Scorpiany Posted February 13, 2016 Posted February 13, 2016 "I'll call it the AMX Baguette, or Baguette for short. So let's look into the armor. As a proper baguette, this thing has no armor." ~Sir Foch In this guide, I shall cover all of the various Pros and Cons of the AMX CDC (Baguette), explain the gun choices and/or performance, equipment choices, give you a general overview of its gameplay style and compare it to other Tier 6 Medium Tanks. Let's get started, shall we? Table of Contents: General overview (Pros and Cons) Equipment, ammo and consumable layout Gun choices and / or performance Gameplay style Comparison to other same-class tanks of its Tier Overall Rating General Overview: Pros: Extremely mobile vehicle, one of the fastest tanks in the game for straight-line travel Great DPM of over 2,000. Hopefully that doesn't reflect the calorie count. Extremely accurate gun, .33 accuracy Great gun depression and elevation angles (-10 / +20). You want a flexible bread; no one wants a stiff baguette! Very good penetration values, allowing you to punch holes through the enemy vehicles for optimal baking results Great Credit income. The baguette that pays for itself! Good reverse speed of 20km/h allowing you to back out of trouble when necessary. Alright aiming time of 2.11 seconds. May need longer in the oven though. Ridiculously high ammo capacity of 90 rounds. No one really knows what the purpose of all of that ammunition is though. Perhaps the armor was so thin, they decided to use the spare materials for shells? Neutrals: Decent tank traverse speed of 40 degrees / second. It's not too terrible, but don't expect to be able to circle most opponents. Average damage of 240, as you'd expect from just about any 90mm gun. Good HP of 1,400, but due to the lack of armor as highlighted by SirFoch, that HP won't last very long Alright camo values. The tank is rather large, so don't expect to be scouting from bushes, but you can stay hidden whilst sniping in most cases. Cons: The armor is so thin, legend is that you would be better off using actual baguettes as armor for the hull. Tier 1's will penetrate your front. HE will butter through you all day long. To top it all off, you're a giant landing strip for artillery shells. Hey, at least with all of that High Explosive being thrown at you, the baguette will be cooked all the way through sooner! It turns out that those 90 shells you have were being used as additional armor to prevent the tank from falling apart when driving over pebbles. As such, hits to the hull very often result in ammo rack damage. Looks like French bread doesn't have very good traction either. Your terrain resistances are about on the same level as the IS-7's. Whilst this won't affect your acceleration too much as you already have a 35.58 hp/ton ratio, it will limit you to 25 hp/ton levels of acceleration, and affect the traverse speed as well. Poor gun handling stats. Something about "quick bake" makes for a rather unstable gun. Perhaps it's the carbohydrates resulting in poor stabilization. No one really knows. Seeing as how the crew may end up having too much to eat inside the AMX Baguette, they tend to have a hard time getting back up after the tank is shaken up by a shell. The crew will die rather often if the HE starts flying. World's largest loaf of bread here. The tank is huge. At least you won't have to worry about running out of food any time soon! Equipment: Personally, I mount Improved Ventilation, Gun Rammer and Vertical Stabilizer on the AMX Baguette. Coated Optics and Binoculars are also both viable options. Recommended: Improved Ventilation: Rather than using Optics or Binoculars, I tend to mount Ventilation on my French Baguette. I would never trust the CDC to spot for itself simply due to the incredible size, mediocre camo values and mediocre tank traverse speeds which limit its ability to escape from trouble if it gets spotted. Whilst you certainly want to be providing distant support fire in the CDC, I prefer to rely on my ally's vision. When things go wrong for the CDC, you're typically left with a burnt crisp. It can be very hard to recover from a misplay in the CDC. Gun Rammer: If you can mount a Gun Rammer on a tank, you should. Whether or not the tank resembles a breakfast item, the AMX Baguette should have a Rammer on it. Vertical Stabilizer: Due to the very poor gun handling, there's no reason not to have a Stabilizer on the tank. It will make aiming in on targets a lot easier. Optional: Coated Optics: If you feel comfortable spotting your own targets, Coated Optics may allow you to spot your opponents from a long enough distance so that they won't be able to smell the fresh-baked goodness. However, 390m of View Range isn't enough to reach the 445m spotting cap which you may want. Binoculars: Since Coated Optics won't let you reach the 445m cap, Binoculars are also a viable option for spotting targets at safe distances. However, you will have to sit still rather often to make usage of the Binoculars. The CDC is very mobile, but will find itself doing a lot of long-ranged support fire as well. As such, either Coated Optics or Binoculars are equally viable choices. Regardless of which one you mount, you should only do so in place of Improved Ventilation. You must keep the Gun Rammer and Vertical Stabilizer. Ammo: My ammo layout on the Baguette is 60 AP, 25 APCR and 5 HE. The ingredients are 2 envelopes of dry active yeast, 2 tbs honey, 3.5 - 4 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp salt, canola oil, cornmeal, 3-4 ice cubes, ricotta cheese and acacia honey. The