TANKER'S MANUAL
CHAPTER 1 YOUR TANK
The ENGINE is a vital component of your tank, it is loud, spits out a ton of smoke and can take you anywhere if you maintain it properly. Once you get in your tank, immediately start the engine, it requires time to warm up and might stall if you immediately try to shift into gear. To change GEARS, use the Q and E keys. First gear is generally only used when you are trying to move after coming to a full stop. Lower gears are better for driving uphill or on rugged terrain. Once you reach a high RPM, your engine’s noise will change, that’s your signal to shift to a higher gear. Engines are loud and will consume fuel even when idling. Always take both fuel and ammunition from the spawn before leaving. Due to how loud it is even when idling, it is recommended to turn off your engine once you’ve reached a nice camping position. With your engine turned off, your tank will be completely silent, thus allowing you to easily detect enemy movements.
If your engine is hit, a FIRE will break out. There are two types of fires that any good tanker must be able to diagnose. It’s either an engine fire or an ammo cookoff. If large slow plumes of flames are coming from the engine compartment, you’re lucky it’s just an engine fire. These fires will slowly damage your tank’s different components and the health of your crew, however they do not prevent you from using your tank. Thus it is sometimes better to drive away or to shoot back and kill the enemy BEFORE putting out an engine fire. However, if you see a tall, rapid and loud jet of sparks flying from the hatches of the top of your turret, this is an ammo cookoff. In the case of an ammo cookoff. Forget trying to put it out, you have a few seconds to escape through your hatch and get a safe distance away from your tank before the ammunition detonates, killing all those nearby…
ABOVE: Engine Fire on a Panzer III M
The GUN is the most important component of your tank, without it, there is little you can accomplish only with your machine guns (if your tank has any). To look down your telescopic sight, use the X key. To turn the turret quickly, use the WASD key, then use your mouse to do fine adjustments onto the target. Once in this “scoped-in” mode, the gunner can hold the V key to use the rangefinder, giving you a relatively accurate reading of how far you are from your target. Then, by using the scroll wheel, you can zoom into your target to better see the ranging mil dots. These markings are numbered, allowing you to use the correct mildot for the desired range. By pressing C, you can cycle between your main gun or your coaxial machine gun. Be careful, your machine gun’s bullets often use different mil dots than your main gun. To fire the main gun or the machine gun, press the F key. Your shots will, depending on the caliber of your gun, release a lot of light, smoke and noise. These may give away your position and might make you consider moving after shooting a lot from one place. Note that tank shells have a tracer effect. This makes it easier to track your shot at long distances but also makes it pretty easy to see where a shell came from. Lastly, remember that depending on the indicated velocity and the distance to the target, the shells will require you to lead your target and anticipate where they will be by the time your shell lands.
ABOVE: The Mil dots of a 5cm anti-tank gun.
The main gun can be mounted in a turret or in a casemate. If your tank has no turret, communications with the driver are essential as the gunner can only pivot the gun by a few degrees on either side. In either case, turrets often rotate slower than you would expect which is why it is important to keep the turret pointed forwards when you do not know from which direction the enemy will appear. That way, if an enemy shows up opposite of where your turret is facing, your driver can turn the tank to show the enemy your tank’s frontal armor and will at the same time speed up turning the turret towards your newfound target. This will not work if your STABILIZER is activated. Some tanks are equipped with a stabilizer, which is activated with the Z key. Stabilizers allow the turret to rotate freely from the body of the tank’s steering. It allows you to fire on the move far more accurately than tanks that aren’t equipped with a stabilizer system.
