Every WoT player wants to lead his team to victory. However, based on the fact that this is a team game, he alone can defeat the entire opposing team only in exceptional cases.
It so happened that many players chose the “bright” path for themselves, in other words - to shine for their team. For example, you have in your hangar a LT or ST in a non-top configuration, which can do little in battle. This technique is not capable of causing a lot of damage, but if used correctly, even it will bring tangible benefits to your allies. In one of the latest patches (0.8.0), Wargaming introduced additional information into the post-battle statistics window. Since then, a player who has illuminated for his team can see with his own eyes the amount of damage inflicted on enemy vehicles by his exposure. Agree, such information brings moral satisfaction and a sense of significance to those who, at the beginning of the battle, write in the general chat “What am I even doing here?” So this article is about how to properly shine on LT and ST.
First of all, you must clearly understand the performance characteristics (tactical and technical characteristics) of the equipment on which you are entering the battle. What speed your tank will develop, how it will slow down on bumps, slopes and soft soils will directly affect your actions. An important criterion for behavior in battle is the setup of both teams and the map on which the battle will begin. You must understand whether you can get to a strategic point undetected and before the enemy, and whether you will not interfere with a more maneuverable ally.
The most important tasks:
1. Analyze the map. On any map, be it a city or an open field, there are places that are ideal for light. Any vegetation, be it bushes or the crown of a fallen tree, can completely hide you from the enemy team, and if the battle takes place on a city map, then there are almost always windows, loopholes and embankments that hide almost the entire silhouette of your tank, leaving only a tower with observation devices.
2. Analyze the command grid. Sometimes it may happen that the enemy team's LT or ST gets to a good spot before you. There are two options here: destroy the enemy firefly yourself (or leaving it to be torn to pieces by the team), or find a point on the map from which you can shine the light on the enemy team without fear of being discovered yourself. From this point it becomes clear that the technique with the best dynamics and mobility is most preferable for light.
3. Consider the visibility and camouflage of your and enemy equipment. At the same time, remember that LTs have a class camouflage bonus (the camouflage indicator is the same when moving and at rest). If there is a possibility that you yourself will be overexposed, it is better to roll back a little, using houses, shelters and folds of the terrain, let your team deal with the equipment that may expose you.
What was described earlier has the term “passive light”. However, if your equipment has excellent dynamics and speed, do not neglect the “active light”. This technique is to give your team an idea of the movement of enemy equipment in tactical directions in the first minutes, and sometimes even seconds of the battle. Just don’t repeat the mistakes of many players who, after the phrase “candle in the center!” immediately sent to the hangar. The initial task is not so much to expose the entire opposing team, but to preserve units of strength and vital components of your equipment: engine, tracks and surveillance devices. Maneuver, make sharp unexpected turns and leave after you have lit up (the “light bulb” perk, which we will talk about later, will help you understand this).
If possible, keep enemy tanks in constant light, do not take damage and constantly move, appearing where enemy tanks are not expecting you at all. Remember the fact that the longer the enemy tank glows, the more guns on your team will be turned in its direction. Ride along the hillside on the side of your allies, showing only the tower to your opponents, this will make it harder for you to be hit. After a good exposure, the artillery may express great gratitude to you for the work done.
It is also worth noting why many passive fireflies do not live long: they themselves cause damage to the opponent’s equipment. As you know, shots reveal, so the desire to shoot can sometimes play a cruel joke on you. However, it may happen that the enemy approaches the bushes from which you are shining, and no one deals damage to him, and you can quite deal with him. Use the current situation most effectively for you: roll back until the bushes from which you were shining cease to be transparent and begin your insidious business, shoot down the tracks, remind your team that the enemy still exists and we need to put an end to it!
The fact is that being fifteen meters from the bushes, you are covered by them as a visual barrier. The enemy is in residual light, and you are invisible, you can inflict damage on him with impunity. Also, do not forget about “X-ray” on city maps: when you drive close to a house, you will illuminate the enemy standing closely behind it, this feature of the game mechanics is very useful on city maps, but be careful, the enemy will also illuminate you.
