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SPEDIT - Steel Panthers Editor Utility v1.5 by Nicholas Bell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHAT'S NEW IN V 1.5: Formation Editor Added
Unavailable Date bug fixed
Units colored coded in view
Minor bug fixes
Armor Penetration Comparision Table
V 1.2: Unit availability dates added.
***********************PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS!**************************
Contains important unit, formation and weapon editing information. Even if you
are familiar with SPEDIT 1.2, PLEASE reread this file. There are important
changes and clarifications. You'll save yourself a lot of frustration.
******************************************************************************
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Users of this program must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"This software is supplied on an AS IS basis. The author specifically
disclaims ANY warranty, expressed or implied, as to the fitness for any
particular purpose of the software. Under no circumstances will the author
be liable for any direct, consequential, special, indirect, or other damages
including, but not limited to, loss of data, profit, or the use of the
software arising from the distribution, use, misuse, or inability to use
the software. YOU USE THIS SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. BY USING THE SOFTWARE,
YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS OF USAGE SET FORTH IN THIS DISCLAIMER."
NOTICE
~~~~~~
This program is not in any way connected with or endorsed or supported
by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
TRADEMARKS
~~~~~~~~~~
Steel Panthers is a trademark of Strategic Simulations, Inc.
DISTRIBUTION NOTICE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This program is being released by the author as freeware. It is NOT public
domain! You may copy and use the program freely. You may distribute it to
whomever you like but:
1. Do NOT distribute modified versions.
2. Do NOT bundlle with other programs.
3. ALWAYS distribute with the documentation.
4. Do NOT charge a fee for distribution.
No other limitations are placed on the usage of the software. No monetary fee
is charged for the use of the software. However....
THE COST
~~~~~~~~
Yes, there is a cost involved in the use of this editor. You MUST report new
ideas for units and weapons to me immediately. You are ORDERED to create
new units and scenarios and upload them so that everyone can enjoy them.
You WILL email me many kind words of thanks and adulation to inflate my
ego and encourage me to complete the formation editor <g>!
Furthermore, when you find that STEEL PANTHERS just doesn't satisfy, when you
need more realism, actual historical maps with real OBs, and much greater
depth, you will purchase HPS Simulations PANTHERS IN THE SHADOWS and TIGERS ON
THE PROWL for the ultimate in WW2 Tactical wargaming experience! There's room
on your your hard drive for both Gary's and Scott's excellent wargames.
*** WARNING ***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This program makes permanent modifications to the following files in the
STEEL PANTHERS program: OBBR, OBMA, OBPZ, OBJA, OBUS. If you have any problems
please copy ALL these files back into your STEEL PANTHERS directory from your
STEEL PANTHERS CD. Note that Steel Panthers V 1.12x also contained OB?? files
so if you want to use them (they include a few additional weapons and some
modifications to existing weapons) unzip that patch. If future versions
of Steel Panthers include OB?? files, use them instead of those on the CD.
Unless of course you purchase the product new and it contains the official
version 1.2 or whatever. Bottom line? Use the most current OB?? files if you
don't like the results of your editing.
INSTALLATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copy the SPEDIT.EXE file into your STEEL PANTHERS main directory and type
"SPEDIT" <return> to start the editor.
EDITOR LIMITATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Changes made to weapons will be in effect in all campaigns, canned scenarios,
and user-generated scenarios. Weapon OB is read every time SP is started,
and is not written to the scenario *.dat file. So if you edit a weapon and
make a scenario with it and want to pass it on to someone else, you must
also give them your OB?? file.
Changes made to units, however, will only be in effect in "new" scenarios
where the program has to access the database to create the scenario. Unit
information in canned scenarios and canned campaign battles for the computer
player is stored in the respective scenario and campaign files, not the
OB?? files. You'll have to use the unit editor provided in Steel Panthers
to change these. Units altered will show up if player controlled in canned
"historical" campaigns, in long campaigns, and in player or computer generated
scenarios.
Let me repeat that editing _units_ will have NO effect on any scenarios you
already have. Regarding campaigns, the following example should clarify what
works:
You edit the Panther into a Panther II with an 88/L71. You edit the T-34/85
into a T-34/100, giving it a 100/L53. If you choose to play a "historical"
campaign like "Warsaw," your T-34/85s will be T-34/100's. However, since
the German units are "hardcoded" to the campaign, they will still be just
plain old Panthers, not those Panther II's you edited. This occurs because
the program has to access the database to create whatever units you choose to
start the campaign, but does not access the German unit database.
Long campaigns should be fine since the battles are generic and the program
accesses the database for both the player's and the computer controlled units.
If you want to see what's in OBMBT, copy it to OBPZ. Back up your OBPZ if you
plan on using it again. Using a different OB?? will really mess up things.
