World of Tanks II: Fighting, Bragging, Raging Edition - All aboard the Lemming Train!

[Eldariel]

I think I just had a nice example of an impossible shot...

SU8 arty, facing my Lowe head-on, about 100 meters.

I shoot, I get 'we hit' message, but...nothing else.
No bounce, no failed to penetrate, and in post battle report...he have the arty as a target which I fired at and hit but...I did zero damage and did no crit damage either.
Nothing happened.

Mind you, I am shooting gold (I have over 20 million creds in the bank sothe cost is irrelevant and against tier 9 or 10 enemies which I see far too often in my LOwe you need it to have any effect on the battle because my Lowe is sure as hell not going to be flanking or outmanouvering anything of those tiers apart from a T95...).

I can top that. 0 damage ding on Bat-Chat with GwPanther. On a direct hit. Mind, if I missed it, it woulda taken about 1000 damage. I hit it. Nothing. With a bloody HE shell.

[Deadmeat.GW]

Did they take no module damage or crew damage either?

My target took no module damage, no crew damage, no hp damage when hit by a shell that has 221 armour penetration minimum and that does minimum 240 damage against a flat surfaced 20 mm armour arty with 310 hp :).

GW Panther topgun HE 88mm armour penetration with 1200 damage potential versus 50mm at 35 degree slope with a gun mantlet of another 60mm if you are unlucky.
Given the mod of +25% armour and minus 25% armour penetration that WoT can get...
It is possible that it would not go through and if it hit the mantlet you might even get 'we penetrated' message to add insult to injury.

My case however...

The armour was flat, so no modifier for angle, with 25% extra and my shell minus 25% I still have over four times as much penetration as needed...

Anyway the Bats are bouncy as <censured> and they take hits that should have penetrate on a regular basis and laugh it off.

[Erloas]

I've been getting a lot of no damage penetrating hits, in all sorts of tanks versus all sorts of other tanks. Not sure what happens with that, but I've seen it a lot more since they added the physics changes a few patches ago. Of course I'm pretty sure I get those in my favor on occasion too, I just can't know if it bounced or was a no-damage pen. It is a bit more understandable with the really small guns of earlier tiers, but it seems to happen most in the higher tier tanks. It is really annoying when it is against light tanks where you know they have no armor. Especially when it is from a 122mm IS/KV-3/KV-1S gun with really expensive shots and a really slow reload and what should be pretty massive damage.

I do see it quite a bit with my SU-26 too, but I've come to expect that, it is amazing how many times I can hit T2-5 lights with that and do nothing at all or plenty of times when its just 1-30 damage. Of course there are other times when it just decides for a match its going to pretty much one-shot anything it hits. I just wish is was more consistent.

[Eldariel]

Did they take no module damage or crew damage either?

None. That's the annoying part; I've never hit a target with a big arty shell and dealt no damage before. I was just kinda expecting that doesn't happen with HE (tho it's happened with DerpV-2 before). Clearly I should just start aiming in front of Bat****s instead; guaranteed full damage.

[Brother Oni]

For those who might be interested (and who can watch it), the BBC did a two part series on the 5th Royal Tank Regiment and their exploits during WW2.

It's up for another 6 days: link.

[mistformsquirrl]

Cool, will have to watch! I tend to listen to documentaries while I play World of Tanks >.>

*edit* Drat... I'm in the US so I can't watch it.

[GloatingSwine]

I've been getting a lot of no damage penetrating hits, in all sorts of tanks versus all sorts of other tanks.

There are two reasons this happens.

1. You get the message and the tank's indicator flashes white:

You have hit the tank in a location which caused module damage but no hitpoint damage. This can occur if you hit antenna, optics, or tracks. Unless you destroyed the module there will be no critical hit recorded in the post battle sheet.

2. You get the message and the tank's indicator flashes black:

You have penetrated the outer layer of spaced armour but been stopped by the inner layer. When hitting the inner layer of spaced armour (which is the statistically quoted thickness) your shell is at an effective 66% of its nominal penetration, so you have to have more than you would ordinarily.

[Grif]

2. You get the message and the tank's indicator flashes black:

You have penetrated the outer layer of spaced armour but been stopped by the inner layer. When hitting the inner layer of spaced armour (which is the statistically quoted thickness) your shell is at an effective 66% of its nominal penetration, so you have to have more than you would ordinarily.

