foeh@mmer

Thanks for the story about the near miss Volcano. I'm sure you'll never forget that sound. BTW I'm not complaining about the work you've done on the sounds over the years. You've done a fantastic job. Thanks.

Having been with the sim since the original SB, the sounds have definitely evolved over the years. I recall at one point the impact of a sabot round was something like a dish smashing or a window cracking. I assume this was meant to simulate the sound of the ceramic cracking in composite armor. This was done away with in subsequent upgrades. Also, I remember from the original SB that if you were at the gunner's station, upon receiving a hit you were momentarily prevented from viewing through the GPS, which I assume was meant to simulate having your bell rung through the shock wave. :drink:. What always interested me though is how the woosh of a near miss was recorded. To me that sounds pretty realistic and not an approximation.

D'oh! Didn't think to check the other threads. Thanks. :confused:

Rumor has it that a new game engine for SB is in the works. I'm looking at getting a new computer and would like to have some assurance that the processor and the graphics are up to the job. Any idea how this is going to affect the minmum system requirements. Will we be forced to invest in gaming computers in order to ensure decent fps?

ArmA has bouncy road wheels.

Not before bouncing road wheels.

Those are great shots of the Bergepanzer. I love the muddy boot prints on the top. Great job whoever did the skin.

Will you be recording some British voices for the Chally? And the command and response sequence is different. ie "Fin, Tank, ON! Loaded! Fire! Lasing! Target! Target Stop!"

Been following this thread with interest. Can somebody please direct me to the link that has the 3d infantry pictures? I've searched the gallery and don't see them. Thanks.

I was basing the date of the article on the bibliography on the last page which listed The Third World War, August 1985. I just realized my mistake, though. The date is part of the title of the book. I agree, the late 70s were the period of greatest vulnerabilty for NATO. The US had not yet commenced the Reagan buildup, morale was at a low ebb due to Viet Nam, and, of course, the labor unrest in Poland had not disclosed the first weakness in the Warsaw Pact alliance. Plus, oil and gas prices, which were in essence financing the entire Soviet military machine, had not yet collapsed. Any scenario recreating a Soviet invasion at that point would be very interesting. The losses on both sides would have been staggering but the outcome questionable. Another tidbit, which came out in the late 80s, when it didn't matter any more, was the lack of standardization of weaponry among the NATO forces which meant the there was only enough ammunition stockpiled to sustain operations for no more than 30 days. The fighting would have been short and bloody, the outcome of which would have been decided within the first 2 weeks.

I thought the article gave an interesting snapshot of the strategic thinking of the time. The Soviet threat was still very real. Assuming the article was written in 86 who would have guessed that in 3 years the Soviet Union would break up, the Berlin wall would collapse, Germany would reunify. I thought the author gave a rather pessimistic assessment of NATO morale and operational readiness but nothing on how the Warsaw Pact would have performed. I'm sure by 86 cracks were starting to appear in the readiness, much less commitment to all out war, of the WP esp in the satellite countries, East Germany, Poland, etc. I was stationed in Germany 77 to 80 which was in fact a bad time for the US Army having just emerged from the debacle of Viet Nam. The quality of the recruits was generally low, my own unit, 5/68th armored, was riddled with drug abuse and discipline problems. I was intrigued by the author's claim that the 8th Infantry (my division) was to be redeployed to NORTHAG from Southern Germany. I rather doubt that we could have done it within the 48 hour projected window of advance warning given that there would most likely have been a massive traffic jam on the autobahns.

Cool article. This is a scan from what magazine?

As far as German nobility goes, what is the difference between having the "zu" and the "von" appellation?

So, Ssnake, why didn't you comment about improvements that need to be made in the physics model? Like, bobbing roadwheels, smoothing out the bumpy roads, etc. and all the other goodies we have suggested on the forum? Are these not high priority? Or did you decide not to comment soas not to raise/dash the hopes of anyone on the forum?

To be honest, I've always thought the helment was mainly for protection of your head while on the move. Looking at the interior, there are plenty of sharp metal corners and protruding objects you could potentially bang your head against, particularly while moving over rough terrain. Plus, I can imagine the force of a direct hit during an engagement increases the chances of you banging your head on something. Wouldn't want to have say the gunner inadvertantly knocked unconscious in the heat of a battle. Of course, if the Germans have been riding around in berets all these years, what do I know. :confused:

Welcome and here's hoping the Hobbit will in fact be filmed in NZ.

Well, this isn't exactly rock but Carmina Baruna by Karl Orff always kind of gives me a rush. There's just something epochal about the music that seems to go with Steel Beasts in a strange way.

It's the year 2029. The small but loyal cadre of steelbeasts lovers, who have purchased every upgrade over the years are old and grey now. Every armored vehicle known to man has now been fully modeled and incoporrated into the sim except for - the T-72. But Ssnake has assured us, the T-72 is on the list and, if we are patient, perhaps within the next two or three years, yes, a fully modeled T-72 will be offered. Of course, there is no guarantee, but we can always hope. :redface:

You're right, Stasi. Duh. Should have figured that out. :debile2:

Fascinating document. Little confused though. Which Staatssicherheitsministerium are we talking about - West German or East German? If its East German, then they had exquisite intelligence of our operational plans. This must be West German. Anyway, lots of information about my old division, 8th Infantry, which has since been deactivated. Even mentions my old unit 5th battalion 68th armored. Often wondered what the exact plans were for us should the balloon have gone up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8218985.stm Sales lead for you Ssnake. I think they are going to need SB Pro to train with. :sonic:

I've been reading with interest this thread. First of all what is "VASSAL"? Is this some sort of computerized version of Panzerblitz. Secondly, I wondering if you are aware of the East Front/West Front games by Talonsoft? These are sort of "Ueber Panzerblitz" computer based games. Jim Dunnigan, the guy who developed the original panzerblitz, even contributed to the East Front series. Still, your above discussion did bring back fond memories of the game. There is something about the board game experience that can't be duplicated by a computer version. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent vids. Esp. the first one. The music definitely adds dramatic effect.

Cool Vid. I also liked the music. I'm also into New Age. Can you tell me who the artist is? Thanks.

Yes. That did the trick. Thanks.