NAVAL ON LINE WAR GAMING

Second Battle of the Virginia Capes by V. Zveg  for the US Navy US Navy Naval History and Heritage Command: Photo #: NH 73927-KN

 Ever play "Battleship" when you were a kid? For our younger readers it was a  game done with grids overlaying silhouettes of war ships in which you call out your "shots" by grid coordinates against your opponents ships that you of course can't see. We're really dating our selves here if you are under 50 or so it is highly unlikely that you have ever played "Battleship" with such primitive gaming materials.  Today, "Battleship" is done on line, often for free with amazing audio visuals, historical accuracy and against sometimes multiple players. There are battles based on long past battles such as the Second Battle Of the Virginia Capes depicted above and imaginary battles based on modern naval combatants such as the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN BATTLE  GROUP depicted below:

OFFICIAL US NAVY PHOTO BY PH2 GABRIEL WILSONAPTION 6/20/20000

For nearly five years now we have been bringing you book reviews and links to books, and videos on naval subjects. As naval professionals we have personally engaged in naval "table top exercises", and even in computerized simulations. Games can be an important training tool for the professional as well as learning tools for naval history, and just plain fun for the enthusiasts. Unfortunately the"old salts' round about the office are hardly millennials and frankly we didn't think much about computer games until recently when we stumbled across some. We still want to be the only name you need to know and the only site you need to book mark to start research on any maritime or naval subject, so it was down right negligent of us to not include in our "BIG LINKS LOCKER" links to on line naval war gaming and reviews of such war gaming. So starting today we are looking into the naval computer gaming world and linking you to it. This post and subsequent posts on the subject will be featured prominently in our NAVAL INTERESTS special interest page. So, looking for a naval war game, just click into the American Admiralty Books Web site for links and reviews:

LET'S START WITH REVIEWS AND LINKS TO THE TOP TEN NAVAL BATTLE  GAMES AS RATED BY SOFTONIC .COM 

Click Here: https://en.softonic.com/articles/top-10-naval-battle-games

Here you will find short descriptions/reviews of the following along with links for direct entry into play or down loading: Below we illustrate SOFTONIC's list and provide some limited direct links. There are more links at the Softonic site. Where a download button is provided at the Softonic site we refer you to the site as it would be wise to read their review first.

1. World of Warships:  Try it for free at  Play Free World of Warships

2. BattleStations Midway:  A Softonic site down load

3. BattleStations Pacific :  A Softonic site down load

4. Silent Hunter IV: Wolves of the Pacific:   A Softonic site download

5. Naval War: Arctic Circle: A Softonic site down load

6. Dangerous Waters:  A Softonic site down load 

7. Battle Fleet 2: World War 2 in the Pacific: A Softonic site down load

8. Fighting Steel:  A Softonic site download

9. Naval Action: A Softonic site download

10. Windward: Try http://store.steampowered.com/app/326410/Windward/

 NAVAL WAR GAMING IS INCOMPLETE WITH OUT NAVAL AIR Power gaming

CONSIDER DOWN LOADING POWERWar Thunder  through the download button at the Softonic site 

  Softonic describes this as a "great option" though it is not an exclusively naval site, but has "Some great naval content". The focus of the site is on air combat including air combat off of navy air craft carriers.

HOW ABOUT BATTLE GAMES BASED ON ANTICIPATED FUTURE BATTLES LIKE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA? Softonic suggests : 

Battlefield 4 Naval Strike (expansion pack)

"The Naval Strike expansion pack for Battlefield 4 brings naval warfare to the 21st century. Taking place in the South China Sea, an area of increasing naval tension between the US and China, the DLC pack brings multiplayer maps, new gadgets and weapons, and most importantly, a hovercraft. In the new Carrier Assault mode, you’ll be battling to sink the enemy’s aircraft carriers" Its a down load that we suggest entering from the Softonic site 

And for you swashbucklers: the Softonic site  suggests: 

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

"For a series about climbing over rooftops and stabbing Templars, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s ship-to-ship combat is surprisingly complete and satsifying. Sailing across the Caribbean taking direct control of your ship – The Jackdaw – you can attack different navy’s vessels with your vast armory to get money and supplies for upgrades. But, if you would rather board an enemy vessel for some cutlass based action, you can capture it and add it to your fleet."

American Admiralty Books also suggests checking out the Softonic site  for naval warfare games that don't require a PC. 

Well that concludes our opening shot across the bow on naval war gaming with our review and links to the Softonic site a great place to start if you're spoiling for a naval battle in cyber space.