11-16-2015, 06:36 PM
TBH, the main weakness of armour is that none of us knows very well how to handle it. A tank usually doesn't explode because it never gets hit in the first place. A good tank crew will make sure that the vehicle survives.
The problem is that, more than often, we play with a skeleton armour crew. I do firmly believe that you need all the positions (not the loader in Arma obviously) in a tank - gunner, driver, and commander.
The commander is very important, both for situational awareness as well as for the tank's safety. The smoke screen can only be triggered by the commander, WHILE in the commander position.
The driver needs to know about positioning. Obviously if you drive on top of a hill it is easy to engage you. A good driver will know how far he can go.
Just like helicopters, tank driver requires a lot of coordination, and there is a reason tank crews usually stay in the same tank all the time.
One of the major problems I always see when in a tank with three men is lack of coordination, discipline, and communication.
Coordination: For the driver with his extremely limited view, saying "Go to that waypoint" is not enough. The commander must say "turn heading xxx and go forward", otherwise it doesn't work. "Follow that tank" works mostly, but even holding a formation is something that the driver will likely not manage without input from the commander.
Likewise, the gunner needs to be told about target. Usually, that is the call of the commander to make. If the commander says "Engage SPAA at 80 degrees", unless there is something pointing a barrel directly at you, you follow the commander's order. Some gunners however, have the same trouble following that order has some infantrymen have to follow the order "disengage".
Finally, the commander needs to get input from the other stations.
Discipline: If the commander says "observe this position", then the gunner observes this position. Simple commands like "full turn right" to the driver require the driver to make the math in his head and do the turn, and he needs to realize that a full turn right is 90 degrees.
Communication: We have some members that are obviously more talkative than others. That's a fact, and nothing changes that. However, if you are the quiet type, don't go for the tank, or go for something like the driver that usually doesn't give a lot of feedback. But when I play in a tank and my gunner doesn't say anything when he sees a target, that spells instant disaster.
So bottom line is, we're not using tanks effectively because we don't know how.
The problem is that, more than often, we play with a skeleton armour crew. I do firmly believe that you need all the positions (not the loader in Arma obviously) in a tank - gunner, driver, and commander.
The commander is very important, both for situational awareness as well as for the tank's safety. The smoke screen can only be triggered by the commander, WHILE in the commander position.
The driver needs to know about positioning. Obviously if you drive on top of a hill it is easy to engage you. A good driver will know how far he can go.
Just like helicopters, tank driver requires a lot of coordination, and there is a reason tank crews usually stay in the same tank all the time.
One of the major problems I always see when in a tank with three men is lack of coordination, discipline, and communication.
Coordination: For the driver with his extremely limited view, saying "Go to that waypoint" is not enough. The commander must say "turn heading xxx and go forward", otherwise it doesn't work. "Follow that tank" works mostly, but even holding a formation is something that the driver will likely not manage without input from the commander.
Likewise, the gunner needs to be told about target. Usually, that is the call of the commander to make. If the commander says "Engage SPAA at 80 degrees", unless there is something pointing a barrel directly at you, you follow the commander's order. Some gunners however, have the same trouble following that order has some infantrymen have to follow the order "disengage".
Finally, the commander needs to get input from the other stations.
Discipline: If the commander says "observe this position", then the gunner observes this position. Simple commands like "full turn right" to the driver require the driver to make the math in his head and do the turn, and he needs to realize that a full turn right is 90 degrees.
Communication: We have some members that are obviously more talkative than others. That's a fact, and nothing changes that. However, if you are the quiet type, don't go for the tank, or go for something like the driver that usually doesn't give a lot of feedback. But when I play in a tank and my gunner doesn't say anything when he sees a target, that spells instant disaster.
So bottom line is, we're not using tanks effectively because we don't know how.
I don't need luck, I have ammo.