Steel Fury Discussion

[Hitman]

Many thanks

So far I like what I have readed, looks like it could in fact be an interesting game

[Konovalov]

From the Armchair General review it looks promising. I could wind up buying two tank sim games this year.

[GlobalExplorer]

Some time ago I watched a lot of steel fury videos on youtube and I must say it looked impressive. Certainly not a game with the longevity of OFP or SHIII but nonetheless a fine simulation of wwII tank combat.

Now that release is imminent I think I will download the demo again and try to play some missions.

[Skybird]

All posts moved from the ressources into a separate discussion thread.

The Management.

[Skybird]

Seeing is believing:



http://www.youtube.com/results?searc..._date_uploaded

Does anybody have info on the copy protection they use?

[stabiz]

I am getting both anyway, the few sim-makers are holy crusaders in my book, but can anybody say something about the differences between Kharkov and T34 vs Tiger?

[Skybird]

To bring this thread up to the top again.

First small feedbacks of SF-customers have started to drip in. They are enthusiastic about it. It seems to be an awful lot better than TvT.

So if you still look for a WWII tanksim, don't give up your optimism too early after the TvT debacle (that'S what it seems to be, I even saw it already at reduced price).

Maybe I will embark of SF indeed, despite my mediocre demo impressions (the demo is over a year old).

[Monkwarrior]

Originally Posted by Skybird

So if you still look for a WWII tanksim, don't give up your optimism too early after the TvT debacle (that'S what it seems to be, I even saw it already at reduced price).

Since you brought it up.
Did you buy TvT yourself and try it out ?
If not I suggest you do so, because opinions are so much more creditable if the person talking about it actually knows what he is talking about.
I have a totally different opinion about it, but you might have guessed that

Monk.

[Skybird]

No, I did not buy it, but I am aware of the customer feedback in the forums, and that is listing a whole lot of problems that are not just hallucinations as long as the folks are not all on dope, also the reviews we got so far did not convince me. The content also is not enough attractive for me, since I am not so much interested in (disfunctional for many people) MP.

On the other hand, the preview and first customer feedback of SF is much more positive, and it seems that SF is holding the promise that TvT just made.

Many people seem to think like me, leading to low sales numbers: some international trader, I think it was gogamer, already has it reduced price - so has a german company as well. Finally, activity in the lighthouse forums is relatively low, that speaks for people not being interested anymore, and developer feedback is close to zero as well. Also, our own tanksim squad over here has not seen any activity since almost 3 weeks - although I even asked for it. It is difficult to run a game in MP mode if MP is broken for the majority of people.

So why should I lose money on TvT if the apparently better executed project seem to be SF?

Regarding tanks, I am an SBP-PE animal anyway. that is the standard to which I compare any new tank simulation - and it has to leave a good impression at least. when you already know the best, you are not easily satisfied with something of lesser simulation quality - and why should you even be?

Currently, TvT is in a state that makes recommending to spend money on it a dubious action. By the past reputation of the developer, the future does not look promising for the game. I wish for those who already spend money on it that there will be a patch fixing the major MP and AI issues that are reported so often, but even then I would not be willing to embark on it anymore, and would not willing to encourage them with such rushed, ill-prepared premature releases by giving them reward for this poor policy - by buying it. I personally think the developer fired a quick shot, and now earns what he could get on the fly and then will drop back into hidden cover, never to be seen again. Think they will not do more than the minimum needed. they did like that in the past, too.

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Regarding tanks, I am an SBP-PE animal anyway. that is the standard to which I compare any new tank simulation - and it has to leave a good impression at least. when you already know the best, you are not easily satisfied with something of lesser simulation quality - and why should you even be?

That standard makes you as flexible as a steel gunbarrel of a tank.
how can something made by a game industry compare to a Military converted simulator?

HunterICX

[Skybird]

How can a company smaller than even a small game developement group and with just one lead programmer create something that outclasses products created with bigger staff and financial support? Answer: taking the time it needs, and being more clever and more dedicated than others. even the first SB (1 or Gold edition) still is superior to what we have in other tank games, and that title was a game developement for sure.

When you have flown "Falcon 4", you are no longer satisfied with flying the old "Jetfighter" games. Especially when they are broken. When you know SBP1, you will not be satisfied with M1TP2 anymore.

I certainly do not expect SF do beat SBP, it seems there is also too much professional insider knowledge enagged in SBP. But I can use SBP as a guideline on the basics a tanksim must fulfill to be a tanksim. I can compare the AI system. The way unit formation works. the importance of scripting versus flexible calculated responses. All that is no stuff exlusively for military simulators, but plays a role in dedicated game-simulators as well. And I can use my usual game standards for quality control that I already fought for when they released Sub Command and Dangerous Waters - both with some considerable flaws that they took over a year to fix (or not). That obvious and known bugs do not allow a game to be released, is one such demand, for example, and it makes perfect sense.

So, if your tanksim cannot jump over the hurdle set up by SBP, at least make it climb over it in a reasonable ammount of time, then, and eventually it gets my approval, taking into account it's different market focus. But when it head-on runs into it and brakes it down and then does not continue to run, don't expect my applaus.

