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A horrid game; do not waste $1 on it.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: February 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game... out of an overstock bin, and I still felt it was a waste of money. Now, on to the complaints....

GRAPHICS: Considering the quality of 3D ship models, I'm surprised this game requires as much processing power as it does. Where is it needed? Possibly in the game mechanics...but the effects in this game are pathetic...if one were inclined to believe this game, a VLS Aegis cruiser is lucky to engage two targets. Furthermore, many of the 3D ship models are recycled for very different ships classes.

GAME PLAY: This game has some of the worst symptons of RTS games: units which fail to follow orders, or follow orders for a minute, then start wondering aimlessly. The ergonomics of the interface are horrible. Orders are issued on a 2D map using NTDS symbology. But to issue orders to multiple units in close proximity requires zooming in, but zooming in does not zoom on the currently selected unit, requiring you to scroll around to find the unit you wish to issue orders too. This is extremely time consuming, and can be quite deadly if you have to engage one or more missiles coming towards your ships. This is my favorite part: ships will not fire weapons in defense. So, while you are zooming and scrolling to find inbound missiles toward one ship to order it to fire (which, you're lucky if it does so 1 out of every 3 times), missiles can be launched towards another ship, approached unchallanged, and sink her. Clumsy to say the least.

There are patches available on the internet which are supposed to address some of the command problems for units, but given how glaringly obvious many of the problems are, why were they not fixed before it shipped?

The graphics are mediocre, and the interface is clumsy to the point of effecting game play. This will be the last Jane's PC title I own. I suggest you wait for Harpoon 4 if you want fleet action.

Fleet Command is strategy game lacking strategy.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 11, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Fleet Command was built on the concept of naval warfare strategy much like the classic game Harpoon. Similarly to Harpoon, it is a real time strategy game that provides top down control of every unit in a fleet action. Unfortunately, it has two fatal flaws. Firstly, the time compression only speeds up to 1 real second = 5 game seconds. This means that the missions start out with the antagonists at close range so there is no maneuvering. Without that maneuvering, there is little strategy involved in pummeling the opponent. Secondly, there is no way to generate groups to control items working in a coordinated fashion. So if you launch 20 planes on a strike mission, there are 20 planes cluttering the map. After playing this game, I decided I'd rather play the almost 10 year old Harpoon.

My extremly critical review of Janes Fleet Command.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: October 30, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This an extremly boring game. All you so is sit there for an hour or two and right click. Sometimes something exciting happens, but other than that do not get this game or you just have another forty-dollar dust collector!

Fleet Command.............. Blows!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 24
Date: February 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I THOUGHT THAT IN THE GAME(BY THE WAY IT WAS ADVERTISED)I WOULD BE IN CONTROLL OF A SHIP,IN THE NAVY,FIGHTING OFF THE ENEMY. I WAS TERRIBLY MISTAKEN. THE GAME CONSISTS OF A BUNCH OF BLUE AND YELLOW DOTS. YOU(THE BLUE DOTS) HAVE TO KILL OFF THE YELLOW DOTS. THERE ARE BASICALLY NO GRAPHICS, AND TO CONTROLL ONE SHIP IS VERY DIFFICULT. DID I MENTION THAT YOU ARENT IN CONTROLL OF ONE SHIP,EITHER,YOU'RE IN CONTROLL OF A FLEET. THE IDIOTS THAT MANAGED TO PUT THIS TOGETHER MUST'VE BEEN HIGH WHEN THEY CAME UP WITH THE BASIS. OVERALL, I AM SAYING,THAT THIS GAME IS THE WORST I'VE COME ACROSS IN A LONG TIME.THE CONTROLLS ARE MESSED UP,THERE ARE NO GRAPHICS,AND(GET THIS)THERE IS NO INSTUCTION BOOKLET TO LET YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY. IT'S JUST A GREAT BIG GUESSING GAME FROM THE BEGINNING. TAKE MY ADVICE,PLEASE,DONOT,I REPEAT DONOT PURCHASE THIS GAME.

