Welcome Back to Boot Camp
I have never been much of an armor whore…in BF2 I was always the guy last in line to get the armor, but I never team-killed for it, ever. Now in the future battlefield, I find myself needing tanks a lot more. Not just a little more, a lot more, simply because even with a good squad, with well-mixed Engineers, Support, and Recon, you simply cannot hold off an armored column indefinitely…especially when the enemy team is throwing upwards of half a dozen vehicles at one control point. The campaign versions of the Titan maps have more armor than a team knows what to do with half the time. There are so many more tanks on the battlefield that I caved, and became an armor whore. Yes, shun me now…I feel god-like in my twenty tons of metallic death, and I laugh sadistically as I blow away helpless infantry, tank-snipe the walkers, and otherwise out-maneuver and pulverize enemy vehicles and defense systems.
The Basics
So we’ll start with the very moment you turn the keys in the ignition and attach your personal hood ornament to your massively destructive tank. The driver has the main gun with 40 rounds in reserve, the gunner has the heavy machine gun on the hood of the turret; this is deliberately designed so that for a tank to be perfectly efficient, it has to have both pilot and gunner. Most of the time I try to get a gunner, or if that doesn’t happen, solo it because I can manage relatively well. Remember though, if you have a squad gunner, make sure you utilize the VOIP; Unlike in BF2, your gunner can’t be sniped out by those bastards hiding in towers or high places, thus they are more valuable. Typically if I have a gunner, I’ll tell him to watch my six; likewise, when I’m the gunner, I’m watching out for cocky Recon guys with RDX or the occasional gunship that might take a fly-by at us, or any other lightly-armored targets.
I’ll say this once: never shoot at heavy armor with the machine gun. Too many times this alerts the enemy and they’ll turn around and ruin your perfect stealth kill, plus it doesn’t hurt them. Use your main gun to land a well-placed shot to the rear of a tank, it’s an instant kill, not to mention a hell of a lot smarter.
”I Find Your Lack of Faithful Armor Disturbing”
Yeah, it has to be said: despite being able to take multiple hits in the front, the tank has far weaker armor in the flanks (side views) and typically dies in a single hit to the rear. Of course, if you’re smart you’ll never allow your opponent to target anything but your front, where your armor is heaviest. Always face the most immediate threat head-on, because if you don’t, your life span in a tank drops dramatically. More on this later.
Lions, Tigers and Bears (Oh My!)
So I'll start with the EU tank, the A8 Tiger; this is really similar to the basic tanks found in Battlefield 2, as seen in the photographs below:
Tiger Front
Tiger Side
Tiger Rear
So this is the Tiger tank, photos taken from roughly from 10 to 12 meters away (approximate), and it looks like a tank from maybe the 21st century. The tiger's controls are identical to tank control in BF2, controlling movement using the WASD keys, and rotating the turret via the mouse (or the machine gun turret). Early on, I set the sensitivity pretty high (3x sensitivity with 3x yaw factor and 2x pitch factor), since I like to respond to threats fast. This is truly a personal preference, but for some this may be the best thing. The Active Defense System (hereby labeled as the ADS, for the acronym nuts) is activated by the default X key, and enter/exit is controlled by the E key. The tank is fairly stable when firing, and comes equipped with a zoom function on the main cannon...useful for long-distance artillery fights. The turret can rotate 360, but the chassis takes time to turn around, and is larger than the PAC counterpart. Heh heh...speaking of which...
Wait, the Neko-Whata Tank?
Yeah, a weird name, but let's face it: beyond the name, this thing is nothing short of deadly.
Mod-Edit: A Nekomata, is a Japanese Mythological Creature.
Nekomata Front
Nekomata Side
Nekomata Rear
So as you can tell, the Nekomata is smaller than the Tiger tank, and there are no treads: it's a hover tank, duh. W controls forward and S controls reverse, but the A and D keys act much like the strafe keys used for the standard soldier controls, allowing you to shift directions at will. The mouse controls the pitch of the main cannon, which is fixed to the main chassis, and the yaw (the direction you are facing) and can seem somewhat sensitive. If you have sensitivity high like me, it may be a little harder to aim at long range, but I still like it as-is. Primary fire is the main gun, and the secondary fire brings up the zoom; aside from some visual differences in the HUD, the guns on the tanks are identical to one another. What the Nekomata does have, is a serious advantage, and here's why:
1. Two words here: smaller target. The Nekomata is probably half as wide as the tread-based EU counter-part, which means the enemy tank driver has to aim more precisely than if you were driving the Tiger when you face him. Considering the fixed turret, you should ALWAYS be facing him, presenting a minimal cross-section for him to shoot at, ergo a harder-to-hit target.
2. Directly related to point one: you will always be facing the enemy with your forward armor if you’re a half-decent pilot. I cannot begin to count the number of idiots who have faced off against me in a Tiger who do not rotate their lower chassis to match my movements. When they fail to do this, this leaves their flank armor extremely exposed; I’ve hit people in the flank who are rotated no more than ten degrees from my position, making it so I kill them in two hits, versus the four they will probably have to land on me, at least. Or at point-blank-range to close-range, I have circle-strafed around them, looking for that wonderful sweet spot in their rear armor, and pointing out their stupidity with a one shot kill. Against other Nekomatas, this opportunity doesn’t present itself so often, unless they are a complete idiot.
3a. Nekomata tanks have that maneuverability that I’ve always wanted in a tank: fast, efficient, and kind of cool-looking, too. You can circle-strafe an enemy target very easily with this tank if you’re good at controlling it, presenting them with a much harder to hit target at medium to long range, not to mention keeping your flank armor away from his gun sights. This strategy royally pisses off enemies trying to kill you in Battle Walkers, as the SWARM missiles are notoriously bad at hitting things at long range. Note however, that if you fire while strafing, you will have to account this into your aim by aiming to the right if you move left, and to the left if you move right; it’s easier to tap the controls, stop for a brief second, take your shot, and then keep moving. I’ve evaded numerous tank shells and walker missile swarms aimed directly at me, in conjunction with the ADS.
