What station do you play in single player?

[Pulver]

I have yet to make it to multiplayer because I'm trying to improve my skills as a tanker, but I'm curious what position most people play when in single player mode. I would personally prefer to act as TC, but I have major problems spotting tanks when I'm buttoned up. Can an experienced TC help me out on this one?

[Ssnake]

About 50-60% of all people prefer the gunner's place - so there is room for virtual TCs. :)

1) Don't button up.
2) To do that, avoid situations where you have to button up.
3) To do that, stay away from infantry (always a good idea), and from artillery (even better).
4) To stay away from artillery, change your position often (every 90 seconds or so).

If you want to cheat (boo! boooo!), use the external view. Technically speaking, sinde it is available and if the scenario designer didn't block this position, it is not a cheat but a smart use of all the options that the game offers. ;)

[Hell_Hound]

Actually, as Archangel has argued in the past, the F8 view represents a TC's situational awareness better than the F7 does in many cases - wider arc of view, faster scanning (so it seems, anyway) and the Leopard's brobdignagian periscope doesn't get in the way so much. The only way I'd see it as a cheat is that you can enjoy the excellent peripheral vision while still enjoying immunity from small arms fire.

If you feel like searching the old forum archives, I posed this very question in the spring of last year, and many of the multiplayer Gawdz weighed in. If it's slow this afternoon I'll try to find it and post a link.

[Hell_Hound]

What the heck, I'm on lunch.

http://www.steelbeasts.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001513.html

[colin]

I find that I am using the TC more as I become more proficient in the game. The gunner position is good place to start, as you don't get overwhelmed with information. I think that the F8 view helps balance out the lack of senses and peripheral view and is good for backing up. I really like the periscope in the TC Leo.

[9erRed]

Greetings,

Any Tank Commander vetern of some of the past great wars will tell you to always "keep you head down" in the commanders hatch. And this is one of the positions not modeled in SB. ( the episcope views ) They (episcopes) were put there for that very reason, to allow situational awareness without exposing your knoggen. And I believe the newer tanks also alow for the commanders hatch to be locked in the semi-open position and still provide overhead cover. (providing more head room and the view thru the episcopes)

Seems the newer Leo's have a better placement and larger episcopes for that all around view.

Now back to the positions used in the SB Sim. I prefer to travel from bound to bound in the F8 view then shift to the F7 commanders position as I approach the next BP. And as the second last step to jump into the Peri view for "Optics" only view over the berm or crest. When it appears clear or a Tgt is located then switch to the gunners second sight to get "crest clearence" and immediatly jump to the GPS and scan or "Blase" the tgt.

Now that may seem numerious positions to be jumping around to but I find it a smooth transition from outside to the thermal view. This transition keeps the hull and turret below the crest till they are needed. And it allows me the opertunity to see all the ground up to the BP and have an idea which way I'll jocky out of that position for my alternate or advance. Now sometimes for maintaining troop control I'll ride in mostly F8 view as the "hat" control will snap my view left and right to check the flank vehicles. (same as the cmdr's view)

Well just my personal preferences...... 9erRed ..... out

[I2R06]

Excellent post 9erRed, and good advice. Unfortunately I don't have a fancy joy stickto take advantage of all those tricks. In fact, I do most of my SB playing on a laptop. I spend most of my time in the TC position. Its the only way to get the gunner to look at the tank on my right flank at 1000 meters rather than the infantry in the front at 1500 meters. Plus, even though it is my score that determines how good the AI gunners are, the AI gunners are usually faster on the draw than I am. I do drop down to gunner thermals to scan terrain. Its better than the binoculars of the TC. Or if I am pretty sure the threat is all up front and the flanks are fairly secure. Or is there is one tank way in defilade or in the trees the AI gunner can't hit. Gunning is fun, but TC'ing keeps you alive and usually gets you a scenario win.

[Mekhazzio]

I spend at least 9/10ths of the time in the TC's seat, if not more. From there you get the best picture of terrain and visibility from/to your tank, you get the best tools with which to spot enemies (unbuttoned view and binocs), you have the most control over your vehicle, and you can readily check up on your platoon and give them quick-orders via the bottom icons and unbuttoned view.

I see absolutely no use for the external view. The hovering viewpoint is good only for cheating by looking over hills - by offsetting your position from the tank you don't have a good sense of the visibility around you, and the external view greatly limits your control over the vehicle (as it should)

Gunner's station, I see little reason to man. The AI performs competently, and it's not worth inflicting the tunnel vision and lack of situational awareness upon yourself. I only use it for the rare situations the AI gunners have trouble with. If something is truly time-critical, then I'll fire from TC override - it's faster than hopping to the gunner's station anyway. When there's a treeline I want to swipe with the thermals (which is not that often - usually they're visible anyway) then I use the override rather than switching to gunner.

As for spotting tanks - have a feel for where the enemy should be, can be, might be and cannot be, and split your attention between them appropriately. Naturally you should also be maneuvering through the terrain so that you don't reveal large new areas at once, limit it to what you can reliably scan as it's revealed - such as drive around a hill instead of over it. Look for movement, and for artificial contours. Be aware that what you -cannot- see is also as important as what you can. Keep an eye on your platoon and use maneuvering, formation, spacing and terrain so that they're all also using the terrain well and looking where you want them to - more eyes are always better, even when they're algorithmic eyes. And always stay unbuttoned unless you're in immediate fear of your virtual head: even on the Leo with its nice periscope, buttoning up greatly reduces your situational awareness: the 1x unbuttoned view is that good. But mostly, practice makes perfect here, the sixth sense comes with time.

[Sergei]

I spend at least 9/10ths of the time in the TC's seat, if not more...


Really, the best place of SB is to TC in Leo with Peri.
Shooting is nothing - make 100 points on the Tank range and your gunner kill everybody and everything in the shortest time