Update 06/01:   New  Screenies and previews of Sub Command and  Silent Hunter II.

The summer of the subsim draws ever nearer! 

SUB COMMAND INTERVIEW @ E3!

SILENT HUNTER II PREVIEW AT IGN.PC

GAMESPOT SHOWS NEW SH2 SCREENS

SIMHQ SH2-DC E3 REPORT

Sonalysts takes sub game to new depths

 

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Update 06/01:   New  Screenies of Silent Hunter II and Destroyer Command

Work continues to progress on the multiplayer twins Silent Hunter II and Destroyer Command. Wolfpack League has obtained a fresh batch of screenshots that display, among other things, the Destroyer Command calendar screen, the Silent Hunter II torpedo cam, U-boat Wintregarden, and snorkel operations. August is starting to look mighty firm, barring any major problems.

 For more information, CLICK HERE

 

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Update 06/01:   Wolfpack League closes in on 2000 members. 

After an extensive revision of the membership rolls to weed out invalid members, the  Silent Hunter II/Destroyer Command online fleet remains 1900 strong and should break the 2000 mark before the end of June. Wolfpack League has begun beta testing the new Peck Scoring Database System that will allow players to record their battle results and have their records updated 24/7. A Medals & Honors program has been initiated as well as a League Calendar of Events. Activity has reached a all-time high with new members joining every 4 hours world-wide. WPL features content in English, Spanish, German, and Swedish as well as International forums.

 For more information, visit the Pack: WOLFPACK LEAGUE

 

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Update 05/01:   SUBSIM Review E3 2001 News

Booth babes and submarines. Sounds like someone goes down! Pics and 20 Q & A on SH2-DC.

 Check out our report:   E3 2001 

 

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Update 05/01:   SimHQ and NWS brings Sub Command into focus. 

"Mike had several scenarios already created for me to look at, and the first was set in Asia, with a lot of neutral shipping nearby.  Graphics for me usually take a back seat to gameplay, but damn, does this sim look good.  The lighting effects underwater are very, very well done.  The sky was overcast in this scenario, but the occasional "god ray" of sunlight cut down through the water and faded away.  It was murky and dark and what you'd expect from the deep ocean...no more unrestricted line of sight like in 688(I), that's for sure."

-- SimHQ

 For more, visit their websites:  

• NWS SUB COMMAND Q&A
• SimHQ
  

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Update 04/01:   Harpoon4 is back on the table. After examining their project from the newly acquired Learning Company GAME Studios, UbiSoft felt the Harpoon4 project could be trimmed to provide funds for the other projects. After an outcry in forums and the protestation of the German market distributor, the greatly reduced SSI Staff succeeded in convincing that H4 was far enough along to warrant additional support. 

After seeing the response from the users and considering recommendations from the SSI Staff, the folks at Ubi Soft have decided to continue development of Harpoon 4. It's back. Details will be forthcoming

That's official.

Cheers,
Carl C. Norman
Executive Producer
SSI

 

The impact to the Harpoon3 project is currently unknown.

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Update 04/01:   SimHQ scores a coup and gets a detailed interview from Kim Castro and the Sonalysts team. 

"688(I) Hunter/Killer did very well, and in fact continues to sell in EA’s Naval Warfare Collection.  We’ve received numerous requests to upgrade 688(I), and the sub sim fans have been clamoring for an Akula sim for a long time now.  Given the downturn in the sim market, we thought that we’d be able to deliver a solid product to a dedicated fan base of naval sim fans that are eager for a new offering."

 For more, visit their website:  SimHQ

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Update 04/01: 2001 is the year of the subsim! Electronic Arts with Sonalysts (creators of the legendary 688(I) Hunter/Killer) announced a new multi-platform nuke subsim: Sub Command!  

Command three classes of the world's most lethal nuclear submarines!

• Los Angeles class 688(I)
• Seawolf class SSN-21
• Russian Akula class Type 971

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 11, 2001 – Run silent, run deep, through the oceans of the world in Sub Command from Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS). Developed by Sonalysts, makers of the award-winning 688(I) Hunter/Killer, Sub Command allows the player to control the world’s deadliest submarines – the 688(I), Akula, and Seawolf attack class submarines. Sub Command utilizes an enhanced 3D engine, using over 250 3D objects, to deliver a realistic and immersive submarine simulation experience. Sub Command will be available for the PC in the summer of 2001.

Check out: SSR's Sub Command Status Page 

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Update 04/01: HARPOON 3 lives again! With the possible cancellation of Harpoon4 by UbiSoft, the Harpoon3 Design Team has decided to forge on with their effort to port H3 to the Mac and Win 95/98 platform. 

"For those of you that haven't heard, Harpoon4 was cancelled last week. I won't go into reasons or details.

How does this affect Harpoon3?

Well, since Harpoon4 is no longer in the picture, there's no legal reasons why the port to Windows can't be finished...which leaves only technical problems."

