Proloser_The_Atomistic, on 31 March 2018 - 10:32 AM, said:
Last point is the crux of the matter, there's no counter to arty unless you're looking for shell tracers, but even that is a stretch because only your arty can notice that and half the time they are just focusing heavies so I rarely witness a counter arty shot.
That is because it takes time and luck to spot them.. If you go for counter battery and you miss them firing their shell, it might take 20.30s before they fire again, in that time you could be helping your team by attacking a lit enemy, I normally only go for counter battery when there are 2 or 3 SPGs, since the other SPG can help our team whilst I am searching for their SPG, also a lot of teams members don't ping the map to show where the enemy SPG might be.
Spgs were rightly nerfed because they could one-shot or severely damage an enemy (even on the go) and this was deemed counter productive to the game. it was more likely that players actively 'hid' from SPGs rather than fight the enemy, and therefore the tank that was supposed to stop camping actually produced it.
Because of this, WG had to find a way to compensate SPG players, since no-one would want to play them if their re-load times were too long compared to the chances of dealing damage, if the shells they fired missed more than 60% + of the time..
The stun mechanic allows SPGs players to be a part of a teams defense and attack strategy whilst giving the player some tactile feedback that they are achieving something.. If due to the current RNG/ Dispersion values the shells misses at least you have a stun, so not totally useless.
Due to this, SPGs have become OP in groups when they can simultaneously shell a single player, which is most likely either the only one that is currently lit / tracked or slow moving out in the open. There is no real or viable way to counter this effect.
There is no definite solution, I would suggest alike the Tanks, that SPGs have different types of shells, Damage / Stun or perhaps Ground effect. If they choose a damage shell, then the alpha will be higher but negligible stun time, same as the stun shell, lower damage but a higher stun radius, and the area of effect could be used to 'light' up previously hidden targets for a short period..
So with the longer load times, players would have to choose wisely and perhaps sometimes have the wrong shell loaded for the situation. of course if there are 2 or more SPGs they could just use alternate shells to have both effects at once, but then they would have to co-ordinate etc.
Also, there are different types of tanks to suits different players, Pro likes to run fast mediums, others prefer slow heavies, TD or SPGs, so WG is trying to cater for everyone.
After playing them for a few hundred battles now, I can understand why players are drawn to them, it is a lot easier to play, tactics aren't such a high part of their gameplay and there is a long period of rest between shells, also, I would like to offer the point that I rage less because my SPG shell missed than I do when my Centurion 7/1 misses, and I seem to feel better when the shell hits for damage or destroys an enemy than I do in my Centurion..
Something I didn't hink would happen.. to be honest.
Edited by Sir_British, 31 March 2018 - 12:01 PM.