Guide [Issue 61] Mastering Deception with Alec Smart

[Zenyth 6,494]

 

Deception, a side duty of a handful of tankers, something which is done but not acknowledged often. Playing mind games on the opponents in a way that can be leveraged to have an advantage has been done since the old times, be it the medieval cavalry flank attack to aid a following frontal charge or the complex Operation Bodyguard in WWII. Let's see how we can use these techniques of psywar to manipulate enemies in Tanki.
 

 
Oh yes, Alec Smart is back to share his knowledge with us. You saw him last time, commenting on the then Football Frenzy. This time, he's brought his ears along and will be using his green marker to write (because why not?).

 

 
Alright, so. Deceiving the enemies? How? There isn't any standard 'method' to deceive enemies. How could there be? There are various kinds of situations that you face everyday on the battlefield, and each kind is unique. That means an endless number of situations and endless number of ways to get out of them and have the upper hand when doing so. The core idea of them all is being unpredictable and clever. On the battlefield, strong and wily tankers beat the rest.
 
Now then, let's look at a few common methods one could use to bamboozle enemies.
 
Getting that Unpredictability
 
More often than not, we've all been tricked by cunning, calculating players. Somewhat like a fraudster swindling a businessman out of money (fairly uncommon example, you're welcome). Unpredictability lies in making your foe falsely confident about what he will be facing, and doing something totally different to land him in a vulnerable state. In other cases, using the trait of being irregular can help keep your foe guessing on what to do next, how to react, attack or retreat and so on.
 
Naturally, this isn't something new to most of you. We all use unpredictability to confuse our foes and a create a fog of uncertainty - and fall for it too. It's all because we naturally anticipate the outcome of a certain turn of events and try to prepare for a suitable reaction. Consider XP/BP format battles. One'd always try to make the opponent think whether you're going to follow him or not, peek out to shoot or not, move to another piece of cover, or not. Unlimited possibilities, only to be utilized in the right way and at the right time. Watching or reading about ways to exploit these possibilities is always helpful, but with experience, you can make tricks of your own, possibly to suit your playing style in a better way.
 
Unpredictability works in both ways. For example, delaying shots, or making the enemies misinterpret your reload time can mislead many opponents if not all. On the receiving end, changing your response to fire in a way that the enemies won't anticipate or adjust to easily, can work too. Remember, these are just a couple of examples!
 
Making them Think
 
Very obvious, right? It is, but it's often ignored that just by keeping the enemy engaged in some sort of movement like pursuit can make them falter. Staying still is the worst thing you could do in most cases. A moving target is harder to hit and it can make your enemies follow you (which sitting still completely rules out...). This includes moving from cover to cover in long-range combat, which requires you to understand the map and its terrain well.
 
Then come the improvisations. Feinting left and right, thrusting your hull, or even changing the angle which your turret makes with the hull for example. If you're an avid cricket fan, you'll know that even changing the field can unsettle a batsman, forcing him to change his shot selection. The same applies here, the more your enemy thinks, the more is the probability that he/she takes the wrong step!
 

A basic idea of confusing enemies by feigning

 
For example, take this entry point to the red base in Red Alert. The Hunter would almost certainly head directly to the flag if it used [1]. The [2] ramp provides it with some possibility to put a defender out of place. If the Hunter properly feints towards the path going to the backside of the house, an onlooking defender would probably move towards the backside of the house, giving the Hunter more time and possibly lesser defenders to get rid of. This is a good example of a 'probing feint', which doesn't do much harm even if it doesn't provide the expected result.
 
Lowering Reaction Time
 
Pace is an important factor in the success of a campaign. Subjecting the enemy team to an intensive blitzkrieg can have positive outcomes, simply because the enemies will have minimal time to react and protect what is dear. Understandably, just about any such attempt would not face the expected 'positive outcome'. Co-ordination between teammates and determination of who does what (as in, who supports, who engages first and so on) is key.
 
In one-on-one situations too, lowering the 'reaction time' can prove helpful. After all, the target is clear in such situations and in most cases, disturbing the opponent's focus is not possible. Acting quick and trying to surprise the opponent can become a better choice. For example, consider a long-ranged user cornered by an enemy using a rapid-fire weapon a short distance away. He/she will push for a fleeting encounter, trying to shoot and move. So if you're the short-ranged user, you'd want to try an ambush immediately. 
 
However, moving with agility and engaging in whirlwind encounters takes a lot of practice. Better not mess up by trying something extravagant in important times; spare your team's blushes!
 
Awareness and Foresight
 
I learned this the hard way, en route to a shocking defeat in a recent tourney. Going with a preset plan in our mind whenever we do something on the battlefield is beneficial, but taking a cue from the current happenings and adapting is, too. Even though pre-planned tactics can be executed with confidence, it pays off to be foresighted and to realize what's imminent.
 
Being aware of the surroundings can help you from getting deceived and exploiting map-specific nuances can go a long way. You can prevent interceptions and blockades from the enemies by doing this. The most basic thing here would be effective use of the Q & E keys to track opponents that aren't visible in the normal plane of vision. Secondly, you should keep an eye on the whole map using the cursory bird's eye view that appears for a second or two after getting killed.
 

A basic idea of interceptions

 
Consider this situation in a Solikamsk CTF - an enemy is running away with the red flag, eyeing a quick escape from the covered flank. A flag chaser would easily follow such an enemy, but the trail can turn into a trap if you follow [1]. [2] grants you a safer chase and if well-timed interception ensues, a successful return of the flag.
 
Misdirection
 
Misdirection is the art of deliberately convincing the enemies to go the wrong way or take a wrong decision in war. The cool thing is that this is both easy and difficult, depending on your rank and the 'skill-level' of battles you play. A cruel means to make your enemies think they're dumb as they watch themselves lose out; overwhelming their thought process and hence their reactions, putting even druggers into dire straits.
 

