Poll: Free Sub Tactical game based on atlantic theatre.
 

Hello

Im currently learning programming and i would maybe try to create a GUI based tactical submarine simulator taking place in atlantic. Just wanted to post my ideas and see how everyone is thinking of it and maybe find more ideas or other programmers to join the project.

Ill try to describe what i have in mind.

The player takes command of a german submarine. The task is to operate the vessel and manage the crew. There will be a dynamic compaign based on historical background (example: operation barbarossa or the norway campaign). The diference to silent hunter will be basicly that its going to be a tactical simulator. So dont expect fancy graphics. It will be as close to history as possible and you will be mostly concentrated on meeting decisions on grafical interface.

If you know dangerous waters and ports of call, imagine a mix of both.

some features that id like to realise:

1. fully dynamic compaign based on historical background (you may take part
in historical campaigns ). fully dynamic means that you have influence on war progress. If you sink ships, the enemy will have less next time etc... Every ship will be unique, so sanken ships will no longer appear later on. Convois will be enforced when they take heavy damage on certain routes or even canceled.

2. historical tactics, you will opperate together with other submarines and communicate with them. BDU will coordinate wulfpack attacks. There will be historical doctrines, so the tactics will change during war progress.

3. There will be two modes. Navigation and Combat Mode. The navigation mode will be basicly a naval map. You will navigate the boat but you will not see contacts other then received via radio (i.e. convois reported by other boats). Your own position wont be static. Your navigator will try to update your position as good as possible (based on crew skill). So you may find yourself somewhere else when your navigator had no view to stars or sun for long time, in some cases he will even lose your position. In that case you will be informed and your navigator will show you the error radius where your sub may be. In combat mode you will receive visualized contacts. You will be limited in range and time compression. The contact visualisation will be just like in dangerous waters. You will receive contacts from different stations, such as sonar contacts will be drawn as lines (because you have no range). While visual contacts will be roughly accurate with a random error (based on crew skill). The accuracy of contact location will be improved by collecting data. Such as using stadimeter will provide an accurate range. So your targets will be not necessery shown on their exact location, but based on the data that you have collected.

4. Roleplaying style character progression. Crew management will go much deeper then in silent hunter. Every crew member will have unrevealed traits. Some will prove themselves as good comrades, others will be cowards, there will be good entertainers and outsiders. You will have influence on character development for every crew member. Example: a crew member may come to you and tattle about someone else. You must decide what you are going to do, punish one of them or ignore the rumors. You can even grab the gun when your man at engines goes crasy during a destroyer attack ;). anyway, every decission you make will effect the crew. You may gain authority and respect among your boys or you can make them hate you and be afraid. No matter which way you go, every style of commanding your crew will bring its own advanteges and disadvanteges.

Check these guys out.

http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net/

yes im aware of that. ive been following them for a while but it looks like there is no progress for a long time now. And they are focused more on grafics, its going to be similar to silent hunter.

what i have in mind is more a tactical / roleplaying game.

Werner, Follow your dreams. I wish I could take some time to learn programming (hopefully in the near future) but between engineering, new work and plans for Krav Maga among other things, I must have some free time. I would like to one day create a Naval simulation where in multiplayer mode each person has command of each station (or numerous people) making it like a shipboard environment (people manning gun stations, CIC, Pilothouse, People Down in the Hole, etc). Will include subs too.
Each Designer, Modder, etc. brings their own uniqueness and quality's into the gaming world for many to enjoy. I say do it to it, Flank Speed damnit:arrgh!: ! Wish you all the best. Let us know about your progress too. Who knows maybe one day we'll be hearing about all the kick @$$ games WernerSobe software is churning out:D .

Your idea is really great, Werner and I'll try the game as soon as it is released!:up::rock: But are you 100% sure that you want the game to take place in the Atlantic? Doesn't the Pacific sound much more interesting?;):yep:

Sounds like an interesting project and one which I'm sure most people here would be thrilled to see come to fruition. I would suggest that you stick to the limits you have in mind, as things like that tend to grow, expand to proportions that make them more of a pain to complete than you initially envisage.

But if you can combine your learning experiences with your interests, then it does tend to be a winning combination.

That silly film that's on the front page of Subsim which I made recently is a small example of that, it started off as something I had planned to knock up in a couple of evenings, but ended up taking around two weeks to do because I underestimated what a pain in the ass it would be to optimise shots from Dangerous Waters and get them to work in context! Mind you, it didn't help that I started making it without a completed script, writing it as I went along, which is not normally the way I'd go about that kind of thing!

Anyway, regardless of all that, I have a suggestion for you: One thing that would certainly make something of that nature more absorbing is atmospheric audio, and that's something almost anyone on subsim could help contribute to, as pretty much everyone has access to a microphone and some method of recording stuff. There is no shortage of sound modders around this forum who would probably be glad to help you and get their work recognised at the same time, so there is no reason to skimp on decent sounds.

Similarly, there are many talented illustrators too, so you could have a very nice GUI as well. Of course, having a lot of .wav files might make a program you intend to distribute somewhat large in size, which means you'd have to be fairly selective in what sounds you chose to implement, but, as I'm sure you are aware, even a few well chosen sounds in a simulation (even a 2D screen based one) can add much to the immersion factor, and a pleasing look never hurts anything. Some things to consider anyway.

Good luck with it.

:D Chock

An interesting Concept
 

There was another guy who was planning something similar via these Forum perhaps a year or so ago, I think he was Swiss, his idea was a kind of BDU tactical type game, not sure if he was going to make it so you controlled multiple U-Boats or just one, the main idea was that when you encountered a convoy or an enemy you would switch from the tactical view to 3d via SH3 where you would execute you attack, then go back out of SH3 to the tactical game I think his concept was on the lines of the old Rowan Battle of Britain where you could plan attacks or defence, supply etc, and then go to 3D to fly in the bombers or fighters either for the British or German.

I have no idea if you will be able to find his posts; I think he gave up in the end due to time constraints.

Best of luck to you if you do try this

Rascal

Check this:
http://www.subwolves.com/phpfus/mFusion/news.php

It also has its own sub-forum here, at Subsim. Search for Subwolves.:up:

New games are always welcome. Anyone who can program well has my respect (I'm tech but don't know squat about programming).

BUT: (as long as you're planning to create a program) An idea I'd love to see and have thought about...

Create a Strategic game where you play the role of BDU and deploy boats and wolfpacks. Base it on historical availability of u-boats, codebreaking, escort groups etc. You can have a boat that you consider yours. When your boat makes contact it generates a mission that ports into SH3. You can then fire up SH3 and play the scenario. At the end the results of your mission/ patrol are exported back to the strategic game. Best of both worlds.

And in the startegic level you can really impact the course of the Battle of the Atlantic by having options such as historical/300 uboats at war start/Hitler doesn't interfere with Doenitz' operations etc.

I'd buy you a beer if you made that one (unless you're under-age of course :hmm: ).

Keep programming! We can't have too many coders who are into subsims!!!!

Cheers!

Peto

I like the idea. :up:

I also like the idea of single mission generation to play in SH3. I remember a java program a fella made years ago for Fighting Steel with a campaign very close to Great Naval Battles: North Atlantic.

I like the idea, however I have to ask are you working on this by yourself or you have a programming team?