Tom Clancy's SSN
Encyclopedia
Tom Clancy's SSN is a simulation of the 688i (Los Angeles-class
) nuclear hunter/killer submarine
. The game player is in command of USS Cheyenne
in a limited war against China over the Spratly Islands
. Gameplay is limited to a 15 mission single-player campaign in which the player carries out anti-submarine, anti-surface ship roles, intelligence gathering activities, and the launch of submarine based cruise missiles. Tom Clancy
also wrote a book by the same name, based on this storyline.
SSN is also the title of a board wargame
published by Game Designer's Workshop in 1975
, and was the first attempt at a serious modern submarine and anti-submarine warfare simulation game published for the entertainment market. It was designed by Stephen Newberg and developed by Marc Miller.
. Thermocline
s at various depths are simulated as well, affecting sonar readings and accuracy. Commands are limited to directional steering, ballast tank
and periscope
controls, basic sonar functions and weapons targeting and firing, providing an arcade like feel to the game play, as opposed to a true submarine command simulation.
Los Angeles class submarine
The Los Angeles class, sometimes called the LA class or the 688 class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines that forms the backbone of the United States submarine fleet. With 43 submarines on active duty and 19 retired, the Los Angeles class is the most numerous nuclear powered...
) nuclear hunter/killer submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. The game player is in command of USS Cheyenne
USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)
USS Cheyenne , the last , is the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Cheyenne, Wyoming. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 28 November 1989 and her keel was laid down on 6 July 1992. She was launched...
in a limited war against China over the Spratly Islands
Spratly Islands
The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines and Malaysia , about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land...
. Gameplay is limited to a 15 mission single-player campaign in which the player carries out anti-submarine, anti-surface ship roles, intelligence gathering activities, and the launch of submarine based cruise missiles. Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
also wrote a book by the same name, based on this storyline.
SSN is also the title of a board wargame
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
published by Game Designer's Workshop in 1975
1975 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1975. For video and console games, see 1975 in video gaming.-Significant games-related events of 1975:*Chaosium Inc...
, and was the first attempt at a serious modern submarine and anti-submarine warfare simulation game published for the entertainment market. It was designed by Stephen Newberg and developed by Marc Miller.
Gameplay
The computer game version uses video briefings and fictional news reports to enhance the atmosphere both before and after the missions. The view during gameplay is from the perspective of an external trailing rotatable camera. In game player weapons are limited to submarine launched torpedoes, with a VLS system for launching Tomahawk missiles at off-map targets (as a mission objective). The player is provided with a simplified scanning screen display for SonarSonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
. Thermocline
Thermocline
A thermocline is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid , in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below...
s at various depths are simulated as well, affecting sonar readings and accuracy. Commands are limited to directional steering, ballast tank
Ballast tank
A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...
and periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
controls, basic sonar functions and weapons targeting and firing, providing an arcade like feel to the game play, as opposed to a true submarine command simulation.