The KV-1 is notorious for this. For some reason the front has spaced armour and will eat up any HE shells from smaller SPGs.

The other common tank with spaced armour would be the infamous SuperPershing T26E4.

[mistformsquirrl]

I hit a KV-1 with a short 88 6 times earlier today... in a row... for 0 damage. None of them were bounces, they were all 'white flash' hits. I think I was hitting the tracks or something, but the tracks never did break >< Obnoxious.

[Grif]

I hit a KV-1 with a short 88 6 times earlier today... in a row... for 0 damage. None of them were bounces, they were all 'white flash' hits. I think I was hitting the tracks or something, but the tracks never did break >< Obnoxious.

That happens a lot. Both with me driving a KV-1 or facing off against them. (They eat a lot of my 57mm shells, for example.) Funny how I never seem to be able to make 122mm shells disappear though. KV-1S (and IS/KV-3) will eliminate my KV-1 with extreme prejudice.

So much so that I taken to flanking these stupid bastards just so I can do reliable damage where possible. Yes, even in my KV-1. Fully trained crew makes for a surprisingly nimble tank.

[Erloas]

I just had one of the most epic losses ever, in my M41.
3104 damage and 3 kills. Several great long range leading shots. One of which was a Black Prince even after he disappeared.
But 1 was against an IS that somehow didn't reveal me when I shot it closing in on me, then I moved up and finished off a T29 that was hiding part way behind the crates on the base but was revealed just briefly for me to take my last show with my last round to finish him off after he disappeared again.

Unfortunately they had an AMX 13F3 and Grille left and they both happened to have ammo left. I was thinking about trying for a draw but figured they might be heading for our base so I decided to give it a try in capping their base.

It was just a lot of fun. If I only had a couple more shots I think I could have won, the grille seemed pretty incompetent, not sure about the AMX.

[darksolitaire]

So, RU just got their patch and EU will probably have it week from now. Any tank you're looking forward to? For me the meds and lights seem worthwhile, and IS-2 is good way to snatch weapons to use on the other lines, so...

It is really annoying when it is against light tanks where you know they have no armor. Especially when it is from a 122mm IS/KV-3/KV-1S gun with really expensive shots and a really slow reload and what should be pretty massive damage.

Yesterday I played a Himmelsdorf encounter in Caernarvon. It took me 5 hits to kill T-50-2 who was nuking our arty, who didn't bother to read mini map and shoot him themselves. Those tracks man, those tracks.

[Leon]

No, this patch brings nothing useful. Just clones and nerfs.

[Grif]

I am displeased with the proposed nerf to SPGs. As if we don't already have enough trouble with shells not flying where its supposed to.

[mistformsquirrl]

I'm glad I quit playing SPGs when I did <x.x>

I'm also pretty 'eh' on the Chinese tree... as has been mentioned, most are just clones; so it's not really interesting to me at all.

---

Unrelated - I might just be able to get my Tiger (P) during the sale event, yay! Just 35k xp to go.

[Elm11]

But guise, guise, didnt u hear? Spgs is op anad must nerfed...

In all seriousness, I think it's rediculous that SPGs are receiving another nerf. It's not like they need them after the previous round. I find it frustrating that WG is listening to the whinier parts of the fanbase that constantly complain about arty, given how stagnant most no-arty games end up being.

[Grif]

B
In all seriousness, I think it's rediculous that SPGs are receiving another nerf. It's not like they need them after the previous round. I find it frustrating that WG is listening to the whinier parts of the fanbase that constantly complain about arty, given how stagnant most no-arty games end up being.

We'll see another round of complaints when this starts to crop up.

Then the "nerf SPG" brigade will switch to "nerf TD" once they find that AMX50Foch is now unkillable in an entrenched position.

[mistformsquirrl]

I am starting to hate KV-1Ses.

Don't get me wrong - they're not the all-powerful god-tanks some would make them out to be... but that gun is absurd at tier 6 on that chassis. It's one thing on a TD like the SU-100; but on a well armored, highly mobile turretted chassis?

Come the frak on.

I mean seriously - remember how much they nerfed the Hellcat after it came out? Or for that matter how slow US turreted TDs generally turn their turrets in spite of some of them having had powered turrets in RL?

