Can one scout through the rust?

 Time to dust off my Type 64 in World of Tanks and give things ago. The last time I played this premium tier VI Light Tank was right around New Years, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get back into the swing of things and collect a win. Or would it?

The first battle on Steppes was a disaster. When countdown timer ended, starting the match, I raced up the eastern side of the map to some large boulders and tried spotting. Not much luck with that, but I did take out a wounded I-O Exp Japanese Heavy Tank. Then I made my way over to a second set of rocks to the west, slugged it out with a Skoda T 25, and giving an enemy IS a chance to end my game.

From the desert to the forest, perhaps I might get the win here?

The second battle was a little different, taking place on Murovanka. I tried to use the cover available on the eastern side of the map, sticking close to building and bush to cover my travels. From my final position, I was able to get a few shots on an enemy Cromwell, but a  T37 caught wind of this, showed up and assisted with ending my battle. A good shot from an enemy T25 AT put me down.

Third time is the charm, or so they say....

Swamp can be a tricky map. With good coverage, poor terrain and so many decent spotting positions, it's easy to get outmaneuvered and out-spotted. For the first part of the battle, I tried to climb the hills, coming down from the north, but this T-54 ltwt was already in a good perch, taking shots at me. However, a teammate offered up a distraction, giving me a chance to come in behind and take the enemy scout out.

I hung on for a few more minutes, offering spotting support against enemy tanks attempting a southern breakout. I took a few shots from a Tiger (P), then an enemy Comet from behind cover was able to get a line on me. A few hits later, I was just spectating the rest of the battle. Thanks to being on the better team, the sortie was concluded less than a minute after I was removed.

After it was all said and done, I feel like I didn't accomplish much. My Type 64 isn't up to optimal performance, with an unskilled and under-proficient crew, so that doesn't help. Plus, being away from the game after all this time, including losing some familiarity with the maps and how movement flows on them doesn't bode well in my favor either.

I could just use the excuse I was playing for fun, but I wouldn't even believe myself for saying it.