What draws you to naval warfare?

[Don Maddox]

What is it about naval warfare sims that draws you in? Do you prefer these over land warfare sims?

[mbv]

Naval warfare sims are just another extension of my general interest in naval and maritime history in general. For me a good sim needs to be immersive and as historically and technologically accurate as possible. As the virtual reality aspect of sims gets steadily better they will become the only way you can experience participation in a 3d recreation of past historical events, unless someone invents a time machine.

I grew up with stories of our more recent naval conflicts (great uncle on HMS Ark Royal III and my stepfather was an asdic operator on a flower class corvette - HMS Campion) and that seems to have rubbed off on me in later life with my research interests and general fondness for sea travel and coastal landscapes.

I do also use land and air warfare sims. So far my top vote on land would be for Steel Beasts Pro PE which is a modern armoured warfare simulation of very high standard. Top vote for an air combat sim goes to IL-2 Sturmovik and all its addons.

[aklua24h]

I am interested in naval sim's is my dad was in the navy and going to some on base musems got my interst. I think from the invention of the ironclad to WWII was the hay day for me , just to imangine being in some of those battles is mind bologling, Unfortanly i didn/t have a comp when the great battles seris was out that would have been a fun sim. I play enima rising tide for the ability to pint and shoot from fisrt person and the alternate universe

I hope they make a game where you could desinge ships and drive shoot in first person for ironclads to wwII this is a unfortanate lake of these type of games, that to me is important for the imersion in the games, I will try dg it looks like a game i would be into and hope that a first peron drive and shoot where add but that is just me. Thanks Norm and guys for doing this and hope it goes well can't wait to play it.

Thanks

aklua24h

[philbill]

Sound like you would like Navyfield Akula.
Its free to try www.navyfield.com
I have played Naval games from the early Action Stations and SSI Warship through GNB series to present day games.
I do like the sound of this game and in particular am waiting for the Navies at War from Navalwarfare.net
Phil

[Bullethead]

What is it about naval warfare sims that draws you in? Do you prefer these over land warfare sims?

I like naval sims more than land sims for a number of reasons:

1. I'm a fetisher of huge, complex pieces of machinery, and warships are the biggest and most complex ever built. :cool:

2. I particularly like it when huge, complex machines suffer catastrophic failures, not only for the size of the resulting explosions and fires :smoke:, but also for trying to figure out how progessive and simultaneous failures in a large number of unfathomably interrelated systems (each large and complex in itself) resulted in the particular observed mode of failure of the whole :laugh:

3. I find a ghoulish fascination with the desperate struggles of hundreds of men in dark, flooding, burning, smoke-filled spaces, trying to stave off the devil and the deep blue sea both, and (if the fate of most of my game fleets is any indication) usually failing and dying horribly.

4. As an old artilleryman, I am amazed and impressed at the ability of naval gunners to shoot from 1 moving object, bouncing in the waves, and hit another moving object many miles away.

[dhuffjr]

I've been a huge history nut since I was a little kid. I've probably read the most about the Pacific theatre during WWII. How can you not like the carrier battles? I'm more of a point the ships in the direction and give it an order type myself.

Naval sims I've played are Red Storm Rising on the Comodore, for the PC I've played Pacific War and Janes' Fleet *****(can't remember the name).

I enjoy the Pacific War style of game where naval action is part of the whole strategic picture, but not one that can be put aside. I'm still waiting on the game that takes that and pushes the envelope to include the entire globe.

[NormKoger]

What is it about naval warfare sims that draws you in?

It's not all that uncommon really. Games and cartoons centered around giant fighting robots have been very popular for quite a while. I just prefer my giant fighting robots to be real...

[Rhetor]

Well, the first military history book I have ever seen was "Pierwsza wojna swiatowa na Baltyku" (The First World War in the Baltic") byj Edmund Kosiarz. I was practically learning how to read on it. In pre-1989 Poland naval history books were easier to obtain in the local library (there was an excellent series of books on the IIWW in the Atlantic and the Pacific), and were not so politically distorted as were the books on the land campaigns.

Since then my interests have gradually "come ashore", but the nostalgy remains...

[kkoovvoo]

Well, the first military history book I have ever seen was "Pierwsza wojna swiatowa na Baltyku" (The First World War in the Baltic") byj Edmund Kosiarz. I was practically learning how to read on it. In pre-1989 Poland naval history books were easier to obtain in the local library (there was an excellent series of books on the IIWW in the Atlantic and the Pacific), and were not so politically distorted as were the books on the land campaigns.

Since then my interests have gradually "come ashore", but the nostalgy remains...

Hi,

my first book was also by Kosiarz - it was very thick book "Naval battles" (IIRC). It covered every period, since ancient greece until modern era. The description of battles was very brief - usually 1-2 pages, despite this it fascinated me and reading this book was my first step in naval warfare interest.

[Rhetor]

Hi,

my first book was also by Kosiarz - it was very thick book "Naval battles" (IIRC). It covered every period, since ancient greece until modern era. The description of battles was very brief - usually 1-2 pages, despite this it fascinated me and reading this book was my first step in naval warfare interest.

Yes, the title was "Bitwy Morskie". The book had numerous editions in Poland, and is still a good reference for anyone interested in naval warfare.

[Blackcloud6]

I'm primarily a WWII Land Warfare gamer but I am drawn to gunnery naval war gaming too. I have always had an interest in WWI Dreadnaughts and the WWII Destroyer/Cruiser actions. But I have yet to find the game system to get immersed into. For board gaming, I have purchased almost all of the GWAS and SWWAS games from Avalanche, but I have not had the time to really get into them. What I have played of them I have enjoyed. On the computer side I thought Fighting Steel was going to be it, but after awhile, the games all seem to be the same. I do have Uncommon Valor, and do like it... as long as I resist the temptation to micromanage everything.

I have always wanted to do naval miniatures but don't have the time to invest into them.

I don't think I really like the over technical games that want to simulate what an 5 in AP round does as crashes through the bridge into the Captain's quarters, taking out his Peanut Butter Sandwich etc. I think I would need just the right amount of technical detail to make the game portray the era correctly but concentrate on the tactical and operational maneuver and command issues.

But, alas, I spend most of my time getting sucked deeper into ASL because that game system is just downright cool (once you get past the learning curve) and for which I have FtF gaming buddies.