New game announced - Destroyer - The U-boat Hunter

[Sonarman]

https://youtu.be/udZz2afvCCo

Game Facebook page with screenshots & storyboards

https://www.facebook.com/Destroyerthegame


Official website...

https://ironwolfstudio.com/


Wishlist on steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1272010/Destroyer_The_UBoat_Hunter/


From the press release...

Destroyer: the U-Boat Hunter is an interactive war thriller which seamlessly blends tactical anti-submarine warfare simulation with a gripping storyline. Take command of a meticulously reconstructed Fletcher-class destroyer and lead your crew against nazi U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic!

It’s all in your hands, captain!

The game is set in 1942, i.e. when the convoy system was finally introduced by the US Navy in response to operation ‘Drumbeat’ and the bloodbath that the U-boats had caused along the US east coast. The player will take full command of USS Janson (DD-524), a fictional Fletcher-class destroyer based on USS Kidd (DD-661), which will lead the escort group of an important convoy. It will be assisted by three AI-controlled destroyers that the player will be able to give orders to. From setting the formation, through ordering attacks and search plans to picking up survivors.

- Our goal is to build a credible, highly authentic game environment. To that end, we are aiming at recreating naval warfare technology and US naval combat doctrine from the 1940s, as well as portraying day to day activities of the crew, their problems, and interpersonal relations. These motifs will be incorporated into the main plot, and will be based on actual stories and anecdotes by US Navy veterans. - says Bartosz Pluta, CEO of Iron Wolf Studio.

Simulator with a cinematic feel

The plot of Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter will be conveyed via highly detailed cutscenes which strongly tie into the game’s choice and consequence mechanic. The captain’s strategic decisions, as well as certain story-related aspects of the game will be controlled by the player, with consequences for both the situation in combat and plot development. Gameplay as such will focus on several key locations on-board: the combat information centre, the bridge, the sonar room, the engine room, and observation posts. The player will be able to switch between these locations at any moment in the course of the battle.

- One of the main premises that we keep to in our design is something that we call ‘realistic combat awareness’. What it means is that there will be no way to see through the fog of war other than by using authentic equipment and procedures. There is no ‘bird’s eye view’, and the player will be far from omniscient. We believe this is especially important in recreating anti-submarine warfare, where advantage in combat is achieved mainly through detecting, locating, and keeping track of enemy presence. - adds Artur Salwarowski, vice-president of Iron Wolf Studio.

Key features of the game:

Platform: PC

Genre: tactical milsim with interactive story element.

Realistic radar, sonar, and navigation instruments.

A choice and consequence mechanic will allow players to make key decisions as the plot develops.

Xsense and Face Ware technologies (motion capture) will be used in cutscenes to ensure high quality character animation.

The first episode in the series will focus only on anti-submarine warfare - the studio is planning to release further episodes which will take place in the Pacific Theatre and expand the gameplay by adding surface and surface-to-air combat.

Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter

The game is published by Iron Wolf Studio.

The release date will be announced soon.

About Iron Wolf Studio:

Iron Wolf Studio was created by merging Iron Wolf Studio with Inimages. The two companies had created U-Boot the Board Game - a unique blend of PC U-boat simulator and board game with beautiful physical components. It was a big success, with the game’s first and second printing selling out immediately and the publisher planning to release further editions. The game also enjoys a user score of 7.9/10 on Boardgamegeek.com and has been nominated for a number of prestigious awards. Given the studio’s experience in WW2 naval simulation, a decision was made to start developing quality PC simulators and Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter will be their first title.

Media contact:

Kinga Wodzyńska

Senior PR Manager at better. gaming



kinga.wodzynska@bettergaming.pro

[Kongo Otto]

Added to wishlist. Remembers me about the good old Destroyer Command back in the days.

[Grumpy Pete]

I'll be watching this one closely! I like the idea of this being "The First Episode". If it works and turns a profit, I wouldn't be surprised if they added player controlled submarines into the mix...


I'm hopeful about this one. :yep:

[Col7777]

@Kongo Otto,
Yes I still have my Destroyer Command disk, that was the first thing I thought of.

Might be good, problem is I hate STEAM so I won't be getting it.

Col.

[Sonarman]

I was the same with Steam i was definitely a have it with the box and manual retail guy, however Steam is about the only place to get PC games now, most other resellers are simply selling steam codes etc. i am avoiding smaller independents now as i lost a lot of games when Desura disappeared. I figure / hope Steam is big enough not to disappear.

It does have some advantages in that all your games are stored in the cloud so you can delete them without worry from your Pc if you are tight on space, and they dont seem as restrictive on modding as i first thought mainly just the exe and anti cheating multiplayer stuff that’s out of bounds.

[Grumpy Pete]

I was the same with Steam i was definitely a have it with the box and manual retail guy, however Steam is about the only place to get PC games now, most other resellers are simply selling steam codes etc. i am avoiding smaller independents now as i lost a lot of games when Desura disappeared. I figure / hope Steam is big enough not to disappear.

It does have some advantages in that all your games are stored in the cloud so you can delete them without worry from your Pc if you are tight on space, and they dont seem as restrictive on modding as i first thought mainly just the exe and anti cheating multiplayer stuff that’s out of bounds.


Yes. Steam has become a good platform for games. I avoided it for quite a while but now companies do everything online. I haven't had any problems with Steam for three years now and, like you say, all games purchased from Steam remain in my Library for installing them whenever I want.

[XenonSurf]

Very nice game idea, not sure the destroyer play part to chase submarines has ever been made. I was always looking for a game like this, and it has become true. Thank you :up:


Please consider making the game available on GOG also. Thank you.




Greetings,
XS

[Artur Salwarowski]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for expressing your interest in Destroyer. We have just revealed the game and we will soon follow up with much more info, including a gameplay trailer that ought to shed more light on how it all works.

We hope that our vision of destroyer simulation will appeal to you. In the meantime, if you have any questions about Destroyer: the U-Boat hunter, I will be happy to answer them.

Artur Salwarowski
Iron Wolf Studio

[Sonarman]

Thank Artur, the game already looks great considering it is still over a year from release. Many here have been waiting a long time for a good destroyer sim to come along.

Some questions...

Are you planning to release the game in early access on Steam in a similar way to UBoat?

Your team has obviously put a great deal of work into the stunning graphics and detail of the various compartments. I know that the game will be split between story elements as seen in the trailer and simulation elements. What kind of interactions will be possible on the simulation side of things?

