Although not exactly a demo, if you buy on Steam you have the ability to try the game for 2 hours and if you don’t like it, you can get refund back from Steam. However, with this game being pretty complex, might be hard to get full impressions from 2 hours of game play, but better than nothing I guess.
With all the discussion about pricing and Matrix and crying about demos, I’ve forgotten whether this game is supposed to be interesting to play.
More than happy to buy the expandalone if it’s worth my time to jump in and out.
If you liked Harpoon, and have a passion for contemporary air/naval engagements, there’s nothing much like it. You do have to have a fairly high tolerance for fiddling with stuff though.
I never played Harpoon, which is probably what I’m struggling with.
Yeah, it’s a super detailed and very wonk-ish sim by devoted people for devoted people. Which is also why I have trouble getting fully into it too. I played all the Harpoons, including pen and paper, but this is an order of magnitude more complex. They do a good job of providing an interface to make it all work, but it requires a level of sustained focus I have a hard time meeting sometimes.
I guess they would now have the technology to produce a demo a lot more easily if they wanted to. The downside is the demo would probably have to be the same download footprint as the full game, several gigs worth.
I never played Harpoon either but it always looked intriguing - as did this. The last 50% sale was enough to get me to give it a go. I am a dabbler and a fiddler, with a passing interest in military hardware and deep simulation, and I probably spend more time shuffling popups and examining database entries than really playing the game. But it’s fun and extremely interesting. :)
It reminds me of Distant Worlds in a way, in that the detail unfolds the deeper you go and the game almost plays itself if you command from a high level using broad strokes. Once you get the hang of a few conventions like using the mission system and the way the hierarchical rules of engagement and emissions control overrides work, the complexity comes more from figuring out the capabilities of each unit and diving into micromanaging their effectiveness.
I watched the Slitherine video for Northern Inferno and they almost got me. The interface is fine, and I really like these plan-and-watch wargames, but the setting isn’t quite inherently interesting to me. WW3 and modern naval combat don’t have a strong pull.
I did learn that nuclear depth charges exist.
What about nuclear airstrikes? :)
<plays Dr. Strangelove themes in the background…>
Well to me they do, consider me a customer!
I bought NI, installed it, ran it once and decided i need a lot more quiet to start learning all this.
A nice way to get the hang of things is to watch the playthrough of NI scen #1, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCSzhkp3mlE
Oh, thanks!
Kushan is currently doing a scen-by-scen playthrough of NI: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFwfaPw_8pvPFpHoEABb9Ya_PCxBl6nWK
Northern Inferno reviewed at Real & Simulated Wars: http://kriegsimulation.blogspot.gr/2015/10/command-northern-inferno-review.html
Ian Bowes at SugarFreeGamer reviews Northern Inferno and plays through “Opening Moves”: http://sugarfreegamer.com/northern-affordable-inferno/
Northern Inferno review at Armchair General: http://www.armchairgeneral.com/command-northern-inferno-pc-game-review.htm
[AUTUMN SALE ! CMANO 50% off, CMANO+NI bundle 45% off!
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Miguel Molina has posted a new revision of the community scenario pack, the compendium of Command scenarios crafted by the user community. The new release contains fifteen brand-new scenarios:
Biddle’s Team, 1982: Three weeks after the assassination of Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981, Egypt has slipped into political chaos. A Soviet surface group is currently en route to offer support to the pro-Soviet faction now struggling for control. The United States, however, has recognized a pro-Western faction as the legitimate government of Egypt, and has no intention of allowing Egypt to turn into a Soviet puppet state.
Biddle’s Quandary, 1982: The Middle East has become increasingly unstable since the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. Egypt has avoided total collapse, but militant groups have been responsible for numerous acts of terrorism in the last several months. Evidence suggests that Syria and Libya have been sponsoring some of these terrorist groups. The US has moved some of its ships near Syria as a show of force, hoping the proximity of American military might will discourage further acts of terrorism. Egypt has sent one of its patrol boats into the area as well. Syria, however, has responded by threatening to attack any vessel that violates its territorial waters.
Biddle goes to Algeria, 1984: Tensions have increased between the United States and Algeria in the early 1980s. To increase presence in the region, a small force centered on the cruiser Biddle is tasked to patrol defensively off the Algerian coast, screened by RAF aircraft from Gibraltar.
Fall of Seoul, 1950: North Korean forces have crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea, in violation of UN agreements. This scenario covers the first three days of fighting for the US forces in the Korean war. Your tasks are as follows:
- Coordinate an evacuation by air and sea from Seoul to US bases in Japan.
- Establish air superiority over South Korea.
- Conduct tactical interdiction against communist advance south of the 38th parallel.
MINUSMA, 2015: The atrocities commited by the rebel groups in Mali’s north has taken a turn for the worse. The UN has authorized airstrikes to support the Malian goverment in its push to once again retake the north of the country. To support the UN’s mission in Mali, Sweden has deployed its fighter jets abroad for the first time since the Congo Crisis. You are to employ airstrikes to weaken the rebels ability to wage an effective fight towards the goverment and you are to provide reconnissance support for the Malian goverment if requested. Collateral damage or friendly losses will not be tolerated!
