Pacific Storm

Strategic, operational, tactical and arcade/simulation games are considered separate genres for good reason as each requires very different skills and approaches to gaming. Many products have attempted to combine two of these genres and have usually failed. Not deterred by the past, CDV, Letsa Studio and Buka Entertainment have boldly charged ahead and made a club sandwich deluxe of a game with Pacific Storm, a game that combines all four genres while dealing with the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II. Can gamers get their jaws around such a snack and still appreciate the flavor?

Technical and Communication Difficulties

Pacific Storm’s installation runs fine through the usual wizard system, taking up 3 GB of disk space. However, the game does takes a long time loading the main engine and requires even more time to load scenarios. Worse, once running, the game is prone to crashing to the taskbar (which differs from crashing to the desktop in that the game is easily resumed by clicking on the taskbar icon). Nevertheless, these apparently random occurrences are quite annoying. Complaints about this problem have come from users with very powerful systems as well as from lower-end PC owners with none of the workarounds posted on the support site working for everybody. Finally, another technical concern is joystick compatibility for the arcade portions as not all sticks work completely with this title.

The 168-page printed manual devotes 88 pages to the game with the remainder of the material devoted to historical references. The manual is thorough and well written but the black-on-grey format makes some of the images difficult to see (although the PDF manual does have color). The tutorial provides in-depth coverage of the gameplay but players will pause at some of the tutorial’s use of the English language (such as “Destroyers” for “Fighter aircraft” and the mention of “Disembodied” units), not to mention the run-on sentences with peculiar word choice. The tutorial works fine, but surely CDV could have found a more proficient editor.

Pretty Beneath the Southern Cross

The graphics for the arcade portion of the game are fine, if not outstanding. Most of the aircraft panel instruments are not functional but the power, altitude and ammunition bars are worthy substitutes. Effects such as sun glare and clouds work well, along with the different points of view and panning functions. The ship models also are more than acceptable, although below the bar as set by products such as Distant Guns. Terrain, sky and water are sharp and accurate on the tactical map as is the mini-map. The strategic map is very bright and provides the information players need. The strategic unit icons are serviceable with little symbols indicating the force’s status. The paths of storm fronts are a nice touch. If the tabs on the base screens resemble illustrated spreadsheets, well, that’s what they are. The font of some of the tables can be a bit small but, overall, the graphics are more than satisfactory. Players who encounter video problems have a large array of settings that may help them.

Sound is a mixed bag. Combat effects are nice and loud but the aircraft engine sounds don’t quite yield the feel of increased power or straining airframes. The music has no period feel and does a weak job of creating a suitable atmosphere with the “Off” option coming in very handy here. The generic voice acting is repetitive and annoying. Gunfire and explosions are satisfying, becoming louder as you close in on the combat.

Multi-Role Playing Alone

Pacific Storm has four types of scenarios at three difficulty settings with the AI having more numerous and tougher forces at higher settings. The historical campaign represents the situation of Japan and the US as of December 1, 1940 with the US having a tremendous resource advantage to oppose a more experienced Japanese military. The “Free” campaign starts at the same date but evens up the resource levels. Tactical missions are divided into seven historical missions and seven “Free” missions for the Americans and the same historical ones but only two abstract ones for the Japanese. The historical missions depicts parts of famous battles, such as Pearl Harbor and Leyte Gulf, while the “Free” missions show abstract situations such as a convoy or bombing raid. The object of these battles is to destroy a set number of enemy units while keeping friendly loses low, with secondary objectives popping up that require hitting oil farms or incoming B-17s at Pearl Harbor.

Gameplay at the tactical level is simple. Friendly forces are shown as icons grouped by type – ships, torpedo planes, fighters, etc. - in the upper left corner of the screen. Clicking on an icon shows each plane with its experience level in the lower left. Clicking on an individual plane will take players to that plane. Groups of units can be selected through hot keys of the usual left-click and lasso methods. Blanket orders concerning tactics and firing ranges are given through command menus with commands being directed at individual units, specific groups of units, or all friendly forces depending on the selection mode. This menu has unit-specific icons that can accomplish such things as ordering a plane to land when out of fuel, launching an aircraft carrier’s air wing by group, ordering a sub to go to a selected depth and to sortie a ship’s scout plane. Time and map scales can be handled through another similar on-screen menu.

Movement and target selection is a simple procedure of selecting friendly units and right-clicking on a destination or a target. Distant units are shown as geometric symbols according to type and side color. Units react per the tactical choice of the player. Ammunition levels, combat efficiency, speed and damage appear roughly accurate, i.e. no unit outperforms or underperforms outside of broad historical parameters.

Players can engage in tactical missions in third-person POV but, for that hands-on feel, they can climb into a cockpit or a ship’s anti-aircraft turret for some first-person POV fun. The anti-aircraft mode is arcade gaming at its worst involving little more than moving crosshairs around and hitting the trigger. If a player simply wants easy distraction, anti-aircraft duty may fit the bill for a while but it gets boring quickly. The flight simulation presents another case entirely. Although not as accurate or as well controlled as a dedicated flight sim, such as Pacific Fighters, the flight models represent dozens of different planes of various types with dive-bombers, torpedo planes, level bombers and fighters all making an appearance. Player-control of an individual plane can make a difference as, after a botched AI attack, the flaming of an elusive fighter or sinking of a high-value capital ship by the player can tip the scales in his favor. After play at the tactical level has become boring, going into arcade mode can serve to spice up a mission. Additionally, the enjoyment derived from the game can be extended by using the tactical missions’ builder to change the weather, goals and force mix on pre-existing maps. Finally, internet play can be setup through the battle planner which allows for cooperative play as well as the usual “death match” mode.

