Talk:Heavy Weapons Platforms

What is the morale hit your soldiers take from the loss of a tank? Would it be equal to the death of a newbie? If so, I think that would count as an advantage.--Trotsky 05:19, 26 June 2006 (PDT)

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Yes, same as a rookie, according to the Morale page. Tanks are quite well-suited to the Scout role. Feel free to note this property on the HWP article page.

--Ethereal Cereal 14:54, 26 June 2006 (PDT)

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My personal opinion is that hover tanks are fit for puropse but the conventional tanks are not. Tanks do not provide additional firepower compared to four squaddies, so their purpose must surely be as robust front line vehicles. Hovertanks can do this very well with their speed, flight, and durability against plasma fire. Conventional tanks are less mobile than squaddies, even without stamina problems, and still vulnerable to single plasma shots.

Using tanks on ufo recovery missions is problematic since they block the front of the skyranger, stop you getting smoke dropped, and usually draw plasma fire when they wheel down the ramp. This isn't solved on the lightning or avenger. Their best use seems to be on base defence, base attack, and cydonia missions where the 80 item limit prevents the arming of too many soldiers. - Egor

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Technically, the laser and cannon tanks are considerable upgrades of their handheld counterparts (heavy laser and AC-Heavy Cannon). All the other turrets just give you a downgraded variant. Also, the 80 item limit is no excuse to lose 4 soldiers, who can just come in and pick weapons up off the ground. ;)

You can also throw smoke grenades over your forward tank. You just need to throw it a few tiles further. It's not too hard unless your landing zone is flush against the north edge of the map.

Conventional tanks are meant to be phased out once you get good weapons and armour, and later replaced by the hovertanks. The laser tank comes too late, but it continues to be a cheap throw-away HWP that you can churn out and send off to scout and draw enemy fire away from your troops, or to mangle sectopods with ease.

The conventional tank's base 20 reactions doesn't help its survivability much - but it does force aliens to react to it more often - drawing fire away fromy your troops.

- NKF