I have plenty of games that will provide me excitement :P I just require shadows

So what you're loooking for in games at the moment is shadows rather than gameplay?!

I think your missing the point of gaming, and the point of this simulation.

No need to get riled up. Expecting basic graphical features for a simple form of immersion isn't too much to ask in 2012.

But this probably isn't the place for this discussion.

Correct. By default, that point is set to 1500m forward of the battleposition. To adjust it, click the battleposition icon once, and the "attention cone" and the reference point "bubble" will appear. Click and drag the bubble to the desired location to control the facing and distance to which the tanks will try to assume a hull-down position in the absence of enemy. Once that enemy is spotted, they will of course try to adjust their position accordingly.


I can but time and again stress the importance of chapter eight in the user manual. The behavior of computer-controlled units may appear enigmatic as long as you don't understand the basic behavior rules. Only if you do understand them you can adjust the way how you're giving orders to the computer-controlled units for maximum advantage.

Yes, although I stand by my opinion that as soon as you are actually playing SB Pro PE, you will no longer pay attention to this because your attention will be completely absorbed by other factors. Shadows are mostly something for screenshots or videos. But yeah, Steel Beasts will get them.

Not riled up at all. Just confused that you said that you don't need games to provide you with excitement, you already have those, what you are really looking for at the moment from a high fidelity armour sim, rather than excitement, is shadows.

Regarding "stupid" AI.

I wonder if the trap we fall into is that we expect computer-controlled crews to "think" for themselves to some extent. They do not, and in SB the consequences become immediately apparent. AI TCs will do virtually nothing without direct orders, which they follow to the 0110 1100 0110 0101 0111 0100 0111 0100 0110 0101 0111 0010. Intiative is not part of the equation.

Yes, mission editor and planning-phase scripting are powerful tools in SB. But who has the prescience to consider every option even before contact witht he enemy? Once the #%&*$# hits the fan, it's micromanage or die.

This is SB's weakness in the area of "gameplay," I think. The ideal would be for human butts to be in all the seats.

I've never played SB online myself (we all have our reasons) but I'm coming to believe that might be the least-frustrating way to enjoy it.

Awesome, appreciate the answer.



No, I didn't say instead of excitement. I expect both high fidelity and graphical features to create a basic immersion out of my simulators.

Not necessarily, if you look at platoon level scenarios and use the planning phase to the full extent. For example, the LOS tool allows you to identify terrain undulations that will PROBABLY allow you concealed movement and/or hull-down positions. It is therefore a smart idea to line those ridges with battle position markers. You can even create a retreat route from each battle position marker, a (slow) assault route from there to an alternate firing position, a retreat route from there, and back to the original position.
Then right-click the first retreat route once, select "copy route chain", and paste it to other battle positions that you identified and adjust the pasted routes and waypoints.

You don't connect them with your platoons' "spider web" or routes yet. You just leave them unconnected in the plan. Then, whenever you need a platoon to be in the vicinity of one of those positions, you just connect that platoon with the first battleposition and they are safe enough to be left alone for a while even with artillery threat around.

So - no, you don't know in advance where exactly you'll need that platoon. But when you place enough of these constructs in the terrain, you are flexible and fast in your reactions, and make use of the computer-crews abilities to handle the situation without too much supervision.

If you drive into battle without a clear idea of what you want to achieve, when, where, and how, don't be surprised ... as they say, "The reason why a plan failed may be ... that there never was a plan to begin with."