How did you get into U-boats (everyone please post)

Deamon · 08-05-05, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Strangelove

Following the link below you can find some photos, Unfortunately the inside-pictures didn't turn out well; all brownish for all the rust, tha camera and my haste, as you are not supposed to take photos inside.
I hope you like them!

Have you maybe some more of the deck ?

Deamon

Beery · 08-06-05, 01:02 AM

I can't really remember what sparked my interest in U-boat sims. All I can remember was that my first sub game was 'Sub Hunt' on the Intellivision. I must have been hooked because later I bought 'Gato' for the Macintosh. Then I got Silent Service, and then Aces of the Deep. After that I was well and truly hooked. I think a lot of the appeal for me comes from my interest in geometry - plotting courses is fun for me. The other thing that keeps me interested is the relative slow pace. My other interest is flight sims, and they are usually fast and frantic, so U-boats are a nice change of pace.

Ula Jolly · 08-06-05, 05:16 AM

I got hooked to subs not long ago. This year, as a matter of fact.
Early this year, around winter, I was still playing the trusty Steel Panthers (SP Camo), eagerly awaiting the Windows compatible version. I'm a member of the yahoo mailing list for both MBT and WWII, so when a guy asked the question if "there are any games like this, but only with boats", I too started looking. Some mail members replied with links. Doing some searching on my own, I found both Harpoon II (hehehe! What great interface

) and Steel Tide, which is more of an arcade game.
After that, a few googlings found Dangerous Waters, from Sonalysts.
Downloaded the demo and fell deeply in love with the Kilo, whom I have already proposed to. I'm on my lappy right now, and I doubt DW will work as great here as SH does. Though I might try it out.
Immediately, I ordered the game (the deluxe version

).
Arrived soon enough, with a manual the size of a bible! Turned out I'd need it. But the manual could be heckuwa lot bigger!
At times I'd play Civilization III, and DEFINITELY emphasized building submarines!
So now school is nearly upon me... I have to move out of town, to what the yanks would consider "high school" (but for ages 16-19), and got a laptop for that use.

From visiting the DW forums, I know their relationship to SH, but as always I wasn't going to be less curious than to swip over after two months, to find some screens. The little I found (didn't doo too hefty a search) told me this was a really neat game, at least with outstanding graphics.
So... sitting there on 31st of July (exactly one week ago now! *bluurt!* (sound of trumpet)) I wondered if I should buy this game for the laptop or not.... 50 quid was all that was in my wallet, and the game costed 45 bloody pounds on the nearest store (I'm far away from everything; transportation seems to put its price on everything here). I'm sure most here got the game for something like 30.

Anyway... rushed to the store in a moment of need of satisfaction, and soon enough walked out of the same store kinda wiggly in my legs. Had I just spent 50 quid on crap? Time'd tell.

The first indication of that I had, came fifteen minutes later. WHERE IS THE CD KEY?! Well, that answer was answered on this forum.

The second indication of that I had, came half an hour after that. The game was soooooo impossible to handle... for someone who's used to Dangerous Waters.
Struggling still (never bothered with Naval Academy!

), I eventually created the career of Wilhelm FrÃ¼der, a man who sunk an armed trawler and a destroyer on his first patrol in a U-IIA (I wasn't really too sure of how to use the torps. Kinda came lucky!). Of course, that also made me think less highly of destroyers than I should have, but to this date I haven't suffered more than 5% damage.
Needless perhaps to say, there is no doubt anymore. I love DW more than all that could be considered holy, but this game certainly gives some freedom and has a more play-aroundish feel to it. I'll be using this and some other games during school-time, but I have little doubts of that whenever I return to my stationary, I'll give my Kilo a deep kiss and a hug, and take her out to 300m.

Capn Tucker · 08-06-05, 11:23 AM

Been fascinated with the Wehrmacht since I was a little kid. Models of Messerschmitts, Stukas, Tiger tanks, the Bismarck, and of course U-boats all graced the shelves of my room.
My first U-boat was the old Aurora U-156 kit, and I still remember how excited I was when the Revell U-47 with interior first came out. Read "Iron Coffins", "U-boat Commander" and any other U-boat book I get my hands on.
Always watched "The Enemy Below" whenever it came on. Eventually joined the navy, and (of course) went into the Submarine Service, because that was the closest I could come to actually being on a U-boat.
The reality of that was nothing like I thought; unending work and drudgery. Even so, the years have done nothing to dim my fascination with the U-boote. I greatly enjoy my Uncut Version of "Das Boot", and all the many excellent new books on U-boats out there.
Currently working on my new pride and joy, the 1/72 Revell Type VIIC. I think that one may put me in the poor house though; bought all the add-on interior kits, pressure hull, wood deck, photo-etched parts..somebody stop me! :P

Bort · 08-06-05, 12:59 PM

My brother and my father were always into navy things and going to see different ships and subs, I guess I just picked up on it.

