“War, war never changes” – this quote from the Fallout series is used by everyone who is not too lazy to start their story about a military conflict in games. However, the 20th century changed the war dramatically and radically. Two world wars gave such a kick to industrial progress that it was difficult to imagine. It was during the First World War that such a combat vehicle, now widely known as a tank, appeared. And just this week – September 15, 2016 – it will be exactly one hundred years since their “baptism of fire”. And since this event has a centenary anniversary, I would like to celebrate it and time my next review to coincide with such an event.
During the Battle of the Somme on September 15, 1916, the British used tanks in an attack for the first time. At dawn the tanks moved forward, ahead of the infantry ranks of three British corps. Of the 49 tanks involved, only 32 were able to return: the rest either broke down, got stuck, or got lost in the dark! The attack had just begun, but then other vehicles began to break down and get stuck in craters. 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 was extraordinary. The first Mark I tanks became this miracle of unreliable technology. They were divided into males (cannon weapons) and females (machine guns).
Unfortunately, there are very few games about the First World War. And there is no mention at all about the armored vehicles of that time, except that a fan modification to the old Battlefield 1942 at least somewhat corrected this historical injustice. Nowadays, 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.
Children of War
If the First World War became the mother of tanks, then the Second World War became, so to speak, their first teacher. Because tanks became more complex, more advanced and more efficient. Many technical innovations developed during the war formed the basis for the further development of this industry and ultimately tanks became the monsters we see today.
The sight of armored tracked vehicles and the desire to control them have possessed more than one generation of boys, and with the development of the gaming industry, it has become easier to touch a childhood dream – tank simulators have appeared. Over the years they have been 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 a computer. Today we will talk about, perhaps, the best game in the genre of arcade tank simulator.
In the virtual design office
But first, as usual, about the developer company. For the Slovenian studio ZootFly, the Panzer Elite action game became a debut, since the first game that the studio developed was canceled. This debut can be called successful, because the company was able to find a niche that was largely empty, while still making a fairly high-quality product. Unfortunately, today they don’t make spectacular single-player games about tanks, because the world has been taken over by co-op and online competitions (WoT, WarThunder, etc.). But only I, and perhaps a small group of people, regret this, because progress is unstoppable and everyone strives for online games. And hardcore simulator players still drive tanks in games that are more than 10, or even 15 years old. Back to ZootFly. In addition to tanks, she created another one, alas, sadly popular on StopGame.ru game Prison Break: The Conspiracy
Technically the Panzer elite action is almost well done. “Almost” because it runs perfectly on Windows XP, and on Windows 7 there are two very funny, but slightly annoying graphic artifacts: the tank tracks don’t move at all, and we see irons dancing on the screen, and the Tiger tank is literally crazy.
On later systems (8, 10) most likely they will also meet if the game starts at all.
Military chronicles
The single-player campaign is plot-wise divided into three parts: for the German, Soviet and American crew. Before the start of each campaign, we are shown footage from military chronicles, which puts us in a certain mood. Over the course of 36 missions, you will sweep through the main sites of tank battles: from the invasion of German tank columns into Poland on September 1, 1939, to the crossing of the Rhine by Allied troops. Between them were the war in France, Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk and the landing in Normandy. Throughout these missions the game tries to develop a somewhat naive plot about how war changes people, but the plot is perhaps one of the weak points of this game. Many events are far from historic, although the authors tried very hard to convey the situation and atmosphere of that war, the eyewitnesses of which will soon be completely gone. The developers tried their best to diversify the tasks: destroying columns of equipment, escorting convoys, suppressing artillery, fighting armored trains (they had not appeared in games of this genre before), destroying aircraft and even night reconnaissance sorties, as well as the hunt for the German tank ace Michael Wittmann.
April 22, 1914 – August 8, 1944
Wittmann became famous in the famous battle of Villers-Bocage on June 13, 1944, where both Wittmann’s skill and the superiority of the Tiger heavy tank in armor over Allied vehicles were clearly demonstrated. Commanding a Tiger company of the 101st Heavy Tank Battalion, he suddenly attacked a stationary column of enemy armored vehicles. By joint action, in 15 minutes, the battalion’s tanks destroyed several tanks, 2 anti-tank guns and about 15 enemy armored personnel carriers from the reconnaissance squadron of the 7th Armored Division of the British, the so-called “desert rats”, which caused a lot of trouble for Rommel and became famous in Africa. During the further battle, before his tank was knocked out, acting separately from the company, he disabled several more tanks. As a result of the battle, Wittmann’s crew destroyed up to 11 tanks, 1 – 2 anti-tank guns and several armored personnel carriers. Due to Wittmann’s actions, the British were unable to hold Hill 213, although the Germans suffered significant losses in the subsequent phase of the battle.
The battle locations are https://andromedabetcasino.co.uk/mobile-app/ made very meticulously and quite recognizable. Here you will find Polish villages, French towns, destroyed Stalingrad and the beaches of Normandy.
