30 replies to this topic

[obj_19]

introduction
so.... the cromwell. a beast if you are of a lower tier, but a worthy adversary at higher tiers. a valuable ally, a devastating opponent. the cromwell,summed up is a very mobile medium, with ok-ish armor, that surprisingly, pulls of a bounce that has ~390 alpha.
when i say cromwell, you think a zippy, boxy medium that isnt a support tank, but a brawler. it flanks heavies and TD's like a boss. along with that RoF, its a well rounded tank. 
*note: beginners with tier VI token, get this tank. its good to learn the game mechanics with.
lets look at it a bit shall we?
the cromwell, even at stock is kinda okay, tho try to get the engine first. you can survive with the stock gun. all guns are good for flanking and brawling, tho the 90mm (3.7 in howitzer) can do a bit of sniping, but not reliable snipes. the first 6-pdr guns are fairly okay, the second being at a better pen. the 75mm guns, the vickers HV has the best pen. the 90mm is a WHOLE different case. id use the 90mm for flanking TD's, mostly tier VI and V TD's. it can pen the side of a WZ-113-g-ft (sorry if wrong) perfectly with that 300+ alpha on HE!
 equipment. 
i personally mount binocs, suspension and vents.
 crew and equipment cont'd
my crew is like this:
commander: (female reward) BiA, Sixth sense, Camo (in learning). camo is at 24% and the commander herself is at 97% i trained her mostly in my crusader.
driver, gunner, loader, radio operator is all at 94%
Vindictus_maximus recommends snapshot and smooth ride. if you dont have these skills, try using directives earned from merit rewards  and such
for the cromwell, try to mount anything good for spotting, and crew, and if you put a rammer, its gonna be a RoF monster. practically a faster, less armored matilda that RIIPPSS everything it can pen.try a semi-aggresive to aggressive playstyles.
what its like in its top config
the top engine has great performance. all RR meteors give good performance on the crommie.
top gun and 90mm howitzer is my recommendation. each has a similar, but different playstyle.
top radio does very good, avoids losing contact with allied movements from far corners of maps
and the top suspension, turns the tank on a dime. literally. its fast
*note: to mount all modules, the suspension isnt required. but for equipment its a better idea if you do.
misc and player opinions
according to Flying_Circus, they state it is one of the better med in tier 6 (this is why i recommended for new players). and it does have low survivability, but if you play it right, you can survive. plus, its a good endgame tank. it is good for hunting other tanks down. can CoD some meds and heavies. 
and again, according to Flying_Circus, it has a large gun bloom after firing and on the move. true, but i find almost all british tanks, and their guns ive played fairly accurate, with misses being occasional. but thats maybe just me. so, try to aim or fight in a close quarter combat situation where you can guarantee yourself to have a clear advantage.
scenario: su-100 focusing on a friendly TD, flank him and try hugging his side. if that fails, be sure to have some hitpoints you consider expedable.
as Vindictus_maximus said, get a GLD to get the bloom down. its very important as out in the old field, ive been missing some shells at point blank. 
recommended playstyles
on certain maps, such as widepark, play semi-aggressive. and spot very actively. technique is circle a target you spot till its dead or till you find another target. i call this on and off tactic.
on others like province, play passive and spot passively, or dont spot, play as second line. more like the firefly.
on other maps, like glacier, pick off lights and play in a mix of aggressive and passive. glacier is my favourite map, and  use the back road (K0, to north spawn) to flank at endgames or use the road to snipe HT's that go to their position in their behinds.
thanks, Flying_Circus and U12D13 and Vindictus_maximus.

so yeah... thats it. hope i didnt bore you. add comments with anything i should add, and correct my mistakes.o7 commanders!

Edited by obj_19, 24 January 2020 - 01:22 AM.

[Flying_Circus]

One of the better tier six medium tanks.

 

Worth noting the Cromwell has relatively low survivability. While you will occasionally pull off the occasional bounce, most shots will penetrate your armour easily.  So be careful when positioning your tank and use it as a flanker and support tank. Be opportunistic and use your mobility, which is where the tank really shines.

 

A more standard equipment load out for the Cromwell is vents, rammer and optics. It can't mount vertical stabiliser.

 

One of the biggest draw-backs of the tank is it's large gun bloom after firing and while moving.  If you aim right in, it has a fairly accurate gun. But snapping shots or shooting on the move will involve missing quite a few shots.

