Why the Best Tank Sims Still Run on Engines You've Never Heard Of

 

1. The Session

I just played Tank Squad and Call to Arms: Panzer Elite back-to-back.

Tank Squad: The tank has weight and feel, but it is clunky to get the best from it. Controls are a mess of buttons. Not intuitive.

Call to Arms: Panzer Elite: Nicer to play, but enemies see through trees. Optics do not work as expected, some thing is off with ballistics.

I play both without HUD. Neither game is designed for that. It feels awkward.

I went back to the original Panzer Elite to see if it was my memory. It just works.

2. Why the OGs Work: The Physics

Panzer Elite (1999), T34vs Tiger, Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942, Steel Armor: Blaze of War, Steel Beasts Pro PE.

They share one thing: bespoke engines.

Not Unity. Not Unreal. Code written for one purpose: simulate a tank.

Lookup Tables vs. Real-Time Calculation

Generic engines (Unity/Unreal):

  • Calculate ballistics in real-time using floating-point mathematics.
  • Single-precision (float) loses accuracy as values grow. At 1000m+, coordinate jitter breaks collision detection.
  • To compensate: hitscan, range clamping, simplified penetration formulas.
  • Result: shells that feel inconsistent. Trajectories that drift. Penetration that seems random.

Bespoke engines:

  • Use lookup tables for ballistics, penetration, trajectory.
  • Data is pre-calculated: muzzle velocity, drag coefficient, armor penetration values per shell type, per angle, per range.
  • Finite maths: fixed-point arithmetic or integer-based calculations. Deterministic. Repeatable.
  • A shot at 1500m uses the same table entry every time. No drift. No approximation.

The Developer Explanation

This is not theory. It is described by developers working in these engines today.

From the Tank Squad developer ([DeGenerals]Trebor), Steam Forum, 23 Feb:

"Our issues are very simple but very hard to fix, let me explain:
1. In Unity (and other engines too) if something happens or is calculated very far from center of the world (that is 0,0,0) it starts to get rounded up or down. This starts after 1000m from center, the further the worse it gets.
2. When a projectile hits a mudguard of a tiger - let's use it as example as I've had that situation few days ago - it checks if it penetrated that mudguard, if so - the system moves the projectile forward by 1mm and again checks if next armor on the projectile path is penetrated - and so on.
3. On very big distances, like 3-4 kms from center this 1mm movement can be rounded up to 2-3 or larger, totally missing collision/contact with main armor.
4. I did not yet find a solution to this but I need to."

The Implication

  • The engine breaks at distance (>1000m).
  • Collision logic fails due to floating-point rounding.
  • The developer describes the issue and is working toward a solution.

This is the structural limit of using a generic engine for a tank sim.

The Result

In OG Panzer Elite, you feel the tank because the math serves the fantasy.

In modern titles, you fight the engine because the fantasy serves the math.

3. The Foundation

In essence, any game built on a pre-built engine is not a game in the truest sense. It is a mod of that engine.

Unity. Unreal. Godot.

When you start with someone else's foundation, you are not building from zero. You are configuring. You are extending.

You inherit the engine's assumptions: physics model, rendering pipeline, networking layer. You work within its constraints.

For most genres, this is fine. A platformer does not need bespoke collision. A visual novel does not need deterministic ballistics.

For a tank sim, it is fatal.

Panzer Elite. Steel Fury. Steel Armor. Steel Beasts.

These were not mods. They were games.

The engine was written for the simulation. Not the other way around.

Every system — ballistics, vision, physics, audio — served one goal: make you feel like you are in the tank.

When the foundation is purpose-built, the result is cohesive.

When the foundation is generic, the result is configured.

Cohesive is not the same as configured.

4. The Verdict

This is not about nostalgia. It is about engineering priorities.

The Industry Incentive

Generic engines exist to reduce cost and time.

  • Asset stores replace custom models.
  • Pre-built physics replace bespoke calculation.
  • Cross-platform deployment replaces targeted optimization.

For a tank sim, this is fatal.

The Cost of Depth

Bespoke engines require upfront investment.

  • Profile every gun.
  • Build every lookup table.
  • Test every armor angle.

There is no shortcut. There is no asset pack for "authentic tank warfare."

Modern devs choose the shortcut. The result is visually competent, mechanically hollow.

The Player's Choice

Until the incentive structure changes, the best tank sims will remain the ones built when depth mattered more than deployment speed.

Panzer Elite. Steel Fury. Steel Armor. Steel Beasts.

They are not perfect. They are old. But they are honest.

The code serves the simulation.

That is the standard. Anything less is a compromise.

The Antisocial Gamer

Popular posts from this blog

Panzer Elite: Torch 2025: The Desert Reforged

Image
  Briefing... Under the long stewardship of BRIT44 and MY , the Panzer Elite code has been safely looked after and steadily evolved. With the original source in safe hands, it has never been frozen, only refined. With that quiet continuity, the simulator has reached a new technical and historical peak with Torch 2025 , a reworked Tunisian campaign built on modern DirectX 12 foundations. A Modern Core The 2025 build runs through a DirectX 12 wrapper with improved fog and accurate lighting. It’s compatible with Windows 8 through 11 and can be tuned in real time through the DDrawCompat interface (Shift + F11). Frame rates are smoother, the visuals cleaner, and the game finally performs on modern hardware as its designers had once hoped it might. Physics Grounded in Fact The armour and gunnery system has been recalibrated against empirical data from the Lorrin & Bird World War II penetration tables. Each ammunition type now has its own slope and velocity curve, and a ...
Read more

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 - A 2023 Gaming Review

Image
If you're wondering whether Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 still holds up in 2023, the answer is a resounding yes. This World War II tank simulation game continues to deliver.  The vanilla game is set with the historical backdrop of the Soviet attempt to reclaim Kharkov in 1942, Steel Fury offers three campaigns, each with its unique challenges. You can choose to roll with a T-34, take the Matilda out for a spin, or engage in battles with Panzer IVs. Gameplay is where Steel Fury excels. The missions are intense, and they recreate the chaos of historical tank battles. Whether you're pushing through enemy lines, countering attacks, or making split-second decisions in the heat of battle, the game keeps you on your toes. It strikes a fine balance between simulation and action, making it accessible to a broad range of gamers. The standout feature of Steel Fury is its realism. Tanks in the game are portrayed as they were in real life—bulky and vulnerable. A single well-placed shot can put ...
Read more

Decoding the Damage Model: How Panzer Elite Calculates Penetration and Destruction

Image
(Introduction) Panzer Elite, while focused on historical realism, uses a complex damage model to determine the outcome of tank engagements. This isn't a simple point-and-click affair; instead, a series of calculations, based on real-world physics and factors, dictates whether a shell will penetrate armor, cause damage, or ricochet harmlessly away. This article will delve into the mechanics behind these calculations, exploring the core elements of the game’s damage model and how small choices can impact the outcome of an engagement. (TL;DR) The Panzer Elite damage model is a complex system that simulates realistic tank combat. Key factors include: penetration values that decrease with range, angle of impact that significantly alters penetration effectiveness (flanking is best!), different ammunition types with varying damage characteristics, module damage that affects tank performance, and a spotting system influenced by range and terrain. Ultimately, mastering Panzer...
Read more