Reasonably Good Tank Game? And other questions

[Gen. Sosaboski]

Hello out there,

Firstly, anyone know when B-17II is scheduled to come out?

Second, does anyone have any suggestions for a good WWII tank game (besides CM ) that doesn't have bugs in it?

Thanks,

Sos

[gaffertape]

I too am greatly looking forward to B-17 II, although it almost certainly won't run on my current PC. I think it's slated for a Fall release.

Panzer Elite is the best WWII tank game (sim) I've played, although I must admit that I haven't touched it since CM came out. It isn't perfect - wingmen commands are often not followed well, and its got a steep learning curve - but it's the best I've seen.

The sensation of being in the commander's cupola as the tank rolls along the terrain is unparalleled.

GAFF

[Tiger]

yeah panzer elite was great but it had some really annoying problems and multiplayer was basically broken. Stuff like if the tank you were in got killed, all of your tanks were removed and restarted, you couldn't switch to another of your tanks, and the data was not in synch between host and client. Some texture thrashing going on as well.

-johnS

[Guest dirkd1976]

Is panzer elite worth buying? Looks like a pretty cool game, I checked out the screenshots and they LOOKED nice.....how is it really? Game interface any good? Is it a shoot em up tank game, or more of a serious tank simulation? I guess what I am asking, is it worth the money?

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Never mistake motion for action - Ernest Hemingway

[jgdpzr]

Panzer Elite is clearly the standard-bearer for WWII tank sims. There really is no competition.

As others have noted, it isn't perfect, but it is a very good single player experience. Moderate to high learning curve because it is a sim, rather than a shoot-em-up.

But no, I haven't fired it up since CM landed on my hard-drive.

[Zaffod]

PE to me was pprobably the biggest dissapointment in terms of ww2 games ive played.... It was consistant and fairly solid in terms of playability.. but when it came to the gunnery, i dunno - maybe i was retared - i just could not get it down.. it seemed so damned inconsistant. lock onto a sherman at 1000 meters and he gets ya in like 2-3 shots everytime.. if you actually score a hit, you waste like 7 shots... missing a target would mean you compensate for range which would just be so hit and miss i eventually gave up. and unfortunatly, playing the game w/out being teh guner just takes the fun out of the whole experience. If you can get it for cheap, go ahead and splurge, but dont get your hopes too high... ;( then again.. thats just me talkin.. some people loved it and its 100 hr learning curve..

Zaff'

[Guest mch]

Is PE still supported by wings?

I remember talk of a 1.08 patch that was going to fix alot of the problems,but it

never showed up.

[Guest Mr. Johnson-<THC>-]

You have no idea Zoffod,

I bought Panzer Commander, an unfinished game. and iPanzer '44 which can hardly be called an alpha build, ha! Panzer Elite at least has an excuse for not getting 1.08 patch out (i think that was going to be the next patch) because their publisher sold out and went to console games. Panzer Elite with the 3rd party mods, and latest patch is quite nice. My big complaint is AI gunners shoot straight on all difficultly lvls and you have to use range adjustments and all that crap on the hard lvl. (well, I use boresighting cuz I suck) I think Panzer Elite is the best WW2 game to date. ipanzer '44 makes a great coaster for my beer. B-17 2....I'll bomb them if you fly the beast, see you online.

[Guest mch]

B-17II looks like it has alot of potential.

I've always had a soft spot for fortress

games,though.I just hope that the publisher

dosen't push it out the door "just in time

for Christmas" and delivers a sub-functional peice of crap.I went to the bombs-away.net

forum and read alot of agonizing over Waywards "done when it's done" stance.....

brought back alot of memories!

[Tanaka]

Hi ... Does this game have Infantry (Panzerfaust/PIAT/Bazuka/PanzerShrek..)?

João

[This message has been edited by Tanaka (edited 08-24-2000).]

[Guest mch]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Hi ... Does this game have Infantry (Panzerfaust/PIAT/Bazuka/PanzerShrek..)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

wich game? PE?B-17II?CM?

[Tanaka]

Oops ... sorry,PElite

[Kevin Christensen]

Panzer Elite does include infantry units,some of whom carry various AT weapons.

