Cold Waters is no Jane's 688i. For a "Simulation" of it's type everything is very simplified. I have put about 100 hours into the game and i have enjoyed it. but to enjoy it you just have to look at it for what it is and forgive it for what it is not.
you will not be manning multiple stations to assist you in your task of stalking and hunting the enemy. The whole user interface is a third person view of the sub, with a scrolling sonar display in the bottom right (which is used for the sole purpose of identifying targets and telling you they are out there) and a map on the bottom left with options for displaying speed, depth and sensor settings like raise and lower the scope, ESM mast or Radar mast.
contacts appear on the map relative to your submarine, the accuracy of their location depends on identifying them and monitoring them for long enough to have an accurate solution.
solutions are calculated for you, and represented by a small circle leading the target which represents a sort of aiming point and a small readout that indicates the accuracy of the solution (ie 60% 80% 95% etc).
there are two campaigns focused on two theoretical "world war three" style scenarios. first is a soviet push against NATO in 1968 while the US is bogged down in the quagmire of Vietnam. this campaign is the most difficult of the two with more technically limited weapons of the era requiring more focus on stealth, sneaking into an enemy's baffles and/or getting an accurate solution.
the second campaign focuses on a soviet push against NATO in the mid 1980s when a series of world events following the Reagan election push us all over the brink of war. it is the easier of the two campaigns with more capable subs, better fire and forget style weapons, and sub launched harpoons and TLAMs etc.
other than kit, and the type of targets, the two campaigns are largely identical. Missions go between intercepting replenishment ships, intercepting a large invasion force of about 8-10 ships, intercepting attack subs breaking out into (or returning from) the Atlantic, finding and sinking subs transporting special forces or sneaking into a port for a SEAL insertion or missile strike. a sort of die roll logic appears to determine which mission type you will receive. so many successful missions, and so many tons sent to the bottom results in victory. On a long enough timeline, either campaign starts to get very very repetitive.
Cold Waters, is fun to play. somehow the developers have managed to satisfy most of a Niche audience who have come to demand a great deal from any subsim title. You must agree that subsimmers are a bit spoiled following Silent Hunter III and beyond. Following our transition from 2D interfaces, and limited graphics to vibrant interiors and pretty water, We have come to expect demand shiny graphics, pinpoint historical accuracy, an entire sub pen full of different sub types with accurately rendered interiors and weapons suites. Cold Waters delivers satisfaction with very few of these elements. To make a game successful, it must be playable (ie it has to work right) and it must be fun. everything else is a bonus. Cold Waters delivers on play-ability and fun.
as for realism and difficulty, Cold Waters rests somewhere about half way in between the look and feel of "Atlantic Fleet" and the play style of "Jane's 688i"
the sub is controlled by the standard first person shooter ASWD keys for dive planes and rudder. as others have pointed out, when evading a torpedo attack against your boat, it feels more like a flight simulator than a sub sim, and this is true. but as i opened with... you have to look at it for what it is and forgive it for what it is not. Like a movie with a lot of impossible stunts and plot holes... it can be a great popcorn muncher if you suspend your disbelief. Cold Waters is no exception to that rule.
I believe that the only sub simmers who just WONT enjoy Cold Waters are the most hard core, pencil to paper, rotating plotter, long division using, captain's hat wearing players.
its $39.99 on steam right now.
if i had to pay that now, knowing what i didn't know then... i wouldn't have any trouble pulling out my card.
play-ability = 10
fun = 8
historical accuracy = 3
simulation accuracy = 3
mod-ability = 10
overall = 7.5
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