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Old 07-24-16, 05:47 AM   #2
Onkel Neal
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Join Date: Jan 1997
Location: Cougar Trap, Texas
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Our plan for the game is to have three modes of play: skirmish, campaign, and player vs player. Skirmish and campaign are the first objectives, then we will develop a player vs player model that will make sense and provide compelling and engaging MP gameplay. We will come back to PvP at a later date.

Skirmish
Skirmish is merely an instant action convoy/war patrol encounter. Most U-boat missions are essentially: Locate convoy, Intercept convoy, Attack convoy, Evade escorts (re-engage if possible). This is what Doenitz tasked his U-boats with and this is what they sought. In real life, assembling a group of U-boats and locating a convoy could take weeks, and often a U-boat commander would never find a battle. Obviously, this would not work for a simulation, no one wants to simulate the boredom and frustration of empty seas. And when you are talking cooperatively manned subs, by four dudes in real life, even less so. So, the plan is to start a skirmish mission off with the enemy within reasonable range, so the players can possibly intercept and engage within 30 minutes to an hour. It is important to note that we intend to have the missions dynamically generated, so no matter how many times you play a skirmish mission, the inclusion, placement, and course of the enemy will vary. Sometimes you will start off close and in favorable position, sometimes you will have to establish contact and attempt to obtain a favorable firing position without being detected.

So, whenever you want to play a quick game with your friends, you can select a convoy encounter, warship encounter, or random encounter and test your mettle as a U-boat crew.

Campaign
Our campaign is what this thread is about. I want to plan a campaign where you and three of your friends can set up a crew (like a clan in an RPG) in our Steam section and start a career from 1939 August until 1945 June. The missions will historically mirror the real U-boat war like the chapters of a book. I am researching all the phases of the war in order to include as many of the iconic battles and missions as possible. So, feel free to list scenarios and missions with their corresponding dates and locations that you think would make great campaign missions. We are still in the planning phase. Below are some that I have on my list:

Training: U-boat school (can be skipped). A mission in the harbor where you get a chance to practice TDC and torpedo shots with illuminated dummy torpedoes against friendly tugs and coastal ships. Your sonar guy will get some training on how the sonar, radio and enigma works, and your chief will get practice diving the boat, holding at PD, and surfacing.

1939: “My God! So it’s war with England again!” War begins, missions in the North Sea and around the British Isles. You will encounter warships, neutrals, and single cargo ships. You may encounter passenger ships and it will be your task to ID them and determine if you are within orders to sink them. If you sink an Athenia, you and your crew may be subject to disciplinary actions. As the year progresses, you will encounter more British warships trying to enforce a blockade, including RN aircraft carriers (fat juicy targets). You may receive orders to penetrate an enemy harbor, such as Scapa Flow (good luck with that!).

1940: Happy Times. You sight your first convoy. British ships have no radar so your surface raiding tactics at night will bring you glory, as long as you correctly gauge how closely you can approach ships. Weather and moon conditions will have an impact. You may experience occasional torpedo failures, you better have BdU look into it. You may be tasked with taking part in Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Norway, so watch out for waters heavily infested with escorts. After the fall of France, you may be based out of the French port. The Happy Times begin. Your U-boat is a force to be feared as you sink ships by the ton Just be sure not to sink an American, even though they may be trying to sink you.

1941: Happy Times continue, but in March your radioman begins to get an alarming number of radio message from other U-boats that are sinking. Escorts get smarter. First tactical radar sets begin showing up. Operation Bismarck. You get your first taste of wolfpack tactics! Also, your first encounter with a Q-ship. Patrols in the mid Atlantic where Allied aircraft cannot follow.

1942: America in the war, commence Operation Drumbeat. War on tankers. Happy Times are back with easy pickings off the eastern coast of the USA. Refueling operations with Milche Cows. Transit across the Bay of Biscay becomes more hazardous with the unexpected appearance of Wellington bombers and other Allied aircraft equipped with radar and Leigh lights. Metox detectors are quickly installed in all boats. America's defenses tighten up, and patrol zones return to the middle Atlantic. Patrol area shifted to attack Allied landing in North Africa.

1943: Climax. The greatest convoy battles take place with large wolfpacks. Allied radar improves with deadly results for U-boats. Escort hunter/killer groups. Black May. Wanze replaces Metox. Patrols redirected to Freetown and the east coast of Brazil. BOLDs are introduced. Flak boats. Mission to the Med.

1944: Desperation. FAT and GNAT torpedoes, NAXOS are issued to your boat. Snorkel added to your boat. Allied defenses spell the end of the war for U-boats. Escort carriers hound wolfpacks. Orders to attack Allied landing ships in English Channel. Base of operations moved to Norway.

1945: Defeat. Radar installed on your boat. Secret mission. Promise of a new Type XXI electro-boat. Allied homing torpedoes. Shortages. Last patrol.







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Last edited by Onkel Neal; 07-24-16 at 11:11 AM.
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