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Holdit · 11-27-21, 08:32 AM

I tried U-Boat a couple of times since its release but couldn't get into it. About a week ago I reinstalled it for another try, and it's a totally different experience, and I would never go back to SH3/4/5.

The big drawback is the missing TDC but that issue has been fixed with a mod and makes a world of difference. Nice items are the operable bilge pump, gyro compass and the electric and diesel air compressors.

The crew management thing is, I suppose, a matter of taste, but I find it quite immersive. It's worth taking the time to master the interface and you need to cheat/mod it to get the best out of it. I've renamed all my crew so they have the names of characters in the Das Boot novel, and given them "uniforms" according to their role (their role in the novel - in the game they're just "crew"). The game doesn't differentiate between officers, CPOs, POs and seaman; there are just officers and "everyone else". I find this means that to get the most realistic experience you need to have the game treat as officers some characters who were CPOs in the novel (e.g. Kriechbaum, Johann, Franz) or just POs (Hinrich and Hermann).

I set up The First and Second Officers along with Kriechbaum as Watch-keeping officers (four hours per watch), leaving the skipper in charge of navigation - you can get lost even when the navigation is being handled by the game. The Chief and Second engineers alternate 6-hour watches in the engine room, but you could also promote a "Johann" to free up the Chief. Where this boosts immersion is that when ever you drop out of warp speed to have a look at what's happening in the boat - and the "cutaway" view works superbly here, displaying a busy, living, breathing, working boat - you can see people on duty, going on/off duty, or just relaxing - all in according to the roster.

Some other immersive touches are seeing crewmen run to the forward torpedo room during a crash dive (they stand in a huddle rather than lie in a heap, but still, kudos), and returning to their stations as the boat levels off. Crewmen coming into the galley to help themselves to some grub. When you order red/blue/normal lighting, a crewman has to make his way to the control and change it, so it doesn't happen instantly, likewise turning on the compressors or pumps. If you order the deck gun manned, the crew have to make their way to it first.

The biggest dose of immersion for me came with my first experience of damage control. On patrol in the north sea, we were spotted by an aircraft, and the crash dive was too slow (note to self: there's a mod for this) and the dropped depth charge inflicted some damage. I took the boat to about 90 metres and assessed damage (there's no damage screen, just an un-prioritised list of failures so you need to do a bit of triage yourself, but then real U-Boat commanders didn't have a damage control screen either). There were two leaks, damage to the conning tower and UZO, and a bunch of broken lightbulbs (and yes, those sections of the boat with blown bulbs go dark, but you can press "F" for a flashlight in first-person mode).

As I assigned different officers to take care of different repairs (I gave the lightbulbs and minor stuff to the non-engineers, but I don't know if that actually makes a difference) I could see them heading to those spots, sometimes working with wrenches, sometimes welding torches, even standing on boxes to reach awkward places. Being fairly deep, and with water in the engine and motor rooms, I ordered bailing and by golly my guys went to it carrying buckets to the control room and emptying them into the bilge. It was officers-only and doing it the slow hard way rather than forming a human chain, but it's clear that this is what's being represented. Most of the time I kept the captain character in the control room where he could see the crew moving between different parts of the boat as they went from repair to repair.

Once everything was fixed and we resurfaced, I found out that we didn't have enough spare parts to fix the damage to the bridge (which was quite visible; the casing buckled and those vertical wooden slats smashed on the damaged side), or the UZO. I decided to RTB and sent the crew off for a few days break - and this was the icing on the immersion-cake: the crew actually left the boat. They didn't just vanish; they walked off the boat individually and in small groups, carrying small suitcases or rucksacks, until only the skipper was left behind. At that point it seemed a novelty to have the boat completely to myself so I walked from fore-to-aft just to experience it. I was reminded of the part in the novel "The Cruel Sea" where most of the crew is on leave during a refit and Lockhart draws the short straw and is the only officer left on board apart from a skeleton screw and the dockyard workers.

That sums up the impact U-Boat has had on me, yes there are still some niggles but the experience it provides is far ahead of anything that has gone previously, including SH3 with mods. For me this is way more satisfying, and I can't see myself going back.

NIGGLES:

Instead of engine room telegraph call-outs, there is just a response of "Faster, faster" or "We're slowing down" in response to speed changes. It's annoying.

Having to "buy" stuff. I just cheat myself the cash I need to make this go away.

Too few officers by default. This is fixable with a mod.

No waterproofs for bridge crew. Immersion-cracking, but not a deal-breaker.

No mission editor. My biggest complaint. I would like to use it to set up Perisher-style training scenarios.

