"Löwe's Stronger Alternative"

Back from yesterday's post, and it's time...

Final day of October, so I've figured I might as well put up one last post before we enter November. The tank for today's post will be the "Other-Löwe"... the Tier X German Heavy Tank; the Panzer Kampfwagen VII, or it's in-game name the Pz.Kpfw. VII.

The "Reverse Löwe", another one of it's many nicknames...

Does this tank look familiar to any of you? Well, that's because it's the VK 72.01 (K)... or as I call it, the "VKK". The only difference is that the VKK is a Clan Wars Reward vehicle, it's pretty rare and hard to get. But the Pz.Kpfw. VII is a "regular" version that has been introduced into the game several months back to be the new Tier X for the VK Heavy Line, as the Maus has it's own lower tiers to create a mini tank branch.

The OG before the clone arrived...

These tanks in the Maus line consists of two new vehicles for Tier VIII and IX. They are the VK 100.01 (P) and the Mäuschen, but we aren't here to talk about those tanks...

But that ain't the only difference between the regular and Clan Wars Reward versions... besides having different names, it also doesn't share the same gun between each other. The Pz.Kpfw. VII uses a gun similar to that the top gun the Jagdtiger uses, albeit with less penetration and a rather long reload time. So one is a mobile E100, and the other is somewhere in between the Maus and E100 as it has armor and a sniper-like gun.

But before we go even further discussing about the tank... some replays! One of the first replays before I've decided to put camouflage on it.

That bit of trouble at the end there... was lucky that an AMX 50B was around to help with those two...

Anyways from the replay above, you can clearly see that it has the same strong turret as the Löwe... probably even better. It's alpha damage is nothing to scoff at as it dishes out 560 average DMG, but suffers the long reload time of around 16-14 seconds depending on what you equipments your tank has and what crew perks you have.

Anyways, next replay...

Helping out a fellow T95 in breaking through enemy lines. Well, not really breaking through as they was barely anyone there...

Armor on this vehicle is reliable, but it still has a rather large cupola and that infamous weak 'fighting compartment'...

What do I mean by this? Well, whenever this tank side-scrapes, it's turret-hull area can still be seen... as it's rounded and rather flat. Not to mention that it doesn't have a lot of armor there, either... which makes side-scraping in the vehicle rather problematic.

But, no matter! I've found a solution to that problem, and the next video shows exactly that.

Have you figured it out yet? No? Well then, let me tell you what the "solution" is...

Simple 'front-angling'. I'm not even joking...

You see, the upper frontal plate is 240mm thick, and the lower frontal plate is 230mm thick... plus the 'middle armor strip' [the flat section between the upper and lower plate] is about 300mm. What you got there is thick armor that can easily be turned into auto-bounce when angled properly.

Imagine playing this tank as if you're driving the AMX M4 49... you can angle in it, but don't overdo it or your sides will be shot.

You see it happen with the multiple E100 HEAT rounds that hit me in the replay above. The only thing you need to worry is when you face enemies with more than 340mm of penetration, be it premium or regular ammo... like for example; a Jagdpanzer E100's HEAT round of 420mm penetration.

Like a freaking laser cannon when it uses the 420 round...

But as I've stated, there's only so much you can angle in it before your sides can be seen. Either that, or they'll just shoot you in your tracks... and that might do damage and track you at the same time.

Funny how a tank that's designed to be a natural side-scraper can't side-scrape as it's turret hull compartment is a weakspot when you try to do that... There was the FV215b that has the same problem as this tank, but it's no longer obtainable.

Also another funny thing is how this tank looks. Those boxes at the sides make the tank look like some sort of elephant... but to be fair, they needed to differentiate the way the two tank looks anyway, otherwise it gets tricky.

To be fair, the only way it looks different from the VKK is the gun...

I prefer how it looks like when it first entered the game. Much better... and if you ask me, they could just place those boxes at the hull sides instead... effectively covering the weak turret hull compartment like what they did with the FV215b 183.

