3 man standard crew for tanks and APCs?

deathgivercola · 2024-04-14, 17:41

Hey all, so I’m fairly new to playing in assets squads. I was wondering why is it not standard to have a crew of 3 for most assets (driver, gunner, commander)? From my recent experiences, it seems like the lack of a commander seat/role in the vehicle hamstrings the effectiveness a little.

Especially now that the PR team has gotten around the hard 8 seat limit for vehicles, I think a 3rd crewman spot for a dedicated commander for tanks, APCs, and other AFVs would maybe improve asset gameplay. I think it would help to have a commander spot for added situational awareness and to help aleviate the problem of a diver/commander or gunner/commander.

Basically the commander seat would have a periscope 360 view of the vehicle (and control and pintle mounted mgs), tell the driver where to go and help the gunner scan for and prioritize targets. Also control any smoke launchers as well. The commander seat would also allow one crewman to focus on communications with other squads and vehicles in the squad as well

I’ve noticed that in game when the driver or gunner is also acting as the commander, the situational awareness and effectiveness is reduced, as the gunner/commander is too busy scanning and engaging targets to effectively communicate to the driver where to position the vehicle. Pretty much the same problem that real world afvs had when the commander had more roles than commanding the vehicle, I.e. getting distracted with other tasks and losing situational awareness.

But I also get that I’m pretty new and shit at assets, so it might just be a personal issue lol.

TLDR: I think a commander seat for afvs would help people get into asset gameplay and make vehicles more effective, and also make vehicles more realistic. The more experienced asset players can take the commander seat and command more inexperienced gunners and drivers (like myself lol)

[R-COM]bad_nade · 2024-04-14, 20:05

Currently driver's second "weapon slot" is commander view. But yeah, third crewman could be commander/machine gunner, or just commander if there is no second MG on turret. Downside is that on maps where there are more than two tanks this would lead to situation where two tank squads are required to properly man all available seats. It would cause all kinds of communication issues. With two crewmen per tank, one squad can operate four tanks.

Crylink · 2024-04-15, 14:11

We already have that option in PR:WW2 and the commanders role doesn't seem to catch.

axytho · 2024-05-05, 10:47

I actually agree with this.

For TANKS and IFVS: I think the current "commander" view should be moved to the third seat. People can still two-man vehicles if they choose, but the driver can't act as the commander without switching seats. Then the commander view (i.e. driver view) can get thermals again.

I think some extra commander features would be nice though:
- Maybe somehow give the commander a way to tell the gunner to look in a certain direction. Of course implementing a "slew to my target" is probably a lot of work, but maybe give vehicle commanders the ability to place target marks even if they are not the SL.

Honestly a lot more vehicles have "slew to my target" implemented then I thought, including for instance the BMP-2: https://thesovietarmourblog.blogspot.com/2016/

- Making it so SLs cannot rangefind via the map if they are occupying the gunner seat would be a nice feature as well. For older vehicles without laser range finder this would force gunners to either wing it or to carry an SL in the commander seat for proper rangefinding.
(Of course the dream is that people can only rangefind by utilizing the in-built stadiametric sights, or by drawing on the map to a tree that they think they recognize, but this is trickier to implement)
- Maybe? make it so only the commander has access to squad chat and team chat. if you get into a vehicle, you can only communicate with local unless you have someone in the commander seat.
- Make it so the commander seat does not have to warm up (already the case), but the driver seat DOES have to warm up (no moving/tracked until 30 seconds). This will stop the current engine-turned-off meta, and means the commander can be used to peak hills instead of the driver. Of course, you can still use the driver for this, but it's much riskier, because you won't be able to move for 30 seconds after driver leaves apc.
- Give the commander the abillity to take over the guns of the apc if this is the case: For instance, the commander on the BMP-2 gets his own dedicated AA sight, and can take over the autocannon if he spots a helicopter. https://thesovietarmourblog.blogspot.com/2016/#1pz-3

2024-04-14, 20:05	#2
[R-COM]bad_nade Support Technician Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,286 Finland Location: Helsinki	Re: 3 man standard crew for tanks and APCs? Currently driver's second "weapon slot" is commander view. But yeah, third crewman could be commander/machine gunner, or just commander if there is no second MG on turret. Downside is that on maps where there are more than two tanks this would lead to situation where two tank squads are required to properly man all available seats. It would cause all kinds of communication issues. With two crewmen per tank, one squad can operate four tanks.

