“War, the war never changes” – this quote from the Fallout series strives to start their story about a military clash in games all who is not laziness. However, the twentieth century changed the war sharply and radically. Two world wars gave such a kick to industrial progress that it was difficult to imagine. It was in the First World War that such, widely known today, combat vehicle like a tank. And just this week – September 15, 2016 – there will be exactly one hundred years from their "Battle Baptism". And since this event has a centuries -old anniversary, I would like to celebrate it and timge the next review to such an event.
During the battle on Somma on September 15, 1916, the British first used tanks in the attack. At dawn, the tanks moved forward, ahead of the rows of infantry of three British corps. Of the 49 tanks involved, only 32 were able to go back: the rest either broke, or got stuck, or lost in the dark! The attack has just begun, but then they began to break and get stuck in funnels and other cars. Ultimately, only 9 tanks from the rearguard and 9 tanks from the first line took an active part in the attack. However, the psychological impact on the Germans turned out to be extraordinary. This miracle of unreliable technique was the first Mark I tanks. They were divided into males (cannon weapons) and females (machine guns).
Games about the First World War, unfortunately, is enough enough. And about the then armored vehicle is not at all, except that the fan modification for the old Battlefield 1942 corrected this historical injustice at least at least. At our time, the situation will improve due to the next part of Battlefield, which 1. And this, of course, is good. However, I want to tell you about a slightly different period.
Brainchild of war
If the First World War became the mother of tanks, then the Second World War became, so to speak, their first teacher. For the tanks became more complicated, more perfect and more effective. Many technical innovations developed during the war formed the basis of the further development of this industry and ultimately the tanks became the monsters that we are now observing.
The type of armored tracked vehicles and the desire to control them owned more than one generation of boys, and with the development of the game industry it became easier to touch the children’s dream – tank simulators appeared. Over the years, they were divided into realistic and arcade (simplified). And if the former required a deep study of mechanics, then for the latter it was enough to be able to use the computer. O, perhaps the best game in the genre of an arcade tank simulator today will be speech.
In the virtual design bureau
But first, as usual, about the company’s company. For the Slovenian studio Zootfly, the Panzer Elite Action Game was a debut, as the first game developed by the studio was canceled. This debut can be called successful, because the company was able to find a niche in which it was by and large, while making a fairly high -quality product. Unfortunately, today spectacular singleplayer games do not make tanks about tanks, because the world has captured cooperative and online competitions (WoT, Warthunder and so on). But only I regret it, and, perhaps, a small group of people, because progress is not notable and everything tends to be network games. Yes, and hardcore simulators still drive tanks in games that are more than 10, or even 15 years old. Let’s get back to Zootfly. In addition to tanks, she created another, alas, sadly-popular on Stopgame.ru game Prison Break: The Conspiracy
Technically, Panzer Elite Action is almost well done. “Almost” due to the fact that it goes perfectly on Windows XP, and there are two very funny but slightly irritating graphic artifacts on the seven: the caterpillars do not move in the tanks in any way, and we observe the dancing of the irons on the screen, and the tiger tank literally reckless.
On later systems (8, 10) most likely, they will also meet If the game is generally starting.
Military chronicles
Single campaign plot is divided into three parts: for the German, Soviet and American crew. Before the start of each campaign, we are shown personnel from the military chronicle, which tunes in a certain way. For 36 missions, you will pass through the main places of tank battles: from the invasion of September 1, 1939 of German tank columns to Poland, to the transition by the troops of the Rhine Allies. A war in France, Stalingrad, Kursk battle and landing in Normandy were closed between them. Throughout these missions, the game is trying to expand a somewhat naive story about how the war changes people, but the plot is perhaps one of the weaknesses of this game. Many events are far from historicism, although the authors tried very hard to convey the situation and atmosphere of that war, whose eyewitnesses would not remain at all. The developers tried their best to diversify the tasks: the destruction of the columns of technology, escort of convoys, the suppression of artillery, the fight against armored trains (before that they did not come up in the games of a similar genre), the destruction of aircraft and even night reconnaissance sorties, as well as hunting for German tank ace Michael Wittmann.
April 22, 1914- 8 August 1944
Wittman became famous in the famous battle of Willer-Boage on June 13, 1944, where both the skill of Wittmann and the superiority of the Tiger heavy tank in booking over the allies were brightly manifested. Commanding the company of the "tigers" of the 101st heavy tank battalion, he suddenly attacked the opponent’s standing convoy of armored vehicles. By 15 minutes, the battalion tanks destroyed several tanks, 2 anti-tank guns and about 15 enemy armored personnel carriers from the intelligence squadron of the 7th armored division of the British, the so-called “desert rats”, which delivered a lot of trouble to Rommel and became famous in Africa. In the course of further battle before his tank was hit, acting separately from the company, he disabled several more tanks. According to the results of the battle, the crew of Wittman destroyed up to 11 tanks, 1 – 2 anti -tank guns and several armored personnel carriers. Due to the actions of Wittmann, the British failed to hold a height of 213, although in the subsequent phase of the battle the Germans suffered significant losses.
The battles are made very meticulous and https://sportsbettingmedia.co.uk/latest-news/esports-skin-betting quite recognizable. Here you have Polish villages, and French towns, and the destroyed Stalingrad and the beaches of Normandy.
The game process resembles a Hollywood action movie: planes fly in the sky, bombs fall, enemy artillery is hidden in the bushes and behind the hills, and you, on your steel horse, rush through all this hell in order to complete the task set by the command. All this is controlled quite easily, unlike hardcore simulators. Just need to press WASD, control the gun and a paired machine gun with the help of a mouse, sometimes inspect the battlefield through binoculars and cause ultimatic air support. There is, of course, a button that switches tractor control to a car, but why do you need it if you launched a game about tanks, I will not know.
