Harpoon 4.0

Tue Mar 02, 2004 7:00 pm

#1

Do you know anything about Harpoon 4.0 or any other modern naval combat game where I wouldn't have to fire Harpoon missles from F-14s like in Jane's Fleet Command?

Is Harpoon 4 worth playing?

Tue Mar 02, 2004 11:07 pm

Harpoon 4.0

#2

Dunno. I had been watching Harpoon for quite some time, very eagerly awaiting its release.

I just kinda gave up a few months ago after finding out about the latest delay.

Wed Mar 03, 2004 2:41 am

Go here for more info regarding Harpoon 4....

http://harpoon4.ubi.com/US/

A note from Larry Bond:

Larry Bond and Chris Carlson, the originators of the Harpoon4 wargame, and Don Gilman of Adanced Gaming Systems Inc., also a participant in the Harpoon4 project, are disappointed by Ubisoft's decision to cancel Harpoon4, but respect Ubisoft's judgment, their desire to sell quality games, and their need to make a profit while they do so.

The just-ended project has been underway since 1997, when we signed an agreement with Strategic Simulations International to create a computer adaptation of the Harpoon4 miniatures wargame. Unfortunately, the development effort became hampered by a series of corporate buyouts, each one causing delays and simultaneously reducing the size of the development budget. While each successive publisher has made their best effort, each buyout (and there were four) reduced the chance of a successful product reaching the store shelf.

Our intention is to start a new development effort that will produce a computerized version of Harpoon4 at the earliest opportunity. Ubisoft has graciously offered to transfer the partially-completed code to a third party for further development. We will examine the code to see if that is feasible, and if appropriate, will transfer of the code to a third party. Since the code contains copyrighted material, that third party would have to enter into a contract with the rights holders, just as SSI did six years ago.

And that is only one approach to producing a new Harpoon4 game. Other options include starting development fresh with a new publisher, or upgrading existing programs to H4 standard.

None of these will produce a game quickly, and even choosing which option to follow will take several months.

It is important to acknowledge not only the patience and support of the computer Harpoon community, but also the efforts of the many developers who have worked on the commercial product, and the beta testers who did their best to make it a quality game. They all made substantial contributions to Harpoon, and we will work hard to make sure that they have not labored in vain.

:(:(

Wed Mar 03, 2004 2:43 am

Harpoon 4.0

#4

SAN FRANCISCO - November 26, 2003 - Ubisoft?, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, today announced that it has officially ceased production on Harpoon IV and has chosen not to release the title.

"Ubisoft is committed to making the best military simulation games possible, and unfortunately, the Harpoon IV project wasn't meeting this goal. In our judgment, the product quality could never reach a level that meets or exceeds consumer expectations," said Tony Kee, vice president of marketing, Ubisoft. "We will never intentionally ship a product that is sure to disappoint our discerning customer base."

While the game will not be finished or published by Ubisoft, discussions are underway to license the source code to a third-party group within the community in order to finish the game. Information regarding this development will be available soon at the game's community website harpoon4.ubi.com.