The perks of the tank crew will help you in this difficult “light” task. Pump up the “light bulb”, “eagle eye” for the commander, and “radio interception” for the radio operator. The perks “extreme strength”, “vindictive”, “king of off-road”, “virtuoso” will also be useful, and in general the entire crew should master “camouflage” and “combat brotherhood”.
Yes, it depends. The larger the caliber of the gun, the higher the chance of detection (the distance from which the tank will be guaranteed to be unmasked) at the moment of firing. In addition, the muzzle brake plays an important role, in the presence of which, at the moment of firing, the vehicle is unmasked more than with a similar shot from a gun without a muzzle brake.
Does detection of a tank when firing depend on the type of projectile?
No, all types of shells, when fired from one gun, unmask the vehicle in the same way.
What is visibility? Is there a difference in visibility between tanks of the same class?
100% visibility means that the tank will be visible at maximum viewing range. 0% visibility means that the tank will only be visible from a distance of 50 meters. The size of the tank affects overall visibility. Each tank has its own visibility coefficients, and they are changed by the “Camouflage” skill and the “Camouflage Network” module.
Bonus to camouflage level from Camouflage Net and Camouflage
The bonus to the camouflage level from the Camouflage Net and camouflage is added to the stealth coefficient of the tank itself. This bonus is fixed and depends only on the vehicle class.
Self-propelled guns and heavy tanks receive a small bonus, light and medium tanks - medium, tank destroyers - large. In this case, the bonus from the Camouflage Net is greater than the bonus from camouflage in any case. So, for example, the bonus from the Camouflage Network for self-propelled guns and heavy tanks is greater than the bonus from camouflage for tank destroyers.
Maximum bonus from bushes
Bushes in the game are conventionally divided into two types: dense and sparse. And these types differ slightly in the stealth bonus they provide. The maximum bonus can be obtained from four dense bushes.
Tank camouflage is one of the key mechanics of the World of tanks game, some use it successfully, almost everyone scolds it, and only a few understand how it works. We decided to fill this gap and tell the whole truth about camouflage, the features of its work, its correct use and some interesting facts.
Camouflage, its role and significance in the game
Camouflage is the ability of a tank to remain invisible to the enemy team’s equipment. However, camouflage does not exist on its own, but is an integral part of the game's “look-and-camouflage” mechanics. The eternal struggle between vision and camouflage is one of the fundamentals of gameplay, which has the greatest impact on the player’s actions and often determines the outcome of the battle. Knowledge and skillful use of camouflage and vision is a prerequisite for successful play and increasing your winning percentage.
Basic concepts of camouflage
Before talking about how camouflage works, you should understand the basic terms.
Camouflage coefficient (stealth coefficient). This is a value that shows the ability of a technique to be invisible. It is calculated based on the base camouflage coefficient and other coefficients - from a shot, when moving, in the presence of camouflage and camouflage net, from the presence of bushes/trees, from the degree of proficiency of the crew in the “Camouflage” skill.
Basic camouflage coefficient (invisibility). The degree of stealth of a tank without taking into account additional factors. This coefficient is unique for each tank in the game, and its exact value is not disclosed by the developers. However, thanks to the work of enthusiasts, we know more or less accurate basic stealth coefficients, which allows us to make calculations.
"X-ray" or minimum detection range. A constant value equal to 50 meters, at which a tank is necessarily detected, regardless of the presence of obstacles and bushes.
Detection range. The distance at which that particular tank can detect an enemy tank. The maximum detection range is 445 meters. The detection range and visibility of a tank should not be confused: visibility is the distance over which the “sight rays” extend from the tank; detection range is the distance at which “exposure” can occur; to calculate this distance, the tank’s visibility and camouflage coefficient are used, taking into account all additional factors.
Visibility range- this is the maximum distance at which tanks, both allies and enemies, can be visible when detected by them. The game mechanics limit the visibility range to a radius 564 meters around the tank.
Viewpoints. Points on the tank from which conditional “vision rays” emanate. Each tank has two viewing points: one at the base of the barrel (on the gun mantlet), the second above the geometric center of the tank, on a plane resting on the highest point of the tank. The first observation point is dynamic, it rotates along with the turret (in turretless vehicles, of course, it is almost motionless), the second point is always in its place.
