33LIMA

CUP is still working fine for me, all three modules but playing mainly WW2/'World at War'. Main benefits seem to be: - some extra planes, over DBW; - the new AI (not yet qualified to say what's different/better); - wheels and spinners on many planes are more rounded/less angular; - more maps (many accessible from QMB with included Mission Pro 'sub-mod'); - more/new ground objects & ships (this one may not be new but you get the picture); - formation taxi-ing and take-offs possible, where incorporated by mission/campaign designer; - better effects than 'stock' DBW eg volumetric smoke, better clouds, better tracer smoke trails; - numerous optional 'sub-mods' included in package; - easier to d/l and install than DBW+TFM (for some, anyway!). You still need to add campaigns & additional skins to see the sim at its best; but as a platform, I can see why the Community User Patch would be the new starting point for IL-2 Single Player.

Never got around to downloading and installing TFM so can't compare from actual experience. So far, CUP doesn't seem any better or worse than DBW at handling stuff that slows the sim down on my old rig, like very dense urban areas or the crammed airfield in the Afrika mission reports. I had to apply the adaptive half refresh rate v-synch in DBW 1916 (as reported in my Nieuport 28 mission report a while back) to avoid a real slide-show near the DBW 1916 airfields and have kept that turned on for CUP. I think there was a bit of stutter in the Beaufighter mission in CUP, when a lot of bombs hit and threw up smoke plumes,

That's what I did. Just unzipped first the maps .rar files in order, then those for the eras of choice. into the main Il-2 folder. I also had to apply the 70% lock-up load fix (maybe fixed in the latest Torrent fix and/or individual downloads). and to avoid the QMB locking me up in Jet Age & Dawn of Flight, I had to apply the included QM Combi-mod with the included JSGME

Still working fine for me. Not going so well for this Sally, though... ...nor for this Zeke, sadly... With such a large mod, which includes lots of little submods, it's to be expected I think that some post-release debugging will be needed, so that everything works with everything else.

Strange, for a thing that is effed up beyond all redemption, my CUP install seems to be functioning fine. But maybe that's because I applied the fix for the '70% freeze' and then enabled the QMB combo mod pro thingy to fix the QMB lockups with the Dawn of Flight and Jet Age modules. But I'm D/L'ing the torrent fix now and at some point I'll create a fresh install, just in case I'm missing something. But for now, the new planes, maps and as far as I can see AI are all there, plus older campaigns - at least those designed for 4.12 - are working fine so far. And these jets from '46 are working fine, tho if there was a trick to get the wire-guided missiles actually guiding, I haven't found out what it was. Thanks for the gen on the torps Kjakker, thought it was something like that, didn't the IJN apply some similar lash-up mod to their torpedoes to stop them ending up in the silt at Pearl. Agree with Anthropoid, to the extent that IL-2 is never likely to be as good at modern jets or WW1 birds as dedicated offerings and that SF2/FE2 still offer a top-notch experience in those areas, plus better animated aircrew and dynamic shading, tho the Mig-21 still looks pretty good in both sims... ...the SF series have that Third Wire 'magic touch' about them, excelling at air-to-air in particular. However, for WW2, for many players, IL-2 still beats the socks of the shiny new contenders. For me it's mostly down to finding the right campaigns, like Blinding Sun with its idiosyncratic and engaging briefings and varied missions where the unexpected is frequently thrown at you; likewise the FlatSpinMan Reichs defence and DAK campaigns I've reported on here - as immersive and exciting as any campaigns in any sim, and much better than those in some of the 'shiny, new' stuff.

I knew somebody would ask that! Don't know yet. The F/A18 has a working HUD and stuff that lights up green where there should be dials (!!!) on the panel. Radar, Sidewinders and Sparrows? Dunno if they work and if so, how. No such worries, with the WW1 module (formerly DBW 1916). I've tried a couple of campaigns from M4T tho, starting with ones reported to work in the TD 4.12 mod, and those i've tried do work. Being built in earlier versions, they lack some of the new features eg takeoffs in 'From Pearl Harbour to Midway' are still conga line rather than in formation and the battleships are still British 'KG Fives'. But they work! Likewise 'Beaufighter Odyssey'. Though it's using the original Pacific Fighters DAP (Aussie) Beau rather than the newer models...and I'm not sure why my torpedo looks like somebody forgot to remove the packaging. Still. these two campaigns are functioning in CUP. Will try some of the ones I've flown in DBW (pre-4.12) next, fingers crossed.