A demo is available.

Check out: HARPOON 3 

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Update 04/01:  The long-awaited patch for Age of Sail II is out and it's a doozy! 

V1.50 includes the following improvements, added features, and tech support updates:

- New icon for surrendered ship
- New icon for captured ship
- Game spy logo on find Internet game window
- Message in chat window if one player leaves multiplayer game
- Improved Ship List 'scrolling.
- Cannon's Recharge improved:
Left Mouse Button - Change Next Type
Right Mouse Button - Reload
- Icons on ship improved. Sometimes icons crawl over player's name.
- Chat window feature during battle added
- Ships will change flag in campaign by side, not by nationality.
- Captured ships now should carry player's side flag.
- Guns Repair issue addressed
- Guns can be repaired during battle.
- Many AI improvements.
- AI much more aggressive

 

 For more, visit their website:  Talonsoft

 

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Update 03/01:  More terrific news from NWS. The Warship Database Project - Advanced Fleet Command V12 released from Naval Warfare Simulations. This version includes:

* 16 new aircraft graphics including 2 of the worlds deadliest bombers
* 19 new aircraft types/loadouts
* 8 new weapons
* Various graphics improvements.. including camouflage skins
Following through with the previous breakthroughs in air combat for Fleet Command from WDP-AFC V11,  V12 moves to a whole new level of air combat with each aircraft given a specific rating in air to air combat based on its combat capabilities and payloads. Plus hundreds of other enhancements, tweaks, and fixes. Work continues on additional refinements. 

 For more, visit their website:  Naval Warship Simulations

 

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Update 03/01:  News from SimHQ: 

"We have learned from Carl Norman of SSI / Ubisoft that Harpoon 4 has been cancelled due to business decisions at the company.  This will not affect Lock On:  Modern Air Combat, Silent Hunter II, or Destroyer Command.  There are new simulation possibilities being discussed at this time and Carl will be making an official press release in the near future."

 For more, visit their website:  SimHQ

 

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Update 03/01:  The Destroyer Command Website  has surfaced.  Destroyer Command is a 3D naval combat simulation which gives you command of a WWII era destroyer in the US Navy in either the Atlantic or Pacific Theaters. One of the most unique features of Destroyer Command is the ability to play against owners the WWII German U-Boat title,   Silent Hunter II , via Internet or LAN. This is a first in computer gaming, allowing players of two different products to compete against each other on the same "virtual battlefield". Destroyer Command also features cooperative and head-to-head multiplayer options with other Destroyer Command players.

 

The Destroyer Command Website features screenshots, game description, and a short history of destroyers.

 For more, visit their website: Destroyer Command Website 

 

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Update 03/01:  From  Cornered Rat Studios comes a global-online sim titled World War II Online

 World War II Online (http://www.wwiionline.com) will cover battles at air, land, and sea. WWIIOL is in 4th stage closed beta currently. Open beta is expected in June or July and it is supposed to be released around October. Currently there is no submarine model but they are working on this and the naval aspect of the game is expected to be released in a version shortly after initial release. They are planning to simulate all types of Naval warfare from submarines to destroyers to aircraft carriers, with one or many real people commanding each vessel. It looks pretty cool and has quite a large following so far.

 For more, visit their website: World War II Online

 

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Update 02/01:  Just in from the Project Enigma Team

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

15th February, 2001

The Project Enigma Team have announced their intention to create a multiplayer, on-line naval game.  Codenamed Enigma after the WWII cipher machine, the emphasis will be on simplicity and playability.  By re-use of a 3rd party game engine, the developers hope to have a beta release available by Q4 '01.

Features currently on the drawing board include:

• Multi-platform interactive gameplay
• Dynamic strategic alliances
• 'Home ports' providing means of game continuity
• Selection of customizable ships
• Structured missions

 

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Update 02/01:  NAVSIM: Sea Power takes another step forward. Check out the new screenshots  from Force85 and producer Eric Schoell.

      

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Update 02/01:  Akella, dev team behind Sea Dogs and Age of Sail II, seems to be making naval sims their main thrust. Recently a screenshot from their prototype PT Boats sim was posted on the Age of Sail II forum. We contacted the Producer Sergey Belistov in Moscow:

"PT boats conception and idea is not finally formed yet, we hope to find publisher and together work on it. I'll keep you updated about this project and as soon as we'll have some news will provide you with them and with latest materials.
'We would like to make sea game for each historical period of time.'
Thanks again and you'll hear from us soon!"

Best regards,
Sergey Belistov

producer
Akella

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Update 02/01:  Trey Walker at Gamespot PC just posted a batch of  screenshots  showcasing Digital Illusions' Battlefield 1942. They look pretty good.

Thanks to Andy.

