Wolf Packs?

[Ham920]

I have Silent Hunter 1, 2, and 3 and also have the Aces of the Deep – great game for its time, but time marches on and graphics etc. improve. When I first ran Silent Hunter 3 I was blown away by the graphics and they just keep getting better with the add-ons that everyone creates.

I guess I don’t mind having separate games for the Pacific and European Theaters, as the theaters were very different and I don’t think they really coordinated with each other. What I would like to see is more coordination with Wolf packs and the use of signaling other subs to zero in on coordinated attacks on large convoys. I’m not sure how this would work in game play and I’m not even sure how historically accurate this is, but I think it would add another dimension to the game.

Also, the games should be compatible with your standard (is there such a ting?) PCs. I had some trouble when I first got the game with it crashing etc but was finally able to overcome the issue by adjusting the hardware accelerator, but I shouldn’t have to fool around with my settings if the game is properly designed.

[Safe-Keeper]

That's already been brought up, to say the least :P .

About communication, as I said earlier, I'd like to see some sort of detailed comm options beyond just "Report status/sighted convoys and task forces". You know, the way flight sims have you communicate with your wingmen.

Communication over short range is carried out by hand-held morse lamps (complete with animation of officer holding it), at long range communication is handled by radio.

For example, if I am hunting with a friendly submarine 300m away from me and we hear a report on an enemy convoy, I can select the other sub and then have the Watch Officer tell it to follow us. The watch officer complies, gets out a big morse lamp, and relays my message to the other sub, which replies with their own lamp and follows us.

Other communication would include communiqués from Command giving you new orders (dynamic orders that changes troughout your patrol would be so awesome, I think), dispatching escorts, letting you know when support was on the way, and so on.

Not to mention listening in to enemy radios and trying to determine where they come from and what they're saying (maybe the understanding of different langues/codes could be a qualification for an officer, even?). Something like:

If your Radio Officer does not understand Japanese/codes/whatever:
RO: "Merchant sending, captain!"
RO: "Merchant receiving a reply, captain"
- Your educational guess is that the merchant is in touch with some sort of superior or support unit.

If your radio officer understands Japanese:
RO: "Merchant sending SSS, captain!"
RO: "Enemy destroyer responding, captain! They say they're out of range!"
RO: "Enemy air patrol responding, captain! They say they're on their way!"
- Time to man AA or consider leaving.

Just an example.

[Ham920]

I wasn’t aware that the communications topic had been approached previously. Regardless of how it’s addressed it would be an interesting addition if a wolf pack of subs that you command could attack convoys.

[finchOU]

the 1 million dollar question to UBI......wolfpacks...

1. Friendly U-boats needs to be modeled.(they would be out there doing radom patrols)

2. Wolfpack AI needs to be made..(the hard part...how to coordinate with the friendly U-boats...to get them in the area and to get those U-boats to Attack the convoys and have Enemy AI engage those u-boats.....and on top of all of that....make it Seemingly realistic......you cant expect to completely destroy a convoy with 5 U-boats (or 30 for that matter)....it just didnt happen

3. How the shadowing aspect is implemented into the game? how often do you update the convoys position? do you get props for doing it?

4. How to implemet all of the above without needing a super computer to run the game.....my personal feeling was always to take a graphics hit to implement all of this stuff.....Todays games are graphics first ...gameplay second.

nothing about developing wolfpacks for the sim seems easy....neither was a dynamic campaign...and to think UBI originally was going to leave that out too!?!?! :huh: are you kidding?

[Safe-Keeper]

4. How to implemet all of the above without needing a super computer to run the game.....my personal feeling was always to take a graphics hit to implement all of this stuff.....Todays games are graphics first ...gameplay second.
I don't see how wolf-packs would require a super-computer. There are already many, many, many ships at sea in each patrol, so I don't think it'd matter much to or from.

As for the comm topic, it's in the long suggestion thread :P .

[finchOU]

4. How to implemet all of the above without needing a super computer to run the game.....my personal feeling was always to take a graphics hit to implement all of this stuff.....Todays games are graphics first ...gameplay second.
I don't see how wolf-packs would require a super-computer. There are already many, many, many ships at sea in each patrol, so I don't think it'd matter much to or from.

As for the comm topic, it's in the long suggestion thread :P .

I know nothing about programing and am pretty much a moron when it comes to anything more than basic computer knowledge.....so you would most likely know more than me.

This topic has always been at or near the top of the complaints about SH3...and it always seems to resurface time and time again along with other obvious omissions from game ....released too early with too many bugs and too many missing Items....If they really had a Historian working on the game....he/she had to have been frustrated/upset that this stuff never made it into the game.....at least I hope thats how the dev team felt about it.

that being said....SH3 is a vast improvement in certain areas over other Subsims of the past....graphics, an actual crew you can actually command point and click style, a true dynamic world of ship traffic, awesome damage model, weather looks great....I'm looking forward to the improvements in SH4...not just another SH3 with a different theater. God I hope it is an expansion with wolfpacks...but i fear I am only dreaming at this point.

[Safe-Keeper]

I don't know about wolf-packs, then, if they were less common than in the Atlantic, but at least having AI subs would be nice.