Tank update?

[BillyBoBBizWorth]

I'd love some actual ground side supporting roles beyond medic and engineer tbh.

Yeah, i agree.I saw something pretty cool a few rounds ago, i was running south on big red past these two privates, and one was shovelling, setting up sandbags around the doorway.The other had just finished assembling a portable M56 and was manning it.I stood around guarding them for abit as they were doing something productive, then out of nowhere all of us just starting moving out.Marine stops shoveling, other marine impressively disassembles the mounted gun ASAP, on the move and then at the next location, they started doing the same thing.Fucking awsome!

What if they actually were ordered or had the rank/assignment of doing that and the sense of purpose that comes with it? you should then see more of it.Would be cool to see.

I've had a few rounds to observe the tank in action. Very cool in theory. Not so much in practice.

It strikes me as a waste of assets. Its rarely useful, extremely slow (for a ""light tank"") and is far more likely to impede the Marines progress than the Aliens.

At best, it seems more a defensive asset for defending fixed locations, which you may as well call it the Lightstreet Turret. At worse it impairs the Marine team to a significant degree in terms of manpower in maintaining the tank, and expended cargo points and time that could go elsewhere.

I don't profess to know how to balance it well. Maybe it does not need to be in the game? Maybe it'll work eventually. Right now it's just seems a gimmick.

I have to agree, its almost a burden having the tank around, like suggested here :

I'd exchange the tank for a 4-seat jeep with a mounted m56 in a blink.

We don't need such thing and it's too clunky, heavy and slow to be useful.

Yeah a 4X4 Jeep even

Some sort of 2x3(?), fast-ish/mobile like a modern military vehicle ought to be.Possibly also have similar role switching capabilities like the dropships do, like switching from a M56 mount to a medical stretcher/stasis bag setup, even be able to use the medivac stretcher whilst installed in the vehicle.Has 3 to 4 seats, being the driver, utility operator, and one or two possible transport seats/passengers.

Whilst a mounted smartgun vehicle, its small enough to engage with the foot marines, keep up with them and provide decent hard cover protection without blocking marines movement/firing.

Ive thought abit about this, its interesting because the last xenoes update changed the war abit.Making it abit faster paced and "swarmy", more swarmy than before somehow, if thats even possible.Something like a little zippy 2x3 utility vehicle would match that perfectly probably.Or make quickfires how they used to be, something swarmy for the marines.

Until then im playing xenoes as much as possible m@#$&%*#

[Dolth]

I need some info on the tank. Anyone knows if there is any delay/cooldown with the following:

- Shooting two main cannon rounds.
- Switching weapons AND shooting afterward.
- Shooting main cannon (was told there was a 2 sec delay.)
- Reloading main gun.
- Shooting after/while moving.
- Movement with AND without overdrive.

Also. Does anyone knows yet the accuracy and spread of the minigun? Is it capable of solid hits on a downed target at 5 tiles (as an exemple).
Can the minigun shoot on burst and/or singlefire?

Thanks.

[Xenomobia]

Why who get rammed by tank gets no damage at all? It still a tank, if you ram by it, I don't say you should get gibbed, but a high damage-delimb would be more appropiate. This could be even a bonus against xenos who easily rush toward it.

[Mann handle]

This update is something of a flop. Going by what I've seen and heard from people who played tankers. The tank is just too slow and clunky, the maps are awkward to make tanks useful and it can't hit shit for the most part. Quite a lot of people have taken to the joke that the tank is a nerf because of these things.

Ideas for changes would be; Speed needs to be upped to something faster than a crippled marine, it is like the tank's power plant is a tractor engine. The ammo capacity needs to be raised for the cannon. The damage of the cannon needs a bump due to the smoke it puts out. The minigun needs to actually hit the targets it fires at. The secondary (I've only seen the smartgun so I'm focusing around this alone) is shit, the shots are too slow yet that's all a tank has to rely on because of the main guns lack of actual power and hit chance. So a buff to the secondary is sorely needed or the primary weapons actually need to become the primaries. The tank gunner needs zoom, the tank is so large that the effective view range on it is just awful and gives the gunner little to work with when a xeno straddles his view range.