11-27-21, 08:32 AM	#38
Holdit Watch Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 18 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 0	I tried U-Boat a couple of times since its release but couldn't get into it. About a week ago I reinstalled it for another try, and it's a totally different experience, and I would never go back to SH3/4/5. The big drawback is the missing TDC but that issue has been fixed with a mod and makes a world of difference. Nice items are the operable bilge pump, gyro compass and the electric and diesel air compressors. The crew management thing is, I suppose, a matter of taste, but I find it quite immersive. It's worth taking the time to master the interface and you need to cheat/mod it to get the best out of it. I've renamed all my crew so they have the names of characters in the Das Boot novel, and given them "uniforms" according to their role (their role in the novel - in the game they're just "crew"). The game doesn't differentiate between officers, CPOs, POs and seaman; there are just officers and "everyone else". I find this means that to get the most realistic experience you need to have the game treat as officers some characters who were CPOs in the novel (e.g. Kriechbaum, Johann, Franz) or just POs (Hinrich and Hermann). I set up The First and Second Officers along with Kriechbaum as Watch-keeping officers (four hours per watch), leaving the skipper in charge of navigation - you can get lost even when the navigation is being handled by the game. The Chief and Second engineers alternate 6-hour watches in the engine room, but you could also promote a "Johann" to free up the Chief. Where this boosts immersion is that when ever you drop out of warp speed to have a look at what's happening in the boat - and the "cutaway" view works superbly here, displaying a busy, living, breathing, working boat - you can see people on duty, going on/off duty, or just relaxing - all in according to the roster. Some other immersive touches are seeing crewmen run to the forward torpedo room during a crash dive (they stand in a huddle rather than lie in a heap, but still, kudos), and returning to their stations as the boat levels off. Crewmen coming into the galley to help themselves to some grub. When you order red/blue/normal lighting, a crewman has to make his way to the control and change it, so it doesn't happen instantly, likewise turning on the compressors or pumps. If you order the deck gun manned, the crew have to make their way to it first. The biggest dose of immersion for me came with my first experience of damage control. On patrol in the north sea, we were spotted by an aircraft, and the crash dive was too slow (note to self: there's a mod for this) and the dropped depth charge inflicted some damage. I took the boat to about 90 metres and assessed damage (there's no damage screen, just an un-prioritised list of failures so you need to do a bit of triage yourself, but then real U-Boat commanders didn't have a damage control screen either). There were two leaks, damage to the conning tower and UZO, and a bunch of broken lightbulbs (and yes, those sections of the boat with blown bulbs go dark, but you can press "F" for a flashlight in first-person mode). As I assigned different officers to take care of different repairs (I gave the lightbulbs and minor stuff to the non-engineers, but I don't know if that actually makes a difference) I could see them heading to those spots, sometimes working with wrenches, sometimes welding torches, even standing on boxes to reach awkward places. Being fairly deep, and with water in the engine and motor rooms, I ordered bailing and by golly my guys went to it carrying buckets to the control room and emptying them into the bilge. It was officers-only and doing it the slow hard way rather than forming a human chain, but it's clear that this is what's being represented. Most of the time I kept the captain character in the control room where he could see the crew moving between different parts of the boat as they went from repair to repair. Once everything was fixed and we resurfaced, I found out that we didn't have enough spare parts to fix the damage to the bridge (which was quite visible; the casing buckled and those vertical wooden slats smashed on the damaged side), or the UZO. I decided to RTB and sent the crew off for a few days break - and this was the icing on the immersion-cake: the crew actually left the boat. They didn't just vanish; they walked off the boat individually and in small groups, carrying small suitcases or rucksacks, until only the skipper was left behind. At that point it seemed a novelty to have the boat completely to myself so I walked from fore-to-aft just to experience it. I was reminded of the part in the novel "The Cruel Sea" where most of the crew is on leave during a refit and Lockhart draws the short straw and is the only officer left on board apart from a skeleton screw and the dockyard workers. That sums up the impact U-Boat has had on me, yes there are still some niggles but the experience it provides is far ahead of anything that has gone previously, including SH3 with mods. For me this is way more satisfying, and I can't see myself going back. NIGGLES: Instead of engine room telegraph call-outs, there is just a response of "Faster, faster" or "We're slowing down" in response to speed changes. It's annoying. Having to "buy" stuff. I just cheat myself the cash I need to make this go away. Too few officers by default. This is fixable with a mod. No waterproofs for bridge crew. Immersion-cracking, but not a deal-breaker. No mission editor. My biggest complaint. I would like to use it to set up Perisher-style training scenarios.