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

[Jimbuna]

Welcome to SubSim P-Dup

[Kommandant_Wesser]

Originally Posted by TheGeoff

EDIT: Latest Version: 0.23
Download Latest Version Here!
(Download, then unzip entire folder and run subcommander_0_23.exe)
VirusTotal link (to prove the link is safe): https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/5...is/1398952540/

Previous versions:
Version 0.22 http://goo.gl/Qpr0w1
Version 0.21 http://goo.gl/PsBCbK
Version 0.20 http://goo.gl/1PzpZK
Version 0.19 http://goo.gl/7J74vm
Version 0.18 http://goo.gl/3bcZ4K
Version 0.17 http://goo.gl/cRdSoM
Version 0.16 http://goo.gl/wwMJqL
Version 0.15 http://rapidshare.com/files/17135265...ander_0_15.zip
Version 0.14 http://rapidshare.com/files/12651374...ander_0_14.zip
Version 0.12 http://rapidshare.com/files/22452707...ander_0_12.zip
Version 0.10 http://rapidshare.com/files/16935040...ander_0_10.zip
Version 0.09 http://rapidshare.com/files/10539065...ander_0_09.zip
Version 0.08 http://rapidshare.com/files/89995876...ander_0_08.zip
Version 0.07 http://rapidshare.com/files/33112993...ander_0_07.zip
Version 0.06 http://rapidshare.com/files/34811829...ander_0_06.exe
Version 0.04 http://rapidshare.com/files/4084177128/subcommander.exe

Guide/manual is now included in the .zip file, titled 'guide.txt'

Submarine Development Tools:
http://goo.gl/MxBNIc


Sub Commander is a free, independently developed roguelike submarine simulator with an emphasis on realism and freedom of choice. Originally, the game was envisioned to be a kind of cross between Dwarf Fortress and the film K-19 The Widowmaker but it is rapidly growing to a full featured submarine warfare simulator. Eventually I plan to simulate all aspects of cold war era naval and aerial combat, so the player's submarine will be in the midst of a dynamic, procedurally generated global war.

One of the main focuses of the game is dealing with accidents and emergencies aboard the submarine. Nuclear submarines are hugely complicated pieces of equipment and there's a lot which can go wrong - fires, flooding, radiation leaks, lack of oxygen etc are all accurately simulated. Careful management of the crew and the submarine's automated systems is essential to conquer these threats and complete your mission successfully. In some ways, it's like a much more complex version of Faster Than Light aboard a submarine (without the fancy graphics unfortunately!)

While the simulation of the onboard systems is highly detailed, I have tried to ensure the game is accessible to almost anyone and the learning curve is not too steep. The graphics are very basic but I try to keep them clean and functional - but I admit great graphics were never a priority for this game.

Key features:
- 31 nations represented in game, 23 of which are playable
- AI controlled navies consisting of 15 classes of surface ships, all with historically accurate armaments
- Huge in game map covering the entire globe, with more than 60 cities (uses high-res NOAA sea depth data)
- Realistic physics-based modelling of fire, fluid dynamics and radiation aboard the sub
- Extremely detailed submarine with accurate models of all important systems

Full Mac and Linux compatibility is planned eventually. In the meantime, players have reported it is possible to run the game through Wine on Linux and Wineskin Winery on OSX. The following instructions were posted in the Reddit thread for the game by user arcsey:
"Use Wineskin Winery. Create a wrapper with Wineskin 2.6.0 (current version) and use WS9WineCX13.1.0 as your engine. Just move the subcommander_0_21 folder into Program Files and set subcommander_0_21.exe as the executable. It should run fine without having to change any other settings."

Sub Commander is under active development, with new updates released anywhere from once a week to once every couple of months. Any feedback, suggestions or bug reports are greatly appreciated!


Edit:
A lot of people have recently asked about where to send donations / if I will make a Kickstarter etc. I'm amazed and honoured that people think this is a project worth donating to!

I want to make it clear that Submarine Commander will always be completely free, and that I do not in any way expect donations. Creating this sim has been purely a hobby for me and all through the development I never expected to make a cent from it. I don't want people to feel like they owe me anything for the game.

