Panzer IV A versatile tank designed for almost all situations...

Hello again, it's me, the lazycat. Today, we're going to have a look at another one of my favourite tanks in the MMO tank shooter, World of Tanks. This time, we'll be seeing the Panzer IV, a Tier V German medium tank. Now, this tank is basically an amazing all medium tank. You can either use it as a sniper or you can go up front and brawl with it.

7.5cm KwK 40 L/48

Let's have a look at the armor for this tank. The hull armor is actually 80/30/20mm in thickness. Now this is particularly one of the reasons why the Panzer IV is a preferred medium tank for its tier. It has an amazingly thick front hull armor which basically triumphs over all the other medium tanks in Tier V. However, the sides and the rear armor is just basically almost nothing. Then let's look at the turret armor. The turret armor actually is the same for the Ausf. G and Ausf H. variant with a 50/30/30mm. Now this armor is basically very weak when compared to other mediums in the same tier. The Ausf H turret actually has a spaced armor which provides a better turret protection. Also, if you look closely at the Ausf H's turret, you'll noticed that it's curved surface would also make it easier to bounce of shots. Overall, if you're playing this tank, have it face front and try no to expose your sides too much.

Next we look at the armament. Now the Panzer IV has a wide variety of guns ranging from 5cm gun to a 10.5cm gun. Panzer IV itself is not suitable to play using the stock weapon and for any of you who just started playing the Panzer IV, you're going to have some difficulty in the early stages but you will learn to enjoy how amazing this Tier V medium tank is going to be once you get better guns. You start off with a stock 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24. The stock weapon actually has a 110/110/75 HP damage but the penetration is pathetic with only 43/37/38mm. Naturally it is best to try to upgrade it to the 2 Tier V guns as soon as possible. The Tier V guns here is the 7.5cm KwK 40 L/48 and the 10.5cm KwK 42 L/48. 7.5cm KwK 40 L/48 has a same damage but having a far better penetration with 110/158/38mm. The beast of the tank here is the 10.5cm KwK 42 L/28 gun. This thing has a 64/104/53mm penetration but a 350/350/410 HP damage. For this gun it is best to be using HE rounds as the splash damage would usually help to either damage or track some heavy tanks but the HE rounds from the 10.5cm actually can one hit kill many TDs  at tiers IV and V. If you're planning on using this tank to snipe from a medium range, the 7.5cm KwK 40 L/48 is suitable for it as for the 0.39m dispersion at 100m. If you're up to brawl with TDs at close range, the 10.5cm KwK 42 L/28 is the best bet. The rate of fire of the guns are good with a 15 rounds/min for the 7.5cm and a 7.5rounds/min Gun elevation of the Panzer IV is not as good as its counterparts  with a -8 degrees/+20 degrees for the 7.5cm guns. The 10.5cm gun however gets only a -7 degrees gun elevation. Best way to play this tank is to avoid hilly areas as they proved to be a trouble. Flat surfaces or close quarter combat is best suited for this tank.

10.5cm KwK 42 L/28

The Panzer IV's speed is good with a top speed limit of 48km/h. The hull traverse is actually 30 degrees/s which is good. Turret traverse for the tank is 44 degrees/s which is really good actually. Best thing to do when you're using this tank is to upgrade the engines to the Maybach HL 120 TRM engine. it has a 440 h.p engine which would help to maintain your speed especially when you're running away from enemy shots. View range for the Panzer IV is 330m radius in the stock turret and 350m for the Ausf H upgrade which is not bad but it can be better. So another upgrade that you might want would be the radio. The FuG 7 would be sufficient when you get more into playing this tank with a 415m signal range. However it is best to have the FuG 12 that has a 710m signal range.

