I don’t exactly want the tank to be terrorizing 6.7, but consider this: It’s an 8.3 tank with no rangefinder, no thermals, and HEAT. Compare it to the VIDAR at 8.0, or the Vickers mk7 at 8.7, or just the M60A2 at 8.3, it’s just not a very good pick. Now, you might be onto something with the idea of adding an LRF to the M551 (M551A1) at 8.0 and putting the TTS at 8.3.
I don’t think they’ll introduce the M551A1 and create a separate tank for the M551A1 TTS with the only major difference being one has just the AN/VVG-1 LRF while the TTS has both the AN/VSG-2B Thermals and AN/VVG-1 LRF (as well as the small things here and there). Idk if there’s enough to constitute a .3 BR difference between both vehicles. I would only see that difference between the base M551 and the M551A1 TTS as drastic enough.
Personally I see either the M551A1 TTS being added and foldered with the M551, sitting at 8.7 along with the M60A1 RISE (P) with the only other option (imo less likely) being the M551 gets moved to 8.0 and the M551A1 TTS getting added at 8.3 and foldered with it. You never know though, I could be wrong. Gaijin acts in mysterious/irritating ways lol.
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I think your way sounds the best.
Again, 7.7 would be a terror in a full downtier, but the severe BR compression means that you can’t go much higher at all before you’re fighting things that will not only destroy you with ease but are better in every respect. See the BMP-3 at 9.0…
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152mm thermal, laser, Derp-flinger… YES PLEASE!
The thermals should be added to the current version in game. It’s at 8.3 and plenty of other tanks at even 7.7 have thermals. Any argument against this is null and void.
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Why do we even bother with this kind of post? Just vote yes to every vehicle suggested. Every poll the same answer.
Yea the majority of the old American 8.0 got moved up to 8.3 with decompression which was weird as none of the vehicles did particularly well at 8.0 to begin with and was a good opportunity to soft buff them by not moving them up
Beside the 20mm wiesel, what vehicles have thermals around 7.7???
not him but
VIDAR (8.0)
M41D (also 8.0)
Marder 1A3 (8.0)
Warrior (8.3)
Bradley (8.3)
M901 (8.3)
ZT3A2 (8.3)
Striker (8.3)
PGZ09 (8.3)
thats just within .3-.7 br of 7.7, so a 7.7 vehicle would encounter thermal equipped AFVs with some regularity.
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So no vehicle beside wiesel thats at 7.7?
Edit: technically not even wiesel cuz its at 7.3.
you said “around: 7.7” not “7.7”
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I agree with this, debates about the current tech-tree M551 BR aside, the M551A1 TTS should be at least 0.3 higher due to the list of improvements.
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My bad, wasnt sure from top of my head where exactly 20mm wiesel is, so i said around when i meant at 7.7, as the guy i replied to says.
Thank you to everyone who voted! Can we get this passed to the devs?
This would be great to see. I personally would prefer for the M551 we currently have to be upgraded to this M551A1 TTS variant.
As others in this thread have pointed out, the base M551 is inherently difficult to balance. Adding the M551 TTS as a separate vehicle would still leave the base M551 as it is, and the years-long issues with balancing that vehicle would remain. It is, fundamentally, awkward to use: poor armour, a long reload, and a choice between hard-to-aim HE & HEAT, or a mediocre ATGM. The rangefinder would be a godsend for the M551, and the thermals would be a nice bonus.
An 8.3 M551A1 TTS wouldn’t have anything out of the ordinary for that BR. Hell, it wouldn’t even have anything unusual for the US specifically at that BR. The M60A2 has the same gun and an LRF, and the M3 Bradley has the same thermals as the TTS, both at 8.3. It’s not that unusual to find thermals on 8.0-8.7 vehicles, and the Sheridan is, comparatively, less benefited by thermals than other vehicles in that range with better guns or optics.
The M551 could often struggle at 8.0, but its advantages in downtiers made reducing its BR out of the question. Now at 8.3 after the decompression changes, it struggles even more, but a return to 8.0 wouldn’t really fix anything. It has fundamental flaws which make it less suited for this game than many other tanks, and BR changes can’t really get around that.
An LRF would dramatically help the tank’s basic usability, which is one of its biggest issues, but even with thermals it would still probably be a worse pick than the Bradley most of the time. Turning the 8.3 Sheridan into the TTS wouldn’t make it OP, it would just make it better at the one niche it has.
The HE on the Sheridan is used so little I think most people forget it has it, but on the M60A2, it’s usable — even fun — with an LRF to make sure it lands on the small spots it can actually penetrate. An M551A1 could do that too, and while it would be dramatically worse at it than something like VIDAR, it would at least have something to help it stand out from other light vehicles at its tier (besides its current overwhelming awkwardness).
I would take it as a separate tank, but what I’m really hoping for is a rework of the M551 into this version, which fixes some of the tank’s inherent problems and would be easier to balance.
Yes but these are two separate vehicles. M60A2 is balanced precisely because the lack of thermals, and Bradley is balanced by being an IFV.
Having a “conventional” (applied very loosely) light tank woth both LRF and Thermals at 8.3 wouldnt be balanced. Case point the chinese WMA301 which was undertiered af few years back.
One could raise the case of amx10rc and sk105 having both LRF and thermals at 8.3 (and 8.7 respectively) but those tanks dont have stabiliser when compared to sheridian.
the WMA 301 had both fantastic mobility and a good SABOT round, that’s not exactly the same thing
the end of the month is rapidly approaching, let’s get this pushed to the devs guys! upvote this thread!
aaaaand of course this wasn’t passed. Nice.
Honestly, this should be added as a modification in the game, not a new vehicle, gaijin did it on BMP before why not in M551?
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