-snip

All I can tell you about the minigun is the spread is about marine rifles one handed in terms of spread, maybe a little worse, but the biggest issue is that it can't hit a damn thing. It really can't.

[Dolth]

Don't bother answering anymore I have my answers. Although its bad and glitched marines are bad too. The main cannon mostly one shot kill any t1 excluding defenders yet people managed to say "Oh thete is delay that is why I miss" and keep on NOT shooting. But yeah. Its bad.

What Phillip said anyway.

[Avalanchee]

I don't like the update, same with new xenos.

[HellFire]

In summery this whole update aswell as Xeno was Devs going Hmmm. Lets add a tank But make it very shit and only usefull if you want barricade stuff with it. While Xenos in compestion get new sprites and new better castes to compenstate for the tank. We guess Marines will find a way to make the tank robust and goldy so it should balance out and we'll have to nerf the tank but lets make it shit from the beggining

[Dolth]

Okay so just finished a round with the tank. It -CAN- be useful. But it really lacks firepower. Really. Main canon doesn't crit T1 or T2 (only the runner is insta-crit from a direct hit, or close). Then secondary weapons are real bad. The IFF smartgun has a low rate of fire and the accuracy is BENEATH NINE THOUSAND PERCENT, grenade launcher is bugged, dunno about the rest.

Regardless, the tank can be useful to dive in and roll over friendlies to, yes, stun them, but save them from claws while you just pewpew aliens, it can be really supportive but not much of a damage dealer, and that's an issue. Not really RPish btw.

[HellFire]

Okay so just finished a round with the tank. It -CAN- be useful. But it really lacks firepower. Really. Main canon doesn't crit T1 or T2 (only the runner is insta-crit from a direct hit, or close). Then secondary weapons are real bad. The IFF smartgun has a low rate of fire and the accuracy is BENEATH NINE THOUSAND PERCENT, grenade launcher is bugged, dunno about the rest.

Regardless, the tank can be useful to dive in and roll over friendlies to, yes, stun them, but save them from claws while you just pewpew aliens, it can be really supportive but not much of a damage dealer, and that's an issue. Not really RPish btw.

Most usefull part of the tank is having the speed boost module and the main gun when the infantry is getting pushed lets say in big red at the research lab the tank can push in and block the enterence for a few minutes before having to fall back for repairs

[Dolth]

No...

[Damous]

I want T34 tank as UPP, would be great see those events with tanks.

Why not a T72 Ural (the cheapiest and crapiest of all t72 ever produced)?.

Also, in rounds with Bill Carson, dont even bother building fobs, he will order the tank to go over it.

[Renomaki]

Most usefull part of the tank is having the speed boost module and the main gun when the infantry is getting pushed lets say in big red at the research lab the tank can push in and block the enterence for a few minutes before having to fall back for repairs

You do realize that the tank isn't, well.. TANKY, right?

It is a common misconception that tanks are viewed as strong, hard-hitting powerhouses that can take a lot of punishment before going down, but the reality is that tanks can be taken out quite easily. Sure, their armor is normally designed with the intent of deflecting enemy fire (at least from the front), but one well placed shot will knock it out HARD.

Let alone the fact that the tank we have in game is a LIGHT TANK, AKA the kind of tank that isn't really supposed to be all that tough. Think of it like the Japanese Ha-Go, a tiny little tank that saw action all over the pacific and then some, but often struggled when it had to face off against other tanks. Hell, you could take it out with RIFLE ROUNDS if you knew where to aim. That is kinda our tank, really.