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Update 01/01:   EA to Publish Digital Illusions' Battlefield 1942

WWII Game Under Development for PC and Xbox
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 2001--Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS - news), the world's largest publisher of interactive entertainment, today announced that it has signed an exclusive worldwide agreement with Swedish game developer Digital Illusions to publish Battlefield 1942(TM) for both the PC and Xbox(TM), the next-generation video game system from Microsoft®. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Battlefield 1942 is a single and multiplayer action game that brings WWII to life. The title will include a variety of playable vehicles from famous fighterplanes to tanks and battleships. The game will also include a vast array of battlefields allowing players to engage in skirmishes that take place in small towns or wage massive battles on land and sea. 

``Battlefield 1942 is an exciting interactive WWII experience that will appeal to players who enjoy strategizing and fighting in some of the world's greatest battles,'' said Electronic Arts Distribution Vice President Tom Frisina. ``We think Digital Illusions has the skill and experience that makes them uniquely qualified to recreate the look and feel of that period in an exciting game experience.'' 

``This agreement is an important part in our strategy for creating alliances with leading software and hardware manufacturers,'' said Digital Illusions' Chief Executive Officer Patrick Soderlund. ``This is the most significant contract ever signed by Digital Illusions for a single game and we are thrilled to be working with Electronic Arts.'' 

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Update 01/01:   Electronic Arts and Sonalysts will soon announce the name and scope of their current project. If you thought Jane's 688(I) looked good, wait until.... More details later so stay tuned. It's going to be good.

 

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Update 12/00:  Sea Dogs II: Akella announces the sequel to its recently released pirate role-playing game.
 
Russian developer Akella has announced that it has started working on a sequel to the pirate role-playing game Sea Dogs, which was released at the end of November by Bethesda Softworks. Akella is also responsible for the upcoming naval combat strategy game Age of Sail II, which will be released early next year by TalonSoft. The announcement didn't include any further details about the upcoming game.

 

News reported from  Gamespot

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Update 12-8-00: Brian Rubin and the Gamer's Alliance have a fresh interview with Ultimation. An excerpt:

In general, SH2’s interface has been carefully designed so that each duty station in the U-boat is designed as efficiently as possible. Each duty station is only one or two mouse clicks (or hotkeys) away. Each station also has all of its relevant information contained on one screen, so the player doesn’t have to constantly flip between different interface “layers”. It’s not quite as colorful as would be if we forced the player to actually walk-around the U-boat and climb ladders and open hatches, but the interface is very fast and very playable. I’d say it’s a big step forward from the original Silent Hunter’s interface, which was already very solid.

 

For the complete interview and screenies, see Gamer's Alliance

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Update 12/00:  TalonSoft and Akella are close to wrapping up a new sailing ship strategy game: Age of Sail II. Here's an excerpt from a recent Gamespot interview:
 

Each ship is exquisitely detailed, right down to tiny color-coded men running about on the decks like so many ants (red represents the British sailors, blue the French, and a teal color denotes the American navy). They don't grab cutlasses and dash onto the enemy decks when two ships grapple, but they look pretty cool just being in the game at all. All told, 11 different countries are represented in Age of Sail II.

 

The various ship types are rendered in astounding detail, from the mighty 100-gun H.M.S. Victory, flagship of Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar, to the tiny 12-gun sloop Wolverine. There are13 ship classes in all. And ships in the same class look different as well, so not all French 74-gun ships-of-the-line look exactly the same. Better still, each ship model is fully animated so that when you reduce sail, the canvas on your vessel will raise or lower accordingly. Masts will turn to reflect changes in your compass heading. All the while a streaming pennant will flow from the top of your mainmast.

 

Read more at  Gamespot 

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Update 11/00: The first details of a new naval/subsim are trickling in. It's described as a "first-person tactical wargame" called Battlefield 1942.
 

"There will be a lot of opportunities for some great skirmishes at sea," (developer) Persson enthuses, adding, "With the inclusion of Destroyers, Submarines, Battleships and Aircraft Carriers you can expect them to be massive and immensely enjoyable battling it out. Just imagine a player in his sub sneaking up on an unsuspecting Battleship. Just as he’s about to fire 2 planes scouting the area discover him. The planes immediately report to a destroyer nearby who sets out for a sub hunt. The hunter is now the hunted and the player in the sub dives in panic as he’s suddenly surrounded from all sides by enemy destroyers and planes swooping down on him!"

 

Read more at  GA Source.  

Thanks to Andy for the tip.

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Update 10/00: Press release from dev team Force 85

NavSim2000 Now Known As NavSim: Sea Power

Washington, D.C. -- Force 85 announced today that its tactical naval combat simulation NavSim2000 is being renamed. It will now be known as NavSim: Sea Power.

"As we’ve moved closer to completion," said Force 85 Lead Developer Eric D. Schoell, "we’ve seen the sim move closer to what Admiral Mahan wrote about in The Influence of Sea Power Upon Nations – the importance of commanding the seas. We felt it was an apt title for our simulation."

