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Battlefront.com and IDDK announce: T-72: BALKANS ON FIRE!
Sounds painful.
February 18, 2005
6 Min Read
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Battlefront.com | T-72: BALKANS ON FIRE! is a groundbreaking new TANK SIMULATION by Russian game developers IDDK/Crazy House. Set in the violent period of civil wars in Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995, it puts the player as a Russian volunteer tank commander right into the turret of some of the best tanks the Russians built - the T-72B, the T-55A and the T-34-85.
Battlefront.com, Inc., an independent, internet-based publisher and developer of war and strategy games and home to one of the web's largest war and strategy game communities, and IDDK, one of the leading Russian development and publishing houses, disclosed today that they have signed an exclusive agreement to bring the groundbreaking new tank simulation T-72: BALKANS ON FIRE! to the market.
The game will not be sold in stores, but will only be available via mail order from www.battlefront.com. T-72: BALKANS ON FIRE! is already in beta stage, and is scheduled for a release in the second quarter of 2005.
STATEMENTS
Dmitri Demenchoock, Chief of Game Department for IDDK Group, producer:
"When we presented the alpha version of "T-72: Balkans on fire!" to the public for the first time in February 2004, one of the Russian journalists said: "It's generally believed that tank-sims are dying out. The niche for sims is too small and publishers are not interested in publishing them. What do you think?"
I promptly replied then that this belief would be no reason for us not to continue making tank sims. The reason is simple: we don't do it just for money, we do it because we like what we do. Well, obviously it looked like mere bravado back then.
Later, after meeting Battlefront.com, I understood that I wasn't just brave, I really was right! It seems that Battlefront.com has indeed found a way to turn "small niche" or "publisher's scepticism" into actual advantages. Advantages which developers of "dying" titles can use to continue doing what they love to do most! Without the skepticism of mass market publishers. How? Well, you better ask them.
We did ask, understood and are already now exploring new possibilities in what is a very smooth, fun and productive collaboration right from the start. "T-72 Balkans on Fire!" has been conceived as not only a combat game, but also as a game to combat traditional publishers!
We put great efforts into making a credible combat simulation with attractive graphics and fun gameplay. We collected invaluable experience and are going to use it to dive even deeper into the niche of realistic war games and simulations with the help and support from Battlefront.com.
To all those who love tanks and tank simulators we now can say: the tankless times are over, meet T-72, and stay tuned - this theme is to be continued."
Charles Moylan, co-founder of Battlefront.com:
"The time for a realistic, fun, detailed, and last but not least beautiful to look at tank combat simulation is way overdue. So when IDDK approached us with their proposal to publish T-72: Balkans on Fire!, and we got to see the first samples of the game, we were thrilled! Thrilled about the depth of the simulation, the absolutely stunning graphics and physics engine, and the realistic yet playable simulation of modern tank warfare. The time for a realistic, fun, and detailed tank combat simulation is right now!"
GAME FEATURES
T-72 Balkans on Fire! uses a powerful and stunning 3D and physics engine to produce state of the art effects and realism. Below is a lost of some of what awaits you inside!
Three types of playable tanks modelled: T-34-85, T-55A and T-72B
Control individual crew stations (Commander, gunner or driver)
Wide variety of armored vehicles included as well as infantry, artillery, engineering vehicles, helicopters and trucks
Command attached units (infantry and armor) up to a full tank platoon
Mechanized infantry can be transported inside trucks and APCs and on tank hulls
Detailed modelling of each vehicles fire control systems, main and secondary weapons, ammunition types, engine management and transmissions, starting and driving procedures
Realistic night vision combat capabilities - realistically modelled low light level and infrared sights
More than 70 types of buildings and installations that can be damaged or destroyed
Over 40 types of plants, trees and grass sway in the breeze
High-quality modelling of water surfaces and amphibious vehicle capabilities
5000+ polygons per vehicle including detailed bump mapping
Scalable realism settings
Powerful mission and structure editor available
LAN Network and Online multiplayer
Advanced Physics and Environmental Game Engine
Vast open spaces with draw distances of more than 2 km
Topographic height differences on maps of up to 800 m
Realistic passage of time transitions (day changes to night)
Dynamic weather and environmental effects: smoke, fog, rain, rainbows, dust, wind effects
Deformable terrain - shell holes and trenches dug out in real time
Destroyable structures, vehicles and vegetation
Clouds cast shadows
Optical lens flares and sun glare effects
Realistic ballistics - wind effects, shell aerodynamics and flight characteristics, barrel wear and droop
Shell impact angle calculations
Detailed armor penetration results
Post-penetration shell path and damage assessments
High Explosive fragmentation dispersal calculations
Realistic vehicle and structure collision detection and damage
Individual internal and external vehicle system damage modelling including track damage, engine overheats, fuel leaks, turret jams, crew casualties, bailouts and more DirectX - 9.0b
For more information on T-72: Balkans on Fire!, please visit:
http://www.battlefront.com/products/t72/
About Battlefront.com
Battlefront.com is an independent, internet-based publisher and developer of superior war and strategy games, among them the award-winning 3D tactical WWII combat simulation series Combat Mission (three successive Wargame of the Year Awards).
Other titles include the innovative Dangerous Waters combined arms naval warfare simulation by SONALYSTS COMBAT SIMULATIONS, the grand strategy classic Strategic Command - European Theater (PC Gamer - 90%), as well as the famous TacOps4 modern combat simulation, a commercial version of the official tactical training tool used by the U.S. Army. Besides computer games, Battlefront.com offers a selection of books, prints, and other warfare related articles to one of the world's largest and fastest growing war and strategy gaming fan communities!
Find out more at www.battlefront.com
About IDDK
IDDK Group is an independent Russian publishing house, incorporating multimedia and games publishing, manufacturing, distribution and retail networks. The Games Department of IDDK had been created two years ago and "T-72: Balkans on Fire!", developed by CrazyHouse, is its first international release. IDDK works in collaboration with dozens of Russian and Ukrainian game development studios, focussing on realistic battle sims, innovative action games and kid's games based on original story and characters.
For more information about IDDK, please visit: http://www.iddk.ru/en and http://games.iddk.ru
For more information about CrazyHouse, please visit: http://www.crazyhouse.ru
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If you have any questions about this press release, or would like to receive preview materials, exclusive screenshots or conduct an interview with the developers or publisher, please contact [email protected].
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