Norrland Defense, 1990: Defense of Norrland and its strategically important F 21 Luleå Airbase and Luleå Harbour from a pre-emptive Soviet strike in preparation for a full blown invasion. Defend the Luleå airbase against Soviet assaults and engage the Soviet ships and submarines reported in the area.
Sandbox Scenario #1: Surface Encounter, 1991: In this adaptation of scenario “Surface Encounter” from the boardgame “Harpoon: Captain’s Edition”, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is escorting a Whidbey Island-class LSD in the Norwegian Sea and it happens to detect a Soviet Sovremenny-class destroyer with an Ivan Rogov-class landing ship. A skirmish ensues with both sides trying to sink the other’s escorted ships. The Soviets win a victory if they sink the LSD while the US wins if it can sink the Rogov.
To Kill A Mockingbird, 1979: This scenario pits the Soviet air defenses on the Kola Peninsula against the legendary SR-71 - and against the equally-legendary Soviet command chain bureaucracy! To win this mission, you must not only shoot down the dreaded Blackbird, but also do so only after receiving Moscow’s permission. Better yet, you will not know where and when exactly the secretive plane is coming - this mission is designed to be dynamic and will play differently each time. Sometimes you will have a good shot, while other times the Habu will elude you entirely.
USS Midway vs Cuba (The War That Never Was), 1989: When WW3 breaks out in the early 1990s, it spreads everywhere, quickly. One exception has been Cuba, issuing an open letter of neutrality to everyone. However, Cuba is now planning on entering the war. The Soviet Union has instructed them to enter the war just as the US is sending the first of their heavy divisions towards Europe. What if Cuba did enter the war at this percarious moment? All that the US has standing between an entire nation’s armed forces and the lifeline to Europe is the USS Midway, fitted with a scratch SAG and reserve F/A-18 squadrons. Can they hold the line?
Northern Fury 9.2 - Changing Of The Guard, 1994: The situation in the North Atlantic remains desperate. The rapid capture of North Norway and Iceland have allowed the Soviets to surge almost 100 submarines into the Atlantic. The USS Enterprise CVBG spent two difficult days blunting an attempt by the Red Banner Northern Fleet to interdict the sea lanes, she is now preparing to retire for re-supply and re-organization, as are the major Soviet surface units. The USS Eisenhower, after three days of hard fighting in the Mediterranean, has passed through the Pillars of Hercules and is heading north. She will join the USS Carl Vinson CVBG to strike at Soviet forces around Iceland in three days. As the NATO player you must safely withdraw the Enterprise CVBG and replace it with the Carl Vinson CVBG in a holding area south of Iceland. As the WP player you have multiple submarines and significant air assets at your disposal. Your task is to sink one or both US aircraft carriers.
Northern Fury 9.3 - Command At Sea, 1994: The USS Carl Vinson CVBG is moving up to relieve the Enterprise. The USS Eisenhower, after three days of hard fighting in the Mediterranean, has passed through the Pillars of Hercules and is heading north. She will join the USS Carl Vinson CVBG to strike at Soviet forces around Iceland in three days. As the NATO player you must maneuver and protect the USS Mount Whitney as it transports the Commander of the US 2nd Fleet (NATO’s CINCLANT) to a patrol area off the Azores. As the WP player you have multiple submarines and valuable intelligence indicating that a ‘High Value Target’ is arriving in your patrol area.
Northern Fury 9.4 - Cutting The Tether, 1994: This is a small but critical scenario in the battle to isolate Soviet forces on Iceland. Since taking the island of Jan Mayen in the first hours of the war, the desolate spot on the Greenland Sea has become a critical link in Iceland’s supply chain, a long and arduous tether back to the Kola Peninsula. Your job in this scenario is to cut that tether.
Northern Fury 9.5 - Here Comes The Cavalry, 1994: The US 2nd Fleet is now ready for its first counter-attack. The 1st phase has the USS Eisenhower and the USS Carl Vinson CVBGs strike at Soviet forces around Iceland. In order to neutralize the significant Soviet forces on Iceland, your task is to move north and establish local air superiority over the Keflavik peninsula as a precursor to a large USAF strike tomorrow night. You have 28 hours to destroy Soviet Air Defences over Iceland. Detailed SEAD and Strike tasks will be the Air Force’s job, but you need to clean the airspace to make that possible. You know that there are formidable air defences both on and over Iceland so this will not be an easy task.
Northern Fury 9.6 - Stab In The Dark, 1994: Your task is simple, as the Captain of the Canadian Submarine HMCS Onondaga, infiltrate Soviet ASW defences north of Reykjavik and insert a Special Forces team comprising of 4 Canadian JTF2 (Joint Task Force 2) and 4 British SBS (Special Boat Service) operatives. However you may find that in war – nothing is simple.
Northern Fury 10.1 - Poke in the Eye, 1994: 42 hours ago, your Special Forces team comprising of 4 Canadian JTF2 (Joint Task Force 2) and 4 British SBS (Special Boat Service) operatives arrived in Iceland. Now it’s time to earn your paycheck.
As always, the community scenario pack is available for download at the WarfareSims download section: http://www.warfaresims.com/?page_id=1876
Niice. Thanks!
Well, I finally had an hour or two to spend on getting to grips with this, and it’s every bit the masterpiece I expected. Exactly the wargame I’ve been looking for. My only regret is that I’m currently doing a Command Ops AAR and can’t immediately dive in.