Developer: Sonalysts Combat SimulationsProducer: TBAHOT BUOY ON CHANNEL ONE! SCS - DANGEROUS WATERS Raises the Bar on Modern Naval Simulations It's been nearly three years since the release of Sonalysts' Sub Command, the submarine simulation that gave us the capability to take the helm of three different modern nuclear submarines. Prior to that, Sonalysts gave us 688(I) Hunter-Killer, arguably the most realistic subsim of its time, and Fleet Command, a tactical naval sim putting the player in control of entire task groups of naval ships and aircraft. Up until recently, the capability to truly command and control both surface and subsurface naval units in the same simulation has been a figment of the sim community's imagination. With the announcement late last year of Sonalysts Combat Systems' latest title, Dangerous Waters, the community was abuzz with anticipation - “at long last, have our prayers been answered?” We got our hands on a pre-release build of the new sim for a test-drive, and the answer seems to be a resounding YES! Since the build we received was pre-beta, some of its features are still being “tweaked” and worked out, but there is more than enough functionality in this version to reveal a simulation that should capture and hold the interest of veterans and newbies alike. The old familiar platforms - the 688(I) Los Angeles class, the SSN-21 Seawolf class, and the Russian Akula class - from Sub Command are still available to command. Introduced to us in Dangerous Waters are the Russian Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine, the U.S. Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate, the MH-60 multi-mission helicopter, and the P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. In case you hadn't done the math, that's seven platforms, all simulated to the high degree of fidelity we've come to expect from Sonalysts. Each platform contains the tactical stations you'll need as the commander to fully exploit the naval battlespace, with a competent Autocrew in place to let the player concentrate on the big picture of tactical command if he so desires. Alternately, neophytes to naval simulation can turn on the Autocrew and play the game directly from the Navigation station, or NAV map, as they become familiar with the operation of each platform and its sensor and weapons capabilities.
