Frontlines Is Out

[Skywalkre]

Frontlines is up and running. I highly recommend everyone give it a chance. IMNSHO this mode is what WoT should have always been.

 

The map is huge. As such you get far less of the corridor BS that plagues normal WoT maps and more rolling, gentle terrain (though the unnatural rock outcroppings everywhere still exist). Given this one difference in map design the superheavies that thrive in the corridor BS that is normal WoT are much more easy to handle as it's so easy to flank them (and remain unseen, in particular, while doing so).

 

No fixed timer. If the attacker is really bad and/or the defender is really good the game is over quickly. No long, drawn out fights that you know you're going to lose like you get in WoWs. As an attacker having to capture points to give yourself more time means you have to be aggressive so the camping-like-bitches BS you see all the time in regular WoT is less viable. Games are longer than normal WoT affairs, obviously, but still shorter than what you'd see in a MOBA (my first game today was 26m and was a defensive win in the last zone... so slightly longer than a full WoWs game but action-packed the entire time).

 

The only issue I have right now is one I made myself. The game mode is currently tier 8 only and I sold off most of my tier 8s or moved their crews to other vehicles when I came back to the game months ago. As such I'm left with the Panther 8,8 (bleh), stock WZ-132 (with a fresh crew with no 6th Sense), and a Pershing (great crew... but what a shit tank these days).

 

Still, with less than optimal vehicles and crews this mode is fun. Yes... I said that. Check it out. Good times to be had.

Edited May 7, 2018 by Skywalkre

[DB]

So they set it at tier 8 to find a purpose for those vehicles.

 

I wonder how long before people adapt the game meta for this mode and it all bogs down again. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[Skywalkre]

I wonder how long before people adapt the game meta for this mode and it all bogs down again. Enjoy it while it lasts.

That's a definite concern. At the end of the day it is still a fixed map and eventually key locations, sniping spots, etc. will be discovered with the possibility of it being heavily tilted towards one side a distinct possibility.

 

Fortunately the mode is only running for a few weeks. My hope (though to be fair, with WG, there's no reason to have any...) is that after this fixed period is up they'll look at the map and do some serious reworking to address any glaring issues that pop up.

[Skywalkre]

One interesting thing about the mode is it highlights how worthless base gun stats are. I've been alternating mostly between my Panther 8,8 (.29 Acc) and my WZ-132 (.4 Acc). My Panther is penning 54% of all shots fired vs 67% for the WZ. The Panther has done 43% of its total dmg at greater than 300m compared to the WZ's 46%. The Panther also has more pen (203 vs 181... I don't use gold rounds and, yes, that's not the top gun for the WZ). We've always kind of known Acc is a vastly overrated stat which has always hurt designs built around it. Frontline so far seems to be highlighting that disparity more than regular games.

 

Edit: Also, the Pershing is garbage. I tried it briefly in two games and won't be going back to it. Abysmal mobility for a medium. I was positive I must have forgotten to equip the upgraded engine and tracks. Checked afterwards and NOPE! It's just that sluggish.

Edited May 8, 2018 by Skywalkre

[TonyE]

As such you get far less of the corridor BS that plagues normal WoT maps and more rolling, gentle terrain..................

 

 

I have pined for this for years........

[TonyE]

Tested one turn short time ago, now this is more like it, terrain is in general fairly good and as players respawn they play more and camp less. Took part in some really cool counterattacks and advances over long distances, not just the last minute rush when everyone roll out of their hiding spot to overflow the enemy base as in ordinary battles.

[Skywalkre]

 

As such you get far less of the corridor BS that plagues normal WoT maps and more rolling, gentle terrain..................

 

 

I have pined for this for years........

 

This has its downside as well as you have nowhere to retreat to if caught out there (usually for me it's taking a shot from a direction I had no idea someone was at). I'm ok with that, though. If anything I wish the map was more like this. Still too many unnatural points that, even after just a few games of Frontlines, are starting to turn into key locations every game.

[toysoldier]

IM FRICKING LOVING IT!

You can actually snipe! You can actually flank! You can actually press the advantage! You can actually strike and pull back to safety! And the scout airplane makes you a whole less dependent on damn OP lights!

[TonyE]

 

 

As such you get far less of the corridor BS that plagues normal WoT maps and more rolling, gentle terrain..................

 

 

I have pined for this for years........

 

This has its downside as well as you have nowhere to retreat to if caught out there (usually for me it's taking a shot from a direction I had no idea someone was at). I'm ok with that, though. If anything I wish the map was more like this. Still too many unnatural points that, even after just a few games of Frontlines, are starting to turn into key locations every game.

 

 

I don`t mind the few places to hide while in open terrain, there will always be a risk when manouvering. Yes there are still some "Stonehenges" around the map, but as the map is so big they can often be avoided and the location clingers end up with fires from many directions. While there are artillery players i really have not even noticed that they are there, the big maps have made the "clickerati" way less powerfull, the airstrike and artillerystrike concepts as shown so far is a step in the right direction and should have been implemented from day 1 in the game.

 

It would be nice to play this gamemode in other tiers than just tier 8, although it is ok to have all the tanks from the same tier.

