[DAB]

This thread could easily turn into a flame match, or be interpreted as bitching about Sonalysts - none of which would be fair.

But at the same time, this is a fair question

I adored 688i Hunter Killer, the game very nearly cost me my School Leaving certificate. I remember nostalgically one time I managed to get off a decoy at the last moment. Torpedo detonated leaving my propulsion down and flooding in the torpedo room. Through careful nursing of the emergency blow ballest and flooding of the ballest tanks, I managed to hover in shallow water long enough for propulsion to be restored so I could slip out of the combat zone.

Ah the days.

Anyway, back to your point. Whilst 688i has dated somewhat, it has some features in it which were overlooked in future versions. With the replay, for example, you got a written log of events in the game you had played which could be copied and pasted into word. This log basically informed you whether you had been detected by a platform, what actions platforms took at what time. Basicly, you could examine and analyse your performance over the course of a game.

Then Sub Command. For one I could never keep the game from crashing. But I played it enough to get a feel for it. Having various platforms was fantastic fun. In 688i, Multiplayer matches were affectionally known as "Training Exercises". The idea of a playable Akula was fantastic fun Evolutionarily though, it was more derrived from Fleet Command then 688i HK, and I always felt the game put you in the navigation screen for far longer then you should.

Then DW. Where can I start, playable SSK's - how did I cope without them. The diversity of platforms mean that we can have multiplayer matches in a way that the "I want Destroyer Command II" people on the SHIII forum can only dream of. But whilst I adore the game, a few things do frustrate me.

The database for one. I'm British, which means that when I'm creating my own missions, I tend to focus on postcolonial conflict senarios, or other sitatuations where it would be stretching the realms of reality to have a US / Russian Carrier group siting off the coast. Yet the database for the UK and France is seriously out of date. Intrepid and Fearless were out of commision half a decade ago. It was an anacranism to see them in Fleet Command, let alone DW. Yet, someone has kept them in the database and deleted the Type 22 Frigates, which often operate as UK Taskforce Flagships when a Carrier is not around. I'm sure other people can offer similar examples from their respective countries.

On Playables, I won't bother to argue the case for a playable Traflagar, Sonalysts are probably sick of hearing that one by now. But a diversity of platforms from the European Powers, Canada, Australlia and beyond is surely slowly becoming a must.

Finally Graphics. I have no problem with the fact that the graphics engine has not been the first priority of the developers. Indeed, I would be disturbed if they sacrificed the level of detail that has been put into the game simply to animate people on the decks of merchants. However, I think that DW is the last outing for the Fleet Command graphics engine.