But if you love the game and really want to make a donation to the project, you can send a donation via paypal to subcommandergame@gmail.com
Thank you!

Screenshots (v0.20):
Nuclear reactor management


Navigation


Activating fire supression system

Whoa, this game.......

IT is really good for some odd reason Great Work!!!

[Tango589]

Hi Geoff,

How much coolant does a reactor hold? I ask because I've got a bilge pump in the reactor room to pump out spilled coolant, in an effort to minimise rising radiation levels from a coolant leak when I'm submerged. Is this approach going to be of any use (is subcommander programmed to recognise what I've done)?

Also has anyone got any sub designs/mods they think are cool and want to share?

Keep Calm and Command On!

[TheGeoff]

Originally Posted by P-Dup

Hello everybody,

first of all I really like Sub Commander. It really is a rare gem and has so much more potential! I just hope you stick to the roots when adding more features, so it keeps it's flair. Right now I really look forward to the next version and I can't wait for it to be realeased.

Now to my questions: Do the Radiation Suits reallly work? Because when I got a radiation leak from a damaged Coolant Pump and I send someone in to repair it, he get's several thousand mSv radiation and later dies, no matter if he is wearing a Radiation Suit and Leather Gloves with Gas Mask or Breathing Apparatus or both. Bug or feature?
At the moment I surface the boat and close the air valves in every room but the reactor chamber snd then open the Main Induction Valve to get radiation out. Is this the only way?

And what are the Chemical Suits used for? Ok, to protect from chemicals, but in what situation are they useful?

Keep up the good work The Geoff. you're making a lot of people happy and anxious for the next release.

Good to hear you're enjoying it!

Radiation suits significantly slow down the rate of radiation absorption, especially when the crewman is also wearing a gas mask / SCBA gear and leather gloves. The suits don't provide complete protection however, so if there is a lot of radiation present the crew should only work in short shifts. This still needs some balance and tweaking I think, radiation levels often increase more quickly than they should and suits don't seem to provide enough protection.

Chemical suits are not particularly useful at the moment, they slightly increase resistance to radiation but not significantly. They will probably be more useful in the future.

You're right that the best way to clear out radiation is to surface, open the induction valve and open all vents (no need to leave any closed, the contamination will not spread because purging fills the ventilation system with fresh air). This is currently not as effective as it should be though.

Originally Posted by Tango589

Hi Geoff,

How much coolant does a reactor hold? I ask because I've got a bilge pump in the reactor room to pump out spilled coolant, in an effort to minimise rising radiation levels from a coolant leak when I'm submerged. Is this approach going to be of any use (is subcommander programmed to recognise what I've done)?

Also has anyone got any sub designs/mods they think are cool and want to share?

Keep Calm and Command On!

That's a damn clever idea! Unfortunately the game doesn't realise what you're doing at the moment and pumping out the water will not decrease the radiation - the radiation level and water level are treated as separate quantities at the moment so pumping out the water will not stop the radiation. I'll try to fix this up sometime soon though.

[Tango589]

Cool, between this and the emergency flooding of of the reactor room with sea water, we'll have a comprehensive action plan for dealing with a potential '3 mile island in a baked bean tin'!

[TheGeoff]

Version 0.24 released!
Download here: http://goo.gl/owcu6w

Changelog:

