Well, apart from the part about the Tiger, that is just about how most resources say it was in real life, isn't it?
Really the whole armor thing is screwed up, with angling being much too effective and... well... weird and random at times. Even if that gets fixed, don't expect any wonders. With the degree of simulation we get concerning tanks there will always be a slight pro-Russian bias.
I wouldn't go that far. I'd say that you WON'T see the "overwhelming superiority of the German armor" that a lot of people seem to want.
The poor ergonomics of the T34-76's turret aren't modeled, the (for the most part) better optics of the German tanks aren't either, the fact that a Tiger can turn on the spot isn't in and so on...
Ever check the reload times on a T34-76? They're LONG. Certainly by comparison with, say, the Pz III, Pz IV, and Stug III. Obviously not as long as the IS-2. I think that's supposed to be the "ergonomic" factor at work. But the whole "Boris! When was the last time you showered?" "I don't know, Mitya, when was the last time you brushed your teeth" feeling of a cramped turret probably can't be rendered any other way.
As for German optics, they absolutely are modelled in that German guns don't need to be re-sighted when you change the range, even on the earliest of their tanks. The main problem with optical superiority is that we don't have tank maps where the RANGE can come into play. All the official tank maps are "CQC" battles for tanks. All of them, Arad included. You JUST begin to see the superiority of German armor at about 1000m. Anything under that, especially later in the war, and you're getting into a much more even playing field.
Most of all with the short ranges, little cover and small room for maneuvering, tank combat will always be a "fun addition" but never an area where RO will really show its potential... that's why I hope for a massive increase in infantry maps and don't bother about the tanks too much.
Exactly. At least in terms of official maps, it's not the tank SYSTEM that's at fault (although there's definitely some shortcomings) but rather the maps that fail to take advantage of it.
Look, guys, if every single map was a close quarters map where the Russians had 75% of their team with PPSh-41s against a mix of German MG-42s, K98s, MP-40s, and the odd G-43 and STG44, you'd be saying the exact same thing "OMG. This game is SO Pro-Russian!!" No, it's not that the GAME is pro-russian, it's that the official engagements (under those circumstances) favor the Russians. Try fielding a team of 75% PPSh-41s on a long range map against the same German mix and suddenly it's a whole other ballgame.
Want to see the superiority of German tanks or at least a LOT more opportunity for players to use strategy and play to the strengths of the German armor? Pray that mappers start making 2-3km visibility maps.
The German armor was superior not because they drove invincible ubertanks that couldn't be killed except by a lightning bolt from Zeus himself, and could wink at enemy tanks and cause them to disintegrate. German armor was superior because it could engage AT LONGER RANGE than the enemy. The German optics in the game ARE better at long range -- we just never engage at long range. German armor is strong enough AND Russian guns are WEAK enough that at longer range you'll see a lot higher survivability of German tanks.
But when most tank engagements occur at between 400m and 600m, all those advantages disappear and you start seeing some of the weaknesses of the German armor -- like weak flank armor. Think about it. Put a Panther on a map with a 3000m max visibility going up against T-34-85s adn you're gonna see a lot of dead T-34-85s if they don't play smart. At long range the Panther can put the targeting reticle on the enemy, dial in, say, 1800m, and poof. No more enemy. By contrast, the Panther's front armor will show slight paint wear, but otherwise still be just fine when the T-34 shoots back from the same range. And angling? Why bother angling at THAT range if you're the Panther? All you do is present a bigger target and your armor will hold up just fine anyway.
As soon as the T-34s close in, though, the German design flaws start to pop up -- the Panther gets flanked and its weaker side armor ends up penetrated.
So consider all of this when folks start complaining about how it's not fair and why can't the Germans ever get a break, etc., etc. The germans are screwed not because their tanks ****, but because the MAPS don't play to their tanks' advantages whereas the Russians have fewer disadvantages at that range.