List of whats new in SH5 wrapup

[THE_MASK]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup


Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 04/12/2009
SH5 is now first person style game .
External camera goes higher.
Changed the water and terrain rendering engine.
Increased the rendering distance.
Better manual describing manual targeting .
Optional German voice pack .
Talk to other crew in first person using dialogue boxes.
Crew management screen with crew abilities and performance .
Crew abilities based on real mechanics with outcomes based on those abilities.
Harbours are in first person .
Full access to the uboat in first person.
Player can operate key equipment in first person .
Realistically modelled stations such as nav map , hydrophone etc .
Player works side by side with the crew .
Greatly improved recognition manual.
Added flooded mechanics to ships.
Boyancy is more realistic.
Improved submarine textures.
Surround sounds .
Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat.
Enhanced explosions and special effects.
AI submarines , friendly and enemy .
Resupply from milk cows .
Meeting other u boats will be possible.
Enhanced damage system.
Enhanced dynamic campaign.
Damaged ships encounters .
Dynamic shadows.
Enhanced weather system.
Weather corresponds to climate zones.
Blizzards added.
Submarine flooding in 1st person view .
Improved submarine drag.
Removed old fatigue system (new system in place) .
Scene polygon count was increased
- A large harbor with U-boats and ships present will have around 3.5 million polygons

Ship polygon count was increased
- Civilian ships - around 25k polygons
- Small and medium warships – 27-30k polygons
- Large warships – 45k-60k polygons

Ship detail improvements
- Added 1024x1024 textures
- The “normal” texture will be more detailed
- Two “diffuse” textures applied
- Weapons detail has been increased with 20% (compared with Silent Hunter 4)

U-boat model improvements
- Fully modeled and accessible interior
- Model exterior has a polygon count of roughly 2 million polygons
- Model exterior and textures are improved by 70% (compared with Silent Hunter 4)

Environment improvements
- Dynamic weather simulation, depending on climate zone, sea and season
- Ships, buildings, terrain, vegetation and precipitations change depending on season
- Illumination and colors depend on season/sea type
- Interior and exterior High Dynamic Range lighting
- Extensive color correction filters are applied for atmosphere tuning
- Volumetric clouds and light rays
- Harbors mimic real harbors in shape

Water improvements
- Realistic look
- Realistic water movement depending on weather conditions
- 3D water deformation
- Shore waves


Note: Due to thread editing restrictions, for all future updates to this list you will need to look for sober's last post at the bottom of the last page of this thread

[oscar19681]

Basicly you have found another way to say. There is no news ?

[JU_88]

Basicly you have found another way to say. There is no news ?

Oi stop being such a pessemist, you! :DL
Sobers just posting summary and he is no wiser than the rest of us.
On the birght side - the game will out in about 3 months anyway.
The devs have gone quiet now because they are probably too busy working there nuts off to post updates.
I wouldn't expect anything new to surface until Christmas or new year now.

[PL_Andrev]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 04/11/2009

Where can I find the source of these "news"?

[TDK1044]

Where can I find the source of these "news"?

Here.

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1121062387/m/8591082387

[longam]

Where can I find the source of these "news"?

Your there, start reading :DL

[rosentorf]

Thank you sober :up:

Simple but necessary... although I was following the SHV forum frequently I didn't know about some things on that list. Also a lot of threads are about worrying about features that many want and it seems a little desperate...ok you can include me too ;). Never the less...

This simple list makes me rejoice about the next step in WWII sub sims. A step that has to be taken and with hopefully many following. It will be a happy occasion. I do not worry about bugs...nor do I care if it's really realistic if it gets me the real feel. It is going to be better than what we have that is certain...to me.

Was it to much? I think not...

[irish1958]

Thanks for the summery Sober.:up:

[Webster]

thanks for doing the "whats new" list sober

many will be gratefull to you for providing it

thread stickied :salute:

[Alex]

Harbours are in first person.

Thank you for hearing my request, Dan. :know:

Keep up the good work, as always. :rock:

[Snestorm]

Thanks, Sober.
It's a good, clean list.

[JScones]

It is good to see everything in one succinct list. It's even better to see the source cited a few posts later as well. :up:

[sav112]

Need to clean it up by removing posts like this off the thread and lock it only for editing.

Having the list top and one post underneath with the latest news would be great.

[AVGWarhawk]

This part threw me off:

I am mental patient :rock:

[kemeri]

Thanks, Sober.
Now let's mark items, which are supposed (IMHO) to improve the gameplay much:

SH5 is now first person style game. No
External camera goes higher. No
Changed the water and terrain rendering engine. No
Increased the rendering distance. Yes
Better manual describing manual targeting . No
Talk to other crew in first person using dialogue boxes. No
Crew management screen with crew abilities and performance. No
Crew abilities based on real mechanics with outcomes based on those abilities. No
Harbours are in first person. No
Full access to the uboat in first person. No
Player can operate key equipment in first person. Yes
Realistically modelled stations such as nav map , hydrophone etc. Yes
Player works side by side with the crew. Yes
Greatly improved recognition manual. No
Added flooded mechanics to ships. Yes
Boyancy is more realistic. YES!
Improved submarine textures. No
Surround sounds. No
Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat. No
Enhanced explosions and special effects. No
AI submarines , friendly and enemy. YES!
Resupply from milk cows. Yes
Meeting other u boats will be possible. Yes
Enhanced damage system. YES!
Enhanced dynamic campaign. Yes
Damaged ships encounters. No
Dynamic shadows. No
Enhanced weather system. Yes
Weather corresponds to climate zones. Yes
Blizzards added. No

Not a lot of "Yes" i would say...

