Hello everyone,
so, this is it. After months and months of waiting, another patch with new vehicles is finally here. In the immortal words of Tychus Findlay: “Hell, it’s about time!”
The best part of course is WHAT new vehicles are we getting, but I’ll get to that. First things first.
The installation of the patch was uneventful and the server wasn’t even overloaded with players (that will come tomorrow I suspect), so I got on straight away. No problem. After logging on, one interesting thing immediately caught my eye: there is a small tutorial screen, explaining the new garage interface. Rather practical I’d say. No worries though, the interface is relatively intuitive, although I did have to look around once or twice. Old habits die hard and when you get used to click on one place for years… well, you’ll see. This is how the interface looks:
Well, I wasted no time and got straight into testing the new vehicles. I even made some videos, but that will come tomorrow, in feedback part 2 (takes a while to edit), so words first. The new vehicles I tested are:
- Chaffee, T37, M41, T49
- LTTB, T-54 Lightweight
- RU251
- KV-85, KV-1S
The complete list of changes in the test patch can be found here (including list of vehicle changes, which is good). Detailed vehicle info (numbers) can be found here:
- light tanks
- KV-1S, KV-85, T-34-85M
You have seen that already, so I’ll move straight to impressions. This is how the trees now look in 9.3:
Testing the light tanks on test server is pretty difficult, for obvious reasons – everyone else is playing a light tank as well, so you don’t really get to do much “scouting” – you spend your time fighting most of the time. Naturally, this is good to test the combat capabilities of the vehicle, but recon… not so much. Still, did my best. My “experience” with light tanks is not extensive, but consists of reasonable amount of battles with the old Chaffee. I tested the AMX-13/90 to get in “the mood” as well. Anyway, this is how an average battle looks right now:
Notice one thing: the name of the T-54 “Lightweight” is way too long. I am quite sure this is a bug and will be fixed eventually.
M24 Chaffee
The new Chaffee is awesome. Sure, they nerfed accuracy and whatnot, but now it’s lower, sleeker and fast as hell. I am seriously considering keeping that vehicle. The old Chaffee we have now has (apart from the atrocious oldschool MM) this feeling as if you are artificially slowed down by its maximum speed. With the speed buff up to 70 km/h, the new Chaffee snaps the speed very, very fast. The gun is sufficient for its tier – fighting a horde of enemy light tanks, you will not have any trouble defeating for example a LTTB – if you get to circle around it (and he is stupid enough to let you). In elite state the vehicle is extremely nimble and is pretty much everything you would expect with a light tank. It is my impression that its camouflage got somewhat buffed, because I managed to stay hidden even during some really close encounters. After a couple of battles, I was not really able to determine any major flaws – sure, it’s a light tank, so you won’t be eating enemy mediums for breakfast, but circling with it around the enemies is very easy and I generally really liked it.
Rating: 8/10
T37 Light Tank
The T37 is the new tier 6 light tank. Personally, I do not like it much. It’s somewhat less maneuverable than the Chaffee and feels… I don’t know, sluggish. It’s equipped with an assortment of 76mm guns and while they are not terrible, they are certainly not the most captivating weapon set out there. The tank is… I don’t know… okay. Not very likeable. It has one nasty feature – it is very tall and I had problems staying hidden with it (of course, not a problem when you are fighting a team consisting entirely of light tanks – chances are they will spot you earlier than the average team on live server), but compared to the Chaffee, it felt like a downgrade. Overall, it plays like current 9.2 tier 5 Chaffee, just with less meneuverability. The gun depression is quite good too, you’ll be able to hold your own. But… something’s missing.
Rating: 6/10
M41 Walker Bulldog
Walker Bulldog is INSANE. It’s absolutely awesome and it’s a complete pleasure to drive. I guess it comes from the combination of the old American comfort, good firepower and awesome mobility. This tank is FAST. And I mean FAST – and nimble too. It feels superior to the AMX-13 in practically every aspect (save maybe for the size, it’s quite large for a light tank). The gun is also 76mm, but with its decent penetration and soft stats, it does its job well. The autoloader gun, although inferior in aimtime and accuracy, has an awesome cycle time and you’ll chew up any light (or lighter medium) tank you’ll meet. Actually, I do think this vehicle is a bit overpowered. Maybe more than just a bit, that autoloader gun definitely needs to be toned down a bit, perhaps by losing two shells in the clip or something.