Another side-scraper that can't side-scrape. *sigh*

But whatever... what's done is done.

So, to sum it all up; it's a VK 72.01 (K) with a different gun. Almost every other stat is the same and it's a regular tank, so you can research and buy it instead of earning it in Clan Wars. No E100 gun for the regular version, but I sorta prefer it that way as it reloads faster and has higher penetration for the normal ammo... so it's kinda like the Löwe, but at Tier X and tank designs got changed slightly.

Pros of the vehicle is that it has superb armor at the front of the hull and turret and a rather good gun in terms of regular ammo penetration and chunky damage it can deal per shot. Moves slightly faster than the E100, so that's a mention too. The cons? Well, it's bad at side-scraping due to obvious reasons. There's the usual cupola weakspot and the gun takes quite some time to reload and aim. Oh, and being a rear-mounted tank, you can get flanked pretty easily at the worst possible outcome; getting tracked with no way of shooting back.

So like I said, it's like the Löwe. Except in addition to usual sniper tactics, the tank trades side-scraping for frontal angling. A fair trade, I guess.

At first I sorta regretted getting this tank 'cause y'know... can't side-scrape and all that. But after noticing that the frontal armor is almost the same for the upper and lower plate, it became a monster. Gun reload and aim time is still bad, but hey... better penetration and DMG! Plus, now I effectively have two Löwe's!

And that's all for this post. The next one will most likely be on the Halloween event... should be about 4 of them to gather and everything's good to go. So until then, I'll be taking my leave. So stay tuned.

-Panzer Fist-

Upcoming Posts

It's just the usual "quick update" for now, so...

This just to tell y'all that the next post will be up tomorrow... and just finished uploading several videos to YouTube. I still have the recent Halloween event to get footage for and several more replays of different vehicles, about 4 of them.

Oh, and there's several other posts that needed to be made too... and they aren't World Of Tanks related. I think it's about time I've finish them off soon before it gets dragged on for far too long.

And that's all I have for now... Final October post, tomorrow. It's World Of Tanks related and it's featuring a particularly odd vehicle in the game... but I'll talk more about 'em tomorrow instead.

I gotta go sleep 'cause I got some stuff to do tomorrow in the morning...

-Panzer Fist-

Finally Back

Hell, it's about time I'm back here...

The latest update to World Of Tanks [v9.20.1] is now live... that means the FV215b is out and the Super Conqueror takes it's place for the Tier X British Heavy Tank... and I haven't even come close to getting it.

So yeah... sadly I won't be getting the FV215b as I was still stuck at the lower tiers. But then again, I'm glad I don't have to go through those horrible Churchill and Black Prince tanks...

And I'm not sad that I won't be getting the FV215b, as I can still get the Super Conqueror anytime I want. Plus, there's a mini tank line that's coming near the end of the year that I have more interest in right now. I'll talk more about it in another post, though.

Now that there's no more painful tank grinds to do, I'll finally have time for the scheduled videos that I needed to upload and do posts on for quite a long time. There's about 2 vehicles to cover, each having 3 videos... so obviously there's 6 to do.

I still haven't update World Of Tanks yet to 9.20.1 because there's still some replays that I need to record videos of... about 4 of them.

And I'll have double-time on all these as Halloween is rolling in closer by the minute. Don't wanna miss all the events!

So I guess that's all for now. Just an update to acknowledge that I'm back, and will have plenty to post about soon; a new mini tank branch, some new tank replay videos and if possible, recordings of the upcoming Halloween event. Tight schedule, but let's see if it works out...

Until then, stay tuned for more posts soon enough. It'll be tank replays as I need to clear some space for more recordings...

-Panzer Fist- 

What Happened... again?

Ho ho Wargaming, you sure know how to keep players busy this time 'round...

Man, it's been quite some time. The update that has the Foch 155 replaced with the Foch 50 B had already arrived weeks back, and only now I'm posting about it? Well, that's all thanks to what happened just a few days after the newest updated dropped.