NavSim: Sea Power will model the world’s navies, comprehensively, accurately and in great detail. Players will be able to command a wide selection of submarines and surface ships – they will not be limited to merely one or two – and will be able to play head-to-head over the internet.

NavSim: Sea Power is currently in beta testing, and is tentatively scheduled for completion in January 2001.

Force 85 has moved to a new web address: http://www.force85.com

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Update 10/00: Just when you thought things were looking good with Jane's 688(I), they get better. In response to Rooster, Bulldog, Blue, and the combined Seawolves' input on the V1.06 patch, Tod Swain and Sonalysts rolled up their sleeves and busted the Hot Keys after death cheat. The result: a NEW PATCH - V1.07.  And you wondered why some players could evade and kill you so easily!  

 

You can download the patch from the PATCHES & MISSIONS.

Show your thanks on the (former) Fix My 688(I) Petition. Sign on today!

Sign up with the Seawolves Virtual Military and get ready to play.  

 

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Update 09/00: Sonalysts have come through again. They just sent us the NEW PATCH - V1.06 NO 3D CHEAT  for Jane's 688(I). The biggest drawback to multiplayer games was the ability for a player to use the 3D window to "ride" his torpedo into your sub visually. Well, no more! The field "Disable3DScreenCompletely" will disable the player from accessing the 3D screen completely during online battles. Players with this patch will only be able to multi-play against other people with the patch. Players without the patch will not appear in the connection screen.  A note from the dev team:

Hi guys,
Kim Castro has given me the go-ahead to release version 1.06 of 688(I)!

As you know, a large number of people have asked for this patch and it has been a long time coming.
Thank you for being so very patient!

I hope this patch renews the interest for some people by minimizing the cheating in multiplayer games. :-)

Although I did test this patch, please email me if you find any inconsistencies or bugs that I may have introduced while coding this patch. I'll be glad to fix anything I inadvertently changed for the worse!

- Tod Swain
(multiplayer support for 688I)

 

You can download the patch from the PATCHES & MISSIONS section.

Show your thanks on the (former) Fix My 688(I) Petition. Sign on today!

On another note, Kim informed me that Sonalysts is developing a new project for Electronic Arts. 

 

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Update 08/00: Once again, Silent Hunter II and Destroyer Command are examined online. This time it's combatsim.com with the scoop, an interview with Troy Heere. An excerpt concerning radio contacts:

We've got this thing we call "virtual Doenitz" which acts as a coordinating entity in the context of the single-player game. When a U-boat makes contact with a convoy, it makes continuous reports to headquarters and virtual Doenitz orders other available U-boats to intercept. He can also respond to resupply requests, contact reports from the player, etc.

Multiplayer games introduce a whole 'nother can of worms. Chat is a feature ubiquitous to these games and voice communications is going to appear rapidly as broadband connections become more commonplace. For the destroyers, this isn't an issue since they can blather all day on the radio without breaking any sort of verisimilitude. For U-boats, do we force them to surface in order to communicate with each other or do we let them chat at will just as the Destroyers do? Do we make chat immune from radio direction finders?

Probably the answer is to create options in the scenario setup which allows the host to specify rules about submarine communications. Let the players decide.

 

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Update 08/00: We learn more about Silent Hunter 2: The Unofficial Silent Hunter II Website has levered some more info out of SSI/Ultimation. 

"ASW AI is critical! The behaviors exhibited by the AI are being taken directly from tactical doctrine utilized during the time period. Allied warships will hunt you to the best of their ability, while attempting to maintain adequate convoy protection.

Also, our AI is well-behaved regarding “cheating”.  If the escorts can't detect your sub by a legitimate method (visual, radar, or asdic/sonar) then they’re not going to be very effective in hunting you."

 

There's more to be learned at the USH2 website, including, the mystery of the 800 pixel restriction.

Make your course:  Unofficial Silent Hunter II Website

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Update 08/00: The last modern subsim was Jane's 688(I) and that was over three years ago. So when we heard programmer Eric Schoell and Force85 were knee-deep in the development of a new project, we took note. Eric explains their vision of NAVSIM 2000: 

I wanted something that would have the realism and multi-player capability of Janes' 688(I), but allow players to command a wide range of submarines and surface ships.

It is my intention to allow people to command any sub or ship (below aircraft carrier at least).  I expect to make some "generic" sub and ship graphics for use with ships that don't have specific ones, so basically, anything in the unit database will be playable. 

I'm writing this thing in Visual Basic (believe it or not).  The latest version of Direct X has built in VB usability, so I've been able to incorporate it without too much difficulty.  I'm using the DirectMusic feature to provide a soundtrack.  The DirectSound capability allows me to play multiple wav files simultaneously, so I can have the ambient background noise, plus specific sound effects. I expect to record voices for the crewmen, but I'm also toying with the idea of using voice synthesis (which is laughably easy to do in VB).  May also consider voice recognition, like Command Aces of the Deep (also extremely easy to do).

