The Tanker's 10 Commandments

Never shoot your teammates - even if some idiot on your own team shoots YOU, it is not OK to shoot back. Shooting back can get you flagged as a Team Damage / Team Killer and you do not want that.

The Golden Rule: Red is Dead, Blue is Bad, Green is Mean. Translated that means Red (member of the opposing team) is Dead - which means they are the only legitimate target on the field! Blue is Bad means they are flagged as a Team Killer and so they are fair game for anyone to kill. Green is Mean simply means that shooting a Green (Friendly or Team Member) Tank is a mean thing to do.

FYI there are two systems for the tracking of Team Damage: a Global Rating which tracks Team Damage by account over a long period of time, and a Local Rating which tracks Team Damage within a specific battle. If you do Team Damage enough you will be banned.

That rule you learned as a kid to treat others the way you want to be treated? It is espcially valid here! Here are the protocols for the most common situations:

(a) A teammate shoots you / blocks you / rams you? Ignore it. Never curse or react. That may be just what they want you to do so they can file a complaint against you for language or bad behavior. There are all kinds of jerks playing tanker, and some very large egos abound.

(b) You accidentally shoot a teammate / hit a teammate / block a teammate? Apologize and make it clear that it WAS an accident.

(c) You are badly damaged and about to be KOd when a teammate slips in between you and the enemy and saves your butt? be sure to thank them!

(d) A teammate decides you are a noob (or some other insutling word)? Ignore it.

This is a game - it is meant to be fun. Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution! Always be polite! Be quick to thank and praise, and slow to anger.

Tanks are not water, there is no reason for them all to flow in the same direction. It is not your job to follow the leader, nor is it your job to BE the leader!

When all of the team commits to the same side of the map that makes ALL of the TEAM vulnerable and likely to lose. Use the mini-map, ensure thast you are not all grouped up and therefore easy targets. Play your tank's role.

Nothing looks sillier than a tank trying to hide inside a bush. That is NOT how camouflage works anyway - you don't want your tank surrounded by bush, you want your tank BEHIND the bush with as much veggie matter between you and the bad guys as you can get. You want to get CLOSE to the bush, BEHIND the bush, and then you want to STOP moving.

If you are too far away from the bush you are easier to spot. If you are moving you are easier to spot.

You should make it a point to NEVER block a teammate from backing up. It doesn't matter what tank you're in - or what tank THEY are in, there is NO excuse for blocking.

Nobody “stole” your kill - if they got a piece of an enemy you were shooting up chances are they had no idea you were working that target. Whether you get a kill or an assist, as long as the enemy dies, it's ALL good!

They did NOT steal your XP - that is not how XP works in the game. The game will give you ALL of the XP you earned based on the amount of damage YOU did to the enemy. Nobody stole your kill because you never owned it in the first place.

In an emergency situation taking a snap shot at the enemy is OK but under normal circumstances you should dial-in your shot, aim for the weakest spot facing your gun, and do maximum damage. That is how you best serve yourself and the team.

Always keep moving unless it is time to hide! NEVER drive in a straight line for longer than you absolutely have to, and NEVER try to rush in a slow tank!

Yes the mic is useful and yes it is good to be able to communicate with your teammates, but your teammates do NOT need or want to hear Bohemian Rhapsody, Ridin' Dirty, or whatever OTHER song you are playing too loud on the stereo so that it blasts over your mic!

Always actively play your job. A light tank is not meant to lead the attack and it is not meant to die an ignoble death. A light tank is meant to be fast and nimble and stay alive so it can spot the enemy for the big boys! There is nothing that the enemy hates more than a light tanker who knows his job and does it well!