 

Edited by Flying_Circus, 23 January 2020 - 10:19 AM.

[U12D13]

I think this *short* writeup shortchanged on the paragraphing, spacing, punctuation and presentation structure.

And the derp should never be used for sniping.

[obj_19]

thanks abt the vert stab. will correct. better learn more. and check more lol.
   english isnt my first language....sorry.
ive tried using the derp for sniping on the province map, worked bout 1k dmg, and a sick ram on a AMX 13 F3,from that, the low rolls were a lot, but high rolls bout 200. 

Edited by obj_19, 23 January 2020 - 08:29 PM.

[Vindictus_Maximus]

The worse thing about the Cromwell is the gun, in particular the aim- circle bloom when moving or after firing.

 

It is a must to get your aim time down to the fastest possible. Drop the gun rammer and take the gun laying drive, because a fast DPM is useless if you cant aim up fast enough to take advantage.

 

Vents - Gun laying drive - coated optics.

 

And try to get Snap Shot and Smooth Ride skills ASAP after Brothers in Arms and Camouflage. And run premium food as well if you can afford it, you need to do everything you can to improve your gun handling or you will miss many shots. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Vindictus_Maximus, 23 January 2020 - 09:31 PM.

[Ezz]

Or just learn to manage your aim time and maximise your dpm. If you're using a gld on a crommie you're doing it wrong.

[Vindictus_Maximus]

Ezz, on 23 January 2020 - 09:32 PM, said:

Or just learn to manage your aim time and maximise your dpm. If you're using a gld on a crommie you're doing it wrong.

 

The time required to fully aim is considerably slower that reload time. For a tank with such horrendous gun handling, this is a big problem.

 

If you are running the gun rammer instead of a GLD, you are doing it wrong. I would not recommend the Cromwell anyway, it was great back in the day, but the Italian, German and Russian meds are a better experience.

 

 

Edited by Vindictus_Maximus, 23 January 2020 - 10:02 PM.

[obj_19]

i agree, ive been missing at point blank, but its okay because i can run circles round t-34-85's fast enough to reload a shell with a injured loader. thats the beauty of brit vehicles. they have good and mediocre guns, but very VERY fast reloads.

 

[obj_19]

Ezz, on 23 January 2020 - 06:32 PM, said:

Or just learn to manage your aim time and maximise your dpm. If you're using a gld on a crommie you're doing it wrong.

its okay, everyone has different experiences with a tank. tho i added to the guide. im looking to max my crew in the weekend. plus, i need as much opinions as possible for the sake of helping new players or players new to taking the crommie for a spin.
 

 

Edited by obj_19, 24 January 2020 - 01:12 AM.

[Ezz]

obj_19, on 24 January 2020 - 03:11 AM, said:

its okay, everyone has different experiences with a tank. tho i added to the guide. im looking to max my crew in the weekend. plus, i need as much opinions as possible for the sake of helping new players or players new to taking the crommie for a spin.

Given this is about providing advice to new players it's important to give good advice.

 

Vindictus_Maximus, on 24 January 2020 - 12:00 AM, said:

If you are running the gun rammer instead of a GLD, you are doing it wrong. 

Had a quick check... vindi's crommie 78 battles @ 48.72%. Mine 131 @ 64.89%. Vindi, just because you struggled in a tank doesn't mean the tank is bad.

 

As to a gld specifically, it is somewhat viable if you run it as part of an optics, gld, rammer set up, but as above, you generally woudln't want to compromise dpm in exchange. A player would do far better to simply adapt some basic elements of their play to mitigate the dispersion rather than handicapping their tank to cope better.

Edited by Ezz, 24 January 2020 - 06:40 AM.

[MagicalFlyingFox]

Shoot first, let the gun aim in after. The aim time(after full movement speed)/reload is about the same so its essentially a free shot with a chance to do damage.

Edited by MagicalFlyingFox, 24 January 2020 - 09:59 AM.

[Vindictus_Maximus]

Ezz, on 24 January 2020 - 05:23 AM, said:

 Had a quick check... vindi's crommie 78 battles @ 48.72%. Mine 131 @ 64.89%. Vindi, just because you struggled in a tank doesn't mean the tank is bad.

 

Stock grind on the way the the British LTs. The Cromwell is the only tank in the entire grind that required a radio operator, so did not even have BIA or Sit Awareness for the Radio operator. As has been pointed out before, you have played 100k games and have all the crews and tanks and everything, and have forgotten what it is like to grind lines with rookie crews.

