I was going to make a post about this but kept forgetting, glad to see someone else made one.
I fully agree the bots are absolutely cracked on this mode. To quote a comment on reddit I made about this issue.
“Also the AI needs to be toned down. Not only are they absolute gods at aiming and hitting your weak points, they actually are made out of pure asbestos because they instantly put out fires without having to stop and wait several seconds like the players have to. Setting a bot on fire in that mode does literally nothing but turn them into the ghost rider (as in, it just makes them look cool and badass without actually hurting them) for about a second.”
The fire immunity needs to be fixed. I am 100% sure fire does nothing to the bots. It’s as if the bots are completely fireproof, and if a shot starts a fire, it’s ignored but the visual effect of the fire still occurs for a short moment. (They’ll emit a burning trail of leaking fuel while continuing on as if nothing happened.)
They did dial down the accuracy on the bot tanks a few years ago. They actually miss more often than they hit. There is just a lot of them. Good for teaching you to not stay exposed.
The “burning tank” is a set animation. So it plays out regardless of when the bot uses a fire extinguisher. The bots are fully spaded so unless you set it on fire twice, its not going to burn up.
The bots don’t seem to stop to activate the extinguisher, though. I understand the bots probably activate the extinguisher the exact instant they are set on fire, (AI has no reaction time) but when a player uses one, their vehicle stops and their controls lock up. I also thought while extinguishing, until it’s finished, you’re still on fire during the extinguishing process and continue to take fire damage until it is completed and the fire is out. When a bot is set on fire, they continue shooting and moving and don’t seem to stop like the player does. I can’t prove this, but it also seems they don’t take any damage either.
To me, it really feels like they actually are fireproof.
The bots not stopping when they’re on fire is actually a minor point, other things are so much worse. Among those annoyances I noticed that pretty much any tank can penetrate the mantlets of my Panthers and Tiger Is, while this appears to be next to impossible for myself in return (on the Mozdok and Japan maps).
The highest bracket also needs a bit of tuning. I actually went and bought the Leopard 2A4 premium tank because any attempt of gearing up Leopard 1, 1A1 or 1A5 gave nothing but pain. Maybe limit it from 8.3 to 10, that would keep things on the same level as in the lower brackets.
As for the SPAA, there is a serious discrepancy between the lead indicator showing and the actual range. Of those SPAAs I have fully upgraded (Ostwind I/II, Z45, Kugelblitz, Gepard) only the Gepard ever managed to hit something over 2500 metres. For the others the effective distance is about 1300, which is very close to the point where the bot planes fire their rockets. That could almost pass for “mutually assured destruction”.
The lead indicator is also set for center mass of the target. So if you want to hit the important bits in the front of the plane, you have to lead the lead indicator…
You’re lucky, I don’t get a lead indicator at all with my SPAA vehicles. This is an issue Gaijin have known about for ages but don’t seem to know how to fix. Weirdly, I get a lead indicator when I’m in a tank, just not with my SPAA vehicles…
This is unrelated to the bots, but one thing I think would make the mode less frustrating would be if artillery was buffed to “insta-drop” arty only during Ground Assault Arcade.
It’s hard to do anything at all with arty because the bots are always beelining towards your base unless you’re some math wizard who can place the arty mark perfectly ahead of them so it hits while the bots are in the impact zone.
One other thing, but I swear this mode used to have capture objectives for the players, too back in 2016-ish. Maybe they could add capture zone objectives every few waves that give you some tickets back, spawn AI defenders, or temporarily switch your tank to a massively up-tiered one for a limited amount of time? (I.E. you’re playing at 2.7, capture the zone, and for 1 minute you get to control a 6.0+ vehicle? Or it’s not dynamic for the BR and only a fixed selection of vehicles like an M1 Abrams, Challenger 2, T-90, etc.)
One other thing, but I swear this mode used to have capture objectives for the players, too back in 2016-ish. Maybe they could add capture zone objectives every few waves that give you some tickets back, spawn AI defenders
It’d be nice to have some of this mode’s AI on our side. And a way to get tickets back would be nice too.
