Steel Beasts 1.19 released

[Ssnake]

We've been in labor, but now the Baby has been reborn (and what a fine offspring it has grown into!)

Download it from sites like http://www.esimgames.com or http://www.steelbeasts.com . It is 8 MByte large, and offers the following changes:

***  New Features  ***

• Adjusted M1A1 fire control system, based on new information. It should now be easier to gun with the M1A1, compared to v1.17.
   
   
   
   
  
• Improved the "active" armor modeling of the T-80 and T-72. The T-80 armor should now be weaker at times, especially after multiple hits.
   
   
   
   
  
• Modified joystick response for easier tracking.
   
   
   
   
  
• Added joystick centering feature.  Press Shift+J to make the current joystick position the center.
   
   
   
   
  
• An ammunition summary for both red and blue is now displayed at the end of the briefing text.
   
   
   
   
  
• Infantry will try harder to stay near woods.
   
   
   
   
  
• Infantry will now discover mine fields.
   
   
   
   
  
• Modified more missions to take advantage of new features of v1.17.
   
   
   
   
  
• Added new missions.
   
   
   
   
  
• Added and updated the documents on ammunition.  These are in the docs folder.
   
   
   
   
  
• Player's records are now also written to a plain text format. You can find it in the misc/records folder. The information in the text file is the same as that shown in the Records menu, and in the same order.
   
   
   
   
  
• Vehicles on rough terrain will now go a little slower.
   
   
   
   
  
• When testing a mission in the editor, the random variables used for the mission will be displayed at the end of the score.
   
   
   
   
  
• Computer-controlled units will call arty less aggressively now.
   
   
   
   
  
• The LOS F1 view now has a bino view (press N) and strafe left/right (press A/D).
   
   
   
   
  
• Modified ammo and smoke grenade load-outs for various tanks to make more accurate.
  

***  Bug Fixes  ***

• Fixed bug that, on rare occasions, caused a round to go through a vehicle.
   
   
   
   
  
• Corrected the size of the M1A1 GPS reticle, which was slightly incorrect.
   
   
   
   
  
• Tanks will be more willing to cross shallow water now.
   
   
   
   
  
• Computer TC will no longer override forever if the target is very close and moving very fast.
   
   
   
   
  
• Dismounted infantry will no longer try to set in front of their IFV, when given a route that is behind their IFV.
   
   
   
   
  
• FISTVs, medics, and arty spotters created in older missions are now selectable in multiplayer games.
   
   
   
   
  
• The computer TC on the Leopard will no longer have problems overriding if a human gunner has the dynamic lead pressed when the TC overrides.
   
   
   
   
  
• Various types of impossible damages have been eliminated (e.g., smoke grenade damage on a Humvee.)
   
   
   
   
  
• Computer gunner's will now re-lase if they had an invalid range (flashing 0s) previously entered.
   
   
   
   
  
• Improved transfer rate of scenario files for multiplayer games.
   
   
   
   
  
• In multiplayer games, only the highest ranking player on either side can set triggers for his side.
  

Have fun!

[Stefan Fredriksson]

Ssnake, please contact me.

[Ssnake]

This message is now obsolete.

 

[Edited by Ssnake (14 Sep 2001).]

[Stefan Fredriksson]

I have tried to email your 3 different emails, from 2 of mine. Hopefully one of them will hit the target.

[DogDodger]

Help! I dl'ed the patch from steelbeasts.com, unzipped it to a temp folder, but every time I run the upgrade.exe it asks if I'm installing it over 1.14+ (I currently have 1.170), and then asks if I wanna have it search for the directory, which is where I'm running into trouble. If I click yes, it does nothing for a while and eventually stops responding if I check with close program dialog box. I if click no, it tells me incorrect path or somesuch. The SB CD is in the drive. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

Thanks,

Chris

[Guest Dwight Pruitt]

Chris,

 

AS far as I'm concerned, the gunnery models on both upgrades make them almost worthless to download. I've sent a round or two downrange in my time and I think I know my breach from my muzzel. I've shitcanned both of them and went back to the out-of-the-box version. In the original version, I gun anywhere from 85-90%. v1.17 was like trying to gun while having seizures. v1.19 is better and smoother, but the point of impact changed where everything seems to fly 0.5 mils over the target, necessitating a point of aim under the target to get a hit. I'm a BOT baby, but that's ridiculous.

 

Over all, I'm underwhelmed.

 

Dwight

[Harold Jones]

Dwight maybe you should re-boresight.

[Guest Dwight Pruitt]

Originally posted by Harold Jones:

Dwight maybe you should re-boresight.   

 

(scratching head)Boresight....boresight....hmmmmmm never heard of it

[Allan W]

Dwight:

 

They've identified a bug which causes rounds to sometimes go through targets. That is what you may be seeing. They are working on a patch for it.