 

Was putting out the same numbers as you by the end once it was upgraded, despite the weak crew. I gained satisfaction getting the numbers I did with such a disadvantage. I like to play hard mode on all video games I have ever played, you should try it sometime..

 

 

That aimtime is crucial for the Cromwell, to lift the hit percentage, reduce the distance leading shots and that sort of thing, effective DPM is more important that on-paper DPM

 

 

[Ezz]

And yet all but the last 24 battles when I was 3 marking it and putting some xp on it in case the Brit lights ever become interesting were done with a scrub crew. Even those last 24 the crew started with a 90% bunch with only 2.8 skills.

 

Further if you were putting out the same numbers as me by the end it's difficult to understand how any sane person would have anything other than glowing praise for the tank.

Edited by Ezz, 24 January 2020 - 10:59 AM.

[mttspiii]

Vindictus_Maximus, on 24 January 2020 - 10:01 AM, said:

 

Stock grind on the way the the British LTs. The Cromwell is the only tank in the entire grind that required a radio operator, so did not even have BIA or Sit Awareness for the Radio operator. As has been pointed out before, you have played 100k games and have all the crews and tanks and everything, and have forgotten what it is like to grind lines with rookie crews.

 

Was putting out the same numbers as you by the end once it was upgraded, despite the weak crew. I gained satisfaction getting the numbers I did with such a disadvantage. I like to play hard mode on all video games I have ever played, you should try it sometime..

 

 

That aimtime is crucial for the Cromwell, to lift the hit percentage, reduce the distance leading shots and that sort of thing, effective DPM is more important that on-paper DPM

 

 

 

Tried going for aimtime in the 75mm-armed Cromwell because it missed a lot, but then I realized that its massive 64-shell ammo capacity, ridiculous RoF, and average alpha damage meant that it was meant to spam ammo while charging into position. The Cromwell's RoF is enough that with a Rammer, you can fire a second (unaimed) shot by the time you've fully aimed in your first shot, so instead of bothering to aim I just double-tap while relocating. Your only downside to firing early is that you lose camo, but with that alpha damage the 1st shot isn't really significant; it's the 2-3-4-5 other incoming shots that will hurt your target.

 

With the 95mm derp gun though the EGLD is much more important.

[obj_19]

MagicalFlyingFox, on 24 January 2020 - 06:58 AM, said:

Shoot first, let the gun aim in after. The aim time(after full movement speed)/reload is about the same so its essentially a free shot with a chance to do damage.

mttspiii, on 24 January 2020 - 07:59 AM, said:

 

Tried going for aimtime in the 75mm-armed Cromwell because it missed a lot, but then I realized that its massive 64-shell ammo capacity, ridiculous RoF, and average alpha damage meant that it was meant to spam ammo while charging into position. The Cromwell's RoF is enough that with a Rammer, you can fire a second (unaimed) shot by the time you've fully aimed in your first shot, so instead of bothering to aim I just double-tap while relocating. Your only downside to firing early is that you lose camo, but with that alpha damage the 1st shot isn't really significant; it's the 2-3-4-5 other incoming shots that will hurt your target.

 

With the 95mm derp gun though the EGLD is much more important.

my tactics exactly. i charge and let the RoF compensate for the accuracy. its best to have a friendly or two cover for you. i read a different crommie guide that said the crommie is especially deadly in wolfpacks. in my wolfpacks i usually have a Leo and a T-34-85 along with me, or sometimes another crommie or a T-50-2. other tanks cover for me whilst i charge like a kamikaze attack and ram if i can, but often shoot and ram at the same time. and just brawl extremely aggressively. thats just how i cromwell.

[Ezz]

obj_19, on 24 January 2020 - 02:46 PM, said:

my tactics exactly. i charge and let the RoF compensate for the accuracy. its best to have a friendly or two cover for you. i read a different crommie guide that said the crommie is especially deadly in wolfpacks. in my wolfpacks i usually have a Leo and a T-34-85 along with me, or sometimes another crommie or a T-50-2. other tanks cover for me whilst i charge like a kamikaze attack and ram if i can, but often shoot and ram at the same time. and just brawl extremely aggressively. thats just how i cromwell.

And that will be surprisingly effective for two reasons. First the crommie has the mobility to be there before most other meds so most times you'll just be up against lower HP scouts with lower DPM, plus scouts weigh less so that ram can be very effective.

