I'm looking for a tank game to buy. Does anyone have any recomendations? The historical setting doesn't bother me.
I did look at World of tanks and War thunder but decided against them both. They both look fun in thier own way, but I'd rather rather be playing against tanks of the same era, rather than a mixture of old and new and playing against people who can own the opposition just because they can buy upgrades & premium, doesn't appeal.
It is a sim, and you can spend days learning what each switch does in a particular vehicle. (It is actually used by [IIRC] nine different armies to train their tank crews.) However, you can also play it exclusively from the map screen and just direct your units where to go and let the AI do all the dirty work, or even script out the movements in the planning phase before the mission starts and sit back and watch it unfold. Or anywhere in-between. There are quite a few missions included and at least one campaign, and there are many more missions available for download on the forum site. The mission editor is extremely powerful and allows for randomization such that even the designer of a mission might not know exactly what to expect, and makes replay-ability very high.
The graphics aren't the best (the game is over fifteen years old now), but the devs have spent a great deal of effort making sure the physics are accurate. And there are constant updates improving everything from features to graphics. There is a huge number of vehicles to choose from, most of which can be crewed by the player. I think all are post WWII. There is no DLC in terms of weapons or vehicles, you get everything up-front and everyone is on a level playing field. The only advantage comes down to skill and tactics.
There are no dedicated servers. Each online game must be coordinated in advance with one player acting as the host, but there is a community game every Friday night at 10 p.m. EST and many "virtual units" which meet regularly and welcome newcomers. The online community is second to none (many RL current and ex-tankers) and the members will gladly help any noobs learn the ins and outs. It's relatively easy to learn the basics, but mastering the strategy may take a lifetime. Occasionally, there will be an online campaign lasting several weeks.
Thanks Nathaniel, I'll take a look.
Here's some options you might want to consider. All are unashamed tanksims and like any of their kind there is a learning curve and a lot of keystrokes, though you can get by with learning maybe a dozen or so.
Last edited by 33lima; 08-28-2017 at 08:41 AM.
Thanks 33lima, there's some good looking screenshots there!
I confirm Steel Beasts. Check the ressource sticky thread at the top of the forum list. Its the benchmark title in the tank genre. Its the most realistic tank sim you can find. Thats does not mean you should be afraid of having to learn many things like you would for a complex flight sim ockcpit, procedures and the likes. SBP is easy to handle, but the mission may be difficult to master, since tactics are trump, and failing here is unforgiving. Newcomers will die a lot in the beginning, and hardly know what hit them, form where, and why. So, the sim is very accessible, but very challenging to survive. Over a dozen Western tank armies use the software in cabin simulators or classroom networks to train. Other tank games play tank battles. Steel Beasts fights them properly.