''Midway Campaign'' is a
computer wargame
A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use an ...
released by
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the company' ...
in 1980. It is a
text-based game
A text game or text-based game is an electronic game that uses a text-based user interface, that is, the user interface employs a set of encodable characters,
such as ASCII, instead of bitmap or vector graphics.
All text-based games have been ...
written in
BASIC
BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...
.
Gameplay
The game reenacts the events between June 4 and June 7, 1942, during the
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...
, which was the turning point for Allied Forces in the Pacific Theater.
Gameplay is turn-based with each turn representing one hour of the battle. Players control Task Force 16, comprising the
Enterprise
Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to:
Business and economics
Brands and enterprises
* Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company
* Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company
* Enterprise ...
and
Hornet
Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to their close relatives yellowjackets. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other vespine wasps by th ...
aircraft carriers, and Task Force 17 comprising
Yorktown, and
Midway Island
Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...
.
Each task force may be moved on a map in any direction by providing a direction in degrees. During each turn
Consolidated PBY Catalinas scout out the location of the enemy task force comprising
Akagi,
Kaga,
Soryu, and
Hiryu.
Once a Task Force has been identified and are within range a strike group may be launched from neighboring ships. Planes are generally in three conditions throughout the game. They can be below deck (protected from enemy strikes), on deck arming for a strike, or in the air moving towards or away from a target. Fighters (
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlan ...
s or
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...
'Zekes') can also be established in a combat air patrol (CAP) to protect their carrier.
The game ends when either sides carriers are all lost, or if one of the task forces leave the map.
Reception
Glenn Mai reviewed ''Midway Campaign'' in ''
The Space Gamer
''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the la ...
'' No. 45.
Mai commented that "Overall this is a very good game, and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes matching wits with the computer."
Reviews
*''
PC Magazine
''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...
'' (Dec, 1982)
*''
Moves'' #56, p26
References
External links
*
Reviewin ''
80 Micro
''80 Micro'' was a computer magazine, published between 1980 and 1988, that featured program listings, products and reviews for the TRS-80.
History
Wayne Green, the creator of many magazines such as '' 73'', founded ''80 Microcomputing'' as a ...
''
1980 video games
Apple II games
Atari 8-bit family games
Avalon Hill video games
Commodore 64 games
Commodore PET games
Games about the Battle of Midway
VIC-20 games
DOS games
FM-7 games
TRS-80 games
TRS-80 Color Computer games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in the 1940s
Video games set in the United States
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