The better tactic would be to keep nearby the heavy fighting and use your HE rounds to slow down xeno pushes, making sure to give marines plenty of space while also ensuring that your sides and rear have marines watching it. Light tanks are good as infantry support vehicles, they aren't really designed to go solo and wreck everyone's shit.

Also, in rounds with Bill Carson, dont even bother building fobs, he will order the tank to go over it.

Or rather, you should build around the fact that a tank is going to drive through the FoB at some point. People are still adjusting to the tank even now, and finding a new design for the common FoB will take time..

I myself have an idea or two, but it would rely on marines not sticking to old metas and building out of habit.

[Damous]

You do realize that the tank isn't, well.. TANKY, right?

It is a common misconception that tanks are viewed as strong, hard-hitting powerhouses that can take a lot of punishment before going down, but the reality is that tanks can be taken out quite easily. Sure, their armor is normally designed with the intent of deflecting enemy fire (at least from the front), but one well placed shot will knock it out HARD.

Let alone the fact that the tank we have in game is a LIGHT TANK, AKA the kind of tank that isn't really supposed to be all that tough. Think of it like the Japanese Ha-Go, a tiny little tank that saw action all over the pacific and then some, but often struggled when it had to face off against other tanks. Hell, you could take it out with RIFLE ROUNDS if you knew where to aim. That is kinda our tank, really.

The better tactic would be to keep nearby the heavy fighting and use your HE rounds to slow down xeno pushes, making sure to give marines plenty of space while also ensuring that your sides and rear have marines watching it. Light tanks are good as infantry support vehicles, they aren't really designed to go solo and wreck everyone's shit.



Or rather, you should build around the fact that a tank is going to drive through the FoB at some point. People are still adjusting to the tank even now, and finding a new design for the common FoB will take time..

I myself have an idea or two, but it would rely on marines not sticking to old metas and building out of habit.

Building the Fob " around the ideia of the tank" is an absolute waste of material i've tried and its just not pratical...thank you sir.

[Renomaki]

Building the Fob " around the ideia of the tank" is an absolute waste of material i've tried and its just not pratical...thank you sir.

By that, I mean build smaller?

Like, people think that the only way to build is to build massive, sprawling defenses, rather that more spaced out, tactical defensive points. We gotta make room for the tank, but at the same time we don't wanna waste points buying more plasteel than we really need. Just make focused defensive points rather than trying to fortify everything in sight that the tank is just going to run over anyways.

As I say, build smarter, not bigger.

[Dolth]

Just tested LTB + TOW, both direct hit, on a elite defender. He survived and wasn't in crit. Had to shoot a third TOW to kill it.

So... Two rocket and one tank shell to kill one alien. Pretty far from the one GL one kill from the movies and such.

[Light]

Actually, Tank is pretty much... Spec Chance for those who couldn't get Spec.

[Brotemis]

Actually, Tank is pretty much... Spec Chance for those who couldn't get Spec.

At least spec's are useful. I was recently in a round where a Tank deployed on prison station. (First mistake) they then sat around whining they couldn't get around and so they sit dangerously close to the FOB crushing marines and FF'ing. (Second mistake) When it came time to evacuate, the tank crew were ordered to abandon the tank and flee to the bird. Since we were surrounded, only 1 door was open and it wasn't the south one. They cried for the door to be opened, and they got left behind in their tank. (Third mistake)

So yeah, while the tank is a great idea on paper, in application it fails miserably because the maps weren't designed with tanks in mind.

My belief is the tank should be reduced to a 2 x 3 so it is more maneuverable and able to be used, but that's just me.

[spookydonut]

Defender in fortify mode has a lot of explosion resistance

[Symbiosis]

Use OB's to clear a path for the tank.

WCGW?

[Karmac]

truck with mounted gun > superior USCM engineering genius longstreet creation

[Bulaven]

The friendly fire with the tank kind of makes me think that it -Wants- to be a T-34.

