Extremely Disappointing
Machine Specifications:
INTEL CORE 2 Duo @2.13ghz 1Gig DDR RAM (Overclocked from 600 to 800mhz) (2x 512mb Dual Interlaced)
Geforce 7600 GS (512 mb VRAM/Passive Cooling)
Soundblaster Live! 5.1
I was extremely happy to see any sort of simulation on Steam so I went ahead and bought this at open price. Sadly it was a bit of a mistake.
This game isn't bad per-se, however the engine seems to chug reguardless of what you do with it. Not only that, there are also MAJOR portions of the game missing. (To be honest, that may be a Steam problem). Now, whereas when you stay still, it looks about the same as Flight Simulator 2004, however, once oyu start moving, the aformentioned engine seems to make it very difficult to do more than manouver.
Moving on, the controls are not supported by mouse. Therefore, all control of the turret (if you are lacking any sort of joystick and even then I couldn't figure out how to map it) was done by the arrow keys. This makes it overly difficult to get an accurate shot, and in the end can cost you precious rounds and loading time.
The driving is pretty solid, reminding me a little of Battlefield 2's tank system aside from the use of gearing. However it feels like the tank's accellerations seem way higher than they should be.
The AI should be labeled as A.S. for Artificial Stupidity. Yes they may shoot back, but it seems like they were plagued with the exact problems I had. Overall this game could have been good if:
1) Engine was optimized
2) Mouse was usable for turret operation
3) AI was developed better