Crash Dive 2

[PanicEnsues]

Greetings SubSimmers!

For the past few months I've been working on a sequel to Crash Dive (something I've been wanting to do for years).

It will still be WWII, but this time in the South Pacific, with the player in command of a U.S. Navy Gato-class submarine. The core gameplay will be very similar to Crash Dive, but with significant improvements.

Below is a partial wish-list of new/upgraded features; some of these are done, some are in progress, and some I have no idea how to accomplish yet:

Crew management/assignment
Story/campaign mode
Detailed damage control
O2
SJ Radar
Land masses
Ocean floor/bottoming
Ships/sub can run aground
Armed cargo ships
Enemy torpedoes
Enemy aircraft
More realistic ship movement
Better enemy AI
Better ship-to-ship collisions
Notification history
Weather (clouds, fog, rain, lightning)
Time of day (sun/moon cycle)
Crew spotting when surfaced
Navigational waypoints
Upgrading of sub (tech tree)


If you have suggestions/additions/feedback on this list, sound off and let me know! I'm also going to have questions that this community is uniquely suited to answer, so I'll be posting those in this forum.

Thanks!

-Scott

[PanicEnsues]

Just to show that I'm serious about work on Crash Dive 2 :)

New water and Time of Day system. (https://youtu.be/SJaqjwwP7cU)

[captainadccdacaptain]

It would definitely be played and enjoyed if a sequel was made, and by the wish list it it looks like would be a good game

[PanicEnsues]

Another video: Crash Dive 2's new weather system, showing fog, clouds, rain, and wind. Wind affects the water's wave speed and size.
All weather factors affect the enemy's ability to detect your sub (and your ability see them!).

https://youtu.be/f2Z6BRczbgM

[Onkel Neal]

I'm definitely onbaord with this! I loved Crash Dive so much, it was really a fun game. It was really polished and gave me a lot of pleasure while waiting for my gf to decide which shoes she couldn't live without.

Recommendations:

Play the original Silent Hunter to sample the tone of the game. I always felt CD was an homage to Aces of the Deep, having CD2 bring back memories of SH1 would be awesome.

Have crew reports in the game. "Rrrright full rudder, aye sir!"

Have some small villages on the islands, small military outposts, and docks with moored vessels, buoys, mines, and nets.

Have harbor penetration missions and make navigation and reconnaissance a big factor. Trying to find Wewak among a dozen small islands would be a great mission in itself. USS Wahoo.

While on the topic of harbor intrusions, have some missions where the enemy is skirting the coast and you have to run dangerously shallow to close the range, re: USS Barb.

Sub vs sub missions

Warship encounters, like USS Cavalla.

Thermoclines and bathythermographs

Easter eggs!

cheers,
Neal

[PanicEnsues]

Great list of recommendations, thanks Neal!

[dsawan]

Bring it on!:Kaleun_Cheers:

[arkroyal]

Hi,Scott
Can't wait for it ,whats the E.T.A for this game??:Kaleun_Applaud:

[blackswan40]

Loved Crash Dive have it on my tablet and on pc im sold on Crash Dive 2

Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war ill be enroling in the Silent Service once again Yippee :Kaleun_Salute:

[PanicEnsues]

Can't wait for it ,whats the E.T.A for this game??

Just as soon as it's done! :03:

Though I'm hoping for some time next year...

[nikimcbee]

Just as soon as it's done! :03:

Though I'm hoping for some time next year...

:Kaleun_Salute: Good answer!
Not to overwhelm you with suggestions, how hard would it be to add S-Boats?

Another thought, how hard would it be to add the option to play as the Japanese? Would that be just too much to model/add?
How big is your dev team?

Best of luck:Kaleun_Salute::Kaleun_Thumbs_Up::Kaleun_Cheer s:

[PanicEnsues]

how hard would it be to add S-Boats?

Not too difficult; I would need to create or source a model/textures, then figure out how much of the Gato's capabilities to reduce/remove to make it behave like an S-Boat. Probably not something I would try to include in the first release, but maybe a later addition?

how hard would it be to add the option to play as the Japanese? Would that be just too much to model/add?
Same deal, just lots of models/textures to add. I could see it as an expansion to the base game, though.

How big is your dev team?

Just me. Solo dev, at your service! :Kaleun_Salute:

-Scott

[nikimcbee]

Not too difficult; I would need to create or source a model/textures, then figure out how much of the Gato's capabilities to reduce/remove to make it behave like an S-Boat. Probably not something I would try to include in the first release, but maybe a later addition?


Same deal, just lots of models/textures to add. I could see it as an expansion to the base game, though.



