M1 Tank Platoon
Encyclopedia
M1 Tank Platoon is a tactical simulation of tank warfare, released by MicroProse Software
in 1989, for the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST
and IBM PC compatible
home computers. It featured solid-filled polygon graphics that could render expansive terrain, and gameplay that was a mixture of first-person tank warfare and tactical simulation. It sold 500,000 copies, a large amount by the standards of the time.
It was followed by a sequel, M1 Tank Platoon II
, which was released by MicroProse in 1998 for the PC
.
The player is put in the position of a tank
platoon
commander in charge of four American M1 Abrams
tanks in a fictional campaign of battles against the Soviet
army in Central Europe
. The player can give orders to friendly units via a tactical map of the battle area as well as taking control of a single tank - assuming the role of either the tank commander, driver or gunner.
Depending on the player's tastes, the whole game could be played more like an action/simulation game or like a strategy game. As platoon
commander, direct control is limited to the four M1 tanks, however depending on the mission, support units like recon / battle helicopters, IFVs
, artillery or other older M60 tanks were available and could be given orders via the tactical map.
One feature of the game was the ability to change the viewpoint to a supporting unit to get a "recon" from that unit's perspective. According to the manual, doing this from the M1 tanks was supposedly approximate to a tank commander standing on his tank hull to get a better perspective. This external view feature was also very good (for the time) for cinematic experiences like the "director's chair" where the viewpoint is set to a helicopter doing reconnaissance. The external view was also able to track other objects in the centre of the view. This was not limited to vehicles but could actually track missiles from the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles or even tank rounds.
Between the battles, surviving crew members increase in military rank and skill—giving the player an incentive to keep his team alive.
The Campaign typically depicted the rush across the Rhine by the numerically superior Russian forces. The Campaign would therefore start as defensive with the challenge being to use technologically superior NATO vehicles to stem the "wave" of Warsaw Pact vehicles. Success would mean the scenarios gradually put NATO on the offensive side with objective waypoints to reach/hold.
Terrain was a very important factor as going hull down was a critical strategy to surviving. Full use of the supporting forces made success easier with even the infantry disembarking from their IFVs to use Dragon anti-tank launchers. However, leaving them in one position too long invited an artillery barrage from the opposing force.
, EGA
, Hercules
, Tandy 1000
and CGA
, as well as adlib
and Tandy 1000 soundcards.
#154 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.
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...
in 1989, for the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
home computers. It featured solid-filled polygon graphics that could render expansive terrain, and gameplay that was a mixture of first-person tank warfare and tactical simulation. It sold 500,000 copies, a large amount by the standards of the time.
It was followed by a sequel, 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....
, which was released by MicroProse in 1998 for the PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
.
Gameplay
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
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...
commander in charge of four American M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
tanks in a fictional campaign of battles against the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
army in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. The player can give orders to friendly units via a tactical map of the battle area as well as taking control of a single tank - assuming the role of either the tank commander, driver or gunner.
Depending on the player's tastes, the whole game could be played more like an action/simulation game or like a strategy game. As 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...
commander, direct control is limited to the four M1 tanks, however depending on the mission, support units like recon / battle helicopters, IFVs
M2 Bradley
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...
, artillery or other older M60 tanks were available and could be given orders via the tactical map.
One feature of the game was the ability to change the viewpoint to a supporting unit to get a "recon" from that unit's perspective. According to the manual, doing this from the M1 tanks was supposedly approximate to a tank commander standing on his tank hull to get a better perspective. This external view feature was also very good (for the time) for cinematic experiences like the "director's chair" where the viewpoint is set to a helicopter doing reconnaissance. The external view was also able to track other objects in the centre of the view. This was not limited to vehicles but could actually track missiles from the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles or even tank rounds.
Between the battles, surviving crew members increase in military rank and skill—giving the player an incentive to keep his team alive.
The Campaign typically depicted the rush across the Rhine by the numerically superior Russian forces. The Campaign would therefore start as defensive with the challenge being to use technologically superior NATO vehicles to stem the "wave" of Warsaw Pact vehicles. Success would mean the scenarios gradually put NATO on the offensive side with objective waypoints to reach/hold.
Terrain was a very important factor as going hull down was a critical strategy to surviving. Full use of the supporting forces made success easier with even the infantry disembarking from their IFVs to use Dragon anti-tank launchers. However, leaving them in one position too long invited an artillery barrage from the opposing force.
Technical details
The DOS version of the game supported a wide range of graphics cards VGA / MCGAMCGA
MCGA may refer to*IBM Multicolor Graphics Array*Maritime and Coastguard Agency, in the United Kingdom...
, EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
The Enhanced Graphics Adapter is the IBM PC computer display standard specification which is between CGA and VGA in terms of color and space resolution. Introduced in October 1984 by IBM shortly after its new PC/AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a...
, Hercules
Hercules Graphics Card
The Hercules Graphics Card was a computer graphics controller made by Hercules Computer Technology, Inc. which, through its popularity, became a widely supported display standard. It was common on IBM PC compatibles connected to a monochrome monitor . It supported one high resolution text mode and...
, Tandy 1000
Tandy Corporation
Tandy Corporation was a family-owned leather goods company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Tandy was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store, and acquired RadioShack in 1963. The Tandy name was dropped in May 2000, when RadioShack Corporation was made the official name.-History:Tandy began in 1919...
and CGA
Color Graphics Adapter
The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC....
, as well as adlib
AdLib
Ad Lib, Inc. was a manufacturer of sound cards and other computer equipment founded by Martin Prevel, a former professor of music and vice-dean of the music department at the Université Laval...
and Tandy 1000 soundcards.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1990 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#154 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.
See also
- Super BattletankSuper BattletankSuper Battletank takes place during Operation Desert Storm. The player controls an M1 Abrams main battle tank for the United Nations.-Graphics:The screen is divided into two sections...
, a simulator released in 1992 by Absolute EntertainmentAbsolute EntertainmentAbsolute Entertainment was a video game publisher based in Glen Rock, New Jersey and later in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Through its development house Imagineering, Absolute Entertainment produced titles for the Amiga, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive, Mega-CD, Game Boy,... - Team Yankee, a tactical simulator released in 1990 by Empire InteractiveEmpire InteractiveEmpire Interactive was a UK based video game developer and publisher founded in 1987. It was closed under administration on 4 May 2009.-About Empire Interactive:...