Some of your points came to mind in a match I just played, and how wrong they can be more often than you think.
First off, theres nothing about sneaking up on anyone. With a reload of over 20 seconds you donāt have to sneak up on an IS2, it can fire while a hostile tanks spawns rolls up and takes aim and fires multiple times right to the front without fear of retaliation, no sneak up necessary.
Example, the seelow heights map- sending support fire into the point from mid range on the tracks and as soon as I send a round to kills a bunch of infantry I see a PzIV spawn across the bridge on the river bank. Expert load switch to load AP and begin backing off while wiggling turret, first round goes through the turret face and kills half the crew. Luckily because he had spawned and had to get into position before firing I had enough time to switch back onto the gun and dispatch him, second one spawns at the same time and immediately one shots me through the front.
Next game on the first point of herman goering strasse I barely move out of the street spawn and see a panther engaging a T34 in front of me. I put 3 rounds into his shot trap with green target reticle, 1 ricochet and 2 penetrations that deliver no crew kills after which he kills the t34 and backs behind rubble. At that point I start shooting a PzIV whose turret is sticking over some cover, first shot pens the turret and kills 1 crew, second shot is a ghost round (disappears after firing, someone else in the conversation corroborated this so I know Iām not alone). Panther pokes back out, first round pens turret face and kills 3/4 crew while Iām angled and actively maneuvering, second shot detonates me.
Does this sound anything like a Tiger II player experience?
If I had screenshots I would share them, point being good aim isnāt always enough. When it comes to tanks in enlisted accuracy by volume is more useful considering the buggy hit registration. Iām all for a lower tank achieving a kill over a top tier one if they out skill it, but tanking a hit it should not have survived then putting a bottom tier round right through the front of a top tier one does not qualify when they should have already been dead.
āThe IS2 cannon is so powerful that you will 1 tap any pz4 wherever you aim at! (youād be surprised how often this doesnāt happen) On the other side, let me garantee you that any newer player encountering a IS2 while driving a pz4 will likely panick while coming face to face (panic fire for sure, which often yields surprising results in his favor)ā¦ IF you didānt 1 taped it already (still reloading during the whole ordeal)ā
Yes the IS2 was more of a fortification attacking siege vehicle than a battle tank, but it was put into the game with the clear intent of it being the Soviet match to the Tiger II, so it stands t reason that it should be on a somewhat level playing field. Having the ability to troll kill sometimes does not balance that disparity.
As for the point of not playing it like a T34, I agree but frankly the Berlin maps donāt have enough wiggle room for it to stay far enough away for its armor to be useful and still have any meaningful impact on the match. You can get into effective combat range and be knocked out easily, or stay back lobbing rounds hoping for effect while your teammates curse you for cowardice. Even seelow heights has too much shit in the way unless you can sit on top of the arch bridge.
Somebody mentioned the difference in other weapons/campaigns. As someone who has played a lot of normandy I know how strong the Mp 43 is and I know how strong the PPsh is, I enjoy both and know that they are amazing in their assigned roles. But comparing them doesnāt help here because they are two different weapons for two different fights, the assault rifle dominates at range while the SMG does so in CQB. These vehicles are supposed to serve the same purpose in the game. Frankly this isnāt immediately post berlin launch anymore where everyone wanted to play red army, axis side has more than enough equipped/experienced players now. As for the Moscow reference of tanks, I have experienced it now, but one campaign not having balanced vehicles does not justify another being the same. Iād be all for introducing a more efficient PzIV model to balance out the T50/34s. I would say the same for normandy with the Tiger dominance and frankly would welcome the challenge of new additions like a Jumbo 76 or Pershing (even though allied air dominance is more than sufficient to offset the advantage).
Iāve ground to top level in normandy and played through tanks like the PzIV, Panther and Tiger and know their nuances, sure I complain about this but I will never forget playing against Jumbos in PzIII/IVs and remembering how impossible it was to sneak a shot into the MG port, and how the panther was only marginally better against it, merely buying some actually useful protection and the ability to actually not panic aim. I know them and their weaknesses, factor in time spent at the berlin practice range I can confidently call BS when green target shots that I carefully aimed for up to 30 seconds do nothing.
āKeep in mind nothing survives itās doom gun provided you aimā If I have to suffer through a salvo of return fire for every one I get to shoot, it better give me a return on that investment of time and patience when I get it right, not reward the enemy with a free fire window because it squeaked off the armor plate with a teddy bear noise. 122mm doesnāt mean anything if it doesnāt deliver, I would trade being able to lol smash a PzIV with HE every now and again for consistency any day. As someone who played the PzIVJ/H variants at length in the other campaign, it is painful to watch them pick apart a top tier vehicle without any effort because they happened to enter the fray at the right moment. Part of what makes the King Tiger so insane is itsā ability to shrug off even well placed rounds and return lethal fire in a timely manner, right now the IS 2 questionable ability to do either.
The Tiger IIs were fearsome and have earned their performance in game, but the IS2 was no slouch in real life either for those complaining that Iām asking for unrealism.
āTĆ¢rgu Frumos, a single IS-2 was damaged and later examined by General Guderian himself, whom concluded that the āStalinā was worth of its name. āDo not get involved in a fight with a āStalinā without overwhelming numerical superiority in the field. I believe that for every āStalinā we must account for an entire platoon of Tigers.ā Any attempts by a single āTigerā to fight a āStalinā one-on-one can only result in the loss of a priceless war machine.ā Soon, new tactical rules were devised to flank and surround IS-2s and get shots in its vulnerable sides, rear and the sensitive āshot trapā rear turret basket, and only at short range. Presumably German tactical superiority was again called for the task.ā
If anything the IS2 has to sneak up on a Tiger II and hope its first shot does the job, because if it doesnāt, even if it survives the first return fire, once the German knows he is there itsā superior armor and rate of fire will be too much to overcome. This can apply for any axis tank that gets a lucky bounce/ricochet/ghost round after which he can pursue and destroy the IS because it cannot rely on even its frontal armor. Iāve yet to come across any german player in any berlin tank that takes more than 1-3 rounds to kill/disable the IS given a full reload cycle to work it over.
In the times where the panther was the best tank the berlin axis could muster I was comfortable, because even though the panther was undoubtedly superior in all respects, with good aim, sustainable reload and a size able to effectively take cover you could take them down even though the fight would almost always be over if the panther landed the first shot. The 122mm slow rate of fire would be acceptable if it wasnāt so wonky when it comes to penetrating weak spots on panthers/tigers, nor does the IS have the protection capability to keep it in the fight when the alpha strike doesnāt happen.
Essay over, the length is merely to discuss points multiple people made. If you think Iām wrong let me know why