Suggestions for an Armor Sim?

[tank03 1]

I really got into the Military Channel's "Tank Week" last week and I've been wanting an Armor Sim ever since.

 

I'm looking for something along the lines of the armor equivelant of the Third Wire series (i.e. Sim lite). It looks like Steel Beast is pretty popular but seems to be a bit more involved than I want, plus I was hoping for a WW2 scenario.

 

Anyone have any suggestions for armor sims they've owned/played?

[+streakeagle 871]

A very "sim-lite" game that might give you some of what you want is Operation Flashpoint or its follow-on, Armed Assault.

 

The strengths of Operation Flashpoint/Resistance (Game of the Year edition is the best option since everything you need is in one package) are:

1. Endless addons covering almost everything possible (especially for 1980s to modern).

2. Combined arms combat: air, armor, infantry, anti-air, mines, and addons that cover artillery

3. Powerful mission scripting

4. Fun as single player or multiplayer

 

The limitations:

1. The focus of the game is infantry, so armor and aircraft physics are nowhere near realistic. For example, view distances are too short for air to air combat to be of much use and ground vehicles have a tendency to bounce and slide and are able to traverse really steep hills.

2. The AI on the hardest settings cheats to some extent and on the lower settings is too dumb... but once you get used to the way the game works, the hardest gameplay settings are by far the way to go for maximum difficulty and fun.

3. The graphics were considered below average when the game was released so many years ago and looks horrific compared to modern games... but it had to be that way since the cpu is way too busy processing the large maps with their huge number of objects and making the AI fairly interesting while simultaneously trying to be an FPS, car sim, armor sim, motorcycle sim, airplane sim, and helo sim.

 

The stock armor in the game is great for Cold War 1980s battles: M60 or M1 versus T72 or T80.

 

The newer version called Armed Assault takes a first rate machine to run.

It dramatically improves the graphics, but if you don't have a strong machine, you almost have to run at minimun settings making the game look as bad or worse than the original.

The AI got even better... so unless you like dying a lot (like me), you will probably tone it down some to get more realistic behavior (i.e. less likely to spot you and less likely to hit you as the hardest AI picks you out of bushes at super long distances after only firing 2 rounds from a sniper rifle).

Aside from lower performance, the newer game is not backwards compatible with all the addons from the old game, so the big addon plus just isn't there yet.

 

While die hard armor and helo fans will laugh at me calling this a sim for either...

The overall feel is very realistic despite the oversimplification of some of the physics and controls.

The mission scripting is very advanced permitting very detailed and realistic missions that provide a very high immersion factor.

So instead of worrying about whether the AH-1 Cobra flies like a real AH-1, you focus on the employement of your helo: evading anti-air while trying to knock out armor.

I really love to use the gun and rockets to hunt infantry that is trying to run and hide in trees and bushes.

 

I have never gotten into hard-core armor sims like Steel Beasts, just haven't had the time... but OFP gives me a lot of the fun without having to learn the real systems.

 

I used to play miniatures games that modeled modern armored warfare: Combined Arms, Command Decision, and several other rules sets. Sudden Strike is a great WW2 game that plays a lot like those miniatures games, but real time rather than turn based. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to win playing every possible side: US, France, UK, USSR, Germany, and Japan. The troops have pseudo personalities and watching air, armor, artillery, infantry, and even some sea power all interact on a scale that OFP can't handle is really fun. You can issue lots of orders to individual units... or give general orders to groups and see how the AI fairs on its own. If you want to win, you will get very good at doing both since the AI isn't bright enough to do what you want without some very specific path, movement, cover, and fire commands. I love armor vs infantry fights such playing either side. It is fun luring tanks into minefields and it is fun to be commanding the tanks and mauling infantry for little or no damage if you can avoid the AT guns and minefields. One of my favorite scenarios is one where a bunch of USSR armor and artillery is surrounded and being assaulted by overwhelming numbers of German armor and infantry including lots of airborne troops. If you carefully use what little infantry you have to get good recon info on German positions, you can place rocket barrages on their rally points and win mainly through long range artillery... but it takes lots of practice to know what to use and when to use it, usually the German armor will close within visual range of your positions and smoke the Soviet armor then quickly kill off the artillery and finally German armor and infantry will hunt down and kill any survivors.

 

Sudden Strike went through many revisions adding more sides and equipment (like Japanesse and ships), the latest may already be released or is just about to be released. It is supposed to have better graphics and better AI. I highly recommend the older versions if you like WW2 ground combat in any way shape or form at company/battalion/regiment level with all soldiers and equpment modeled at 1:1 scale.

[kct 5]

Speaking of BOTH OFP and ArmA, -2s of both games are promising, to say at least. The only question is when, and for OFP2, would current high-end systems even run it? (Since the vehicle physics engine for OFP2 is made with those based on DiRT's and GRID.)

[Gr.Viper 131]

Tanks, you say... And WW2...

http://steelfury.info/

The website translation is horrid, the original game was in Russian...

[+suhsjake 11]

That is the question everyone is asking about OFP2. They haven't released specs yet on what can run the game (and no, just because it uses the EGO engine doesn't mean it will preform the same.)

 

My guesses are at least a dual core, 1 gig of ram, and 7 series or higher (or ATI similar). Idealy you want a quad core with 2 or more gigs of ram and an 8800 (or comparable ATI).

[herman01 0]

I think Armed Assualt is great. The stock M1A1 isnt perfect but you can download a great one from one of the add on sites. Theres a couple packs out for Russian Armor. Its only a matter of time though before more stuff comes out though. They have a good size addon community.

Everything on my system runs great at Extremly High settings and I don't have to high of end computer as far as I know.

[Roopod 0]

I bought WARGASM back in 1998 and am still playing it today. Although the models aren't of the super detailed type, the physics and movement of the vehicles along with the varied environments make up for it. The super bright muzzle flashes and the well animated expoding vehicles are still an unmatched feature with even newer tank sims. If only the models could be updated and newer terrains added I wouldn't need to look for a higher end computer system just to play Armed Assault, Frontlines: Fuel of War, ...etc. Or add some walking mechs. I'm still waiting for the day when I can combine different features from different games into one tank simulation. I doubt if there is a software geek out there who could write such a program though. Darn it!

[JediMaster 451]

There are WWII mods for OFP, not sure if there are any for ArmA yet, that let you play with that eras equipment.

[tank03 1]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys (especially streakeagle's in-depth coverage) I think I'm going to give ArmA a try. I'll let you know how it works out for me.

[dsawan 624]

T-34 vs Tiger should be out as its advertised on gogamer .com. I think in the fall and this should really be good and is moddable. check simhq for info in the forums under armor sims. red Orchestra is another but not realistic as its focus is on infantry. there is of course panzer elite: special edition with the OSTpak Mod, but this game is outdated graphic wise but superb in terms of realism and tactics.

tank, looks like we have the same hobby. I saw that program several times and was fascinated the T-34 was # 1 of all tanks of all time.The again it was the most widley produced and most effective as a turning pt weapons against Hitler's panzers in WW2. i am assuming its this program you watched.

Edited August 22, 2008 by dsawan

[+Dave 2,322]

Steel Beast hands down, expensive but worth it.

[+SkippyBing 8]

I caught the program last week as well when I was in LA. I'm a bit dubious about the whole 10 Greatest X of All Time series though as the one on submarines failed to mention HMS Conqueror which is the only nuclear sub to have actually done what it was designed for, i.e. sink something! Also slightly strange seeing the US version as in the UK the voice overs are done by a Brit who seems far less excitable about everything.