link Hi, friends. Today we will continue our acquaintance with the USSR development tree. As promised in the past diary , we will talk about tanks, specifically, the legendary T-34 and its modifications. In addition, we will try to silence the superstitious fear of the F2P model that lives in the community. Once again, we’ll talk about health bars, and why they won't kill the hardcore. We will show you the USSR tank branch in its current state. And, as always, screenshots, friendliness, walls of text.

The T-34 tank excels not so much for its fighting qualities but for the extreme simplicity in production, operation and repair, reliability, low cost and the possibility of mass production at any machine-building plant. Morozov А. А., one of the T-34 creators

T-34 is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Second World War, the most massive tank of that time and it is no wonder that in Soldiers: Arena it occupies an important place. We can say that it is also a symbol of our idea of units that never lose their relevance. Despite the fact that there were tanks with better armor and better weapons, it was the T-34 that accounted for 79% of the total production of tanks in the USSR by the end of 1943. The design combined excellent maneuverability and mobility with a decent gun and adequate armor, but the most important element was its modernization potential, ease of use and production. T-34 was created as the basis for the future tanks, which could change with minimal costs and meet the demands of the time. Thanks to these initially laid down qualities the T-34 remained relevant throughout the war, and the production cost of serial models was constantly decreasing (from 270,000 rubles in 1941 to 142,000 rubles in 1945). In the game, T-34 is represented in almost all of its serial modifications (except perhaps the flamethrower version, but it will probably appear in future) and, like its real counterpart, always remains relevant. The early version of the T-34-76 model of 1940 with the L-11 gun became an unpleasant surprise for the German tankmen. There weren’t enough Pak-40, so almost the only savior was the requisitioned and modified Pak-36 (r), the sad story of which we told earlier. In the early and mid-game T-34-76 models of 1940 and 1941, with the F-34 cannon are simply indispensable and may perfectly cope with the tasks of breaking, protecting and supporting.
link T-34-57 will allow keeping a bit longer distance in the fight against medium and some heavy enemy tanks. The penetration of the ZIS-4 cannon mounted on this version of the T-34 was so strong that the production of the tank was even temporarily suspended due to "excessive power". While firing at enemy artillery or fortifications, the 57-mm projectile is not as dangerous as you would like. And T-34-85 was, in fact, the answer to the appearance of the Tigers and the Panthers on the battlefields, but even with the increase of frontal armor in the T-34-85M version, it couldn’t stand against the 88mm PZ-VI shell. So in the game, the T-34-85 can fight German heavy tanks, but it's a risky business. To become a winner of such a duel you must take full advantage of your speed and maneuverability. And it is even better to use self-propelled guns based on the T-34 to fight heavy enemy tanks: SU-85, SU-100 and SU-122 (located in the artillery branch).

I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a money; and a premium was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

In the comments under the last diary, there were many questions about the imbalance which premium units could produce and how they definitely bring the game down into the Pay To Win abyss. We do not really understand how the T-34-76 version with screens or Valentine can own everything. Each unit is configured based on its real characteristics so T-34-76 shoots like a T-34-76 regardless of whether it is premium or not. Armor screens welded on the sides increase a bit its survival rate, but at the same time increase its spawn price. The biggest advantages of the premium units is the ability to earn more experience, their visual uniqueness or some interesting gameplay. If you pay attention to the level of T-34-76 with screens (4th) and try to compare it with other units of the same level, you will definitely notice that it does not look super-strong. There are PZ IV Ausf. G, Stug III Ausf. G and Pak-40 also on this level and they calmly cope with it. The grenade launchers are a unit of the third level, and the miners are of the first one, and they do not care about the extra armor. In the future, the number of premium units may become larger, but the tendency not to make them imbalanced will continue. One of the distinguishing features of our games was the ability of a pennyworth infantryman to deal with the most expensive enemy unit and this is the basis of the balance in Soldiers: Arena. In the past test, we conducted an experiment. One of the game designers played an infantry commander with first-level units in combat, where the ISes and the Tigers played and still managed to stay in the top among all eight players. If the first level infantry holds on somehow, then the other units could do it too.
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Healthbars was undoubtedly one of the most terrible sins. No, philosopher, I disagree--it is the most terrible sin of all! (с) M.A. Bulgakov

Thank you Pontiy for questions about another community fear - healthbars. Friends, do not rush to take leaflets of the cult of hardcore witnesses and fear the Arcade-Judgment Day. Let's take another look at the examples of the work of healthbars and their contribution to the common good and understandability of the gameplay. Healthbar displays the general state of the tank, and when it drops to zero, the tank becomes a heap of scrap metal. Healthbar can only be restored with the Fallback mechanics. On the battlefield, such repair is impossible. To damage the armor, you need to pierce it, which is possible not from any gun or from any distance. Consider the example. T-34-85 can penetrate the Tiger from a close distance and, if luckily combined, can neutralize it for at least two shots. After the first Tiger will lose up to 75% HP and several crew members, and at the second shot will destroy it. Damage to the HP depends directly on the caliber of the projectile. For example, the 57-mm T-34-57 projectile has the best armor penetration, but the damage caused to the HP will cause less than 76mm of the T-34-76.
link In addition to the removal of HP there are a number of other events while piercing: the explosion of ammunition, damage and breakage of tank parts, tracks disruption, a death of crew members, etc. For example, when shooting from a Faustpatrone and other grenade launchers, there is no big damage to HP, but there is a high chance of crew death or an explosion of ammunition. Burning through armor, the cumulative jet has a chance to destroy the inside of the tank, and causes the crew to suffer from a monstrous pressure drop and a rise in temperature. The tank is not necessarily destroyed, contrary to popular belief. So, in addition to the obvious utility of the bazookas, they have an additional plus - the tank is more likely to be captured. Why break a good thing?
link The penetration from other guns also does not always lead to an explosion and this is also quite realistic. After all, mostly the crew died faster than the tank become completely destroyed. The chances of survival of each tankman are affected by a number of modifiers. For example, a driver's mechanic has a better chance of surviving after the tower piercing than a loader. The chance to survive after penetrating with the 57-mm shell is higher than with the 76-mm, because the second one generates more fragments (both from the armor and from the shell itself). In addition, the hit can lead to a concussion of a crew and a brief stun. The idea is that the healthbar provides an opportunity to understand when a damaged tank will become unrepairable, but it does not cancel all other mechanics. So no fear, guys. What Soviet tanks do you personally lack? What it is necessary to add or remove? Still afraid of HP? Meet you in the comments under the post. Wish you all the best!

[ 2018-08-28 20:47:00 CET ] [ Original post ]