Being An MBT Driver....or trying to!!!

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Starstrider99, Jun 28, 2013.

  1. Starstrider99

    Ok so I am an MBT driver, VG to be precise.

    I feel like i'm at a support group or something announcing I have a problem lol Being an MBT driver often seems to be like announcing your the devil to infantry classes.

    I drive my tank and i'm good at it but recently its started to become somewhat frustrating.

    So here we go:-

    1) The resource cost for the tank has gone up to 450. In an of itself that's fine SOE are trying something but i'd like my certs in the acquisition timer back please as they are now wasted.

    2) Rockets that don't render. It gets real old very quickly when your taking damage from some unknown location and can't effectively counter because the source of the rockets isn't visible on your screen!

    3) I see lots of MBT drivers complaining about C4. Personally I find it fine when used in certain circumstances e.g. when I've parked up near a building or close to some other form of cover then if I get C4'd fair enough, I know to look out for it there and to employ counter measures. What needs to be looked at with C4 is what drives MBT drivers to the forums and that is pulling your brand new 450 resource tank, driving it towards the battle and not even getting there because you happen to cross paths with a stray LA on the edge of battle who has hot dropped in behind enemy lines and pops out of a rock to fly over your tank and boom!!!! For me I think the best fix for the C4 issue is to make destroying an MBT 3 bricks on the top and two bricks on the front, sides and rear. Two bricks on top, brings the tank to 10% and forces the driver to retreat or get out and repair.

    PS you know there is a problem when you have people driving up to your MBT in their MBT or lightning and then hopping out as an LA and trying to C4 you rather than bothering to shoot and I am seeing that frequently.

    4) Finally the worst issue...Harassers. Suddenly they are everywhere, every man and his dog has one. Here is what I have noticed:-

    The harasser is incredibly fast with fantastic maneuverability
    The harasser takes a minimum 4 shots from my main gun to destroy usually 2-3 if my gunner gets in a few hits too
    The harasser can take 3 C4 charges while an MBT takes 2.
    The harasser can inflict damage on my MBT of a similar value to that which I can inflict myself and with easier accuracy if using the Vulcan
    The harasser can repair on the move so moves in does dmg and then heads away while repairing and loops back to return for another pass on full health before you can repair your MBT
    If you do get the better of them and reduce a harasser to low health then they run, you cannot give chase, they escape at least 75% of the time
    It costs half the resources to pull a harasser as it does to pull an MBT

    To emphasise I am NOT saying that all of these listed benefits of harassers need adjusting. The problem is the COMBINATION of all of the above points makes the harasser an over powered vehicle. When equipped with the Vulcan in particular it seems to be devastating.

    If you were to honestly ask the question at the moment of who is more worried going into battle, a harasser or an MBT you would find that sadly it is the MBT. The biggest thing for me with a harasser is that it should be a "glass cannon". Two shots and dead, no repairing, that should be the price you pay for speed, maneuverability and high impact damage. The clue is in the word "TANK", it should not feel like i'm the one in the "glass cannon" looking over my shoulder all the time in a slow and lumbering vehicle. If you want to go the other way and have my VG move at 100kph and turn on a dime then I'm down with that lol

    To conclude I could probably live with any one of the above problems but my frustration is now borne out of dealing with ALL of the above day in day out. My tank makes me feel like an anxious schoolgirl going to prom, as i am forced to retreat frantically at the first sign of a nearby harasser or LA or rockets from a location I cant see!

    I play this game to be a tank driver, its what I enjoy. Yes we mash up infantry and cause devastation but that is what a tank is there for. Make a tank cost a fortune in resources, make people cert to get it, essentially make them harder to come by and rarer on the battlefield but don't punish skilled tank drivers by making them easily killable. A tank should be a rarer sight on the battlefield but take a co-ordinated effort to kill when its out there.

    Sorry for the long post, needed to get all that out there and vent lol
    • Up x 4
  2. Holomang

    Nerf everything.
  3. BigMacDeez

    I love tanks too. It's heinous to see the easy access EVERYONE has to AT weapons. As a real tanker, I can attest to the awesome survivability of a tank. It breaks my heart to see them get so mistreated here in PS2. :(
    • Up x 2
  4. IamDH

    6/10
    When i started reading 3) it became clear
  5. KnightCole


    Ahh, what nation did you actually tank for? And what tank? Abrams? M60? Leopard2? Chieftain?

    Either way, do tell, the Explosive radius of cannons in this game are not even close to real life?

    I would love to know, what does a real 120, 150, 100mm HEAT round do when it impacts the ground near a target? Surely the only thing standing is dust...


