Have some questions, seeking answers
 

Hi I'm new, haven't done any modding to SH4 before (unless you consider correcting errors in the radio message traffic modding).
I'm not necessarily looking to do modding but I have some questions on the feasibility of the following:

• Adding random issues (failures) for the captain to address; for instance you could lose your radar (don't they crap out if radiating whilst submerged), torpedo/tube problems (increasing the time to reload or outright killing the tube), radio loss, engine stress, fathometer failure, etc.

• Losing crew in high seas, which turns them into survivor things that you can pick up.
• Adding new areas to the base. What I mean is, there's a place to click the Top Aces Board, and one to look at the mission briefing; could you add another?

I have other stuff but I'll save you the misery :D

First off - welcome aboard!

As to creating "random" issues - there is not a way to do so in game. You could create an external application that would - when run - create some random damage - but it would only show up if you saved, ran it - then loaded the changed save file. Not really what your looking for I dont think.

Same thing on the second - no way to do "man overboard" unfortunately.

As for the last - the question is beyond my knowledge.