Steel Beasts Pro on SimHQ: For the past year or so on Monday evenings, a small group of us have gotten together to run missions primarily from the user community centered at the Steel Beasts website. We use the SimHQ TS server SB channel for comms, and congregate around 8:30 to 9 p.m EDT. Dr. James Sterrett, who teaches at the Command And General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, has been a steady participant and often but not always serves as CO. We've been a little light on sessions in the summer, but generally at least a couple of us show up every Monday. Importantly, this is an informal group. We are not dedicated to strict mil discipline and comms as for instance the Monday Night ArmA sessions also here at SimHQ. We do this because we enjoy SBP so much, and each other's company.

If you would like to get together for MP SBP, please feel free to drop by on Mondays. We would be happy to see you.

...as it says on nearly all the screenshots.

Sorry if i ask stupid questions but i am new to SB pro PE , so i try to get things along by reading what i can about this simm and asking questions along the way...

I am not new to simms but i am new to SB pro PE

Will there be preorders for 2.5x ?

And for now the only thing holding me of from an instant purchase is the question if there will be a base 2.5x CD release (=an all in release = 2.460 + 2.483 + 2.5x + manual + dongle)

Hello Beelzebub,

I believe it goes like this:

1) You buy now SB Pro PE: 100 USD
-> You get a CD + manual + dongle with version 2.460
http://www.esimgames.com/purchase.htm

The price is normally 125 USD, but is temporarily reduced to 100 USD & that till 21/08
http://www.esimgames.com/press_releases.htm#TenYearSpecial

2) You can then download version 2.483 - for free.
It requires the previous version 2.460 to be installed already.
http://www.steelbeasts.com/update-2-483-posted-a44.html

3) You order 2.5: 30 USD (CD + digital download) or maybe 25 USD (only digital download).
-> I'm not 100% sure about the price of 2.5, needs to be confirmed by Ssnake,
but it won't be above 30 USD.
Preorders for 2.5 are not possible yet,
but it will be announced sooner or later when we can do that.

4) I don't know what will be the situation as of 21/08.
Normally you should get if you order then: 2.5 + CD + Manual + dongle.
Price: 125 (or 130 ?). Again to be confirmed by Ssnake.

=> So buying now, would give you a good taste already of SB 2.483, for 100 USD.
And if you would be disappointed, you could forgo the additional 25/30 USD for 2.5.

Would you be disappointed ?
Hmm, since you're a long time simmer, there's a good chance that you will enjoy SB - a lot,
and ... spend way too much time with it.
You can play it purely for the fun of gunning a tank (but in a sim-environment, not as in Quake).
Or you can be tank/company commander and try to use the right tactics to lead you platoon(s) to victory & survival.
Or you can play mostly from the map, and command a battalion (or more) as a real armchair general.
Or you can mix all of these play styles in one, during one scenario, which is what I tend to do.
IMO it's a multi-faceted sim, that also goes indepth in the situations it tries to simulate.

Here's an AAR that I wrote for scenario, to give you a taste of what I mean:
http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbforums/showthread.php?t=14160
Screenshots of this mission:
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2887438/Operation_Grafton_Notch.html#Post2887438

And of course you can do MP as well: 2 or 3 ppl manning one tank etc...
Personally I stick to SP due to lack of time.

Best rgds,

Koen

Hallo koen2 ,

thanks for this very good information/feed-back

it's much appreciated

money wise it would be basicly the same i guess between steps 1 to 3 or step 4 (about 130 green ones) but i think i would prefer the latest all in one version because of ease of install (like i fe purchased IL2 1946 DVD or First Eagles Gold just for that reason)

the maybe steep learning curve doesn't worry me because i have games like Tornado , red barron , falcon 3 gold , Falcon 4 , ... were the manuals aren't realy manuals but are more like hundreds+ paged books

Sincere Regards

When 2.5 is being released you simply uninstall previous installations and install the new one. Your settings and user-created scenarios will survive the uninstallation process.


Basically, Koen was right on all accounts.

Does this group have an equipment preference, e.g., M1 vs. Leo2?

I don't know if I mentioned them before here in this thread ... PE version 2.5 will also bring civilian cars which, unless disabled by the mission designer, will carry between three and six "insurgents" to sow additional chaos and confusion. The Technicals will also dismount a few troops.

Over here, 21 new screenshots since the last updates of this thread.

Last time i played with SB Pro PE was in winter/spring 2008/2009 but as my computer had not enough space on hardrive, i had to desinstall. It seems now that it is time to reinstall.
Questions : Is 2.5 coming with scenarios with T55, T62 and new T72B ?
Is an early Merkava coming soon ? There were a gigantic battle in the Bekaa Valley in 1982 with hundreds of tanks, or Kippour scenarios will be improved with the new Tanks.
I suppose that Invasion of Europe 85 is now possible. I think that SB will be much better now !!!