"Panzer History
The most celebrated panzer driver of all time is HiTech, the same guy who later designed WarBirds, Dawn of Aces, and Aces High. His exploits, very early in DOS history, had a permanent effect on the T34 until AW3, many years later. Very few folks know the story these days so I figure I'll tell it.
Way back then, AW used the very small maps, much like the one currently used in the FR Fighter Town arena. And the T34 was mismodeled in allowing the main gun to elevate nearly 90^. This meant that at 45^ elevation it could shoot about 8 miles, nearly a full sector. Anyway, HT had 2 computers and split his modem line between them. On 1 computer he played AW. On the other, he analyzed the data. This enabled him to determine both the exact coordinates of any point on the map, such as the takeoff point of an airfield and where his tank was, and let him point the gun to hit any desired point within range dead on. So for a while he often used the T34 as an SP gun, getting, for example, countless vulches just by keeping takeoff points under bombardment. And because AW used the small map, he could keep several fields under fire at once without having to move. Needless to say, this caused a great outcry amongst his nmes and Kesmai eventually shut him down. But in its typical style, instead of fixing the T34 by realistically limiting its max gun elevation, Kesmai put a REAMdomizer on the tank shell, so that HT would no longer know exactly where it would land, and this was so bad at extreme range that it was pointless for him to continue his bombardments.
There matters rested for many years, encompassing all the rest of DOS, AW4W, and AW2 eras. The T34 shell had no in-flight collision checking so could only hit buildings and the ground, and was increasing inaccurate with range, even noticeably so at close range. And the T34 gun could still elevate nearly vertically. But then in AW3 the shells got collision checking to T34s could actually shoot each other. To facilitate this, Kesmai also removed HT's shell REAMdomizer. But thanks to the unrealistic elevation ability, T34s could now also sweep the skies of planes to the limits of visibility. Thus, early in AW3 there was a brief, humorous period where pilots were complaining of being shot down pinglessly by invisible planes and reporting their killers' names as cheaters. Kesmai eventually snapped to what was happening, though, and FINALLY put a realistic limit on the T34's main gun elevation. But for 2 brief, shining moments in AW history, the lowly T34 has been the Scourge of the Skies, the AW Top Predator. And no doubt its day will come again {G}."
From:
http://people.delphiforums.com/jtweller/training/opinions.htm