• AI ships now form battlegroups. These groups range in size from pairs of destroyers to large task force fleets with submarine escorts, and are usually tasked with either defending their homeland or seizing strategically important areas of sea.
• Numerous improvements to the world map. Land is now in colour (both on the map and when viewed through periscope) so you can sea deserts, snow etc. The positions of several coastal cities have also been fixed, and several narrow straits which were previously impassible have been opened.
• Mouse controls have been overhauled and significantly improved. The controls are now similar to most RTS games - click a crewman to select him, right click to give orders. Mouse controls should now work properly in fullscreen mode too.
• Acceleration of AI ships now depends on their engine power and mass.
• AI ships are now aware of torpedoes and will accelerate to try to dodge them.
• Added Virginia Class Cruiser, Sariwon Class Corvette, Lupo class frigate, Georges Leygues Class Frigate and Kortenaer Class Frigate
• Changed the way flooding occurs when the sub is surfaced. Now water will still leak in through damaged walls, rather than unrealistically rushing out of the sub like it used to.
• Water can now leak in through damaged floor tiles.
• Significantly improved rendering performance, especially when viewing the world map.
• Added Norway, with cities Oslo and Narvik.
• Added 3 new zoom levels to map for easier navigation. Number keys 1-6 control the zoom level.
• Increased size of US, Soviet, British and Chinese navies to roughly historical sizes.
• US and USSR strategic AI now consider controlling the North Sea and Norwegian Sea their primary objectives, reflecting actual cold war doctrine.
• Mechanism to automatically shut Main Induction Valve if flooding is detected is now simulated. It can sometimes fail - in this case the valve can still be opened and closed manually.
• Added sound effect for opening and closing Main Induction Valve.
• Increased damage from explosions, in particular those caused by 120mm+ shells.
• Cargo ships now dock at port more often.
• Reduced power consumption of electrolysis system.
• Electrolysis system no longer automatically switches off when the submarine switches to battery power.
• Nuclear meltdowns now completely destroy the reactor core every time.
• Nations added in the last couple of patches (netherlands, taiwan, etc) now use the correct military aircraft.
• Changed several pieces of UI text to be more descriptive.
  
• Fixed a bug which prevented Chinese Luda class destroyer from appearing.
• Fixed a bug causing submerged submarines to appear on surface search radar.
• Fixed a bug which occasionally caused AI ships to move over land when engaging the player near a coastline.
• Fixed mouse controls for bilge pumps.
• Fixed crash when viewing map near north pole.
• Fixed bugs causing sunken ships to appear on sonar.
• Fixed bugs causing recently sunken ships to be reported as visual contacts.
• Fixed a bug which sometimes caused the "Exit y/n" prompt to disappear before a key was pressed.
• Fixed rare graphical glitch on Weapons Systems Control Panel.
• Fixed rare bug where water flowing out of broken machinery could sometimes pass through walls.
• Fixed bug causing a small amount of water to appear inside lightly damaged walls.
• Fixed a bug where the player sub would constantly try to steer north after sailing under north pole.
• Changed default "cursor toggle" key to F1

Enjoy!

[Tango589]

I've found a problem. The game works fine in windowed mode, but when I try and play in fullscreen mode, the loading bar reaches the end of the screen and a box pops up saying 'Unable to set graphics mode'.

[Myxale]

A new release.
Will DL now!

You hard work is appreciated.

Kudos.

[BubbaJake]

Hey Geoff,
I got the same Unable to set Graphics error right on startup. I wanted to send you the debug file, but when I enabled debug the file was empty, even after loading the game. I use a 1920X1080 monitor and am running the game in fullscreen. Also, I am unable to dock for repairs at the farthest north port (playing as USSR).

Hope development is going well (aside from this)!

PS: Works fine windowed btw

[TheGeoff]

Thanks for pointing out the problem. I have fixed it and the game seems to work fine in fullscreen now - please redownload the game and let me know if there are any further issues!

[BubbaJake]

I hate to be a bother, but I have found another small problem.

When in fullscreen, the dials and gauges flicker constantly. Not a gamebreaking bug, but none the less I thought I should point it out.

Hope it can be fixed,

Jake

[TheGeoff]

Did they flicker last version too or is this a new problem?

[BubbaJake]

Yeah, last version too.

[Tango589]

Awesome stuff, the new damage model works like a dream, everything's operational in fullscreen and I've just been beaten to a pulp by a soviet sub whilst on a reccy to Murmansk!!

KCCO

[TheGeoff]

Bubbajake, I have emailed you a new version of the executable - could you let me know if it stops the flickering?

If anyone else has problems with flickering graphics in fullscreen and would like to help me test a solution, please email subcommandergame@gmail.com.