Hey guys! First off, thanks to SeanSB for "hookin' me up!" I have played SB years before so I had an idea of what it looked like and how it played but since I only "tested" it on a friend's computer, I never really was able to "dive" into learning the sim. I am currently doing the tutorials for the M1 tank and have a few questions.

1. I am interested mostly in tanks, the more bad-ass the better. But I have zero knowledge of any of them, and only know about the M1A1 and Bradley IFV due to Discovery channel. Is there a better tank than the M1 in the game? With DCS A10 and a few other games, I have limited time to explore SB properly so a more direct approach to a good tank would save me lots of time.

2. I just realized this game works with my TM Warthog! Cool!!!! Does it work with TIR as well, even for just the commander's view? Any chance of using my TM MFDs or my rudders or my TM Warthog throttle?

3. Anybody interested in coaching me? I got this weekend free. Also, when do the SB groups come online to play? I would love to join even if just to watch.

4. How many shots does it take to disable an enemy tank/IFV? Sometimes 1-2 shots and the turret pops off, sometimes after 6 shots it is barely smoking... what am I doing wrong?


Thanks! Now back to the tutorials!

I can help you on a couple of these.

1. I was told to pick a tank, the M1A1 is a good one to start with, and do all the tutorials and then make the minor adjustments for the other tanks. The M2A2 is a good tutorial as the instructions appear at the bottom of the screen and it's a great vehicle to use IMO.

2. Yeah the WH stick is mapped staright off but you can't use the throttle on any stick. No TIR either.

4. Sometimes it just depends where the rounds hit, whether they deflect or sometimes you get a good hit and a kill.

I'm not sure what makes a tank "better" in the sense that it would always come out as the winner, no matter the circumstances. Reality doesn't work that way, and consequently that is reflected to some extent in the simulation. That being said, The Spanish Leopardo 2E and the Swedish Strv122 probably mark the top of the line. Still, they have their weaknesses too. The Challenger is probably the most heavily protected vehicle in SB Pro, but suffers from not too exciting ammo performance. The Leopard 1 has a - by now - mediocre gun and very thin armor, the T-72 offers more armor but has a much worse fire control system.
To me, the joy lies in seeing the different concepts, and how these differences require a change in tactical behavior to get the most out of them.
No tank in SB Pro is invulnerable. Even from the front, everyone has at least one small weak spot. Not getting seen is the best way to ensure survival, not getting hit is the second-best option, followed by getting hit in the front. From there, everything goes downhill pretty quickly (notwithstanding eventual freak exceptions).

If you're short on time, my recommendation is to familiarize with the M1 thoroughly until you think you know it all. Then hop into one of the Leos - they are all very similar in the crew procedures - and see how that changes the picture. From there, pick some of the others if you're up for a new challenge.



I can but recommend looking for partners in the Multiplayer discussion board of the SteelBeasts.com user forum.


It entirely depends on the exact location of the impact, the distance to target, and the choice of ammunition. Add to that a bit of luck. You can improve your chances by hitting vulnerable spots with precision. The better you are, the less luck you'll need to finish any given tank with the first round. That still won't guarantee you victory ... but it certainly helps.
You may want to check the SB Wiki (under "Game Info" on SteelBeasts.com) to learn more about the different vehicles in SB Pro, their strengths and vulnerabilities. Or you simply practice, and figure it out in "explorative style" (more time consuming, but also more fun).

Thanks for the replies guys.

1. I guess what I mean by "better" is a tank that is more rounded or able to handle most situations. If not that, then the tank with the biggest, most bad-ass gun. I know everyone has their weak spot, but some weaknesses are "weaker" than others, if you get what I mean

4. No one-hit kills here? Assuming good shots, how many hits usually? Just a ballpark figure would be great... somehow I feel like putting 6 rounds into an enemy tank is just taking too long.


I just finished the M1A1 tutorial. While I had a rockin'-good time with the gunnery tutorial, I must admit that the rest of it made little sense. I could understand what it said, but I did not feel as if I applied myself correctly. For instance, why even bother with the gunnery position when you can be a TC and your gunner does a better job than you? And can formation and spacing commands only be issued on the map screen? I was once in a situation wherein I was behind a crest of a hill with the enemy on the other side. Hitting the "E" button for a hull-down position did nothing, and I lost my TC and stabilization system in the process.

Arty support? I'm hopeless.