The vehicle has a very good view range and I really enjoyed trying to scout with it, but, as can be expected, it’s fragile – in fact, I think it’s even more fragile than the AMX due to its size, but the maneuverability is good enough to get you out of trouble – or in it, if you are so inclined. I must say that unless they nerf it to the ground, I definitely will be getting this tank. Eventually.
Rating: 9/10
T49
Well… we waited for it and here it is. The T49 – or perhaps should I say the XM551 Test Bed (because the elite configuration has historically practically nothing to do with the T49 at all). Aaaaaaaaaaand….
Yea, you guessed right. It’s sort of a disappointment. This is how the reload screen looks:
And this is what equipment can it use:
The vehicle itself has two major flaws. First, it’s sluggish. Really sluggish, considering it’s a tier 8 light tank with practically no armor – it is literally a one trick pony, depending with its performance on the ability to remain hidden and its massive 152mm gun – two traits that do not go together well.
As I wrote, the tank does not really move well, so it’s likely pre-destined to be some sort of passive scout. Its camouflage, from what I tested a little is okay, it works, but again – the gun is a problem. The blast demasks you completely – if you fire, a half blind artillery on the other end of the map with its entire crew dead will see you. It’s really bad, basically in hightier matches, you will be reduced to pure scouting (or scout killing). I wrote the other thing intentionally, because this vehicle does kill other scouts rather well. It has a lot to do with the fact that you can reduce a tier 8 light tank to 20 percent (or in extreme cases, oneshot him) with one shell. The gun is terribly inaccurate and you won’t be doing any sniping with it (hopefully), but if you position yourself well to intercept any incoming scouts and manage to catch the speed (remember, sluggish vehicle), you’ll eat him for breakfast.
What I noticed is the tendency of enemies to somewhat ignore this little tank in matches, that were not full of enemy scouts. Basically, their scout tries to reach arty at all costs, you pursue him, fire off that massive gun and if you are close, you hit him, reducing him to 20-30 percent (plus some juicy crits of course). At that point he will realize he’s fucked and he will turn on you, but it’s too late, unless you miss, he’s toast.
The gun however is quite unpredictable. I had a match where I missed a RU251 twice in a row at like 20 meters (naturally, after such “performance”, he killed me). I think this vehicle will find its niche in killing scouts and dagger thrusts towards enemy artillery (again, in one match, the T49 managed to knock down 2 artillery vehicles before it was killed by a suicide rush), but against hightier vehicles, it will be sort of pointless (the HEAT penetration is insufficient against anything of tier 8 and above – if you hit (big IF!), it will bounce). The 90mm gun without gold ammo seems utterly pointless. With gold ammo, it’s a killer, but it’s expensive to operate and few people will do that I think. Definitely a gold eater.
Rating: 6/10
To be continued…
How could you get in a game? It all just breaks for me :(
same :(
How?
well i click battle it ticks for about 7 seconds and just stops, so i clicked exit battle, then it just freezes with the “exiting” load screen, reload the game and anything i try to do it says: “Error joining the battle: you have already joined the team.” and the selected tank says its in battle for 15 minutes but after those 15 minutes it still brings up that error message :(
It happened to my too but just once
Empty cache.
Guys dont realize this game has issues from patch to patch and often wires get cross with cache as many guys copy there wot directory for test.
Always clear your cache and 99% of bugs go away.
This is what happened to me too but with different lengths of time and when it freezes it kicks me out after about 2 mins and says: “Error joining the battle: you have already joined the team.” and I can’t join any type of battle or do a random battle with the tank that I last had in the queue “In Battle”
Got massive packet loss in my 3 battles and now it won’t let me enter a new battle, according to the general&eu chat a lot of players seem to have this problem, if not all.
(I can’t into russian…)
I assume it’s due to lots of people still downloading.
doubt it, I think its the game servers not the ones you download the game from
Why doesn’t the 90mm on T49 have AP rounds?
Because that’s how the Americans designed the gun
Because it was originally designed as a smoothbore gun (90mm T132). When they realized it sucked as a smoothbore, they added shallow rifling to it, making it a “semi-smoothbore” (90mm T132E3).
