Did anyone used to play the video game Harpoon? I had it for my Mac SE back in the late ‘80’s (the one without the 20 megabyte hard drive so I had to keep switching disks). It had different scenarios but all were naval conflicts between NATO and the Warsaw Pact members. The graphics were virtually nonexistent, but all other aspects of the game were solid. I used to stay awake until the sun came up kickin’ some Rooskie arse. Ahhh good times, good times.
I’ve never heard of anyone else who used to play so I was curious if any of you were familiar with it.
I’ve never played it but Tom Clancy’s preface to his novel Red Storm Rising mentions that the book is based on the game.
Really? That is quite an interesting tidbit, considering that I’ve both read the book and played the game but was unaware of the connection. If I recall correctly the largest scenario was very similar to the book so it makes total sense. That was back when I was to eager to get to the punch to take the time to read the preface of books…that has since changed ;)
If I recall correctly, there was also some kind of table-top version of the game – I think it used a hex-and-counter system – but I could be mistaken.
Apparently Harpoon was even more realistic than I thought. I just did some google searching and found out that they have a current version for the military:
“H3 MilSim embodies the latest in naval warfare simulations for analysis, education and training. Among the new features are programmable mission behaviors, a new mission type allowing for boarding of ships by helicopter simulating special operations. Users may simulate situations taken from today’s headlines, such as fighting Somali pirates or interdicting drug runners who use submersibles. Customization is available, and both the databases and scenarios are open for end-user editing. AGSI has former Defense experts available to assist in training, configuration, design and execution.”
-www.computerharpoon.com
I wanna play! I wanna play!
And yes, it was a miniatures board game first in the early eighties before it was made into a computer game in the late eighties.
My dad bought this for me when I was a kid… but I could never figure out how to play lol…
Yes, I played the game on a PC system. It was awesome. Nothing else like it. They tried to make a ground warefare game but it was not the same, or even close.
Once I figured out how to use aircraft most effectively I would beat the computer like an old rug. I don’t know how I would have fared against humans.
I would get a figher screen up quick and beat back his first missile attack which was coming early. Then I would respond with my own air-to-ground strike designed to demolish the nearest airbase. I would locate surface groups with passive sensors or E2s and knock them out. My biggest nemesis was the ultra long range torpedeos the soviets used. I would usually try and knock out as many targets with air assets because they had unlimited re-arm capabilities. The ships had a max loadout.
I bought two expansions too. There was an Atlantic version and a Mediterranian version. By the time the second came out, Russia was falling apart and they were talking about Middle East and Africa scenarios.
I had the Mediterranean expansion too, but most of my memories are from the Atlantic scenarios. I got pretty good at ‘working the system’ myself and toward the end of my time playing it wasn’t a matter of if I’d win, but how long it would take. The only scenario that kept kicking my ass (50% of the time) was the largest. It was basically the entire US Atlantic Fleet vs the entire Russian Atlantic Fleet. If I played as the Russians I had no problem, but as the US it was an entirely different story. The Russian guided missile cruisers had WAY too many missiles. They would launch huge volleys that presented too many target to shoot down at once. 1 or 2 would ALWAY get by my defenses and after several volleys I would lose enough ships that I couldn’t mount an effective defense let alone turn the tables and bring the attack back to them. The American fleet’s Harpoon and Tomahawk cruise missiles had great range, but they traveled MUCH slower than the Russian solid fuel missiles and there were far fewer of them. There slow speed made them easier to shoot down and, having less of them, I would always run out before I did any significant damage. The Russian ships, in general, were better than the American ships, but the American air power made the Russian air force look like a joke.
If you’re interested in computer Harpoon, you need to check out AGSI (computerharpoon.com) and harpgamer (harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php). Tell them I sent you.