Apparently, the rumors about the FV215b are true [as said from my last post] in that it'll be the next tank to receive the 'Replacement Treatment'. It's pretty much a Marathon but with a vehicle going rare instead. The replacement is also true from the last post, as it's the Super Conqueror. The info became known when Wargaming Asia on Facebook made a post with this picture.

Say goodbye to the old, and hello to the new...

The Tier IX [or nine] Conqueror also seems to receive a few special changes, in the form of spaced armor around the frontal half of the turret. Kinda reminds me of the Pz. IV.

The new Tier IX Conqueror. 

Looks good so far. But here's the most interesting part about the next Tier X replacing the FV215b; The Tier X Super Conqueror has this spaced turret armor with a different turret and also spaced armor for the front hull!

A beauty, ain't it?

This would instantly be a favorite among the players as they absorb HEAT shells... which are normally Premium Ammunition for most top-tier tanks. Pretty sure APCR goes through similar to AP and not sure about HESH shells. No more gold-slinging "skilled players" causing you that much trouble! Even the armor profile of the tank in Tank Inspector Super Test seems to conform this...

Notice the light-blue areas around the turret and hull front. Turret cupola 'bar' has high spaced armor value, too.

You can see from the pictures that the turret is indeed different from both the Conqueror and Super Conqueror. That 'bar' on the cupola would be bait for people to shoot, but it ain't gonna do anything when hit there. [at least that's what I think]

These are just pictures I've found while surfing the web, so I won't know for certain that they are 100% accurate. Heck, even the first picture states that the information is not final... changes can occur.

This tank is gonna function much like the high-tier MBTs from Armored Warfare... armor packages around the tank to prevent weaknesses when facing the enemy, except that the armor packs are only at the front. That means from the sides and rear you're still the same as any other tank.

And this is the reason I haven't got around to post even a single update when September started rolling around. Heard that the patch for this change goes live around mid-October, so that means roughly a month's time.

Sigh... even the last replacement didn't go well, not enough time and eventually had to resort to free-exp'ing for the Foch 155... so I can't afford to do the same thing for this tank else I'll be broke before I even know it. The British Heavies around Tier VIII to X [or 8 to 10] function similar to the WZ-111 to 113 series of tanks, but with the only notable difference is that the guns are more accurate and faster firing on the British Tanks.

Just don't expose that lower frontal hull plate and your sides too much and everything should go well. Right now I'm at the Tier V [or 5] Churchill I. Still quite a lot to go through, so I'm really putting all of my time at World Of Tanks currently. Only took a break today to post something as I can't stand leaving it too long without a single post.

So why do I want the FV215b? Easy, it's a rear mounted Heavy tank, and I just love those... evidence from the Maus and Pz. Kpfw. VII... Second, it's like a rear-mounted 113... so why not? Third, it's to get the new Tier X Super Conqueror as well, 2 for 1 deal.

Not gonna sell the Super Conqueror, 'cause unlike the horrendous bad penetration of the Foch 50 B, this one's got that special something that'll attract players... and it's obviously the additional spaced armor at the turret and upper hull front.

Oh, and there's also a rumor that the 'Death Star' will get replaced... will I ever plan to get it when the news becomes real? Nope. I already have the Jagdpanzer E100, and I would also prefer to rest after these horrible grind-fests.

I know a certain friend of mine somewhere will be sad that he ain't gonna get this tank anymore, just like the WTF E100 before... what with the broken computers he has... tough luck, mate.

And without anymore to add, I would like to end it here. I have tons of battles to do if I'm gonna end up not using a single gold to free-exp my way there, so I better get back to it. See ya whenever this shizz is done...

-Panzer Fist-

Back, Before August Ends...

It's the final day, so I might as well put up something...

Still busy with the bloody World Of Tanks grind, but I think I'm running out of time for it... the next patch's about to drop and here I am, still stuck at the Tier VII French TD...

But that's not the reason I'm here today. I'm here as a means of 'update' to say that I didn't die or anything like that. Nah... just some mind-numbingly painful grinds to go through.

