Just going to ramble about tanks for a bit (again), the system itself, what I think could use improvements or major changes upon, and what should have been added in and why I think tanking failed pretty terribly in this game.
The good stuff
There are things TWI did right in the tanking system. It's really a step up from RO1 in certain aspects, swapping engines definitely opened up more options for more tank-play elements to be added in. The detailed interiors are very nice and the general looks and models of the tanks are too. Being able to look out side ports and pull away from the hull MG to just take a look around really makes you feel like you're in a metal beast. It has a solid feel to it and I'd like it to stay that way. Also I think locking the crew inside the tank was a good idea too, because it was annoying in RO1 seeing one guy hop out of massive tank as you destroy it.
The combat
The combat itself seems very odd, the sounds of the cannons feel like I'm firing high velocity pillows at the enemy and there are no real tactics to tanking other than "Hit the frontal weak spot" or "Hit and kill the gunner so you can have more time to shoot shells at him while the AI stumble over to replace him". Also angling your tank seems to do next to nothing sometimes. The penetration values and all that seem so awkward and random it just makes tanking really boring sometimes. I have no suggestions how to improve penetrations though, I know they worked hard on the system with velocity and armor and stuff, it just seems odd is all.
Team Tanking
Useless, absolutely useless unless you are on a map like Bridges where one can be the gunner and the other person can be the driver/hull MG. But even then the system is extremely annoying with the crew respawn bugs and such. On tank only maps it's even more useless since you practically have to be sitting still to fire properly making it just useless to have a real gunner and a real driver when you can just have an extra tank. Lack of invite system and proper respawning really just breaks team tanking, which was supposed to be a benefit from solo tanking, but honestly there is 0% benefit to having a bro in your tank.
Crew members dying
This one is a bit touchy for me, since I enjoy the realism of shells killing crew members, but I think I've made up my mind now that I absolutely HATE the crew death system. It's annoying, awkward and breaks team tanking and solo tanking too. Say you finally manage to get your friend and you properly in tank together, you drive out a couple kilometers and get shot out in the distance from some solo tanker sitting around. Your friend who was the gunner dies, and boom you have no more friends in your tank. Now you (the driver) have to crawl up slowly and take is position (you probably didn't even drive your tank into any form of cover either) so you can attempt to return fire at said tank. By the time you just finished doing that your tank has exploded and you and your friend are now probably not going to spawn together in a tank for a while because of the spawning system.
So as you can imagine the game turns into who can kill whos crew members first rather than aiming for sweet spots, out flanking, angling, moving while firing, HE the tracks or even breaking the optics to gain the advantage. Which is very frustrating and IMO really hurts tanking. My proposal while unrealistic, can really remove some of the annoyances from tanking and even make team tanking a bit more fun.
I think that penetrating and killing crew members should be removed as a whole. So you can actually function with your friends while under fire. I think that they should just get "Damaged" or "Stunned" when they get hit by a tank shell. Damaged meaning that you are wounded and cannot preform simple task like switching tank positions or you can't drive and turn as quickly anymore. And Stunned meaning just shellshocked, which I'm pretty sure is in the game but is only for the driver (haven't happened to me as a gunner). The lack of constantly dying crew can make team tanking more enjoyable and less annoying. Of course, you'd still be able to die by popping your head out and getting shot that way but other than that I don't think that tank shells should kill crew members. Resupplying at an ammo dump can also heal your crew members too.
Missing features, some additions
Short list of things I (and hopefully you) would like to see in tanking, barely any explanations needed.
At least two or three of these things alone would help tanking a lot besides the bugs. These were collected from older threads and suggestions of my own aswell.
Conclusion
Tanking is really boring, broken, annoying, and all that other stuff. The only good thing going for it right now is the looks and animations. Team tanking is lacking, and the combat feels very simplistic, there isn't enough room for more tactics other than stop and shoot. This was just another one of my rambles but I hope it sparks something for TWI, because other than RS the game needs content other than weapons, and maybe fixing/editing/improving this system can help pave way for the Vehicle Modding Team too.
The good stuff
There are things TWI did right in the tanking system. It's really a step up from RO1 in certain aspects, swapping engines definitely opened up more options for more tank-play elements to be added in. The detailed interiors are very nice and the general looks and models of the tanks are too. Being able to look out side ports and pull away from the hull MG to just take a look around really makes you feel like you're in a metal beast. It has a solid feel to it and I'd like it to stay that way. Also I think locking the crew inside the tank was a good idea too, because it was annoying in RO1 seeing one guy hop out of massive tank as you destroy it.
