SUBSIM.com
Naval Articles and Submarine Game Articles Archive
The Naval Articles and Subsim.com Articles Archive holds hundreds of articles about Silent Hunter 4 (also known as Silent Hunter IV), Aces of the Deep, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dangerous Waters, Fast Attack, Sub Command, Silent Hunter III, Submarine games and simulations, sub book reviews, Nuclear Submarines, U-Boats, SSGN subs, the Russian Navy, the Royal Navy,
boats, ships, aircraft carriers, submarine, and more.
Silent Hunter III - First look. I took some photos of the game as it was being played on the monitor but they do not do the gfx justice, this game looks terrific! Lead Designer Tiberius Lazar and Project Manager Florin Boitor kindly led me through the many aspects of the game and answered all my questions.
Enigma: Rising Tide Single Player Preview Enigma's single player game takes place in Tesseraction's alternate history. Included are ten single missions (just ten, yes) and two ten-mission campaigns in which you play as a destroyer or a submarine. The campaign structure is scripted and to progress you must complete each mission and live to tell.
Subsimmer in Africa
Africa is in the news. Bad news. Nigerian peacekeepers in Liberia. Dictator Taylor stepping down... or not. American Marines in Monrovia. Dictator Mugabe drives white farmers off their land. Routine genocide in Rwanda. Sounds pretty bleak, but there are men who carry on the business of business with chaos in the background. Subsim enthusiast and pilot James Shearing is one of those men. His work is among that which gives Africans some measure of hope.
Interview with Russell Williams
Executive Producer Flying Lab Software
by Bram Otto, Subsim Review European Editor
Flying Lab’s Pirates sim is designed to be a massive multiplayer online only game. Russell admits this poses some very challenging design problems. “We intend to make a very detailed combat model. The player will be able to allocate the crew to concentrate on duties like manning the rigging or getting a faster rate of fire from the cannons.”
Bethesda invited Subsim into a private screening of Sea Dogs 2 running a demo on a large screen monitor. Producer Joel Breton asked me if I had played Sid Meiers' Pirates. "Well, we want to take Pirates and make it look a whole lot better." And look better, it does.
The Sub Book of All Time
The book covers the first 100 years of the Submarine Force and also provides a glimpse of what’s to come in the future. It contains over 730 magnificent illustrations and twenty-three captivating articles.
Sea Dogs II is nearing the beta phase and screenshots have been appearing on the Internet like crazy. The graphics are simply stunning, to use a word over-applied in the computer game business. But it fits Sea Dogs II without reservation. And while the original was full of originality and daringly successful gameplay, SD2 looks to be 100% better.
The design is complete. No more designing allowed. More than a few people have offered to participate in the design/alpha testing ("You don't have to pay me!") , in the belief that their personal involvement will save the game from disaster.
E3 2001 - 20 Q&A
SUBSIM Review catches up with Silent Hunter II - Destroyer Command producer Shawn Storc and passes along 20 questions from members of the Wolfpack League.
Wed 02 May 2001
Sub Command: Under the Ice--At Last!
It has been four years since Electronic Art/Sonalysts debuted Jane's 688(I). Considered the best nuke subsim by virtually everyone, 688(I) has remained the subsim of choice. That is about to change. EA and Sonalysts are vying to top their own work with the triple-threat Sub Command. SSR fast attack expert Frank "Torpex" Kulick visited Sonalysts to bring you the scoop on the upcoming blockbuster.
Danny Cavanaugh was a good officer. He knew the job of OOD cold and took pride in doing it well to protect those in his charge, which, on a sub, was the whole package - 88 men, 8 officers and the boat Uncle Sam provided.
The end of Combatsim.com. It came as a surprise to many. On Dec. 29, I clicked over to Combatsim.com to see if they had any news or fresh articles. And there it was, a large announcement on "The future of Combatsim.com". Boiled down to the essentials, Doug Helmer, the President and big cheese, was pulling the plug on Combatsim.