Just me. Solo dev, at your service! :Kaleun_Salute:

-Scott

Just you? That's crazy. I guess it makes the planning meetings a whole lot more easier.:yep:

How much time does it take to create a model? All of that would make a great add on! I wish I could help, but I have zero programming skill. I've done level design and artist research many years ago. I think a Japanese add-on would be cool, depending how this edition works out.

[PanicEnsues]

Lack of meetings is my favorite part of being a solo dev. :)


How much time does it take to create a model?

About 3-4 days. Not terrible, but long enough to make it worth buying models if I can find a quality source for a good price.

15 or 20 years ago, when I used to do that kind of work full-time, it would have taken me half as long. But now I'm old and slow. :yeah:

[PanicEnsues]

I'm debating whether to eliminate the fire arc limitation that Crash Dive has, and would love to hear feedback.

I know that the Mark 14/15/18's gyroscopes allowed setting an angle that the torpedo would turn to after launch; but was there a practical limitation to that? E.g., would they ever fire a torpedo with a 90-degree offset? If so, I could just let the player fire at any relative bearing (from whichever torpedo room is within the 180-degree arc).

[jaop99]

Nice game! are you using any comercial free engine for the graphics? like Unity or Unreal?

[PanicEnsues]

Nice game! are you using any comercial free engine for the graphics? like Unity or Unreal?

I'm using Unity (same as Crash Dive).

[jaop99]

Yeah is a good engine (BattleTech and many games use it), even VS have a standard project to build apps with Unity, congrats mate!:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

[kolc]

Very interested in seeing this and improvements to the game...providing more depth around game play regarding finding and tracking of targets would be what I would like to see more of....

[PanicEnsues]

Very interested in seeing this and improvements to the game...providing more depth around game play regarding finding and tracking of targets would be what I would like to see more of....

I think you'll like the changes then. Rather than the randomly-spawned convoys from Crash Dive, the new game will have active shipping traffic in your assigned patrol zone; you'll need to use your radar, lookouts, and common sense to find them and sink them.

[kolc]

I think you'll like the changes then. Rather than the randomly-spawned convoys from Crash Dive, the new game will have active shipping traffic in your assigned patrol zone; you'll need to use your radar, lookouts, and common sense to find them and sink them.
...ok now I am hooked...RADAR!


:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

[Onkel Neal]

I'm debating whether to eliminate the fire arc limitation that Crash Dive has, and would love to hear feedback.

I know that the Mark 14/15/18's gyroscopes allowed setting an angle that the torpedo would turn to after launch; but was there a practical limitation to that? E.g., would they ever fire a torpedo with a 90-degree offset? If so, I could just let the player fire at any relative bearing (from whichever torpedo room is within the 180-degree arc).


Yes, I would allow the player to fire within a 90 arc, but the degree of error would increase.

For more, refer to https://maritime.org/doc/attack/index.htm
810. ANALYSIS OF TORPEDO FIRING and 811. CURVED FIRE

[UnderWaterGamer]

Hello Scott!

Here are just a few questions/recommendations on the gameplay:

- Will there be a manual AA gun station? (since planes are added in)
- Will there be a TDC or a way of getting ship data manually e.g. A stopwatch, a range finder...?
- Will there be a possibility to go from room to room in the sub? ( just one view of the room, but you can look around and interact with stuff...)?
- Same with the deck and conning tower
- Will there be a hydrophone station?

Hope's this can give you some ideas on making an awesome sequel (it's looking very good and promising so far!) :Kaleun_Cheers:

Can't wait for the game release

Good luck with the programming and modeling!

Happy Hunting

UWG:salute:

[PanicEnsues]

- Will there be a manual AA gun station? (since planes are added in)

Yes; my goal is to basically integrate my other mobile game, "Tail Gun Charlie", to provide the AA gunnery system. Though I may regret that once I actually start working on it and see what a nightmare it becomes... :yeah:


- Will there be a TDC or a way of getting ship data manually e.g. A stopwatch, a range finder...?

There is a TDC that will take care of targeting as long as you have visual contact (and have it turned on); otherwise, you'll have to use the "intersecting paths & times" manual targeting system from Crash Dive.


- Will there be a possibility to go from room to room in the sub? ( just one view of the room, but you can look around and interact with stuff...)?

No. While it would be immersive, creating interior spaces wouldn't add to gameplay, and I just don't have the resources to build them all out.


- Same with the deck and conning tower

Just the bridge, where you will use binoculars for spotting and TBT targeting when surfaced.


- Will there be a hydrophone station?

