What our customer's say!"The best destroyer simulation!", I have read other reviews on this game and I think it deserves better ratings than it has received. It is a beautiful game as far as graphics are concerned. Ubi soft is a great software producer and they should really consider updating this game so it can run on Windows XP and other advanced systems. If you have Windows 95 or 98, this game will generally satisfy your curiosity about World War 2 destroyers. Other reviewers assert there are some glitches in the game. While that may be true, all games have some weakness. I think this game is worth buying. I wish it could run on my advanced operating system. I would be playing it and enjoying it thoroughly if I could. The historical accuracy of the game is educational and exciting. Someday maybe Ubi soft will come out with a modernized version.
"Flawed, but not nearly as bad as some say.", The average review of Destroyer Command is not good. Average scores are below 5 out of 10. Wikipedia will tell you that it was critically panned.
In my view a lot of the criticisms of the AI are justified. The AI is weak, often making your own fleet more of a hazard to you than the enemy. The AI has to herded along almost like sheep,but if you're patient, you'll find your fleet up to the task of engaging the enemy effectivley. The biggest disappointment of the game was the hunting of U boats. Potentially thrilling, the U Boats frequently stay at perisciope depth, meaning that you just ram them to sink them. Ho hum. A great oppurtunity wasted.
Buggy? Well I play the patched version and it doesn't seem so bad really.
Apparently the multiplayer support with SH 2 was unstable and buggy, but since I'm judging the game on it's single player merits, this doesn't interest me.
Graphically, it's usually fairly bland. It looks like a 1998/99 or so game. As it uses the Silent Hunter 2 engine, the graphics are the same as that game. Sea textures are well done, and the smoke is transparent and realistic looking. Explosions are realistic, but all tend to be small. No fireballs here. Lighting is quite effective at times, especially dawn/ dusk. Overall though the graphics are adequate to "suspend disbelief", but aren't the sims strongest point.
What I think most people who criticise the game are missing is the intensity. Whatever the technical faults of the sim, I found DC to be an intense, frequently nerve wracking experience. Although the enemy U Boats may be almost a joke, the surface engagements had be fully alert in my chair. Whether you're on the bridge with binoculars and order your crew to engage the enemy, or take command of the guns yourself, it's exhilarating stuff.
Likewise dealing with waves of enemy aircraft attacking your fleet (and yourself) is exciting, and the plumes of smokes from downed aircraft is actually very realistic looking.
The best part of DC for me though is the torpedo station. Although the manual gives little explanation, a patient process of trial and error will make the confusing controls seem clearer, and actually hitting an enemy ship with torpedoes that have been fired using your sighting input is very satisfying!
Overall Destroyer Command is a demanding and sometimes frustrating sim, but it portrays a very overlooked area of computer simulations. I know, and have known for years, what the cockpit of a P 51 looks like from computer flight sims, but a destroyers gun and torpedo station was something I knew nothing about.
For patient sim fans willing to overlook some technical flaws, Destroyer Command can reward with an intense experience.
"Might appeal to naval buffs if they're patient", I don't normally write reviews on products but having read some reviews of Destroyer Command here I thought I'd give my opinion. I'm interested in WW2 and I'm pleased when a new sim appears. I didn't have *too* high hopes for Destoyer Command, but having played it I was neither blown away by it nor extremely disappointed in it. Instead, I had some fun playing it! Okay it has some flaws, but it's not the software crime that some people make it out to be. Too often people pounce on the flaws of something and skip the merits. Some people just seem to like to whinge!