The scene is familiar to many armchair sub-skipper: You've just fired a volley of torpedoes at a huge convoy. Some ships scatter, others plod along, seemingly unaware that their fate lies at the bottom of the sea. What now?
Wed 22 November 2000
SILENT HUNTER II: BETA PREVIEW
After six fast and furious months, Ultimation and former-Mattel Interactive rebuilt the U-boat subsim from the keel up. And now SUBSIM Review is here to report: Silent Hunter II has reached beta.
What do you do when you've enjoyed three years on the top? Why, you celebrate, of course! In honor of Sonalysts' and Seawolves' continuing commitment to Jane's 688(I), SUBSIM Review proudly holds a 688(I) Revival! Get ready to sing some rockin' hymns to the best nuke subsim in the house. Amen that!
Tue 17 October 2000
The History of Jane's 688(I)
In the spring of 1997, subsim players were fizzing with anticipation over the imminent release of Jane's 688(I) Hunter/Killer. This sim had so many things going for it: the design work was being done by Sonalysts, a well-established Navy sim designer.
Kim Castro's 688(I) Flashback
"Early in this process, SSI’s Fast Attack was released. We thought it was a really good game, and realized we had our work cut out for us. Then about half-way through development Red Storm released Clancy’s SSN. We were really bummed – how could we compete against Tom Clancy?"
Future looks good for submarines
By Robert A. Hamilton
The submarine force is already rethinking the way it builds its boats, with the next-generation Virginia-class under construction at EB and Newport News specifically designed to accommodate “technology insertions,” new equipment such as revolutionary sensor arrays, electric drive, and advanced weapons.
Sun 04 June 2000
Threat Vector: Interview with author Michael DiMercurio
World politics is like sandlot baseball. We learn about the other guys by fighting them, and by fighting them we learn who they are and that we can trust them. We found out about the Japanese and the Russians and the Germans and the Vietnamese. I think we still have to find out who the Islamics are, which is why I made them the bad guys in Phoenix Sub Zero.
Thu 01 June 2000
Whistling past the graveyard
Jane's A-10: Cancelled. Wolfpack II: Cancelled. Silent Steel II: MIA. M1Tank Platoon 3: Cancelled. Fighting Steel Deluxe: Cancelled. Jane's Attack Squadron: MIA. Thunder Over Europe: MIA. The list goes on.
THE FUTURE OF SUBSIMS
The sky is falling! Well, it does seem that way. This viewpoint offers some ideas about the future of subsims.
Tue 01 February 2000
To the rear--March!
It is conventional thinking that as PCs age, they become obsolete. Well, they do when new software is the focus, but IMO, they become priceless for running older OS's and older subsims/software.
Sat 22 January 2000
Silent Hunter II: The Inner View
SUBSIM Review asked for a few minutes with Senior Producer Rick Martinez to learn the current status of the sim.
Fri 24 September 1999
Tacos at Two Hundred Feet by Neal Stevens
This was it--the big one. I was invited for a day cruise aboard the USS Houston SSN-713. If you've seen the film "Hunt For Red October", then you know the Houston. She made the emergency blow surface as the film sub Dallas. I was not only going on a ride on a fast attack, I was going on the star of the Pacific Fleet.
Fri 10 September 1999
Life in the Wargames Biz
Interview with Joel Billings (Fighting Steel)
SSR is proud to offer you a glimpse in the career of one of the sim industry's founding fathers. He produced over 50 titles including the battleship sim Fighting Steel.
[Read More!]
The buzz on the long-anticipated Jane's Fleet Command has been hearty and hopeful. It's been two years since the last major naval sim release (Jane's own 688(I) Hunter/Killer) and the wetheads have been anticipating a benchmark sim.
Fri 12 February 1999
Flush Sanitaries!
The Cavalla achieved more in her first war patrol than the Battleship Texas did in 40 years of service. Yet, in comparison to the Texas, the Cavalla is unrecognized and overlooked.
Sun 22 November 1998
Fix My 688(I) !
