Just had a game in my GSOR 1008 (Tier 8 UK TD) on World of Tanks that I felt really good about so I wanted to talk about it a bit. If you want to watch the replay, I uploaded it to WOTReplays here: http://wotreplays.eu/site/6079773.
I'll talk you through it a bit.
The countdown
So we're North spawn in a Tier X game. First thing I notice is that there are no light tanks and no arties. We also don't have any super scouty mediums - no Bourrasques or BatChats, and the other team has a Char Futur.
Lot of heavy tanks but I'm already in my premium ammo loadout because of Tier X, so that's fine.
My plan is to take up the usual sniping spot at the head of the middle road (around C4) and see if I can get shots on anything crossing, then probably offer supporting fire from the middle to our guys in the city. Not super optimistic on the early shots because 1) It's going to take me 30 seconds or so just to get loaded, and 2) with no scouty tanks I'm not sure anything will get lit anyhow.
I want to pay particular attention to if their Char or M48 Patton show up, because either of them could decide to go middle road and cause me some problems. I'm not particularly worried about anybody else in the early game.
The opening
I quickly drive to C4, knock over the tree, and try to be as hull-down as possible. I'm a little apprehensive about knocking that tree down, but I doubt any of the enemies could have gotten into position early enough to see it fall. Still, it's a Tier X game and at higher tiers people often blind-fire this spot early because of exactly the play I'm making.
So I'm half-expecting to eat 700 in the face from their T30 at any moment, which is why you see me back down a bit once or twice. As I suspected nothing's getting spotted anyhow.
47 seconds into the battle and their M48 Patton gets spotted. He's in the valley, which is good news for me. Means I don't have to deal with him right now.
Our M48 Patton is probably our best hope for spots, but 1 minute in and he's fallen back to the B line. I see him falling back (and ultimately running) and wonder if he got spotted, and if so by what. At this point not a single red tank has been spotted West of the mountain.
I consider pushing middle road, but I'm bottom tier and don't have an especially good crew or great camo so I decide to hold for the moment. One of the weaknesses in my game is that I tend to be over-aggressive in the early stages in auto-loaders. I end up over-extended and get caught out on reload. So I'm working on that.
The tip-toe
1 minute and 40 seconds in and our guys have cleared the city (nobody was there!) and nothing's been spotted on the middle road, so I decide to push up to the big rock at D4 and see if I can get there unspotted. I also expect our city guys to find the red tanks any moment; though it looks like most of the enemy weight is in the valley.
I get to the rock and pause to see if my sixth sense goes off. It doesn't, so I should be unspotted and just as I'm deciding to move up to the spotting bush at E4, my guys find the enemy Char in the city at H0. He seems to be alone.
I know that if I pull forward on this D4 rock I should have side shots on him, and that I'm outside his spotting range so as long as he doesn't have friends closer to me, I should be able to shoot him unspotted.
Goodbye Char
I pull up and peak around the rock. Initially the Char has pulled forward just a bit and is behind a building to me. I probably should have pulled a bit further forward to get a shot on him, but I was still wary of getting spotted so I played it a little cautiously.
If he was truly 1 (turns out it was 2) vs 5 there he'd fall back (or die) any moment anyhow. Sure enough, he fell back and I got the kill shot. The Pershing got spotted there too, and I was fortunate to get a couple of shots (and a fire) into him as he fled. Miraculously I'm still unspotted.
Pushing the road
With the Char dead and our guys pushing hard out of city on the 0 line I decide to advance. Our guys finished off the Pershing I'd hit and spotted the T30 round around the 2-1/2 minute mark.
Side note - Don't be that guy edition
A few times you'll notice our Concept 1B is drawing stuff on the minimap. I couldn't make out what he was writing, and didn't care. I've never seen anybody write anything useful that way, it's always just inane whining and insults. If you're ever tempted to do that...don't, it makes you look childish and usually just gets you reported.
As I was saying...the T30 got spotted just before the Pershing died. I had one shot left in the magazine and if I'd realized I had a good shot on the T30 I'd have used it. I'd assumed he was down below that berm, but when I checked I actually got a red outline for a moment and could have taken the shot. I finally took it a moment late and missed. My mistake there.
I made a second mistake 20 seconds or so later. The CDA gets spotted at K4 and I decide to wait until I'm reloaded to round the corner. But instead of staying back, unspotted, in E4 a few more seconds, I moved up to the F4 corner, figuring I'd poke around the corner as soon as I was loaded. But...
