Readers' Comments Archive

Aug '98 - May '99

May 19, 1999

Hello,

You are right about the Editorial, but Who buys the game first? Sure the 800 experts naval sim wargamers. We were waiting that the publication set, don't an ARCADE fashion game. I think that I expend my money in a bluff. I fell totally cheated and I want a PATCH.

I am writing to Jane's, Sonalysts, Electronic Arts and many of you that could put that info on the net. These people don't be honest with the market in general. Sure they reach their goals with the game, but meanwhile the 800 naval sim "experts" feel cheated.

PS: Maybe a big and deep patch could regain our trust and forget the more cost-saving way to buy games: "try and if like it, buy". This means piracy?

Saludos

I understand how you feel but piracy will eventually result in the termination of any sub/naval sims being made, even buggy ones.



April 12, 1999
In response to an order for Silent Hunter CE that was taking a few weeks to fill; I advised Mark to hold tight and it would come through.

Neal,

Thanks for the advice. My SHCE came on Saturday. I'm quite pleased and can't wait to get to all the new areas.

Mark

Glad to hear it. Looks like the stocks of Silent Hunter are running low and I haven't heard of any plans to press new copies. It may soon become a collector's copy.



April 12, 1999

Is there a good sub sim for the Playstation? I just purchased it and am trying to find one.. You seem very well informed. Any info? thank you much

Marco Flavio Marinucci

Sorry, I know nothing about Playstations. Try a post on the Radio Room board, maybe some other player can help you.



April 12, 1999

Neal,

Great job as always with your page! I especially enjoy your Radio Room and chk it out daily. I'm dropping you this note to request that you change the link for our fleet, The Marauders. Our new link is:

www.marauders.net

Thanks,
Fadm Tones
CNO - The Marauders

Roger that, Chief. Link updated.



March 13, 1999

Hi!

Your SUBSIM-Page is really cool! Thanx a lot for this page! I really like SUBSIM-Games and I have a question.

I'm looking for the very old game SUB BATTLE from Epyx. Lots of years ago I played this game on my XT with CGA-Graphics... I really loved this game and I would like to see it again. Epyx doesn't exists anylonger, so where can I get this game from? I hope you can help me. Thanx a lot!

Sincerely,
Matthias

e-bay is the place for vintage sims.



March 12, 1999

Neal

I would like to say you have an excellent web page for letting people know about how it really was in the Silent Service. I visit your site regularly, and I 'm very interested in the SIM section.

I play a number of SIMs and obviously the best SIMs are usually very realistic. I have played Aces of the Deep, Silent Service I & II, and Jane's 688. To this day however; I still find myself wanting to play Wolfpack. By todays standards it is dated. In fact I haven't seen a true Windows 95/98 version, just a ripoff CD claiming it runs in Windows, but in fact it is still a DOS version. Don't get me wrong the only reason I'm aggravated with it is I WANT TO PLAY IT, and it doesn't do well in Windows. Wolfpack, for those of you unfamiliar with it, did something unusual by allowing you to play the submariner and to jump into the surface vessels and run them as well. This allowed you to take turns with another person at the mouse to control your surface ships or subs. The graphics even today don't seem bad, and with a little work could be excellent. It had one of the easiest control interfaces I have ever seen. I hope to see this game reworked since to me it had great replayability and it was easy to just jump in and play it with out alot of preparation. Have "happy days" in sub simming. Clark "The Rook" Luster



March 7, 1999
Sample of the e-mail blitz:

Gentlemen, I would like to cast my vote along with the others that you reconsider your decision to abandon the long awaited (and promised) campaign disk for 688(I) Hunter/Killer. This seems to be a disturbing trend in this industry of late. I can name several recent games that developers have lavished promises of support and enhancement, only to dash the hopes of gamers by suddenly deciding not to do so. Now EA/Sonalysts have thrown their name into the hat. The submarine sim market (more notably the modern sub sim) has to wait years between titles. There are precious few games in this genre that people like me can enjoy. Which is why it's even more disturbing to see a game like 688(I) which is exactly the kind of sim we have been waiting for, with so much potential for long term play, be ignored especially after promises of support and enhancement were made from the day it was released. I understand that you need to move forward with new products, but don't you think that each time you suddenly drop a promised expansion for one game that it makes it a little harder for people like me to want to shell out more money for future games only to be treated with the same broken promises? Is it really too much to ask for this campaign disk? You did state on many occasions that it was in the works, what happened? Is it just not profitable at all to do expansion disks anymore? I would gladly pay for a campaign disk for 688(I), as I'm sure others are as well. Please think about it.

