I see what you did there 
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Apologies for taking this thread way off topic. I have so many stories from the that GP - some amusing, some a bit risque, some surreal (like attending the ball). Feel free to PM me if you would like to hear more.
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To help get this thread back on topic, I would like to share my thoughts on tank gunnery IRL compared to GHPC.
Disclaimer: This is all from the perspective of a former Leopard 1 gunner and I will restrict my comments to 105mm ammo and 7.62 coax. I have fired just about every nature of 105mm ammo - APDS (we never had 105mm APFSDS), DS-T, HEAT(prac & live), HESH/HEP (prac & live), WP, APERS/Splintex.
Visuals - It is very close, the key difference is that the āflashā from a sabot impact (including DS-T) is much whiter and brighter IRL (i.e. more like a camera flash). Obscuration on firing is a lot less pronounced in GHPC. IRL, with DS-T it was often quite difficult to see a hit because the round had impacted before all the dust had cleared. However, when firing APDS against hard targets it wasnāt as much of an issue because the āflashā was so bright.
I really like the way they have modelled the tracer. Almost exactly like the real thing.
Accuracy - Dispersion in GHPC is much less than IRL, especially with HEAT. Speaking of HEAT, it was the one round that we actually rarely used. Dispersion/Accuracy was one reason (probably to do with the fact that it was fin stabilised but fired from a rifled barrel, even if it did have a rotating driving band). The other was that it was a barrel burner, 1.75 EFC if I recall correctly. 105mm HEAT was withdrawn from service around 1990. After that, for armour there was APDS and HESH for everything else.
There are a number of IRL factors that come into play here: barometric pressure, temp, crosswind, etc. Even though the Leo AS1 had the SABCA fire control system and took those variables into account and they are possibly modelled as well as can be in GHPC, there are two key variables that probably arenāt:
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Variations in ammo. Iām sure a lot of you here have fired a rifle and know the difference between factory loads and ammo you have loaded yourself (especially if you are as anal as me with sizing cases, measuring propellant, seating the projectile, etc) then you know what I mean.
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The often overlooked factor for tank gunnery accuracy - the driver. Believe me, it makes a world of difference when you have a driver that can provide a āstable platformā compared to one who is trying to bounce your head off the turret roof.
The coax - This is probably a Leopard specific issue. coax stoppages were common - but the MG3 was always a fussy ā ā ā ā ā due to the ROF.
Edit: Another thing I will have to check with the coax is that IRL ātracer burnoutā is approx 800m and at that distance the tracers are about 1m above the ball rounds. This should be independant of the gun?
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Very interesting! DS-T, Iām assuming Discarding Sabot - Tracer?
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Yes. Practice APDS - mild steel core and slightly lower muzzle velocity.
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Very interesting read, thank you
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Brilliant readā¦ thanks for taking the time to write that.
Donāt worry about de-railing topics, you can always split the side discussion into a new topic or ask one of the mods to do it. 
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Thanks all.
I like to think that DCS lets me live (vicariously) the life of a fast jet pilot, but because I aint ābeen there, done thatā I rely on those that have to fill in the blanks.
My opinion, for what it is worth, is that GHPC is probably the closest thing to sitting in the gunners seat that has been released so far. Sure SB models systems in greater detail but for visuals (graphics) and intensity it is GHPC for me.
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Oh man, that really brought back some fond memories 
I served 10 years in a Leo1A5 squadron, most of the time as gunner. Best job I ever had, looking back at it.
Fully agree with the driver being important for accuracy, as any added turning when Dynamic lead is pressed, will throw the lead calculation way off. And also a thing as keeping a proper distance to trees and power poles, if the gun is over the side, as commander and gunner is focused on targets. We did clip a pole that way once, turret brake did not sound happy, ha.
We once fired a APFSDS right into a sanddune we passed by, at point blank range! Man, we had sand everywhere, and ofcourse missed the target completely. I could see over the dune in the GPS, so never noticed a problem 
Thanks for taking me back down memory lane Harry!
Stab Ein! Weāre moving out! 
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Hello brother. What Army, if it isnāt too presumptuous to ask?
And talk about taking a trip down memory laneā¦ I started as a driver (we all did back then) and learnt very early on to keep one eye on the ābarrel position indicatorā. One guy in the squadron forgot that lesson and after a barrel strike that sheared the drive cog pin found himself doing 12 extra guard duties.
Stab Ein (On). We only used that when moving. From a static/stationary position we always turned it off. Meant we had to manually re-lay after lasing and/or using lead lock, but it was impossible to trim out all the drift.
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Be careful for what you wish for 
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Update:
Tracer burnout for coax isnāt modelled, neither is the difference in trajectory. In the screen shot below it shows how the tracers follow the same path as the ball rounds, which you can also see (something that bugs me a little bit).
This next shot also confirms that tracer burnout isnāt modelled and although there is some dispersion, the ābeaten zoneā at 1890m is nowhere near as large as it would be IRL (1100m was the max range for coax on a Leopard anyway).
Edit: To be clear, Iām not actually complaining. I realise that it would be difficult to code different trajectories and tracer burnout. I just need to adjust and aim ācentre massā with the coax rather than top edge like I was trained. I would like to see more dispersion though, especially for the coax and main armament rounds as well.
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Iāve been meaning to post how much Iāve been loving playing this game now that the full version is out.
The atmosphere of your TC screaming at you to fire, the way he actually talks you on target, the simplicity of the controls, itās all a great package. Very well done, and much more satisfying tank action than Arma 3, as surprising as that sounds.
I wish it had interiors (although I acknowledge how much more work that involves), animated crewmen and infantry units, and that I could fire the TCās .50 on the M1. Thatās about all!
Question for those tankers who might be in the know: Did the original M1 circa 1985 actually have an M240 at the loaderās hatch? For some reason I thought that came much laterā¦
ETA: Okay, a couple more things it needs:
The commanderās ability to launch smoke screens- pretty important for a modern tank, and a component thatās been around for a long time.
The TOW gunners need a commander to spot targets for them like the tanks have*. The TOW is not a one-man weapon, itās always going to have a team of 2-3 soldiers operating it, if nothing else just to carry the thing. So give me a commander to help out.
Units need the ability to retreat off the line/commanders need the ability to order this. When my M60 TTS is reduced to an armored bulldozer without the blade, itās job is to carry itself off the battlefield so they can hose out the TC, gunner and loader, not to keep fighting until itās blown up and the unfortunate driver shares their fate.
*āCommander Aimā took me a long time to figure out what it does. On the M1 and probably every other tank in the world (maybe?) the TC has the ability to grab control of the turret and traverse it on target. In the game, if the TCās yelling āGunner, Sabot, Tank!ā followed by āTraverse LEFT!!ā or āHEāS LOOKING AT US!!ā, I simply give up and press space and the TC AI will automagically slave the turret roughly onto the target. Works pretty well, and I know itās āa thingā because the Team Yankee textbook of modern tank warfare told me so. If you feel handicapped by looking through a straw (albeit with thermal), try that.
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I still remember that āhip firing an M-1 isnāt exactly in the bookā¦any bookā
Ah, another game I canāt afford NOT to play.
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This game needs someone to take it and build a nice voice acted campaign for it. Itās like Ghost Recon for tanks!
ETA:
I finished my first run of the dynamic campaign on the NATO side. Will run through it on the Warsaw Pact side when I get a chance. The last few missions I was able to complete with no NATO losses, which I felt was quite a feat!
The Bradley is a lot of fun to use as a recon vehicle. The visibility is significantly better than the M1 due to the taller height (which I always thought was a liability for a recon vehicle). Allows you to better utilize a hull down position, and the TOW is as awesome as itās been made out to be. Just wish it carried more AP ammo. Iāve successfully taken out one or two T-72ās from the side (at close range) with the Bushmaster, but you better get the drop on them before they can swing their turret.
This game is screaming for an Arma style mission editor, as well as a scripted campaign with missions that tie into each other.
ETA2:
I just saw the roadmap for this game, it looks like everything I suggested has already been addressed, and much more:
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GHPC Early Access has been updated to version
20221008
.
This is a regular update, featuring several new features, new mission content, and bug fixes.
New additions
To keep content fresh while we work on core features, there are a set of ten new Instant Action missions spread between Outskirts and North Fields. These include a variety of scenario types, including some unique setups not seen before! The campaign has been equally expanded, with ten brand-new mission templates for increased variety, better pacing, and more interesting battles.
As you explore the new mission content, keep an eye out for truck targets - the M923 and Ural 375D finally make an appearance in combat. Several of the new missions feature opportunities to directly destroy enemy logistics by striking their transport vehicles.
Some attention has been given to visuals as well: the grass rendering was vastly improved, the BRDM-2 received a model overhaul in preparation for future features, the BMP-1 is adorned with new equipment, and many vehicles have received new aerial antennas with physics! In addition, some existing luggage decorations are now able to react to forces on the vehicle by swaying and bouncing around.
Fixes and improvements
Of special note in this update are the improvements to RAM usage when traveling through large areas or loading different maps in the same play session. Players who experienced issues or crashes related to memory in previous versions may see a significantly more stable experience.
Several unstable or glitchy campaign scenarios have been phased out. Campaign flow and content in general is still heavily work-in-progress, but this should help alleviate many of the existing issues, such as waiting for enemies that never arrive, or needing to traverse multiple km of terrain with no action.
On the AI front, the crews in GHPC should no longer be able to see through small tree lines or individual trees. Many instances of getting ATGMād through dense leaves should no longer occur. Bear in mind, this is only a partial fix - itās still possible under some circumstances for the AI to look through portions of dense forests - but a large chunk of the potential issues should now be eliminated. Work on AI vision, and AI in general, is of course ongoing.
For a full list of fixes, see the changelog below.
Developer streams
As a general reminder, and for those who are not aware, the GHPC development team typically hosts a livestream every 2 months on Twitch. The next one is October 9 at noon EDT. Stop by to chat with us and hear about upcoming development!
Changelog
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Added 10 new instant action missions
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Added 10 new campaign mission templates
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Added jiggle physics to luggage on tanks
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Added flexible aerial antennas to many vehicles, with randomized tie-down states
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Made the T-72ās rubber skirts a little bit wobbly
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Added randomized equipment to BMP-1
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Added names to most campaign mission templates for easier identification
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Overhauled grass rendering for better detail and color variation
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Overhauled BRDM-2 visual model
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Improved driving physics stability on some vehicles
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Reduced BMP-1 gun recoil force for more realism
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Removed campaign mission templates that would frequently result in broken scenarios
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Shortened initial splash screen sequence at game launch
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Reduced speed at which AI commander can traverse the turret when using aim override
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Fixed AI being able to see through small tree lines and individual trees (some issues still persist with forests)
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Fixed an issue that led to excessive memory use when traversing large maps
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Fixed an issue that led to heavy rendering load from vegetation
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Fixed an issue where some AAR shots could get bad data and the resulting trace render would blot out the sun
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Fixed BMP-1 jittering at low speeds
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Fixed BMP-1 Malyutka ATGM appearing to remain on rail after launch
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Fixed visible crew members of ATGMs and trucks sometimes appearing in the wrong positions in AAR
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Fixed AI crew voices sometimes calling ādoubtfulā for no reason when switching units
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Fixed M60A1 and M60A3 turret armor models including spare track pieces that are not actually there
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Fixed some issues with the rear hull sides of the early model M1
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Fixed Point Alpha wind not working
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Fixed an issue that led to some characters not displaying when Turkish language settings were present in Windows
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Changed direction of Abrams track textures to make it playable
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I stumbled across this video on youtube!
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That is incredibly cool!
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