I notice that this is the first chapter and later chapter will encompass anti air and anti surface elements is there any plan for multiplayer in this or future versions possibly with player controlled subs vs destroyers in future releases?

Its great that you are introducing a character and story driven narrative into the game and especially as you are basng a lot of the encounters on real life veteran anecdotes. Will these be randomised in some way to ensure long term replayability or perhaps have additional missions or even a dynamic campaign mode outside of the main story mode as in Battelstations Midway / Pacific etc.


Thanks
Stephen

[les green01]

i been looking for a game like this since destroyer command but when i read this got me worry The first episode in the series will focus only on anti-submarine warfare - the studio is planning to release further episodes which will take place in the Pacific Theatre and expand the gameplay by adding surface and surface-to-air combat. is this in the base game price or is it going be pay dlc

[Amiral Crapaud]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for expressing your interest in Destroyer. We have just revealed the game and we will soon follow up with much more info, including a gameplay trailer that ought to shed more light on how it all works.

We hope that our vision of destroyer simulation will appeal to you. In the meantime, if you have any questions about Destroyer: the U-Boat hunter, I will be happy to answer them.

Artur Salwarowski
Iron Wolf Studio


Hello there Artur!
Great project (but you've seen me saying that already elsewhere I guess ^^)
If you have a minute to spare, there are a few gentlemen over there at Grogheads who'd like to know more about it too!
http://www.grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=24596.0


Cheers and thanks for them :)

[Col7777]

Artur I apologise for my early remark about it being on steam, I like a few other don't like steam but going off the above posts it seems to have improved.

I was in flight sim for a long time and always preferred the disk versions to steam, at the time getting help was a problem so I avoided it.

I see your game/sim is American, would it be a problem to also have other nation destroyers, I mean in the Atlantic from what I understand the US escorts went part way then the British took over the other leg of the route?

Or if you base it in Asia then Australian navy played a part, also this would encourage/attract players from other countries to possibly go for the game.

Moving on to the future maybe introduce mine layers or mine sweepers.

Col.

[Artur Salwarowski]

@sonarman:
Yes, early access will probably be the case so that we can iron out the creases before official release and get more feedback from the community.

As regards interactivity, then you already know there's gonna be the CIC, the bridge, the sonar room, the engine room, and observation platforms available for gameplay interaction. I could give you a full list of functionalities for each compartment, but we are still in very early development, so some of these may still change. All I can say for sure is that you will be able to play with a lot of instruments and that they will be working in a realistic and meaningful way :)

As far as mutiplayer is concerned, I can already tell that the game is being made strictly as a single-player experience. If it proves to be a success, then we will be definitely looking into the possibility of making a U-boat vs destroyer multiplayer. After all, we and the Uboat guys work within the same parent company and we have collaborated before, so a game like this could appear one day, who knows ;)

In terms of random elements, we are aiming at procedural generation of U-boat attacks, so that the game can stay fresh and replayable. Apart from the story mode (which is going to offer various plot choices and endings), we will introduce a skirmish mode where you can fight in semi-randomly generated convoy battles.

@les green 01:
We are dividing the game into episodes so as not to get overwhelmed with the whole scope of possibilities. For the first episode, we wish to deliver a comprehensive ASW experience, with a lot detail and depth. If people like the way the game works, then we will introduce the Pacific Theatre with all the facets of naval warfare. I think that the second episode will be more of a full sequel than just DLC, but it's too early to say anything more at this point.

@Amiral Crapaud:
Thank you for letting me know! I will gladly visit their forum and answer any and all questions they may have :)

@Col7777:
If the game proves to be successful, then we are not ruling out appearances by other navies that took part in the conflict. Both the Atlantic and the Pacific theatre saw joint effort of varied forces and I guess it would be good to underline this fact where possible.

[Grumpy Pete]

@Artur


From what I have read regarding your development of Destroyer, I think you are on course. Concentrating on specific elements of a destroyer's tasks rather than trying to "do it all" for initial release is a great path. I'm very happy that you are starting with ASW which seems to me, to be one of the most challenging aspects to handle. Some questions and wish-list items that come to my mind follow.

AI Crew Ratings. Most naval sims give a flat crew experience to the entire ship's crew ie, a ship is rated as novice/green/average/experienced/elite. That rating applies to all aspects of the ships company. I would like to see this rating broken down into departments. Example: An AI ship can have and Elite Sonar section, average visual search, experienced radarman, green damage control and experienced gunnery/CIC section. In reality, ship crews had their strengths and weaknesses and it would be great to see this simulated.

Merchant crews should have different standards than naval crews especially regarding visual search capability. History shows that "most" merchant crews were effectively blind to surfaced u-boats especially while they were in convoy.

Which Sonar and radar systems will you be modelling for initial release? SC or SG radar? QCA? I'd really LOVE to see accurate sonar models for both player controlled units and AI. IMO it has never been done in WWII simulations.

Dynamic ocean environments. Will sonar be affected by Wake turbulence/depth charge explosions/thermal conditions and ambient noise generated by other ships (especially convoys). I could go on in more detail but will try to keep it basic for now.

Depth Charge damage radius: will a depth charge explosion radius get smaller with increased depth of a submarine target?

Search patterns/doctrine for reaquiring lost submarine contacts. Box/ladder/line abreast sweeps? This is something that SH3 and SH4 specifically didn't model and I believe was a major over sight. Ironically, the very old subsim Aces of the Deep did model those behaviors...

Zones of responsibilty: It would be great if escorts guarding convoys could be assigned specific areas to cover. Instead of simple right flank/front/left flank/rear, there was a grid system in place in each of those areas. During the day, they could be assigned zones further out and at night be brought in for close escort. This is how it was done historically.

Obviously, you will be catering to as many play styles as possible. There will be customers who expect "every-depth-charge-to-be-a-kill people all the way up to those who want as much realism as possible short of getting salt water in their computer. I happen to fall into the last group and while your bread and butter customers will probably be somewhere in the middle, I think it is the grognards who will provide longevity to your project.

It appears that your initial release will be mainly scripted so as to follow a story line. I don't have a problem with this but also think that creation of a dynamic campaign encompassing multiple Atlantic crossings would be a tremendous asset. A dynamic campaign definitely adds longevity to a simulations appeal.