3b. Related to the maneuverability, the Nekomata can radically change direction if you so choose to…and crush that Recon bastard trying to RDX your flank or rear. I have done this many times and saved my ass because he never saw it coming. The same thing applies with Engineers if they try to put rockets in my flank/rear. At all times, check your external views (default cycle view is C, or the F9 through F12 keys) on occasion…it never hurts to be too careful, especially if you try to cap a silo solo and the spawn points for the enemy could be potentially anywhere.
4. Speed kills, and so doesn’t the Nekomata; it can accelerate from dead-rest better than the Tiger, goes down hills faster, and change direction much faster…I hate spending six to eight seconds rotating the damn chassis just so I can turn around in the Tiger. This comes at a price, as the Nekomata can sometimes take a while to stop…not good if you run into a motion mine field.
Bottom line: Hover tanks rule at maneuvering, and though this might be aesthetic, the sound they make is much more subtle than a Tiger tank; this may give you a slight advantage if you’re approaching someone from the rear, unless they pay close attention. In close quarters they can bump into objects and can be swarmed by multiple targets; stay away from narrow places if possible. The EU tank can respond to closer threats more quickly, and is somewhat more suited to close-quarters combat where you need to be alert.
Evasive Maneuvers!!!
Next up: the Warning Tone. Whenever a base defense or a rocket launcher or a gunship gets a lock on you, the warning will blare. Depending on whether you can see the threat or not, switch to external views to spot the incoming warhead…and if it looks like a full volley from a walker, put your ADS up. You buy yourself five seconds of immunity against heavy projectiles and a chance to even the odds and bury the bastard before he can do the same to you. Now, I’ll say it again, this I cannot emphasize enough: switch to your external views as soon as possible so you can see where the shot came from, if it wasn’t in front of you; If it’s a engineer who has more rockets than IQ, he’ll still be out in the open; show him that your gun is far bigger and deadlier. If it’s a walker rushing you, you might have trouble and possibly have to bail; Walkers shred tanks at close range in most cases, unless you are exceptionally lucky.
Other source of lock-on: Ground turrets. These are truly a pain in this game…if they’ve locked on and you haven’t put up your defense screen, you are truly screwed because they eat through tanks like a hot knife through butter. If you check your map and the base turret doesn’t show up, assume it’s occupied by hostiles, and put up your ADS immediately. Two shells will finish them off if the turret is at full health; aim for the right side, that’s the vulnerable section that allows you to kill the gunner inside the turret, if you place your shot well. My advice: blow up the stationary defenses before you advance to cap a flag or silo, therefore removing a potential threat to your success. Or put one round in, then when one idiot goes up to the heavily damaged turret to take you out, show him that you will always have the vastly superior firepower, and blow him away.
Yet another pain in the ass: Motion Mines. If you rush a point and hear that beeping tone, immediately stop all movement; the faster you’re moving, the more they damage you when they contact your tank. Your options at this point depend on the situation; if you have UAV or commander confirmation the point is clear, bail out and defuse them; the engineer defuser kit, or the Recon’s RDX and Zeller-H can destroy those annoying bucky balls of death. If the area is not clear, you might have a problem; your best bet in the EU tank is to rotate the turret and take out whatever threats you can; in the Nekomata, your best alternative is to use the machine gun to clear them out, then defuse if possible. If defusing is not possible, bail out; and, if you’re an engineer, put your own motion mines down when that smug little shit-stain tries to steal your ride. Given the circumstances, this is probably your only choice; that, or letting them kill you with your own vehicle. Any other class, abandon ship and go hide until you can ascertain the distance and direction of the threat; never let them steal your ride, blow it up if you have to, by suiciding into the mines.
“Rambo Took the Day Off, So I Filled In”
So, on to the killing…by yourself, no squad needed. These are straight-up solo tactics to hopefully kill any threats in one-on-one engagements or more, depending on your skill and available cover. Infantry in plain sight who aren’t engineers are just begging to be obliterated; they are the smallest threat (minus ground defenses they may jump into) so kill them last if you’re being attacked from multiple directions. At close range, don’t bother targeting them, just the ground right beneath them; move forward with the tank so you get that extra bit of downward shift of the barrel and obliterate them; typically your crosshairs should be slightly above to dead-center on them. Assault classes receive a low threat level, while Support gets low/medium, mainly from EMP grenades. Your best counter is to find where they’re spamming you from, and put one tank shell in if possible into his spot; if it looks like you’re going to be swarmed by troops, take as many down with you as you can, or pray for back-up to take them out.
Recon and Engineers are a more serious threat, these are the guys that can kill you; ram the Recon guys if they try to RDX you, even a gentle nudge will flatten them with the present physics of the game; I’d be killed too if twenty tons of armor flattened me like a pancake, rofl. Against Engineers, target them first, and always watch your rear; it takes one hit and then you’re toast if they succeed. Both of these classes are medium/high threat levels because of the damage they can do to you…kill them quick.
Light Recon Vehicles (LRV’s) are a low/medium threat, simply because too many times I’ve been a victim of a Jihad…meaning someone packs a car full of RDX and rams me. If you’re smart you’ll see these guys coming (external views) and kill them before they can kill you. The tiger is easier to use in this regard, where as the Nekomata must rotate to face this rather fast threat; bail if he gets too close, it’s possible to survive. If he’s running away, however…well, lucky for you that he can’t hurt you at all; show him your love with a 120mm shell to the face, one will do it.
