GV Training Tips and Tricks

[The Fugitive]

OK, I talked with Hitech and he said it was ok to open a new thread to talk about learning to GV. PLEASE everyone lets try to keep this ON TOPIC and follow the rules and post what tips and tricks you use when GVin 

OK, so what in games settings do you use when GVin?

I read/heard that cutting down the trees also cuts back on your vis range of other vehicles, is this true?

While a "hull down" position is best for protection how can you "see" other tanks to shoot at them?

Aiming, what are the ranges most of you killers shooting at? If it is long range how are you aiming for vulnerable parts, ex. turret ring, track, engine, driver?

Sound, how do you have yours set? How can you tell the range a vehicle is just by sound. To me it sounds like they are about to drive by for like 5 minutes and my heart just cant take the suspense!

Any other questions/answers would be great. Lets build a good resource here for new players.... and old players alike that are,looking for information on how best to fight in a GV.

[Puma44]

Agree Fugitive! Bring it on!

[turt21]

+10

[Max]

WWhiskey was an excellent GV'r and very willing to pass along his knowledge...he was a trainer, I believe, at some point. Alas, he passed a few years ago. Hopefully the guys who know the secrets and mojo will pass it along to us mortal dweeblings.

[Mongoose]

Some years ago there was a pretty comprehensive post about tanking.  I saved it, even though I normally stick to airplanes.  I am attaching the file to this post.  Hope it helps.

[Puma44]

That’s a good write up.  Thanks for sharing.

[The Fugitive]

WWhiskey was an excellent GV'r and very willing to pass along his knowledge...he was a trainer, I believe, at some point. Alas, he passed a few years ago. Hopefully the guys who know the secrets and mojo will pass it along to us mortal dweeblings.

I was working with WWhiskey. He wanted to use me as a sounding board for how he presented his info. I guess he figure if he could explain something to an old fart like me he was getting the info out right. 

Its too bad we didnt get someone else to step up to the training community to take the reigns of GV training.

Some years ago there was a pretty comprehensive post about tanking.  I saved it, even though I normally stick to airplanes.  I am attaching the file to this post.  Hope it helps.

Thanks for posting Mongoose!

[JimmyD3]

Very nice write up Mongoose, and very accurate. For my style of GVing, sound is very important. Based on where it is, in front or behind, indicates friend or foe, speed of movement indicates the general vehicle type, or are they creeping. If my engine is on, and I can still hear them I know they are no more than  800yds away.

The majority of my shots are 1200 yds or less, however I do enjoy "long ranging" targets. I also enjoying "hunting" the enemy, by that I mean I try to come in behind the enemy at full speed, fire a kill shot, and veer off to a new hiding place. The Zeiss optical write-up from "http://www.75thguards.com/ww2online/downloads/Zheriz_Ziess_Sight_Guide.pdf" is an excellent source of information as well.

There are many nights I never get in a plane, as there is more than enough GVing to keep me happy.

[The Fugitive]

The tanking 101 doc is VERY basic. There isnt really anything in it to help a player IN the game. Basic info on what HE and AP are and what they are used for. Basically a "walk around" for a tank.

Very nice write up Mongoose, and very accurate. For my style of GVing, sound is very important. Based on where it is, in front or behind, indicates friend or foe, speed of movement indicates the general vehicle type, or are they creeping. If my engine is on, and I can still hear them I know they are no more than  800yds away.

The majority of my shots are 1200 yds or less, however I do enjoy "long ranging" targets. I also enjoying "hunting" the enemy, by that I mean I try to come in behind the enemy at full speed, fire a kill shot, and veer off to a new hiding place. The Zeiss optical write-up from "http://www.75thguards.com/ww2online/downloads/Zheriz_Ziess_Sight_Guide.pdf" is an excellent source of information as well.

There are many nights I never get in a plane, as there is more than enough GVing to keep me happy.

That guide took me a while to figure out when I first read it through  There is a lot of info and tables that you need to target well, but there are just a couple of problems I see.

