Superior, but worse

Bought the 76mm M1A1 for the T40.  I know it's a better gun at range, faster rate of fire, more penetration.- even the game lists it at 1 tier higher.  But given all that, I think the 105 is a better gun to mount due to lack of armor and HP, as well as the tanks you're going against (tiers 4&5).  If it still went up against tier 6 tanks, I'd stick with the 76.

Also, I hate leaving a tank with tiny HP and having my long reload time.  I should team up with a fast firing, high penetrating, low damage tank to finish him off.

What do you think of the Wolverine?  It doesn't get a better gun than the T40 (but does fire quicker), has the same armor, 85 extra HP, the slow turret. and faces tougher tanks.  I'm not happy with either of the other two TD at tier 5 either (Su85 and StuGIIII).  I think I like the tier 6 TD better, but haven't unlocked one yet.


I hate long reload times too, especially in a paper tank. I have gotten pretty good at shoot and scoot, and now pay as close attention to my retreat path as well as my firing position. When in doubt, run!

I can't comment on the tanks you mention since I'm still only tier II in US tanks. I do target US TDs when I can, figuring that they're lightly armored. I also take some HE for open topped vehicles which can be scary effective.

I do try to follow another tank around. They. An dance with the devil while I add some long range firepower.

Story of the day

With 1.2.0, they say that tier 4 tanks won't be matched against tier 6.  Because of this I've been looking at my tier 4 tank's guns to see if I might want to trade the best penetrating for one that does more damage, like the 105mm gun in the T40.  The change also makes it more fun to play tier 4.

The story: I'm playing the Hetzer (I believe it's clearly the best tier 4 vehicle) on the desert map (the original), and I'm in the south corner up high setup to snipe.  And I wait.  Soon it's only me and another, so I get down and head for the occupied base.  Before I get there, my teammate is eliminated, so it's 3v1.  I make a kill at the base, and then run up against another Hetzer.  I get the first shot off, so I know I'll win a face to face.  I dodge a shot somehow, and keep pounding him.  I start getting pinged by a tank from behind.  I kill the Hetzer and spin to attack the A32 (premium tier 4 medium)  again I start slugging it out in the open with no cover near.  He gets me down to 10 hp, and I know he fires next.  He fires and PING, a deflection!  Point blank, with no movement and a bounce?  Looking at stats that should have been a kill, plus why not aim at the view port, the lower glacis, or the very weak 'bumpers' inside the treads (OK, the 'bumpers' [tow cable brackets? wheel superstructure?] are a little known weak spot).  I get the kill, and am awarded both the Spartan and Kolobanov's Medal  achievements. (for the deflection and winning a 1v3)


Hetzers are a priority target for me.  They're damn good vehicles and I've got a very healthy respect for them.  In fact, if faced with one I'll generally try to escape.

  As for your bounce, remember that the shot can deviate from where it's aimed.  It's quite possible that the shooter just had bad luck.  You listed your stats the other day so I went and looked up mine.  Can't remember any of them, but I can state that it seems that even when my side loses I am the last tank a disproportionate amount of the time.  I guess it's just conservative play that gets me there (though when being chased down by four + opponents I can't say that my life expectancy is particularly high...  


The only other tier 4 I respect is the M3 Lee.  As much as I'm enjoying and doing well with the DW2,  I'll ignore it for a Hetzer or M3 if I have a choice of shot.  That's not to say I want to get hit by the big guns on some of the TD, but their light armour and low HP make them easy prey.

What I think about WoTB (low tier tank superiority)

I've acquired every 1, 2, and 3 tank except the BT-7.  At tier 4 I have both German, the American M3, and all Soviet less the A-20.  At tier 5, I own the Su-85, T1, and the StuG III.

I've received one premium tank, the M3 Light (tier 3). I have bought one premium tank, the Ram II (tier 5).  I've done this to try to figure out what style of vehicle I like. And it's easier than grinding for the tier sixes.

  At tier one I believe the German is superior, but I played three, and quickly bypassed it.  I completely unlocked the Cunningham, and used it's elite status to get me extra cash and exp.

  At tier 2 I LOVE the T-18 with the big gun. It can penetrate and one-shot most tier 1-3 tanks. It also has very heavy front armor allowing me to bounce the chatter guns (guns with high rate of fire and usually magazines).   I hate light tanks, and the TD were ok. 

  On tier 3, I disliked most tanks stock but grew to like them when fully modified.  Still hate light  tanks, they're only good for killing each other and maybe the lightly armored tank destroyers.  They don't do well against higher tiers, which I seem to find myself facing a lot. (back when you'd go against tier V tanks)

The Su76 with upgrades can be fun, but is still too fragile.   I've done best with the T-46 and Pz IIIA, but prefer the Panzer as it's more effective versus stronger tanks. 

