SBP PE shipping price

[matxer]

When I fill the order form for SBP PE at the developper's site, shipping and tax are 0 $.

I live in France.

Does it mean shipping cost is included in the product price ($ 125) ?

[UglyMowgli]

the price you pay for the sim include the S&H , I receive my without paying tax. it just a bubble DVD size package, so La poste handle it like a letter.

[matxer]

Thx.

Do u like the product ?
How does it compare to T72 Balkans on fire ?

[Skybird]

Hi, officially taxes are excluded for international shipping costs. However, I yet wait to see somebody saying that taxes were added to his package. Probably because the sim comes not in a typical game box, and could easily be mistaken as a private gift.

Concerning wether I/we like the sim or not, I recommend to check the SBP ressources thread on top of the thread list, and the screenshot thread. There you find a lot of articles, and reviews, also links to the SB P home forum. If you are in for tanks, you will like it, but don'T expect a game, it is a sim meant to train military crews in real life. Support is excellent, with long term dedication shown by community and developer as well.

Concerning a comparison to T72 - forget it. Both programs are lightyears apart.

Read the review were I probably answered really all questions I could imagine to be on people's minds.

[UglyMowgli]

well I test tT72 demo but so far do not consider SBPSE to be a game it is a simulator and you have to practice a lot before enjoying it (it s my point of view).

[matxer]

The border line between game and simulation is often thin.

Is the Silent Hunter series a game or a simulation ?
And the Flight Simulator series ?
And rFactor in the car racing area ?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by matxer

The border line between game and simulation is often thin.

Is the Silent Hunter series a game or a simulation ?
And the Flight Simulator series ?
And rFactor in the car racing area ?

SBP exists for only one reason: the military has demanded it to be in the form it is in right now. Not we casual gamers decide about it's design, but military customers. Professional crews train certain aspects of mechanized warfare with it. The military spends 18000 dollars per 10 seat-classroom license for it - I assume it knows why it is doing that. Obviously it gets from the sim what it wants to get from it.

Which does not mean that we civilians cannot enjoy it and have exciting "gameplay" with it.

It also is the military from many countries ordering it. they even order additional systems and vehicles to be implemented.

Draw your conclusions. What you get is a professional training tool that competes with hardware simulators for mutliple million dollars by ways of extremely aggressive pricing - and accoding to insiders the simulation does many things better than the software of these hardware simulators. the pro and personal edition differ concerning map size and possebilities to include new digital maps, and number of players joining in team play - beside these differences it is the same software you would get when buying the PE version. The SAME software. It is no round package like games usually are with animated menues, career stats, and such. There is a set of missions, and a perfect mission editor, and the selection menu of wether to play alone, or online. Plenty of missions available via download. You don't get more, not less than all this, and the sim. The way the sim is presented is not game-like. The sim itself is a tool to train some aspects of mechanized warfare, shooting, and tank management. The Australian government ordered thousands of copies and distributed them to the members of their tank units so that they can practice at home in private. The sim is used at military academies in Denmark, Australia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Canada (Air Force - don't ask me why) and the Netherlands. Others still considering it. This field of customers is the reason why german tanks are overrepresented, and american tanks are the smaller faction. Most if not all customers mentioned are operating Leopards, no Abrams.

I think no racing team in the world trains with rFactor or GTR2. Air Forces do not train with Falcon 4, and navies do not train with Silent Hunter.

BTW, the difficulty of SBP lies in the tactical field, not so much in handling board system and the tank itself. Expect to die very often without even knowing why, when, where, how.

[matxer]

Your argument is convincing.

Which hardware would you recommend ?
The official site suggests joystick but I have the feeling that keyboard / mouse is more convenient, much like FPS games: keybvoard for moving, mouse for targeting and shooting.

[porphy]

SB PRO Pe will not let you down. It's very addictive, even when you die often, or perhaps just because of that. Good thing is there is no "game over" message, you just jump into another vehicle or try to lead your shattered remains of strike force from the tactical map or outside view.
I run the sim with a Saitek Hotas, but it is no problem doing it all with keyboard and mouse.
Best money spent on simulation software ever, you get a rock solid sim which you can use as a training tool or more as a game if you like that. The development and support future looks pretty bright for SBPRO Pe owners, updates and patches have a roadmap of at least two years from now.

Cheers Porphy

[matxer]

When was SB Pro PE released ?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by matxer

Your argument is convincing.

Which hardware would you recommend ?
The official site suggests joystick but I have the feeling that keyboard / mouse is more convenient, much like FPS games: keybvoard for moving, mouse for targeting and shooting.

Read my review, i answered these and other question there, and in-depth. It is linked in the SBP ressources-sticky-thread. Also read the interviews with the developer. Probably all the answers that you want - are already there!

[matxer]

Very nice and thorough review. So the product was released in the summer 2005 ?

I've just ordered the game... sorry, the simulation !

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by matxer

Very nice and thorough review. So the product was released in the summer 2005 ?

February 2006. Steel Beasts (1, or Gold) was released several years earlier.

Make sure you follow the patching sequence as described in the SBP resources sticky. You will not need all patches, probbaly - check for the version number you get with your CD. Make sure to visit the SBP main forum.

Welcome to the world of heavy metal!

[matxer]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Welcome to the world of heavy metal!

Thx. In fact, I'm not new to the world of heavy metal because I practiced for years the Steel Panthers series (SPMBT and its non-DOS sequel WinMBT).

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by matxer

Thx. In fact, I'm not new to the world of heavy metal because I practiced for years the Steel Panthers series (SPMBT and its non-DOS sequel WinMBT).

Still playing WinSPMBT myself. But it is no simulation, but a strategy game. Love those old hexfield, turn-based games.