Gunner, HEAT, PC (new tank game/sim-lite)

[Gusington]

Thanks guys.

[SirAndrewD]

Got my Steam Key last night and it looks like it'll have a release this afternoon. 

Not expecting a lot of differences from the last Pateron build, but still a good milestone.

[Gusington]

Wow time flies. Post impressions!!

[SirAndrewD]

Well, my impressions are unchanged. 

The EA release version is mostly the last Patreon build, so nothing therein was a mystery.  Didn't even have to rebind anything. 

There are a lot of missions and the tanks and control schemes are very fleshed out.  The shell of the dynamic campaign is there and gives a good feel for the vehicles and their systems. 

Works fine with "niche" controllers like my Virpil rig.  I could pretty easily bind everything to my stick and control boxes even though the stick's still a bit sensitive for my tastes.  I'm planning on going to the shorter stick extension later this month so that might make things a bit better.

Lots of vehicles are already modeled and playable. 

Just make sure you note, this is a gunner sim.  There's no complex vehicle management, interiors, or commander views or systems beyond setting waypoints and giving platoon orders.  Some of that stuff is coming in the roadmap. 

Overall this has a lot of missions to enjoy from both sides, and some rudimentary campaign gameplay.  If you're getting in at this stage you're doing so to fund development.  I think its worth it.

[Gusington]

^Thanks D. I'm going in.

[The_Admiral]

Oh I can only support SirAndrew's opinion - all the more considering I got to know them early on - that's one of these zero risk moves you can make this year, and God knows how few and precious these ones have become 

[Skoop]

Games really fun, will be epic when it's fleshed out.  Adding infantry and arty will go along way, also some form of air power even if it's abstracted.  Interesting to see how the campaign will shake out.  I'm fine with it being SP focus, but would be great to pve the campaign with 2 to 4 friends.

[Pete Dero]

Games really fun, will be epic when it's fleshed out.  Adding infantry and arty will go along way, also some form of air power even if it's abstracted.  Interesting to see how the campaign will shake out.  I'm fine with it being SP focus, but would be great to pve the campaign with 2 to 4 friends.

Do you have Steel Beasts ?

If so, how would you compare them ?

[SirAndrewD]

Do you have Steel Beasts ?

If so, how would you compare them ?

Different animals. 

Steel Beasts is a full on simulator, while it's got a lot of missions available for it, it's first and foremost a full sim of the workings of the study tanks it simulates.  It's a great sim but it has a high learning curve and its single player does leave a lot to be desired.  It's not trying to be a game or even be fun, although it can be. 

Gunner HEAT is a lot closer to the kind of games they used to make but don't anymore.  It's a game, but it has far more simulator elements than say, something like War Thunder.  It's first and foremost working to give a good single player experience with enough sim elements to let you know they care about what they're modeling.  It's like the old Microprose classics, M1 Tank Platoon I-II, F-19/F117 Stealth Fighter, F-15 Strike Eagle series ect.  It's aiming to give you fun missions with a challenge, and a SP dynamic campaign. 

If you're a tank enthusiast there's room for both, I have both and DCS Combined Arms and Great Battles Tank Crew.  If you'd have to pick one, for a guy like me it'd be Gunner HEAT, and that's from a guy that's spent more money on DCS than his own medical care.

[Pete Dero]

Do you have Steel Beasts ?

If so, how would you compare them ?

Different animals. 

Steel Beasts is a full on simulator, while it's got a lot of missions available for it, it's first and foremost a full sim of the workings of the study tanks it simulates.  It's a great sim but it has a high learning curve and its single player does leave a lot to be desired.  It's not trying to be a game or even be fun, although it can be. 

Gunner HEAT is a lot closer to the kind of games they used to make but don't anymore.  It's a game, but it has far more simulator elements than say, something like War Thunder.  It's first and foremost working to give a good single player experience with enough sim elements to let you know they care about what they're modeling.  It's like the old Microprose classics, M1 Tank Platoon I-II, F-19/F117 Stealth Fighter, F-15 Strike Eagle series ect.  It's aiming to give you fun missions with a challenge, and a SP dynamic campaign. 

If you're a tank enthusiast there's room for both, I have both and DCS Combined Arms and Great Battles Tank Crew.  If you'd have to pick one, for a guy like me it'd be Gunner HEAT, and that's from a guy that's spent more money on DCS than his own medical care.

Thank you for the info.

I have Steel Beasts and I'll probably have Gunner Heat in a few days  :-[. 

I couldn't help but think, when I saw Gunner Heat game play videos, how alike they looked.

[GDS_Starfury]

downloading now.
so efffing tired of WoT.

[Apocalypse 31]

It's a great sim but it has a high learning curve

What specifically do you think gives SB a high learning curve?

I hear this a lot - especially from gamers who want to approach SB but are.....'afraid' that its going to some sort of complex machine like an aircraft in DCS.

I've been playing SB since 2007 - the same year I learned how to operate an M1A1 in real life - I can tell you that after about 8 hours in gunnery simulators, it wasn't very difficult, and I think SB does a great job replicating how easy the M1 fire control system is.

I just think there's misconception that SB is some super in-depth 'simulator', and its off-putting to most newcomers.

Tanks were literally designed so that a young 18-year old Private could learn how to operate the vehicle as quickly as possible. It's not an F-18.

Lase, Track, Fire.

[Apocalypse 31]

This is the best video review I've seen.....at least it's honest.

There are a few deal-breakers for GHPC that I see.

AI seeing & shooting through vegetation is a deal breaker, as is the current AI pathfinding.

If it's a game about fighting in a tank and commanding a platoon then the AI platoon-wingmen need to be decent.....not doing circles around the platoon area, confused, like something out of ARMA 3.

[SirAndrewD]

What specifically do you think gives SB a high learning curve?

I don't think in particular it's that high.  It's no DCS that's for sure.  I was referring to it relative to Gunner HEAT.   Perhaps I should've said "higher" compared to "high".

I know others that consider Steel Beasts sim aspects to be too deep for their tastes, especially learning the interface, operation the commander's station, getting the map interface. 

I actually have an easier time with Steel Beasts than Arma 3. 

I don't think anyone on here really would find Steel Beasts too hard, but compared to Gunner HEAT, it's like comparing DCS to F19. 

[Apocalypse 31]

I don't think in particular it's that high.  It's no DCS that's for sure.  I was referring to it relative to Gunner HEAT.   Perhaps I should've said "higher" compared to "high".

Gotcha.