alright, I'll give it a try next time, but I'm surprised how little hits it took to die. I've shot at a t-34 at least 4 times in the side, area between the turret and chassis, but, 1 shell, and 3 AT rounds really surprised me. BTW is there commands for the crew members of the tank, so I can tell my driver to move, if I'm gunning?
Once figuring out how to aim at the P4's you can imagine they would also be surprised it only takes one hit to blow them up on a frequent basis. I've had a few moments today where I peeked out on the side of two P4's firing at my kindred T-34, and I one shotted both of them. One was completely sideways to me, the other was something else. But sure is satisfying to not feel so helpless & inferior.
I see the same guys drive the P4s over and over, too, so I imagine they are often seasoned gunners, knowing what part to aim for.
Movement while not driver
You can use the normal movement keys (default = WASD keys) to give the driver orders to move. It is kind of clumsy and delayed, but have to do it sometimes. Practice getting the hang of it rather than always switching to drivers seat.
Commander of the T-34
The T-34 has the commander also doubling as the gunner (baaad). In many of the possible views, left clicking will make the turret rapidly swing to the direction you left-clicked at. Useful for acquiring targets, turning the turret a certain way before trouble hits, etc.
Situational awareness
Tanks have terrible situational awareness. Compared to a soldier, they have greatly impaired hearing and can barely look outside. When moving it is super loud from the engine and the inside is bouncing around. You
must have situational awareness to find out what is going on, where the threats are (especially enemy tanks) so you can avoid getting killed while siezing opportunities - such as popping out of cover and killing a P4 or rushing to some better cover on their flank. You have the following options:
1. The PERISCOPE. Is the main method, is safe from small arms. Also mated to the gun for shooting. The view is terribly narrow though so not a good way to get an idea of what is really going on all around. Press the use key to toggle it being slaved to the main gun. When detached, you can look around 360 without the main gun or turret moving at all. When re-attaching it, the whole turret & gun will quickly swing to aim at what you were looking at, like a modern main battle tank. Great for looking for acquiring targets with, much less cumbersome than mousing around with the whole turret. As a bonus, I don't think anyone is really aware you can do this. They just assume you are only looking straight along the main gun. Infantry (AT especially) tend to hide out of sight whenever the main gun of a tank swings toward their direction, then pop out again when the gun is pointed elsewhere.
2. Turret left-side view slit: There is a view slit on the left side of the turret. Mouse left in the turret and you will see it. Then, I think, left click (or is it right?). You can use the sprint key to zoom in and get a very good view through it. Left clicking the mouse while in its view will make the main gun turn to where you left clicked at (as usual), which in this case is 90 degrees to the left - where the slit is facing. You can do a 360 rotation drill, left clicking continously while looking out the slit zoomed in. Will give a quick idea if enemy AT infantry are closing in on you. Also, rememeber that they only think you are looking through the main optics along the main gun, and they won't try to conceal themselves unless they see that gun about to swing over them. The problem for me is accessing the slit in a practical way. Have to navigate the interface. A bit slow and cumbersome.
3. Opening the hatch and sticking your head out. The commander of the T-34 has a big nice hatch that he hunkers down behind (doesn't look like it from first person, but from third person he does). Like a bullet shield. Here you can see and hear everything from a commanding position. Can use the binoculars to spot stuff far away, and you can see over obstacles that obscure the entire rest of the tank. I don't recommend spending more than brief moments up there then hatching down again, just in case someone takes a shot at you. The shield protects the commander though but only if facing the right way. It is usually safe to be turned out while on the move. Too difficult for most infantry to hit. Left clicking makes the turret turn where you were clicking.
4. Talk to people on the team. Get them to feed you info about what is going on. Especially the enemy tank positions.
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