Armored Brigade & GHPC

What have I been playing lately?

I've been playing quite a bit of Gunner, HEAT, PC (or GHPC), mainly due to their recent updates that contain the Leopard tank.

I also recently bought Armored Brigade, after seeing PhanFantasy review it a few months ago.  I only started playing it maybe 2 weeks ago, and ended up loving it so much that I also bought Armored Brigade 2, which isn't released on Steam yet.

I like the above-mentioned games because Steel Beasts, while I love that game, is a bit too much for me.

As much as I like Sea Power, it's a bit much, as well.  I'm not going to lie, though - Armored Brigade has quite a bit of a learning curve too, but not as much as Sea Power or Steel Beasts.

I'll continue to study both versions of Armored Brigade, and will also continue to play GHPC.

What Have I Been Playing Recently?

So, what have I been playing recently?

I bought Sea Power a few weeks ago and love it.  I haven't been playing it much because the game is currently Early Access and it has bugs and lacks some features - it's lacking a save feature and the gameplay can be rather long in duration, so I either end the mission I'm playing prematurely or I don't play.

I've also been playing Nuclear Option.  I bought that game earlier in the year and it is really fun, but it's Early Access as well and is also somewhat buggy.  TrackIR keeps dying mid-game and it only happens with that game, so I know it's an issue with Nuclear Option and not the hardware or TrackIR software.  As well, other folks have been complaining that they're having issues with head-tracking with this game, too.  I'm hoping the developers fix the issue soon (some folks have claimed that the issue is no longer occurring in the beta testing branch).

I've also been playing more VTOL VR.  I did a bunch of flying today after not using my VR headset in ages.  I've been flying some of the Steam Workshop missions, which gives me practice and some fun.  What plane(s) have I been flying?  As usual, I've been flying the AV-42C...folks love to hate on that aircraft, but it's the A-10 Warthog of this game and I love ground/pound.  I've been wondering how to create missions and I was thinking on giving it a shot, but I've heard that the mission creation tools and mechanisms suck and that the next patch will offer more streamlined mission creation tools and mechanisms, so I think I'm going to wait for that.

I've also been thinking of pushing myself to return to Steel Beasts.  For a bit, I was playing fine and even created a mission/scenario to test things.  Steel Beasts can get busy really fast, though, because micro-managing the units is crucial to success and the more units you have to control the more busy it'll get - you want to control small units to get the most out of the missions/scenarios (company level is probably best).

After playing Sea Power, I'm also thinking of returning to C:MO (although, that game can get busy really fast, as well, on a whole different level than Steel Beasts).

Yeah, I also have DCS modules that I recently bought (the latest Blackshark and the Mirage F1), but I need fun, not study sims and while DCS can be fun, for someone new to the game, it plays as if it's homework.

As I've a bunch of vacation to use in November and December, I'll have the time to relax with PC gameplay.

PC Gaming

 I've been trying to push myself into being more involved in PC gaming lately.  Ever since I bought the Steam Deck, I've been using it.  It's handy when you're in front of the TV or in bed.  I'd been playing a lot of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and recently bought Red Dead Redemption 2.

In fact, ever since I quit playing War Thunder, I've been struggling to find a specific game to fixate on.

I've Ready or Not and Ground Branch, which are nice tactical shooters (really meant for multiplayer, but can be played lone wolf).  I also have been flying some VTOL VR and Nuclear Option.  I've also been trying to ramp up my flight simming - I've been flying some IL2, trying the different planes (I bought a bunch of modules awhile back).  I also finally bought full fidelity modules for DCS: World, too!

For DCS: World, I bought the Dessault Mirage F1 module pack.  I also bought the F-5E, the Mig-29 (designed for Flaming Cliffs, I believe, and doesn't have full fidelity),  I also bought a few maps and single player missions.  I downloaded the free A-4E 3rd party module, too.  And last week, I bought the Ka-50 helicopter module.  I just need to dedicate a few hours a week to focus on one plane to fly single player and to eventually move to multiplayer.  I'm thinking either the F-5E, the A-4E, or the F1 will get me far and if I go multiplayer, I'll have to find Cold War servers.  I'm not really interested in later era aircraft, although I *REALLY* want the Mirage 2000.  Yes, there's a dispute between it's developer and Eagle Dynamics, but I'm thinking if I buy it now, while it still works, I can fly it enough to get my money's worth.  If it goes on sale between now and the New Year, I'm buying it.  What I'd really like is for another developer to make a Mirage 2000, though.

Also, for DCS: World, I've been using TrackIR instead of VR.  Folks keep insisting that I need to use VR with DCS.  Nah...it's not for me.  I've already tried it in both War Thunder and IL2.  I'll admit that the flying experience, immersion, and spatial awareness that comes with interacting within a 3D environment is great.  What sours EVERYTHING is that you can't see your keyboard or stick or anything that's on your desk.  That's something I can't get over.  It's all unicorns and rainbows until it's time to interact outside of VR, which is sometimes a requirement.  Plus, the hardware requirements to run VR while running a game such as DCS is not insignificant, and if you want to also record your session, it's going to suck for you unless you've a super beefy PC.

I'm one step from upgrading my HOTAS to something a bit better.  My current setup lacks the required buttons to get most of aircraft controls onto either the stick or throttle (even if I'm flying a full fidelity aircraft, I'd still prefer to manipulate the controls through the stick or throttle controls).  As it is, I'm about to use a spare throttle just so I can use it's buttons!  Also, I may need to alter my desk to better support a stick and throttle (no, I don't want to build a pit/rig).

Nuclear Option is fun!  It's in Early Access and I ended up buying it, but leaving it alone for maybe 6 months because it didn't have head-tracking, which I thought was ridiculous.  Headtracking was added maybe 3-4 months ago, but something is wonky with it - the game looses connectivity with either the TrackIR software or hardware (or both).  You've to go to desktop and restart TrackIR, but I found that I would have to do it 4-5 times within a 30 min session, which is a serious buzz kill, so I stopped playing it again...once they sort out the headtracking issue, I'll fly it again.

VTOL VR is actually really nice, but I won't do multiplayer with it.  I want to stay single player with that game, at least for a while.  That means I've to find decent single player missions.  I've also thought of giving a shot at developing some missions.  Maybe I can experiment with that this weekend.  I've heard the mission editor is wonky and there's no guide on how to use it (although I should check Steam for guides).  No, I don't want to check the game's Discord...I shouldn't have to do that...such things should be better accessible than relying on only Discord.

I was also playing Steel Beasts for awhile (I even streamed a session of of gameplay on Twitch).  I started out good but then quit, as that game can sometimes be quite deep.  It's more of a high end sim than a game, IMO.  I think it depends upon the mission, too.  I play single player, which can be a handful with lots of units to command, so I think the key is to seek out single player missions that give you control of a company -- any bigger unit than that will pain since you'll have to manage every aspect of each element of that unit.

OH!  Also, there's a new tactical game coming out called Sea Power, that will be released in November.