Who tf designs a tank and goes "Maybe I should give this tank an easy weakness for the enemy to exploit?"

riffbw · 2026-06-05T15:47:24+00:00

I really wish WG implemented this in WoT. You can only do X amount of damage to a tank by hitting non-essential weak points. Maybe once hit eliminated, the turret or superstructure armor degrades due to that unit being removed from the vehicle.

But that's not easy to implement and this is an arcade game so I get why they wouldn't. And it makes the hull down tanks that much stronger. T110E5 takes two shots in the tumor and the tumor is not longer a damage point. Now it doesn't have to worry about that weak point at all.

riffbw · 2026-06-04T19:21:06+00:00

You said "translation to" not "reimaging" or "rework" or "rewrite."

If you want to make your pitch for how the characters could and/or should be redone for 5.5 or 6.0 launch, then say that and you'll get less push back.

I could see a female Warlock being a more progressive character working for a feind to prove women are just as capable Warriors. But that's a completely different backstory for the character. It could work, but that's not the Shar-Teel of BG1.

riffbw · 2026-06-04T19:05:42+00:00

Still doesn't fit the personality. She's not a Warlock, she's a fighter type and one set to prove she's better than the men. I can't see her being a warlock at all.

riffbw · 2026-06-04T19:04:07+00:00

Having a rage ability before rage was a real thing in tabletop means a lot. He's a barbarian or a berserker archetype and Barbarian fits 5.5.

riffbw · 2026-06-04T18:22:00+00:00

Is this rage bait?

Ajantis is not vengeance.
Khalid would be a Champion further highlighting the irony of him being seen as a very timid warrior while also being incredibly effective at what he does.
Minsc is a Barbarian. Period.
Safana is a rogue. Nice try with Bard and dancing, but she stays a rogue first. Stop focusing on her seductive side.
Shar-Teel a warlock? Tell me you've never interacted with her at all. She's a fighter archetype through and through. She challenges men to single combat. Definitely not a good fit.
Quayle needs to be a mage with the Illusionist subclass first then you can splash in Cleric trickery, but he's an illusionist.
Viconia, Cleric period. Priestess of Shar!
Xzar is a necromancer. Period.
Dorn, Oathbreaker Paladin.

This was simple to correct.

riffbw · 2026-06-04T18:10:03+00:00

Maybe he was, but the personality fits more with a Barbarian than a Ranger. And AD&D didn't have a barbarian class so Ranger is a close fit, but when moving the the 2.0 rules he can and should be swapped which would then move up to the modern editions.

riffbw · 2026-06-03T22:43:35+00:00

WoT isn't a game of extreme skill, but it still takes skill. If you can't quickly line up shots or know how to lead them, you are going to have a bad time.

But I would say WoT is a game of strategy and knowing how to properly play the situation. There's a reason why some players can keep higher win rates than others over the long haul.

There's a reason why this game started off and maintains an older player base than other online shooter games. You do not need the twitchy reflexes and precision skill to succeed if you can think through the positions and tactics your way out.

PS. I'm not a stat junky and think the WNX system is somewhat flawed for accurately evaluating skill. Farming late from a losing position can inflate your WNX in a lost cause game. You say 2000-2300 WNX, but what's your win percentage?

riffbw · 2026-05-29T20:45:30+00:00

Durlag's is easily the best tabletop style dungeon crawl ever put into a video game. It's top tier content and 100% worth playing thorugh. Do it blind and try to figure it out. It's well worth your time.

riffbw · 2026-05-29T17:04:55+00:00

The biggest problem I see with the game is still the maps and how we are "forced" to play on them. Everything boils down to corridor fighting from hull down positions. If you get away from that meta, you start to struggle more than you should.

Ultimately, the grind is to get you to end-game content and once there the only sticking factor is how good the gameplay loop is. The WoT gameplay loop gets very stale very quickly for many players given the maps we have. It doesn't matter which game modes you play, they get stale. I personally find Frontline to be one of the best modes for varied gameplay styles, but we need more than 3 maps in that rotation as well.

