An April's Fool

I mentioned in another post that Armored Warfare was having an April's Fools special.

Keeping my wallet shut on the items that cost real money, I decided to cash in on the free stuff instead. As much as some of you might be curious to what the April's Fools decals are, let me spare your eyes on those images (trust me, I am doing you a favor here).

The other items? Well, let's have a look at those, starting with the Type 99A2-140 crate....

Wow, an Oplot BM rental....I am not surprised. Speaking of that, up next up are the Oplot BM crates....

The only items of value to me is the 600 Gold and 10x Field Rebuild Kits. To finish this off, the Armata 152 crates....

Gadzooks, an Object 640 rental!

Yeah, it's a good thing I swore to never buy these loot crates with real money, I hardly make any good returns on the free ones.

Ritorna al Leopardo Italiano

Armored Warfare released another update today and you can read those details here.

Among the fixes is now the map you click on the selection screen is the map you actually battle it out on (which is a good thing, I was getting very tired of "what you click isn't what you get"). On a side note of interest, there is an April's Fools special going on (I will collect on those and share what I get, later), all that info is at this link.

In keeping with the recent arrival of Francine De Laroche and her combined French and Italian vehicle offerings, I thought it would make sense to take another look at the tier IV OF-40 Italian MBT....

Tir rapide sans armure

One vehicle that I have been waiting to come to Armored Warfare has arrived....sort of.

Produced over a thirty five year period, the French AMX-13 has proved to be a highly successful and adaptable chassis. Originally designed in 1946 to be a air-portable, ground support vehicle, this French marvel would be armed with 4x20 mm to 105mm cannons (in the case of the AMX Mk F3 variant, a 155mm ground shaking cannon), anti-aircraft guns to rockets and ATGM, depending on the turret mounted.

With nearly eight thousand built and seeing service in no less than twenty five countries, fighting in at least eight armed conflicts, there is an obvious testament to this machine's legacy.

So, why did this particular version come to the game?

In the real world, the AMX-13 DCA was built (around 60 units) and designated as Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun (or SPAAG), meaning it's primary purpose was to shoot down aircraft and helicopters. With very few aerial targets ingame, how does it fare against enemies it wasn't designed to engage with....

The Signpost Is Wrong

Ever since the release of the 0.28 update for Armored Warfare, there is one glaring error I have been experiencing and hope gets fixed....soon.

An example of the issue. Today (this morning to be more specific) I decided to take my Turkish tier X Altay out for some credit generating action, something I haven't done in a while now. At the map selection screen, I took a few seconds to consider my choices and I concluded that I was in the mood to take on the challenges the Phalanx map could bring.

So, where did Watchdog come into the equation? Was something lost in translation between what was shown to me and the final map destination? 

Despite this whole "left turn at Albuquerque" process, I was fortunate enough to be placed on a decent team (lucky to see a premium tier X AFT-10 in action too!) and collected a few credits for my troubles.

The Real AMX-40

The slightly blurred screenshot above is the AMX-40 French light tank from World of Tanks, a vehicle that was never built (because Germany, Fall of France, unfavorable history) and claimed to have only existed in blueprint form. When it was originally released into the game, it received a rather lukewarm response from the community, due to it's slow speed and disappointing cannon performance. However, when it's true strengths were discovered and used to maximum benefit, the "Duck Tank" as some still call it today, became beloved by those who knew what vehicle could really do  in the right hands.

The modern AMX-40 started life as a failure, from a failure. After a great deal of time and money was invested into the AMX-32 (an upgraded version of the AMX-30, designed for export sales) that generated no international interest, the AMX-APX and GIAT design teams went back to the drawing boards. Using a few mechanical elements from the AMX-32 and styling cues from the German Leopard 1 tank, the first AMX-40 prototype was presented in 1983. Over the next three years, three more prototypes were built and showcased. With no domestic or foreign sales, the AMX-40 project faded away from public view, with one preserved in the Musée des Blindés in France.

In an odd coincidence, today is World Water Day and Armored Warfare is giving out decals to celebrate the event through myLoot (just click on Chests and follow the instructions to collect them).

As for the AMX-40 (from the 80's), I just happen to have one of those....

Brought A Brenus To The Battle

Despite my recent failure at completing Chapter 4 of the Arabian Nights campaign in Armored Warfare while using the tier IV AMX-30B2 Brenus, I was able to capture some showcase worthy battle action with this vehicle (thanks to being on an all French machine team).

Fatal Lessons From The Final Chapter

Although I mention this in the accompanying video, it bears putting in print and on the record.

My original plan for showcasing the final chapter of the Arabian Nights storyline campaign in Armored Warfare, was to use the French tier IV AMX-30B2 Brenus and clinch a victory on the initial attempt, much the same way I pulled it off in Chapter 3 with the tier III AMX-50. However, it just wasn't meant to be.

Three disastrous defeats with that particular low tiered machine was almost enough for me to walk away from the game, at least for the day. For some reason, I took a few minutes to think about what I did, what I could have done different and decided to apply those learned lessons and try again with a more solid and reliable choice.

