the Steel Beasts Anti- Frustration Kit. - The 29th Armored Regiment

Welcome to the Steel Beasts Anti- 

Frustration Kit. 

This package was written to get new players going with the tank simulation Steel Beasts, in particular with 

online multiplayer. I started this project because the first online experience with Steel Beasts can be frustrating 

for a variety of reasons, and if a player gives up because of it they're missing out on a brilliant game, the most 

enthralling I've ever played. 

Without further ado, then...click a link, young trooper, and let's get you sorted out. 

Shortcut: If you need a map file, click here. 

1. Installation 2. Finding online games 3. Tactics 4. Sharpening your skills 5. Goodies 6. Etiquette 7. Credits

1. Installation 2. Finding online games 3. Tactics 4. Sharpening your skills 5. Goodies 6. Etiquette 7. Credits 

Part 1a. Extra maps you might need 

There aren't many of these because scenario writers are conscious of the aggravation a rare map can cause - 

but every so often someone gets an idea too cool to pass up, like Nimo's Volcano map. Download the following 

files and you'll be ready for almost anything. 

UPDATE: To make this super-easy, I've uploaded four .zip files that contain every extra height map I'm aware 

of. They're called AllTheMaps1, AllTheMaps2, AllTheMaps3 and AllTheMaps4, and they're available at the link 

below. Download, unzip, and put all the .raw files into your Maps\height directory. These should definitely cover 

you; this is all the maps I have, and I haven't been caught out in many months. 

To your Steel Beasts\Maps\height directory: 

All The Maps! 

If you're after a specific map, the breakdown is like this: 

AllTheMaps1 contains (hgt)hobbs2048[rolling], 

(hgt)magpierange2048[hills], (hgt)skeetlow1024[valley], 

FtIrwin, Irwin and jimi. 

AllTheMaps2 contains (hgt)westpoint2048[plainswithrises], 

(hgt)yullasridge2048[ridges], ambush at woods edge, hmap 

and riverlands. 

AllTheMaps3 contains AS_AstorPass, city, Commonwealth, 

Cumb, FtPolk and Vietnam. 

AllTheMaps4 contains (hgt)meride4096[vbumpy] and 

volcano. 

To your Steel Beasts\Maps\terrain 

directory: 

Note: the first three links 

are broken; I'm looking 

into it. Sorry. 

● Chaffee 

● Desert 

● Spirit Dance 

● ...and here are two more 

terrain maps that can't be 

accessed directly - 

Metropolis and Objective 

Savage. 

A battlespace in Steel Beasts has 

three essential components - the 

height map which contains the 

topographical information, the 

terrain map which determines where 

the trees, water, bushes, dirt and 

mud are, and the scenario file which 

controls what units are present, the 

scoring and events. To use a 

scenario, you have to make sure you 

have the appropriate height map and 

terrain map; if you don't, bug the 

scenario author and find out where 

those maps are - then let me know so 

I can add them to this resource.



There have been several releases of Steel Beasts, each adding new features and capabilities. If you have an 

older version, you may have trouble getting into multiplayer games, so let's get you up to speed right now. 

If you have the 

choice, use the 

Custom Install 

option. When you 

get the screen at 

right, click in the 

empty space left of 

each option to 

activate it. The one 

you definitely want 

is the height maps - 

if any are missing 

you won't be able to 

play certain 

scenarios.

To install the patches, click the link then choose "Save to disk" and select your Desktop. Once the download is 

complete, double-click the patch and it should auto-detect your SB directory and do its thing. You'll need an 

Unzip utility to unpack the patches - if you don't have one, you can get WinZip here. 

If you have any version before 1.195, click here to upgrade to v.1.195. If that link is on the fritz, try the alternate 

site. 

If/once you have version 1.195, click here to upgrade to v.1.226. 

If you have version 1.225, click here to upgrade to v.1.226. 

If you have Steel Beasts:Gold Edition, click here to install the missing map patch. (This one isn't critical; all it 

does is eliminate a harmless error message in the mission editor.) 

With that accomplished, you now have the slicing-edge version of Steel Beasts. One thing that could still trip 

you up, though, is lacking the proper map files, so let's get that taken care of. 

If you've installed SB using the Custom option as described above, you already have the complete set of 

original maps. If not, Explore your Steel Beasts CD, and get to the Maps directory. Copy everything in there. 

Then find your Steel Beasts directory, open up the Maps subdirectory, and Paste all the maps in. (Then get up 

and stretch your legs...these are big files.)

Now...there are some custom maps created by players that some of the scenarios require. Custom maps are 

discouraged by SB's creators because of the compatibility problems they cause, but if you want to flesh out 

your map library, click here. 



Getting into a game is fairly straightforward. First, grab a pen and something to write on; there's going to be an IP address 

to keep track of soon. Also, if you've been having any connection troubles you'll want to disable any firewall you've got 

running (especially the WinXP firewall) and shut down any antivirus programs. If you have connection problems, your best 

resource is the Steel Beasts FAQ area. 

Your first stop is www.steelbeasts.com - more specifically, the link down the left edge that says "SB Chat". 

This is where 98% of the Steel Beasts games start. (And I don't know where the other 2% come from.) Lots of idle chatter 

goes on, but the event you're waiting for is someone posting an IP address. This will look like 133.59.234.116 or 

something like that (I made that one up). Write down that number, or highlight and Copy it if your chat system permits. 

If you have a low-bandwidth connection (56k or poor DSL) you might want to exit the chat room at this point. If your 

connection's good, by all means stay in chat, but you might want to change your nickname to indicate that you're in a 

game because if someone sends you a private message, Steel Beasts will minimize to the taskbar. (This normally 

happens at the worst possible time.) To change your nickname, type /nick FooBar, where FooBar is your new name. 

Now, start up Steel Beasts, click through the title screen and select Multiplayer. 

Your 

status 

defaults 

to Host - 

click on 

that 

word 

and it'll 

change 

to 

Client, 

and a 

box 

will 

pop up 

to 

receive 

the 

host's

IP 

address 

that you 

wrote 

down or 

copied 

earlier. 

If 

you're 

playing 

over the 

internet, 

leave 

the Port 

box 

blank 

and 

click 

Go. 

Once you're in the Assembly Area (AA - not to be confused with the After-Action Review/AAR, or with Archangel, probably 

the best online player and often referred to as AA) it's time to pick a vehicle. Some things to be aware of: 

● Vehicles whose second number is a "1", like 1-1/A and 2-1/B, are platoon leaders. Selecting one of these gives 

you command of a whole platoon. (4 M1/M2 or 3 Leopard/Marder) 

● M1A1s and M2s whose second number is a "2", like 1-2/A and 3-2/C, are section leaders. Selecting one of these 

gives you command of a 2-vehicle section. 

