Johnny_Wishbone

Deliberate practice being the foundation of all skill growth.
So, what to practice, and how to practice it?  I'm fairly good at gunnery, but what are the other aspects of proficiency at this game, for of course there are others, and how best to practice them?

The tier 5 arty is a pretty great fuck you to everyone and everything involved with a lazer gun and 330dmg/223pen apcr rounds and a 10 second reload just in case you wanted an S35 CA that could shoot over walls

Maybe not my best idea, but I feel the need to chime in here.
 
The heart of the matter seems to be the idea of going first.  "Never" is a word I strongly object to in gaming.  It does apply, at times, but not nearly so often as people assume.  There absolutely are times when going first is the right choice.  "Never go first" is the reason why one slow reload tank can hold a corner against 3.  It definitely fits within the "pubbie" mindset.  It's a step above the "red shitter who charges with no idea what may be ahead" line of thinking, but it's still something that I'd expect to hear from the yellow/green/teal crowd.  Basically, it's bottom 90% thinking.  
In the same way, going to a useful spot, only to find out that you're alone is teal-blue thinking, maybe green.  You're smart enough to know a spot is valuable, but lack the awareness to know that the spot's value disappears if unsupported.  Greenies and blues drive to the spot that they "know" is important, without ever realizing what circumstances make it important.  You can blame your pubbies for not supporting your (normally smart) position, or you can work with the hand (team) you're dealt and try to make their positions work.  
Same goes for ships.  Sometimes, you absolutely need to be first.  Being first doesn't mean "Dive straight into an unfavorable situation."  Nor does it mean "I am first, I can never alter this course."  By all means, judge the situation and then decide if it's best to press on or gain the advantage some other way.  

Stop telling lies.  Its fine.  Not great, but fine.  We just need more players, and this sort of uninformed comment doesn't help.

Stop telling lies.  Its fine.  Not great, but fine.  We just need more players, and this sort of uninformed comment doesn't help.

This thing is great fun in any match you might get into, but it's hard for an ordinary pubscrub like myself to be effective in it in tier ten when EVERYONE out-views you.  In that sense, it fails as a premium because in at least 1/3 of the matches you'll get into, you aren't going to be able to keep the gun working and making money for you.
 
It occurs to me that in tier 10s, I should probably try playing it as a WZ-132 with a thyroid problem.

I think that RBS made an excellent case against the rammer.  DPM is already not the E50's strong suit.  Why try to pretend you can change that?  Crap plus ten percent is 110% crap.  RBS's thesis is that it's more important to maximize the effect of your fire than the volume for its own sake.  Again, the E50's volume-of-fire is crap.  It will always be crap.  But it DOES have really great accuracy, vision, and gun handling.  You can bring your hull and gun around and engage a target at edge of view range very rapidly.  It's one of the best tanks for doing that.   Dropping the rammer in favor of vents is something that I think is warranted to play to those strengths.  

The Law of French Tank Armor: The armor of a French tank is always utterly unreliable, except when it is you who are attacking said French tank, in which case, every other shot is some weird troll bounce.

The Law of French Tank Armor: The armor of a French tank is always utterly unreliable, except when it is you who are attacking said French tank, in which case, every other shot is some weird troll bounce.

I think that RBS made an excellent case against the rammer.  DPM is already not the E50's strong suit.  Why try to pretend you can change that?  Crap plus ten percent is 110% crap.  RBS's thesis is that it's more important to maximize the effect of your fire than the volume for its own sake.  Again, the E50's volume-of-fire is crap.  It will always be crap.  But it DOES have really great accuracy, vision, and gun handling.  You can bring your hull and gun around and engage a target at edge of view range very rapidly.  It's one of the best tanks for doing that.   Dropping the rammer in favor of vents is something that I think is warranted to play to those strengths.  

For those of us who are not quite "l337" enough to complete ALL the secondary objectives for the non-arty classes in a reasonable amount of time, may I submit, for Wotlabs' consideration, what I believe to be the most comfortable SPG in the game, the AMX 13 105 A#UAKSDFA LFF34ah, aka, the tier 5 French arty.  It's a great combination of accessibility and comfort.  It's only 35k XP from tier 1 to elite it except for the radio, and its accuracy, reload time, aim time, mobility, and its APCR gold round mean that it feels like more of a retarded TD than a true sky cancer.  If you use the Battle Assistant mod, I think you'll find the experience about as tolerable as artillery can be.
 
Just an idea.

So to sum this up:
 
Mami: This tank is shit because I don't like it.
 
Everyone:  Actually it's pretty good, maybe you just don't have the playstyle for it.  Here is a list of it's best qualities and how it shines.
 
Mami: You're shit and your opinion is stupid, while mine is clearly brilliant.  If I wanted to I could do just as well as you, but I can't because no one likes playing with me.  You're also a stat padder because I said so.  *sticks fingers in ears* "LALALALALALALALA"
 
 
You've made your point.  You don't like the tank; we get it, you get it, and the blind, deaf guy down the street gets it.

For those of us who are not quite "l337" enough to complete ALL the secondary objectives for the non-arty classes in a reasonable amount of time, may I submit, for Wotlabs' consideration, what I believe to be the most comfortable SPG in the game, the AMX 13 105 A#UAKSDFA LFF34ah, aka, the tier 5 French arty.  It's a great combination of accessibility and comfort.  It's only 35k XP from tier 1 to elite it except for the radio, and its accuracy, reload time, aim time, mobility, and its APCR gold round mean that it feels like more of a retarded TD than a true sky cancer.  If you use the Battle Assistant mod, I think you'll find the experience about as tolerable as artillery can be.
 