FesterShinetop · 08-06-05, 01:47 PM

I got into U-boats/submarines playing Silent Service on my Atari 800XL (long time ago...). In those days games (and especially sims) still had a real manual also containing lots of background info and stories. After playing and reading I read more books aboat subs (including Das Boot) and the interest was born

Now who ever said only bad things come from video games :P

U-1966 · 08-06-05, 01:59 PM

A trip to the USS Cavalla, a Gato Class SUb, in Galveston, Texas when I was about 10 years old. Later in life I began playing those early sub sims: Silent Service II, Aces of the Deep, Silent Hunter. And playing the sims sparked my interest so I would read all I could about WWII Subs.

Funny my interest in subs has never left the WWII Era. The modern subs just do not appeal to me.

HMCS · 08-07-05, 06:30 AM

My dad was in the RCNVR during the war. He served on two RCN Corvettes: the HMCS Moosejaw:

http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/828.html

and HMCS Saskatoon, as well as HMCS Huntsville (Castle Class F)

don1reed · 08-07-05, 08:00 AM

1944 My parents took me see "Destination Tokyo" at the movies...The Movie house raffled dishes after the movie.

1954-"Victory at Sea." as seen on our B/W 9" screen Philco TV.

Frank · 08-07-05, 08:26 AM

Back when I was a kid, watched the TV Series; "Voyage to the bottom of the Sea". In one of those episodes they were looking out of the Viewing windows and this German U-Boat was rising from the bottom and turning to point its bow tubes at the Seaview. (cant remember what happened or why) So I began trying to find out what that sub was, and more about it.

I used my first Sub Simulation in 1985 in Groton at Sub School.

Played my first Sub Game "Silent Service" in 1986-87.

Played my second in 1994 "Silent Hunter"

Always read books about WWII Subs, US & German. Still do.

Frank

Abraham · 08-07-05, 08:41 AM

Was since childhood interested in the Royal Neth. Navy and visited a submarine during the yearly Navy Days.
Since early teens interested in everything that had to do with WWII. Read a few years later the Dutch translation of: 'Run Silent, Run Deep' by Comm. Edward Beach and was sold forever.
Later the movie 'Das Boot', then an Atari with Silent Service II and every subgame since...

kiwi_2005 · 08-07-05, 09:29 AM

I must of been about 7yrs old and was watching Television with my father, we were watching a black n white documentary called World at War and the episode was on the Atlantic. There for the first time i saw a Uboat and asked my father if he liked them he replied that he prefered battleships compared to submarines. But i fell in love with the submarine that day. It was hard back then in finding books on uboats, but over the years i now have a good collection of submarine novels
In the early 90's I saw a game in the computer shop called Aces of the Deep the cover of the big over size cd box was very tempting that i brought it on the spot. At the time i had a Pentium100, with 8mb of ram 2gb HD cdrom and sound blaster card, and a 1mb graphics Trident card, running the new windows95 the computer cost me nearly 4grand! I loved that game. Then moved onto faster sims, and tried Fast Attack, a nuclear sub game, then SH1 and 2, Sub command and now SH3 and Dangerous waters.

pampanito · 08-07-05, 01:47 PM

Watching 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' (the SEAVIEW!) in TV probably started it... I remember very well both arcade games mentioned by PTHO and ReM...
But the thing that made me understand how serious a matter it was, was a film about US submarines in the Pacific (I don't remember which one, I think the sub was called SeaHawk), in a scene a sailor had forgotten to shut one of the internal doors closed, there was a depth-charge attack and concussion made the door close with a crash, severing the arm of the standing sailor. It was the most horrifying scene I had yet watched in TV, and must have really hit something inside me, because from that moment on I devoured everything I could lay my hands on, regarding WW2 US submarines.
Soon afterwards, I saw a magazine with photographs of the interior of a German U-boat during an actual depth-charge attack. The captions said the photos came from a camera retrieved from a U-boat wreck (I have never seen them again, and I am not sure if the history was true). The photos showed the bearded crewmen sitting quietly in half-light, looking upwards, while an officer counted with his fingers the seconds, waiting for the depth-charge explosions.
Thus my interest extended to German U-boats, and has not ceased to grow in the next 35 years...

