T-72 Balkans On Fire

[Keith Heitmann]

A new tank sim from a Russian development group has been picked up by Battlefront.com publishers. "T-72 Balkans On Fire" is set during the civil war period of Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995, and lets you command one of three Russian tanks, T-55, T-34/85, and T-72B. Other vehicles are also available from the support and transport tracks and truck to a Leopard 1A4.

T-72 enters the tank sim realm currently dominated by "Steel Beasts", by eSim, which is currently working on a newer udpated version of "Steel Beasts II".

[Galland]

Neato! It would appear BOF will be a simulation along the lines of Panzer Commander. I enjoyed that game very much and I've been on the lookout for similar tank games.

[Keith Heitmann]

Galland said:

Neato! It would appear BOF will be a simulation along the lines of Panzer Commander. I enjoyed that game very much and I've been on the lookout for similar tank games.

Sorry, I didn't see this one right away. You should definitely check out Steel Beasts by eSim Games then. It's a modern era tank sim. I played the demo for ages a year or so ago. They are working on a huge upgraded version that is in the works for the not too distant future.

If you liked Panzer Elite, I think you'll really like Steel Beasts.

[Galland]

Keith said:

If you liked Panzer Elite, I think you'll really like Steel Beasts.

I never got the hang of Steel Beasts. It is too elaborate/realistic for my tastes.

Galland

[Keith Heitmann]

Really? I played the demo for a very long time. The basic fighting commands were simple enough to learn, I thought, although they were complex. I usually fought from the commander/gunner spot and drove the tank from the external view. The commands to control the AI friendly tanks of the squadron could be a bit tricky. One thing I learned is don't sit in one spot and fight it out for any length of time, even if you are protected, because that enemy artillery barrage can be murder. So fire about 4 - 6 rounds from hull down behind the first ridge in the demo and then withdraw way back aways or off to the side area in the trees behind your position and wait for the enemy barrage to end.

I got pretty good at the demo after a while, and while I did get killed fairly often, I did manage to win the battle several times, although not always within the time limit of the battle.