Free Jutland Weekend

[LongBlade]

No. The AI handles everything.

[Gusington]

Just my usual on how difficult is it to dive into? I saw a couple of the screens and will admit that they looked like medical charts to me.

[LongBlade]

Just my usual on how difficult is it to dive into? I saw a couple of the screens and will admit that they looked like medical charts to me.

It is deceptively simple to get into.

The complexity lies in knowing when to give orders, when to change speed and direction.

In a very real sense there is little to do - you are placed in the role of Admiral. Your job is to move divisions of ships, not to bother with who-shoots-what-when.

Steam & Iron is not an action game - it's more like an interactive movie.

[Gusington]

There's a high level of imagination involved though isn't there? To really get that WWI era feel I imagine the player must use his brain stem.

[LongBlade]

It's a very abstract game. On the left hand you get a news feed of the action and there are some decent sound effects but mostly the game is doing stuff under the hood that most gamers are used to doing themselves.

You have to let go, let the action unfold, and resist the temptation to micromanage. Five minutes may roll by where you make no changes to your orders - you just wait and watch. That style of gameplay isn't for everyone, but I am enjoying it.

[Bismarck]

There's a high level of imagination involved though isn't there? To really get that WWI era feel I imagine the player must use his brain stem.

Not the brain stem, the frontal lobes. Of course, if the stem is all you got...

[Gusington]

How's the manual?

[LongBlade]

How's the manual?

Read it yourself: http://www.navalwarfare.net/files/SAI/SAI-PLAYERS_MANUAL_v110.pdf

[Gusington]

Is damage modeling good? Is the game exciting?

[Bismarck]

Geez, Gus, iif you have so many questions, wait for a review?

BTW, define "exciting".

[LongBlade]

Is damage modeling good? Is the game exciting?

Damage modeling is excellent.

Exciting? No. Except that you just never know exactly how things are going. Call it suspenseful. I just played a Heligoland scenario which was fought in fog and rain. Disarray, false sightings, and misinformation characterized the game and made it interesting. In the end I lost six ships (British goal was to only sink two). But it was a blast knowing I was messing with the AI by scattering my ships around it. Meanwhile several divisions of ships were totally controlled by the AI and they just did their own things. It was crazy. Provided you're not OCD, that's a good thing and I really enjoyed it.

Even calmer more orderly games are a good time, but the drama is in the timing. You will want to do something *right now* but know you should just let things unfold. It has to be very similar to being an admiral on the deck of a flagship watching as years of training and preparation unfold while you observe and hope for the best.

[Gusington]

Suspense can be exciting, to me.

This all got started Bismarck because I am waiting on a review...yours!

[Bismarck]

And I'm waiting for the next update.  Hold your water. I just finished two articles and am working on a paper for the American Historical Association' national convention.

[LongBlade]

Suspense can be exciting, to me.

This all got started Bismarck because I am waiting on a review...yours!

Gus, check your Inbox. I'm about to press Send.

[Gusington]

^Roger, received.