Rich, Detailed Naval Warfare Simulation
Once upon a time, well-researched, detailed military simulations were a mainstay of the PC games industry--rarely best-sellers, but with a hard core of enthusiastic fans. Many were published by companies like Talonsoft--which was run, not coincidentally, by Jim Rose, co-designer of this game. Computer wargames have today almost disappeared from the store shelves, as the conventional market has narrowed its focus to potential best-sellers.
Luckily, companies like Storm Eagle are working to keep computer wargames alive, moving primarily to online distribution, and we're proud to offer this excellent example.
The naval side of the Russo-Japanese War is an extraordinary story; the bulk of Russia's fleet was based in the Baltic Sea, and it steamed literally half-way around the world, even as Russian diplomatics negotiated for coaling rights en route, only to be handily destroyed by the smaller but more modern Japanese fleet at the battle of Tsushima. Along with the First World War's Battle of Jutland, this was the classic engagement of the battleship era.
Distant Guns models every ship on both sides at a minute level, down to fields of fire for individual guns and variations in armor and armament. Lighting and weather conditions affect both accuracy and fog of war; action is real time (pausable in single-player games), with up to 16 players supported over LAN or the Internet.
Distant Guns is not a cheap title; you're paying a premium, in essence, for a polished and high-level development aimed at an audience of modest size. But the demo provides a generous 30 days of play (though limited to one scenario). It is also not for people who don't believe in manuals; though the interface is relatively intuitive for a game of this depth, this is a complicated game. But those who value historical accuracy, strategic complexity, and detail, and fans of naval history, will find a lot to like in this game.
The developer says:
Storm Eagle Studios is proud to announce "Distant Guns!", the ground breaking, heart-thumping debut of their all-new full 3D naval simulation game set during the Russo-Japanese War 1904-05. "Distant Guns!" packs all of the essential features you would expect from the award-winning game development team of Norm Koger and Jim Rose. Utilizing a proprietary rendering system, "Distant Guns!" delivers a totally immmersive experience.
Features
- State of the Art 3d Real-time game engine – including multiple dynamic light sources on properly equipped systems. Play in full screen or windowed mode at any color depth or screen resolution your computer can support.
- Huge game world – Individual battles are fought in a 100km x 100km battle space, and you need never worry about falling off the map. If a battle nears the edge of the 3d battle space, the game instantly auto-generates a new one based on satellite data covering the entire Northwest Pacific region. In theory, a battle can last for days and hundreds or thousands of miles.
- Individual ballistic resolution - every shell fired, from 37mm and up , including armor penetration calculations.
- Dynamic lighting and weather -changes during battles. Weather and lighting affect ship and weapon performance – Heavy seas slow ships down, and interfere with the use of guns mounted near or below current wave heights.
- 3D Surround Sound - Full 3D Directional Battle and Environmental game sounds
- Five Star Musical Score - A Rich original sound track created to enhance a captivating gaming experience.
- Total 3D Camera Control - Preset, User Set, and Free Form Camera settings allow total camera control, even when switching between ships.
- Astronomical engine - tracks proper sun, moon position and phase for any location and instant during each battle.
- Detailed 3d models of 248 historical ships, ranging in size from torpedo boats to battleships. Every significant weapon and critical location is placed exactly on each model. Armor is historically placed and rated for quality.
- 16 Player Multiplay - Play against up to 16 other players in LAN and internet multiplay, or against a challenging computer opponent. If players leave a multiplayer game, the computer opponent can take over for them.
- Searchlights, mines, base defenses and shore batteries.
- Extensive Navigation Assistance Loc, including automatic torpedo and collision avoidance, helps you keep your forces organized during a battle.
- Shell Cam - Shells and torpedoes are visible on the way to their targets. Shell-cam allows you to see the battle as viewed from flying shells.
- Automatic targeting of secondary weapons – You don’t have to worry about manually re-targeting to take care of close-in threats while engaging more critical targets at a distance.
- Detailed resolution of damage and repairs, with crew based damage control, on-board flooding and fires.
- Limited intelligence – You only see enemy forces that can be seen from your own ships.
- Scenarios cover eight historical battles, two historical variants, and two hypothetical battle. Experience the surprise night torpedo attack on Port Arthur. Play battles as small as single ship duels or as large as the climactic Battle of Tsushima.
- Players’ guide includes extensive ship reference and tutorial, and is included in MS Word, PDF and MS help formats.
- Try before you buy – Download the game and play the Battle of Ulsan scenario for up to thirty days, free! If you decide you want to play the full game, online registration is fast and easy.
- Automatic updates – The game automatically checks our servers for patches, updates and new battle scenarios, every time you play. If an update is available, you have the option of accepting it or continuing to play with your existing version.
Reviews
"Discussions of historic war games usually revolve around gameplay versus graphics, around accuracy versus fun, around immersion versus control. Distant Guns: The Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905 should satisfy all parties. Although “somebody with a book” will always question details, both tactical and strategic levels of play do a good job in reflecting the intricacies and realities of the period. The command interface allows control while not interrupting immersion and the graphics fit gameplay. Combat is wild and exciting. Playing this game is intense, engrossing and yet intellectually challenging. All naval enthusiasts should find this game is a keeper on their hard drive."
- The Wargamer
Awards
Award for Excellence, The Wargamer