Steel Breakthrough: play online in your browser

About the game

Steel Breakthrough is real-time tactics with no base building. You fight with what you are given for the mission: tank platoons, infantry squads, anti-tank guns and howitzers with crews, supply trucks. Losses are replenished from the depot, and trucks bring up shells.

If you played Blitzkrieg, you will recognise the core: a tank's armour differs on the front, sides, rear and top, a shell either penetrates or bounces, infantry goes prone under fire and occupies houses, guns camouflage themselves and howitzers fire at the sound of enemy guns. A T-34 will not take a Tiger head-on. Penetration, armour and dispersion figures come from the rules of the classic game.

The graphics are our own: a 45° isometric view, a diamond-shaped map, Russian villages with log huts, a church and gardens, a river with bridges. Play the mission "Crossing at Olkhovka" or capture the flag against the computer and online, 1v1 and 2v2.

Screenshots

How to play

1. Press Play and choose the mission "Crossing at Olkhovka" or capture the flag against the computer, then a difficulty.
2. Left click selects, a box selects several. Right click is a smart order: move, attack, enter a house, tow a gun.
3. Ctrl + right click fires at an area. Shift queues orders.
4. Bring tanks around to hit the enemy's side: heavy frontal armour will not give.
5. Use supply trucks to bring shells and reinforce squads, repair trucks to fix vehicles.
6. Bottom left: minimap and air support, a scout plane and ground-attack aircraft. Space pauses.

Mechanics and rules

Armour penetration

• Every vehicle has its own armour on the front, sides, rear and top. The gun's penetration with spread is compared to the armour on the side that was hit.
• Howitzers, mortars and bombs hit the roof, where armour is thinnest.
• Shrapnel only hurts infantry and lightly armoured targets; prone infantry avoids it half the time.

Infantry, guns and camouflage

• Under fire infantry goes prone, can occupy a house and fire from the windows. Buildings take damage and collapse.
• A gun without a crew is silent; your own infantry can man an empty gun.
• A unit that stays still for 5 seconds becomes invisible to the enemy until they come close or it gives itself away by firing.

Supply and experience

• A depot supplies troops in a wide radius; a truck brings shells and replacements. Enemy depots can be captured.
• Units gain experience and ranks: range, accuracy, reload speed and sight improve.
• Sound ranging: an enemy gun's shot is marked with a circle that narrows with every shot.

Capture the flag

• Five flags on the map. One point per second plus one per flag you hold; every 100 points brings reinforcements.
• Win with 1,000 flag points, 5,000 points for destroyed enemies or the best score after 30 minutes.

Questions and answers

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