And then you've got the KV-1S at the same tier with a more potent gun than an equal tier turreted TD, better armor, and while slower, better turning and turret turning capabilities.

I don't usually vent about enemy tanks, but I keep seeing these blasted things in every round in my VK3001P* and unless I can miraculously force a miss, I'm dead in 2 shots. The only way I can win is to either force a miss while not missing, bouncing or no-damage-critting anything myself; or to snipe from extreme range - which is hard on a lot of maps, and even on the maps where it's viable the KV-1Ses have this odd knack for hitting me in spite of tremendous distance.

Blargh.

19,807xp before Tiger (P)

*Which is not a terrible tank once you get all the stuff for it - I won't say it's great either, but still.

[Razgriez]

As an Arty player my self, trust me, I am not looking forward to 8.3. You know a nerf is not going to be fun to deal with, when the nerf comes courtesy of a bunch of people who complain about how "unfair" it is that Arty does, well, exactly what it's supposed to do. (Especially when some of these same people whining are the ones in powerful Tier 8 Premiums, or stat padding on their T18 U.S. TD in the tier 1 through 3 battles)

When I hear someone cite no actual case of Overpowered issues, instead spouting the "job description" of a particular tank, I always play out in my head, what they really mean by Overpowered is this:

It's not fair that I might be killed for standing out in the open! It's not fair that these super specialized vehicles are strong in Raw power, but not much else (Barring speed maybe). I should be unchallenged and granted an easy win.

'

I also love how these complainers cite that we arty players have it "easy"

Not if:
-the map is primarily city fight map, or Dragon Ridge
-if the target is moving at above 20-30 kmh
-if the target is small
-if the angle is odd/obstructed
-if they are far away from us, and moving at all.
-if they so much as twitch a bit when using the low barrel traverse SPGs
-If we run out of our typically very limited ammo.
-If they attack us (at all)
-If they attack us, after we've just fired a shot
-If they remember that there's a reason for buying the Spall armor upgrade
-If they are not in our gun's range of traverse is awful (pretty common actually)

[Grif]

I am starting to hate KV-1Ses.

Don't get me wrong - they're not the all-powerful god-tanks some would make them out to be... but that gun is absurd at tier 6 on that chassis. It's one thing on a TD like the SU-100; but on a well armored, highly mobile turretted chassis?

Come the frak on.

I mean seriously - remember how much they nerfed the Hellcat after it came out? Or for that matter how slow US turreted TDs generally turn their turrets in spite of some of them having had powered turrets in RL?

And then you've got the KV-1S at the same tier with a more potent gun than an equal tier turreted TD, better armor, and while slower, better turning and turret turning capabilities.

I don't usually vent about enemy tanks, but I keep seeing these blasted things in every round in my VK3001P* and unless I can miraculously force a miss, I'm dead in 2 shots. The only way I can win is to either force a miss while not missing, bouncing or no-damage-critting anything myself; or to snipe from extreme range - which is hard on a lot of maps, and even on the maps where it's viable the KV-1Ses have this odd knack for hitting me in spite of tremendous distance.

Blargh.

19,807xp before Tiger (P)

*Which is not a terrible tank once you get all the stuff for it - I won't say it's great either, but still.

I make it a point to hunt KV-1S in both my SPG and M18 if I get them on the opposite team. I think to a certain extent, their overblown reputation means everyone focuses on them first, which mitigates their OP 122mm derp gun somewhat.

[Yana]

I still have very fond memories of the time I took out a platoon of KV-1Ss from my own clan by myself in my Hellcat. I was waiting in the forest leading up to the hill on Malinovka when my teammates lit up all three of them. As I was in the same teamspeak channel as them at the time, it was incredibly amusing to hear their increasingly loud profanities as I took them all out practically by myself.

If the KV-1S is the bane of the M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman, then the Hellcat is the Kv's bane.

[mistformsquirrl]

Huzzah! Got my Tiger (P)! Slightly disappointed I need the tracks before I can use the long 88... but that's a small price to pay. Only played one round so far, but I have noticed that even with maxed engines it is slowslowslowslow compared to the Tiger (H).

I suppose that's training for the Maus at the end of this line hehe >.< Not that I'm likely to ever see that.

Regardless, I'm glad I was able to get it during the sale - that was what I was really after. Now I can get back to grinding cash for the Churchill VII (I'm kind of dreading it, but we'll see how it goes, eh?)

