H is for Hercules farewell. No aircraft type – with the possible exception of the Canberra – has served the RAF longer than the C-130 Hercules. Introduced in 1966, Britain’s Hercs will retire at the end of the month. I’m hoping to catch today’s country-crisscrossing farewell flypast, but if I don’t make it, I do, of course, have numerous virtual options for saying goodbye…
One of the C-130s most apt ludological appearances is as a logistics mule in DCS World multiplayer. In Grayflag’s persistent Persian Gulf and Syrian co-op campaigns, peaceable pilots can help those actively reshaping dynamic frontlines, by delivering ammo to forward bases.
I is for Icebergs ahead!
Once perfectly playable on the THC rig, for some reason Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter is now tardy and crash-prone. A pity that, as I was looking forward to trying the latest engagement variant – Icefield:
“In this type of battle, your convoy is attacked by U-boats while making its way through sea ice. This is a tough challenge on many levels, as not only do you have to repel the enemy, but you have to do it while surviving the extreme conditions that nature has thrown at you. First of all, icebergs constitute a deadly threat to all ships in the convoy, so you will have to be extra careful with your maneuvering. To make matters worse, you will have a tough time maintaining your radar contacts, as the radar will be giving you tons of false echoes, while also allowing the enemy to hide behind the icebergs (or below them). And if that weren’t enough, the convoy formation will, sooner or later, become compromised due to the necessary maneuvers it will need to take to navigate through this treacherous obstacle. With bigger icebergs in its intended track, the whole convoy will have to change course, even further increasing the chaos caused by the situation.”
J is for Jubilee jaunt
My last Armoured Commander II campaign involved lots of tense shingle churning. Unlike the 30 or so Churchill tanks involved in the real Operation Jubilee, ‘Tally-Ho’ did eventually make it off the beach and into the heart of Dieppe. She had eliminated three Pak 36s, three rifle squads, an ATR team, and a brace of 7.5 cm le.IG 18 infantry guns, when a shell slung by an unidentified foe breached her turret, killing her commander, and ending her war. Chances are my next AC2 outing will involve Iwo Jima and the game’s latest ride – the LVT.
K is for Komplimentary konflict
I wonder how well the Strategic Command: American Civil War engine will handle the complicated Siege of Port Arthur. A fortnight from now, to mark the game’s first anniversary, Fury Software is planning to release 1904 Imperial Sunrise, a free Russo-Japanese War scenario.
That Last Train Home trailer was rather good at not explaining anything about what the game is supposed to be depicting. Shame on me for not knowing my history of the Russian Civil War, I guess? Anyway, if anyone else is wondering, I found this, which I presume is what this is all about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Czechoslovak_Legion
Also, I am struggling to keep up with The Experiment, but in case it didn’t pop up anywhere else, MS dropped their new Flight Simulator trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3xp-SnZDoY
Looking forward to Imperial Sunrise. Fascinating conflict that began the tottering of the Romanovs and was a precursor to WWI combat. I think this will be the first game to look at the whole conflict.
Hurrah for a Port Arthur scenario! We asked, and the universe answered.
That Last Train Home trailer looks absolutely cracking. I definitely feel that Russia after their withdrawal from WW1 is a fantastic setting for all kinds of chaos and war games that is criminally underutilized.