EDITING UNITS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unit information is stored by country in the OB?? files. The editor lists
the file and the countries units associated with it. If you cannot find the
Allied unit you want to edit, be sure to check the OBMA file. It seems to be
collecting file for odds and ends. Since editing units is country specific,
if you want to edit a weapon used by more than one country (some model of the
Sherman, for example) you will have to edit that weapon in each country's
file.
UNIT EDITING DEFINITIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NAME: 15 character maximum.
ARMAMENT: Weapon - Use (v) View to determine weapon number to enter.
It's probable that weapon slots (1-4) may have limitations on
employment of weapons. (eg, note AAMG positions) One thing I
cannot understand is why squads always have their LMG as the
second weapon. Since weapons are fired in the order of their
position, one would want the most lethal weapon to fire first,
not the rifles (which studies have shown were hardly used by
anyone). This is especially true for the Germans. The whole
squad existed to support the LMG with ammunition and flank
security.
Ammunition - This is maximum load for each type. HE and AP loads
do not seem to vary too much. HVAP and HEAT vary a great deal,
almost a random choice between 0 and the maximum load entered.
Note that there is no "total" ammunition function - you have to
make sure you do not exceed the unit's ammunition carrying capacity
by adding the HE, AP, HVAP, and HEAT loads yourself. Of course,
most AFV's were routinely overloaded when ammunition was available,
despite the increased risk of a catastrophic cook-off when hit.
Fire Control - Refers to the optical and range finding systems
of a unit with DIRECT FIRE CAPABILITY only. A higher value is
better. In game terms it probably impacts on the Ph (probability of
hit) and the increase in Ph when a unit fires more than once at a
target. Value of '10' seems to be the highest - for the FLAK 18/36
88mm gun. It had a huge rangefinder and a simple analog computer.
For comparision purposes, the M1A1 (with its laser range finder and
computer system) in the OBMBT has a firecontrol value of 40.
It might be interesting to give off-map artillery some Fire Control
rating to see if it improves their accuracy. (it does, see IDEAS)
ARMOR: Each point equals 10mm of armor with the increase due to slope
already calculated in. Modified thickness of armor equals the
actual thickness divided by the cosine of 90 degrees minus the
slope of the armor, or something like that. Never mind the math,
use this table:
Slope of Armor Modified Thickness Effective Thickness
10-15 degrees X 1.0 X 1.0
20-25 1.1 1.1
30-35 1.2 1.2
40 1.3 1.5
45 1.4 1.9
50 1.6 2.4
55 1.7 3.0
60 2.0 3.7
65 2.4 4.6
70 3.0 6.0
Slope of armor is from vertical.
MODIFIED THICKNESS is the thickness used in Steel Panthers. For
example, the T-34c had front hull armor of 4.7cm sloped at 60 degrees.
4.7 x 2.0 = 9.4 rounded down to 9, the value you see in Steel Panthers.
However, for all you purists, you might want to consider modifying all
the AFV's and giving them Effective Thickness instead. This is based
on ballistics tests and physics. Not only is the thickness of the
armor increased because the projectile has to go farther due to the
angle it hits the armor, but the penetration of the projecticle is
decreased because a greater surface area of the armor is absorbing
the impact. Of course you will need to know the armor slope of all
the AFVs to do this. Maybe I'll get around to listing the data.
Maybe <g>.
If you use effective thickness, combat will really change. You'll
have to manuever to get flank shots or get in real close most of the
time in order to penetrate the frontal armor of most AFV's (unless
you've got 88's of course :).
Note that Steel Panthers does not model any aspects of the actual
effectiveness of the metal used as armor. German face-hardened armor
was much stronger than thickness alone would indicate. Soviet armor
was inferior, normally very brittle. (if I remember correctly, this
reduced it's effectiveness by 20-40%)
If you want this kind of detail included in your simulation of
tactical combat, you must try HPS Simulations "Panthers in the
Shadows" or "Tigers on the Prowl." It's all there, and more.
********VERY IMPORTANT!********************************************************
The Panther, JadgPanther, King Tiger, JadgTiger, JgPz IV and Hetzer do
NOT have the slope calculated in. It is done by the program based
on the MODIFIED THICKNESS Table. For example in SPEDIT you will see
that the Panther has a front hull armor of 8. If you check it in the
encyclopedia, it has a front hull armor of 14. This is because the
program is multiplying the Panther's 8 cm armor X 1.7 (since the
armor is sloped at 55 degrees) = 13.6 rounded up to 14. There may be
other tanks. ALWAYS check your edited data in the scenario editor or
the encyclopedia to make sure something odd hasn't popped up.
Arnaud Bouis explained to me that SSI had planned on doing the calc's
for all AFV's in this manner, but for whatever reason decided not to.