It had 3 rounds. T91 HE, T142E3 HEP (High Explosive Plastic. US version of HESH), and T108E45 HEAT.
I don’t know about the HEP penetration, but the HEAT penetration should be about 100mm higher than it actually is.
Too bad, I thought it would have a regular 90mm with AP :(
It was originally supposed to have access to the 90mm M41 that’s the stock gun on the M48 Patton.
I don’t know why that got yanked. That would’ve made it a reliable damage dealer instead of a gimmicky one-trick pony.
I know im pissed as well. But I think it would just be another Ru251
I agree the 90mm M41 would be very useful, and give the T49 some much needed flexibility.
T49 looks so sexeh…I don’t care how bad it is.I must have it.
It’s really fun to ride, definitely try it.
Darnit ! the T49 seems mehh , but the walker bulldog looks like a gem
It’s so completely idiotic and pointless…
And I love it :’D
Awesome feedback, I can’t download or play the test on my mobile connexion, so I’ll be looking up your articles. :) It’s nice to hear that Chaffee didn’t feel the nerf too bad. Great work as always on important details.
T49 desperately needs HEAT pen increase. I’ve just had a battle with 4 T49s vs one ST-I. Nobody could pen that big sucker and those f*cking HEs didnt do more than 300. Pathetic
dude, your lucky its not a gold option to fire HEAT…
HEAT pen increase? are you insane?
the old VK 28 was considered op with 150 Heat-pen in Tier 10 with a 105mm gun >_>
great feedback article Silent, really appreciate the screenies! Good job.
For me only sweet spots are the Walker Bulldog and RU251. Others seem pointless for me. Still seems like a promising patch though.
T-49 still seems a bit promising to me depending on application. Think it will be quite good at smacking Waffentragers, as well as a good tank for flanking TD’s and shooting them in their soft sides. The other lights seem a lot more multi purpose though.
M41 walker bulldog is overpowered as all hell with the autoloader, basically makes the T71 completely irrelevant, 10 round clip, i mean what the hell are they thinking with this gun. just remove the autoloader all together, its fine with the regular gun.
T49 seems to be balanced, ill definitely get it simply because KV-2 like playstyle, just that its actually got mobility (acceleration is sluggish but it still gets to its top speed) and a small size
T71 is not irrelevant IMO. Its smaller than M41WB and has a bit better camo. Also better reload.The speed and agility is pretty much the same.
There is a bit of power creep in the form of M41 threatening T71, but it’s not that bad. We will see if WG nerfs it to the ground or they will leave it OP for a patch or two.
Says a lot about the poor AMX 13 75 n_n
T71 might not be irrelevant. 13 75 is, on the other hand, gone for good. It was already completely outclassed by the T71. Now it feels like it’s one tier lower.
The autoloader isn’t even the best gun.
Sustained DPM with the elited gun is way, way higher.
Yeah i think people are going the wrong way with the T49. It is not a slow scout, but a quick and nimble KV-2, which is HORRIFYING to all tanks in all tiers. Basically a high tier derp gun that can find its way to enemy backsides.
I actually do like tanks that are not super duper mega impressive.
Anyway my question for the T49 is: Is the 90mm a gun that can penetrate targets; definitely on weakspots, such as not the front of an enemy tank (never used Hesh before but it seems exciting to use; maybe with more caution and “thinking” about when you fire, maybe.. perhaps?) I want a gun that “just” does its job and I am willing to use not just the conventional ap standart round (diversity is good (: ).
And according to the link that leads to the “light tanks”-sum up I don’t think that I can’t penetrate some rears.
Or am I totally wrong? (could be, I wouldn’t e surprised :D)
Also I’m afraid the gin could be forgotten (ya know because it is not a 12,8 cm 44 L/55 paired with bl-10 damage and E-50 accuracy aaand with an autoloader [seems that some poeple like those things]….. and not the “top-gun”).
