Hello all you pilots out there, and welcome back to the Spider Tanks Showcase!
In this edition, we’re diving into a newer tank body in the arena, but one that offers some things no other body can. This mighty body forgoes the legs of most of its competition for a smooth ride over a more traditional tank drive system.
That’s right. This week, we’re talking about Tracks. Tracks is a retro special, sporting an antique track design that was popular on the Canadian subcontinent in the 15th century of Earth’s ancient past. This tank proves why such time-tested designs were popular, as it’s highly efficient and capable of amazing bursts of power when piloted by a skilled technician.
Tracks is big. Not Titan big, but pretty dang big. Usually, Energy is strictly a function of size – not in the case of Tracks. Tracks has the single highest Energy gain of any tank body out there, meaning you can use more abilities more often.
Like the Nomad, Santa’s Sleigh or Snoop’s Bumpin Lowrider, Tracks is a directional drive body. This means that it can move on impulse forward and backward but not side to side. You’ll have to adapt to this driving style if you’re not used to it, but the key is to stay in motion at all times if possible. It’ll take a while to accelerate from a stop, and you can’t turn while not moving. Keep agile and keep turning so that you can react quickly.
The Charger: Tracks/Carver
Remember how we said you get more energy than anyone else using Tracks? This combo takes full advantage of that. A Carver requires you to be up close… not a usual choice for a massive tank. With Tracks’ burst ability thanks to its energy though, you can cover a surprising amount of ground fast to chop down the competition.
Speed Boosters cost very little Energy, and with a high level Tracks you can theoretically use them pretty much whenever you need if you’re conservative with your Energy when you don’t need. Throw in a Repair Drone for another low-cost ability to keep you running smooth and you can use more abilities during the match than anyone else.
Opponents will think they’ve got your speed and reach down, then you kick on the afterburners. Make sure that you’re well repaired when you attack and choose your window well. Once you go sprinting after an enemy you’ll be a sitting duck if you turn around, so make sure they end as pieces and not you.
Mobile Triage: Tracks/Repair Artillery
While Tracks’ consistent Energy and toughness are huge assets, for many pilots the drive style of Tracks will often be a disadvantage. We can minimize that liability though by staying on the periphery of the fight when possible, and artillery makes that more possible.
With this, you’ll be playing support most often. You’ll still have the massive Energy gain to scramble and reposition if you need, but you can stay moving on the outside of the conflict, ensuring that your team stays healed and supported.
With Tracks large amount of Energy, Repair Zone could come into play as well here. Usually this ability is only useful in very few situations due to its high cost, but with Tracks you could lay down a repair zone every 20 seconds or so, allowing you to heal both team members at once.
The Burster: Tracks/Bouncer
This combo accepts that Tracks won’t be the fastest around, but it’s a much more traditional way to make a hard-hitting tank that has the chance to put out big bursts of damage when needed.
Bouncer can absolutely tear up an opposing team if you get them at the right time, and Tracks’ ability to utilize excessive amounts of Speed Boosters plays a key role here. With Tracks you can afford to be on full Energy most of the match, which means you can always be ready to make a sprint.
With this combo, you’ll want to get in and unleash your bouncies – then get out and bide your time until your next attack. Don’t boost as soon as you start your approach and give away your position. You want to save that booster until the last possible moment so that you can still use some of it to escape and prepare for your next pass. This opens up your allies to come in and clean up the mess or set you up for another run.
On Track to Victory
Tracks may be a blast from the past, but it has a lot of modern relevance in today’s arena. Don’t be turned off by the directional drive system without hopping in the pilot seat and giving this one a try… it can make big plays happen once you get used to its tendencies!
That’s all for us this week, but we’ll return next week for another Spider Tanks Showcase!
Have a body, weapon, abilities, map or game mode you’d like us to cover that we haven’t gotten to yet? Let us know on Discord and we’ll buckle up and get it ready!
It’s that time again… the Spider Tanks Showcase has returned. This time we’re locked and loaded and are ready to unleash the proper fury of the Railgun!
Welcome back Pilots! This week we’re breaking down one of the most deadly weapons ever conceived by humanity. These mighty projectiles can bring a Tank down in one hit if fully charged and their destructive power is unmatched throughout the Earthen Cluster.
That’s right, today is all about the Railgun! The Railgun is a powerful long-range weapon powered by fusion-generated electromagnets. The immense momentum of these large projectiles can pierce the armor of any Tank, even dealing fatal blows to mint condition middleweights when fully charged.
