10:05 am, June 11, 2013
64
A tale of a light tank not understanding how to scout/rant
Its not uncommon for my jimmies to get rustled while playing tanks but something came to a head for me that I think any competent light tank driver has had to deal with.
other ****** light tank drivers
There won't be any naming and shaming so get your clicker off the report button and let me begin.
It began when I decided to do some passive scouting in my 59-16. Arguably this tank doesn't really have the best gun for going up against tier 7's and 8's (of which happened to populate both teams). After getting cozy in a nice bush I saw another light tank whiz past me and into enemy territory. I gave him a "good luck" because I figured he was boned. My instincts proved correct as he soon taken down by a super pershing or some similarly tiered metal beast.
It didn't take long before accusations of "You left me to die" started coming from the scrub in question. Not a problem, everyone rages now and again. Then came an accusatory finger pointed at me with threats of a report. I wasn't paying attention though, at this point I'd seen a gap in the enemy's line and poked through as I'm a sly motherucker in that respect. I tried to explain to the scrub that if he'd spent some time looking at his minimap instead of rushing in maybe he wouldn't of died in the first 5 minutes. It was about this time I'd just ****** the enemy's arty and this guy had completely lost it and told me he would have his entire clan report me. The gloves came off and I pointed out his abysmal efficiency rating and how he'd let loose a self incriminating plan for everyone to read. Then came the cries of the scrub pubby about how numbers are useless and math isn't real and similar nonsense. Luckily the match came to an end soon after and with it thankfully so did the scrub's rantings.
Anyway here's a few bullets of my thoughts this tirade made me wanna rant about
*I (or anyone else in any tank of any tier) am not obligated to carry, assist or comply with any directions or requests handed out in pubs. If part of your plan falls through you have yourself and maybe your platoon to blame at most. Never count on anyone in a pub for help. Be thankful for when it's given though.
*Specifically for scout tanks- a lot of the good play you'll see from light tanks isn't running around like a maniac (although sometimes that works better than it should). A good scout tank will make quick and calculated movements from one bit of cover to the next. While these movements may not all occur in the first 5 minutes they are important. Ask a seasoned arty player how important a good scout is and they'll go into detail on the subject better than I can.
*Just because a scout isn't moving doesn't mean they aren't scouting. In that respect nearly any tank can act as a scout. I could make another thread about situational awareness and map control in regards to this subject but not tonight. Basically, the importance of sustained vision over small areas of the map for various periods of time is better than sporadic vision of parts of the map for a shorter duration (i.e. a scout running off and dying in the first 5 minutes)
*You shouldn't count how well you do as a scout on how much damage you do or even damage you helped others do, although good scouts will regularly get a decent amount of spotting damage even without artillery. A lot of what makes a good scout good can't really be portrayed in the after battle report. Distraction, misdirection, and creating confusion are easy to do and help your team win but they don't really put out credits or exp so these actions are something you just have to do selflessly and confidently. The worst thing is you may die doing exactly what you were supposed to and everyone will still say you're terrible because they don't see the map like you do. That's the plight of scout tank.
Its the other side of the coin for arty where you get yelled at for not helping out every tank all at once and not hitting and summarily one shotting every tank.
Goodnight/morning folks.
other ****** light tank drivers
There won't be any naming and shaming so get your clicker off the report button and let me begin.
It began when I decided to do some passive scouting in my 59-16. Arguably this tank doesn't really have the best gun for going up against tier 7's and 8's (of which happened to populate both teams). After getting cozy in a nice bush I saw another light tank whiz past me and into enemy territory. I gave him a "good luck" because I figured he was boned. My instincts proved correct as he soon taken down by a super pershing or some similarly tiered metal beast.
It didn't take long before accusations of "You left me to die" started coming from the scrub in question. Not a problem, everyone rages now and again. Then came an accusatory finger pointed at me with threats of a report. I wasn't paying attention though, at this point I'd seen a gap in the enemy's line and poked through as I'm a sly motherucker in that respect. I tried to explain to the scrub that if he'd spent some time looking at his minimap instead of rushing in maybe he wouldn't of died in the first 5 minutes. It was about this time I'd just ****** the enemy's arty and this guy had completely lost it and told me he would have his entire clan report me. The gloves came off and I pointed out his abysmal efficiency rating and how he'd let loose a self incriminating plan for everyone to read. Then came the cries of the scrub pubby about how numbers are useless and math isn't real and similar nonsense. Luckily the match came to an end soon after and with it thankfully so did the scrub's rantings.
Anyway here's a few bullets of my thoughts this tirade made me wanna rant about
*I (or anyone else in any tank of any tier) am not obligated to carry, assist or comply with any directions or requests handed out in pubs. If part of your plan falls through you have yourself and maybe your platoon to blame at most. Never count on anyone in a pub for help. Be thankful for when it's given though.
*Specifically for scout tanks- a lot of the good play you'll see from light tanks isn't running around like a maniac (although sometimes that works better than it should). A good scout tank will make quick and calculated movements from one bit of cover to the next. While these movements may not all occur in the first 5 minutes they are important. Ask a seasoned arty player how important a good scout is and they'll go into detail on the subject better than I can.
*Just because a scout isn't moving doesn't mean they aren't scouting. In that respect nearly any tank can act as a scout. I could make another thread about situational awareness and map control in regards to this subject but not tonight. Basically, the importance of sustained vision over small areas of the map for various periods of time is better than sporadic vision of parts of the map for a shorter duration (i.e. a scout running off and dying in the first 5 minutes)
*You shouldn't count how well you do as a scout on how much damage you do or even damage you helped others do, although good scouts will regularly get a decent amount of spotting damage even without artillery. A lot of what makes a good scout good can't really be portrayed in the after battle report. Distraction, misdirection, and creating confusion are easy to do and help your team win but they don't really put out credits or exp so these actions are something you just have to do selflessly and confidently. The worst thing is you may die doing exactly what you were supposed to and everyone will still say you're terrible because they don't see the map like you do. That's the plight of scout tank.
Its the other side of the coin for arty where you get yelled at for not helping out every tank all at once and not hitting and summarily one shotting every tank.
Goodnight/morning folks.
