A small number of good driver’s can swing the balance of a game of Warlords by effectively using CP, taking out a large number of enemies, and helping teammates. A positive, helpful, effective, driver that communicates with teammates also makes the game more fun for the whole team!
My tips:
- The biggest threat is opposing air power. If enemy jets are airborne, take them out first or just go with infantry.
- The second biggest threat is AT soldiers. Tanks are distance weapons not close combat weapons. It took me 500 hours to stop driving straight in to sectors and now my tanks last a lot longer and I get many more kills for the CP. When you do enter a town drive fast along buildings as guided AT needs a clear line of sight to lock on. In town, constantly watch the map, plan your route ahead of time and keep moving.
- The third biggest threat is enemy tanks which can take you out from far away. Use a sector scan to understand the enemy before driving in to line of sight. Also, listen to the contact callouts from your AI team and when they identify a tank, look for it on the map and adjust your route or plan if needed
- When you’re new, let other players take out enemy vehicles before moving in to take out infantry
- Don’t drive down the side of a mountain in to a hostile town since every AT soldier can get line of sight.
- Do not let a human take a Gunner seat in your tank, that is a sure way to get killed. AI gunners are far superior at spotting, targeting, and prioritizing targets. They also don’t shoot friendlies.
- Controlling throttle and steering is far easier with a controller or stick than with the keyboard
- Tracked vehicles have poor traction at high speed
- HMG vehicles have a machine gun. GMG vehicles have a grenade launcher. The machine gun is generally faster at taking out individual infantry but a squad may take longer as the grenade has a bigger impact with longer reload time
- Vehicles get damaged by AT, mines, and running in to scenery. I staff my vehicle crew with Repair Specialists so that I can pull out of an AO, repair my vehicle, and get back in the action
- Vehicle Commanders can deploy defensive smoke using the countermeasures button (typically “c”). Once deployed, move so that inbound radar locked missile is more likely to miss. If you’ve ever seen an AI tank deploy smoke and make your AT missile miss, then you know what we’re going for. You need to be in the Commander seat to get the smoke out, the AI will not do it for you.
- Early in the game, to move to the next AO quickly, you can put the Commander in the driver’s seat, get out, order the driver to move to the next zone, and then fast travel yourself ahead of them. Be sure you direct the vehicle to a safe place to link up with it before AT takes it out
- You can ride along while AI drive by moving out of the driver seat and ordering the driver around.
- Driving through terrain at speed in the dark is frustrating as rocks blend in. Consider roads if needed.
- When driving an APC under the threat of air power I prefer to have two AA soldiers in the back. Just before I get to an AO I find a hill, drop the AA soldiers, and then move to to take out infantry. Once the AO is seized I go back and get the AA team. You can also use this strategy with one AT and one AA soldiers to clear vehicles before moving in with the tank
- AA tanks cannot take out enemy vehicles, just disable them (and often kill occupants) which results in ammo waste as the AI prioritizes vehicles highly and shoots until destroyed. I like driving AA tanks to eliminate infantry but you need to be quick to manually change targets or hold fire. The advanced level here is to bring AT soldiers with you as passengers and deploy them to eliminate enemy vehicles.
- When a vehicle is out of ammo don’t forget to switch to other ammo types. Then, call in an ammo box which you can drive up to for rearming. Alternatively you can have an ammo truck with AI driver that you park outside of the AO that you can meet up with as needed. Plan ahead on ammo.
- Multiple vehicles can rearm at an ammo box or ammo truck so mark them on the map and inform your team that ammo is marketing on the map if they need it.
- Gas runs out on some vehicles. Gas stations have gas and so do fuel trucks.
- Sector scans and the map help you figure out where to go to have the biggest positive impact on an AO while reducing the risk of being blown up. Ask for your team to call in a sector scan if you’re too overloaded to do it yourself or don’t have the CP
- The map shows enemies that your AI have spotted. Quickly view the map on a regular basis to understand enemy locations and adjust your route accordingly
- The map shows roads, buildings, and open spaces. Frequently do a quick map view to plan your route.
- Don’t run over your team or their AI. It will make them mad. If you do, apologize immediately. If you have CP, offer them CP to replace what you destroyed and round up.
- Running over enemy in anything other than a tank is risky because game physics treat “living” players and AI as solid objects. Often running over an enemy will cause the vehicle to be launched into the air, cause damage or destruction, and the enemy will still be alive. Even worse, sometimes you need to shoot enemies that have been run over for the server to realize they are dead and allow the capture of the sector. I often make an exception for Heavy AT soldiers when my AI Gunners haven’t taken them all out and I’m bearing down on the group.
- Support your infantry teammates by clearing out the bulk of enemies on their route in to an AO. You can leave occasional enemy stragglers from your gun runs for infantry teammates to clean up
- When taking out enemy, watch their weapons and call out to your team when you see something valuable like guided AT or a Heavy Gunner machine gun. Early in the game, sharpshooter rifles should be called out too. You can also not then on the map so you can keep moving.
- Early in the game, the ability to heal teammates to full health is valuable so having a combat life saver AI in your vehicle is an excellent resource. Once an AO is clear, announce to your teammates that they can come to your position to be healed and get first aid kits. Then get out with the combat life saver and micromanage him to heal the team
- Early in the game some players will want a ride to the next AO rather than spend the 50 CP to fast travel. If you have available seats be sure to offer them. Then, be strategic, let them out in a reasonably safe location near the next AO. And, don’t get destroyed with everyone in the Vic. If you’re about to be blown up by incoming AT, tell everyone to eject and run, while you stop the vehicle and try to countermeasure with smoke so they don’t die as they eject
- When commanding/driving a vehicle, you generally have enough AI available to have a second vehicle that is entirely AI staffed. Control them using the map. It might be your backup vehicle, or it might protect against what your vehicle doesn’t (AA and AT), or it might be an ammo and repair combo. Armor with three seats can be operated with a driver and Gunner successfully if you have only two AI available.
- Don’t run over your teammates. Yield to them.
- Don’t be the Gunner on you vehicles when teammates on foot are pushing in to the AO, you’re likely to friendly fire. Let the AI shoot… they’re much better than you anyway.
- Tanks and other shooting armor often have thermal vision views which are excellent for rolling up on a hill well outside the AO (750+ meters) and attacking with guns from afar. Make sure to watch the map regularly and use map pings so that you don’t friendly fire.