il2 - TANK CREW - Infantry are coming to this tank simulator in the il2 engine

[Destraex]

I could not find a thread for Tank Crew. I imagine it must be mixed in with the flight simulator thread for il2. Merge this if you need to Jarhead, I just thought that it deserved it's own thread.

I hear that infantry elements are coming to tank crew. I will be pulling the trigger on Tank Crew because of this.
Thank you Jason for making this happen. I will be spreading the word to other friends.


Originally the developers were adamant that infantry would never happen as you can see below:
"Then don't buy it and stop trying to discourage others from enjoying it. You want infantry. Heard you. Next.
Jason
"https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/38036-a-few-important-questions-about-tank-crew/page/2/
We do not have the technology or resources to make infantry. We make a vehicle simulation. This will be sold under the IL-2 Sturmovik line of products.
Jason
https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/37499-developer-diary-part-195-discussion/page/4/

But now look at 1:10 in the below interview with Jason.

For those not familiar with this Tank Simulator, see below, I really enjoyed this video with the dedicated tank map.
Basically il2 Tank Battles is a tank simulator with a good level of detail and approximately 10 tanks included with the base game. It plugs into il2 so that pilots can also play with the tanks.

Here is the store page for any interested in the features:
https://il2sturmovik.com/store/tank-crew/

P.S. Movies that I like that (now I have tank crew) will get me in the mood to play:


Seen:

- Iron Fury (t-34 is the eastern name for this movie) - A very recent Russian movie purely about a tank crew. The story is supposed to be based in History but is rather fantastic. Some really good Matrix style CGI and the big draw being the enemy Panthers. Hired this and want it on 4k if that ever happens. Stores here only have it on DVD.
- Tanks for Stalin - An adventure movie about moving the T-34 Prototype for Stalins inspection. I think this is on Tubi?
- Kellys Heroes - A movie with a tonne of Sherman tanks in it and Clint Eastwood. It's a gold heist behind enemy lines in ww2. I have this one on Blu Ray
- White Tiger - I don't recommend this because the Tiger looks silly. It has some good Russian kit lying around though
- Saving Private Ryan - It has the fake Kellys Heroes Tigers in it. Good movie all round. Got it on 4k
- Fury - Some very strange scenes in this movie both tactically and from an acting stand point. It's an annoying movie that I own on blu ray but just cannot watch because of the annoying sidekick in Brad Pitt's tank. The Tiger charges the Shermans for some odd reason in this movie as well as the german infantry forgetting they have AT for some time.

- Stalingrad - A newer Russian version of Stalingrad (not the older good stalingrad movie) that has mock Panzer IV tanks made from T55 hulls I think. Not a very good movie at all and I do not recommend.

- Tankova Brigada - 1955 czech movie about late ww2 czech t-34 tankers. Has some real panthers in it iirc. Thousands of extras but in general a very slow movie. The one I have is in black and white on DVD. But I think it is colourised in the youtube footage I have seen.

- Battle of the Bulge - Unfortunately the tanks in this film are all post ww2 - I think they are American Chaffee's of Korean War vintage and Patton tanks? I mean M24 Chaffee tanks did serve in late ww2, but not the Patton Tanks that pose as tigers. Don't own it but have watched it a few times because it turns up all the time everywhere.

- Saints and Soldiers battle of the tanks - Has Hellcat Tank destroyers in it and a fair amount of tank action. I think they face a pretty good mock up of a panzer III? Think this is pretty easy to get on the standard streaming services.

- Tali-Ihantala 1944 - Good STUG action

- Steiner - T34s I think. But mainly an infantry focus for this one.

Want to see:

- Indestructible - Russian movie about kv1 tankers. I think it has the same T55 chassis panzer IV mock ups as the newer Stalingrad.


Had no idea about until recently:
- To Hell and back
- Four Tank-Men and a Dog - if you can tolerate a really old series
- 28 panfilovtsev - more antitank than tank
- Defiance - Israeli tank crews?

Anybody got any other movie recommendations when it comes to ww2 tanks. Outside of ww2 their was a movie called "the beast" about a Russian tank crew in afghanistan... outside of that I really cannot remember any other tank films per sae.

[Pete Dero]

Anybody got any other movie recommendations when it comes to ww2 tanks.

The Bridge at Remagen has (non authenthic ww2) tanks in it.

