Submarine Commander
| Submarine Commander | |
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| Publisher(s) | Thorn EMI |
| Programmer(s) | Dean Lock |
| Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit, VIC-20 |
| Release | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | simulator |
| Mode(s) | single player |
Submarine Commander is a 1982 video game for the Atari 8-bit written by Dean Lock and published by Thorn EMI Computer Software. A VIC-20 port by Gary York was released in 1983, and an Apple II version by Patrick Buckland the same year. The Atari version was re-released in 1985 on cassette as part of the Sparker brand of low-cost games. A version for the TI-99/4 was announced but was not released until 1986 when a 3rd party bought the rights.
Submarine Commander is the first submarine simulator game released for home computers. It simulates the operations of a German U-boat during World War II. The action takes place in the Mediterranean Sea, where the player has to track down a number of allied convoys and then approach them underwater to attack with their torpedoes. Compared to most other strategy games of the era, Submarine Commander works in real time, while compared to the more typical shooters of the era it is considerably more in-depth.
An Atari 2600 game of the same name was released by Sears Telegames, but is unrelated, it is an adaptation of the arcade game Sea Wolf.
The game opens displaying the control console, whose square middle section shows a map of the Mediterranean with your current location displayed as a white cross and the locations of enemy ships as black dots. Various status details are shown in the two rectangular areas on either side of the map. Forward movement is controlled by the number keys, 1 for slow and 9 for maximum. On the surface the submarine moves more rapidly and recharges its batteries and air supply. The joystick provide directional control through the rudders and dive planes. This is a slow process, turning the ship right around in a 360 degree circle takes considerable time even at full speed.
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