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                                                                                                         PREVIEWS

 

 Previews of new tanksims 

UPDATE: July 2006: T-34 vs. Tiger: Dev Team Interview

The main difference is in NAPALM Engine potential and power. Our NAPALM Engine technology allows us to realize physics and graphics of a higher level. The very tank model will be detailed with every feature. And in the whole this high level of detail is characteristic of all pieces of the environment. NAPALM Engine is capable of reflection about 80 square kilometers of landscape with trees and bushes on it.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

 

 

UPDATE: May  2005: T-72: Balkans on Fire preview - by Bob "Kaptkirk" Riegel

I have the privilege of putting a ground breaking tanksim through its paces and what a tanksim it is! Having over ten years of armor experience in the US Army as a tank commander, I find it refreshing to sit down and play a tank sim that doesn't insult my intelligence...on the contrary, T-72: Balkans on Fire showed me just how much I had forgotten about armor tactics. Repeatedly and painfully I was reminded to forget "tanksim" tactics and apply real world fire and maneuver battle field survival tactics.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

 

 

UPDATE: April  2005: Two new tanksims in development

After quite a long dry spell, it appears two new tanksims are being planned. One, T-72: Balkans on Fire, is pretty far along. We have a build and it plays pretty well. Look for a Tanksim preview soon.

 

T-72: Balkans on Fire!

Published by Battlefront, T-72 looks to be a high fidelity tanksim in the mold of Steel Beasts. The game is developed on the basis of the conflict in Yugoslavia in 1991-1993 and the focus is on the Soviet main battle tank T-72B. The T-72 was fielded in 1973. The T-72A was armed with a laser sight, range finder and a night sight with an IR searchlight. Its armor was improved, and Tucha smoke grenades were mounted on the turret. The T-72B was armed with a Svir guided missile mount used to fire missiles with semi-automatic aiming by laser beam and a mounted dynamic protection system.

The following weapon systems are featured in the game:

Tanks: T-72, T-55, T-34, .Leopard. 1A4, M50 .Super Sherman..

The player's tanks are T-72, T-55, and T-34

Self-propelled guns: tank hunter SU-100

Armored vehicles and MIVs: MT-LB, BRDM-2

Helicopters: Mi-8

Engineer equipment: BTM-3 entrenching vehicle

Artillery: BZO B-11, PTO 2A45M .Sprut-B.

Anti-tank guided weapons and assault anti-tank weapons:

self-propelled AAW . 9K113 .Shturm-S.

Transport vehicles: LandRover .Defender., Truck IVECO

EuroCargo ML170E23, fuel truck KRAZ 265

 

Main features

Three types of tanks are available: T-34, T-55 and T-72.

The player can play as commander, driver and gunner.

Eight types of armored vehicles are featured in the game as well as artillery/guns, an engineering vehicle, a helicopter and trucks.

Realistic fire control system.

Realistic vehicle physics, vulnerability depending on armor

protection, armor penetration depending on angle of shell

hit, realistic damage model.

Realistic ballistics engine.

Deformable terrain with dynamic shellholes and trenches; fully destructible environment: deformable structures, buildings that can be destroyed in real time, deformable vehicles and vegetation.

Vast open spaces with visibility of more than 2 km.

Height differences on game maps up to 800 m.

Realistic 3D environment: landscape, buildings, plants, cloud shadows, lens flares, wind and much more.

Change of night and day.

More than 70 types of buildings and installations that can be destroyed or damaged.

More than 40 types of plants, trees and grasses that sway with the wind.

Dynamic weather: fog, rain, rainbows.

High-quality modeling of water surfaces and vehicle flotation.

Mounted infantry can be transported inside trucks and APCs and on tank hulls.

More than 5000 polygons per vehicle, bump mapping.

Mission editor allows players to create and share their own scenarios.

LAN network and multiplayer online game.

Minimum system requirements: CPU - 1 GHz Athlon or Pentium III, Memory - 256 Mb RAM, Sound card - DirectX 9.0 compatible, Video card - GeForce 2/4MX, Radeon 7500, Hard drive - 2 Gb free space, Operating system - Windows XP/2000, DirectX - 9.0b

Recommended system requirements: CPU - 2.8 GHz Athlon XP or Pentium IV, Memory - 512 Mb RAM. Sound card - Hardware support of DirectX 9.0 (for example, SB Audigy 5.1), Video card - GeForce FX5600, Radeon 9600XT, Hard drive - 2 Gb free space, Operating system - Windows XP SP 1, DirectX - 9.0b

 

Release is planned for summer/fall 2005

 

 

Panzer Fist

April 1, 2005 : Panzer Fist Announcement

We are proud to announce Panzer Fist to the public. Panzer Fist is a World War II tank simulation where player's take command of a German Tiger, the US M4A1(76)W Sherman, or the British Cromwell IV tank. "We aren't scared that the tank simulation market might be a small niche because we know they're some of the most dedicated gamers out there. With an emphasis on realism and detailed graphics, we believe we will create a simulation they have been yearning for," said Project

Director Matt Huston.

- Three playable tanks: the German Panzer VI Tiger, the US M4A1(76)W Sherman, and the British Cromwell IV

- Three playable crew positions (Commander, Driver, and Gunner)

- Over 25 different AI-controlled vehicles (tanks, tank destroyers, and artillery)

- Emphasis on realism (scalable)

- Two Campaigns (German and Allied) and Single Player missions

- Nations include Germany, US, UK, and the commonwealth nations.

- Damage modeling including track damage, crew casualties, and more.