● Selecting a CO vehicle, like co/A or co/B, gives you command of an entire company. 

● Selecting any other vehicle gives you command of that vehicle only. 

With the above in mind, choose a scale of responsibility you think you can handle. Oh, by the way, if you select a tank 

you'll get this little question:

The correct answer is Yes. Clicking No means that if your connection fails, 

your tanks will not be useable by your teammates (which can ruin an entire 

scenario if you control essential vehicles), and if one of your tanks is under 

attack your teammates can't jump in and gun for you. 

To amplify this point: I was in a game once where a player chose a CO tank, 

and clicked No. When his connection dropped ten minutes into the game, his 

tanks halted in place and his teammates couldn't control them. His side lost, 

and half a dozen normally easygoing players were more worked up than I've 

ever seen them. So please...click Yes. Major point of etiquette in the Steel 

Beasts community. 

Eventually the host will launch the game. Participate in the planning process, let your teammates know you're new, shoot 

the bad guys and avoid being shot, maintain situational awareness, be where you aren't expected and win the battle. 

If you have any trouble with the above, head on over to the Tactics section. 



It happens fast. One moment you're a modern-day leviathan rolling 

across the plain, lord of all you survey, your 120mm gun scanning 

restlessly from side to side, sniffing, looking for something to bite. 

Then abruptly, a spike of metal smashes through your armor plate and 

hammers you into oblivion. 

What went wrong? 

Hard to say, but I can give you a few ideas. I'm an average player and definitely not a natural at this, but maybe the fact that I have to 

think about it a little more will make me a better teacher. :) 

First, a paradigm shift. Everybody knows that tanks are invincible, they knock down buildings, explosives make about as much 

impression on them as a match flame, et cetera. Well, get that out of your head. 

In most multiplayer scenarios, the enemy has a highly accurate, high-velocity gun firing one of the five best tank-killing rounds ever 

devised by Man. Aside from the machine guns, every weapon on the Steel Beasts battlefield is optimized for killing tanks. The M1A1's 

front turret armor might absorb a hit, but for the most part hit=death. The only things that will keep enemy fire away from you are 

● Invisibility 

● Hard cover 

● Doing unto them before they do unto you

Let's talk about those three. 

Invisibility is hard to come by - you can spot a tank turret 3km away through the TIS - but it is possible. If you think about the way 

infantry - or gophers - move, they get down low and dash to someplace safe, then pop up for a quick look. During a game, go to the 

map screen and press the space bar and the colors will be overlaid to help you interpret it - look for valleys and use them. 

There are three good saddles (low spaces between two peaks) in the map image at left. (Do you 

see where they are? Roll your mouse over the image to see the saddles.) 

If you must go over the top of a ridgeline, this is the place to do it. I left out a marginal saddle in 

the north because it looks a little too flat - being exposed that long, at high elevation, is probably 

not worth it. 

Trees give a mostly false sense of security. While in woods your own vision is hopelessly obstructed, and from outside you're not as 

hidden as you think. The slightest glimmer on the TIS will draw fire from human gunners, and even if you hear the first shot (which 

means it missed - sabot rounds are supersonic so you'll never hear the one that kills you) you won't be able to find the shooter. 

Bursting through a thin line of trees can provide an element of surprise, but it's generally not worth it. Late in the game, all woods in 

the battle zone are potential havens for enemy infantry, and they will butcher you with ease if you wander too close. 

Finally, be careful with the Defend, Guard and Hold commands. Tanks with these orders sit a little too high for my taste, and are 

sometimes easily picked off. You may be better off just parking your tanks on the back slopes of hills (with no orders) and periodically 

peeking over the crest yourself. 

Hard cover and invisibility go hand in hand, and both require you to study the map and stay out of the bad neighborhoods. Wide 

open areas are bad news - if a round goes screaming past you, all you can do is go to Top Speed, zigzag and try to find a hole to 

hide in. Plateaus are bad news, especially if there's a higher plateau nearby. Woods are bad news. 

The Guard command is good news. It causes units to "embark on the first attached, non-conditioned route if under fire". This doesn't 

correct the AI's tendency to expose itself a bit much, but it does mean that if the first shot goes astray and you've created a retreat 

route from its battle position, it will duck behind cover. (And send a "taking fire" message.) Generally speaking, if a position doesn't 

have some solid dirt that you can vanish behind in five seconds or less, maybe you shouldn't be there. 

Doing unto them is the ultimate solution if you can arrange it, and the best way to arrange it is through teamwork. When moving 

through the battlezone, try to leapfrog your tanks so that one is sitting still covering while another moves. Human players (and the AI, 

a little bit) will sometimes roll forward to take a shot at an exposed target, and in so doing expose themselves. A great feeling of 

brotherhood will well up inside you the first time one of your overwatching tanks kills a vehicle that was about to fire on you. The same 

tactic can be applied by two human players, although unfortunately the common practice is to give each player a distinct corridor, 

making cooperation difficult.

A corollary to the teamwork rule is to avoid moving your platoons as a single entity. When you do this, you make all three (or four) 

tanks work under the same limited visibility, and you make them all vulnerable at once. You also identify yourself as a newbie to all 

who behold you. What you want to do is concentrate the firepower of your tanks (by moving the entire platoon in a common direction, 

and coordinating their arcs of responsibility to protect each other) without concentrating the vehicles themselves. A single sniper can 

wipe out a tightly-grouped platoon without being spotted, but if half your tanks overwatch while the other half move, there's a fair 

chance the sniper will be hit before he can fire. Failing that, there's a fair chance his victim will be avenged. :) 

More tactics: 

Damage Control by LoneStar49 

Smoke - A User's Guide by ShotMagnet 

A Thousand Bee-Stings - ATGMs and what you can do about them by ShotMagnet 

Tactical Tips by 3Star 

Situational Awareness notes by Koen 


Part 4. Sharpening your skills 


When you first get started, it's a pretty big jump from running your tank to handling a platoon...and in some 

games each player has a company or more to manage. Like Robert Heinlein said, seconds are jewels beyond 

price in combat...you want to practice until you can get units doing what you want with speed and efficiency. 

Before we get going, a note about difficulty. When you're starting out, I'd encourage you to set the difficulty at 

Low. On this setting the AI is no pushover, and will still punish your mistakes - it's just a little slower on the draw 

and about as accurate as you will be. Get comfortable on this setting and then work up to High difficulty. Same 

with the realism - setting it to Low provides a couple of "training wheels" to help you get used to the trickier 

functions, and you shouldn't have any trouble adjusting when you take the realism to High. 

