Memoirs In The Fog

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

So playing Tanki is something I simply enjoy, immensely, which is rare for me, I’m not the type to get hung up on shooters, and yet this game is compelling.  It has many aspects to it and reminds me of deeper game play sometimes found in more involved commercially available games.  At the same time, it is distilled, without too much extra, so it’s not so much that to be involved you have to practically learn a manual.  I play often enough now that I figured why not have a little fun with it and start a war diary of sorts.  So I am.  This is it.  I play, I write.  Nothing too grand probably, but I have been accused of being funny from time to time, so here goes, a semi blog if you wish of a shafter and his exploits, ordeals, and the occasional EPIC fail.  Hope you guys enjoy it.

 

A few requests also for those who follow:

 

 

 

Please, please, please, when commenting use a font size of 8 or less, that way others reading the thread can easily find my posts compared to the comments related to them.  Use spoilers where media is involved and other large chunks of material.

 

 

[jokersus.cava 1,503]

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Edited March 17, 2015 by jokersus.cava

[tanker538N 394]

Sorry dude, but this isn't the right section for this para. 

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

So, today I want to recall fondly a railgun that seemed to take issue with me and my partner the other day.  So set the stage.  First off, I don’t play too often with others, don’t really have people I play with in particular, but on occasion I will team.  This was one of them.  This player is much higher ranked and we could barely fit into a battle where our ranks allowed us to play together, but alas, we found one.  Serpuhov, great map, one of my favs, we both join red team.  All good, all shaft, all back wall.  We’re deer standing basically, and OWNING the blue team on that side of the map, rails, shafts, and of course the rest of the short range turrets.  Two coordinated shafts on that ledge is basically certain death for the opposing team, if they even poke their heads out.  I love that spot, in fact, I could drone on and on about all the joys of that little shelf there, how great it is, how perfect it is for shafting, how it’s harder to be snuck up on there, and how . . . oh, wait, I just said I wouldn’t go on and on, I digress.  So yeah, were popping caps like hunters shooting deer, almost wanted to crack a brew, I mean damn, this was easy killing.  Well, some Stephan dweeb (can’t remember the name exactly, but apparently he remembers mine, because he found me in other games and harasses the hell out of me) didn’t like that we apparently could do a good job for the team HE WAS ON, so he started trying to flip us.

 

Now, that LOVELY spot is damn near impossible to mult team players on because auto aim doesn’t engage on team players, and there are no true flat surfaces to line up a shot on a tank there for mults.  So this guy is sitting around trying to flip us, and again, no idea why.  I’m guessing he wanted “dynamic” game play and hated us for our lethargic and boring and ULTRA EFFECTIVE lock down of the blue team and that side of the map.  We laughed our a**es off watching him try to go from place to place, constantly attempting to line up a shot.  NOW, the best part was, when he got frustrated, he decided a gander down the bridge and turn with rock motion might achieve his desired results.  Thing is, there was A GAME GOING ON, so jacka** turns, began rolling backwards, and in a karmic state of affairs, the universe opened up and an ENEMY SHAFT parked on the upper trail opposite that side of the map popped his tank HARD and he was no more.  We later tired of the blue teams’s, now, sheer fear of that side of the map and decided that now that everyone thinks Satan awaits them there, time to make a trip for the flag.  We then proceeded to go get the flag.  My team mate did in fact capture it once, and I ran cover all the times we tried.

 

So what is so memorable about this battle?  Well, it’s easy, shafts DON’T suck, and in groups, shafts really are scary, oh and rails too busy to play and rather shoot at team mates don’t capture flags, but shafts do.  I had yet to play a coordinated “shelf” battle in Serpuhov before, and I can tell you my team mate said they’d probably never do it again because it was SO BORING after 5 minutes that they weren’t making a single crystal sitting there, so I guess I won’t be double teaming there much anymore, but you’ll find me still there, popping caps, and apparently pissing of team mates who don’t like shafts for no particular reason.

 

I promise better stories, if I can recall to do that, that’s why I’m saying this here, now, because, well, it’s a memoir, a diary, maybe I’ll read it and see this sucks and the recall write better story next time (now to just remember to read this damn thing tomorrow)

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

Sorry dude, but this isn't the right section for this para. 

Um, read first, and two, in not in the off topic area, then WHERE does something like this go?

Edited March 17, 2015 by FogOfWar_XXX

[jazz20 1,181]

Interesting post.

 

.

ummm........

