Review [Issue 65] Beyond M3: Field Tests II

[Hex 11,520]

 

 

 

 

Choosing the way you play and what you play with are two of the most influential steps a tanker goes through in the beginning and middle stages of their career. Both decisions are relatively quite easy, but it is the final stage where most tankers face difficulties. While micro-upgrading at beginner stages is easier, making an item M4 is a difficult task, considering that doing so eats up hundreds of thousands of crystals, usually per upgrade. Plus, the decision of which turret or hull to M4 first itself is a hard one, especially if someone plays with a wide variety of combinations.

 

This article series aims to clear these last-stage confusions, paving way for a more cost-effective and strategic account.

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Introduction:

 

You might already remember what am I basically doing in this series, but again, let me explain what I will actually do:

• I'll select an M4 combination.
• I'll select a map.
• Then, I will play with that combination on that map with supplies.
• Then, I will use the same combination in another map without using supplies.
• While playing, I'll grab notes and take pictures; then explain my findings and tests in an article, like this one.

 

Now, here are the things that will remain constant in this article series:

• I'll explain three combinations in each article.
• There will be a poll in each article which aims at collecting information regarding the most popularly voted combinations. In the next article, I'll test and write about those combinations (which you people voted for).
• There will always be two maps for each combination.
• The mode will always be CTF, as it tests player's knowledge of the map, various vantage points (as in CP), skills in the enemy base (as in DM) and finally, effectiveness in defensive offense (as in TDM).
• Finally, there will be two ratings for each combination - one for use with supplies and one without.

 

That being said, let's jump right into the field!

 

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Wasp-Hammer:

 

First thoughts - I'd probably be using some other combination in than this in a battle. Even though Hammer packs quite a punch and delivers a heck lotta damage, pairing it with Wasp is a rather... bad decision. The thing with Wasp is that it's very light and fast - and this makes Wasp unstable. Thought it is agile and swift, you can't drive straight with someone shooting you from the sides or behind.

 

On top of that, I'd highly suggest using Hammer's High Capacity Drum, an alteration which gives you five shots instead of the usual three while taking away minimal amount of reload time. But, due to the nature of the article, I am not allowed to use it while testing, so that's another disadvantage of using Wasp with Hammer.

 

But, we'll have to wait and see what really happens.

 

Theory:

• Can Wasp be effectively harmonized with Hammer, so that Hammer keeps delivering its punches while Wasp steals the flags?
• Can Hammer be used to stabilize Wasp in case of a destabilization? Although it seems unlikely because of the huge recoil and impact force, it might just be possible.

 

Experiments and Tests:

Time to test Wasp-Hammer. For use with supplies, I jumped into Lost Temple. Later, I played in Desert to test this combination without supplies.

 

 

I had to get ready for this, since Wasp-Hammer is no child's play. You have to be serious while playing with it: having focus, being aware and so on. Once I stepped into the game, well...

 

Battle Result - Lost Temple CTF | Wasp-Hammer + Kodiak T-C + Supplies

 

Yeah, a pretty decent score for a Wasp in Lost Temple. The thing was, there were so many Shafts and Magnums in the battle, it actually became hard for me to go and steal the flag. But, let's take a look at the deconstruction and see what really happened.

 

 

When the battle began, I started out by helping out with defense, mainly because I wanted to get a couple of kills. I would try to shoot anyone who tried to come in our base through the middle or the sneaky passage in our base. After a while, I noticed that a defender Twins, Firebird or Isida would just take people out while I was pumping their health out. Like, by the time I was about to shoot the person with my third and final shot, another energy-turret would take him/her out.

 

Then, I decided to mid-field and help with defense in the middle of the map, or close to our base at least. If anyone came up to our base, I would jump in with another Railgun or Thunder and take the onslaught out. This way, I grabbed a couple of kills.

 

 

I kept doing this and amassed up to ten kills. Then, the activity in the middle suddenly dropped for some reason, as people would try to sneak into our base from the other way.

 

This was the perfect chance for me to go and get the flag!

 

 

Unfortunately, one thing I completely forgot is that in this map, the flags are located on a higher podium and you have to traverse up a ramp to grab it. Totally not easy for a Wasp, especially if there's a truckload of people around it, not to mention a couple of mines guarding the entrance to the flag as well.

 

No matter how hard of a diversion I would try to make, or go in with full supplies and an Isida, I wasn't able to touch the flag. Once I did grab hold of it and jumped down, but as a I mentioned, a Magnum would simply drop a shell and take me out.