On a side note, I really think that they should add a Tank Commander as a dedicated role. We're seeing the drawbacks of having two crew of the same rank try to figure out who the Hell is in charge, and having the Gunner also end up giving the orders on where to go and when, anyway.

Remember the French, and how their Tank Commanders were also in charge of the weaponry? Nhn.

[Pogo92]

The friendly fire with the tank kind of makes me think that it -Wants- to be a T-34.

On a side note, I really think that they should add a Tank Commander as a dedicated role. We're seeing the drawbacks of having two crew of the same rank try to figure out who the Hell is in charge, and having the Gunner also end up giving the orders on where to go and when, anyway.

Remember the French, and how their Tank Commanders were also in charge of the weaponry? Nhn.

This is a very good point

[Maxim Inc]

What I've seen about the tank is that it doesn't have the ability to defend itself properly. Weather it's armor, weapons, or speed the second a T2-3 Xeno (sometimes a T1 if the part is already low) get to the side of the tank it will almost or will destroy one part of the tank, what we need is for the ability for the tank to shoot more than 195 degrees. 250 degrees possibly and a slightly bumped up health.

[Bulaven]

What I've seen about the tank is that it doesn't have the ability to defend itself properly. Weather it's armor, weapons, or speed the second a T2-3 Xeno (sometimes a T1 if the part is already low) get to the side of the tank it will almost or will destroy one part of the tank, what we need is for the ability for the tank to shoot more than 195 degrees. 250 degrees possibly and a slightly bumped up health.

Another reason to make a guide on combined arms tactics. Infantry escorts and such.

[Renomaki]

The friendly fire with the tank kind of makes me think that it -Wants- to be a T-34.

On a side note, I really think that they should add a Tank Commander as a dedicated role. We're seeing the drawbacks of having two crew of the same rank try to figure out who the Hell is in charge, and having the Gunner also end up giving the orders on where to go and when, anyway.

Remember the French, and how their Tank Commanders were also in charge of the weaponry? Nhn.

If my observations are correct, there is a 3rd bedroom where the tankers spawn, which might mean that they are considering the idea of a 3rd crewmember that could behave as the tank commander.

It would be good to have one, considering that I don't really know how much tank crews REALLY communicate with each other. They always seem so quiet, but that is probably because they are too busy managing all the components to really focus on talking to each other. Having someone to do all the talking and orders while the other two focus on their jobs should improve performance.

What I've seen about the tank is that it doesn't have the ability to defend itself properly. Weather it's armor, weapons, or speed the second a T2-3 Xeno (sometimes a T1 if the part is already low) get to the side of the tank it will almost or will destroy one part of the tank, what we need is for the ability for the tank to shoot more than 195 degrees. 250 degrees possibly and a slightly bumped up health.

You do realize that in real life, tanks are much more vulnerable than you imagine them to be.

For instance, tanks have very limited visual capabilities (because otherwise having a big window just screams "SHOOT HERE"), so in more urban situations, having an infantry escort is a good way to keep flankers off a tank. The threat of an ambush with an anti-tank grenade or rocket was a very real threat, and those tanks that didn't have anyone to watch their weak points paid dearly.

Tanks are also not as tough as you imagine them to be. As I mentioned before, a well placed shot with a bazooka can no doubt fuck up a tank and her crew real hard. Hell, even MOLOTOVS were known to fuck up tanks if they got in the engine, causing it to overheat and break. And Tank battles were often very stressful affairs because if a shell managed to punch through your armor, chances are you're gonna die, if not from the shrapnel, then from a possible explosion when it hits your ammo rack.

Videogames always romanticized the tank, making it seem like the perfect killing machine. The reality is that it relies on infantry to protect it as much as infantry rely on it to protect them. EVERYONE has to work together to get the most out of things.

The tank doesn't need a buff, players just need to learn to coordinate with the tank better and not let it roam alone or charge into deadly situations so often, which xenos can easily exploit.