MM: A Definitive Review - Gamemodes

[Person_Random 4,991]

Okay, okay, listen up! It’s time for another definitive review, but this time, gamemodes. We love playing Tanki Online and its various modes, but of course, some stand out above the others.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

I remember watching my brother play Tanki Online, looking over his shoulder and seeing him make calculated choices on what games he wanted to play back when Matchmaking didn’t exist. Cross CTF? Perfect! Rio TDM? Maybe… we’ll see. Future TDM? Of course! I never understood why some modes appealed to my brother and not others until I dove into the game myself. Only then would that, and every other Tanki secret, make sense.

Today, I’ll be simplifying the battle modes down for you, giving pointers on which to play for stars, experience, and maximum enjoyment. We’ll start with TDM and go down the list. For the most part, the list is pretty accurate, but feel free to disagree with my opinions.

 

 Team Deathmatch (TDM)

Main Objective: To kill as many tanks as a team.

Secondary Objective(s): To not get killed too much by the enemy.

Roles in Battle: Attacker, Mult

So here, in two words, is my review: TDM. Sucks. There’s really nothing to TDM more than kill the other guy, and you’re going to easily be slaughtered by someone else because there are no players thick enough to be brave and try to take a flag, so you’re just going to be stuck with Gauss, Smoky, and Firebird wreaking havoc on the rest of the players because of their clear advantages (splash damage, criticals, afterburn + high DPS). If you really have to play this mode, go ahead, but I’m just going to say, it is undoubtedly the worst gamemode you can get stuck in.

Best if: You have an extremely high GS for your rank, you have one of the more powerful turrets of the game with Hunter/Hornet.

Play if: Only if you have to complete a mission, or you’re a low ranker who’s actually pretty good at ruining Recruits’ lives.

Avoid if: You’re trying to earn experience and stars, you’re a Wasp unable to fend for him/herself, you’re someone in your right mind.

 

 Capture the Flag (CTF)

Main Objective: To capture the opponent team’s flag.

Secondary Objective(s): To not have your team’s flag be captured by the opponents, to not be killed while in possession of a flag, to kill as many opponents on the other team who may be helping the opponent team’s efforts.

Roles in Battle: Attacker/Midfielder, Offense, Defense

Remember PE at school? Sometimes you would have to play Capture the Flag. Well, here in Tanki, your middle school nightmare returns. Except it’s not a nightmare. CTF offers a good number of roles to play, and you can easily assist your team by defending the base, killing enemies, or returning the flag instead of completing the daunting task of capturing an enemy flag (shudder!). By the end of the game, you should be able to earn a comparable number of points to get you a handful of crystals and stars.

Best if: you’re a reckless fool trying to gain everyone’s honor in the first few minutes of the game, you want a few easy kills, you’re trying to hunt for stars but don't have a potent combination, you are decently skilled but not top in TDM.

Play if: you want the best bang for your buck

Avoid if: you have a mortal hate of CTF because you can’t manage to capture a flag or at least get a decent shot on an enemy. Go get a. a new PC or b. a subscription for Noobs Weekly to see how you can improve your skills.

 

 Capture Points (CP)

Main Objective: To capture the points on various areas on the map.

Secondary Objective(s): To ensure that the points captured by your team remain captured by your team, to kill as many opponents trying to capture the points belonging to your team, to neutralize any enemy points, to not be killed while in the process of neutralizing/capturing an enemy point.

Roles in Battle: Attacker/Midfielder, Offense

When I saw CP mode on the battle list, I just thought it was CTF with a typo. Feeling curious, I still decided to try it. Instantly, I was lured into the fast and fun gamemode, trying to capture as many points as possible. My minor complaint about before MM Map Fixes, the balance was a bit wonky at times (1 point on Old Polygon, 7 on Old Highways), but now, it is much more even on maps. Overall, this works much like TDM, but with the additional point-capturing objective to boost experience and steer the attention away from blindly killing opponents.

Best if: You’re not too good at CTF or TDM, but can stay alive for more than thirty seconds in battle.

Play if: You want some quick experience points, but aren’t the best at capturing flags.

Avoid if: You enjoy camping. CP is all about moving around.

 

 Assault (ASL)

Main Objective: [Attack] To capture a flag onto the opponent base. [Defense] To defend the base.

Secondary Objective(s): [Attack] To kill any opponents in the way of getting to the opponent base, to stay alive while in the process of trying to reach the enemy base. [Defense] To not be killed by the oncoming attackers.

