snakeeyes

Your ideas regarding sp2 had no effect. I uninstalled it tonight. It's been real guys. See you when Steel Beasts 2 comes out.

Thanks for the advice about how to speed it up. I'll give it a try. Give me a chance and try to see it from my perspective ok? If my critique "trashed" the game I'm sorry but I was being objective and honest. Believe me... I know that my graphics card is not something from NASA but some of us have families and can't buy alienware. Sometimes we can only afford certain hardware.

Thanks man. I thought that the framerate problem might be something that was unusual. Maybe they can improve it... maybe I need to buy a faster processor.

Ahh! I gotcha!

Ok... Um.. how does this relate to the topic?

Hey Jester. I think that the problem lies in my speed... 1.6 gig. STILL... I still think that I should be able to MOVE this game with LOW settings ya know? Hey Magnum! I'm downloading your SB2 movies right now. I'm in LOVE! Still any idea when Steel Beasts 2 will be out?

Okay. I've been playing for a while and I'm ready to give my evaluation. Interfaces: Poor. The controls of your troops on the battlefield are simplified but difficult to control on the move. A keyboard overlay would have been nice. AI can be adjusted along with a tremendous amount of options however (a real plus). Why they did not integrate the start up menu with the stupid diary and actual gameplay is beyond me. You wait to load... you wait to start... you wait to load again. I know, I know... get a faster system... well the damn wait would not be as long if all the components of the game were integrated. Looks and acts cheap. Graphics: Beautiful... if you want frame-rates of zero. Here is my system. Pentium 4 1 GIG RAM GeForce 5700 128sdram Soundblaster Audigy 2x250 HD Win XP SP2, all updated 1024x768x32@75 Desktop and games 100% updated drivers. I have spent hours and hours trying to get good framerates. I’m not looking for 30s and 40s a second but I do want the game to actually flow better than a 1920’s silent film. I recently cranked down my settings to ZERO grass, sky level of 2, low level video, 1800 horizon distance, low, low, low…. Frame rates around 3 at times and I’m not even fighting yet! How is a person supposed to enjoy the game? The action only flows in campaign missions with fewer objects (I know… it SHOULD move faster with fewer objects but the slow downs get so bad that the game becomes unplayable at times). The possible graphics that can be played on a SUPER system sound great in the promos and the screenshots but for us mortals with systems like mine… ugh… not worth the $35. Despite the ability to adjust EVERYTHING the game simply did not run with fluidity. A previous writer asked about how fight sims with high frame-rates smoke T-72 and someone responded by saying that the distance from the ground definitely makes such frame-rates possible. While true to an extent… how come Operation Flashpoint flows fast and easy? Why not take that engine, pump it up, add grass and creatively find a way to increase map size? Vehicle list: T-34s? Huh? I know that some were left behind in the Balkans War… I know that they are realistic for the theater but come on… IT’S 2005! Shermans?!!! I really laughed at this one. Okay… I read Zaloga’s work and I know that they were out there somewhere in the world (Israel is it) but come on… The game is called T-72 so why not take the time to get rid of the ancients and make realistic versions of the T-72? I could have easily been done with a few mods to the 3d model. The realism settings are so good for the ammunition and ballistics… why the hell couldn’t they simulate different armor modifications on the Ural? Don’t tell me that they are still classified… Zaloga’s work has them all right there. Shturm-S?!!!! Where the hell did THESE come from? I am not an expert in the Yugoslavian Wars so I don’t know how prevalent they were. All I know is that these vehicles and their armaments are some of the most expensive weapon systems to buy for export and are few and far between. A game with a Sherman and a Shturm-S? Ummm… weird? Sounds like a bad science fiction movie if you ask me. A BRDM with ATGMs would be more realistic than those beasts roaming around. Where are the infantry ATGMs? RPG-7s aside… handheld missiles and longer ranges were VERY prevalent in the Yugoslavian conflict. Ummm… BMPs? WHERE ARE THEY? MTLBs in their place? Huh? Ok. Weird. You can’t tell me that there weren’t any in that theater. Hell! European governments use converted versions of the BMP-1 as FIRE EQUIPMENT now! No BMPs at all in the game? That’s like having a crapless dog. To be MOST harsh (sorry) KA-52 Team Alligator had a better variety of armor and better gameplay ( I know… crappy graphics but it was more fun than T-72). Realism: The best part of the game is its realistic ammunition and it’s effects on the terrain and targets. Digging the ground, GREAT! Way cool! Realism was why I bought it and kept on trying to play it with all the low graphics settings after the 4th day. Thumbs up for this one. You guys got it right on the money. Thrown tracks… guys on fire… way cool. High learning curve is what wargames are all about! Inside the tank: Huh? Whoops! Sorry players… there aren’t any insides to our T-72s. Ugh… this was the ONLY downside to the realism factor. No drop down menus and not a single hands-on switch to flick? Sucked. I wasn’t asking for 100% authentic internal views of the tank, a simple model will do just fine… but come on make an attempt at it! I was hoping for something like Operation Flashpoint with better graphics and a few switches I could manipulate. Sound: Great! ‘Nuff said. Replay value: The Campaign is limited. You can make missions harder or easier by adjusting enemy AI but from what I have heard it is not the easiest thing in the world to make one’s own missions. I replayed Armored Fist more than T-72 and its graphics blew chunks. Drivers included: I had to mention this… what the hell were these drivers they included on the CDs?! They appear to be ANCIENT! They were step-downs for my graphics card and its not like I have something powerful you know? Overall: The slow frame-rates together with the awkward interfaces and goofy structure between the menus took the fun out of the realism. Maybe when I get a more powerful computer in the future I’ll take T-72 off the shelf but until then I’ll be playing Dangerous Waters, flying Falcon 4.0, Flanker 2.5, and roaming the countryside in Operation Flashpoint. Maybe they’ll mod the hell out of it but I don’t see any amount of modding that could increase frame-rates. C- Sorry guys. I Really wish I could say better. I had high hopes. Like I said… maybe after I buy a faster CPU in the future. Sorry to pee on your BBQ. If I find the reason why the frame-rates are so slow on system and can fix it I will completely admit my error in my evaluation of T-72. Until then… my ruling stands.

