Battleship Commander

Name: Battleship Commander
Programmer(s): Matthew Jew and Erik Kirk
Publisher: Quality
Year: 1980

Description:

Battleship Commander, released in 1980 by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI), brought naval warfare to the Apple II. This turn-based strategy game put players in command of a naval fleet during World War II combat.

Players control a fleet of ships viewed from a top-down perspective on a grid-based map. The game features different ship types including battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, each with unique capabilities and weapon ranges. Ships can move across the ocean grid and engage enemy vessels through a targeting system that considers range, weather conditions, and ship positioning.

The game exists as one of the earliest computer versions of naval combat simulation. The simple graphics use basic lines and shapes to represent ships and the ocean grid. White dots indicate shell splashes when shots miss their targets, while hits are shown with flashing markers. Sound effects are limited to basic tones for shots fired and hits registered.

Combat involves selecting target coordinates and managing ammunition supplies. Players must consider factors like ship speed, turning radius, and weapon range. Damage affects ship performance, adding strategic depth to decision-making. Weather conditions change throughout battles, impacting visibility and accuracy.

The game features both single-player scenarios against computer-controlled opponents and a two-player mode where friends can battle each other. Multiple difficulty settings adjust the computer opponent's skill level and battle conditions.

Battleship Commander stands out for running entirely in 48K of RAM, a technical achievement for its time. The game introduced several naval warfare simulation concepts that influenced later titles in the genre. While simple by today's standards, it provided Apple II owners with an engaging strategic experience that balanced historical accuracy with playable game mechanics.

The game received positive reviews in computer gaming magazines of the era, with praise for its strategic depth and multiplayer options. Its success helped establish SSI as a leading publisher of computer strategy games throughout the 1980s.