Steel Panthers version 1.2 update

This patch file will update your Steel Panthers game to version 1.2.

To Install:

  1. Download the file (SP_v12.EXE)
  2. Type the name of the file (SPV1_2.EXE) to install the patch files.
    Note: You will have to tell the patch program the correct location of the game.

The Steel Panthers revision 1.2 is a compilation of updates from 1.1 to 1.19. Below is a list of clarifications, modifications and fixes for this and previous revisions.

  • Due to new implementation of movement taking shots away from vehicles, you'll notice that your units cannot fire more than 2/1 (Opportunity return fire) if they moved (max) last turn. You can only fire 1/1 if you moved and fired most/all shots last turn.
  • When starting a US campaign, the game automatically catapults you close to the historical starting date for the Americans. Earlier starting dates are not possible.
  • If smoke was present on the map but does not appear when loading a game, use the 'c' option (clear smoke) to set smoke back to visible status.
  • The search for mines is done only during the morale phase and takes a skill roll. Spot mines at 1 range. # of men, experience, and suppression will all be contributing factors in determining whether the detection works.
  • A failed assault can give a unit suppression points.
  • The ratings of 1, 2, 3, or 4 only allow for a certain level of differentiation between the effectiveness of the many various hand weapons in the game. This can lead to some weapons appearing less/more effective than they may have been in real life, and is a game limitation.
  • U.S. Artillery superiority is built into Steel Panthers. A special modifier which boosts the arty rating of US leaders makes them more likely to have their fire missions hit the target hex.
  • A Message Level setting of Low or Medium (Options menu) will help speed up artillery resolution by showing fewer animations.
  • Game will automatically assign a random number of extra turns to a scenario to stop users from knowing when exactly it will end. This is a design decision, and not a bug.
  • If units are unloaded during the last turn of a scenario, the vehicles will be lost.
  • The AI has been tweaked in the following ways:
    A) More aggressive in attack
    B) More aggressive in defense
    C) Airstrike lethality may have been toned down. Toned down accuracy against point targets for bombers by 66%, fighter/bombers lowered by 33%.
  • The smoke bug may be a result of the 'C' (clear) feature of Steel Panthers being automatically toggled for the user at some point during play/loading/saving of the game.
  • Fire now kills men in hexes on fire.
  • Units may fire a specific weapon by pressing the 's' key. Unit must already have a target. This reduces the shots available by one.
  • The length of a game may be randomly extended. This is to prevent last turn suicide tactics.
  • AA MG's mounted on tanks do fire at aircraft.
  • Attempted to track down and correct the alternate ways of loading men onto vehicles, thus reducing their suppression.
  • Motorcycles can no longer carry passengers.
  • Infantry units should no longer sit in a burning hex, gaining suppression until all are dead. You should no longer be able to tell where an opponents hidden unit is by right-clicking on all open hexes on a side. There should be no difference between what is seen when a blank hex is hit, from when a hex containing a hidden unit is hit.
  • US LCA Carriers will no longer unload German PzIb's.
  • AA guns should no longer hit ground targets in the same hex as their current air targets.
  • Mods have been made to sighting rules, eliminating invisible infantry/crews.
  • The 'S' key should now allow flamethrowers to be fired, at 1 range only. Vehicles with a greater FT range will still have to use area fire to use these weapons at greater than 1 range.
  • The AI should no longer have 'too many' aircraft.
  • Katyusha rocket ammo should now run out as normally.
  • Infantry should no longer dismount from open-topped vehicles.
  • 'L' Key should no longer be able to workaround infantry loading restrictions.
  • Airplanes will no longer arrive 1 turn later than expected.
  • Player 2 in a 2-player battle (assault) should no longer get as many free mines as Player 1 purchased.
  • The Map Editor has been fixed in various ways.
  • The 'v' button on the Options menu indicates that it sets the 'message level'; it should say that it sets the animation level. It has no effect on messages.
  • Passengers on vehicles will not go OFF MAP when they try to unload.
  • Molotovs should now work.
  • If you fire at the rear of a tank, you will not hit the front of the tank.
  • Damaged weapons will not be repaired when save is reloaded.
  • HVAP ammo won't fire beyond its maximum range.
  • AI will use flamethrowers.
  • No armor diagram for pillboxes and bunkers.
  • May toggle between large and small buildings in map editor.
  • Campaign game has beach landings in more appropriate areas.
  • HVAP and HEAT ammo no longer goes to zero after first campaign battle.
  • Vehicles will not set up in undamaged buildings.
  • Display for mech/motorized unit cost has been corrected, and will now show correct points.
  • Japanese short and long campaigns are fixed.
  • Pillboxes should now be easier to destroy.
  • Immobilized tanks will no longer change facing.
  • Problems with barge carriers losing units now are fixed.
  • Units firing ability is now improved; skill checks have been taken out.
  • Engineers will not kill themselves while dropping smoke.
  • Excessive mine points in battle builder is fixed.
  • Corrected AI failure to use HVAP or HEAT ammo in the game.
  • User can still purchase an airstrike even if he has deleted a previous purchase.
  • LOS corrected when going through or near large buildings.
  • Artillery cheat has been toned down.
  • Amphibious assaults in long campaign have been corrected.
  • AI improved to deal with mines and will attempt to go around.
  • A map edge game crash has been corrected. This would occur when a user scrolled around the map and went over a corrupted map edge.
  • The encyclopedia option is now available in purchase menu.
  • A campaign bug: support units will no longer become core units.
  • The game should now end when all VP hexes have been captured and all enemies are routed.
  • Left over scenario data garbage should not appear. All campaigns and the editor should now start clean. (Smoke and fire will still appear; hit the clear button.)
  • Mechanized units with halftracks and motorized units with trucks are now more expensive (as they should be).
  • An artillery piece which has been loaded onto a truck (or other applicable transport) will lose all of its shots for that round.
  • When the user is in a river crossing or amphibious assault scenario, Mechanized or Motorized units will not have their vehicles for the entire scenario. The vehicles will return during the next scenario.
  • After finishing a scenario in a campaign, the user will have the option to save the game.
  • Mission button now informs the user if the next battle is a river or amphibious assault in campaigns.
  • All enemy units should not leave entrenchments to pursue one lost victory hex. The AI will now intelligently decide whether to attack based on the number of hexes taken.
  • The game will no longer place too many mines in a hex. A human may still overload a hex with mines and/or dragon's teeth. Do not place more than 10 mines or 2 dragon's teeth in a hex.
  • Units will no longer appear entrenched after loading a saved game (or e-mail saved game).
  • Crew will no longer appear to be carrying an AT gun (57mm) when they've abandoned their gun (or it's been destroyed). This occurred after loading a saved game (or e-mail saved game)
  • Lone crewman graphics will not appear in abandoned/destroyed gun emplacements when a saved game (or e-mail saved game) is loaded.
  • Motorcycle units can no longer destroy buildings by moving through them like armor can. Motorcycles are treated like infantry for this purpose.
  • AA guns will now shoot enemy aircraft if not engaged with ground forces.
  • Motorcycle crews now abandon their vehicles when they have become immobilized.

In addition to the fixes listed above, we've added penetration information for most of the guns and tanks in the game. This information can be found in the readme.txt file included inside this self-extracting archive.