The Community User Patch (CUP) is now available, via SAS There have been various flavours of mod for the venerable but still outstanding IL-2 1946. Now there's a new kid on the Il-2 block and you can read all about it on the Special Aircraft Service site, here. This new mod brings together and builds on three of the best things to happen to Il-2 in recent years - the Dark Blue World mod (DBW), IMHO much the best Il-2 add-on for Single Player use; The Full Monty mod (TFM), which was another must-have but something of a headache to download and install; and the work of Team Daidalos, whose work has improved several core features of the sim, notably the Artificial Intelligence. Now all three are brought togther in a new evolution, the Community User Patch. There's still quite a lot to download but (i) not as much (ii) there's a torrent option and (iii) installation is just a matter of unzipping stuff into a clean Il-2 install patched to 4.12. When done you have the ultimate set of planes and maps for IL-2 from WW1 through to the jet age, compatible with the latest, TD AI and features. CUP also includes a great set of extra mods which you can enable at will, notably one which lets you choose many more maps in the Quick Mission Builder, whereas the stock sim's choices were quite limited. You can be over sunny Spain one mission, enjoying the breeze in your open cockpit, and shivering over the wintry Ardennes, the next. And of course there's the Pacific Theatre, with many new ships, to which you can do various nasty things. I'm not sure which existing campaigns - notably the many great ones available over at that great resource for things IL-2, Mission4Today - will work with this and which would need tweaked, but there are some good (presumably stock) campaigns which seem to work fine with CUP, including one of my favourites, 'Blinding Sun': So...why are you still sitting there, reading this? Go get it!

Still going strong. Flying some Italian planes over one of the Spanish maps in a Quick Mission, I found myself statring in the air and having difficulty starting my engine, not using Complex Engine Management so not sure what that was about. Lots of nice scenery to admire, engine turning or not, tho the terrain objects like trees and buildings are still drawn in and out rather close. Below is Badajoz, complete with castle and bullring. I haven't played much with 4.12 but the TD artificial intelligence seems somehow more human; fighting Mustangs over the wintry Ardennes in a long-nosed 190 was good fun. One of the Amis I knocked down tried to out-zoom climb me twice, stall turning at the top each time, which I don't think I've seen before. Didn't do him much good in the end.

Took a little longer to get the WW2 ('Dawn of Flight') and post-WW2 ('The Jet Age') modules working. At first they locked up my PC trying to load the Quick Mission Builder but they work ok now, after following a tip and enambily the (included) 'Mission Pro Combo' mod (which also unlocks many more maps and other extras, in the Quick Mission Builder screen). Anyway it's all systems go, tho for me Il-2 will always be best for and at WW2.

I think that's right - a 'New, improved' & expanded Il-2 '46 platform.

Well, she's up and working. Downloaded the torrents and needed an overnight run for the maps and a few hours for the rest. Isnnstalled the maps and the WW2 package so far, but the sim wouldn't load, crashing at 70%. There's a couple of different fixes for those who get this on the CUP thread at SAS, see post 222 on page 19 - http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,44975.msg504335.html#msg504335Worked for me and I've started flying a few quick missions to see what's what. So far, so good!