First, of course, play all the tutorials. Then play 'em again, until you're barely glancing at the keyboard. To put 

this in perspective, imagine that your M1 takes a hit and the screen goes black. In the top right you see TIS 

Stabilization flashing. A badass player will hit the number pad + and the . keys without thinking about it, and 

have a return shot on the way in three or four seconds. Will you? 

I recommend the M1 scenario Instant Action - Ambush for this purpose. It has lots of confidence-building closerange 

gunnery, you get an assortment of targets so you'll learn to index your ammo, and it's not uncommon to 

take close-range hits - often hits that will knock out systems and force you to go to backups before continuing 

the fight. 

When you've got that under control, give Tanks a try to learn some basics of tactical movement. The T-72s in 

this scenario will punish you harshly if you sit on high ground, so you'll learn to "drive as the water flows" and 

scoot from one battle position to the next. 

I'm not saying you should be able to finish Tanks consistently before moving on...but when you think you're 

ready, Cavalry to the Rescue and German Frost are the next level. Each of these has 2-3 units for you to 

control and a fairly slow pace, so you can get used to jumping around and trusting the AI a little. 

At the next level, between platoon and company, it's a bit tough finding good practice. Rock, Paper, Scissors is 

a good one with a couple platoons, and I understand that Battle of the Wiese Valley is pretty much the same 

fight, maybe with different routes for the enemy. Try the Tactics 101 scenario on Mobile Defense to see how to 

program routes and checkpoints. 

If you want a final exam, Are They Attacking Here is a fun scenario that teaches you some recce skills, and A 

Village Called Netreba is a toughie that will demand some planning and fast movement. 

For another take on SB basic training: 

Multiplayer Preparation by LoneStar49 


Part 5. Other cool stuff 


Many SB players use a program called Roger Wilco for voice communications. It's easy to use, quick to set up and the 

basic version is free. What are you waiting for? 

Click here to download Roger Wilco. 

When setting up Roger Wilco (often called RW): 

● Start out with .wav sound recording; it's compatible with more cards. 

● Try DirectSound only if .wav is giving unsatisfactory quality. 

● Under Audio Device Selection, avoid the "Primary Sound Device" settings. There should be options specifically 

naming your sound card. This applies to the playback and record settings. 

● Deselect the Autoselect Mike option. 

● Under System Settings, set mike volume at about 3/4 of maximum and check the Mute option. 

● Select Full Duplex if available. 

● Choose a transmit key that doesn't conflict with any Steel Beasts hotkeys. Scroll Lock and V have been 

recommended. 

To get RW running, go to http://www.steelbeasts.com and follow the SB Voice Chat link. You'll need to know which 

channel the other players are on; people seem to gravitate to Red co/C and Blue co/C for some reason. Click that link 

and - this part is cool - RW will start up and work perfectly with no further intervention from you. 

In the basic Steel Beasts, battles always take place on summer days under a bluebird sky. SB2 will change all that, but 

for now if you want a change of scenery, Nimo's SBSkinner is your friend: 

Click here to download SBSkinner v1.4. 

● You can put SBSkinner wherever you want; if you're upgrading an older version simply copy in the V1.4 version of 

sbskinner.exe so it overwrites the original. 

Just to get you oriented, skins are files which determine how your tanks look. They only affect your system, so if you're 

using an arctic skin you'll see white tanks on your screen but you'll look the usual green to everyone else. Mods are 

files which determine how the sky, ground, trees and buildings look. Again, they only affect your system. What 

SBSkinner does is back up the original skin and mod files from the game, then replace them with new ones that look 

like snow, slush, a smoke-blackened desert oilfield, or whatever. 

SBSkinner is useless until you acquire some skins and mods, so let's get that done. Let me explain what's going to 

happen.

First, you locate and 

download the skin(s) and 

unzip them. There are 

links below to a variety 

of good skins so this step 

should be trivial. The 

skins are a set of bitmap 

files, sometimes just one 

and sometimes one for 

each vehicle. At right I've 

downloaded a set called 

Biss_skins. 

Vehicle files have to go 

in a subdirectory of 

sbskinner/bank/models. 

In this case I created a 

directory called Biss and 

copied all the files into it. 

Note: If you get a skin set 

containing a file called 

"stdbuf", delete it. These 

files are often old 

versions, and will cause 

problems in the afteraction 

review if they 

overwrite your current 

copy.

Now, only if 

you have 

SBSkinner 

v1.2, you 

have to let 

Skinner 

know that 

the new files 

are available. 

Double-click 

on the 

add_skin.exe 

program in 

the same 

directory as 

sbskinner, 

and show it 

where the 

new 

directory is. 

Click on Make File, and after a moment you'll get a 

confirmation message. If you have SBSkinner v1.3 or v1.4, 

skip this step.

Skins (go in bank\models\...) 

● Biss' Skins 

● Edgecrusher's Christmas 

Skins 

● Crunchies - The Infantry 

Skins 

● Different TISs 

● And more. Veteran SBer 

Hackworth recently 

uploaded his entire kinghell 

badass collection of 

skins to the Downloads 

area; there's enough 

variety in there to keep 

you smiling for weeks. 

● ...and more to come 

Mods 

● SB.com's Download Section - contains 

gobs of mod sets, available for download. I 

particularly recommend Color of the 

Desert, Slush and Rockape's Winter Mod. 

Put the images and models directories in 

the sbskinner\bank\fullchange directory. 

The scenarios go in your Steel 

Beasts\scenarios directory. 


Part 6. Etiquette 


● If you jump into someone else's tank, watch the message box. If someone tells you "out", get out now. 

● If you get an "out" message, it'll probably be pretty abrupt. Don't take it personally; "please" is six 

characters he doesn't have time to type. 

● If you jump into someone else's tank, and you see they've entered the TC or Observer position, get out. 

● If you're not sure a vehicle is hostile, check the map. Don't take the chance of killing a teammate. 

● Know your part in the team plan. If you don't, tell someone that you're new and ask what they want you 

to do. 

● Play nice. 

● Don't lock your tanks. That means answering Yes to the "Allow others" question when you mount up. 

● Respect your teammates and help them if you can. 

● If you've got tanks and buddy doesn't, give him a tank. 

● If you've got tanks, and buddy doesn't, and he's a clueless newbie, give him a tank and some pointers. 


