UK SBers...

[Ssnake]

...now that SB Gold is to be released in the UK - barely two and a half years after the initial release http://www.boardy.de/images/smilies/stupid.gif - I imagine that
a) Game magazines will give it another review, and
b) that those reviews won't exactly be recommendations, given the dated graphics of a seven year old engine.

I don't get to read UK game magazines, but I would be interested to read what they write. Would be nice if some of you could report what's going on...

[Crusty]

Ssnake, I'll keep my eyes open and report backwhat I can, good and bad.

[stuart666]

Ill have a gander too. Just noticed previously unattainable software like both combat mission games have started to turn up. Hell,i even managed to obtain a copy of x-plane which was previously only available online.

The only downside of this is, you are going to get lots of rowdy british tankers on here ;)

[Ssnake]

...can only increase our chances to get the necessary info for a playable Challenger. :D

[stuart666]

...can only increase our chances to get the necessary info for a playable Challenger. :D

Just remember where you can find a challenger1 operators manual. That said, i know other stuff on sb2 has to take priority. Like the little flying saucer for bonus scores :)

[L30Charm]

At last! Better late than never I suppose.
Available 29th Nov. Get it here, bargain price of £14.99.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006LJZC/qid%3D1038344158/026-4703719-7761211

[Ssnake]

If you have it, please write a review there. Please choose appropriate wording pointing out strong points AND weaknesses. We want happy customers, so misleading reviews may cause costly returns and time consuming negative feedback.

Of course I'm not asking you to scare away potential customers, just fairness for the average computer gamer and armor enthusiast...

[Crusty]

PC GAMER have a review this month, and it has to said it's not all that bad.
they give SB gold 76%, when you consider that they give microsofts Combat
Flight simulator 3 85%.
They start of by praising ESIM for not trying to pull the wool over potential
customers eyes and actually call SB peerless(which we know it is). They then go
on to deal with what they call "these omissions", namely the graphics, lack of weather
effects and dynamic lighting, campaign option, and the lack of air support.
They then go on to say"These flaws would be catastrophic if it wasn't for Steel Beasts
bulletproff fundamentals. Scrupulously accurate recreations of two latter-day leviathans
M1A1 and German Leopard 2A4. Bally marvellous ballistics. Gunnery that even with
laser rangefinders and gyro stabilisation is as challienging as it is satisfying. Enemy AI
that fazes, and frays nerves. An engrossing tactical element which can be enjoyed as
pure wargame via a map screen.
All these elements compound to create an experience that will delight all those who
already own heavyweight "study sims" like SUB COMMAND and FALCON 4"

Thats not too bad is it ?.

[Ssnake]

No, it's hard to criticise such a review. I fully agree with their observations. It is satisfying that they criticise SB for the right reasons, and praise it for what went right. Sounds like the most competent review I have ever read in a paper magazine, as far as the judgement on gameplay is concerned.

[Skip]

Hopefully they mentioned that SB2 is coming soon to take care of many (if not most) of the "negatives".

[stuart666]

Must get a copy of that later. Is there lots of gratuitious pics of tanks burning in it? :P

[L30Charm]

I looked at the sales ranking for SB Gold on Amazon.co.uk a few days ago and it was 1600+. Today it's ranked at 570. Thats an impressive jump. How many new UKSRers does this represent I wonder.

[Crusty]

I've just finished reading all of the PC GAMER mag. And at the front(ish) in a
news section they a small bit about SB2 saying that they will have more intel
next month.
What got me into SB, was the demo on a computer mag cd a couple of years
ago. are there any plans to put any out in the UK to coincide with the release
of SB GOLD. Which Amazon are now quoting as 29th november for the release
date (£14.99)

[L30Charm]

Thought I'd get a copy of PC Gamer mag but picked up PCG (issue 31 Dec 2002) by mistake. Waste of £5 I thought, but no, it also has a review of Steel Beasts. It goes something like-

Tank sim options being few and far between, it comes as a breath of fresh air Steel Beasts has finally secured an official release in the UK. SB is an extremely detailed simulation and is not the sort of game that can be picked upand played in 5 minutes. It does not fall into the trap of being super- dull dial watching, engine managing experience. the emphasis is very much on taking part in combat situations. Overall it's an absorbing experience, and while the now dated graphics might not convey the sort of atmosphere we are used to in recent flight sims, the superb sound effects more than compensates.