You are using a Fletcher class destroyer for your simulation. While that isn't my first choice (I would prefer a Buckley/Evarts/Captain/Black Swan etc) I actually think the Fletcher is a good choice. It'll get you into the Pacific for fleet actions etc. It also has some gunnery power compared to DE's so again I say Good Choice!

My hope is that you "make it real" for the community who has long looked for a simulation that reflected reality rather than a simplified version of it. If you get this first installment right, I believe you will create a community that will back you with not only their thanks but their wallets.


:salute:

[PL_Andrev]

If it proves to be a success, then we will be definitely looking into the possibility of making a U-boat vs destroyer multiplayer.

This is a little bit sad information.
Since 20 years there is no game includes convoy battles as old good SH2 vs DC multiplayer skimrish...
(WoWs is too arcarish)

But wait a moment.
As I know during Battle of Atlantic there were more than one escort ship near the convoy (HX-300 was protected by 32 escort ships). What is your philosophy to play the escort ship game?

Anyway I hope you noticed all Destroyer Command's disappointsments to avoid them.
:03:

BTW.
It may be a huge shock for navy fans if you call your game "Destroyer: The Gato hunter" and hunt American submarines at Pacific theater first.
:har:

[Kapitan]

Added this to the wish list on steam certainly will be a purchase from me

[Artur Salwarowski]

@Grumpy Pete:
Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. We value community feedback and our intention is to make a game that will appeal to the realistic simulation crowd. We are still very early in development and certain things that you are asking about are undecided, so I guess there is still room for maneuver ;) My answers below.


AI Crew Ratings. Most naval sims give a flat crew experience to the entire ship's crew ie, a ship is rated as novice/green/average/experienced/elite. That rating applies to all aspects of the ships company. I would like to see this rating broken down into departments. Example: An AI ship can have and Elite Sonar section, average visual search, experienced radarman, green damage control and experienced gunnery/CIC section. In reality, ship crews had their strengths and weaknesses and it would be great to see this simulated.

That sounds interesting, also because it gives a tiny bit of personality and gameplay variety to the given crew/ship. I am not sure how far we will go in making each of the escorts different, but I have always liked unit variety in tactical games, so we will see what we can do :)
@Artur
Merchant crews should have different standards than naval crews especially regarding visual search capability. History shows that "most" merchant crews were effectively blind to surfaced u-boats especially while they were in convoy.

I couldn’t agree more.
@Artur
Which Sonar and radar systems will you be modelling for initial release? SC or SG radar? QCA? I'd really LOVE to see accurate sonar models for both player controlled units and AI. IMO it has never been done in WWII simulations.

We have decided to set the game in 1942, so I think it’s gonna be the SC. We will do our best to model sonar and radar accurately and we have already done a lot of research on this subject.
@Artur
Dynamic ocean environments. Will sonar be affected by Wake turbulence/depth charge explosions/thermal conditions and ambient noise generated by other ships (especially convoys). I could go on in more detail but will try to keep it basic for now.

Yes, we are planning to take into consideration a lot of factors that affected sonar performance. Water temperature, plankton content, salinity levels - all those (and more) were important and we are aware of that. Although we might not be able to recreate all such matters to the very last detail, then again, we will attempt to portray the most meaningful aspects of the sonarman’s work and recreate it to a level that will satisfy players who expect a faithful depiction of equipment.
@Artur
Search patterns/doctrine for reaquiring lost submarine contacts. Box/ladder/line abreast sweeps? This is something that SH3 and SH4 specifically didn't model and I believe was a major over sight. Ironically, the very old subsim Aces of the Deep did model those behaviors...

There were TONS of different search plans that were selected in accordance with a certain key, and as far as I know, they were printed on translucent plastic so that they could be used with the DRT surface. Search plans are going to be quite an important gameplay element and we want the player to have a decent level of choice in that respect.
@Artur
Zones of responsibilty: It would be great if escorts guarding convoys could be assigned specific areas to cover. Instead of simple right flank/front/left flank/rear, there was a grid system in place in each of those areas. During the day, they could be assigned zones further out and at night be brought in for close escort. This is how it was done historically.

Yes, we want the player to have full control over the formation, as well as zones of responsibility, search plans, and perhaps even manual setting of sonar responsibility (although that could lead too much towards micromanagement, we will need to see about that).
@Artur
Obviously, you will be catering to as many play styles as possible. There will be customers who expect "every-depth-charge-to-be-a-kill people all the way up to those who want as much realism as possible short of getting salt water in their computer. I happen to fall into the last group and while your bread and butter customers will probably be somewhere in the middle, I think it is the grognards who will provide longevity to your project.

Yes, the balance between fun and realism in the simulation genre is a very delicate matter. We will do our best to deliver an experience that has the best of both worlds.
@Artur
It appears that your initial release will be mainly scripted so as to follow a story line. I don't have a problem with this but also think that creation of a dynamic campaign encompassing multiple Atlantic crossings would be a tremendous asset. A dynamic campaign definitely adds longevity to a simulations appeal.

That’s why we are planning a series of episodes that will allow us to introduce further missions. There could be more Atlantic crossings before we take things to the Pacific, it’s difficult to say. But as you have noticed, we do not want to bite more than we can chew.
@Artur
My hope is that you "make it real" for the community who has long looked for a simulation that reflected reality rather than a simplified version of it. If you get this first installment right, I believe you will create a community that will back you with not only their thanks but their wallets.

Our intention is to deliver a game for everybody who has been waiting for a solid, realistic destroyer sim. We also want to change things up a bit by introducing a quality story element and tactical squadron management to the mix. Hopefully, the end result will be on par with the community’s expectations :)

[PL_Andrev]

Our intention is to deliver a game for everybody who has been waiting for a solid, realistic destroyer sim.
:up::up::up:

@Artur
I understand that implementing idea which we're waiting for (convoy battles) is too hard to implement at this stage.
No multiplayer at this stage - clear.

But...
Don't you think that multiplayer cooperation option as active hunter-killer group is a better solution? It this way we can play single player or play together with our friends to hunt enemy (AI) wolfpack group.
For sure escort cooperation is more playable option for me.



Yes, we want the player to have full control over the formation, as well as zones of responsibility, search plans, and perhaps even manual setting of sonar responsibility.
Do you plan to simulate only one ship to command convoy / owner ship, or you plan to jump to another escort ship to take control over her to provide direct attack?

