Subcommander

Life

While pedants argue that simulations are not be games in their true sense, sims like Subcommander offer great play value, if you like that sort of thing. There is great diversion to be had immersing your self in the details of a combat vehicle and applying the knowledge you learn to successful missions.

Sonalysts, the developers of Sub Command, are also responsible for the seminal Hunter Killer 688(i), a difficult game with a steep learning curve. 668(i)gave the public the first taste of what it was like to operate a hunter/killer nuclear submarine in the oceans of today. Heavily detailed and meticulously modelled, Subcommand takes up where 688(i) left off. 

Replete with masses of technical detail on all the weaponry involved, the first job required of a sub commander is to know his own ship and then to learn about the enemy. All the necessary schematics, data sheets and diagrams are available through the easy to use menu, which adds an air of authenticity. You really get the feeling that you are aboard a boat designated SSN (ship, submersible, nuclear) by NATO and Jane’s Fighting Ships. 

An SSN is a fast, heavily armed ship with sophisticated listening and tracking devices. Smaller, faster and more manoeuvrable than ballistic missile subs (designated SSBNs), the mission of these hunter/killers is to roam the seas in search of enemy attack subs, SSBNs and surface vessels. Once an enemy ship is found, the SSN stalks and tracks its prey before dispatching it to Davey Jones’ Locker. An SSN can also carry cargoes such as Navy SEALS that are dropped off silently on enemy coasts to carry out Black Operations.The missions in the game reflect the full versatility of these silent killers.

Being the sophisticated piece of machinery that it is, the SSN requires no small amount of knowledge to operate. As with 688(i), Subcommand has many tutorials to help you through the basics. The first part of training is Basic Sub Ops, which takes you through the basics of control and navigation. Nothing too difficult here: just training in the use of bow planes, thrust and ballast tanks to give the full range of motion in all axis. 

Next up is Basic Sonar Ops and this is where that learning curve heads skyward. Modern submarines play a deadly game of hide and seek. The SSN is sleek and has few hull protrusions to make it glide silently through the water. It has sensitive devices to listen for other objects in the water and processes sonar traces through powerful computers to identify vessels. Everything from seismic activity to whale noises, described as ‘bio-background’ by the US navy, can be identified and differentiated from the sound of a torpedo, a missile launch or a civilian trawler. To listen silently, track and ambush is the core of the mission of the SSN and these are recreated faithfully in this sub-sim. Sonar Ops are complex and I found the skills difficult to learn. The tutorial is very helpful, but in the missions, I found it difficult to build on my training. Practice and constant reference to the manuals were required before I could tell the difference between an enemy ballistic missile boat and an amorous whale.

Next up in training is Tracking and Fire Control. Once a sonar trace has been found, you must follow it silently without revealing your presence to the enemy. There are tricks to be learned if you want to practice stealth: you can hide yourself in the enemy’s wake or use natural cover to give yourself a greater element of surprise. Once you have acquired your target and tracked it, you must destroy it and there is a choice of weapons for doing this. Torpedoes, missiles and other charges are tailored to meet specific needs. Choose the right weapon, flood your tubes and fire. You must run and hide immediately after firing, for this is when a submarine is most vulnerable to attack from other ships.

The tutorials again are comprehensive, but applying them in missions is difficult and requires many attempts to get right.

Once you have satisfied yourself with the tutorials, the missions are multi-layered and well designed. Built into campaigns, the missions test your skills in a steady progression. 

The graphics are basic. 3D renderings of various bits of action are shown in windows, but most of the operations is executed from control panels or charts. The panel displays are different depending on whether you are commanding a US or a Russian submarine. Again attention to detail is minute and the Russian Akula class looks primitive compared to the US Sea Wolf.

Multiplayer options will be through EA’s online services offering co-op and death match play. 

A pre-release version of the game was used for this review, but it was very close to the finished product that will hit the shelves. This is the closest thing to commanding a nuclear-powered hunter/killer submarine, short of joining up. 

As a result, this is a demanding and complex simulation.

The excellent 688(i) was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as being the most challenging computer game on the market. I reckon Subcommand will take the world record from its sibling. If you like realistic simulation and challenging play, this game is for you. But before you slip beneath the simulated waves, just warn your family and loved ones that they may not see you for a while.

Rating: 85%

Requirements: PII 300, 64Mbyte RAM, D3D Video card, Soundcard, CD ROM, DirectX 

Price: TBA

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