Panzer IV Research

Now we have a look at the equipment and skills. As I mentioned earlier, the Panzer IV can be used in 2 ways, either a sniper or a brawler. As a sniper armed with the 7.5cm, it is best to equip a Camo Net as it has a good camo value for a medium tank. It's small turret also makes it a hard target to hit from a range. Most players in the game would use a 10.5cm to go up close and personal brawling. For this, it is best to use the enhanced gun laying drive and tank gun rammer to improve the accuracy and the reload time. For the skills and perks, you can have a look below.

Commander: Eagle Eye, Recon, Sixth Sense
Gunner: Dead Eye, Snap shot, Armorer
Driver: Smooth Ride, Off-Road Driving, Camo, Repairs
Loader: Safe Stowage, Adrenaline rush, Repairs, Camo
Radio Operator: Situational Awareness, Repair, Camo

Overall, the Panzer IV actually has a good front hull armor but you need to be careful when brawling as most tier IV and V tanks can easily destroy your tank in 2-4 shots. If a further range, the Panzer IV is actually a very low profile target and it is hard to hit it. The gun depression is poor for the Panzer IV and should be used on a flat terrain fight and best to avoid hilly or bumpy areas. That concludes my review of the Panzer IV and until next time where I will review yet another tank.

World of Tanks Tank Review: T49- A fun tank destroyer

Hello, everyone and welcome to thelazyhamster's World of Tanks Tank Review. Today we're going to have a look at the T49, a Tier V American tank destroyer. This tank destroyer on its own is actually a really really fun tank to play with. It has a rather low profile and a good speed. However, because of its high speed, it is also very fragile and by far easily killed in a single shot by any tank with a large caliber.

Now let's have a look at the armor of the T49. It has a 21/19/13mm hull armor and the stock turret armor is 21/13/13mm. As we can see, it basically has almost no armor at all and could be easily taken out even by a Tier III. Even the upgraded turret armor only has a 25/19/13mm. And because of this armor, it's rather an easy kill for most players. The M10 Wolverine, another Tier V however has a 51/19/25mm for the hull armor and a 57/25/25mm for the turret armor. Obviously, the M10 Wolverine stands a better chance of survival.

The T49 actually relies on its speed to get into position fast and out of it when spotted. With an amazing acceleration, the T49 can reach a top speed of 61km/h which is a lot faster compared to the M10 Wolverine with a top speed of only 48km/h. Because of its speed, the T49 can be used as a scout really well. This tank is also a great way to outrun other tanks with a slow turret traverse or fixed turreted tanks like the German, French, British or Russian tank destroyers. However, the tank itself is very fragile and would damage when dropped even if it's only a small ledge. The hull traverse for the T49 which is at 30 degrees/second is actually not bad. However, the only major flaw with the T49 is the turret traverse which is 16 degrees/second for the stock turret and 18 degrees/second for the upgraded turret. This would mean the T49 would have trouble trying to aim at another target at the other side. To counter this, most T49 players would just move the hull instead of the turret due to its extremely slow turret traverse.

Now, let's focus on the armament. The T49 comes with a 57mm Gun M1. The stock gun itself only has a 75/75/95 HP damage and a 110/180/29mm penetration. Now this gun wouldn't be doing much of a damage at its tier however, the 76mm AT Gun M1A1 is a rather deadly for its tier with a 115/110/185 HP damage and a 128/177/38mm penetration. This gun alone is sufficient to take out opposing heavy tanks or any tanks up to Tier VI. The 76mm AT Gun M1A1 is actually available from the Tier IV M8A1's research and can be brought over to the T49  but would require a research on the suspension and the turret. The T49's gun here also has a good gun elevation of -10/+20 degrees which is good. The rate of fire is also not bad at 18.75 r/m. However the 76mm AT Gun M1A1 is not so accurate where you can see the dispersion at 100m is at 0.41 which makes sniping a slight challenge so you will expect not to snipe at really far range. The aim time of 1.7 seconds is quite good allowing you to take the shot faster.