[liverpoolaum 811]

what should we do here

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

So last night I was great, Serpuhov, Rio, and Dusseldof.  I really don’t like Rio as much as I used too.  It’s too frenetic and it lacks the real of combat, more like a sporting event in a maze, but it has some entertainment value for a shaft if you’re team is good enough.  I was capping baddies for Red Team last night, one after another, on our flag, and oddly enough, 4 shafts on the other team.  Found a great hidey hole for Shafts in Hornets for the Red Team, eyes on the flag and very hard to get to me without driving right up, great spot (nope, not telling).  There were plenty of funny moments too.  Flips, poorly planned leaps up onto the platform, opposition and our team, that’s tricky place to maneuver, hell I flipped myself going up there trying to put the flag back.  Anyways, Rio was choked full of enemy snipers, 4 on the left side of the map, if you are Red team.  Clever bunch, they’d run the flag runner down that path, while trying to control the higher path next to it, anything came out to shoot the flag runner and those four shafts were waiting, VERY intelligent tactic.  I showed up half way through, and yes, I put a kibosh on a lot of those antics with my hidey hole, and they started hunting me, but to no avail.  See, they trapped themselves into having me defended, my team COULDN’T travel freely because of the shafts, so they were gun shy and only ventured out carefully, so I always had someone around to watch my back.  I was picking off runners almost every shot.  Surprisingly, they didn’t drug up much either, so no need to give chase, and the few times someone did come in drugged, the jump off the ramp onto the platform and my full charge slapping them upside the head was enough to flip them or knock them off the ramp on two occasions.

Rio results, we won the next round as blue team, and morale of the story, careful what you force your opposition into, they might actually discover a better plan.

Dusseldorf, well, another bizarre tale.  I can’t seem but help to be always one of the best players on the LOSING team.  I don’t know if these people train and play together or what, but so often it seems like I’m on some sort of tail end of a joke.  My team couldn’t carry a flag past a building half the time, much less half the map.  Now, opposition, well-armed, drugged up, and coordinated.  Now, the teammates I had, three were active, and fighting the good fight, but really, it was a massacre.  Shafts don’t generally run for flags in Dusseldorf, it’s a fool’s errand mostly.  Shafts lining up shots on you, wasp chasing you over the distances, it’s a poor choice for flag carrier.  That said, I have done it on a number occasions, but I had a team that could actually defend my retreat.  Dusseldorf is a great place for shafts though.  All those ridiculously long range shots with the nearly intimate climax of seeing the tiny fireball in the distance when they go boom, it’s the greatest feeling ever, shaft at its best.  I have also taken to lining up shots in the tree lines.  Base defenders will go up the ramp and back all the way up to get more hiding space and cover, and back right up to the wall.  There is always a gap with a perfect line of sight there down the entire wall.  Vulcans, shafts, twins, all fair game and easy kills, and they really never expect it.  The night before I had been playing Dusseldorf and we cleaned house, my team, and I was practicing another new joy of mine, the corridor on the side where the towers are.  Up the ramp, laser on the ledge, but full view to the other end of the map, yep, again, poppin’ caps and making that D/L a thing of beauty.  Felt so good I even dropped into the pit once and a while and arcade fought some folks, it was a good time, but that was the day before, not yesterday.

 

Dusseldorf results, rear end handed to us, first and second place in all battles, morale of the story, don’t matter how good you are, first second place is first loser, crystal count sucks, even with a score in the 400s.

 

