Influencing the course of WW2
 

Is it possible, at least in the stock game, to change the course of the war by sinking certain task forces, help win a battle or sink a certain ship?

No, not with stock or any mods.

I see.

Though I do wonder, what would happen if a naval battle America lost in WW2 was changed by me sinking the Japs before they arrive.

Would the Allied ships simply return to the background of the game world?

No. Any ship sunk in SH4 will still appear at the historical battle. You can Sink both Yamato and Musashi as many times as they appear, and they will appear again. And again. And...

Ain't life grand? I don't wanna change the war, myself. But I do wanna pretend I'm a hero of it. :D

Think about it though. Would you really want to be able to use SH4 to change the course of history? I wouldn't want that kind of responsibility. I like the fact that it's just a game.

The mere thought is enough to keep me from ever playing the German side.

I would love for a game so dynamic that in the course of the game, history was changed.

Many years ago I used to play LucasArts' Their Finest Hour: The Battle Of Britain. In their campaign it was possible for one fighter pilot to have such and effect that Germany was actually able to invade.

It was kind of cool. Once. After that it was boring.

I think the most a game can do is give you options that are triggered, but let's face it, a single sub wouldn't change the course of a war.

Why did you find it boring? I found it interesting to try different strategies, and see which ones lead to success or failure.

It is kind of silly if you consider it as one pilot changing history by taking on wave after wave by himself like an old arcade game, but it was more along the lines of each unit on your side was counted as being about as successful as you in each mission, not one pilot stopped the entire Luftwaffe by himself, or one pilot downed the entire RAF in one day. I do see a single sub affecting the course of WWII as a bit far-fetched, but possibly some battles might have unfolded differently or happened on a different schedule.

Did you ever play the old Microprose Red Storm Rising? I'm curious what your thoughts would be on that fictional campaign, where your success or failure moves the NATO forces closer to victory. If I recall, it did also have some level of randomness to it.

:har:




I'm not crazy about the idea of a single sub changing the course of history; it seems too gamey to me.

However, I like the idea of having the computer follow different paths in the campaign. Not because of what we do, but just due to the fiendish enemy AI, and of course, blind chance. This way we would have to deal with the unknown, even after we have played through the campaign the first time.

Because once I figured it out it became too easy. All I had to do was outfly the AI and I couldn't lose.

That's one of the things Dan & Company claim for SH5. As I understand it warships that are sunk will stay sunk, and be replaced by different ones in later campaigns. Also, if you sink enough merchants in a given area the RN will start to concentrate on that area in an attempt to put a stop to your evil plans.

No, mostly because modern warfare never appealed to me. My interest in games is actually very limited.

Ah. I can see that.

I remember hours and hours playing that lovely game! Just about 500 kb. , had a campaign always different, perfect for an actual sim like Dangerous Waters.