Been pondering this idea for several days. Joseph Fitz-Patrick made 17 patrols (according to Blair) but I'm not sure how many of those were as skipper (not all of them, I'm sure). Also, a few skippers who had been relieved got second chances, so I'd hate to see a career irretrievably over after only 2 patrols (although I agree it would be realistic). So maybe factor in a chance for reinstatement if relieved for failure to acheive results.

I think the idea of limiting the number of patrols for a career to a realistic amount is entirely a good one, but my two cents would be to incorporate it via a mod rather than have it built into the stock game without any player control over it. I think the average or first-time player would not like to have limits.

Several skippers (thinking of Moon Chapple, one of the ones given a second chance) went through the war from start to finish, so if the number of patrols must be limited, IMO it'd be good to have them spread out - so you don't, for instance, start December 7 and find your career ended before Midway (unless you're dead, of course :dead: ).

[Edit: Just thought of something else - Lockwood or Christie think it was Lockwood) nearly always "relieved" his skippers for a rest after they'd completed 5 patrols. Based on Blair's top 76, the average number of patrols completed was 5.2.]

I have and like the game very much, thank you!!!

Fitz-Patrick was in command (USS Paddle) for only 3 of his 17 patrols.

If we have accurate periscopes, radar, sonar, torpedo reliability, dive times, etc., why not have realistic "command relief?"
I'm all for it! :ping:

As is well known, Congressman Andrew Jackson May (D-KY), chairman of House Military Affairs Committee, visited the Pacific theater for operational briefings. At a press conference held after his return, May said the Japanese were setting their depth charges too shallow and our submarines were safe. Shortly afterwards, the Japanese began setting the charges deeper. Admiral Lockwood opined that May's statement probably caused the loss of ten submarines.

I would like to see an increase in Japanese depth charge accuracy (deeper settings) after June 1943 to reflect this.

Hi,

* More compartments on the boat (even if you can only walk into them and look around - you can asses damage etc). Seeing the engines run/torpedoes being loaded would be neat, too. :)

* If you are at a station (e.g. Attack Periscope) - add the ability to right-click out of the view to the view as if you are sitting at the scope, then right-click out of the seat to the conning tower. You can go to the scope like this, but you can't get out again; you have to use the shortcut bar presently. :(

* Improved interior damage modelling (i.e. more of it)

* Other subs in the sea (both sides)

* More detailed interiors (but NOT to the deteriment of the smoothness of the sim - SH3 is great on my AMD Athlon XP 2600+ ! Don't go the way of many other games/sims with ever decreasing performance requiring faster computers!)

* Dud torpedoes ?

* Hulls that look like they've been to sea! ;)


I really can't think of anythign else - SH3 is pretty darn good! :D

--TangoShadow

Wish List
 

For SHIV I'd like to see the following features to reflect the PTO accurately:

1) Dud torpedo % accurately depicted as war goes on
2) FOX messages assigned with your codename that change your mission while at sea
3) The operating theatre goes from the Aleutians to the Solomons
4) Many areas have innaccurate or outdated navigational charts, where depth, presence of reefs, etc are unknown
5) Possibility of mine fields
6) Some fishing boats used as lookouts and radio transmitters
7) Realistic equipment failure on the boat
8) FLASH intel reports while on patrol
9) Possibility of being attacked by friendly aircraft
10) Tokyo Rose on the radio
11) Recon, lifeguard, minelaying and supply missions accurately reflected
12) Hospital ships and Q ships represented

As far as SHIV portraying the Pacific war rather than the UBoat war, I'm sure I'm in the tiniest of minorities in saying that I have always thought the ATO less interesting compared to the PTO (in terms of playing a sub sim). I say that for one simple reason: except for a very brief period of time, the war in the Atlantic was never balanced. One side or the other always had a vast technical or numerical advantage. It's always either feast or famine. For the last year, as a sub commander, it's all you can do to stay alive day-to-day let alone attacking and sinking the enemy. I do not find that very interesting after a while.
On the other hand, in the PTO, even when Japan's naval power is broken, any individual encounter could go either way. And so it went throughout almost the entire war. Play balance nevers swings too far either way, regardless of time period.

Ah, thank you. I couldn't remember the exact number.

I think "realistic relief" is a great idea, but I also think it would please more people to have it as a mod rather than as a stock element. Casual players may not go for it if it's a stock feature, while the realism junkies (who are the most likely to use mods on a regular basis, IMO) will love it.

My only wish is ......................

Out of box game that don't need a patch after 2 weeks of being released ......

Out of box game that don't need 5 thousand mods in order to make it look 'interesting' or 'real'

Out of box game that I don't need to spend 500 us dollars to upgrade my computer in order to play it ..........

Good points DS, although this realistic career stuff could just be an option.

George S, great post, agree on all of your points.

I just noticed that I repeated myself in that last post. Sorry about that. :oops: Must be getting senile.

You've most likely heard it all before, but here goes..
 

Firstly, I think a Pacific theatre submarine game has been on the cards ever since the (frankly astounding) Pacific Aces for SH2.