_
I often wonder how it would be if *more* tanks had loadouts that give the respective tank alternatives and variation for personal preference (just like I hope it for the T49) or even a whole other role. I for example like for some reason to play my T-34-85 with the 122mm HE gun; I somehow feel more confident with it (with luck it oneshots hellcats :D)
Sooo what d’ya think? :D
Yes, I thought we were going to get variation with the T49, a real choice between the 152mm or a decent 90mm (like the 90mm M41 would have been). But it seems that’s not the case. It’s a shame because it’s an approach I really wish WG would start to take more. More choice is good.
As for the HESH rounds on the stock gun, well HESH is just high pen HE. It doesn’t overmatch, it doesn’t get normalisation, and it gets utterly boned by tracks and spaced armour. Having said that, with 100mm of pen you will reliably get through light tanks and bat chats with it. The sides of American tanks will be fine as well – as long as you avoid the tracks. You will be able to get through most things in the arse too, excepting German tanks of course. Top Ruskie heavies might be hard too.
It will have incredible DPM with the HESH though, that’s worth bearing in mind. But will be very hard to use.
Biggest thing they need to do with the T49 is buff the traverse and the terrain resistance because, like SS said, it’s too sluggish. It’s very quick and get achieve top speed easily but sheds a lot of kph when turning, even on flat ground. Then it could also use minor (MINOR) buffs to the soft stats of the gun. Despite it being a 152 derp, it’s just too inaccurate. reload is fine but the accuracy and even the aim time need to be slightly buffed. Though the main thing is the sluggishness, they could leave the gun alone and just buff the agility and it’d be fine.
where is the other 90mm gun for the t49?
The 90mm M41 was pulled out of Supertest. Dunno why, if they’re going to make the T49 a mashup of various projects that put bigger guns on the M41 WB then they might as well include the 1958 proposal to mount the Patton’s M41 on it
I found the T49 to be an awesome tank,so far.I don’t even bother with scouting most of the times.Just flank with it,let the big guys engage each other and then pop up,fire one shell and fall back.So far my experience is that the T49 is the most fun tier 8 light.
Haha yea i tried to flank a T-54 light. Was behind him 20m away. Got him in the aim circle, shot, miss. Then i got send to the garage by him. xD
What equipment are you running? I assume for combat focus you’d want to minimize aimtime and RL. Vertical Stabilizer, Vents, Rammer, GLD would be the best options, so which 3 works out best?
First I went with rammer/GLD/vert. stab. because the aim time is the biggest problem with this tank. Now I try rammer/vert.stab./optics.
I have to know why is the M24 Chaffee going to get a Un-historical gun depression nerf? It has a realistic -10 degrees and on our Retarded patch notes it said -7 degrees! Why WG. Taking one of the main feature of this tank?
Depression is actually -10 to the front and rear, and -7.8 to the left-rear and right-rear (because of the exhaust I think?). So you still have -10.
I hope it’s the way you stated:/ and not a hidden super nerf …
“With gold ammo, it’s a killer, but it’s expensive to operate and few people will do that I think. Definitely a gold eater.”
So, it’s pretty much a Tier 8 Chaffee?
More like a tier 8 VK3601 with the Konish.
The semi-smoothbore is now what the Konish used to be. A gun that was useless with anything but gold ammo.
IS it just me, or is the RU 251 really underachieving?
Lacking in gun-depression (and i mean really!!!)
67km/h top speed (at least for me)
top radio is a joke with increased weight…
no armor (well i could see that coming)
41 shells only
what is the purpose of this tank?
is it a sniper-scout?
you know with all these mapchanges, snipers are sure to be good… >_>
ok i tested it further, the gun-depression on the sides are actually better…
but i don’t drive my tank sideways when going uphill unfortunately :/
lacking gun depression? wtf, -10 degrees isnt fucking good enough for you? :D
if you ever played Leopard PTA/ Leo1, you know exactly what to do with this tank. If you havent, well dont even bother with it, you will probably suck in it anyway :)
front is not -10… and yes i played both pta and leo 1, so i was relieved when the leo 1 got more gun depression, because it made the tank more fun to play :)
So you suggest it’s a nimble-sniper, soooo… you wanna play himmelsdorf with it? :3
You know… the map described as: “[...] but ideal for speedy breakthrough and bypass by medium and light tanks.”?
