"Total Tank Simulator" review score 7.5 points: the correct posture for firing cannons on the virtual battlefield

As we all know, gamers are keen on simulating everything in the gaming world.

From simulating building and managing a city to simulating the life of a virtual character. In this era where everything can be simulated through games, our common simulation games are of two types. One is more professional simulations, such as "Cities: Skylines" and the "Farming Simulator" series. The other is the complete opposite, a simulation characterized by fun and fun spoofs, such as the previously very popular "Total War Simulator" or the earlier "Goat Simulator".

The "Total Tank Simulator" released by 505 Games on the Steam platform this time is a simulation game that can be said to balance seriousness and mischief. It is neither complex nor profound, nor does it deliberately pursue exaggerated effects. This is actually a very embarrassing situation - as a war simulation game, it is not hardcore enough for military enthusiasts. And if it is just used for fun, it will not achieve the entertainment effect expected by players. As far as my current personal experience is concerned, it is not yet a game that I have the desire to keep playing.

Of course, when I saw this game for the first time, I was really attracted by the Low Poly (low polygon) style of "Total Tank Simulator". If you have played "Total War Simulator" before, or the wicked "Very Ordinary Deer", you will understand the magical experience that this kind of low-polygon graphics can bring - —Of course it can’t be called exquisite, but when you see those units composed of rough polygons, colliding with each other, passing through molds, and assuming all kinds of incredible and strange postures under the influence of the physics engine, you can’t help but look at it more. Take a few glances and be amused by them.

Moreover, it is commendable that although the overall game screen of "Total Tank Simulator" is relatively simple, the production team is still very careful in restoring the weapons and equipment of World War II. The game provides a wide variety of weapons for players to form their own military force. Aircraft, tanks, infantry, artillery, anti-tank weapons are all available. The model design also refers to real World War II weapons, and their respective characteristics are very obvious.

Depending on the camp chosen by the player, the weapons and equipment available will also be different. For example, if the player chooses Germany, they can use its iconic Tiger tank, which is quite impressive and the same is true in the game. If you choose the Soviet Union, you can use its SU series tank destroyers, which are specially designed to target German tanks. In the later stages of the game, different camps can also unlock some special camp weapons, such as the Soviet Union's bear-shaped tank, the American Pentagon military base, the German Death Bell, etc. These have greatly improved the entertainment effect of the game.

The rich weapons and the story background of World War II make the first impression of "Total Tank Simulator" not bad. But when you officially start a game, its problems will gradually be exposed.

Most of these problems lie in the gameplay. As a simulation game, the core selling point of this game is to simulate classic battles during World War II. A single game can be broken down into two main stages - the formation of troops before the battle, and the control of units in actual combat.

Let’s talk about this formation first. This is a gameplay that many military simulation games will focus on. Although "Total Tank Simulator" is not a serious military simulation game, it will take this into account to some extent. Before the start of each battle, players will enter a top-down interface similar to a God's perspective. Here, players can freely adjust the camera and arrange their own troops. Determine your own weapon lineup based on the goals of each level and the enemy's troop configuration.

However, the strategy of the game "Total Tank Simulator" is only demonstrated at the two basic levels of troop restraint and number of units. In other words, all you can do is choose what kind of troops to deploy and how many to deploy. As for what kind of offensive formation they will adopt after the actual war? What offensive line will be chosen? These are all uncontrollable for players. The actual control of the battle is still in the hands of computer AI.

When the player clicks the "Start Battle" button, all combat units on the field will rush towards their enemies without hesitation, regardless of the attack and defense settings. At this point, the game no longer has any strategy at all. The previously carefully laid out army turned into a pile of scattered sand under the control of the AI. At this time, players can only choose to control an individual unit and join the battle. In fact, this does not play any guiding role in the final outcome of the battle. Of course, players can transform into a brave and fearless soldier and rush towards the tank that is pouring firepower. But without the blessing of the protagonist's aura, he soon became cannon fodder on the battlefield.

Although this is not the first time that players have felt the fear of being dominated by mentally retarded AI in simulation games. But the difference is that in several previous similar games, the "disruption" effect of AI may still be within the controllable range of players. Even sometimes, smart players can turn weak AI into useful tools to help them win efficiently. ,

But this does not apply in Total Tank Simulator. Because the map is too vast and there are too many combat units, the impact of the player's operations on the battle situation can almost be said to be minimal. If you want to pass smoothly, you may still have to have some luck to a greater or lesser extent. I once encountered such an embarrassing game: my army stood still and did not put up any resistance when the enemy came. A group of troops was completely wiped out by a single soldier from the opposite side, which led to my final loss. A battle that could have been easily won.

In other words, in the battle situation of "Total Tank Simulator", although players can join the battle, most of the time, they can only act as a bystander.

Another core selling point of this game is the individual units that can be freely controlled in battle. There is still some room for optimization in terms of experience.

One thing worthy of recognition is that the production team has given characteristics to every unit in the game. For example, if the player controls a soldier, he can carry two weapons, projectiles, and even supplies such as medical kits and bullet packs. At first glance, it looks like he is playing a low-end version of "Battlefield V." And if the player is controlling a vehicle, whether it is a tank or an airplane, there are multiple weapon positions for switching. Although the shooting feel is not good, fortunately, the basic elements are also present.

As mentioned before, although the game attempts to make the entire combat process more varied and interesting by adding unit control. But it still makes it difficult for players to truly integrate into the battle of the game. A large part of the reason is that although players can control a certain combat unit to rush to the battlefield, the investment and return are often difficult to be directly proportional. Players hope to play a key role in the battle and reverse the situation by playing a certain unit. But in fact, the player is just a meaningless cannon fodder.

It is difficult to get positive feedback for your efforts, and it is common to encounter lags, frame drops, and model outages when manipulating units in combat. Especially in the sandbox mode of this game, if you do not impose certain restrictions on the strength of both sides in advance, then the moment the battle starts, your game will freeze into a PPT, and you can only watch the full scene. The screen is stuck playing frame by frame, with nothing to do.

After the novelty of the first try wears off, it is difficult for players to become interested in playing this game, which is somewhat mediocre in all aspects. If it is live broadcast, it can indeed bring good program effects. But if you really want to be patient and complete the campaign missions in all six countries, in the face of highly repetitive game processes and poor optimization experience, I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible.

Of course, I do not deny that this game still has huge room for improvement. If the official can launch a patch in the future to optimize the screen freeze problem and clean up some bugs, it would be best to allow the game to support the import of materials from the creative workshop. I believe that with the help of the players’ imagination, the playability of the game will be further improved.

But from the current point of view, "Total Tank Simulator" lacks a reason for players to remember it. Unless you really play it as a low-end version of "Battlefield", then it may still be worth it. Possibility of giving it a try.

Advantages

• A wide variety of World War II weapons with a high degree of restoration
• Innovative unit control gameplay
• The multi-unit battles in large scenes are spectacular
< /ul>

Inadequacy

• The screen is a bit crude
• There are still problems with optimization
• The gameplay is a bit simple