I need a concrete answer. Why do people INSIST that SPAA need pools of high pen AP, APDS, or APFSDS rounds, when their main objective is to target aircraft. I get they used these in real life, but for different situations and different scenarios. It’s been very clear over this games long lifespan that any SPAA given a large pool of AP rounds that are good at penning tanks, are used as tank destroyers instead of their dedicated SPAA role, to then get pushed up in BR. Then people later on complain about why “X” SPAA is over br’d and can’t effeciently achieve it’s role at said BR.
If CAS is such a huge issue, why are you using your SPAA to attack tanks?
“But it’s fun”. Yeah I get that, but we end up with things like the ZA-35 and Gepards for example and people at certain br’s wondering why their SPAA isn’t doing anything.
If the common trope is “defense” why is their so many instances of them going on the offence. It’s a like ongoing excuse with 2 stories that don’t add up.
Why not? Do you really think the outcome of matches are heavily influenced by last resort vehicles that can only be effective when hitting the enemy on the weak side for the vast majority of encounters?
Are we supposed to remove most AP shells from AAs just because they eventually get a couple of kills, as intended?
First off, those AP rounds can actually prove to be rather effective vs certain aircraft/helis, with HE being inconsistant at best at times.
SPAA is reactive, I have had more matches that I can count, where I’ve swapped to an SPAA mid-game (or even first spawned as an SPAA in something like GSB) and sat AFK as there has been absolutely nothing to do. This is why I rather like SPAAs such as the Stormer HVM even though its a bit problematic as an actual SPAA because I can scout and harrass IFVs and other SPAAs with it.
Some SPAA such as the Falcon and (and the falcon is a perticular example of this without a radar at a BR of radar SPAAGs), the most effective place for you to be is right on the frontlines protecting your teammates from air attack. Sitting at long range will not work. So you need to be able to protect yourself in that situations
Fourth and the weakest point is that the maps are just straight up too small. Its hard work finding a spot where you can provide effective cover to your team, have decent concealment from enemy aircraft and be relatively safe from someone flanking. Now I do think this point gets over used as justifcation for some SPAA to be way higher BR than they should be, such as the ADATS, but given the micro nature of the maps and gaijins insistance on shrinking maps, this does need to be considered
Some SPAA are opressive. 100+mm pen autocannons are nuts at low BRs vs WW2 vehicles. Or the series of 70/80mm pen SPAAs vs early WW2 vehicles. Like ZSU etc.
People that say this generally have no idea the effective range of spaa, most gun spaa isn’t hitting anyone farther than 2km in most situations, manpads like 4-5km max and much less front aspect. Its not until like 10.3 you start seeing actual long range spaa.
SPAA that isnt really good at their role at all ranges are miserable to play if they cant be psuedo light tanks most of the time, some matches planes dont spawn much or at all, some matches you spawn in an spaa woefully outclassed in your role by somone else on you team and you cant do anything but J out if you have no ground effect.
Like right now if you spawn almost any spaa at top tier or 11.7 and an IRIST spawns on your team you might as well leave. Roland and a 2s6 spawns etc.
Pantsir was the same thing before this patch too, ya he might get some launches cooked by tws locking onto something besides the plane and you might snag the kill before he does but its not something to bet on. Feel like an absolute doofus sitting next a pantsir in a flakrad etc.
Posts like this really feel like “I got killed by a kugelblitz so I’m going to blame the ammo not my approach to the threat”.
If we really want to complain about SPAA rounds, I’ve got a bone to pick with 30mm HE going through the front of the conqueror.
Most AP rounds from AA is barely adequate if you’re employing it properly. The AAs with high pen guns are generally pretty mediocre in ground to air, and you can usually deal with by just MGing them.
Yep, the only argument for “nerfing” SPAA that I think is actually valid is example like the Falcon, but not because its too strong at 8.3 but that it worsens the void we have below. It should/would be the perfect thing for about 7.3
Falcon would be very difficult to use effectively if it lost ap rounds and went down. It would actually fight things where its ap rounds would have pen that mattered, instead of being overkill.
Not sure what OP is moaning about, i abuse the za35 and xm whatever its called. Never felt the need for apds as the normal shells work wonders. I love overpressuring heaving tanks with a singular 35mm shell.
Then we have the falcon but that thing is fine and is my second highest kill vehicle, everyone knows itll destroy you and we all accept it. I never die to a falcon and think how on earth did that kill me
The few players who i run into who are decent with spaa are such a joy to fight. Im talking they move around building to avoid my strafe or bullpups, they deploy smoke and lock onto me (you can maintain radar lock through smoke so its a great tactic against planes flying at you) and just generally put up a fight rather than spray at me from 4km out so i know where they are and prioritise them with a bullpup
Because it happens a lot that you spawn with an SPAA for killing a plane and when you spawn all the enemy planes suddendly stop exist, and then you need to become an improvised TD.
Or because the SPAA is your last vehicle and your spawn point is enciclred by enemy.
I don’t need it for defense, i need it for offense. And you’re making assumptions that I see CAS as an issue, I don’t. This topic comes across as someone who likes playing boring MBTs and that MBT got nuked by a fun-loving spraying and praying SPAA user.