However, the tactical and arcade play levels take second chair to the strategic campaign. Here, Japan and the US square off in managing every aspect of their military might. The essential ingredients are clear cut: Japan must control the Panama Canal and one Californian base while the US must take and hold two of four Japanese cities. The raw stuff for this conflict is money, oil, aluminum and iron. Control of these is the objective of every operation and every operation is a function of one or more bases. Clearly, base management is a key to victory. The historical campaign gives each side the bases they had in December 1940 with the U.S. controlling Commonwealth forces. The “free” scenario cuts the U.S. down to only the California bases and Hawaii. Strangely, Japan only gets the three bases on the home islands even though Okinawa was also a home island.

Sinews of War

A look at the homeland screen is necessary before dealing with the bases. The homeland screen has four sections: resources, troops, production and technology. “Resources” consists of a list of all bases the player controls with their present amount of money, oil, iron, etc. Clicking on their names brings up the base screen. “Troops” list all units along with a “Switch to location” command from a drop-down menu. “Production” is where players really start to think with selections divided into ships, planes, guns and sensors, and ammo. Each category has many choices but their availability depends on the present stock of money, resources, labor and technology. Choices can be given priority in the queue via yet another drop-down menu. “Technology” is the usual tech tree with 48 advances (acquired solely through money) and divided into engines, electronics, ammo and facilities. The terminology problem that plagues this game pops up here as well: is the “A-bomb” just ammo? Is a “glide bomb” a facility? If a game lasts long enough weapons can reach post-1945 levels.

Yet, the base level is where players spend most of their time. The base screen consists of formation, warehouse, people, buildings and information tabs. “Formations” not only lists formations by type, but also ships not yet assigned to formations. Depending on the number of ships available, formations are created by picking the level of formation desired in terms of a hierarchy, e.g. squadrons or battalions and so on up to fleet level. Again, the terminology is incorrect. Whoever heard of a destroyer battalion or a bomber regiment in the USN? Each formation is rated for various attributes like supply and experience. A drop-down menu can have formations join other formations, choose ammunition, train or leave the base. A unique command allows modification of a ship type to create different variants.

“Warehouse” shows the resources at the base and in formations. These items can be transferred between a base and appropriate vessels. Another panel shows the transport orders waiting to be fulfilled at that base. Warehouses on the primary base are particularly important as all production is initially shipped there. Critical supplies and components can be manually loaded, dispatched and unloaded on this screen if an appropriate transport unit is present.

The “People” tab provides information on sailors, soldiers, pilots and engineers. These troops are rated for different attributes including experience from “inexperienced” to “elite.” Some experience can be increased through training but, primarily, improvement comes through combat. The number of troops a base can have is dependent on the numbers of barracks available, while churches and hospitals tend to their welfare. Of the four types, sailors and engineers are the most important as they move material and create bases. People can be transferred between formations and the base. Soldiers are abstract as no ground combat is present in the game. Primary bases also have historical commanders – complete with mini-biographies – with characteristics that supplement the abilities of formations. These men can be appointed commander-in-chief, command a formation or simply hitch a ride.

If bases are the keystone of the game, then buildings are the keystones to bases. Sixteen building types exist and range from defense to supply facilities (including warehouses, oil tanks, churches, barracks and hospitals). Ports and airfields increase capability to service strike forces. Industrial plants exploit natural resources in the area while increasing profit. All buildings require money and labor to build and upgrade and some require shipped in special components. As with many other activities, building base facilities can be handed off to the computer AI that does a reasonable job, but care must be taken to insure automatic base building doesn’t bankrupt a nation.

The “Information” tab just summarizes the data found on the other tabs.

Frantically Pacific

Campaigns begin in peacetime, so early moves often involve the establishment of new bases, improving existing ones and ordering production and technology queues. Establishing bases entails choosing some of the fifty-plus sectors of the Pacific. Many of the sectors are empty but a few have strategic resources while others are geographically important. Fast destroyers are used to quickly grab the plum spots and deny then to the future enemy. Transports laden with engineers follow to improve the new bases. Meanwhile, the government starts bombarding players with orders to develop technology and improve bases within a specified timeframe. Timely completion wins a monetary bonus and lateness incurs a fine.

It is at this point that flaws in the strategic interface and certain concepts appear. While the many automatic options cut down on micromanagement, meeting the logistical demands trips over the pace of the game. In addition, some events displayed in the message log trigger pop-ups that pause the game and require the player to manually close them and unpause the game. The four game speeds can be characterized as creep, crawl, slow and impossibly fast. In the slow speeds, players can spend several minutes watching ships inch toward their ports while fighting off pop-ups. When a manual transport is needed, players must pause, load, unpause and let a few seconds go by before going back in to give the transport its orders. The only fast speed makes auto-management a stumbling block because the computer will send transports off with normal supplies before players can intervene, leaving critical goods on the pier. A horrible irony is that fast speed is actually made slow because of the pop-up clicks and crashes. This confused pace makes for a very long and tedious game.

Once hostilities commence, the historic island-hopping strategy works. Task forces are created and sent to enemy bases or fleets while subs patrol along supply lines. Long-range bombers can soften up a target, even though their return to base is heralded by a defeat announcement despite the fact that the raid was completely successful. When a task force engages the enemy, players choose if they want to go into tactical mode or resolve it with an auto-battle. In auto-battle, the player can go after enemy forces, base infrastructure or both. The computer then fights the battle and provides the results. The problem here is that forces fight to the death, never retreating when the battle goes awry. Players must either have overwhelming superiority or resign themselves to prolonging the game with tactical battles. The AI is strategically keen but tactically inept. Thus, the balance will always lean toward the industrial, rich U.S.; historically true but frustrating for gaming.