Computer Bismarck
The first commercially published computer wargame.
Computer Bismarck is a computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations (SSI) in 1980. It simulates the last battle of the German battleship Bismarck, with British forces pursuing the vessel across the Atlantic. As SSI's first game and the first commercially published computer wargame, it helped legitimize both wargames and computer games. The game features turn-based gameplay on a two-dimensional map of the Atlantic Ocean, with letters representing military units and facilities. Players can command British forces against the Bismarck and other German units, controlled either by a computer opponent named "Otto von Computer" or a second player.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Strategic Simulations
- Designer
- Joel Billings, John Lyons
- Released
- February 1980
- Genre
- Wargame
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Apple II, TRS-80
Facts from the source article.
Development
Joel Billings grew up playing board wargames and later used computers in college for econometrics and mathematical modeling. That experience showed him that computers could run recreational wargames and cut out the tedious paperwork. In the summer of 1979, between his undergraduate and graduate studies, Billings met an IBM programmer and proposed they start a software company. The programmer turned him down, arguing that wargames were too difficult and complicated to ever be popular. Billings then put up flyers at hobby shops around Santa Clara, California, looking for wargame fans who also knew programming. John Lyons was the first to respond, and the two quickly hit it off. They founded Strategic Simulations with startup money. Billings picked the Bismarck’s final battle because he thought the hunting-and-chasing style would need less work on artificial intelligence. The game’s design followed common conventions from historical simulation games. Billings later noted that a computer could hide player moves to create fog of war, while board games forced players to announce their moves openly. In August 1979, Billings borrowed a North Star Horizon computer from his job so Lyons could write the program. Both were working full-time and coded at Billings’ apartment at night. Lyons handled most of the programming; Billings worked on design, data entry, and minor programming. Dave Cook helped with game design, and Billings’ father, Robert Billings, contributed historical information.
Marketing and release
While Lyons was coding, Billings looked into the video game market. He went to local game shops and a San Francisco gaming convention. He tried sharing market data with Tom Shaw from Avalon Hill and a co-founder of Automated Simulations, but neither was interested. Those lukewarm reactions convinced Billings he would have to release SSI's games himself. Once Computer Bismarck was done in January 1980, he looked for a graphic designer for the packaging. Billings met Louis Saekow through mutual friends but was unsure about hiring him. Because he admired Avalon Hill's products, Billings wanted SSI's games to have a polished look with maps, detailed manuals, and strong box art. Two months earlier, Saekow had put off medical school to chase his dream of graphic design. To get the job, Saekow said Billings could skip paying him if the work wasn't good. Saekow made the box art using a stat camera; his roommate, who worked for a magazine company, let him sneak in after hours to use it. Saekow's cousin then printed the packaging. With no warehouse space, Billings kept the first 2,000 boxes in his bedroom. Through Hawkins, Apple Computer gave SSI a mailing list of Apple users. In February 1980, Billings sent 30,000 flyers to Apple II owners and showed the game at the Applefest expo the next month. SSI bought a full-page ad for the Apple II version in the March 1980 issue of BYTE magazine, which highlighted the ability to save a game and play against the computer or another person. The ad also promised future support for the TRS-80 and other machines.
Reception
In 1980, Peter Ansoff of BYTE magazine called Computer Bismarck a 'milestone in the development of commercial war games' and approved of the documentation quality and the option to play against the computer, but disapproved of the game. He criticized it for overly faithfully copying the mechanics of the Bismarck board game, including those that worked efficiently on a board but less so on a computer. Ansoff noted that the computer game 'perpetuates the [board game's] irritating system of ship-movement rates' and concluded that 'the failings of Computer Bismarck can be summarized by saying that it does not take advantage of the possibilities offered by the computer'. Moves magazine reviewer Ian Chadwick called it 'engrossing' and praised the simulation's accuracy, though he noted the excessive time required to play a single game and called the graphics 'poorly drawn'. Neil Shapiro of Popular Mechanics praised the game's detail and ability to recreate the complex maneuvering of the real battle, calling it unique and 'fantastic'. In Creative Computing, Randy Heuer cautioned that the game 'is probably not for everyone' due to its extreme complexity, but enthusiastically recommended it for those ready for a challenge. Joseph T. Suchar in The Space Gamer called the game 'superb' and stated that 'it has so many strategic options for both sides that it is unlikely to be optimized'. United States Navy defense researcher Peter Perla in 1990 considered wargames like Computer Bismarck a step above earlier arcade-style war games and praised the addition of a computer-controlled opponent for solitaire players.
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