Matrix Games Forums

Hi,

Here my little history, basically I had steel panthers 3 the CD was too scratched but I wanted to play it and I went online and saw there was a new version released and that it was free, so here are some questions.

1 - Where is the catch ? Everything is free ???

2 - Is there development tools, mod tools, mission editor or anything like that to create, modify units to make missions/campaigns or to change the code ?

3 - I saw on the screenshots that there were boats, are they controllable now or are they artillery stuff? what about the planes?

Originally posted by mystra007
Hi,


1 - Where is the catch ? Everything is free ???

There is but one catch: Total addiction, you can kiss your normal life goodbye from now on, give in and join the Zombie.Horde:D If you thoght SP3 was good, SPWaW is heaven

Originally posted by Rune Iversen


There is but one catch: Total addiction, you can kiss your normal life goodbye from now on, give in and join the Zombie.Horde:D If you thoght SP3 was good, SPWaW is heaven

Do not worry im familiar with that situation

Actually i want to play this game to do a wargame simulation (ie: where you manage a country military forces and you do battles)
Thats why i hope there are controllable boats and controllables planes.

Actually it was good, but not that much i didnt like for example the bombardment, it was too long but i liked the rest im just disappointed thats its the same graphics but at least they have very cool urban terrains

The catch is loss of sleep, alianation of girlfriend/wife. Decline in work performance at your job. The ussual.
No everything is free. Matrix sells a couple of mega-campaigns that are assume. But people tend not to buy into them until they have thoughly beaten up on the computer a number of times.

If you find that the artillery bombardments consume too much time for your liking, go to the 'Preferences' settings and set 'Fast Artillery On'.

Hope this helps!

I found the catch hehe, it has only world war 2......

What´s with the glum face? You say "it has only world war 2" like it´s a bad thing.

Sorry, it's just that I thought it had all the era like in SP3, world war II is the era I like the less and I,m not familiar with the units unlike modern era.

But I heard SP:MBT will do that

Hey... if you want a modern warfare game like SPWAW, go to www.wargamer.com/spcammo....... they're releasing a new modern wargame... SPMBT there today (14/6/02).
SPMBT's graphics are that crash hot, but the gameplay should be excellent.....

Good luck, and enjoy SP

Antarctic

Mystra glad you found the game. No one as yet has made the comment that SSI still "owns" the game.
Anything Matrix does with it must be offered for free.
That is the catch.

SPWaW is really Steel Panthers 1 (with a massive amount of improving tweaking and general fussing over).

SP MW was the modern equal to SP1. But alas it was never brought up to the standards that SPWaW enjoys.

What you know as SP3 is more fully called SP3 Brigade Combat. Additionally it was never taken past it's old DOS limitations. But it is not fully comparable to Steel Panthers 1 or SPWaW because it was a slightly higher echelon simulation.

That SPWaW is not more than WW2 is just a reflection of the fact that SP1 was also never more than WW2.

But the main comment needed here..... is that Matrix is developing Combat Leader (which will be owned by Matrix, as it will be THEIR software).
It's first release will be WW2 primarily because in spite of groans from modern fans, they are not the majority. But look forward to the Modern release to be added on.
Of course the downside is that Matrix won't be giving it away.

What you have found in Steel Panthers WaW is something of an experiment and something of unique marketing. It was a nice way of generating the Matrix community too.

There are of course people out there unwilling to let the Steel Panthers design retire in peace. You won't have any trouble finding modified versions of the oriinal program existing in "Modern" formats. But the opinion of whether they are good is not entirely automatic.
But I don't recall any updated versions of specifically SP3 (I think the preferred scale of SP1 predominates, but I could be wrong).
Remember the scale changes with SP3 for the previous 2 offerings.
As a result the simulation level is distinct.

Finally I'm satisfied with the game, I kinda like the effects and that the machine guns finally have an effect on the tanks.

I already knew that SSI had the right to SpWaw and that it was the reason why it was free.

Also, I don't think I'll get mbt it's too ugly and I care much more about graphics than about gameplay (sorry). Maybe I'll try it one day.

But it is not fully comparable to Steel Panthers 1 or SPWaW because it was a slightly higher echelon simulation.

I'm not sure what you mean ?

To compare Steel Panthers 1 (the very first Steel Panthers cause there has to be a first for everything) with Steel Panthers 3 (the last version that was actually sold off the shelf and not some much modified several years later freebie) I will use my favourite comparison (familiar to anyone that knows my usual likes dislikes with respects to wargames.

Steel Panthers 1 is like the board game Advanced Squad Leader realised on the computer (and about the only reason I ever gave Steel panthers a chance in the first place, because board games are inherently superior period regardless of what anyone tells you).
Steel Panthers 3 is a close approximation to PanzerBlitz/Panzerleader/Arab Israelis Wars (3 games of common origin the originator being Panzerblitz)

you might not know these boards games (it happens). Of course to not know these boards means you lose you distinction of being a real wargamer (cause real wargamers played board game versions long before computer games existed eh).

ASL Advanced Squad Leader deal with indivdual pieces of gear ie one tank or one squad or one piece of ordnance.
Panzerblitz ...etc deals with platoons of tanks platoons of infantry groups of guns etc.
ASL was the smallest useful unit in combat, while platoon would be the next echelon up. After that you get company, battalion, brigade etc (terms vary with nation sometimes).

That is what I meant by it being a game different in echelon.

It is also the reason that some increases in the games design work while others don't apparently with modern weapons systems.
The latest thing out there appears to be SPMBT available on a different site.
If the sum of downloads is any indication, a dang lot of people what it regardless of some saying it is inferior in some way to play value of SPWaW about it's closest competition for your attention span.