The longer the Railgun is charged, the more damage it does. Unfortunately, you’ll be slowed down to a crawl while charging your electromagnets for firing… it takes a lot of energy to launch this heavy duty ordinance! A good Railgun Pilot has to know how long to charge, how to stay safe while charging, and above all else, how to make sure their superpowered hits land on enemy tanks.
Unleash the Power
When using a Railgun in the arena, positioning is more important than with most weapons. You need to make sure that you’re not going to be under threat while firing, but also that you have a clear shot on your opponents.
A clear shot isn’t just about range… often it’s just as much about angle. How you approach the enemy matters. If your vantage point effectively only has a small window to attack, your slow shots may not land a blow before the enemy escapes.
The slow travel of your projectiles is absolutely key to understand if you’re going to play Railgun. Many inexperienced Pilots will try to lead their quarries as they would with a Cannon or Crossbow. These projectiles move at nearly double the speed of a Railgun though… you’ll need to lead your target further or get closer.
Experiment with different charge levels on your shots. If you take 95% of your opponent’s health in one shot, that still means you’ll have to hit them with another shot to finish them off – no different than 50/50 on two shots. Sometimes this means you need to wind all the way up and try to finish them in one. Often it means that you’re going to have to go in close for a little double tap to finish them off. Plan ahead for these moments. Your goal isn’t to injure tanks… it’s to destroy them!
Plan ahead for that double tap and not even big tanks will be able to defend against you.
Run From the Rail!
It may seem easy to dodge Railgun shots since they move so slowly, but up against a good operator the Railgun can be very difficult to evade.
The Railgun is an extremely wide projectile. Its impact radius is much bigger than other weapons. While you can just barely juke to the side with a Cannon or Triple Threat, you’ll need to fully get out of the way or that rail will smash you.
While a Railgun is charging, you can see how much charge it has above the enemy tank. Wait until they fire before approaching them… it will take a moment for them to charge up another shot. Be wary of a railgun that’s fully charged and waiting. A patient Railgun is a deadly Railgun.
Try to hit them from range when possible and come in close only when they’ve just fired a shot. Avoid moving directly towards a charged rail… if you have no angular momentum you’re only making it easier for them to lead you. Zigzagging and spin moves are encouraged here. You want them to waste that shot.
Don’t walk right into the Railgun’s line of fire. You may as well just hand them a giftwrapped kill.
If you are heavily damaged by a Railgun, disengage immediately and go heal if possible. It may take them a while to charge up their shot, but they don’t need to fully charge if you’re already damaged. A clever Railgun Pilot will find a way to get in close for that quick kill or have the second shot on the way by the time you get hit with the first. If you’re low on health, they can hit you with their lowest charge level and still bring you down.
Last, if you’re playing in a heavy tank, don’t be afraid to get hit by a rail. If your tank is bigger than a Jet/Hurricane, chances are that a Railgun will have to hit you twice to bring you down. It takes a while to hit you twice. Use that to your advantage.
Railgun Tactics
A Railgun isn’t just a massively destructive Weapon – it’s also a powerful deterrent. A fully charged Railgun tucked around a corner is something even the bravest of Pilots won’t readily walk straight into. You may only fire ~15-20 shots in a regular match while playing a Railgun, but all those times that you’re charged and waiting to fire are also affecting your enemies and helping your team.
Use your Railgun to cement your team’s zone of control. Even if you don’t hit anyone, firing a Rail through the choke point on a map or a command point sends a clear message to your opponents about what is waiting for them.
On a fast body your Railgun’s zone of control can massively expand – once you master the sprint, shot, sprint, shot timing.
Railgun is a long-ranged powerhouse, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not useful up close too. When you’re point blank on the enemy, you remove the difficulty of hitting tanks with the slow-moving projectiles. You basically turn your tactical long-range warhead into a superpowered grenade. If you can penetrate back into enemy territory, you can absolutely wipe them out with just a few shots. Sometimes kamikazee tank is a good play.
BOOOOOOOM
A Railgun is terrifying when it 1-shots members of your team around you left and right. This is part of its power. While it may take some learning to be super effective with this weapon, you’ll be terrifying from the start! A weapon capable of bringing down a whole team in three shots makes your opponents question their strategy, giving you a chance to scoop up a win!
It may take some practice to get really great with a Railgun… but it’s worth it if you want to strike fear (and explosions) into your opponents!