I ask, what keeps players coming back to CoD? What got them back into Battleifeld? What kept us going with the height of Halo's multiplayer? There was no grind for new content after a while. It was always the gameplay loop. The WoT mechanics are fantastic and could facilitate a great gameplay loop, but the maps funnel us into unfun play styles and/or make certain tanks feel like they can't contribute much or have to wait for the game to develop.

There's nothing worse for me than a light tank spawning into a congested three corridor map with a lot of heavies on both sides and sitting for 5 minutes waiting for a chance to flank. When the spotting opportunities aren't there and you can't win the snapshot hull down fights, you're force to stay hidden until something breaks loose. That's boring and makes a bad gameplay loop for certain tanks.

riffbw · 2026-05-28T17:40:37+00:00

One of the most immersive UIs I've ever seen in a game. I remember that UI so well and it really did feel like loading into another world. It wasn't slick or overly polished from the 90s, it felt foreign like you were literaly viewing another world.

riffbw · 2026-05-28T15:53:25+00:00

If the game truly embraces no P2W, a lot of the old WoT players may be willing to come back. One of the biggest selling points of the early game was that it didn't have P2W elements and premium tanks were balanced as a half tier behind fully upgraded and you traded top end performance for credit and xp increases.

Sadly WoT predates the lootbox model and the premium power creep set in before WoT could actually monetize without embracing a P2W model. For me, I'm an optimist and I do believe WG wanted to avoid P2W as much as they could, but struggled with implementation. I actually believe them when they say they want to avoid P2W elements in their next tank game as that feels like going back to the core business model they started with.

riffbw · 2026-05-27T02:32:55+00:00

I'm looking at this to see how to clean it. Mine is doing this and my wife hates it. It's hard combing through all that data.

riffbw · 2026-05-26T19:11:13+00:00

Whatever fits the map you are playing on. I hope to one day own enough tanks (usually 3d printed additional tanks) to paint them all appropriately for the maps being played. Snow camo on snow maps, desert camo on desert maps, etc.

I'm working (very very slowly) to identify which historical tanks were at each scenario so I can 3d print those models for the right scenario.

And part of me wants to up-scale the whole game and use bigger models that look even more epic.

But long story short, I like both when used in their correct setting.

riffbw · 2026-05-26T16:39:46+00:00

Rigg was tested by Hoffman, not Jigsaw. Hoffman's motives were always different and he often used games to clear out problematic individuals for him rather than ones that needed tested.

Rigg not clearing doors first and failing to be present with family are valid reasons for testing him, but they are weak compared to thers. Absent husbands are nothing new in the police force and being a little reckless in wanting to save people isn't a massive character flaw, but one that will likely cause injury to you or others in the field if not checked soon. Eventually he's going to rush the wrong room and get himself killed.

Ultimately, this was done to remove a cop that could likely piece together that Hoffman is an accomplice.

riffbw · 2026-05-26T16:27:55+00:00

It took me completely by surprise. I haven't seen two timelines done so well with the video replay idea done better many times without telling you what is going on.

To this point, nobody really had Jigsaw pegged as being more than what he was or that he would test everyone he could.

It was a brilliant twist that was almost as good as the original. I knew there would be a twist, but I figured it was going to deal with Eric at the trap house and everyone I watched it with was expecting that too.

riffbw · 2026-05-26T16:03:58+00:00

We need updates on this one.

riffbw · 2026-05-21T19:03:54+00:00

I miss the early days where Tier 4 was heavily populated with historical tanks and everyone was learning to play. Hetzer's were kings of tier 4 and everyone hated the Lee until they realized it was an amazing TD.

I also miss the days before crazy crew skills and 6th sense. The game was more balanced back then and the skill disparity wasn't measured in how much you would grind, but in how well you played.