Dimensional points. Points on the tank to which the distance from observation points of enemy tanks is calculated. Dimensional points are located in the geometric centers of the planes of a conventional parallelepiped into which the tank is inscribed without taking into account the gun. Another additional dimensional point is located at the base of the trunk and coincides with the observation point located there. Tanks have a complex configuration, so the dimensional points most often do not lie on the tank itself, but seem to float in the air. On the one hand, this greatly simplifies the calculations (since for the program all tanks are simply parallelepipeds), and on the other hand, it introduces some confusion and confusion, since players under the “overall points” mistakenly take the extreme points on the hull and gun of the tank, which completely untrue.
Now, armed with the necessary knowledge, you can understand how camouflage works.
Mechanics of camouflage and vision
The mechanics of camouflage and vision generally boil down to the following. For each tank, “vision rays” emerge from observation points with a certain periodicity, directed in all directions. If the “vision rays” reach the overall points of the enemy tank, the detection process starts - the program, based on the current camouflage coefficient, calculates the detection range of the tank, and if it lies within the range of vision, then “lighting” occurs. If the detection range is less than the overview, then the enemy tank remains invisible.
Detection checks are carried out at intervals that depend on the distance to the intended targets:
- “X-ray” up to 50 meters – 10 times per second
- Up to 150 meters – 2 times per second;
- Up to 270 meters – once every 1 second;
- Up to 445 meters – once every 2 seconds.
Moreover, when checking, “view rays” are not sent by two viewing points at once, but in turn. “View rays” do not pass through obstacles (except in the case of “X-rays”; tanks are also “transparent”), therefore, to “expose” one should move the point of view from behind the obstacle, that is, briefly drive out from behind it.
The combination of these factors often creates confusion in the game, especially for tanks whose vantage points are separated by a significant distance (usually tank destroyers). When driving out from behind an obstacle, you can detect an enemy tank with a vantage point at the base of the barrel, but the next time you drive out, the point above the tank will work and the enemy will not be detected.
When detected once, the tank remains visible for 5 - 10 seconds, this time is determined randomly. If the crew of the illuminated tank has leveled up the “Venedictive” and “Ultimate Strength” skills, then the duration of the exposure increases by 2 seconds.
This is how camouflage works in the general case, but in game conditions several additional factors intervene in this mechanics, which can completely change the whole picture. But before we consider all the camouflage factors in detail, we should understand how detection testing occurs.
How camouflage and detection are calculated
The basis of everything is the stealth coefficient, unique for each tank, it is used in the formula for calculating the detection distance (range):
Here RO is the detection distance, “Overview” is the overview of the observer tank (50 is the minimum detection distance), kn is the final camouflage coefficient, which takes into account all factors and bonuses (camouflage, crew skill, additional equipment, etc.).
Using this formula, we can calculate that the Soviet heavy tank IS-3 with a basic visibility of 330 meters will be able to see the German tank destroyer E 25 (camouflage coefficient 25% without camouflage and other bonuses) at a distance of 260 meters, and the E 25 with a basic visibility of 360 meters will be noticed by the IS-3 (camouflage coefficient is slightly less than 7%) at a distance of 338 meters - this is more than the basic overview of the heavy beam! Now it’s clear why these small fleas bite so painfully and don’t light up.
However, this is how things are in an open field, without bushes, camouflages and the skills of crew members. In reality, everything is a little more complicated.
Constant and dynamic camouflage changes
Conditionally permanent changes in camouflage (bonuses) include those that do not change in any way during one battle. Among them:
- The presence of camouflage - an increase in the stealth coefficient for tank destroyers and self-propelled guns - 2%, for light tanks and tank destroyers - 3%, for tank destroyers - 4%. This bonus also works when the tank is moving;
- Turret type – some tanks have stock and top-end turrets with different camouflage coefficients, but there are not too many of these vehicles;
- The presence of the crew perk “Camouflage” - depending on the number of crew members who have this skill and the level of proficiency in the skill, increases the overall stealth coefficient of the vehicle by 1.79 ... 1.98 times (that is, acts as a multiplier). It is interesting that this skill remains even if the crew members who possess it are shell-shocked.