 

The thing is, you need a heavier hull to push through the mass sitting on the flag and dodge past Hammers, Freezes, Magnums and Railguns - all which would completely paralyze a puny Wasp.

 

 

Owing to that negative change in the battle, I simply did what I was doing before - guarding my base's entrances and protecting it from incoming enemies.

 

 

Also, my team did manage to capture one flag, but in the end, a huge group of enemies swarmed our base and captured two flags. We were in process of bringing a second flag home, but that's where the battle ended.

 

 

Now it was time to test this combination without supplies.

 

Battle Result - Desert CTF | Wasp-Hammer + Badger T-B

 

What?! More score than what you had with supplies? What the...

 

I know, right?

 

So, the sole reason I was able to get this kinds score was through excellent drop control. Upon entering the battle at sometime around two minutes in, I noticed that the supply boxes were dropping perfectly. First, a Double Armor dropped in our base, then a Speed Boost. After like ten seconds or so, a Repair Kit would drop right there in the picture below. This meant that if I could get those Double Armor and Speed Boost boxes, I would be able to go and get the flag and take the Repair Kit on my way back.

 

Keeping this in mind, I started off my battle by getting a Double Power from my base and teaming up with two other people in my team, which were obviously going for the flag. I knew there was no chance I will be able to grab the flag and make it home without a Double Armor and Speed Boost, so I just killed anyone I saw in their way.

 

This way, I managed to get three-four kills.

 

 

Then, I made my first attempt for taking the flag. I grabbed a Double Armor and Speed Boost just like I hypothesized before, and went for the flag. Didn't turn out so well though. There was a Freeze there, who would just immobilize me every time I would go for the flag.

 

 

In my third or fourth attempt, I think, this happened. The enemy team must've decided it was time to put that puny Wasp down once and for all, because he keeps rushing through our base, spilling dust and dirt on our tanks.

 

Anyways, when I attacked, the whole enemy team ganged up on me, rendering all of my efforts to nothing again.

 

 

And then, it happened. Doing the same thing I was doing before, I noticed that the Freeze was distracted by some other tanks. This was my chance. I quickly made my way to the enemy base through the middle, grabbed the flag, grabbed the dropping Repair Kit, outmaneuvered people in the middle and captured the flag!

 

 

I did two more captures by some generous people who would drop me the flag for whatever reason, but thanks to them. That's was pretty much what happened in that battle.

 

 

Results:

Wasp-Hammer is quite a good combination with or without supplies, but you would have to find a perfect map to play in.

 

 

Viking-Railgun:

 

Next up, Viking-Railgun. In the recent poll where you had to vote for the combinations you wanted me to test for this article, Viking-Railgun pulled a massive majority than other choices. The usual Viking - a strong and sturdy hull, suitable for all battlefields and situations, paired up with Railgun - a turret that can deal whopping amounts of damage if used correctly over time.

 

Both of Railgun's alterations, when used together, make it much more stronger. But again, since I am not allowed to use them, I'd have to go with a factory-set Railgun.

 

Theory:

• Could Railgun and Viking be possibly used in all battlefields and situations, for example defending, attacking and mid-fielding?
• Is it even worthwhile to use Railgun with Viking? We all know Viking needs a mobile turret, and Railgun isn't that quick either.
• Finally, does Viking prove to be better than Hunter or Dictator - possibly even Hornet - when used with Railgun?

 

Experiments and Tests:

It was time to test Viking-Railgun. For use with supplies, I jumped into Esplanade. Later, I played in Wolfenstein to test this combination without supplies.

 

 

Well...

 

Battle Result - Esplanade CTF | Viking-Railgun + Kodiak T-C + Supplies

 

I know this is a pretty average score, something that I could've pulled off even with M2s. But the thing is, Esplanade isn't built perfectly for Railgun. Rather, you could use Twins, Ricochet or Thunder here. But since I wanted to test Railgun's mobility - that is, its ability to be quick in tight situations, I chose Esplanade. The module I was using was perfect for this map however, Kodiak T-C, giving me fifty percent protections against Twins, Railgun and Thunder. I didn't see many Ricochet, but there were two Railgun M4s on the enemy team, so I went parallel with that module.

 

Now, let's break down the result and see what didn't go well, because in my opinion and experiences, a Railgun M4 should've acquired more score.

 

 

Yep, I had XT with them blue Jeans on. Look, I know that you have be comfortable and cozy while playing a battle, so I should've worn Pajamas, but hey, Jeans is better. Besides, even the description says you look cool in the most intense of rounds of combat.

