Danger from the Deep - An open-source subsim

[Seeadler]

Screens from the latest build 0.1.0 (playable!)





more at: http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net/

[Mike 'Red Ocktober' Hense]

ran great on 1.7GHz celeron with radeon 9200 running WinXP...

menus just a bit slow... but no problem.

i just wanna congratulate you guys on the steady progress you've made with your sim from initial concept, the early versions, up to the latest...

i know how difficult such an undertaking is, and it's great to see this come to life...

good luck on it's completion.

--Mike

[rconstruct]

Hi
I finally managed to get some time to register here
Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments regarding Danger From The Deep. It's an ambicious project, the idea is to have full single-player working in release 1.0, full campaign+custom mission editor, in 2.0, and full multiplayer support in 3.0 (players can make teams of uboats (uboats packs) versus convoys+destroyers).
As you can see, it's a medium/long term project, it's not a big team, but i don't think it can be more dedicated, we've working regularly. In fact, the best way to keep informed of the changes, is to get a CVS snapshot, but this means compiling it (easy on linux, not so easy on windows i guess).
Anyway, altough the project is opensource (GPL2 license - to those not familiar with it:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html )
the artwork, for the time being is restricted to Danger from the Deep only. This, for a very simple reason, we are a small team, and altough forking, and reuse of project sources+data is something we all agree on, the fact is that at this moment, the possibility of forking, and reuse of dangerdeep data by other projects, would divert developing resources from Dangerdeep, like artists, or developers, resources that if applied to Dangerdeep, could further improve it. So, at this moment, we think the best way to protect dangerdeep, and make sure its development continues, is to restrict the data files usage to dangerdeep.
Once we have a good user+developer base, the project isn't that susceptible to misuse or diversion of developer resources, and we can then release all the artwork under either the GPL2 license, or a CreativeCommons GPL compatible license.
That's pretty much it, development is going on as usual, if you feel confortable compiling sources, you might want to check out the CVS version, some things are changed already, heavy development going on as usual
I'll write a post here when the nest release is done, or near release.
Once again, thanks for all the encouraging posts.

The Dangerdeep developing team

[Caseck]

Holy Crapfish Bat-man!

That's a diamond in the rough!

I, of course, look forward to the multiplayer aspect!

[Polak]

Is it only for me that the web page doesnt work?
Screens look amazing

[Polak]

Works fine now, must have been a temporarily down time.

[rconstruct]

Hi
Just thought i should post a status
Lots of new things, a new release should be out soon. New main GUI, new TDC screen(s), Thorsten did a hell of a job with the torpedo code, we now have all sorts of details on torpedos, like being able to preheat G7e torpedoes (electric torpedoes, you don't gain nothing in preheating dyhydronaphtalene powered torpedos, aka G7a), the preheating means that ranges and speed vary according to torpedo type, and torpedo batteries in fact. As an example, for instance, in a TIII G7e torpedo, with have a Siemens GL231/75 E-motor, with 2x 13T210 batteries, that, when not preheated, give an output of 83V/885A, 60KW a 1590U/min, and that when preheated, give an output of 91V/950A, 72KW at 1755U/min, this reflects in a range of 5000m at 30Kn (at 1700U/min) when preheated at 30'C, the temperature at which 13T210 and 17T210 produced the optimum output, and 3000m/28Kn when not preheated.
We now have 2 screens for the TDC, with an auto and manual mode. The issue is that, we're focusing in a realistic simulation, and we want to provide an auto mode for people not interested in setting up the torpedos. For the players interested in setting up the torpedos, all the data is available, and the TDC (Siemens S3) was modelled the most realisticly possible, as well as all the torpedo code. So, you will be able to set torpedos with an almost ludicrous detail.
You can't however change torpedo pistols, not only wasn't this practical, since it implied the removal of the torpedo from the tube, removal and assembly of the new pistol, and torpedo loading again, but you can find in Doenitz's autobiography, that he explicitly mentions his objections to changes of torpedo pistols, and that uboats when departing, had a mixed combination of pistols ready in the preloaded torpedos (this varies with torpedo types of course).
We however, depending with time of war, and torpedo type, have the different pistols types, (PiX G7H impact pistols (Pi2, 3, etc...), ZNX (ZN5, 6) magnetic pistols, and inertial impact pistols (innertial impact pistols were placed in the back of the warhead of acoustic guided torpedoes (TV G7e, TXI wasn't used operationally).
The damage calculation isn't realistic yet, it's something that will be worked still (remember it's an alpha version the game, under heavy-development), but, depending on the torpedo warheads, and the point of impact, torpedo guidance, and angle of impact, any number of actions can take place. We, for instance, have several different warheads, with their respective mixes, as an example, the SW39a, 50% trinitrotoluene, 10% hexanitrodiphenylamine, 5% amonium nitrate, 35% aluminium, etc....
So, the torpedo simulation will be the most realistic possible, and most features are already working.
Regarding the ocean, Thorsten implemented reflections, and the results look very realistic, specially when combined with the specularity, but overall, we want to achieve a "dirty" look, of nature's forces in action everywhere.
There are a couple of new models, but the convoys still need to be updated, and a rough/basic mission editor is being worked on too.
Torpedo settings are now stored on a torpedo basis, rather than in a per-tube basis. New binoculars screen is in place, as well as new UZO, the sea code was also changed a bit, so we have a more general sea condition. Full weather support will be implemented later, with varying sea + atmospheric conditions.
A new GHG is being worked on too (hydrophones, there was an thread in the dangerdeep development forums about it, it's mentioned in the project website), so we're going to have 3 hydrophones types, depending on uboat, and period of war (the GHG, the KDB, and the DB), as well, as, again, depending on uboat type, S-Gerät, and Nibelung passive/active sonars).
That's pretty much it, skins support is being added, so that 1 ship model, can have different camouflages/color schemes (depending on period of war and theater of operations), the saved games format was rewritten, to use XML, there was some infrastructure work being done, which might not be imediatly visible, but that is needed to support the features that are being added and the ones that will be added in the future, and that's pretty much it.
Hopefully a release should be out in a couple of monthes at most.
I would take this chance to ask for help on an issue. I'm having a bit of a hard time finding liberty ships, and victory ships blueprints/schematics/drawings, it would help me a lot having acess to some sort of 3 view drawings, or schematics of liberty ships, victory ships, and/or T1/T2 tankers. If anyone knows any website with this type of information, i would apretiate it a lot, since i'm wasting a lot of time trying to find this, and so far i've found nothing at all :/
Thanks in advance, i'll post here about the development status, in case someone is interested. Hopefully a release will be done in a couple of monthes

