Matrix Games Forums

Hey all,
I'm quite new to this game and my interest has been peaked after reading Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising

Basically I know very little about these games and wondering if a few of you could give me a little run down about what these games are all about. And being so new, naturally I have a few questions that I hope can be answered.

1. Whats the gameplay like?
2. What the difference between ANW and CE? Which version should I get if I decide to buy
3. Whats the learning curve like?
4. I don't care for flashy graphics and like strategy games, will I like this game?

If the answers for these questions are somewhere on the forums, excuse my stupidity as this is my first post

cheers

There is a link in both of these forums for DEMO's , try to download them and give em a run. Search for Harpoon demo...

(1) Great , IMHO
(2) see the many threads here about that very thing
(3) CE easier than ANW but from your #4, should not be an issue
(4) YES see #3

went to the official site for harpoon. Tried to d/l the demo, stuck on 47%...

Either my connection is crap or the site is having tech difficulties. I'm currently in Japan so maybe thats the problem[&:]

Try selecting a different mirror;- this page lists them.

http://www.advancedgaming.biz/usni/usni---get-the-gouge.html

Just my POV on your questions (I only play ANW these days);-

1) Depends on the scenario. If it's a convoy or subhunt scenario, then quite slow paced, lots of tension (bit like O'Malley in RSR). If it's more air based with lots of different bases then things can change very quickly. Very often a scenario will have elements of both.

2) ANW is multiplayer, has very simple graphics (similar to a real life view) and has more databases and scenarios. CE is single player, better graphics, is newer, fewer (recent) scenarios, less bugs (depends which patch you play... 3.9 is looking good but hasn't been given final thumbs up yet).

You could get both but I think CE is the better starting point... It's pretty much a (thorough) revamp of Harpoon Classic.

3) Depends on the scenario. Dawn Patrol is the classic starting scenario, just a few missile boats each. Best not to start with multiple carriers and hundreds of aircraft, dozens of ships.

4) Probably. Both are fun. I found AI more limited on Classic, but I haven't played CE. Played the original for many months, now a hopeless ANW addict.