I've been grinding to get this baby since it came out and I finally got it!! Woo hoo!! Now of course the inevitable grind to outfit it properly

Skin is from a russian skins site...

I've had a warm n fuzzy for this vehicle since I saw this tank in Battle of the Bulge and watched Telly Savalas as the TC. He had as much success as I do in combat.. if I recall the movie right.. Turret go boom!

Well, I was itching for the Chaffee and used to think I wanted a higher tier scout. But now that I have it and maxed out I'm wondering what I was thinking. Don't get me wrong, I love it but it costs way too much when you die, which I do plenty. The damage costs are ridiculous. I often find myself in the midst of too many heavy hitters to out maneuver. Ill figure it out soon enough.

Yeah I did discover that tonight... I was hit fer like 8k repair bill and only got 3k fer the battle Sheesh

Often, even when I survive I still have a higher bill than I earn! What Im finding is that I need to start thinkning like a scout again and shoot on the move. I bought the vertical stabliser and that helps. Also if I find myself one on one with a heavy I need to get in close so I can out run his turret and still put rounds into him. It also makes it harder for his peeps to help him without hitting him.
If you dont have a Lowe, get one just to pay for your bad days in the Chaffee

I just got into this game about a month ago and it is addicting. I am working my way through the German tree and its a bit of a grind. (I have not spent any money/bought gold) Right now my stable includes the Luchs, Leopard, Ausf IIIA, PZ38na, and I just got my first med., the PZ IV. Matchmaking was killing me for a few weeks but has seemed to get better in the last few days. If I sit still I am dead.


Quickcord

What's the point of recce tanks for a game like this? They weren't purposely designed to slug it out, and if there aren't dedicated, logical missions for these kinds of vehicles in the game, what do they do but serve as fodder for other players?

They work as scouts for the artillery and slow heavy tanks.

Some of the new scout tanks are so fast that it's very hard to hit them.

With the map size the idea of proper recce is (as you point out) a non-starter, especially once you know the maps and all the likely routes etc.

Since this is an end-of-line tank, it is often paired up with the tier 9s and 10s, even though it is tier 5(?) IIRC. Definitely very expensive to run. Pity because it is a very good tank, I'm told.

You can do some damage with the light tanks. Many times it boils down to keeping the opposing scouts away from your arty. Sometimes you can get a good hit on a larger tank and track it but mainly your job is finding where the enemy is so that your arty/medium/heavies can attack them.


Quickcord

Yep, that's the scout's role. Either go in deep and scout out the whole opposition (and die in the process) or do an initial recon, pull back, and hide-and-spot for arty.

The main point is that all other scouts can do this without being as expensive as the Chaffee to run.

The role of scouts are more than just artillery spotters. They provide intelligence to higher level HQ, it makes sense in a continuous, ongoing campaign. In an arena style action game, they are pretty much light tanks with some unique ability to call in artillery (but any unit with a radio and assigned indirect fire support should be conceivably capable to do that- it's an artificial conceit if scouts alone have this ability).

That's likely because of the focus of the game- small units, action oriented. Small units likely won't have attached individual scout tanks to do that kind of work. Depending on the national army, scouts are usually available at the battalion, regiment, division level.

Umm, yeah, point taken, but we're not discussing real-world stuff here, just WoT and how different tanks fill different roles, in this case, how the Chaffee does the scout role vs other cheaper-to-run tanks.

Which runs back to my original question- what's the point in a game like this?

Other games such as Red Orchestra would balance out play mechanics- light tanks were usually running around making war against other light tanks.

When the action is mixed like this where action is resolved down to individual units, the conceit of them acting as 'scout tanks' in any way is sort of nonsense. What they are it seems is like a nuisance. Maybe trying to shake up the action and make it interesting to have fast moving opponents.

Re-read my post above as to what scouts do in this game.

True, it may not be "like in real life," and maybe some games does it better, but that's neither there nor here.

Just went up against a Chaffee about 20 minutes ago, damn these things are fast!!

Beltfed, how do you like the American tree? I was going to start that one up as well? Anything that should be avoided? Recommendations or advice?


Quickcord

It's preferable that scouts don't enter combat. The idea isn't that they are fast and to zip around the opposition, the idea is that expendable as though they may be, it's best that they don't make contact. Relying on speed to simply drive around in circles is kind of my point- there to provide a nuisance. When one actually encountered heavy or medium tanks, generally it should get its clock cleaned. For the role they are intended, they would be fearsome against enemy scouts or forward light units and could hold their own. But in an arena style game where there are mixed units all over the place, it's kind of a familiar 'gamey' situation.

Yes, it's not 'real life,' that goes without saying, one could see that WOT hardly resembles anything high fidelity to begin with. That in itself isn't the problem, but perhaps unbalanced or screwy game mechanics.

Keep in mind what another user already posted to see what I mean:



Maybe the repair/replacement costs should be lowered if they are expected to die, and maybe their abilities to drive around like race cars should be throttled back a little.

I currently drive a T-50, working on getting a T-50-2. I frequently engage and live during my scouting run. The trick is that you are fast, so you can get behind the heavy or medium tanks and put a good dent in their armour from the rear. I also take out lots of arty... On average I get about 8500 silver for a battle and maybe spend 500-1000 silver on repairs. Frequently I'll get 10000 silver games. What really stinks though is if a medium or heavy tank makes a lucky shot and detracks me... Them I'm a sitting duck! The good thing about the T-50 though is I can take 2-3 rounds from a medium and I can take a single round from a heavy and live, though just barely... Before I had a T-46 and that thing stank! The gun was accurate but couldn't really ding medium or heavy tanks... And the armour was godawful! I'm about to sell mine.