1. The Leopard 2E or STRV 122 are the newest tanks and pretty good all around. The M1 is the older M1A1(HA) model, but still certainly get's the job done, if not as up to date as the M1A2. A lot of the time it comes down too good tactics anyway.

4. Number of hits is not a good measurement there are no "hit points" to chip away at. It all depends on if your round makes it through the armor and what it hits inside the tank. If you're not piecing the armor for example you could hit it 20 times with little to no effect or a KE round could pass through the back of an APC without hitting anything critical. Aim for weak armor (sides/rear) or critical components of the tank. Though, generally if you're using modern Western tanks against Soviet designs, you don't have to worry about this too much, you have them pretty well outclassed and can pierce their frontal armor.

Also note that tanks can be destroyed without smoking or exploding, for example if a round takes out the crew, but the vehicle is still intact. you'll usually notice they're not moving and the gun barrel is drooping.

You can control formation with the "[", "]", and "\" keys.

[ = echelon left
] = line
\ = echelon right

shift + [ = wedge
shift + ] = column
shift + \ = inverted wedge formation a.k.a V-formation

I prefer the LEO's for their lead calculation method over the M1A1, but either is quiet usable. If you really want something fun the T-72 is a blast to learn how to fight. Plus it's extremely interesting to look at tank design in how you need to fight them. The T-72 has a switch which automatically decreases range to a static target (like a stationary NATO tank defending the Fulda Gap), is very slow in reverse, and has massive frontal armor (for it's time). The T-72 was pretty much custom built to handle a NATO defense Germany. Trying to use the T-72 in the same manner a NATO tanker might use an M1A1 is a BAD idea.

-Jenrick

Arbitrary. There are so many variables that can go into a mission- the mission goals, your starting situation, for example, supply, ammunition, support. That might determine more than what your chances are than what you think is the 'best' tank, aside from the user's individual skill.



Again, that really isn't the mark of success here. The T-72 and T-80 models have the largest bore diameters and can often fire ammunition types not available to Western tanks, i.e., a gun launched anti-tank missile or a large HE fragmentation round. If you just expect to succeed on that alone, you might be overlooking mobility as a factor, which is very important. If you sit there with the knowledge you have the biggest gun, you have a false sense of security. You might just find that a tank just suits you better because of its intereface, or its placement of optics, its over all layout.


You might as well consider another subjective standard of what is better to you- that is to say, which tanks you simply enjoy more. That's an easier way to measure better than I think what you are intending here. For instance, I really enjoy the older tanks that don't have thermal imaging, the problem is that as consequence of that, they can suffer an artificial drawback of lower frame rates in more detailed scenes, since the TIS views draw less detail when you scan with them. I still consider them challenging and fun, though.

I prefer the amount of ammunition the M1A1 carries- lots of machine gun ammmo, which is important. I prefer what's often considered an inferior fire control system with respect to automatic lead added to moving targets, it feels more natural to me. I prefer the fact that the gun isn't raised between loading cycles, you can switch to coax between shots. The T-72 or other tanks that do that can really get creamed in that respect. As you're taking out vehicles, enemy troops can start popping up and shoot, and you're vulnerable during the period the machine gun can't be used while the next round is rammed into the gun. Finally, the .50 cal gives you one more option the Leopards or the CR2 don't have.

None of these will probably determine success over just an experienced player's skill and available support; you'll learn to anticipate these quirks with practice and experience and make up the difference with better tactics. The differences are going to be more subtle for tanks of the same generation. You're generally well protected up front, you have a lethal gun, ammunition types are really the difference there. Mobility is another thing to consider.




Sure there are- happens plenty of times. There's no way to determine how many hits. You might shoot all day at the front of a T-80U, if it can't get through, it can't get through. The type of ammunition, placement of the shot and what it hits is what counts, plus I understand some random modifiers added into the calculation just to account for the randomness of real life.




A matter of taste, depends on the sitution. Sometimes the computer can detect something faster than I can, sometimes it doesn't seem to pick up something that I think it should have. Sometimes it hits when I can't, sometimes the reverse is true.




No.



There's no way to know what happened here based on this description. Your tank might have already been in a position the computer driver thinks is hull down- you even said you were behind the crest of a hill, so I don't know what you expected here or what the situation was.

1) Hull down is highly relative. What's hull down with respect to one enemy on site might not be to many others. The computer can't read your mind and know which one is specifically the one meant, but generally it will follow rules of thumb to find hull down positions and does a reasonable job.

2) Hull down is not turret down or in complete defile. You can still be hit, A TC can still be exposed.