Gold Box Hunters out there who upload their catches all over the web. Watching these videos are really interesting, and can be invaluable in learning techniques on how to approach catching your own Golds.
 
It's time for us to close. It's been long enough already, hasn't it? I may only have caught about 50 Golds in my time, but I hope you've learned some things through reading, scanning, or even just watching the videos. Time to get out there, use whatever you've learned, and catch some Gold Boxes! Feedback Appreciated as always. And please, Gold Hunters out there, do leave your own tips.
 
Thanks for reading!
 
The End
 

Edited May 18, 2015 by hogree

[blackopspaul 753]

1st Wow nice hog!

Great work reporters!! B)

[Ryoney123 7]

2nd! nice job hogree

[Paratrix 68]

Nice work! 3rd

Edited July 2, 2014 by Paratrix

[Ryoney123 7]

must of taken a long time to do all that

[FaaiqBilal1 795]

Epic!

[Guest Maserati]

gj

[Ryoney123 7]

how long did it take you?

[hogree 4,179]

how long did it take you?

A fair few hours. lol. 

 

Thanks for the feedback. If you're struggling for time, just read the White Texts. They are the main points.

[I-Iero 823]

Really good, i like how you incorporated those videos, the getting on another tank tip is going to be useful :ph34r:

[MarineMan2 1,164]

Well hogree I have to hand it to you. That was an absolutely fantastic article, and I laughed too when I saw the way that Mammoth took the Gold in the video you posted as an example. Anyway, great work, as always ;)

 

Thanks,

            MarineMan2

[falcosenna1 8,320]

Awesome article!! Interesting to read and very useful. Keep up the great work!!

(I'll upvote it when i'm able to, but i've reached my quota of positive votes for today)  :P

Edited July 4, 2014 by falcosenna1

[Cook.My.Sock 269]

Awesome guide! Keep it up Hog!

[SSLegend99 9]

This is great! And one day you'll be as famous as Raphael2 if you aren't already! ;)

[xX_CID_Xx 1,484]

Great Guide !!!

Just asking is there article where it shows drop zone of crystals (10 cry box) for every map or just top 10 ?

[DoomLOVER12 23]

This article is a work of pure genius!!!!

[I.WalkAlone 548]

This is an exceptional article. The writing style has bowled me over as always. Fabulous job.

[snipe8000 5]

NICE I LOVE THIS i will so use this tactic when gold box is dropping

[emrakul 7,801]

long, but perfect explained guide, i like way how that guy used impact force to get on tank, i must try it...

btw, i got gold...

this gold was more luck, than this guide which i was using...

i selfed, found good place but one opponent  (that hornet in bottom of pic) came to me and started to fight me... i tried to kill him when i saw gold (he saw it in same sec) so i jumped down (i was trying to find any tank to land on, but noone was there), when i got to gold i thought i have no chance...

finally i caught it with like 1 square centimeter under gold :lol:

(if you look closer you can see gold disappering in front of flag)

[SERBIAN-PRO 0]

You have lucky man :)

[miasne007 49]

You should add Aflapoid ;) Well,good job :D Enjoy it reading.

[AbsoluteAlphaZero 2,027]

Nice topic, its defenitly worth the time for readig especcially for beginners.

[Mr.SV.ENS 738]

Aflapoid and PorteS_S are also very famous goldhunters, you might want to add them? ;)

 

Great guide :)

[ihsan2013 0]

YOUR GUIDE HAS HELPED ME A LOT.THANKS A LOT!!! :)

[lukey0 27,543]

Nice guide hogree  ;)