Why it matters: A group of tank game enthusiasts has taken immersion to a whole new level by constructing an enclosed rig replicating an actual tank's interior. There are hatches to drop through, crew stations, and even a main gun the gunner feeds filled soda bottles as shells to 'fire.' Forget about kicking back on a cozy couch because this is as authentic as it gets.
The interior feels like the real deal. It has the cramped interior of a bona fide battle tank. It's dark, with LEDs lighting some areas. The builders laid out the crew positions precisely as expected, with the driver, loader, and gunner having separate entry hatches to slide through.
The tank simulator has evolvedpic.twitter.com/yBwVTEaEwr
– Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 21, 2024
The driver's station has a pair of steering brake levers that presumably control the tank's tread independently for realistic operation. The gunner/spotter has a VR headset to help with aiming. The team also built a full-on ready rack with a sliding door that opens via a button press to hold fresh "ammunition."
The rig has an elaborate breach system that "fires" soda bottle "shells" from the main gun. It doesn't really fire these bottles, but it does simulate the recoil and ejects an 'empty shell,' which is just the same bottle. The recoil looks insanely realistic, shaking the entire rig and raining dust from the roof. Whether this is caused by the barrel assy's motion, produced by some additional hardware, or just effects edited into the original footage – or perhaps a combination of the three – remains unclear.
One Redditor pointed out that the gameplay itself – in this case, World of Tanks – doesn't support the level of crew coordination on display here. Realistically, you'd only have a single-player perspective to work with. However, as a proof of concept, it's pretty cool. A tank game supporting mods might make splitting duties between two or three people possible.
The big question now is: What's next? An entire arcade of these rigs running off a closed server? Now, there's a concept that any LAN party veteran can get behind.