Steel Beast's new high definition terrain is a major game changer

[Skybird]

This will leave a mark bigger than a 2000 lb bomb crater.



I have fallen out of flight sims and Steel Beasts a bit in recent years, being almost completely absorbed by Assetto Corsa and Raceroom now. But this new high definition terrain engine will bring me back aboard, that is for sure.

Other tank games play battles - but Steel Beasts 4.0 fights them.

The background story:

LIDAR scan data do offer a way to reduce the simulation-assisted bias. At eSim Games we are proud to help our customers to utilize this new source to create better terrain databases. High resolution terrain data used to be a scarce and precious treasure. With rapidly falling prices due to semi-automated data collection (aerial LIDAR scans) and more sophisticated utilization of satellite data telemetry better raw data are increasingly becoming a commodity; all of Denmark, for example, has already been scanned at 2m resolution.

Our customers’ experimentation with LIDAR scan based terrain databases clearly show that simulated outcomes are often shockingly different when comparing them with conventional databases. Armored vehicles and anti-tank missiles designed to maximize their stand-off advantage suddenly find themselves outnumbered and in duel situations of under 500m range in terrain where the old database predicted long lines of fire.

Where terrain details allow to effectively mask vehicles in a tactically sound manner, AAR analysis shows that where in 10m grid based databases impact locations from incoming fire are nearly evenly distributed between hull and turret, in high-resolution terrain the impact locations almost completely shift to the turret areas – which happens to be in line with observable reality since WWII days.

Even where the terrain is mostly flat, an elevated railway embankment may create considerable dead space in which a lot of bad surprises can be hidden. Even minor depressions create opportunities for ambushes. In fact, ambush becomes the default tactic for defenders in almost every scenario where 10m grid databases rarely offer suitable places to hide effectively.


http://www.esimgames.com/?p=2070

Steel Beasts will never be the same.