Naval game demos/ freeplay
I thought I’d compile a list of all of the currently available demos for naval/ maritime sim/ strategy titles out there. There are many one man band developers out there producing nice little games alongside the industry giants,they also deserve some recognition and some of the best of the small projects are included here. If you can think of any others please add them below.Last Updated 24th May 2009
Battlefleet / Battleship Series (Strategy Lights)
An extension to the old battleships game, here the ships can move and you have control of many units, historical scenarios, upgrade the ships with better/ new equipment I like to play this at lunchtimes (20 minutes hardly sees you out of dock in SH4).
get the free standard version below...
http://www.battle-fleet.com/naval-game/battleship.htmBattleship Chess (Apezone)Andrew P. Ewanchyna developed this fun little strategy title which he describes thus..."A Naval Strategy game inspired by the Classic game of Battleship. Launch torpedoes from destroyers and submarines, drop mines and try to sink your enemy's battleships in this turn-based strategy game."
http://apezone.com/battleshipchess.phpBattlestations Midway (Eidos)Loved and hated in equal measure by sim fans for it's mass market approach to naval combat and its too-short single player game the title was none the less successful enough for a sequel game to be produced the forthcoming "Battlestations Pacific".
http://www.battlestationsmidwaydemo.comBattlestations Pacific (Eidos)Battlestations Pacific is the sequel to Eidos earlier Battlestations Midway title. Again more action/strategy than simulator the sequel is much expanded with improved graphics, the single player game sees a campaign twice the size of that found in Midway including the ability to play from the Japanese perspective. The real meat of the game however are the new multiplayer modes including a fantastic "island capture" mode.
http://www.gamershell.com/download_44462.shtmlBridge CommandDeveloped by James Packer using Blitz 3d Bridge Command is a freeware ship simulator programme. It is desined to be a training tool for navigation, radar, ship handling, and other seamanship skills.
http://www.bridgecommand.co.ukBounty Bay Online Free online pirate game, supported by the purchase of in game equipment etc
http://www.bountybayonline.comBuccaneer: the Pursuit of Infamy A rather simplistic but fun little action game set in the pirate infested waters of the Caribbean, with lots of missions great graphics and a fun multiplayer mode.
The demo includes 10 campaign missions and all multiplayer maps. find it over on Direct2Drive or via Steam.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/23100/?snr=1_7_15__13Dangerous Waters (Sonalysts)A highly realistic deep and detailed simulation by Sonalysts, developers of previous titles 688i, Sub Command & Fleet Command along with actual training simulations for the US navy. In the full game you can play with the SSN-21 Seawolf class, the 688i Los Angeles class, and the Russian Akula class submarines an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate, the P-3 maritime air patrol craft, and the MH-60 multi-mission helicopter.
A demo featuring an Akula and Seahawk mission is available...
http://www.gamershell.com/download_8369.shtmlDanger from the DeepAn obvious labor of love for its creators, this freeware community developed WWII U-Boat submarine simulation is going from strength to strength. Download the latest playable build over at the official site
http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net/Distant Guns (Storm Eagle Studios)Developed by gaming industry veterans Norm Koger & Jim Rose this game recreates the the ironclad battles of the Russo-Japanese war . Look out for the next in the series Jutland appearing soon.
try the full game free for 30 days at...-May 2009-Update a new v1.5 version of the game is now available with many extra features over the original release.
http://www.stormeaglestudios.com/public/html/se_downloads.htmlEast India CompanyDevelop powerful trading empires, create fleets and engage in thrilling 3d naval battles in the age of sail. In addition to the strategic levels players can take direct command of ships for a more visceral experience.East India Company has both single player and multiplayer modes.
Get a demo
http://www.gamershell.com/download_49176.shtmlEnigma Rising Tide (Resurgent Interactive/ Tesseraction Games)Quite old now but a worthy inclusion nonetheless this underrated 3d naval strategy/sim from Tesseraction games allows the command of surface vessels and submarines in an alternate history world war setting.
Get the demo
http://www.gamershell.com/download_3141.shtmlGlobal Conflict BlueSimilar in style & content to Harpoon and "Fleet Command" Global Conflict Blue is a modern day real time 3d strategy game. The currently feeeware game has been in development for many years now and new builds are released sporadically.
