SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - List of whats new in SH5 wrapup

Q&A

08.09.2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15.09.2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

23.09.2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yes.

30.09.2009

How does the morale system work?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

08.10.2009

Will ship damage and breakup be improved?

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

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

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

Will there be any AI operated boats forming a Wolfpack?

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

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

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

14.10.2009

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

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

Will there be a Macintosh version of Silent Hunter?

There is no Mac version planned at the moment.

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

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

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

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

21.10.2009

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

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

Will Silent Hunter V have added the Dynamic Shadows feature?

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

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

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

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

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

28.10.2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

04.11.2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

18.11.2009

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

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

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

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

25.11.2009

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

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

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

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

03.12.2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

09.12.2009

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

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

Will there be dual monitor support?

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

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

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

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

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