The view range of the T49 is actually average at 370m with a signal range of 325m. So, a good thing to do for the T49 early on would be to upgrade the radio to the SCR619 which is the Tier X radio. The SCR619 actually has a great range of 750m. This is especially useful when sniping off long range targets that are engaging with your team mates.

Now let's talk about the crew skills. For the commander, you should always have the commander having Recon, Eagle Eye and Sixth Sense. And the gunner's skills should be Dead Eye, Snap Shot and Designated Target. The driver's skill should be Smooth Ride, Off-Road Driving and Camouflage. Don't waste it on the Preventive Maintenance because if you're shot. You don't really have much of a chance to survive for long. For the radio operator, you could have skills such as Signal Boosting, Situational Awareness as well as Camouflage.

Alright, now let's have a look at the few uses of the T49. Due to its speed, the T49 is best suited as a scout actually rivaled by only the Panzer I C. The speed would allow you to outrun most players who would try to use auto aim on the T49 but their fire will always fall short behind it. The T49's range and gun is significantly suited for sniping like most tank destroyers. Best would be to hide in the bush and snipe enemy tanks when they're engaged with your team or sniping unsuspecting tanks that are sitting in a corner. Now, as a brawler, the T49 is not so suited for it due to its weak armor but you could always circle around an opponent and constantly firing at him until you destroy his tanks. For this you'll need to take into consideration the opponent's turret/gun traverse. You might want to equip your T49 with possibly a Camouflage Net, Binocular Telescope or Coated Optics to increase the view range, Medium Tank Gun Rammer for reload speed as well as the Enhanced Gun Laying Drive to reduce the aim time even further.

Overall, the T49 is an excellent medium range to long range sniper, an excellent scout and not a good brawler. The speed alone for the T49 is the sole reason as to why this tank is actually really fun to use. It will have most of the enemies scattering trying to land a hit on you and miss most of the time if you're actually playing it as a scout or trying to run in for a close shot. The best way to use the T49 is to not engage in up close brawling as it will be wiped out fast even with a 105mm shot from a StuG III Ausf G. would easily take it out.

Panzerkampfwagen IV

Recently I've been immersing myself with a tank battle MMO called World of Tanks. So was thinking about posting on my favourite tank, the Panzerkampfwagen IV or also known as the Panzer IV.

This German tank itself is a wonderful machine. Designed by Krupp in 1936, this tank was the backbone of Nazi Germany's Panzer groups and they played a vital role in the blitzkrieg tactics.

The tank itself is armed with a 7.5cm KwK L/48 main gun and 2 MG 34 machine guns. Top speed for the Pz IV is 42 kmph on the road and 16 off road.This means it's a rather speedy tank in urban warfare. Though it has a thin armor ranging from 10-88mm based on the various upgrades itself, this tank has proved itself to be extremely reliable.

During the early stages of world war 2, the Panzer IV stormed enemy defenses and helped to secure victories in Poland and France. The tank itself continuously undergo various upgrades as they encounter new threats either on the armor or weaponry.

After the war, many of the captured Panzer IV were used by other armies such as the Soviet Union, Syria, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Finland and many others.

A short update

Hello everyone... I'm sorry for not updating my blogs in the past 2 weeks... apparently I am caught up with a lot of work from my course and was busy with the work for a few sleepless nights...However rest assured, more updates will be up soon... and yes, I have not scrapped the sci-fi story yet... it's going to be a project but I just don't have the time for it right now... anyway, more posts will be up within the next few days... stay tuned :)

Alpha Squadron Chapter Two

Back on the bridge of the battlecruiser, Fate of Endor, Admiral Tareg watches at the view screen as he witnesses the damage caused by the Confederate fleet. Knowing that the annihilation of his fleet is imminent having being outgunned and outnumbered, he was prepared to throw everything away and give his final order.

"Sir, we've lost the destroyers Samir, Eye of Horus and Pillar of Reconciliation," Lieutenant Mitchell report.