Serpuhov, ah, Serpuhov, what can I say.  We ruled half the time, the other half we were supplied to death.  Supplies, a big topic lately.  I’d say this about them.  I hate them, that said, they keep Tanki well-funded, so can’t pooh pooh it too much.  They are ridiculous though now, I see teams sweeping in and basically on them nearly every second,  I’m really disappointed on just how much they can affect the game, and now people seem to be stocking up on “heal” a lot too.  How can I tell?  I’m a shaft, if I shoot you and you happen to NOT die in the first shot, one arcade shot, two max, and you should be a goner in medium hulls and a below.  Not anymore.  I drop a full charge on some prick, chase them, arcade them, and as I was catching up to them, wrench.  Yep, even my mighty turret can’t compete with instant fix.  And enemy shafts, no isidia, no problem, mammoth up, and heal.  It’s maddening.  There needs to be a better way.  Anyways, story to tell here is twofold.  First story is about yesterday, and how awesome I was against drugged players, really did help a lot when the chips were down.  Okay, enough of yesterday.  Day before yesterday, that’s a story.  Was playing and we had a GREAT team, everyone knew their weapon, best course of action, entry points, and knew to defend too, just a steam roller of a team.  Isidias, very important in Serpuhov, and we had some great ones.  This leads me to my topic.  I had been running cover for the runners over and over, and defense at the same time, once we were up, everyone was ganging up on the enemy base.  Mercifully, not much drugging going on, so maybe one defender on flag as they recently respawned and me.  A shot or two from them, and then me, or vice versa and they lived through my first shot, it was all over, but they were a good team.  We really had to cover the retreats with the flags, and I generally was the shield for crossing the open space for the blue team from enemy shafts and rails.  Someone actually, and isidia, took notice, and began dropping the flag off to me on the way in, so I could get a short carry and capture.  They rushed back, saved time making the trip, and I got a few points extra.  This happened to or three times, and others were also capping the flag, including a medium hulled rail.  This guy though, for whatever reason, didn’t want me to get carry or capture points, and was actively try to take the dropped off flag from me, and did take it once or twice.  Tried flipping me too when I had it.  I’m not sure where this game play comes from, but it bothers me a lot.  I can only hope that decent players like the isidia on the team are more common than the pecker head that was hell bent on keeping a good shaft down.  I think that’s what it was too, another dumb ash that thinks shafts do nothing and can’t contribute.  It’s starting to get to the point that as a shaft I’m beginning to dislike rails as a rule, they are very annoying and pretentious and need to be taken down a notch I think.  They are not the ultimate weapon they like to think themselves as and I think Smokeys in the right hands are far more effective.  They think so greatly of themselves though that I think they have this attitude that everybody should follow their lead.  And no one gets points for not invading the base.  If I help in the flag capture, I helped, and it matters not where I was at when I did.  People can go suck an egg if I kill base defenders from across the map instead of in their face.  I consistently murder red team with the little tippy top sliver of turret shots over the ramp.  Viking shaft covering the flag and causing trouble, not a problem, call me.  Firebird on your but down the ramp as you escape, I got that covered too.  Pesky wasp/rail dropping shots on you all the way back home?  Not no more, I’m here now, and it ain’t happening.

Serpuhov results, mixed, drugged battles starting to suck, a lot.  Teams that appreciate your hard work, awesome, ‘tards that can’t stand you because you rock the heavy weight in the game, they b**w dead rats.

 

You all are VERY welcome for my insights and DO FEEL FREE to say thank you for all of it as often as you’d like.

 

On a real note, I would like to point out the great and very decent player I was speaking of earlier.  Smokey The Gun, awesome flag runner, great team mate to have on a team, and considerate too.  Next time you play and see that name, be glad they’re on your team, and help Smoky out, it won’t be in vain.

[mkkmkk999 33]

cool

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

Last night was Industrial Zone and Serpuhov.  Let me start out by saying this, read if you like minutia, otherwise, you can skip this, not much to see here.

 

Industrial Zone was of note last night, because we were slaughtered.  The team I joined was simply half scatter brained, quarter multed, quarter sabotaged.  ******ed dictators using the up high platform next to the red flag with shaft (because it’s OH SO EASY to hide up there, much less in a DICTATOR HULL moron, you were being picked off so regularly, it hurt to watch you), to the rico that seemed to LOVE getting popped by rails and shafts by zooming full charge in the open towards the enemy base.  The other team always came in hot on drugs (nothing special there anymore, it’s par for course lately) and I was trying to share that platform with DICtator for brains, but we had no coverage down below, so the flag was snagged very regularly.  Then there was the mults, one or two, and then two rails that intentionally would climb the ramp and bump us and climb on us to mess with our shots.  All told, it was an okay game FOR ME, but as a team, it sucked.

 

Serpuhov, a bloody mess, every single game, even when winning.  Shafts in Mammoths that seem to be indestructible, rails on dictators that seemed indestructible too, the list goes on and on.  There was a rico running around too, not sure what the hull was, but it looked like a hornet.  Full charge hits of my M1 shaft, no shields, wouldn’t die.  I know, sounds impossible, that’s what I thought, but either the angles I hit it at every time was just off enough or yeah, something strange was going on.  Oh, also, while I have adapted for the laser, last night was a reminder of just how stupid those things are, and how you get hunted with them.  Very odd battle last night in Serpuhov.  Also, for the record, all players, pay attention . . .