- Vast open terrain means large area of combat

Panzer Fist is currently seeking a publisher.

www.panzerfist.com

 

 

 

UPDATE: Dec  2003: Battlefield Vietnam pre-Alpha Test Drive

There are four classes of soldier available--infantry, engineer, heavy weapons support, and sniper. Medics were absent in this build. However, each of the four classes has two sub-classes, so for example you may choose between an engineer with mortars or an engineer with mines; a heavy weapons solider with an RPG or a shoulder-mounted, heat-seeking SAM, etc. You also have a few choices for the uniform and facial characteristics for your solider so the BF-VN maps are not filled with clones. This all adds up to greater diversity and should make the action even more interesting. The VNC soldiers have some note-worthy weapons at their disposal unlike anything seen in EoD or BF42: tire-puncturing stars, pungi sticks, and booby traps (I got the impression more of this type of weapon will be in the final version). EA plans 14~15 maps in total, from rice fields and huts, to jungle warfare, to urban settings.

The first map we were shown featured a group of linked islands, rivers snaking through jungle foliage that would make Capt. Kurtz nervous. A huge variety of ferns, vines, Eucalyptus trees, banana plants, trees, brush, and undergrowth make BF-VN an astounding place to hunt and do battle.  In regular Battlefield 1942 when you come under fire your first response is to drop prone and look for cover. In the denser parts of the Battlefield Vietnam jungle, you drop prone and disappear. DICE will want to look into making the enemy name tags harder to pick out for this to have total effect but as it currently plays it's pretty good. To offset the abundance of cover and prevent BF-VN from becoming a sniper haven, DICE has added a "threat indicator", yellow arrows around the mini-map that signify which direction you are being shot from. Think of this as being able to hear the shots and discern their origin. A very good touch.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

 

 

 

UPDATE: Sept  2003: New screenshots for the widely anticipated Combat Mission: Afrika Korps.

11Combat Mission: Afrika Korps is a 1-2 player, hybrid turn-based/realtime true 3D simulation of WWII tactical warfare in parts of the Mediterranean Theater including North Africa, Italy, Sicily and Crete from 1940 to 1945. It is based on the award winning engine of Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin (Wargame of the Year 2003 - Computer Gaming World; Turn Based Strategy Game of the Year - PC Gamer).

MORE SCREENSHOTS

Experience combat in a true 3D battlefield as machinegun tracers arc overhead and exploding artillery shells shake the earth! Watch the famous Deutsches Afrika Korps storm the fortress of Tobruk, or help the US and British forces defend against powerful German counterstrikes at Anzio. Fight with the elite German Fallschirmjäger units in Crete, or follow General Patton's sweep across the island of Sicily.

Release date is expected to be Quarter 4, 2003, and the price will be $35. The game will be available from Battlefront.com worldwide, for both the PC and Mac (OS 9.xx) platforms.

 

 

UPDATE: May  2002 Tanksim.com's E3 Coverage

America's Army -- The Official US Army Game, designed and developed by the Army. First person shooter perspective, not a tanksim but looks like a neat combat game nonetheless.  Read More

Steel Beasts II -- Strategy First was showing one monitor labeled Steel Beasts II.   Read More

 

UPDATE: April  2002: No new Tanksims are being planned. Tanksim.com will attend E3 in May 2002 to see what is on the horizon.

 

UPDATE: Feb 2001: Steel Beasts II is being planned. Targeted release date is currently set for summer/fall 2002. Watch this space for a full-blown preview.

 

Steel Beasts  -- TankSim.com Preview 
release date: 8/25/00

       As of this writing, there is only one tanksim under development, eSim/Shrapnel's Steel Beasts. Steel Beasts is a modern warfare tanksim and features two playable tanks, the US M1A1 Abrams and the German Leopard 2A4. Release was September 1, 2000. To keep players interested and content until that time, the Steel Beasts demo is available. Playing the demo gives a hint of the scope and functionality of the upcoming tanksim. 

Smoke screen in the forest       The demo gives you the gunner's view and the buttoned TC view in the Instant Action mode.

     The graphics in SB are not 3D or accelerated, but do an adequate job. The sound suite is better implemented. AI is top-notch which is the staple of any good sim. There are an abundance of realism touches.

        Based solely on the impression tendered by the demo, Steel Beasts looks to be a well thought-out tanksim with a fresh eye on attention to detail and realism. The scope is more limited than the modern tanksims M1TP2 and Armored Fist 3, with the lack of desert terrain, snow, and houses and villages (houses and desert terrain are included in the full version, a bonus--ed.). Where they are more along the lines of World War III tanksims, Steel Beasts is more of a tank training sim. The limitations don't slow it down from doing what it does best, putting the player in the gunner's seat of a modern battle tank on the field of combat. Bear in mind that Steel Beasts is the work of a small but dedicated group of tank enthusiasts. They are taking small steps now but watch out-if Steel Beasts does well commercially, there could be add-ons and enhancements for years. The foundation is here. Eventually, Steel Beasts could wind up with more variety and features than the other tanksims combined.

_____________________________________________________________

The company line:
Steel Beasts is more than just another modern tank simulation.  This design effort goes further than any before to accurately model real world conditions and tactics but in a way to not overwhelm the novice, would be, tanker with a zillion key combinations and an overwhelming interface.  Beyond just realism and game play bonuses there are tons of added improvements in this tank sim.

System Requirements

266 MHz Pentium, 32 MB RAM, 2MB SVGA card, 20 MB available hard disk space, Mouse, CD-ROM, Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 installed, Microsoft DirectX version 7.0 (or better) installed 

Links:  e*Sim - developer

Shrapnel - publisher

SimHQ Turret Talk - interviews

 

 

May 2000: M1 Tank Platoon 3 [cancelled]

The Life and Death of Tank Platoon  -- by John "Spoons" Sponauer

 

 

 

 

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