Tanks are extremely effective vs. APC’s, in that APC’s without Engineers or other armor nearby are just an easy kill for you. Two rounds in the flank (side) will set them on fire (45 HP each) and three to four in the front will do them in (somewhere around 25 to 33 HP) Be wary though, that EMP launcher is a pain in the ass if they like to spam you with it; just remain calm until it passes. If they bail out and you see a guy with a huge freaking gun pop out, assume he wants a death wish. Give him one once your systems restart; if you have significant health/distance/both, you will prevail, as it’s unlikely he’ll be able to kill you in a single shot, where as all you have to do is get the tank shell close enough to splatter his corpse all over that missile silo you’ve been waiting to capture. This applies to both tanks, but the Nekomata has the advantage of making itself a harder target against the EMP launcher. APC’s get medium threat level due to uncertainty of the classes of the occupants. If it’s full of engineers, you’ve got a problem. One tactic I love to use is the EMP blast followed by me blitzing the tank, getting behind it, bailing and shooting them in the ass; if the APC goes empty, you are probably about to die; if you’re EMP’ed, bail out and do whatever you can to stop him.
Against tanks, the list of tactics grows ever more interesting. When in the A8 Tiger, against other Tigers, typically the fight is very straight-forward; if he has any of his flank armor exposed, I’ll aim for that, his movement is very predictable (since he can’t turn on a dime) and put my ADS up at the last second, while minimizing my own area of flank armor exposed. If you do this right, as my friend __Teh Pwnererer pointed out, you can block possibly two tank shells. This part is critical: you have to have fast reflexes; at long range, the second you see him fire, activate the ADS and block it (maybe rebind the ADS key); this ensures the maximum protection. This increases your tank life significantly, even more so when you kill said tank and repair your own if you’re an Engineer. Open maps like Verdun, Shuhia Taiba, Minsk, and pretty much all the titan maps and Belgrade have some fairly interesting tank battles. Always, always adjust for distance with your aim, because tank shells drop pretty quickly at longer distances; use the zoom feature to make your life that much easier. Against Nekomatas at long range, the Tiger tank is probably better off at matching his movements, and trying to hit his flank as he circle-strafes you; easier said than done in most cases. Your other option is to position the chassis perpendicular and circle-strafe him in return, though this exposes your weaker flank armor; not a good thing. At close range, odds are he’ll circle around you and put two in the flank, and laugh at your smoldering carcass. If the bastard is stupid enough to get that close, bail out when he least expects it and land a one-two punch after your first tank shell shot, then put a Pilum H-AVR round in his flank. I find the majority of players are too stupid to bail, trying desperately to kill me before they themselves die.
With the Nekomata tank, you have the edge in pretty much any combat over other tanks. You are more mobile, faster, and in my opinion, deadlier. In long-range engagements, strafe left and right to avoid shells, and return the favor to any Tigers nearby, compensating for movement and distance. This takes a lot of practice, don’t expect to be dead-on every time unless you try it constantly. Use the zoom feature at distances over oh say, 100 meters or more; I’ve missed sometimes if I fail to use it, and it helps tremendously. In a one-on-one engagement, in the best case I will lose zero armor on my tank, and he dies with two shots…or one, if he’s trying to run away, or oblivious to my presence as I drive up behind him and put a shell in his rear armor. In terms of threat level, tanks fall into the medium/high category, as while they can easily be killed if you know where to shoot them, skilled pilots will not be so careless and the battle may often depend on terrain features (cover) and their attack approach. If it’s an EU tank and you have a Nekomata, rush the bastard and flank him before he can react if he is alone.
Tanks versus walkers can be troublesome depending on your distance to the target. At close range, the Walker will shred you to pieces; it takes six of his SWARM missiles (at roughly 16 damage apiece) to kill you, which fire very rapidly, and it will take you (best case, if he’s facing you) three shells to the legs to set him on fire at 30% each. That’s about fifteen seconds from when you first start firing, and that’s only if he doesn’t put up his ADS. Most cases, you’ll be dead before you can finish him off, unless you are extremely capable with your own ADS, can guarantee three hits on the legs, or put some serious distance between you and him. Close range: less than thirty to fifty meters, you have the disadvantage. Good luck.
Medium distance is a bit more even-matched. At that range, it’s possible to evade the SWARM missiles the walker launches at you, but if he’s compensating for your movement, he’ll still land a significant number of hits. Always use the ADS when he launches a full swarm, just before the first missile hits, as this will block the most damage. Again, your best bet is to aim for the legs, and circle-strafe around him; since rockets do equal damage to all areas of the tank, it’s okay to use the EU tank for this maneuver, more on this next. If he’s an idiot, you may get a chance to shoot at the rear of his torso, the weakest armor section on the armor, and a two shot kill to boot (55 HP damage apiece). Be wary of any trees in open areas, otherwise your movement will come to a dead halt…and you’ll be dead too if you don’t get mobile again. At long range, the walker will probably try to close the distance between you and him, because he knows the SWARM rockets become unreliable at over say, 150 meters or more. Keep that distance significant by moving backwards if possible, strafing left and right in the process. Aim for the cockpit at this range, leg shots are a bit more dicey at this point unless you’re a virtual tank sniper. Keep an eye on your surroundings though, odds are he’ll point you out and either air support or other tanks will come looking for you; be somewhere else after you destroy the walker, the enemy team gets pissed off when they lose their flagship ground vehicle.
There are minor differences with the Tiger tank in engagements with walkers; turn your chassis perpendicular so you can circle-strafe him. You remain mobile, but still a bigger target than the Nekomata…something I absolutely hate. Nekomatas, by-and-by, are a better choice, unless you have multiple infantry nearby and you can’t rotate the tank fast enough to finish them off one by one. In summary, walkers receive the highest threat level; while Recon and Engineers can kill you with one hit, remember that it takes them time to get into position; walkers can kill you much more easily than you can kill them and will steam roll you back into the 21st century if you get caught unprepared.
