Bring a friend to the fight

Up until just recently, the only other person I have platooned with in Armored Warfare was my son. We would spend hours in the lower tiers, racking up adventures and a few laughs. Sometimes, he would put himself into grind mode and off we went, helping him to collect his tier IV OF-40 and setting sights on future goals.

However, something new to bring to the game. I have this friend I met while playing World of Warplanes over these past few years. He has been a part of the AW scene longer than I have, but keeps a much lower profile that I do. Like many times before, across other titles and genres, I have accept friend requests from people, sometimes playing with them, other times, just a name on a list that I never hear from again.

So, the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invite to play with F50ACE. Same guy from Planes, just under a different name in AW.  Above are the results from the first of a long series of battles that we had in our tier V Chieftain Mk V's. Both of us share a mutual goal; collect a tier VI Challenger 1. While I have exercised a more leisurely pace to get mine, I believe he would like to get there a little sooner than later.

For the most part, we just figured out where the other was going and chatted things up between ourselves. Voicing concerns about cover fire or advancing to the next objective didn't even come up, often. Simply looking at the mini-map was just about all the battlefield communication we needed. Between battles, we would discuss our results and pass on observations the other might have missed. Both of us would rate our team's performance and queue up for the next encounter.

I couldn't say for certain how long we played, but the battles came fast and furious. Never deviating from the path of the Challenger, I advanced up a whole 7% in progress after it was all said and done. Considering there isn't a tier VI along the way, this progress was a hug step towards the next tank at tier VII.

Thanks F50ACE, looking forward to the next round of platooned battles!

Want to earn a free premium tier VIII British tank?

For those of you who play World of Tanks on the North America server, here's some news for you http://worldoftanks.com/en/news/pc-browser/22/missions-earn-fv4202p/ 

In a nutshell, there are three was to collect the new tier VIII FV 4202 (P) British Medium premium tank;

If you owned the old tier X FV 4202 and fought at least one battle with it, before it was replaced by the Centurion Action X, you can get the new premium tank.

Never completed the first part? No problem, they have a special mission and an On Track to help you save a couple of bucks, but you got fifteen days to do it in.

Lastly, didn't do the first part and no time for the second chance? The FV 4202 (P) will be release to the giftshop and then through the ingame store.

If you happen to live in the European Union sphere of influence, here is your chance to earn one too http://worldoftanks.eu/en/news/pc-browser/46/mission-marathon-fv4202p/

Speaking of the first two parts of the process, I will not be collecting mine. Despite knowing for a very long time something like this could happen, I didn't put in any serious effort to acquire a FV 4202 nor the replacement, Centurion Action X. First, I already pulled a few panic grinds in my early tanking days, parking a then tier IX T34 American Heavy, which turned into the premium tier VIII in my garage.

Secondly, WarGaming see-sawed back and forth with what they were really going to do about this tank. Would they just sell it? Would there be a mission for it? Nobody really knew and finding any solid leaks on what the final plans were going to be, yeah, not so easy to find.

So, the first two options are off the table for me, since I have no desire to sit through another butt numbing race the clock event, especially from where I would have to start from.

As for the third option, perhaps, but not right away. If I did choose to purchase one, I would wait for a sale, even if it was months down the road, to fork out my real world money for it. Not that it wouldn't be worth it, I want just want it to be decent deal.

The invincible fall and a look at the small

Despite posting mostly successful and stayed alive adventures, there are times that I die and/or my team suffers a defeat. Here is one of those moments.

So, I queued up for what I though would be another walk in the park PvE mission. I selected my tier V Chieftain Mk V, picked a Medium Contract and was given Operation: Sapphire. I admit, I haven't played much on this map, but I am rolling in my Chieftain, how bad/hard could it be?

Well, it was a disaster on my part. I was out flanked by the artificial opponents, lost focus on where I was and what I was doing, spreading attention on multiple foes and not taking cover from the artillery that was intent on taking me out. So, in the end, I became the only casualty for my team.

Now, without any further investment left in this battle, I could have just clicked back to my garage, but the odd instance of watching a Stingray in action prompted to see just how this would end. I have given the passing thought to trying out Light Tanks, so ghosting this one, during the remainder of the current battle, might offer up some insight to playstyle and tactics.

Having played most of my promotional/gift premiums and regular tech tree Light Tanks in World of Tanks, I am familiar with how they are there. The majority are fast, decently gunned, but thin armored. In fact, one of my last purchases over there was the tier VI Chinese (clearly from Taiwan) Type 64 Light Tank. I was having fun with this premium acquisition, before spending more time in Armored Warfare.

However, I do realize what works in one game may not apply to another. So, I just sat there and watched the Stingray, what it did and how the player reacted to everything going on. I was rather impressed with their performance, staying in the fight and contributing while conserving their remaining hitpoints.

The battle results speak for them-self, I was at the bottom of the list, my shadowed point of interest came out on top.

Perhaps, it's time to consider looking more closely at Light Tanks, since I have an unused one from when I first started the game.

Strange sense of deja vu

Although I have been mostly talking about the tier V T-72 Ural from Armored Warfare most recently, that isn't the only tank I am progressing through in the game. Also sitting at tier V is the Chieftain Mk V, a tank that is very compatible with my playstyle. Slow, but well armored and with a gun that hits where it counts, for me, the Chieftain is almost the perfect tank.

