What are the SP versions?

[solops]

Please explain the difference in the FREE versions of SP? I see WW2 and MBT versions. I read that there are different engine versions.

[Alby]

WW2 and SPMBT were built using the SP2 engine I believe
while SPWAW was built using the SP3 engine
the 2 factions at one time worked together but split along time ago
some prefer one over the other
its a personal choice

[Kuokkanen]

First in Steel Panthers series is Steel Panthers. Released by SSI in 1995 and made by Gary Grigsby (top wargame developer). It was about Second World War, had good selection of campaigns and scenarios around the world, and my homeland Finland with its unique weapons is among the nations (had only 2 scenarios though). Next game is Steel Panthers 2. Covers wars after Second World War, starting from 1950. "Good morning Vietnam!" Last game in the series by SSI is Steel Panthers 3.

After those games had run their course, fans got to work. First fan made game is Steel Panthers World War 2 (SPWW2). First made by Camo Workshop, they took SP2 game engine and applied Second World War units into it. With camouflaged unit icons. Then new company at the time, Matrix Games, started their own Steel Panthers successor: Steel Panthers World at War (SPWAW). SPWAW took SP3 game engine and that attracted developers from SPWW2. There was some friction between the two teams. Someone observing the project wrote (translated from finnish): "hissing at each others." Eventually Camo Workshop started another game project: Steel Panthers Main Battle Tank (SPMBT). All games were developed and updated for several years. Camo's games still are while official development of SPWAW ended years ago. When Camo Workshop upgraded its games to Windows operating systems, game names got Win prefix: WinSPWW2 & WinSPMBT. All 3 games are available for free.

All games can also be bought. Matrix version comes with somethings called Mega Campaigns. Those have more historically accurate and detailed campaigns than vanilla game, as well as some new features and whole lot of text & history to read. Camo's games (sold by Shrapnel) offer variety of screen resolutions and little else. Cost free games are all stuck at 800x600 resolution. As I said before, both Camo/Shrapnel games are still updated (cost free ones too) and have number of features that are not in SPWAW. Perhaps the most important is OpFire filter. OpFire (Opportunity Fire) is event which happens when another player (or AI) moves his units on his turn at line of sight of another player's unit which then automatically shoot. That way cheap Jeep or Kübelwagen can reveal anti-tank guns that are hidden in the forest and player can bring down artillery or air strikes at them (or smoke to block LOS or whatever). With OpFire filter player can order unit NOT to shoot at the Jeep but allow to shoot at the tank instead. Not in SPWAW.

Though SPWAW is officially completed game and Matrix hasn't made patch for it for many years, Major_Mess has made heroic deed to continue its development. He has put together free version of SPWAW, its official updates, some fan made mods and more into one neat installer file. Available here