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Steel Beasts Pro 4.0 - Resources

status of this info: 22-DEC-2017

actual SBP software version is 4.023 (22nd Decembre 2017)
actual dongle firmware version is 1.18 (first batch dongles) and 2.02 (newer dongles) (2014)
actual Codemeter Runtime environment version is 6.50c (Decembre 2017)

To order SBP, go here:
http://www.esimgames.com/?page_id=1361

To upgrade the Codemeter dongle Runtime Environment software, go here:
http://codemeter.com/us/service/downloads.html

To upgrade the firmware on the stick: right-click the Codemeter tray icon in the right down corner of the desktop (with the stick plugged in). The opening control center offers an option for automatic firmware updating. Leave the dongle plugged in until the procedure has been finished.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Product description by eSim 2006:

"Steel Beasts" is a virtual simulation of combined arms combat tactics ranging from the individual crew position up to battalion level. The prime focus of Steel Beasts is tactical training at company team level for armored and mechanized units. In addition, the classroom version supports basic and advanced gunnery training for [various versions of] the main battle tanks Leopard 1 [Danish and Australian versions], Leopard 2 [Danish, Swedish and Spanish versions], M1A1 "Abrams", and the M2/M3A2 "Bradley" infantry fighting vehicle [and the CV-90xx range of IFVs as well as the Pizarro]. Also artillery observer / indirect fire direction training is offered. "Steel Beasts" is being used by US Military Academy at West Point, and the armies of Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the Canadian air force.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Product description by eSim 2016:

Steel Beasts Professional is a vehicle-centric virtual and constructive simulation for the Windows™ PC platform.
It covers the part task training spectrum for

Individual crew station (commander, gunner)
Crew procedure training (commander, driver, gunner, loader, mech squad leader)
Platoon level combat technique/battle drill rehearsal
Company level combined arms tactical training
Battalion level combined arms tactical training (and small operations command post exercises)
Brigade level tactical exercises without troops

An elevated level of fidelity is modeled in direct fire exterior and terminal ballistics, fire control systems and related crew procedures as well as the relationship between complementary elements of combatants in the tactical spectrum. Steel Beasts Professional can handle up to twelve sides per scenario including neutral forces, noncombatants/civilian population, enemy factions, and a dynamic change of attitudes/allegiance. The software is delivered with integrated editors for terrain and scenarios, and is suitable for both individual and collective education and training in a networked environment.
The simulation can be integrated with battlefield management systems (to stimulate them with a dynamic tactical environment), with other simulations (via HLA/DIS gateway, or by custom gateways like WISE Connectivity), with traditional containerized crew trainer cabins, or appended to actual combat vehicles. This way Steel Beasts Professional offers our customers a very high degree of flexibility in its use, and its integration into the training continuum. A possible additional benefit is that soldiers throughout their career will be using the same simulation at different stages, but in a different context – without having to adapt to a new simulation system (where the “natural” user interface like control handles and control panels cannot be provided).
Scenarios developed with Steel Beasts offer the instructor a high degree of control while maintaining a relatively simple and intuitive user interface. Existing electronic terrain databases can be imported via DTED and Shape™ files.

Regarding System Specs for version 4.x - IMPORTANT! -
http://www.steelbeasts.com/topic/105...commendations/

Developer's Main Page:
http://www.esimgames.com/

Instead of a demo, there is the possibility to try a Guest Licence. Start here:
http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbforums/...ad.php?t=18921

Since release of SBP 3.0, time-limited licenses are being sold as well, for example 1-month, 3-months and 1-year licenses.

Prices are 125$ for an all new full version of 4.0 (August 2016), 80 $ for upgrading from SBP 2.5xx, 40$ for upgrading from SBP older than 2.5xx, 25$ for a secondary license, and da iscounted price model for time-limited licenses, starting with 10$ for a single month, 25$ for 3 months, and 40$ for 1 year.

Time limited licenses are serving the purpose of a demo.

Replacement discs (without dongle) seem to be discontinued, and can no longer be ordered. All game files can be downloaded at any time, for all versions.

Manual as spiral book is available for 16$. A pdf however is included in all software installations.

Or order via German reseller:
http://www.okaysoft.de/sbp.htm
(more expensive than directly ordering from eSim, but might be your only chance in Germany if you do not want to pay by credit card)

Upgrading:
You need to have a dongle from an earlier version you own in order to run any upgrade over an earlier version you own. The upgrade is a completely new installation, it is NOT added to an existing old installation. Currently the price for upügrading to 3.0 is 40 US$. That is for a download of the new software, and getting access to a new licence put on your already existing dongle. You can download the simulation software alone, but without an new-licensed dongle it will not work.