AMX CDC has very good penetration values with its standard AP rounds, thus there's really no reason to carry much APCR at all. The only reason I have 25 APCR rounds is because of the ridiculously high ammo capacity. Unless you need to carry against several Tier 10 heavy tanks, you will never blow through that APCR unless you're spamming it pointlessly. The great mobility and accuracy of the CDC only further allow it to flank and make usage of the standard AP round penetration. If you want to cut the APCR count down to 15, you very could do so. With a 90 round ammo capacity, you can really pick and choose ammo as you please; there's no reason for you to ever run out of any one shell type. Consumables: For Consumables on the AMX Baguette, I use a Small First Aid Kit, Small Repair Kit, and Automatic Fire Extinguisher. Small First Aid Kit: French bread doesn't provide any real protection for the crew, thus a First Aid Kit is a must. Small Repair Kit: Seeing as how some of the ammo is used as armor, you will definitely need a Repair Kit to put the Ammo Rack back in action. Automatic Fire Extinguisher: The AMX Baguette is not very flamable actually, but since it does tend to be an HE magnet, I'd still carry around an Automatic Extinguisher just in case. Alternate: Large Repair Kit: If the ammo rack gives you serious problems, you could very well either replace your Extinguisher with a Large Repair Kit; or rather mount a Large Repair Kit in place of a Small Repair Kit, just in case artillery decides to snack on you. Guns: The Baguette's gun is a very reliable 90mm. It mostly relies on the penetration and accuracy, although the good DPM helps it as well. Below, I've compared the Baguette's 90mm to the Panzer 58 Mutz's 90mm. On the left is the Baguette, on the right is the bear. A blue value is superior, whilst a green value is relatively tied (Within 5% of the other value). (Please note that all values are "stock", prior to any equipment mounting) Guns: Rate of Fire: 8.57 (7.82) Aiming time: 2.11 (2.21) Accuracy: .33 (.35) DPM: 2,057.14 (1,877.14) Penetration: 212/259/45 (212/259/45) Damage: 240/240/320 (240/240/320) Shell Velocity: 1,000/1,250/1,000 (1,000/1,250/1,000) Soft Stats: .20/.20/.16 (.18/.18/.10) Gun Angles: -10 / +20 (-10 / +25) Ammo capacity: 90 (48) The verdict? The CDC's gun specializes in DPM, accuracy and ammo capacity, whereas the Mutz specializes in gun handling (especially during turret traverse) and gun elevation angles. Otherwise, the guns are just about the same. In practice, the only differences between the two guns are the DPM and accuracy in favor of the CDC, and the gun handling in favor off the Mutz. Both are very competitive guns. 90mm AC DCA 45: The Baguette's gun is a sniper, designed for providing constant support fire to your allies. It's called the Deadliest Baguette for the reason. The gun is extremely competitive for a Premium vehicle. The great penetration values and shell velocity allow you to easily penetrate your opponents, the accuracy allows you to hit them rather reliably and thus your effective DPM in combat will be rather high indeed, and should make your base DPM very proud. If there's one thing not to do in the CDC, it's to shoot on the move. The CDC simply is not capable of doing so. Using the gun depression angles for ridge-line peek-a-boom fighting can be a very good tactic to use, but do remember that your armor is non-existent and you are a very large target. Whether or not you are using your gun depression, you will be a very easy target to hit if you stick around for too long. Poke over a ridge, take a shot and pull back as quickly as possible. Use the great acceleration and reverse speed in combination with the gun depression to allow you to do so. When peek-a-booming using ridges in such a way, make sure that you use auto-aim to minimize your exposure time. Unless you have the time to aim a shell in, your goal is to just be an annoyance; kind of like a gopher poking up in different holes all over your yard. How to play it: The Baguette is a very capable, but very unforgiving vehicle. Your main strengths are the mobility, gun depression, penetration, DPM and accuracy. This means that you have two things really going for you - speed and gun performance. Use the mobility of the vehicle to relocate to advantageous locations which will allow you to maximize your gun's performance. Regardless of what you do in the CDC, remember that you have two key priorities in battle. The first is to provide constant support fire to your allies, as that's how the CDC will make its impact. Select targets which your allies are providing vision on, and put some long-ranged support fire into them. Alternatively, stick close to your allies and help the focus targets down; peek-a-booming using ridges whenever the enemy is reloading or distracted. The second priority however, is to avoid being shot at. Unless a very important ally's only hope of surviving is if you share your HP with him / her, there is no reason for you to be taking any kind of hits. Like many French tanks, the CDC is a selfish vehicle when it comes to its hit points or close presence in an engagements. The CDC specializes in support fire and relocation. Do not take any hits; rather reinforce the stereotype of French vehicles having more gears for reverse than forwards, and relocate to a more advantageous position whenever possible. Played properly, the AMX Baguette will net you plenty of Credits at the end of each battle. Played poorly, you will simply end up as an over-cooked bread product. Comparison to same-Tier Medium Tanks: HP: Average. 