Want a sniper? give it 212 pen like the indien and i am happy…
front is not -10 but its not actually to turn that tank 30 degrees sideways, since you got no armor anywhere, hence it doesnt matter how you go to the hill (E50 players will know). Well its played exactly like Leo PTA, but you simply trade its hitpoints, pen and alpha for great topspeed and DPM. Take it or leave it, I for one cannot wait for this tank.
And you cannot take seriously the WG map description, I thought thats pretty obvious :)
Not saying its a pure sniper, but it will do greatly as a passive scout in the first phases of the battle and then its gonna be a deadly 1v1 killer thanks to its maneuverability and DPM.
And to be fair, Himmelsdorf is bad for almost any non autoloading light tank :)
Yeah you are probably right… but it does not feel “good” to play, if you know what i mean…
This feeling of always fighting your tank when you try to shoot someone when facing forward… it just does not feel right to me :(
on the map description: yeah… WG must have been puffing something that day x)
maybe because i waited so long for this tank my expectation were too high…
i cry abit inside, when i see the us lights ;_;
underachieving?
t10 dpm, good gun stats, t10 pen with gold and very nimble.
Very nice feedback SS. Totally agreed with you. And yea that Walker Bulldog with the autoloader is a must get for me too xD it’s awesome! i hope they wont nerf it badly.
That is how your MMs look like? Let me show you my first battle mate ;)
http://imgur.com/IhYfRxI
really pleased by those lights. My top 5:
- T49: 152mm is great for long impact in a battle. The 90mm isn’t useless with cred rounds like you could think. In fact it will find his place in team battle/stronghold/TC as an amazingly reliable 50 100/light tanks hunter. And with a 8 ppl game you can easily find a way to reach the enemy ass. A 320 hit from a light at long range isn’t pleasant.
- Bulldog: At first glance i wasn’t happy. Mobility is good but not awesome, last gun isn’t really special. But in fact it take all his might with the clip mag gun. Just circled an obj 430 near death. He wasn’t able to turn as fast as i was and then i escape.
-LTTB: Nimble, fast, great gun, well armored. I like. Remind me the T502.
RU251: Oh my god, what a concentrate of violence in this tank. x_X
that was four, actually :p
Was tired. X_X
While I’m glad that we finally have the T37 ingame, it kind of irritates me even more that we don’t have T42 yet. Even tho all of it’s components are in the game in every conceivable way except as pieced together as T42..
This test server sucks, if you are not interested in the new light tanks it completely sucks. I got one shooted while i was driving the St.Emil. And also, (as usual), idiots shooting HESH with the FV128b(183). I cant understand how people can “test” those light tanks in matches with 20 t49. Guys, in the true servers everybody will wreck you with their big tanks…. think about it
why would you EVER want to play Sturer Emil on the test server??
So basically you are saying everybody should play “normal” tanks, so you can have your testing in the lights? Kinda selfish Id say.
“if you are not interested in the new light tanks it completely sucks”.
I’m not interested in playing the new light tanks, i ve already grinded the wz-132 and the amx-13 75. I wanted to play the St.Emil because it has a particular playstyle and i wanted to try it before the grind, even if i’m not (Now i ll be a liar) interested in the WT E-100. I meant that in the normal servers THERE WONT BE 10 LIGHT TANKS FOR EACH MATCH!!!
I…I think I saw you…
Ammo racked by a derp T49.
Quick question, why does it suck?
It’s a test server to test globally the tanks that are going to be patched it. This time it’s lights.
You could say previous test server also sucked because there wasn’t the precise tanks you wanted…
Also, you “test” those tanks’ speed, agility, rate of fire, etc…
You don’t test their influence on a battle on the test server, you test their individual performance.
i’m loving the lights even thou i’m not bigest light tank player(i do have t71 and amx1390)..anyway i love lttb i think it is amazing tank,buldog is definetly fun with autoloader and t49 is accurate(enough) for me on mid to close ranges but it definetly needs some practice cuz aimtime and acc.is just ughh..german is so so..overall definatly fun patch..i don’t now about u guys but when i put the camo on muricans it feels all smuged some how.i don’t now i guess they will fix it..
