DW vs Harpoon 3

[SeaQueen]

Originally Posted by kozowh

I guess you could call DW a first person shooter, then.

I don't think that really gives DW as much credit as it deserves. DW is definitely a simulator. Although some people play it like a first person shooter. The focus is just different. A DW game would put you in charge of a single SSN and the game's goal might be, "photograph the beach at XX-XX N, YY-YY E in order to provide intelligence for anticipated amphibious operations." A Harpoon game might put you in charge of something like a whole expeditionary strike group (ESG), consisting of an LHD, an LPD, an LSD, two DDGs, a CG, a MAGTF-ACE, a couple MH-60Rs, a couple MH-60Ses, a UAV or two, and an SSN. The game's goal might be, "execute a non-combattant evacuation operation (NEO) in order to evacuate US and third country nationals located at the US embassy in Sandville, and the US consulate in Fishytown." In order to do that, you might have your SSN go ahead and check the beach for shore-based antiship cruise missiles.

It doesn't really make DW any less of a simulation because you might play the game from the perspective of just the SSN in the ESG. It just means the scope of things is different. The Harpoon simulation simulates what it'd be like to be the SSN's captain's boss. You say, "go check out that beach." In DW you go check out the beach. In Harpoon you frequently actually are concerned with many of the same things, but the controls are abstracted.