[PL_Andrev]

It is a cloudy March weekend in 2009, time 22. Players are ready on the voice channel. Now need time to choice the mission, launch games and synchronization. Now, the choice of ship ... and start. Today's mission: "The battle of Gigants."

17 minutes after patrol start, HMS Swordfish see and recognize the primary target. Her torpedoes are missed but position of target is transferred to other ships. Prince of Wales is the first opening fire, inaccurate yet. German team turns right… but there is a waiting British submarines... Win the British team is almost certain. Meanwhile, HMS Hood sees traces of torpedoes. Emergency back does not help - the British dreadnought is hit two times by U-113 and one by U-154. Few seconds later HMS Swordfish has submarine contact at a periscope depth…

Part of report from SH2 vs. DC game, 5 players + 3 AI
Maybe similar will be produced from SH5 soon…

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What do you do if you will see this text on SH5 box?:

Multicontrol: Create real convoy battles with control to 8 independent submarines in wolf pack as single player at this same time!
Sea raiders career: Use submarines, auxiliary cruisers or whole naval task forces controlled by you to attack your enemies and crush his power!
New improvement of AI: Your enemy are not sleeping - use the weather conditions and your weapon to lose or destroy everyone who is hunting you!
Advanced multiplayer mode: Control several naval units, with cooperation or competition of other players in the execution of the orders by tasks!
Confrontation: Sink human controlled task forces or find and destroy human controlled wolf packs with your friends. Use all your experience to protect or attack convoys!
All naval units on your order: Control submarines, destroyers, battleships and even individual planes to crush your enemies in one hit!
Great battles: Play with friends in the greatest battles between allies and the axis and change the face of history with the potential to control max 32 units by 16 different players.

It is sleep? Miracle? No! Maybe it will be new Silent Hunter 5!

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Comments:

* Single player mode / multicontrol:

I do not agree with standard opinion, AI in SH4 AI (1.5) is bed. The differences between the difficulty levels are highly visible (especially on multiplayer tests), and only what can be changed is the level of enemy detection - fortunately, this value is corrected by fans. Unfortunately, the AI works with standard war ships and merchants. I have the impression that the AI is not controlled enemy - because how to explain lack of response if AI sub is attacked by artillery fire from another sub? Implementation of AI to sub shouldn’t generate a problem, for example:

Is hard AI implementation to submarine AI control?
Let's look… For example:
AI submarine should attack when:
1) The target is closing or keep distance
2) AI calculate optimal speed and use (if distance is higher than 20km keep course, lower: use surface max speed, closer than 2/3 max visible range use depth)
3) Attack the most rating ship if possible (if not possible attack most rating ship in possible range).
4) Torpedo attack if the target is closer than 500meters (fog), 1500meters (day), or 2500 (night) with two torpedoes (T5 or better and electric if possible) with 10 seconds delay between periscope up and shot + attack of other nearest targets with 5 second delay, run silent and deep to reload.
5) If the level of sub is lower, then "perfect" accuracy of "weapon officer" is lower (f.e. +-5% for every level, real value calculated with random mistake), more delays, more allowed speed to catching the target
6) If sub is attacked by escort (run to 2/3 max depth, change course and depth with minutes delay depended form sub difficulty level.
7) If sub is attacked but high-rated target is very close (1000m) try to attack use "emergency surface", shot and emergency depth".
It is very, very simple implementation, only if…then conditions…

Good solution is build the “intelligence” as simple language with if…then conditions to easy change/build/rebuild by fans.

Other method is multicontrol – the players love it! This is known form Destroyer Command when player can control multiple units, with course, depth, speed… and control from hull every ship to attack when he want (other ships f.e. are hunting by escorts or re-loaded torpedoes).

It can be imagine as shown by two ways: as units with class, course, speed, depth, last info from crew on the main map and as mark/link/bookmark on the others view with last comment of crew (highlight on few seconds if new info like under attack, new contact etc). Click on the link make changing ship form actual to linked. To protect by overflowing of information and keep easy control, most standard new orders should be accepted on the main map - by click on unit to mark (not choose) and give new orders: course, speed, depth, attack by guns.
Special possible command: control by AI - if player doesn't want to control this unit longer.
Single player mode / sea raiders career:
There is many mods for SH3 and SH4 which allow to control naval units (naval it means battleships, cruisers, destroyers etc) as independent career mode. If something like this is existing it means that players want to play naval unit as alternative to submarine career.
In combination in last point, the player can order to group of subs (wolf pack / control 8 units in this same time) or as task force of naval ships.
Of course if we think about task force the AI support is needed - it is known that the task force can be find by enemy submarines, group of planes or enemy task force (on the IIWW the second side always sent the special group to find and destroy).
Is possible to use German task force to attack on British port? Why not. But if the task force is closer and closer to the enemy borders, the planes attack often and often...

