I know it`s off topic, but subsim gave this little gem an excellent review and so I went out and bought it. (actually I swapped a second copy of rune for it).
This Sea Dogs is a bit of a sleeper in my opinion. The world is dynamic, the battles are fantastic, the weather and sea states are absolutely stunning! The way the ships cruise through the swells and sway, the flags flutter correctly in the "dynamic" ever changing wind. The thunderstorms, rough weather, fog, rain, jeesh.....these guys really pulled of the "age of sail sim" in my opinion. The AI so far seems to be excellent.
To top it of the RPG aspect works in well also for upgrading, buying different types of goods,ships,cannon, sails, and cannon shot,etc. Recruiting and training crew is involved along with navigation and other important items, etc. It`s the B17 II of Wooden ships and Iron men except it actually works and the graphics are nothing short of brilliant. You really need to sail these babies and know when to set up broadsides, run and gun, and the like.......wow is all I can say. You can join up with other ships or break off on your own agenda, ally with others, collaborate with pirates.....endless stuff......really cool.
I can`t say I`m a sailing ship simmer but this Sea Dogs has my attention and it`s a nice change up until IL-2.....Cheers.

Boxcar

Boxcar,

I read the review and was curious as well. Might have a go at that one this summer when things get slow. Sounded like a nice mix of different genre's.





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Ken "KC23" Cook
Contributing Editor,
SimHQ.com
KC23@SimHQ.com
BoB Strategy Guide

Hey KC how you doing,

I was going to post this one directly to you after I thought about it and played SD awhile so hear it is.

I guess I`m a little bored with the absense of Bob and possibly IL-2. (wait for US version and IL-2 online purchase).

This Sea Dogs is something to be reckoned with in terms of a sailing ship sim (wargame).
I`m not usually into these types of games but this one has me riveted.
I `m not crazy about boarding other ships because I find the swordfight sequence to be a toughy. But I found out later that it is relevent to how many men you have on your boarding party compared to them.......cool. Which makes a few "buckshot" passes a must to thin out his ranks.....way to good this one. (in order to take over the ship and salvage cannons etc.) Even if you sink the ship, sometimes debri(could be a barrel of rum!) is left in the water that you can retrieve for trade at a later date.( which increases the skill of crew, moral and such).
I`m telling you KC if you like "Dynamic Campaigns", well you are going to love this one, wether you cherish flight sims or not! There is nothing scripted about this one, except for some conversations with other characters in towns and such but that is only an interface to get you into the option menus for purchase and trade. You won`t be spending alot of time in town anyway. All the action is on the high seas.....Trade, Capture, Sink, Join other ships, etc.
The nice feature about time compression is you only have to disengage for about three hundred yards and you can access the nav map to get out of the area and run for a rain squall. Speaking of rain squalls.....this one blows me away. The weather is unreal! The sea states are something to behold along with the sky conditions and wind howling away. The swells are not just the same at different heights either. They vary in style and characteristics. The "transparent" water changes colour along with the sky conditions as well. When you sea your ship (the models are fantastic by the way) with rigging, billowing sails and nice bow wake popping up and down into 30 foot swells with weather conditions to die for you will be hooked.(It`s all silky smooth) It all changes gradually as you sail. Iv`e noticed the sea state and wind shift changing on me and effecting the outcome of your tactics. The enemy fires at you just as you dip down the other side of the swell, and the cannon balls zoom over head and splashes into the swell that just saved your ass......to cool. You can click your middle mouse to jump on deck first person view,(which are sparse) but this matters none. You can move around the deck and zoom in through your scope and watch the action as you circle the enemy. You may spot and observe a french ship and not fully know it`s compliment until it`s to late. Just make sure your rig is faster and you have the wind at your back! Your speedy little cutter may not have the guns but you can pop off a few salvoes in retreat as you disappear into the fog bank. Yes there is fog and it can roll in any time or an assortment of about 40 other ships possibly even pirates!
This Sea Dogs is something I haven`t seen for a long time and this has been tried more than a few times. It`s not perfect but I give it a thumbs up. If this is a taste of what SH2 or DC has in store then we are in for a real treat.

A little eg:
I was heading to a little french colony island and stumbled across a small battle. I never had to get involved but I couldn`t help myself. I had good wind in my square rig and turned towards the battle. I noticed from the deck of my speedy "sloop" deck that there were three french "steel plated" corvettes beating up on a smaller spanish "Modernized Blander". All taking place with 12 knot wind northwesterly in 18 foot swells. I was impressed with the Spanish ships tenacity against such overwhelming odds. I scoped out the french corvettes to notice that two of them had pretty ragged sails. this little "blander" was giving them a run for there money! I decided to close a bit with the plan of scooping in like a seagull between the corvettes to snap up the easy pickings and realized it was a big mistake. First off I got caught in the cross fire. Part of a heavy french broadside sailed over top of the spaniard and caught my bow.....ouch. I decided to bail out of there and as I left the scene the blander popped off a shot at me!.......Jeesh talk about aggressive. I walked (first person view)to the stern and watched the spanish blander go to the bottom shortly thereafter. The strange thing was I felt kinda sorry for him........very immersive this Sea Dogs.

In closing I must say that this SD has my attention.....Cheers.

Boxcar

Boxcar, that was a good tip! But I wonder why there is so little information about this game? I have found only one additional review: http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-5116,00.html

It seems to be a mix of Sid Meier's "Pirates!" and a sea-version of the good old "Elite" IMO.

The next problem is, that it isn't available here in Germany - this means that I have to buy the expensive import version by mail order. Is it really worth it?