[Harold Jones]

Originally posted by Dwight Pruitt:

(scratching head)Boresight....boresight....hmmmmmm never heard of it   

 

You need to get some thread and tape it to the witness marks of your monitor and then using...

[Guest Dwight Pruitt]

Harold...what's that saying about great minds? Check out my reply on the "Abrams Problem" thread in the AFV forum

[Ssnake]

Originally posted by DogDodger:

Help! I dl'ed the patch from steelbeasts.com, unzipped it to a temp folder, but every time I run the upgrade.exe it asks if I'm installing it over 1.14+ (I currently have 1.170), and then asks if I wanna have it search for the directory, which is where I'm running into trouble. If I click yes, it does nothing for a while and eventually stops responding if I check with close program dialog box. I if click no, it tells me incorrect path or somesuch. The SB CD is in the drive. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

Thanks,

Chris

It is not so much what you're doing wrong - but just enter the correct installation path when the default path is being listed. The installation routine tries to locate the directory by reading from the registry. This entry can be missing, corrupt, or moved to another location (especially for Windows 2000 users). You just have to type in the right location, and you're set.

[Ssnake]

Originally posted by Dwight Pruitt:

AS far as I'm concerned, the gunnery models on both upgrades make them almost worthless to download.

...

Over all, I'm underwhelmed.

Sorry to hear that it doesn't work out for you, but if Al says he's confident to have it right this time, I must confess that I tend to believe him. Especially the new features aside from the improved gunnery model probably make the download worth it (customizable ammunition, improved model for reactive armor, ...)

Give it a chance and some more practice, and eventually you might start appreciating it - I hope!

[DogDodger]

Originally posted by Ssnake:

You just have to type in the right location, and you're set.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. Ssnake, what if it doesn't give me an option or chance to type in the path?

 

Thanks again,

Chris

[Ssnake]

Well, if you you don't select the automatic search function, then the only alternative is the dialog box where you can type it in. I have never heard that this doesn't work...?!

 

If that's really the case , send an email to mailto:bugs@esimgames.combugs@esimgames.com .

[Ssnake]

...and 1.194 is up - you can download it from here.

 

[DogDodger]

Thanks, Ssnake, I'll send an email out. When I try to manually put in the path (i.e., don't select the automatic search) is when I get the invalid path reply from my puter. If I do try the automatic search, it just sits there and the upgrade eventually stops responding.

 

Thanks,

Chris

 

[Edited by DogDodger (21 Sep 2001).]

[Scott Cunningham]

1.19 turned into a great patch. 1.194 addresses the last of the loose strings. The game seems really solid now (we even managed a multiplayer game of 6 last night with mixed versions and no drops).

 

The close collision bug (rounds passing through VERY close targets) appears to be fixed.

 

Overall a great effort by Al Delaney, Ssnake, and other programmers.

 

Hopefully now effort will shift to the "Big Patch", SB-2.

[DogDodger]

More trouble. It seems that the CD drive may be the problem. It will play the game fine, and read and play music CDs, but if I put a CD-ROM into the drive, the autoplay feature doesn't work, and if I then try to open the CD drive in Explorer it responds with "D: is not accessible. The device is not ready." The Auto Insert Notification box is checked. Any ideas? Help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Chris

[Ssnake]

You don't need the CD in your drive to play Steel Beasts. You just need it for installing the updates.

[Gennady I. Beregovoy]

DogDodger/Chris: I have had that problem before. It's either 1) the drive and/or 2) the CD. If the CD is a CD-R or CD-R/W and your drive is an old one, chances are the drive won't read that particular CD. Or, if the drive is new or relatively new, and the CD ain't original but a burned-in copy, then there's something wrong with the CD or there are scratches. I had an old drive that read only originals but won't play burned-in CDs. When I got a new one, the CDs worked fine.

The autoplay feature - if it doesn't kick in - is an indication that the CD or the drive is bad. Try another CD. If it works, chances are the drive is ok. Check also if your CD drive's autoplay feature is turned on but it seems that's turned on.

 

 

 

[Edited by Gennady I. Beregovoy (17 Oct 2001).]

[Jeff]

I have my copy from the I&I but I haven't had time to install it yet, though my brother has played a little of the instant action stuff. I look forward to it.

[DogDodger]

Thanks for the help guys. The SB CD is the original, and the box is checked for autoplay. I'll hopefully be gettnig a new computer within the next year or so. I'll just make do with version 1.17 til SB2 comes out.

 

Thanks,

Chris

[Ssnake]

Can't believe that you can't read the CD. Maybe you need to clean either the CD surface or the CD-Rom's laser lens. Try a soft brush that you can get in photo accessory shops.