Steel Beasts Pro has added to this family of crewable vehicles these being the Bradley and M113 (in most of its more widely known guises), with more military training contracts has led to the creation of more vehicles being modelled in the sim, these include the newer Leopard 2 A5 model and the CV9040 IFV, both of which.
Steel Beasts Pro Personal Edition – Game Review (PC) I’m Arkane (Donald Pence in the real world) and I’m a treadhead. (from the audience) Hello Donald! I’ve lived, eaten, slept, and breathed tracks for the last 22 years.
And as almost a guilty confession, I’ve owned and played the majority of tank sims out there. From the original M1 Tank Platoon and it’s sequel, through the Armored Fist Series, and all the iterations of Panzer this and that, I’ve fed my off duty addiction to armored warfare. Just as I thought I could break it and be happy with arcadish FPS games, Steel Beasts Pro Personal Edition comes along. ESim Games has developed a niche in the simulator market by developing highly realistic, low overhead simulators for the military and ultra realistic games. As a matter of fact, the big brother to this game, Steel Beasts Professional, is currently in use by the Australian, New Zealand, and Danish Armies.
Not meant to replace full blown multimillion dollar simulators, Steel Beasts Pro Personal Edition (hereafter known as SBPE) allows your average treadheads and armchair generals to work their skills on PC’s at home. And this it does, and then some. If you’ve ever been in a simcenter this will look vaguely familiar. The ultimate ATV.
The first thing that struck me about the game (calling it a game doesn’t do it justice) is the copy protection. Using a USB based system, this was enough for me to break out the manual and follow the install directions (something I never, ever do). To play the game you will need a free USB port, as the key has to be plugged in for the game to run.
If you run into problems, the Steel Beasts Forums are the best place to turn. And that in itself is one thing that makes this game different from the others. For the last six years the original Steel Beasts has had an active community, and with this release it is shaping up to be even better.
Already there are custom scenarios, vehicle skins, and guides posted on the net. An amazing mixture of civilians and military personnel from all over the globe, the Steel Beasts community is a bit more mature so there’s no need to fear being flamed when asking what key switches your ammo in the forums. Continuing the fine tradition of the original Steel Beasts which won Sim of The Year back in 2000, this game combines not only a tank simulator but a tactical simulator too. Quite often I found myself back at the map screen adapting my strategy to my enemy’s tactics. Through the use of NATO standardized tactical symbols players can plan and execute complicated combined arms operations.
Looking for a tactical RTS? You can run an entire battle from the map if you so desire, essentially giving you two games in one. SBPE is going to appeal to a small group. First off its hefty price tag ($125.00 as of this posting) is going to put a large majority of average gamers off. This is a hardcore military-grade simulator.
SBPE clearly inherits its playability from its big brother, and like a lot of other military grade tank simulators –being extremely user friendly isn’t its strong suit. Luckily it’s still point and click, so you won’t be too put off. Documentation is one thin spot in this title, although the manual is generally written well and gives some great theory and history. Luckily this isn’t a game breaker, since there are great tutorials provided in Acrobat format when the game installs (a whopping 24 Megs worth of tutorials, datasheets, and guides). The only thing I would have added to the documentation is graphical representations of how to apply different lead to moving targets. What the documentation lacks, the playable tutorials more than make up for.
If for nothing else the in game tutorials are functional and fun to play, and will get you well acquainted with the keys used in the game. Business end of the Leopard 2A5. Showcasing the Abrams, different variants of the Leopard, and the Bradley, SBPE more than delivers what it promises.
Graphics are eye candy in general, but urban areas are mundane and one-dimensional threats, sparsely populated with buildings that are blocky and repeated often. Trees and foliage are modeled as well as any hardcore sim I’ve played, and trying to negotiate through a treeline to a support by fire position proved just as challenging as in real life. Views from the crew positions and the sights and effects are almost perfect. PE has the best modeling of thermal sights I’ve seen in a sim to date.
