War Thunder..MMO flight sim...and TANKS

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Mar 25, 2015 12:30 am

If there's one thing I'd like to see them change, it's spawn points. Several maps have terrible spawn points. In particular, there's Karelia, which is IMHO the worst as it can spawn loads of people in one small location with only two small exits effectively making them chokepoints. This has the effect of a traffic jam at the beginning of a game when everyone is rushing out at the same time, colliding into each other in the process. It's made worse by the fact that not everyone loads in at the same time, where someone can spawn in right in front of you just as you start to get going.

Stefan Stirzaker · Post by **Stefan Stirzaker** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:08 am

Latest patch looks like it adjusts a number of maps and put some villages in the big wide Poland map which is welcome.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:07 pm

Yeah, quite a big patch that fixes a number of things. Although, it did screw up something that I noticed right away, which was filed as a bug report and confirmed, and it's that the sights on all bombers had their pitch and elevation markers removed from within the bombing sight view, essentially making it very hard to fly and be accurate when using that view. So if anyone's using bombers, beware of that. It will likely be fixed soon.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sun Mar 29, 2015 2:42 pm

And this is why I really dislike Karelia:

Had a rather frustrating moment in that map last night. Loads of people spawned at the same spawn point, and my view only shows half of it. It was gridlocked. We were all at an impasse. We couldn't move forward, couldn't turn, couldn't back out. It took a good two minutes to clear out before we could move towards our destinations, which meant precious time lost while the opposition gained ground.

Ugh, terrible design. I really wish they'd change this. It needs to be a bit more spread out so that it doesn't create clusters like this. Everytime I see this map, I grit my teeth.

And speaking of spawns, I was flying a few nights ago. Ended up spawning way too closely to another pilot and ended up TKing him. I saw his wing, and I was like, "Oh shit, Oh shit!", but my reaction wasn't timely enough and I clipped it, and he cursed me out. Felt really bad about that one.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Mar 29, 2015 3:18 pm

Wasn't your fault. Tell him to take a flying leap.

Ive seen that spawn area enough too. I dont find it near as bad as you but it does need addressing. Worse thing Ive seen there is a larger tank simply keep pushing a smaller one and blocking the way out and not just getting off him.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:15 pm

Heh, well, I did apologize in chat and blamed the spawning, and he seemed to be cool about it after that.

About Karelia though, it happens to me a lot of the time, I'd say almost 90% of the time. The problem is that despite having two spawn points on the map for each side to use, the game likes to spawn everyone on the team at the same spawn and it becomes a real clusterfuck. And yeah, I've experienced the big tank effect as well. It actually happened last night. Was moving forward, then suddenly I see myself get pushed aside before it's even visible to me and suddenly I was able to see what happened, and it was like David & Goliath (A Sherman M4A3) and I desperately tried to untangle myself as I seemed to be stuck in his tracks.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:19 pm

Ya they like to shove my flakpanzer at times. But I get more kills in the end haha. Love that machine.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:25 am

So, did anyone happen to play today? They had what I felt was one of the best gags today. They actually went through the trouble of creating two new game modes as jokes. First one called Unrealistic Battles where everyone has the same tank made to look like a soft plush tank that fires potatoes and carrots. Very ineffective in combat, but quite funny as they also gave the firing new sounds. Also they gave the tank hitpoints.

Second was what they called a beta test of a new unit. And that new unit turned out to be a mech. This you had to earn spawn points by destroying other tanks in order to use it.

Have to say, I'm quite impressed with what they've managed to do. Well done, Gaijin!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:00 am

I think I played all day off and on and didn't see either of those things.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:08 am

Snapped a few pics tonight.

After battle awards.

Researched a new tank

My new Panzer IV outside the hanger

DD* · Post by DD* » Wed Apr 08, 2015 12:38 pm

So how does this stack up against WoT? I've been in that game for several years and could use some new scenery...

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Apr 08, 2015 5:17 pm

I love WoT..played since closed beta and spent way too much cash on it. I always hated WT planes but I think I like the tanks more than WoT. Its much more sim'ish if you want it to be. I like the graphics and such more too. In WT theres deep mud that you sink into and slow down, cool grasses and stuff, particles like smoke and flames are amazing. Also you can get stuck or flip your tank and all tanks have tow cables so I can drive by, attach, and yank people out of trouble. I like WT tanks more these days and hardly touch WoT now that Im in WT tank.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 12:43 am

Yeah, the pacing is more deliberate, more tactical.

