My #1 beef with the current state of the game is the "fortress" tanks w/o viable weak spots that make AP rounds of many tanks obsolete. So addressing just the ammo question is part of the problem. This doesn't mean that it should be "all or nothing".
Below is my "wish list" for actually addressing the ammo issues.
- All rounds cost roughly the same. No clear P2W/Pay for Advantage. It is a tactical choice.
- All rounds have tradeoffs, so it forces decisions based on the target/situation
Round types should be roughly the same as we have now, but with distinct adherence to #2 above.
- AP or "Standard": decent pen, decent shell velocity, neutral accuracy, high damage if penetrating. AP rounds can bounce for 0 dmg. Tracks/Wheels cannot "eat" AP rounds. Damage is reduced but cannot be nullified.
- APCR: highest shell velocity, 2nd highest pen, best accuracy, lower than AP damage but a higher chance for crits in internal modules (goes through multiple layers due to higher pen). APCR rounds can bounce for 0 dmg. Tracks/Wheels cannot "eat" APCR rounds. Damage is reduced but cannot be nullified.
- HEAT: best pen, mediocre shell velocity = worse accuracy @ range than both AP/APCR, lower than AP damage, no benefit for internal module crits. Tracks/Wheels can "eat" HEAT rounds, if not on a drive wheel even for no dmg. Will track the vehicle if shot @ front/rear wheels. HEAT will bounce for 0 dmg under extreme angles.
- HE: lowest pen, worst shell velocity = really mediocre at range. Highest damage when penetrating, greatly reduced AoE & no BS bounces on your engine bay off the turret cause damage goes "weakest panel seeking", but might damage external modules "enough" to register decapping. Tracks/Wheels can "eat" HE rounds, if not on a drive wheel even for no dmg. Will track the vehicle if shot @ front/rear wheels. Will not kill crew members or damage internal modules unless it pens.
Finally, something needs to be done with ammo capacities. Same tier tanks should not have disparities to the tune of a Tiger II or T32 having a 40ish shell rack with 13,500 possible damage, the Lowe at same tier with same caliber gun and not dissimilar volume having 80 shells and 25,000+ possible damage, etc, because having a vast # of shells allows you to make no compromises carrying one type over the other. Doesn't need to be a mandatory max/min %, I understand that ammo capacity is an important way to balance some tanks, but tanks of that similar a class (i.e. single shot tier VIII HTs with 105mm guns) should not have that kind of disparities.
Summary:
- AP should be viable all-around. Doesn't need to pen everything, but armor wealspots should be adjusted along with the base pen of many AP rounds that is abysmal for their tier. All guns should get a AP round. Tracks @ certain angles do reduce its penetration + damage against the real armor plate, but not much. Wheels are just too thin to affect it and get massive damage.
- APCR is the choice for long-range engagement, and at a pinch low range, high accuracy/high pen. You choose this to shoot more predictably vs. speeding targets. Shoot it up close directly in modules like engine, ammo rack & fuel tanks, it should damage the module ONTOP of the potential damage to general HP. Tracks @ certain angles do reduce its penetration + damage against the real armor plate, bit more than with AP, because APCR rounds are lighter. Wheels are also more likely to reduce incoming damage from the lighter APCR round, but can never get away with 0 dmg regardless of angle of impact. Not all tanks nee/have APCR, but some might have those as standard rounds, as it is the case now, mainly to rhyme with their high shell velocity. APCR limitations will apply, be it mapped on #1 or #2 by default.
- HEAT is the choice against large, flat or angled plates @ range, but not accurate otherwise. It cannot bounce like AP or APCR, but hitting space armor with it sucks with potential zero dmg, just like hitting tracks & wheels with it. Not all tanks need/have HEAT, but some might have those as standard rounds. HEAT limitations will apply, be it mapped on #1 or #2 by default.
- HE has the lowest chances to pen, but does massive damage when it does. It a slow round an and sucks to snipe with it. It is possible to bounce HE, and shooting the ground in front, bounce 50% of the AoE expostion for the hardest part of the turret to the weakest part of the engine bay roof or other tricks like that would not yield magic returns anymore. I am not against it dealing damage to external modules in the proximity of the impact point tho, thus ensuring pretty much a decap if the target is actually hit, even w/o penetration. All guns should have the option for a HE round.
Sorry for the wall of text.
I understand that this requires from the Devs to quit using premium rounds as the main way to monetize/inflate the overhead of running high-tier tanks. The overall economy might need rebalancing, but they have to admit to themselves that it was their greed that forced uppon us the armor-meta power-creep that forces us in turn to abuse premium rounds. They kept pushing it patch, after patch, premium HT introduction after premium HT introduction, "meta Tier X", after meta Tier X. It is not just the slow-super-HTs that get it. It is the V4, it is the 430U, it is the latest "meta" Tier X HTs that are faster than many MTs in their tier.
Finally, I am trying to address the wheeled question, because the way wheels interact with existing shell physics, is clearly broken: EBRs are just another magic mix of speed and "armor", vehicles that are large and do get hit despite their crazy speed, but receive no damage.