Part 7. Credits 

Sean Lots and lots of help 

Carl Stovell The Miller's Key maps 

Attackrat Yet more maps 

Hector Pre-retail version information 

Ssnake Version information 

9er Red MP and Roger Wilco troubleshooting information 

LoneStar49 Tactics section 

ShotMagnet Tactics section 

3Star Tactics section 

Koen Situational Awareness compilation 

Al Delaney Programmer of The Game That Ate My Life 



Main gun won't fire...don't blame the joystick 

Ok.. you're deep in battle, a lot is riding on your tank and you see or get a target call from the TC... 

You go to fire (via joystick) and "nothing"... 

90% of the time it's the position of the turret in relation to rear of tank.. in that there are certain areas or 

elevations (low) that the main won't fire... 

Hint: when TC calls target.. hit E key for engage.. this will turn tank to face target giving you the most protection 

from a hit... 

And if you can't move tank, or you don't want to.. ie it's in a proper BP.. and your gun won't fire via Joystick.. 

Hint: Hit the "spacebar" and chances are high that your main gun "will fire" .. 

To see the original post and the ensuing discussion, click here. 

Lose a track...keep your head 

Ok.. you went into a minefield and lost a tread.. don't give up on that tank.. 

... you went too fast thru woods and threw a track.. don't give up on that tank.. 

Hint: travel in columns.. lose first tank only.. place tank in best BP.. then shut down engine.. boys will fix her in 

about 30 - 40 mins.. sooner if you're quick.. and tread will be repaired.. 

Back-out of minefield.. or lose it again.. 

Scout speed is best thru thick forest.. treads stay on and optics work.. 

Most battles last avg.. 1hr.. and the last 15 min of battle is the most critical.. 

So.. don't lose your head and a good tank.. work the units.. 


Took a hard hit...don't lose your head 

Ok.. you took a heavy hit and your stabilization or *GPS/TIS goes out.. don't lose your head.. 

*Also by going too fast thru thick forest a/o by small arms fire.. 

Hint: Move that tank ASAP to BP of low visiblity and set best BP.. that tank is best used as a sniper or 

information grinder..

Move to another unit.. but remember, last 15 mins of game are the most critical.. 

Give your gyroscopes 5-10 minutes, and if your ballistic computer is working, your stab will come back on line... 

So don't lose a good tank, use your head.. 




Smoke - A User's Guide 

Okay, you're running ahead at full, heading for the objective. You're almost there. But wait, on your flank! A 

bunch of bad guys that weren't there a minute ago, hidden, just waiting for you to present a nice flank shot. You 

can kiss your platoon goodbye. Even if you turn to face them, you'll present a flank to the other guys. The ones 

guarding the objective you were in reach of. You're done. Right? 

Wrong. 

Your tank has smoke grenades, and M1s have a smoke generator. Every tank in your platoon has smoke 

grenades and possibly a smoke generator. 

Well so what? Smoke doesn't stop gunfire. 

Well, actually it does. Not directly, of course, but it does something for you that armor alone can't. It makes you 

invisible. Your tanks, whether M1s or Leopards, have a thermal imaging system (TIS). Your opponents, 

assuming they're pre-T80 Russian, don't. A TIS lets you see through smoke, but if the other guy doesn't have a 

TIS... 

That's right, they can't see you. And if they can't see you, they probably can't hit you, either. That's the primary 

advantage of smoke, and that's why your tank is equipped with smoke grenade launchers, and a smokescreen 

maker. You can't be seen when you make smoke. You can't be seen if you're hiding behind smoke, and if you 

can't be seen you probably can't be hit. It also means that, for all intents and purposes, the enemy has given up 

the advantage of first shot, of any shot, to you. If he can't see you, he's going to have difficulties hitting you, 

difficulties which you and your TIS will not suffer. Sitting behind your own smoke screen, you could conceivably 

blaze away at someone and not worry too much about return fire. I wouldn't recommend doing it, myself, but it 

could be done. 

Smoke Sources 

In Steel Beasts smoke comes in three forms. Artillery can fire smoke. There are the smoke grenades that come 

with your tank, and there is the smoke generator that also comes with your tank. Note that (Shift) TAB will start 

everyone in the platoon making smoke, while TAB will fire only the smoke grenades for the tank you're currently 

in. 

Using Smoke 

To pop smoke grenades hit the TAB key. For the smoke generator press SHIFT and TAB at the same time. To 

use artillery smoke, move the cursor to the top of your screen, and select Support from the menu that will 

appear and select Smoke from the submenu. Or go to the map screen, right-click, select New Arty Field, then 

Smoke. 

Note that hitting TAB will launch only the smoke grenades on your tank, while pressing SHIFT and TAB will get 

everyone in your platoon making smoke, for the tanks that are still able to make smoke. Note also that smoke 

grenades can only be fired twice, per vehicle. 

Non-player vehicles (vehicles that you can't assume gunner or TC positions in), can still be commanded to use 

vehicular smoke and/or smoke grenades, if otherwise able. The keys that activate smoke for your tanks do the 

same for these otherwise non-playable units.

Uses for Smoke 

Smoke is a great way to screen your advance. 

Suppose you're traveling through the only known, cleared space in a minefield. Is that cleared approach 

covered? Believe it. The reason there are no mines there, right where you want to go, is because the other guy 

wants you to go there, mostly so he can whack as many of your tanks as he can. 

Smoke will minimize the damage he can do. If he can't see you, how well will he be able to hit you? Artillery 

smoke would be ideal for situations like this, if you can get it. For those times when you can't using the smoke 

generators on your tank, and putting yourself in a formation so that as many units as possible are screened by 

smoke, would be another option. Echelon left, right, or column formations will provide the most protection to the 

most units. There will still be a tank exposed, who can be covered at least somewhat, at least temporarily, by 

smoke grenades. Switching formations might help minimize the risk to exposed vehicles by trading which 

vehicles get exposed, and for how long. 

Smoke is also good for foiling ambushes. Say you stumble into a killing zone. ATGMs everywhere, tanks 

pointed right at you and/or the rest of your platoon. You have about zero seconds to do something, what will 

you do? Pop smoke. Hit that TAB key once, and you've bought yourself at least a couple of seconds to think of 

what to do next. Making vehicle smoke right about now would probably be a good idea, too. Don't forget to turn 

on your TIS (far right + key). You can now start gunning at the guys who just a second ago were gunning for 

you. Or you can run away, having bought a few seconds' worth of confusion. Or maybe both. Remember, with 

your TIS on you can see him, and if you can see him you can shoot at him. 

Smoke grenades are also handy for disrupting missile fire. Lots of units in SB come equipped with either 

shoulder-fired or vehicle-mounted (or maybe both) anti-tank missiles. They're bad news. Smoke grenades can 

keep you from being hit, though. Often, provided the firing unit is distant enough, you'll see the shot coming. If 

you pop smoke, or make vehicle smoke, and back away, preferably out of sight, you've just saved yourself. Just 

remember, you only get to use smoke grenades twice per vehicle, per scenario. 