Quoting from the first post in the link above, this seems to be it. the only vaguely tricky bit seems to be ensuring you have a suitable base install, meaning I think Il-2 '46 with the latest official patches then patched to 1.12; then this mod activator thingy (ModAct 5.3). I haven't got that fae yet but it doesn'ty look any tricker than installing DBW. I will be keeping the latter install as well, until CUP has the sort of campaign content that I like with DBW. BEST INSTALL ADVICE: The C.U.P. Modules drop into any install of - Il2/1946 + 412 + SAS MODACT (5.3) and do not effect existing #SAS folders ONLY THE BASIC SAS MODACT 5.3 IS REQUIRED SAS IL-2 4.12.2m Mega Patch http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,38443.0.html SAS Modact 5.3 for IL-2 4.12.2m http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,37662.0.html The C.U.P. Modules will be updated in the usual way with subsequent additions, in SFS format, simply applied over the top of the existing install. ALL ADDITIONAL OPTIONS ARE INCLUDED Many JSGME tweaks and features may easily be added or removed, according to taste, whenever the player wants. Each is prefixed according to its effects: #CUP - Universal Option applies feature to all modules #DOF - Option applies feature to ‘Dawn of Flight’ #WAW - Option applies feature to ‘World at War’ #JTW - Option applies feature to ‘The Jet Age’ DO MODULE ONE BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE Get all nine parts of CUP Module One and UnZIP/UnRAR direct to your Il2 main Directory NEXT APPLY THE FLIGHT ERA MODULES Get them all or get the one that interests you most first off Get ALL parts of the next module, currently 4 for DoF and JTW and 7 for WaW UnZIP/UnRAR direct to your Il2 main Directory Select the new Era with the new Selector and go fly!