Enter the tier VII Challenger 1 Wolf.

Although I fared better with my favorite British standby, one person can only do so much on a team (no matter what players in this game and others of the same genre would convince you otherwise) and another defeat was awarded, despite my best efforts.

However, I was determined to collect a victory with this vehicle, all it would take is getting the right team who was equally inclined or even more driven to achieve the same, single goal....

The Update Is Here!

Update 0.28 for Armored Warfare is now here.

For me, the long awaited French line, as incomplete as it is, was one of the things I was most looking forward to.

To freshen things up and because some see change as a good thing, the user interface has gone through another revision (I haven't dove to deeply into this yet, but I will just chalk it as something to get used to....again). Also, there are numerous changes to other vehicles and certain game mechanics, read about that and more here. Back to the new French assets and my Arabian Nights progress.

After my game client updated, I was disappointed to see I had to start the PvE campaign all over from the beginning. In doing so, I did something I don't normally do, I bought the tier III AMX 50, then spent a pile of Free Reputation to unlock and purchase the next inline AMX-30B2 Brenus. The first battle was beyond any expectations I didn't have.

The second sortie was more on par with my usual results. The third battle went south quick....

The End Of One, The Start Of Another

With another update for Armored Warfare taking place tonight, time to tie up a loose end.

Because I have been nursing some lingering aliment for well over a month now, I haven't put in much in the way of gametime into AW, instead dealing with work, life and family (squeezing some rest time, when it's available). However, I was determined to finish off my Branch of the Month showcase and picked up the Begleitpanzer 57 tier V German Light Tank.

Some may point out that I have only covered a few in this class of vehicles and they would be correct, since I haven't advanced up the line to unlock more than what I have already shown. It is what it is.

Nevertheless, here is the first outing with the Begleitpanzer 57....

St. Patrick’s Day Deals

Welcome to the St. Patrick’s Day weekend and Armored Warfare has a few specials on the go.

On the paid side of things, there is a themed skin for the tier VI FV721 Fox (calling it a Clover Fox), the tier VII Challenger 1 Fionn premium MBT, the return of Commander Erin O’Connell and a themed base paint and camouflage pack for most vehicles. If any of this interests you, check out this link. One upside is the camouflage pack for most vehicles is available for Gold in the Web Shop.

For those not interested in spending any money, there are a few items for free. Just click this link, and follow the instructions to collect the above decal and player avatar.

On a personal note, there is very little being offered that interests me.

If the Clover Fox was an all inclusive premium vehicle and not just a skin option, I might have been tempted to pick one up. As for the Challenger 1 Fionn, I already have the Wolf version of the same vehicle, so I don't really see the point of acquiring a second, same asset. In regards to Commander Erin O’Connell, I am not too sure if she would be nearly as effective as advertised, with all of the changes to the game since she was first released.

While the paint and camouflage pack looks appealing, I am going to pass on those as well, saving money on earnable options that will become available in the future. I did collect the decal and avatar.

Gameplay wise, nothing exciting has taken place this past while, but I do plan on making another Light Tank video soon, in keeping with the Branch of the Month theme.

Níor tharla an t-uasghrádú riamh

When I recently played the tier III FV101 Scorpion in Armored Warfare, I had this feeling I had seen this vehicle before....

After a little rapid research, I came across a few online articles of it's use with the Irish Army Cavalry Corps (which cleared up the mystery for me, since I had looked up previous and present armored assets in Irish service quite some time ago and it had faded from recent memory).

Originally taken on strength in the early to mid 1980's, fourteen units, armed with the 76mm rifled main gun, helped to get the newly reformed 1st Tank Squadron get rolling (yeah, I couldn't resist that).

I had also read about many older discussions of possible upgrades, including the swapping out of the 76mm main gun to a more punchier and longer barrelled Cockerill Mk III 90mm, but this hasn't come to pass at the time of this writing (having been mostly replaced by the Swiss built Mowag Piranha IIIH in 2001 and South African RG-32M Light Tactical Armored Vehicle starting in 2010).

Despite the reality, I was naturally curious to see what the virtual IV FV101 Scorpion 90 would play like....

Sheridan In The Sand

Some might think it's too soon for another video showcasing the tier V M553 Sheridan, but since this Branch of the Month in Armored Warfare is all about Light Tanks....

The Stingray Surprise!

The buy, the battle, the Stingray Surprise!

Sting Of The Scorpion

Although I am a day late in reporting the March Armored Warfare news, I certainly hope the wait was worth it.

If you want a sneak peek into what's coming next in Armored Warfare, check out this link and read about the Public Test Server for version 0.28 (and how to download it, if you are interested).

The screenshot at the top of this post is none other than the British Light Tank, FV101 Scorpion. Coming in at tier III and the first discounted vehicle for March's Branch of the Month, it gets a long overdue showcase, operated by me of course....