Thanks for listening,

David L. Webster


February 13, 1999

Dear Sirs:

I am a loyal Macuser who is jealous over the fact that Silent Hunter (my favorite game, though played at the homes of others) is not in a Mac format. Are there any other subsims of similar quality that are for Macs? Wolfpack is too easy.

Very truly yours,

Liam

Check out the links page for Deadly Games. They have two Mac U-boat sims.



January 30, 1999

Hi,

Just dropped by for the first time. I saw your website listed in the Jan/Feb99 Issue of Computer Entertainment Debrief. I have recently become a submarine and subsim enthusiast (having cut my teeth in the real and several virtual air forces. My compliments on an attractive and useful site. I wish I had found it sooner as it would have saved me a lot of surfing and searching. My primary subsim interest is Jane's 688I and Silent Hunter.

I am also an avid reader. May I suggest adding a page to your site listing books on submarines currently in print. I have quite a few but am always looking for new ones.

Keep up the good work.

Mark P. Gutis

Take a look at the CYBERSUB FLOTILLA page of the Deep Domain; I have an extensive bibliography towards the end.



January 28, 1999

Hello I'm Spanish and I would give you congratulations for your site. It's very good. I was searching a long time ago about Wolfpack game and I find you! (thanks to a link of Aces of the Deep page). I have a questions about this game. What is in the Wolfpack game the "Pillenwerser"? I don't know what is that. I'm too a fanatic about submarines games, since I got the Wolfpack game. Later I got Aces of the Deep and Silent Hunter.

Thanks -- Paco Torres. (Frank Tower)

Pillenwaffer is a small device the German Navy created to help subs confuse the enemies sonar. It is released from the U-boat and the salt water starts a chemical reaction that produces millions of noisy bubbles. This "clouds" the destroyers sonar. It worked to some extent, but the slow U-boats usually couldn't get very far away to be happy about it.



January 1, 1999

Hi, you have an excellent site.

I am currently a LT on a 726 class boomer, about to go on my last patrol before getting out of the Navy. Once I am out I should have enough free time to actually play some of the sims I've been collecting. Believe me when I tell you getting good at these sims would have made me a better sub driver than all of the training I've gotten from the Navy. Right now I have Epyx Sub Battle Simulator, The Hunt for Red October, the original 688, SSN-21 Seawolf, Fast Attack and of course 688i. My question is actually on the original 688 from EA. I have the original disk, but I seem to have lost the manual for it. In order to start the game you must enter a 3 letter code based on a excerpt from the manual. Even though it would only cost about $3 to buy another copy, I know I'll never be able to find the game in the stores again. Any ideas on how I can get a hold of the text of the manual or otherwise defeat this interlock? Also, any hints of a boomer simulation coming out in the future? I know three knots to nowhere isn't the most exciting scenario, but if the missiles ever started to fly it could be interesting.

Jon R.
Kings Bay, GA

Hi Jon, I believe I have a copy of the manual for the original 688, but it's buried deep in storage. I won't be able to get at it until May. Until then, try a post on the Radio Room forum and see if someone else has a copy they would share.

A boomer sim? Exciting or not, it would be welcome here at SSR.


December 20, 1998

Dear Sir:

I am a submarine enthusiast and enjoy playing simulation games. I purchased Fast Attack (same version as you have) in the bargain bin at Best Buy for $5.00!!!!! I too have experienced problems with the program crashing, but I'm not sure it is due to time compression every time but that very well may explain some of the problems I've been having. I have found that my screen saver also caused problems with running Fast Attack. From talking to others that have other Sierra Games, you may want to turn off any antivirus software you may have running in the background. McAfee antivirus with screenscan is one that comes to mind. I turn both off to play and it seems to help.

As far as your assessment of the graphics and realism of the game I couldn't agree with you more. I personally know a few WW2 sub vets and have some experience on a Tench class submarine, SS-481 USS Requin, here in Pittsburgh, Pa. as a tour guide. I don't know the address, but they do have a limited web page.

Thanks for the patches and information contained on your site. I will check back frequently for updates. Please feel free to write back regarding anything in this letter. As I am careful about opening mail from unfamiliar sources please place something regarding submarines or Fast Attack in the subject title.

