The Emil 1951 is a maneuverable heavy tank with good aiming time and can deal 360 points of alpha damage. Use its good mobility to get in the thick of it and dominate the battlefield with its main feature, a three-shell autoloader. It does excellent damage per minute and is capable of firing effectively on the move.
Balance Adjustments
We've carefully analyzed the latest Frontline episodes and decided to slightly tweak some balance settings. We believe these adjustments will help make the mode more enjoyable and fair. Let’s get down to details.
Revamped Airstrike
First of all, we reworked Airstrikes. Our statistics show that this is one of the least popular Combat Reserves. Obviously, this is due to Airstrikes not causing serious damage to enemies. If shells don't penetrate or simply don't hit targets, then your opponents are only stunned and receive “a slap on the wrist”.
Therefore, we want to make Airstrikes a more attractive option for you, so it can serve as possible alternative to Artillery Strikes. We slightly increased:
- The damage it causes
- The splash radius
NOTE: At the same time, we slightly reduced the penetration of Airstrikes to better balance these changes.
As a result, Airstrikes will inflict more frequent and light-to-medium damage to all tanks caught in the blast zone. This Combat Reserve will become more predictable and generally more useful for both teams.
Main Objectives: Increasing Side Armor
Good news for defenders! We've increased the pillboxes’ side armor from 165 to 180 mm, just in time for the fourth Episode. We’re taking this measure to:
- Reduce the impact of light vehicles on gameplay. Many of them have around 180 mm of armor penetration for their standard shell. Fast and mobile, light vehicles can easily get behind your back, quickly reach the main objectives, and deal a great amount of damage when targeting their poorly armored sides.
- Decrease the impact of tank destroyers and other types of vehicles that can hit the pillboxes from long distances. We noticed that in the final stages of the battle, some players prefer to bombard the main objectives from safe positions, which reduces the chances of the defending team to succeed.
An additional 20 mm of side armor will encourage attackers to move closer to the action, try various tactics, and aim more carefully. It will be harder to penetrate the pillboxes, especially at greater angles and for vehicles with mediocre penetration.
Engineering & Respawns
In Episode 4, the Engineering ability is available for both teams under existing conditions. However, we’ll reduce the speed bonus for attackers when they capture the base and activate this ability.
- Level 1 – From 1.6 to 1.5
- Level 2 – From 1.6 to 1.5
- Level 3 – From 1.8 to 1.7
- Level 4 – From 1.8 to 1.7
- Level 5 – From 2.0 to 1.8
This change will give defenders more time to reach the point that is being captured. In addition, they can better control zones, in particular, zone B.
NOTE: With this adjustment, we're also lending a helping hand to defenders. At the same time, we’re addressing the issue of fast light vehicles capturing the first line bases before tanks from the defending team could even get to them.
Finally, we changed the location of some Respawn positions. Players from the attacking team will now be able to avoid situations where they respawn too close to the base, surrounded by tanks of the defending team, and are destroyed almost immediately. Starting with the upcoming Episode, Respawns will be located further from the epicenter of the battle zones.
As always, feel free to visit our dedicated forum thread and share your thoughts on the upcoming balance tweaks. Good luck in the fourth Episode, Commanders!