[PL_Andrev]

13 of 30 not so bad - these are improvements..
IF SH5 is bugs free (known in SH3 / SH4) you should add 50 x YES YES YES!!!
:yeah:

[Ritmeister]

I'm just thankful Ubi and the development guys have gone ahead and developed this new sim.:woot: New sims, naval or otherwise are getting fewer and further between as PC game (and sim) sales sink lower and lower.:wah:

[Egan]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 18/11/2009
Enhanced weather system.
Weather corresponds to climate zones.
Blizzards added.

Lots of cool stuff on that list but anything that improves the weather is very, very welcome. I hope it's not random, but creating a truly or even halfway realistic weather system would probably be a major challenge.

[THE_MASK]

New sims, naval or otherwise are getting fewer and further between as PC game (and sim) sales sink lower and lower.:wah:
Oh really http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/photos/ubisoft_sales_q2_2009_2010_500x512.jpg

[Dave Kay]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 18/11/2009
SH5 is now first person style game .
External camera goes higher.
Changed the water and terrain rendering engine.
Increased the rendering distance.
Better manual describing manual targeting .
Talk to other crew in first person using dialogue boxes.
Crew management screen with crew abilities and performance .
Crew abilities based on real mechanics with outcomes based on those abilities.
Harbours are in first person .
Full access to the uboat in first person.
Player can operate key equipment in first person .
Realistically modelled stations such as nav map , hydrophone etc .
Player works side by side with the crew .
Greatly improved recognition manual.
Added flooded mechanics to ships.
Boyancy is more realistic.
Improved submarine textures.
Surround sounds .
Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat.
Enhanced explosions and special effects.
AI submarines , friendly and enemy .
Resupply from milk cows .
Meeting other u boats will be possible.
Enhanced damage system.
Enhanced dynamic campaign.
Damaged ships encounters .
Dynamic shadows.
Enhanced weather system.
Weather corresponds to climate zones.
Blizzards added.

Uh... AHEM: I din't see any mention of wolfpacks... or is that hidden somewhere in the small print?

[Kaleun_Endrass]

Uh... AHEM: I din't see any mention of wolfpacks...
Wolfpacks weren't announced yet by the devs.

[PL_Andrev]

Uh... AHEM: I din't see any mention of wolfpacks... or is that hidden somewhere in the small print?

UBI "thinks" about wolfapck now. It's mean that they are calculating the budget for it...

In my opinion better solution is free-bug game without wolfpack than bugged game with bugged wolfpack

[THE_MASK]

Wolfpacks are neither in or out as i type this .

[Alex]

Uh... AHEM: I didn't see any mention of wolfpacks... or is that hidden somewhere in the small print?

UBI "thinks" about wolfpack now.

Antar's right :

Will there be any AI operated boats forming a Wolfpack?

There will be AI operated boats. Wolfpack mechanics are under consideration. This is something we always wanted to do but we want to do them properly so there’s a question if we’ll be able to fit them before release.

Also,
It's mean that they are calculating the budget for it...It's not about budget, but rather about creating new AI routines now. And doing so at this point in the development would be rather unexpected, in my humble opinion that is.

[Webster]

It's not about budget, but rather about creating new AI routines now. And doing so at this point in the development would be rather unexpected, in my humble opinion that is.


agreed, It's not about budget, unless we are talking about budgetting how time is spent on things

but i would also say the time has also long since past for creating new AI routines as well and in my opinion its much more likely that any work being done on sh5 now is only about trying to iron out issues with things that are done but not working just right

[THE_MASK]

Can i edit the first post thanks . Cheers Webster .

[Annatar]

If you're going to be editing new things into the list it might be helpful to put new additions under their own header in the post, so people can quickly and easily see what's been added since they last checked.

So you'd have...

Nov 11 2009:
Old stuff
Old stuff
Old stuff
Old stuff
Old stuff
Old stuff

Nov 18 2009:
New stuff
New stuff
New stuff

Nov 25 2009:
Newer stuff
Newer stuff


Or something like that anyway. Just a thought.

[Webster]

If you're going to be editing new things into the list it might be helpful to put new additions under their own header in the post, so people can quickly and easily see what's been added since they last checked.



erm.... but isnt that what the DATES are for? :06:

new entries are posted by date so look at the date and thats whats been added since the last time you checked

[Annatar]

erm.... but isnt that what the DATES are for?

Well yes, that's what I'm saying. I think.
If new stuff is going to be added to the list in the first post it might be more convenient if the newer items are specifically dated, so that when people check the thread they can see at a glance what's new.

If new stuff is going to be put in separate posts then obviously it doesn't matter because separate posts are displayed separately anyway.
I just thought that new info was being added to the original post because of sober's post just up there ^ asking if he could edit the op.

Probably a misunderstanding on my part.

