Sd.Kfz. 251/5 - Schützenpanzerwagen für Pionierzug. Assault Engineer vehicle with inflatable boats stored in the side storage lockers, and light dismantleable assault bridges stored inside through loss of a seat for more storage space. Early command vehicles for Pioneer platoons (Pionierzug) were equipped with a 37 mm Pak 36 anti-tank gun mount. Sd.Kfz. 251/2 - Schützenpanzerwagen (Granatwerfer)
The Rider class is more infantry than vehicle. A King Tiger is not supposed to roll up to the objective and then the crew bails out to fight on foot
The “tank slot” is only tank in name only because it covers a wide array of vehicles and types whose primary job is combat
Halftracks and such that were modified with various combat armaments were no longer used to ferry infantry. They were combat platforms. The M3 Halftrack that was modified with an AT gun was an early tank destroyer. Sure an infantrymen will crawl onto the back of anything but if we’re going by the primary role, these vehicles were not infantry transports. Standard halftrack? Transport. AT gun, flamethrower, etc? Combat vehicle
The M5 Stuart and Panzer II are “tank slots” same as the Pershing and King Tiger. No one says that these light tanks shouldn’t be tank slots like their big brothers. Or should we make everything less than the most strongest vehicles not count as tanks. So a Panzer 3 J loses its tank status when Tigers are around.
It’s simple, if its a motorcycle or a regular car like a jeep it should be Rider. If its a vehicle meant to transport infantry its an APC. If its a combat vehicle its the “tank slot”
The “tank slot” covers actual tanks, tank destroyers, self proppelled artillery, anti-air, etc. These halftrakcs are basically a light tank.
Obviously in the current state of the rider class it won’t fit, but I feel putting these weaker vehicles (spaa, armour cars, scouting vehicles) would waste a tank slot where an actual tank could be used.
And as for the claim that the rider squad is more infantry than vehicle, I’m not sure that’s entirely true, most people aren’t spawning a bike and then racing to a objective just to dump it and fight with their 3 man squad. Most people will use the vehicle because if they wanted infantry a APC has more soilders and so do most infantry squads.
By guns they would be tanks up to br3 but all of them have less then an inch of armor save for the gun mantle, so by armor they can’t be tanks unless they were all br1 or maybe at a stretch 2 tanks
You only say that now because the Flakpanther isn’t in game yet Or a lot more 88 armed platforms. At the moment you’d be lucky that the Flakbus was intended as a tank destroyer
Its basically the same as light vs heavy tanks. There may be weak AA but there are powerful AAs as well
I get the sentiment but I feel it doesn’t matter what vehicle is occupying the tank slot (and I’ll just call it the tank slot for simplicity because combat vehicle slot is verbose and wastes time but you know my deal)
To me all that matter is whoever is doing their job as best they can. SPAA can shred infantry and occasionally shoot down planes. It’s no different than say a light tank or heavy tank being chosen at any given moment. Yeah sure you’d prefer the heavy tank but they all share the same slot. Spawn as whatever vehicle type and do your job
Light tank
Medium tank
Heavy tank
Artillery
Tank Destroyer
Anti-Air
That is a fair point but that is more down to player choice. Sometimes I do stick in the MC as a mg nest on wheels, others I hop out to fight on foot. But I will say that you are more incentivized to hop out given that in squad upgrades you can choose Engineers and AT so you ride around and hop out when you need to do a particular job. Overall the MC is more incentivized to hop out
No but really, I have to imagine it would be relatively simple to add armoured cars and these more infantry support variants of halftracks and etc to new rider 2 squads. I mean there is so many modelled options they could use from WT already, especially if they got creative with some assets, like a universal carrier with a WASP flame projector, or the drilling maybe, just SPAA in general dare I say.
Or a lot more 88 armed platforms. At the moment you’d be lucky that the Flakbus was intended as a tank destroyer
but you know my deal)