The dangerdeep team

P.S.: sometimes we might be a bit silent, but that's because heavy development is going on as usual, and there's not much time left to post status reports

[rconstruct]

I forgot one thing. Since we're trying to do a historically and technically correct simulation, which, in the end, might be a bit complex, one of the ideas that spawned, was of using some sort of collaborative network/multiplayer gameplay, in which a number of players would be in charge of different stations (like operating the hydrophones, the TDC, the engines, navigation, etc...). But network/multiplayer will still take a considerable amount of time, since the entire game infrastructure has to be in place, so logically the singleplayer gameplay would have to be in place first
In any case, what do you think about the collaborative gameplay mode?

[Mike 'Red Ocktober' Hense]

i think it sounds great... more realistic... more immersive...

good luck


--Mike

[Hitman]

Hi rconstruct, nice to see ya here!!

Looking forward to the next release, woowww!!

Collaborative gameplay is no doubt very nice idea in a realistic sim, but I personally am not a big fan of multiplayer and enjoy much more the single player lone wolf style, like in Aces of the Deep.

The problem for multiplayer in naval games, specially in sub games, is that a naval battle might take very long in real life and a online match can't....

[rconstruct]

Hi
You have a point there, regarding long games, but that would make it more immersive, and more teamwork dependent, which would be a good thing. But in any case, collaborative multiplayer, would be another game type, you could still have traditional multiplayer, altough, with the amount of systems to deal with, you would probably want to set at least some systems to 'auto' mode
Ok, back to work, heavy development going on as usual, i'll post more status reports here later

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by rconstruct

I forgot one thing. Since we're trying to do a historically and technically correct simulation, which, in the end, might be a bit complex, one of the ideas that spawned, was of using some sort of collaborative network/multiplayer gameplay, in which a number of players would be in charge of different stations (like operating the hydrophones, the TDC, the engines, navigation, etc...). But network/multiplayer will still take a considerable amount of time, since the entire game infrastructure has to be in place, so logically the singleplayer gameplay would have to be in place first
In any case, what do you think about the collaborative gameplay mode?

Hey, that sounds familiar!

[AG124]

Is there a tentative release date for the next build yet?

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by Jamie

Hey, that sounds familiar!

DW has been a real revolution in the sim market.

[rconstruct]

Hi
The next release is a bit late, we've been working in the hydroachoustics, new sky code, hydrophones (hydrophones arrays + equipment (and their screens + characteristics obviously) depend on the uboat type, and period of war). The new sky code is already implemented, and working. The night sky still needs work however. There's major work going on with some of the infrastructure, work that had to be done in order to have better AI, and provide accurate detection characteristics, in relation to the equipment type that you can have (equipment that once again, depends on uboat type, period of war, etc...). There were also some fixes so that dangerdeep now builds (and runs) fine on x86-64 (and with gcc 4.1). Freebsd ports are also included, and there are more features (rangefinder "e-cards" for UZO and periscope), the sea code was changed a bit too i think, and well as the convoys code (new tanker is working already).
As for a release, it should be as soon as the new detection code and done, and the hydrophones are working.
Btw, a mission editor is in place too, but this is mostly for developers use. But, this is going to be a major release, at least if you compare it with our last release (0.1), there are tons of new stuff implemented (and being implemented).
Stay tuned, i'll post some news here as we approach a release