I'm using Combat Fleets of the World (1999) for the data on the ships, etc. I'm also using Warships of the Soviet Union and Russia 1945-2000.  For the information on how to do sensor and environment calculations, I'm using Principles of Naval Weapons Systems from the Naval Institute Press.

The point I am currently at (in terms of game capabilities) is:

* All (or nearly all) gauges and controls work

* All units move on their own according to the orders given them

The point I am about to reach in the next week or so is:

* Sensors (sonar, radar) will accurately detect (or fail to detect) other contacts

This means the first beta test will basically amount to playing hide and seek.

That's not all. He is writing the game in such a way that other people could code dll's or ActiveX modules that he could basically "drop in" to the main code. And he is looking for players with authentic Russian, British, and other accents so he can record crew voices.

Steer a course to the  FORCE 85 Website   for more.

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Update 07/00: The team that breathed new life into Jane's Fleet Command is at it again! 

"WITH THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF MIKE KOLAR OF THE SONALYSTS TEAM AND THE NAVAL WARFARE SIMULATIONS TEAM THE FLEET COMMAND GAME ENGINE IS BEING  UPDATED TO VERSION 1.3 WITH A MEGA PATCH THAT WILL INCLUDE OVER 50 FIXES AND ENHANCEMENTS! THE BETA VERSION OF THIS PATCH IS COMPLETED AND IS PRESENTLY UNDER HEAVY TESTING BY OUR TEAM.

THE FALKLANDS WAR 1982 WILL BE PART OF THIS MAJOR UPDATE WITH FULLY DESIGNED SCENARIOS TO RENDER  THIS FAMOUS NAVAL BATTLE WITH EVEN MORE DETAIL AND REALISM THEN WE COULD HAVE HOPED FOR PREVIOUSLY!

 WE WILL ALSO BE ADDING OVER 15 NEW GRAPHICS AND SEVERAL NEW MODERN WARFARE WEAPONS! WE ANTICIPATE THE RELEASE OF THE FC V1.3 UPDATE AND WDP V10 WITHIN THE NEXT 7-14 DAYS!"

 

Flank speed to  Naval Warfare Simulations  to learn  more.

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Update 06/00: Computer Gaming World offers a fresh glimpse at Ultimation's upcoming Destroyer Command. "Naval sims haven't been the most attractive games, with utilitarian graphics for modeling various command stations. But this game looks like a departure from the two-dimensional past. Every ship and plane in the game (more than 100) are an being built in 3D, and there'll be plenty of special effects. The ocean won't always look the same, because the developer is modeling eight different sea states including wakes, swells, horizon fog, particle spray, and weather effects. Ships will roll, pitch, list, and sink from hull damage. Just watching the game might make you seasick."

Pick up a copy of   Computer Gaming World   for more.

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Update 06/00: HARPOON 3 for the PC is now keel-up. The designer said, "I ran into a problem that had me stumped at about the same time I was running out of free time and energy because of the stage my project at work was in (programming is very draining mentally). Now that I've taken a fresh look at it, I'm convinced that the only way to get around the problem would take many man-months to do (and since I can only work in the evenings and on weekends, that would stretch into next year).

"I'm not sure if it's widely known, but when Harpoon4 ships, we won't be able to sell H3 anymore (because of the way the contracts are written). So, I've run out of time in making a PC version of H3. (btw, I'll keep working on H3 as long as people are interested)."

Check out: HARPOON 3 for the PC Cancelled

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Update 06/00: Just got the press release:

 SILENT HUNTER II SURFACES! SEQUEL TO BEST-SELLING SUBMARINE COMBAT SIMULATION TO SHIP IN 2000 NOVATO, CA - June 20, 2000 - The Entertainment Division of Mattel Interactive, a division of Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) today announced that the WWII submarine combat simulation Silent Hunter II™ is scheduled to ship in Q4 of 2000. The original Silent Hunter was a huge success, selling over 300,000 units since its release in 1995, and fans have been anxiously awaiting a sequel. Silent Hunter II recreates the historical battles in the North Atlantic between Germany's vaunted U-Boat "wolfpacks" and the naval convoys of the American and British Navy - the lifeblood of the Allied war effort. 

 Silent Hunter II is being developed by Ultimation, Inc. and marks the fifth collaboration between Mattel Interactive and the Petaluma, CA-based game developer. Ultimation is currently working on Larry Bond's™ Harpoon4™, which is scheduled to ship this November, as well as Destroyer Command™, which ships in 2001. "We're really excited about the opportunity to develop Silent Hunter II," says Ultimation director of engineering Troy Heere. "Our naval simulation engine and development team are second to none. Silent Hunter II will include a ton of new features, the biggest of them being interoperability with Destroyer Command. Fans of the original Silent Hunter will be very pleased." 