Patton also includes some tanks.

[Destraex]

Both of those movies i'd watch. But a shame they are korean era tanks standing in for the real deal. It's like you had the right kinda guys for the ww2 era back then to play the soldiers but none of the gear. Now we have the gear but more modern gloomy types to play the soldiers.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Tank Brigade.

[Apocalypse 31]

So...

1. I'm not a big fan of IL2 Tanks. They feel clunky, the controls are weird, and the game world is weird - not meant for tanks. Even DCS Combined Arms feels better. You can keep the fancy interiors. They don't mean anything if the tanks plays like shit. I also hate the IL2 scenario editor - it is far inferior to DCS or Steel Beasts. Multiplayer coop is also weird, and feels like an afterthought.

2. DCS has a playable Ferdinand. For someone who develops a flight simulator, he is out of touch with his competitors.

3. He clearly states that First Person Infantry are NOT coming to IL2. Check timestamp:1:11:10 or click the link:
https://youtu.be/jtzPxOi-q6A?t=4273

4. Developing a WW2 game (that includes ground combat) without infantry? Insane.

5. Flight Simulator developers are hilarious when they try to model ground combat....It's just bad, and they are clueless. These guys could model EVERY rivet and widget correctly on whatever obscure 1940s plane (that may or may not have seen combat) but when it comes to modeling a tank they are absolutely lost and confused. I'm more looking at DCS and the awful Combined Arms module but my experience with IL2 Tanks is somewhat similar.

[Strela]

Liberation is what you would call 'epic'.... Quite a few WW2 era tanks and a few later ring-ins...

This is the first of five movies....

[Skoop]

So...

1. I'm not a big fan of IL2 Tanks. They feel clunky, the controls are weird, and the game world is weird - not meant for tanks. Even DCS Combined Arms feels better. You can keep the fancy interiors. They don't mean anything if the tanks plays like shit. I also hate the IL2 scenario editor - it is far inferior to DCS or Steel Beasts. Multiplayer coop is also weird, and feels like an afterthought.

2. DCS has a playable Ferdinand. For someone who develops a flight simulator, he is out of touch with his competitors.

3. He clearly states that First Person Infantry are NOT coming to IL2. Check timestamp:1:11:10 or click the link:
https://youtu.be/jtzPxOi-q6A?t=4273

4. Developing a WW2 game (that includes ground combat) without infantry? Insane.

5. Flight Simulator developers are hilarious when they try to model ground combat....It's just bad, and they are clueless. These guys could model EVERY rivet and widget correctly on whatever obscure 1940s plane (that may or may not have seen combat) but when it comes to modeling a tank they are absolutely lost and confused. I'm more looking at DCS and the awful Combined Arms module but my experience with IL2 Tanks is somewhat similar.

I would disagree with everything you said, but to each his own I guess.

I thought the IL2 tanks felt far more authentic than DCS combined arms.  I was able to bind all the IL2 tank controls to my HOTAS and it worked great.  Now with the addition of infantry, even better.

I do agree with you about the IL2 editor though, it is not user friendly at all.

[Jarhead0331]

So...

1. I'm not a big fan of IL2 Tanks. They feel clunky, the controls are weird, and the game world is weird - not meant for tanks. Even DCS Combined Arms feels better. You can keep the fancy interiors. They don't mean anything if the tanks plays like shit. I also hate the IL2 scenario editor - it is far inferior to DCS or Steel Beasts. Multiplayer coop is also weird, and feels like an afterthought.

2. DCS has a playable Ferdinand. For someone who develops a flight simulator, he is out of touch with his competitors.

3. He clearly states that First Person Infantry are NOT coming to IL2. Check timestamp:1:11:10 or click the link:
https://youtu.be/jtzPxOi-q6A?t=4273

4. Developing a WW2 game (that includes ground combat) without infantry? Insane.

5. Flight Simulator developers are hilarious when they try to model ground combat....It's just bad, and they are clueless. These guys could model EVERY rivet and widget correctly on whatever obscure 1940s plane (that may or may not have seen combat) but when it comes to modeling a tank they are absolutely lost and confused. I'm more looking at DCS and the awful Combined Arms module but my experience with IL2 Tanks is somewhat similar.

I would disagree with everything you said, but to each his own I guess.