Using vehicular smoke, the SHIFT TAB kind, can also be handy if you're retreating from someone, and don't 

wish to actually turn around, so that you can fire at your opponent. Conceivably you could SHIFT TAB, and turn 

around completely to run away at top speed. What the other guy can't see he probably can't hit, after all. I 

would prefer not to, though. Note the 'probably' in 'probably can't hit', and while it might seem like a long-shot, 

you don't want to give anyone even that much of a chance. A shot hitting your front is much more survivable 

than one hitting your rear. 

Smoke can save you. Smoke can screen other units, either those in your platoon or others nearby. Smoke can 

screen your advance, foil an ambush, give you that little bit you might need to win a scenario. Remember that 

you have it. Remember what it can do for you. And don't forget to turn on your TIS. 

Good luck, good hunting. 



A Thousand Bee-Stings - Anti-Tank Missiles and what you can do about them 

They're everywhere. Infantry have them, APCs and scout vehicles have them, so does some Soviet armor. 

They're anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). As an aside, technically every anti-tank missile is not an anti-tank 

guided missile, but since their behaviors are closely similar, and since they can both be defeated in about the 

same manner, let's call them the same thing for the sake of argument. Fine. What are they? ATGMs are 

shoulder-, or vehicle-launched missiles equipped with HEAT warheads, whose function is to penetrate tank 

armor, destroying the vehicle. 

What they can do to you 

Individually, ATGMs might not pierce the armor of your tank, at least not from the front. This doesn't mean a hit 

won't hurt. An ATGM will almost certainly damage something; often it will damage a two or three somethings at 

a time. An ATGM hit might not kill you outright, but it will break something and make you easier to kill, thereby. 

Lose stabilization for your main gun, and you lose the ability to hit a target while on the move. Stabilization loss 

also affects accuracy, it has some effect on how fast you can pull the trigger, and that affects how many times 

you might get to shoot at a target before it gets to shoot back. Coupled with the degradation in accuracy, loss of 

stabilization can put you at enough of a disadvantage that you might not recover before the other guy gets you. 

A non-fatal hit from an ATGM can do other things, too. A hit from an ATGM can take out your radio, your TIS, 

your GPS, etc. You can lose a track, and thereby lose the ability to move anywhere but in a circle. A tank 

immobilized by an ATGM is effectively out of the action, and therefore out of the game. Your immobilized state 

also makes you a lot easier to hit, and this time the shot might come from the rear. Lose a track and someone 

will come along to turn your immobilized state into something a lot more permanent, and smoking. That's the 

real danger that ATGMs pose. There are so many of them that even if the first few don't kill you, the next one 

will. Individually they might be no more annoying than a bee-sting, but there are a lot of bees on the battlefield, 

and they can sting you in places that can be fatal. Tangling with ATGM-equipped infantry and APCs is 

potentially more hazardous than dealing with tanks. Why? 

A quick example. You have just run across a platoon (say three) BMPs, each equipped with a squad of infantry. 

Each squad has dismounted. There are now six potential sources for ATGM fire. They can attack from any 

direction, and they can be very hard to hit. A comparable platoon of Soviet MBTs will probably attack from one 

direction, represents three sources of gunfire, and are easier to hit. The hits you take from the MBTs will maybe 

disable something, but you'll probably get all of them before they destroy you. The same is not true for infantry 

and the PCs they rode to battle in. If dismounted the infantry and/or their rides might get you before you get all, 

or even any, of them. ATGMs are everywhere, and can attack from anywhere. It's also a lot easier to ambush 

tanks with infantry than with other tanks. Try the scenario Blind Elephants; you'll see what I mean. 

What you can do about them 

The good news is that as a tank, you're still a lot less vulnerable than either an APC or a squad. A squad could 

shoot at you with rifles and machine guns all the live-long day without doing more than scratching the paint, 

maybe. You, shooting back with just your machine guns, would take down the squad before they could do more 

than scratch the paint. Hit the APC before its dismounts dismount. There, you've just killed two sources of 

missile fire with one shell. Lighter APCs can be taken out with an M1's .50 cal, and BRDMs are vulnerable to 

coax fire from the side or rear.

Smoke is great for neutralizing the threat. More than once, by popping smoke grenades (hit the TAB key) and 

backing up/turning or moving behind some cover, I have avoided taking a hit. Once, doing just that, I heard the 

missile whissshh past my tank. The folks who designed SB didn't miss a trick when it came to immersion... 

ATGMs don't fly very fast, relatively. You can even see them coming, they look like yellow spots that seem to 

drift towards you. If you have the time, if the target is sufficiently distant and you've seen it launch, you might 

get a shot off with the main gun. If you miss you can still pop smoke (hit TAB), and turn/back up/otherwise get 

out of the way. Smoke generators on your tank (SHIFT TAB) can also be helpful. Striking a tree branch will 

usually detonate an ATGM, so ducking behind even thin foliage can save your life. 

It's possible too that the ATGM may miss even if you didn't hit. If the ATGM is the guided kind then a hit or 

close miss will kill/suppress the gunner guiding the missile, causing it to miss. Spraying where you saw a 

launch with machine gun fire is also helpful. Infantry typically use the unguided types of ATGMs, but 

suppressing them/killing them prevents them from getting off more than that shot. This really works - infantry 

shoot ATGMs from the kneeling position, so spray those brave souls with coax fire and they'll fall flat even if 

they aren't hit. Once I was touch-me close to an APC and some dismounts. I sprayed them with the co-ax as 

the TC thundered away with the fifty. When it was over they were dead and I wasn't. I hadn't even been 

scratched. 

I don't recommend getting that close. Something bad will happen and it will probably happen to you. On the 

other hand, it happens, and if you're quick on the trigger you can do unto them before they can return the favor. 

Artillery also works nicely against the ATGM threat. HE, Smoke, and ICM can either suppress the other guy or 

block his LOS to you, maybe both. If he can't see you he probably can't hit you. If you're heading into uncertain 

ground, divide your platoon. Assign at least one tank to watch over the rest, the better to spot anyone who 

might get frisky with ATGMs. There are tutorial missions and some training missions, that go into overwatch in 

some detail. Play them, learn from them. 

ATGMs are everywhere. They can kill you, but they can be dealt with. They are deadly, but the units firing them 

are fragile. They are much more vulnerable to artillery and gunfire. Smoke will block LOS. Remember what to 

do, when to do it, and you just might save your electronic life. 

