Guide [Issue 73] The Art of Attack: Bridges

[Jaaames 1,622]

 

Greetings fellow eSports enthusiasts! Hope you all are well, and welcome to the latest eSports advice guide: "The Art of Attack"! Have you ever wanted to annihilate that defence just like Saint-Hov, or Fer-Legend, to name only a couple? This article will cover all you need to know about attacking in your favourite format. Do not look any further, as here you will learn the tricks of the trade, and the most efficient way of bringing that flag back home, to lead your team to victory. 

 

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So, to start, this multi-part guide will cover the principles of attack in the XP/BP format only, solely because XP/BP is a favourite among all the eSports fans, as well as being the most simple, especially for the ease of just being able to jump straight in and play. Don't get me wrong though, these tips can still be applied to Light format, as well as being applicable to the other formats out there too, so listen up!

 

We've all heard that old military phrase: "The best defence is a good offence", but could this apply to Tanki Online? I think, it most definitely can, at least if your attackers are capturing more flags than your defence is letting go, it's easy as pie, right? Lets dive straight in and find out how it's done!

 

 

The Fundamentals

 

So what does taking on the role of an attacker involve? In my opinion, to have a successful attack, you must have three main fundamentals. Those would be: a. Solid drops control, b. Top-notch map knowledge/awareness, and c. Patience!

 

I will always refer back to these three main points, as they are so important in all maps.

 

 

Let's make our case study in this article the map "Bridges". I personally love this map, due to its dynamic gameplay, and the importance of overall map control and positional play. Also, in relation to this guide, the way one goes about attacking the enemy base is rather different on both sides of the map. The red side is considerably easier to maintain drops control than the blue side, because of how exposed the drop zones are to the enemy team, which results in an easy job for the campers. This guide will be split, with the first part educating you on my most effective way of attacking on the red side in this map:

 

 

I'm on the red side, how do I go about penetrating the blue base?

 

Picture this, you are in the midst of a fiery encounter with your envious rival clan in Tanki Online, you're currently neck and neck with the blue side, with only a few minutes until the conclusion of the match. What do you do in this situation? You'll need to capture flags. You've been having some difficulty breaking down that defence, evidently seen by the scoreline. Someone needs to step up to the plate and show their team how it's done.

 

If we go back to what was mentioned slightly earlier about the three main fundamentals, the team will firstly need to get the drops in their favour. Let's assume the drops are timed well, and that all of your required drops are nicely linked. For example it's always good to have a double power falling whenever your attackers are sprinting back to base with the flag, to cover them. You also need ensure that the double armour is falling in perfect synchronisation (or near enough to perfect) to the speed boost. Speaking of which, these two drops, the double armour and speed boost are, our, the attackers, best friend. The repair kit is also useful, as always. but that can be used later, which I'll touch upon, as that's vital for the return to base.

 

The drops are your best friend

 

For now let's deal with those two key drops. The double armour and speed boost. For explanations sake, we'll have to assume the rest of your team knows what they are doing, knowing where to camp to support you, and to hold a defence while you attack to ensure there's no counter attack from the opposition. That makes you the dummy now right!? All jokes aside, now for the learning. As you can see in the picture below, our guinea pig, [member=A_Villain], is doing what he's learnt from all the professionals. He's been waiting patiently, for one of my key points, for both the double armour and the speed boost drops to fall. Once they have fallen in perfect synchronisation, that's his time to pounce. From taking the double armour through to jumping down to the speed boost, the attacker may incur some shots from the enemy defenders, especially when they see what he is on to. If need be, there is always that repair kit behind for safety (try not to take it), but the idea here, is to advance as quickly as possible once taking your drops, to maximise the output from them.

 

 

Congratulations, you're succeeding in taking your required drops without suffering any damage, now, some more patience is required in order to then infiltrate the enemy base. You'll want to reach the foot of the ramp, leading into the blue team base. It's right here, you'll really need your wits in order to choose just the right moment to make a move and fly up the ramp. Camping behind the highlighted bridge pillar below is the most effective way to avoid being shot, as you'll find shots will soon be coming in from every direction. Campers on the middle island can see you, as well as advancing defenders. It's here you can rely on your trusty team-mates to make a distraction, as there's going to be a lot going on in the battle, giving you the go-ahead to ride on into the base.

