The driver's seat... who needs it?

[Reload]

No disrespect to actual tank drivers and all but, as a total NOOB here who is STILL trying to configure his tank's controlers I must ask...

How much time does anyone here spend in the tank driver's possition anyways?
Seeing as I can both drive and gun from the Gunner's possition, why would I ever take the driver's seat?

PLEASE keep in mind, I'm focusing on single player M1A1 tank fun...

Perhaps what I should be asking is this: What tank possition do you spend most of your time in when puttin' the smack-down on the whack-nuts?

Please do bloviate.:biggrin:

[3Star]

The position was put in at the request of a military customer so that all the crew members could participate in the training (As you can imagine, this customer was interested in a vehicle other than a 4-man-tank). If you happen to have a bunch of friends who are interested in playing missions with fully-manned vehicles, the seat will come in useful.

Otherwise, it's just there as part of the 'The military paid for it, you get it' philosophy.

NTM

[Shootme4fun]

I can see what you mean by who needs it. The truth is you don't. Yeah, you can use it for multiplayer, but unless you are or have been an actual tanker you probably won't enjoy it. Me being one I kinda like it except for not being able to adjust my periscopes. It's just an option for you and to make a little more realistic.

[Reload]

The truth is you don't.

Yep, I'm just now finding that out.
Don't get me wrong here, a sim with this level of detail would be silly not to include the driver's station. My real reason for bringing it up is that I'm a... don't tell anyone... "noob" to this and I'm still trying to learn the ropes.

That and the fact that I was intending to set up my HOTAS so that the throttle would work to do all the driving, which it now does... except in the Driver's possition where it doesn't work. So now... I just don't sit in the Driver's seat to do my driving. :biggrin:

It all be good. Lots to learn still.

[Skybird03]

I need it.

If there is one thing i am really dissatisfied with, then the collision detection of SBP. It is almost a catastrophe, imo. The last two patches messed it up even more. Meeting of two columns on a two-lane-road worked before the second-last patch, they did work extremely bad after that one, and only a bit better after the last. What functioned in a given scenario before, does not function in that scenario anymore. Grrr!

It leads on no rare occasions to a vehicle of mine, travelling on roads through forest or desert area, to leave the road and avoid an obstacle (a vehicle parked let's say ten meters away from the road). If there is only empty space, then the mild form of this event is that for ridiculous reasons the vehicles zig-zags around, off the road, and back on it, although the obstacle often is not even near. But if in the "Off" there are trees, swamps and those little rocks, then it very easily zig-zags left and right in an attempt to find its way, slows down, gets stuck, strolls deeper and deeper into the maze of trees and rocks, turning around, sometimes doing pirouettes, revealing flanks and vulnerable rear. Hey, my AI tank even avoids vehicles that I parked several meters offside the other side of the road!

Here is when the driver's seat is handy, and not rarely the only solution.

I do not miss night and dynamic weather and environmental shadows. Only the odd behavior when dealing with water bodies, where they drown by the thousands, sometimes even on what appears to be flat beach or a water body of even not half the length of the tank, and then this collision detection and avoidance routine - these are the only two things that I would like to see fixed so to improve my rating from "exceptionnally good" to "almost perfect".

[CriticalMass]

No disrespect to actual tank drivers and all but, as a total NOOB here who is STILL trying to configure his tank's controlers I must ask...

How much time does anyone here spend in the tank driver's possition anyways?
Seeing as I can both drive and gun from the Gunner's possition, why would I ever take the driver's seat?

PLEASE keep in mind, I'm focusing on single player M1A1 tank fun...

Perhaps what I should be asking is this: What tank possition do you spend most of your time in when puttin' the smack-down on the whack-nuts?

Please do bloviate.:biggrin:

being a noob myself I was glad of the chance to partake in some MP as the driver. I felt a bit nervous at being launched into the gunners position, as I felt I might not do the other players justice. There was space and I was lonely :biggrin:.

It was nice introduction to the guys on TeamSpeak.

</bloviation>

[Ssnake]

If there is one thing i am really dissatisfied with, then the collision detection of SBP. It is almost a catastrophe, imo. The last two patches messed it up even more. Meeting of two columns on a two-lane-road worked before the second-last patch, they did work extremely bad after that one, and only a bit better after the last. What functioned in a given scenario before, does not function in that scenario anymore. Grrr!
Can you simplify the scenario to the point where it will show this problem quickly after starting it, and send it to me?
We can then run it in the debugger and analyze what's happening so we can try and find a solution for it.

[Stewy]

I use it to get through forests at full tilt - besides, driving the SB tanks is fun!

Stew

[tarball]

It has proven its worth in MP games many times.

If a human player goes AWOL/AFK, is new and lost, or needs help, the ability to jump in an drive has been a lifesaver.

[Sockeye]

I could be mistaken, but isn't the mineplow only operable from the driver's hole? My gaming rig is at the doctor's office right now, so I can't refresh my memory so easily.

I don't use the plow too often, although I like to put one or two in my home-made scenarios for appearances, but I seem to remember from one of the CV90 tutorials that the plow could only be lowered and raised from the driver's seat.

The CV90 tutorial I'm thinking of is the one where you have to escort a medic M113; go through a small minefield to simulate the pickup of casualties at an awaiting CV90; bring 'em back to the medic; and escort the medic to an LZ to wait for the Medevac helo.

[plummerx]

Not a lot, but when the ai driver gets stupid, you really need it. I also like it to ensure i get through my breeched minefields without problems.

There is value in it, and I'd like to see it accurately modeled. I think it's going to be a must for SBII anyway.

[Los]

I need the drivers seat! I have my 9 year old son gunning, I'm the TC, and my 4 year old drives. (And does a darn fine job of it.) Everybody's happy.

[ShotMagnet]

The family that tanks together, stays together.


Shot

[Shootme4fun]

I think it's up to who plays the game. You can do fine, but in reality you have a tank commander and loader who helps with directing the tank, because I don't know if you noticed, those periscopes really limit your vision. It takes some practice getting use to just like in reality. I can't tell you how many times I almost ran off the road when I first started driving tanks. It's fun if you play MP, because you have a TC to help.

[stalintc]

I use the drivers seat specifically to run over enemy infantry that I may happen to be close too, it can actually be quicker than bringing the turret to bear lol