Updated features also include a full complement of realistic environmental effects, including sea conditions ranging from glassy smooth waters to punishing squalls. Weather, in addition to rain and cover of darkness will play important parts in the tactics and strategy of your U-Boat command. An array of over 50 types of military and civilian ships, aircraft and submarines complement the 4 highly detailed U-Boat models at the players' disposal. Silent Hunter II will also capitalize on the latest video rendering technology, with external views rendered in full 3D and with full 360-degree viewing capability. On the deck, a first-person mode enables commanders to target and attack both sea and airborne enemies using the anti-aircraft machine guns or the deck cannon. A multimedia presentation features detailed interviews with combat veterans as well as interactive tours of a German U-Boat.

More screenshots: Silent Hunter II
Ultimation statement

 

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Update 05/00: Several other sim webzines are reporting Novalogic  has officially pulled Wolfpack II off the production schedule.  SUBSIM Review reported that WP2 was on hold back in September (read here), which in game producer terms likely means the idea was thrown around but no work was authorized. So now the count of cancelled or MIA subsims is up by one more, with SH2 holding on by a thread. It's going to be a long year.

Check  out:  NovaCentral

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Update 05/00: Silent Hunter II update: After the original developer Aeon bowed out earlier this year, the big question was: Would Mattel Interactive, a discontinued operations division of Mattel and up for sale, commit to signing a new development team to finish SH2?

It appears they will. While officials at Mattel Interactive won't disclose the name, a new development team has been approached to breathe new life into Silent Hunter II. Originally scheduled to debut in the fall, MI's Rick Martinez remains confident that Silent Hunter 2 may surface before the end of the year, but "only if the game is ready". Though the developer's name won't be disclosed until the actual agreement is inked, strong indications point to Ultimation (Panzer Commander) to gut and rewrite SH2 using their Destroyer Command graphics engine. This would mean a full plate for the Ultimation team, with Destroyer Command and Harpoon 4 in development. On the plus side, having the same graphics engine and dev team for SH2 and DC should enhance the interoperability function as well. And if you've played Panzer Commander, you are aware of Ultimation's attention to detail and quality work.  

The producers of SH2 admit that the sale of parent division  Mattel Interactive, continues to be a factor. However, with a new development team picked and substantial work completed, Martinez says, "It would be odd for a buyer to suspend work on the titles which are nearing completion." 

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Update 05/00: E3 report: Destroyer Command & Harpoon 4 screenshots & notes. Some more goodies from Ultimation/SSI to feast your eyes on.

Destroyer Command screenshots
Harpoon 4 screenshots
Special thanks to Hatchet.

Wargamer's take on the E3 Destroyer Command exhibit.
Thanks to Stephen Wilson

 

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 Update 05/00: Sonalysts sim update-- Hatchet reports Sonalysts are debating the direction of more than one project with a yet-undisclosed producer.  It has been hinted by another source that the projects could be a follow-up to the successful 688(I) Hunter/Killer, possibly a Seawolf subsim. Also mentioned was a Navy Seals game, a Russian subsim, and a first person carrier sim. At this stage, it's too early to know. Kim Castro assures us that when the direction is set and signed, he'll update us.

If it does turn out that Sonalysts will build a new and updated subsim, we will retire the Fix My 688(I) Campaign. While it was instrumental in getting a patch to cure some of the flaws of an otherwise superb subsim, with a new nuke subsim in the works and the Jane's brand on the wane, we can surrender any hope that the venerable 688(I) will see any future add-ons. We proudly point out the Fix My 688(I) Campaign was the first sim petition on the web; these days there are follow-up petitions for just about every sim that comes out. We do thank you for signing on! Showing support is the best thing you can do to boost the chances new naval & subsims are developed.

Special thanks to Hatchet.

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Update 04/00: Silent Hunter II -- The warning signs have been in the air. Now the bitter reality settles in. Mattel's software unit, which includes The Learning Company, has cost the company more than $300 million dollars since the deal was inked in May 1999. Mattel  is looking to sell the failed acquisition at less than half its purchase cost. Among the possible buyers are Microsoft, Time Warner, Infogrames Entertainment, and Knowledge Universe.

The Learning Company reported a fourth-quarter pretax loss of $183 million. Following the resignations of Jill Barad, Mattel CEO, and Chief Financial Officer Harry Pearcen, an effort to trim costs was attempted in mid-March by laying off 16% of  TLC workforce.  The software division will be treated as a discontinued operation in the Company's financial statements effective March 31, 2000. This will allow Mattel to post its first quarter loss as a separate line item in the financial statement.
    

Among the core brands owned by The Learning Company is Mindscape, which is over SSI.

As a result of  these and other events, Silent Hunter II has been put in effective limbo. Until the successful completion of a sale of the Interactive division, it is impossible to predict if the new owners will approve continuation of the development of the long-anticipated subsim. Employees of the company are unable to comment on the present status of SH2 or any aspect of the potential transaction but expressed an earnest desire to resume work. 