One of my favourite activities while flying is doing bombing runs. It's a pretty satisfying experience when you end up making a huge difference for the team you're on by bombing some important targets. My only beef with that is that I wish they would limit these aircraft to scenarios in which you actually have targets. I'd like to see the ability to lock them down to certain roles based on map type. For instance, it's simply a terrible idea to bring a bomber to air domination. That kind of activity is made for dogfighting.

Anyway, here's my current bomber, the B-25:

Had these two people shooting at me tonight, and I happened to change views at the right time for an epic shot. With my engine smoking, I was struggling to survive. Amazingly enough, I ended up surviving the attack.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:28 pm

I'm a big fan of the B25 when I'm flying it, but it can be a real pain in the shorts to shoot down when I'm playing a fighter. Plus with the .50s in the nose and its decent speed, you have to watch out for it sneaking up on you.

This is my favourite shot of my B25.

My landings still need work...

(My plane got shot to crap and the engine died at about 45 feet of altitude... amusingly, by leaving the plane parked there on its nose it actually repaired and rearmed and I took off again.)

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:47 am

How'd you make that animated gif?

Yeah, I love the B25 due to its guns. Though, the downside is that it's so fragile. It's been more fragile than the other earlier bombers I've had. To the point that it's the first bomber where you have the option of armored jackets for your pilots. I often get shot down before I even have a chance to get to my bombing targets. But other than that, It's a great bomber.

I also just got the Corsair the other night. It's so fast!

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:58 am

I used FRAPS to make a movie of that part of the WT replay and then used Gifcam to record a gif off that video. If you run WT in a window you could probably Gifcam straight off of that, but I like recording a video first, because it's easy to trim that to the exact start and end I want and WT's replay system doesn't have a rewind button if you mess something up.

I don't think I've ever really got on with the Corsairs. They don't turn and if you try to boom and zoom with them, that speed they have quickly leads to control lockup. You need to boom from a mid-high altitude, rather than high and then you leave yourself open to someone getting above you. Especially as their BR will put you in fights with FW190s and cannon Spitfires. Even the Japanese have respectable, agile, cannon-armed planes in that BR range.

I've had really mundane results in the the two Corsairs I've flown - the 1a (12 kills, 13 deaths) and the 1d (11/11) from about 17 flyouts each. By contrast, in 17 flyouts with the lowest FW190 I have 41 kills and 4 deaths. With the Typhoon I have 112 kills to 26 deaths, (in 42 flyouts).

The Corsairs just seem to be in a tough spot - they must use their speed, but suffer control lock up and then in the very short firing window you have, the .50s are underwhelming, especially compared to peers who are toting .20mm Hispano's or the Germans firing their minengeschoss. I think they stall-fight really well, using climbing spirals to get your opponent to give up all their energy, but to do that you have to find an opponent who's willing to chase you up.

I'll be interested to see how you go with them and if you have any tips after a few flights.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:48 pm

Well, put it this way, the previous aircraft in the upgrade path was seriously slow. It's supposed to be one of the best WW2 aircraft ever made, yet it was slow as a turtle and would often just get me shot down, making me a sitting duck basically. And before I discovered the combat flaps, I'd have a hard time even pulling up, leading me to crash about a minute into flying.

So, the Corsair is a huge improvement, allowing me to actually have speed to gain on other aircraft and a good turning radius. I always turn on combat flaps, so turning is ridiculously good. I think people tend to forget those even exist, but once you turn them on, can make a huge difference.

But I'm sure it's all a preference thing too. It just seems to fit my style better. We'll see how I do with it in the long run.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:01 pm

By the previous plane, do you mean the F6F-3 Hellcat? If so, it goes to show how right you are about different planes suiting different people, because that thing is the top of my US service record, (and third placed among all planes)... 72 flyouts, 159 kills and 33 deaths.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 5:44 pm

Yeah, the Hellcat. I couldn't wait to get rid of the thing. It was like flying in molasses. I couldn't do any worthwhile thing with it as it just couldn't keep up. It was useless dogfighting with it as any plane would just outpace me and shoot me to hell before I'd even have a chance. Kind of like a dog chasing its tail.

