Sub Hunt
Encyclopedia
Sub Hunt is a simulation video game released by Mattel
for its Intellivision
video game system in 1982. Players take control of a wolfpack of submarines attempting to stop an enemy invasion.
After selecting from one of five skill levels, the "deployment" mode game map appears, showing the player's island on the far right side of the screen and an enemy-controlled harbor at the top of the screen. The first of six convoys, each with six ships, begin arriving from the far left of the screen, on a course to the enemy staging harbor. All four of the player's submarines are active, but only one can be controlled at any one time. The player dispatches submarines to intercept the convoys as they make their way across the ocean; the submarines will move in a straight line on their last heading until ordered to stop or until they reach an enemy convoy.
When a submarine encounters a convoy, the game switches to the "battle" mode. Here, the player is presented with a simulated periscope
view and a sonar
map of the immediate area. The player controls the depth, speed and rudder position of the submarine as they attempt to hunt down and sink each ship in the convoy. The convoy is defended by a destroyer
(two destroyers in higher difficulty levels) equipped with surface cannons and depth charge
s that will seek out the player's submarine if it is detected. The player's submarines are armed with a pair of torpedo tube
s and an unlimited supply of torpedoes, and the player may turn off the submarine's sonar and engines in order to run silent
and avoid detection. If the player's submarine takes too much damage, it will sink (indicated by the screen turning blue, as if being flooded) and the deployment map screen will reappear. Similarly, if the player destroys all six ships, or if the player's submarine is far enough away from the enemy convoy, play switches back to the map screen.
If enough convoys reach the staging harbor, the enemy's invasion fleet, made up of three destroyers and three troop transports, will be launched toward the player's home. The player must stop the fleet before it reaches their home, otherwise the game is over. However, if the player successfully destroys all six convoys (36 ships in total), or too few ships reach the staging harbor such that an invasion fleet cannot be formed, the player wins.
and Nintendo GameCube
. In March 2010, Sub Hunt was one of the launch titles for Microsoft's
Game Room
service on its Xbox 360
console and on Games for Windows Live.
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
for its Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
video game system in 1982. Players take control of a wolfpack of submarines attempting to stop an enemy invasion.
Gameplay
In Sub Hunt, the player commands a fleet of four submarines. An enemy nation is preparing an invasion fleet to attack the player's home island, and it is up to the player to either destroy the convoys arriving to build the invasion fleet or, failing that, to destroy the invasion fleet itself before it reaches the player's island.After selecting from one of five skill levels, the "deployment" mode game map appears, showing the player's island on the far right side of the screen and an enemy-controlled harbor at the top of the screen. The first of six convoys, each with six ships, begin arriving from the far left of the screen, on a course to the enemy staging harbor. All four of the player's submarines are active, but only one can be controlled at any one time. The player dispatches submarines to intercept the convoys as they make their way across the ocean; the submarines will move in a straight line on their last heading until ordered to stop or until they reach an enemy convoy.
When a submarine encounters a convoy, the game switches to the "battle" mode. Here, the player is presented with a simulated periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
view and a sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
map of the immediate area. The player controls the depth, speed and rudder position of the submarine as they attempt to hunt down and sink each ship in the convoy. The convoy is defended by a 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...
(two destroyers in higher difficulty levels) equipped with surface cannons and depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s that will seek out the player's submarine if it is detected. The player's submarines are armed with a pair of torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s and an unlimited supply of torpedoes, and the player may turn off the submarine's sonar and engines in order to run silent
Silent running (submarine)
Silent running is a stealth mode of operation for naval submarines. The aim is to evade discovery by passive sonar by eliminating superfluous noise: nonessential systems are shut down, the crew is urged to rest and refrain from making any unnecessary sound, and speed is greatly reduced to minimize...
and avoid detection. If the player's submarine takes too much damage, it will sink (indicated by the screen turning blue, as if being flooded) and the deployment map screen will reappear. Similarly, if the player destroys all six ships, or if the player's submarine is far enough away from the enemy convoy, play switches back to the map screen.
If enough convoys reach the staging harbor, the enemy's invasion fleet, made up of three destroyers and three troop transports, will be launched toward the player's home. The player must stop the fleet before it reaches their home, otherwise the game is over. However, if the player successfully destroys all six convoys (36 ships in total), or too few ships reach the staging harbor such that an invasion fleet cannot be formed, the player wins.
Ports
Sub Hunt was re-released as part of the Intellivision Lives! collection for computers and other video game consoles, like the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
. In March 2010, Sub Hunt was one of the launch titles for Microsoft's
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Game Room
Game Room
Game Room is a gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system, Microsoft Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room lets players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores...
service on its Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
console and on Games for Windows Live.
External links
- Sub Hunt at GameFAQs