New types of equipment fall under the control of the player in each mission, and their change is almost never explained. They differ from each other by the slaughter of the gun and cruiser qualities. It’s a pity, these differences are so insignificant that not everyone will feel at least some difference. Also in the game there are some models of technology that are not available for the game and can only be destroyed (sorry, T-26). In addition to enemy tanks, guns, planes, armored trains and … infantry act as an enemy. Despite the fact that the infantry is rushing from the same line from the machine gun, if you gape, from it you can get a reactive projectile in the stern and a couple of grenades for delivery.
Self -propelled mortar "Karl"
Combat mass – 126 t
Crew – 16 people
Caliber – 540 mm
For the sake of Hollywood action there is a fairly tough production. The locations, of course, are large, the corridors are wide, only there is nothing to do here in addition to tasks and that all the scripts work regularly limit you either with deep water barriers, or a minefield, or engineering obstacles. Although, if you think about it, within the framework of hostilities, all this is not meaningless and you should not complain about linearity.
Network game is a separate song. Despite the fact that there are few cards, rush through wide open spaces on tanks and grab points is enough. With the maximum number of players of 32, the battles come out very large -scale. It was to the multiplayer of this project that the attention of virtual tankers was riveted before World of Tanks release.
Pz. KPFW. II – The tank was developed back in 1934. By the beginning of World War II, he was the main military force of the tank regiments of the Wehrmacht along with Pz. KPFW I. Already at the beginning of the war, he lost in his characteristics Polish, Czech, French and especially Soviet tanks.
Pz. KPFW. 38 (t) – Czechoslovak light tank LT-38, which after the occupation of the country by Germany was produced for its military needs. He liked the Germans because he exceeded PZ II and even more than PZ I, and possessed good cruiser qualities.
Pz. KPFW. III AUSF H – This tank was used from the first day of the war, but as of 1939, only a little more than 200 cars were produced. From 1940 to 1942, these tanks were the main weapons of tank divisions. Later, due to weak weapons and reservation, they were replaced by subsequent models. The main difference between modification h steel is overhead armor sheets on the frontal part of the tank 30 mm thick.
Pz. KPFW. IV Ausf f – one of the best war vehicles in Germany, replacing an obsolete model. Many times modified, reservation and weapons changed, additional screens were hung. Modification F, which is given to us under control, differs from others in the fact that the shape of the tower is changed and has a slight lengthening in the rear, and in this tower there is 75 mm howitzer.
Pz. KPFW VI Tiger I – One of the most popular German tanks along with Panther. 56-ton monster with 88 mm long-barreled gun.
Pz. KPFW. V Panther – Despite the fact that the weight of the tank is 44.8 tons, according to the German classification, it is an average tank. So, losing to his older brother in reservation and power, Panthers brought huge problems to Soviet tanks, up to the development of IS-1.
Pz. KPFW. VI B Tiger II – Tiger II, or, as it is commonly called with us, the Royal Tiger became the last serial tank developed for the needs of the Wehrmacht. The chassis for him was taken from the first “tiger”, and the tower resembled the Panther tower, only more elongated. The length of the already monstrous 88 mm guns increased to 71 caliber (6248 mm).
T-34 – As many people like to say the "workhorse" of the tank forces of the Soviet Union. The simplicity and reliability of this machine allowed to establish its mass production, and excellent combat characteristics made it possible to successfully withstand Germany technique.
T-34- 85 -The need to install a more powerful gun on the T-34 arose when models such as “Tiger” and “Panther” appeared on the horizon. And since it was impossible to put such a powerful gun in the old tower, a larger tower was urgently developed and with great reservation, which, in addition to enhanced combat power, increased the overall security of the tank.
KV-1 – A heavy tank, on the shoulders of which the main hardships of the battles in the first stages of the Great Patriotic War fell on. At that time, the number of them in the troops was not enough and they could not have a significant influence on the battle.
IS-1 – The heavy tank of the new generation, which made it possible to successfully fight the enemy tanks and fulfill their main task – the destruction of firing points and support for infantry.
IS-2 -Despite the fact that IS-1 showed its high efficiency, in operation it was quite inconvenient. This laid the foundation for the work on its speedy modernization.
M24 Chaffe – M24 far exceeded all the light cars of the Second World War in bulletproofing and firepower. Its 75-mm gun in its characteristics was almost inferior to the gun of Sherman.
M4A2 Sherman – The tank, developed in 1942, became the main weapons of not only American, but also British tank divisions. To the honor of American designers, I must say that with the practically absent tank industry, they were able to create a fairly combat -ready machine in a short time.
M4A4 Sherman Firefly – The main result of the operation of the "Shermans" by the British. The essence of this modernization is the replacement of a standard gun with a 76.2 mm rifle gun.
M26 PERSHING – The first tanks of this model reached Europe only in January 1945 and did not have time to fight properly. But they managed to fight in the Korean War (June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953.) where their main enemy was the Soviet T-34-85.
The results of combat operations
I can’t call Panzer Elite Action a bad game. To some extent, my long-standing passion for this type of technology affects here, but still developers really created a quality product. In places the mission is slightly tightened, but rarely. Otherwise, this project causes emotions similar to emotions that the first Call of Duty caused people in people – admiration for special effects and atmosphere of military operations in the game. Discarding technical problems on modern systems, we get a strong tank arcade, which does not apply for simulatory.