REVIEW: Jane's Fleet Command

 

PROs	CONs
Interface is much easier to master than Harpoon II; the communication routines are outstanding; the 3-D graphics are much improved over other naval sims; the editor is also easier to use than Harpoon II's, but less flexible for experienced users; drawing tools during the game are great for marking data.	AI is simplistic, not sophisticated (enemies dump their load at you as soon as they are in range); time and resource management win this game, not tactics as it should be; the platform database is extremely limited in comparison to other titles.

First and foremost, it is helpful to understand that I was a surface warfare officer for 15 years and a qualified tactical action officer. Naturally, that introduces some degree of bias toward realism in this type of game. That bias went largely unsatisfied by Jane's Fleet Command. The title features a couple of dozen decent single-player scenarios plus a mission editor and multiplayer mode. The game also includes a four-scenario "campaign" that is not branching and is not truly a campaign because you start fresh with new units each mission. In effect, it is a series of larger scenarios tied together by non-interactive cut sequences.

Players assume command at either the carrier battlegroup (CVBG) or surface action group (SAG) level, with concurrent authority to command attached forces where those exist. These forces do not think for themselves; you must command them by micromanagement, just as you must do with every ship, sub, and aircraft in

Any intelligence that exists is a function of the scenario designer, not the AI. Friendly ships do not automatically defend themselves against inbound missiles until those missiles cross the visible horizon and close to CIWS range, and even the Vulcan phalanx is quickly saturated by a stream of missiles on the same bearing. Except in the case of aircraft, there is no maneuver to get into firing position involved, just firing. When you get attacked and by whom is completely preset in the design. Yes, there are variables that determine whether or not certain units show up in the mission each time it is played, which does help replay value somewhat, but one has to move outside the box (i.e. to the Mission Editor) before open-ended missions can be enjoyed. The question then becomes, "Will there be a big enough following for this title (as there definitely was for the Harpoon series) to take advantage of those features?"

The game hasn't been out long, but Jane's Combat Net site (accessible from the CD-ROM) seems a fairly quiet place. Discussions about game/system crashes seemed more common than gloating over who tore up whom in the last scenario.

Unfortunately, in solitaire play, the game simply isn't challenging

However, the interface doesn't let you issue a bunch of orders while the game is paused (except for flight deck launch orders). So you basically issue one order, pause the game, move your mouse to the unit to be targeted or the next unit to be ordered, un-pause, issue the order, and repeat. This isn't necessary most of the time, but sometimes (such as in the fourth and final scenario of the campaign), it is the only way through because of the sheer number of engagements that must be managed. One has to move all over the map, zoom in and out to make sure each missile in a stream is targeted and so forth, and the sheer mouse traverse time can kill you when missiles are moving at between 500 and 1200 mph. To those who would call this cheating, my counter is that one man does not perform all of these functions in the real world.

Here is the rest of what you need to know to win the CV-based scenarios:

During your first such pause, clear the carrier's deck of all aircraft using the launch menus. Sequence F-14s, E-2s, F-18s, EA-6Bs, then the S-3s and ES-3s -- not