That's a good write up. It shows a bar chart illustrating how SB gets more interesting the longer you play it. It compares it level with Panzer Elite and Armoured Fist 3. In the pros and cons sections its only complaint is about the dated graphics. Overall verdict " A really shell-shockingly good tank sim, but not a game for novices." It awards SB 7 (out of 10 I guess)

Rest of the mag is crap.

[Ssnake]

:)

[Crusty]

I received the december issue of PC Format today, they review SB GOLD and
give 87%, yet another good score. It's good to see reviewers looking past
the issue of eye candy, and seeing SB for what it is.
Also in the mag there is a full page advert for SB, it's the first I've seen here in the UK
a pleasant surprise. How well was SB advertised in the States when it first came out ?

[Ssnake]

87% ?

Way too much!
Well, let's say it's a very friendly and optimistic review... ;) ...and I certainly won't complain. Nevertheless I would say that the graphics SHOULD influence the rating a bit. But, if the rating is supposed to reflect the fun factor within the genre, I would agree.

When SB was initially released in August 2000, there were no ads at all. I don't know how much SFI did in May 2001 for the first retail release, but it wasn't much. We clearly underestimated how many copies a game like SB could sell. Hopefully with SB2 we will be better prepared. :)

[Hertston]

Hi all...

Just got the UK Gold edition of SB yesterday, and am having a blast so far :D I knew of the game from it's rep, but just never got around to getting hold of a copy until I saw it on the shelf.. ah well, better late than never.

Ssnake, I havn't read them, but those are excellent reviews for UK gaming mags considering the age of the product, and consequent aging graphics. We are, if anything, even more eye candy obsessed over here than in the US, and just about anything else would get hammered no matter how good it was.

Digressing a little, on the general subject of "UK releases" I'm finding them more and more irrelevant, and tend to get most stuff either from the States or ideally via Strategic-plus (to save on shipping and import VAT) . You are guaranteed, not only avoiding what can be an extremely long delay, but also getting the full manual rather than some crappy booklet and .pdf files (vital with simulation software) and avoiding censorship that sometimes gets added for the Euro market - the Combat Mission games are good examples of that (the infamous Wafflegrenadiers, among other irritants).

[Ssnake]

What is the UK manual like?

[Skip]

"...the infamous Wafflegrenadiers..." :question: :exclam: :question: :exclam:

[L30Charm]

Don't bother buying this months issue of PCZONE. It has a "review" of Steel Beasts. I'll just say that they didn't like it.

[Ssnake]

Were it not a copyright violation, I would post JPEGs of two UK reviews, including the infamous 23% of PCZone. Well, maybe I can get their permission. ;)

[Hertston]

What is the UK manual like?

48 page booklet (including control references and credits). The complete manual is provided as a .pdf. The booklet has most content in (the drivers and commanders position info is somewhat abbreviated) except for the multiplay material and all the background stuff and appendices.


Skip,

The Euro distributor (both had "box" releases) for both Combat Mission games was cdv, a German company. To comply with German law ALL versions (not just German language) produced by them were "sanitised" to some degree - the most notorious manifestation of which was the renaming (and eliminating relevant graphics) of all Waffen SS units. These became "Waffengrenadiers", and hence to the community as "Wafflegrenadiers". Gameplay wasn't effected, but for games priding themselves on realism it was irritating to say the least.

The bad news is cdv also have a contract to distribute another excellent product marketed by Battlefront in the US, Panther Games' Airborne Assault: Red Devils over Arnhem. If you know anything about that campaign you will know how ludicrous the ommission (or even renaming) of SS units will be. Which wouldn't be so bad IF you could still order from Battlefront online - but they won't ship to Europe any more :(


PCZone is a kiddie rag compared with PC Format or PC Gamer and can safely be ignored :P In fairness, they are only catering to their audience, who would not be impressed by SB.

[L30Charm]

Glowing customer reviews at Amazon!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006LJZC/qid%3D1039736028/202-3068393-9832619

[JamesT73J]

Gents,

Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I was out Xmas shopping today. I play a wide range of sims and have had Panzer Elite & M1TP2 for a while now, and I'd heard alot about SB just by reputation alone. When I saw it on the shelf at my local Game store I couldn't believe it. I've only just finished a mammoth four hour session...terrific fun.