Good luck and good hunting. 



...thick smoke can affect laser rangefinder performance. i.e. it sometimes won't penetrate. Keep in mind. For 

those of us who spend almost all our time in a TIS view, sometimes we're completely ignorant of a smoke 

barrier simply because we can't see it. If the LRF range comes up a 0000, or if your rounds inexplicably keep 

falling short, switch to natural view and make sure there's no smoke between you and the target. 

And the hint of my own.. The trick to survival is SCAN!!! Burn out those turret motors, scan quickly, scan often. 

If you see a hotspot, swing back, focus in on it, try to ID through thermals and natural view. If it's a position that 

you can't ID it (such as just being able to see a roadwheel deep in trees), lase, take note of range and bearing, 

flip to map (F-5) view, and see if your team has a live vehicle in the area. If not, shoot at it, even if there's 

supposed to be a killed tank there. Sometimes people will use dead tanks as 'cover' to confuse you. Worst 

that'll happen is you use up a sabot round. Frequently, you kill a 'reserve' enemy tank. 



Situational Awareness - Some Tips 

Acquiring good situational awareness (SA) is for newbies to Steel Beasts often quite hard... 

"...What's happening ?...Where am I ?...Who's firing at me ?...CLANG..." 

I guess we all remember the confusion we went through during our first virtual SB-battles. 

Good SA is also an extremely important matter, to be successful in SB. 

Therefore, to make things a bit easier for newbies, I collected on several forums some quotes about the do's 

and don'ts concerning SA. You'll find these quotes below. 

I hope it can be useful to someone. 

BTW As you will see, most of these quotes are from the hand of Mekhazzio. So hats off to you, Mekh ! 

Degree of difficulty of SB 

What strikes me about playing SB, having been used to flight sims, is the suddenness and surprise of death. In 

most flight sims, you are often aware of your predicament and you grapple. Perhaps, you make some wrong 

moves or you are overwhelmed, etc... In SB, I often find that I am alive one minute and dead the next. Only in 

the AAR, do I finally see that tank at 3000 meters in my deep right flank. Not being someone with military or 

combat experience, I believe that SB provides a good sense of combat. In many games, the player is rarely put 

in a position were "sh_t just happens". In SB, you can look and scan ... and yet just simply get caught and dead. 

You get the feeling skill can only keep you alive so long when surrounded by threats and death every where. 

Markshot - 10/2001 SimHQ 

Ok guys I'm a flight sim guy first off... so I'm used to radars and such. now I want to rave over SB like 

everyone else, really I do.... however, I can't identify crap. Anything going on around me. 

rpommier - 10/2000 Shrapnel Games Forum 

Answer 1: 

1. To show facing, there's a 'tank clock' in the lower right hand that, at all times, shows the orientation of the hull 

and turret, as if overlaid on a compass (up is north, down is south, etc) 

2. Enemy detection is a matter of looking in the right general direction (so you need some overall battlefield SA 

as well, if the enemy's coming from the north, look north). 

3. After this, general detection is a matter of having someone (yourself, another platoon, whatever) on a position 

that can see a lot of terrain (as even a fairly small dip or rise can hide a tank for a significant area). 

4. After that, there's in-tank acquisition...and the biggie there is the TIS (Thermal Imaging System). Vehicles are 

very, very hard to spot with the naked eye, particularly, say, a hull-down T-80 at 2,500 meters with a treeline 

behind him. However, he glows a nice bright green in thermal, and a quick sweep in TIS 3x (wide FOV) will 

usually let you see whatever there is to be seen. TIS, so commonly referred to as a night sight, is just as

valuable in the daytime too. 

However, due to the better clarity of the normal optics, I suggest switching to the daysight to actually take the 

shot (particulary since this will also show you if there's any smoke in the way for laser obscuration, and 

especially while learning the game, it's easier to visually ID vehicles in the daysight than the TIS) 

The best way to spot targets, though, IMO, is to have two good players in the same tank :> That way you can 

have two sets of eyeballs looking in different directions at once, who don't have the trouble of spotting hull-down 

vehicles that the AI does. 

Mekhazzio - 10/2000 Shrapnel Games Forum 

Answer 2: 

1. The map : Learn how to read those coordinates when your guys call out contacts. Then it just takes a quick 

look at the map to see where they are talking about. Keep in mind that the enemy icons on the map are based 

on the most recent radio reports, so depending on the last update the enemy may or may not be where they 

show up on the map. 

2. Make good use of that "leaders recon" function during planning (i.e. hit F1 from the LOS map to go to 3d 

view). It helps me a lot to actually see the terrain in planning, so that when I am in the game I can know about 

where I am without having to check the map. Identify key landmarks in the 3d view before you start and use 

them to orient yourself while you're driving along in the action phase. 

3. In your planning, make sure your individual units don't have to cover huge fields of fire. Having to concentrate 

on a smaller field will help you keep your SA as well. 

Spiff - 10/2000 Shrapnel Games Forum 

About SA: 

1. SA-problems aren't necessarily due to the graphics. A hull-down, camo'd tank in front of a treeline at 2 

kilometers is not going to be easy to spot no matter what fancy resolution and image filters are run on it. As you 

guessed, getting used to it is the big trick, and that's practice, practice, practice. 

2. Use the map religiously, and use reference points to help get you in the feel for which way is which as you 

travel around. As much focus as the gunnery gets, I firmly believe that commanding can be more difficult (and 

has a larger effect on the mission) 

Mekhazzio - 11/2000 Shrapnel Games Forum 

>I haven't yet seen any reason to man the TC's position. I assume that I'm >supposed to be able to find 

targets from that post, but I actually just end up >using the gunners position with the thermal view all of 

the time. Can the >binoculars do a better job than the gunners thermal scope at locating enemys? 

Answer: 

Yes and no. 

No because, obviously, the thermal view is a LOT better, literally making targets leap out at you. However, the 

binos have some advantages: 

_ Higher perspective than the GPS, so you can peek over a hill while keeping your tank almost 100% safe from 

enemy fire.

- Can't get damaged, short of killing the TC. Damage to either the TIS or GPS is not uncommon (infantry are 

particularly good at zinging the GPS at close range, and man does that suck). 

- Higher perspective than the GPS, so you can peek over a hill while keeping your tank almost 100% safe from 

enemy fire. 

- Is much easier to scan quickly, side to side, etc. The 1x eye view (non-binocular TC unbuttoned) is absolutely 

WONDERFUL for maintaining situational awareness. You can look to your sides, to your rear, with a very wide 

field of view, and basically see a whoole lotta stuff at once. This can benefit driving, spotting enemies, 

coordinating teammates and generally just knowing where the hell you are :) When you're peering out of a sight 

(including the Leo's periscope) it's really easy to get lost and not really know where you're looking, where you're 

going, or what's going on around you. 

