War In The Pacific
Encyclopedia
War in the Pacific is a 2004 two-player turn-based computer war game
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 Matrix games
Matrix Games
Matrix Games is a publisher of computer games, specifically strategy games and wargames. They are based out of Staten Island, New York.Their focus is primarily but not exclusively on war games and turn-based strategy...

. It is a very large, complex, and detailed simulation of the Pacific Theatre of World War II, at both the operational and strategic level
Strategic level
Strategic level of war, as defined by the United States Department of Defense, is the level of war at which a nation, often as a member of a group of nations, determines national or multinational security objectives and guidance, and develops and uses national resources to accomplish these...

.

An updated version (War in the Pacific — Admiral's Edition) was released on July 27, 2009.

Overview

The game is intended to be played solitaire, against the game's built-in artificial intelligence, or against a human opponent by e–mail. Players assume the role of the Allies (the United States, the British Empire and Commonwealth, the Netherlands, China, the USSR (if activated), and some smaller nations) or Japan (with some associated smaller nations). Players gain victory points for various actions (such as sinking enemy ships) and these are used to determine the winner.

Playing surface

The game is played on a map covering a considerable portion of the earth's surface, from eastern Africa in the west to the Panama Canal in the east and from Nome, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...

 in the north to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 in the south. The map is divided into hexagonal spaces
Hex map
A hex map, hex board or hex grid is a gameboard design commonly used in wargames of all scales. The map is subdivided into small regular hexagons of identical size.-Advantages and disadvantages:...

, and players move military units on these spaces and engage in simulated combat. Each hex (hexagonal space) represents 60 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...

s (the 2009 Admiral's Edition update uses 40–mile hexes). The map uses cartographic distortion
Map projection
A map projection is any method of representing the surface of a sphere or other three-dimensional body on a plane. Map projections are necessary for creating maps. All map projections distort the surface in some fashion...

 to ensure that all hexes represent the same distance. The map is centered near the Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...

 and distortion increases with distance from these.

Units

Combat units in the game are varied and extensive. Strength of military units is calculated at the level of individual ships, airplanes, vehicles, guns, and squad
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...

s. Naval forces range from battleships and aircraft carriers to PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...

s and subchasers. Land combat units range from corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...

 down to companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

. Air unit sizes range from single whole air groups of 72 aircraft down to individual aircraft assigned to ships.

Logistics and production

Players must handle logistics
Military logistics
Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with:...

on a detailed level to ensure that their forces are supplied. New military units are created during the course of the game; Allied units are created by a set script which cannot be modified, while the Japanese player has full control over creation of new units.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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