I put this post, on the primary boards ( http://forum.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/644074-my-sandbox-spg-likes-dislikes-and-changes-after-100-games-played/ ) and I added it to the big topic. But, I want to share my experiences here.
NOTE: Before I speak to it, I've got about 4k SPG games, on Live and all of my SPGs are 50-60% win rate. I enjoy it but I'm not a main arty player, by any means, and would say that it is probably my least enjoyed class, not because I don't like it but because I like being more active. It is a nice change of pace, though. I will also state that I don't like the current state of artillery, since I don't like the ability to greatly focus players, from across the map – artillery should be wide area spread damage with little actual damage deal AND it should be inefficient at hitting single targets. I will also say that, while I like the stun, it is a bit much and it should be toned down.
TLDR:
- Love Sound Detection (for all classes) but it needs to be tweaked, for the slower tanks, since they're less capable of getting out of the way. If it isn't tweaked, slow heavies, super heavies, and TDs will continue to get farmed.
- Love the artillery target indicators and would love this added for friendly areas, so that friendly tanks can see where we're firing more easily.
- Would also love the blast area indicators added in the game (on top of the mini-map) so that people can see them in 3rd person view.
- I like the attempt at different ammunition types but the AP rounds are terrible (less than 1 chance in 3 to hit a standstill target and even less, if on the move) and the minimal blast radius, on the HE damage shell is horribly weak AND constitutes a massive damage nerf. For the GW E 100, the Stun Shell does -11% less direct and area damage vs. Live. The Damaging HE shell does +10% more damage but deal -77% less area damage (doesn't include lowered to-damage probability), and comparing the Sandbox Stun Shell vs HE Damage Shell is a +23% direct damage gain but a -69% area damage loss.
- I hate not being able to control the different shell elevations, via a keyboard toggle – it is frustrating, beyond believe, dealing with that on most of the maps, due to elevation changes and the small maps (Mines, Ensk, Paris, Himmelsdorf, etc.) essentially completely invalidate the use of the other shells because of the lack of distance to use them. Moving, to use shells is one thing. Having to spend too much time moving only to have that window close and cost you DPM is something entirely different.
- Splash radius needs to be increased immensely, if you're going to both reduce damage and create a skill to let people move out of the blast radius – SPG players should be able to do damage too and be able to make money. As it stands, it just makes completing missions much MUCH harder and reduces the already pitiful credit earning. That isn't a big care, for the anti-artillery people but it also isn't fair. Plus, I've got a 40% chance to deal damage, solely, with the Damaging HE shell – not a chance to hit but a chance to deal damage. Using only that shell, over a 20 game stint, allowed me to average around 800 (pure) damage a game – that is b.s. bad.
- SPG tracers, at the point of firing, really need to be highlighted more. The tracer trail is amazing but it is still really difficult, to see where SPGs are firing from, while actually playing counterbattery. On Winter maps, it is even more difficult and you only need to add in a touch of color blindness to really screw it up. Plus, the reduced damage, on the Stun Shell, and the pathetic blast radius, on the Damaging HE shell, make for really bad tools, on counterbattery.
- None of the changes fix the problem, at mid-tiers. But, now WarGaming made it easier to one-shot tier 5 and tier 6 tanks, when players are less skilled and don't move, by increasing the damage AND penetration, on the Damaging HE shells. This is really bad, for lower tiers. Oh, and they didn't address the M44 which is already stupid and can now lay waste to lower tiers even easier (if they hit, of course).
- Also, none of these changes fix the issues of people hating getting 1k meters sniped, for 300-550, because I'm still doing that with the Stun shell.
- Great idea removing the improve critical hit chance, on the Stun Round. Would like Deadeye to be applicable to that round now, since it is normalized against AP/APCR/HEAT rounds.
- Maintaining the improved critical hit chance, on the Damaging HE round, is NOT utility. Reducing its blast radius, to the point of greatly breaking its ability to actually deal damage, isn't "tactical".
People will be happy, if this goes live, because it'll be a big nerf. But, even the artillery haters need to vote against this because, as I put in one of the bullets, I was still hitting single targets, with the "weak" shell, for 300-550 and stunning AND still hitting with critical module hits (they only removed the added HE critical hit bonus but didn't remove it entirely). Artillery still needs a LOT of work and these changes don't really do it, at all.