Turrets pop off of T-72′s with a grim reality; HE rounds create awesome splashes, and TOW missiles white out the sights with an amazing sense of reality. With an average gaming rig you can crank SBPE’s graphics up to max and have no problems (at one point I forgot to turn off my anti-virus software, spyware blockers, and other junk and the game never missed a beat). Are you sure this is a city of 10,000 people?
A burning tank as seen through the thermal sights of an M1. Engagement techniques are procedurally correct, and the ballistics seem spot on, but I’ve always been leery of how high explosive rounds are modeled in any simulator. They just don’t seem to arc that high in real life. The after action review (AAR) capability also shines, allowing 'blow by blow' reviews of battles, and it provides all of the critical information we so desire. The game even gives you a great graphic representation of the hits you score on your targets by use of colored rods.
Additionally the game generates a no-frills HTML file for you to post on the internet showing how well (or how awfully) you did. SBPE does an excellent job of replicating ammunition and effects, and there’s a bit of satisfying warmth to watching dismounts go flying from a Bradley’s HE rounds.
Battlefield effects are where this game shines. I looked up in marvel at one point from the commander’s hatch and watched ICM rounds crack and pop up ahead. Depending on availability in the scenario you’re playing, on-call artillery can be just as devastating as in real life. Engineers place lane markers at breach sites.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. [continued on next page] Pages: 1 4 Comments •. Armchair General is the INTERACTIVE history magazine where YOU COMMAND and decide the course of action! Every issue brings you articles on military history, analysis of current military and political events, and stories of real heroes among us today. Our authors include leading historians and analysts who lend integrity and credibility to this fresh presentation of historical and contemporary events.
PLUS each issue contains unique interactive articles based on actual historical events in which YOU are the commander who must choose the best course of action for victory!
3d Desktop Themes Free Download For Xp. Steel Beasts is the name for a family of created by for. Its subject is contemporary (with emphasis on modern ) at a scale.
As a consumer game, it is a genre mix of strategy game, action game, simulation game, and wargame of fairly complex. Steel Beasts (More colloquially known as SB to its fans) is distinguished from other simulators by a faithful reproduction of tactical maneuvers and Fire Control Systems as well as various other military facets than when compared to other simulators. The sound samples are mostly authentic having been recorded from some of the actual armored fighting vehicles depicted in the sim. The two main crewable vehicles depicted in the original Steel Beasts are the German A4 and the American, known as M1A1(HA); however, there are numerous vehicles including and the Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and support vehicles including the and the APC.
Steel Beasts Pro has added to this family of crewable vehicles these being the Bradley and M113 (in most of its more widely known guises), with more military training contracts has led to the creation of more vehicles being modelled in the sim, these include the newer A5 model and the IFV, both of which are playable vehicles. In addition Steel Beasts also models helicopters. As a tactical simulation is modelled in the sim and player can call in various types of artillery, from conventional smoke and high-explosive rounds, to and the minefield system.
SB also includes a scenario editor which allows for programming of random or condition-based behavior in the computer-controlled units. Well-designed SB scenarios therefore have a high degree of. In addition to the scenario editor SB also contains a map editor for creating custom maps depicting different terrain types.
In Fall of 2011, eSim Games announced that they were using 's AI software for, movement and behavior modeling. Customized versions of Steel Beasts have been adopted by the armies of Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Chile, Canada, Australia, Spain and USA for training purposes. Critical reception [ ] On the review aggregator, the game had an average score of 87% based on 21 reviews. On, the game had an average score of 86 out of 100, based on 13 reviews. Critical response to the original Steel Beasts was quite consistent.
Reviewers were initially put off by the substandard 640x480 graphics, then highly impressed by the gameplay, immersion and the intelligent-seeming behaviors exhibited by the computerized units. [ ] Bruce Geryk of gave the game a rating of 8.8 out 10. Revtor Ncs Expert Profile - Download Free Apps. The editors of nominated Steel Beasts as the best simulation game of 2000, although it lost to.
The editors of also nominated Steel Beasts for their 2000 'Simulation of the Year' award. References [ ].