Matrix Games Forums

I have just discovered this, which may or may not be released early this year.

"Supremacy at Sea" - http://forums.navalwarfare.org/showthread.php?t=1467

It looks like it will cover much of the same ground as WitP, but is more of a generic campaign engine aimed at the "battleship enthusiast". You can optionally design your own ships for example.

Still, interesting ... Competition is good!

I have no affiliation with NWS.

For what it's worth, SaS supposedly will ship in early January. NWS has also released a PDF manual that is more than 500 pages long. I had been under the impression that the game was a beer-and-pretzels affair, but the manual implies a fair amount of detail. The default "intro" game uses 4-week turns, but apparently you can construct campaigns that use turns as short as 1-week, with hexes as small as 48 nautical miles. I don't see this game as a substitute for WITP or AE, but it might divert me a bit while waiting for AE, so I've preordered it.

I don't have any connection to NWS either; I wasn't involved in the beta or in any other way. Er, if posting about the game here is inappropriate, I apologize and will understand if Matrix wants to delete or move the post. But the denizens of this forum know far more about the Pacific war than anyone else I know, so I'd be very interested in their impressions of SaS.

Manual here: http://www.navalwarfare.info/files/SAS/SAS%20MANUAL.zip

Forums here: http://forums.navalwarfare.org/forumdisplay.php?f=7

I've been watching this one too. I'll order it on January 1st. It seems to be painted in broader strokes than WITP, and I'm probably not interested in the pacific scenario. It has an atlantic and a med scenario that might be pretty good. I don't really think it has the nuances of the electronic war, but I may be wrong.

It might just be like ole hard tack...full of bugs that don't go down so good.

It isn't.

While I was looking into into the the links posted in previous posts, I came upon this:  Thunder at Sea (halfway down the page).
 
Apparently it's an "operational naval campaign overlay" for the "old" fighting steel engine. I tried the demo (only 1.5 mb) and my first impression was that's still a bit rough but it could be a nice way to spend some empty hours.  
 
Does anybody have some further hands on experience with this overlay?

ORIGINAL: Terminus

It isn't.

It isn´t what? Full of bugs, or a good game? Or going to be a competition for WitP-AE?

No. It's not full of bugs, not a non-good game, and not going to be a competitor to AE.

ORIGINAL: Terminus

No. It's not full of bugs, not a non-good game, and not going to be a competitor to AE.

I agree completely on the first two points*, and mostly on the third. If both came out more or less at the same time, I´d have to choose between them - and give current time constraints, I´d probably go with SaS for now, as it simply doesn´t require the massive amounts of time that properly playing WitP (even pre-AE) does.

*On the first, based on the delays caused by all the extensive testing, and on the second based on what data is available - I don´t know any more than anyone else, though

if this game is reasonably priced and has a digital download capability I will buy it, just browsed the manual most interesting.

NWS doesn't do DDL...

also there is only two guys I think running NWS. Any way that's what I understood over the phone.[X(]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

NWS doesn't do DDL...

29 bases it says?........From San Francisco to Singapore it says? Where is the DI? It looks nice but I will wait for AE. I must admit at 68 Yrs of age I might be dead before it is actually released. I am beginning to believe that AE is a kind of computer game running joke at this point. I still will buy it if and when it is published.

Madgamer

SAS sure look the business after reading through the manual.  im also a witp player but the great thing about SAS looks like the ability to scale down or increase the complexity depending on what kinda mood u r in.
 
i wouldve thought all u witp players would have been all over this upcomin release[&:]

ORIGINAL: Titanwarrior89

also there is only two guys I think running NWS. Any way that's what I understood over the phone.[X(]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

NWS doesn't do DDL...

Correct.

Well after reading the manual and most of the posts in the forum over NWS I think I might be buying this game. With freight costs it will cost around $A90. I hope its worth it.
Ron

G'day all, This game ships today, this is third game I have bought in the past 12 months due to the manual being released prior to the game. I was happy with the other two and I hope SAS will prove the same satisfying result.
I believe there is some merit in a pre release of a manual to enhance game sales. I have purchased this game purely on the way the manual has been written and the content within. The game appears to be quite detailed. I have read most of the posts and all the info on the games home page, all that info certainly encouraged me to take a closer look, and I was going to wait for the game to be released and read posters comments before purchasing, but after reading manual I purchased the game immediately as I was so impressed on what I saw.
Other publishers should take a leaf out of NWS and AGEOD marketing strategy, and they may increase their sales.
Good manuals will sell more games, in our favoured genre.

ORIGINAL: BASB

G'day all, This game ships today, this is third game I have bought in the past 12 months due to the manual being released prior to the game. I was happy with the other two and I hope SAS will prove the same satisfying result.
I believe there is some merit in a pre release of a manual to enhance game sales. I have purchased this game purely on the way the manual has been written and the content within. The game appears to be quite detailed. I have read most of the posts and all the info on the games home page, all that info certainly encouraged me to take a closer look, and I was going to wait for the game to be released and read posters comments before purchasing, but after reading manual I purchased the game immediately as I was so impressed on what I saw.
Other publishers should take a leaf out of NWS and AGEOD marketing strategy, and they may increase their sales.
Good manuals will sell more games, in our favoured genre.

I also downloaded the 500+ page manual and am also very impressed. I agree that it's a great marketing tool. Matrix ought to consider putting all their manuals up for download. I think it's a safer business strategy than issuing free demos of the actual game and a lot easier to do.

Yes the Publishers argument on releasing manuals is it leads to piracy, but I don't think its a very sound one. Perhaps they don't have much confidence in their manuals, there is a couple of games i have purchased over the years, if I have had read their manuals first I wouldn't have bought them, but on the other hand, a game like FOF if I have had access to manual I would bought it on release not 12 months later.
ron

Looks like silly, "Gee, Ma, looky my new toy," mod-happy BS to me. (But, of course, who am I?)

I guess I'll wait and see if the new japped-up WitP mod is at all interesting, but I ain't optimistic.