[Fidd]

76. "long games"

Suppose it was possible to generate realistically sized convoys, and each had a name eg "PQ17". Now suppose one player starts a lobby and plays the game. When he's finished playing, the composition, time of day, position etc are saved and uploaded to the cloud. The next player to start a lobby is given the option of making a completely new lobby, OR continuing the PQ17 convoy, which would then involve downloading the PQ17 end-game status of the previous lobby attacking PQ17. If he elects to attack PQ17, then he and his mates, with as many u-boats as they have, can attack the convoy, generating a new status in turn to be uploaded to the cloud....

Time might pass between attacks, so that the convoy makes progress between attacks. The convoy then either makes port, or is partially or completely sunk. All the players who participated are then notified of their victory/draw or loss, subject to the numbers of u-boats and merchantmen sunk etc.

This would allow for a more narrative story of the battle for a convoy to develop over RL days and weeks, by essentially linking the results from one lobby to the next, to the next until a series of attacks on a convoy is complete. When a boat is out of torpedoes it can rearm at a milch-cow, or return to port. Dependant on which the skipper elects to do determines whether a 2nd attack may be launched by him on the same convoy, or if he needs to commence an attack on a nearer convoy. It could also be made interesting, because attacks early in a convoys transit, would put the u-boat under greater threat of being attacked by aircraft, BUT, in choosing to prosecute an early attack on a convoy, a greater number of larger ships would exist within said convoy. So there's an interesting risk/reward paradigm going on there too.

This would also, counterintuitively, allow for shorter play sessions, so that a crew could play for say 2 hours instead of 3, but play together more frequently, attacking the convoy at more regularly at shorter intervals, torpedoes permitting. It could be broken down further, so that a u-boat might play for an hours play, each RL night, firing circa 7 torpedoes, and then the following RL night play the second tranche of torpedoes, with them only having moved to attack the following (game) night. Such a system would help gaming periods to be of shorter, or longer RL time periods, rather than the 3 hour plus period of Frost/Duyfken/9th Flot games, although it would not preclude them, as players desire. I have noticed that some friends, who I think would greatly enjoy the game, are rather put-off it by the incredible time-sink it involves, with playing 4 x 3 hour games a week. It basically limits the game to popular play by retirees and kids!