Agree with Ronin its a good time to dip your toe in the water so to speak
I sold my copy last year because SB is addictive and RL commitments made it difficult for me to spare the time to play
It was like having a big mac and not being able to eat it. LoL I fully intend to buy it again some time this year when I have finished my course I have owned SB for over ten year right from the start an can honestly say i never got bored of it.
There are many facets to SB the mission editor is superb. and in a short time I suspect it will be even better there's a new update coming. With engine improvements no concrete details on new content yet not for a while longer Esim will not make promises they cant keep so they tend to stay tight lipped till very near the release.
For those thinking about purchasing Steel beasts,
Esim offer a Time-Limited License option this can be for one month/four months or/ twelve month.
http://www.esimgames.com/?page_id=1361Also if you choose the timed licence option you get the new 4.0 update for free
so long as your licence is still valid at the time of its release.
The timed licence option is a good way to find out if SB is for you.
If you do make a purchase I recommend you check out the excellent starter pack.
It will make the learning curve far easier.
http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbwiki/index.php?title=Starter_Pack