The cons:
*Poor AI. Yes the Ai is quite poor, but then Rainbow 6 had terrible AI and made me an avid player! The big problem is your fleet of destroeyers uner your orders. Changing formation for them is a demanding task and sometimes they'll ram each other. However this risk is geater the faster the time compression. If the time compression is set to 128X and you order your fleet to change formation then they'll almsot cetainly ram each other. HOWEVER if you set the time compression slower, preferably normal time then they act more intelligently. Slower speeds allow the computer to calculate ship positions much more accurately. If you see an imminent collision then it's time to switch flagships and do some manual maneuvering. Frustrating? Maybe, but I never thought it was something to make me stop playing the game in disgust. Conversely however the emeny can seem to be very accurate shots. Too accurate in fact. ( But there is a mod to cure this, see below)
*No dynamic campaign. Yes it does limit the replay value somewhat but since most sims lack a dynamic campaign I don't feel crushingly disappointed!
* It takes a while to get used to the many key commands. But what sim doesn't?
Pros:
*Well for me I think it can be damn scary sometimes. One of the first missions I payed involved a surface engagement with a Japanese force of druisers and destoyers. It was late at night and with my expensive pair of Sennheiser headphones on for maximun immersiveness. And you know you get a sense of anticipation hwen you see the silhouettes of the enemy getting *slowly* bigger in your binoculars. Too often it seems that gamers are obssessed with speed. The faster the more exciting it seems. I'm not sure if I agree. That kind of slow pace can add a sense of tension. ( As a parallel think of the film Alien. Often the scariest parts were the slow build ups) And then you hear the muffled "boom" of the emeny guns in your headphones and you know that yuo digital foes want you DEAD. You never know whether that shell the German destroyr just fired will spash harmlessly in the water next to you or take out your #2 turret. I'm not really sure if there's not that much scope for strategy in a surface fight but thers' a real sense of agreeable chaos to the whole thing. It made me appreciate the more the bravery of real sailors during a surface engageement.
* Okay hands up who as a schooboy didn't sometimes dream of shooting at aircraft with an AA gun? Nobody? I thought so. Come on, it's just so damn FUN to blast a Zero out of the sky belching smoke. And it's nearly as much fun to score a hit on an enemy ship with the main batteries, using your own observations. Subtle? Nah. But satisfying!
*The torpedo is one of the coolest weapons ever devised. You may not be a subamrine but there's still a kick to be had of spotting a Japnese heavy cruiser in your binoculars, knowing he hasn't seen you, entering information ito the Torpdeo Data Computer,launching a salvo, turing away, and waiting. When you see the impact and see a geyser of water flung up, it's like achieving a checkmate ina chess game. Very satisfying.
Graphically I think it's okay. Not fanatstic but not terrible either. Some textures seem a bit bland but there's some pleasing dynamic lighting, and the scene of a flight of Val dive bombers plunbging seawards traliing smoke is quite realistic looking. So a casual thumbs up there. And the sight of your squadron of destroyers sailing alongside you in the dawn light with smoke billowing from their funnels should appeal to armchair adventurers anywhere.
So who should buy Destoyer Command? Not casual gamers. But if you enjoy sims and approach Destroyer Command with the view that is by no means perfect, then you might gain some enjoyment from it. I wouldn't rate it as a classic, but overall a worthy addition to a compter sim fans library. It can be "modded" up somewhat to give it some more appeal. For some gameplay to Destryer Command there is a link here
http://207.44.164.159/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=18934
which is a page at www.subsim.com
"Not TOO Bad.", To see other reviewers remarks, it would seem that playing this game was the equivalence of root canal.
In short, D.C. isn't too bad. After downloading the patch, the AI improved and it's relatively easy to micromanage your units. The graphics are fair. In this day and age you should be able to wander over your whole ship in FPS style, with NPC crewman who will say appropriate things.
