Congrats. 't was about time, wasn't it?
Check the version you get, but it probably is up to date.
Check the dongle software version as well.
Both info in the stickied resources (
unlock them again, please, btw, I cannot update them right now!).
Follow the advice I have given on several occasions. After examining and satisfying your initial curiosity, chose one tank, and stay with that one for a while. The Leopard-2s are easier to shoot and command with than the Abrams. The Leo-2E is the toughest bug of all the playables with 3D interior, followed by the Strv-122 (or maybe the other way around), if you want some additional protection in the beginning. Challenger-2 is even slightly stronger, but weaker gun and ammo, and no virtual interior. Learn the editor/planner interface from early on. Change scenarios so that they feature that tank you have chosen for the beginning. Do the tutorials for that tank. Start with small units first. Start with small scenarios first. Build from basement to roof - not the other way around. "Platoon Recon" is a great thing to start with, it teaches you so many lessons, is randomised, and can easily be edited in the editor, for using other tanks for example, or change light conditions. Play it repeatedly to correct your mistakes. the "Battle for Byto 1-3" series is also nice, it is not difficult, but outs you into a bigger force to give you the taste of batallion sized assault -but beware, the playable tnak for you is a Leopard-1: agile, but thin-skinned, consider to switch that to the Leo-2A4 in the very early stage of your familiarisation with SBP. Use the AAR, the after action report feature. It's here where you learn the lessons afterwards - during mission, you will often die without knowing why, at least in the beginning. Use the gunner'S auxiliary sight for manual aiming, get used to it. Get used to run firing procedures manually. Once laser and thermals, stabilisation and dynmaic lead are gone, you need to trust in your skills handling these emergency procedures. It will happen - soon enough.
Implement tactical behavior the way you would do it as a real tanker: stay low, overwatch, leave psoitions always in reverse, get mkoving within 90 seconds after you gave away your psition so that arty does not catch you, and so on.
Use the gunnery range you will find in the menu. The score you get influences the performance of your side in general. You need to hit ten moving targets. For a 100% (its definitely possible, don'T become nervous). You must lose not one shot, and must shoot within some seconds after sighting, to acchieve that score. yoi can repeat the test in an attempt to improve your score, or to practice after having had a break. When I had a break form SBP, and return, first thing I do is using the gunnery range to get back into the swing of gunning.
Compare aiming by joystick with aiming by mouse. I use both. If you use a HOTAS, give the command layout some thought, its worth it.
Newcomers tend to focus a lot on two exotic specialities: bridging, and minefield breaching. However, many people ignore that in reality the military tends tpo avoid both, if possible, since it is both very risky and time consuming. SBP is a bit tricky in having bridgelayers work autonomously, one need to spend a lot of care to find the right spot b the river, it is not easy to find them. Minefield brwsching techncially works reliably if the enmy does not interfere. I changed one of their scenarios a bit to illustrate how it idealistically works all by itself, the whole orchestra. I could send that one to you via email attachement. Its no masterpiece of a mission, I did it more as an excercise for myself in how to program that kind of stuff correctly in the edtior. The default demonstration for breaching minefields I found to mess up too often.
And in all modesty I take the freedom to refer again to my Tank Museum scenario, which gives you nice and fast overview of the looks and interiors of all included vehicles per season set.
P.S. Keep your distance from small lakes and rivers, the AI is not reliable in tracking these and tends to drown itself, espeically when setting up battle psoitions near water - keep your distance.
When crossing bridges, keep units separated, do not rush it, make clear, lienar aproaches in column, put waypoints at sufficient distances. You will see what I am about once you have had your first stokcpile of own tanks at a bridge. If you cannot fiddle it out, ask again. Bridges can be corssed by AI formations, and very reliably so, but the AI needs to be supported by - well, some competent waypoint placing. Same for passing through minefields.
The threat of artilley should always be on your mind. Plan ahead accordingly. ICM can - and often will - kill you.
Ignore air units for the beginning. They are a compromise currently.
SPA vehicles are there, but so far behave like tanks a bit, not like artillery, they are "under constuction".Consider them to be placeholders currently.
Infantry needs to get nannied a bit, too. Which can be a bit os a pain. expect to lose them by the high numbers. I personally hate to rely on infantry, and prefer armour-heavy scenarios.
Be advised that while night is there now, dark phases of the day-night-cycle are dealt a bit different with than one would expect from reality, the current handling is making an effect, but not one that is truly realistic, for realistic night vision is also under construction currently. The system currently bases on reduced frequency of detection checks at night, so it is more statistically handled than basing on realistic visual conditions. Anyhow, stay away from night engagements in the beginning. they make it very difficult - especially if you have no thermals.
The T-72M1 - must I say it? "Crew it at your own risk".
And finally: if you take fire and see that you survive it, do not feel tempted to think "Oh, they cannot hurt me" and continue sitting there like a duck asking to get roasted - if you swallow more and more shots, sooner or later there comes that one Mr. Shot that is gonna hurt you. When you take fire, it's time to break his visual! Better, do not even give him the opportunity. Expose yourself, shoot, shoot twice maybe, and get into cover again. There is no invulnerability in the SBP world. Even the Challenger, it may be hard to crack it - but it can get cracked.
Due to this and the threat of artillery, do not consider static defence an option in most cases - especially not against artillery. Plan ahead in the mission plannign pohase, attach evasive routes to battle positions so that the tansk will autonomously rush out when getting caught by arty. They can be told to autonomously return, or change their positions randomly. That planner/editor interfac eis great. I love it. Easy, and flexible.