Yes, but indirectly; data from sound, sonar, spotting, and radar are all combined into the "Chart View", where either precise or estimated enemy ship positions will be displayed based on what can be detected.

Thanks for the notes!

-Scott

[Aktungbby]

No. While it would be immersive, creating interior spaces wouldn't add to gameplay, and I just don't have the resources to build them all out.
SO, A COMPROMISE: ALL THE IMMERSIVE KALEUN REALLY NEEDS IS TO GET FROM THE CENTRALLE UP THE LADDER TO THE BRIDGE; ATTACK SCOPE/TDC; AND BACK AGAIN WITH AN OCCASIONAL JUNKET TO THE DECK GUN AS IN SH-V. ALL THE OTHER AMBLING AROUND WAS USELESS ANYWAY.:D :up: :arrgh!:

[PurpleCow]

I purchased Crash Dive a while back and it has been great. An easy purchase to recommend to others. I am very much looking forward to Crash Dive 2. The iPad makes such an inviting platform to play games on I am very happy to see developers working with it.

Do you find the memory limitations of iOS devices to be much of a hindrance? I know the CPU is pretty fast but I have always wondered why so few games like Crash Dive and Silent Service are produced. The iPad adoption rate seems very large but there must be a reason why games like CMANO, Cold Waters, and Dangerous Waters are not ported over.

Would you ever consider a more modern sub/ship simulator in the same vein as Dangerous Waters? Something where sonar, sound and detection comes to the forefront?

One other aspect I would love to see would be a sub game that integrates a real TDC. A game where you had to calculate the mast height, course, and speed of a target so you cud generate a firing solutions. Also something that included realistic underwater hydrophones to detect incoming destroyers and depth charges.

Thanks for taking my suggestions and questions!

[PanicEnsues]

I purchased Crash Dive a while back and it has been great.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

Do you find the memory limitations of iOS devices to be much of a hindrance? I know the CPU is pretty fast but I have always wondered why so few games like Crash Dive and Silent Service are produced. The iPad adoption rate seems very large but there must be a reason why games like CMANO, Cold Waters, and Dangerous Waters are not ported over.

While iPads have enough memory and horsepower to run a very good game, they don't have the limitless power of a desktop computer or modern console, so you have to be willing to put in the time to squeeze every drop of performance out of your assets and code.

But the real limiting factor is that you can't make an *iPad* game; if you actually want to reach a worthwhile-sized player base, your game has to run on the vast majority of mobile devices out there (including iPhones and the huge range of Android phones.

That said, I do find that, as a solo developer, I prefer making mobile games; the fact that you can do pretty much anything in a PC game means that you kind of have to do everything (because that's what PC players will expect). So developing PC games takes waaaay longer, because every little task requires so much polish and detail.

Thanks for your game ideas and suggestions, I appreciate it!

[PurpleCow]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
But the real limiting factor is that you can't make an *iPad* game; if you actually want to reach a worthwhile-sized player base, your game has to run on the vast majority of mobile devices out there (including iPhones and the huge range of Android phones.
!

Certainly understandable. For what it is worth I personally don't need games to be super cheap in order to purchase them. I think Civilization 6 is an excellent example. Yes, the game was expensive, but it was worth it because it was so well done. I think a lot of people feel the same way. If we have an iPad we recognize that good hardware costs money and are willing to pay it. I think the same applies to software.

[skirich]

Want it. Take my money already!:Kaleun_Applaud:

[swellfella]

my other mobile game, "Tail Gun Charlie"


Ya kiddin' me! Did that just fly by in passing...You do that? 1 dev? TGC is in my estimation one of the classic underrated mobile Air-sim shooters --incidentally encompassing my fav genre outside sub-sims: B-17 airships (still rocking Flying Fortress to this day).

For the clueless, in TGC you tail-gun a B-17, popping 109s, etc, as they swarm in at all angles. You rack of points and promotions, bonus flack defenses and other goodies to aid you as faster and sturdier air-ships level up against you. You aim and fire by touch or, optionally, my fav, gyroscope.

It's a ton of fun and not as facile as it first seems. Anyway, just wanna say it blew me away when I saw you were behind that as well as CD. Which all points to we all being well-grounded in looking forward to something special in CD2! All I can say is, Beam me up, Mr. Scott.:up:

[PanicEnsues]

Ya kiddin' me! Did that just fly by in passing...You do that? 1 dev? TGC is in my estimation one of the classic underrated mobile Air-sim shooters...

Hey, thanks! There seems to be very little cross-over between CD and TGC players, so it's very cool to see someone on this forum who has played both!

-Scott

[Rya989]

Greetings SubSimmers!