Roles in Battle: [Attack] Attacker/Midfielder, Offense [Defense] Attacker/Midfielder, Defense

Assault I have a love-hate relationship with. On the one hand, it's pretty fun to play when you’re easily racking up kills or capturing flags over a team of confused defenders, but on the other hand, when you’re getting creamed really badly by the opposing team, it’s no fun at all. As much as I like playing it when I or my team is doing well, the lack of balance usually leaves a sour taste in my mouth after a match or two, which is the biggest issue I have with this mode. Otherwise, it’s quite a good mode to unwind and relax in.

Best if: You have a mid-ranged turret and a decent medium hull like Hunter or Dictator, which are really versatile for both defending and attacking.

Play if: You want a challenge. ASL is a gamemode that requires persistence to keep playing when you’re on the losing side.

Avoid if: You’re a Hornet or Wasp easily shot down by Gausses and Magnums on the opposing team. Or if you hate losing.

 

 Rugby (RGB)

Main Objective: To score a point by bringing the ball to the enemy base.

Secondary Objective(s): To ensure that you are not killed while getting to the enemy base, to prevent the enemy team from scoring at your own base, to kill any enemy tanks in sight, to take the rugby ball once someone scores and the ball respawns.

Roles in Battle: Attacker/Midfielder, Offense, Defense

Rugby was initially my least favorite game mode. It was just like CTF, but worse, in my opinion. The ball was always being disputed over by honor-hungry players who couldn’t hold on for any longer than fifteen seconds, and the game often ended up in nasty pig piles just like American football, which was annoying, route-blocking, and deadly. But after a year, it seems like the brute force has faded a bit and been replaced by skill, since I’ve been able to score a few goals with strategic routes and clutch kills. The mode now is tolerable now, and that’s why I’m able to stay on the computer without destroying something anymore.

Best if: You’re a risk taker with a sense of fun and no fear of failure. It’s actually quite fun to score goals; it sometimes just takes a while.

Play if: Scoring goals is your top priority.

Avoid if: You’re easily killed. There are still a decent amount of pig piles.

 

 Team Juggernaut (TJR)

Main Objective: To kill the enemy Juggernaut. [As Juggernaut] To kill as many opponents without dying.

Secondary Objective(s): To kill any enemies around you.

Tertiary Objective: To be the team Juggernaut (and hopefully not fail your team)

Roles in Battle: Attacker/Midfielder, Juggernaut Hunter

Uch, Team Juggernaut. I don’t hate it, as Solo Juggernaut is much worse, but it’s definitely near the bottom of my list. In my past experiences, I remember joining a battle, then suddenly dying because of a stray Railgun shot. After that, I just ran around, racking up kills like crazy but still finishing in the bottom few places because I didn’t kill a Juggernaut. It was often frustrating, and I hated when I needed to join TJR for a mission.

Best if: You have a high-damage turret (Shaft, Striker, Gauss) and Booster, you enjoy hunting the Juggernaut relentlessly.

Play if: It’s a mission, you’re skilled at hunting Juggernauts.

Avoid if: You do low damage per shot, you’re usually equipping a low health hull (both will quickly wilt under the sheer power of a Juggernaut).

 

 Siege (SGE)

Main Objective: To capture that one point.

Secondary Objective(s): To make sure that the opponent team does not capture that one point before your team does, to kill any opponents who are trying to capture that one point, to stay alive while in the process of capturing that one point.

Roles in Battle: Offense, Attacker

Siege has the same problem as Assault: it is rarely, if ever fair. Often times, we’re either winning 5-0 or 5-1 or losing 0-5 or 1-5, which really makes the gamemode much worse than it can potentially be. I feel like this could be a great battle mode if only the balance weren’t so tilted towards one side. When there’s a team with a powerful Dictator and Titan, you’re easily doomed to lose, while if your team has the Titans, you’re going to have an easier time defeating a horde of Hornets. Would definitely be one of my favorite modes if not for the strange lack of balance.

Best if: You’re grouping with a squad and can easily communicate and share overdrives, you’re playing with Dictator or Titan. It also is the best move for someone with a huge splash damage. Time to dust off my Thunder...

Play if: You’re a decently skilled person who wants some quick stars. Most of the time, the battle ends early. Sometimes, it does end in a 0-0 or 1-1 draw…

Avoid if: You’re not a team player. Teamwork is #1 here.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading! I hope with my advice, you’ll be choosing the perfect game mode to play. If you have any other opinions, drop them down here so I can have a look. It is, after all, somewhat biased towards me. See you in the battlefield!

Special thanks to @Sacrifice, @Spy, @Leur, and @kaisdf for helping with the beautiful images :3
 

[Person_Random 4,991]

Morning readers! We're back with an article from the classics - another installment of the MM: A Definitive Review series by none other than yours truly. Get the lowdown on our thoughts on the best and worst gamemodes right here!