Sincerely,
Dave Gerster

Fast Attack: The Lost Classic. I feel sorry for the guys who programmed it. Such a great sim, so close to perfection, and no support from Sierra. Alas!



December 19, 1998

I saw an artical in the New London Day in CT and decided to look up SUBSIM Review. I'm currently in the Navy stationed at the Naval Base in Groton, Connecticut. Currently I teach submarine school to new sailors, but before that I was stationed on one of the first flight 688 attack subs. The name of the boat was the City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705). I am a submarine enthusiast, and currently have three different sub games along with submarine memorabilia since I have been in the Navy. I enjoyed looking at your web site and soon as I am proficient at Jane's 688I game I will join the online war.

Paul



December 12, 1998

Hi there

I am into flight sims (mostly MS Flight Sim98 & Combat version). Are there any new good Subsims that have similar good 3D graphics that exploit the latest 3D video cards? What is the best Windows95/98 subsim?

Philip Kelly

Hi Philip. No subsim as of yet takes advantage of Win 98 or 3D graphics potential. It is rumored that Fighting Steel will use the 3D funtions, and also the distant Silent Hunter II. The best all around subsim is considered by many to be Silent Hunter, with Fast Attack and Jane's 688(I)vying for best nukie subsim. Of course, the first two will run under Win95 but as DOS programs.



December 10, 1998

Wow, what a great site! Thank you so much for the objective and comprehensive info on all of the subsims available today. I have a question that harks back to yesteryear, however. Due to the fact that I have not owned a pc in close to 5 years now, I have fallen out of touch with the subsim world. I am looking forward to buying a pc in the next few months, and I plan on trying out all of the new-fangled programs like 688(I) and CAOD. In addition to these new games though, I would like another crack at the first subsim I ever played... Red Storm Rising. This subsim owned my soul for a year in 1990, until I had to give it back to the person I had borrowed it from. I have never seen it since. It's been 8 years and I still have a craving to play that game! I went out and bought 688 Attack Sub shortly after, but I found it sorely lacking (I found it almost impossible to evade enemy torpedoes).

Matt Horgan

Try visiting the E-bay website and doing a search for submarine in the computer games section. I haven't heard anything further from the prospective RSR2 camp. I will post a bulletin if I do.



December 7, 1998

Neal

I'm an avid SH player for something around a year. Only recently active on the net. can"t believe all the stuff on subs and "the game" out there. The wish list covers all I've thought of plus more. Hope to see it in the game one day. I draw the line at actually being killed during a fatal depth charging though.

Ed Mcdowell



November 13, 1998

Hi,

I am new to all this sub sims and have just started looking for a good sim. I looked a lot on the web for info and would like to thank you for your site. Your site is the only review site I could find that could provide me with a good overview of the sim situation right now from the point of view of someone who has no idea what is going on. Thanks, your site was the end of my surfing on this topic, such good info.

One question I still do not have answered on Silent Hunter is can you save the game at any time during play. This is very important to me. I know its such a basic question but I cant take it for granted and cant find the answer. Im sure you can help me there?

Thanks
Dave

You can save when you wish with one exception--you cannot save once you have engaged the enemy.



November 13, 1998

Neal,

Excellent site!

I was wondering....I'm looking for an excellent WW2 sim and am looking forward to SH2. I'm seeking your guidence, O SUBSIM guru! Is SH such a classic that I shouldn't miss it even now after it has been out for so long or should I just wait for SH2? I'm concerned about buying a sim that will be "outdated" and shelved when it's much better sequel comes out in a few monthes. If I buy SH, it would be the Commander's Edition. BTW- I own both 688i and Fast Attack. Fast Attack was very fun and has better action scenes, but 688i reeks realism!

Thanks for any feedback and your time,
Jeff Kiess

Silent Hunter is so good and graphically rich that it will take one hell of a program to render it obsolete. Buy the Commander's Edition, and enjoy!



November 10, 1998

Hi there at the Subsim Review,

as I try to collect Subsims, I make my decissions on your page. So I bought at auction page "ebay" a single CD called "Silent Steel Special edition". Now I find out that I can play it to the end because the game was made of 4 CD's. But they are not available here in Germany.

Can you help me to get them?

Greetings from Germany.
Jochen

You're best bet is to keep an eye on E-bay and try to get a complete set. Also, post a request to buy Silent Steel on the Radio Room forum.



November 1, 1998

Ok Neal...