Guess the late war German tanks had been done so they left that part
of the program in. Seems like it would have been easier to eliminate
that subroutine and do them all the same! In any case I doubt it
makes any difference, since all the other AFV's have the modified
armor value plugged in, making it easier for you to edit.
WHERE'S THE HEAT?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may be wondering why I didn't include the anti-HEAT armor provided
for in the scenario editor in the game. Well, I didn't because it
wouldn't make a difference. There are a few AFV's with HEAT armor
in the database (Pz III & IV), but this data is never read by the
program and is therefore never written to the scenario file.
Now here's something I haven't figured out. If you change even one
armor rating using the editor in the game (of course this means both
normal AP armor and HEAT armor are entered), the program then reads
ALL the HEAT armor values and writes them to disk. Now whether the
program differentiates between the two types of armor at this
time is problematic. Doesn't seem likely since the data isn't
copied to the scenario file when editing is not performed, but one
never knows. Maybe Gary will fix it. It could be a feature not fully
implimented, or awaiting implimentation in the modern version of
Steel Panthers.
SPEED: There seem to be maximum limitations. These limitations may be
controlled by the unit CLASS. For calculating speed, each turn
equals 2 minutes, each hex 50 meters.
SIZE: Impacts sighting and Ph.
MEN: Large squad sizes may cause odd things to happen to the unit's
graphic.
COST: This *may* (haven't confirmed it yet) be a powerful antidote in Allied
campaigns to the ahistorical large numbers of German panzers the
computer always gets. If you increase the cost of panzers, maybe the
computer won't be able to afford as many. Make those TIGERS a bit
more rare...It will certainly make it easier for YOU to purchase units
in a campaign if you lower the cost of the units of your country
before starting the campaign <g>.
NATIONALITY: Self explanatory.
CHANCE RADIO: Percent chance that unit will have a radio.
CLASS: The weapon class seems to control how a unit behaves and what
functions it can perform. For example, if you make a TIGER I
a mineclearing tank, it will clear mines (and still kill a lot of
enemy tanks). Haven't experimented with helicopters yet - may not
be implimented. I can imagine a lot of ingenious uses for changing
a unit's class.
UNIT GRAPHIC: The graphic seen when playing the game. If you want to change
a unit's graphic, first determine what you want it to look like and
determine it's number. Sorry, I don't have the programming ability
to let you "view" the hundreds of various vehicle and squad graphics.
SIDE VIEW: The side view of the unit shown in the encyclodpedia and when
purchasing units. These are .LBM files and are found on the CD.
AVAILABLE/UNAVAILABLE: Due to SP's odd method of keeping dates, all 1939
dates will default to 9/39. Furthermore, all unavailable dates in
1945 will default to 12/45.
EDITING FORMATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editing formations is pretty self-explanatory after editing units. There are
a few things to keep in mind. If your're going to attempt to make a new
formation, it must be in the same OB?? file as the other formations of the
same country.
The program may not recognise new formations (the type made using empty
slots) for campaign games and battles. Let me know if you find out otherwise.
It is also important to understand that the program does NOT ONLY use the
units you put into a formation. Although I am not sure on the exact details
of how SP picks units, it chooses the units by unit CLASS and AVAILABILITY.
If you make a new formation available in 1944 for the US and put M4A1 and
Rifle Infantry in it, the program may end up any variety of Sherman and
infantry available, eg Jumbos and SMGs.
Arnaud Bouis explains what Formation Type (formerly Unknown 1) does:
"I had a talk with the SP database designer and here is what he told me
about the unidentified formation type:
The unidentified field is the formation type. Type 5 is for HQs, type 4 is
for amphibious units and naval support, types 1, 2 & 3 are distinctions that
no longer matter. In the early betas of the game, formations were divided
into those found only in mechanized units (type 1), those found only in
infantry units (type 2), and those common to both (type 3). These
distinctions (types 1, 2 & 3) were eventually abandoned during development.
This exactly sticks to the results of my tests."
EDITING WEAPONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weapon characteristics are stored in the OB?? files. Each OB?? file contains
duplicate weapon data (and country specific unit formation data used in
constructing scenarios). The WPNEDIT program will modify all OB?? files
simultaneously without distribing the formation data. The reason all OB files
have to be modified even though they all contain identical weapon data is
because STEEL PANTHERS loads the weapon data based on the opponents. For
example, OBPZ controls the German and Soviet weapon data. OBUS controls the
German and US weapon data. Thus if you were to only modify the 88 L56 in OBPZ,
then if you fought the Americans, the 88 would be unmodified. In any case,
you do not have to worry about it. Note that weapon characteristics are not
scenario dependent like unit characteristics. If you change the penetration
value of a weapon it will have that new value in all scenarios old and new.