Dynamic changes include those that change during one battle:
- Movement - when moving, the stealth coefficient drops, and it varies for different classes of vehicles: for level I and II tanks - up to 75% of the base value, for tanks of level III and higher - it does not decrease. That is, all light tanks above level II are equally invisible while standing and on the move. For ST - up to 75% of the base value, for tank destroyers - up to 60%, for tank destroyers and self-propelled guns - up to 50%. By the way, movement is considered not only to change the coordinates of the tank over time, but also to two special cases - the rotation of the tracks when the tank hits an obstacle, and the jolts of a stationary tank to allied vehicles;
- The moment of the shot - gives the maximum reduction in the stealth coefficient, the drop in stealth is individual for each weapon and averages 3 - 5 times;
- Vegetation on the line of sight between tanks - bushes and trees - gives an increase to the tank's stealth coefficient from 8% (some trees) to 50% (large bushes). Moreover, fallen and standing trees provide the same percentage of camouflage;
- The presence of a camouflage network - an increase in the coefficient for TT and self-propelled guns - 5%, for tank destroyers and tank destroyers - 10%, for tank destroyers - 15%. This bonus is reset when the tank moves and starts working 3 seconds after stopping.
It is necessary to say more about the vegetation, since there are several interesting points here.
Firstly, camouflage is provided only by those bushes and trees that are located on the line of sight between the observed tank and the observer tank (more precisely, here we are talking about the line of sight between the observation and overall points of the tank).
Secondly, when fired, all bushes at a distance of 15 meters, located along the line of sight to the observer tank, lose camouflage depending on the gun coefficient. Moreover, unmasking occurs only in relation to the tank that fired; if there are other vehicles standing nearby and not shooting, for them the camouflage remains unchanged. Bushes located further than 15 meters retain their properties - experienced players take advantage of this fact.
Finally, thirdly, to successfully camouflage a tank, you don’t need to hide it all in the bushes - it’s enough to make the overall points invisible. The camouflage is not at all affected by a protruding gun or a roller of one track - there are no clearance points here, and this tank remains invisible to the observer.
Now we can look in more detail at the example of a meeting between the IS-3 and E 25. Let our anti-tank unit have camouflage and a crew with the 100% “Camouflage” perk, and stand in a large bush with 50% camouflage - in this case, the enemy is on the IS- 3 will detect it from a distance of only 50 meters (in fact, the heavy beam can only X-ray the “flea”!), when fired, this distance increases to 250 meters. And if the E 25 stands 15 meters from the bush, then it will be able to shoot with impunity from a distance of 150 meters!
So all the factors that most players do not pay enough attention to play a very important role in the game and can affect the outcome of the battle. But we will talk about measures to increase camouflage in another article.
Myths and famous bugs about camouflage
In conclusion, let's remember a few bugs and common myths related to camouflage and detection.
A bug (although the developers look at this as a feature) with late rendering of a detected tank. Often the tank is drawn with a delay of 1 - 2 seconds after detection, which can have disastrous results for the observer tank. The delay is due to the time it took to check the detection of the tank, as well as some unknown problems. The developers promised to fix this bug, but things are not moving yet.
A bug (although this is definitely a feature) with the disappearance of tanks in an open field. The mechanics of camouflage and exposure are so designed that some tanks can disappear in an open field; to do this, they just need to stop and not shoot. They have been talking about this problem for a long time, the developers promise to fix everything, but for now everything remains as it is.
The myth about the different camouflage coefficients of fallen and standing trees. In reality, each tree has its own specific camouflage coefficient, and it does not depend on the position of the tree. Burnt and bare trees have a zero coefficient (that is, they have no effect on camouflage).
The myth (or rather, players’ ignorance of camouflage mechanics) about the unmasking barrel and tracks - we have already discussed this issue in our conversation about dimensional points.
A lot of work is currently being done to refine the game mechanics, so in the future disguise will (at least we hope so) work without problems. But myths are unlikely to disappear - they, like any beliefs, live for a long time and it is almost useless to fight them.
6 years and a month ago Comments: 21
Light in World of Tanks is called enemy detection. This is a very important aspect of game mechanics, which, unfortunately, many simply do not pay attention to. Most players with at least a thousand battles know how to shoot accurately and “tank” with a strong forehead, but only a few know how to give competent and long-lasting light that will allow the team to achieve victory.