"Incoming hail from the Confederate fleet," the communications officer called out.

"On screen," Tareg replied.

"Admiral Tareg, it has been a long while has it not?"

"Kreacher. What do you want?"

"Simply I just want you to surrender and have your entire fleet stand down. Too much blood has been spilled today," Kreacher said.

"You know that is not going to happen, Kreacher," Tareg replied angrily.

"Then you left me no choice. Prepare the Thalos Cannons. Target the Fate of Endor," Kreacher shouted to his crew as the communications is cut.

Admiral Tareg notes that the end is nigh and desperately orders the evacuation of his ship.

"All hands, this is Admiral Tareg. Initiate ship-wide evacuation. All hands evacuate the ship," Tareg called out to the intercom.

"That means all of you too," as he said that to the the bridge crew.

"No sir, we're with you," a young ensign called out.

"Sir, it's been an honor to serve with you. Please allow us to die alongside you too," another young officer called out as he gave the salute to Admiral Tareg.

Tareg looked around as he sees the entire bridge crew will not move away from their station. He gave a gentle smile and return the salute.

"All right, we have 2 minutes until their Thalos cannons get fully charged. In the meantime let's do as much damage as possible to their ship and give the rest of the crew a surviving chance."

The Fate of Endor itself started rushing through the wreckage at full speed. Charging through the enemy lines to try to take out the enemy capital ship.

"Sir, incoming message from The Defiant," the communications officer spoke out.

"Maintain course, ensign," Tareg said to the helmsman. "On screen"

"Admiral, what are your orders sir?" a young commander asked.

"Commander, this is the end of the Fate of Endor, we will hold the fire while you take the rest of the fleet and get to Banar sector. I need you to report to the high command. Tell them Selar sector has been overrun and the Fate of Endor is lost. I want you to get out of here as soon as possible, do I make myself clear, commander?" Tareg said out to the young commander.

"Yes sir. Admiral Tareg, it's been an honor serving with you," the young commander said as he gave his final salute.

"Good, Tareg out," Tareg said as the screen reverts back to the battle.

Continuing their fire, the Fate of Endor constantly takes damage from enemy fire. Tareg thinks to himself that a charge at the capital ship would severely cripple the enemy fleet and decides to crash the Fate of Endor directly at the capital ship.

"Sir, they're firing their Thalos cannons."

Thinking that it is now hopeless, Tareg ordered all weapons to concentrate fire on the Thalos cannons. Just then, a huge explosion comes from the enemy capital ship as their Thalos cannon loses power followed by a series of explosions from the inside. Within seconds the entire ship exploded creating a shock wave crippling all ships within the region.

The remainder of the enemy fleet realizing, that they had just lost their capital ship and half their fleet quickly retreated. The Fate of Endor, suffering heavy damages lies among the wreckage. 

A slow calming moment.

Just one of those times when I felt like slowing down everything and just enjoy the present.
Reminded of a scene in Sword Art Online where Kirito told Asuna to just enjoy the world's peaceful and beautiful moments.
So while I am sitting on a bench in my campus under a tree listening to Yuki Kajiura's song, Everyday Life, I looked to the trees and caught this amazing picture of sunlight being filtered through the tree leaves. Just made me look back at the little things in life.
A cool breeze blowing,  the rustling of dried leaves as they get blown by the calm breeze

Alpha Squadron Prologue and Chapter 1

Prologue

The year is 2433, the human race has spread across the galaxy colonizing various systems across the galaxies and establishing trade with various species. It was a golden age, an era of peace and prosperity, but all good things must come to an end. The Commonwealth Alliance, an alliance of various species is faced with a huge threat. Civil war tore through the Commonwealth as the Berengans and Tungans, both used to form the backbone of the Commonwealth's Grand Fleet has decided to leave the Commonwealth and formed the Confederate Alliance. For years, the Confederates has begun hostile activities against the Commonwealth. However, at the Commonwealth's council, the primary form of governance within the Commonwealth itself refuses to take military action, believing that a non-hostile approach is the best solution to deal against the Confederate threat.