Be sure to check the entire list when modifying a specific weapon, since
many countries have specific versions of their weapon. Use the (v) View
function to check the entire weapon list and you will see how the specific
country's weapons are grouped together. Some countries use the same weapon,
eg Britain and Germany both use RIFLE weapon number #1, while the Japanese
use Rifle weapon number #205. Note that some weapons are duplicated, eg their
are 2 entries of the 88mm L71 Pak (#62 and #150). #150 is titled 88 L71
Pak 43 while #62 is merely a 88 L71 Pak. Same weapon, same values, but
probably some weird situation involving ownership. Perhaps a situation where
Rumanians used it against the Germans?
*******************************IMPORTANT***************************************
I just want to make it clear that weapon data is read from your current OB??
file every time you start a scenario or saved game. The data is NOT in the
scenario *.DAT file. So if you add or modify a weapon and then create a
scenario using it, you must have that same OB?? file for that new or modified
weapon. This is on a country by country basis.
EXAMPLE: You edit a new experimental German wire-guided anti-tank missile
and you also make a 106mm Recoilless Rifle for the Americans. You then make
a scenario using both. In order to play that scenario, you must have BOTH
the modified OBPZ and OBUS files in your Steel Panthers directory. This
means if you upload your scenario, you must include those OB?? files.
This is NOT MY FAULT <g>! It has nothing to do with how SPEDIT works - it
is how Steel Panthers works. Complain to Gary if you don't like it.
This problem does not exist if you create or modify units using the existing
weapons because unit data is written into the scenario *.DAT file.
DEFINITIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is from the STEEL PANTHERS V1.1 documentation:
"Key:
HE= High Explosive value, used to determine HE attacks against
soft targets like infantry.
AP Pen.= Max unmodified penetration for the AP round.
HVAP Pen.= Max unmodified penetration for the HVAP round.
HEAT= Max unmodified High Explosive Anti-tank penetration.
Range= Max range for the weapon, in hexes.
Accuracy= Number of hexes the weapon will have an unmodified 50% chance to
hit its target. Example= Accuracy is 8, this means the weapon will have
from 1 to 8 hexes, a unmodified base hit chance of 50%. Note this number
can go up or down due to various modifiers in the game."
HE PENETRATION: This appears to be the armor piercing capability of HE ammo.
PROJECTILE SIZE: Size has a major impact on the lethality of HE fire and in
determining the damage resulting from successful armor penetration. It also
controls the WEAPON'S SOUND EFFECT and CRATER size.
HVAP RANGE: Maximum range for that weapon firing HVAP. Note that
HVAP (Hyper Velocity Armor Piercing) is really a generic term. The Allies
actually used APDS (Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot) and APCR (Armor Piercing
Composite Rigid). The Germans only used APCR, and then in very limited
quantities because of limited supplies of tungsten.
WEAPON CLASS?: Appears to be the classification of the weapon which may effect
how/when it is used, or may trigger some routine in the program.
It may also have something to do with weight or who is allowed
to use it. This needs more testing.
Value Classification
1 Small Arms
2 ?? LMGs, small MTRs, ATR, grenades, etc -
stuff carried by infantry.
3 ?? MMG, HMG, mortars, Hvy ATR, some light arty
4 Anti-Aircraft
5 ?? Weapons carried on AFVs & other assorted towed guns
6 ?? Various guns and artillery
7 ?? Various guns and artillery. Heavy & larger than #6
8 Flame weapons
9 Flamethrower
10 Naval Support
11 Aircraft
WEAPON SIZE?: Arnaud Bouis has informed me that according his sources, this
is currently meanlingless data which was not implimented in
Steel Panthers.
For purposes of modifying range and accuracy, each hex equals 50 meters
When modifying penetration values, each point equals 10 centimeters (as does
each point of armor on the AFV's)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A very special thanks for the help testing, bug hunting, and comments of
these fine individuals. This really became a group project.
Ralph Dowsing
John Waters
James Cox
Rick McCammon
Pascal Ode
Arnaud Bouis
Tuomas Seijavuori
Of course we have to thank Gary Grisby for Steel Panthers. I've enjoyed all
his other excellent wargames since 1984.
CONCLUSION
~~~~~~~~~~
If you have problems, bug reports, suggestions, contact Nicholas Bell at:
72162.1667@compuserve.com.
Enjoy!
Nick
2-15-96
APPENDICES
~~~~~~~~~~
I. Decimal Offset Map
II. Ideas for Editing
III. Armor Penetration Comparision Table
I. DECIMAL OFFSET MAP OF OB?? FILES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WEAPONS
0000 Weapon Names 15 character maximum
3750 Clasification?
4000 Null
4250 Weapon Size?
4500 Projectile Size
4750 HE/AP Penetration*
5250 HE/AP Soft attack factor*
5750 Accuracy
6000 Range
6250 HVAP Range
6500 HVAP Penetrattion
6750 HEAT Penetration
7000- 9250 Nulls
*Each weapon is alloted 2 bytes. First byte is HE Penetration/value, second
is AP Penetration/value.