 

Now that I've got clothing a.k.a paints out of the way, let's start breaking down the result. When the match first began, I took like two to three minutes to just think what to do. I mean, Railgun? Should I snipe people from the top, snipe people from the bottom, help with defense or just go all out, puncture holes in the enemy and capture flags?

 

I first decided to snipe people from the top. Thus, I made my way up and found myself in the following situation ~

 

Me and a Viking-Ricochet, against a Titan-Thunder, a Hornet-Railgun and a Viking-Railgun. Luckily, the Ricochet spotted the Railgun right over us when we were coming up, so it shot and killed it. There was another Railgun far away on the raised platform. I took it out by quickly going over the ramp and shooting it with Double Power. Now only the heavy tank was left. After it destroyed the Hornet-Shaft on our team, both of us jumped on top of him, laid mines and shot him. Unfortunately for the Titan, it stepped on both the mines and died. A perfect example of teamwork!

 

 

When my drugs deactivated, I simply jumped down to this position and started shooting anyone who came for our flag. I got like one-two kills till my supplies would cool down.

 

Out of the four flags my team could capture, I captured one, making the final score 4-3. It was surprising how slow the battle was, as the fund only got around to about 4000 , even though both team tried to fiercely attack and end stalemates.

 

 

In the final sixty seconds of the battle, I tried to get as many kills as I could. At the fifteen second mark, I had this miserable fail.

 

 

I just stayed there till the battle ended in fifteen seconds, because there was nothing else to do :P.

 

 

Was a bit nervous on this one, since I know a lot of people have protections from Railgun - and without Double Power, I wasn't going to get kills that often.

 

Battle Result - Wolfenstein CTF | Viking-Railgun + Grizzly T-J

 

Sorry Railgun, but looks like I turned you from a 'Fear Machine' to a 'Mult Machine'...

 

 

Exactly what I thought happened - not enough speed to get around quickly and not enough damage to kill enemies with lots of protections.

 

I started off by sniping - didn't work.

 

 

Attacking - didn't work. The enemies would just pin me down and kill me.

 

 

Attacked again, turns out without supplies you're very vulnerable to mines.

 

 

And that, I'm sorry to say, is the end.

 

 

Results:

With supplies, Viking-Railgun could prove to be amazing in the right map. Without supplies however, I'd suggest not using Railgun.

 

 

Mammoth-Vulcan:

 

Note: In the previous poll, Titan-Vulcan and Mammoth-Twins both pulled off ten votes, meaning that it was a tie. Thus, I have combined the original combinations to make Mammoth-Vulcan.

 

A fiery combination in my opinion, also under the name Eyjafjallajökull - one of Tanki's most powerful product kits. Vulcan, a gun that can fire almost forever, when paired when Mammoth, the heaviest, sturdiest and the most powerful hull, becomes a literal death machine which likes raining lead all over the enemies.

 

That being said, let's jump into results.

 

Theory:

• Well, obviously this is a great combination. But, how can it perform in situations where it is not built for - for example large open maps, or tight spaces.
• Is the presence of an Isida required?

 

Experiments and Tests:

It's time - time to test this beastly combination is various maps. For testing with the use of supplies, I joined an Molotov CTF, and for without, Year 2042.

 

 

So, this happened:

 

Battle Result - Molotov CTF | Mammoth-Vulcan + Badger T-E + Kodiak T-C + Supplies

 

Now that's one impressive battle result.

 

 

First of all, let me just point out that how beautiful my tank was looking. Them M4 Vulcan and Mammoth XTs topped with Tiger, a paint so fiery and pugnacious itself. Like literally, I wont even go into so much detail with this dissection, because this combinations suits this map almost perfectly!

 

Do note that you have to be very careful with module choice in a map like this - it may seem a small map, but turret choices here make it look like a medium one. You'll probably go into a map like this with protections against Thunder, Ricochet, Twins or Firebird, but you'll spawn in to find a lot of Railguns too. This was the major reason I changed my module in between the game from Badger T-E to Kodiak T-C.

 

Now, getting back to the battle, our team started off strong. We managed to capture three flags in the first five minutes. I would stay at this location and help attackers successfully take the enemy flag back to our base. 

 

 

Sometime later, I got bored of that. So, I went in the enemy base and full drugs and started spawn-killing them. This is when I made the biggest mistake ever...

 

I noticed that since turrets like Firebird, Isida, Freeze and Hammer (Badger T-E protections mostly) weren't working for the enemies against me, people started to change to Railgun and Thunder. I was like, "Okay bros, you get Railgun or Thunder, I get 50% from those too."

 

When I went to change protections, I, like, completely forgot that Firebird protection is necessary for a Vulcan user. You see, I changed to Kodiak T-C, 50% from Twins, Thunder and Railgun' and so, I was stuck with self-burn for the rest of the battle.

