IM1A2 Abrams
Encyclopedia
iM1A2 Abrams is a simulation of the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank
for the Windows 95
operating system
, developed by Charybdis Enterprises, and published by Interactive Magic
(also known as Imagic) in 1997. The game was released as a CD-ROM
.
, artillery
, and air strikes as well as the players' own tank platoon
(s). Mastering the many company commands, and regular use of the real-time updated tactical map is essential for success. The player also has the ability to "jump" to each crew position (commander, gunner, driver) in every M1A2 vehicle on the battlefield and take control of each directly. Three separate fictional campaigns were available to play, taking place in Bosnia, Ukraine
, and Iran
, respectively. All of the major eastern and western vehicle types were accurately modeled, and a fictional T-95
main battle tank was added to the mix to create more of a challenge for the somewhat superior M1A2 MBT. It is faster, more resilient, and has a crewless auto-loading turret, allowing for a lower profile and much smaller target. Some people felt this lessened some of the realism, while others appreciated the greater challenge, as most of the enemies encountered are the aging T-72
that must remain stationary to fire its main weapon. The T-95 is found only in the Bosnian campaign.
Editor's Choice" sticker. This was one of Interactive Magic's last releases in a line of military simulations. It has been compared to Microprose's
"M1 Tank Platoon II
" over the years, due to many similarities in layout and gameplay.
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
for the Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, developed by Charybdis Enterprises, and published by Interactive Magic
Interactive Magic
Interactive Magic was a developer and publisher of simulation computer games during the 1990s which was founded by MicroProse co-founder Bill Stealey in 1995 after the buyout of MicroProse by Spectrum Holobyte...
(also known as Imagic) in 1997. The game was released as a CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
.
Gameplay
iM1A2 Abrams is a simulation focusing on battlefield management as a tank commander controlling an entire company of support vehicles including infantryInfantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, and air strikes as well as the players' own tank platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
(s). Mastering the many company commands, and regular use of the real-time updated tactical map is essential for success. The player also has the ability to "jump" to each crew position (commander, gunner, driver) in every M1A2 vehicle on the battlefield and take control of each directly. Three separate fictional campaigns were available to play, taking place in Bosnia, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, respectively. All of the major eastern and western vehicle types were accurately modeled, and a fictional T-95
T-95
T-95 is the common informal designation of a Russian fifth generation tank that was under development at Uralvagonzavod before being cancelled in May 2011.-History:...
main battle tank was added to the mix to create more of a challenge for the somewhat superior M1A2 MBT. It is faster, more resilient, and has a crewless auto-loading turret, allowing for a lower profile and much smaller target. Some people felt this lessened some of the realism, while others appreciated the greater challenge, as most of the enemies encountered are the aging T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
that must remain stationary to fire its main weapon. The T-95 is found only in the Bosnian campaign.
Reception
The simulation received mostly positive reviews, and made many "top 10" and "Editor's choice" awards, or similar signs of respect in various PC gaming magazines. North American distributions of the game included the red black and white "PC GamerPC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
Editor's Choice" sticker. This was one of Interactive Magic's last releases in a line of military simulations. It has been compared to Microprose's
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
"M1 Tank Platoon II
M1 Tank Platoon II
M1 Tank Platoon II is a M-1 tank simulation released by MicroProse Software in 1998 for Windows 95/98/Me. It is the sequel to M1 Tank Platoon....
" over the years, due to many similarities in layout and gameplay.