 

When your team SUCKS so much that a shaft has to leave it’s perch and venture into the enemy base to try to snag a flag, and it ACTUALLY does it, you should rally around it on the trip back because its life expectancy is not wildly high (ie, follow me morons, since you couldn’t snag a flag in drugged up wasps), and more than likely that flag will need a second carrier.  One rail, one, had enough sense to see me from ACROSS the map, and started down towards me and escorted me half way up the ramp, where we were both summarily prosecuted by rails and shafts, and the flag left there for nearly thirty seconds, THIRTY SECONDS YOU F****** IDIOTS, before someone on the blue team sauntered up ACROSS THE OPEN MAP to OUR RAMP and returned it.  Other than that, typical drug battle, decent game I guess, though I can’t recall after the flag debacle.  We could have at least not been 0 for 6 in that game, some dignity, I swear.

 

Morale of the stories today, Dictators, you’re big, and tall, and make excellent target practice, DON’T park on the highest points on maps, you take up space and get killed a lot, like Giraffes on sand dunes at a live fire gun conventions.  Tanki Aesops other lesson for the day, rally flag runners you idiots, it’s how the team makes points.

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

So last night was Serpuhov and Berlin and Lost Temple.

 

Lost Temple was great, except some punk named Dommsday something or another.  Aside from harassing me and doing nothing for the team, when he(she?) took shots at the enemy it was pretty bad, rail and rico, they couldn't shoot fish in barrel.  I love Lost Temple for the camping places up top, but those are limited in field of view, so you got pick where the action is gonna be.  Shafts are great in Lost Temple too for base defense, nothing more satisfying than popping some jerk coming up the ramp, or even better, my most favorite thing to do, make them think they're about to make it off the ramp and pop them mid-air, that's like sex, feels SO GOOD.

 

Berlin was great, CP battle, losts of enemy twins, lots of long distance, lots of dead twins.  I learned though that you can spawn in the same place as the other team, interesting, had never noticed, and for the record, whoever that rail was, why didn't you just run away everytime?  You knew that after the seventh kill wait for you to spawn again it was not likely I was going to start missing you.  Anyways, yes, Berlin wawsgreat, had agreat team too.  Nice when shafts can capture things more regulrly, I like arounding around turning CPs my color.

 

Serpuhov.  Dang. It was brutal for a few games.  Some team chalked to the gills with Isidia and Hammer, talk about a mean game.  Later though, more mixed environment, I pulled off a 35 to 1 D/L, now that's some shooting right there.  Sorry if I'm blowing my horn, but I got to, that was awesome.  Now, some hard earned advice from me, shafts, if you got the flag and you're waiting for your team to get yours back, even if folks HAD been around you, don't count on it and scope into a spot, they leave, and then you get shot, and lose a flag, and then the team is all grumbl with you after that.

[SportsKing700 153]

Ok, so the point of this is to make updates/articles on what you did on maps or whatever? I know a few ways to make this better. I can make a design for you, some banners and awesome tiles for like dates of when you posted them. PM me if you want this done. We can talk more there ;) GL. Also, it could be easier if you move this to your main post for you can just update it instead of making a new post every time. 

Edited March 30, 2015 by SportsKing700

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

Since you asked nicely, AND YOU CAN READ INSTRUCTIONS, yes, I'll contact you, though the banners I want to go easy on, very subtle.  It's blog-esque.  Some days will be much better than others.  I don't play every day either, so there is that too.  I'll holler at you soon.

Edited March 30, 2015 by FogOfWar_XXX

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

Chernobyl

 

Some conversation came up about my favorite maps the other day, and after trying to recall, there was one that I couldn’t name for certain, thought it was Chernobyl, so last night I went and created one, CTF, 15 minute, hoped in, sure enough, that was it, I really like that map.  So I’m driving around in a empty map and decide “Hey, let’s invite peoples.”  (Yes, peoples, I like saying that)  So I go through my list of “friends”, find some online, invite them, I’m turned down, apparently Iran is for more compelling at the moment.  Eventually someone joins, a duel as it were, and we’re running around taking the flag trying get ours back.  Low and behold, out of nowhere, the nice folks who I had invited decided to show up.  One problem, they all ended up on the opposite team.  They are great players to play with, but I came to find out why they are.  My oh my, are they buyers.  I mean all drugs, all the time.  They were merciless in their attacks, and the folks that had joined my team left and there were 4 of us left against and what I can assume is a group that seems to play together very often.  D/L was AWLFUL, I barely broke a 1.5 against these guys .