But to make this game rock the proverbial socks, I think Ubisoft should add-

'A More Human Crew' - Okay, so SH3 added in some pretty good models of your U-Boats crew, but it would be nice to have them moving around on your submarine, actually looking like they're doing something. For example, your ChEng could, in times of transit walk around the control room, cleaning gauges, checking valves and pumps. Whilst your Navigator uses the...star..doohickey.. to recompute your current position. I feel this would add a massive amount of atmosphere to the game - make your crew more human and players will take the game more and more seriously. (Not that no-one does now, of course, manual TDCers. ;D )

Random System Failiures - I noticed this in PA - occasionally my engines would get damaged, due to mechanical problems. This could be greatly expanded upon, perhaps to include individual parts of the ship being faulty, such as bearing shelves or compasses

The coveted 'Free Roam' - I totally agree with this one. As a commander, you should be able to inspect every nook and cranny of your ship, making sure the crew is working efficiently, the systems are functioning correctly, and any low priority items for repair or adjustment (maybe periscope aligments and so forth)

More control in port - This is a rather childish little want, but I think it'd be cool and immersive if you could control what gets loaded onto your submarine in terms of food, fuel, weapons and luxuries. Certain luxuries such as chocolate and extra gramophone records can boost morale, whereas extra weapons boosts the combat value of your ship, at the expense of space (and morale as a result)

In a summary, keep the graphics more or less the same (with a few glitches removed) and concentrate on immersion and realism. You cant go far wrong with that, if SH3 is any indication as to what the dev team is capable of.

I would like to see things accurately placed. SHIII has the Observation Periscope at the wrong end of the control room, as well as no actual helmsman, who should be seated at a wheel at the front of the control room (behind the chief and at a right angle to the two planesmen).

Just little things, but this is the 'wish list'.

Wish list eh?

1. Ability to go right through whole of WW2
2. Ability to, and missions for, shelling shore targets
3. Return of the rescue missions (SH1)
4. A lot of subs could and did go "below crush depth" but SH2 (PA) refuses to allow this, would like to see it in SH4. U boats could go VERY deep, was it their superior build?
5. Superior graphics are obvious but superior sound too and beta tested to destruction BEFORE release.

Even when Beta Testing the latest patch for SHIV many problems where reported. But lack of fund was the reason they where not fixed. That is the main reason I basically stopped playing SHIV, even the sonar is broken :-(

So please reserve enough funds to fix problems discovered in prerelease-beta and patch-beta testing !

I hope you meant SHIII :o

Yep, SHIII

Some u-boats in extreme situations ended up going as deep as 300 meters (close to 1000 feet). So did some U.S. submarines. I don't thing the building was that much different.

Anybody else besides me think seeing phosphorescence in the water would be really cool?:cool:

Just some thoughts from a long time and rather complatent SH3 player.

I'd prefer to see more life in the submarine, as has been stated before.

But also I want to have the effects of crew be ovbiously apparent. For example, I want to be able to delegate duties to other officers, such as crew management. I'm rather tired of waking up and finding the boat dead in the water for 4 hours as everyone simply decided to stop working. This dosen't happen, theres crew rotations, the captain's job is to manage the property of the navy (boat), not to babysit the crew. Thats the petty officers job :)

Communication is a must as well, as is opening up the rest of the boat.

But I'd like a little more level of immersion, I'd like a variable skill set of officers, noone is perfect at everything, so is having a preset slider bar system regarding ship duties randomly generated off of the 'birth' of the officer a bad thing?

Sure medals and experience in a compartment can improve these, and should. Also I believe that the officer promotion should be standard as it is provided via SHcommander.

If I had a rather extremely skilled and highly decotared officer it makes since that either BDU or the USN grant him a boat commission. What would be more immersive to be sailing on your last patrols before retirement, called into a wolfpack, and then notice that the tailing u-boat is in fact your former IWO?

Ah, so you want a game that has been tested on thousends of different computer systems and combinations by hundreds of people. Better prepare for a release date that is pushed forward for atleast 6 months, and then still it will not be bug free,

Ah, so you want an unmoddable game. When a game is modable the modders always will be able to make certain parts of the game more interesting or better.

Ah, so you want outdated graphics, but you want it to look real.

Maybe you should go back to Silent Service 1, that game has next to none mods, runs smooth and has few known bugs, and you only have to downgrade your computer or run DosBox.

:p

:D

Yep, would sure be cool. The more graphics and options the better.

I thought SH3 was fantastic, esp after some of the great mods that were later developed. For SH4 the biggest thing I could wish for would be a improvement and integration of time compression and crew management. Setting daily watches without guys falling asleep at the controls is a must! I would also like to see when you are in time compression above a number you set, ie 8X the captain, (you) are off duty and in your bunk. Your XO would be in command and follow captain's (your) standing orders. ie, avoid target "this" and "that", engage target "this" and "that" You would arrive on the command deck with the crew already getting underway to avoid or engage a contact, and not wake up to a "death screen" because you couldn't slow the time comp in time.

It only makes sense to me that if the enemy AI can currently attack and sink you before you can lift a hand to get out of time compression, that the friendly AI crew mates can be smart enough to avoid that rock, not hit that friendly freighter or crash dive when swarmed by destroyers while you are rising from your bunk rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

Once the immediate threat is dealt with, your XO can report all happenings while you were napping.:yep:

PS new here. Nice board. Great to see this series alive and well in the community.