I actually much preferred the Wildcat before it. With the Corsair, I feel I can finally whip around quickly to someone and hone in on them before I inevitably get shot down.

Of course, I play in arcade mode. Maybe that has something to do with it?

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Thu Apr 23, 2015 7:04 pm

I play almost exclusively arcade too. I like being able to play a "flight sim" from the couch.

This is the front page of my service record...

I'm a better fighter pilot in the A20 Havoc light bomber than I am in the Corsairs...

Considering my name, it's funny there's no Germans on the front page at all. I have 40 kills in the FW190, but my most successful German plane for kills is the Bf110 - it was a monster before they fixed its flight model.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 4:47 pm

Yeah, I'm playing exclusively with US vehicles at this point. I might dabble with others at some point in time, but I like having the progression, you know?

I also play with a gamepad, and there's an option in the settings for showing the buttons in the menu.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 5:30 pm

Is it better with the game pad? I tried the stick and couldn't use it. Mouse is ok but not great. Its why i dont like their planes.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:46 pm

Well, I haven't played with a joystick, so I can't really offer an objective opinion, but I feel it plays really well with a gamepad. All the menu options are accessible with it, meaning you don't need to take your hands off of it. I feel they've done a pretty good job taking a PC interface and and giving it a gamepad makeover. The main difference with a gamepad is you get a yellow highlight around the options in the hangar screen and moving that around with the D-pad or either left stick will get you where you want to go. But it's pretty serviceable.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 2:16 pm

Was picking grass out of the tail wheel after this one.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 3:35 pm

That's some pretty sweet flying and camera work

I tend to rotate between planes and tanks on different nights just to keep things interesting. Was on the White Fortress map last night. The other side was nearly obliterated. It was down to hunting them down. Sometimes the maps are big enough that it takes time, especially when there are just a few left. I ended up being surrounded by at least 3, all hammering at my tank. I took quite a lot of hits and ended up with the final blow that won our team the game. Was quite epic.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 10:24 pm

This was me last night. Brand new tank, had no repair kit and engine died. Then I was sent a gift from above...

Amazingly, I lasted quite a while like this before the bombs dropped and even managed to destroy a tank that wandered into my sights.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Tue May 19, 2015 8:32 pm

Has anyone suffered dramatic framerate loss with the latest update? Awhile back, I had trouble with one update making me drop the game down to medium graphic settings, then another update fixed that. Now though, the latest update is even worse than the first problem, dropping the framerate into the single digits making it nigh impossible to play it.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun May 15, 2016 3:26 pm

A buddy of mine has been playing and chatting about the fun he's having, so I ended up spending several hours last night and today working on the US tank line. Another extended session or two, and I should have Tier 1 completed. I do like that you don't have to sell off chassis when you get a new one. Retraining the crew allows me to keep two tank lines open. I have one that's switching back and forth between the M13 SPAA and the M3 tank destroyer.

One of these days, I'll get my desk clean enough to field the HOTAS to get the planes back in the air.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun May 15, 2016 4:33 pm

Anyone know what the Aprils fools day stuff was this year? I forgot to bother as I haven't played in a good while now and reading this page of the thread reminded me of the mechs.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Sat May 21, 2016 10:55 pm

It was an Age of Sail naval game.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sun May 22, 2016 3:48 pm

That's awesome! I'd certainly play that if it were a real game and not just a joke

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Tue May 24, 2016 4:05 pm

It was actually pretty good. Gave me a lot of hope for when they wheel out their naval game to go against World of Warships.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:35 pm

Every now and then while cruising on the edge of space in my Focke Wulf, Typhoon or Mig high altitude spaceship I'd see a dot on the horizon that would resolve itself into a P47 Thunderbolt and, having flown that plane a bit, I'd say to myself "HOW? HOW DID YOU GET UP HERE? DID YOU START THIS MAP TWO DAYS BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE?"

Well, the P47 is a sort of cheap way for me to do the level III warbond missions, because it's a tier III plane, but it's only a 3.0 battle rating. Because hardly anyone likes it. Because it's like flying a concrete pig.

Today I finally grimaced through enough P47 rounds to unlock the final modification for the plane and suddenly, everything becomes clear. Prior to that the max climb rate in the 47 is about 1,800ft/min. After you unlock fuel injection that jumps all the way to 3,300ft/min.