Red Army ROCKS! I'm in the middle of it now. Sorry techno guys... it does not use specific tank designations like other novels (T-72B, T-80, SA-11... etc) but it is VERY entrapping! It takes you inside the mind of individual scouts all the way out to the theater generals! READ IT!

Yeah I WISH the game had modern russian armor. I'd kill to command a T-80U.

In reality old T-72s don't have thermals direct from the factory (esp Russian factories). Thermal sights were omitted for the longest time because the Soviets always wanted quantity over quality. The sights would be more realistic if they were passive light amplifiers and not thermals. Kind of bugs me but I justify it by saying that a thermal sight was installed by the Serbs. BTW... my card doesn't handle the imagery in the sight so I am in deep **** in the dark in the game.

Thanks for the long post. I know you guys are busy. I made the changes and was sure to go and download my card's latest drivers. I have better performance now and frame rates that can drop to around 7 during battles but only for a few seconds. I STILL can't play the big "move to engagement" mission for some reason. Oh well. I'll keep tweaking but I'm having a great time with your game! PUT A T-80U IN THE EXPANSION PACK!!

1. Ok... First of all... what SHOULD a GOOD framerate be during a battle? 12? I get these slowdowns that make the game very frustrating. I've tried almost everything. I have recently had to drop all settings to low and actually set my grass form distance to zero in order to get good frameates. I also have to ask about the configurator: 2. Should I lower my resolution? I play games like raven shield with feverish fluidity on 1024x768... should I keep it for T-72? 3. I have my monitor frequency at 85 4. What is "backbuffer mode?" I have mine set to X8R8G8B8... I have the option of setting it to R5G6B5? Should I change it? 5. What is depthbuffer moder? I have mine set to D24S8 but I have the option to change it to D24X8 or D16.... should I change it? 6. What is Antialiasiing? I have my card set to "none." I have the option of turning it on to "nonemaskable" or "multisampling." Should I make any changes and what quality should I set? 7. Should I used the option of "managed textures? 8. Should I use the option of "compressed tectures?"

I loved this one mission... a tank destroyer came over the hill and I blasted it with a hard core round. The thing caught fire... the crew bailed out. The thing must have been in neutral when they hit the silk because it ROLLED ALL THE WAY DOWN THE HILL!!!

Hey guys... I forget the official name for the campaign mission so let's just call it the Valley Attack mission. It's the one where you escort some Serbian infantry over the crestline and have to destroy crotatian defenses. Anyone have a strategy to beat it? I can't get close enough to view and shoot targetsand I always get toasted by RPGs. The RPG range is rediculous. You would think that the croatians were shooting infrared guided javelin or maverick missiles at you!

Even with a Pentium IV?