Ducks in a shooting gallery, you are the duck,

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: July 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Poorly designed campaign and scenario setup. Each one starts with the enemy knowing exactly where you are. If they havent already opened fire, they will in a few moments. There are far too many neutral ships & planes around and near your force. Hit one and you lose a lot of points. Problem is you have to seperately identify them because at the start of each campaign you don't know who they are. (how realistic is that??) You can't change the weapons load on the planes which means if you use a US aircraft carrier, you have a grand total of 4 strike planes. You have to get the update from Janes website to allow your ships to do things like engage missiles automaticaly.

Would be AWESOME if it wasn't so CLUNKY.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: November 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is fun, if you are willing to accept the fact that the programers were on an extremely tight budget. If the programers beta tested this game enough they would have worked out all the problems that prevent this game from being AWESOME.
First, I must point out that it is "real time". Meaning, time is ticking while you are clicking/scrolling through your list of units and commands. Time is always ticking. If the interface was fast and efficient there wouldn't be a problem, heck it might even be realistic. But at best it takes too long to issue simple orders, and to play the game successfully you will be issuing dozens if not hundreds of orders. All the while the clock is ticking.
Why is the clock so important? Because you are dealing with an enemy that has ships, aircraft, subs and MISSLES appraoching fast. If you can't issue orders fast enough, you will always lose. Like I mentioned the interfact is clunky and very inefficient. The programers could have made it much much better.
Also, common sense moves that in the real world would take place almost automatically, don't happen. You literally must issue orders for every little action. As if each ship or aircraft doesn't have a captain or pilot to make common sense desisions. Example: If an Air-to-Surface missle gets too close to one of your AEGIS ships, the ship doesn't automatically attemt to shoot it down as would happen in the real world...naa the computer waits for you to give the order. But it is often impossible to give every order in time when you have a dozen missles coming at you, a dozen enemy aircraft and a dozen enemy ships to be aware of...annnnd in addition to mainatining your air/sea defense, you have to carry out your offense. This is all in real time. Thus because the game is so un-userfriendly it is virtually impossible to do well in most scenarios.
Other complaints,
1) the game doesn't come with an instruction book. Sure they include it in the "read me" file, but you cannnot access it during a game.

2) The game AND the 'read me' files do not define/explain any of the weapons systems that are used in the game. So without that information it is impossible to play the game with any chance of winning. You either have to be a Naval warfare expert to know what each sytem and weapon is designed for, or you must buy a reference book that describes each weapon system and its mission explained. Without this information the game is not playable.

Such a waste. This game could have been AWESOME. If the game designers would have put a little more effort into it, this game might have won awards.

My advice, play but don't expect to not get extremely frustrated.

Not as good as Harpoon on the Amiga

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

For those of you who can remember back 6 years, there was a game on the Amiga called Harpoon. It came on a few floppy disks and had no facy 3D graphics and a dire AI, however, it was one of the most playable games I've ever played.

When I bought Fleet Command my lowest expectation was they had just copied Harpoon. On playing the game I realised to my horror they had kept all the bad bits (rubbish AI) and removed all the handy GUI dialog boxs, amazing database, formation editor, huge campains, groups of planes, etc.

I assume if I played this game some more it would grow on me, but I can't but help get frustrated when I compare it with a game from 6 years ago! (and fancy 3d graphics count for anything)

Good games but no instruction booklets

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The games are good but there is no instruction booklets for two the games. I have tried to contact the manufacture 5 times and they will not even return my calls or e-mails. I would think twice before buying from them again.

Harpoonage Review

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 5
Date: August 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Well to be Frank, if your looking for a True full scale modern naval simulation dont stare to hard at Janes Fleet Command. At first Glance the harpoons flying off destroyers in a climatic scene looks very similar to CNN without a doubt. Shortly after playing i relized it was seemed to be more of an acion game than that of a simulation. As many others have said you are thrown into the battles which takes alot of planning and strategy away. Were is naval Combat without the strategy? The graphics are beautiful as a harpoon fan i always wondered what it would look like to watch my cruiser fire 8 harpoons in rapid sucession. Well now ive seen it. Great graphics, no strategy really the strategy is kinda forced on ya its either this way or take a few hits. Data is ok but nothing compared to the ship databases in harpoon of 10 years ago. No weapons changes? comon now that is just lazy programming there.

Well if harpoon of tens years ago meet the graphics of Fleet command i am sold

Action game - Not strategy

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: December 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game reminded me of 'missle command' at an arcade. You don't have to have any strategy, you just need to be quick with your SM-2 firing buttons and mouse.

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