Tank damage -- "Optics"

[Jobu88]

Does anyone know the impact of having a tank's optics damaged? I know it can't be good, but does anyone know if the tank can still fire at all? When I say damaged I mean knocked out --- shown in red on the damage part of the unit screen.

[raz_atoth]

Yes, the tank will still be able to shoot even with it's optics destroyed. My understanding is it's accuracy & spotting at long ranges will decrease, but other than that it's business as usual.

[Siffo998]

from my experience it also drastically decreases the chance to spot something when buttoned up (especially at long ranges)!

[Jobu88]

Well, some subsequent data were inconclusive. My optics-impaired tank got a first round hit on a moving target at around 200 meters, which got my hopes up that his gunnery would be unaffected. But then he sailed two rounds over the top of a stationary target at about 400 meters; however the target was hull down. So on the one hand his shooting appears more or less normal, but not enough data to feel very confident in that judgment. I didn't notice that he had any trouble spotting enemy tanks with the commander opened up, but the enemy tanks were out in the open at his 12 o'clock.

[Pewpewchewchew]

My experiences with damaged optics seem to indicate that they help with spotting and that's it. Fire seems to be alright so long as the tank can find the target and of course you can always open the hatch.

[cargol]

It will be logical a tank with damaged optics to have a difficult time spotting the enemy while buttoned.

[BBrus]

I couldn't say what happens with spotting, especially after the changes for 2.12, but the tank definitely loses accuracy.

[General Colt]

AAA firing on tanks is a great way to knock out optics.

[Domfluff]

The most dramatic effect I saw was a T-34 against a Tiger - the optics were shot, so the T-34 couldn't tell that the Tiger had been knocked out, so it poured round after round into the frontal armour (maybe twenty shots? Mostly glancing hits of course), and didn't stop until I unbuttoned and the commander got a better view of it.