Sprocket Tank Design

[JasonPratt]

Somehow missed this thread the first time, but saw "Sprocket" (somehow) was available today -- not out of Early Access yet -- so I came here to post the Steam link, and found the thread after a preliminary search.

Currently, the main design problem has still not been addressed, and from the developer may never be addressed due to (code) performance issues: the track is only decorative, not functional. The road wheels are the only points of simulated ground contact, which ironically means the actual 'sprocket' for driving the tank (via the treads) has no real functionality.

Putting it another way, every tank in the game functions like the Soviet Bistro Tanks (BT series) from WW2, in that the road wheels are the primary intended way to move the tank, not the tread which was designed to be shed (thus often by accident!) as soon as possible, like a parachute upon delivering the vehicle to its intended locations. Except the real BT series tanks had the advantage of still having a functional sprocket/tread system!

There was an in-depth negative review on this last year (which acknowledged the game was fun for its purpose otherwise.) The most recent review to mention the problem indicates it still exists (with a positive review) more summarized, thus:

A fun and original game. Understand that the game IS the building of the tanks at this time (not fighting elaborate battles, etc.). That is not likely to change much in 2023. There is enough there to sort of test your designs. Good for WW2 designs but pretty much all WW1 designs get stuck doing the most basic things that were often their design intent (such as crossing trenches). Realistic sized roadwheels on a WW1 tank always get stuck crossing trenches. The power and traction come ONLY from roadwheels, meaning that if a sprocket or idler touch the ground, it takes it as hull, and you get stuck. If you raise the front idler so that it doesn't touch, it unrealistically pushes the track until it touches the front hull and... you get stuck. This destroys climbing ability of really any realistic vehicle in the game. It needs to be addressed, but it's not even on the roadmap. This is more of a simulator (not arcade style even slightly, which is good), but it can't simulate proper tracked vehicle driving mechanics. It's *almost* game breaking for me.

As such tech reviews note, in MOST cases it happens not to matter that the treads are only decorative art, although avoiding the related physical problems sometimes requires weird designs in other ways. But I thought I should alert potential buyers.

[Skoop]

I've wish listed this for a while, mainly to buy it for my son who would love games like this.  He spends hours designing ships in dreadnoughts.  It never really goes on sale so I never end up pulling the trigger.