Now the players which used "surface" mods can only attack enemy merchants / single destroyers / single planes (or find the convoy) by one ship. If we add maximum 7 others units, coordinated attacks by group of enemy planes and attacks of enemy submarines and naval units... my God, it will be wonderful game.
Can you imagine that your Tirpitz see the enemy convoy, the enemy escort is attacking you... and at this moment you see... track of torpedoes running to your capital ship?
OK, stop dreaming - this alternative line of game career development seems to be extremely promising...
Confrontation / cooperation / great battles:
With the environment now where you can play as a mechanism to ensure sufficient detection submarines by the escort led by a man, and the ability to choose the parties to the conflict to do something that will succeed the multiplayer SH2/DC system, which still has active player although 10 -year-old graphics.

The last thing that I would like to raise a question of mods created by fans. In my case I have set: SH4 + UBM + TMO163 + OM711 + SpaxSpeech71
With this set I must say that I lack only for multi-mode uboots campaign. Currently, the game is really great, with excellent graphics, a huge number of units, and by the addition of UBM and mod OM can play well as a party, in any region of the world. IF the game was released as the times from such a set would be a real hit, worth any price.

Confrontation / cooperation / great battles:
Proposed environments almost perfect. Almost.
The game with advertising mode is not popular in SH4 because... this is boring mode! The players are looking for something else... What it is?
Game against other humans, which control other naval ship (in SH4 only host can play naval units, others can control subs)
Active game against other humans, which control enemy submarines (in SH4 the host cannot detect submarines by self)
Game with friends against other side (in SH4 only host can play naval units, and ONLY against American subs)

Sub detection, coordinated attack with friends and against other humans on different nationality (GER/GB or JAP/USA or GB/ITA) with the full control of weapon, and searching mode is key power. It looks perfect on multiplayer SH2/DC system, which still has active players... Game with 10-year-old graphics!

The final thing that I would like to tell is something about mods, created by fans.
In my case: SH4 + UBM(bugs fix, uboats) + TMO163(harder) + OM711(new units, Atlantic theatre) + SpaxSpeech71(German speaking)
With this set I must say: the SH4 game is really great, with excellent graphics, a huge number of units, and with the addition of UBM expansion and mod OM can play well as a party, in any region of the world. If the game was released as this form it had a chance to be a real hit, worth any price. I need only one: multiplayer mode for uboats....
Additional comments

1) Network:
I am surprised with observation that the maximum detail of "density particles" makes disconnecting players during multiplayer mode. Strange. Please remember that everyone have not perfect and fast connections to network. The game should use minimum data transfer between players, allowing a large number of players (up to 16) and many units in game (convoy's ships and planes).
I know and I understand that developers hate pirates. Maybe good solution is registration game by STEAM machine to use patches and allow multiplayer mode by LAN?

2) Signatures in multiplayer mode
Both solutions in SH3 and SH4 are not perfect. In the SH4 is better but my proposals:
- active or inactive signatures mode created by host when multiplayer game starts
- observer mode: turn on signatures (to full enjoy with views of the battles which offer SH).

3) Naval units
Many people are waiting for DestroyerCommand2 but... there have it in Silent Hunter environment! We need only:
Play as sub/naval with teams with friends and again humans
Play side and theatre as we want
Looking for subs and attack by human DD
Many people against themselves (up to 16)
Multicontrol if needed.
...The environment, graphics, engine, many units, atmosphere we have already...

4) Multicontrol mode
If the multicontrol (control up to 8 units at this same time) will be allowed, few method of control should be implemented:
*) Full AI control (if more free units than humans, and humans don't want control them or multicontrol is not allowed by mission author)
*) Full human control, with possibility of AI control, if request
*) Full AI control if player is disconnected from server (keep balance game)
*) Partial human control for convoy (small change of course, change speed, max speed for convoy, max ship per every ship in convoy, split)
*) Partial human control of planes (course, allow to attack, change target) and planes (launch few planes in some frequency)
Partial human control means that all contacts and attack are controlled by AI: unit reports contact automatically to owner and team like enemy contact, torpedoes, autoattack on closer contact, correction course and speed to avoid hitting by torpedoes or enemy artillery...

Of course plane should be used if the weather is good, and launch from plane is possible when the ship's course is about +- 20 degrees to wind direction...

5) Fan's mods:
Do you think to implementation fan's mods even greater than it is today? The fans actually improves everything possible to improve, increasing the quality of the final product. Still, there is an opinion that "not a good play on the basic version - but with mods SH4 is really good game", Now, with the mods SH4 show his leadership. Unfortunately, SH4 changes opinion about his developer... We can only regret that the fans creating a groundbreaking projects and mods are not invited to participate in the creation of next product. This may well, because this way everyone can choose to mod their needs, as in my case. I was happy when subsim give the information about Sh5: not in 2009 but in 2010! More time to wait... but maybe we're waiting now for the perfect product...

6) AI language
I know that AI is hardcoded in SH4. Maybe the better idea is creating it at open source which can be modified by users?
For example, used if..then operations in txt files which be uploaded to CPU at checked for one second per ship...
Modders will can implemented more different strategies for merchants / warships / submarines, where AI is decided which target is more optimal, especially if the target of AI is controlled by human...
But the AI is not bad, with TMO163, the elite DD is always destroying player's submarine...

Probably in September will be available official version of "surface supermod", offering the naval battles between two enemy sides (again, there is an analogy to the familiar atmosphere of SH2/DC).
The first battle will be played will duel Hood + PrinceOfWales Vs. Bismarck + PrinzEugen...