I don't remember any maps off the top of my head with more than two tanks per side actually. If you're going for 2 tanks and an APC then you'd want to run a column with the APC holding the rear or a reverse spearhead with the two tanks up front and the APC, again, to the rear.

Multiple reasons really. As a front line vehicle the APC is rather lacking due to the weaker front armor, however its extra height means it can fire its EMP grenade and mortars over the tanks in front. Then you have the fact that a 'butt shot' on an APC is a lot more difficult at a significant range than at a tank and it does not result in an autokill either which makes it a principle rear guard vehicle. Add to that the fact that the APC gives an auto heal/repair/resupply bonus to range and speed and you could stack multiple engineers in the gun turrets to give your front line vehicles constant repair from multiple engineers at a good distance while still providing anti-infantry support.

Line: Bad idea all around. You leave you command APC exposed up front and limit your rear protection to the flanking tanks. As a result you have 3 big butts hanging out waiting to get slammed by AV engineers.

Spearhead: Impractical with an APC and does not take advantage of the APC benefits.

*Reverse Spearhead:
[T]..[T]
...[C]...

The offensive benefits of the line formation with the coverage of the spearhead. If attacked from the flank the APC can disable with an EMP and the front tanks can stagger in order to provide a larger field of fire to engage.

Echelon: A staggered line is less like an actual movement/engagement formation and more like a response formation from an attack. If you used a line and staggered to engage a flanking attack then the tanks would fall into an echelon automatically. The problem with moving in an echelon is simply that it combines the problems of a line (butts hanging in the open) without the initial benefit (focused firepower). Also the front vehicles will limit the field of fire on the opposite side of the echelon requireing the tanks to reform into a line and then a reversed echelon to engage properly.

Column (revised):
[T]
[T]
[C]

Depending on how close the formation is the APC in the rear should be able to provide ammo and repair support to the vanguard tank. A column is to the spearhead what the line is to the echelon. If the first tank moves forward and to the left while the second tank moves forward and to the right then the APC can move forward and you will have formed a reverse spearhead. The weakness of such a formation, however, is that if you take out the 2nd tank then you seperate the APC and 1st tank and if you take out the 1st tank you cause a delay as the column has to divert around the wreckage. The benefit of traveling in such a grouping is that the butts of the tanks are very much under cover from the vehicles behind them.

If you're talking walker then the problems with putting an APC up front apply double to the walker. Both the APC and walker are TALL so they will severly restrict the field of fire of vehicles behind them. However because they are so tall they can easily fire shots over tanks in front of them. In the case of the walker the best formation may actually be the line formation or, again, the reverse spearhead.

[T]..[T]..[W]

With the line the walker can peel off to the side in order to use its superior manuverability to try and flank the enemy. Alternatively the walker can shield and move in front of an injured allied tank to provide cover until the tank can be repaired. The top armor of a walker is actually a tad stronger than the front armor of a tank so if the walker crouches in front of the tank it will provide ideal cover. While tanks can sit in a line and gunsnipe at each other the walker's rockets are rather ineffective at longer range making manuverability of primary importance to its position.


[T]..[T]
...[W]...

If you're in close quarters you lose the walker's ability to quickly shield an injured tank, but you gain the superior anti-infantry/vehicle ability of its guns over the tanks in front. This formation will also provide good cover for the tanks since the walker can easily spin and provide AV/AI support to the rear until the tanks can be turned.

Originally Posted by NecktieRemedy

Won't the tanks overtake the walker? Or will you just keep slowing down?

I believe walkers are faster than tanks if you are sprinting. They are only slightly slower if walking.