Good lighting can really decide the outcome of a fight. Often in random battles you can see how formidable heavy weapons, which are very dangerous due to their high one-time damage, remain completely defenseless on open maps against opponents who, although they do not have such armor or damage per shot, have good visibility. In many high-level battles, the team wins thanks to a skilled player on a light tank of the fourth or fifth level.
What are the benefits of proper lighting?
Smart lighting in World Of Tanks will not only bring your team victory, but you will also receive a large amount of experience and silver if, according to your intelligence, your allies made a lot of effective shots. When playing on a light tank, you may not fire a single shot at all, stand in the bushes for the entire battle, and end up gaining more than a thousand experience and a significant amount of silver.Naturally, not everything is so simple. It’s not for nothing that a relatively small number of players know how to shine correctly; there is a lot to learn here. Light is divided into active and passive:
Active light in World of Tanks
Active lighting represents movement across the battlefield on maximum speed. You need to actively maneuver so that the enemy doesn’t hit you, effectively use obstacles and hills, show enemy tanks only observation devices, and not expose yourself with your entire corps.Don't also forget about danger of losing the caterpillar because of another jump on a bump. When making a sharp turn at high speed, the tank skids strongly, which leads to a significant loss of speed and, as a consequence, probable destruction. To make it more difficult for the enemy to aim, you need to slightly change the direction of movement every about three seconds, and between such wobbles, pick up speed and move in a straight line.
Racing at high speed and literally dodging enemy shots is quite fun, especially since it is relatively simple, so most players prefer this type of light. But simply does not mean effective. Moreover, it is becoming more and more difficult to actively shine. A significant blow here was the introduction of physics into the game in update 0.8.0; before that there was no danger of losing the track due to a bump or hill.
In, one might say, the iconic T-50-2 on the MT-25. Many people took this change very painfully: T-50-2 was the fastest firefly in World of Tanks, the game on it was very dynamic and fun, you could rush in front of confused opponents, expose the whole team, shoot self-propelled guns and even escape undamaged. The MT-25 cannot boast of such outstanding speed or maneuverability. In general, you need to shine on it not actively, but passively.
Passive light in World of Tanks
Passive light, at first glance, is easier to master than active light. Indeed, stand in the bushes, what could be difficult here? But this is only at first glance. After all, you need to not just stand in the bushes, but detect the enemy and remain unnoticed yourself.How to choose the place where the lighting will come from?
Choosing a convenient bush behind which you can hide requires a good knowledge of the map and the main routes of movement of equipment. You should see as many enemy tanks as possible, and your allies should be able to shoot at them. In general, it makes sense to highlight an enemy that your allies cannot hit only if you need to control the situation and the movement of enemy tanks in a given area.For example, the allies left the other without any protection. It only makes sense to shine light in such an unprotected direction so that the allies know when enemy tanks will appear there and in what quantity. But this is rarely required, in most cases you need to highlight enemies so that allies deal damage to them. Moreover, this is exactly what you get silver and experience for.
As mentioned above, choosing a good location for passive light is quite difficult. It must be some kind of bush that provides effective camouflage. For a passive firefly, the first minute of the battle is extremely important. You need to waste no time and occupy a suitable bush, from behind which you can highlight the scattering opponents.
What to do if the enemy gets too close?
As soon as an enemy tank approaches you, you need to immediately retreat, since even if you can penetrate it, you still will not inflict a large amount of damage on it, and with a return shot, you will most likely be sent to the hangar. Your task is completely different. In most cases, in a passive light position, you should immediately turn in the direction of the route you will take to retreat in case of danger. If necessary, immediately stand with your stern facing the enemy, he will still punch you in any projection.If you are going to passively shine, this does not mean that you should occupy some bush at the beginning of the battle and stand in it until the very end. In most cases this is ineffective. If you cannot detect the enemy for some time due to one cover, you need to move around and look for another, more suitable one. In this case, it often makes sense to choose not a direct route, but a circuitous one, so as not to allow yourself to be detected by the enemy.