[GloatingSwine]

I am starting to hate KV-1Ses.

The only real problem with them is that they're bloody everywhere. Yeah, you need to respect the derpgun, but it has something like 13 second reload and the tank is actually really poorly armoured (same armour layout as the KV-1 a tier lower).

[Gnoman]

Doesn't the KV-1s have worse armor than the KV-1? I always have a much easier time hurting them.

[Erloas]

Yes, the KV-1 has much better armor then the KV-1s. It may have much the same weak points and curves, but it is decidedly thinner.

[Grif]

The only real problem with them is that they're bloody everywhere. Yeah, you need to respect the derpgun, but it has something like 13 second reload and the tank is actually really poorly armoured (same armour layout as the KV-1 a tier lower).

I think you're thinking of the KV-2 here, which has the same armour layout as its predecessor, being the same tank and all. Except for that ugly slab sided target which it calls the turret.

KV-1S can be penetrated by anything over 100 pen, which is practically every decent gun on that tier or one tier below.

Only the decent chunk of HP saves its hide (and lolrandom bounces), since 100~200 damage guns are the norm.

[GloatingSwine]

KV-1S can be penetrated by anything over 100 pen, which is practically every decent gun on that tier or one tier below.

Only the decent chunk of HP saves its hide (and lolrandom bounces), since 100~200 damage guns are the norm.

So can the KV-1. Head on in the lower glacis or the upper band where the driver's vision slit is you can go through a KV-1 with 82mm or better average pen, it's only 75mm at 30 degrees.

You may percieve the 1S as weaker because the driver is probably taking less care of his own armour and staying still longer to get his giant gun aimed at you. You rarely see them angle properly, they mostly whiz about and hope the 122mm will do the work for them.

[Grif]

So can the KV-1. Head on in the lower glacis or the upper band where the driver's vision slit is you can go through a KV-1 with 82mm or better average pen, it's only 75mm at 30 degrees.

You may percieve the 1S as weaker because the driver is probably taking less care of his own armour and staying still longer to get his giant gun aimed at you. You rarely see them angle properly, they mostly whiz about and hope the 122mm will do the work for them.

But then, KV-1 is placed one tier lower.

But yes, that may be the case. Bad players driving good tanks.

[Yana]

Victory! Map: Malinovka Thursday, January 17, 2013 9:34:39 PM
Vehicle: M4 Sherman
Exp: 2,684 (x2) + Credits: 31,558
Achievements: : Top Gun

All hail the 105mm Howitzer Sherman!

In a t7 encounter match on Malinovka with my friend in his M7, I almost singlehandedly managed to turn a 5<9 defeat into a victory. It's almost scary how accurate the gun can be if you take the time to aim fully and learn how long to lead the shots (for the record, I was 17-22 shots hit/fired). I managed to wing a M4A3E8 three times when he was booking it flat out across the field (bearing in mind that neither teams were covering it, most of the fighting was taking place on the hill) and killed him on the last shot.

The majority of my xp came from doing 900 ish damage to the Comet that foolishly stood still after rushing my team's spawn and took the abuse I threw at him when the match started.

[mistformsquirrl]

Very, very nice Yana! I prefer the 76mm for the M4 myself, but the howitzer is murderous if you know how to use it.

Also - I got my Churchill VII - Let the pain begin. <x_x>

Oh and I also got myself a Chi Ha - I'm kinda interested in the Japanese* tree down the line, and since this is essentially the first Japanese tank in the game...

Chi Ha is actually pretty good I'll add - I mean it is just a tier III, so we're not talking anything spectacular; but for it's tier it's got a good gun, decent mobility when upgraded, good radio and sight range, it's gun depression is very very nice - reminds me if a Sherman in that regard.

It does not however have any meaningful armor, and as is also common in that tier, the gun is terribly inaccurate compared to hire tier weapons. That said, it packs a punch, and has good penetration, so as long as you stay back and try playing as a midfield support medium, you'll probably do surprisingly well with it.

*Historically most Japanese tanks were pretty crappy; but I've heard some of their drawing board designs were not so at all, quite the opposite. So I'm curious to see how that tree shapes up. Plus unlike the Chinese tree, the Japanese tree is almost certain to be primarily home-grown designs instead of a hodge-podge of loners and modifications that makes the Chinese tree largely unappealing to me.