For the past few months I've been working on a sequel to Crash Dive (something I've been wanting to do for years).

It will still be WWII, but this time in the South Pacific, with the player in command of a U.S. Navy Gato-class submarine. The core gameplay will be very similar to Crash Dive, but with significant improvements.

Below is a partial wish-list of new/upgraded features; some of these are done, some are in progress, and some I have no idea how to accomplish yet:

Crew management/assignment
Story/campaign mode
Detailed damage control
O2
SJ Radar
Land masses
Ocean floor/bottoming
Ships/sub can run aground
Armed cargo ships
Enemy torpedoes
Enemy aircraft
More realistic ship movement
Better enemy AI
Better ship-to-ship collisions
Notification history
Weather (clouds, fog, rain, lightning)
Time of day (sun/moon cycle)
Crew spotting when surfaced
Navigational waypoints
Upgrading of sub (tech tree)


If you have suggestions/additions/feedback on this list, sound off and let me know! I'm also going to have questions that this community is uniquely suited to answer, so I'll be posting those in this forum.

Thanks!

-Scott

Sounds great as first game was very playable and had lots of nice touches such as the missions and reallife photos to empathsise the atmosphere. There are numerous games that get the basics down with varying degrees of success, but where nearly all if not all single player submarine games fail is the feeling that your crew are actually real people who are sharing the campaign / boat with you. Silent Hunter 5 did have some very nice touches in this regard and I haven't played Uboat to see how that handles this aspect of things. If you could have a development of your original title but capture that feeling of not being alone onboard with drones and command back at base actually knows your there and communicates rather than just issuing the mission and odd report, you could have a real winner that attracts a wider market. Who wouldn't want that feeling of being part of a crew working together through victories and the hard times.
Also building in the engine room and torpedo bays and the ability to interact - how long before repairs will be done ? For example or patching up damaged battery wiring, could also add to the atmosphere greatly. Main thing is to keep the playability the first one had but draw you in more, in my opinion. Good luck regardless, will follow progress.

[PanicEnsues]

...where nearly all if not all single player submarine games fail is the feeling that your crew are actually real people who are sharing the campaign / boat with you.

Great feedback, thank you! In Crash Dive 2, each of your 50 crewmen has a rank, name, age, and city/state where they're from. They have specific and general skills, and can improve those skills over time. They can be injured, knocked unconscious, or killed.

But how attached the player gets to the crew is completely up to you; You can completely ignore them and let the XO (AKA the AI) handle all crew assignments, or you can micro-manage where each man is assigned to and for how long.

Also building in the engine room and torpedo bays and the ability to interact - how long before repairs will be done ?

CD2 has a much more detailed damage control screen, where you can monitor each compartment's flooding, damage, and crew state. Just like with crew management, it's down to each player's preference how much you want to manually manage the repairs; you could specify exact orders for the repair crew, or just let the XO handle it.

Here is a screenshot of the current state of the Damage/Crew management screen:

http://panicensuessoftware.com/share/ManagementView_14022020.jpg

[Aktungbby]

Rya989!:Kaleun_Salute:

[THEBERBSTER]

A Warm Welcome To The Subsim Community > rya989
Subsim <> Make A Donation <> See The Benefits <> Support The Community (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2027002&postcount=1)
SH3 – 4 - 5 Tutorials > Downloads > Other Useful Information > See Links in My Signature Below

[DaveyJ576]

I am eagerly awaiting this game. I have been having withdrawals from playing SHIV on my old Vista computer and I would like to play again. SHIV crashed again (hard this time) and I don't have the patience to mess around with it any more.

I have been away for a while, but I was once regarded on these forums as something akin to a technical expert on USN fleet boats so if you have a question ask away!

[Sonarman]

The damage/ crew management will be a great addition, I’d suggest making your screens dark theme rather than light though( as many subsimmers play in darkened rooms to heighten the atmosphere and switching to a blinding white screen will be hard on their night vision, perhaps put a vignetted red filter over the screen during night hours etc. Looking forward to grabbing this on release :)

[PanicEnsues]

Thanks, that's a great suggestion on the dark theme for the management screens, I'll look into adding it.

[PanicEnsues]

Per Sonarman's great suggestion, there is now a "Night Mode" where you can invert all menus/UIs for preserving your night vision:

http://panicensuessoftware.com/share/DamageView_NightMode.jpg

-Scott

[Sonarman]

Wow, thanks for doing that Scott, looks great, cant wait for this to get released.:)

[UnderWaterGamer]

Hello Scott,

I unfortunantly (mainly for me!) can't join the Beta as I don't think I can fully commit to testing. But seeing has the Beta has come about, might we be expecting a gameplay reveal soon :up:

Also I am not sure what is your approach to the tech tree of the game. What I mean is do you mean more "realistic" features from the original ? such as mainly the War Time modifications (coning towers, AA, deck guns, radars, new engines and other). And also a historical campaign with big events being noticable (the different island campaigns, carrier mouvements, Task Forces, etc.).