*EDIT* So someone brought up the fact that I didn't mention aircraft...so I guess I shall include this with pleasure. Simply stated, the Tank is pretty good against aircraft if you can lead your target; both your HMG and your main cannon can damage the transports and the gunships...which one to use depends on whether you have a gunner or not. If you do, and the transport is hovering over a silo, line up so your gunner can get in a good shot; the main cannon does 60 HP damage to the transport in a single shot, and if you land it inside the cargo hold where the troops sit, kill anyone in there; the HMG does like 1-2 HP damage per shot, and given that it has an RPM of approximately 600, you'll kill it with a continuous burst of bullets until it overheats, if you land every hit (approx 10 seconds). Lead your target if it's moving, the bullets are subject to the same velocity principle as other projectiles in the game.
Gunships are a royal pain in the ass; at best, your guns can elevate between 15 and 20 degrees, meaning if he's right overhead, you can't hit him; the HMG can shoot at a slightly higher angle, maybe 25 degrees, but that's it. If a gunship strafes you with rockets, and you can see he has a gunner, put your ADS up; the small volley you can handle, but the TV missiles hurt (at 66 damage apiece, vs. 10 damage for the driver rockets). A single tank round will set a gunship on fire if the moron is stupid to line up for you, or if you or your gunner peppered him with HMG fire, kill him in a single hit; you can grin when you see that expensive gunship go up in flames. The HMG does the same damage as it does to the transport, but the gunship can move faster; lead accordingly, although if he's at full jet, you probably won't hit him. If he's hovering, your HMG can shred him, or cause him to panic and crash into a mountain. lol...and I thought only EMP missiles could do that.
“There’s No ‘I’ in Team!”
In a squad, your tank doesn’t become merely just a support/offense weapon, but a versatile killing machine. While most players might enjoy going on a massive killing spree solo, in a group your job is to suppress the other enemy armor, or fend them off long enough for your teammates to get a flanking position and finish the incoming armor columns off. With a good gunner, transports won’t try to get too close to you, and gunships will be scared off when they start taking damage from the HMG (heavy machine gun). And at long range, if you’re a decent pilot, no one will be able to touch you; have your squad-mates spot and cover you at short-distance, especially against walkers or APC’s loaded with troops, as these can be the biggest threats to you. Also, keep the engineers in the vehicles so you can auto-repair (if you have the repair upgrade) and lengthen the life-span of your vehicles significantly.
The thing that separates the good pilots from the exceptional ones is their ability to react to changing circumstances; having a good squad will help you deal with them accordingly and efficiently. Vigilantes may have their moments, but by and large, the majority of battles in 2142 are won by teamwork and coordination; take it from me, it helps when everyone knows what to do.
Combining the Tank with other vehicles, such as the APC, present even more devious potential…like a nice EMP grenade to that armor in front of you, giving you time to circle around and put one in the rear or two in the flank, while he tries to go for the easy APC kill. Teach him that squads are superior to loners in every way. APC’s are also extremely useful at suppressing massive numbers of troops, something even tanks have trouble handling; just be sure you stick close and don’t obscure his view of the immediate infantry threats.
Combining Tanks with other tanks creates a serious set of artillery that can be used to pummel distant defenses, enemy flags/silos, and keep you well out of harms way; with the concentrated firepower (more so with squads) odds are good that you’ll be able to keep the enemy suppressed while your infantry and APC’s rush in to cap the point; don’t feel afraid to get closer if it looks like you’re no good sniping from the rear. Plus, you can cover one another if the others flank is exposed, so use a staggered formation that allows each to hit the maximum possible area.
Combining Tanks with walkers presents devastating consequences for your enemies if they’re caught unprepared; while tanks can easily suppress long-distance targets, walkers are the true king of close-quarters armor fighting. If each supports the other, I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to take out a couple of tanks and various other armor systems before you get cooked, or possibly more. The walker should typically take the lead and cap the point, while you, the tank driver, provide support and shoot at targets he may have difficulty hitting at long range, or that Recon bastard trying to blow apart his legs. Again, all your solo tactics apply; but at least with fellow armored units, your odds of success are much greater than being alone.
Even without other armor, you can still use the gunner slot on your tank as a place for members to spawn in if you're squad leader; just tell them to bail out so the next guy can spawn in. It provides a slightly safer alternative to being shot up from twenty different directions, in any case. Squad tactics from my previous guide (see link in my signature) all apply, to deal with other armor systems. Support+EMP grenades, using your tank as a very thick covering wall; they just have to be careful not to disable you as well. Engineers can provide fast repairs if you're in the thick of it, just use yourself as a shield for them...the possibilities are too numerous to list, with what you can do with just infantry alone and you're sitting in the tank helping them out. I can't emphasize enough: when in doubt, take out the biggest threat first (walkers, then tanks, then APC's) that can kill your buddies the quickest; this is your job, your goal, your purpose...do not disappoint them.
Summary
So that wraps up my tank guide. I would include more details about specific maps, but I could spend several articles detailing this; I’ll be sure to post if demand for this information is popular. I leave with a few important beliefs: Tanks are simply an all-around vehicle, capable of dealing with a wide variety of threats, but less so than the walker. They serve far better in squads than as a loner, or at the very least, with a gunner in tow. I cannot emphasize teamwork more than I already have; the better your squad sticks together, the more wins and points you’ll probably get. Remember: this isn’t like in Battlefield 2 where one tank whore can sit around and kill people left and right on a particular dusty map that has the most infamous grenade spamming alley in the entire online world. Tanks can be killed far easier now…remember that and you’ll be a hell of a lot more conservative, and think before you attack. If popular demand surges for my guides, I’ll start using FRAPS to record in-game play and post videos, or anyone else is welcome to contribute. Good luck out there on the battlefield! Drenar, signing out!
*EDIT* my stats are in my signature. Also, thanks to the guys with the other helpful suggestions, especially haffeysucks, you pointed out one missing thing in my tank guide I forgot about. Other credits go to my clan mates, Hypnotech, Rukudo (or Rikansu) and Teh Pwnererer, and anyone else who contributed here. Thanks guys!