The wiki page includes links to the latest build.
http://www.gcblue.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page#Download_Latest_Beta_ReleaseHarpoon Commander's Edition (Advanced Gaming Systems/Matrix Games)This is the original computer version of Larry Bond's Harpoon boardgame. Around since the days of Amiga gaming the code has undergone many rewites re-releases and updates from various companies combined with the massive support of its huge community adding new missions and battlesets. The downloadable demo gives a great taste of sheer scope and achievement of the full game and the undoubtable sprit and dedication of the Harpoon community.
Check it out at
harpgamer.com Harpoon 3 Advanced Naval Warfare(Matrix Games)The deep and detailed MS-DOS game Harpoon 2 updated and retooled for the Windows generation many new scenarios and units, lots of bug fixes.
Coming soon... a new demo that allows 6 months of play thanks to the Gouge project check out the link below for more details.
http://www.computerharpoon.comIronclads American Civil WarA Demo of the forthcoming naval strategy sim from Russian developers Totem Games, take control of the USS Monitor or the CSS Virginia.
Get the demo
http://www.gamershell.com/news_56912.htmlIronclads: High SeasThe second game from upcoming Russian developers Totem games, again focussing on the Ironclads, this time however the team opts for a real time strategy game rather than its turn based predecessor. The models in the game look stunning. AWhilst a demo is not yet available a six minute video is shown over at the totem games site.
Download a demo at
http://www.totemgames.ru/Ironclads: Schleswig War 1864The latest game from Totem games, a real time steamship combat game with financial and strategic aspects, plan your squadron's structure. Scramble your fleet to gain sea supremacy. The naval combat game allows you to set up battles, squadron groups, their formations and management, with realistic ship models and characteristics, as well as advanced ballistics and weapon models.
Download a demo at
http://www.totemgames.ru/JutlandThe second game from the award winning developers behind "Distant Guns". This time the setting is WW1 & the massive naval battle off the Jutland Peninsula.
A 609 MB download is available at the
Storm Eagle Studios Site . The demo allows you to play small two scenarios and 10 minutes from any mission in the game except Jutland at 15:48 where you have 20 minutes.
Purchasing a standard or full activation code allows you to unlock the demo into the full game. The pro version on special at $54.95 includes the scenario editor allowing full access to the over 900 ships in the game.
Lost Admiral Returns (Thorsten Searfoss)The Lost admiral was a classic multi-award winning naval strategy game in the early days of the PC. Now Thorsten Searfoss developer of the original title revisits it in this sequel. Although the graphics and interface are a bit obtuse the underlying game is very sound indeed.
try the full game free for 30 days at...
http://www.lostadmiralreturns.com/try.htmlNaval War Arctic CircleThe first naval RTS game from Finnish game developer Turbo Tape Games Naval War Arctic Circle is the spritual successor to Janes Fleet Command.Set in the near future the title includes a well designed user interface which makes managing the myriad units and sensor and weapon/aircraft deployment controls a breeze. The game features two campaign modes playable from either the Russian or NATO perspective over a 35 million square mile area, online play, realistic weapons & sensor performance and weather system modelling.
http://www.navalwargame.com/game-info Navy FieldFast & furious isometric WWII naval MMO strategy/action game now free to play, supported by purchasable online equipment upgrades etc.
http://www.navyfield.com/Pacific Storm AlliesSecond game in the Pacific Storm series puts grand strategy, tactical and sim-lite play in one game as you attempt to run the WWII pacific campaign in charge of the US, Japanese or British forces.
http://www.gamershell.com/download_19302.shtmlPirates of Black CoveA lighthearted arcade style romp through the world of piracy by Nitro games Finnish developers of the more serious East India Company and Commander:Conquest of the Americas strategy games. The game features an open world environment, multiple captains to choose from and the chance to become king of all pirates check it out at:
http://www.blackcovegame.com/ Pirates of The Burning SeaPirates of the Burning Sea™ is a MMORPG similar in style to Akella's 3D pirate games but on a much larger scale. Set in the 18th century, players can select to join one of three nations - England, France or Spain - or choose the role of a Pirate and pursue a course of wealth & plunder. The game is now free to play with purchasable premium content as an option. You can download the game client at:
http://www.burningsea.com/play/ Ports of Call XXLThe original developers of the classic 80's game revisit the shipping business with this new 2d version of the original adding many new features including many new types of ship rather than just the cargo ships of the original game.
