DreamLink's Full Review: Armored Fist 3 for Windows
I would like to agree with the review given by Michael Santo on Armored Fist 3 by Novalogic, and then add a few comments of my own.
Armored Fist 3 is a fast action M1A2 tank battle simulation game in which the enemy generally overwhelms the player. I have discovered that following the preset waypoints of each mission is almost certainly the very best way to lose a mission. The missions appear to be designed counting on you to follow the preset waypoints. The enemy will usually be prepared for you if follow those preset waypoints but will not be nearly as ready for you if you come in from behind them. I have also set and picked off the enemy tanks from other positions without them having a clue as to what is going on. As long as you do this manually or from a great distance they will usually set there and allow you to shoot them, and their friends. I find this to be somewhat unrealistic. The objective of the game isn't necessarily to defeat an opposing army but rather to outsmart the mission programmers. I find it challenging but not realistic.
Once again making the simulation unrealistic is the graphics engine for this game. The graphics for this game is the patented Voxel Space 32 engine, which is quite impressive. But in order to generate the playing field, it literally clones a 3D graphic area over and over. Whereever you go on the playing field you will find another place just like the one you recently departed.
I enjoy building my own missions as much as I do playing a good simulation game. I have written messages to Novalogic in the past asking them to include mission builders with their game software. This game does have a mission builder; the first of it's kind for the Armored Fist series. The mission builder is hard to use and literally comes with a warning that it is only for the most experienced mission builders and that novices need not try to use it. While I have started building a mission with it I have yet to figure out how to attach waypoints to vehicles. It was then I realized I didn't have the time required to learn how to build the messages myself, at least not at this time.
Next point of consideration is what is the point in building your own missions if you can't share them with others in multiplayer combat over a local network? Unlike Armored Fist 2, Armored Fist 3's only multiplayer options are over the Internet using NovaLogic's NovaWorld. At my house we now have a 3-computer network and we enjoy playing with friends and family here at the house without tying up phones lines to play with people we do not even know over the Internet. If this game had local network play abilities I would find the time to create missions that we could play. The way it is this game is dated with a "once you play all the missions the game's over" life expectance.
Armored Fist 3 has auto update, which is quite handy and the first thing I do when I install a new game is get on line and see if there are any updates. Just log onto the Internet and use the smart update feature and it does all the hard work for you. No hunting across the Internet to find an update for this game.
Despite updating the software as soon as I installed it, I discovered several problems with the game other than the ones I have mentioned. In the Orders menu at the top of the page it displays all the platoon numbers one over another until I am unable to determine what platoon I am giving orders to.
In the IVIS map area the instructions say you can select any platoon just by clicking on them on the map. I have never seen this option work correctly. So far I can only make changes to the waypoints of the platoon I am commanding at that time.
Another problem I discovered is in the gunner/targeting system. The auto lock feature will frequently lock on the least threatening target while you are in the midst of the worst possible place. Your main gun will lock onto a helicopter in the distance that is no real threat to you while a row of enemy tanks are blasting down on your platoons at close range. The next problem is manual control of the gun. Fast is TOO FAST and Fine, is too fine for close to medium range battle. Even at very close range I have had problems targeting an enemy tank. You are naturally in a hurry under these conditions but the FAST mode will frequently move you past your target so quickly you don't have time to respond. If there's smoke in the air or as I said an enemy helicopter in sight your auto-targeting system will not function correctly.
Their support page says if you send a message asking for help they will respond in 1-2 working days. Since before Christmas I have sent 3 messages to support@novalogic.com and have yet to receive a single response from them.
In closing I will say that Yes I did have a good time playing the missions despite all the problems I endured with the simulation game product.
No I don't think I could recommend it to anyone without them first knowing all these facts.
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