Computer Bismarck

Computer Bismarck is a turn-based computer wargame in which the player controls British forces against the battleship Bismarck and other German units. The German forces can be controlled by either a computer opponent named "Otto von Computer" or a second player. The game takes place on a map of the North Atlantic Ocean on which letters from the English alphabet represent military units and facilities (airfields and ports). Computer Bismarck includes six scenarios: two for a single player and four competitive scenarios for two players.

Units have different capabilities, as well as statistics that determine their mobility, firepower, vulnerability, and other factors. Turns take the form of phases, and players alternate inputting orders to maneuver their respective units. Phases facilitate different functions, such as informing players of status changes, unit movement, and battles. Battles occur when two opposing units occupy the same location on the map.

The game is a simulation of the German battleship Bismarck's last battle in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. On May 24, 1941, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen sank the British HMS Hood and damaged HMS Prince of Wales at the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Following the battle, British Royal Navy ships and aircraft pursued Bismarck for two days. After being crippled by a torpedo bomber on the evening of May 26, Bismarck was sunk the following morning.

During college, Joel Billings used computers for econometrics, mathematical modeling and forecasting. This experience convinced him that computers could handle recreational wargames and remove tedious paperwork from gameplay; he had been a fan of board wargames since childhood. While between his undergraduate and graduate education in summer 1979, Billings met an IBM programmer and discussed computers. Billings suggested starting a software company with him, but the programmer was not interested in wargames, stating that they were too difficult and complicated to be popular.

Billings posted flyers at hobby shops in the Santa Clara, California area to attract wargame enthusiasts with a background in programming. John Lyons was the first to reply and joined Billings after quickly developing a good rapport. 04 in 2025) as startup money.

In 1980, Peter Ansoff of BYTE magazine called Computer Bismarck a "milestone in the development of commercial war games", and approved of the quality of the documentation and the option to play against the computer, but disapproved of the game. Acknowledging that "it is perhaps unfair to expect the first published [computer wargame] to be a fully developed product", he criticized Computer Bismarck 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 also 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.

While noting the excessive amount of time required to play a single game, Chadwick noted that Computer Bismarck requires patience and some gameplay changes could have reduced this time. He called the graphics "poorly drawn", but conceded that good visuals are not necessary.

Commentators have ascribed SSI's early growth and success to Computer Bismarck. Perla attributes the company's success to the release of its early wargames, specifically citing Computer Bismarck. Computer Gaming World's Bob Proctor agreed that Computer Bismarck contributed to SSI's success, commenting that it earned the company a good profit. He also stated that it encouraged game enthusiasts to submit their own games to SSI, which he believed helped further the company's success.

For example, the 1981 Computer Quarterback originated as a submission from Danielle Bunten Berry, who created other games for SSI afterward. Similarly, Jack Avery connected with the corporation by submitting an air combat game and then developed Computer Baseball for SSI in 1981. SSI reused the computer opponent, Otto von Computer, for its 1981 Torpedo Fire. One of the company's later games, the 1982 Pursuit of the Graf Spee, uses an altered version of Computer Bismarck's core system.