Working on a new submarine sim: Sub Commander - advice needed!

[Karma441]

Thanks Jimbuna I found a few glitches I thought I would point out though they might be features

Periscope Submerged: the game says that the periscope is submerged while the maneuver control panel says it is visible

Unable to Reach Coolant Pumps and/or Outer/Pressure Hull: crew members aren't able to reach certain components of the sub (especially in the November, Typhoon and Triton class sub) to repair them though it might be a feature to not be able to repair the outer hull.

[Aktungbby]

Karma441

[TheGeoff]

Originally Posted by Karma441

I only downloaded this game this morning and instantly fell in love. I have always enjoyed games with a lot of depth and this game definitely has the potential to have a LOT of depth. The realism is great, though I don't know much about submarines I feel like I'm getting a pretty authentic experience here. anyway, my suggestions.

It would be pretty cool to give crew members multiple speeds, (e.g. crew members will move at a slower or 'walking speed' when there is no emergency but will move at a faster or 'running' speed when there is a fire, hull damage etc.) maybe even give some crew members an 'agile' attribute which would give them a slight advantage. another thing I noticed is that when a crew member dies they just come back to life once you refill at a port, but it would be pretty cool and a little more realistic to see them get replaced by a new crew member with a new set of skills and attributes.

I would also like to see something more interactive at ports on arrival; maybe a menu of options. These options could include things such as crew replacements, picking up different equipment or even taking new missions from the port rather than the radio. Another interesting feature could possibly be the addition of battleships and/or aircraft carriers which would add a whole different aspect of game play.

I know some of my suggestions are a bit 'out there' or just sound dumb but I hope a few of them help with the next update which I'm sure is going to be great. It's nice to see how well this game has come out and how big of an impact the updates have. The 3D version looks like it's going to be a blast, though I hope it keeps the same authenticity that the original has managed to provide.

Glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the good suggestions. I particularly like the idea of an agility stat for crewmen - the stat would be affected by the amount and type of gear carried, so there would be an actual penalty for simultaneously loading up one guy with a gas mask, welder, toolbox, extinguisher, rad suit, SCBA gear etc. Definitely sounds like a good game mechanic to me.

A rearming / refitting menu when the sub is docked is planned, as are aircraft carriers. They've been sitting on the 'to do' list for a looong time but they'll be added eventually!

Originally Posted by Karma441

Thanks Jimbuna I found a few glitches I thought I would point out though they might be features

Periscope Submerged: the game says that the periscope is submerged while the maneuver control panel says it is visible

Unable to Reach Coolant Pumps and/or Outer/Pressure Hull: crew members aren't able to reach certain components of the sub (especially in the November, Typhoon and Triton class sub) to repair them though it might be a feature to not be able to repair the outer hull.

And thanks for these bug reports The periscope one is definitely a bug, I'll look into it. Pretty sure there are no inaccessible objects though, crew can climb over / under objects (if there is no other way) so they should still be able to repair that pump. And yeah, it's not possible to repair the outer hull while at sea at the moment - not sure if I'll change this in the future.

[wa2ddl]

Hey there, Geoff.
I downloaded the game a while ago, and I liked it a lot. I first got the 0.24, and the missile update got me very giddy. I remember spending the first 10 minutes just nuking everything, and watching the explosions. What I wanted to suggest, was, when you include the active sonar, could you also include distances? I always hate when I launch torpedoes, only to find out that the small frigate is too far, and outruns it. That would be awesome.

Also, on an unrelated note, did anyone know that if you torpedo a USA vessel (get them from friendly to neutral), everyone suddenly signs peace treaties with you? I found that interesting!

...but does that mean that since there are no hostiles, that the engage enemy shipping missions becomes moot? What about the sink specific vessels?

Anyway, I will let you decide how that works!

(PS: Sorry to keep bringing up issues, but the December submarine, while great, seems to have some bugs in the loading of the torpedoes. I know you did not create it, so I am not asking you to fix it, but I am bringing it up so that everyone else is aware of the fact. This bug, when it occurs "wastes" torpedoes, particular loading a new when there already is one in the chamber, and loading a torpedo into the wrong tube, but displaying it is loaded properly, which can be annoying or deadly, depending on whenever you have an angry fleet of Soviets after you or not. )

A fan,
Dilqui

[Aktungbby]

Dilqui!

[Jimbuna]

Welcome to SubSim Dilqui

[kvn8907]

Originally Posted by Karma441

another thing I noticed is that when a crew member dies they just come back to life once you refill at a port, but it would be pretty cool and a little more realistic to see them get replaced by a new crew member with a new set of skills and attributes.

Don't you know that every seaport worth its salt has a large stock of life crystals on hand for just such an occasion? :-)

Video related:

[wa2ddl]

Thank you people for the warm welcome! Glad to be here.

[TheGeoff]

Originally Posted by Dilqui

Hey there, Geoff.
I downloaded the game a while ago, and I liked it a lot. I first got the 0.24, and the missile update got me very giddy. I remember spending the first 10 minutes just nuking everything, and watching the explosions. What I wanted to suggest, was, when you include the active sonar, could you also include distances? I always hate when I launch torpedoes, only to find out that the small frigate is too far, and outruns it. That would be awesome.

Also, on an unrelated note, did anyone know that if you torpedo a USA vessel (get them from friendly to neutral), everyone suddenly signs peace treaties with you? I found that interesting!

...but does that mean that since there are no hostiles, that the engage enemy shipping missions becomes moot? What about the sink specific vessels?

Anyway, I will let you decide how that works!

