Old Gamers Never Die: Learning New Things…and Re-Learning Things I Already Knew

Early Afternoon, Sunday, December 22, 2024, Miami, Florida

I’ve been diving into Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age ever since Triassic Games and MicroProse launched it in Early Access this past November. And let me tell you, even though it’s still a work in progress, I’m thoroughly enjoying this simulation of late 20th-century naval warfare. (We’re eagerly anticipating a grand campaign in 2025, and the developers are continuously squashing bugs and rolling out patches to enhance the gameplay.)

The latest updates have spiced things up, especially when it comes to the aircraft’s performance in combat and the behavior of warships under “Weapons Free” engagement rules. Some missions have become notably trickier. Take the Dong Hoi scenario, for example – a jazzed-up version of a historical Vietnam War engagement. Now, those AI-controlled MiG-17 Frescos are a real pain to bring down. When attacking ships with unguided bombs, the planes have started performing a dramatic pop-up maneuver before diving onto their targets, instead of their old, straightforward bomb runs. This makes the North Vietnamese aerial attacks much tougher to fend off. Since the latest patch, my poor USS Higbee always gets hit… and sadly, it always sinks.

The AI also seems to be more aggressive, even in scenarios rated “Easy.” For instance, in the fan-made “mod” titled “Jane’s Redux,” Soviet Tu-22M Backfires launch their AS-4 Kitchen anti-ship missiles almost as soon as the Hair Trigger scenario starts. Before the patch, players had enough time to launch more F-14s to supplement the two two-plane flights that were already on station. They could also figure out, based on the altitude of some of the tracks on the tactical display, which ones were Backfires and which were innocent civilian airliners. Now, the Soviets launch their missiles at the Nimitz battlegroup less than a minute into the scenario.

And that’s not all! Although the short pre-mission brief advises commanders that there is at least one Soviet diesel hunter-killer sub in the area, I didn’t detect any until I had been playing the game for a month. More to the point, I didn’t detect the subs (they’re modern Kilo-class boats, so they’re unusually quiet) until one of my ships heard the transient from a torpedo being launched. This development began shortly after Triassic uploaded one of the more recent patches, which apparently improved Soviet submarine tactics and made the Red Fleet’s commanders wilier and more aggressive.

I’ve recently discovered how to effectively utilize my S-3A Viking ASW planes to drop sonobuoys, which can detect the Kilos before they manage to fire torpedoes at my ships. Additionally, I’ve mastered engaging enemy subs with the Viking’s Mark 46 antisubmarine torpedoes. So far, these tactics have been successful, resulting in the sinking of three Russian submarines – two in one session, and one in my most recent gameplay yesterday.

The thing I need to relearn is how to avoid shooting down civilian aircraft that stray into the battle area. I believe that now that the Backfires launch their Kitchen ASMs earlier than they used to, the adrenaline rush I get when I hear the phrase “Vampire! Vampire! Vampire!” (Navy term that indicates incoming missiles) affects my judgment and I send my combat air patrol (CAP) to intercept any aircraft in the region, even if it’s flying well above the “in the weeds” altitudes (2,000 feet or lower) preferred by Backfire bomber pilots in carrier-killing missions. Yesterday, I executed the Hair Trigger exercise with remarkable accuracy. My battlegroup’s two AEGIS cruisers, Yorktown and Vincennes, successfully intercepted nearly all AS-4 Kitchen anti-ship missiles from three different directions. Chaff and other electronic countermeasures effectively diverted the remaining missiles into the Mediterranean Sea, preventing any impact on our vessels. Additionally, I neutralized a Soviet intelligence-gathering vessel disguised among Soviet civilian fishing trawlers, and, as previously noted, one of my S-3A Vikings successfully engaged a Kilo-class submarine. The mission was flawless, except for the unintended downing of a Trans-Global Airlines Boeing 707.