Aces Of The Deep
Encyclopedia
Aces of the Deep is a World War II Submarine simulator
game developed and published by Dynamix
for MS-DOS in 1994.
"Aces of the Deep" was the last installment of Dynamix
's "Aces" series, which included the flight simulator
s Red Baron, Aces of the Pacific
, and Aces over Europe. However, unlike its predecessors, Aces of the Deep places you at the command of a German Navy U-boat
during the Second World War. The game includes single mission mode, where the player can choose to attack a convoy
, a taskforce of warship
s (consisting of cruiser
s and/or battleship
s), or a carrier
task-force in a variety of conditions. There are also several historical missions where the player can replay the role of some of Germany's greatest U-Boat captains.
Alongside the single missions, Aces of the Deep includes a single player
"Career Mode," where the player can choose which year of the war he wants to start his career, up until the end of the war. Career features the "Nightclub" for war news and scuttlebutt
for viewing the tonnage
board. Within the Career Mode the player can receive promotion
s, medal
s, and opportunities to take command of newer U-Boats. There are three models of U-Boats in several variations for the player to choose from, each of which becomes available during its historical period.
The game includes a rich variety of ships, ranging from oil tanker
s and merchantmen to large troop ships, several different escorts such as corvette
s, frigate
s and destroyer
s, and warships such as cruisers, battleships and carriers. It also includes a variety of aircraft on anti-submarine patrols. All these vessels are historically based, and their appearance in the game coincides with their historical appearance on the battlefield. The tactics and weapons used by the ships within the game are also historically based.
Though it suffers from obsolete graphics, the game is still considered by many to be the best subsim to date, for it revolved around its highly randomized and replayable single player "Career Mode", also found in SSI
's Silent Hunter
.
Another unique feature was that Aces of the Deep came with a realistic Kriegsmarine
War Grid map in which the player used in reference to finding their patrol zones. There is also an extensive in-game manual that covers the development of the U-Boat, time-line based maps that show kill-to-lose ratios, and , on the CD-ROM
version, video interviews with former German U-Boat captains.
The game was re-released by Sierra On-Line for Windows in 1995 under the title Command:Aces of the Deep. It updated the graphics to a higher resolution. This rerelease also integrated an expansion that brought in the Type XXI
and Type XXIII
U-Boats.
Submarine simulator
A submarine simulator, or subsim for short, is usually a computer game in which the player commands a submarine. The usual form of the game is to go on a series of missions, each of which features a number of encounters where the goal is to sink surface ships and to survive counterattacks by...
game developed and published by Dynamix
Dynamix
Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of computer games from 1984 to 2001, best known for their flight simulator, Red Baron, the Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, and their online multiplayer game, Tribes.-History:...
for MS-DOS in 1994.
"Aces of the Deep" was the last installment of Dynamix
Dynamix
Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of computer games from 1984 to 2001, best known for their flight simulator, Red Baron, the Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, and their online multiplayer game, Tribes.-History:...
's "Aces" series, which included the flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
s Red Baron, Aces of the Pacific
Aces of the Pacific
Aces of the Pacific is a flight simulator game developed by Dynamix in 1992. Its success caused Dynamix to create a very similar sequel, entitled Aces over Europe. The game takes place during World War II...
, and Aces over Europe. However, unlike its predecessors, Aces of the Deep places you at the command of a German Navy U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
during the Second World War. The game includes single mission mode, where the player can choose to attack a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
, a taskforce of warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s (consisting of cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s and/or battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s), or a carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
task-force in a variety of conditions. There are also several historical missions where the player can replay the role of some of Germany's greatest U-Boat captains.
Alongside the single missions, Aces of the Deep includes a single player
Single player
A Single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. "Single-player game" usually implies a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" usually refers to a game mode for a single player, where...
"Career Mode," where the player can choose which year of the war he wants to start his career, up until the end of the war. Career features the "Nightclub" for war news and scuttlebutt
Scuttlebutt
Scuttlebutt in slang usage means rumor or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water . Retrieved 2008-03-16...
for viewing the tonnage
Tonnage
Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume...
board. Within the Career Mode the player can receive promotion
Promotion (rank)
A promotion is the advancement of an employee's rank or position in an organizational hierarchy system. Promotion may be an employee's reward for good performance i.e. positive appraisal...
s, medal
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
s, and opportunities to take command of newer U-Boats. There are three models of U-Boats in several variations for the player to choose from, each of which becomes available during its historical period.
The game includes a rich variety of ships, ranging from oil tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
s and merchantmen to large troop ships, several different escorts such as corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
s, frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s and destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, and warships such as cruisers, battleships and carriers. It also includes a variety of aircraft on anti-submarine patrols. All these vessels are historically based, and their appearance in the game coincides with their historical appearance on the battlefield. The tactics and weapons used by the ships within the game are also historically based.
Though it suffers from obsolete graphics, the game is still considered by many to be the best subsim to date, for it revolved around its highly randomized and replayable single player "Career Mode", also found in SSI
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
's Silent Hunter
Silent Hunter
Silent Hunter is a World War II submarine combat simulation for MS-DOS, developed by Aeon Electronic Entertainment and published by Strategic Simulations in 1996. The game takes place in the Pacific War during World War II, the player commanding a submarine of the United States Navy. Most...
.
Another unique feature was that Aces of the Deep came with a realistic Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
War Grid map in which the player used in reference to finding their patrol zones. There is also an extensive in-game manual that covers the development of the U-Boat, time-line based maps that show kill-to-lose ratios, and , on the CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
version, video interviews with former German U-Boat captains.
The game was re-released by Sierra On-Line for Windows in 1995 under the title Command:Aces of the Deep. It updated the graphics to a higher resolution. This rerelease also integrated an expansion that brought in the Type XXI
German Type XXI submarine
Type XXI U-boats, also known as "Elektroboote", were the first submarines designed to operate primarily submerged, rather than as surface ships that could submerge as a means to escape detection or launch an attack.-Description:...
and Type XXIII
German Type XXIII submarine
German Type XXIII submarines were the first so-called elektroboats to become operational. They were small coastal submarines designed to operate in the shallow waters of the North Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, where larger Type XXI Elektro boats were at risk in World War II. They were so...
U-Boats.