Sources: Reuters, CNNfn, CNET, WSJ, Boston Herald, Forbes

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 Update 04/00: Oh boy, these are pretty. New EMBM-enhanced screenshots from Ultimation's upcoming Destroyer Command on the Matrox graphics cards show-off web page. According to Hatchet, EMBM (Environment-Mapped Bump Mapping) is a new process that "is used to add extra surface detail to the textures of these objects and also to add animated effects to 3D scenes. " The results speak for themselves. The water has a realistic, reflective sheen unlike any other naval sim to date. You may be asking what this means for your sim performance. "Like most visual enhancement features, EMBM requires some extra horsepower from the graphics card, which can result in a certain performance drop. But the impact on performance depends on how much of each frame is bumped. Typically, the performance hit is very minor because games are never completely bumped. Since the bump mapping only affects a portion of the objects in each scene, the drop in performance is not noticeable."

Looks like the eye candy in Destroyer Command will be the best we've ever seen. "When you see the game running and the reflections moving over the water, you know you're looking at something really special." says Troy Heere, Director of Engineering at Ultimation. We certainly agree!

For more screens, go H E R E.  

Special thanks to Hatchet.

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Update 04/00: Sonalysts sim update-- Hatchet reports Sonalysts are showing signs of life. He was contacted by Producer Kim Castro [Jane's 688(I)]: 

"All I can say right now is that yes, we are working on another sim title. Hopefully, I'll be able to say more in a month or so."        

Special thanks to Hatchet.

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Update 03/00: Ultimation updates their website --  HARPOON 4 & Destroyer Command FAQs and a few new screenshots are added. Bear in mind, any screenshots from a sim under development could easily be artwork rendered outside of the sim. But they do look pretty nice. Smoke on the horizon!

Check it out:  Ultimation 

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Update 03/00: For the Mac players --  HARPOON 3 launches! This is a cleaned up version of the Mac Harpoon II. They fixed some bugs, increased performance, and updated the Mac OS components. This work was done by Mr. H2 Mac himself, Jesse Spears. A PC version will be available in due course. This will be a cleaned up version of the PC Harpoon II DOS product. It will not be windows based, but rather windows compatible. So, no more boot floppies.

Check it out: HARPOON 3 for the MAC

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Update 02/00: Silent Steel goes....well, silent!  Tsunami's Silent Steel II's first installment  was due for release in the spring of 2000. According to the press releases, the interactive videosim would get new chapters in quarter 3 and 4, setting a standard for expansion support. Is it any surprise that today the news comes in that the first chapter is delayed indefinitely?  Tsunami  is undergoing some major changes and in addition has recently moved. Their present focus is on an "interactive football game". Yay, team. My read on this is when a company stops hyping a sim that we have anticipated for two years, it's bad news. 

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Update 01/00: Sonalysts up to their old tricks! Do you remember the excitement when a Navy contractor named Sonalysts teamed up with the Jane's and EA Combat Sims group to release Jane's 688(I) Hunter/Killer. Well, thanks in part to you for loyalty to the subsim and the public support through the FIX MY 688(I) CAMPAIGN, there may be smoke on the horizon.  Despite the abandonment of the planned UNDER ICE expansion disk and other add-ons players believed would follow the successful release of 688(I), there have been rumors that Sonalysts are in the pro forma stage of a successor to 688(I). SUBSIM Review contacted Kim Castro of Sonalysts:

"I periodically receive Fix My 688(I) emails, and am flattered that people are still playing. You're right, I can't disclose anything now, but hope to have something for you in the near future about our next effort."

--Kim Castro, Sonalysts

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Update 01/00: Aeon has signed to get Silent Hunter II on the shelf by the end of fall 2000  (with a slim chance of late summer). If you've seen store and game website ads for a Feb-May stock date, you can ignore them. You can fire-and-forget pre-order Silent Hunter II from the SUBSIM Review Store. You order will stand and your card will not be charged until the game is released and shipped to you.  

The latest::

"First I'd like to clear the air about why the game is delayed. I don't think we've done a good job of getting the message across. It took longer than we thought to build the team. We're not just going out and getting bodies off the street, we need qualified people to keep the standard up that Bill (Becker, lead programmer) set with Silent Hunter I. It took three times as long as we thought to get the right people in the right places, especially in regards to 3-D and the other game improvements."

"But basically they're where they should be now and the sim's meeting its milestones well. I feel it's important for people to be aware of this. The milestones and the look of the game are really good."

--Rick Martinez, SSI

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Update 12/99: The reverse motion of Silent Hunter II continues. Now slated for a fall 2000 release, everyone can go back to Aces of the Deep for their U-boat fix. So much for all the players who kept swearing they saw a Nov/Jan release on some other gaming website. Here is what we hear from the development team:

"When Aeon began work on Silent Hunter II, the schedule set reflected the planned building and integrating of new team members into the project. For several reasons, the assembling of the development team has taken much longer than expected, and Aeon is just now hitting their collective stride on the project. Now that the team is near its needed complement of personnel, it has become somewhat easier to analyze work schedules. Silent Hunter II should be released by the third quarter of 2000, and we will be able to finish the game with the originally planned features. Aeon has augmented the original Silent Hunter team with an eye to keeping up the standard set by Silent Hunter, and we are very excited about Silent Hunter II."

