My biggest gripe about the whole 'Team Tanking' concept is that it isn't more widely observed. I completely understand that guys want their own tank, and of course they're completely welcome to it; they'll just be less effective than a crewed tank, in my view, but it's certainly a lot less nerve-wracking d0ing everything yourself.
I can't count the times I've spawned and seen an idle tank occupied by someone with TT tags on, and when I hop in I get a big fat GET OUT message, and they take off leaving guys (some with TT tags, too) to fend for themselves. If you're going to say you're a team player, BE a team player- if not, don't wear the colors!
If I'm already in a idled tank 'waiting for additional crewmembers' and someone else hops in the turret, more power to them- they just assumed command and it's their neck out there. I don't kick people out, I just ask 'where to' and follow directions; if it's the other way around I expect the same as well.
What REALL gripes me, though, is when I'm in the field, swapping licks with a Tiger or Panther and some tankless wonder jumps in and just starts driving away- usually getting me killed in the process. No asking, no inquiry as to what I'm doing- just fire it up and drive into a wide open field of fire like a moron. And then what do they do? The same thing that brought them to MY tank- they bail out the second we take the first hit! If the first hit doesn't kill you- MOVE, IDIOT and don't wait for the second shot, and try to kill what's shooting you before it kills YOU. But for God's sake, don't snake someone else's tank in the middle of a gun battle- it's not cool and it's not...well...professional. It's really one of the hallmarks of a noob to grab whatever's out there without asking.
I don't mind so much a jumper in the turret- I can always point them in the direction of the enemy and hopefully they won't totally **** at tank gunnery. But if I'm in the turret and a total jerk jumps in and starts driving, it completely throws everything off. Have YOU ever tried to line up a shot when your driver is twisting and turning all over the place for no reason? On the Black Day map I had people screaming at me over VOIP that I had a tank right in front of me- and here's my pirate driver ramming the thing and turning all over while I'm trying to get the turret oriented. Needless to say, not only did it get me killed, but it made me look like a complete prat before I could explain it wasn't me, but some no-skill driver jerking me all over the map. I'm not saying I'm a tank god or anything like that, but you experienced team tankers know exactly what I'm talking about.
In short- if you're going to Team Tank, by all means put on those tags and Team Tank- if not, don't stick them on and go Lone Wolf all the time. If a TT'er jumps in with you, don't get mad- start talking and sorting out crew assignments and such and hit the field running. If someone without TT tags hops in, still sort it out before you both get killed. OTOH, if YOU are the non TT'er, PLEASE don't jump a TT-crewed tank unless you're willing and able to cooperate. It's one thing to tag along with an infantry squad, but another thing entirely to work closely as a combat vehicle team; sadly, most people don't take the time to work on this valuable skill in tanks. A well-crewed tank can dominate the field, but a badly-crewed one (single- or multiple-crew) can cause untold trouble for it's own team, not to mention wasting reinforcements!
(I wonder if there is a mod out there somewhere that can REQUIRE tanks to have at least two in the crew- it would make things so much more realistic and more in the spirit of how RO tanks should be played, I believe.)