1baddude here.. I think you remember me. Just wondering when we get to see Von Kreig on the water again. Iron Wolves is a great Sub Sim. To me there is no other game and I have tried them all. I have 688I collecting dust next to me now. Its about battling people and playing out strategies to be the best on the water. Its created a family of folks that just keeps growing. We had our first event where people came from around the country to get together, Discuss the game,have a few brews and a great time. We toured a destroyer and a W.W.II submarine. How many games ..(and I know there are a lot of 688I clubs) plan a yearly reunion. I am no kid anymore. I am almost 40 and I am in it for a great time. Be sink'n yea later Neal..Or Von Kreig as we know yea

1baddude



October 27, 1998

Dear Neal,

This message is just to say thank you for your information! I wrote you some months ago asking the differencies between CAOD and SH. I had both of them from several months. I often open your site to see the updates and I'm very happy to see that there are people that like submarine. As you know, it's very hard to find people that like submarine because it's not a common "hobby"; it's difficult to find books, movies and any other information because there is no market and few people are interested. But simulations are a mix of these things! They are history, movies, action, culture, human experiences: if you ask me the reason I like submarine I have no answer, I only can say they are great boats! I liked them since when I was child, but now I'm 26 yars old: I like the boat, the tactics, the technology employed, the history but I discovered the man and, of course, I didn't know this aspect when I was younger. In "Das boot" you can see this: for example did you ever notice the face of the captain, while the submarine drops (and they are not able to stop it), when they are trying to force the Straits of Gibraltar?. Jurgen Prochnow is a great actor (I don't know why he hasn't become famous!), he rapresents the despire in that scene and everyone is, sometimes in his life, despired. And the force of character of the crew when they work to surface again! Therefore, thank you to contribute to keep this subject alive.

Now I give you a pice of news (probably you already know): Michael Douglas will be the captain of an u-boot in a new movie: "U-571" should be the title. The movie is filmed here in Italy and in Malta, I know they have rebuilt a complete German u-boot.

I'm waiting for Silent Hunter II and 688(I) Gold, I hope we'll have soon new information about.

Alessandro Paoletti



October 11, 1998

Hello.

Your homepage knows well. :-) The other day, your HP was found in TopPage of Simulation Headquarters. (http://www.simhq.com/) It is remarkable. :) 688 (I) submariner of Japan decreased. We look forward to 688i Add-On Disk or, 688i Version2. I carry your homepage to my Link. Thank you.

I'm little speak English. Permit, although difficult to read with the strange sentence. :-)

Webmaster: Mitsuhide Mori

Thank you for the good words. Always happy to hear from other submarine players!



October 6, 1998

Howdy...

Great website. I'm thankful somebody is keeping track of all this substuff so I can work on having fun blowing up ships. I bought Silent Hunter last Winter and "dove" right into subsims. I'm still playing that one. I also own Janes 688i and Sierra's Fast Attack and like all of them. After my first subsim I went nutzoid at the local library and checked out some great reads about Subs in action. O'Kanes books are especially great... puts you right in the middle of WWII. I'm wondering if you can add another page listing great books to read about the real subs in WWII and other wars. Maybe add another section there about Clancy novels or other fictional works with subs in them. Some of that stuff is great too.

Great job!
Tom Lawnsby

Thanks a ton for the great letter. You should check my bibliography page at http://www.brazosport.cc.tx.us/~nstevens/subs.html and also Ron Martini's Submarine Book Store. You can get great books at the lowest prices, delivered to your door in a couple of days. I get about one a month from him.



September 29, 1998

I dunno about any sims outside of SH-CE, but you put some thought into your editorial and it was great. I have wondered if you are offshore of Nagasaki or Hiroshima on 8/9/45 and 8/3/45 if you see the atomic bombs. (Would be neat historical/realism touch to turn the screen white and then smoke and fire the rest of the day.)

Keep on keep'n on.

Derek

Now that would be realism! But I'm afraid Japanese players would be offended. They don't have the same opinion of the bombing as we. To them, the bomb represents a gruesome experiment carried out on women and children not directly involved in the war. I doubt we'll ever see something like you suggested. Thanks for the message!



September 10, 1998

One major flaw I found with 688I (an otherwise MASTERFUL sim!) was the weak campaign structure. WHAT campaign? All it was was the scenarios strung together in order.

