ChrisWerb Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 (edited) Hello! I an British (English, living in Orkney, Scotland) and have no military background, but I am fairly up with military technology and tactics (tank-net poster for about 20 years) and have done a bit of wargaming. I also had a reasonably good ranking in Waste of Time (player name Meadowside), but have uninstalled it through sheer irritation with its total unreality. I should have a PC capable of running PE 4.0 within a couple of weeks and will be getting the full (dongle) licence. I have watched endless SB videos including all the 4.0 ones) on YouTube and lurked here for a while and am very impressed. Given the effort that obviously goes into creating multiplayer scenarios, I really do not want to turn up and screw up everyone's game. Since I do not know well in advance which vehicle will most likely be used, which ones would you advise me to learn first? Also how do I evidence the level of competence I have achieved in training/learning to the scenario designer or the person running the team/community so that they can decide whether and/or where to let me take part? Edited September 1, 2016 by ChrisWerb typo 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma6584 Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Hello and welcome to the community. Learn what you are interested in. It makes the learning easier and fun since you are looking into something that actually interests you. With respect to "being good enough" to play with others online, I would say just ask to join. I've never known a virtual group which has not allowed someone to play a session with them. If you are completely new, usually what happens is they will put you in charge of one tank or IFV, what-ever you are comfortable with and under the command of someone who is running the platoon or company and they will tutor you during the session. No one is unwelcome except for those who are disrespectful or immature. Be yourself and be an adult and you will have fun and make many friends in this most excellent community. Hope this helps and hope to see you online. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibsonm Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 (edited) Welcome! Can I also suggest you have a look here: And a shamless plug for the "Starter Pack" in the Wiki. Edited September 1, 2016 by Gibsonm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisWerb Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 Thank you guys and already in the Starter Pack Gibsonm. I know this will sound lame, but it is all really interesting to me. However I am really drawn to mech infantry and ATGW team roles and "steam" gunnery using older Soviet MBTs. The level of authenticity in SB in simulating gunnery systems (including progressively degraded reversionary modes) is simply awesome and will be a lot of fun to learn. Air defence, FO, engineer, logistics, recovery, resupply, medical etc. all look interesting too. How do you allocate players to these supporting arms? It would be relatively uninteresting to be in the REME LAD if you just had to control one ARV for an entire game, but if you were also doing air defence, engineering, resupply and medical you might even end up with task overload on occasions. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ssnake Posted September 1, 2016 Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 Some people - few, admittedly - seem to be drawn to these tasks, the "global G4", so to speak. And yes, once that the shooting starts these people seem to get busy enough. The trick is, I think, to take responsibility not only for "clean-up & repair" assets like AEVs and medics, but also some engineering assets like assault bridges etc. that would often be needed in a relatively early phase of the battle - but once that the bridge is laid and the AVLB vehicle is parked in a safe location there wouldn't be much to be done ... in Steel Beasts at least, where you never have to pull vehicle maintenance, and typical missions only last for an hour or two, so you can shift your attention elsewhere. Like hauling ammo, which isn't in high demand early on but may become mission critical at a later stage if the shooting gets intense. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibsonm Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 (edited) 28 minutes ago, ChrisWerb said: Thank you guys and already in the Starter Pack Gibsonm. I know this will sound lame, but it is all really interesting to me. However I am really drawn to mech infantry and ATGW team roles and "steam" gunnery using older Soviet MBTs. The level of authenticity in SB in simulating gunnery systems (including progressively degraded reversionary modes) is simply awesome and will be a lot of fun to learn. Air defence, FO, engineer, logistics, recovery, resupply, medical etc. all look interesting too. How do you allocate players to these supporting arms? It would be relatively uninteresting to be in the REME LAD if you just had to control one ARV for an entire game, but if you were also doing air defence, engineering, resupply and medical you might even end up with task overload on occasions. Well with Centurion (albeit with a Star of David on the side) you can have NATO steam gunnery too. As for supporting arms, its pretty much up to the CO to his appreciation and work out "I need a log guy". The log guy probably gets the whole RLC piece (Sup, Medical, REME). Yes it can be boring but driving your truck forward (filled with ammo) to the guys through Indian Country to conduct a Battle Replen tends to focus the mind wonderfully. "Amateurs study Tactics, Professionals study Logistics". Edited September 1, 2016 by Gibsonm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisWerb Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 Can AVLBs retrieve bridges as well as lay them? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marko Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 3 minutes ago, ChrisWerb said: Can AVLBs retrieve bridges as well as lay them? Yes. Normally you lay the bridge then proof it. Then hide till the C/O tells you to collect it again. If it survives contact with the Opfor arty. Its actually fun to do 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDF Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 (edited) 2 hours ago, ChrisWerb said: Hello! I an British (English, living in Orkney, Scotland) and have no military background, but I am fairly up with military technology and tactics (tank-net poster for about 20 years) and have done a bit of wargaming. I also had a reasonably good ranking in Waste of Time (player name Meadowside), but have uninstalled it through sheer irritation with its total unreality. I should have a PC capable of running PE 4.0 within a couple of weeks and will be getting the full (dongle) licence. I have watched endless SB videos including all the 4.0 ones) on YouTube and lurked here for a while and am very impressed. Given the effort that obviously goes into creating multiplayer scenarios, I really do not want to turn up and screw up everyone's game. Since I do not know well in advance which vehicle will most likely be used, which ones would you advise me to learn first? Also how do I evidence the level of competence I have achieved in training/learning to the scenario designer or the person running the team/community so that they can decide whether and/or where to let me take part? Well, since you like mech infantry, I would recommend doing the tutorial series for either the M2A2 (ODS) or one of the CV90 series. Bear in mind that the CV90's are probably the most complexly-modeled vehicles in the game, so perhaps the M2 is the better bet. As far as tanks, I would choose the Leo2A5 since its fire control system is fairly consistent across the post-A4 variants, and these tanks are commonplace in online sessions nowadays. The A4 has some slight differences. Or you can try the M1A1. Everything in the M1 series except the SEP has the same switchology in SB. The Challenger 2 is not seen as much online, and the target acquisition/fire control is a bit dodgy on some respects, but lately I've had a delightful time engaging targets with the day sight using that very accurate rifled gun. Note also that there is a "Support" series of tutorials that cover combat engineering and artillery FO topics. To echo what Enigma said, you should feel free to jump into online play as soon as you have finished the tutorials for a particular vehicle. The tutorials will give you a sufficient grounding in the SB interface. DO NOT worry about your skill level. The mission organizers will find an appropriate place for you. Edited September 1, 2016 by MDF 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDF Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 18 minutes ago, ChrisWerb said: Can AVLBs retrieve bridges as well as lay them? Yes, I believe so. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major duck Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 We also offer training sessions regularly and all our sessions are open to everyone just PM me or Swordsmandk here to find a time where we can help you setup everything from SB to TS and what to do in game in MP as it is a lot different then single player and can be big mouthfull all at once http://www.steelbeasts.com/online_play.html/ are a link to other VUs. Most of them without demanding membership MD/Kanium.EU 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibsonm Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Or just refer the Starter Pack where that stuff is already detailed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azure Lion Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Welcome to the community good sir! I will have to agree with enigma6584 in that if there are particular units that interest you the most, work with those first and get the hang of them. Once you are pretty comfortable with those units, then I recommend expanding out and giving all the other crew-able tanks whirl. They each have their personalities and quirks which are fun to learn and experience. If you do end up playing a lot of offline mode, you will eventually have to work with many of the units available anyway. Also, if you like creating scenarios, the Mission Editor is a wonderful tool. Coupled with the Map Editor, there isn't much you are not able to do. (P.S. Friendly reminder, make sure you are running in Administrator mode.) One thing I really enjoy is that we have people from around the world that get along, gather, have fun and generally enjoy each other's input and knowledge. And the amount of knowledge to be gleaned makes one want to giggle uncontrollably like a deranged necromancer about to raise an army of dracoliches. Again, welcome to the community, glad to have you aboard! Cheers! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibsonm Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 6 hours ago, ChrisWerb said: Can AVLBs retrieve bridges as well as lay them? Yes. This and other guides to other "specialist" items (at least as of 3.023) can be found here: Need to update to a 4.004 version now I guess. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 8 hours ago, ChrisWerb said: Hello! I an British (English, living in Orkney, Scotland) and have no military background, but I am fairly up with military technology and tactics (tank-net poster for about 20 years) and have done a bit of wargaming. I also had a reasonably good ranking in Waste of Time (player name Meadowside), but have uninstalled it through sheer irritation with its total unreality. I should have a PC capable of running PE 4.0 within a couple of weeks and will be getting the full (dongle) licence. I have watched endless SB videos including all the 4.0 ones) on YouTube and lurked here for a while and am very impressed. Given the effort that obviously goes into creating multiplayer scenarios, I really do not want to turn up and screw up everyone's game. Since I do not know well in advance which vehicle will most likely be used, which ones would you advise me to learn first? Also how do I evidence the level of competence I have achieved in training/learning to the scenario designer or the person running the team/community so that they can decide whether and/or where to let me take part? Hi Chris, welcome to the forums, always good to have another Brit around here once you get your feet under the table with SB maybe you can persuade Stuart to put his train set away and come back too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[]_--__[]KITT Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Esim should put an advert with WoT. Sick of rude community and ridiculously arcade tank gameplay?! Get a copy of Steel Beasts Pro PE instead. No premium subscription or purchasing any tanks required. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisWerb Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 (edited) 3 hours ago, []_--__[]KITT said: I have already issued Stuart with call-up papers It wasn't so much the rudeness in WoT as I could give as good as I received and it could be amusing on occasions. It was the sheer unreality of the game which got progressively worse over time as they deleted realism features to try to keep games under three minutes long. For instance, perfect "hover tank" fire on the move capability was billed as an improvement, leading to what were essentially two-dimensional air battles. On the realism front with SB, my only real criticism (other than a few frequently voiced here and which Ssnake intends to fix with the new terrain engine) is that, when shooting, if you kill something, you get an audible "Target!", whereas, in reality, you would presumably keep shooting until the target either burned, exploded or changed shape. This will probably be in at least one of the excellent supporting documents/tutorials, but, with a twin monitor set-up, is it possible to have it so that the map is permanently displayed on your 2nd monitor regardless of what you are doing in the sim? So that your 2nd monitor effectively becomes a battle management system terminal? I know that would not be realistic for vehicles earlier than M1A2 and late model CV90s, but it would still be awesome when permitted. Edited September 2, 2016 by ChrisWerb omission of word 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swordsmandk Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 The more the better. When you feel up for it let me know and I will give you that little push that makes you addicted. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisWerb Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 Well, considering I have been staying up night after night until well after midnight for weeks now watching one and a half hour long SB battle/AAR videos, I hardly think you have a tough job on your hands swordsmanDK 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swordsmandk Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Join us on Sunday and I will take good care of you. Entirely your choice but we will take good care of you. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major duck Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 14 minutes ago, ChrisWerb said: Well, considering I have been staying up night after night until well after midnight for weeks now watching one and a half hour long SB battle/AAR videos, I hardly think you have a tough job on your hands swordsmanDK Trees and friends my young padovan the enemy is easy enough 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisWerb Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 Thank you for the offers of help, but I would guess it would be the weekend after next, at best, before I have all the hardware and software in place and week after that to become competent in a vehicle, so I will be up for some team training in about a fortnight if the offers still stand. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 1 hour ago, ChrisWerb said: I have already issued Stuart with call-up papers That's good to know, his Salisbury plain map still gets a fair bit of use. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ssnake Posted September 2, 2016 Members Share Posted September 2, 2016 2 hours ago, ChrisWerb said: This will probably be in at least one of the excellent supporting documents/tutorials, but, with a twin monitor set-up, is it possible to have it so that the map is permanently displayed on your 2nd monitor regardless of what you are doing in the sim? You'd start a second instance of SB Pro, set up a network session with yourself, and put that other player into the map view. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red2112 Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 I wouldn´t mind being pushd out the side door either. So for any side trainning please count me in and I will be more then happy to join. Just please advise with a bit of time ahead to get organiezd. Care, Red 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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