What really has me perplexed about the T49 is it’s acceleration and passibility. Of all the tier 8 light tanks, it has the second best power to weight ratio. As equipped and personally tested the number look like this (best to worst P/W ratios);
1.) RU251- 0.04115 t/per-hp
2.) T49- 0.04249 t/per-hp
3.) AMX 13 90- 0.04314 t/per-hp
4.) T-54 lightweight- 0.0442 t/per-hp
5.) WZ-132- 0.04732 t/per-hp
I understand that power to weight ratio isn’t the only determining factor, but this seems very skewed.
As far as solutions go, I would rather see them add the 90mm M41 gun and keep the mobility the same. That way it would be differentiated from the RU251 and be more effective in the role of a passive scout. If they are going to buff the mobility then they are going down the path of the T-50-2. Clown car mobility with that gun would be a troll fest.
I am anxious to see how (or if) they buff it in subsequent testing.
Who the hell uses t/hp? Can you rework the numbers with hp/t please?
It is commonly used in aircraft engineering (of which I went to school for) so it is my default way of thinking about comparing vehicle performance. To be technically correct I should have used it’s proper technical name which is “power loading ratio”. This calculation tells you how much weight, each unit of power has to move.
I will rework the numbers for you tomorrow.
Just take the reciprocal (1/x in Win calc):
1.) RU251 – 24.30 hp/t
2.) T49 – 23.53 hp/t
3.) AMX 13 90 – 23.18 hp/t
4.) T-54 lightweight – 22.62 hp/t
5.) WZ-132 – 21.13 hp/t
These numbers don’t seem quite accurate, I guess this guy has fully equipped tanks.
As far as turning ability goes, remember higher top to stock P:W ratio improves turning (listed turning on both tracks is for stock P:W; tracks always weigh the same).
Anybody tried the new M5?
So, how much XP is needed to research Chaffee now? Did that change, or is it still 50 something k xp ?
What about garage ? Does it still lag and consume so much memory ?
1.) RU251 – 24.30 hp/t
2.) T49 – 23.53 hp/t
3.) AMX 13 90 – 23.18 hp/t
4.) T-54 lightweight – 22.62 hp/t
5.) WZ-132 – 21.13 hp/t
—> because of the hidden Stats, sadly this numbers are useless. If you factor in terrainres. from tankinspector, you get very different numbers (medium terrain):
1.) WZ-132 – (21.13 hp/t) – 37.2
2.) RU251 – (23.53 hp/t) – 28.5
3.) AMX 13 90 – (23.18 hp/t) – 27.2
4.) T-54 lightweight – (22.62 hp/t) – 26.5
5.) T49 – (24.30 hp/t) – 25.4
But to be honest, I guess, there are even more hidden stats, like an accel.curve or something to consider, but at least its better than just hp/t.
Off topic: I found interesting picture of some tank icons of tanks that arent in the game so if you want check it out
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9vGwz3gA0ko/UXeSKAdctbI/AAAAAAAAAOw/xDNwgEaKR-M/s1600/world+of+tanks+supertest+icons.jpg
I know its not new for everyone but for some it is :)
Some of them are interesting, for example british stuarts, derp hellcat or E10
Pingback: 9.3 – First Feedback (Part 2: RU251, LTTB, T-54L, KV-1S, KV-85) | For the Record
It’s me or the T71, considered as UP scout is completely outclassed by the new Tier 7 in every aspect except for camo?
Same view range, much more speed, even more manoeuvrable and a 10 rounds autoloader with better aim time. :/
I played the T49, and i LOVE IT!! If you can handle the mobility, its okay! Im born in heavies so this really means big mobility. And the gun… wow. One game i did 1024 dmg to a T110E4′s rear and set a STB-1 on fire dealing 1200 dmg total… This thing is unbalanced, but FUN
SS, there is a bug on Walker Buldog research tree – and it’s on screenshot even: one of the guns is supposed to be an autoloader, but there is an autoloader icon missing.
T49 is … hard to like, at least for me. Derp gun is too … derpy, i have troubles to hit anything, even in standstill and aiming but one time i was really lucky to hit WT E100 and do 1k dmg. So T49 after 20 battles is no go for me.
Think I might grind the bulldog. Looks decently dangerous.
Poor AMX 13 75, though. As if the T71 wasn’t completely superior, now we get this.
They said in the patch notes they were fixing the crashing in nvidia cards but now the game just crashes faster