They do still have some powerups on each map though, if you run over the thing that looks like orange tools, your vehicle and crew will be insta-repaired and healed to full health. However, this does put you at risk of being insta-deleted by the next wave.
A number of things need to be changed in this mode to make it even remotely fun to play.
Every bot - even low BR tanks seem to have stabilizers as they can one-hit kill us in a T28 while moving at full speed.
The suicide spawn-points in many maps need to be changed. Ardennes and Japan have some of the worst, but all are bad. You die, then re-spawn directly in the path of a wave of bot tanks. No chance to do a single thing - you are just killed immediately. re-spawn and repeat. Many maps have significant areas that don’t have spawn-points that should - like the valleys in Mozdok and Ardennes.
Air attacks come way too often. And they seem to single out the “smart” players - those that actually leave the base and get into good flanking positions - sometimes the only way to slow or stop a wave. But you are quickly bombed, and placed right into the suicide spawn points (see above).
Why on earth do bots get AA units on BR 6.7+? 60% of the time (or more) the AA downs my bomber long before I’m in a position to drop my ordinance. What a waste of time - not to mention that 100% of the time when I return to my tank it’s been… bombed. Yup - 100% of the time. It’s like the bots know exactly which tank to punish for having the nerve to TRY and use a bomber.
And lastly - I’m tired of players squading in a friend who only has tanks that are multiple BRs below the lowest BR in the battle range. These selfish players contribute nothing to the battle - they are there only to collect the Bonus. They lower your (already low) chances of winning the battle because they take the place of a legitimate player. If you want to play with your friends - send your vehicles to holiday and select a lower BR vehicle to play along with your friend’s reserve unit.
Most of those things are so far away from any cover there’s a huge chance you either don’t make it to the icon - or even better - get killed just after you grab it and repair. They are traps - lures to entice you to leave the (moderate) safety of the base. Only the very fast have much of a chance for success there…
You have to learn to time when you make a run for a repair icon. When there are only a few enemies left from a wave, or even better when there is just one stranded that someone has to run out and kill. Yes the bots will aim for you if you try.
To make playing more fun I have resorted to a somewhat dubious strategy: if I find myself in a group full of people who didn’t even read the first word about the game mode on the loading screen (“Cooperative”), but still pop smoke in the base all the time and/or ignore the bot planes after having pointed out to them that this will only facilitate a nasty defeat, I will leave.
Even if I get a message 15 minutes later “Victory in the [Tank Assault] XXX mission”, that’s not worth standing around with nothing to shoot (nine kills after five waves) due to getting engine/tracks shot out twice per wave, not to mention being blown up. Have the Maginot base look like Verdun or Passchendaele also is not very entertaining, especially trying to reach cover without getting a couple extra holes drilled.
Oh, and did you notice that if enough bot planes are strafing the players, everybody will get their personal flying pest assigned? That has happened several times now, shows best when you mark the plane shooting you. It will keep circling back until either you or somebody else shoot it down.
Yeah, seems this mode is being left to disappear.
Shame, I can at least enjoy PvE in crossout and some other games.
Heck, even Enlisted, the cousin (if not brother of WT) is more generous with it’s custom battles.
It just might be if things keep going the way they are. International law enforcement will come down hard on Gaijin and they’ll be forced to shut down operations.
I’d be willing to bet they’re already under investigation for espionage, “accidental” or otherwise!
Ah no. Someone choosing to be a dumbass does not make Gaijin an accessory unless they do something with it like publish or sell it. Even having “secrut dokumunts” on their sites doesn’t mean anything because of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.
“International Law Enforcement” can’t do anything at all besides ask politely some national authority to do something either.
As long as it’s publicly available for anyone to view, they’re considered to have distributed it. Unauthorized distribution of classified documents is illegal and can result in a charge of espionage.
Unauthorized reception of classified documents can also be considered espionage.