This being a new platform based on the TD 4.12 patch, I suspect campaigns compatible with that patch may work fine and that others may, or may need tweaked eg something that played out ok with the old AI, plays out differently with the new and disturbs the flow of the mission. If theis becomes the new standard for Single player IL-2 I expect we'll see plenty of new content or older stuff undated as necessary. Here's the list of maps included in CUP, from the user manual: LIST OF MAPS IN C.U.P. Archangelsk Autumn -by agracier Archangelsk Summer -by agracier Archangelsk Winter -by agracier Archangelsk Hard Winter -by agracier Balaton Summer -Ubisoft Balaton Winter -Ubisoft Eastern Baltic Summer -by Uzin Eastern Baltic Winter -by Uzin Berlin Summer -Ubisoft Berlin Autumn -by CKY Berlin Winter -by CKY Bessarabia Summer -Ubisoft Bessarabia(light) -Ubisoft Odessa(light) -Ubisoft Bulgaria -by agracier Caucasus Summer -by CzechTexan Caucasus Winter -by CzechTexan The Black Sea -by Dad Crimea -Ubisoft Crimea Summer -by LalRhone Crimea Autumn -by LalRhone Crimea Winter -by LalRhone Crimea Mud -by LalRhone Denmark -by RW32 Donbass Summer -by Oknevas Donbass Winter -by Oknevas Estonia -by Oknevas Poland 1939 -by Uzin Prokhorovka -by Cyberolas Gulf of Finland Spring -by LalRhone Gulf of Finland Summer -by LalRhone Gulf of Finland Autumn -by LalRhone Gulf of Finland Winter -by LalRhone Finland Summer -by Kapteeni Finland Winter -by Kapteeni Karelia Summer -by agracier&Kapteeni Karelia Autumn -by agracier&Kapteeni Karelia Winter -by agracier&Kapteeni Karelia Winter Ice -by agracier&Kapteeni Svir Summer -by Kapteeni Svir Winter -by Kapteeni Syvari Summer -by Kapteeni Syvari Winter -by Kapteeni Syvari Hard Winter -by Kapteeni Viipuri Spring -by Kapteeni Viipuri Summer -by Kapteeni Viipuri Winter -by Kapteeni Viipuri Hard Winter -by Kapteeni Kiev Summer -Ubisoft Kiev Autumn -Ubisoft Kiev Winter -Ubisoft Ukraine Summer -by AP Ukraine Winter -by AP Kuban -by Cyberolas Kurland Winter -Ubisoft Kurland Autumn -Ubisoft Kursk -by Cyberolas Lapland Summer -by agracier Lapland Autumn -by agracier Lapland Winter -by agracier Lapland for Jets Summer -by agracier&Tom2 Lapland for Jets Autumn -by agracier&Tom2 Lapland for Jets Winter -by agracier&Tom2 Lvov Spring -by VPMedia Lvov Summer -Ubisoft Lvov Autumn -by LalRhone Lvov Winter -CKY Moscow Spring -by LalRhone Moscow Summer -Ubisoft Moscow Winter -Ubisoft Battle of Moscow Autumn -by Oknevas Battle of Moscow Summer -by Oknevas Battle of Moscow Winter -by Oknevas Murmansk Summer -Ubisoft Murmansk Winter -Ubisoft Murmansk Hard Winter -GW Smolensk -Ubisoft Stalingrad Summer -by Cyberolas Stalingrad Winter -by Cyberolas Suomussalmi Summer -by agracier Suomussalmi Autumn -by agracier Suomussalmi Winter -by agracier Central Ukraine Summer -by mandrill Central Ukraine Autumn -by mandrill Northern Alps -by Zipolar'e Central Alps -by Zipolar'e Eastern Alps -by Zipolar'e Western Alps -by Zipolar'e Atlantic Summer -by CKY Atlantic Winter -by CKY Ardennes Summer -by Cyberolas Ardennes Winter -by Cyberolas Ardennes Winter TAB -by TAB Ardennes Winter GW -by GW The North Sea -by WAG Bay of Biscay -by agracier English Channel -by Kapteeni English Channel Spring -by canonUK English Channel Summer -by canonUK English Channel Winter -by canonUK English Channel 1940-41 Spg’ -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 1940-41 Sum’ -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 1940-41 Aut’ -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 1940-41 Win’ -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 1942-45 Spg` -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 1942-45 Sum’ -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 1942-45 Aut’ -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 1942-45 