Jane's 688(I) Hunter/Killer set the standard for nuclear subsims when it was released in June 1997. Since then, massive gameplay revealed a number of existing problems with the game. We petitioned to get them fixed, and EA/Sonalysts responded.
Tue 13 October 1998
Mike "Aces of the Deep" Jones Interview
Mike Jones was the producer and lead designer for as well as one of the programmers for Aces. We spoke with Mike about the vision and creation of Aces of the Deep.
[Read More!]
Why did Japan attack the United States? Oil embargo? Economic sanctions? International pressure? Madness? To understand the motives that led Japan to make war on the US, let's go back and examine Japan's history and relationship with the West.
Sat 05 September 1998
Realism
The results of Subsim's summer survey indicate, among other things, that players of submarine simulations cherish realism above historical accuracy, modern graphics and sounds, and multi-play capability.
Tue 01 September 1998
Behind the mind of Michael DiMercurio
by John Channing
For those of you who don't know, (if there are any of you left out there) Michael DiMercurio is one of the finest fiction authors writing on the subject of submarines and submarine warfare today.
[Read More!]
Tue 11 August 1998
Unlike Fine Wine
Has 688(I) been abandoned, left to die a premature death?
Fri 29 August 1997
The Decommissioning of USS Cavalla (SSN 684)
Remarks by ADM Bruce DeMars, USN (Retired)
Pearl Harbor 29 August 1997
The Soviets made the submarine force the centerpiece of their post-World War II naval expansion. But we hounded them unmercifully. They always came out second best.
[Read More!]
Sun 26 January 1997
The SUBSIM ORIGINAL (The Submarine Game)
Subsim founder Neal Stevens was interested in subsims before there were personal computers--he built one when he was a kid. The playing board consisted of two sheets of heavy cardboard, 20 inches wide by three feet with an elaborate structure of turn-based conditions and outcomes using dice and cards.
[Read More!]
Silent Hunter III - First look. I took some photos of the game as it was being played on the monitor but they do not do the gfx justice, this game looks terrific! Lead Designer Tiberius Lazar and Project Manager Florin Boitor kindly led me through the many aspects of the game and answered all my questions.
Enigma: Rising Tide Single Player Preview Enigma's single player game takes place in Tesseraction's alternate history. Included are ten single missions (just ten, yes) and two ten-mission campaigns in which you play as a destroyer or a submarine. The campaign structure is scripted and to progress you must complete each mission and live to tell.
Subsimmer in Africa
Africa is in the news. Bad news. Nigerian peacekeepers in Liberia. Dictator Taylor stepping down... or not. American Marines in Monrovia. Dictator Mugabe drives white farmers off their land. Routine genocide in Rwanda. Sounds pretty bleak, but there are men who carry on the business of business with chaos in the background. Subsim enthusiast and pilot James Shearing is one of those men. His work is among that which gives Africans some measure of hope.
Interview with Russell Williams
Executive Producer Flying Lab Software
by Bram Otto, Subsim Review European Editor
Flying Lab’s Pirates sim is designed to be a massive multiplayer online only game. Russell admits this poses some very challenging design problems. “We intend to make a very detailed combat model. The player will be able to allocate the crew to concentrate on duties like manning the rigging or getting a faster rate of fire from the cannons.”
Bethesda invited Subsim into a private screening of Sea Dogs 2 running a demo on a large screen monitor. Producer Joel Breton asked me if I had played Sid Meiers' Pirates. "Well, we want to take Pirates and make it look a whole lot better." And look better, it does.
The Sub Book of All Time
The book covers the first 100 years of the Submarine Force and also provides a glimpse of what’s to come in the future. It contains over 730 magnificent illustrations and twenty-three captivating articles.
Sea Dogs II is nearing the beta phase and screenshots have been appearing on the Internet like crazy. The graphics are simply stunning, to use a word over-applied in the computer game business. But it fits Sea Dogs II without reservation. And while the original was full of originality and daringly successful gameplay, SD2 looks to be 100% better.