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Update 10/99: Ultimation has posted some screens of Destoyer Command. The graphics are very clean and detailed. It does not mention Silent Hunter II or the prospects of interoperable multiplay capability. Here is a snippet from their webpage:

"Experience for yourself the challenges of a career as a destroyer captain in DESTROYER COMMAND’s dynamic campaigns. Fight the whole of World War II in either the Atlantic or Pacific theater. As you advance in rank you can take charge of a whole division or squadron of destroyers, or you can choose to finish the campaign commanding a single ship."

For more, visit the Ultimation website.

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Update 9/99: The first update patch for Jane's Fleet Command is out. Here are some of the fixes featured:

• Sonobuoys reload. Aircraft that run out of sonobuoys are reloaded when they land.
• Auto-engage options. Adds 2 new options to the "Game" options screen.
      1. "Ships Auto-engage Incoming Missiles"
      2. "Aircraft Auto-engage Hostiles".      Defaults to off.
• Smart ID option. Adds another option to the "Game" options screen called "Auto-classify Unknown Air". This automatically ID's anything incoming at over 500kts as assumed hostile. Defaults to off.
• Database and Doctrine checks in multiplayer added. Verifies that databases are the same between players at startup of a multiplayer game. Posts a warning to other players if doctrine files have been modified.
• Version check in multiplayer added. Warns all players if any player is playing an older version.
• Selectable aircraft loadouts. Right-clicking a specific aircraft in the flight deck dialog pops up a menu with up to 4 options:
      1. ASW (Anti-submarine Weapon)
      2. ASUW (Anti-Surface Unit Weapon)
      3. AAW (Anti-Air Weapon)
      4. Strike (Primarily Anti-Surface Unit Weapons but will also include Anti-Aircraft Weapons as well)
• Adds the AIM-54 Phoenix AAAM (Advanced Air to Air Missile) missile.
• Multiplayer chat dialog. Pops up a dialog box over the main game screen to enter multiplayer chat, rather than having to switch to the comms screen.
• Adds ASW (Anti-submarine Weapon) rockets. The ability to target torpedoes has been added, which will allow users who added RBU (Raketnaya Bombometnaya Ustanovka) rockets to attack torpedoes

DOWNLOAD the Fleet Command Update 1.1

For more patches, see the PATCHES & MISSIONS section of SSR

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Update 9/99: Silent Hunter II update. Check out the article at Computer Games Online. Some highlights:

"One of the most prominent design aspects of Silent Hunter II is the attention to detail in the controls and interface. All the instruments and controls are designed to mimic their real-life counterparts as closely as possible. For example, to use the deck gun, you don't just tap on the arrow keys and space bar, you actually "spin" the control wheels to traverse and elevate the gun, then pull the firing handle to fire.

Even then, it's difficult to gauge how to correct your shots if your target is very far away and the shell splashes aren't readily visible. This definitely is shaping up to be more challenging than a typical "point and shoot" weapon."

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Update 9/99: Ready for more bad news? Here it comes: "Divide By Zero, developer of the popular submarine simulation game series, Fighting Steel, announced that SSI has decided not to renew their contract to create more games based on the submarine sim franchise. Details were not disclosed at the time of this writing. In an address to fans of the game, the company said "As disappointing as this news may be for you the Guardians, it is more disappointing for us. We have already cut back one of our team members. We are seeking a new publisher, but the longer it takes to gain a contract, the greater the chance we will lose other members." Why SSI decided not renew a publishing deal with the company is not known, but Divide By Zero is reportedly ready to work with another publisher to see future titles in the series on retail shelves. We'll have more on this story as it develops."

If you want to get your hands on a copy of Fighting Steel, this is the place to do it. My price is low and the delivery is fast. Order now, you know how it goes with sims once the developer stops making them.

SUBSIM STORE

Courtesy of Computer Games Online

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Update 9/99: Coming close on the heels of the announcement of WOLFPACK II is the demise of WOLFPACK II. For reasons unknown, Novalogic has shelved plans to develop the ambitious sequel to the 1993 subsim, Wolfpack. In the words of Novalogic PR Manager Dan Bennett, "Unfortunately, it's been taken off the schedule. It hasn't been canceled outright, but it's not in production at the moment, so it's hard to say when it will come out (or to give any real details on what the final product will be like). It's not scheduled for 1999, and it's unlikely we'll see it in 2000. Sorry about that; I've been looking forward to it, too.

So, the bright spot here may be that if WP2 ever does get created, it will be a couple years after Silent Hunter II, and will take the genre up a notch on the strength of ever-advancing hardware.