The value of the TC unbuttoned view cannot be overestimated. If anything more complex than a shooting-rangestyle 

scenario is going on, I'd rather deal with it from the TC's seat than any other position. 

As TC, you have everything available to you: you have a wide field of view, you have your own magnification 

available, you can easily drive the tank around, you have the .50 if needed, you can point the gunner to the right 

target and even fire the gun yourself (but that's not usually a good idea, since it keeps you from doing the rest of 

your job) 

It also seems that when one of my tanks steps out from cover he gets blown away way before anyone 

can find the enemy? How often do experienced players get wacked and not even know where it came 

from? 

That's about the only way TO get an experienced player :) With SB, it's the enemy you don't see that you really 

have to worry about :) 

Reconnaisance, mutual cover and careful movement is everything. The first and second are fairly selfexplanatory, 

and the third means to try to maneuver in such a way that you can scan terrain as you expose 

yourself to it. Don't just roll over a hill right out in the middle of a valley, for instance: you expose yourself to 

everyone that might be inside and around that entire valley, which is a lot more than you can possibly scan 

before they fire on you. 

Mekhazzio - 03/2001 eGroup Forum 

On the matter of orientating yourself while in a mission (…) I can then only stress the use of marking points with 

your joystick button number 2 (or cntrl, or right mouse click) while pressing shift, in the commander position, (if 

you're gunning, that is automatically marked when lasing). That will cause to mark in the map a red star (sort of) 

thus indicating you the spot you see. For instance, you could use external view (F8) and mark a point in that 

fashion while viewing the tank from the rear part and using magnification (binos on). 

One advantage of external view is that then you will have three observers, (you, the gunner and the 

commander), thus resulting in a broader field of view. Off course you cannot trust too much on the system 

crewmen, but is fair to say they will do a good job. 

About the Leo : when not in use let the peri on slave mode, specially if you drive the tank to a different location. 

This will aim your peri to someplace surely closer to the spot you wish to aim the gun, otherwise, since it is 

stabilized, when you need it, it will be looking to some place God knows where, thus wasting precious seconds. 

Héctor García - 03/2001 eGroup Forum 

When I am the TC, will I ever see the enemy as well as the AI TCs ? I've been making convoys of enemy

vehicles appear but usually don't see half of 'em go by. When you are the TC - are you better than AI 

TC?? 

The computer TC is fast, yeah, but they have a real problem with obscured targets, or targets at range, and a 

major problem spotting anything to the sides and rear of the vehicle. 

They're good enough to provide a high level of competence, particularly with a good battle plan that keeps 

everything to the front, but a sharp player will be able to outperform them regularly (same as the computer 

gunners). 

Mekhazzio - 04/2001 SBCom Forum 

About SA: 

Maintaining SA is simply the matter of not allowing yourself to get fixated on any one thing : don't micromanage 

from the map, leave the gunnery to the gunner, and always keep an eye out for new threats you might have to 

deal with. 


About "Cavalry to the Rescue"-mission: 

While there - is - a lot of terrain to scan in this mission, you can narrow that down by excluding that which you 

can consider reasonably safe. 

For instance, you can consider everything south and east as clear until you get to the PCs, since the enemy 

only approaches (and has time to approach) from the north and west. Also, you can dismiss most of the far flat 

plains area, since it's flat and anything moving across it would be spotted -- no need to keep scanning over it 

much. 

Also, you can mostly leave the frontal arc to your gunner...with a human gunner especially, since their TIS will 

spot things a heck of a lot better than you will. 

So I mostly focus on the side arcs, and the major areas of concern are the "dead zones", places you couldn't 

see before that are now revealed as you cross over/around a terrain feature -- part of using terrain to your 

advantage is to keep those dead zones down to the smallest manageable area -- if you're coming around a hill, 

you can just scan around that hill as you circle it -- it's opening up a minor portion of area at a time (one you can 

keep your gun on, in fact) -- but if you go OVER that hill, you're instantly revealing the entire area on the other 

side, which is way too much to cover before you could receive a round from anybody in there. 

IMO, the external view really hurts more than it helps -- you're not controlling the tank, the AI is, and the AI 

doesn't really spot as well as a human can. With external view you're also giving up the GPSE and override 

capabilities, as well as the tank intercom (so you can't hear your gunner scream "Identified!! BACK UP!!" at you 

in MP) 

IMO it's also a lot easier to drive from the TC's seat, and the arrow keys that jump you to facing front/side/back 

of the gun really help the quick checking of this or that direction (checking up on wingmates, or going to another 

direction, etc) 

The TC's seat is the place to be. 

Mekhazzio - 07/2001 SBCom Forum

Reading and utilizing terrain is key. Keep LOS limited to only the amount of area you can reliably watch, which 

varies on how many units you have, how fast you're moving, and a few other things - a common mistake of the 

newer player is to settle into an area with great visibility, "Wow, I can see half the map from here!", without 

realizing that a single tank can only fully cover a comparatively narrow area and half the map can see you. Often 

not the best of ideas. 


I've gone through the tutorials and read the manual. However, when I begin with the first mission, "A 

Village Called Netraba", I am quite overwhelmed. 

"Battle of Wiese Valley", "Cavalry to the Rescue", "Canadian Frost", and "Blind Elephants" are all simple 

missions. The "Multiple Units" tutorial is a good one as well. 

With "Tanks!", it's all about using the terrain to your advantage. Maneuver in a way that keeps you mostly 

concealed, using hills and trees to keep you from being exposed to more terrain than you can scan, while still 

keeping good LOS for yourself to wide open areas. 

Maximize how much you can see, while minimizing how much you can be seen from. Remember, also, that 

firing your gun tends to draw attention to you. It's usually a good idea to back down to safety after shooting if 

you're exposed, or you might get zapped by someone you didn't see. 

In the gunner's seat, you have complete control of the gun and free reign on the TIS, which is extremely useful 

at spotting targets (they literally glow out of the background) -- however, since you're viewing the world through 

this narrow gunsight, and can't look around without slewing the turret (slow, and dangerous under fire!!) you 

really lose all situational awareness, getting focused on just your targets. You can't see the terrain you're on, 

where you're going, what else might be out there, etc. 

The TC's seat provides the best situational awareness and best control of the tank, as you have -everything- at 

your disposal: binocs, gun override, GPSE, etc. The unbuttoned view is essential at finding good positions for 

yourself, keeping track of your wingmates, checking over hills without exposing yourself, and spotting targets 

especially to the sides and rear. 