A recent battle I had confirmed to me just how well the Chieftain and I are getting along, but also created this feeling that I have been a part of this action before. I have tried to apply lessons learned from playing both World of Tanks and War Thunder Ground Forces, using cover when available, not to risk unnecessary exposure, but most importantly, when is a good time to take a hit before dealing out damage in return.

It was near the end of the battle I realized something had gone horribly wrong. My team had been wiped out, leaving only myself and a fellow Chieftain driver left alive. Without any communications, each of us covered our own sectors of the map and secured the win, sharing the battle load equally.

Okay, not nearly as equal as I was first lead to believe, but, still.... However, that feeling of deja vu didn't come from the results of the battle, it was from how it all played out. Taking some serious hits from foes, slowly advancing or short retreats for cover, the slowly turning turret, all of this was experienced with a heightened sense of  awareness....

....like I was reliving something again, from somewhere else.

I saw it in a movie once, Red Dawn (1984)

If you were around in 1984, no doubt you heard of this movie. If you didn't then or haven't seen the original (not the 2012 version with Chris Hemsworth, though it isn't too bad), I would suggest trying to find a copy and give it a watch.

Like a lot of other movies made during the later Cold War era, the Soviet Union was still eyed with suspicion from the Western world and the film industry made movies and television shows to feed into the sense of the unknown. Nuclear war right around the corner, or a Soviet lead invasion of North America.

This picture might look a little funny and dated now, back then, it got people thinking and not so nice thoughts either. The fear of an invasion was very real, however, the means to do so would have be very prohibitive then, in money, manpower and equipment.

Some of those very same elements would come into play with making the movie, Red Dawn. The producers had to go to great lengths to recreate the Soviet identity, long before the internet was the mainstay we take for granted theses days. You couldn't just buy era authentic items like you can today, they had to make everything pretty much from scratch. Costumes, weapons and vehicles had to be manufactured out of thin air, often based on pictures of questionable quality.

 Since this a Tank blog, I will come closer to the point. In 1984, unlike today, you couldn't jump on a computer, cruise the internet and if you had the right amount of money, buy a T-72 MBT. Another slight problem Red Dawn producers faced was the fact the T-72 was still in active service with Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces at the time. And, even if they could lay their hands on one or a few, serious doubts the American government of the time would even allow these machines into the country. So, they had to be built, as closely to the real ones as possible.

Enter Renaud and Andre Veluzat, co-owners of a very large military and movie vehicle collection and prop rental company in California. Somewhere along the way of the movie being put together, their names came up of either having what the producers were looking for, or might be able to have it constructed. By using the chassis of surplus M8A1 Cargo Tractors, some carefully measured sheet metal, along with some molded fiberglass....

....you have something realistic enough to fool high level American authorities of the times. In the end, the producers got two replica T-72 tanks for use in the movie, the Veluzat brothers retained the rights to the machines, making money over the years from renting them out other productions http://www.melodyranchstudio.com/VAR/army_rentals.htm

From shows like Airwolf and Tour of Duty, to the movies, such as Rambo III and Three Kings, this T-72 replica was there.

Today, one of these recreated tanks is on display at the Melody Ranch, in Newhall, California http://www.melodyranchstudio.com/museum.html and in pretty good shape, despite being used hard....

....just like another I know of.

Shot by shot

Until such time that replays are introduced to Armored Warfare, taking screenshots like an excited tourist will just have to do. I had thought about using a video recording software, something I have experimented with in the past, but will wait for Obsidian at activate this feature. My problem with watching a video, the creator makes a movie about what they want you to see, not so much about what I would like to look at. However, the same applies to screenshots as well.

My goal here was to take a shot-by-shot of every enemy vehicle I destroyed during a given battle. While some of them did turn out okay....

....others did not. It was tricky trying to get a good bead on an enemy vehicle and try to time a screenshot with the firing command.

This two shot sequence was almost perfect, making an impossible penetration to kill this tier VI T-72A. No sooner had it appeared, I had a good line, but was a little slow on capturing the explosive results.

Foliage can play havoc with an attempt to capture that special moment, along with teammates shooting at the same target I was.

Then, there is what I call washout. Due to the games visual effects and my poor timing, I produced this less than fantastic image.

Perhaps, more practice, or try something else?

So, I saw a Flavor of the Month

If you look very closely, I am in my tier VI Leopard 2AV ICE, behind the tier V Chieftain Mk VI in the forefront. With all the hype on the forums, some positive, lots negative, I was just hoping to catch a glimpse of one in battle, not on somebody's stream or video.

Here's the current stage of progress for my tier V Chieftain Mk V.

This is what is being reported for the Chieftain Mk VI. By comparison alone, there is very little that could be considered remarkable going for the Mk VI.

My prediction is this, those players used to the Chieftain playstyle will find themselves right a home in a Mk VI, despite coming up a little short in attributes vs the MK V, after upgrades. For others, there could be a struggle, however, how long that lasts is purely dependent on the player using it and learning to make better use of the strengths it does posses.

So, back to the battle where I finally did spot a Mk VI in the wild and here are the results....

The Mk VI did exceptionally well, beyond my expectations I had for the tank. However, it was driven by a rather aggressive player, who wasn't afraid to fight from the frontlines, while I hung back, taking more careful shots at foes. Because of how they played, I am leaning towards my first prediction, a more veteran player or somebody very familiar with the Chieftain/British playstyle.

Despite being a top tiered tank and coming in second from the bottom, I did collect on another little surprise. Funny how time flies when you are having fun.