Meet the Staff: Hey_man_Gneis_shot

Hey_man_Gneis_shot: Howdy Tankers! I recently transferred to the World of Tanks team after being at sea for the past 3 years with the World of Warships NA crew! Excuse me if I’m a little rusty in battle as I still getting qualified in medium and light tanks but have over 600 battles under my belt since 2016 and still getting used to being on dry land! I’m going on my 5th year with Wargaming later this Fall and have served with not only the World of Warships team, but also spent over a year helping players on the Support Team!My former name was Gneisenau013 (referring to the German battlecruiser) but nowadays you can find me on the battlefield as “Hey_man_Gneis_shot”. You Filter fans out there know what I’m talking about! Here’s some fun (and not-so-fun) facts about my story and background: So what’s your story?I grew up and lived in Northern California (San Francisco) up until finishing high school. After that I joined the Marine Corps as a reservist so I could get dirty on the weekends and earn a degree at the same time! I earned a commission as a Marine officer but was medically discharged after an injury. Since then I’ve worked in different fields such as first responder, tech, and even the railroad before landing at WG. When the publishing teams decided to relocate to Austin, TX, I decided to move as well so this is not just a SXSW destination for me but now my hometown! What’s your order of battle for World of Tanks?I’m mostly a medium tanker so here’s my lineup right now:GER: Pz.Kpfw. III/IV (yup, when it was still a tech-tree tank)GER: Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. HUSSR: T-34USA: M4A1 Besides Tanks and Ships, what else do you do for fun?I grew up waaaaay before the Internet or even when computers were a household staple. I have fond memories building plastic model kits, especially of my beloved Pz.Kpfw. V – Panther! But the one hobby I hold dear to my heart is model trains. I love all things trains and even thought it would be fun to work on the railroad! Sadly, I found out that playing and watching trains is MUCH more fun than working on them! What other video games do you play?If I’m not trying to block shots in WoT and getting sunk in WoWS, I tend to jump on Pokemon Go and find an excuse to get outside and catch em’ all!I used to be active on World of Warcraft with a gnome warrior but haven’t been on for the past few years, yet maybe I might again! I’ve also picked up a Nintendo Switch and “Just Dance” has been quite entertaining! You were in the Marine Corps, is it really like the movies “Full Metal Jacket” or “Jarhead”?Sadly, no. As many other current active and retired Marines will tell you, both of those movies were Hollywood adaptations loosely based on actual life in the Corps. Although, there were times at MCRD where the drill instructors were disappointed and wanted to “motivate” the platoon. However some scenes from “Jarhead” hit pretty close to home, especially the “hurry up and wait” and finding out your significant other has “replaced” you back at home.  Has it been difficult switching from WOWS to WoT?It has been a learning curve so far! Tanks move A LOT faster than ships however much of the mechanics works the same way such as spotting, concealment, angling, and knowing when to load HE vs AP.However, it hasn’t all been me getting thrown at the wolves as I played Tanks from time to time and still remembered the basics enough to do this in a recent battle!    It may take some time to get up to speed on changes to the game in the past year but I’ve probably chatted with many of you on the WOWS community side or seen you in person at some Anchors Away Tour stops in 2019. Let’s remember not only to have fun in the battlefield but to also to share great stories and thoughts in chat, on the Forums, and with each other! Drive on and roll out! "One hundred rounds do not constitute fire power. One hit constitutes fire power." - Merritt Edson, United States Marine Corps #keepcalmandtankon#semperfidelis