[Subnuts]

And most importantly of all:

A helmsman. So the Chief Engineer will stop giving the bulkhead steering commands. :)

[Webster]

Well yes, that's what I'm saying. I think. Probably a misunderstanding on my part.

nope, it was me who was mixed up lol

i was thinking of the other thread :damn:

anyway i think this list was his first group of everything up till now so i guess he has a plan for how hes going to be adding new stuff

[Keef Kavannah]

thanks for the kind summary mate, a 15+ (and counting) thread's gonna be very lame to search, even with an SD.:yeah:


"Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat"

I smell FEAR. augh, unsinkable ships again,

[looney]

And most importantly of all:

A helmsman. So the Chief Engineer will stop giving the bulkhead steering commands. :)

Steering in a type 7 was done in the conning tower.. not in the command room. Also they used plungers to opperate the dive planes and not wheels. http://www.uboat.net/gallery/index.html?gallery=U995D&img=29 you can see the 2 plungers inside the ring.

For steering they didn't use a wheel neither.

[Sailor Steve]

That's interesting in light of this picture already posted by Seeadler in another thread:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a325/SailorSteve/zentrale28.jpg

You can clearly see the steering position in the Control Room. Also, as you say, the lack of a wheel.

[THE_MASK]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 25/11/2009
SH5 is now first person style game .
External camera goes higher.
Changed the water and terrain rendering engine.
Increased the rendering distance.
Better manual describing manual targeting .
Talk to other crew in first person using dialogue boxes.
Crew management screen with crew abilities and performance .
Crew abilities based on real mechanics with outcomes based on those abilities.
Harbours are in first person .
Full access to the uboat in first person.
Player can operate key equipment in first person .
Realistically modelled stations such as nav map , hydrophone etc .
Player works side by side with the crew .
Greatly improved recognition manual.
Added flooded mechanics to ships.
Boyancy is more realistic.
Improved submarine textures.
Surround sounds .
Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat.
Enhanced explosions and special effects.
AI submarines , friendly and enemy .
Resupply from milk cows .
Meeting other u boats will be possible.
Enhanced damage system.
Enhanced dynamic campaign.
Damaged ships encounters .
Dynamic shadows.
Enhanced weather system.
Weather corresponds to climate zones.
Blizzards added.
Submarine flooding in 1st person view .

[Webster]

new info added by sober

[Rothwell white]

I think it would cool if you could play a surface raider as well as a u-boat

[pythos]

U-boats, like early american boats had Three steering stations. One, in the bridge, this is depicted in the game, look at the forward area of the bridge. Used for harbor operations

There was another in the conning tower, used outside of the harbor for the U-baots for surface operations and when the commander was performing a submerged torpedo attack. The same for the US boats for periscope attacks.

Then one in the control room. This was used during all underwater operations where the periscope was not being used. Depth charge evasion, and the like. Below a specific depth the conning tower hatch was shut, (on the U-boats, not sure about the US boats)

Basically the helmsman was in the same compartment as the one giving the orders, so that yelling or speaking loudly was not necessary.

along with these there was an auxiliary steering station in the aft torpedo room on the German boats, and in the maneuvering room of the US boats.

[raymond6751]

I'm worried the game is going to be SH3/4 in first person with the crew saying the same phrases over and over until you turn it off, if possible.

I remember all those .ogg files that were supposed to be crew phrases in the older games, that never were used.

I'm asking what is there to do in walking through the boat after the first time as a tourist?

I'd like to see drills to improve crew efficiency while en route to a patrol zone. I'd like to see skill set training selectable that increases with time the skills.
I'd like to see various crew deficiencies that require attention.
I'd like to see various equipment malfunctions to take care of.
I'd like to see discussion among officers on board to highlight shortfalls and suggest methods instead of sub academy.
I'd like to see, if not shared crewing, ability to lurk on board someone else's boat in multiplayer and talk things over, discuss choices, experience the missions with friends. Can be done.
I'd like to see a log that we can write in while on patrol that gets saved.
I'd like to errors and accidents that happen on board totally separate from enemy action - involving crew and/or damage cntrol.
I'd like to hear German accents in the English voices, not American.

[PL_Andrev]

I'd like to hear German accents in the English voices, not American.

So this is the main problem - we all learn from only our mistakes not on others.

It's not a good idea.
Something like this exists in Battlestations: Pacific (English with hard Japanese accent), and it sounds REALLY tragic. I realize that in game will be English, but I hope it will also be a 'real' German with true German accent.

[Malmer]

So this is the main problem - we all learn from only our mistakes not on others.

It's not a good idea.
Something like this exists in Battlestations: Pacific (English with hard Japanese accent), and it sounds REALLY tragic. I realize that in game will be English, but I hope it will also be a 'real' German with true German accent.
You are so right...

Saw an U-boat docu the other day where they synchronized German with German accented English... it's just corny and plain pathetic.

[raymond6751]

So this is the main problem - we all learn from only our mistakes not on others.

It's not a good idea.
Something like this exists in Battlestations: Pacific (English with hard Japanese accent), and it sounds REALLY tragic. I realize that in game will be English, but I hope it will also be a 'real' German with true German accent.

If they are going to have English voice then don't have an American accent, clearly identifiable southern drawl or NY bronks or Boston, or even British. They had clearly American voices in SH5 U-Boat addon. It sucked.

I don't agree that German accents are totally wrong. It has to be well done, that is all. Just hire real Germans to do it.

[Schultz]

Steve why in that picture the periscope is so high, shouldn't it be lower?