Win’ -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Spg’ 1940-41 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Sum’ 1940-41 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Aut’ 1940-41 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Win’ 1940-41 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Spg’ 1943-45 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Sum’ 1943-45 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Aut’ 1943-45 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel Win’ 1943-45 -by canonUK&tbauchot English Channel 352nd Map -by 352nd Squad Circus Raids Map Summer -by DRK Circus Raids Map Winter -by DRK Nordbayern -by KM Normandy-June 1943 -by LalRhone Normandy-June 1944 -by LalRhone Normandy Winter -by LalRhone Normandy Heavy Winter -by LalRhone German Czech Border 1938 -Unknown European Nightfighter Map -by RLV European Nightbomber Map -by RLV Western Front 1940 Blitz -by GilB Western Front 1940 Winter -by GilB Western Front 1944 Summer -by GilB Western Front 1944 Winter -by GilB Western Front Spring -by GilB Western Front Summer -by GilB Western Front Autumn -by GilB Western Front Winter -by GilB Western Europe La Chute -by Spit973 Northwest Europe -Ubisoft Northwest Europe Revisited -may-bug Norway -Ubisoft Norway Winter -Ubisoft Norway Summer -Ubisoft Northern Norway -by Zipolar'e Narvik -by agracier Svalbard -by Lynx23 Spanish Morocco -by agracier African Congo -Unknown Dakar -by agracier Djibouti -by agracier El Alamein -by viking4570 Madagascar -by agracier Magallanes -by MrOblongo Mozambique -by agracier African Zimbotho -by CAL Northern African Coastline -by RedEye_Jir Crete -by viking4570 The Gothic Line Summer -by Zuti The Gothic Line Winter -by Zuti Slovakia Summer 1955 -by Zuti Slovakia Winter 1955 -by Zuti Slovakia Summer -by Zuti Slovakia Winter -by Zuti Slovakia Summer (Online) -by Zuti Slovakia Winter (Online) -by Zuti Italy -Ubisoft Italy Africa & Greece LAG -by LAG Italy Africa & Greece VOL -by Volperossa War Over Italy -by Volperossa Hejaz -by agracier Hormuz -by agracier Iraq -by agracier Northeast Lybia -by JV69 Malta lowres -by Marez Malta mediumres -by Marez Malta highres -by Marez Malta 1942 -by FIV The Middle East (Big) -by Nounette The Central Mediterranean -by Marez Mediterranean Theatre -Ubisoft Mediterranean Theatre Light -Ubisoft Mediterranean Theatre Redko -by Redko Monte Cassino -by Zipolar'e Algeria Tunisia & Sicily -by Volperossa The Western Desert -Ubisoft The Western Desert (Redko) -by Redko The Sands Of Time -Ubisoft The Sands Of Time (Redko) -by Redko Sardinia -by Volperossa Serbia -by Avala Sidi Ifni -by agracier The Sinai -by delvpier&TAM Tunisia -by MrOblongo Slovenia Summer -by Zuti Slovenia Winter -by Zuti Andalucia -by agracier Aragon -by agracier Balearic Islands -by agracier Canary Islands -by HRT Central Spain Spring -by RedEye_Jir Central Spain Summer -by RedEye_Jir Central Spain Autumn -by RedEye_Jir Central Spain Winter -by RedEye_Jir Ebro River 1938 -by HRT Madeira -by HRT Madrid -by agracier&UF Northeast Spain Spring -by RedEye_Jir Northeast Spain Summer -by RedEye_Jir Northeast Spain Autumn -by RedEye_Jir Northeast Spain Winter -by RedEye_Jir Northern Spain Spring -by RedEye_Jir Northern Spain Summer -by RedEye_Jir Northern Spain Autumn -by RedEye_Jir Northern Spain Winter -by RedEye_Jir Southern Spain Spring -by RedEye_Jir Southern Spain Summer -by RedEye_Jir Southern Spain Autumn -by RedEye_Jir Southern Spain Winter -by RedEye_Jir The Aleutians -by agracier Australia Queensland -by agracier Australia Darwin 1942-43 -by Neil Lowe B29 Alley -by delvpier Batavia -by agracier Benghalli -by Avala Northern Borneo PreWar 1942 -by farang65 Northern Borneo 1943-45 -by farang65 Burma Upper -by FabianFred Burma -Ubisoft Burma (TAM) -by