I mean, it's still not exactly a Saturn 5 with eight .50cals strapped on, but good god does that make a world of difference to pilot quality of life. I can point the thing up and not instantly stall.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 12:36 pm

The success of this rolling scissor made me feel squiffy inside.

If I'd managed to shoot the YAK down on the first pass instead of just hit him I might have needed a cigarette.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Oct 09, 2021 1:19 pm

I am giving this a try. I've been playing for a couple of days now. For a game that's nine years old, it looks surprisingly good, has tons of players, and is still regularly updated. So far I've just played the ground war (tanks) and haven't delved into the aviation or naval elements. The ground war plays and looks a lot like World of Tanks, but without the horrible balance issues and overall silliness (it's much more historically accurate.) I've played quite a lot of WoT, and I have to say that this is a better game. I think I will try out naval today (or soon), but I think this may also be where I make the jump from civilian flight sims to military combat flight sims. It's got more than enough planes to keep me happy (and good golly, there's a PBY Catalina in the mix!

) Since I'll be jumping in to the more realistic levels for that, I've got some studying to do.

It's a lot to digest, though. It's got a ton of tech trees, research options, and gameplay options that are taking some time to dig through. You can jump in with no problem, but you'll be needing to read/watch a few guides before too long to know how to best use all of the options. It's free, and does suffer from currency overload (I think there are three, if I'm understanding correctly), but I do understand that the free options are more than enough until much later in the tech tree, after which the subscription isn't all that bad (it's about $10/month, or $80/year, which is a fair price to pay for a game if I actually play enough to need the premium bonuses.)

Also, it supports VR, which is always a big plus.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Oct 09, 2021 2:23 pm

After all these years Ive never played their planes or ships. Always tanks. Both arcade and sim type. Love them. Love the shell penetration x-rays.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sat Oct 09, 2021 2:32 pm

War Thunder -- that game that's so good, it's worth committing light treason.

War Thunder fan leaks classified military documents to win an argument about tanks—again

War Thunder is a free-to-play online war game from Gaijin Entertainment. It is a game committed to accuracy, with a mode that goes all-out on realistic vehicle and weapon physics, and a playerbase that is extremely invested in the minutiae of its vehicle simulations.

The War Thunder forums see many arguments about the accuracy or otherwise of particular hardware, and this weekend saw one about the French Leclerc Main Battle Tank and its variants: which at one stage, got down to the exact speed of rotation of the tank's turret. Player __RED_CROSS__ got rather annoyed with a user saying that the turret's rotation speed was 40 degrees a second, among other things, and so decided to try and win the argument by—under the title 'Sekrit Document'—posting portions of the gunner manual for the Leclerc to prove their point (thanks, UK Defence Journal).

This happened on Sunday morning and, doubtless quite pleased with their work, __RED_CROSS__ popped back into the thread several times during the day, saying things like "It took ~11 seconds for the turret to make a complete turn, so 550 mil/s (31°) is indeed correct not 40°. [Leclerc Serie 2] I was in". They further went on to clarify that they were in the Serie 2.3 model, while other fans in the thread reported the documents and argued over whether they were classified or not.

After several hours the material was removed by the moderators, who are now old hands at this sort of thing, before mod JagdEnte wrote: "Guys its not funnny [sic] to leak classified Documents of modern equipment you put the lives of many on stake who work daily with the Vehicles! Keep in Mind that those documents will be deleted immediately alongside sanctions. Thanks for reading!"

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Oct 09, 2021 5:02 pm

I've heard about it the first time around. Pretty crazy stuff.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jun 04, 2022 10:40 am

Max Peck wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2021 2:32 pm War Thunder -- that game that's so good, it's worth committing light treason.

War Thunder fan leaks classified military documents to win an argument about tanks—again

...and again...

...in an attempt to get developers to change some in-game stats a Chinese player posted an image on War Thunder’s forums earlier this week showing classified military documents. While I won’t share it here, it was a photo of some armament schematics (for a round fired by Chinese tanks), with one of the actual parts sitting on top of the paper.

[snip]

The fact that a video game’s forums have become one of the greatest opsec hazards of the modern age, just because some dudes want to argue over a tank’s statistics, is deeply funny.

That aside, War Thunder is really good for a free-to-play game, like World of Tanks/Warships/Planes, but better balanced and smoother in almost every way.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Jun 04, 2022 10:55 am

My online buddy likes the planes but I prefer the tanks.