[ForceGhost]

This looks fantastic! Wish-listed and will be a definite purchase from me.

[dsawan]

I still think you shd release on your website a non-steam version in addition to steam. I for one like a hard copy on disk so I can play if i lose internet connection

[Sonarman]

@dsawan ....Most Steam games can be played in Steam’s offline mode

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-agcb-2555

[Artur Salwarowski]

@PL_Andrev:

We know that a co-op multiplayer could definitely work here, but as I have already mentioned, we are reluctant to set goals which we might not be able to fulfil to a reasonable level of quality. That's why we are starting just with ASW, instead of going all-out with surface and surface-to-air combat from the outset. Perhaps this is an overly cautious approach, but being gamers ourselves we know that it is better for a game developer to promise less and deliver more, than the other way round.

So, to answer your question: IF we manage to get it right and IF the game is well-received, then we will definitely consider both co-op and PvP multiplayer, as well as full VR support in our future titles (including prospective future instalments of Destroyer).

As regards your other question about the philosophy of playing the escort ship game, there will be no 'jumping' to the other escorts - you will have full command and control over your own destroyer and you will be coordinating the actions of the remaining ones without leaving your ship (via the radio, TBS, semaphore, etc.). You will be able to order them to carry out deliberate, urgent, or coordinated attacks, search plans, pick up survivors, adjust formation, etc.

[Sonarman]

@Artur
Sounds better & better, thanks for answering my questions earlier, been waiting a long time for a game like this and glad to hear that you envisage a whole series based upon the first game. VR would be an amazing experience in a game like this.

[darkdrone]

Look's good as someone mentioned Destroyer Command......can I turn my destroyer into USS Iowa ?

[Bubblehead1980]

Look forward to this. Could do without the cinematic aspects. Give us a full ship to roam as well. Make sure convoy composition etc are accurate. Don't skimp.

[PL_Andrev]

Give us a full ship to roam as well.
^^ this feature is nicely welcome, but completely unnecessary: cost too much work and give a small amount of fun.
You should focus to find enemy (f.e. by binoculars, searchlights) and attack him than walking thru whole ship.

[Grumpy Pete]

Tossing out another wish-list item.


Convoy formations--It would be great to see convoys like they actually were historically. Standard convoy doctrine was 1000 yards between columns and ~500 yards between ships in the column. Station keeping then came into play with some ships getting out of position. How about giving merchant in convoys a "Station Keeping" rating? Example 0=Perfect, 1=within 50 yards, 2=within 100 yards.


Stragglers and Runners. Merchants that straggle out or run ahead of the formation. Now--as the escort commander--I have to make a choice to gather up the wayward chickens and bring them back to the roost or leave them to their individual fates. Another pita escort commanders often faced.


I'd also like to comment on something I read on your website about sonar. It mentioned "Up Doppler" which I admit--really caught my attention. My question is if you plan to incorporate "Red Shift/Blue Shift" in your hydrophone modelling? That would be awesome!


Wishing you all the best with your project!


btw: I definitely added your project to my Steam wish-list! :)

[Furia]

Oohhh My GOD!!!
How could I have missed this??
Are you kidding me that this awesome and incredible project has only one thread as part of a sub-forum here?? :o

This is the type of sim I have been dreaming from the Destroyer Command.

I have just added this to my steam wishlist and I will make sure my friends hear about it.

You have made my day, my week my month :Kaleun_Cheers:

I will surely purchase the tittle.

I do agree with your conservative approach regarding development but I will keep dreaming to have again something like the combo Destroyer Command vs SH3 with multiplayer scenarios.
The pictures available in Steam are awesome and mind blowing. I have not seen them here on this thread so I am taking the liberty to post them here.

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_199cfc7492e26949db78836fe0878983dfc24239.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_b07731aed95f50817f8d8c7f2009e370436ab921.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_7cde8cdb20dbabf323dfd3a151d4459ca810bac6.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_6d195af20f9aedcc281a0fa2d62073eae39fc013.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_54eb405d1fce9cdaf7ade3b1c17f2ff41f6699fc.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_397c17ba0fee184f3fb0a4e725f829f5237db63a.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_fd97cf8ecbed5230a3c612f134a7e9cccd5c1213.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/1272010/ss_6bce0e1dfc3ff899b25923b15e0ebf1ed63c2a3a.1920x1 080.jpg?t=1595872282

Thank you for bringing new life to the Tin Cans :Kaleun_Salute:

[Fearless]

:Kaleun_Cheers::Kaleun_Cheers:
Looking forward to commanding the Tin Can..

Any further news or updates in the pipelines especially early access?

On my Steam wishlist as well :Kaleun_Salute:

[Aktungbby]

:Kaleun_Salivating: yeah BBY!

[iambecomelife]

Very interesting project; I found out about it a few weeks ago and gave them a shoutout on the Wolves of the Kaiser facebook page.

I REALLY REALLY love that they will include search and rescue functions!:D

One thing I never liked about the Silent Hunter series? Escorts not having to rescue survivors. In WWII this was always an agonizing decision for a destroyer commander. Whenever a ship was torpedoed - do we track down the submarine and leave the survivors to die? or do we rescue the survivors and maybe let the sub continue its attack? For all they knew, the same sub they let go could sink a battleship or troopship next time - costing thousands of lives.

I don't know much about US destroyer's interiors, but the pictures are quite lovely; I assume they must be highly accurate.

Also happy to hear about the "fog of war"/lack of omniscience. Too many games have up-to-date "radar screens" that give away exactly where each friendly or enemy is at all time. Although maybe something like that could be an option for beginners/low difficulty levels.

I hope there's a good roster of ships! To be honest I would really love to have seen a project focusing on British & Canadian units (I'm biased because my family comes from the[former] British Empire...lol. And the UK+Dominions escorts, of course, did the vast majority of Atlantic escort work, even after the US entered the war. Still, I'm glad to hear that other navies are a possibility in the future.

[Ashikaga]

Sounds interesting! Just hope it will not be like that movie with Tom Hanks.....

I pesonally would have preferred British destroyers but to play as a USN destroyer might also be nice for a change.

The British and Canadians took the brunt of convoy escort duties and most of the ASW technical discoveries and weapons were developed by the British.

OLtzS Ashikaga.