 

 

You can see the effects of that noob mistake in the picture below. The good thing however, was that there were two Freezes in my team, who thankfully knew that a Freeze can cool down a tank burning from after-burn. I owe like half of my score to those guys, they did a great job.

 

Then, I started to go all around the map, killing anyone I saw. For instance, here I am helping a Ricochet-Viking return our flag.

 

 

Then, I crossed the bridge over to the enemy base and started to spawn-kill them again. Look at those numbers pop!

 

 

And that's about it. Definitely one of the best games I've played in this series so far.

 

 

And now for the no-supplies mode:

 

Battle Result - Year 2042 CTF | Mammoth-Vulcan + Badger T-E

 

Quite good, isn't it? To be honest, I wasn't even expecting half of this.

 

 

Starting off, I opted for defense - as my combinations suggested - and started laying mines on the flag. The good thing about the Blue base in Year 2042 is that all four supplies drop closer than ever to the flag. I would just keep that Double Power rocking every two minutes and keep enemies at bay.

 

 

I also mid-fielded in the battle. Using my Vulcan's suppression capabilities, the attackers in my team successfully managed to capture one flag. Providing that the enemy had a very strong defense, the capture of the first flag in our favor was a relief.

 

 

Then, I just headed back to my position - the flag. The enemy team grew fierce and decided to flank us from all sides. A couple of people were already defending the flag from the middle, so I started to keep these people out of our base.

 

 

Then, it happened. Like, why server.... Couldn't find another time for this?

 

Yep, I got kicked from the battle and my server's connection closed. Panicking, I quickly restarted the Tanki client and luckily made it back in the battle. Unfortunately however, I don't know how, the enemies managed to capture two flags in my absence.

 

All through the battle from that point onward, I felt like the whole defense depended on me - which is not a good thing. The whole team has to defend when needed, even if the mid-fielders have to turn and return the stolen flag.

 

 

One more thing about Mammoth though, hope you get a good spawn. In the picture above, it literally took me like twenty seconds to get back to my position every time I spawned in this area...

 

 

Results:

Mammoth-Vulcan literally destroys everything in its path if it's being used with supplies. Without them, it still does quite well, but do have a Firebird protection module though!

 

 

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So there it is - the second installment of this, hopefully helpful series. I will be open to questions, suggestions and comments below. Also, don't forget to vote for the next three combinations you want me to test.

 

See ya!

 

 

✯  Antartica  ✯

 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Hexed

[Truthteller 4,204]

Loved it!

[Penguin40 1,714]

Am I the only one who'd want a Titan-Striker next time  :mellow:

 

Anyways, gr8 job, and that Wasp/hammer no-supply performance is particularly lel. Really liked it. :d

[TTK_229 1,080]

Thunder/Titan pls

[kaisdf 3,320]

Nice article, and it should help me re think a few of my late game strats...

[lukey0 27,543]

Nice, Mammoth Vulcan is a complete boss on drugs, especially when you have Thunder, Railgun and Firebird protection. :P

[heyhey829 1]

Great article,learned a lot!

Please do Hammer/Viking and Railgun/Hornet please!

[Tankbuster89_EN 11]

in the railgun-viking column you said something which makes zero sense, you said without supplies you are vurnerable to mines, how can they plant mines if supplies is off?

[Hex 11,520]

in the railgun-viking column you said something which makes zero sense, you said without supplies you are vurnerable to mines, how can they plant mines if supplies is off?

...

 

 

 

 

That meant if we're not using supplies in a battle, you're very venerable to enemy mines. Remember that I did these tests in non-Pro battles, so the supplies weren't off, I just wasn't using them.

 

 

 

[Ikillnathaniel 0]

who da hell uses the client?

[Crip 4,735]

who da hell uses the client?

A lot of people, including me.

[Hex 11,520]

Thanks for the poll entries guys, poll closed.

[eSport 486]

Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this article helped me. Mammoth/Vulcan (XT) Here I come. Thanks for topic

[13gokuN2o 0]

in the railgun-viking column you said something which makes zero sense, you said without supplies you are vurnerable to mines, how can they plant mines if supplies is off?

:wub: exactly

[Hex 11,520]

:wub: exactly

That meant if we're not using supplies in a battle, you're very venerable to enemy mines. Remember that I did these tests in non-Pro battles, so the supplies weren't off, I just wasn't using them.

[sparkl_awesome 120]

nxt time plz get rail and hornet m3s 

[TakeAShower 300]

Striker-Viking next