I have never been much of an armor whore…in BF2 I was always the guy last in line to get the armor, but I never team-killed for it, ever. Now in the future battlefield, I find myself needing tanks a lot more. Not just a little more, a lot more, simply because even with a good squad, with well-mixed Engineers, Support, and Recon, you simply cannot hold off an armored column indefinitely…especially when the enemy team is throwing upwards of half a dozen vehicles at one control point. The campaign versions of the Titan maps have more armor than a team knows what to do with half the time. There are so many more tanks on the battlefield that I caved, and became an armor whore. Yes, shun me now…I feel god-like in my twenty tons of metallic death, and I laugh sadistically as I blow away helpless infantry, tank-snipe the walkers, and otherwise out-maneuver and pulverize enemy vehicles and defense systems.
The Basics
So we’ll start with the very moment you turn the keys in the ignition and attach your personal hood ornament to your massively destructive tank. The driver has the main gun with 40 rounds in reserve, the gunner has the heavy machine gun on the hood of the turret; this is deliberately designed so that for a tank to be perfectly efficient, it has to have both pilot and gunner. Most of the time I try to get a gunner, or if that doesn’t happen, solo it because I can manage relatively well. Remember though, if you have a squad gunner, make sure you utilize the VOIP; Unlike in BF2, your gunner can’t be sniped out by those bastards hiding in towers or high places, thus they are more valuable. Typically if I have a gunner, I’ll tell him to watch my six; likewise, when I’m the gunner, I’m watching out for cocky Recon guys with RDX or the occasional gunship that might take a fly-by at us, or any other lightly-armored targets.
I’ll say this once: never shoot at heavy armor with the machine gun. Too many times this alerts the enemy and they’ll turn around and ruin your perfect stealth kill, plus it doesn’t hurt them. Use your main gun to land a well-placed shot to the rear of a tank, it’s an instant kill, not to mention a hell of a lot smarter.
”I Find Your Lack of Faithful Armor Disturbing”
Yeah, it has to be said: despite being able to take multiple hits in the front, the tank has far weaker armor in the flanks (side views) and typically dies in a single hit to the rear. Of course, if you’re smart you’ll never allow your opponent to target anything but your front, where your armor is heaviest. Always face the most immediate threat head-on, because if you don’t, your life span in a tank drops dramatically. More on this later.
Lions, Tigers and Bears (Oh My!)
So I'll start with the EU tank, the A8 Tiger; this is really similar to the basic tanks found in Battlefield 2, as seen in the photographs below:
Tiger Front
Tiger Side
Tiger Rear
So this is the Tiger tank, photos taken from roughly from 10 to 12 meters away (approximate), and it looks like a tank from maybe the 21st century. The tiger's controls are identical to tank control in BF2, controlling movement using the WASD keys, and rotating the turret via the mouse (or the machine gun turret). Early on, I set the sensitivity pretty high (3x sensitivity with 3x yaw factor and 2x pitch factor), since I like to respond to threats fast. This is truly a personal preference, but for some this may be the best thing. The Active Defense System (hereby labeled as the ADS, for the acronym nuts) is activated by the default X key, and enter/exit is controlled by the E key. The tank is fairly stable when firing, and comes equipped with a zoom function on the main cannon...useful for long-distance artillery fights. The turret can rotate 360, but the chassis takes time to turn around, and is larger than the PAC counterpart. Heh heh...speaking of which...
Wait, the Neko-Whata Tank?
Yeah, a weird name, but let's face it: beyond the name, this thing is nothing short of deadly.
Mod-Edit: A Nekomata, is a Japanese Mythological Creature.
Nekomata Front
Nekomata Side
Nekomata Rear
So as you can tell, the Nekomata is smaller than the Tiger tank, and there are no treads: it's a hover tank, duh. W controls forward and S controls reverse, but the A and D keys act much like the strafe keys used for the standard soldier controls, allowing you to shift directions at will. The mouse controls the pitch of the main cannon, which is fixed to the main chassis, and the yaw (the direction you are facing) and can seem somewhat sensitive. If you have sensitivity high like me, it may be a little harder to aim at long range, but I still like it as-is. Primary fire is the main gun, and the secondary fire brings up the zoom; aside from some visual differences in the HUD, the guns on the tanks are identical to one another. What the Nekomata does have, is a serious advantage, and here's why:
1. Two words here: smaller target. The Nekomata is probably half as wide as the tread-based EU counter-part, which means the enemy tank driver has to aim more precisely than if you were driving the Tiger when you face him. Considering the fixed turret, you should ALWAYS be facing him, presenting a minimal cross-section for him to shoot at, ergo a harder-to-hit target.
2. Directly related to point one: you will always be facing the enemy with your forward armor if you’re a half-decent pilot. I cannot begin to count the number of idiots who have faced off against me in a Tiger who do not rotate their lower chassis to match my movements. When they fail to do this, this leaves their flank armor extremely exposed; I’ve hit people in the flank who are rotated no more than ten degrees from my position, making it so I kill them in two hits, versus the four they will probably have to land on me, at least. Or at point-blank-range to close-range, I have circle-strafed around them, looking for that wonderful sweet spot in their rear armor, and pointing out their stupidity with a one shot kill. Against other Nekomatas, this opportunity doesn’t present itself so often, unless they are a complete idiot.
3a. Nekomata tanks have that maneuverability that I’ve always wanted in a tank: fast, efficient, and kind of cool-looking, too. You can circle-strafe an enemy target very easily with this tank if you’re good at controlling it, presenting them with a much harder to hit target at medium to long range, not to mention keeping your flank armor away from his gun sights. This strategy royally pisses off enemies trying to kill you in Battle Walkers, as the SWARM missiles are notoriously bad at hitting things at long range. Note however, that if you fire while strafing, you will have to account this into your aim by aiming to the right if you move left, and to the left if you move right; it’s easier to tap the controls, stop for a brief second, take your shot, and then keep moving. I’ve evaded numerous tank shells and walker missile swarms aimed directly at me, in conjunction with the ADS.
