I could write a 10 page report on "how so". Because it's not just tanks, but all vehicles, all manner of AV and everything related to them (skills, ISK, matchmaking, various areas of balance, roles) that is completely out of whack. But i'll try and explain myself in this thread using tanks as a point of discussion. And if I make something unclear, please ask before spewing more forum vomit.

Well one problem is that a tank can be better anti-infantry AND anti-vehicle AT THE SAME TIME. It's an issue so glaringly obvious, it makes me lose hope that shanghai will ever be competent enough to design a balanced game. It makes me wonder why no other game has decided to give tanks a giant, anti-everything, assault rifle. Most games that offer an automatic ballistic secondary weapon with high ROF, balances this out by making it inaccurate with dispersion and kick.

I think another issue stems from the fact drop suits and weapons received an equalization nerf, shrinking the gap between STD gear and PRO gear (remember when proto suits gave more base HP?), however vehicles did not get the same treatment. Right now, we have really really weak EXPENSIVE tanks and really really strong EXPENSIVE tanks.

The developers have failed to establish a balanced risk/reward system and good counterplay.

If I download this game as a new player in skill into the best AV equipment, there is a good chance that I will spend most of the match being useless because matchmaking cannot guarantee that there will be a threatening vehicle on the field. If I skill into tanks, matchmaking cannot guarantee that there will be sufficient AV to stop me from dominating infantry the whole match. On the other hand, as a tanker, I may enter a match full of proto AV; making me useless from the very start.

This is why I still see tanks dominate the whole match without resistance. I've seen, too many times, 4-5 blueberries with swarm launchers and forge guns engage a single tank and the best they can do is suppress the tank (which does not offer rewards) until infantry come and slaughter them (and me) effortlessly.

This is why I still see tanks getting effortlessly destroyed by one or two dudes with proto forge guns and/or swarms. The risk for bringing out a tank is too high. Losing ONE tank means losing more isk than some people make an entire day of playing. This completely screws over anyone who only specced into tanks. It turns, tanking into a luxury which encourages the disregard to balance.



To summarize: Tanks shouldn't be able to stomp infantry and be effective at taking out vehicles at the same time. It needs to be one or the other.

The risk for tanking is too high, but most importantly, the risk is NOT related to the "moment to moment" gameplay, which encourages the disregard for proper "moment to moment" gameplay balance.

There are too many variables in the (tiny) playerbase for the matchmaking to guarantee that there will be equal opposition for tanks and AV. Tanks will continue to get dominated by teams saturated by proto AV. Infantry will continue to get dominated by the enemy team completely saturated with tanks (on the old maps).


To summarize even further: CCP ****** up. CCP has no idea what they are doing. Do not hold your breath for a solution to your problems.