What is a Simulation?

[Bill.Braskey]

Why does a simulation have to be historically correct?
Can’t a simulation alter events that may or may not have happened?

I want a simulation with a dynamic campaign that I can select a moment in time that contains a historically correct simulated world, but over the course of the campaign events can alter the world around me.
Maybe technology is developed sooner or at a later time or not at all.

I am not talking about one sub winning the war, but maybe, just maybe my actions along with other simulated object actions can drastically alter the campaign.

I want a dynamic campaign that allows the interaction of other objects.
Cause and effect of my actions.
Maybe a friendly ship in distress that needs help, maybe I can come to the rescue and fend off the attacker or just report its position so that a nearby ship can help.
Maybe I can command a boat that is a member of a submarine group that can attack a convoy or enemy fleet with coordination.
Or maybe I get assigned to help protect a convoy or a friendly task force.

Silent Hunter IV has the potential to develop into this kind of simulation.
But there needs to be more development with the dynamic campaign.

I know there is still alot of work to be done for fixing issues but maybe in the future....

Just wondering what other subsimmers think about this?

[Sailor Steve]

I just like going on patrol, sinking ships and trying not to get sunk myself. LucasArts' Their Finest Hour had campaigns that would let you change the course of the Battle of Britain. I played it that way once and, though fun, once was more than enough.

[AVGWarhawk]

I believe SH4 is very dynamic. I have not had a repeat of the same mission. Sure, you will dump supplies, get a pilot, take recon photos but this is what the submarine did. So far in over 30 hours of playing the campaigns have been great.

As far as historical, we can only hope is it simular to the war. We can not do the historical 100% because your computer world and your decision within the game will be much different than the original written books on the event. SH4 makes you feel like part of the war and not the single crusader out to win it all.

Perhaps what needs to be looked at is what you accomplish changes what will happen in the future of your career. Maybe it is in there already? Perhaps, because if I do not make my assigned rounds and do not sink a darn thing when I return to port I get a potato peeler instead of a new sub:roll:

[CCIP]

I think SHIV has some of it done quite well.

One thing I would note is that while glorious actions and unusual missions are exciting, they really weren't the bread and butter of real sub campaigns. In all actuality, the vast majority of submarine patrols were simply long affairs composed of searching the seas for enemy ships to attack. Let's not forget that, for all the glory, submarine duty wasn't really what it was advertised as :p

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/629/posteractionix5.jpg

(thanks Bill Nichols' site for poster, etc.)

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome:up:

[Bill.Braskey]

Thanks for the welcome :>

I just joined, but I have been reading posts since SH III which was my first subsim.
Thanks to all for the great info that is contained within, it's almost as fun as playing the game to me.
My sons don't get why I enjoy this game, they like the shoot'em up FPS. I like it because of the feel of the game which is hard for me to describe.

My comments before about the Dynamic campaign were mainly just to start a conversation.

To me when I play this sim it requires some imagination about what is going around me even thought I may be staring at the inside of a hull. What would add to this would be more interaction between other friendly units. I know from reading there were several cases of subhunt groups and rescue type of missions IRL. I know that this has been requested/mentioned in the past with the German's wolfpacks. I just hope the developers would feel that this type of additional game play would greatly enhance the feel of the sim.

[AVGWarhawk]

Thanks for the welcome :>

I just joined, but I have been reading posts since SH III which was my first subsim.
Thanks to all for the great info that is contained within, it's almost as fun as playing the game to me.
My sons don't get why I enjoy this game, they like the shoot'em up FPS. I like it because of the feel of the game which is hard for me to describe.

My comments before about the Dynamic campaign were mainly just to start a conversation.

To me when I play this sim it requires some imagination about what is going around me even thought I may be staring at the inside of a hull. What would add to this would be more interaction between other friendly units. I know from reading there were several cases of subhunt groups and rescue type of missions IRL. I know that this has been requested/mentioned in the past with the German's wolfpacks. I just hope the developers would feel that this type of additional game play would greatly enhance the feel of the sim.

This one and SH3 require a good imagination. I agree with you 100%. I always thought that myself:yep: