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Several questions from a newbie


Max Chee

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Hi fellow wargamers!

 

I am Max Chee and I am interested in Steel Beasts PE but I have several questions in deciding on before taking this leap.

 

  1. Is the physical dongle required to play every time or just activation?
  2. I am back during weekends and tend to play my second PC in my hometown , will I be able to play one game on two my PC but one at a time? Will this work if I purchase one copy? 
  3. What vanilla single player content are available on the game? Are there tutorials missions for some of the tanks or just a general ones?
  4. How is the RTS portion of the game? Are the AI competent enough to play like a normal RTS? 
  5. Does the RTS works similar to Steel Armor from graviteam tactics? Like being in a tank and commanding a company form the map view and maybe switching to other tanks.
  6. Do I have to purchase an upgrade when V4.2 comes out?
  7. Are there any good links you can direct me to that can give me more information about Steel Beasts?
     

Thanks for any thoughts and looking forward to your replies.

 

Thanks!

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  1. Required every time you run the sim. Unless you get a time limited license, in which case no dongle is required.
  2. You can play on any computer as long as you have the dongle inserted and the software installed. If you purchase multiple licenses, there is a way to play on multiple computers at the same time with only one dongle.
  3. There are few dozen single player missions included with the sim - but with a lot of time in the planning phase, you could theoretically play some "multi-player" missions by yourself. There are also missions which can be downloaded from this site. (Note: There are also quite a few multiplayer missions included with the sim and available for download.) There are some tutorials included for about 18 vehicles - although that's not nearly all of the vehicles in the sim. There are also some "demo" missions which demonstrate a few things.
  4. The AI can be very deadly. Or not. A lot depends on the scenario design.
  5. Never played Steel Armor, but your description sounds exactly like Steel Beasts.
  6. You would only have to upgrade if you wanted to play online with other people using a newer version.
  7. YouTube has a lot of videos and there is a link to a wiki at the top of this page.
Edited by Lt DeFault
More info.
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#4, I should point out the option to play from a bird's eye view and to give commands in 3D view in SB Pro, provided that the scenario designer activated the overhead view option. (Which is something that you could do when opening stock scenarios in the mission editor.)

This may give more of an RTS vibe if that's your prime interest.

By default this option is switched off, but that doesn't mean that it's forbidden to use it. Likewise, most scenarios can be edited (you may want to save them under a different name, though). It's your game. You bought it. We suggest a certain play style, but we don't monopolize it. :)

 

WRT to #6, coming upgrades, I should point out that we release to-pay for upgrades only every two years or so, and then at a moderate upgrade fee (e.g. $30.- this year). Owners of time-based licenses never have to pay for upgrades.

 

Most YouTube videos you would find probably still show old versions of SB Pro, keep that in mind when wondering why things look different. Also, most videos will show multiplayer action.

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16 minutes ago, Lt DeFault said:
  1. Required every time you run the sim. Unless you get a time limited license, in which case no dongle is required.
  2. You can play on any computer as long as you have the dongle inserted and the software installed. If you purchase multiple licenses, there is a way to play on multiple computers at the same time with only one dongle.
  3. There are a couple dozen single player missions included with the sim - but with a lot of time in the planning phase, you could theoretically play most missions by yourself. There are also missions which can be downloaded from this site. (Note: There are also quite a few multiplayer missions included with the sim.)
  4. The AI can be very deadly. Or not. A lot depends on the scenario design.
  5. Never played Steel Armor, but your description sounds exactly like Steel Beasts.
  6. You would only have to upgrade if you wanted to play online with other people using a newer version.
  7. YouTube has a lot of videos and there is a link to a wiki at the top of this page.

Thanks for the info.

 

If my dongle gets broken, can I get a replacement? 

 

Could you provide some links of famous channels covering Steel Beasts mainly? 

 

Thanks

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If your dongle gets damaged/broken it can be replaced as long as you can send the damaged one back. If you lost it, you would have to purchase another one.

 

I do not have the names of any channels handy, but if you search for Steel Beasts on YouTube, you should be able to find them fairly easily. I'm not sure if Matsimus still has his SB videos up, but that would be a good place to start. Also, there is a thread in these forums titled "We Love Videos" that has many Steel Beasts vids in it.

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Just now, Lt DeFault said:

If your dongle gets damaged/broken it can be replaced as long as you can send the damaged one back. If you lost it, you would have to purchase another one.

 

I do not have the names of any channels handy, but if you search for Steel Beasts on YouTube, you should be able to find them fairly easily. I'm not sure if Matsimus still has his SB videos up, but that would be a good place to start. Also, there is a thread in these forums titled "We Love Videos" that has many Steel Beasts vids in it.

That's good to know!

 

I tried searching YouTube last night but mostly came across 3-4 years old video. I am looking for an introductory/ heavy commentary kind of videos. 

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Yes, we will replace broken CM sticks (this rarely happens). If it's a simple malfuntion, we'll replace it free of change. If it's negligent treatment and damage, we'd charge the material costs and shipping & handling (including, literally, "my dog ate it"). The only prerequisite is that you can send in the old stick (or what's left of it).

 

If your house burns down in a raging inferno, chalk it up as something for the fire insurance.

If you lose it/someone steals it, we have no means to verify if it is true, so we can't offer a replacement. But as long as you can still send something meaningful in (something that can be identified as having once been a CM stick, including, literally, if it has bits of dog saliva on it) you won't have to pay full price again.

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5 minutes ago, Ssnake said:

I'm not sure if there could be something like a "brief but comprehensive" introductory video (that's a formidable challenge. Hmmmm..); in any case, I know of no such video.

You may be better off simply trying it out for a month ($9.50 in our web shop).

Don't need a comprehensive video but maybe an activate channel for Steel Beasts. 

3 minutes ago, Lt DeFault said:

I'd also like to add that many of us have had our dongles (I hate that word) CodeMeter sticks for ten years or more with no problems.

 

*Knocks on wood

Do you play any other games or just hardcore SB all the way?

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1 hour ago, Max Chee said:

I am back during weekends and tend to play my second PC in my hometown , will I be able to play one game on two my PC but one at a time? Will this work if I purchase one copy? 

Yes with dongle. Basically you have 2 ways to do this:

1) Just take dongle with you,  and them  plug  it to your other PC.  Easiest  way, since with dongle you are not bound to particular   computer, OS or hardware configuration.

2) Start  licence server on  first PC and  access your  license remotely from the  second  computer. This  will require internet access for both computers, 1st computer  will be left running potentially unattended(not a very good thing, in fact), then  running license server and sharing license over internet may pose  security risks.

 

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i tend to disagree with any RTS game comparison. you can certainly command and maneuver units around from detached external views like an RTS game, but in profound respects they are more different than steel beasts than they are alike. RTS games do not scale the size of units so that an enemy 5km away is about the size of a pixel or even invisible picking you off; in RTS games the visual experience, the flow of time and the representation of battlespace are designed to facilitate the type of clickfest where you have a large overview of the map and all visible units rendered to give you a different experience. the nature of steel beasts means enemy units with thermal sensors and optics which can zoom in on you from several kilometers away will be killing you while you won't have those things when you attempt to fight from an external view without those things. in a similar way, enemy infantry concealed in forests or taking cover in broken terrain with undulations are difficult to eyeball from external views in steel beasts unless you already know where they are located, rather than rendering them large and easy to see in RTS games. unless units are a few meters away, in steel beasts, you may see tracers coming from a general direction, but that is all.

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14 hours ago, Captain_Colossus said:

i tend to disagree with any RTS game comparison. you can certainly command and maneuver units around from detached external views like an RTS game, but in profound respects they are more different than steel beasts than they are alike. RTS games do not scale the size of units so that an enemy 5km away is about the size of a pixel or even invisible picking you off; in RTS games the visual experience, the flow of time and the representation of battlespace are designed to facilitate the type of clickfest where you have a large overview of the map and all visible units rendered to give you a different experience. the nature of steel beasts means enemy units with thermal sensors and optics which can zoom in on you from several kilometers away will be killing you while you won't have those things when you attempt to fight from an external view without those things. in a similar way, enemy infantry concealed in forests or taking cover in broken terrain with undulations are difficult to eyeball from external views in steel beasts unless you already know where they are located, rather than rendering them large and easy to see in RTS games. unless units are a few meters away, in steel beasts, you may see tracers coming from a general direction, but that is all.

I see, but I am no stranger to more hardcore wargames like combat missions, CMANO and graviteam tactics which simulate realistic LOS and hit projection. However, I won't be playing from a top down view all the time rather I was thinking a similar experience like Steel Armor: Blaze of War, where I send out general commands to my platoon or company and ride in my tank most of the time while adding the battle from my station. 

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23 minutes ago, Max Chee said:

I see, but I am no stranger to more hardcore wargames like combat missions, CMANO and graviteam tactics which simulate realistic LOS and hit projection. However, I won't be playing from a top down view all the time rather I was thinking a similar experience like Steel Armor: Blaze of War, where I send out general commands to my platoon or company and ride in my tank most of the time while adding the battle from my station. 

SB works really great for this.

