Artillery gets a bad rap in the game and I get that but I have some observations after playing a LOT of artillery recently.
- Tanks cuddling is an invitation to arty. 2, 3, or 4 tanks in a tight group are like candy for artillery. Point the aim spot at the center of the group and let fly. You will almost always do damage to 2-3 tanks, stun them all the get huge stun damage in some cases. Just a note for the cuddlers out there and why it happens. I am guilt of cuddling too, LOL. There is a sense of security when you are all close together and using each other as partial cover, but it does nothing to reduce the effect of an 8-inch shell into the center of the group.
- We cannot shoot everywhere on a map, even if it is in range; there are a few maps where we literally can hit everything. The rest really depends on positioning, where the enemy is, and how they move. So, you may call for fire, but your arty may not be able to hit there.
- Higher-tier tanks (for the most part) are more careful about where they go and what they do if they have the choice. I have played all tiers with arty and the higher the tier the more likely the tanks are to be aware of arty and use the terrain to lessen their exposure. This also goes for their ability from experience to figure out where arty is, so playing arty at higher tiers is also riskier and the higher tier arty is more prone to counterbattery fire as well.
- We can see the entire map, see where the enemy is going and what they are doing better than you. If most enemies are spotted, if we pay attention, we can determine where they are likely to push. I try to alert the team. Listen to these comments, please. We are only trying to help the team win. We also have time between rounds to assess the situation and see trends.
- We will, given the choice, shoot the low-hit point tanks or dangerous tanks if we are doing things right and they are in position. I can one-shot low-hit point tanks and take them out of the game; the best is to kill a low hit point tank with splash damage when hitting a nearby high hit point tank, doing double duty. Large tanks and superheavies, like the Maus, the T95, and the like, are a high priority for two reasons. First, we can slow an already slow tank down, damage modules, and kill crew, reducing the effectiveness of a dangerous tank. Second, they are easier to hit because of their speed. I play a T95 and curse when this happens to me, so I get the angst about this. THE HIGHEST PRIORITY IS OPPOSING ARTY.
- I hate three large artillery on a map, even as arty. It reduces our damage share, to begin with. If three arty are all firing together at the same targets, the hit points are shared out and arty can only shoot every 20-40 seconds, so we are limited in the shots we have. It also makes players more cautious, reducing targets.
These are my thoughts about arty. The nerf of HE may reduce the effect quite a lot, but we will see.