TAM Burma Lower -by CzechTexan Burma Lower 1942 -by CzechTexan Burma Lower 1944 -by CzechTexan Cape Glouceste -by agracier Chichi Jima -Ubisoft Chichi Jima (BA) -by Bombsaway Chichi Jima (Whc) -by Whitecat The Coral Sea -Ubisoft The Coral Sea (Online) -Ubisoft The Coral Sea (BA) -by Bombsaway Formosa -by agracier&Redko Guadalcanal Early -Ubisoft Guadalcanal Late -Ubisoft Hankow -by agracier Harbin 1937 -by agracier The Hawaain Islands -Ubisoft The Hawaain Islands -by Whitecat India -by agracier Southeast India -by BB Iwo Jima -Ubisoft Iwo Jima pre invasion -by Whitecat Iwo Jima invasion -by Whitecat Iwo Jima post invasion -by Whitecat Iwo Jima to Kanto -by RealDarko Khalkhin Gol Region -DaveOD06 Khalkhin Gol River -by Zipolar'e The Kokoda Trail -by MrOblongo Korean Theatre Summer(3BG) -by 3BG Korean Theatre Summer(whc) -by 3BG&Whitecat Korean Theatre Winter(3BG) -by 3BG North Korea Summer 1950 -by CY6 North Korea Autumn 1950 -by CY6 North Korea Winter 1950 -by CY6 North Korea Spring 1951 -by CY6 North Korea Summer 1951/53 -by CY6 North Korea Winter 1951/53 -by CY6 Kwajalein -DaveOD06 Kwajalein 1944 -by Bombsaway Hokkaido North Japan Summer -Ubisoft Hokkaido North Japan Winter -Ubisoft Kyushu South Japan(redko) -by Redko Kyushu South Japan -Ubisoft Kyushu South Japan(whc) -by Whitecat The Lost Islands -by agracier Makin Atoll -Ubisoft Manchuria -Ubisoft Manchuria(TAM) -Ubisoft&TAM Marcus Islands(LS) -by Lonestar67 Marianas -Ubisoft Marianas Expanded -by DaveOD06 The Marshall Islands 1942 -DaveOD06 Midway -Ubisoft Midway(cat) -by Whitecat Midway LateWar(BA) -by Bombsaway New Georgia -by agracier Dutch New Guinea -by farang65 New Guinea -Ubisoft Northern Ryukyu Islands -by Lonestar67 Okinawa -Ubisoft Okinawa(LALwhc) -by LAL&Whitecat Okinawa Japan & Korea -by FabianFred Pacific Islands -Ubisoft Pacific Islands2 -Ubisoft Pacific Islands(TAM) -Ubisoft&TAM Pacific Islands(BTM) -by Bombsaway Central Pacific (MiSP) -by MiSP Palau -Ubisoft Palau(redko) -by Redko Palembang 42(IJ) -by IJ Palembang 45(IJ) -by IJ Philippines -by DixieCapt Rabaul 1944 -by Bee Rennell Islands -by Lonestar67 Rennell Islands 1943 -by Lonestar67 Santa Cruz -by Lonestar67 Santa Cruz 1942 -by Lonestar67 Sakishima -by Prangster Singapore -Ubisoft Singapore 2 -Ubisoft Singapore(whc) -by Whitecat Solomon Islands Aug 1942 -Team Daidalos Solomon Islands Oct 1942 -Team Daidalos Solomon Islands Dec 1942 -Team Daidalos Solomon Islands Jul 1943 -Team Daidalos Solomon Islands Oct 1943 -Team Daidalos Solomon Islands Jan 1944 -Team Daidalos Tarawa -Ubisoft Tarawa Expanded -by DaveOD06 Thailand -by FabianFred Truk Lagoon -by Lonestar67 Truk Lagoon 2 (LS) -by Lonestar67 Truk Lagoon (BA) -by Bombsaway Wake Island -Ubisoft WaWake Island Retextured -by Whitecat Western Carolines Mid 1944 -by DaveOD06 Western Carolines Late 1944 -by DaveOD06 Woodlark Islands -by agracier South Vietnam -by MissionBug North Vietnam -by BB Viet Minh -by ag-cztx-PS Hanoi -by agracier Paraguay -by agracier Cuba -by agracier Honduras -by farang65 The Falkland Islands -by Bombsaway Ankoria & Pagadona -by farang65 Neuschwabenland -by farang65 WWI Belarus 1916 WWI The English Channel WWI Gallipoli Peninsula WWI The Italian Front WWI Megiddo and Palestine WWI The Somme Early WWI The Somme Late WWI The Somme Winter WWI The Western Front -by GilB&SAS~Boomer WWI The North Sea Early -RealDarko&Gillb57 WWI The North Sea Late -RealDarko&Gillb57 OTHER REGIONS Flight Test Centre The Grand Canyon -by viking4570 Pensacola NAS -by agracier Reno Nevada -by Tom2 Blumax Islands -by Blumax Online-Summer1 -Ubisoft Online-Summer2 -Ubisoft Online-Summer3 -Ubisoft Online-Summer4 -Ubisoft Online-Winter1 -Ubisoft Online-Winter2 -Ubisoft Online-mountains -Ubisoft Online-Islands1 -Ubisoft Online-Islands2 -Ubisoft Online-Islands3 -Ubisoft