UNITS
9250 Unit names 15 character maximum
13000 Unit Class
13250 Unit Graphic
13500 Size
13750 Men
14000 Weapon Slots Each unit has 4 slots, one byte per slot. Slots are
alloted in order.
15000 Ammunition Each unit has 8 bytes. HE and AP ammo loads for all
4 weapon slots alloted in sequence HE,AP,HE,AP etc
17000 Speed
17250 Armor Each unit has 16 bytes allocated. First 8 are standard
AP armor ratings in order front hull, side hull, rear hull,
front turret, side turret, rear turret, top. Second 8 bytes
are for HEAT armor ratings. In identical order.
24000 Radio
24250 Available Start Month/Year
24500 Available End Month/Year
24750 Cost
25000 Nationality
25250 Side View in Encyclopedia (2 byte integer)
25750 Null
26000 Fire Control
26250 HVAP Ammunition
26500 HEAT Ammunition
26750- 32514 Nulls
FORMATIONS
32500 Formation Names
35500 Country
35700 Units in formation, 10 bytes per formation
37700 Available
37900 Unavailable
38300 Formation Usage
II. WHAT CAN YOU DO? IDEAS FOR EDITING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Rick McCammon:
My first discovery was that SPEDIT enables you to transfer tanks between
nationalities, to serve as captured equipment. This feature alone makes the
program absolutely great.
In one day, I've been able to do the following:
Create a cave and "cave defender" units for the Japanese.
Create aerosans for the Finns.
Liberate the Finnish "sled" from its misidentity as a Heavy Truck so that
now the unit is available to be used.
Load Napalm onto my late-war U.S. aircraft.
Create an M4 mortar carrier and an M3 GMC for the U.S.
Create a Crusader AA tank, a 75 GMC and a Wasp mkIIC for the British.
Correct some small errors of classification in the SP database that prevented
some units from ever showing up as choices...
More great ideas from Rick:
I've been able to make everything from a booby trap to individual leaders.
I've also found several small errors in the database and the formation
structure that prevented units (like the British DD Tank Platoon) from
appearing. There's one German ART piece with size of 99 and crew number of 0,
for instance.
Also, by changing the Unknown Variable of the Battalion HQ from 5 to 0-3, you
can start off with your own choice of HQ Squad or Individual Leader in Battle
Generated Scenarios.
I don't know why the Germans and Russians have Destroyers, Cruisers and
Battleships, but the NOBA is very detailed. To make them appear as Selections,
you can change that Unknown Variable to 3. For some reason, however, NOBA is a
different category from regular Artillery, though they both appear to share
that category. I'm thinking about doing away with all the NOBA, except
possibly leaving a Destroyer for the Germans and Russians and possibly a
River GunBoat for the Russians. I could use the room in the database for more
ground troop units.
SP's own scenario editor is, of course, excellent, but one problem I think the
program itself has is with the "canned" squads. For instance, every GE squad
from '39-'43 and '43-'45 has to have the same equipment. This, to me, is a
constricting limitation. So: I've used SPEDIT to create SS squads,
GE conscripts, Partisans, Guards Infantry, LMG teams to add extra firepower.
I haven't even gotten to the other countries yet!!
Oh, I also worked it out so I could combine squads, with a Mixed Infantry
formation. So I can have regular Soviet squads and the much tougher Guards
Infantry squads in the same platoon. Also changed all the costs and altered
all the movement factors. I am going to put in lbm pix for all my new units.
I may have everything done by mid-summer (maybe). Then I may try my hand at
doing a Modern Version. I would copy the MBT database by hand into the other
databases, so as not to lose the graphics. Then I'll be ready for the insane
asylum. My wife says I'm halfway there already!!
From James Cox:
The primary ways I intend to use the formation editor is to create smaller
formations for some units (who needs 7 Flammpanzers when you only get 49 units
total) and to alter the makeup of the computer forces. For example, a Panzer
plt 43 has a default composition of 4 Panzer IVGs. This means that by 6/44
when the IVG is no longer available the Pz plt 43 used by the computer has
roughly a 65% chance of using Pz- IVHs and 35% chance of Panthers. By changing
the default composition to Pz-IVH the percentages change to about 80% Pz-IV
and 20% panthers. This allows the user to make rare units slightly more so in
randomly generated battles.
From Rainer Verlack:
I already changed the He111 to a Ju 88 that was more suited for a ground
attack role.
From Bob Gerver:
A couple new features I've been playing with using SPEDIT...