Tank review. Selection of equipment for active and passive light.
With passive and active light, the most important thing is overview of your tank, which can be increased by equipment such as a stereo tube and coated optics. The first works only when your tank is stationary (three seconds after stopping) and gives a bonus of 25% of the base vision. The bonus of coated optics is only 10%, but it always works. It is quite obvious that a stereo tube is ideal for passive light, while an active firefly needs to use coated optics. On some tanks it makes sense to install both types of equipment. Vision is also increased by the skills Eagle Eye (by 2%) and Radio Interception (by 3%), which can be learned from the commander and radio operator, respectively.It is the visibility indicator of your tank that should be the guideline by which you need to choose the distance separating you from the enemy. Naturally, you need to try to illuminate him at the maximum distance in order to remain unnoticed yourself. And for this you need disguise.
Camouflage - plays an important role when playing firefly
It can be improved with a camouflage net, which gives a bonus of 25% of the base value and is valid only when your tank is stationary, camouflage, which gives a bonus of 5%, is active in motion and is purchased for silver or gold, as well as the skill of the same name, which can be upgraded for the entire crew. If you are going to play the role of a firefly, then camouflage should be chosen as the first perk, but this does not apply to the commander, who needs to take the sixth sense.Sixth Sense- an extremely useful skill that will come in handy on many tanks, but the sixth sense is very important for a passive firefly, as it signals that you have been detected. One has only to say that this skill works with three second delay, so it often makes sense not to wait for the light to come on, but to run away immediately. For active light, the sixth sense is not so important, because in this case the defense is not secrecy, but active maneuvers.
Naturally, the best suited for highlighting enemies are light tanks, which have an extremely useful bonus compared to all other vehicles: the camouflage of a moving light tank is equal to its camouflage when stationary, for all other vehicles it is half as low. It is also worth saying that when fired, the camouflage of any tank is reduced by about six times.
But you can shine on almost any equipment; here you need to look at the ratio of size and visibility. Many medium tanks are characterized by their relatively small size and high visibility, which allows them to effectively illuminate the enemy on a par with light tanks. Many “ambush” tank destroyers, which are small in size, can provide good passive light if you install a camouflage net and a stereo tube on them.
Tank visibility and readiness to fire have been redesigned again for patch 10.0. The conditions under which an enemy tank will be exposed have become the same for all tanks in World of Tanks.
Now the calculation of tank exposure (visibility of opponents on the battlefield) will be carried out not on a linear grid, where the tank positions were indicated by squares and if the visibility distance overlapped the square where the enemy was located, then it was illuminated and it was possible to fire at it effectively, but on a complex circular more exact trajectory for calculating the visibility of units on the battlefield in World of Tanks. Creating such all-round visibility diagrams for calculating tank flare took significantly more resources and time. Now the work has been completed and in the new World of Tanks version 10.0 update, players will be able to appreciate the work of the new algorithms for calculating now all-round visibility. Schematically it looks like this:
An interactive version of the diagram is available by clicking on the button at the end of the material
How is tank visibility calculated?
Let's look at the old and new schemes for calculating the light of tanks on the battlefield.
Old scheme
Previously, placing enemies diagonally made it possible to spot them faster. On the left in the picture, a square area of equipment exposure shows that enemy tanks placed diagonally appear faster, and a tank located directly in front of the player, on the contrary, appears later. These are the costs of the previously chosen by the developers World of Tanks light grid, which calculated the visibility of tanks up to wot 10.0.
New scheme
The proposed new circular scheme for visibility and tank flares is more realistic. A tank on the battlefield is an observation point, the detection distance of tanks from which is the same in any direction. Both straight and diagonal, the calculation of the visibility of tanks is the same and is equal to the visibility indicator for a specific combat vehicle in any direction. Thus, the visibility of the tank will depend on the presence of the enemy in its visibility zone. This is a proper review system.
Tank visibility system
Since the introduction of a new tank rendering system into the World of Tank game, the quality of battles will significantly change for the better. Using light tanks for reconnaissance will now take on a whole new meaning. It will become easier to hide from fireflies and at the same time the light will become of high quality- will make it possible to immediately fire at an enemy who comes into view.
