Command: Northern Inferno

I'm pretty sure that the problems I'm having with this game-and I'm having a lot-are really my own fault. I've been trying forrever to get through the first tutorial; To me, that sounds like a personal problem. This game is awesome. I've seen the videos posted of what this thing can do, and I want to do them. Maybe its because I think more on a small scale. I'm very good at The Bloody 1st and Gateway to Caen. I'm in the process of getting good at Steel Division. I may not have the right personality for this. I can't recommend it because I suck at it so bad that I can't play it. On the other hand, I'm going to keep trying. This looks like a fantastic game. I'm not done with it. But be aware. This is not a simple game by any definition of the word.

u know this game is g un to play but player i assume need more vision...like fleet command some video about missiles and plane in action while u order them or ships..its gona be much more fun

This used to be a good game but is now entirely broken.
Submarines will be pinpointed into a small area with both speed and depth recorded only to suddenly be "somewhere" in a 1000mi box. ASW aircraft with then fly to one end of the box (could be 400mi from the ships they are protecting).
If the end of the search box is close, aircraft will fly to it and calmly fly around in circles as the start point continually changes location.
Meanwhile the submarine will torpedo your surface ships.
I can only surmise that the developers are not prepared to play the campaign (as the issues would be immediately apparent) or have broken the game in an attempt to get people to purchase the follow-up product. Another 26 hours of intermittent play over a couple of years and the game is still broken despite contact with the developers.
Yet another year on and I can only assume that this is broken intentionally in order to persuade players to purchase the updated game.

Really clumsy and opaque mission editor: played about 4 or 5 "tutorials" and still can't figure it out. I was really hoping this would be a worthy Harpoon successor, but the control system is so un-intuitive it's painful. I'm getting fed up and frustrated even before getting into the game. Also really slow map scrolling and zooming, it's like clunk clunk clunk as you're trying to see what is happening. Anyone know where I can re-buy the old Harpoon? It was miles better than this.

This is a challenging campaign and you will learn a lot about military assets in the mid 1970s. In addition my strategic skills were advanced. However, I would not buy this as a stand-alone package, without the full game and community tutorials I would have spent way more time in forums and YouTube than enjoying this. My suggestion is you find the full game on sale, get good at the interface and tutorials, then add this to your library. Oh...this isn’t a dynamic campaign, it’s a set story.

I really wanted to like this game, but I have to say I'm giving up on it. I understand that there is niche market for people who desrie an extremely realistic simulation of real-life situations, but I feel like this game has gone too far in delivering that. This game is apparently for people who actually have experience working in a naval command and communications center and (i guess) try out things that maybe they weren't allowed to. If you're looking to play this game and learn more about how naval operations are conducted, I would say the learning curve as presented in the game is too steep for all but those who may have already had some professional experience in the navy.

Top level strategic and tactical simulation with accurate data. I've been waiting for many years for a game of this calibre and it's finally here. If they can add in larger scale land warfare and an even larger strategic focus it will be a dream come true

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!)

First hings first. It says I have only 5 minutes into this game and that is not true.
I have launched it through CMANO and I have well over 100h in this scenario alone.

Some missions have been hard and some easier.
There is a great variation in types of missions (ASW, AAW, ASuW).

If you are hesitating on getting CMANO then get this one.
If you already have CMANO, then still get this one !

I really enjoyed the final mission, the ending and the journey there.

This was a great idea by the CMANO PEOPLE. I didn't want to drop 90 bucks on the full game, 20 bucks is much less of a risk and allows you to try the whole game engine in only 15 scenarios. i now have 130 hours in and am only on #10. lots more gaming to do, i consider this a steal. It has a very high learning curve but if you spend time on the tutorials, do them several times, it all will click in. Modern battle systems are much more complex than i realized and this simulation has definately taught me a ton about modern warfare in the electronic age. This is not a button smasher game, but there are times when you have to play at real time to get things done because alot is going on. Download the picture mod for the data base and game on, two thumbs up, i now know i will buy the larger complete CMANO once i survive this battle simulation first!

A rather short one, but there isn't that much to say really. A great expansion for a really great game. This campaign feels very plausible and was certainly very carefully researched. TV reports make it even more immersive.

I got my first triumph after 10 hours.

But damn, I dont have a single idea about how did I won.

Such simulation, much wow.

I have previously withheld my recomendation for this game baced on the price and flaws. After playing extensivly I and enjoying it I feel an update is required. The biggest factor for me is the price. The full game at almost £70 is a joke but this is C:NI somewhat cheaper and I got it on sale.
The missions for NI are great, they are well scripted and require thought and planning to succeed. For this alone the pice I paid was worth it. Replayability is limited because of the games lack of AI. The missions attempt to funnel you into specific directions where the limited AI be set up. Going around often turns a finley balenced situation into an easy win. The problem is once you have played a mission you know what the designer expects you to do.
The fiddlyness of the controls is something you get used to and the poor resolution of the map at close in zooms is ugly but not a deal breaker. The poor AI on both sides is something that is greatly mittigated by manualy controling every asset. This however leads to the absolute worst fault the game has to offer. Manualy controling a large fleet with a huge air wing is a grind but if you dont the following will happen;

-Aircraft will decide to return to bace or refule in air when extreamly close to intercepting dangerouse incomming enemy despite the refueling aircraft being extreamly far away.
-Aircraft will follow enemy back to thire airfield and promptly get shot down by SAM, if you set them to stick to a patrol area they will ignore enemy that are very close just outside of the patrol area.
-Aircraft will run out of fuel as the AI cant always figure out when to return to a home ship that has changed course or speed.
-Support aircraft dont attempt to run from incomming enemy.

Despite this and many more issues I do like this game and want to love it. I can recomend NI especial on sale but the devs have got alot to do before I or anyone elce should think about the full game. It is essential that certain design decisions be reverced to make this more moddable. Cos if the devs can't/won't fix a thing the community might.

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.

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.

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.

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

+ 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'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.

I'm glad this game was released with a fairly cheap price tag, because I wasn't sure if I would like the full CMA/NO game enough to justify the full price, but I'm really enjoying this game, which is much more than a 'taster' for the bigger CMANO, there are loads of scenario's to play through. Ok it's heavy on text and light on graphics, but the accuracy of the data and attention to detail are enough to suck you into the game and I find it most satisfying playing a full 24 hour scenario in real time (as long as you have something to do while you wait). The tutorials are easy to follow and fun to play on their own. The only thing I would like to see improved is the inclusion of some kind of graphical or photographic representation of the different ships and planes added to the database. I found myself Googling all of the units on my iPad as I played, just to give my imagination a bit more information to play with. Apart from that, it's a great game and worth every penny.

Edit: Just re-downloaded this game after a period of absence only to find that I am now requested to possess a licence to play any of the scenarios, basically I can't play any of it anymore and I have to pay again for a game i've already paid for? No chance!!