Naval battles - the graphics aren't there for warships, but I've been able to
have some intense battles at sea.
Aircraft caught on the ground. 'Course, they can never take off <g> but it
adds a lot of realism.
From Thomas V. Olszowy:
I managed to solve the my desires for unwimpy bunkers and improved artillery
accuracy. I've been offline for a few days so somebody has probably already
posted this idea. I increased the fire control rating of off board artillery
with the result of much closer shot groups. Instead of the usual three groups
of three to four shells landing 2-300 meters away from each other I've
decreased it to a lateral spread of perhaps 100-250 meters. With a burst
radius on a 155/150mm being about 40 meters this seems about right when 12-16
shells land. I've succeeded in immobilizing tanks on a regular basis with
155mm and easily destroyed unprotected infantry. This still assumes your
enemy is dumb enough to park in the open. Too high a fire control rating and
all the shells land in the same three hexes. There still is a random chance
of one set of three shells falling way off target, but it is better than
the fruitlless massive barrages that never hit what they were aimed at.
Ran into a glitch of some type. Put together a bunker with a 280mm naval
gun. Had to change weapon type from artillery to howitzer to get it to work.
But it still will not automatically target and and can only do manual direct
fire at hexes. Realistically that probably is not far off, but it is
annoying, anyone have any ideas? I was putting together a scenario dealing
with some of the more massive Normandy defenses. 280mm landing on a hex with
a landing craft is pretty ugly.
III. WEAPON PENETRATION COMPARISION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following data has been assembled for use in editing SSI's Steel Panthers
using SPEDIT. No attempt has been made to make this an exhaustive
list - I just wanted to show some of the main weapons. Please forward any new
information to me, Nicholas Bell, 72162.1667@compuserve.com
Range is pointblank or less than 200M if nothing is noted.
Penetration is standard AP (or APC, APCBC since SP doesn't differentiate)
unless noted. All penetration measurements have been converted to 0 degree
angle of impact. SP uses the max penetration as a base point for penetration
calculation.
Note that sources cannot even agree on weapon length in calibers, so it's
not surprising they cannot agree on penetration. Fortunately, there's alot
of data which coincides, too. It's up to you to make the call, every centi-
meter counts. And you can see for yourself that SSI doesn't know everything
either. They made judgement calls that I don't agree with. Of course, you
don't need to agree with me either <g>!
SOURCES
~~~~~~~
The following sources are but a few which I have. They get rather repetitious.
The sources are not listed in any order of importance (or any order for that
matter!).
SP - SSI Steel Panthers
HPS - HPS Simulations data from "Panthers in the Shadows" and "Tigers on the
Prowl." Both HPS wargames are regarded as the most realistic available
on the market today. Scott Hamilton uses ballistics calculations to
determine penetration, not test range tables.
NB - (Me, Nick Bell :) These figures are based on a compilation of data I
have been working on for over 20 years. Unfortunately, when I was a teenager
I didn't think I'd have to list sources in the future. I know I based these
figures on books I read in college (the physics department was interested in
ballistics, I guess), books I don't have anymore (FM Senger und Etterlin for
one - it was my brothers book), and wargames like SPI's TANK! and Yaquinto's
"Panzer" and others. Other considerations are my general distrust of
published manufacturers range tests, but unfortunately there isn't much else
to go on. However, I tend to downgrade/upgrade weapons because the HISTORY of
their use belies the figures. If some of these weapons worked as qouted, they
would not have been discarded as useless by the troops and there would not
have been Government investigations into the failure of industry to provide
adequate weapons for their soldiers. On other side of the coin, the SU-152
and JSU-152 were major threats to the TIGER I (just read "Tigers in Combat"by
Schneider and "Tiger: The History of a Legendary Weapon" by Kleine and Kuehn
to understand this). The measly capabilities of the 152L20 in Steel Panthers
doesn't match the historical reality.
TC - "Tank Charts" Miniature Rules, by Brian Stokes, Forrest Plublications,
La Habra, California, 1980.
TR - "Tractics" Miniature Rules, by Mike Reese, TSR, Lake Geneva, WI. 1975
EGT - "Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two" by Peter Chamberlain
and Hilary Doyle. Arco Publishing, New York. 1978
EIW - "Encyclopedia of Infantry Weapons of World War II" by Ian V. Hogg,
Bison Books, London. 1977.
FM - FM 9-13 Ammunition Handbook, Department of the Army, 1973.
GMF - "Handbook of German Military Forces" Louisiana State Uninversity Press,
Baton Rouge, 1990. (reprint of intelligence document published by the
War Department in March 1945)
WW - "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare" edited
by Bernard Fitzsimons, Columbia House, New York, 1978. Note that
Ian V Hogg is the Editor for Land Weapons.