	Last edited by bad_nade; 2024-04-14 at 20:11..

2024-04-15, 14:11	#3
Crylink Join Date: Jul 2021 Posts: 63 Israel	Re: 3 man standard crew for tanks and APCs? We already have that option in PR:WW2 and the commanders role doesn't seem to catch.
Crylink Join Date: Jul 2021 Posts: 63 Israel

2024-05-05, 10:47	#4
axytho Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 150 Benelux	Re: 3 man standard crew for tanks and APCs? I actually agree with this. For TANKS and IFVS: I think the current "commander" view should be moved to the third seat. People can still two-man vehicles if they choose, but the driver can't act as the commander without switching seats. Then the commander view (i.e. driver view) can get thermals again. I think some extra commander features would be nice though: - Maybe somehow give the commander a way to tell the gunner to look in a certain direction. Of course implementing a "slew to my target" is probably a lot of work, but maybe give vehicle commanders the ability to place target marks even if they are not the SL. Honestly a lot more vehicles have "slew to my target" implemented then I thought, including for instance the BMP-2: https://thesovietarmourblog.blogspot.com/2016/ - Making it so SLs cannot rangefind via the map if they are occupying the gunner seat would be a nice feature as well. For older vehicles without laser range finder this would force gunners to either wing it or to carry an SL in the commander seat for proper rangefinding. (Of course the dream is that people can only rangefind by utilizing the in-built stadiametric sights, or by drawing on the map to a tree that they think they recognize, but this is trickier to implement) - Maybe? make it so only the commander has access to squad chat and team chat. if you get into a vehicle, you can only communicate with local unless you have someone in the commander seat. - Make it so the commander seat does not have to warm up (already the case), but the driver seat DOES have to warm up (no moving/tracked until 30 seconds). This will stop the current engine-turned-off meta, and means the commander can be used to peak hills instead of the driver. Of course, you can still use the driver for this, but it's much riskier, because you won't be able to move for 30 seconds after driver leaves apc. - Give the commander the abillity to take over the guns of the apc if this is the case: For instance, the commander on the BMP-2 gets his own dedicated AA sight, and can take over the autocannon if he spots a helicopter. https://thesovietarmourblog.blogspot.com/2016/#1pz-3
axytho Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 150 Benelux

2024-04-14, 17:41	#1
deathgivercola Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 8 United States of America	3 man standard crew for tanks and APCs? Hey all, so I’m fairly new to playing in assets squads. I was wondering why is it not standard to have a crew of 3 for most assets (driver, gunner, commander)? From my recent experiences, it seems like the lack of a commander seat/role in the vehicle hamstrings the effectiveness a little. Especially now that the PR team has gotten around the hard 8 seat limit for vehicles, I think a 3rd crewman spot for a dedicated commander for tanks, APCs, and other AFVs would maybe improve asset gameplay. I think it would help to have a commander spot for added situational awareness and to help aleviate the problem of a diver/commander or gunner/commander. Basically the commander seat would have a periscope 360 view of the vehicle (and control and pintle mounted mgs), tell the driver where to go and help the gunner scan for and prioritize targets. Also control any smoke launchers as well. The commander seat would also allow one crewman to focus on communications with other squads and vehicles in the squad as well I’ve noticed that in game when the driver or gunner is also acting as the commander, the situational awareness and effectiveness is reduced, as the gunner/commander is too busy scanning and engaging targets to effectively communicate to the driver where to position the vehicle. Pretty much the same problem that real world afvs had when the commander had more roles than commanding the vehicle, I.e. getting distracted with other tasks and losing situational awareness. But I also get that I’m pretty new and shit at assets, so it might just be a personal issue lol. TLDR: I think a commander seat for afvs would help people get into asset gameplay and make vehicles more effective, and also make vehicles more realistic. The more experienced asset players can take the commander seat and command more inexperienced gunners and drivers (like myself lol)