I swear, I could go crazy with this infernal grind I'm going through...

It seems like the rumors were true though; there's going to be another Tier X tank that will be going through the same treatment as the Foch 155 soon after the next patch drops in... and it's been hinted to be the FV215b Heavy Tank.

It's kinda like a 113 with a rear-mounted turret...

Don't know what tank is going to replace it, though... it could be the Chieftain Mark VI or some other thing they cooked up... like the 'Super Conqueror' perhaps?

I've heard that the Chieftain Mark VI is already in the console versions of World Of Tanks, and the Super Conqueror is similar to the original Conqueror but with extra armor plating around the hull and turret front, like the SuperPershing.

Ahh... another one of those Mediums with 'Heavy Tank' like armor...

Well, I definitely do not know much about all this stuff going down in the future as I was busy grinding to madness for the Foch 155... but I guess I'll just have to get myself updated on what's happening last few weeks...

Sigh... one grind to another, and not even a breather in between. This is gonna get rough for me real quick...

But I guess that's all I have to go on for this month, as it's the final post for August anyways. I have uploaded some Need For Speed: World gameplays over on the ol' YouTube account, and I'll definitely be getting around to posting on that soon... as soon as I finish this bloody grind, that is.

But for how bad the grind is now, it's at least something worthwhile in the end... even if it takes up nearly all of my time every damned day for the grind... so I'll be off now, and hopefully I can reach towards the Foch 155 before the patch hits the streets... see ya next post.

-Panzer Fist-

What Happened?

Weew... already 14th of August, huh. Time sure flies fast...

And so, what happened that caused me to go missing for nearly two weeks? Well, I didn't go anywhere or was too lazy to post anything... nah. The real answer is that I was busy grinding day and night in World Of Tanks. But there's a special reason why, though...

...and if you read the last post, you might know what's going on...

According to some rumors at first which then turned real, it seems that the French Tier X Tank Destroyer: the Foch 155, is gonna get replaced by a similar tank with only a different gun... and it's called the AMX Foch 50 B.

You might be unobtainable in the future, but at least I'll have you around in my garage!

Yep, you read that right. The only difference between the replace-see and the replacement are just the guns. The ol' 155 has that devastating but appalling reload 155mm cannon with 3-round autoloader and nearly a minute's worth of reload. The new gun has 6 shells and is comparable to the gun on the AMX 50 B but with 2 extra shells and a little bit extra reload time... because that's what it's exactly is.

You would think a Tank Destroyer would have a high penetration values for their guns... but not this one! It retains the same penetration values as the gun on the AMX 50 B.

Funny thing is that there's quite a lot of people going around calling the new TD a 'French WTF E-100'...

With that kind of penetration value, don't be surprised if they shoot Premium Ammo at you.

"So why grind towards the line if you sound like you hate the new French TD?" you might ask... well, here's where the good part starts.

Those who have the Foch 155 in their garage before the next big patch hits the streets will get to keep the tank AND get the replacement as well. That means a free Tier X tank for you! The Foch 155 turns into a tank with 'Special' status, which is comparable to the Clan Wars Tier X reward tanks. So even if you don't like the new replacement, you can always sell it for extra cash.

I find it weird that they didn't just add a new gun into the Foch 155's tech tree, but whatever... too bad they didn't do the same thing with the 113, as I already have it and it's also one of those obscure Tier Xs that people rarely play. The WZ-111 5A seems to be a upgraded WZ-111 1-4 and that might please those who got let downed by a "disappointing" Tier X.

There's also talk that another Tier X will undergo the same fate as the Foch 155 as well... as even Wargaming themselves acknowledges that they'll be using this method from now on if they ever want to replace more vehicles in the future. So it then becomes an unofficial "Marathon" event for us to grind to the top of whatever tank tree they want to replace... if the players want the vehicle, that is.