(PS: Sorry to keep bringing up issues, but the December submarine, while great, seems to have some bugs in the loading of the torpedoes. I know you did not create it, so I am not asking you to fix it, but I am bringing it up so that everyone else is aware of the fact. This bug, when it occurs "wastes" torpedoes, particular loading a new when there already is one in the chamber, and loading a torpedo into the wrong tube, but displaying it is loaded properly, which can be annoying or deadly, depending on whenever you have an angry fleet of Soviets after you or not. )

A fan,
Dilqui

Hi Dilqui, thanks for posting! The active sonar idea sounds good, I'll keep it in mind when I add it. Not sure how useful active sonar will actually be, since it should reveal your position to everyone nearby, but I guess that can be balanced once it's in the game.

I've never noticed the USA peace treaty bug, that's hilarious! I'll see if I can figure out why it's happening. Usually if you attack the US their allies will declare war on you and the Warsaw Pact nations will want to be friends, the diplomacy code is still kinda buggy though. If there are no hostile nations you will only be given recon missions, although your current mission will not be cancelled so you might still have orders to attack someone.

Someone else pointed out the torpedo bug recently in a different thread, apparently it happens in the default submarine sometimes too. Thanks for pointing it out, looks like it's a pretty common bug. I'll look into it, something strange is definitely going on.

Originally Posted by kvn8907

Don't you know that every seaport worth its salt has a large stock of life crystals on hand for just such an occasion? :-)

Video related:

The Dig! I loved that game as a kid, never actually beat it though...

[Fieters]

Hi, I think I´m one of those old Computers. It´s running but if I zoom out my PC really slows down. So I would be interrested to see a "Computer Friendly" map )

Excelent Job tho!

[Fieters]

Is there any page, where I can download subs?

[kritZ]

Been awhile since I've checked in, and I've been loving the updates. I've been having a few bug problems (or it could just be user error) which affect my gameplay narrative though. The most prominent one I keep running into is the bilge pumps won't work sometimes, which is a slight problem when trying to keep the sub from sinking. I'll have more than enough power, I'll have the diesel gen. on, but they won't pump.

The other bug (albeit hilarious) was that the Russians were not very courteous. I was playing as the USSR, and I got sunk by the Americans, and then they drove off (Candadian-American?). The Russians seemed to have a surplus of depth charges though, and they seemed determined to pass them on to me.

It did lead to the most emotional moment of the game though, as my sub was grounded just off the coast of California, and my two remaining crew members were getting ready to abandon the sub and swim to the shore. One of them lagged a little behind, and he was killed by a depth charge.

RIP Chief Mills.

Would anyone be adverse to me making a subreddit for this?

[Jimbuna]

Welcome to SubSim Fieters

[Tango589]

Originally Posted by kritZ

I've been having a few bug problems (or it could just be user error) which affect my gameplay narrative though. The most prominent one I keep running into is the bilge pumps won't work sometimes, which is a slight problem when trying to keep the sub from sinking. I'll have more than enough power, I'll have the diesel gen. on, but they won't pump.

This may not be a bug. The efficiency of the bilge pumps diminishes the deeper your sub goes, as they struggle to pump the bilge water out against the external water pressure. The pumps run at max efficiency down to 30 m, then get less efficient the further down you go. After 100 m depth, the pumps are ineffective, which certainly makes for a race against time! AFAIK the diesel generators make no difference to the pumps. Your reactor is pumping out far more power than the generators could ever hope to.

[TheGeoff]

Originally Posted by Fieters

Hi, I think I´m one of those old Computers. It´s running but if I zoom out my PC really slows down. So I would be interrested to see a "Computer Friendly" map )

Excelent Job tho!

Welcome Fieters!

Changing "map_render_style = 2" to "map_render_style = 1" in the gameoptions.ini file will help, especially when zoomed out. Also, make sure "OpenGL_graphics = 1" and maybe lower the "number_of_ships" and "number_of_aircraft".

Originally Posted by Fieters

Is there any page, where I can download subs?

At the moment the only custom sub I know about is the December Class, available here: http://puu.sh/bMDhF/40368fb8d5.rar

Hopefully more people will share their creations when the game is more popular. I should get around to improving the submarine editor to make it a bit less user-unfriendly too.

Originally Posted by kritZ

Been awhile since I've checked in, and I've been loving the updates. I've been having a few bug problems (or it could just be user error) which affect my gameplay narrative though. The most prominent one I keep running into is the bilge pumps won't work sometimes, which is a slight problem when trying to keep the sub from sinking. I'll have more than enough power, I'll have the diesel gen. on, but they won't pump.

The other bug (albeit hilarious) was that the Russians were not very courteous. I was playing as the USSR, and I got sunk by the Americans, and then they drove off (Candadian-American?). The Russians seemed to have a surplus of depth charges though, and they seemed determined to pass them on to me.

It did lead to the most emotional moment of the game though, as my sub was grounded just off the coast of California, and my two remaining crew members were getting ready to abandon the sub and swim to the shore. One of them lagged a little behind, and he was killed by a depth charge.

RIP Chief Mills.

Would anyone be adverse to me making a subreddit for this?

As Tango said, the effectiveness of bilge pumps decreases as you go deeper. They will also not work if battery power is too low, but that shouldn't be a problem if the nuclear reactors are still functional.

There is actually a subreddit already, but it's very quiet and I don't think many people know about it. It's here if you're interested: http://www.reddit.com/r/subcommander/. I think people occasionally post about the game in /r/roguelikes too, someone posted a pretty good beginners guide a while ago.

Poor chief Mills