To clarify a few things:
I’ve marked everything related only to light tanks in blue and everything related only to TDs in green. I think this makes it easier to keep track of which type of tank I’m referring to.
Of course, you can still use light tanks and tank destroyers. But in the past, tanks had their own, more separate roles. Today, there are attempts to squeeze all tank classes into an environment that used to be the playgrounds of primarily medium and heavy tanks.
While today light tanks are primarily characterized by the scouting feature and reconnaissance drones, in the past, it was way more about mobility and the possibilities that came with it that distinguished them.
This is no surpirse; the game design used to reward mobility much more. As already described in the original post, the map design provided more tactical options for many light tanks. On top of that, the scouting and drone features often take away light tanks’ most important weapon: remaining unnoticed. So even players who think today’s maps are better or just as good have to admit that the scouting feature represents a major disruption to the tactical gameplay of light tanks, although, paradoxically, they are the ones who primarily have access to this feature.
So like that Scouting replaces the original role of light tanks, which is increasingly diminishing. On top of that that’s not even an adequate replacement, but that’s a completely different story.
Today’s game design essentially forces you into urban warfare. If your team is too weak and the enemy gains the upper hand, you often lose control, having to take on multiple enemies in close combat at once.
In the past, you could influence such developments in a battle much more effectively by playing good positional games with the right tank or attacking the enemy from behind with a fast tank.
On many of today’s maps, once the enemy has gained the upper hand, you can no longer maneuver as well with a fast tank and can no longer disrupt the enemy.
A casemate tank, for example, is also much more vulnerable in today’s War Thunder if the enemy gains the upper hand.
No matter where you position your Jagdtiger in Sweden, for example, the point at which you lose control inevitably comes very quickly when your team collapses.
In most battles, you quickly reach the point where you can no longer get your foot in the door.
I’m convinced this lack of control and hopelessness is what frustrates many players and causes them to avoid respawning.
If you take a look at the leaderboards, you’ll see that it’s primarily non-premium players who leave the battle early. I’m not here to defend the premium tank policy, but it often serves as a distraction from a much deeper problem.