TIGER - "Tiger: The History of a Legendary Weapon 1942-45" By Egon Kleine and
Volkmar Kuehn, JJ Fedorowicz Publishing, Winnepeg, Manitoba, 1989.
WEAPON COUNTRY RANGE PENETRATION SOURCE
20mm L50 Soviet 2 NB
4.9 TC
@200m 5.5 HPS
20mm L55-60 German 6 SP
3 NB
4.5 TC
4.6 TR
2.4 EGT
5.8 (APCR) EGT
@200m 4.6 (APCR) HPS
20mm L65 Italian 4.9 TC
28mm sPzB 41 German 9 SP
10 TC
7.2 EGT
@500m 6.2 EIW
6.3 GMF
@200m 8.4 HPS
37mm L46 German 7 SP
5 NB
5.9 TC
8.5 (APCR) TC
4 EGT
7.6 (APCR) EGT
@500m 4.3 EIW*
@500m 4.8 (APCR) EIW*
@400yd 5.8 (APCR) GMF
@200m 6 HPS
@200m 7 (APCR) HPS
@500m 4.8 WW*
@500m 5 (APCR) WW*
*Interesting to note that world-renown weapons expert Ian V. Hogg cannot
even agree with himself.
37mm L53 US 9 SP
6 NB
6.3 TC
9.8 (APCR) TC
@1000yd 5.2 EIW
@200m 6 HPS
2 Pdr British 8 SP
6 NB
6.8 TC
@300m 5.5 HPS
45mm L46 Soviet 7 SP
6 NB
5.9 TC
@500m 6 EIW
@300m 5.5 HPS
@500m 5 WW
47mm L40 Italian 7 SP
6.3 TC
@300m 6 HPS
47mm L43 Czech/German 8 SP
6.6 TC
4.2 EGT
12 (APCR) EGT
@200m 6.5 HPS
@200m 10 (APCR) HPS
50mm L42 German 8 SP
9 NB
6.3 TC
12.6 (APCR) TC
6.5 EGT
11.5 (APCR) EGT
@300m 6.5 HPS
@300m 8 (APCR) HPS
50mm L60 German 9 SP
10 NB
16.5 (APCR) TC
11.7 TR
8 EGT
15.6 (APCR) EGT
@250m 8.8 EIW
@250m 14.1 (APCR) EIW
@1000yd 6.7 GMF
@300m 9 HPS
@300m 14 (APCR) HPS
@500m 7.8 WW
@500m 12 (APCR) WW
57mm L52 US 11 SP
10 NB
10.9 TC
@1000yd 6.7 EIW
@300m 8 HPS
@1000yd 8.7 WW
57mm L60-73 Soviet 11 SP
10 NB
@500m 10.3 EIW
@500m 12 (APCR) EIW
@500m 10.4 FM
@500m 13.7 (APCR) FM
@300m 11 HPS
@300m 16 (APCR) HPS
@500m 10.3 WW
@500 12 (APCR) WW
6 Pdr British 11 (AP) SP
11 (APDS) NB
10.9 (AP) TC
17 (APDS) TC
@1000yd 8.8 EIW (unclear if AP or APDS)
L45 ATG @300m 7.5 HPS
L45 ATG @300m 11.5 (APDS) HPS
L52 Tank Gun @300m 8 HPS
L52 Tank Gun @300M 12 (APDS) HPS
@1000m 8.8 WW
@1000m 17.5 (APDS) WW
75mm L24 German 6 SP
6 NB
6.9 TC
6.5 TR
5 EGT
7 (HEAT) EGT
10 (HEAT) EGT (different shell type)
@300m 4.5 HPS
7.5 (HEAT) HPS
75mm L31-34 Italian 9 SP
7.8 TC
75mm L38-40 US 10 SP
9 NB
9.4 TC
9.6 TR
@300m 6.5 HPS
75mm L43 German 13 SP
13 NB
17.6 (APCR) TC
11.7 EGT
15 (APCR) EGT
@300m 11.5 HPS
@300m 14 (APCR) HPS
75mm L48 German 14 SP
15 NB
13.7 TC
17.6 (APCR) TC
12.1 TR
12.7 EGT
17.1 (APCR) EGT
@500m 12.4 EIW
@500m 13.8 (APCR) EIW
@1000m 9.7 FM
@1000yd 12.2 GMF
@300m 13 HPS
@300m 15.5 (APCR) HPS
@500m 13.2 WW
@500m 15.4 (APCR) WW
75mm L70 German 19 SP
18 NB
18.4 TC
21.2 (APCR) TC
17.7 TR
16.5 EGT
23.2 (APCR) EGT
@500yd 16.9 GMF
@300m 15.5 HPS
@300m 19.5 (APCR) HPS
76.2mm L16 Soviet 3 NB
@200m 5.5 HPS
76.2mm L26 Soviet 5 SP