The SBP Wiki:
http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbwiki/in...ge#Playtesting

----------------------------

VIDEO STUFF:

Official eSim YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/eSimGamesDtl#

Tanksim's Video-Thread - beware, it's old videos of now obsolete versions of SBP, but still show some dramatic action :
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=150944

A three-part movie doing an exhibition of all included vehicles and their cockpits (SBP version 2.640):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4VAi...ure=plpp_video
This is a great opportunity to get an impressionof what the vehicles look like from inside and outside, without needing to own the sim.

----------------------

VARIOUS TEXT STUFF - reviews, articles, essays... :

File path structure (needed for knowing where to drop additional maps and mods):
http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbforums/...244#post144244

The sim ships with the following height maps (some of them still wait for terrain texturing):
http://www.1stusvcav.com/downloads/SBMaps.pdf

A Flightsimmer's guide to Steel Beasts (2006):
http://www.simhq.com/_land2/land_062a.html

SimHQ special essay due to SBP's 10th birthday on 21st August, 2010:
http://www.simhq.com/_land3/land_160a.html

Skybird's Interview on SBP's background with technical director of eSim, "Ssnake" (first release of SBP-PE, April 2006):
http://www.tanksim.com/topic15_sbp_interview.htm ("Listening to the Voice of Steel Beasts, hssss!")

Multiple articles-series at simHQ ("Steel Beasts week")
compact review: http://www.simhq.com/_land2/land_060a.html
about the developement of the MBTs: http://www.simhq.com/_land2/land_061a.html

Review at Armchair General (SBP-PE original release April 2006)
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/artic...&p=2657&page=1

Another Interview in "The Escapist":
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...sts-Q-A-Part-1
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...sts-Q-A-Part-2

New downloadable scenarios, maps, skins, sounds for SBP-PE:
http://www.steelbeasts.com/files/

Steel Beasts Main Site and Forums:
http://www.steelbeasts.com/

And for the purists: original industry-standard replica of gunners' handles. Beware, these things are extremely expensive, and not meant for the toy-market. The customer usually is the military.
http://afvsim.com/

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEHICLE LIST v4.0"

http://www.steelbeasts.com/topic/103...comment-152091

44 tanks
46 personell carriers and IFVs
16 trucks
14 artillery
16 technicals and civilian vehicles
25 "other" armoured and figthing support vehicles
9 engineer vehicles (repair, mine sweeper, bridge layer)
11 base units of infantry and fireteams
dozens and dozens of individually designed civilian pedestrians

Helicopters and air defence units are not shown in this list, but there should be around 8-10 different choppers, both gunships and transport, and one or two Flak-Panzer.

Combined arms

http://members.home.nl/rem/Combined%20Arms.jpg

Arty call

http://members.home.nl/rem/Arty.jpg

Just another day at the office....
http://members.home.nl/rem/Office%20day.jpg

Do I love this sim? You bet i do!

have a few screens here :roll:
Not as good as the once you have... they rocked :-D

http://hem.passagen.se/dmagnusson1/kul/SBpro/

Damn Skybird, those are nice wintery pics.....especially the winter lighting looks real.....Great job..

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1...happensnu7.jpg
It happens...

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/7...ingisawav9.jpg
Last thing I saw...

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/7...retdownih4.jpg
Leopard 2 in turret-down position... he sees you with PERI, but what can you do?

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4563/ddriy8.jpg
Held der Arbeit

Zip

Ok I will add a few, just to prove that i do own SBPro Pe :D This is vanilla, no mods. Just everything cranked up 1600x 1200 and all visual distances for ground and objects to 100%. This sim is amazing and the graphics is very good. i have never seen a landscape done this good with not to fancy graphics engine. Colors, contours etc feels very real. And then we haven't even started to talk about the tank simulation...:up:

a bit nervous with all this fog...
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...S_00_09_25.jpg

got ya!
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...S_00_13_08.jpg

yep, better run... Leo on the horizon.. spot it
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...S_00_26_35.jpg

birds view with leo and it's prey in distance
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...S_00_28_09.jpg

Either I need to get new video drivers, or this sim needs some serious texture upgrades!:rotfl:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v138/Thony/s3-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v138/Thony/s2-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v138/Thony/s4-2.jpg

Seriously though, have been checking SBP over, and looks like I might be close to ordering it! Have to say "M1 Tank Platoon II" is getting a little long in the tooth!!!:lol:

I know, just making a little comparison on how far graphics have come,lol Have been reading all the indepth reviews of SBP, and with its size of nearly 2 GB installed, I've yet to see a definitive description of what areas of the world this sim will show?

