A look over the basics and how to avoid the dreaded ricochet sound.
The Tank
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All tanks in the game have 3 main sections: armour, hull points and modules.
Armour:
Armour is fully modelled and any attacks against it take into account angle & distance. To see the armour and the effect angle has on it’s value as well as where the modules are on each tank go visit the armour school in the main menu. The training mod is also worth a download to get some practical practice in.
Armour Penetration:
Each round has a Penetration Value (PV) which gets reduced by range. Armour Value (AV) is increased the greater the angle of the round to the plate. Extreme angles are likely to ricochet.
A higher PV vs AV will result in penetration a lower one will ricochet giving the distinctive noise and visual effect. Each round type behaves different once a pen is achieved , rounds with more HE filler will cause more fragments hurting crew and damaging internal modules. Rounds with less like APCR are more likely to do hull damage.
These internal fragments are also subject to PV vs the AV of internal parts. Only a large overmatching will do hull damage but it’s important to note for every object a round passes through it reduces its PV by the objects AV. So try to avoid tracks, road wheels , stowage , logs etc to get a cleaner hit.
Whilst you can check the AV of external objects in the armour school; a spade has 5 AV, no precise numbers are available for modules. Only a few lines from an update post stating ” the engine and the transmission have a high armour value and shooting the engine may not penetrate into the fighting compartment of an enemy vehicle.”
Modules:
Each tank has…
- Tracks 900HP
- Fuel tanks 400HP
- Ammo racks 2000HP
- Cannon 400HP
- Turret ring 300HP
- Engine 800HP
- Transmission 800HP
Destroy any 3 of these except tracks will kill a tank. You can tell this has happened when smoke is coming out of the top , engine and the cannon. It will explode shortly.
Destroying fuel tanks has a high chance of causing fire.
Destroying engine has a low chance of causing fire.
Destroying ammo rack has a chance of fire or explosion killing the tank instantly. The explosion chance gets lower as the tank uses ammunition.
Fires if not put out will quickly spread and engulf the tank destroying it. A little smoke and sparks is just a knocked out module , small flames represent a fire that can be still put out and once the entire engine deck is alight with high flames it cannot be put out. If you hear a spitting the ammo is cooking off and will explode shortly.
Each tank has a different layout, use the armour school or training mod to see the xray models. If you hit an “empty” part of the tank your shot will be wasted unless it can cause hull point loss.
Hull Points:
Each tank has effectively three hull points. If your round goes in one side and out the other it reduces this by one. Remove all of them and the tank counts as beyond repair regardless of modules and will explode shortly afterwards.
Weapons
The weapons availible to a AT infantry do not always one shot a modules HP. Also the exact damage AT weapons do is not listed.
Note that your explosives have large AOE so inform allies you have put charges down or firing to avoid blue on blue. Launchers also have back blast.
3kg HE/TNT.
Large AOE but can only damage mobility modules (tracks, engine and transmission) but placed right can take out all three in one hit allowing other weapons to get the kill. Will one shot modules if in blast regardless of AV, effective against all tanks.
Hawkins mine/Hafthohlladung. Shaped charged must be placed precisely. Can one shot most modules but is inconsistent.
Gammon Bomb/ Geballtre Ladung
Smaller version of 3kg with smaller AOE , Gammon is a contact weapon Geballtre is timed fused. Need to be more precise than 3kg.
Bazookas/Panzerfaust/shrek,PIAT. HEAT rounds with high PV 130/130/130/150mm.
Ablative objects will soak up rounds. An accurate hit will one shot a component. However angled surfaces will cause you not to penetrate if too steep but also reduce effectiveness of the shot as the point contact starts a cone shaped blast and much of that damage will miss or spread out too much not hitting the desired component if angled. Also don’t get too close as they cause spalling that can kill you.
Boyz AT / Pz B39 AP rounds apx 24/30mm of PV at point blank range.
While you technically can take down tanks with them , practically it’s a pita. Modules requiring 3-10 rounds to destroy and you have to be as flat and as precise as possible as the PV is barely above much the AV of what you will face. On many tanks it’s best to track and let either a bomb or AT gun or tank to get the kill shot.
Pz B39 – Will pen the Panhard Scout Car and British MkIV, only good against tracks vs the rest.
Boyz AT – Will pen Pz 38t , Pz II, & Pz IV in sides and rear , tracks for the rest.
Much fun vs infantry , red mist regardless of body part hit.
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