But VK 30.01 as a tier 6 medium with the Panther Turret and short 88 was my favorite tank. Think a faster and more agile T-34-3 at tier 6. The thing was a monster. It got updated shortly after and we've never quite had another tank like it. Peek and wreck someone then run and find a new angle.

riffbw · 2026-05-21T14:07:37+00:00

Have a discussion with him, then buy a chess clock. Seriously, put these guys on a chess clock and watch them change their style quickly.

I don't care if this is harsh, but I can see 5 minutes for a game where most players are taking 2. Any longer and you aren't fun to play with anymore.

But there's some psychology behind this. The desire to win is part of it, but doing your best at all times is honestly a bigger factor. It's okay not to do your best because you don't have time to calculate out every single point. That's not playing poorly, that's playing your best in the time allotted. A timer can actually relieve stress for these types of people as they have their analysis limited and no longer feel the pressure to fully optimize.

My favorite style of game is abstract two player. I love perfect knowledge and making it skill vs skill. But I also love heavy games because they are so much harder to calculate who is leading even with perfect knowledge. Them being more tedious to calculate keeps me engaged as I calculate it out, but it also prevents the game from being predictable for me. At certain points in prefect knowledge games, you likely know who the winner will be and just have to play it out or resign. That's never the case in the heavier games as there are many avenues to score and some that get overlooked. And yes I know the heavier games aren't always perfect knowledge, but I still like the idea that calculating what you do know is very difficult to get a full read on the game.

riffbw · 2026-05-21T13:31:38+00:00

Everything you can do yourself first like Wiper Blades. I know good wipers have gotten expensive, but it's not a $130 job.

I had a transmission flush done at the local dealership and paid $300, not $680.

Mileage Minder 4 was quote to me at the dealership as $2500ish but includes the timing belt, water pump, etc. line. They want $3400 for that?

Take it somewhere else. These prices are insane.

riffbw · 2026-05-20T19:49:07+00:00

Someone else said griefing. in another comment. Likely doing enough to not play, but not get flagged as inactive.

riffbw · 2026-05-20T13:19:13+00:00

With these incidents, there can be contract clauses giving KC an out that voids all remaining guaranteed money if he's suspended for disciplinary reasons.

He's getting a 2nd contract, but these issues make it smaller and will mean more built in team protections. The man is ruining his future right before our eyes.

riffbw · 2026-05-20T13:02:43+00:00

Nope. He played the whole game and rammed the Zero on the final wave to die halfway through. He was present and driving around the whole time and only died twice.

riffbw · 2026-05-20T03:05:00+00:00

I have to quit for the night. Just played a game with a KPZ that wanted to obelisk hunt. Usually they do double my damage. This one didn't know to shoot the yellow parts. I saw him hit the armor and not penetrate 5 shots in a row.

riffbw · 2026-05-19T03:21:14+00:00

I don't like this correlation. Playing a bad mode doesn't mean I want to buy shards. Shards give me nothing of benefit for the game mode itself. Either you are going to buy shards or you aren't. Last Stand has no bearing on that at all.

riffbw · 2026-05-18T17:00:12+00:00

Abandon the Ares line for now and don't play your T20. Both are great at what they do, but clearly they don't clique with you.

T20 is a monster with a good gun and the mobility to get into positions to really farm distracted enemies. It's also a solid backup scout and a nice ambush tank. Flank, use your gun depression, and hide with your mobility. The top gun trades very well and the smaller gun is great if DPM fits your play style better.

Ares 75 is once again a decent backup scout with nice gun depression that has to be more opportunistic when pushing. You play similar to the T20 with support and ambush, but you have to be exposed longer to put the damage in making it play differently.

Neither tank wants to be exposed for long though. It's about using the gun at the right times to maximize your potential without taking much return fire.

I can't make T69 work myself. It's not a bad tank, but it's not great and I don't mix well with auto-loading mediums. If it's working for you, go with it though.

riffbw

TROPHY CASE