[Sonarman]

The first early gameplay trailer has now been been released, nice to see a very high level of detail and procedure here, the devs obviously learned a lot from their visit with the vets aboard USS Kidd ...https://www.facebook.com/111118410516575/posts/178894317072317/

[Artur Salwarowski]

Hi there!

We have just released the first gameplay trailer for the game. This is just a very short preview, but it should give you a rough idea of where this is going. Please don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam if you like what you see!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sy80Z3-66g

[Onkel Neal]

Wow, I really love the way they have set up the fire control and plot, looks very logical and useable.

This just became my #1 Steam Wishlist game (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1272010/Destroyer_The_UBoat_Hunter/). :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

[Texas Red]

This looks amazing!

I am pretty hyped for this game! :salute:

[trindade]

Added to my Steam wishlist.

[Subnuts]

Damn, that plotting board blew my mind. :o

[mapuc]

I have a feeling this little wish I suddenly got by watching the video is impossible.

Create some addon to both this game and the SH5 game.
So we once again like in the good old SHII and Destroyer command days can play mp against each other.

Markus

[Furia]

This is for me the most expected sim of 2021. We have not had anything alike since the times of Destroyer Command and playing destroyers and escorts is my preferred Naval game so I can just say I am awaiting real eagerly.

I will purchase it or pre-purchase it the very first minute it becomes available.

But I agree with what it is commented above, the dream is to have again the possibility of doing multiplayer between escorts and U-Boats and hopefully one day we will have that again.

The Fletcher class destroyer is my favourite warship class of WWII so I am just real happy :Kaleun_Cheers:

[Artur Salwarowski]

Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for the kind words. We are at the beginning of the development process, so I am glad that the general response to the trailer has been so positive. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but I think we are heading in the right direction.

I really wish we could show the depth charge attacks better in the trailer, but we were already bordering the maximum length of the video, and the sonar room was far from ready (actually, we barely made it in time with the pilothouse).

I would really like the next trailer to feature sonar room gameplay, so I hope we will get there quickly. Right now, we've got the first iteration of the pilothouse and observer stations up and running, and we are starting to work on the CIC. Radar is up first.

Keep your fingers crossed ;)

[brunoa]

I'm looking forward for this game. Looks promising! Are you interested in more case studies? Then you should go here https://writemyessay4me.org/blog/case-study!

[Aktungbby]

brunoa!:Kaleun_Salute:

[mapuc]

I know the answer to my last comment.

Can't be done they use different game-engine(I think they call it)

My wish is therefore that the dev-team create an add-on to the main game.
(after release and fixing bugs and similar)

An add-on who can be played without the main game(Destroyer - The U-boat Hunter) but are limited due to this.

This add-on contains subs.

Which mean the player who have bought this add-on can play solo or against other player with this add-on OR play against those who has the main game(Destroyer - The U-boat Hunter)

I think this would be more correct.

Markus

[Bubblehead1980]

This looks great. Looking forward to it. Been waiting for years for something like this. Future add ons. Destroyers in the Pacific? Destroyer Command had much potential but was bleh in the end. Need a full fledged DD sim for all theaters. The endless hours of Hunting I boats, escorting Task Forces, Battle of Samar, Kamikazes etc etc Much potential.

[les green01]

does look pretty good

[Sonarman]

Announced today, Iron Wolf studio are planning to release a playable demo of the much awaited title ‘Destroyer the Uboat hunter’. The game itself is scheduled for a q4 2021 (now revised to q1 2022) release and the devs are working hard to have a demo online for the Steam games festival in June.

In the meantime the game’s dev diary has been updated with some new screenshots including outside views. Check it out at the steam link below

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1272010/view/3022451561582902516

[Sniper450]

Steams showing Q1 2022 release at this time.

[Furia]

Oh boy!! This is surely going to be purchased the first day that it is available. :k_confused:

[Sonarman]

Thanks Sniper450 yes they just updated that on Steam though it means a longer wait for us, its good to see, they obviously care more about shipping a quality product than hitting some arbritrary release date.

[Platapus]

Looking forward to this game

[Artur Salwarowski]

Hello everyone,

My name is Artur Salwarowski and I am the designer of Destroyer. We are working hard on our demo and we are very excited to be able to share it with you soon.

We will begin promoting the game shortly and we will have a few juicy morsels for you in anticipation of the demo's release in mid-June. I personally really hope that the demo (and the full game) will appeal to the subsim community.

With that in mind, I would love to hear your opinion on the subject of tutorials. We already know that we won't manage to squeeze in a full-blown tutorial into the demo, there simply won't be enough time as the demo still needs some work before the release.

Therefore, we will most probably opt for a very simple tutorial that explains just the basic controls, and then there wil be a series of videos explaining each destroyer station in details, explaining tactics and other important ASW facts related to the game.

What do you think about this solution? Will it be acceptable for the demo? In my honest opinion, I don't relly think anyone here would need the tutorial anyway, apart from just a few details, such as the Tactical Range Recorder.

Either way, please let me know your thoughts on this. As soon as the demo releases, I expect there will be plenty of feedback, so even before we get into this, please let me say that we are making this game for you and all your feedback will be of utmost importance to the further development of the game :Kaleun_Salute:

I really hope that we are creating something that you will enjoy playing.

[Onkel Neal]

For me, the quickest and simplest but still effective way for a tutorial is a video with step-by-step voiceover. Be sure to have the narration stick to the point, no rambling. Juist record a few example of how to play the game. And the comments will help you see what you missed.

[Artur Salwarowski]

Thank you very much for voicing your opinion, that's exactly how I will attempt to do that :)

I am also working on a series of short interviews with an ASW expert and I think the community might be interested in seeing a glimpse of the game and watching us discuss some of its aspects before the demo itself arrives.

We will be recording those in the second half of May, so if there are any questions that you would like to be addressed, then now is the best time to ask :)

[easy]

Hello Mr Salwarowski,

Great that you are making a Destroyer game!

As a longtime, neither American nor British player of the Silent Hunter series, I would like to give you some advice regarding some sort of academy for DESTROYER.

My experience with this side of games is that many lessons are based on prior knowledge, no accounting for non-English speakers, no clear mouse pointer, no perfect English (so, a sort of a slang), often a bit of mumbling, using a lot of abbreviations, usually way too fast , moving the mouse over the screen like crazy so that the student not knows where to look at and not assume that a novice does not know why something has to be done! The student must understand why something has to be done like this!

Of course you want to sell as much of this game as possible! Then it's up to you to make sure that a newcomer can learn your game well!

