tankski

Unfortunately, something bad has happened to T-72. Yesterday, while playing Moon's desert scenario, I noticed that my realism settings were wrong. I had the Realistic View off for the commander (I had, in effect, a commander out of the hatch view instead of the visor view), the waypoint information was on the screen, and the enemy tanks were identified. I thought nothing of it. When I checked T-72 Configuration, these features were all turned off. I tried the single player Meeting Engagement scenario, and the same thing was happening. I could not get the realism setting to work correctly. Finally, I erased and tried to reinstall. I keep getting the screen to play the game, not the install screen. I tried installing using the XP manual installation---the red "T-72" would only momentarily flicker in the space for the name and disappear. What is happening? Tried turning off the computer several times and it made no difference. I am completely flummoxed.

Great little firefight, Moon. My platoon got slaughtered, but that's the way it goes sometimes. First the T-55's caught it and, later, my T-72 when my imbecile driver failed to follow an order and plowed into one of my wrecked 55's; thus, providing the opposition with the swell target of my immobile rear presented on a silver plate. One of the charming things about this sim is that the crewmen do not always obey like robots, and, sometimes your gunner gets a tank you didn't see, or your driver slams into a friendly tank! The formation discipline seems to need a great deal of tuning because even on clear terrain tanks go all over the place when ordered to proceed in a wedge (happens in all formations). Maybe I need to raise my unit's experience level in Realism?

My T-72 in "Meeting Engagement" scenario took one or two non-penetrating hits (don't know if they actually ricocheted) and the results were a spectacular display of sparks each time---as per real hits. I was mightily impressed. Immersion City!

Thanks very much, Hub. Please keep the unwashed, like me, informed on your progress with the Mission Ed.

Moon, where are the "mission editor tutorials that come with the game"!!!!!!

A truly heartwarming father and son story, Hub! I always maintain that families that sabot together stay together! Thanks for the info regarding track repair. Looks like track damage=dead meat. How did you get to the Mission Editor---I am a total computer idiot and need some "special needs" help with some things. By the way, when using formations with your vehicle, be advised that you are no longer independent. The driver is following the orders you gave on the map. If you tell your driver to stop, the other vehicles still in formation will proceed. Staying with your platoon is a good idea---massed firepower.

At your service, Argus. Place the red box on the vehicle or infantry you wish to give an order. Left click and pass over to the box with the order boxes. Left click on the order you wish to give---note: some order boxes have two choices like FAST or SLOW. Keep clicking until the correct order appears in the lower left corner. The appearance of the order here is your confirmation the order is "on the books." FORMATIONS: First give the formation order to each vehicle you intend to be in the formation. After this you will only need to click on one vehicle in the formation to give the formation speed and destination (admittedly, sometimes you might have to give a speed order to each vehicle in the formation). For destination: click on one vehicle, and then on MOVEMENT. In the bottom left you will see SET WAYPOINT, and your cursor becomes a white flag. Pass the flag to the point you wish the vehicles to reach and left click. A yellow flag will appear on this point---briefly---do not mind that is goes away, and in the bottom left corner two numbers will appear. This is your confirmation the order was received (haven't a clue what the numbers signify---coordinates?). Now press F11 and go back to the scenario. DO NOT EXPECT THE VEHICLES TO IMMEDIATELY MOVE. Sometimes it is fifteen seconds or more (never more than thirty) before they start to move. Note: the vehicles in your platoon will sometimes be somewhat erratic, but, I have found they will sort themselves out. I have noticed, if you want to change formarion or destination, you will have to stop the formation, and do again the process of formation orders and speed. The infantry is very good at mounting and dismounting, and they follow the platoon leader's tank nicely when on foot. I DO NOT CLAIM ANY OF THIS IS DEFINITIVE, BUT IT SEEMS TO WORK. Discovered tanks have their broken tracks repaired automatically after the time you chose for track repair in REALISM in the T-72 CONFIGURATION PROGRAM. Default is 120 seconds, which is wildly optimistic. Anybody with some experience in track repair under fire out there? I still have no idea why you can open and close the hatches, and I can't find any way to order your crew to bail out if you get in a real mess---just have to be bitter enders and get whacked. I hope this helps. This is sim is a real kick when you get the hang of it. A couple days ago I thought it would never work without a huge patch. NOW IT HUMS. Cheers.

I GOT IT, BY GEORGE. Am able to order around my soldiers and vehicles. SPLENDID! Now, just tell me how find and use the Mission Editor and I am in business! By the way: (1) Is there a reason for hatches to be open (or closed)? (2) Is there a way (hidden somewhere) to repair broken tracks (I noticed there is a time for this which the player can set) (3) Is there a way to order your crew to bail out? Thank you. T-72 is really great. I love it!

I GOT IT, BY GEORGE. Am able to order around my soldiers and vehicles. SPLENDID! Now, just tell me how find and use the Mission Editor and I am in business! By the way: (1) Is there a reason for hatches to be open (or closed)? (2) Is there a way (hidden somewhere) to repair broken tracks (I noticed there is a time for this which the player can set) (3) Is there a way to order your crew to bail out? Thank you. T-72 is really great. I love it!

I know the player cannot control all friendly units on the map---I am only concerned with the units he ostensibly can control. How do you do it? I have tried and tried dozens of different methods to give map orders and the best I am able to do is to send the friendlies scrambling from pillar to post, but not where I want them. Please! a clear, detailed explanation how these controls work. Two more things: (1) the T-72 has several gunner's sights for different ammunition---which goes with which ammunition? (2) the mysterious Mission Editor---where is it? How does it work? With the exception of these items, I have T-72 down cold, and I love it, but... HELP! on these other things.