The external view's only benefit is that it's the least demanding view -- you literally don't have to do anything, 

because the computer has full control of the tank while you're in external. The drawback is that you 

correspondingly have very little in the way of control. No override, no GPSE, just a very basic set of movement 

and scan commands. The only time I put the game in external view on a playable tank is when I'm going to get a 

drink. 

I cannot see very much in the external view or TC's view of spotting targets. Seems the AI TC does a 

better job of spotting targets. Should I stick with being the gunner? 

Well, that depends. True, it does take a lot of practice to be able to out-spot the computer TC (but it can be 

done! Especially to the side and rear) but there are still other jobs for the TC than spotting enemies. You decide 

which target to engage, sometimes the computer doesn't do so hot a job of that, you decide when to stay and 

when to move, etc. The TC's seat gives you a much better view of the battlefield. 


Mixed opinions about F8 external view: 

I love the F8 external view as it gives me a much better "feel" than the extremely restrictive TC's position. What I 

mean by "feel" is the way it is when you are in a real tank. With the external view I can see local terrain, keep

track of the hull/turret orientation, keep an eye on wingmen, and spot muzzle flashes and other events in the 

distance. The F8 view in my opinion much more approximates the TC's position situational awareness than the 

standard TC's position (which I never use). 

TCing is a constant battle for SA, both inside your tank (what it and the crew are doing), externally (terrain, 

enemy targets, obstacles, danger areas), and tactically (what units are where, how the battle is going, map 

reading, other radio stuff). As most TC's (like 95%) TC from OUTSIDE the hatch. I almost always TC from the 

F8 view because it seems a lot more like TCing a real tank. Period. I don't consider it a cheat, I just feel it is 

more realistic. 

Scott Cunningham - 08/2001 SBCom Forum 

The F8 external view is a tool to make up for some of the serious restrictions of the PC platform that Steel 

Beasts is designed for. PCs are super cheap and offer probably the biggest bang for the buck in terms of 

individual and flexible computing power for the masses. But it is not exactly the dream platform for game 

designers and creators of life-like simulations... The PC environment poses several severe restrictions on the 

player (tunnel vision, short-sightedness, no possibility to smoothly change positions/debark the vehicle etc.) that 

this external position makes a bit up for these drawbacks. 

Ssnake- 08/2001 SBCom Forum 

In SB, I really don't see any advantage at all to using the external view: none, except for the cheats of looking 

over objects and having two TCs. I just don't understand why y'all think it's better to see terrain with: from the 

TC's seat, you can see exactly where your tank is, and what you're in view of -- just look around. 

Looking from the inside out, rather than outside in, is inherently more accurate in getting a feel for what's around 

you. Which way is the hull pointing? The tank's motion and turret clock shows that just fine. You can also pop 

down into the GPSE and see what's going on with your gunner, can override, and from the unbuttoned view, 

you can tap the arrow keys to quickly look in a certain direction. 

I find the external view here actually LIMITS SA -and- your control over the tank, and if you don't believe me, try 

playing as gunner for someone tooling around in the external view. It really shows. 


I'm starting to train myself to quickly switch back and forth between the external and internal views. I'm finding 

both have benefits. If the 'snap' views were available for the external view it would be even more helpful (hint 

hint Ssnake). I get a better idea of what's going on with my flanks in external mode but when I'm really searching 

for targets I prefer to be in the TC spot. Maybe it's just me but I think the bino view is more detailed in that mode 

plus I can use the GPSE to make a thermal scan. 

Brad Edmondson - 08/2001 SBCom Forum 



Walk before you run...online multiplayer 

Ok.. your game play isn't what you want it to be.. what will take to get you into the flow of things.. that is.. a real 

understanding of what to expect and what to do during On-line Multi-Play.. 

Hint: there are 5 scernarios in Single Player that IMO can and will make the difference in your understanding of 

the engagement field and a good semi knowledge of team play and communication.. 

Note: you may choose M1 or Leo for these.. 

1. Instant Action - Ambush.. this gets going right out of the gate.. in that you have a small map to work with.. 

and 2 tanks.. You'll get to know main gunnery.. both sabot and heat.. coax for gunning down troops.. and the 

beauty of calling in artty strikes.. And you'll learn that when your position is discovered, that you have a limited 

time before they too.. call an artty strike on you.. 

Ok.. you have that one down.. and your smooth in it.. now go to.. 

2. Cavalry to the Rescue.. this is a larger map and requires routing on your part.. maybe spliting up the 2 

tanks.. (your call).. but this will heat up when you arrive and requires movement.. Artty calls, and quick actions.. 

and does not leave room for many mistakes.. Get this one down and your ready for the next level... 

3. Tanks.. now it's time to go one vs one.. this will sharpen your quickness in spotting and shooting and moving 

your tank.. movement that requires speed, yet patience.. or you'll get stung (alot).. but when you get all of 

them.. you'll understand. 

4. Korean Nightmare.. this scenario will teach you a ton.. in that you'll have to learn both tanks.. M1 and Leo.. 

this will pay-off.. in that O-L MP games are divided semi- equally.. and sometimes you'll have to go to one other 

than you main choice.. 

This will teach you the large map.. pre-planning and routing (a must.. you'll find out..lol) Using the LOS and 

marking BP's (battle positions) splitting of units as reserves in case the main BP starts breaking down.. fall back 

time.. Also.. you'll use Artty for effect.. and you will have to jump around.. from Leo to M1 and back.. lots of fun.. 

and you have to hold obj's in order to win.. this is a full package scenario.. Get this one down.. and your ready 

for the Acid test.. 

5. Combat Trains.. this is your acid test.. pass this one and you'll have earned your TC wings in my book..lol 

This can be played in either M1 only... or Leo only.. but the Leo one has the routes already pre-planned.. this 

was never and option for me.. in that, the M1 tank was the only player in this scenario when I battled it.. (more 

times than you can imagine..lol) but it was very gratifiying to see that when I did figure out what worked.. that is 

was almost identical to the Leo version.. All in all.. you'll have 30 mins to win this battle.. everything you have 

learned up to now comes into play here.. and you have to move, move, move.. listen, and jump around to all 

units.. including usage of the Brads, their troops, and usage of the (F5) Map alot .. 

Pull this Victory out.. and IMHO.. you'll be damm ready for O-L MP and catch-on very quick.. as to team play 

and be able to communicate and make changes "on the fly" that will give you the knowledge, and respect of 

others, that on any given day..

"you can be a real pain in the ass.." (threat) lol

the Steel Beasts Anti- Frustration Kit. - The 29th Armored Regiment

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