I give you an advice:
Hire a well known teacher from primary or secondary technical education. A teacher who knows nothing about submarine combat but really, really wants to learn it! This man knows exactly how to explain complicated things to the unknowing!

I think you should spend a lot of energy and money on this kind of thing! Make it clear in the sale that an education expert has cooperated.

easy

[3catcircus]

I think that providing a playable demo is a dangerous move. It doesn't matter how loudly you declare it to be an alpha or beta - there will always be people who are going to complain and denigrate the work and that can be disheartening to developers who've worked long and hard to hear some random keyboard warrior tell them their product sucks.

I'm anxiously awaiting this demo, but I'm hoping that the target audience can restrain themselves and only provide constructive feedback.

[les green01]

effective way for a tutorial is a video with step-by-step voiceover although a lot of us old timers around here probly won't need much sure some like me play destoyer command back in the day a ot of times the problem i have with the videos is the mouse pointer is so small it hard for me to see it i really like to see how the layers going be on the sub hunting

[Pelle71]

Full dynamic campain pls, than this game is going to be a big hit! Keep up the good work and take youre time.

[Furia]

This is one fo the games I am really looking forward to have.
I cant wait to try this Demo :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

I believe that some video tutorials showing the game mechanics and functionalities woudl suffice for the demo.
Surely the community will produce additional video tutorials as soon as the Demo is released as well.

I have some friends that would be interested in the game but that do not speak english fluently and would also welcome that the videos incorporate subtitles.

Thank you :up:

[Artur Salwarowski]

@Everyone

Thank you for all the replies and suggestions, I will do my best to make the videos as clear, concise and informative as possible.

On a side note, I used to work as a teacher for quite a while, and the subject I used to teach was English, so I hope I will somehow manage to make the tutorial vids useful :up:

Most of the peeps here won't be needing those anyway, although I assume that you would at least want to see what's where before you dive in.

And yes, I am well aware that there's gonna be a lot of criticism heading our way, but there's no going around it (at least in our current situation). The investors demanded a demo, they gave us a non-negotiable deadline, and so here we are :Kaleun_Salute:

I just hope that our destroyer won't go to the bottom straight away, so please conserve your torps for the merchants :yep:

[Onkel Neal]

Smoke on the horizon!

https://www.facebook.com/Destroyerthegame/posts/318981176396963

[Furia]

I do not use Facebook but I guess this means that the demo release is inminent.

These are really good news. This is one of the few sims that are in the top of my list for 2021. :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:
Thanks for the heads up

[Texas Red]

Yeah thanks!

I wonder how I’ll do with ASW. Sounds fun :)

[bracer]

Looks very interesting!

[Artur Salwarowski]

Hello everybody

unfortunately, I have some sad news to share. Upon reviewing the demo build that we were preparing for the Steam Festival, our investor came to a conclusion that the game is too realistic, too difficult for mainstream / casual players, and that we have to postpone the demo release until October in order to make it more approachable for the general public.

This news has just been announced to the dev team and myself 10 minutes ago, and I am sharing it here so that you get to know that too as soon as possible.

I am very sorry about what transpired and we will do our best to make it up to everybody who was waiting for our demo. We will look into the possibility of making the demo available somehow (outside of steam festival) so that people who are interested to play it will actually be able to try it out soon.

In the meantime, I will do my best to both make the game more approachable for casuals, while, at the same time, I will do everything to prevent dumbing down and simplifying it in any way.

Please keep your fingers crossed and accept my sincere apologies on behalf of the whole Destroyer team.

[Furia]

Thank a lot for the heads up!! I really appreciate it.

Being a Single player game I guess it should be possible to provide different levels of difficulty so you can keep the casual players happy while at the same time attracting the hard core players.

In my particular case I like the challenge of a realistic ASW game but of course taking into account that in a WWII DD the crew was around 300 people and there should be some functions „automated“ so one single player can manage the workload.

The demise of some WWII naval surface games as for instance PT Boats Knits of the Sea was that they pretended to make a simplified „all public“ game but that neither attracted the casual gamers and surely anoyed the PT Boats fans that expected something more realistic.

Please keep it as realistc and challenging as possible. Hunting and destroying a submarine in WWII with a DD was a hard and difficult task unless you were the USS England :03:

I guess being a single player title you can define „dificulty“ levels.

Thanks for the heads up!!
Looking forward for the demo when it is ready !!!!

[bracer]

Sorry to hear!
I hope you'll find a good middle way that will suit both your (and most of us subsimmers) vision and the investors idea.

The tutorial videos looks fantastic by the way! Very impressive!

[Furia]

The tutorial videos looks fantastic by the way! Very impressive!

Whoa !!! I have not seen those videos before. Thanks for the tip.

I have to say that what I have seen on the videos is just the level of complexity I was hoping for.:Kaleun_Applaud:

If the U-Boat AI skipper are smart enough so they do not become easily predictable, this could be a dream.

Be sure I am now "extremely excited" about this sim.

[Skybird]

Different realism levels seem to be the way to go. One level for the original realism intention, one simplified level for the action kids.


Oh, and somebody please tell the investor to come over to these our forums so that we can seat him on the right horse.

[mapuc]

Haven't seen the games intro page.

But I thought there would be a section called realisme-settings.

Where you can chose from Expert to Novice

If I buy the game I want it as real as possible.

Edit
Reading these words
"our investor came to a conclusion that the game is too realistic, too difficult for mainstream / casual players"
Made me wonder-What type of game will hit the desktop...something where only realism is the destroyer.
End edit

Markus

[Onkel Neal]

A naval game that is realistic, complex, and challenging will always have legs and more prestige than simplified games. I'm hoping any changes to the simulation model will be towards a user friendly interface and not sacrificing fidelity.

[Sonarman]

A pity that the investor seems to think that 50,000 potential customers are wrong in their evaluation of your game.

"We are pleased to inform you that Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter has reached 50 000 wishlists on Steam! This is a great result, we are grateful for your trust and we won’t disappoint you!"

They should let you do what the Aircraft Carrier Survival guys are doing release a short version of the game as it stands a free 'prologue' and fine-tune the complexity based upon user feedback to that. That way users ultimately get the game they actually want rather that what investors think they want.

Ask them..."How many other Playway games are sitting with 50,000 wish listings?"

[KevinM]

Such a shame!

