Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
characteristics of powerboats differ from those of cars. Because boats move in a
fluid medium, they don't have traction the way a car does, so they can't turn as
sharply as a car can. Powerboat simulations usually offer racing over a twisting
course marked off by buoys. Jet ski or fantasy water vehicle simulations often have
outrageous jumps and other challenges as well.
FIGURE 17.3
Jetboat Superchamps
in a third-person view.
Note the map overlay.
There have been a few simulators of warships over the years, often fairly small craft
with high speed and maneuverability, such as the PT boat of World War II fame.
Larger vessels such as battleships and aircraft carriers move more slowly and delib-
erately and, therefore, tend to be simulated not as individual vehicles but as part of
naval warfare simulations involving whole fleets, such as Harpoon or Dangerous Waters .
Submarine simulations such as Silent Hunter III are fairly popular because of the spe-
cialized nature of their situation and because they can move in three dimensions.
They normally concentrate on rather old-fashioned submarine activities, such as
looking through the periscope and firing torpedoes at surface ships. We associate
these sorts of things with submarines from watching old war movies, and of course,
they're the most visually dramatic. Relatively few games simulate the modern role
of submarines, hunting and hiding from one another in total darkness, because it's
too cerebral an activity.
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