In the sims I buy, high on my wish list is a campaign structure that is at least random, if not dynamic. 688I seemed to lack that entirely, unless I'm mistaken. If you know of some fix or patch that suddenly includes a better campaign structure, be sure and let me know!

Alan Tetkoskie

Jane's 688(I)'s lack of a dynamic campaign was a great source of disappointment to many veteran sim players. The producers were aware of the interest in a dynamic/random mission generator but dismissed it: "We have not decided to do a dynamic campaign in 688, it is a huge sink for play balance, and in my opinion the missions presented are not well tuned. Yes they are replayable, and that is a big advantage. They are, again in my opinion, not as fun, they seem mechanical. I know I differ from a lot of players on this subject...." (Paul Grace).

A "huge sink for play balance?" A good sim but they missed the mark by excluding a dynamic mission generator. Even though they knew players wanted it. Hmmmm....



September 6, 1998

Neal,

Thanks for responding to my inquiry.

I have been working on Silent Hunter for a few days and discovered one of my Dad's submarines in the rulebook. What a great way to enjoy history. I enjoyed the videos in Silent Hunter. I did not expect my 11 year old son to take interest in SH, but now I cannot get him off the "game". He thought the compression function affected only his little submarine world while everyone else slept. He has had several rude awakenings!

Your website and associated links have given me many hours of joy. Thank you.

Christian

Really glad your son is having fun with Silent Hunter. Quick, before his interest wanes, get over to a used book store and get him a copy of Capt. Herbert A. Werner's "Iron Coffins" and Edwyn Gray's "Submarine Warriors".



August 25, 1998

Neal,

I just ran across your website and was happy to hear that Fast Attack crashed on someone else. I was about to toss it off my 24 story apt. balcony. I love Fast Attack (gold) and was very unhappy when it would crash (like you said), 1 out of 3 times. I have made a boot disk and it now seems the odd time out when it crashes.

The reason I bought Fast Attack was becuse I could not get SSN21-Seawolf or Aces of the Deep to run on my computer. I still cannot get either game to run on my computer, but thankfully I have my Fast Attack to rely on. AOD I can get to the opening scene and then it quits. SSN21 wont let me configure the sound. Any suggestions you may have on either game that may not be in the documentation? My next step (after I've mastered F.A.) is to get Silent Hunter I,II.

Anyway, thanks for all the great information you have on your website. It was just what I was looking for.

Brandon

Yes, Fast Attack suffers from some uncertain malady that causes program instability. One of the designers confessed that Win 95's Plug and Play system has something to do with it. FA was almost finished when Win 95 came out. Avail yourself of the Fast Attack troubleshooting tips in the TACTICS & TIPS section. Note the remarks about using time compression.



August 19, 1998

HEY!

I used to play "Red Dawn" on an old MSX machine, dating back to 1984. The game was included in a games collection, so I don't have a picture of the box or anything. Sorry about that. I don't know if it was a "big" or revolutionary sim when it was released, and I don't know if the sim is worth to mention in your history section. In fact, I don't know how old the sim is, either. "The Games Collection" is from 1988, but "Red Dawn" may be older. Mabey someone else knows more about it, if we just ask in the newsgroup. But I have some words from the manual, so you may have an idea what it's all about:

RED DAWN is a simulation of the operation and deployment of WWII class submarines.In the game you'll be wanted to carry out the assignments printed in the log.Set course to the estimated point of interception, set out to sea at right speed to make the arrival time. Once on the scene you go to Battle Stations and engage the enemy at your discretion. Sometimes secret agents or documents need to be ferried. Usually from a given coordinate to one of the safe harbours

And then some personal inputs:

The game may be looked at as realistic in its time, but now (naturally) it is very simply compared to modern subsims. To the left of the screen, you always see the periscope. To the right, you can change which station you want (the weapon station, the log, the engine room, the map and the damage report). So if you was going to kill a ship, you had to just see the ship in the periscope, and try to calculate the impact point.

Magne Tjørhom



August 18, 1998

Hi,

I've really enjoyed your site and info on the 688(I). If you do get some decent contact with the Janes people, could you consider mentioning the fact that the program cannot be run on some systems without video modifications -- which for many of us, are pretty difficult to make for the game and then to restore for the rest of our stuff. I'm running an STB Velocity 128 and get the fabled graphics error.

Thanks for your consideration and good luck with the campaign!

Brian

Thanks. And the guys I spoke with at Sonalysts said a patch was on its way that would rectify that problem.

 


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