Wolfpack is a World War II submarine simulator published by Brøderbund in the 1990s, for use on the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS computers and the Apple Macintosh. It simulates combat actions between wolf packs of German U-boats and convoys of Allied destroyers and merchant vessels in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Gameplay
The player can choose to command either side, the wolfpack or the convoy, with the computer controlling the enemy vessels. At any time the player may take command of any vessel in his group, including of the tankers and freighters which each carry a single gun. Each vessel can be set to remain on course or at rest, or to act under computer control while the player controls another vessel. This feature helped pave the way for many modern day real-time strategy video games.
The game allows the player to choose between different levels of tactical complexity. The player can simply command one submarine, or one at a time, or issue orders and command the operations of the entire group. He can order a vessel to patrol a certain path, laid out using the mouse with the map screen, or to anchor at a certain point, or take other actions. The user can also create new missions, choosing initial locations, orders, and patrol routes for vessels on both sides.
The player can choose to run the simulation in real-time, or increase the speed by up to 32 times, allowing the ships to cross large distances in a reasonable time. The simulation automatically slows to real-time at important times such as when shots are fired.
Technology
The game reflects a number of advances in technology that occurred during the course of World War II. Each mission takes place during a particular year of the war. In later years new submarine classes are available to the player, with advances such as greater underwater speed. Destroyers gain radar and active sonar for detection of submarines, and hedgehog antisubmarine weapons, to supplement the depth charges, guns and passive sonar of the earlier destroyers.
Source: Wikipedia, "Wolfpack (video game)", available under the CC-BY-SA License.
Back of Box
Naval strategists now able to fight both sides of World War II
WolfPack is as real as history's headlines. As a World War II Allied escort commander, you can match wits against a German U-boat commander... or switch roles and become the submarine commander. WolfPack is the first naval combat simulation that lets you command either side. So it's like getting two superb programs in one.
Whether you're commanding Allied destroyers or German U-boats, WolfPack provides an excitingly realistic simulation of World War II naval warfare; it comes with twelve authentic built-in scenarios, plus a construction set for creating original games.
Based on World War II tactics and ships
Operating in small groups called wolf packs, Admiral Karl Donitz's German U-boats sank more than 460 Allied ships in a single year at the start of World War II.
In late 1942, though, the tide began to turn. And ultimately, SONAR and RADAR breakthroughs gave the Allies undisputed control of the North Atlantic.
WolfPack takes you back to those historic years to experience all the excitement and tension of deadly naval combat. Special WolfPack features include:
- Intuitive commands
- Variable skill levels
- Twelve built-in scenarios
- Mission construction kit
- One- or two-player modes
