Command: Northern Inferno

Why do people think this game is going to be difficult to play? I suppose it must be all the icons and range circles that put people off this sort of game but I must admit I am very surprised how simple this game is to play. After reading many comments about it I was expecting a massive learning curve but that just isn't the case. Admittedly I am used to playing complex flight sims like Tornado and EF2000, not to mention games like ARMA3, Silent Hunter and Paradox's strategy games. But this game seems to me to be rather intuitive. I was surprised for example to find out you cannot manually deploy the towed array on the subs. But when I thought about it I realised that well you don't have to lower the landing gear on the planes or manually taxi them so why have to carry out the sub routine operations? When that clicked I realised that this game is not about micromanagement. Its about knowing how to use your assets, and having them ready when they are needed, and in the right place at the right time, and whether they are employed in stealth or in active detecting mode. Yes you have to know about how to use them to their best advantage - employing BVR weapons high up to get the range, having attack aircraft low down to mask their approach etc. That is all modelled in the game. But its not about determining how the units perform their missions in detail, that stuff is left to the AI. Once all that clicked I realised this is actually a very easy game to play once you know your way around the panels, but a difficult one to master. And its a lot more fun that I was expecting too. (Just started playing it again in Oct 2019 after seeing new version of CMO is coming out - started the campaign from scratch, finished the first mission, then realised I had started the game in standalone mode rather than Campaign mode and had to do it all again, but its a good game so didnt mind lol. Not the first time I have done this though!)

很用心的一个战役剧本。冷战背景，交战双方都动用了历史上从来没有机会露面的武器装备。如果你对70年代中期冷战巅峰有兴趣的话，绝对会大呼过瘾。从Beware of the Badger和Damn the torpedoes这样的剧本里，你能最直观地感受苏联海航信奉的饱和攻击是怎样的效果；从An eye for an eye和Fail safe这样的剧本里，你会认识苏联防空军的高中低、远中近SAM体系是如何搭配运作的，弱点又在哪里；而在the grey ghost from the east coast这样的剧本里，你也可以操控二战老船来一把纯粹的水雷魂。更加引人注目的是各种昙花一现的稀罕武器和功勋卓著的著名战舰，苏军的苏15、雅克38、奇丑无比的图128，恐怖的超远程地对空核弹萨姆5，美海军的二代萨拉托加、宇宙战舰衣阿华，英国佬的掠夺者舰攻、V字轰炸机、二代皇家方舟，绝对让军迷爽到。总而言之，很硬核也很decent的一个战役，欢迎大家来玩

I played "Harpoon" from when it was new until long after it had disappeared then re-appeared on the web. This game is infinitely closer to the reality of the periods it is set in. The ranges and models of the various machines are excellent and it is obvious a lot of time was spent on getting them correct. A lot of the information in the various fact sheets does not have images or stories and bare facts are a little disappointing. The quantity of items is breathtaking but I would still like to see more images and stories. The creators of this version have gone to great lengths to improve the complexity and control. I missed some of the aspects of the old games. The ability to apply air patrols into geometric selections around the ships and airfields and so on made it easier to set up a fleet action. Those patrols were then invisible until they were forced into action which saved some clutter on the screen. The current game has various ways to set up patrols that allow a lot more control but begin to become tedious and adds that clutter I was talking of It may be that the years of playing Harpoon spoiled my appreciation of this game but I am finding difficult to get the same enjoyment from it. It is recommended by me for those people who need to get their minds off many hours of life and bury themselves in complex but not always satidfying tasks. It is borderline to being an excellent game. I will perservere and perhaps find what it seems to be missing at the moment

I've owned and played the base CMANO game for a long time, but hadn't put in many hours recently. That's changed with Northern Inferno. The use of a Campaign system - even if it is just a series of scenarios aids immersion, and the 1975 Cold War setting is one I find fascinating. The introductory video is great (I wish every scenario had something similar) and the range of platforms - some common, some more unusual (D43 HMS Matapan anyone?) - maintains interest. If I had one wish it would be that the database descriptions for involved units be expanded a little with some narrative to back up the exhaustive stats (maybe with a few hints on how that particular platform could best be employed) and a somewhat better selection of photographs. Overall this is highly recommended, either as an introduction to the game or as DLC for more experienced players.

Just spent Saturday evening and most of Sunday monring playing the first 3 missions, and I have to say that it's engrossing. The scenarios are as realistic as one would imagine, and the cut-videos of 70's tacky reporting add that little bit of flavour and realism. It's a shame the core game didn't ship with Northern Inferno, instead of relying on community support almost from the start, but, that said, the future of CMANO should be in providing more campaigns like NI. Recommended.

The Steam version of this game is bugged. All of a sudden the Mission Editor window will not come up even on totally fresh scenarios. Also the third mission in the campaign is bugged and so the campaign finishes there.

This is a way overpriced updated version of Harpoon. I really like the game but in todays market it just doesnt seem right to pay 20 bucks for a campaign, which is all you get here. You can play any part of the campaign which is nice, but weapons miss/failure rate is depressing. This game also comes with a bunch of scenerios but you cant play them without dropping an extra $90 on it. So dont waste your $20. Pay the $90 for command modern air if you are thinking about trying this game. Just keep in mind there is no graphics - which doesnt bother me, i like strategic games. I wont pay the $90, that is way too much for a game with no graphics. If i had to do it over again, i wouldnt pay more than $7 for it, and i wont pay more than $25 for the real game.

+ Incredible level of details + straightforward interface that allows total control... or let the IA do the job + tons of fan made scenarios (you will need CMANO though) - 50 years ago, owning the information contained in the database will have sent you to jail for spying activities - nuking is fine... and fun - you will need to sleep at some point Northen Inferno is an excellent introduction to Command Modern Air Naval Ops, I have played many wargames and this simulation is the top gun.

I have not put a lot of time into this game as it is a very deep simulation and I just bought it. This is a good entry point to this series but be aware that it is also very limited. Since this package does not include the mission editor you will not be able to create your own scenarios. Nor will you be able to play the over 200 community developed scenarios. You will only be able to play the 15 Northern Inferno scenarios plus the 5 tutorial missions. This program costs a quarter of the full game and if you are a casuall player this probably will work for you. But if you want more playability than you should consider buying the full game.

Top of the line cold war command simulator and a sensible gateway to the full CMANO product. Needs a stack of tacit knowledge on weapons and sensor systems that it doesn't teach. The mission editor is critical to avoid micro management hell, but documentation is light and logic is less than intuitive (e.g. CAP / AAW behaviours) so the product takes some learning.