    >>>>>>>>>>>>

    Above all things I hate in this game about tanks is the lack of offensive capabilities since the blast radius nerf. The Vanguard loads kinda slow for the overall pace of this game and the reduction in its blast radius really hurts it.

    Im sure it screws the Maggie as well, the Prowler gets 2 shots atleast.
  6. Ganelon

    Cleverly disguised, but 3 was too obvious.
  7. RHINO_Mk.II

    Use the AP cannon, with either an Enforcer on top for all-round goodness or a Kobalt if you can't reliably snipe infantry trying to jump you and need some help in that department. As a tank driver, you have the advantage on open terrain found on Esamir and northern Indar. Abuse the fact that things can't hide from you coupled with your strong armor and high velocity main cannon to hit targets at long range. Learn how to use small divets in terrain to elevate your turret to fire on aircraft.
  8. Rift23

    PS2 tanks remind of StarCraft tanks---glass cannons that die to anything that gets in close range, but capable of flattening the enemy as artillery.

    Infiltrators don't. Our best chance at taking down a tank is hiding from it then sniping/knifing the guy who pops out to repair, leaving a big fat XP piñata for someone else. SOE decided that hacking vehicles (which would require stationary, prolonged combat) would be more OP then drop-pod C4.
    • Up x 1
  9. ABATTLEDONKEY


    I am so confused as to what you are trying to accomplish here lol
  10. KnightCole


    Ask the guy I quoted if real tank guns have as panzy and small a blast radius as in this game.......cuz the blast radius in this game is just plain pathetic....and pathetic doesnt even begin to explain how sad the blast radius for tank guns in this game are.
    • Up x 2
  11. ABATTLEDONKEY


    HA HA. ok I kind of thought that, but the way I read it (which was probably wrong), it almost looked like you were trying to attack him, or challenge his claim of being a RL tanker, but it wasnt quite that way lol. Thanks for the clarification because i was genuinely confused. Carry on then.:cool:

    Side note, you are absolutely correct. Tanks seem to fire solid slugs with M-80s attached to the ends of them. Its either direct hits or nothing in this game. There is no HE coming out of vehicles any more.
  12. BigMacDeez

    Abrams. There are multiple different round types available, but yes, when you shoot an120mm HEAT round at a human being, there is nothing left. You can't even stand around near the main gun (outside, in front of the gun tube) when it fires, or you will turn to mush.
  13. Sebastien

    Seems like a thinly veiled nerf thread
  14. Starstrider99

    There was no veil intended. I am undoubtedly suggesting that some aspects of AV in the game need adjusting and in making them less effective against MBT's obviously that is going to be seen as "nerfing" them.

    However in terms of balancing what I was suggesting was that making tanks rarer in the field but harder to kill (not as vulnerable to C4, harassers, rocket fire from 2 miles over that hill somewhere) would be one possible way to work things out so that the change benefits MBT drivers but also infantry etc who are faced with fewer tank blasts from all sides.
  15. DashRendar

    It's really not when you think about it. Harassers have more effective health with more speed and a similar level of damage output relative to an MBT. That much you have to agree with. Harasser Composite armor is pure OP given the platform, but it's also the only composite armor upgrade in the game that's actually worth using, so maybe MBTs should get some such upgrade as well? I thought the original post hit the nail on the head actually.
    • Up x 1
  16. Menelek

    My advice : don' be a dedicated tank driver because in this game they are just paper toys, nothing to do with real tanks, if you do go full tanker, stay away from fights, like 5 or 10 miles from any fight or you will die, stay away from everything, the moment something get close to you you are going to explode.
  17. Sebastien

    From the Topic of the thread, I thought the guy was looking for advice.
    So far I haven't run into a problem where a Harasser beat me because it's more powerful. When I'm beaten, it's because I've been outplayed, so I don't really see the need to nerf things.
  18. TWolfJaeger

    I'd like to see tanks get a second defensive slot.
    Thoughts?
    • Up x 1
  19. Alarox

    Personally, I think tanks are fine. Most things that kill you are counterable, minus silly things like Strikers going through solid objects or AV Turrets from 700m that don't render. Also, 450 resources is too much. Should be 350.

    Even after all the changes, I still do this frequently when I pull a Vanguard:

    [IMG]

    [IMG]

    [IMG]

    Always use AP. Always fight one enemy at a time if you can help it. Always play to your strengths. Always be expecting the worst case scenario. Using a tank is a defensive thing until you find the right opportunities, and then you become the most destructive force around.

    Tank vs AV balance is pretty alright IMO. It's hard to die unless you don't react correctly or put yourself in suicidal situations.
  20. Alarox

    Not seeing what you're seeing.