Durango Valley: OPFOR Russia

[Paddington]

Hi,

I`m pretty new to the game. I`ve played spwaw for years but this seems to be a whole different game.

I`m playing the harder version, with the russians having better armor on their tanks.

I`m used to fighting at short ranges, in wooden areas, low visibility, smoke screens, you name it. But what now? The map is a plain desert with a few hills.

I`ve got a few questions.

1. What`s the deal with the t80s? I thought the abrams was one of the best mbts in the world. And you know the russians, they dont have a chance with their old crapy armor... I was amazed that the t80s were a lot better than my abrams. They can use a defense system against missiles (my abrams cant). They can launch some sort of missiles (I cant). And they seem able to take a lot of hits while my abrams get destroyed after a short shooting. Im fighting at 2500-3000m.

What should I do? What should my formation be like, the russians are comming from two sides.

2. Can I block their wiev with anything? I tried smoke but modern tanks seem to have the ability to see trough smoke, heatsensors?

3. What kind of ranges should I try to fight from?