1,400 HP is fairly average for a Tier 8 medium tank. It's nothing special, but not bad either. Do be warned that it won't last very long if you begin getting shot at however, as you have no armor to block any shells to preserve the HP. Armor: Worst in class. The AMX CDC does not have any armor, rather only baguettes and shells. Mobility: Very Good. Despite the Baguette being the fastest Tier 8 medium, it's not the most agile due to the mediocre tank traverse and very poor soft stats. There are other mediums which may do a better job at circling other opponents. Regardless, you'll always be the quickest at relocation. DPM: Good. The Baguette's DPM is tied for 5th out of all 23 Tier 8 mediums, tied with the Panther II. This results in having some very competitive values, allowing you to pick apart those inferior non-edible vehicles rather quickly indeed. Penetration: Very Good. The Baguette has some very good penetration values with its shells, allowing for easy penetration of the enemy vehicles; resulting in great Credit profits at the end of each match. Alpha damage: Average. The Baguette has a standard alpha damage of 240, as you'd expect from any 90mm gun. Compared to other Tier 8 mediums, it's better than the Centurion, worse than the 122mm's. Otherwise, since most Tier 8 mediums use 90mm's, your alpha damage is just on par with most other tanks. Aiming Speed: Very Good. 2.11 second aiming time is the second quickest aiming time out of all of the Tier 8 mediums, only beat by the STA-2. Gun Handling: Bad. The Baguette's gun handling is very poor in comparison to other Tier 8 mediums, being tied for rank #14 with 4 other mediums out of all 23 for gun handling. Accuracy: Very Good. .33 accuracy is tied for 3rd best accuracy for all of the Tier 8 mediums. French bread works in mysterious ways. Shell Velocity: Very Good. The 1,000 m/s shell velocity will allow you to easily hit moving targets, especially considering the great accuracy of the gun as well. Your shells are as good at running away from your barrel as your tank is at running away from the fight! View Range: Average. Even though 390m View Range is technically tied for 4th in View Range, it's tied with 8 other mediums for that value - thus it's actually a fairly average View Range. Camo Value: Average Seeing as how the Baguette is rather large, the camo values aren't that great. However, despite the huge size, the tank manages to maintain a decent amount of stealth. The tank has enough camo to keep you hidden at most of the longer ranges at which you'll be sniping. Battle effectiveness: Good. The AMX CDC / Baguette can certainly have a decent impact on the battle. Unfortunately, this is limited by the fact that the vehicle is forced to play almost entirely a support role, often times at long distances as well. A tank which is purely for support, regardless of how well it can relocate, simply is not going to be able to carry all close situations. Unfortunately, if you try to place aggressively whilst still providing support, you won't be any better off - if you're shot at, the tank will be crippled very quickly. If you're not shot at, it's likely because you're being very opportunistic with the shots you take, which means that your effective DPM presence is going to be severely limited as well. The AMX Baguette certainly isn't a bad tank, and does have its role on the battlefield, but isn't going to be the first choice of tank when it comes to carrying a match. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 (Very Good) Despite being somewhat limited in its ability on the battlefield due to playing almost entirely a support role, and often at longer ranges, the AMX CDC can make a very good presence on the battlefield regardless. The great DPM, accuracy and penetration of the gun will allow you to very reliably put shell after shell into your opponent. Unfortunately, your gun handling stats are rather bad, but the AMX Baguette isn't designed for engaging opponents at close to mid-ranges anyways, which is the only time when gun handling really matters (as let's be honest, you're not going to be pulling off many 500m snapshots regardless of the tank you're in). The great mobility of the Baguette allows you to quickly take advantageous key positions on the battlefield, and extend vision control as necessary. Otherwise, if the engagement is approaching too close for the Baguette's comfort, it can always simply go somewhere else. The poor gun handling won't really matter in many cases, as you will be sniping and providing distant support fire most of the time anyways. Thus the mobility is there to simply put you in other key positions for you to keep your gun in the battle. As a Premium vehicle, the AMX Baguette is certainly one of the better money-making Premiums, and with the cheap cost, is one of the better value Premium vehicles you can get. If you are a capable player looking for a fun Premium vehicle which can make great Credits, the AMX CDC Baguette would be one of the first vehicles I'd recommend, only second to the Panzer 58 Mutz. Thanks for reading! I hope this guide was helpful! I genuinely wish all of you the very best of luck and fun, both in real life and on the battlefield. (Is that a baguette or the CDC? I still can't really tell. Now I'm hungry... oh well.) 1
earth75 Posted February 13, 2016 Posted February 13, 2016 (edited) Hey, just popped in to say i found your review funny :D also, I see your points, its on par with other reviewers. Cheers Edited February 13, 2016 by earth75
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