 

Now as far as “take aways” from Chernobyl, one thing that did occur to me, this is a map that DOESN’T lend itself to one off power players.  I tend to defend the roost on there, plop right down on the flag, scope the opposite flag, protect our runners from interceptors, and then if I hear trouble very near by, I’ll go and help take care of that.  The trick here is to scope or not scope.  Scoped on Chernobyl with no flank protection for shafts is a death sentence.  Too many raised and lowered areas to sneak up in, entry to are exactly to the sides and confined, once they come up that’s it, you’re screwed.  Now, that said, can’t camp and help out far away, and likely to get sniped yourself if you’re not scoped but in a good scoping spot.  I started doing much better once I realized my team mates were really not up to the challenge of taking the flag, and I stopped scoping all the time on their base.  Now, again, to the players that did play with me, all those drugs were a lot to swallow, and they were good too, no doubt, so the combo made it very difficult to play.  All that said though, shafts, if you are in doubt, don’t scope till your team is good about keeping the badies at bay long enough for you to dispatch them.

 

After that team left, I actually had some great games, especially one with two isidias that were really good about keeping me up to snuff and using my line of site for escape.  I should have friended them now that I think about it, oh well.  We did that for two games.  I guess that leaves me with one moere little thing to say.  Guys, if you have a shaft worth it’s salt on your team, use it.  Follow the beams back home, it really works.  I’ll bag’em and tag’em all day while they chase you with the flag.  I see games that where ever the shafts are, the team mates avoid.  Um, duh, last I checked me shooting opponent is the fiercest shot in the game, I’m your best interdiction for that sort of thing.  Anyways, Gotta git, wanna play again tonight after all (that or watch a movie, they come out on Tuesdays on DVD).

[rounoun 871]

1- this is the wrong section , here we make topics about our creativity works, please next time read the section rules before you make topics.
2- also you are flooding the page.
3- this topic will be closed soon.

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

1- this is the wrong section , here we make topics about our creativity works, please next time read the section rules before you make topics.

2- also you are flooding the page.

3- this topic will be closed soon.

This is off topic conversation, where else could it possibly go, it's under creative.  I'm confused, where does this go then?

[FogOfWar_XXX 793]

So, playing yesterday, Serpuhov and this time, but I decided to mix it up, a little Solikamsk because I was bored with the standard fare.  I also played Ft. Knox.

 

Now, I’ve played Solikamsk a few times, handful, long time ago.  Now that I have been back, I must say, its slaughter house.  Talk about a mean map.  It does nothing for Shafts too, it’s harsh.  Now this is going to be more about Shafts than maps, but yeah, I was able to pull off a third place on that map strangely (second game, once I got my bearing).  Shaft’s seem to be really different machines now that I have played since all the changes.  I found a little corridor and let tanks drop down from above and I would snipe them there.  Once they were wise to that, I had to resign myself to the idea of fighting the classic high point game.  As long as I had someone covering me for local trouble, I was kicking but actually, but up close, it seems like the better arcade damage makes difference, but only when you can land a shot.  The turret turn is not quite right, scoped or not, I used to be able to tack a bead on a tank and hit.  Seems like everyone else is faster now AND my turret is supposedly faster turning now, BUT the acceleration to get into a turn of the turret seems off.  I used to be able to time an opponent if they were turning and know when my turret would be able to catch up to them.  Now, once they are past, if they are anywhere close, I can’t seem to put a beam on them.  Arcade I can at least both the hull and turret to turn, so I have the faster turn, but that’s not ideal to say the least, leaves you facing directions you might not want to accelerate into.

 

So yeah, strange days for Shafts, and I am CERTAINLY no longer sporting those 1 to 3 spots on the score boards like before, hell, had to fight tooth and nail for third place on two maps yesterday. 

 

Fort Know, corridor down side of fort, scope, and lots of patience, it was fun.  Note, freezes and firebirds SUCK in straight lines, felt good to finally see them suffer with no place to run while I was scoped, hell, almost wanted to do a little dance, so yeah, if ou Shaft, so a little dance for that map, not too big but you can be a huge pain in the rear with a Shaft in that map.

 

Final thoughts, well, I wondering if Shaft kill counts are basically forever lowered now with the lower reload time.  This will be a bad thing for a long time, maybe forever, we’ll see, but not happy about it.