I like the American tree ok but I am weird about it. I play it because I've always liked the Sherman tank. It ain't pretty but it got the job done. So I played the American line for more of an emotional thing than logical thing I've now got a Sherman M4, an Easy Eight sherman a M5 Stuart, A Chaffee, a M36 Slugger an M3 Lee and an arty piece..

I use the Easy Eight, The Stuart and the Slugger the most.. I do OK in the Easy Eight. I find that with the stabilizer, rammer and gun laying perks I have a fun time with it. I just got the Chaffee and it's expensive so I am not using it as much as I thought I would...
Since I am playing more fer fun than anything else, I intend to just get up to the Pershing and the Hellcat if it is ever introduced. And then just play fer sh*ts n giggles..

It may be silly but I'd rather play with the tanks that were actually used in WW2 rather than the prototypes and drawing board tanks.. It is limiting but that's what I am trying to do... So I like the American line but as I said my reasons are more emotional

Tim, if you are a Sherman Nut you have to get a copy of Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II, by Steven Zaloga. I though I knew allot about armor but he really brought some things to light for me. Especially some of the reasons for the seemingly silly development decisions around the Sherman. Plus it's big and has lots of pictures for when you just don't feel like reading .

I too am working the US tree exclusively except for the Lowe which I use to feed the Chaffee as I mentioned before. There are tanks from other nationalities that I drool over but like with the Chaffee I know that the grass is always greener...
I have loads of fun in the T-82 TD I had sold it but went back and got another one.

Hammer!! I will look out fer that book. Thanx fer the headsup

I think the concept as it is now is flawed. I see no reason to extensively use a scout tank, when the repair bill is far too often way higher than the credits being received.

The scouts I mean are the tier 5 scouts Chaffee, VK2801 and T-50-2. I got all of these, as I actually do like scouting, but was somewhat disappointed about these repair bills. They all require a different playing style as well, I think.

As things are my favourite scout by now is the tier 4 T-50. It is slightly slower than the T-50-2 (still faster than the Chaffee), has an adequate gun, acceptable armour and is (imo unrealistically) maneuvrable. But I'm able to achieve better results than with the T-50-2 and the repair is not as costly.

The Leopard got sold, as I didn't really like it anymore and just paled compared to the T-50. The M5 Stuart was fun for some time, but it lost it's appeal later, once the T-50 was released, so it also got sold. Concerning the A-20, I never liked that one anyway and sold it once it's "child" T-34 was developed. I really enjoyed the tier 3 T-46 though and the Luchs will stay for sure.

I hope this gets addressed in future updates. I wouldn't mind fighting tier 5 or even tier 7 vehicles in a tier 5 scout, as you just should abstain from engaging heavies or mediums head on. Unless a very good opportunity to pester these arises you should stay out of combat anyway, apart from blitzing in and trashing arty. But against tier 9 or 10 tanks it just is no fun and the repair bills are frustrating. One idiot in a Maus tank complained once that I didn't scout as he wished, but the game was finished before I could ask him how on earth this could be achieved on that very map without getting spotted within 20 seconds and sitting in a smoking wreck within 40 seconds. Without having spotted anything, but a few heavies, that is.

I'm trying to work my way to a T-50-2, I'm loving the T-50, but I need soooooo much research to get to the T-50-2 I might give up. I agree, the T-46 with that 45mm is super sweet. I just wish I didn't get pitted up against so many uber heavies! For such a large scout tank, the armour is pretty weak though...

I have a T-28, but it's just awful...

I'm usually impress with what I see from the T-50 series. I just don't want to grind though another nationality to get it. Purolator, is the repair bill on the T-50 as high as the Chaffee? I think the Chaffee costs around 8500 when It dies.

Your assumption regarding the repair bill for the Chaffee is pretty accurate. The T-50-2 is about as expensive, the T-50 definitely not. I don't have the exact figures in the head, but I will write them down and notify you about the sums, ok?

The T-50 repair bill is about 2500 silver.

Yep, about 2500 is correct.

I just did a match with the T-50 (map Mines, not too good for it), When the score was 8:11 my tank was transformed into rubble.

The repair bill was 2451 then. Credits were 9817, minus 175 for ammo. No kills, but found some vehicles and damaged two, plus a few more 'we just dinged them'. It is not a real moneymaker, but at least you don't lose any credits with it.

For a light tank, 9817 silver aint bad! I just got done with a battle inwhich I had 6 kills... I was almost the only one doing anything... I finally got it in the end as I was the only one left in my T-50, but the silver was 10,050ish.

Thanks, I'm not always interested in making money but I do like it . I just want to be able to contribute to the match without losing money when I'm not at the top of my game. The T82 TD is great for just playing doesn't take too long to figure out its strengths and weaknesses and how to use them. You can really help the team in it but its not wonder tank, leave you butt sticking out and you'l be burning in no time

If the circumstances are right the T82 can be a beast for the opponents. 2 days ago I managed a personal best score with 8 kills on the Malinovka map - now that was fun! :-D Of course I had good fortune as well, that's pretty obvious. I like it's speed, nimbleness and it's 57mm gun. Merely the armour is... well, I wouldn't lean myself on it, fearing for dents.

I also don't play only for money, but if there is a high risk to lose money it's just a bit pointless.