Commonwealth Armour

[MrTomnus]

I've noticed that the Commonwealth Armour sprite seems to go backwards, in terms of visual representation of more advanced armour development. Level 2 looks to be a Cruiser tank (Crusader?) but by Level 3 it's back to being a Matilda which is obviously an early war design. I've not played Allies enough to see what Level 4/5 brings.

Obviously this doesn't have an impact on gameplay it's just something thats been bugging me more than it should [;)]

[Hubert Cater]

Hi,

While the Crusader Tank was newer it was a lighter tank which had it seemingly fall out of favour as a combat tank, one of the reasons we put it behind the Matilda II used in the Level-3 slot.

For example, and I had to remind myself here by referencing Wikipedia again, the Crusader eventually became obsolete after the North Africa campaign and relegated to "secondary duties, such as anti-aircraft mounts or gun tractors".

Whereas the Matilda II continued and was even used after the war in the 1948 Arab Israeli War.

Hubert

[MrTomnus]

Hi Hubert,

Thanks for the response. I suppose the issue is not helped by the myriad British Armour designs of the war with separate designations; Cruiser Tanks, Medium Tanks, Infantry tanks etc.

I agree that whilst the Crusader was quickly made redundant, the Matila itself was not really considered a replacement. Yes it saw continued service in the Pacific Theatre (Australian service) and in some limited specialist roles. Quick Wiki reference:

"With the arrival of the Valentine in autumn 1941, the Matilda was phased out by the British Army through attrition, with lost vehicles no longer being replaced. By the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein (October 1942), few Matildas were in service, with many having been lost during Operation Crusader and then the Gazala battles in early summer of 1942"

My understanding is that most units that were equipped with Crusaders were replaced with Shermans or Cromwells.

Anyway, thanks for the explanation, i imagine it is challenging to decide on artwork assets and i'm sure everyone would want unique unit designs for each tech level given the opportunity!

[Platoonist]

I've never been a big fan of the sprites, although I am happy that the option is there for those who enjoy them. The land and air units in this game represent such a vast amalgamation of different types of equipment that having just one stand in for the whole never really works for me. Even armies and corps had substantial numbers of armored units attached for support. In addition to infantry, the British 8th Army in 1942 was composed of numerous brigades made up of Crusaders, Valentines, Grants, Matildas, Stuarts, and eventually Shermans. Maybe even some captured vehicles in the mix.