If this ends up being a quasi arcade game rather than a simulation, I'll be taking it off my wish list, unfortunately...

I was so looking forward to this one :(

[Artur Salwarowski]

Hello everybody,

thank you for all the kind words. Please rest assured that I will not allow the game to be dumbed down. I have not been working on it for so long just to let it all go to waste because someone at Playway QA obviously doesn't know how to read the compass :k_confused:

That being said, we will now focus on providing a full-blown, interactive tutorial that will explain both the general premises of ASW, as well as how to play the game itself.

All the simplifications that we are going to introduce will be optional. You will be able to pick and choose which components of the game you would like to handle yourself, and which you would like to have automated (that especially applies to the DRT, the OSC, and the TRR).

Either way, we sincerely hope that once we make our demo public, the community will help us adjust the nuts and bolts of the difficulty level so that the game can be enjoyed both by sumsim veterans (in 'hardcore mode', where you control everything yourself) and by 'action kids' (in 'easy mode', with much less emphasis on plotting, thinking, and other boring crap like that :Kaleun_Wink:).

In summary, please keep your fingers crossed, and we will do our best to show as much of the game as possible to make it up for the missing demo.

[Furia]

Great news :yeah:

I think is this a wise approach. Also if it serves as example in Dangerous Waters while commanding the FFG, you needed to rely in some „crew auto“ support.
Depending on the tactical situation the CO should focus in fighting his ship instead of just micromanaging each station. Specially in complex and fluid scenarios.
So in my case I like the posibility of jumping into the TMA or the Sonar station and do the work there myself for a while to get a more precise picture but at the same time when the situation requires that, I move to the CIC to make tactical decision and I let the Auto crew to support me when necessary.

I think a similar approach would not only allow „non hard core players“ to play the sim in an easy way but also allow hard core players to make the most of it by deciding when to jumop to any station and doing all that station work themselves or when to take the CO role and use the support of your crew to run your ship systems.

In real life a CO, is not seating on the sonar station himself all the time. He has an specialist to do the job.
I like to have the option to jump into the sonar and do the job myself but I also like to have the option of having some Auto crew function to continue doing that job while I am in another station.

Of course the performance of the AI crew should be „average“ so they are never better or more precise than a human player and using a full AI crewed ship should never give an advantage over a competent human player.

In my oppinion it worked quite good in Dangerous Waters and it could be a good approach here as well.

Looking forward for the demo and follow up release !!!:salute:

[Onkel Neal]

From Artur @ Iron Wolf studios...
Dear Destroyer fans,
it is with great sadness that we announce the news that our demo has not made it through
our parent company QA and has been consequently postponed until the Autumn edition of
Steam Next Fest. The reason given was that ‘the game is too realistic and hardcore for the
average player and that the demo must not be released without a fully interactive tutorial’.
The demo was submitted on time, with high-quality graphics and audio, and - most of all
- with complete, entertaining and bug-free gameplay. While we regret the decision having
been made, we accept it and treat it as a chance to deliver an even better demo.
We will now focus on doing everything we can to make it up to you, and to that end, we will
be releasing gameplay and tutorial videos, so that you can see what we have achieved thus
far and evaluate the game’s complexity level yourselves.

We are currently looking into the possibility of making the demo available for outside testers
in order to gain more comprehensive feedback.

Please stay tuned for more updates as the situation develops.



All the simplifications that we are going to introduce will be optional. You will be able to pick and choose which components of the game you would like to handle yourself, and which you would like to have automated (that especially applies to the DRT, the OSC, and the TRR).

.

That sounds like heaven. :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

[Furia]

That indeed sounds wonderful !!!!!
:yeah:

[DarkFolle]

Doesn't surprise me, Playway made money with that game, Mechanic Simulator, made it a franchise, and it's basically one of those "I'mma DLC queen" of game, it's not like they know how to actually make good games, just a quick cash grab and if turns out decent it just happened... Look at U-Boat, the game is gonna be great just because of modders basically, the base game is so lacking, and that's just because Playway doesn't want to invest on a decent sized crew to work on it.
Anyway, my suggestions here are:
- make "difficulties" optionals, like if a guy's a noob or doesn't want to dip into the real stuff, make those processes automated or extremely easy.
- make it moddable so much that it can be easily made more realistic/immersive.
Good Luck.

[les green01]

with playway it dont surpise me at all question is how they definded average player i got the game on my wishlist but odds of me buying it is like hitting the lotto two reasons playway and the dlcs you might have to buy 10 dlcs before you know it you could have 100 dollars or more and not counting the price in the main game i have been burn on a couple of playway games i would love to try the demo or least Neal try it

[EAF274 Johan]

Just wanted to add my vocal support here. Looking forward to playing this!


I pray that the developers will be allowed to make the game that they envisioned. Design by committee always ends up dissapointing everybody.

[Aktungbby]

EAF274 Johan! :Kaleun_Salute: It's all a plot to bring you to the surface after an 8-year silent run!:O:

[EAF274 Johan]

Forced to the surface by a Destroyer :salute:



But yes, with War on the Sea, Task Force Admiral and now Destroyeron the horizon it seems the Happy Times are back.

[PL_Andrev]

Good news: in full release we can expect:


Big battles with a lot of variety and random elements,
Skimrish model to generate convoy battles semi-randomly or under player's full control,
A strory campaign where your choices shape the outcome of each battle

:yeah:

Really missed co-op mode here.

[Aktungbby]

smithrowe!:Kaleun_Salute:

[frigokar]

Is the uboat following historical moving limitations...cause they are poping around all over the place.

Also why is everything in compass bearings rather than heading bearings.I just want to keep my sonar following 45 degrees of bow not move it manually to compass bearings all the time...Its just busy work.

[Sonarman]

@ frigokar - The demo was on a strict deadline for the Steam next fest and some features did not make the cut, the devteam were already working around 5he clock to get the demo prepared. Full ship and sub physics modelling is still on the to do list. The game currently uses true bearings for everything, but the final game will have relative bearings added as well, the audio had actually been recorded for that but the devs just did not have the time to add it.

The full game will also feature much larger wolfpacks, more detail and realism in the stations, the ability to control up to an additional 3 destroyers as well as an rpg story based campaign. If the first game is successful additional sequels will be developed with anti-air and anti surface warfare in the Pacific.

[AutoSetup]

I'm 20 hours into this demo game at the moment and I've loved every minute.


