Armor Tactics Discussion
This modest dissertation is meant to provide a foundation for a deeper discussion of armor tactics in Aces High. It is a compilation of my own experiences of late, as I attempt to more fully explore ground combat in the Aces High II environment.
The advent of Aces High II ushered in a new era of ground combat into this game, due to the new richness of the terrain engine.
Guidelines:
1. Stop, look and listen. Ground vehicles are the only place where sound becomes as important as sight, especially in line-of-site restricted terrain such as forests. You can hear a GV coming from a considerable distance (exactly how far, I'm not sure), and stereo sound allows us to narrow the direction to the source down to two possible bearings (180 reciprocals of each other). Unfortunately, having a Surround Sound speaker system doesn't seem to help narrow it further to a single bearing to the sound source. Nonetheless, when hunting enemy GVs, it helps to regularly stop and shut off your own engine, in order to get a bearing on the enemy. When working alone, this is no problem. When working with one or more other players, it takes coordination, as all must stop and shut off their engines in order to eliminate friendly sound sources. Also, never do this out in the open if you can help it. I always try to find a hedge, grove or trees, or low ridge to stop next to. I try to put it on the "likely threat axis" to reduce the risk to my self while stationary (and vulnerable). If I need to see around the obstacle, to scan for the enemy, I creep to the edge (see "Creeping" below), but still keep most of my tank hidden.
2. Creeping. Restarting you GV's engine is time consuming and noisy. Ever stop your tank, shut down your engine to wait for that unsuspecting enemy to walk across your sites, then realize that tree is right in your line of site? Or how about the situation where you're engine is dead but you can still get the other guy if you can just get out from behind that building? Then there's the situation where you know there's an enemy GV out there, engine shut down, but you simply can't see him from where you're parked. Do you start your engine in order to move, but also giving away your own position? Not a problem. Some may not realize this, but tanks and other GV's will move without the engine running. Simply place the tank in a forward gear (if you want to move forward) or reverse (if you need to move back) and push the stick forward a tad. The tank will creep forward or reverse. Sometimes you need to repeatedly nudge the stick to keep it moving, especially on flat ground. Obviously, if you're on a hill, you can't creep up the hill; only down. However, it's a great trick if you've stopped on the reverse slop, but have exposed too much of your tank above the ridge.
3. Life's a ditch. This is my way of say, avoid the high ground when moving. Unless you're taking up a firing position, stay to the low ground where possible. Also, never cross a ridge line at right angles. If you've drawn up to a reverse-slope firing position, but decide to move forward, don't roll forward over the top of the ridge. Instead, roll backwards until you're shielded completely by the ridge, then turn and go around the ridge if possible. If the ridgeline is too long, at least get a running start before cresting the ridge, and do it at an oblique angle.
4. Now you see me, now you don't. The eye is drawn to movement. Tooling along at road-speed may be fun, but it's also an open invitation to an ambush. Scoot-and-shoot is the order of the day. If you're fairly confident there are no enemies around, you don't need to stop as often. If there's bears in the woods, so to speak, then dash from one bit of cover to another. When stopped, shut down the engine and listen/look. If you have a buddy or two with you, even better. One tank can take up an over watch, or guard, position while one or more dashes ahead to the next bit of cover. That way, if an enemy tank fires at the moving tanks, the guard tank will spot the firing point. If the guard tank has a clear shot, he can take it; if not, he can at least lay smoke in front of it, while directing the moving tanks' attention to the threat.
What I'd Still Like to See: We've seen some great enhancements to the immersiveness of the flight-sim portion of AH, particularly in the area of damage modeling and damage visual effects; such things as the visual representation of damage (bullet holes in the canopy and wings, engine oil on the windscreen, blood on the canopy) have provided immediate clues as to the state of the plane and the pilot. Unfortunately, the ground vehicles have not seen the same level of upgrades. First, I'd like to see a change to the sounds of enemy fire hitting my GV. A glancing shot that ricochets off; a direct, but non-penetrating hit; a penetrating round that does damage...all these should have a slightly different sound, as should different classes of weapons. Second, penetrating (i.e. damaging) but non-lethal hits should cause thick interior smoke. Likewise, constant firing of the main gun should cause a gradual build up of gun smoke inside tanks. And while we're talking about damage, tanks are still way too susceptible to machine gun and cannon damage from aircraft. I think this area needs another look. Another nice-to-have would be graphical damage when a turret hit penetrates, such as the turret blowing off or at least a chunk missing. When a lethal tank hit occurs, it would be nice if sometimes you had a chance to bail out of the burning tank before it explodes. Vehicles moving on dry/dusty surfaces should have a rooster tail of dust trailing out behind them (tan in color, if you please), the length of which would be proportional to the speed they're traveling at. Finally -- and this would be a toughy -- it would be very cool if you could dismount from a vehicle temporarily, in order to scout on foot within, say, a hundred yards of your GV.
Please feel free to express your own ideas and experiences.
