Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!pacbell.com!ucsd!ucbvax!agate!headcrash.Berkeley.EDU!felixh
From: felixh@headcrash.Berkeley.EDU (Felix Hack)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re: Review of Harpoon, Indy 500?
Message-ID: <1990Nov5.081756.21461@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 5 Nov 90 08:17:56 GMT
References: <1990Nov2.110237@gomets.enet.dec.com> <13877@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator)
Reply-To: felixh@headcrash.Berkeley.EDU (Felix Hack)
Organization: ucb
Lines: 44


  I agree with the review of Harpoon.  It is for serious aficionados of
modern naval warfare and really represents the way this kind of situation
should be played, i.e. with a computer to do the tedious work and handle
limited intelligence.
  I hacked around on the SimCan games Grey Seas Grey Skies and their Fleet
series some time ago (Atari ST versions) using a sector editor to fix
mistakes in the data files, change systems as new data became available,
and so on.  I'm happy to have succeeded in doing so with Harpoon.  When
I noticed that the game used the 'old' data annex from the boardgame,
I wanted to fix it up.  Using NewZap I have figured out the formats
for the weapons and sensors (at least most of the info, stuff like speed,
range, accuracy, and so on).  I also found how platforms have sensor 
information coded.
  I did this over the last 24 hours and have already totally redone ASW
stuff.  Sonars in the new data annex are very different (much weaker) than
in the previous edition (represented in the computer game).  I've made
all the modifications.  I've also checked the torpedo data and found it
largely accurate, though I did replace the generic Tigerfish with its
Mk2 version.  I took out some sonars and inserted others, mostly to 
benefit the Soviets because they require more sonars in the platforms
of the GIUK battleset than are actually provided.  For example, the MF Hull
sonar is now split into the ship's Bull Horn and the Sub's Shark Fin sonars
(they differ slightly in active detection probabilities).  Anyway, if
people are interested I could post a message describing the data layout.
  Now to the problems:  I run the game on an Amiga 2500/20 with 1 Meg
Chip Ram, 2 Megs 32-bit RAM, and 2 Megs 16-bit RAM.  When I run Harpoon
out of hard disk or Ram disk I get crashes almost automatically whenever
I try to examine weapons systems on platforms during a game.  I also
experience crashes when animations are starting, it looks like graphics
garbage is 'sprayed' across the screen and the program often GURUs right
away.  This last problem looks like random memory trashing.
  I've already posted on GEnie mentioning these bugs to Three-Sixty.  I
had hoped we wouldn't see these sorts of bugs, but I also know what the
real-world limitations are when doing such a large and complicated
piece of software.
  I also lobbied for a weapon/sensor/platform editor, mostly to let
players update them as new information becomes available.  I take it
a scenario creator is also planned.  I also told them I most wanted
to see a 640-400 screen option, as well as head-to-head modem play.
  If you buy the game and feel the same way I do about these and other
concerns about the game, please let Three-Sixty know.  We're just
now joining the computer Harpoon club; IBM types have been in for a year
and Mac types will be in soon.  It's going to be great fun.