I have computer harpoon classic for windows version 1.63. I've downloaded several scenarios from the "classic" section here and can not get any of them to work. I've no idea how this is supposed to be done; I've poked around this site & the internet with a search engine & still do not know how to use these custom scenarios. I've tried doubleclicking on the downloaded file, then choosing harpoon to open the file, but then harpoon tells me that the saved game that I am trying to load is not compatible with my version of harpoon. Any help would be appreciated!

 

thanks in advance,

 

- - Rob

Hi Rob,

You bring up a good point and one I overlooked when throwing together the download section here, there have been a couple of scenario file formats in HC's history. 1.63 version of the game has the first scenario file format, part way into HC Gold came the current format (which will in turn be modified sometime in the next year or so). Getting to the point, you'll have much better results grabbing scenarios from http://www.harpoonpages.com/hcscene.htm . It sounds like your procedure is fine, download, unzip, launch the game, and load the scenario from within the game.

Any plans to buy HCE when it is released?

Thanks for the help, Tony! I've downloaded some scenarios from the site you linked, and am currently playing one. What's strange is the only way I could find to get one to load is to first start one of the original scenarios, then load the new one using the menu option "file/load user scenario". Odd that I should have to start a different scenario first, but I'm very glad to have all of these "user scenarios" available now, I am looking forward to them.

 

I don't even know what HCE is. This shouldn't surprise you much, since here I am playing such an old Harpoon version, which believe me is buggy played in Windows XP. This is my third go-round with version 1.63. I bought and played it when it was first introduced; then years went by, I got another PC, and when installing software remembered Harpoon & installed it & played it yet again. This repeated once again when I got a new PC last year, and once again installed the old Harpoon after not playing it for several years. Somewhere along the line, I don't remember how many years ago, I did buy a more recent version, it may have been Harpoon 2. I did not like it, and after fooling around with it for a few days I uninstalled it and gave the game away.

 

To me the 1.63 version is great, and didn't really need much to make it magnificent. I would have loved to see it further developed along these lines: The great user interface remaining mostly intact. The game's only real weakness, the play of the AI, greatly improved. Capability to "draw a box" to designate patrol areas. Autoformations should be visible on the screens. A staff option to ignore a specific contact, so that I am not pestered every few seconds being asked whether I want to shoot down something that I have decided to not shoot down. Very minor tweaks, except possibly the AI upgrades; what I've seen with the Chessmaster program makes it seem to me that much fun could have been had both by strengthening the AI and also making it configurable with different skill levels and "personalities". Of couse, since I had to ask your help, you know that I've never fooled around with the scenario editor. But I might have if I knew that I could modify the parameters of platforms & weapons to create new ones; many what-if scenarios readily come to mind, or the game could be pushed a little bit toward real-world performance if desired.

 

Later I'll use a search engine to find out a bit about HCE. The phrase you use, though, "when it is released", makes me wonder if it has been anticipated but not delivered for years, which I think was the case with Harpoon 2(or whatever post-1.63 version I bought, I'm not positive it was H2, but I do recall reading about it for a long, long time and the expected release date was pushed back, pushed back). I also still play the original version of Unreal Tournament, so you can truly see what a PC gaming dinosaur I am.

 

Thanks again for your help, I am going to have a lot of fun with these scenarios!

 

- - Rob

Rob,

As well as HarpGamer here, there are screenshots and discussion about HCE at Matrix Games http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tt.asp?forumid=305 . A few of us from HarpGamer (myself, CV32, and Akula) will be heading up HCE development once the game is released so HarpGamer will be a happening place for Harpoon Classic