Skweetis · 08-07-05, 02:05 PM

I got interested from way back when I was playing Jane's 688i, I so badly wanted to run a Kilo or other desiel type of submarine. I then found out about subsim.com during the "Fix my 688i!" campaign... then through the forums I found out about SH1 and AoD...

At first I wasnt really interested in WW2 subs, but it was one of the only ways I could get the opportunity to run a deisel sub... but after playing those classics, I quickly fell in love.... I now prefer WW2 sub simming to modern day subsimming...

Eventually, I hope some developer decides to do a post WW2/early Cold War subsim to fill the gap...

AlanSmithee · 08-07-05, 03:41 PM

I got interested in subs by playing Silent Service II in glorious 16 colors on my ancient Tandy. Back when it was possible to sink every single escort in a convoy with down-the-throat shots.

From there switched over to Wolfpack, and then for some reason stopped playing subsims for, what, almost a decade?

In any case, it's great to be back in a boot again.

08-06-05, 01:02 AM	#2
Beery Admiral Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Silver Spring, MD, USA (but still a Yorkshireman at heart - tha can allus tell a Yorkshireman...) Posts: 2,497 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I can't really remember what sparked my interest in U-boat sims. All I can remember was that my first sub game was 'Sub Hunt' on the Intellivision. I must have been hooked because later I bought 'Gato' for the Macintosh. Then I got Silent Service, and then Aces of the Deep. After that I was well and truly hooked. I think a lot of the appeal for me comes from my interest in geometry - plotting courses is fun for me. The other thing that keeps me interested is the relative slow pace. My other interest is flight sims, and they are usually fast and frantic, so U-boats are a nice change of pace. __________________ "More mysterious. Yeah. I'll just try to think, 'Where the hell's the whiskey?'" - Bob Harris, Lost in Translation. "Anyrooad up, ah'll si thi" - Missen.

08-06-05, 05:16 AM	#3
Ula Jolly Samurai Navy Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Norway Posts: 567 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I got hooked to subs not long ago. This year, as a matter of fact. Early this year, around winter, I was still playing the trusty Steel Panthers (SP Camo), eagerly awaiting the Windows compatible version. I'm a member of the yahoo mailing list for both MBT and WWII, so when a guy asked the question if "there are any games like this, but only with boats", I too started looking. Some mail members replied with links. Doing some searching on my own, I found both Harpoon II (hehehe! What great interface ) and Steel Tide, which is more of an arcade game. After that, a few googlings found Dangerous Waters, from Sonalysts. Downloaded the demo and fell deeply in love with the Kilo, whom I have already proposed to. I'm on my lappy right now, and I doubt DW will work as great here as SH does. Though I might try it out. Immediately, I ordered the game (the deluxe version ). Arrived soon enough, with a manual the size of a bible! Turned out I'd need it. But the manual could be heckuwa lot bigger! At times I'd play Civilization III, and DEFINITELY emphasized building submarines! So now school is nearly upon me... I have to move out of town, to what the yanks would consider "high school" (but for ages 16-19), and got a laptop for that use. From visiting the DW forums, I know their relationship to SH, but as always I wasn't going to be less curious than to swip over after two months, to find some screens. The little I found (didn't doo too hefty a search) told me this was a really neat game, at least with outstanding graphics. So... sitting there on 31st of July (exactly one week ago now! bluurt! (sound of trumpet)) I wondered if I should buy this game for the laptop or not.... 50 quid was all that was in my wallet, and the game costed 45 bloody pounds on the nearest store (I'm far away from everything; transportation seems to put its price on everything here). I'm sure most here got the game for something like 30. Anyway... rushed to the store in a moment of need of satisfaction, and soon enough walked out of the same store kinda wiggly in my legs. Had I just spent 50 quid on crap? Time'd tell. The first indication of that I had, came fifteen minutes later. WHERE IS THE CD KEY?! Well, that answer was answered on this forum. The second indication of that I had, came half an hour after that. The game was soooooo impossible to handle... for someone who's used to Dangerous Waters. Struggling still (never bothered with Naval Academy! ), I eventually created the career of Wilhelm FrÃ¼der, a man who sunk an armed trawler and a destroyer on his first patrol in a U-IIA (I wasn't really too sure of how to use the torps. Kinda came lucky!). Of course, that also made me think less highly of destroyers than I should have, but to this date I haven't suffered more than 5% damage. Needless perhaps to say, there is no doubt anymore. I love DW more than all that could be considered holy, but this game certainly gives some freedom and has a more play-aroundish feel to it. I'll be using this and some other games during school-time, but I have little doubts of that whenever I return to my stationary, I'll give my Kilo a deep kiss and a hug, and take her out to 300m. __________________ I shall punish yee, landlubber! C'mere for spankings and popsicles!