While Wings Simulations is prevented by

contratual obligations to their new investors

from directly working in the 1.08 patch, they

have permitted some PE fanatics to have a look. A lot of work was done before the Psygnosis debacle. I expect the patch will

come in a month or so (pure speculation).

However, I've found the current version very

stable and satisfactory on my system. (500

Mhz Celeron, 128 Megs RAM, VooDoo3).

By all accounts, the Multi-player has been fixed. The solution involves creating a new

icon for Kali. Check the links at wings for details.

Fan support continues. Michael Y. has just

released a new version of his patch. PEDG

has released a full set of British tanks,

including Cromwells, Churchills, Firefly,

and Achilles. Some German fans have created

Elephant, Maus, and Jadgtiger models. A

Russian Front Campaign is being completed.

Various graphical and sound enhancements are

available.

Despite the steep learning curve, you can

start with just a few commands. If you

find it too hard, you can tweak parameters.

It's deep and satisfying, and continually

challening, an essential complement to

Combat Mission, IMHO. The longer I play, the more stuff I try, so it stays interesting.

The new sounds, models, and graphics add spice.

Kevin Christensen

Lawrence, KS

[Holman]

PE is an excellent sim. I'm looking forward to seeing the third-party developers iron out the few remaining kinks, but it's a great sim today.

If you like modern tanks, you really should look at STEEL BEASTS. It's due to ship any day now, and will be the most realistic modern tank sim ever produced.

[Bertram]

I played Panzer elite, and liked the solo game, but it has a steep learning curve.

The multiplayer was disappointing. Not only did the game crash almost always (which might be fixed with that new patch, I haven't started it since getting CM) it also basically dropped all the infantery from the game, leaving a pure tank to tank battle. While this might be fun, it certainly takes something from a WW2 tank simulation. Especially in battles fought on terrain in the Normandy. tanks are nothing there without infantery, a we CM-ers know.

That new tank sim, just gone gold (or almost?) Steel Beasts looks promising. Bit bare on the graphics and contemporary (more or less, M1A1 and Leopard 2A4, just one model behind in both cases), but with infantry posible in multiplayer battles, if the rumours might be believed.

Bertram

[PatAWilson]

My $.02 on Panzer Elite:

It's fun in alot of ways but it shares one characteristic with most other games. The missions are more like puzzles than real missions. There are always cleverly laid traps and you are usually faced with overwhelming odds. Usually each mission requires several replays to get it right and you have to play each mission until you win.

IMHO real sims allow for failure. Situations are dynamic and the decision is not just how to fight but whether to fight at all. Sometimes you have to retreat and come back the next day. This is rarely modeled and really cannot be modeled in a game with canned missions.

[BasilD]

Not a tank game, but since B-17II was mentioned (and seems to have alot of potential btw) I noticed a very intriguing game called Typhoon on the horizon. Its a flight sim with nice graphics and such, but involves a full campaign of the defense of iceland from the russkies, with features such as a set group of pilots at your disposal with varying experience levels and skills (one might be an expert pilot, other recon specialist, another close support etc).

Also reputedly has the best ground attack features to-date in a flight game, with tank busting, strafing, sinking trasport vessels and the like. Logistics will be a concern as well for the TOE. Controlling the plane is supposedly easier than games like falcon 4, as they plan to imp the Eurofighters state of the art ergomonomics and even supposedly voice activated commands.

Oh and I checked the B-17 fansite and no offical date AOY.

Been a few years since I seriously played a flight sim, I like flight sims, but after playing Battle Of Britain the idea of a campaign-oriented game really intrigues me.

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As the victors define history, so does the majority define sanity...

[deanco]

There was also M1 Tank Platoon 2 if you want some 3D action. But to effectivly command your troops, you have to pretty much stay on the strategic map (which looks terrible, BTW), the 3D is not really useable except in rare instances. I dunno... why bother when there's CM?

DeanCo--

[:USERNAME:]

Eastern Kampftaktic is the premier section/platoon level game EVER!!! The realistic gameplay and historically correct casualties and turn of events that occur lend the game to engrossingly fast and tense wargaming.

Lewis

PS Yeah thats what I am calling my game...