Additionally, the linear campaign is really stupid. They also should have consulted with someone who actually has been to sea. (No red lights at night on the bridge, No red lights in the engine room)
"Destroyer Command", this game is,nt as bad as they say if you like history you get see the USS Missouri and battle the bizmark when you create a custome mission ( you could battle any german battle ship but i got lucky and the game chose the bizmark on the second try but my luck ended when i got sent to the bottom )
the game is almost a copy of silent hunter 2 so if you like that game you should like this one too one difference is you get to see the damage and fires when your ship gets hit.
only thing i would change is to be able to see attacking torpedos moveing towards your ship .
and it would be fun to run the ship in to a bad storm and have to deal with waves that could turn over the ship and real looking storm conditions (seen the perfect storm too many times)
and attacking subs need to fire more often other then that the game is fun
Read this reviews before You buy..."Don't waste your time", Destroyer Command is incredibly buggy, obviously unfinished and the units completely lack any form of intelligence. What you are felt with is something which barely qualifies as a beta version. Ships will ram friendly vessels at will, enemy submarines are incapable of taking offensive *or* defensive action, being perfectly content to sail blissfully along at periscope depth waiting to be destroyed, and enemy ships often ignore the player entirely.
Don't waste your money on this rubbish.
"Boycott Bad Software Designs", I'm sorry but I'm going to pass on Destroyer Command based upon the over-hyped and horribly buggy Silent Hunter 2 (both are designed by Ultimation). Not only was SH2 buggy and over-hyped it had only something like 5 scenarios (and three or four tutorial scenarios)and a single linear (predictable) campaign.
Pro's and cons of SH2
PRO: Great graphics. I was very much impressed by the art work that went into the U-boats. Thumbs up on the graphics. Unfortunately, that is all that is good about SH2
CON: Super destroyers have no problem killing you within minutes of locating you with their Sonar. These destroyers can run around at high speed and still find you using their sonar (very ahistorical). Take your U-boat to 250 meters below the thermal and it does you no good.
CON: Eunuch Destroyers (on the surface that is). Go figure. U-boats on the surface were sitting ducks when Allied destroyers were abound, but not in this game! I've sunk with my single deck gun two British destroyers gaurding a convoy. Frequently the allied destroyers will just sail on without a care in the world, oblivious to your surfaced U-boat shells helpless merchant ships they were tasked to protect!!!! Go figure.
CON: Where are the planes? While the game comes with a battle generator I've yet to see a single allied plane (and I play most of my battles in 1945 to boot!). I prefer to play the more challenging years in the game, 1944-45, and I've yet to see an airplane, let alone experience an air attack. In on battle in the Indian Ocean I sank 4 ships and then headed off to Darwin on the North of Australia. I was able to sail unmolested into the harbour in the middle of the day! Ultimation obviously took the time to put some quality graphics into the buildings that line the coast of Darwin, but left out anything more than this eye candy. No patrol boats to intercept me, no shore batteries to stop my shore bombardment and no airplanes to be found. Shame on you Ultimation for leaving out these small details.
CON: No dynamic or semi-dynamic campaign. This is inexcuseable. Silent Hunter 1, the precursor to SH2,which was made in 1997, had an excellent semi-dynamic campaign which captured the flavour of the Submarine war in the Pacific. I won't even go into Sierra's ACES OF THE DEEP and their formidable dynamic campaign. SH2 is stuck with a predictable linear campaign. By the way, when you miss an objective in each scenario you must replay it over and over until you achieve the objectives before advancing to the next scenario. Talk about a replayability killer.
So I give this game a 1 out of 5. I'm not into eye candy but realism and historical accuracy.
"Mostly O.K.", This game has great gameplay overall, it has a wide range of mission, battles over land, sea and air. This game is much better than most navel simulations that does not envolve player flyable aircraft. Internet play is great to, allowing you to play with gamers from Silent Hunter 2. Don't get me rong it is not without flaws like every other game, the only one that I can think of is that the graphics are pretty bad. From a expert gamer, I recommend Destroyer Command!!!!!
"Absolute Repugnant Garbage", I can not begin to express how poor this product is. Save your money and tell all your friends not to buy Destroyer Command.
You will be mortified by the disgusting program that you find in the jewel case.
One of the poorest products to come out this year. I feel Gamespot's gracious 2.5 out of 10 rating is a gift.
Destroyer Command is garbage!
