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E3 Preview: Destroyer Command
By Ed Reddy

Destroyer Command is a simulation of naval combat which gives the player command of a World War II era destroyer in the United States Navy. The simulator spans the Pacific and Atlantic oceans during World War II and takes you through engagements with the German, Italian, and Japanese Naval forces.

Fig. 1. On Patrol

I had a chance to speak with Kevin Hicks, Associate Producer at Mattel Interactive about Destroyer Command. One of the highlights Kevin mentioned was the dynamics and flexibility of the campaign. Your performance during a campaign can be measured by promotions and the addition of more ships to command. You also have the ability to refuse promotions and stick with your current ship. Other campaign features include the introduction of new and improved destroyers in a historic time line.

Fig. 2. Aircraft in the game

When asked about the interoperability with Silent Hunter2, Kevin commented that Destroyer Command will be fully compatible with Silent Hunter II offering exciting multiplayer possibilities.

Fig. 3. Damage Control Station

Also present at E3 was David Bringhurst, technical producer from Ultimation. David commented that Destroyer Command allows the players to man many stations found on a real Destroyer. Each position has a realistic interface from the Damage Control board, to Anti-Aicraft gun placements. The dynamics of your missions could include intense Kamikaze attacks to escort missions which turn into a full engagement with other enemy destroyers.

Fig. 4. Under Attack

Other key game features include:

• Interoperability with Silent Hunter II for the ultimate in head to head naval combat
• Realistic modelling of the ocean environment, ship motion, weapons systems, and weather effects
• Modelling of aircraft and their behaviour. Aircraft will attack the player's ships and will be vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire
• Detailed presentation of ship's stations allowing access to all of the ship's systems
• Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) actions with specialized submarine AI
• Dynamic campaigns which vary subsequent scenarios based on player performance
• Historical missions taken from actual World War II naval battles
• Random scenario generator which creates missions based on user input
• Scenario editor which allows the player to create new missions or edit randomly generated missions
• Co-Op and Head to Head Multiplay via Internet or Lan for up to 8 players

Fig. 5. Map View

Destroyer Command is expected to be released Q1-Q2, 2001.

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