 

 

As you move away from your current cover underneath that handy bridge pillar, you can then relax (sort of), unless of course there are enemies sitting upon the flag. In that case, you'll need to hope you have a helping hand in the form of backup fire, or take them on duel-style. Remember, you have the drops still, so you have an advantage and taking the flag from this position should be a piece of cake, as long as you stay aware. Staying behind the large house for slightly longer than needed is no bad thing, thus you can confuse your enemy and make them assume there's nobody there. If the coast is still not clear, you can fire a few pop-shots from behind, as shown below, to make it easier for your team to clear up. Then, like a child around a cookie jar, you can snatch that flag and run back in to cover fast, with your drops still with half their duration left.

 

 

The Return to Base

 

Here comes your map awareness. It's now, more than ever you'll need to have your eyes looking in opposite directions as you make that descent back down to your side of the map. You have to know the major areas in which campers can shoot at you in order for them to return their flag. The main places they will occupy will be at this stage, the two long parallel bridges, perpendicular to the centre house, as well as behind the wall spots on the left and right side of their base. Your awareness plays a part here, where you need to have a solid idea of where you are going to drive, as well as keeping an eye on enraged defenders, hunting you down like a pack of wolves. The key advice is to always look behind you, back into the enemy base, as long as you trust your map knowledge (I used to say to my old clan members jokingly, semi-seriously: "If you can't drive back to base with your eyes closed, then you are of no use in my clan"  :lol:). Remember, you (should) always have your team behind you, and you can count on them to clear your path, as well as take out exposed campers. Also, remember that repair kit? That will still be there, and, if you've timed your drops well enough, it can even be synchronised to fall just as you make your return. This will be incredibly useful now, especially as your double armour is now disappearing, and you'll need your health bar more than fish need the sea.

 

 

Time to be the hero...

 

It's now or never, life or death, you've made it this far in your mission to attack the flag, and now you're within touching distance of the finishing line. It's all textbook stuff now. In my opinion, and I am sure many other experienced eSports players will agree, there's only one thing that's best for you now. Make a dash for it, up the ramp into your base, always looking into the enemy side. At this point it should be too difficult for the enemies to make a return, since your defence should've held up any form of an opposing counter attack. If worst comes to worst, and you lose the flag due to an eagle-eyed shot from a camper deep into the heart of the blue base, you are in a spawning hotspot, and should be safe when one of your team members pick up the pieces. Obviously, as common sense, if you see enemies approaching on the opposite bridge, then clearly it'd be unwise to go out exposed with the flag and get shot, especially with no back up, should you ever find yourself in that situation. The best option is to wait it out, just in any scenario in this format and map especially, as patience never hurt anybody. The horizons will clear, and you can flourish, finally bringing that flag home and becoming the saviour that you only dreamt you'd ever be.

 

 

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Thank you so much for reading! I hope this guide helped give an insight into the basics of attacking in an eSports format setting. The blue side of this map will be answered soon, as well as new guides covering more maps in the future. Stay tuned!

 

[Spy 14,692]

Nice!

[Syndicalist 286]

Masterful piece. It was very enjoyable.

[Chronicle 164]

I've had a compelling read, I really like how you use terminology to make it appealing and equivalently lyrical. You've gained my praise  ^_^ ~ Ghost

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

The horizons will clear, and you can flourish, finally bringing that flag home and becoming the saviour that you only dreamt you'd ever be.

Deep

[Slay 71]

Good job Jaaames, keep up doing your great work!

[r_super1310 0]

it was a nice read :)

[InfinityStones 0]

I love bridges and it is one of my favorite maps

 

I love rail too but i think thunder or smoky is best on bridges

Edited March 7, 2018 by InfinityStones