1) I'm now far enough forward that the T30 spots me, spoiling any element of surprise I might have had, and 2) I'd completely forgotten that there's a little hill at G4 so when I push around the F4 corner...I still don't have a shot on the CDA yet. I should have either stayed back at E4 a few more seconds, safely out of view range, or just pushed all the way up and waited below the G4 hill. Where I was, ended up being a bit of a no-mans-land.
Clipping the triangles
When I did finally push over the G4 hill the CDA was nearly dead, but their STRV 103-0 had appeared next to him. Juicy HP pile and a valuable Tier IX opponent to take out. I managed to get all four shots from the clip into him and get the kill.
The UDES showed up in K4 right about that time but I was now on reload and I'd been watching the minimap; our guys had lost valley and it was time to go back for a base defense. I figured the UDES would be dead long before I reloaded, and I was right.
Time to flex
I really don't like to play very slow tanks because I can't flex around the map and react to situations. The GSOR 1008 can shift a little (and I also have a turbo on it) so I feel like I do have the opportunity to relocate and flank when needed. Just after the 4 minute mark I've seen that I'm going to need to get back and help at base.
(Besides, I know that pushing into the south spawn can be dangerous, they've got at least 3 heavies and maybe a JPZ that could be hull down in good defensive positions and I don't want to brawl those guys if I can help it.)
As I was coming back around the north side of the mountain at our cap I was just hoping that our M48 Patton could stay alive long enough for me to catch the enemy HTs by surprise...and sure enough he did.
I came around the corner to find that I had the ass of both the PZK VII and the Obj 777 II.
I made a small mistake here in that I pushed out further than I had to. Ultimately probably didn't matter, but I should have peeked, rather than exposing quite so much of myself.
I had to make a target choice - which one should I shoot. The PZK is a Tier X tank, and a more immediate threat to my M48 Patton. Also if I shot him, it's POSSIBLE the Obj 777 wouldn't even realize I was back here. So I might get my clip out for free.
However...that's a harder shot because the 777 was in the way, and I wasn't going to be able to kill him. The 777 was easier, and if I high-rolled I had a chance to put him down with one clip. So I took the 777. Unfortunately I rushed my last shot and bounced it.
Jabaited...
As I turned to run I noticed that our JPZ was coming up the middle road and I had an idea. The 777 seemed to be coming after me, and if I could get back around the mountain to the middle road alive I could possibly lure the 777 right into my JPZ.
As I turn to run I get in tight to the mountain. That's to try and keep the 777 from getting an angle to hit me with a second shot. Of course I want him to see where I went and that I was fleeing in terror (and on reload).
Sure enough, he came around the corner and...
 |
| Say hello to my little friend |
...immediately regretted his life choices.
A good trade
As expected, while we dealt with the 777, the PZK killed our M48, followed the 777, and got on cap. I pushed around the corner to get the reset and I ended up eating a shot from him for 532. Ultimately that was still a good trade since I put 3 out of 4 shots into him for 975. The JPZ finished him while I was reloading.
The grand finale
Finally...we were up 11 - 10, and about +400HP. Still a pretty close game. Myself, our TNH and our JPZ were pushing into the valley from the North, while our 53TP and Object 263 were hunkered down on the K line putting shots into their cap from the East. Their whole crew was turtled up around their cap.
I was only a 1-shot, but I knew I had good gun depression and that I might be able to do some valuable spotting. I should add that I don't play valley on Lakeville very often so I'm not that familiar with the specifics of the terrain. But I know that there's a bit of a perch around E1 that I think will give me a good vantage point into their cap area, AND there might be some bush cover there too.
Our JPZ and TNH took the East side of the valley, so I took the West. I like to take different angles both to give enemies a harder time to shoot/angle their armor, but also for spotting to give each of us a slightly different view angle. Sometimes a tank that is behind soft cover for one tank, is visible to another tank even just 50 meters to one side or the other.
As I was getting into position their TNH surprised me a bit by pushing up to the rise. I was obscured by the rocks but I was afraid he'd ruin my surprise by proxying me. Luckily he didn't, but it must have just been by inches.
Being unfamiliar with the perch it was awkward for me to get into the position, but once I did I found I had nice vision and decent shots on the enemies. Couldn't do much with their JPZ frontally and unfortunately when our TNH got him to turn sideways I was on reload and couldn't take advantage. Fortunately our JPZ could.
Finally it was just the 50 100. I'd already put 3 shots into him and he was just a one shot. I just had to wait to reload....
I put a "gg" in the chat as the last seconds of my reload ticked away and "click". Victory.
Fun game, felt pretty good about how I played it.
GLHF!
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