Most of the problems with the GV game is the tree density which with the new SpeedTree trees and clutter, Hitech gave us an eye candy world. When we first tested tree density in the alpha, you could drive into a tree line 2 tree rows deep, shut down, and no one driving by at point blank range could see your tank sitting still. Hitech adjusted the density several times while trying to keep a real world look to it. Eye candy is now a defacto standard in all games if you want to stay in business. And why it takes me so long to build a terrain.
So retrospectively tank combat in AH2 was easy mode directly due to the much less dense trees and clutter. You had long sight vistas to long range everyone or perma camp spawns and rack up easy kills. In AH3 you have real world like tree densities which from day one turned tank combat into a nerve wracking and very frustrating endeavor. It appears only a hand full of tank combat players liked it enough to adapt and have fun with the new tank combat.
I don't know what Hitech will have done, or not, about the tree densities on the converted AH2-->AH3 terrains in the tank combat areas. When they were worked up for rotation after the conversion process, no one really had any idea what the real impact on the GV game the tree densities would have. Any change to this game takes time to see the full implications of the change and has always been the rule. So one year on, AH3 tree densities are a bit tight for fun GV combat in the majority of cases. NDisles in the center was tweaked nicely for GV combat and the Mediterranean\Desert tile set is well balanced for tree density to open space for tank combat. That still leaves hundreds of GV spawns on all the other terrains that are in interesting conditions. All this vitriol seems to vote for those conditions not being fun for GV combat.
And I only have two terrains in rotation that have all the spawns tweaked for GV combat. Also I adjusted base distances to favor getting into air combat sooner than later to increase the amount of time air combat players would have for combat versus transit sitting on their thumbs. I treat the air and ground game as equally important to keeping Hitech's doors open.
