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June 10th, 2009, 21:38 Posted By: wraggster
Run out the guns and prepare for instant action as Shrapnel Games and developer SprueGames now bring Salvo!, the fighting sail wargame, direct to your hard drive! Previously only available for purchase as a physical product Salvo! can now also be had as a download, making it easy to fulfill your need for wanton violence against canvas and wood any hour of the day, any day of the week.
Salvo! is a turn based naval wargame of combat set in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries before naval warfare changed to an era of dreadnoughts and torpedoes. Players command a variety of fighting ships (with the ability to edit your own) from the major seafaring powers of the day, whether recognized government or scurvy pirates, and battle on the high seas for victory in campaigns or generated battles. Both single and multi-player is supported, with multi-player taking the form of both the forgotten art of the hotseat play and play-by-email (PBEM). Salvo's PBEM experience is a wonderfully smooth sailing experience, as turns are automatically saved and ready to be whisked over the Intertubes.
Whether your naval skills rival that of Lord Nelson or you're more of a Captain Crunch Salvo! makes commanding your forces an intuitive and easily grasped experience. From single ships to entire squadrons, the UI makes everyone a force to be reckoned with. Of course, while easy to control that does not mean Salvo! sacrifices realism for playability. For example, take the sailing model as described by noted naval gamer reviewer Jim Cobb in his review of Salvo! for Subsim.com:
"The sailing model is perfect. Arrows show the direction and distance a selected ship can move. Thus, a vessel heading into the when can only go one arrow. Not going the full distance has ramification of not moving faster for another turn. If left alone, a ship "in irons" will eventually "fall off" into the wind. Since this process takes time, a "tacking" arrow is provided. Tacking allows some movement into the wind but requires some skill. A low-rated captain and crew may fumble a tack. Players do not have to manage each ship as automove will move unselected ships in the last direction. The efficacy of such moves depends on the quality of the ship and her captain as well as the crew's morale."
Besides a realistic sailing model Salvo! includes everything you'd want to see in a fighting sail wargame such as:
*Land (and shore batteries), shallow water, and variable winds.
*Multiple means of death and destruction: ball, double ball, chain/link, grapeshot/canister and ball/canister.
*Crew management.
*Boarding actions.
*Ships of the line, sloops, xebecs, frigates, gun platforms, and bombards.
Pat Miller of Applelinks in his review of Salvo! does an excellent job of describing all the details you'll find while playing:
"...for any given turn in Salvo! you'll have to take stock of how your ship (or ships) are doing, optimizing the crew allocation to your ideal balance between maintenance, movement, and offense, position your ship in the most advantageous position vis a vis range, wind direction, and firing angles, choose the ideal load-out of your cannons in accordance with your battle strategy (going for a quick kill vs. disabling the enemy ship, for example). It's not easy, but for the turn-based tacticians out there who love to obsess about this kind of stuff, Salvo! is definitely the game for you."
Salvo! is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems, with cross-compatibility between platforms in PBEM play. It sells direct from Shrapnel Games for only $39.95 and is available right now as a download or a physical product shipped to your door.
Naval gaming fans should also check out War Plan Pacific by KE Studios, grand strategy in the Pacific playable in a single session. Be sure to stop by www.shrapnelgames.com and cast your peepers on it, and the many other titles in our catalog of great independent strategy and niche gaming. Latest releases include the modern warfare RTS, Battle Group Commander: Episode One, and the arcade game as imagined by Timothy Leary, BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity. Look for more exciting news throughout the year as Shrapnel Games celebrates ten years in business fighting the good fight.
For more information on any of the products we offer, including future titles, please visit us at www.shrapnelgames.com. There you'll be able to download demos, patches, goodies such as music tracks, join in forum discussions, and much more (and no vampires!). Shrapnel Games has been fighting the good fight since 1999, publishing fine quality independent software with a focus on the strategy genre.
For more information and downloads, click here!
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