Looking for a clear explanation...

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This be mostly about WW2 effects of hits on armour.
What about sloping of target and ricochet?

Armour Slope

The slope of the armour is already factored into the armour thickness.
Example: In SPWW2 the Panther has a front hull armour rating of 14 (14cm). In reality this armour was only about 8cm thick, but at an angle of 55deg. The 8cm plus 55deg angle = 14cm rating.

Horizontal Angle

However, the horizontal angle of the firer to the target is a concern. If the firer is shooting at a Panther which is directly facing him (0 deg) then expect to have to penetrate about 14cm of armour. But if the Panther is turned a little to one side, then expect to have to penetrate more armour, and there's a greater chance of ricochets or glancing hits with no penetration.

This is why AI will not only turn a targeted tank to face the firer (with it's better front armour), but AI will have the targeted tank face a little off to one side, which increase the odds of survival.

Vertical Angle

Vertical angle is only modeled in the game in one way: If the firer is at a higher elevation than the target, then they have a chance of a top hit. Top hits are desirable because most tanks have only 2cm of top armour!

This is another reason to value hills...


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