The packaging is very good, and the publishers haven't pretended the product is anything other than what it is: An excellent, in-depth simulation of the modern tank battlefield. I can't forsee how anyone with a modicum of patience couldn't enjoy it's merits.

The reviews I've subsequently read have been good. PC Zone is an exception. Time was (about five years ago) when the magazine had a very positive attitude toward anything that showed true quality in one way or another (They loved the original Flanker 1.0, which was no looker) but the editorial stance nowadays seems more geared toward a console market mentality. Shame.

Anyway, I'm chuffed to bits that I bought the game, and will be playing alot more, and I may even try some MP games when I'm confident enough.

[L30Charm]

Ssnake ...now that SB Gold is to be released in the UK - barely two and a half years after the initial release
I know it's not eSim's fault but.......
I ordered SB Gold from Amazon as soon as it was announced it was going to be available in the UK, about 6-7 weeks ago. Still not arrived because it is now out of stock from the suppliers (I think it never was in stock). Same story from most of the other online retailers (the ones that have actually heard of it). The only online store I can find that can offer SB is http://www.game.uk.com/ It isn't even available from Strategy First's web site!!!!!!!!!! I'm really dissapointed that this wonderful sim is just not reaching the audience it deserves. :casstet:
I do have Steel Beasts ver. 1.00 from year 2000 with all the patches, but I want the Gold version. This UK SBer is feeling left out. SB2 will be available in the spring of 2003 :P . At this rate will Strategy First release it in the UK in the winter of 2005?

[L30Charm]

I have only ever seen 1 copySB Gold in the shops ( as in real shop, not online)
I make regular trips to most computer stores and I have never seen it. :(

[Skip]

Don't know what their shipping limits may be, but I got a copy within the last month from...

http://www.gamestop.com/

...for $14.95 USD and free shipping. I already had the original version but finally decided it was the only way I was going to get the new scenarios and the height map utility.

[Ssnake]

Siiigh...

:casstet:

[Skip]

Siiigh... :casstet:
LOL Come on, Ssnake! Lighten up and enjoy life! :D I'm not wanting to put out new height maps for scenario use, but I have some digitized maps of the area where I live and would like to be able to play around and show friends different things in the virtual "area" (that is, if I can ever get the things converted correctly :casstet: ).

[Ssnake]

My dismay related to L30C's reports - don't worry, I'll spare you from my wrath. ;)

[L30Charm]

Thanks Skip, just ordered SB Gold from Gamestop. Crazy, it's still cheaper to have it shipped over from the USA than it is to get it delivered from "Game" in the UK.

[JamesT73J]

With your comments in mind I stopped in at 'Game' on my way home from work today, here in Southampton. They've just got a load of copies in! Due to the recent corporate bunnyhopping with EB and game, we now have three game stores in what isn't a terribly large city. More annoyingly still, they all have pretty much identical stock. Hope you have as much fun with the game as I'm still having three weeks after buying it!

[L30Charm]

JamesT73J
That's great news!
Hope you have as much fun with the game as I'm still having three weeks after buying it!
I'm still having fun with it after 2 and half years! No, that's not exactly true, probably more fun. And it's going to get even better this summer judging by the screen shots of SB 2.

[wunwinglow]

I just picked up a gold copy from Game this afternoon, but I can't get it to run. I get to the intro pic, then my PC locks up. Bleauh! Any pointers, fellow Brits? Anyone? Much appreciated in advance!

Tim

[chrisotto]

If you have Win XP, try setting the program settings "Compatibility" to Win 98...

[Lone*star49]

I just picked up a gold copy from Game this afternoon, but I can't get it to run. I get to the intro pic, then my PC locks up. Bleauh! Any pointers, fellow Brits? Anyone? Much appreciated in advance!

Tim

W.. first welcome aboard..

If you didn't get it to install, try installing it thru the "Run" direct program, and what C said above.. also.. make sure you choose "custom install" and chk out my post titled "SB-Gold edition.. Install hint.." in this same forum down towards the bottom.