Great to see this - will fill one of the few remaining gaps in the FE planeset! Not many real gaps left now, except an AW FK8, a 1918 German 2-seater and a Dorand AR.

Details of the 'Community Universal Patch' are here... http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,44975.0.html Have just started downloading, using the torrent option.

I'm like the Chinese premier reportedly asked by a US diplomat what he thought of the French Revolution and replied, 'Too soon to say'. I have only tried Quick Battles so far. Before watching Sim Deck's intro video (link in 1st post) I found it tedious and non-intuitive. Now I find it quite simple, as easy as starting an instant/quick mission in any other sim. Granted I'm not using the options in the deployment/orders screen (appears after you kick off your quick battle but before the sim goes into 3d). Campaign missions may be as easy to get into. But if you are compelled to play the wargamer role first, then it'll be necessary to learn what all those buttons in the deployment and ordsers screens do, before you can satrt the actual battle. In which case the ease of use or otherwise of the UI will become rather more important. I was once into wargaming with 1/300 miniatures but never interested in board wargaming so I'm hoping I can mostly skip that element in SABOW. If not, well it's all down to that U So far, still so good, but early days yet.

Beginning to get the hang of it. Once you know the basics it becomes very easy to set up a 'Quick Battle' and do some virtual tanking. I have yet to find out if there is a similar 'fast track' way to get tanking in one of the sim's campaign missions - whether you can choose to have an AI force commander set up all your side's 'pieces on the table' and get them moving...or whether you the player have to do this for each campaign mission, playing the force commander role yourself, before you can jump in as a tank platoon commander, once fighting starts. Playing quick battles purely in the tank platoon commander role, my main first impression is that gunnery is something you have to spend more time learning (unless you want to let the AI gunner do his stuff). Gunnery in the era before laser rangefinders and thermal imagers seems much more of an art, than either in WW2 where effective ranges were mostly shorter and later, when you just 'put the pipper' on the target, lased it and let the Fire Control System do the rest. Especially so in the T-62 (top pic), where the Cryllic lettering makes reading the range scales for the different types of ammo trickier and the sight elevates with the gun, every time you reload, often breaking your line of sight to the target. Simpler in the M60A1 (bottom pic). The tanks are the stars though, inside and out, and while even a handful more 'playables' would be a big step forward for SABOW, it's hard not to like a sim that lets you fight battles with and amongst kit like this:

Defintiely, that's the plan, a campaign mission report or two,, but there's a lot I need to learn first (in Quick Battles) about the workings of both playable tanks, and the pre-combat setup phase, before I chance my virtual a** on campaign. The 'sim within a wargame' element means there's more to learn than a pure tanksim, perhaps even more so than Steel Beasts, but the new manual will help. Maybe a 'first impressions' effort based on a Quick Battle, first.

Well, it's here: http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-SABW/steel-armor-blaze-of-war Having previously purchased from Gamersgate, re-downloading SABOW from my account got me the updated version. The loader in my M60A1 seems relieved, that the wait is over... ...while the one in my T-62 seemed quite relaxed about the whole thing and perferred to relax in his newly-issued camouflaged uniform... The tanks seem more shiny than before, depending on the angle of the lighting... I used to be able to wade the irrigation ditches in the default quick battle map, but now, it's no longer such a good idea to try... The new user manual's a big improvement: http://graviteam.com/AP-STAR/TOOLS/tank_manual_%28eng%29.pdf And perhaps thanks to that I can now get more control over my tank and the platoon, including formation changes and buttoning up as necessary... So far, so good.

I'm ready and waiting, for it to appear...

PS - I'm still playing the stock campaign as opportunity permits and can confirm that the missions play out somewhat differently, each time you play them. Third mission was an interesting one. In close company with a platoon of panzergrenadiers, my Panzer IIIs have first to destroy Soviet infantry and armoured units attempting to withdraw over a bridge into a village. I should say that here as in the mission report, I'm using the 'Scorching Summer' terrain mod, which I particularly like and which gives the SF landscape a browner, less green appearance, as you can see in the shot below. First time out, I attacked in close concert with the SPWs, clobbering the retreating Soviets and later, making it across the bridge with my three Panzers. Unfortunately, while securing the village, we were counterattacked by a platoon of two or three T-34s which quickly slipped into the village from the far side and quickly got to close quarters. I immobilised one of them at close range from a flank but before I could disable him, he got me. Meanwhile more T-34s, on the far side of the river from whence I'd come, made short work of supporting Panzer IVs and put our grenadiers to flight. One of my Panzers made it back across the bridge but ran into the marauding T-34s, too. Replaying the mission, it was basically the same two-phase operation but we started in a different position. Once again, we shot up the retreating Soviets then, using the approach road's enbankment for cover, made it over the bridge and into the village, where I waited anxiously for the counterattack. However, while the counterattack came in, it arrived in a different area and was destroyed, I think by the long guns of the Panzer IV platoon which was supporting our attack from the right flank. So, second time around, we won the mission! And it replayed differently; the variability is definitely there. No Call of Duty-style predictability the second time around, in the Steel Fury stock campaigns, it seems!

Hi Verdun and welcome aboard! Had a look at your museum's gallery, some nice kit there: http://www.hassleholmsmuseum.se/bildgalleri/ You must have tried some tank sims; do you play any at the moment?

How about some pics of stock planes, for the First Eagles intro piece:

And this lot...

..and then there's these...