Day by day, Confederate attacks become more aggressive. Believing that there is no hope unless action is taken against the Confederates, the Human Councillor, Councillor Polanski pushed for a vote of no confidence against the President of the Commonwealth Council. An election soon held to decide the fate of the Commonwealth's leadership. Councillor Polanski was voted to hold the Presidency. As for his first action as President of the Commonwealth Alliance, war was declared against the Confederate Alliance

With the military might of the Confederate fleet, the Commonwealth was pushed back far behind their original borders within weeks

Chapter 1

"All personnel to battle stations. Repeat. All personnel to battle stations. This is not a drill," the speaker called out ship wide as the red alert alarm goes off.

"Give me a sitrep right now," Admiral Tareg called out, to his crew. 

"2 Bretar class Battle cruisers, 3 Lion class destroyers and a Meta class capital ship just came out of hyperspace," Lieutenant Mitchell said to the admiral.

"What is the battle readiness of the fleet?" Tareg asked.

"All ships report ready to engage on your mark, sir."

"Have all weapons focus on their capital ship. We need to take that thing down as soon as possible. And deploy fighters ASAP."

"Aye. admiral."

"All pilots to hangar deck. Repeat. All pilots to hangar deck." the intercom calls out.

A group of pilots run as fast as they could to the hangar deck. "When are they going to give us a break?" Reaper called out.

"Once we're all dead, I suppose," Captain Tinji replied.

The pilots both quickly climbed up their fighters and check on prepared themselves for launch.

"Thrusters, check. Shields check. G-Force compensator check, Weapons, check" Each pilot called out as they do a quick systems check.

"Alpha leader, standing by." Captain Tenji called out through the intercom.

"Alpha One, standing by,"Reaper called out.

"Alpha Two, standing by," Dok called out to the intercom.

"Alpha Three, standing by," Feather called out.

"Godspeed, ladies." Captain Tenji said as they prepare to catapult into space.

The catapult system launches each of the fighters deploying them within seconds at high velocity. As they the Alpha squadron was launched, shots and explosions are being seen all over the place. Beams of directed energy hit each ship from both fleets. Captain Tinji realizes that they need to get to their target as soon as possible but an enemy fighter squadron is on intercept course.

"Alpha One." Captain Tinji called out.

"I see them," Reaper replied.

"Wolf 359, anyone?" Dok asked.

"You read my mind, Alpha Two," Captain Tinji replied.

As the squadron splits in two consisting of a leader and a wingman, they sped past the enemy squadron and were quickly on the tail of the enemy fighters.

"Gotcha," Dok said as he fires a 4 second burst at his target, it blows up into pieces. He speeds by followed by his wingman.

"One down."

"You ain't see nothing yet." Tinji said as he fires his shots hitting the fighter in front of him. The enemy fighter spun out of control and crashed into another.

"That's a lucky shot, cap. It doesn't count," Dok said.

"Well, it's still 2 kills for me."

"Don't get too happy bout that, more incoming," Reaper says as more fighter squadrons flying in intercept course firing a their blasters. The whizzing noise of the blasters shoot past as the group of fighters maneuvering around trying to get out of enemy fire. But the enemy fighters kept straight on their tail.

"Hey cap. remember Svetlana sector?" Reaper called out to Tinji as he continuously jerking the controls avoiding enemy fire.

"All right, let's do this," Tinji shouted as they both make a tilt their noses upwards moving in a vertical direction. The enemy fighters closing in on them. Both the pilots slowed down to make sure the enemy pilots are following them closely. Both Reaper and Tinji made a loop as the come down and moving fast speed at each other directly until the final moment when they turn 90 degress in opposition directions. Overshot, the two fighters crashed into each other and were killed instantly.