The following is a link to a document listing the height maps that ship with the game:
SB Maps

The height maps are just the elevation or relief data for that area. There is a map editor with which a wide variety of themed (woodland winter or Australian, e.g.) vegetation can be painted onto the relief data to create a terrain map. A good number of terrain maps are included as well. While the terrain maps can be altered, changed, or improved in the editor, the height maps cannot. There are, however, a small number of maps floating about that are not part of the initial release.

Given the variety of height maps, the versatility of the map editor, the number of themes, and sufficient time, any non-urban area (there are very few man-made objects available in the editor), except maybe the polar ice caps, could be simulated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

where did you find those skins?

They haven't been released yet. They were made for a mission I've been working on. He is going to release them I believe this week including versions for a darker woodland area like for use in the vietnam maps and he also has winter scheme versions. I'll post some screenshots in a bit.

I'm also releasing the mission that these were made for at the end of this week.

it indeed looks very nice :)

HunterICX

I will put in two more for good measure :) And this is without experimenting with the new sky boxes and time of day lightning... Even if the graphics isn't fully modern, and lacks shadows etc, I still think this sim on quite a few maps manages to create one of the best feelings of being in a real landscape.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...S_11_12_36.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...S_11_11_47.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by porphy (Post 1087748)

Even if the graphics isn't fully modern, and lacks shadows etc, I still think this sim on quite a few maps manages to create one of the best feelings of being in a real landscape.

I can only second that: awaiting delivery of 2.460.......can't wait to get my hands on it! Nice looking shots btw.

Finally got Steel Beasts Pro PE so here's a couple of shots I took while messing around with the scenario editor.

Australian Leopard AS1's at Cunungra QLD
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2575/leoas12.jpg

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/1932/canungraleo.jpg

*** The mistake in the above essay that is found and described here, has been corrected. :) Sky. ***

------------

Your description of the 'theme' components is slightly wrong..

Bumpiness does have a minor effect on movement rates, but its primary effect is to induce vibration on the sights, drastically reducing accuracy in GAS, especially when the stabilisation is down (GPS sights are more stable than the GAS, even when the FCS is operating fully, as the GPS head mirror is a light component with a mass of ~1kg, compared to the gun tube at ~3 tonnes. This means that the stabilisation of the GPS mirror can be much more precise than the GAS/guntube - although this won't apply if the stab. is switched off or damaged).

The main method of controlling off-road speed is to increase the 'drag' of the theme. Full drag of 1.0 will practically immobilise some vehicles and will leave none capable of faster than ~20kph cross country. Drag will produce greater effects on mobility than bumpiness will in the current versions.

Traction (is not functioning as intended in the current version) but is intended to restrict slope climbing ability and can immobilise a vehicle completely. For now leave this at a high value (preferred is 100%) for all terrain types to avoid undesired behaviour.

Hardness allows a visual effect to represent the approximate drag behaviour of the terrain, values less than 0.3 will add a 'bog' shading to the map, and vehicles will 'sink' into the ground to a depth appropriate to the value. The drag is not directly linked to this parameter, and should still be set from the 'drag' slider. This is a new feature as mentioned in the 2.483 release notes published earlier this week.

Other methods of restricting speeds include damaging the suspension component - this will cause much more effect from the bumpiness settings, and the AI can be reluctant to move in some terrain types, even though technically movement is possible.
As far as I am aware, none of the currently available modifiers reduce the on-road speeds possible - these are always at (or near) the full speeds, even with damaged suspension. AI routes can be set to only use slow or fast speeds, and not to use top, but this cannot be imposed on player controlled units, except by an 'honour' system.

I greatly applaud your efforts here Skybird, it is very much appreciated. I am certainly one of those people who prefers sims of WWII tanks.

Unfortunately, with all of the best intentions and settings in the world they will still be modern tanks with restricted abilities. Unless we are riding in a Tiger, or Sherman or...(fill in your favorite) then the effect is lost.

I know from your posts you obviously love SBP and want others to as well, but for people not enthusiastic about modern tanks a $125 price tag is hard to swallow. Even harder if you are going to pay it just to turn off many of the tank's abilities. Usually simmers are willing to put money into the genre to help it grow, but in this case money spent will go to making more advance modern tank simulations, as the company involved would probably get little interest from the Defence industry if they switched to WWII simulators.

I know and have accepted that my likes are under-served in the sim market and for all I know will never be served again. I just don't see a gain in spending alot of money on a title that would have to be basically bastardized to come near to serving my wants, from a company that has no intention of serving them.

Again, I appreciate you input and tips, I just think unless someone also has an interest in a modern armor simulation it will not hold interest long.