Just an idea.

game isnt pay to win, but some tanks are.

Thats why wotlabs exists, we're not pubtrash.

Oh hi. you just called me an idiot in a pub match. You did 500 damage. GG.
 
In tanks that fire APCR, especially lights that will never be top tier, I suggest APCR only, if you can afford it.

For a while now two tanks have been vying for the spot as my favorite tier 8 premium: the T-34-3 and FCM 50t. After going back to the FCM for a handful of games this weekend, I've decided to crown it the king of tier 8 premiums in my garage. With its high penetration silver round and zippy acceleration, the FCM is a beast at autoaim peekaboom shots.   It is definitely not a tank that can carry a flank all by itself, but it is very possible to solopub well in this tank by keeping your pubbies alive. I used to play this thing as more of a sniper, wondering why I had such a terrible solopub winrate in it despite my WN8 trending upwards. Now I realize that this tank is meant to be in the thick of battle. It has the speed to create local pockets of strength and plug holes that your pubbies leave gaping open. This tank is tremendously versatile at increasing the survival rate of your pubbies. You can keep a would-be flanker honest by quickly repositioning to smack his hand for 250 HP, you can jump in to eat a shot to keep a reloading autoloader alive, you can spot for blind tanks trying to cross an open area, and you can RTB fast enough to reset caps while the rest of your flank plods on to the enemy cap.   The FCM is just a great tank. Preferential matchmaking, no reliance on premium consumables, and the ability to print credits are all icing on the cake. This tank would be a contender for a great tier 8 without any of those perks, yet it has all of them. I absolutely love the FCM and hereby crown it king of my tier 8 premiums!

Thought I'd move a bit of the current topic of my CoC into here:
 
I got myself a Awful. It isn't as awful as I thought it would be. Well, except how much it costs to run. The AP is workable because of the accuracy, but it's really hard to let go of 220 pen in any situation. I lose 20-40k per game that I spam APCR in. Even penning all your shots, you're going to take hits like that. You really need to go out of your way to limit the APCR you use, even in situations where it'd be helpful. I'm all for getting all the performance you can out of a tank, but losing half a million per day is just way too much.
 
So, onto the awful, a few positive things of note:
 
Having some armour is actually useful. There's a huge difference between having thin armour (Awful, LTTB) and being overmatched everywhere. You actually get ricochets, which is nice, and arty does not pop you nearly as often. The gun is as close to a laser as you're going to get on a light tank. It has incredible velocity, even with AP, great accuracy, decent bloom, and a quick aimtime. This is pretty useful. 220 pen is amazing. Good gun dep everywhere that isnt your rear. -10 to the sides is great. And negative:
The HP boon is not really noticable. When this tank gets buffed, I sorely hope they increase the HP by 100 or so. The Awfulpanther having the same HP as the LTTB is weird. It's not awful compared to the old lights, but the new ones? The bulldog stomps on this thing so hard that it's not even fair. Why is it so big? I'm not sure if I'll grind the entire thing out, but that'd be more because the tank is costing me a fortune to run than anything else. The tank just clicks with me, especially on the more open maps, and grabbing a 1300 base/mastery badge on my first game sure did help.

Yeah, this is pretty accurate.

Gun first.  If the depression were better, I'd say mobility first, but for the number of tier ten battles you see, it's best to do the gun.  Then turret, as it affects gun handling, then engine, then tracks.  The stock tracks can handle the turret, gun, and engine.

If you don't like the question, you're free to not comment on it and move along.
As you can see, I'm not playing SPGs often enough to find out all the bad ones myself.

The Leo isn't really about getting places first.  It's about exploiting gaps, hit-and-fade, and power flexes.  Admittedly, the meta has moved away from these things, but when the opportunity arises, there aren't many things that fill those roles better, not even the Batmobile.

I still struggle with the STB, but I'm getting better.
Of the two, though, it definitely wins the meta.
The Japanese gun, though is seriously fickle;
When it derps out, you'll be in a pickle.
 
The Leo and scout and snipe like a boss.
But struggles to summon a win from a loss.
Still that a fair price to pay
For a tank that's comfortable in each and every way.

The ELC Creed for Mediocre Players:
 
This is my tank.
There are others like it, but this one is mine.
My ELC is a light tank, but it is so much more than The Scout; it goes by many names: Invisitank, Hacker, Sniper, Pest, Blister, Punisher, Teleporter, Dementor.
With it, I will light up the enemy; sometimes actively, often passively. I will not suiscout, as there is no honour in death. Martyrdom is for those without vision; without hope. As long as I live the enemy knows no solace or succor.
I will draw enemy fire and consume their entire attention, I will put blinders on them—tunnel vision—so my team can chew them up. If instead they ignore me, I will punish them with furious anger, for my gun is better than theirs.
I am a blood-thirsty tick, and when hungry, face-hugging a KV-2 makes for an easy meal. I bleed him dry and leave his husk as a monument to opportunity.
My skin may be paper-thin, but I am better protected than a King Tiger. With cammo as my saviour I shall not want. It is a multiplier, turning one tank into a swarm. Abusing my camo means I am not in danger; I AM the danger!
This is the ELC AMX…they have been warned!

Wargaming has one of the best F2P models out there. Every single feature is available without paying, and the pay features only enhance the experience, and a sufficiently skilled player may even earn access to the pay features through competition.

There are plenty of F2Pgames out there where you have to pay to get past even the most basic level of play, as if you had to use gold to unlock any tank over tier III. Others have a similar model to WG, except that resource accrual in "free" mode (credits, XP) is so pathetic that the game is unplayable without paying.