[Kaleun_Endrass]

Steve why in that picture the periscope is so high, shouldn't it be lower?
The height is correct. The pinhole is actually about 4' 11" (1.50m) above the floor platings. The ceiling is much higher...
Take a look here: http://www.deutscher-marinebund.de/04_U-Boot-Zentrale_max.swf

[Schultz]

I understand now, thank you.

[Sailor Steve]

Accents.

SH2 gave the choice of German voices or English voices with German accents. Everybody complained that the German accents made it sound like a bad old movie. SH3 had German voices or English with American accents. This now proves to be an anticipation of SH4. Because SH4 was strictly US fleet boats there were no German voices at all. When the UBM was added they didn't put German voices back in at all. This was a mistake, but has been modded more than once.

My opinion - SH5 should have German voices - period. Uboatmen didn't speak English with German accents, and they didn't speak English with American accents. They spoke German, and as long as we get subtitles in whatever language we need, it will be realistic and understandable.

[JScones]

I wouldn't even know what the SH3 English voices sounded like - first thing I did after installing SH3 was change the voices to German. Still keep English text though.

But I do know through my SH3Cmdr days that a LOT of players (mainly US) demanded English voices and English text, including US ranks. That's why I pulled everything rank related out of SH3Cmdr.

So I suspect a lot of players would call foul if English voices were to be removed from SH5.

[JScones]

The trailer I watched was in German. :hmmm: I ignored the English one when I learnt there was a German one.

Anyway, I'm not disagreeing with you - I'm just relaying my experiences with "complainers". Squeeky wheel and all...

I'll leave you and the US members to fight over who has the biggest...erm, sales figures. :up:

[Snestorm]

SH3 did a fine job with the dialogs.
Choice 1: What language would you like to hear?
Choice 2: What language would you like to read?

If you don't like the overdone american dialect (I agree), listen in german.

The only possible improvement I can think of, language wise, would be an avenue for a player to edit the written dialog files into his/her own language.

To ask Ubisoft to have written dialogs for all our languages would be insane.

[THE_MASK]

03/12/2009
Improved submarine drag .
Old fatigue system scrapped .

[THE_MASK]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 03/12/2009
SH5 is now first person style game .
External camera goes higher.
Changed the water and terrain rendering engine.
Increased the rendering distance.
Better manual describing manual targeting .
Optional German voice pack .
Talk to other crew in first person using dialogue boxes.
Crew management screen with crew abilities and performance .
Crew abilities based on real mechanics with outcomes based on those abilities.
Harbours are in first person .
Full access to the uboat in first person.
Player can operate key equipment in first person .
Realistically modelled stations such as nav map , hydrophone etc .
Player works side by side with the crew .
Greatly improved recognition manual.
Added flooded mechanics to ships.
Boyancy is more realistic.
Improved submarine textures.
Surround sounds .
Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat.
Enhanced explosions and special effects.
AI submarines , friendly and enemy .
Resupply from milk cows .
Meeting other u boats will be possible.
Enhanced damage system.
Enhanced dynamic campaign.
Damaged ships encounters .
Dynamic shadows.
Enhanced weather system.
Weather corresponds to climate zones.
Blizzards added.
Submarine flooding in 1st person view .
Improved submarine drag.
Removed old fatigue system (new system in place) .

[TarJak]

Water droplets all over your screen when it rains or if you move the external camera near the water. (I hope this is optional).

[Sailor Steve]

I said something similar in another thread. On the one hand I think it looks cool, but on the other I hated the 'sheening' in SH4. On the periscope and binoculars, sure, but not on external screens...or first person bridge views.

[TarJak]

Agree 100 percent at first look I was impressed with how it looked but then I looked again and I decided it would end up giving me the sh1ts. My issue is I don't want water all over a rainy day screenshot taken with the external camera. I want to be able to turn it off if I don't want to see it.

[THE_MASK]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 04/12/2009
SH5 is now first person style game .
External camera goes higher.
Changed the water and terrain rendering engine.
Increased the rendering distance.
Better manual describing manual targeting .
Optional German voice pack .
Talk to other crew in first person using dialogue boxes.
Crew management screen with crew abilities and performance .
Crew abilities based on real mechanics with outcomes based on those abilities.
Harbours are in first person .
Full access to the uboat in first person.
Player can operate key equipment in first person .
Realistically modelled stations such as nav map , hydrophone etc .
Player works side by side with the crew .
Greatly improved recognition manual.
Added flooded mechanics to ships.
Boyancy is more realistic.
Improved submarine textures.
Surround sounds .
Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat.
Enhanced explosions and special effects.
AI submarines , friendly and enemy .
Resupply from milk cows .
Meeting other u boats will be possible.
Enhanced damage system.
Enhanced dynamic campaign.
Damaged ships encounters .
Dynamic shadows.
Enhanced weather system.
Weather corresponds to climate zones.
Blizzards added.
Submarine flooding in 1st person view .
Improved submarine drag.
Removed old fatigue system (new system in place) .
Scene polygon count was increased
- A large harbor with U-boats and ships present will have around 3.5 million polygons

Ship polygon count was increased
- Civilian ships - around 25k polygons
- Small and medium warships – 27-30k polygons
- Large warships – 45k-60k polygons

Ship detail improvements
- Added 1024x1024 textures
- The “normal” texture will be more detailed
- Two “diffuse” textures applied
- Weapons detail has been increased with 20% (compared with Silent Hunter 4)