That’s all from us today, but we’ll be back next week with yet another Spider Tanks Showcase!
When the people of Rewban the Aggressor first colonized the planet of Cacus, they were prepared to forge a new life from the inhospitable terrain of the molten world. As they began excavations, however, it became clear that they weren’t the first to have this idea.
Large ruins were discovered all over the planet, and the new Cusans were more than happy to utilize this treasure trove. Little is known about the lost race that previously inhabited these vast caverns, but the Cusans of today are more than happy to pluck the precious gems from these deep places to trade with the rest of The Planetary Union.
Of course, the Tank Olympiad has found a home in these caverns as well. The heat of Cacus is the perfect venue for Spider Tanks mayhem!
Know Your Battlefield
Dragon Cave is incredibly symmetrical compared to most arenas. While this offers a definite advantage to keeping up your strategy while you’re on the move, it also presents issues for team coordination. A split decision between two Tank Pilots could lead to easy pincer attacks from your enemies.
There are four repair kits at regular intervals around the perimeter of the central ring of Dragon Cave. There are four distinct types of area, each repeated four times in a circle.
Area 1: Satellites
These four circles on the very exterior of Dragon Cave are useful as a sort of redoubt when in trouble or regrouping, but they can also be a cruel trap.
Each of these has three angles of attack clearly pointed at them. Attackers will come at you around the corners or shoot with a longer range weapon across the pit. If you’re playing a shorter range weapon, don’t use these!
These areas are, however, absolutely critical in Chicken Chaser. Make it a point to check the far edges of these circles regularly, as birds will commonly be stranded over here and overlooked by other players!
Area 2: Roundabout Pullovers
These four circles are in between and just inside of area 1’s circles. These are even more congested and wide open than area 1, but they are absolutely critical to maneuvering through the arena.
User these but avoid lingering in the middle of them. When standing in the center of these circles, you can potentially be hit from four different angles. Approaching the edges of these circles necessarily obscures attack from multiple angles due to the pillars on the four corners of these circles.
Consider these transitional places when possible. Stage attacks from here and pull chasing enemies through them, leaving them guessing which exit you’ll take.
Area 3: The Chasm Gap
The small strips between each lava chasm are absolutely critical for dominance of the arena. Each of these is protected by a narrow fence on either side of the chasm, providing a decent amount of cover despite being in the middle of all the action.
Depending on the match, these can either become hotly contested or major defensive bulwarks… and which could shift quickly according to the flow of battle.
Since these areas almost always play a role in how the match plays out, it’s fitting that the Command Point in King of the Hill will spawn on the north most of these areas.
Area 4: The Inner Circle
The inner circle is in theory the most exposed area in the map, but it enjoys incredible cover from the ancient dragon statue towering overhead.
Hugging these walls can leave you covered against half the map, and you can quickly race around the small circle to reposition yourself better than another tank can from any other part of the arena.
Poultry Pusher often becomes the most violent as the payload processes on either side of this area. Even in other game modes though, this will be one of the best angles of attack. With only a few seconds of movement from anywhere in this ring, you can get in position to threaten anywhere in the map.
Dragon Cave Best Practices
Cover Isn’t Always Reliable
Those big, sturdy pillars on the outside corner of the south and west area 2s may seem nice and cozy… but they can be easily shot around from the adjacent area 1s with tiny adjustments to positioning.
Even on the interior, the cover you find in the shadow of the dragon can be easily compromised if an enemy moves perpendicularly away from you instead of straight towards you. A clever bunch of opponents can make those angles close in on you when most of your cover is part of a greater circle.
Enemies Approach Quickly
Thanks to the many ways to wind across the relatively small battlefield, you can get anywhere in Dragon Cave relatively quickly, even with a pretty slow tank.
Get trapped on the satellites and you may have a bad time.
This means that enemies can come from out of view to on top of you fast, and that 8-second respawn timer may be all the delay you get before an enemy is back in the fight.
Mind the Enemy’s Weapons
The weapons that you are up against make a huge difference in any match, but even more so in Dragon Cave.
Here, you’re working with very narrow cover anywhere but the very center of the map. Artillery will follow you anywhere here, and melee weapons will have very little ground to cover before they’re tearing you to pieces.
Glorious Battle
Dragon Cave’s layout is fairly simple, but underneath that lies an incredibly complex nuance to positioning if you really want to excel in this arena.
That’s all we’ve got for this week, next week though we’re powering up for some almighty BOOMs as we dive into everything about the Railgun!
