I have not seen any changes over the years in where gv's are vulnerable nor in how many shots it takes to kill a given gv. That seems constant. Non of
the updates has changed any of the damage models.
I mostly use the M-8 and I have to hit a specific spot on a gv to get a kill. I have killed Panthers, Tiger 1's, T-34/85's, T-34/76's,
Wirbles, Ostwinds, Panzer F, Panzer H, M-4's of the three varieties, and all three Hetzer versions. All GV's take 3 shots with AP rounds for the kill, with
the exception the Tiger 1 takes 5 rounds. Every gv has a specific spot where they are vulnerable. I cannot kill a Tiger 2.
The Panzer F and H can be killed with two rounds if you get behind them. I have killed Panzer F's and H's with one shot,
but you have to be high above looking down. You can pop the turret of the T-34/76 and 85 version with one shot from high above or from behind point blank.
There is nothing wrong with HiTech's Perk system. No changes need to be made. It is more than fair for everyone. If a player concentrates on learning one specific gv he or she can get really good if they practice offline and learn the vulnerabilities of every gv. It takes time and patience.
I have observed players take a Tiger 2 to a spawn battle and attempt to do battle while in close range to other gv's. They lose their T-2 right away because it was
historically a long range shooter. The side armor and rear armor are thin when compared to the front armor. If a Tiger 2 driver stays at least 3 to 4 thousand yards or further away from enemy gv's he can last a very long time, especially if the front armor faces the enemy at all times. The front armor of the turret needs to face the enemy at all time as well.
There are a few players that are really good in the T-2. The T-2 is too slow for me so you rarely see me use one.
The T-34/85 is the best all around tank for it's perk price because of sloped armor, good speed at 32 mph, and for that it is the most used gv in the game. It is also the most difficult for me to kill with the M-8 because it has the fastest turret of all AH tanks. It's turret can point up higher than other tanks so it main guns a lot of a/c. It also reloads a lot faster than the T-34/76. I often get a kill of a 76 because of it's the slower reload time. The Russians produced them in really high numbers and had a lot of success against the German tanks because they
just kept on manufacturing more. German tanks in general were slower.
If you ask some of the veteran gv'ers to help you it will not be long before you do well in any gv.