Anyway still looking forward to an awesome sequel ! :salute:

Cheers :Kaleun_Cheers:

UWG

[PanicEnsues]

Hello Scott,
might we be expecting a gameplay reveal soon :up:


Per my own schedule, I was supposed to start recording videos about two weeks ago, but I keep finding other things I'd rather work on instead. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Also I am not sure what is your approach to the tech tree of the game. What I mean is do you mean more "realistic" features from the original ? such as mainly the War Time modifications (coning towers, AA, deck guns, radars, new engines and other).


Basically, you start with a bare-bones late-1941 Gato, and can gradually use the tech tree to upgrade it to the level of an end-of-war Balao. I tried to keep the upgrades as realistic as possible; or at make them seem realistic, even if I have to play with their numbers behind the scenes. :)

I don't currently limit the upgrades by date; once you have the budget and any prerequisites, you can purchase upgrades at any time through the campaign regardless of when they were actually introduced. I have a low-priority task to add that at some point in the future, but I don't know if it will actually happen (that's a very long list).


And also a historical campaign with big events being noticable (the different island campaigns, carrier mouvements, Task Forces, etc.).


The campaign is a sequence of 10 war patrols that take place during specific dates throughout the war. They are connected to historical events through:
1) The briefing/mission orders before each patrol;
2) The patrol area being realistic to where U.S. subs were assigned at that time;
3) FOX radio updates from Pearl Harbor of major events that occur, when they occur.

As of now, I don't try to create e.g. actual enemy ships/convoys at the place where they really were at a particular time. Wading into an ongoing battle is also not an option because I don't have any Allied ships/planes in the game; I always remove the possibility of friendly-fire kills in my games because those just suck all the fun out.

Hope that answers your questions! Once I can peel myself away from bug fixes and feature additions, I'll start posting video links here.

-Scott

[UnderWaterGamer]

Thanks for your reply Scott, here are some suggestions on your current system just some realism I guess :)

Basically, you start with a bare-bones late-1941 Gato, and can gradually use the tech tree to upgrade it to the level of an end-of-war Balao. I tried to keep the upgrades as realistic as possible; or at make them seem realistic, even if I have to play with their numbers behind the scenes. :)

Totally understandable, when you get to that realism peek you'd have to start thinking about simulating the ATOMS of an object :haha:!

I don't currently limit the upgrades by date; once you have the budget and any prerequisites, you can purchase upgrades at any time through the campaign regardless of when they were actually introduced.

Alright, I would just suggest a Silent Hunter I approach to the tech tree, here is what I mean:
It would introduce tech tree branches (e.g. SD radar, than cut down conning towers) in a "historical order". But it can simply be after each patrol.
So, you would start with a bare bone Gato: 3inch gun, no radar, bulky conning tower, and a deck mounted 50. cal. After your first patrol BurOrd would give you access to the SD air search branch, then after patrol 2 (mid 1942), BurOrd would give you access to AA arsenal (20mm), then conning towers, than deck guns, etc.

You could buy any of the upgrades in this tech tree branch at any time, you would just have to unlock it first

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=1336&pictureid=11604


I have a low-priority task to add that at some point in the future, but I don't know if it will actually happen (that's a very long list).

Oh yes that was just an example list !

The campaign is a sequence of 10 war patrols that take place during specific dates throughout the war. They are connected to historical events through:
1) The briefing/mission orders before each patrol;
2) The patrol area being realistic to where U.S. subs were assigned at that time;
3) FOX radio updates from Pearl Harbor of major events that occur, when they occur.

As of now, I don't try to create e.g. actual enemy ships/convoys at the place where they really were at a particular time. Wading into an ongoing battle is also not an option because I don't have any Allied ships/planes in the game; I always remove the possibility of friendly-fire kills in my games because those just suck all the fun out.


Yes, just your silent Pacific hunter Gato ! Only 3 or 4 wolfpacks were ever formed anyway, the radio messages is a good idea too. Tanker convoys and port raids would be a nice + to have as mission options

Hope that answers your questions! Once I can peel myself away from bug fixes and feature additions, I'll start posting video links here.

Yes please ! :salute:

Good luck with the Game

UWG