While play-testing the Russian campaign of Iron Front (ported to A3), even me as experienced player
has very hard times to manage my own tank with AI, let alone other tanks under my command.
Looking back to OFP you could still have a great experience with these kinds of missions - notably also
as part of the official campaigns from BI itself.
So I started to look into why this experience has became so dreaded and to find ways to make it enjoyable again.
Now I am very much looking also for more input, different perspectives and ideas of your own how to improve things.
Note: This is about low tech tank combat first and foremost - aka no radar, no automatic target lead, no turret stabilization.
However most even apply to more modern tank combat within Arma (3).
The issues:
Tanks explode quickly, hence no chance to react when getting fire upon in the first place (note this might be different in plain A3 with tanks DLC damage system changes) - in OFP you usually were to survive 3-5 hits as heavy tank by other tanks (unless critical hits at very specific parts of the tanks) - you rather got damaged, injured, or disabled at times.
AI tanks seemingly hitting nearly 100%, while as player even when not mobile, its not easy to hit targets beyond a certain distance unless you are experienced and know how to operate the optics.
Large view distance in combination with AI spotting abilities/info sharing - in OFP it was largely actual visible viewdistance of 500 to 800 meter (to 50% for radar), so this limited somewhat the engagement ranges. Also what is easily forgotten that OFP terrains from BI were rather "steep and uneven", aka you could see not often really over large distance (and there was the micro detail option to make very bumpy terrain).
Hard to hear tanks or them engaging - in OFP you had good and distinct audio clues (tank engine, crushed trees/bushes, flyby and impact sounds, etc), also working over distance, that gave you some sense where the hostile forces are or from where you are under fire from.
Ineffective AI commanding as human player - lack of command cursor still present in OFP that helped assign target, assigning targets via command menu worked more effectively & efficiently (I think)
Broken AI pathing with support units (repair/rearm/heal) - in OFP AI trucks had some problems, but overall worked OK due to less complex terrains, and the armored M113/BMP variants made it even less of a problem. The radio system is somewhat limited and bugged in some ways, but it was working OK.
AI gunners not engaging on their own with the main gun (SABOT) hostile targets - problem exists since OFP though.
Assigning targets - in A2 or OA there was the option introduced to assign a target easily in 3d space via mouse cursor and the quick command menu, but it seems this is not present in A3 or is it?
AI tanks have issues taking out AT guns - no sure how this was in OFP. Yet AI has hard times to hit the gunner/crew and doesnt engage the AT gun itself
AI tanks not able to swap between AP and HE ammo (or rockets) - thus less effective against group of infantry, or to "waste" AP on light armored vehicles
Is there something not listed?
What ideas do you have to improve these issues (by configs or scripted systems)?