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I can't seem to survive a single confrontation in my M2 american tank. I'm basically all the way upgraded with the howitzer and everything, but still I die horribly. any help?

Avoid TDs

Well, the first thing you need to realize is that driving as fast as possible towards the enemy won't win you too many games.

Find the spots on the map that need to be controlled; natural chokepoints and the like and position yourself to shoot into them while staying behind cover or hull down. If you don't have support, go somewhere else where your team is so that you have the support you need. Most tanks can't hold a push on their own, and its generally not advisable until you really know the ins and outs of the game.

Finally, learn how to kill better. A dead tank can't hurt you. Thinks like aiming, weakpoints, target priority and a general knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of other tanks.

So to recap;
1) Have support. Even one tank with you is better than none. Don't hold a flank that you can't hold. Don't be afraid of the 'S' key.
2) Use cover and positioning to minimize the damage you take. I'm normally not much of a fan of peek-a-boo fights, but its not bad if you're still learning the ropes. Otherwise, find a spot you can go hull down or only expose your strongest armour when able.
3) Kill fast. Prioritize targets and learn their weakspots. Get a better crew if possible; even a 75% trained crew is significantly better than a 50% one.

I'm almost a year out of the game now, but I'm sure the fundamentals haven't changed. Ex-57%, left because arty was game breakingly awful.

Arty is much better now, I only rage against it in the odd game they kill me/track me in the open, rather than a full 1/3 of the games.

 motyak wrote:
Arty is much better now, I only rage against it in the odd game they kill me/track me in the open, rather than a full 1/3 of the games.

I just fundamentally despise a playstyle that takes infinitely less skill and decision making that actively encourages players to hug cover and stagnate the game.

There would be no downside to removing arty from the game. All the other tank classes are balanced to fight eachother without arty anyways.

Anyways, that's why I left. Other problems are still there, but I can live with them if arty was removed.

Yeah, but now I view getting tracked by an arty player as really no worse than getting tracked in the open by any other tank. But I do agree that the game wouldn't suffer for the loss of arty.

And @OP the M2 is tier 2 or something isn't it? Hang in there. Tier 2 games usually end up with a bunch of guys tooling about in T18s clubbing everyone else over the head. It'll be better from Tiers 3/4 and onwards.

Your howitzer has a long reload time, so you'll want to avoid fire-fights. It can demolish most stuff around Tier 3 or lower, and cause heavy damage to nearly any tank short of a Matilda at Tier 4, but the reload time makes it essentially a one-use shot against anything that's spotted you.

Using cover and support is best, and don't be afraid to hang back and lob a howitzer shell at enemies your allies have spotted that may not even realise you can see them - the M2 has a terrific signal range for its tier, so you can hang fairly far back and still be part of the fight.

The M2's gun depression is also excellent, making hull-down positions one of the best ways of surviving in the open or whilst awaiting support - just be aware of artillery that might be ranging in as you're thinking that you're safe.

Both because of the reload time, and the fact that firing a shot absolutely destroys a tank's camo rating, you cannot allow yourself to camp in a game containing artillery. You're open-topped, so arty and HE shells will turn you into M2 jelly. The only times you can afford not to shoot-n-scoot is when you have a large rock formation or sizable solid terrain piece between you and the artillery.

As someone who adores playing arty, there is nothing more frustrating that being called to fire on a target tucked behind a rock or ledge that's just tall enough to block the shell, or force it to overshoot. Solid houses on some maps play the same role in offering shelter from artillery. As soon as you hear the shell land, you can pop out and take your shot, then back yourself in again. Even if you don't kill anything, you've provided a distraction for any artillery player who doesn't know when he can and can't take out a target, and players like that are surprisingly common.

You've probably also gained the attention of any TDs or other tanks in the area, in which case, just popping the front of your track out of cover and quickly slipping back, then repeating at random can force itchy trigger-fingers to fall, revealing enemies for your own team to make note of; just beware of quick light tanks, especially a Panzer I C - I Cs are ridiculously quick, armoured, and powerful, and make mincemeat of any tank T3 and below it comes across, and the vast majority of T4s, and some lighter armoured T5+ TDs and arty. If you see a I C coming at you and you have no other target, take your time with a shot and try and track him; if there are other targets sitting still, ignore him and fire at them; in either case, you'll be dead soon after.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 motyak wrote:
Yeah, but now I view getting tracked by an arty player as really no worse than getting tracked in the open by any other tank. But I do agree that the game wouldn't suffer for the loss of arty.