I know the player cannot control all friendly units on the map---I am only concerned with the units he ostensibly can control. How do you do it? I have tried and tried dozens of different methods to give map orders and the best I am able to do is to send the friendlies scrambling from pillar to post, but not where I want them. Please! a clear, detailed explanation how these controls work. Two more things: (1) the T-72 has several gunner's sights for different ammunition---which goes with which ammunition? (2) the mysterious Mission Editor---where is it? How does it work? With the exception of these items, I have T-72 down cold, and I love it, but... HELP! on these other things.

Query pertained ONLY to vehicles and infantry supposed to be allocated for player's control---am well aware that all of the friendlies on the map are not under player's control. The problem is that, since there is no instruction on how to use the map controls, I have been unable to give orders to friendlies under my control. I do not have a clue how this works. Please elucidate in detail. And, where, pray, is the Mission Editor? I have seen no such animal.

Query pertained ONLY to vehicles and infantry supposed to be allocated for player's control---am well aware that all of the friendlies on the map are not under player's control. The problem is that, since there is no instruction on how to use the map controls, I have been unable to give orders to friendlies under my control. I do not have a clue how this works. Please elucidate in detail. And, where, pray, is the Mission Editor? I have seen no such animal.

How do you give the orders to the attached units on the map? I have not been able to make this feature work. Also what is the purpose of User Mission? Rest of T-72 works great!

How do you give the orders to the attached units on the map? I have not been able to make this feature work. Also what is the purpose of User Mission? Rest of T-72 works great!

Yesterday morning I played the single player "Meeting Engagement" scenario. I had not mastered the system for ordering the other T-72's in my platoon so I gamely sortied by myself. I had the most satisfying and engrossing time with a PC tank simulator I have ever experienced. Every second of the hour or longer I was in that action was fascinating. I let the AI gunner fire at will while I concentrated on siting the tank and evasion. The effects of an approaching anti-tank missile were fantastic! At first I did not know what it was---the way it climbed and dived trailing a cloud of vapor baffled me. Non-penetrating hits made a shower of sparks. Some of our opponents skylined themselves and my gunner instantly nailed them. When we were near-missed, I would order a high speed reverse, and disappear behind a dust cloud. I would wait a few minutes and reappear at a slow crawl, and the gunner would hit the vehicles that had closed during our absence. It was like a page out of Kahalani's THE HEIGHTS OF COURAGE, or PANZER ACES---completely immersive. We managed to win the scenario---I was surprised because I expected to be blown to kingdom come any moment! I am extremely pleased with this item. It makes the old standards completely obsolete. I hope this turns into an entire line of PC tank simulators!

Yesterday morning I played the single player "Meeting Engagement" scenario. I had not mastered the system for ordering the other T-72's in my platoon so I gamely sortied by myself. I had the most satisfying and engrossing time with a PC tank simulator I have ever experienced. Every second of the hour or longer I was in that action was fascinating. I let the AI gunner fire at will while I concentrated on siting the tank and evasion. The effects of an approaching anti-tank missile were fantastic! At first I did not know what it was---the way it climbed and dived trailing a cloud of vapor baffled me. Non-penetrating hits made a shower of sparks. Some of our opponents skylined themselves and my gunner instantly nailed them. When we were near-missed, I would order a high speed reverse, and disappear behind a dust cloud. I would wait a few minutes and reappear at a slow crawl, and the gunner would hit the vehicles that had closed during our absence. It was like a page out of Kahalani's THE HEIGHTS OF COURAGE, or PANZER ACES---completely immersive. We managed to win the scenario---I was surprised because I expected to be blown to kingdom come any moment! I am extremely pleased with this item. It makes the old standards completely obsolete. I hope this turns into an entire line of PC tank simulators!

Thank you, Hub. Yesterday I must have had "Real view from tank" on off, and I got the unbuttoned view. This is most annoying because I prefer to keep the cupola vision block view, and, if I do this, I must forego the unbuttoned view. Too bad you don't get both with "No" to "Real view from tank." Is the designer "encouraging" players to use the doctrine I mentioned in my initial posting? At least I know I wasn't imagining getting above the cupola yesterday.

I feel your pain, Porkbrain. Unfortunately, Six, the Page Up/Down gambit only gets you a commander's cupola vision block view, not a bona fide unbuttoned, commander head and shoulders above the hatch view, i.e., "unbuttoned." I actually found an unbuttoned view for the commander while punching buttons to get a handle on this fine sim (note: it was not an external to the tank view), but I couldn't find it again---as Doris Day would say: "I could just Scream!"

Thanks tons, Hub, but this was not the ticket. The F7 Page Up/Down views are as follows: day gunlaying sight, night gunlaying sight, and cupola vision block view---this is not an unbuttoned view. Alas, all of these views are from inside the commander's cupola. What I accidentally found was a commander head and shoulders out of his cupola view (was not an external view---never use 'em), i.e., "unbuttoned." I have tied opening the hatches, but this does not give me an unbuttoned view for the commander

Had some trouble getting down the correct procedures for driving the T-72 (and I ignominiously fell inside a huge anti-tank ditch), but driving is now understood, and is a challenge. I have a question regarding the commander. While fooling around, I managed to get away from the sight mode, and I was above the hatch and unbuttoned with a 360 degree view. Excellent---you can't get much situational awareness looking through the gunlaying sight. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how I did this, and I can't find the key in the manual. HELP! So far I have had no problems running T-72 on my year old Predator game computer. Love the dust and waving tall grass and other flora. I understand Soviet/Russian doctrine was to fight buttoned up because the bore evacuator won't work if the tank is not closed up and the ABC system running (this info from an Army intelligence chum). Is this true? Many thanks!