So in a way you are right: I am not too flexible indeed in what I consider as basic elements of defining "quality". Many people are very flexible here, means: very forgiving, compromising quality that way. Thats why the market quality level is as mediocre as it is: business sees that it gets away with not doing better. So, people get what they deserve, and quality software since years becomes more and more rare, and more and more often games have been rushed out too early, being sold in a broken state months before completion. It pays off for producers.

[Monkwarrior]

Originally Posted by Skybird

No, I did not buy it

So basicly you are just repeating opinions of others.

My opinion on T34vsTiger is different, might be because I bought it and actually played it
It's a solid game which does have it's bugs of course.
I do agree that the producer still has to deliver what they promised: a patch to solve the issues some have with crashing and more MP-functionality.

MP is very playable for lots of people , as it should be.
I too own SPB and played it, but ww2 is more my thing. After all what's the fun of looking through thermal vision when we have huge GPU's in our pc's.

The biggest feature of TvT is the MP part of course.
That is the main selling point for me and many others just because we want to fight against real opponents. That's also the reason SF will not stick very long for me: I will buy it and play it, but after a few weeks the magic will be gone and the AI has become predictable.

So hurray for both games.
Comparing them is quite useless because they cater for different audiences (SP and MP).

Monk.

[zvlad]

Thanks all for responses about our game "STEEL FURY: Kharkov1942".

We expect, that addition "STEEL FURY:FALL BLAU" leaves the near future.
May be 1Q 2009...

Russian version - "FALL BLAU" - was ready.
28.08.2008 - we have finished works on addition: "Steel Fury: Fall Blau"

demo reel to the game "Steel Fury: Fall Blau"
http://files.graviteam.com//fall-blau/SF-BLAU.avi

Time of action "FALL BLAU" the end of June - the beginning of July 1942,
Scene of action Volchansk - Voronezh

10 new ranges.
Site of ranges:
- To the north of Stary Oskol
- Kamenka - Ozerki - Lomovo (to the south Eletc)
- Kastornoe - Gorshechnoye

20 new missions:

PzJager1 - 3 missions
PzIVF1 - 3 missions
PzIVF2 - 4 missions
Т-34 - 7 missions
Mk2 Matilda - 3 missions

gallery screenshots: http://dtf.ru/project/gallery.php?id=1307

We now finish works on our new game - to a tactical simulator - "KHARKOV1943".
http://kharkov1943.com/

Gallery of screenshots:
http://dtf.ru/project/gallery.php?id=1176

Tactical simulator with the fascinating plot based on documentary military history.

Genre - a tactical simulator.
Similar games - series Close Combat, series Combat Mission.
Execution - 3D, the camera from 3rd person with possibility of supervision from subordinates.

Action is developed during approach of Workers' and Peasants' Red Army(WPRA) near Kharkov in February, 1943 and counterattacks Wermacht in the beginning of March, 1943.
Game consists from 2х campaigns, 1 for WPRA, 1 for Wermacht.
A number of training missions is in addition provided.
Game is made on an existing engine.

With the best regards,
Vladimir Zayarniy
General director "GRAVITEAM"

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Monkwarrior

I too own SPB and played it, but ww2 is more my thing. After all what's the fun of looking through thermal vision when we have huge GPU's in our pc's.

Set up a match with "Turm aus" (Leopards), stabilizers, lasers and thermals set to off, disable GPS, and using the unstabilised GAS exlusively. Then it is not different to how they did it in WW2. You can set all these options in the editor (under tank damage).

Originally Posted by Monkwarrior

So basicly you are just repeating opinions of others..

No. I refer to obvious observations by others. That's quite a bit different.

That'S why you scan for customer feedback - to get an idea wether or not you want to spend money on something, or not. And customer feedback is most often closer to the truth than some forgiving magazine review that cannot afford to point out the bad sides too clearly when it does not wish to risk the sanctions of the producer in the future. That's why game magazines have turned into crap over the years. years ago I read some of them, occasionally - but obvious bugs and flaws got mentioned only rarely, and then most often not to their full extent. That is especially true with games from the great companies whose wrath really makes a financial (advertizing) difference, or even may call you to court over a not positive review (it all has happened).

the issues with AI are present for all, obviously, it'S just that you are more forgiving about them than others. The MP issues are a reality for very many players. you can judge that only by feedback again, if you judge it by the group of those that can play it, then it is no wonder that you get the impression that most people can play MP. Both feedback in this forum and the simHQ reviewer said different.

I understand that you like the game. A question of taste it is, and so it is okay. Just don't make it look better than it obviously is, two traders, one in the US one in Germany, already sell it for reduced price - four weeks after release! - that low interest has become. that must not irritate you if you like the game - enjoy it, then. But I still will advise people on the many setbacks there obviously are, and recommend people to think twice before spending money on it. at least to wait until the patch - if there comes a patch - is out, and then evaluating what it does, and if the end result works, or works not.

[Skybird]

First sound and texture mods have been posted in lighthouse's forum.