7 NB
7 TC
76.2mm L41-42 Soviet 9 SP
12 (APCR) SP
10 NB
8.6 TC
12.1 (APCR) TC
10.5 TR
@500m 6.8 FM
@500m 9 (APCR) FM
10-12 (HEAT) FM
@300m 7.5 HPS
@300m 10 (APCR) HPS
76.2mm L52 (r) German 13 NB
13.3 TC
11.7 EGT
16.2 (APCR) EGT
@1000yd 9.9 GMF
@300m 11 HPS
@300m 14 (APCR) HPS
@500m 12 WW
@500m 15.8 (APCR) WW
76.2mm L54 US 12 SP
18 (APCR) SP
12 NB
@300m 9.5 HPS
@300m 16.5 (APCR) HPS
@1000yd 10 WW
3" Gun US 14 (APDS) NB
14.6 TC
24.6 (APCR) TC
@300m 10.5 HPS (M1/MB)
@300m 17.5 (APCR) HPS (M1/MB)
@300m 11 HPS (M5)
@300m 11.5 HPS (M7)
@300m 16.5 (APCR) HPS (M7)
@1000yd 10 WW
77mm L49 British 14 SP
17 (APDS) SP
16.1 TC
25.1 (APDS) TC
@300m 14 HPS
@300m 19 (APDS) HPS
17 Pdr L58-60 British 17 SP
22 (APDS) SP
19 (APDS) NB
19 TC
30 (APDS) TC
@300m 18 HPS (ATG)
@300m 15 HPS (MK4/7 on Firefly)
@300m 19.5 (APDS) HPS
85mm L51-53 Soviet 13 SP
17 (APCR) SP
13 NB
14.8 TC
21.8 (APCR) TC
@1000m 10 FM
@1000m 12.7 (APCR) FM
@300m 11 HPS
88mm L56 German 17 SP
16 NB
25.8 (APCR) TC
14.4 EGT
20.5 (APCR) EGT
@300m 14 HPS
@300m 19 (APCR) HPS
@500m 14 TIGER
88mm L71 German 22 SP
22 NB
22.6 TC
30.9 (APCR) TC
24.3 EGT
28.4 (APCR) EGT
@1000m 20 EIW
@1000m 23 (APCR) EIW
@500yd 22 GMF
@1000yd 20 GMF
@1500yd 15.6 GMF
@300m 20 HPS
@300m 24 (APCR) HPS
@1000m 19 WW
@1000m 24.1 (APCR) WW
@500m 20.5 TIGER
90mm L50-51 US 16 SP
25 (APCR) SP
@1000 12 WW
90mm L52-53 US 15 SP
18 NB
18.6 TC
31.2 (APCR) TC
@300m 13.5 HPS
@300m 20.5 (APCR) HPS
90mm L73 US 22.8 TC
100mm L55-60 Soviet 21 SP
17 NB
24.5 (APCR) TC
@300m 18 HPS
15.3 WW
21.7 (APCR) WW
122mm L18-22 Soviet 6 SP
10 NB
12 (HEAT) HPS (no AP)
122mm L43 Soviet 20 SP
16 NB
20.4 TC
@300m 16 HPS
12 (HEAT) HPS
128mm L54-58 German 22 SP
27.5 TC
22.6 EGT
@500yd 25.4 GMF
@300m 18 HPS
@1000m 23 WW
152mm L30-32 Soviet 8 SP
17 NB
@300m 7.5 HPS
INFANTRY WEAPONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PzB 39 German 3 SP
@300 2.5 EIW
@100m 3.7 HPS
PzFaust German 20 (HEAT) SP
14 (HEAT) EIW PzF 30 K
20 (HEAT) EIW PzF 30, 60, 100, 150
GMF concurs with EIW
20 (HEAT) HPS
PIAT British 11 (HEAT) SP
7.5 (HEAT) EIW
10 (HEAT) HPS
2.36 Bazooka US 14 (HEAT) SP
8 (HEAT) EIW
12 (HEAT) HPS
PzSchrecke German 15 (HEAT) SP
15 (HEAT) EIW
14 (HEAT) HPS
Rifle Grenade all 7 (HEAT) SP
6 (HEAT) EIW US M9
4, 9, and
12.5 (all heat) EIW various German types
GMF (as EIW)
not listed by SP is
the Soviet RPG-43 Hand grenade 7.5 (HEAT) EIW
15 (HEAT) HPS
.50 cal - 12.7mm MG 3 SP
@200m 1 HPS
Boys ATR British 2 SP
2 @500m EIW
Wz35 ATR Polish 2 SP
2 @300m EIW
PTRD Soviet 3 SP
2.5 @500m EIW
@100m 3 HPS
end of file