3b. Related to the maneuverability, the Nekomata can radically change direction if you so choose to…and crush that Recon bastard trying to RDX your flank or rear. I have done this many times and saved my ass because he never saw it coming. The same thing applies with Engineers if they try to put rockets in my flank/rear. At all times, check your external views (default cycle view is C, or the F9 through F12 keys) on occasion…it never hurts to be too careful, especially if you try to cap a silo solo and the spawn points for the enemy could be potentially anywhere.
4. Speed kills, and so doesn’t the Nekomata; it can accelerate from dead-rest better than the Tiger, goes down hills faster, and change direction much faster…I hate spending six to eight seconds rotating the damn chassis just so I can turn around in the Tiger. This comes at a price, as the Nekomata can sometimes take a while to stop…not good if you run into a motion mine field.
Bottom line: Hover tanks rule at maneuvering, and though this might be aesthetic, the sound they make is much more subtle than a Tiger tank; this may give you a slight advantage if you’re approaching someone from the rear, unless they pay close attention. In close quarters they can bump into objects and can be swarmed by multiple targets; stay away from narrow places if possible. The EU tank can respond to closer threats more quickly, and is somewhat more suited to close-quarters combat where you need to be alert.
Evasive Maneuvers!!!
Next up: the Warning Tone. Whenever a base defense or a rocket launcher or a gunship gets a lock on you, the warning will blare. Depending on whether you can see the threat or not, switch to external views to spot the incoming warhead…and if it looks like a full volley from a walker, put your ADS up. You buy yourself five seconds of immunity against heavy projectiles and a chance to even the odds and bury the bastard before he can do the same to you. Now, I’ll say it again, this I cannot emphasize enough: switch to your external views as soon as possible so you can see where the shot came from, if it wasn’t in front of you; If it’s a engineer who has more rockets than IQ, he’ll still be out in the open; show him that your gun is far bigger and deadlier. If it’s a walker rushing you, you might have trouble and possibly have to bail; Walkers shred tanks at close range in most cases, unless you are exceptionally lucky.
Other source of lock-on: Ground turrets. These are truly a pain in this game…if they’ve locked on and you haven’t put up your defense screen, you are truly screwed because they eat through tanks like a hot knife through butter. If you check your map and the base turret doesn’t show up, assume it’s occupied by hostiles, and put up your ADS immediately. Two shells will finish them off if the turret is at full health; aim for the right side, that’s the vulnerable section that allows you to kill the gunner inside the turret, if you place your shot well. My advice: blow up the stationary defenses before you advance to cap a flag or silo, therefore removing a potential threat to your success. Or put one round in, then when one idiot goes up to the heavily damaged turret to take you out, show him that you will always have the vastly superior firepower, and blow him away.
Yet another pain in the ass: Motion Mines. If you rush a point and hear that beeping tone, immediately stop all movement; the faster you’re moving, the more they damage you when they contact your tank. Your options at this point depend on the situation; if you have UAV or commander confirmation the point is clear, bail out and defuse them; the engineer defuser kit, or the Recon’s RDX and Zeller-H can destroy those annoying bucky balls of death. If the area is not clear, you might have a problem; your best bet in the EU tank is to rotate the turret and take out whatever threats you can; in the Nekomata, your best alternative is to use the machine gun to clear them out, then defuse if possible. If defusing is not possible, bail out; and, if you’re an engineer, put your own motion mines down when that smug little shit-stain tries to steal your ride. Given the circumstances, this is probably your only choice; that, or letting them kill you with your own vehicle. Any other class, abandon ship and go hide until you can ascertain the distance and direction of the threat; never let them steal your ride, blow it up if you have to, by suiciding into the mines.
“Rambo Took the Day Off, So I Filled In”
So, on to the killing…by yourself, no squad needed. These are straight-up solo tactics to hopefully kill any threats in one-on-one engagements or more, depending on your skill and available cover. Infantry in plain sight who aren’t engineers are just begging to be obliterated; they are the smallest threat (minus ground defenses they may jump into) so kill them last if you’re being attacked from multiple directions. At close range, don’t bother targeting them, just the ground right beneath them; move forward with the tank so you get that extra bit of downward shift of the barrel and obliterate them; typically your crosshairs should be slightly above to dead-center on them. Assault classes receive a low threat level, while Support gets low/medium, mainly from EMP grenades. Your best counter is to find where they’re spamming you from, and put one tank shell in if possible into his spot; if it looks like you’re going to be swarmed by troops, take as many down with you as you can, or pray for back-up to take them out.
Recon and Engineers are a more serious threat, these are the guys that can kill you; ram the Recon guys if they try to RDX you, even a gentle nudge will flatten them with the present physics of the game; I’d be killed too if twenty tons of armor flattened me like a pancake, rofl. Against Engineers, target them first, and always watch your rear; it takes one hit and then you’re toast if they succeed. Both of these classes are medium/high threat levels because of the damage they can do to you…kill them quick.
Light Recon Vehicles (LRV’s) are a low/medium threat, simply because too many times I’ve been a victim of a Jihad…meaning someone packs a car full of RDX and rams me. If you’re smart you’ll see these guys coming (external views) and kill them before they can kill you. The tiger is easier to use in this regard, where as the Nekomata must rotate to face this rather fast threat; bail if he gets too close, it’s possible to survive. If he’s running away, however…well, lucky for you that he can’t hurt you at all; show him your love with a 120mm shell to the face, one will do it.