1. Tanks are NEVER sitting in a nice strait profile, or head on. This throws off the "mils" you are trying to use to find the range. Along with the guide is from another game and the tanks listed we dont have. As stated in the paper, "most tanks are 2 mils high" this does work in our game so that is the measurement I work with. Also hunting through tables can get you killed  so this is what I keep in mind when aiming.



If the height fills the large triangle its 500 out, fills a small triangle 1000 out, is half a small triangle in height its 1500 out. This gets my aim point (the top of the large triangle) pretty close for a hit.

2. This site isnt in the other tanks and seeing the T34 is the most used tank in the game Im thinking there is a bit of an advantage to using it. So what do you do to range your targets then? Im thinking some players may put a mark on their monitors. Personally Im thinking a clear plastic cling sticker would work. Make a few triangles on it and slap it on the screen. This leads to shooting from the commanders view. The same idea could be used to get aim points for a cling sheet for the commanders seat. To me this is a bit unethical but whats to stop a gamer from doing it.

Do some of you guys mark your screen?

How do you aim from the commanders seat?

[8thJinx]

Do some of you guys mark your screen?

How do you aim from the commanders seat?

My screen is pockmarked with sharpie dots.  I have a big dot in the center (like maybe the size of a chia seed or poppy seed), and then a grid of dots every half inch in the center third of the monitor screen.  The grid dots are very tiny.  Those dots are crucial in tank and wirbl gunnery, at least for me.  The way I mark the big dot is just get in a wirbl gun sight, and put a dot right on the orange dot of the orange gun sight dot.

Regarding the commander's position, 90% of my time in a GV is in the commander's position, standing straight up as if half my torso is out of the hatch.  I'd say about half of my shots are taken in the commander's position.  I use the dot in the center of my monitor as the aim point.

Also regarding wirbls and ostwinds, 100% of my time in those vehicles is spent standing straight up as tall as I can get the head position.  I don't use the gun sights in those vehicles.  Same with the top deck machine guns on tanks, jeeps, and LVT's.  I stand straight up as far as I can get, and use the dot on my monitor as the aim point.

[JimmyD3]

I also have dots on my screen, many of my shots are from the commanders position as well. To bad there is not a little program you can run on top of the game to put the dots where you want them, instead of putting dots on the screen.

[The Fugitive]

Jumped in a vehicle again last night. Saw incoming vehicles on the map and grabbed a T34 and made a run to town. I picked a hill on the far side of the town over looking the town in hopes of covering the whole thing. Vehicles never got close to town as a couple of guys were dropping bombs on them pretty quick. (later learned that it was DR7 and Atlau in the vehicles so I dont think I stood a chance anyway  ).

How do you guys "move up"?

I have a hard time "finding" a spawn point, do they all look the same? I try to stay 50 feet or so left or right of a strait line between the spawn and the town/field and move up a bit at a time. Last night it was to a hill closer to the spawn, then to a ridge just before the hills around the town, then once into the woods, Im pretty much lost.

What are some of the strategies you guys use?

Also, when an enemy tank fires its main gun can you tell by the sound which direction it came from? To me its like the sound is all around me and if I dont spot the tracer I dont have a clue as to where it came from.

[8thJinx]

Jumped in a vehicle again last night. Saw incoming vehicles on the map and grabbed a T34 and made a run to town. I picked a hill on the far side of the town over looking the town in hopes of covering the whole thing.

When I cover a town in a tank, it's from a hill top that I know I have a line of sight on the map room mound.  I also always up with a little HE, in case I need to shoot at the map room to kill troops, or track a perk tank on its way into town.  Sometimes I'll move to a hill closer to the sounds of incoming tanks, but I always try to be in a position to quickly move back to cover the map room with HE.

How do you guys "move up"?

I'm super aggressive and impatient.  I'd rather barrel into the spawn point area or onto a GV base, than sit in the trees waiting.  At least initially. There's actually a couple cases:

1. Running to town from a VH or a spawn to cover it.  Fast, fast, fast.  No stopping.
2. Running to a base to attack.  Spawn in, check sounds and GV dar, then go like gang busters.  Speed, plain and simple.
3. Hunting for GVs at a spawn or in a GV dar.  Start heading over fast, maybe stop and listen a few times.  Once inside their GV dar, I'll move through it 200-400 yards at a time, then stop and shut down and look/listen, until I find them or they find me.

