Just to add some additional info based on parts I've had direct involvement with...
The fleet boat damage model is totally different. Get hit by large caliber naval gunfire, you die. Quickly. Get hit by small caliber gunfire your crew dies. Quickly. Get hit by a close DC and you're going to have various different systems damaged. If you get damaged badly enough, you may even have to combat flooding. This in turn will make it very difficult to maintain depth. The days of "hull damage" when below crush depth are gone. Go below crush depth you die. Quickly. If you have a close aboard DC hit that ruptures the pressure hull (formerly the "bulkhead"), you die. Quickly.
Oh and gone are the days of badly damaged equipment still being 100% functional. As equipment receives damage the performance will degrade (for many systems), and if the equipment is damaged enough, it will stop working altogether. Repair times will take much longer than stock SH4, and only light to medium damage can be repaired. Most components when heavily damaged cannot be repaired until the player returns to port.
The players will have to adjust tactics and realize the submarine is not a Tiger Tank(TM) impervious to damage. You don't get in a gunfight with surface combatants or you will die. In fact, you don't really want to risk your boat to armed merchants without the proper tactics. The submarine has distinct strengths and weaknesses that have to be employed properly by the player in order to be most effective.
On the ship damage model, it's not quite as bad as RR would have you believe, but it is time consuming because every ship is unique and requires individual testing. The good news is that I have a good zone template and a good feel for what does and does not work. The other good news is that these ships seem to be a little easier to work with than their SH3 counterparts.
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