I thought the IL2 tanks felt far more authentic than DCS combined arms.  I was able to bind all the IL2 tank controls to my HOTAS and it worked great.  Now with the addition of infantry, even better.

I do agree with you about the IL2 editor though, it is not user friendly at all.

I also disagree...Call me crazy, but I think tanks from the era would be quite "clunky". Not sure what your experience or expectation of how a T-34 should feel is really. In addition, I don't think anyone was expecting FPS style infantry combat in this title. All people were asking for was to have infantry on the battlefield representing targets and threats and adding to the environment, combined armed aspects of the simulation. I think having FPS playable infantry would be a ridiculous idea. I'm thrilled to hear the they are adding infantry in the manner in which they seem to be aiming for.

Finally, the experience of Tank Crew in VR is revolutionary. It just feels awesome in every way.

The one place I do agree with you is on the controls. They need work, and I'm happy to hear in the interview that they are aware of this and are working on it.

[hellfish6]

So...

1. I'm not a big fan of IL2 Tanks. They feel clunky, the controls are weird, and the game world is weird - not meant for tanks. Even DCS Combined Arms feels better. You can keep the fancy interiors. They don't mean anything if the tanks plays like shit. I also hate the IL2 scenario editor - it is far inferior to DCS or Steel Beasts. Multiplayer coop is also weird, and feels like an afterthought.

I completely agree. I think tank interiors are generally useless, save Steel Beast's multifunction commander stations which are excellent. Give me a good gunsight and some hotkeys as a gunner and I'd never even think about the perfectly, expensively modeled buttons I'm never going to use anyways.

[SirAndrewD]

This is great news.  It was the one thing the game really lacked that irked me. 

I echo the sentiment of liking how the game feels.  I guess mileage varies.  I don't find it any more clunky than say games like Steel Beasts or Steel Fury. 

The control scheme is a headache though.  I streamlined it by using my Pedals, Throttle and mouse, but it takes a lot of work to get right. 

Anyway, yeah, this is a must buy now for any Armor enthusiast.

[Rekim]

I haven't played a tank sim since Panzer Elite v1.0. Sounds like it might be time to change that.

[Destraex]

I rationalised this at $10 a tank (10 tanks @ $100aud) where DCS would be $50 or so an aircraft.
Feels really good actually. The tanks have amazing detail judging by my first "jump in and pot around" go.
Forgive me guys, but I would have liked to be mouse clicking the startup for the tanks.... clickable cockpit is something I find very immersive and a massive aid to learning the more complex DCS aircraft. It's not needed for Tank Crew. But I just like to visually know where all the buttons are through muscle memory like you would in a real cockpit or tank interior.

I just love seeing all the cogs and wheels spin around in the tank. It's one of the things I am curious about. How these old tanks work.

Apart from that I am a very happy camper at the moment. It's the sort of game you can just load, jump into an instant action mission and start blasting at stuff in minutes. Add to that that the campaigns seem like they will be fun.

The fact that infantry are coming (as AI squads) should add a lot of immersion. I imagine they did not want to go their partly because it would be a lot of work from an animation and memory management perspective but also because it would not have aided the aircraft side of the business for all the time and effort put in.

I think this game will be the sweet spot for tank games for me. War Thunder felt too gamey and because the forces were so mixed never felt like it was immersive. It just felt like a cheap experience with a lot of grinding and maps that people just knew like the back of their hands and constantly did crazy things in their tanks with.

By the way. It looks like AA guns are being developed separately; I cannot remember whether tank crew owners were supposed to get these as part of the original offering?
Quote
"Due to development and gameplay considerations we have decided to create a separate AAA vehicles add-on featuring the GAZ-MM + 72K and Sd. Kfz. 10 + Flak38. We will prepare them as a separate product to be released later and work to make them a more interesting addition to IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles then initially planned."

[Destraex]

Really enjoying this game. Relaxing and fun. Easy to learn and play. Have not tried veteran mode yet. This is on normal difficulty.
There are some pretty cool little bits of realism like it telling you on normal that your turret is slower now because your on a slope. Playing with the sights is a lot of fun. Windage is essential for good shots.

[Dammit Carl!]

Nice.

We're inching forward to a combined arms games nirvana if DCS ever manages to get their stuff together in that department.

[Jarhead0331]

This is why Tank Crew needs infantry...