The gameplay is reminiscent of a Hollywood action movie: planes are flying across the sky, bombs are falling, enemy artillery is hiding 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 managed quite easily, unlike hardcore simulators. All you need to do is press WASD, control the gun and coaxial machine gun with the mouse, sometimes inspect the battlefield through binoculars and call for the ultimate air support. There is, of course, a button that switches tractor control to car control, but why would you need it if you started a game about tanks, I can’t imagine.
New types of equipment come under the player’s control in each mission, and their change is almost never explained. They differ from each other in the lethality of the weapon and cruising 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 equipment that are not available for play and can only be destroyed (sorry, T-26). In addition to enemy tanks, the enemy is guns, planes, armored trains and… infantry. Despite the fact that the infantry dies from one burst from a machine gun, if you hesitate, you can get a rocket in the stern and a couple of grenades for change.
Self-propelled mortar "Karl"
Combat weight — 126 t
Crew — 16 people
Caliber — 540 mm
For the sake of the Hollywood action, the production here is quite harsh. The locations, of course, are large, the corridors are wide, but there is nothing to do here besides tasks, and in order for all the scripts to work properly, you are limited to either deep water obstacles, or a minefield, or engineering obstacles. Although, if you think about it, within the framework of military operations, all this is not without meaning and there is no need to complain about linearity.
Network play is a different story. Despite the fact that there are quite a few maps, rushing around wide open spaces in tanks and capturing points is quite fun. With a maximum number of players of 32, the battles are quite large-scale. It was the multiplayer of this project that attracted the attention of virtual tankers before the release of World of tanks.
Pz. Kpfw. II – the tank was developed back in 1934. By the beginning of the Second World War, it was the main military force of the Wehrmacht tank regiments along with the Pz. Kpfw I. Already at the beginning of the war, it was inferior in its characteristics to 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. The Germans liked it because it was superior to the Pz II and especially the Pz I in all the main characteristics, and had good cruising 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 vehicles were produced. From 1940 to 1942, these tanks were the main armament of tank divisions. Later, due to weak weapons and armor, they were supplanted by subsequent models. The main difference between modification H was the 30 mm thick applied armor plates on the front of the tank.
Pz. Kpfw. IV Ausf F – one of the best combat vehicles in Germany, replacing an outdated model. Modified many times, armor and weapons changed, additional screens were added. Modification F, which we are given to control, in the game differs from others in that the shape of the turret has been changed and has a slight extension in the rear, and this turret contains a 75 mm howitzer.
Pz. Kpfw VI Tiger I – one of the most popular German tanks along with the Panther. 56-ton monster with 88 mm long-barreled gun.
Pz. Kpfw. V Panther – despite the fact that the tank weighs 44.8 tons, according to the German classification it is a medium tank. Thus, being inferior to their older brother in terms of armor and power, the Panther’s guns caused huge problems for Soviet tanks, right up to the development of the IS-1.
Pz. Kpfw. VI B Tiger II — Tiger II, or, as we usually call it, the “Royal Tiger”, became the last production tank developed for the needs of the Wehrmacht. The chassis for it was taken from the first Tiger, and the turret resembled the Panther turret, only more elongated. The length of the already monstrous 88 mm gun was increased to 71 caliber (6248 mm).
T-34 – as many like to say, the “workhorse” of the tank forces of the Soviet Union. The simplicity and reliability of this vehicle made it possible to organize its mass production, and its excellent combat characteristics made it possible to successfully withstand German technology.
T-34-85 — the need to install a more powerful gun on the T-34 arose when models such as the “Tiger” and “Panther” appeared on the horizon. And since it was impossible to install such a powerful cannon in the old turret, a larger turret with more armor was urgently developed, which, in addition to increased combat power, increased the overall security of the tank.
KV-1 – a heavy tank, which bore the brunt of the fighting in the early stages of the Great Patriotic War. At that time, their number in the troops was small and they could not have a significant influence on the battles.
IS-1 – a new generation heavy tank, which made it possible to successfully fight enemy tanks and carry out their main task – the destruction of firing points and infantry support.
IS-2 – despite the fact that the IS-1 showed its high efficiency, it was quite inconvenient to operate. This marked the beginning of work on its speedy modernization.
M24 Chaffee — The M24 was far superior to all light vehicles of the Second World War in terms of armor protection and firepower. Its 75-mm cannon was almost in no way inferior in its characteristics to the Sherman gun.
М4А2 Sherman – the tank, developed in 1942, became the main weapon of not only American, but also British tank divisions. To the credit of American designers, it must be said that with a virtually absent tank industry, they were able to create a fairly combat-ready vehicle in a short time.
M4A4 Sherman Firefly – the main result of the exploitation of Shermans by the British. The essence of this modernization is the replacement of the standard gun with a 76.2 mm rifled 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 opponent was the Soviet T-34-85.
Results of combat operations
I can’t call Panzer Elite Action a bad game. To some extent, my long-time passion for this type of technology is reflected here, but still, the developers really created a high-quality product. In some places the missions are a little drawn out, but quite rarely. Otherwise, this project evokes emotions similar to the emotions that the first Call of Duty evoked in people – admiration for the special effects and the atmosphere of military operations in the game. Putting aside the technical problems on modern systems, we get a strong tank arcade game that does not pretend to be a simulation.