The design is complete. No more designing allowed. More than a few people have offered to participate in the design/alpha testing ("You don't have to pay me!") , in the belief that their personal involvement will save the game from disaster.
E3 2001 - 20 Q&A
SUBSIM Review catches up with Silent Hunter II - Destroyer Command producer Shawn Storc and passes along 20 questions from members of the Wolfpack League.
Wed 02 May 2001
Sub Command: Under the Ice--At Last!
It has been four years since Electronic Art/Sonalysts debuted Jane's 688(I). Considered the best nuke subsim by virtually everyone, 688(I) has remained the subsim of choice. That is about to change. EA and Sonalysts are vying to top their own work with the triple-threat Sub Command. SSR fast attack expert Frank "Torpex" Kulick visited Sonalysts to bring you the scoop on the upcoming blockbuster.
Danny Cavanaugh was a good officer. He knew the job of OOD cold and took pride in doing it well to protect those in his charge, which, on a sub, was the whole package - 88 men, 8 officers and the boat Uncle Sam provided.
The end of Combatsim.com. It came as a surprise to many. On Dec. 29, I clicked over to Combatsim.com to see if they had any news or fresh articles. And there it was, a large announcement on "The future of Combatsim.com". Boiled down to the essentials, Doug Helmer, the President and big cheese, was pulling the plug on Combatsim.
The scene is familiar to many armchair sub-skipper: You've just fired a volley of torpedoes at a huge convoy. Some ships scatter, others plod along, seemingly unaware that their fate lies at the bottom of the sea. What now?
Wed 22 November 2000
SILENT HUNTER II: BETA PREVIEW
After six fast and furious months, Ultimation and former-Mattel Interactive rebuilt the U-boat subsim from the keel up. And now SUBSIM Review is here to report: Silent Hunter II has reached beta.
What do you do when you've enjoyed three years on the top? Why, you celebrate, of course! In honor of Sonalysts' and Seawolves' continuing commitment to Jane's 688(I), SUBSIM Review proudly holds a 688(I) Revival! Get ready to sing some rockin' hymns to the best nuke subsim in the house. Amen that!
Tue 17 October 2000
The History of Jane's 688(I)
In the spring of 1997, subsim players were fizzing with anticipation over the imminent release of Jane's 688(I) Hunter/Killer. This sim had so many things going for it: the design work was being done by Sonalysts, a well-established Navy sim designer.
Kim Castro's 688(I) Flashback
"Early in this process, SSI’s Fast Attack was released. We thought it was a really good game, and realized we had our work cut out for us. Then about half-way through development Red Storm released Clancy’s SSN. We were really bummed – how could we compete against Tom Clancy?"
Future looks good for submarines
By Robert A. Hamilton
The submarine force is already rethinking the way it builds its boats, with the next-generation Virginia-class under construction at EB and Newport News specifically designed to accommodate “technology insertions,” new equipment such as revolutionary sensor arrays, electric drive, and advanced weapons.
Sun 04 June 2000
Threat Vector: Interview with author Michael DiMercurio
World politics is like sandlot baseball. We learn about the other guys by fighting them, and by fighting them we learn who they are and that we can trust them. We found out about the Japanese and the Russians and the Germans and the Vietnamese. I think we still have to find out who the Islamics are, which is why I made them the bad guys in Phoenix Sub Zero.
Thu 01 June 2000
Whistling past the graveyard
Jane's A-10: Cancelled. Wolfpack II: Cancelled. Silent Steel II: MIA. M1Tank Platoon 3: Cancelled. Fighting Steel Deluxe: Cancelled. Jane's Attack Squadron: MIA. Thunder Over Europe: MIA. The list goes on.
THE FUTURE OF SUBSIMS
The sky is falling! Well, it does seem that way. This viewpoint offers some ideas about the future of subsims.
Tue 01 February 2000
To the rear--March!
It is conventional thinking that as PCs age, they become obsolete. Well, they do when new software is the focus, but IMO, they become priceless for running older OS's and older subsims/software.