And @OP the M2 is tier 2 or something isn't it? Hang in there. Tier 2 games usually end up with a bunch of guys tooling about in T18s clubbing everyone else over the head. It'll be better from Tiers 3/4 and onwards.

The M2 is T3 unfortunately.

I say unfortunately because that's still full of T18s but has the added bonus of the Pz I Cs I mentioned. >.<

Yeha, TDs have replaced arty as the rage inducing tanks

I'm on the new Xbox version, so it's fresh I guess? I just got the M3 lee

The real problem is that you aren't playing the British Light and TD lines. That's where it is at. They are the most fun I've had out of any line.

I enjoyed all the Russian branches I played; meds, heavies and TDs. The American heavy and med lines were also quite enjoyable, bar the odd lemon at the start, like the Lee.

Though I think the most fun I had was the French light/med line when it first dropped. Man, those AMXs and Lorraine were unreal at first. Fun to play and deadly to boot.

Talking about that almost makes me want to come back.

Almost.

 Tiger9gamer wrote:
I'm on the new Xbox version, so it's fresh I guess? I just got the M3 lee

Unless the Xbox version tanks are statted differently, the M3 Lee can be a challenging tank to play. Hetzers and Alectos with derp guns salivate any time an M3 Lee is on the enemy team, because they're made out of spit and papier maché. Your gun also isn't turret-mounted, it plays similarly to a fixed-gun TD with the exception that, placed correctly, it can peek the gun around corners whilst keeping 95% of itself hidden. The gun is pretty much the Lee's only saving grace, having a considerable damage and penetration plus a very good rate of fire.

Pros:
Gun is excellent for its tier
Fair traverse speed and signal range
Peeking out of left-hand corners makes you almost immune to return fire

Cons:
Piss-poor armour
Poor speed
Can't fight enemies that flank right
Huge silhouette
Going hull-down is impossible
Camo values are abysmal
Actual view range is pathetic

The Lee is a medium tank in class only - play it like a tank destroyer. Never, EVER be part of a first wave, expose yourself as little as possible to enemies, hang back with friendly TDs, and be wary of any gun pointing in your direction; especially derp guns like the German and British TD howitzers.

Alectos with derp guns

I. Love. The. Derplecto. I love it. With the 25 pdr it is in my top 3 tanks. I love it.

there are only german british and american tanks.

Also, trying to grind for the Sherman heavy tank.

still very new

 Tiger9gamer wrote:
there are only german british and american tanks.

Also, trying to grind for the Sherman heavy tank.

still very new

Sherman is a medium, if you are referring to the M4? Unless Xbox changed that for some reason from the PC version. And don't derp with the Sherman, no one likes that guy

yes i am refering the the M4, pardon me X-X

 Tiger9gamer wrote:
yes i am refering the the M4, pardon me X-X

All good, it is part of the medium line that leads off to the patton and what not (from memory), but the real fun in the US lines is the T29 and what not, ridiculously loltastic turret armour. Get hull down, rotate your turret a bit so the cupola is a hard to hit target, and just troll enemy tanks.

It's a tough game X-X

 Tiger9gamer wrote:
It's a tough game X-X

It gets easier.

You'll have an epiphany after 500-1000 games where you suddenly realize everything you've been doing wrong. Oh, and wouldn't hurt to read up on some player made guides on the forums. I know they helped me anyways.

 motyak wrote:

Alectos with derp guns

I. Love. The. Derplecto. I love it. With the 25 pdr it is in my top 3 tanks. I love it.

I never used the 25pdr. I compared it to the 3.7 I already had, and decided it was too much of a side-grade to be worth spending exp on.

 motyak wrote:
Arty is much better now, I only rage against it in the odd game they kill me/track me in the open, rather than a full 1/3 of the games.

I see that you aren't an arty player. Arty does take real skill to play properly but it also takes skill to avoid and once you know to to avoid it arty becomes a very manageable threat. It obviously does a lot of damage but in general they have huge reload times, very slow aiming times and a tiny traverse. Getting hits with arty was not easy. Now that arty has been nerfed it is almost impossible, certainly with Soviet arty, to the extent that you don't even have to bother taking precautions against them.