I have a hard time "finding" a spawn point, do they all look the same? I try to stay 50 feet or so left or right of a strait line between the spawn and the town/field and move up a bit at a time. Last night it was to a hill closer to the spawn, then to a ridge just before the hills around the town, then once into the woods, Im pretty much lost.

Spawn areas are circles where the tank pops in randomly.  You're better off covering it from 1k away.  But, if there's a good bush near the tip of the arrow, I'll fight my way to it and set up camp.

Also, when an enemy tank fires its main gun can you tell by the sound which direction it came from? To me its like the sound is all around me and if I dont spot the tracer I dont have a clue as to where it came from.

I can tell what quadrant it's coming from, unless the round is coming from a distance and takes me out.  One quick thing I'll do is hit the view toggle so I can look around quickly with the mouse in commander's position without slewing the turret around. That helps me quickly zero in on the direction of fire.  I try to maneuver at the same time, and not be a stationary target. 

Also, not sure if this was clear, I do all my GVing with a mouse and the key board, not a joy stick.  Here's how I have the keys mapped:

Q - turn left
S - move forward
D - turn right
E - engine
A - stop
C - aim out
V - aim in
Z - zoom
1 - gun sight
2 - commander's position
Shift W - max speed

Mouse left button - primary gun
Mouse right button - coax
Mouse side button by thumb - view pan toggle

[JimmyD3]

Just a point, if your on the hills overlooking town, or any high ground, make sure you don't get yourself silhouetted against the sky. Makes for a red flag "Here I am".
 

[The Fugitive]

When I cover a town in a tank, it's from a hill top that I know I have a line of sight on the map room mound.  I also always up with a little HE, in case I need to shoot at the map room to kill troops, or track a perk tank on its way into town.  Sometimes I'll move to a hill closer to the sounds of incoming tanks, but I always try to be in a position to quickly move back to cover the map room with HE.


I'm super aggressive and impatient.  I'd rather barrel into the spawn point area or onto a GV base, than sit in the trees waiting.  At least initially. There's actually a couple cases:

1. Running to town from a VH or a spawn to cover it.  Fast, fast, fast.  No stopping.
2. Running to a base to attack.  Spawn in, check sounds and GV dar, then go like gang busters.  Speed, plain and simple.
3. Hunting for GVs at a spawn or in a GV dar.  Start heading over fast, maybe stop and listen a few times.  Once inside their GV dar, I'll move through it 200-400 yards at a time, then stop and shut down and look/listen, until I find them or they find me.

Spawn areas are circles where the tank pops in randomly.  You're better off covering it from 1k away.  But, if there's a good bush near the tip of the arrow, I'll fight my way to it and set up camp.

I can tell what quadrant it's coming from, unless the round is coming from a distance and takes me out.  One quick thing I'll do is hit the view toggle so I can look around quickly with the mouse in commander's position without slewing the turret around. That helps me quickly zero in on the direction of fire.  I try to maneuver at the same time, and not be a stationary target. 

Also, not sure if this was clear, I do all my GVing with a mouse and the key board, not a joy stick.  Here's how I have the keys mapped:

Q - turn left
S - move forward
D - turn right
E - engine
A - stop
C - aim out
V - aim in
Z - zoom
1 - gun sight
2 - commander's position
Shift W - max speed

Mouse left button - primary gun
Mouse right button - coax
Mouse side button by thumb - view pan toggle

All my views are on my joystick, and the button settings are on my throttle and the throttle movement is my site adjustment. Rudder pedals are for turning. Only time I touch my keyboard is to text chat.

I get around ok, but I find myself getting picked off before I spot anyone, maybe running too long between shut downs.

Just a point, if your on the hills overlooking town, or any high ground, make sure you don't get yourself silhouetted against the sky. Makes for a red flag "Here I am".
 

It seems to me that to get a shot from a hill WITHOUT giving a silhouette I would have to park on a downhill side of the hill in full view. Maybe a few screen shots showing how you hide.