Sat 22 January 2000
Silent Hunter II: The Inner View
SUBSIM Review asked for a few minutes with Senior Producer Rick Martinez to learn the current status of the sim.
Fri 24 September 1999
Tacos at Two Hundred Feet by Neal Stevens
This was it--the big one. I was invited for a day cruise aboard the USS Houston SSN-713. If you've seen the film "Hunt For Red October", then you know the Houston. She made the emergency blow surface as the film sub Dallas. I was not only going on a ride on a fast attack, I was going on the star of the Pacific Fleet.
Fri 10 September 1999
Life in the Wargames Biz
Interview with Joel Billings (Fighting Steel)
SSR is proud to offer you a glimpse in the career of one of the sim industry's founding fathers. He produced over 50 titles including the battleship sim Fighting Steel.
[Read More!]
The buzz on the long-anticipated Jane's Fleet Command has been hearty and hopeful. It's been two years since the last major naval sim release (Jane's own 688(I) Hunter/Killer) and the wetheads have been anticipating a benchmark sim.
Fri 12 February 1999
Flush Sanitaries!
The Cavalla achieved more in her first war patrol than the Battleship Texas did in 40 years of service. Yet, in comparison to the Texas, the Cavalla is unrecognized and overlooked.
Sun 22 November 1998
Fix My 688(I) !
Jane's 688(I) Hunter/Killer set the standard for nuclear subsims when it was released in June 1997. Since then, massive gameplay revealed a number of existing problems with the game. We petitioned to get them fixed, and EA/Sonalysts responded.
Tue 13 October 1998
Mike "Aces of the Deep" Jones Interview
Mike Jones was the producer and lead designer for as well as one of the programmers for Aces. We spoke with Mike about the vision and creation of Aces of the Deep.
[Read More!]
Why did Japan attack the United States? Oil embargo? Economic sanctions? International pressure? Madness? To understand the motives that led Japan to make war on the US, let's go back and examine Japan's history and relationship with the West.
Sat 05 September 1998
Realism
The results of Subsim's summer survey indicate, among other things, that players of submarine simulations cherish realism above historical accuracy, modern graphics and sounds, and multi-play capability.
Tue 01 September 1998
Behind the mind of Michael DiMercurio
by John Channing
For those of you who don't know, (if there are any of you left out there) Michael DiMercurio is one of the finest fiction authors writing on the subject of submarines and submarine warfare today.
[Read More!]
Tue 11 August 1998
Unlike Fine Wine
Has 688(I) been abandoned, left to die a premature death?
Fri 29 August 1997
The Decommissioning of USS Cavalla (SSN 684)
Remarks by ADM Bruce DeMars, USN (Retired)
Pearl Harbor 29 August 1997
The Soviets made the submarine force the centerpiece of their post-World War II naval expansion. But we hounded them unmercifully. They always came out second best.
[Read More!]
Sun 26 January 1997
The SUBSIM ORIGINAL (The Submarine Game)
Subsim founder Neal Stevens was interested in subsims before there were personal computers--he built one when he was a kid. The playing board consisted of two sheets of heavy cardboard, 20 inches wide by three feet with an elaborate structure of turn-based conditions and outcomes using dice and cards.
[Read More!]
PRACTICING
FOR DOOMSDAY
- The cold
war may be over, but dozens of U.S. and Russian subs still lurk under the
ocean, poised to attack. Time's Douglas Waller was granted the most
access any journalist has ever had to chronicle a patrol of one of those
Tridents, the U.S.S. Nebraska.
GAMES
OF OLDE - New
writer Richard Gillespie takes us back to the stoneage of computer games. Get
your time-travel boots on.
HISTORY
OF SUBSIM REVIEW - What do you get
when you cross a love for computers, submarines, and journalism? A
submarine simulation website that strives to be the best and most
informative on the web.
THE
FIN PROJECT -A Sculpture by John T. Young,
Seattle, Washington, 1998. A Monument to World Peace and Recycling: "From
Swords into Plowshares"
688(I)
SWEEPSTAKES
- Who won what in the latest and greatest SUBSIM Review contest.