I used to enjoy playing arty, not any more and given how rare arty is I am not the only one that feels this way. I have no idea why it was nerfed in the first place, arty quite simply was not overpowered.

One of the most important aspects of WoT it is how to use cover. If you are in the open keep moving, never stop, and head to a good piece of cover in a good tactical position as soon as you can. Generally this is off to one flank at about the middle of the map but each map is different

There are two types of cover, bushes and buildings. Bushes and the like only block line of sight and as soon as you fire they provide no protection at all, if you are going to use them from medium or long range (and there are other plays around who can scout for you) then reverse out of the bush far enough that you can't see through it when zoomed in as this means that you will keep your cover when you fire.

Hard cover completely blocks enemy fire but you will have to expose yourself to fire. In this case the best idea is to pop out just enough that you can see your target and retreat to reload. this can be risky so its best if you pick a building which has a limited field of view to protect you from incoming fire.

Its a fairly complex game by normal 'FPS' standards and running and gunning really doesn't work.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 motyak wrote:

All good, it is part of the medium line that leads off to the patton and what not (from memory), but the real fun in the US lines is the T29 and what not, ridiculously loltastic turret armour. Get hull down, rotate your turret a bit so the cupola is a hard to hit target, and just troll enemy tanks.

Someone tried this against me yesterday, shame about my 152mm derp gun

 Palindrome wrote:

 motyak wrote:
Arty is much better now, I only rage against it in the odd game they kill me/track me in the open, rather than a full 1/3 of the games.

I see that you aren't an arty player. Arty does take real skill to play properly but it also takes skill to avoid and once you know to to avoid it arty becomes a very manageable threat. It obviously does a lot of damage but in general they have huge reload times, very slow aiming times and a tiny traverse. Getting hits with arty was not easy. Now that arty has been nerfed it is almost impossible, certainly with Soviet arty, to the extent that you don't even have to bother taking precautions against them.

Oh I have no doubt it takes skill, I meant that before the nerfs I was often being killed by arty in my british TDs, but since the nerf it is more when they track me while I'm making a dash for cover, or when I'm in a turretless TD and I get tracked juuust as an enemy hellcat rolls around the corner. That sort of stuff is when I end up just moaning (in my head mind you, not going to complain in in game chat) about d-bag arty. But its the same as someone who gets derped by me while I'm in my alecto, I'm sure they'd be going 'gorramn derp guns'.

 motyak wrote:
I meant that before the nerfs I was often being killed by arty in my british TDs,

Well slow but well armoured TDs are one of arty's main targets so......

I love my arty; my M37 is one of my favourite tanks to use. Copping a medium in the face whilst he's moving cross country is ridiculously satisfying.

I prefer to go zipping about in ligth tanks actualy, particualry the Chinese ones, so much fun has been had.
outside of those I have always had a soft spot for the Russian tanks

I'm trying to get my T-34 and KV-1 for the Russians.

I've gone for the T-80 route to the T-34, and that's hard enough; the only route to the KV is through the T-28... I despise that tank. I cannot play more than 2-3 consecutive matches in it without it getting on my nerves.

Luckily I have my trusty M37 and my Pz.sfl IV to help me let off some steam by blowing lots of gak up.

I did the T28 grind when it could still fit the 85mm gun, that made it a little easier

The KV line is worth it although it can be very grindy. I never got past the T34 though, its just not that good.

I'm more an E100 type. Load gold for maximum derp.

I have never bothered getting to tier X.

 Blacksails wrote:

 motyak wrote:
Arty is much better now, I only rage against it in the odd game they kill me/track me in the open, rather than a full 1/3 of the games.

I just fundamentally despise a playstyle that takes infinitely less skill and decision making that actively encourages players to hug cover and stagnate the game.

There would be no downside to removing arty from the game. All the other tank classes are balanced to fight eachother without arty anyways.

Anyways, that's why I left. Other problems are still there, but I can live with them if arty was removed.

After playing the 360 I enjoyed having arty around.

It kept players from camping bushes and staying still for too long. Yeah, the arty players sat around and hid, but they're arty. That's their job.

When they super nerfed arty during the beta, the amount of camping increased tenfold. I don't know why people rage about arty so much. It's the most important asset of the game to keep it from slowing down and getting boring. If you were getting hit a whole lot, that's because you didn't move very often and made for an easy target.