Favorite AFV

[bjarmson]

I'd like to understand the various AFVs better. What are their strengths and weaknesses? So explain which AFV you prefer and why you prefer it (more than one, if you have different favorites for different situations).

I'll start. I prefer the Apollo 120mm for most scenarios (particularly if there is any space to maneuver). It's quick, so difficult to hit from a distance, yet can gobble up big distances in a hurry. The tracks are able to climb almost anything and it is hard to tip (except on low grav moons when firing to the sides-the recoil flips it over); also the tracks seem impervious to failure, unlike tires. It's front is fairly well armored, and if you can keep it facing an enemy (other than another 120mm or ATGM), it is difficult to kill before it kills its target. Finally, the 120mm gun has immense killing power, you can knock out anything with a single shot, providing you hit it in the right spot.

The important thing to remember when using the Apollo is "keep moving" and try to maintain a good deal of separation from your targets. Your sides and back are vulnerable, so limit their exposure, if possible. It is particularly effective in the hunter-killer role, where its speed, maneuverablity, and killing power let it shine.

[Caseck]

Hurricane.

Reminds me of what the M551 Sherridan was supposed to be. (small, fast, manueverable with a 152mm gun!) I love the combination of manuverability and unparalelled firepower.

I like watching THORS try to drive out of the craters I put them in...

[Jalinth]

For me it's either the Apollo 120mm for most of the same reasons, or the Ion Thor.

There's nothing quite like sitting beside a Point defense tower and working that Ion beam into your targets. From popping wheels and Shirkes in an instant or the satisfaction of causing a Thor to brew up.

[Dark_au]

Hurricane or Tempest. I like the combination of speed and firepower. There is a saying that goes "Quantity has a quality all of its own" well I think you can also say "Speed has an armour value all of its own"

[yurch]

I don't really prefer a vehicle, but I do tend to steer away from specialty weapons completely shut down by the point defenses. There's nothing worse than not being able to shoot.

Otherwise, you could say I hate them all equally. That glass is half empty and it's filthy.

The Apollo front actually isn't very armored at all. It is rated a paltry 50 'points' higher than it's side armor, and combined with its sloping is nowhere near enough to reliably stop the dreaded 120mm HEAT round. I find myself having very little concern of the Apollo's facing lately, and I've even had sucess driving it full-tilt backwards at angles to the enemy. The Apollo turret on the other hand is one of the better protected in the game; the side 'wings' may be penetratable, but do not appear to contain any vital subsystems. The only thing Apollo really has to fear in a close-range hull-down scenario is 120mm AP getting lucky with it's burn factor or 76mm crack shots. I do not find the Apollo to be terribly stable across inclines. Back in the beta-demo, with the higher amounts of HE shells flying about, the Apollo had a very bad tendancy to lose its engine. It is likely it still retains this vunerability.

The Paladin has the same chassis armorings as the Apollo, with the obvious difference of having tires. Oddly enough these tires can serve as a foil for angled shots to the corners - With the front located engine and middle-oriented battery, shots to these areas would otherwise be catastrophic if it weren't for the tire intercepting them. Right now, most paladins don't have much in the way of vital subsystems to the top or rear, and this leads some players who do not correctly lead the chassis to believe the paladin is much tougher than it really is. The lower nose section is the most vulnerable area from the front, and a single sufficiently powerful hit here can destroy the Paladin immediately. The paladin is set too high to really be used hull-down against nastier targets, and its weak turret can be destroyed reliably from the front with a single 120mm HEAT or a few 76mm rounds. However, Paladins used offensively with 20mm close combat weapons and little reguard for safety are downright deadly when deployed with distractions.

The 50 armor rear rating of both the paladin and apollo is a severe liability against light weapons. 20mm can penetrate 50 armor at seemingly inordinate ranges, and the ion weapon can kill in under 10 hits.

The Thor is a clumsy oaf with the sole purpose of being a small wall. Its side ratings are equivelant to the Apollo front, its rear is respectable, and its front armor ratings are unmatched. New players will find this an imposing vehicle to be on the wrong end of. Experienced players, not so much. 120mm AP has enough base penetration to punch through both the turret and the chassis directly from the front. 76mm can penetrate the chassis front, but usually not in vital areas. The ground based plasma turret penetrates easily, which gives it a deadly advantage against the slow Thor. Thor's best application is as a long-range platform frontally immune to the dreaded HEAT round. On high atmosphere maps, the ion is often the Thor's best choice, which doesn't speak too kindly for it.

The Thor is very limited by not having a fast fire rate kinetic option for weaponry. Apollo may be able to chase a unit for a short distance while using its 120mm, but the Thor is slow.

Thor's turret is also a large liability. It has a tendancy to stick out sideways as a large target and has a very poor top armor, making it unsuitable for rough terrain and multiple angle fighting.

Shrikes, Hurricanes, and tempests are all light-armored finesse units and should not in any circumstance be used close range. The shrike and hurricane in particular are very vulnerable to ion fire. Shrike goes up in 3 shots and hurricane in about 9 from the side - that is, if you can figure out how far to lead them with the online lag on the ion.

[yllamana]

I like the Paladin. Its speed lets it maneuver into positions where its lighter weaponry can easily score kills. The 76 has a lot of range, and though it takes a while to actually kill anything, you pretty much know that every hit is damaging what you're firing at. With a little luck and a good position you can disable Thor by blowing its turret off. With less luck you at least know you've damaged some subsystems and greatly reduced the vehicle's fighting strength.

The Paladin has a few problems. It's susceptible to artillery fire; its wheels tend to explode when fired on by ion cannons. It can be killed or disabled with a single good 120mm shot; it performs best by far when aided by a distraction or by good concealing terrain. The MC-L variant tends to need line of sight to its target due to its lighter shells; it can kill Thor with direct hits, though.

The Paladin also tends to be top-heavy, especially the mortar variant, and tips extremely easily. I probably lose more 76es to rolling than I do to enemy fire.

I haven't really tried the ion variant much. The ion's "HEY OVER HERE COME KILL ME!" beam effect doesn't lend itself too well to use on a lightly-armoured vehicle, and the Paladin tips very easily if you try to increase your survivability with combat maneuvering at speed.

Also, for raw coolness it's hard to overlook the Cutter. The slowest, most lightly armed vehicle in service, it's just plain fun to kill people with. Plus you can nuke the ice fields base with EMP and drive in your Cutter unaffected and kill everything. That is just the best.

[Hub]

For me, it's a toss-up between the Apollo and the 76mm Paladin. However, I may be swayed by the new infantry units if they turn out to be like I'm hoping...

[Jack Carr]

Any Paladin variant, especially in CTF games. Paladin's have the speed to get in, grab the flag, and get out. A successful flag capture usually puts the score out of reach.

[konstantine]

Apollo 120, Hermes and Hurricane, followed by Paladin 76 just because the gun sounds so cool.

Although don't drop the Apollo 120 on even the slightest incline, it will roll like a dropped quarter in front of a vending machine. >:[

I killed 3 in a row the other night, first by a bad drop, second by rolling it on an incline, and the third after driving too close to a minefield. Suffice it to say my team mate was not impressed as that basically lost the game for us.

[yurch]

With the addition of the 20mm coaxial and a proper HE round, I'm finding the Thor to be pretty imposing these days.

Now only if there was one that was larger.