Addressing the Inefficiencies of Tank-Centered Play in WARNO
This is my first time using Reddit, so I’m not very familiar with writing posts. I appreciate your understanding.
Also, I’m not good at English, so I used a translator.
Introduction
Before getting into the main topic, let me introduce myself. I have been played Warno since Early access phase when there were only 3rd arms and 79th tanks, and my main focus is 2v2 or 3v3 games, not ranked games but I'm sure my skills are enough to discuss about the balance. (I have attached the profile stats cards below. Large number of photos were attached because my profiles have been reestablished multiple times for good reasons. I thought that these attachments are needed to prove that I'm aware of the current meta of the game).
The current game mechanics in WARNO create significant inefficiencies for tank-centered play. This document outlines key issues contributing to this imbalance and suggests areas for improvement.
1. Snowball Effect Induced by HEAT Damage Formula
The HEAT damage formula in WARNO follows the same model as its predecessor, Wargame. While continuity is appreciated, the existing formula presents a significant issue: HEAT rounds always inflict at least one damage, even against armor values exceeding their penetration. This mechanic exacerbates issues related to morale, critical damage, artillery effectiveness, low-cost ATGMs, and overall cost-effectiveness.
2. Morale System Disproportionately Affects Tanks
The morale system in WARNO is particularly detrimental to tanks. Whenever a tank is hit, or even within the suppression radius of explosive weaponry, its suppression value increases, leading to severe penalties:
- Accuracy Reduction: A direct impact on a tank’s ability to retaliate.
- Rate of Fire (RoF) Reduction: Especially pronounced in manually loaded tanks.
- Movement Speed Reduction: Limiting the tank’s ability to reposition.
- Aiming Speed Reduction: Further diminishing combat effectiveness.
Since morale recovery is exceptionally slow (often exceeding two minutes without veterancy), tanks require constant veterancy bonuses and military police (MP) support to remain operational. Moreover, if morale drops too low, the vehicle may enter a Rout state, where it automatically retreats with its side or rear armor exposed, making it highly vulnerable to destruction.
milan1 has \"185\" suppress while tow1,itow,tow2 has \"275\"
2.1 Stun Mechanics
The Stun mechanic further exacerbates the issue by rendering tanks completely inoperative for four seconds when their suppression value reaches a threshold. Notably, ATGMs and rockets can trigger this status effect even when they miss, making tanks disproportionately vulnerable to indirect fire.
3. Critical Damage System Disproportionately Affects Tanks
In WARNO, vehicles have a chance to suffer critical status effects upon taking damage. A mere 0.1 damage from direct fire can trigger this critical damage roll. Some critical effects—such as Bail Out, Engine Destroyed, and Track Broken—can instantly incapacitate a high-cost tank. This means that even a low-cost ATGM or HEAT-equipped vehicle can render a 330-point tank ineffective with a single hit.
https://i.redd.it/6yyn07q824oe1.gif
https://reddit.com/link/1j8z9qo/video/w6ef5bqf24oe1/player
https://reddit.com/link/1j8z9qo/video/dg3y92db34oe1/player
4. Tank gun Accuracy and Anti-Infantry TTK in Buildings
The most powerful tanks, such as the HA Abrams, 80UD, and 2A4, have a stationary accuracy of 65% with no veterancy. As mentioned earlier, this is closely related to Morale. When Morale is Normal, there is a -25% penalty; when it is Mediocre, the penalty increases to 45%; and when it is Low, it reaches 70%.
Yes, even with Normal Morale, you cannot expect reliable accuracy. Moreover, a tank's accuracy should not be judged solely by its stationary accuracy but also by its accuracy while moving. Naturally, the accuracy while moving drops significantly. In reality, if a tank takes even a single hit, its Morale drops, making it nearly impossible to land accurate shots. The "hammer," which stands at the pinnacle of offense and defense, ends up missing its target just because it took one hit, causing the snowball effect to keep rolling.
https://reddit.com/link/1j8z9qo/video/h6yteerj24oe1/player
https://reddit.com/link/1j8z9qo/video/rzu7etal24oe1/player
Tank-based strategies struggle against infantry entrenched in buildings due to poor time-to-kill (TTK). For instance, a high-cost tank engaging infantry in a building can take over 1~2 minutes to eliminate a single squad, making tanks highly ineffective for clearing urban areas.
5. Cost-Effectiveness of Low-Cost ATGMs
Low-cost ATGMs provide an outsized return on investment due to their ability to:
- Apply substantial suppression and morale damage.
- Roll for critical hits, potentially disabling expensive enemy tanks.
- Be deployed widely, covering multiple fronts with minimal investment.
Additionally, tank operators cannot distinguish between low-tier and high-tier ATGMs before being hit, further compounding the risk.
5.1 Stealth and Mobility of ATGM Platforms
Highly mobile, cost-effective ATGM units benefit from excellent stealth ratings, allowing them to engage tanks while remaining undetected until they fire. Given their effectiveness, these units dramatically shift the balance away from tank-based strategies.
For a \"Very Good\" Optic, you must be within 1,160m to see it before shooting.
6. Delayed Smoke Deployment for Vehicles
The current smoke-screen mechanics for vehicles introduce a critical reaction delay. When a player activates smoke, the vehicle must first stop before deploying it, adding a 0.5- to 1-second delay. This is particularly problematic when responding to high-velocity threats like KH-29T (FNF), Maverick (FNF), Kokon , Bastion , Svir, or Hellfire ATGMs.
In contrast, other modern RTS games—such as Broken Arrow—feature immediate smoke deployment, allowing vehicles to evade incoming threats more effectively.
7. Downgraded Air Optics Affecting Tank Protection
Effective air defense is essential for tank survivability. However, in WARNO, air reconnaissance is hindered by downgraded optics on fighter jets, limiting their ability to identify incoming threats. The lack of clear aircraft identification forces players to guess whether an approaching unit is equipped with ATGMs, SEAD, or other payloads. Given the short reaction window, this results in unavoidable tank losses.
8. Cost-Effectiveness Disparity in Small-Scale Engagements
Cost-effectiveness concerns become even more apparent in 1v1 and 2v2 matchups, particularly in ranked play. The current game balance enables low-cost vehicle spam tactics, such as:
- Scorpion/Scimitar Spam: Low-cost vehicles utilizing HEAT rounds overwhelm high-cost tanks due to sheer numbers and suppression mechanics.
https://i.redd.it/x44pav2p24oe1.gif
- IFV Spam: Some players opt for IFV-heavy compositions due to their cost-effectiveness compared to tanks.
The combination of these factors makes tank-centered strategies inefficient in the current game meta.
Conclusion
The existing game mechanics in WARNO disproportionately penalize tank-based strategies, making them inefficient compared to alternative unit compositions. Addressing issues such as morale suppression, critical damage probability, low-cost ATGM effectiveness, and smoke screen responsiveness would help create a more balanced and engaging strategic environment.