''Aces of the Deep'' is a World War II

submarine simulator A submarine simulator is a video game in which the player commands a submarine. The usual form of the game is to go on a series of missions, each of which features a number of encounters where the goal is to sink surface ships and to survive ...

game developed by

Dynamix Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of video games from 1984 to 2001, best known for the flight simulator Red Baron (1990 video game), ''Red Baron'', the puzzle video game, puzzle game ''The Incredible Machine (video game), The Incredible Mach ...

for

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

in 1994. The game was re-released by

Sierra On-Line Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game ge ...

for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

in 1995 as ''Command: Aces of the Deep''. ''Aces of the Deep'' was the last installment of

's ''Aces'' series, which included the

flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

s ''

Red Baron Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a sec ...

'', '' Aces of the Pacific'', and ''Aces Over Europe''. However, unlike its predecessors, ''Aces of the Deep'' simulates a

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A unique feature was that ''Aces of the Deep'' came with a realistic Kriegsmarine War Grid map in which the player used in reference to finding their patrol zones. There is also an extensive in-game manual that covers the development of the U-boat, time-line based maps that show kill-to-loss ratios, and, on the

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...

version, video interviews with former German U-boat captains.

Gameplay

The game includes single mission mode, where the player can choose to attack a

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

, a taskforce of warships (consisting of cruisers and/or battleships), or a carrier task-force in a variety of conditions. There are also several historical missions where the player can replay the role of some of Germany's greatest U-boat captains. Alongside the single missions, ''Aces of the Deep'' includes a

single player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the gameplay. Video games in general can feature several game modes, including single-player modes designed to be played by a single player in addi ...

Career Mode where the player can choose which year of the war he wants to start his career, up until the end of the war. Career features the "Nightclub" for war news,

scuttlebutt Scuttlebutt in slang usage means rumor or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water (or, later, a water fountain).tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on '' tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a cal ...

board. Within the Career Mode the player can receive promotions, medals, and opportunities to take command of newer U-boats. There are three models of U-boats in several variations for the player to choose from, each of which becomes available during its historical period. The game includes a rich variety of ships, ranging from

oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...

s and merchant ships to large troop ships, several different escorts such as corvettes, frigates and destroyers, and warships such as cruisers, battleships and carriers. It also includes a variety of aircraft on anti-submarine patrols. All these vessels are historically based, and their appearance in the game coincides with their historical appearance on the battlefield. The tactics and weapons used by the ships within the game are also historically based. ''Command: Aces of the Deep'' updated the graphics to a higher resolution. This re-release also integrated an expansion that brought in the Type XXI and Type XXIII U-boats.

Expansions

An expansion package for either the floppy or CD versions of Aces of the Deep adds brand new missions, areas and a special prototype XXI U-boat submarine. Some of the more interesting features are the six new historical missions as well as the ability to enter (but possibly not leave due to currents) the Mediterranean Sea. Also included are buoyancy gauges which allows a quicker reading of your depth in the ocean. Most amazing is the prototype Type XXI U-boat, which includes sonar and radar abilities as well as two kinds of torpedo types for its exclusive use.

Re-releases

In 1995, there also was an updated Windows version released on CD-ROM called Command: Aces of the Deep. While the gameplay is unchanged it adds new textures, voice acting and video interviews with German submariners. It also added the option, with a compatible sound card & microphone, to use voice control for certain submarine actions, like dive and fire, which is why the game received the expanded title. An on-line manual gives detailed information about the historical background and submarine tactics. It also features historical maps, movies, photos and articles.

Reception

In 1996 ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' ranked ''Aces of the Deep'' as the 71st best game of all time, calling it "still unrivaled for creating an authentic atmosphere."

References

External links

* * {{Dynamix 1994 video games DOS games DOS-only games Sierra Entertainment games Submarine simulation video games U-boat fiction World War II video games Dynamix games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States