U-boat model improvements
- Fully modeled and accessible interior
- Model exterior has a polygon count of roughly 2 million polygons
- Model exterior and textures are improved by 70% (compared with Silent Hunter 4)

Environment improvements
- Dynamic weather simulation, depending on climate zone, sea and season
- Ships, buildings, terrain, vegetation and precipitations change depending on season
- Illumination and colors depend on season/sea type
- Interior and exterior High Dynamic Range lighting
- Extensive color correction filters are applied for atmosphere tuning
- Volumetric clouds and light rays
- Harbors mimic real harbors in shape

Water improvements
- Realistic look
- Realistic water movement depending on weather conditions
- 3D water deformation
- Shore waves

[CptnProton]

03/12/2009
Improved submarine drag .
Old fatigue system scrapped .

Hm, I wonder what this is all about, was there anything wrong with how SH3 and 4 handled drag?

[Arclight]

Yes; it didn't. :lol:

Think of installing a streamlined conning tower boosting your underwater speed. Or removing the deckgun, for the same effect.

Perhaps acceleration will be more realistic as well.

Welcome aboard. :salute:

[Webster]

Hm, I wonder what this is all about, was there anything wrong with how SH3 and 4 handled drag?

they gave the entire sub a drag coefficient but not "objects" so if you remove the gun it should change the amount of drag you have but in sh3 and sh4 it didnt make any difference.

they need to make the blank sub hull have a drag coefficient of its own then have one for every item you add like a tower or a gun.

that would allow better more acurate "effects" to be represented.

[Sailor Steve]

Environment improvements
- Dynamic weather simulation, depending on climate zone, sea and season
- Ships, buildings, terrain, vegetation and precipitations change depending on season
- Illumination and colors depend on season/sea type
- Interior and exterior High Dynamic Range lighting
- Extensive color correction filters are applied for atmosphere tuning
- Volumetric clouds and light rays
- Harbors mimic real harbors in shape
Every one of those have me excited. Not only changing weather, but changing weather patters. Water and atmospheric changes based on the seasons and the sea state. Harbors looking like the real thing.

If those work out correctly I'll be very happy.

[CptnProton]

Ok, that makes sense.

Also:



Welcome aboard. :salute:

Thanks! :)

[Undefined]

Q&A

08.09.2009

How does the camera work in SH5? Has the improvement been made significantly compared to the camera view from SH4?

The player is free to move through the submarine in free FPS-like fashion. We believe that creating a simulation game is not just a question of writing the mechanics that define the machine – in our case the u-boat – but there’s also the very important part of defining the actual human experience. What is it like to be the captain of an u-boat crew, in mid-Atlantic?

You should feel the tension and the claustrophobic atmosphere inside the UBoat and the way it affects the crew.

On the other hand, external camera is now allowed to rise much higher above the sea, allowing a dramatic view of the battlefields and landscape. We’ve changed the water and terrain rendering engine, solving the bugs that prevented this in the previous version and increasing the rendering distance too.


Are we going to get a comprehensive manual of step by step to set up manual firing solution?

We believe manual targeting is a very interesting and rewarding experience. Our ambition is to have it easier to understand and explained IN GAME – without sacrificing its complexity. Of course, there will still be a manual describing all the steps in greater detail.


Being a first person (Captain), how do we manage the crew? And what kind of things we can expect from the evolution of the crew abilities?

In true first person game fashion, the player can walk to a crewmember and click on it, opening the dialogue menu. You can chit-chat, if you want, or tell him to use one of his abilities.

There will be also a crew management menu where you have an overview of each of the crew member’s abilities and the overall performance. Based on the results of your patrol, you will receive a number of skill points which are used to evolve the crew. This allows you to customize your experience as you see fit.

Regarding the abilities, they are based on real mechanics and may even have some penalties. For instance, you can tell your Engines Petty Officer to push the electric engines a little harder, getting that extra knot of underwater speed. Of course, this will result in greatly increased battery consumption and may force you to quit combat and surface much sooner than normally.


Will we be able to make/record movies of any actions during the course of the game so we can replay it at anytime?

No. But any player could use FRAPS of another frame grabbing program to film his experience.


15.09.2009

What other features are there outside the submarine? i.e. is there a kind of screen saver if we are at a harbour? Can we go to a cafe as a first person? Talk to a General perhaps?

The focus of Silent Hunter is always the action at sea, during the patrol, with the time spent between patrols taking a secondary importance. However, the way you prepare your next mission is very important, and you will be able refit your boat with the latest technological gadgets, obtain intelligence from your commanding officer and choose your torpedo loadout. The harbor keeps the first person perspective, but some of the management jobs are better done through 2D interfaces.


How much freedom will we be seeing/getting? Are we able to navigate from the rear torpedo room all the way to the forward torpedo room seamlessly or will it be more like SHIV, click on a ladder/door/hatch to enter the next submarine section?

The player will have full access everywhere inside the submarine. Just like in any other first person game and just like a real captain had. But remember, you’re not just a camera, you’re the captain. Don’t go sunbathing on the fore deck or you’ll have a long way to go to that conning tower hatch before the sub can dive!


Will this be the same in SHV as in SHIV that the player can replace the sailor or officer of his job and do it himself? (Or are we restricted to giving them commands only?)