So there remains only one question: Will it run on my system? I never trust the official recommended system specs (like Battle of Britain). I have a PII 350, 160 Ram and a Voodoo 2 (12 meg). For comparison: MA runs very well on my system with everything maxed out.

Boxcar,

I am a dynamic campaign junkie so this one is now on my "to buy" list. Sounds very cool.

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Ken "KC23" Cook
Contributing Editor,
SimHQ.com
KC23@SimHQ.com
BoB Strategy Guide

Did I say something about "little information"? Nevermind! Gents, do you want to have something to read? I've made a link list for Sea Dogs. Tons of stuff!

http://www.geocities.com/n19711/seadogs.htm

Gents,.....Nico and KC, I`ll be back later tonight. I have to run!......Later...Cheers.

PS. Can`t say enough about this SeaDogs
For some strange reason I`m totally hooked?

Boxcar

Is this out in the US?





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Ken "KC23" Cook
Contributing Editor,
SimHQ.com
KC23@SimHQ.com
BoB Strategy Guide

To KC23,

It should be out in the US, it`s out in Canada.
Anyway I`m totally wired on this thing. If you think your going to promote fast in this game then you are dreaming. It really grows on you this Sea Dogs. I had to restart my campaign (career) twice already simply because I couldn`t afford to pay some of my crew. A mutiny is inevitable if you keep holding out on the payroll. You have to learn the acts of trade, except the market seems to be always changing......one month Mahogany fetches 24 pounds and at another island 13. This game is incredibly immersive and I`m glad I picked up on it. I love the ability to pick and choose your fights. I avoid boarding unless I cut the enemies crew down to size and even, then not a sure thing. The duel that ensues is sort of like a chess game which is affected by lots of variables that you have control over. It`s deep and I wouldn`t really call it gamey. Sea Dogs is ever so close to becoming a Classic!

Some additions that would make it one:

The availability of "Stud Sails" directly attached to the hiring of a Botswain. Stud sails could buy you that extra Knot and a half to escape the Pirates or enemy.

The ability of moving a cannon or two forward with the hiring of a Master Gunner.

The ability to climb the crows nest

That`s about it IMHO.

PS. IF you buy this game try and get it from EB (Electronics Boutique) and if you don`t like it then they honour a ten day return policy. I won`t be returning mine. The 1.04 Patch is out and it sharpens an already good game!...........off to Grey Sail Island to hire a Master Gunner. I can afford one for about 2 legs of the journey.....Cheers.

I finally aquired a "class 6 light sloop", really fast 11.5 nots. Just imagine what it`s like to have a class 1 Man-o-War. It could take months to get one!

Boxcar

To KC23,

It should be out in the US, it`s out in Canada.
Anyway I`m totally wired on this thing. If you think your going to promote fast in this game then you are dreaming. It really grows on you this Sea Dogs. I had to restart my campaign (career) twice already simply because I couldn`t afford to pay some of my crew. A mutiny is inevitable if you keep holding out on the payroll. You have to learn the acts of trade, except the market seems to be always changing......one month Mahogany fetches 24 pounds and at another island 13. This game is incredibly immersive and I`m glad I picked up on it. I love the ability to pick and choose your fights. I avoid boarding unless I cut the enemies crew down to size and even, then not a sure thing. The duel that ensues is sort of like a chess game which is affected by lots of variables that you have control over. It`s deep and I wouldn`t really call it gamey. Sea Dogs is ever so close to becoming a Classic!

Some additions that would make it one:

The availability of "Stud Sails" directly attached to the hiring of a Botswain. Stud sails could buy you that extra Knot and a half to escape the Pirates or enemy.

The ability of moving a cannon or two forward with the hiring of a Master Gunner.

The ability to climb the crows nest

That`s about it IMHO.

PS. IF you buy this game try and get it from EB (Electronics Boutique) and if you don`t like it then they honour a ten day return policy. I won`t be returning mine. The 1.04 Patch is out and it sharpens an already good game!...........off to Grey Sail Island to hire a Master Gunner. I can afford one for about 2 legs of the journey.....Cheers.

I finally aquired a "class 6 light sloop", really fast 11.5 nots. Just imagine what it`s like to have a class 1 Man-o-War. It could take months to get one!

Boxcar

Shoot, a double post.....sorry.

Boxcar

Moved to Naval Simulation Message Board


------------------
Dan "CRASH" Crenshaw
President, SimHQ.com
crash@SimHQ.com
Author of "How to Live and Die in the Virtual Sky"
http://www.flightsimcentral.com/fsc/howtolivandd.html

KC, I think NASCAR 4 has a dynamic campaign, too.
The Jedi Master

Nascar should be an interesting title as I haven't seen these kind of resources thrown at any kind of simulation since F4.





------------------
Ken "KC23" Cook
Contributing Editor,
SimHQ.com
KC23@SimHQ.com
BoB Strategy Guide

I wouldn't necessarily call it a dynamic 'campaign'. It's not really a campaign when the world doesn't exist outside of you The reference to an "Elite on water" was dead-on, that's exactly what the game is. Basically an updated version of Pirates!

All in all, I'd give it a mixed review. The town interface is kind of clunky, but I guess that's a tradeoff for trying to add the RPG stuff (it'd be nice to be able to buy, repair, etc, without having to go through all that walking business). The combat is also pretty simplified, as it doesn't really have a lot to do with actual sailing. I would've personally preferred if they had dropped the RPG stuff and focused on the combat instead, but hey, that's just me

It's a decent little adventure game to blow a few hours with, but I wouldn't quite call it a naval sim.

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-Mekhazzio Sssth'rhee, Magedragon at large