try the full version play for and hour in unregistered mode
http://www.portsofcall.de/xxl/index.htmlPOCSim3D IIA "bolt-on" 3D extension to the above game but also playable as a standalone sim, the game is in a constant state of development, the most recent addition being the new weather effects.
download and play a 4 minute demo
http://www.portsofcall.de/sim3dii/sim3dii.htmlPorts of Call Deluxe 2008The latest in the "Ports of Call" series this is a remake of the classic 1980's Amiga/PC game "Ports of call" shipping business sim/strategy game this time with 3D graphics. The game even features a cool red/green stereo vision mode, if you have a pair of those card spectacle thingies. Note the game has only been released in Germany at the moment and i's in German but a provisional translation is available by changing the language to English in the start menu link, (this works for the demo too).
http://www.astragon.org/download/demos/install_poc2008_deluxe_demo_de.EXEnew updated version 16-05-08
http://www.rdkleinforum.de/viewtopic.php?t=3312PT-Boats Knights of the SeaAfter many, many tumultuous years in development the action strategy naval title from Akella is almost upon us. Already released in Russia the Western release will include updates and fixes based on user feedback.
The v1.1 English demo can be downloaded from...
http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?opt...&Itemid=366 Salvo (Shrapnel games)A recently updated demo of this turn-based 17th- 19th century age of sail naval strategy title.
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Sprue/salvo/6.htmShip Simulator 2008In the full game players can perform a multitude of tasks, all set within the stunning 3D environments and take control of a wide array of ship types - from massive cargo ships and ferries, to speedboats, yachts, water taxis and even the Titanic.
Harbours included in the main game include Southampton (including the Solent), Marseille and San Francisco as well as Rotterdam, Hamburg & New York from the original title.
http://www.shipsim.com/downloads/trailers.phpSteam & Iron: the Great War at SeaThe widely praised new naval wargame from NWS, playable from tactical right through to operational level capable of covering any WW1 naval battle. The game features good AI, realistic command and control, highly accurate torpedo gun & armor moddelling, realistic damage & hit results & much more.
http://forums.navalwarfare.net/showthread.php?2328-******-INFORMATION-AND-DOWNLOADS-THREAD-****** Supremacy at SeaDeveloped by Christopher Dean & his team over at Naval Warfare Simulations Supremacy at Sea is a massively ambitious and highly realistic 2D Turn-based WW2 naval strategy wargame for 1-2 players
Download info packs and a playable demo over at...
http://forums.navalwarfare.net/showthread.php?t=4Trafalgar OriginsThe Uk's Channel Four tv station have developed a nivce little top down 2d game of the Battle of Trafalgar, it includes training missions and scenarios and even a multiplayer component. Check it out over at
http://www.channel4.com/play-win/trafalgar-origins/Thunder Fleets The first release from Orator Games Thunder Fleets is a multiplatform (Windows/Mac/Ipad) WWII real time strategy naval game. The title features real world WWII surface units from patrol boats to battleships. For the first time (I think)for a naval game a multiplayer option is available to all participants, regardless of their operating system. Check out the playable demo over at
http://orator-games.com/index.php/games/thunder-fleets/Virtual Sailor 7Developed by Ilan Papini, this 3D sim has expanded in all sort of ways thanks to the literally hundreds of additional boats, ships and sceneries developed by the large community.
http://www.hangsim.com/vs/Virtual Skipper 5: America's CupFantastic graphics, exciting gameplay and highly accurate sailboat physics & rules in this the fifth incarnation of the Virtual Skipper series.
http://www.virtualskipper-game.com/en/downloads/index.php?id=5Virtual Skipper 5 OnlineA complete FREE version of this leading sailing sim. Play online with players from around the world .
http://www.virtualskipper-game.com/vsk5/War Plan PacificTo quote Shrapnel Games ..." A turn based grand strategy wargame of the war in the Pacific from 1941 until 1945, influenced partially by the classic Avalon Hill board game, Victory in the Pacific.An emphasis on playability allows a complete game to be played in under three hours. That's right, from Pearl to Nagaski in three hours"
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/KE_Studios/WPP/WPP_page.html