It's addictive and difficult. Sinking a sub is a big achievement, so don't expect to rack up large scores.
Everything has to be done manually, plotting, sonar, etc. just as you would in SH 3 on hard difficulty, except you can't see the target.


It was 4 hours before I sunk my first sub.
Getting everything right doesn't guarantee a kill, as it can all go tits in the last few seconds.


Reading the plot correctly and summing the situation in your head, takes time.


Excellent.
..

[Sonarman]

For all who have tried the fantastic Destroyer the UBoat Hunter demo from IronWolf studio here is an update on the game’s progress from developer Artur via the games Discord Channel...

OK, so here's what we are working on right now....

-free camera look for all stations
-switching between stations via hotkeys
-improved 'Crest' water effects
-new messages from sonar, e.g. 'sounds of torpedo tube outer doors opening'
-new messages from lookouts, e.g. 'torpedo in the water'
-all inconsistencies between text and audio to be fixed
-relative bearing for sonar, lookouts and gun director
-improved destroyer and U-boat physics
-text localization in multiple languages
-auto-plot for DRT & OSC
-pencil functionaity for DRT (drawing a constant line from the center of the light bug)
-selective eraser for DRT / OSC
-automatic TRR settings
-'game settings' menu in the pause menu, allowing to pick and choose which of the extra cameras and automations you wish to use
-collision warning (ship siren and message from the lookouts)
-various DRT user experience improvements (bigger clicking box for drawing Xs and more)
-pattern selection for depth charge drops
-external camera
-hot keys for steering and speed control
-improved audio report queueing and selective muting
-text window improvements (bigger, improved scrolling, various colors for different stations, etc.)
-destroyer camouflage selection (still to be confirmed)
-sailor models in all stations (still to be confirmed)

Right, so the above list is not complete, but there are certain things we cannot speak of yet. I also cannot promise that all of the above will be delivered before the next version of the demo, but we feel that the above issues have been raised most often, and this is what we are planning to improve in the nearest future.

If you have not yet tried the existing (June 2020) version of the demo its still available to download on steam at

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1272010/Destroyer_The_UBoat_Hunter/

[Furia]

Absolutely FANTASTIC !! :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

You guys are really listening to the comunity !!!!

Implementing all those features would make the sim a awesome success!

Thanks a lot!
Looking forward for its release :up:

[les green01]

i try the demo for two minutes then remove it from the wishlist

[Sonarman]

Why didnt you like the demo Les? Most people seem to rate it very highly.

[les green01]

Why didnt you like the demo Les? Most people seem to rate it very highly.

mainly because of playway and dlc's i have 6 or 7 games from playway most of them have about 20 or 30 dlc's there some stuff i like on the demo beautiful grapics and opening movie was done great most other stuff i seen can be iron out the demo was just to give us a taste but basic with me the game already has two strikes against it that being playway and dlc's i might keep a eye on it see how many dlc's comes out

[Sonarman]

Thanks Les I know what you mean about DLCs especially on mobile platforms and now even worse.. subscription based gaming. I'd be surprised if they do that here though its not really the kind of game that would lend itself to that like Car Mechanic Simulator etc do.

The devs have announced that if this first game is successful they will release a Pacific follow up with AA and anti surface warfare but I think that's something most of us would want as its not just a small DLC item but a substantive piece of work that would take things to a whole new level. As long as they don't start charging by the depth charge etc as they do on certain mobile games :).

In terms of other possibilities I did notice that there is now a separate VR version of UBoat being developed so I suppose that could be a further possibility in the case of Destroyer.

Remember Playway is only the publisher / investor on this game, it was conceived and is being developed by IronWolf Studio who also created the fantastic board game adaptation of UBoat.

Playway did cause a headache for the developers saying the game demo was too complex and preventing its release during the Steam Next Festival and some demonised them for that, however given they usually produce much less cerebral stuff like Car Mechanic simulator etc it is quite a step up for them to take a chance on a full on sim like this and they are understandably cautious. Hopefully the massively positive reaction to the demo and the dev's commitment to adding tutorials and AI assistants etc (without dumbing the game down) has addressed their concerns. On the plus side they are still funding development on U-Boat, funding this game , funding Aircraft Carrier Survival, UBoat Mechanic and UBoat Commander what other publisher has 5 naval related titles currently under development? So we shouldn't be too hard on them.

Playway just need to take a 'leap of faith' on this one and I think they will find that a big percentage of Ubi's former SH customers will buy into it as its deep and detailed and the guys at IronWolf have obviously gone the extra mile here.

[Kongo Otto]

One thing I never liked about the Silent Hunter series? Escorts not having to rescue survivors. In WWII this was always an agonizing decision for a destroyer commander. Whenever a ship was torpedoed - do we track down the submarine and leave the survivors to die? or do we rescue the survivors and maybe let the sub continue its attack? For all they knew, the same sub they let go could sink a battleship or troopship next time - costing thousands of lives.


That's exactly the reasons why convoys had designated rescue ships for that task.
Convoy escorts where there exactly for one reason, protecting the convoy and attack U-Boats whenever possible.
When you rescue survivors with your escort you have to considerably slow down and therefore you become a target yourself.
Convoy rescue ships were equipped with all the stuff needed to acommodate survivors including a small surgery room, they were also armed with deck guns and AA guns and were not marked as red cross ships, therefore being legit targets themselves.
For more infos about rescue ships, feel free to read:
http://www.halcyon-class.co.uk/rescue_ships.htm
And how tragic it can end when Warships slow down to rescue survivors of a sunken ship you can read here:
Action_of_22_September_1914 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_22_September_1914)

Most famous of the WW2 convoy rescue ships were:



Perth 2258 tons, built 1915, in rescue service from 5 May 1941, sailed with 60 convoys, rescued 455 survivors.
Zamalek 1565 tons, Master Owen Charles Morris DSO, built 1921 as SS Halcyon, in rescue service from 26 February 1941, sailed with 68 convoys, including Convoy PQ 17 and Convoy SC 130, rescued 665 survivors
Stockport 1683 tons, built 1911, in rescue service from 22 October 1941, sailed with 16 convoys, rescued 413 survivors. Sunk by U-604 23 February 1943 while assigned to Convoy ON 166. There were no survivors from the crew of 63 and survivors previously rescued from other ships.

[Aktungbby]

Simon147!:Kaleun_Salute: