Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!aero!aerospace.aero.org!huebner From: huebner@aerospace.aero.org Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games Subject: Re: Submarine Warfare Simulators Keywords: 688, Red Storm Rising Message-ID: <93515@aerospace.AERO.ORG> Date: 5 Dec 90 18:24:29 GMT References: Sender: news@aerospace.aero.org Reply-To: huebner@aerospace.aero.org () Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA Lines: 74 Sender: In article Paolo writes: |> |> Hello, netters! I'm looking for reviews/reccomendations on submarine |> simulation games. I used to play Silent Service in my C64 days, and was |> wondering what's available for the Amiga today. |> |> I'm particularly interested in hearing of the following: |> |> Harpoon |> Red Storm Rising |> 688 Attack Sub |> |> Thanks! |> I've played the first two so I'll make some brief comments. The first I played was 688 attack sub. I really like this game. My roommates and I all got really involved with it. The user interface is good, since you can bring up the various sonar maps and target tracks from any of the main screens. A lot of sub games bother me because you have to switch to different screens to see whats going on but in 688 its always there. The 3-D view (simple line-drawn but effective) is particular intriguing if you are navigating a trench or figting in close quarters. I don't think the game play is particularly accurate here. A lot of realism (particularly regarding control of torpoedoes) is removed and I think the whole game moves faster than reality (this was intentional according to the manual). Other favorable points- good sound samples, sufficient reality for non-military afficionados (does cavitation, thermal layers, towed array, etc), bug-free. It is also manual protected. Overall, I think a lot of thought went into making this a playable game- very intuitive, all the controls and indications where they should be, good look and feel. Red Storm rising I bought later on. First of all, there was a problem with the maps. Ie: they were put into the Amiga versions. Really annoying since navigation is a major part. This one is more of a whole-war simulation including spy satellite tracks, sonar buoy sensors, and so on. Where in 688 you have only 2 sub options for any one mission, this one gives you a choice of era and sub, as well as various levels of difficulty. You can do an all-out war or just an isolated incident. Game play was okay, but I was sort of disappointed by the graphics during play. I kept waiting for the neat pictures of various sub stations (there aren't any, you push function keys, not on-screen buttons). They keyboard overlay was helpful, but some of the key choices seemed pretty stupid to me (and they cannot be changed). Gameplay is more realistic, I think. You must exercise more control over your torpedo shots in this game. All the screens look pretty much the same here (Its hard to tell if you're in the weapons screen, sonar screen, etc. They all look similar- dominated by an area map). It is also much tougher than 688 even on the easiest level. The little "war updates" which occurr between encounters help get you into the game, as you can see how your exploits help or hurt the war effort. Also manual protected (and the things you have to ID from the manual are so similar I often get it wrong anyway!) Overall, if you want a quick game you can pick up and enjoy, 688 is more accessible. For the long-haul, it seems like Red Storm Rising might provide longer enjoyment because of a seemingly limitless variety of encounters and locales. For my interests (I'm not a die-hard realist and prefer a faster-paced games with nice graphics) I'd give 688 and 9 and Red Storm an 8. Both games have a permanent place (near the front) of my disk box. Also, from what I've heard, Harpoon is even more realism-wargame oriented than Red Storm, but I'm sure someone else will comment on that one. I'm seriously thinking of picking it up. ---- Robert Huebner huebner@en.ecn.purdue.edu "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." ----