  With tier 4, I like both the Germans and the Lee, but didn't care for either of the Soviet choices I've owned. Of the two German tanks, I've had ton more experience with the Hetzer, as I just unlocked the DW2.  Love the armor and HP of the DW, but its gun selection sucks. Still, it is the only heavy in tier 4 (the B2 premium tank is in the game also, but who knows when it will be for sale. (I will be purchasing the Panzer IV next time I see it in the shop)

Finally, at tier five, HATED the SU-85 (still too fragile), I like the T1 after upgrading, and the StuG III is extremely versatile, and can hold it's own, even against higher tier tanks if played correctly. I love my Ram, and figured the M4 was too similar to bother with.   The M4 gets a better gun, but worse armor and HP vs the Ram.  The T34 seems even more inferior to the Sherman in every way.  The Wolverine packs a HUGE punch which makes it worth playing and I believe is far superior to the SU-85. 

I'm currently grinding the T-28 to get to the KV1, which I think is better than the T1 as it can mount a much better gun.  The T1 has better front armor, but most tanks it will face will still penetrate.  The KV1 has better armor all around preventing light tanks from flanking to damage it. I generally prefer high damage, low rate of fire guns, unless another gun has a much higher Damage Per Minute.  One example is the previously mentioned Ram.  The M4 76mm does 1264 DPM, while the Ram does 1484 DPM, and can get off 3 shots before the M4 shoots its 2nd.  But the 76mm has better penetration and therefore superior facing stronger tanks.   A high rate of fire tank needs to remain exposed to take advantage of its extra shots, while another tank can dock behind cover waiting to reload.

Bottom line for me, is I don't like light tanks, like tank destroyers when I'm not being shot at, prefer medium tanks for their versatility, and like brawling with heavy tanks.  I like any vehicle that can change tactics and be effective based on whether it's the best or worst tank in the engagement.  Or a tank that is just as effective with its regular tactics were regardless of opposition.

Finally, a quick story.  A few weekends ago, they gave everyone the M3 Light.  So everyone was playing with them.  They don't match up well with the T 46, as the Russian tank with it's rapid fire five shot magazine doing 40 hp per shot will chew them up. I'd even use the (worse) flak gun in the Pz IIIA to better cull the hordes of M3 we saw that weekend. 

Reflecting on the last post

I've been thinking about this more.  I would add that mounting the gun higher up in your profile is also an advantage.  The distance from the main 75 to the top of an M3 Lee is a lot greater than the distance from the 75 to the top of a M4 Sherman.  This means that the M3 has to expose more of itself to shoot over a hill. (it does have the small gun in a turret up high).

After playing more, I've figured out the style I like is a 'sniper'.  A slow firing, but powerful gun that can kill in one shot.  I use it from a stationary concealed position, and then pull back to allow the gun to reload.  This means I generally use a large caliber, slow, explosive shell, like a 105mm vs a 75mm.  The disadvantage is that these rounds usually don't have the armor penetration of the smaller, faster rounds, or the accuracy and speed in aiming (no idea why this is a factor, but it's in the game)..  This makes me favor a side or rear shot.  Most tanks have the choice of one vs the other.

I also prefer a strong front armor at the expense of side and rear.  So, I'm leaning towards tank destroyers.  With the interface on the iPad it's too easy for me to point a turret in a direction I'm not facing, thereby exposing lighter side armor.  However, rotating a turret doesn't reveal a tank that's hiding, while rotating your fixed gun tank destroyer on target does.

For example, last night I had fun in my T18 (Tier 2 USA tank destroyer; prototype only in reality) going against tanks that had been armed with quick firing, low penetration guns that kept bouncing off my heavy front armor.  Meanwhile I took my time and kept one shotting them.  I kept a building on one side of me to help prevent a flanking attack.  In another game I faced higher tier tanks and I was at a disadvantage and died in one shot.  The game seems to be good about matchmaking, with my overall win/loss percentage is 46%.

World of Tanks: Blitz is out! with depressing guns

The less complex version of World of Tanks, World of Tanks Blitz, came out for the iPad last week.  It's a free download, so I gave it a try.  Much like a mecha game, it has a slower pace than the regular FPS.  Tanks accelerate, decelerate, and turn slowly, guns have a slow rate of fire, and take a few hits before dieing.   This makes it easier to live with the OK screen controls.

So, after playing a few games, I noticed something interesting: the main guns can't depress very far.  This would be useful for when you crest a hill and don't want to expose your tank before firing.  I think the hills in WOTB is exaggerated/wrong, The technical problem with the design of tank turrets is the hull outside the tank, and the breech inside the turret.  In both cases you'll hit something eventually.

  The other thing I noticed is that the game can make play easier or harder depending on who it puts on both teams.  It tries to match up the tank strength, so that you don't have a M3 Lee go against a Tiger, but it also has to try and match player skill.

 I'm not great with aiming the hull of my tank to match where the turret is pointing to maximize my armor (or would it be better to aim 30 degrees off center to try increase deflections and make the armor thicker, but expose a bit of the side) so I'd play better if my tank had more balanced armor, like the Tiger has vs the heavier front bias of a Panther.