Silent Service

The 1985 Silent Service put players in command of an American submarine fighting Japan in the Pacific, and became one of the first genuinely detailed submarine simulations of its era, complete with a periscope view, a chart of the operational area, and the need to manually calculate a target's angle, range and speed on the torpedo data computer before firing. The pace was deliberately slow and methodical, built on patience and precision rather than reflexes, foreshadowing the later wave of so-called hardcore war simulations. It was designed by Sid Meier and published by MicroProse, then already known for its series of military and flight simulations, into which Silent Service fit in its own way.

The game was ported to a wide range of home computers of the day - Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, ZX Spectrum, Amiga and DOS PCs - and each platform had to work within different technical limits and controls, from joysticks to keyboard-only setups, which affected both graphical detail and how smoothly the simulation ran. The sequel, Silent Service II (1990), brought improved three-dimensional graphics, more detailed damage modeling for both submarines and convoys, and a mission editor that let players build their own scenarios of their own choosing.

Both games belonged to MicroProse's golden age of tactical simulations, and alongside the studio's other titles, they helped establish the genre as a category of its own, one built on patient planning rather than action. The emphasis on manual calculation and realistic target behavior influenced a later generation of submarine simulations, including the far better known Silent Hunter series, even though later years saw Silent Service gradually overshadowed by more modern, graphically demanding titles.