Tank sim enthusiasts take their battle station build to a new level of realism

In June, we told you about a team of tank war-game simmers who built an immersive three-person setup including a driver, gunner, and loader. It looks like that same group has taken their rig to a whole new level of immersion, building an enclosed tank sim complete with hatches each team member has to drop through and their iconic CO2-powered gun loading station.

The gun simulation people took it to the next level from r/pcmasterrace

The gamers have moved their rig into an enclosure that mimics the inside of a tank, even positioning the various teammates where their respective stations would be. The rig has two hatches by which the players enter and exit the tank, one for the driver and one for the gunner and loader. This is very much how many modern tanks are laid out.

The team looks to have changed their controller setup for the tank sim, now incorporating a pair of steering brake levers for manoeuvring the tank. Presumably, the levers allow the driver to speed up or slow down the tracks on either side of the tank to steer, just as in real life.

At the loader’s station, the gamers have increased the realism there, too. The ready rack, where a tank crew stores the main gun rounds for easy access, is covered by a sliding door. When the loader needs to retrieve a new round, he has to hit a button that activates the door, which opens. The ammunition? Relatively safe bottles of soda, but the concussive force, most likely from the moving parts and the huge speakers does kick up the dust inside the cramped space.

The gunner has the same wheel controls as before for elevation and rotating the main gun turret, as well as both the VR headset goggles and a monitor for gameplay. Here, we also see a bit of the evolution of the team’s rig — the gunner starts off standing at the controls (and jumping at one point) but ends up with a chair to sit in.

Throughout the inside and outside of the rig, the team has made good use of LED lighting to liven up the appearance. That may not be realistic, but it certainly adds to the flair of their war game setup — and so do, I imagine, the massive speakers in the front of the “machine.”

It’s a serious upgrade to what was already an amazing complement to tank warfare sims. It will be interesting to see if the gamers amp up their immersive experience even further.