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On 8/15/2019 at 1:43 PM, Max Chee said:

How is the RTS portion of the game? Are the AI competent enough to play like a normal RTS?

I think Captain Colossus likes to 'split hairs'. Its fair to say that SB can be played in a RTS style if thats what you enjoy. Indeed, in larger scenarios with many units to control, you spend more time looking at the map and giving orders from there, moving your attention around the battlefield to where its needed. Also, i think the GUI in SB is far superior to that of the Graviteam titles.

The AI are "competent" in crew drills, but require the right orders/tactics for the situation.

Check out some gameplay videos (link is a few posts up) to get a look at different ways it can be played.

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I have found the scripting capabilities what makes SB a great wargame, not just a procedural simulation.  I spend hours in the planning phase setting up routes and reactions.  The AI at battle positions is awesome.  I love setting a tactic at a waypoint and then watch the AFV micro-maneuver on its own to get a shot, go hull down, hide, etc.  That is where SB as a wargame shines.

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On 8/15/2019 at 1:05 AM, Max Chee said:

That's good to know!

 

I tried searching YouTube last night but mostly came across 3-4 years old video. I am looking for an introductory/ heavy commentary kind of videos. 

I'm doing a playthrough of Camp Hornfelt. All my stuff is still 4.0, but you'll get the picture. 

 

Steel Beasts Pro PE - Tank Platoon Tactics: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7wwWTcJj9btJHj7tkvhVx8kbB58uS4Wz

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7 hours ago, Bond_Villian said:

 

I think Captain Colossus likes to 'split hairs'. Its fair to say that SB can be played in a RTS style if thats what you enjoy. Indeed, in larger scenarios with many units to control, you spend more time looking at the map and giving orders from there, moving your attention around the battlefield to where its needed. Also, i think the GUI in SB is far superior to that of the Graviteam titles.

The AI are "competent" in crew drills, but require the right orders/tactics for the situation.

Check out some gameplay videos (link is a few posts up) to get a look at different ways it can be played.

bullshit. then you did not understand my point at all. I repeat: you can give orders and maneuver units from external views, but substantively it does not feel like a typical RTS. go ahead and create a scenario where you play entirely from external views and then play a dedicated RTS game- take your pick- and then tell me how similar they are. this isnt saying of course there is no player strategy in steel beasts resolved in real time, but that is where any comparison ends when you see the results pan out. I would rather anyone looking into steel beasts not get the false impression that it is just a matter of hopping in and if they are already familiar with typical RTS games, then it translates right over

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Well, the question is of course what "a normal RTS game" is. If we take classic click fests like Starcraft, then Steel Beasts doesn't play at all like it.

If we compare it to recent Combat Mission titles, there are clear similarities with the Overhead View mode although we don't show casualties in a similar way.

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the comparison has been run through colossus' proprietary beer test. if i can drink through a few brews and play it at my own pace, then it is an RTS game. any player really ought to find it difficult in steel beasts to respond to apfsds projectiles moving at +1600 m/s in real time while sober, in an RTS game, you do not experience the speed of events the same way, let alone the overall type of management system that is inherent to RTS games where players zoom or jump around the map from external views. the closest comparison to steel beasts is the mission editor which allows the player free reign to roam, but even here once contact is made things tend to start happening quickly. RTS games by their very nature tend to be optimized for larger units for players to control without being overloaded with too many tasks to track (up to a point, even then RTS games can degenerate into generic clickfests where players are busy clicking around but cannot really see or even admire the explosions and action and whatnot)

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51 minutes ago, Bond_Villian said:

Jolly good show. Welcome to the forums Max Chee.

Thanks!

6 hours ago, Captain_Colossus said:

the comparison has been run through colossus' proprietary beer test. if i can drink through a few brews and play it at my own pace, then it is an RTS game. any player really ought to find it difficult in steel beasts to respond to apfsds projectiles moving at +1600 m/s in real time while sober, in an RTS game, you do not experience the speed of events the same way, let alone the overall type of management system that is inherent to RTS games where players zoom or jump around the map from external views. the closest comparison to steel beasts is the mission editor which allows the player free reign to roam, but even here once contact is made things tend to start happening quickly. RTS games by their very nature tend to be optimized for larger units for players to control without being overloaded with too many tasks to track (up to a point, even then RTS games can degenerate into generic clickfests where players are busy clicking around but cannot really see or even admire the explosions and action and whatnot)

Interesting thought but I was comparing the RTS portion more to strategy wargame like CMANO, Combat Mission and graviteam tactics especially Steel Armor.

Not comparing it to typical RTS like star

 craft 2.

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