I think time compression deserves an in-depth review from a wide-angle academic eye when it comes to the Silent Hunter series. There are a lot of ways to selectively compress time between events and the method used in previous titles is only one of those methods.
Ideally the time compression method used should allow a U-boat sortie to be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time while not giving away information that shouldn't be available to the player, lessening the sensation of game time passing, removing normal judgment and control opportunities from the player, etc.
Along such lines I have thought of a system of "standing orders" and "alerts."
Example: Captain wishes to take periodic dives for hydrophone sweeps every two hours while on a surface patrol.
Problem: Manually controlling this activity requires tedious TC manipulation along with constant repetitive orders.
Solution: "Standing orders" can be programmed and commanded by the player-captain to have the crew do this repetitive action automatically. This allows the captain to run a high TC while still allowing his wishes to be carried out.
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