Some tanks that I think will get replaced will be the FV215b, the IS-4 to an extent a rarely played Tier X and maybe the Grille 15 and the Pz. Kpfw. VII... the TD being disappointing to most and the HT being almost untouched by players. I mean, you don't even see anyone using that vehicle anymore! It's even more rare than the 113 and Foch 155 combined!

But man, the grind is real... real pain, that is. Still stuck at the Tier VII Tank Destroyer, the AMX AC 46. That tank has a huge profile coupled with huge cupolas.

This tank might look well-armored, but it still quite thin.

Hey, at least the tank's gun isn't ass. It's great and reminds me of the ARL 44's gun to some extent.

So yeah, that's the whole ordeal with why I was gone for nearly two weeks. I still have quite a bunch to grind through, and the next update is getting closer and closer with each passing day. I just hope I don't have to resort to you know what...

And that's all that I have for now. I won't be posting much 'cause of the grinding I'll be doing, but I'll try to upload something when I feel burnt-out from all the French TD grinding in World Of Tanks. Until then, I'll be off...

...to sleep, not grind in WOT. I'm tired and it's late already...

-Panzer Fist-

Another Round

Well, this was supposed to be posted yesterday...

Yup... was busy and wasn't around the house the the whole day until 11 PM, and by that time I was too tired and went to sleep. But at least it's up today.

The last post on Need For Speed: World, I've only played the single Sprint using a cop car. Now I'm back with a very delayed video on the first ever pursuit in the game. This video was uploaded to YouTube on July 15th, a solid 2 weeks plus before I got around to post about it.

Well, at least this time it's not only that one video, but another two... so that mean three in total of course.

And so without any more delays, the video(s). Enjoy.

Fleeing from cops while riding in a cop car with a license plate with the words "STOL3N" on them... seems legit.

Funnily enough, I did a better job in my first pursuit than in the second that I did in the Dodge Viper. Although to be fair, that vehicle had one of the worst handling once tuned to the max. Had too much trouble controlling the car that I ran through a bunch of spike traps...

Poor excuses aside, it's still one of the hardest to handle. I remembered in the past where I used the vehicle in another game, Need For Speed: Carbon. When upgraded properly, it becomes a rocket in accelerating. As you can imagine this leads to a bunch of rams and flip-overs when the speeds are through the roof.

In fact, it's actually recorded and uploaded, too. here's the 2nd pursuit in the Dodge Viper.

Pursuits and Team Escapes is where I do better in as I'm more of a Burnout fan than a Need For Speed one, as Burnout 3: Takedown was one of my first racing game with destructible elements in them.

Ahh, what fun I had in that game... to bad the last made Burnout title was nearly ten years ago...

Makes me wanna play Burnout again. Anyways... I've then continued to gather more suitable vehicles to the garage. Most of them were cop cars and Juggernauts for pursuits, but no race-type vehicles.

The first one that I decided to take was my old favorite, the BMW M1 Procar. Looks a little old-school, but it's pretty damn fast. Maxxed out the tuning and slap on some race skills and then took it to the streets for a 'S' class Circuit race, which means every bot racer will use high-end supercars such as the Porsche Carrera GT and Lamborghini Aventador.

With the Headstart skill, the race took an easy turn. But thanks to the car's high values in top speed and acceleration, they can't even catch up... 'cause even if I don't have the Headstart skill or a car with high top speed and acceleration values, I would have easily be overtaken and left in the dust.

And without anymore ramblings, here's the video on the circuit race.

That last part though after the race... lol

There's actually more to cover as these aren't the only game modes that are in Need For Speed: World. But those will be for another time as I have tanks to get rid of 3X to do in World Of Tanks. I hear that the Foch 155 will be removed after a few more weeks and planning to get it as soon as possible.

But wouldn't the tank be out of the game if it's removed? Nope... those who owned it before the removal will get to keep it as an Elite Tier X vehicle, similar to those Clan Wars Reward vehicles. Plus that just means it's gonna be rare.

And I guess that's all for now. If you'll excuse me, I have a french TD to grind through...

-Panzer Fist-