The player can jump in most of the key positions on the ship – firing guns, periscope, hydrophone, navigation map. More so, each of these stations is realistically modeled, and, combined with the FPS view, the immersion should be total. Additionally, we’re aiming to make the player work SIDE BY SIDE with his crew – be it on the periscope, when identifying a ship, or on the map, when looking for enemy convoys.


Will the AI controlled crew men do their tasks properly? (Better than in SHIV).

They are all well trained sailors. And, with the abilities that the player gives them, we believe you’ll be a proud captain to have them serve under your command.


23.09.2009

Any plans for a Co-op. multi player mode that puts several players in one single Submarine? (Co-Op campaign mode?)

This is an interesting feature and one that we have considered many times and would like to do – but it comes with some design and technical problems that need to be solved before committing to it. For release the answer is No. But there will be several enhancements to the multiplayer mode, derived directly from the enhanced submarine controls.


The screen shots reveal a German Uboat, I assume we will be seeing a campaign based on the German navy or will there be an U.S. Navy campaign as well?

For now, only the German Navy. Our focus was to create a highly detailed game, with a highly detailed campaign and submarine experience. To achieve that, we needed to narrow our scope so we can give full attention to all small details that make this game so unique. Other navies (US Navy, Regia Marina, Royal Navy, etc) will have to wait … for now.

Recognition Manual (in game) - can we expect to see it more detailed like the Recognition Manual that could be found in the collector’s edition?

The recognition manual will be greatly improved and more usable from the previous version. We expect it to be more important, usable – and in the end – a fun experience for the player.


Will we be able to turn off all the factors that tell us about every move the enemy makes, to keep the game more realistic? (Ex: flood meters on enemy ships).

Yes.



30.09.2009

How does the morale system work?

Your crew is a highly trained unit of the German Kriegsmarine. They will do their duty, but as with every man, there is a question whether they will go the extra mile for their captain and mission. This is translated into their morale – their capacity to use their special abilities such as making a team effort to reload all bow torpedoes very fast to deliver a fatal blow to enemy shipping.
Of course, as you spend time at sea, your crew will long for their families, get tired of canned food and their morale will go down. This diminishes your capacity to use them and excel in battle, so as captain, you have to be careful that there’s reasons for the crew to be happy. Sink some ships, make them proud, and it should be ok.


Will there be improved ship buoyancy dynamics EG the roll and pitch of the submarine?

Yes. Physics throughout the game is under tuning. We added a “flooded” mechanic to enemy ships as well, which simulates water flowing from one compartment to another, thus buoyancy is expected to be more realistic.


I have noticed that the ship/submarine textures on all the current screenshots are VERY basic; will you be replacing them with more realistic skins and textures like in SH4? (EG bolts and rust ect).

Textures and graphics are still under tuning. We textured the submarine based on real images taken from real uboats.

Will more realistic sounds be used for the ships and subs? Also will we finally have the function to change the crew’s voices to German (instead of relying on mods)?

Yes. There will be new sounds, true surround effects, and a German voice pack distributed with the game.



08.10.2009


Will ship damage and breakup be improved?

Yes. Now the ships can break in multiple parts, still stay afloat even though, for instance, they lost their bow due to a torpedo hit. The explosions and the SFX will also be enhanced.


In SH III, the engine telegraph orders are German translations of US Navy orders. For example, the Kriegsmarine never used the term, "Eins dritte fahrt voraus." Could Ubisoft put in the correct German telegraph orders?

In Silent Hunter 5, the crew voice lines for the engine telegraph orders will be appropriate for the German u-boat engine telegraphs. For instance, that particular German voiceover will be “Kleine fahrt voraus”.


Will there be any AI operated boats forming a Wolfpack?

There will be AI operated boats. Wolfpack mechanics are under consideration. This is something we always wanted to do but we want to do them properly so there’s a question if we’ll be able to fit them before release.


Will we be able to meet another u-boat, while on the patrol? Say hello, exchange fuel and food supplies, perhaps?

Resupplying from milk-cows will definitely be possible. Meeting other u-boats will be possible but the degree of interaction with them is to be decided.



14.10.2009


Any chance to meet a partially damaged ship (imitating activity of another u-boats)?

Yes. This is one of the enhancements of the damage system and the dynamic campaign.

Will there be a Macintosh version of Silent Hunter?

There is no Mac version planned at the moment.

Will the navigation map handle the earth as a cylinder like in SH3?

Yes. Although not geographically correct, the cylindrical view is the easiest to understand and use of all cartographical projections, especially if we consider the possibility that the player could roam all the seas as he / she wishes. We investigated other projections as well, using a globe or specific maps of several locations (like they did in reality) but the drawbacks in terms of usability, freedom and understanding were too big to consider them further. Also, there is a number of technical problems associated to other geographical projections, which we chose not to tackle for now.

Will SH5 allow the flexibility for a player to switch between commanding a surface warship and a submarine or even the ability to switch sides?

For the release of SH5 the player will only be able to command a German u-boat.



21.10.2009

Will SH5 allow the ability to command a sub fleet or squadron from a naval base thereby determining duty rosters, assign commanders their boats, and establish objectives?

Our focus is to create the perfect German submarine experience, with the highest detail current technology allows in real time. Silent Hunter is not about surface ships, is not about strategic decisions. What truly means Silent Hunter is life of a captain, his boat, his crew, a desperate battle for survival they themselves may not understand or agree with, sinking ships, live a drama on the high seas.