[obj_19]

Ezz, on 24 January 2020 - 09:51 AM, said:

And that will be surprisingly effective for two reasons. First the crommie has the mobility to be there before most other meds so most times you'll just be up against lower HP scouts with lower DPM, plus scouts weigh less so that ram can be very effective.

so thats why it feels the way the sherman III felt. it feels like i am one with the tank and its one with me. its an extention of my body. and i channel all the energy into a ram lol

 

[Vindictus_Maximus]

mttspiii, on 24 January 2020 - 10:59 AM, said:

 

Tried going for aimtime in the 75mm-armed Cromwell because it missed a lot, but then I realized that its massive 64-shell ammo capacity, ridiculous RoF, and average alpha damage meant that it was meant to spam ammo while charging into position.

 

The problem I find is with inaccurate guns with long aim times is numerous. You have to lead a lot further on moving targets, you have to expose yourself for longer to enemy fire when aiming up, you will miss a lot of fleeting targets because you could not aim up in time, and your effective DPM is lowered because you miss a higher percentage of shots.

 

 

I 3-marked this tank without a gun-rammer, and it has a massive 6 second reload.

 

Occasionally the longer reload works against me, such as if I am in a 1vs1 brawl, or just missing getting a second shot into a tank before it takes cover. But those events are  far outweighed by the ability to quickly and reliably take shots of opportunity without being exposed for too long.

 

Maybe one is no better than the other and is just personal choice.

 

 

[Vindictus_Maximus]

obj_19, on 24 January 2020 - 07:12 PM, said:

so thats why it feels the way the sherman III felt. it feels like i am one with the tank and its one with me. its an extention of my body. and i channel all the energy into a ram lol

 

 

Well if you like ramming tanks, the Cromwell also is certainly a good  choice for you!

[mttspiii]

Vindictus_Maximus, on 25 January 2020 - 09:08 AM, said:

 

I 3-marked this tank without a gun-rammer, and it has a massive 6 second reload.

 

Occasionally the longer reload works against me, such as if I am in a 1vs1 brawl, or just missing getting a second shot into a tank before it takes cover. But those events are  far outweighed by the ability to quickly and reliably take shots of opportunity without being exposed for too long.

 

Maybe one is no better than the other and is just personal choice.

 

That's what I'm saying:

mttspiii, on 24 January 2020 - 10:59 AM, said:

ridiculous RoF, and average alpha damage

The 3001P has 220 alpha at 8.7 rounds/min, Cromwell has 135 at 15.38 rounds/min. That's practically twice the alpha at twice the reload time. 3001P and Cromwell are very different MT's, they play very differently, and are optimized with different equipment.

 

The probable reason why 3001P clicked for you is that its gameplay is similar to higher-tier MT's which rely on opportunities to sneak in damage. The Cromwell's brute-force DPM doesn't wait for opportunities; it makes its own opportunities like a sealclub-tier in-your-face machine-gun tank eraser.

 

Vindictus_Maximus, on 25 January 2020 - 09:08 AM, said:

The problem I find is with inaccurate guns with long aim times is numerous. You have to lead a lot further on moving targets, you have to expose yourself for longer to enemy fire when aiming up, you will miss a lot of fleeting targets because you could not aim up in time, and your effective DPM is lowered because you miss a higher percentage of shots.

Your lead should not change though, unless you're referring to the Cromwell's mediocre shell velocity compared to tanks you've been used to.

 

As for being exposed longer, that's where your ability to fire 2 shots, in the time it takes one fully-aimed shot, comes in. You don't always have the camo to aim at your leisure, so just shoot twice: double the pleasure, double the fun, especially when in ramming-range. And by the time your opponent has loaded his 2nd shot, you've already shot 5 shells. The sheer shell spam also lets you set up suppressing fire just in case you want to stave off an enemy push, and lets you permatrack multiple targets even.

 

Missing is a...way of life in the Cromwell. It won't pad hit ratios definitely, nor would it really raise DPM either, as you mentioned, because it misses a lot of shots. But what matters is how you utilize those shots that miss (suppression), and who you pen with those shots that hit (scouts, glass cannons, bloodied-but-dangerous targets). When I got back to Crommie to grind the Setter I felt extremely annoyed with the aim time too, until I decided to just spam shells with gusto and that actually worked for me better than EGLD-fully-aimed shots did..