Edited May 9, 2018 by TonyE

[toysoldier]

Really, you think it has made artillery less powerful? I´m making record damage when i play arties, there are very few arty-safe locations, the amount of targets is orgasmic, and i find myself often going to the resupply because i spent all my shells. Also, the area objective play style just begs for shelling, specially in Defense mode. The only drawback is having to follow the offensive or the retreat, which happens often, the battles are awesomely dynamic now.

Also the reserves just make arty playing easier and more effective. I send the scout plane, no longer needing a damn light to spot, i then track the fucker with regular shot, then i make the heavy artillery strike, the guy´s still tracked, and then the bombardment. Its almost sexual.

Edited May 9, 2018 by toysoldier

[TonyE]

I`ve barely noticed artillery at all, yes the occasional strikes, but little more than that. Perhaps i was just lucky and there was only one clicker on each side in my sector, or i didn`t cluster so became a less tempting target.

[Skywalkre]

the airstrike and artillerystrike concepts as shown so far is a step in the right direction and should have been implemented from day 1 in the game.

This.

 

So much of this game mode is what WoT should have always been (and what I was hoping AW would be). Artillery should never have been a playable class. This game mode offers one way they can rework the mechanic and fit it into regular games.

 

I'm delighted by the reaction the mode is getting on the WoT subreddit. Folks are LOVING it! Unfortunately many of the reasons (same tier fights, gold ammo not really necessarily, it downplays superheavies) go against shifts in the game that WG has pushed in recent years. Will WG embrace this and finally listen to the players or will they, when they take the mode down in a few weeks, rework it to push that shit back onto the playerbase?

[Skywalkre]

The Overtime mechanic needs to be tossed out. It takes away from one of the positive aspects of the game - that if the attacker is that bad or the defender is that good the game should end quickly. My last match had 2-3 of them and all it did was prolong out what was an obvious win for the defenders. Feels too much like WoWs with WG just wasting the player's time.

[Skywalkre]

The appeal of Frontlines is already waning on me. There's nothing wrong with the mode. It's actually beautifully designed.

 

The problem is your average WoT player is a bitch who's been trained by years of terrible regular map design and game mode to be a redline sniper who doesn't have to do anything (I question how many know they have a W key). Every game today the attackers have been hanging back and <gasp> not able to progress at all! WHY COULD THAT BE?!

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by Skywalkre

[toysoldier]

I`ve barely noticed artillery at all, yes the occasional strikes, but little more than that. Perhaps i was just lucky and there was only one clicker on each side in my sector, or i didn`t cluster so became a less tempting target.

 

I just noticed when i tried to respawn as arty in a battle that is started as TD... there´s an artillery cap per front.

[TonyE]

 

I`ve barely noticed artillery at all, yes the occasional strikes, but little more than that. Perhaps i was just lucky and there was only one clicker on each side in my sector, or i didn`t cluster so became a less tempting target.

 

I just noticed when i tried to respawn as arty in a battle that is started as TD... there´s an artillery cap per front.

 

 

I saw last night in a couple of battles that there was only one artillery on each side, so one out of thirty.

[TonyE]

The appeal of Frontlines is already waning on me. There's nothing wrong with the mode. It's actually beautifully designed.

 

The problem is your average WoT player is a bitch who's been trained by years of terrible regular map design and game mode to be a redline sniper who doesn't have to do anything (I question how many know they have a W key). Every game today the attackers have been hanging back and <gasp> not able to progress at all! WHY COULD THAT BE?!

 

It propably varies from battle to battle, as the defender i had some epic battles in a row against a very agressive team in the three left zones, damn did they push, they finally reached the airfield in the last zone and almost overran us, we fought with insane desperation, managed to grind them down and then launched a heavy counterattack with fresh reinforcements that sent us into the middle zone, which was when the battle ended.

 

It will propably take a long time to undo many years of "old" gameplay styles, i do hope that this map mode will stay on and not disapear in june for good.

[Skywalkre]

 

The appeal of Frontlines is already waning on me. There's nothing wrong with the mode. It's actually beautifully designed.

 

The problem is your average WoT player is a bitch who's been trained by years of terrible regular map design and game mode to be a redline sniper who doesn't have to do anything (I question how many know they have a W key). Every game today the attackers have been hanging back and <gasp> not able to progress at all! WHY COULD THAT BE?!

 

It propably varies from battle to battle, as the defender i had some epic battles in a row against a very agressive team in the three left zones, damn did they push, they finally reached the airfield in the last zone and almost overran us, we fought with insane desperation, managed to grind them down and then launched a heavy counterattack with fresh reinforcements that sent us into the middle zone, which was when the battle ended.

 

It will propably take a long time to undo many years of "old" gameplay styles, i do hope that this map mode will stay on and not disapear in june for good.

 

Right now I'm chalking up yesterday's battles to all the good publicity the mode got bringing in new players who have never tried it before. They don't have a clue, they're too stupid to figure it out quickly, and as such I'll just give the mode a break for a few days and see how it plays after that.

[Skywalkre]

Someone on the WoT subreddit caught this. The reason Frontlines is so good? WG didn't develop it...

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/WorldofTanks/comments/8ihyji/the_frontline_gamemode_is_amazing_because_its_not/