The combat
The combat itself seems very odd, the sounds of the cannons feel like I'm firing high velocity pillows at the enemy and there are no real tactics to tanking other than "Hit the frontal weak spot" or "Hit and kill the gunner so you can have more time to shoot shells at him while the AI stumble over to replace him". Also angling your tank seems to do next to nothing sometimes. The penetration values and all that seem so awkward and random it just makes tanking really boring sometimes. I have no suggestions how to improve penetrations though, I know they worked hard on the system with velocity and armor and stuff, it just seems odd is all.
Team Tanking
Useless, absolutely useless unless you are on a map like Bridges where one can be the gunner and the other person can be the driver/hull MG. But even then the system is extremely annoying with the crew respawn bugs and such. On tank only maps it's even more useless since you practically have to be sitting still to fire properly making it just useless to have a real gunner and a real driver when you can just have an extra tank. Lack of invite system and proper respawning really just breaks team tanking, which was supposed to be a benefit from solo tanking, but honestly there is 0% benefit to having a bro in your tank.
Crew members dying
This one is a bit touchy for me, since I enjoy the realism of shells killing crew members, but I think I've made up my mind now that I absolutely HATE the crew death system. It's annoying, awkward and breaks team tanking and solo tanking too. Say you finally manage to get your friend and you properly in tank together, you drive out a couple kilometers and get shot out in the distance from some solo tanker sitting around. Your friend who was the gunner dies, and boom you have no more friends in your tank. Now you (the driver) have to crawl up slowly and take is position (you probably didn't even drive your tank into any form of cover either) so you can attempt to return fire at said tank. By the time you just finished doing that your tank has exploded and you and your friend are now probably not going to spawn together in a tank for a while because of the spawning system.
So as you can imagine the game turns into who can kill whos crew members first rather than aiming for sweet spots, out flanking, angling, moving while firing, HE the tracks or even breaking the optics to gain the advantage. Which is very frustrating and IMO really hurts tanking. My proposal while unrealistic, can really remove some of the annoyances from tanking and even make team tanking a bit more fun.
I think that penetrating and killing crew members should be removed as a whole. So you can actually function with your friends while under fire. I think that they should just get "Damaged" or "Stunned" when they get hit by a tank shell. Damaged meaning that you are wounded and cannot preform simple task like switching tank positions or you can't drive and turn as quickly anymore. And Stunned meaning just shellshocked, which I'm pretty sure is in the game but is only for the driver (haven't happened to me as a gunner). The lack of constantly dying crew can make team tanking more enjoyable and less annoying. Of course, you'd still be able to die by popping your head out and getting shot that way but other than that I don't think that tank shells should kill crew members. Resupplying at an ammo dump can also heal your crew members too.
Missing features, some additions
Short list of things I (and hopefully you) would like to see in tanking, barely any explanations needed.
- Being able to lock on to the individual cupola view ports on the PZIV
- Being able to damage tank optics with either small arms or just a MG
- Ability for the commander to pull out his weapon while popping out of the hatch
- Key Board Controlled Turret ★★★★★
- Invite System for team tanking
- 1 or 2 smoke shells in standard tanks (unrealistic, but yeah)
- No more insta-switching rounds.
At least two or three of these things alone would help tanking a lot besides the bugs. These were collected from older threads and suggestions of my own aswell.
Conclusion
Tanking is really boring, broken, annoying, and all that other stuff. The only good thing going for it right now is the looks and animations. Team tanking is lacking, and the combat feels very simplistic, there isn't enough room for more tactics other than stop and shoot. This was just another one of my rambles but I hope it sparks something for TWI, because other than RS the game needs content other than weapons, and maybe fixing/editing/improving this system can help pave way for the Vehicle Modding Team too.
Spoiler!
Extra rambles
I've been playing WoT a lot lately and although the tanking isn't hyper realistic it's still fun and enjoyable, the system works fine besides all the little grinding/premium stuff. It may not be balanced but there are small details like being able to penetrate easier through the small hatches on the tanks and such. I sort of wish the RO2 tanking system was sort of like that but in first person. I think realism in tanking don't go well together.
I've been playing WoT a lot lately and although the tanking isn't hyper realistic it's still fun and enjoyable, the system works fine besides all the little grinding/premium stuff. It may not be balanced but there are small details like being able to penetrate easier through the small hatches on the tanks and such. I sort of wish the RO2 tanking system was sort of like that but in first person. I think realism in tanking don't go well together.