And the Award for the Most Complicated Install Goes to..

[Bismarck]

eSims Steel Beast Pro

First, buy, then get a license link, dongle mailed, get software link, download 7 parts, run extract file, then run setup.  Figure how to open dongle, go to license site, pick smallest activate button, notice no desktop icon, go to dir to find exe, open dirs until you come across exe in weirdly named dir, make short cut, move shortcut to desktop and play!

[Tpek]

Isn't this the game that costs 125$+ just to purchase, and then they charge you additional 25$+ for each patch? :P

[DoctorQuest]

and it's too expensive to begin with. I know it's supposed to be good but come on. I'd hate to think how much of their potential market they are killing with the price.

And I've given up holding my breath for the, er, non-Pro version for us poor folk. I'm fine playing the original SB Gold.

On the other hand I respect your reviews and your insights into gaming. Tell me if I'm wrong. :)

[Bismarck]

One gets alot for $100 but, yeah, it's too expensive.  Very complicated and reflex intensive.

[sandman2575]

although it's a game i really love, Achtung Panzer belongs in this category.  The installation is bad enough, and the updating is a bloody mess.  just no reason for it to be as complicated as it is.  when an update comes out, i always think 'oh great' followed by 'oh s#!t'...

[Jarhead0331]

It is not a game; it is a simulation...you're paying for a commercial grade product that is marketed to government agencies and professional armed forces for training purposes.  Nothing geared towards a commercial market is cheap.  Look at text books, legal treatises, medical materials and equipment, etc.  There is always a mark-up in this regard.  I'm not saying I agree with it, or like it, but I expect it and know what I'm getting into when I make the decision to buy.

[Jarhead0331]

although it's a game i really love, Achtung Panzer belongs in this category.  The installation is bad enough, and the updating is a bloody mess.  just no reason for it to be as complicated as it is.  when an update comes out, i always think 'oh great' followed by 'oh s#!t'...

+1.  And sometimes the updates work smoothly for me, and sometimes they don't.  Weird system...there is just no other way to describe it.  Let's not even talk about the UI in the game...I'll start to get upset.

[GDS_Starfury]

Let's not even talk about the UI in the game...I'll start to get upset.

so it models military bureaucracy perfectly?

[Jack Nastyface]

Hmmm...my installation of SBPro PE went something like this:  insert CD into computer. Run self-install.  Run dongle-software from CD.  Insert dongle into USB port and validate.  Start game.  Blow shit up.  Enjoy.

Admittedly, I did have to update my USB dongle software as part of one of the major upgrades, which was a bit of a hassle, but I think it took me about 15 minutes and 3 tries to realize I was okay if I just uninstalled the "old" software, then did install the new dongle software.

Further, I have had nothing but positive customer experiences with eSim games.  I've had one or two tech support / credit card transaction questions for eSim games, and I've always received a prompt and clear response.

I will also admit that I am not a huge fan of the "large battle" SB Pro PE games, where you have to manage a couple of dozen battlefield assets.  I find I am always losing way too many units if I let the AI do the driving and fighting, but fair much better if I am in the hotseat (so to speak).

Considering that both Red and Blue forces use highly accurate missles and weapon-control systems, SB Pro PE CAN be a game of meters...as in "two meters to close to the bluff of a hill and you are dead; two meters back and you are in perfect hull down position".

But having said all that...I can't thihk of another modern armor combat game / simulator that provides a like experience.  Sure, M1 Tank Platoon II was "fun", but the diversity of vehicles and weapon systems (coupled with the realism factor) takes SB Pro PE far ahead of anything else I've played.  Although I haven't played the DCS games, I have to assume that they are the ground-warfare equivalent of A-10 and Blackshark (ie: not everyone's cup of tea, but manna for those into hi-fi simming).

And besides...how can one NOT love a game that allows you to fire and steer a TOW missle into a target?

Jack "gunner ready - sabot loaded" Nastyface

[jomni]

Yes installing from the CD is pretty straight forward.   Since you're getting the dongle mailed anyway, why not also the cd?

Since you mentioned M1TP2, I believe M1TP2 has something good that SBP does not.  A dynamic campaign.

DCS has a ground warfare module called Combined Arms.    By the looks of it, controls and screens look generic (same for all types of vehicles / platforms).

[Bismarck]

Yes installing from the CD is pretty straight forward.   Since you're getting the dongle mailed anyway, why not also the cd?

Because another CD in my room runs the risk of being a victim of a wheelchair caster. However, your point is taken.

[Nefaro]

Ridiculous.

And being forced to use a dongle to use it?  More ridiculous.  ::)

[Jack Nastyface]

^I sincerely hope you are indeed joking regarding using a dongle.  Although a bit of a hassle (I'm always worried about losing it!), I have used a number of professional software titles - Arena by Rockwell Corp; Chief Architect; and SPSS to name a few - that use dongle technology.  Considering the time and effort the eSims has put into this game, I am surprised by neither the price nor the dongle technolgy.

[Nefaro]

^I sincerely hope you are indeed joking regarding using a dongle.  Although a bit of a hassle (I'm always worried about losing it!), I have used a number of professional software titles - Arena by Rockwell Corp; Chief Architect; and SPSS to name a few - that use dongle technology.  Considering the time and effort the eSims has put into this game, I am surprised by neither the price nor the dongle technolgy.

This isn't some Top Secret Need-To-Know NSA CIA Ninja Shiz!   Being forced to mate a dongle with your game is ridiculous.  Yes, I believe that but I'm generally a hater of draconian DRM that gives headaches just like the one that begun this thread, not to mention customers being treated like criminals.

[spelk]

Dongle's are a technology from a bygone era, even then most people thought the idea ridiculous. Why not go back to un-photocopy-able sheets of enigma machine codes instead - it weighs less! ;)