Tanks are extremely effective vs. APC’s, in that APC’s without Engineers or other armor nearby are just an easy kill for you. Two rounds in the flank (side) will set them on fire (45 HP each) and three to four in the front will do them in (somewhere around 25 to 33 HP) Be wary though, that EMP launcher is a pain in the ass if they like to spam you with it; just remain calm until it passes. If they bail out and you see a guy with a huge freaking gun pop out, assume he wants a death wish. Give him one once your systems restart; if you have significant health/distance/both, you will prevail, as it’s unlikely he’ll be able to kill you in a single shot, where as all you have to do is get the tank shell close enough to splatter his corpse all over that missile silo you’ve been waiting to capture. This applies to both tanks, but the Nekomata has the advantage of making itself a harder target against the EMP launcher. APC’s get medium threat level due to uncertainty of the classes of the occupants. If it’s full of engineers, you’ve got a problem. One tactic I love to use is the EMP blast followed by me blitzing the tank, getting behind it, bailing and shooting them in the ass; if the APC goes empty, you are probably about to die; if you’re EMP’ed, bail out and do whatever you can to stop him.
Against tanks, the list of tactics grows ever more interesting. When in the A8 Tiger, against other Tigers, typically the fight is very straight-forward; if he has any of his flank armor exposed, I’ll aim for that, his movement is very predictable (since he can’t turn on a dime) and put my ADS up at the last second, while minimizing my own area of flank armor exposed. If you do this right, as my friend __Teh Pwnererer pointed out, you can block possibly two tank shells. This part is critical: you have to have fast reflexes; at long range, the second you see him fire, activate the ADS and block it (maybe rebind the ADS key); this ensures the maximum protection. This increases your tank life significantly, even more so when you kill said tank and repair your own if you’re an Engineer. Open maps like Verdun, Shuhia Taiba, Minsk, and pretty much all the titan maps and Belgrade have some fairly interesting tank battles. Always, always adjust for distance with your aim, because tank shells drop pretty quickly at longer distances; use the zoom feature to make your life that much easier. Against Nekomatas at long range, the Tiger tank is probably better off at matching his movements, and trying to hit his flank as he circle-strafes you; easier said than done in most cases. Your other option is to position the chassis perpendicular and circle-strafe him in return, though this exposes your weaker flank armor; not a good thing. At close range, odds are he’ll circle around you and put two in the flank, and laugh at your smoldering carcass. If the bastard is stupid enough to get that close, bail out when he least expects it and land a one-two punch after your first tank shell shot, then put a Pilum H-AVR round in his flank. I find the majority of players are too stupid to bail, trying desperately to kill me before they themselves die.
With the Nekomata tank, you have the edge in pretty much any combat over other tanks. You are more mobile, faster, and in my opinion, deadlier. In long-range engagements, strafe left and right to avoid shells, and return the favor to any Tigers nearby, compensating for movement and distance. This takes a lot of practice, don’t expect to be dead-on every time unless you try it constantly. Use the zoom feature at distances over oh say, 100 meters or more; I’ve missed sometimes if I fail to use it, and it helps tremendously. In a one-on-one engagement, in the best case I will lose zero armor on my tank, and he dies with two shots…or one, if he’s trying to run away, or oblivious to my presence as I drive up behind him and put a shell in his rear armor. In terms of threat level, tanks fall into the medium/high category, as while they can easily be killed if you know where to shoot them, skilled pilots will not be so careless and the battle may often depend on terrain features (cover) and their attack approach. If it’s an EU tank and you have a Nekomata, rush the bastard and flank him before he can react if he is alone.
Tanks versus walkers can be troublesome depending on your distance to the target. At close range, the Walker will shred you to pieces; it takes six of his SWARM missiles (at roughly 16 damage apiece) to kill you, which fire very rapidly, and it will take you (best case, if he’s facing you) three shells to the legs to set him on fire at 30% each. That’s about fifteen seconds from when you first start firing, and that’s only if he doesn’t put up his ADS. Most cases, you’ll be dead before you can finish him off, unless you are extremely capable with your own ADS, can guarantee three hits on the legs, or put some serious distance between you and him. Close range: less than thirty to fifty meters, you have the disadvantage. Good luck.
Medium distance is a bit more even-matched. At that range, it’s possible to evade the SWARM missiles the walker launches at you, but if he’s compensating for your movement, he’ll still land a significant number of hits. Always use the ADS when he launches a full swarm, just before the first missile hits, as this will block the most damage. Again, your best bet is to aim for the legs, and circle-strafe around him; since rockets do equal damage to all areas of the tank, it’s okay to use the EU tank for this maneuver, more on this next. If he’s an idiot, you may get a chance to shoot at the rear of his torso, the weakest armor section on the armor, and a two shot kill to boot (55 HP damage apiece). Be wary of any trees in open areas, otherwise your movement will come to a dead halt…and you’ll be dead too if you don’t get mobile again. At long range, the walker will probably try to close the distance between you and him, because he knows the SWARM rockets become unreliable at over say, 150 meters or more. Keep that distance significant by moving backwards if possible, strafing left and right in the process. Aim for the cockpit at this range, leg shots are a bit more dicey at this point unless you’re a virtual tank sniper. Keep an eye on your surroundings though, odds are he’ll point you out and either air support or other tanks will come looking for you; be somewhere else after you destroy the walker, the enemy team gets pissed off when they lose their flagship ground vehicle.
There are minor differences with the Tiger tank in engagements with walkers; turn your chassis perpendicular so you can circle-strafe him. You remain mobile, but still a bigger target than the Nekomata…something I absolutely hate. Nekomatas, by-and-by, are a better choice, unless you have multiple infantry nearby and you can’t rotate the tank fast enough to finish them off one by one. In summary, walkers receive the highest threat level; while Recon and Engineers can kill you with one hit, remember that it takes them time to get into position; walkers can kill you much more easily than you can kill them and will steam roll you back into the 21st century if you get caught unprepared.
