JANES Fleet Command by Eric "Snacko" Marlow
	Single Missions Fleet Command includes 34 scenarios that can be played as single missions. The scenarios range from no-fly zone missions in Iraq to conflicts between India and Pakistan to head-to-head battles with the Russian Fleet. The missions can be played in any order and range in difficulty from one to four stars. I found the single missions to be an enjoyable way to get deeper into Fleet Command. Depending on how you play, each mission takes approximately an hour. Different fleets are included in the single missions, so you aren't playing as the US forces all the time. I found learning about other fleets to be one of the more enjoyable aspects of these missions. Campaign The campaign structure is a bit different than most campaigns included in military simulations today. Fleet Command has a set of four different campaigns that cover different parts of the world. Unlike campaigns that are a series of linked missions, each Fleet Command campaign is in effect one large mission. Each scenario includes multiple objectives that must be attained for campaign success. Some of these objectives may not be known at the out-set, and they will be relayed to you via tasking messages as the campaign progresses. Each campaign could last three to four hours or more, but luckily Jane's has included a save feature that allows you to save your missions at any point in the campaign. You can save multiple versions as well. Each campaign scenario is prefaced by a beiefing video that gives you some background on the situation. Though each scenario has a context, there really isn't any linkage between individual campaigns. Since the campaign scenarios are not really connected in any substantial way, I personally did not like the fact that you are prevented from playing subsequent campaign scenarios until you successfully complete the previous one. Mission Building In Fleet Command you can build your own missions, and boy, what missions you can build! In constructing your mission, you have access to just about every ship of the included navies (see below). Most naval aircraft are included as well as airforce aircraft that can fly from ground bases. You also have the ability to save your mission so that it can be played in multi-player mode. Click to continue		Any region of the world can be depicted as well as setting up your scenarios to attack the enemy of your choice. Objects can be programmed to appear with a certain amount of randomness and mission goals can be hierarchically arranged. You also have control over the environment: weather, time of day, and sea state can all play a role in your custom mission. The mission goal structure is probably the toughest thing to master, and I have yet to understand it fully. My attempt to model a realistic battle of the current Operation Allied Force operation is included here. I got a real kick when I was able to place each object from the current US task force that is present in the Adriatic sea. I believe the mission builder is quite sophisticated and I have yet to really scratch the surface. This feature above all others will allow me to continue to enjoy the sim for some time. Gameplay Much has already been said about the "click fest" nature of certain gameplay scenarios. The game in its current configuration does not allow for friendly ships to protect themselves autonomously. You must manually engage incoming aircraft and missiles. There are several missions where this becomes a problem to the point of not allowing you to organize offensive operations because you are spending all your time protecting yourself. The argument becomes somewhat subjective as to whether to balance player participation or computer control and I've read the arguments for both camps. I think the bottom line here is that Jane's should have included options to accommodate both gameplay styles. Some "admirals" will tend to want to control every aspect of fleet protection, while others would tend to leave the close-in protection of the fleet up to the computer. Even for the most mouse-adept clicker, the final campaign scenarios should prove to be too much of a challenge, as enemy ships and planes continuously pummel you with anti-ship missiles. I feel a twinge of Carpal Tunnel coming on as I write this. Go to Page Three
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