War Thunder tends to be a realistic game. However, the maps do not offer a lot of vegetation in which you can hide your vehicle. At least it’s not a feature that’s really exploited. What would you think of a map with one or more wheat fields in which you could hide? Of course, if you hide in it, you’re not supposed to see, which is why the camera angle would need to be adjusted in this situation, so that you can’t spot tanks that are not in the field, that would be too easy. I imagine the camera being positioned on the commander’s hatch, as in simulation mode. You hide, but you don’t see.
Or maybe swamps where you could hide your vehicle down below tall grass heaps.
I would personally like to see that: I imagine setting up ambushes, coming face to face with an enemy by surprise, hiding your SPAA.
In any case, I think there’s something to explore on this point. And I also think that the maps are underused in their layout and balancing, but they often lack features and I feel that they weren’t designed to be fun to play.
Also, maybe unpopular opinion : large maps aren’t fun. At least vast open fields map. It is a shoot range and not fun at all. Large map with points of interest (building and things like that).
The new Large Tunisia map is AWFUL oh my god, so boring, so large, can’t encounter ennemis and when it happens they are 2000m away hull down. That’s not fun. Maps should have a good mix of close, mid and large range imo. I don’t want to be stuck behind and hill hull down dumping all my rounds on a tank 2000m away and can’t damage it without any opportunity to escape in a practical and fun way
I do. I often see how people tend to forget that tanks can only shot in one direction but still run in a straight direct line to the enemy.
I often flank on those wide open maps because people always look to the main spots and don’t care for small light tanks. And this is where my fun begins. It doesn’t work all the time but often.
Given War Thunder’s gameplay revolving around one shot, one kill, thus handing a massive advantage to the player who fires first, making concealment as everpresent and effective as you suggest would lead to massive issues when it comes to pushing.
Simply put, if an enemy is in reasonable concealment, the first chance you have to determine he’s there is when he’s fired the shot that’s going to kill you. Even if you somehow know he’s there, you then have to try and dig him out, which involves a mostly blind, painstaking push into an enemy who will hear you coming and can simply idle with his engine off until you blunder into his sights.
No-one is going to want to push out of said concealment ever, which is going to lead to exceptionally static games.
There’s also the problem of wallhacks and ESP programs, which are already a nuisance, but would become infinitely moreso if concealment were a major feature. Imagine concealment being a crucial game mechanic, and yet having it completely denied to you because of a single player on the enemy team.
Do you see this more in toptier as a problem or also in lower ranks? I’m asking because my max BR is 7.7 and I’m not really hot for going beyond that because most matches feel almost fine below 7.7.
Yeah building a decent lineup is hard those days. That is the reason why I got always one tank for every map and work hard on my survival time to not loose the tank early. Lower tiers are more forgiving at this moment. I just switched to rank 2 yesteray to find some joy in GRB again.
It’s arguably a problem for both above and below for different reasons.
Below 7.7, most tanks lack stabilizers, meaning an even bigger advatange for the person who spots his target first. Even if you happen to spot the concealed player when he pushes out to get LoS to kill you, you won’t be able to react in time.
But above 7.7, with stabilizers and thermals, spotting a target in the open from a concealed position means you can kill them much faster and with less chance of being spotted in return. LRFs also mean a concealed player can cover an effectively infinite distance without missing a shot and blowing their element of surprise, meaning a single concealed position with good sightlines could be devestating.
Hard to say which would be more impactful. Ultimately, I think the takeaway is that Gaijin needs to be extraodinarily careful about where they put useful concealment.
Mmh, what you’re saying is relevant. However, I’d like to remind you that, for example, when hiding in a wheat field, the person camouflaging themselves would have reduced visibility in this case. Of course, hiding behind a bush wouldn’t change compared to today because it’s already possible and you can see the battlefield very well in this situation.
On the other hand, maybe we should develop the spotting mechanic to address this problem you’ve raised. It would be really great to have reconnaissance helicopters capable of spotting. They would be lightly armed (machine gun and/or AA missiles or rockets, no ATGM) but would have a good camera with strong zoom capabilities. Of course, to encourage players to do this, it must be rewarding enough in terms of points and allow for faster grinding through the helicopter tech tree