Will Silent Hunter V have added the Dynamic Shadows feature?

SH5 already has dynamic shadows – check out the screenshots, for example, here are some that we made for SubSim! It’s pretty cool and it brings ships and other units to life, integrating them in the visual environment of the game.


Will more elements limit the max duration of your patrol in SH5? (ex: food, water, medical supplies, crew morale, crew wanting to return home after a long period etc)

In SH5, crew morale is the deciding factor; the longer you stay on patrol, the more affected the crew is, and the less you are able to demand that “extra mile” from them. The morale system takes into account many modifiers that represent factors such as the “longing for home”, exhaustion, lack of food, while we chose not to bother the player, the U-Boat captain, with mundane tasks such as managing the food inventory.

Is it going to be possible to manage our own realism (like in sh3), or we will stuck again on easy, medium, hard and realistic mod (like in sh4)?

Actually, SH4 allowed full customization of the realism settings, but the options were hidden in the captain’s office. Click on the radio on the left side of the room. For SH5, we will of course let the player tune the realism and difficulty options to whatever combination he sees fit.


28.10.2009

Is it possible to develop the feature to control the Port and Starboard engines of the U-Boat independently?

We’re considering this feature. It should go much deeper than just individual control by allowing the player to use the electric motors while on the surface – for faster response to commands.


Can we call in a refuelling sub or to reload the torps in the middle of Atlantic? and perhaps we can also see the crew in actions to refuel and reload the torps?

Whether the crew will be visibly performing these actions is still to be decided, but you’ll definitely be able to resupply at sea. This was an important factor in the real U-Boat campaign and it will be the same in our game too.

Will SH5 have both a gramophone (like SH3) for playing "records" and a working radio (like SH4) that can be tuned in to various stations for broadcasts of music, shows, and news?

Both these features will make an appearance. The amount of included materials for them will be limited though because of copyright issues and respect for other people’s works. We expect modders will come out with content packs for these features, as they did for SH4.

Just like in SH3 can you set the audible voice language to be german while the text be english? I loved that immersive feeling.

We agree it was very immersive and plan to provide same option for SH5 too.


04.11.2009

Can you tell me please if the damage interface of SH5 will be at least with the level of accuracy reached in SH3?

Even if the mechanics behind the damage management are at the same complexity, the interface is lighter and more focused on most important aspects. None the less, you won’t lose any information or degree of immersion compared to the old games. Additionally, we are implementing some more advanced flooding control mechanics which would be a blast for the player.

During the storm in the Atlantic, will the stormy features/elements like rain drops, lightning, layers of grey clouds be more realistic than the previous releases of SH?

The weather system is enhanced compared to the previous titles; it is now more dynamic and realistic. Expect to see weather conditions correct to the climate zone in which you travel, for the respective season and moment of day. You will face raging blizzards in the North Sea and enjoy the nice weather in the Med, and this will change the way you fight.

Is there any game adjustment in any game stages for the environment? For example:
- during the storm, how much the player wants for the sea to swell or how dark the player wants for the clouds?; or how often the lightning to show up?

- Another setup whether we want to see the sunshine, or semi sunshine, or just murky grey clouds?
- What other features that a player can set similar to the above mentioned.

We have no plan to develop such a feature. The environment is meant to mimic reality and real weather, and the player is not supposed to alter it to his preference. However, we expect the new work we have done in this area to make the weather both nicer “to be in” and more varied overall.

I believe that the UBoat can go to the Southern Hemisphere or at least to the Pacific region ... no? Knowing from the war history with the involvement of UBoat in the Pacific (like SH4 UBoat Missions), will there be a feature (or perhaps a surprise??) that we will encounter Japanese Navy/convoys who ask for UBoat support?

While the player is still free to go as he pleases, there is no plan to include the “Monsoon boats” in the release version of SH5.


18.11.2009


What about surface ships firing torpedoes? In SH3 even torpedoes boats didn't attack another ships by torpedoes, only guns, guns, guns...

This is a nice feature and one we have in plan. However, it is regarded as less important than other features such as AI submarines - friendly and enemy.



Will completing the training missions give you a reward or bonus towards a new campaign?

The game tutorial is part of campaign – it should be a smooth and seamless ride from beginning to end in terms of player progression. The way you complete it will have some impact on the rest of the campaign – but let’s face it: the war was not lost on its first night.


25.11.2009

What historical documents do the developers use for the creation of models of the German submarines?

Our research started of course with modeling books such as the “Vom original zum Modell” series and the technical books by Eberhard Roessler. But there’s much more that we do with analysis of photos and guesswork. We also took trips to visit the Vesikko submarine in Finland and the U-995 in Germany. I can tell you, nothing can match the experience of walking the deck of a real type VII u-boat.


Will we see water flooding the submarine or fire in 1st person view?

Yes you will, even more you will have to manage the flooding.


03.12.2009


Will you be able to change ammo storage loadouts, such as adding more AAA rounds, or more deck gun rounds?

Like in the previous games, we believe the main weapon of the U-boat is the torpedo – and the player is only allowed to customize that loadout. The ammo stocks for the deck and flak guns will be standard.