US
NAVY SUBMARINE DOLPHINS - On 13 June
1923, Captain E.J. King suggested to the Secretary of the Navy that a
distinguishing device for qualified submariners be adopted.
KURSK
DOWNED BY SECRET TORPEDO?
-- Military experts
said they believed the crew of the Kursk were testing an upgraded
version of a fast and silent torpedo called the Squall.
FASTER
THAN A SPEEDING BULLET-- Called Shkval, meaning squall, it is
said to be capable of speeds as high as 500 kilometres an hour.
DEEP
& DEADLY: PM CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF THE SUBMARINE
- Submarine designs
took shape in wood, iron, steel and brass, and were powered by every
conceivable prime mover, from oars and hand cranks, to boilers and batteries,
and internal combustion engines. Yet no one could make the idea work. No one,
that is, until Holland.
SUBMARINE
HEROES - Of
the seven submariners granted the Medal of Honor in World War II, three
received the award posthumously. And among those, the one who sank the most
Japanese tonnage before being lost in action was Sam Dealey.
ALTERNATIVE
FUELED SUBMARINE - Nuclear
Powered! Diesel-Electric! Stirling Engine Air Independent Propulsion (AIP)?
What is this new method of propulsion, and how potent will it prove to be.
DEBATE CENTER ON MORE US SUBS
-- The US government has woken up to the fact that American submarines are
instrumental in world peace--they have an outstanding record.
U-571
MOVIE SECTION -- Fast paced and fun, the latest U-boat flick may not rival Das
Boot but it is a wild ride. Clips, articles and links here.
TOP
TEN GOOD THINGS ABOUT SUBSIMS-- There are a lot of good
reasons to be a subsim skipper. We've compiled a top ten list that may include
a few things you might not have thought of.
THE
CASE FOR MORE SUBMARINES--This article
discusses the unique value of the U.S. Submarine Force today and why it
warrants more defense investment for the future. By CDR Mark L. Gorenflo,
USN, and CDR Michel T. Poirier, USN
AN SSK ADVENTURE
--
The minister was invited by the
Navy Chief of Staff to make a little trip on a sub with lunch on board. The
minister, knowing my passion, invited me. How could I say no to a minister? By
Jose Manuel Batista
TOMAHAWK
SUPERSUBS -- By converting four soon-to-retire
ballistic-missile submarines into Tomahawk cannons, the Navy could produce
a Stealth weapon system that on its own could "take down a country
for a week. By Richard J. Newman
AKULA! THE SOVIET SHARK -- With the Akula, the former Soviet Union has caught the US in the undersea arms race. Original article by Neal Stevens
CONTEST WINNERS & SURVEY RESULTS -- The 1998 Summer Giveaway winners and the results of a poll of over 480 subsim warriors. Which sim is #1? Find out here.
THE HISTORY OF SUBSIMS -- We examine the pioneer programs of subsim history. These early efforts gave rise to a growing niche of computer games. By Brian H. Danielson and Neal Stevens
AMERICA'S FUTURE SUB -- The New Attack Submarine is the Navy's affordable alternative to the Seawolf. Can it do the job? By Neal Stevens
DEEP DIVE: SEAWOLF -- Seawolf SSN-21, the first of three, is the stealthiest vessel in the Navy's fleet. By Jim Wilson.
SUBSIMS BEYOND 2000 -- Since the advent of the personal computer, inspired companies and individuals have endeavored to reproduce the experience of undersea warfare. By Neal Stevens.
AOD U-BOAT TACTICS -- Hunt and kill tactics used in playing Aces of the Deep. By Fionn Kelly.
THE AKULA THREAT -- Recent case of Russian submarines tracking the US Navy. By Jane's Defence Weekly.
THRESHER DOWN -- The USS Thresher may have been a victim of the same advancing technology that brought her into being. Reprinted from Mechanical Engineering.
& SUBSIM Trivia Contest