 
I remember misdirecting unsuspecting AS mode blues as I went in with my Hammer-Viking into the castles, with an eye on the tree-shaped points. Even a group of two or three defenders were seemingly left out of position as I hinted at going from a side-route but went straight through the main gate instead. To my surprise, I tasted success at many more instances than I hoped for.
 
Changing your hull's momentum can plausibly misdirect your opponents. A player with considerable experience in Tanki would know the approximate top speed of each hull and time his moves to intercept a flag-bearer in his escape. If the flag-bearer resorts to simply going slower than normal or even taking a detour, the said player may reach the "interception" point before the flag-bearer does, giving the latter some time to activate supplies or gear up for a shot.
 
Distracting
 
Distraction is another deceptive technique which draws in acts which would hinder or interrupt the enemy's concentration. Essentially a side job, similar to what I mentioned at the start. No one will understandably do this all battle-long, but more as a key contributor to your own side's success in key moments depending on the game mode (CTF/CP).

Distraction is heavily dependent on how you project yourself as a foe. Firstly, your position. If you're well hidden and are wearing a camouflage paint, you're hardly distracting and are probably the last tank the enemy'd love to target for an easy kill. On the contrary, bright, flashy paints like Disco almost guarantee you some death-dealing paparazzi. Similarly if you're in a spot that makes you conspicuous and if you appear defenseless, wandering in the open. Unsuspecting enemies will find it hard to abstain from cashing in on this wonderful free-kill and in the meantime lose out on the larger scene. Do this when your teammates are attacking for a crucial flag, and you'll be indirectly rewarded for sacrifice.

 

Distraction using supplies

 
You can distract your opponents to 'push' or 'pull' them from a coveted zone. One example would be using supplies hardcore and camping by the flanks to harass enemy defenders. They'll need to get rid of you at any cost, and they'll try to get close to do so. There you go, their defense gets split and your attackers get some reprieve! On a similar note, you could use push-tactics with battering ram combos like Twins-Titan or the swift, bumblebee-like Wasp-Hammer or Hornet-Thunder to 'push' the opponents back and create more space for your teammates.
 
Then there's the easier version of distraction - gold boxes. Drop one and the whole group heads to the drop zone, unwary of possible point-captures that may happen meanwhile. Besides 'drugging', this is another way of causing mass distraction.
 
In Offense
 
Impulsive changes in attacking routes can greatly confuse defenders and give you an edge, however slight. Getting past the best defenses in a CTF can become easier if you go beyond textbook and try what your opponents would probably least expect. There's always the enemy scout that says "incoming from the left!" in the enemy team chat. The enemies can thus get misguided (and they cannot kill the messenger either..) Switching between attacking routes can serve an additional purpose of getting more drops on your way to the enemy base. 
 
Then there's the famous multi-pronged attack which is very efficient for bases with multiple entries. Not every anvil can handle two hammers at once and the same is true in CTF. Only an outrageous counterattack would be able to beat a well-timed and well-executed such attack, where one group of attackers with rapid-fire guns like Twins, Smoky or Ricochet keep the defenders busy while the real group of attackers make short work of the flag.
 
Also effective is a fake-followed-by-real attack sequence, where attackers with lower health pool but higher acceleration and speed draw the defenders out and the other pack lurks around the base waiting for the flag to get returned. Whilst the defenders are still out, the latter can take the flag back home and claim a capture. Sometimes, both the attack waves, fake and real can travel to the base together and enter the base with a lapse of seconds in between, with the fake ones dropping the flag just when the real attackers jump/land on them (for example, red attackers in Noise).
 
As you could guess, good timing and coordination is key here. A good amount of practice is generally needed before you start getting positive outcomes.
 
In Defense
 
Deception in defensive roles lies in tricking the attacking party to enter the base from where you exactly want them to so that you can tackle them with the highest intensity. Now normally, you wouldn't want to watch over too many entries/exits and if there are more than two/three of them it is quite a hassle. Making the remaining ones as daunting as possible is key.
 
The best possible way to do this is obviously, mining. The mining should be effective and should be done by the fattest hulls in defense. Try to mine areas of a pathway such as the colour of your mine blends in with the surface colour. Additionally, if the pathway leads to a turn, mine more at the turn's side for light hulls have a tendency of saving time with sharp turns. Also, don't forget to man a nearby entry - attackers would often think the mined entry is being watched over and others are relatively unmanned.

 

 Defense hideouts

 

Another deceptive trick would be 'hiding' the defense in crannies and behind props. Doesn't work every time but if one scouts the base and doesn't see defense stationed in a significantly large area,  one tends to grab the opportunity. If you don't want to keep the base so drastically open, allow one or two heavy defenders near the flag and the lighter defenders further out. It's to be noted that this kind of defense ends of being quite free and flexible at times, and can follow capturers and fire with greater efficiency, defending on the situation, map and positioning.
 
Combat-wise, there isn't anything general that I could cite and explain. One thing I'd like to point out is deceiving a clever multiple-attack wave by not initiating shoot-on-sight (unless you're a Twins, Smoky or Vulcan defender). Looking out for following waves and choosing the right ones can foil attack plans made to in turn, deceive you. 
 

 
That'd be it. I hope you found my deceptive techniques helpful. Of course, I've only mentioned a few, new ones are there to be found, and I have no doubt you'll find your own style of doing the same on the battlefield. Good luck and thank you for reading!
 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Hexed

[TTK_229 1,080]

Lies! They're all lies, I tell you. Falsehood! Trickery! Deception! Oh, wait...

[Zenyth 6,494]

:lol:

[bc200214_777 582]

Dang! You smart, Alec.

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

Well done, Alex Mart!