*EDIT* So someone brought up the fact that I didn't mention aircraft...so I guess I shall include this with pleasure. Simply stated, the Tank is pretty good against aircraft if you can lead your target; both your HMG and your main cannon can damage the transports and the gunships...which one to use depends on whether you have a gunner or not. If you do, and the transport is hovering over a silo, line up so your gunner can get in a good shot; the main cannon does 60 HP damage to the transport in a single shot, and if you land it inside the cargo hold where the troops sit, kill anyone in there; the HMG does like 1-2 HP damage per shot, and given that it has an RPM of approximately 600, you'll kill it with a continuous burst of bullets until it overheats, if you land every hit (approx 10 seconds). Lead your target if it's moving, the bullets are subject to the same velocity principle as other projectiles in the game.
Gunships are a royal pain in the ass; at best, your guns can elevate between 15 and 20 degrees, meaning if he's right overhead, you can't hit him; the HMG can shoot at a slightly higher angle, maybe 25 degrees, but that's it. If a gunship strafes you with rockets, and you can see he has a gunner, put your ADS up; the small volley you can handle, but the TV missiles hurt (at 66 damage apiece, vs. 10 damage for the driver rockets). A single tank round will set a gunship on fire if the moron is stupid to line up for you, or if you or your gunner peppered him with HMG fire, kill him in a single hit; you can grin when you see that expensive gunship go up in flames. The HMG does the same damage as it does to the transport, but the gunship can move faster; lead accordingly, although if he's at full jet, you probably won't hit him. If he's hovering, your HMG can shred him, or cause him to panic and crash into a mountain. lol...and I thought only EMP missiles could do that.
“There’s No ‘I’ in Team!”
In a squad, your tank doesn’t become merely just a support/offense weapon, but a versatile killing machine. While most players might enjoy going on a massive killing spree solo, in a group your job is to suppress the other enemy armor, or fend them off long enough for your teammates to get a flanking position and finish the incoming armor columns off. With a good gunner, transports won’t try to get too close to you, and gunships will be scared off when they start taking damage from the HMG (heavy machine gun). And at long range, if you’re a decent pilot, no one will be able to touch you; have your squad-mates spot and cover you at short-distance, especially against walkers or APC’s loaded with troops, as these can be the biggest threats to you. Also, keep the engineers in the vehicles so you can auto-repair (if you have the repair upgrade) and lengthen the life-span of your vehicles significantly.
The thing that separates the good pilots from the exceptional ones is their ability to react to changing circumstances; having a good squad will help you deal with them accordingly and efficiently. Vigilantes may have their moments, but by and large, the majority of battles in 2142 are won by teamwork and coordination; take it from me, it helps when everyone knows what to do.
Combining the Tank with other vehicles, such as the APC, present even more devious potential…like a nice EMP grenade to that armor in front of you, giving you time to circle around and put one in the rear or two in the flank, while he tries to go for the easy APC kill. Teach him that squads are superior to loners in every way. APC’s are also extremely useful at suppressing massive numbers of troops, something even tanks have trouble handling; just be sure you stick close and don’t obscure his view of the immediate infantry threats.
Combining Tanks with other tanks creates a serious set of artillery that can be used to pummel distant defenses, enemy flags/silos, and keep you well out of harms way; with the concentrated firepower (more so with squads) odds are good that you’ll be able to keep the enemy suppressed while your infantry and APC’s rush in to cap the point; don’t feel afraid to get closer if it looks like you’re no good sniping from the rear. Plus, you can cover one another if the others flank is exposed, so use a staggered formation that allows each to hit the maximum possible area.
Combining Tanks with walkers presents devastating consequences for your enemies if they’re caught unprepared; while tanks can easily suppress long-distance targets, walkers are the true king of close-quarters armor fighting. If each supports the other, I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to take out a couple of tanks and various other armor systems before you get cooked, or possibly more. The walker should typically take the lead and cap the point, while you, the tank driver, provide support and shoot at targets he may have difficulty hitting at long range, or that Recon bastard trying to blow apart his legs. Again, all your solo tactics apply; but at least with fellow armored units, your odds of success are much greater than being alone.
Even without other armor, you can still use the gunner slot on your tank as a place for members to spawn in if you're squad leader; just tell them to bail out so the next guy can spawn in. It provides a slightly safer alternative to being shot up from twenty different directions, in any case. Squad tactics from my previous guide (see link in my signature) all apply, to deal with other armor systems. Support+EMP grenades, using your tank as a very thick covering wall; they just have to be careful not to disable you as well. Engineers can provide fast repairs if you're in the thick of it, just use yourself as a shield for them...the possibilities are too numerous to list, with what you can do with just infantry alone and you're sitting in the tank helping them out. I can't emphasize enough: when in doubt, take out the biggest threat first (walkers, then tanks, then APC's) that can kill your buddies the quickest; this is your job, your goal, your purpose...do not disappoint them.
Summary
So that wraps up my tank guide. I would include more details about specific maps, but I could spend several articles detailing this; I’ll be sure to post if demand for this information is popular. I leave with a few important beliefs: Tanks are simply an all-around vehicle, capable of dealing with a wide variety of threats, but less so than the walker. They serve far better in squads than as a loner, or at the very least, with a gunner in tow. I cannot emphasize teamwork more than I already have; the better your squad sticks together, the more wins and points you’ll probably get. Remember: this isn’t like in Battlefield 2 where one tank whore can sit around and kill people left and right on a particular dusty map that has the most infamous grenade spamming alley in the entire online world. Tanks can be killed far easier now…remember that and you’ll be a hell of a lot more conservative, and think before you attack. If popular demand surges for my guides, I’ll start using FRAPS to record in-game play and post videos, or anyone else is welcome to contribute. Good luck out there on the battlefield! Drenar, signing out!
*EDIT* my stats are in my signature. Also, thanks to the guys with the other helpful suggestions, especially haffeysucks, you pointed out one missing thing in my tank guide I forgot about. Other credits go to my clan mates, Hypnotech, Rukudo (or Rikansu) and Teh Pwnererer, and anyone else who contributed here. Thanks guys!
Last edited by Magius5.0 (2006-12-05 18:07:13)