Will there be weight simulation? The more weight within the sub the lower it sits in the water thus more drag with the water, will torpedoes, AAA ammo, deck gun ammo, and fuel all affect the subs weight, thus changing the speed vs fuel usage?

We’re working on improving the submarine dynamics (underwater drag mainly) in relation to the customizable items on the deck: deck gun, conning tower, flak guns. This feature is still some ways away, though!


Will the captain support options from U-boat missions be available in SH5? Such as requesting a friendly DD to scout or sink a convoy, requesting Luftwaffe recon/bomber/fighter aircraft?

There will be some co-operation with friendly forces in Silent Hunter 5, but we’re trying to make it in a realistic fashion – as opposed to giving direct command over another unit.


Will it be possible to turn off the fatigue-system? I always thought it's not my job as a sub commander to sing everybody to sleep.

Say good bye to the fatigue system. SH5 takes a completely different approach to modeling crew fatigue and morale, built upon the idea that these men are after all professionals, doing their job and knowing that their life depends on it.


09.12.2009

Will there be random damages or problems with the U-boats? I am thinking about problems with the Diesel-Engine or other technical problems (maybe like sabotage by dockyard workers, which happened more often later in the war).

While we strive to give the player a realistic view on the war and the machines taking part in it, we think random malfunctions or sabotages are very dangerous for gameplay reasons. These kinds of events cannot be controlled by the player and they may ruin a mission, a plan, or a patrol for you. In the future, we will tackle them in some way, but for now, we have no such thing in the game.


Will there be dual monitor support?

There will be available resolutions for dual screens, but nothing customized in terms of HUD. Not for now at least.


Will the ladder in the galley be modeled? Just a detail, but I think it can't do any harm to ask.

The galley hatch is modeled, but the ladder is not mounted since we understand it was not standard practice to have it in place for normal operations.


Will the toilet be accessible too? It's not really important for gameplay, but it would be funny.

Nope, you have to use your own http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[THE_MASK]

18.12.2009 - there will be no new updates for the next 2 weeks


Will we see the crew on deck whilst they move torpedoes from external storage to internal storage?

Not for now, but you’ll be able to see the reloading of the torpedoes taking place inside the submarine!


Will there be lifeboats that rescue some of the crew of a torpedoed ship?

Like in SH4, yes, you’ll be able to see those.


What will the customization level be to make the boat really feel yours, like naming it yourself, adding hull serial numbers, personalizing your captain’s cabin etc?

The player is given command of a standard U-boat of the Kriegsmarine, but he doesn’t own it. Naming it is out of the question, since it was not the way “it was done”. Likewise, hull serial numbers were removed at a war’s start.
You will be able to customize it with a conning tower emblem and a custom hull paint scheme, should you wish.

By the way, in case you missed it, you can vote in the following THREAD (http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1121062387/m/5531086518) for your favorite tower emblem from a series of community submitted emblems. The top 10 will be added into the final game!


Can you tell me please if the horizontal dive bug problem of the subs in Silent Hunter 4 will be fixed in SH5. In Silent Hunter 3 the developers team made the subs dive properly in a tilted way (bow dive first), unlike in Silent Hunter 4 when the brand new developers team forgot this and the horizontal sub dive killed a bit the immersion factor.

Many of the developers of of SH4 were there for SH3 too! We did have those problems, but they were caused by changes in the water dynamics in another part of the code. The water has been changed again – it looks and behaves amazing - and we’re looking to tune the submarine dynamics better than in SH3 or SH4.

Will there be an option for the sub to auto-dive to periscope depth and switch the engines to 1-2 knots when the surface crew spot a unknown/enemy vessel or plane? (This is mostly for the new players)

As in the previous games, this kind of “standing orders” will be available to help the player. We believe these automated drills and responses to encounters are good simulation of how the crew works in a real submarine and also serve to take some of the tedious micro-management out of the game.

[Sailor Steve]

Q&A
There is already a 'Q&A' thread on this forum. All this has been covered there.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=156600

[THE_MASK]

Whats new in SH5 wrapup INFO UP TO 18/12/2009
SH5 is now first person style game .
External camera goes higher.
Changed the water and terrain rendering engine.
Increased the rendering distance.
Better manual describing manual targeting .
Optional German voice pack .
Talk to other crew in first person using dialogue boxes.
Crew management screen with crew abilities and performance .
Crew abilities based on real mechanics with outcomes based on those abilities.
Harbours are in first person .
Full access to the uboat in first person.
Player can operate key equipment in first person .
Realistically modelled stations such as nav map , hydrophone etc .
Player works side by side with the crew .
Greatly improved recognition manual.
Added flooded mechanics to ships.
Boyancy is more realistic.
Improved submarine textures.
Surround sounds .
Ships can break in multiple parts but still stay afloat.
Enhanced explosions and special effects.
AI submarines , friendly and enemy .
Resupply from milk cows .
Meeting other u boats will be possible.
Enhanced damage system.
Enhanced dynamic campaign.
Damaged ships encounters .
Dynamic shadows.
Enhanced weather system.
Weather corresponds to climate zones.
Blizzards added.
Submarine flooding in 1st person view .
Improved submarine drag.
Removed old fatigue system (new system in place) .
Available resolutions for dual screens.
You can see the reloading of the torpedoes taking place inside the submarine .
Better sub dynamics then in SH4.
10 missions including operation drumbeat .
Truly dynamic campaign.