Best of luck.. Ls :)

[wunwinglow]

Hi guys, thanks for the pointers, but so far no go. Reinstalled via the auto run set-up twice, installation seems to go OK. Get the into video, then validating, then pic, then nothing. Tried switching off everything except systray and explorer, but still nothing beyond the pic of the M1 with the two Leopards in the background. Total lock-up at this point, only hitting the reset button frees it. I've tried launching from the Start menu and dbl-clicking on the exe file installed, but same result.
:casstet:

Thanks anyway, will percivere with it! Using Win98SE by the way.

Best wishes,
Tim

Tim

[Lone*star49]

[quote]
Thanks anyway, will percivere with it! Using Win98SE by the way.
Best wishes,
Tim
...

Well damm.. just a couple of thoughts, one of which is hang in there, as more will respond..

I too have Windows 98 SE.. P3.. 500mkz processor.. and don't understand why the freeze.. ie no firewall? and CD is not required to run game once installed..

Virus system turned off..

Damm.. this is pissing me off.. :mad:

Hang tight..

[burner]

Wunwinglow,

1. To make it easy to help you please go to My Computer on your Desktop. Right click My Computer & select System Information. From the System Tab you will see you system spec's. Select Reports & print the Current Tab to a file of which you copy the contents to the forum here. It will look something like this -


* System Summary *
********************


< Hardware >
Processor: GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 8 938 MHz Stepping 6
Math Support: On Chip
BIOS: Award Software
Bus Type: PCI,ISA,AGP,USB
Ports: 1 Parallel, 2 Serial
Memory: 256 MB (48% Utilized)
Floppy Disks: 1.44 MB
Hard Disks: 19.15 GB
Multimedia: Sound, Joystick, CD-ROM
Video: 1024x768 in 64K Colors, ASUS AGP-V7100 SDRAM v5.33a Ver. 4.0

< Operating System >
Windows: 4.10 (Build 2222 A )
DOS: 7.10
Net Clients:
Microsoft Network
Microsoft Family Logon

2. Go to System Properties & the Device Manager tab & see if there are any Red or Yellow Warning Icons on a device. There s/b be none.

3. Run Scandisk & Defrag to insure your system is clean from errors & fast.

4. What version of DirectX do you have?

5. Check to see that you can install other software via your CDRom.

6. Note that everytime you try to reinstall, insure that you have unistalled the program by using the Add/Remove Program Properties. If SB is not listed there insure that no folder was created on your hard drive, if so delete it.

[Skip]

If you haven't tried this already, you might check the Steel Beasts Gold folder for an icon labeled "Steel Beasts Gold (no intro" and see if that one will start it for you. If you don't see that icon, use Windows Explorer and navigate to the Steel Beasts directory and locate the file "tanksim.exe" under the "release" sub-directory. Double click tanksim.exe and see if it will start (tanksim.exe skips the intro and puts you directly into SB).

[wunwinglow]

OK, thanks for the pointers again!

I have:

Uninstalled SB via Add/Remove programs.
Regclean
Scandisk (no errors found)
Defrag (no problems)

My system is as follows.



System Info Version: 2.2
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 98
Processor: AMD AMD Athlon(tm) Processor @ 1.10 GHz
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600
Total Physical Memory: 510 MB
Free Physical Memory: 374.63 MB
Motherboard Manufacturer: MSI
Motherboard Model: MS-6380

Manufacturer: AMD
Family: AMD Athlon(tm) Processor
Internal Clock: 1.10 GHz
Internal Clock Maximum: 3 GHz
External Clock: 100 MHz
Socket Designation: Socket-A
Type: <unknown>
Upgrade: ZIF Socket
Capabilities: MMX, CMov, RDTSC, 3DNow!, Extended 3DNow!, SSE
Version: N/A
CPUID: 0x00000662

L1 cache
Level: 1
Capacity: 128 KB
Type: Instruction, Data, Internal
Type Details: Synchronous
Error Correction Type: None
Associativity: 4-way Set-Associative

L2 Cache
Level: 2
Capacity: 256 KB
Type: Instruction, Data, Internal
Type Details: Synchronous
Error Correction Type: Single-bit ECC
Associativity: 4-way Set-Associative

DirectX Version: 9.0
DirectDraw Version : 4.09.00.0900
DirectShow Version: 6.05.01.0900

Description: Primary Display Driver
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Name: NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600
Total Local Video Memory: 128 MB
Total Local Texture Memory: 128 MB
Total AGP Memory: 128 MB
Display Driver: nvdisp.drv
Display Driver Version: 4.13.01.4109
Driver WHQL Certified: No
Max Texture Width : 4096
Max Texture Height: 4096
Max User Clipping Planes: 0
Max Active Hardware Lights: 8
Max Texture Blending Stages: 8
Textures In Single Pass: 4
Vertex Shader Version: 1.1
Pixel Shader Version: 1.3
Max Vertex Blend Matrices: 0
Max Texture Coordinates: 8
Vendor ID: 0x10de
Device ID: 0x0250
Sub-System ID: 0x87211462
Revision: 0xa3

Memory

Total Physical Memory: 510 MB
Free Physical Memory: 374.63 MB
Total Pagefile Memory: 1.50 GB
Free Pagefile Memory: 1.37 GB

Motherboard

Manufacturer: MSI
Model: MS-6380
Version: 2.0
BIOS Vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Version: 07.00T
BIOS Release Date: 08/17/2001
BIOS Properties: Plug and Play, Flash, AGP

OS

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 98
Version: 4.10.2222 A
Service Pack: A
Locale: GB
Desktop Width: 1024
Desktop Height: 768
Desktop BPP: 16

HD

Name: GENERIC IDE DISK TYPE47
Manufacturer: (Standard disk drives)
Capacity: 37.26 GB
Model: <unknown>
Interface Type: <unknown>

Vid board is by PNY, by the way.

I am test installing another game right now ( Combat Mission) and if that is OK, will try SB again. I will let you know what happens! Thanks again for your support,

Tim

[9erRed]

Greetings, noticed a few things that may have or can cause some display or failure to run problems.

First if you don't need the DX9 to run anything, which there's evry few if any programs designed to run on it yet, then deinstall it to the DX 8.1 version as this is much more compatiable than the Dx9 version.

Second the Video drivers your currently using are the "Detonator 40" series
[Detonator 40 is the graphics driver for all NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Detonator 40 supports 2D graphics, DirectX 8.1, OpenGL 1.4, nView Desktop Management software version 2.0, NVRotate. NVKeystone, Digital Vibrance Control and includes a new control panel and the CineFX emulator. Through NVIDIA’s Unified Driver Architecture, Detonator software supports all GPUs in a single driver]

Now the latest drivers, the version 41.09 are very good but will not run all the "normal' applications, I would suggest that you reinstall the Version 30.82_win9x. This release of drivers is stable and will operate everything the newer drivers will. I found that after upgrading to the latest Nvideo drivers that some applications wouldn't run or even display anymore. (ie: screensavers) The latest drivers are designed for multipule monitors and task switching between them. I found that after going back to the older versions of Dx and Vid. drivers everything was "back up and working"

Another note here, as you boot up the SB game, hold down the "shift" key and the intro movie will be disabled. This will stay disabled till you boot up again with shift engaged (on/off toggle)

Ok, hope that helps you get up and running. 9erRed ..... out

[wunwinglow]

OK guys! Combay Mission loaded and ran just fine, so I reinstalled SB via the Add/Remove windows doodah, (first time for everything!), shut down, Restarted, launched SB by d/c-ing the .exe file and.....

IT RUNS!!!

Blam! Poweee! Kersplat!!

Gee, SteelBeasts Repair Man (Men), how can I ever repay you?! Honestly, I can see this is going to be a real hoot!

9erRed, thanks for your input, I had considered doing as you suggest, but I also hace Microsofts Combat Flight Simulator 3 loaded, and this is most definitely improved ( on my rig anyway) by using the latest drivers and DX9. I haven't had any other problems, I use CorelDraw, Rhinoceros (3D modeller) andPaintShop Pro mostly, and have no problems with any of them, so now it seems to be working just fine, I will leave weell alone! I must have had some glitchette in the Registry perhaps, but whatever, I am really chuffed to get this prog running now. Having read so much about it, I was very dissappointed when it just locked up!

I'm off to the range now for some target practice, see you again soon I am sure!

Thanks again,

Tim
www.kipperboxes.co.uk
www.tjpgraphics.com

[Lone*star49]

...

Makes ya so proud of the SB Team.. (Burner, 9erRed)

New titles for the both of ya.. "Flight Engineers" :thumbup:

Ls ;)