08-06-05, 12:59 PM	#5
Bort Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Studying in Atlanta Posts: 919 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 0	My brother and my father were always into navy things and going to see different ships and subs, I guess I just picked up on it. __________________ GT Aerospace

08-07-05, 08:00 AM	#9
don1reed Ace of the Deep Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Valhalla: Silent Generation Posts: 1,149 Downloads: 910 Uploads: 0	1944 My parents took me see "Destination Tokyo" at the movies...The Movie house raffled dishes after the movie. 1954-"Victory at Sea." as seen on our B/W 9" screen Philco TV. Last edited by don1reed; 07-23-06 at 07:01 PM.

08-07-05, 08:26 AM	#10
Frank Swabbie Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Deep River, CT Posts: 8 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Back when I was a kid, watched the TV Series; "Voyage to the bottom of the Sea". In one of those episodes they were looking out of the Viewing windows and this German U-Boat was rising from the bottom and turning to point its bow tubes at the Seaview. (cant remember what happened or why) So I began trying to find out what that sub was, and more about it. I used my first Sub Simulation in 1985 in Groton at Sub School. Played my first Sub Game "Silent Service" in 1986-87. Played my second in 1994 "Silent Hunter" Always read books about WWII Subs, US & German. Still do. Frank __________________ Mbr #6662 SHARKHUNTERS Int\'l History Does not entrust the care of Freedom to the weak, or timid

08-06-05, 11:23 AM	#4
Capn Tucker Bosun Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: DB56 Posts: 66 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Been fascinated with the Wehrmacht since I was a little kid. Models of Messerschmitts, Stukas, Tiger tanks, the Bismarck, and of course U-boats all graced the shelves of my room. My first U-boat was the old Aurora U-156 kit, and I still remember how excited I was when the Revell U-47 with interior first came out. Read "Iron Coffins", "U-boat Commander" and any other U-boat book I get my hands on. Always watched "The Enemy Below" whenever it came on. Eventually joined the navy, and (of course) went into the Submarine Service, because that was the closest I could come to actually being on a U-boat. The reality of that was nothing like I thought; unending work and drudgery. Even so, the years have done nothing to dim my fascination with the U-boote. I greatly enjoy my Uncut Version of "Das Boot", and all the many excellent new books on U-boats out there. Currently working on my new pride and joy, the 1/72 Revell Type VIIC. I think that one may put me in the poor house though; bought all the add-on interior kits, pressure hull, wood deck, photo-etched parts..somebody stop me! :P

08-06-05, 01:47 PM	#6
FesterShinetop Gunner Join Date: May 2005 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 96 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I got into U-boats/submarines playing Silent Service on my Atari 800XL (long time ago...). In those days games (and especially sims) still had a real manual also containing lots of background info and stories. After playing and reading I read more books aboat subs (including Das Boot) and the interest was born Now who ever said only bad things come from video games :P

08-06-05, 01:59 PM	#7
U-1966 Seaman Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 34 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	A trip to the USS Cavalla, a Gato Class SUb, in Galveston, Texas when I was about 10 years old. Later in life I began playing those early sub sims: Silent Service II, Aces of the Deep, Silent Hunter. And playing the sims sparked my interest so I would read all I could about WWII Subs. Funny my interest in subs has never left the WWII Era. The modern subs just do not appeal to me.

08-07-05, 06:30 AM	#8
HMCS Sonar Guy Join Date: May 2005 Location: Squaresville, daddy-O. Posts: 394 Downloads: 186 Uploads: 0	My dad was in the RCNVR during the war. He served on two RCN Corvettes: the HMCS Moosejaw: http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/828.html and HMCS Saskatoon, as well as HMCS Huntsville (Castle Class F)

08-07-05, 08:41 AM	#11
Abraham Eternal Patrol Moderator Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,572 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	How did you get into U-boats? Was since childhood interested in the Royal Neth. Navy and visited a submarine during the yearly Navy Days. Since early teens interested in everything that had to do with WWII. Read a few years later the Dutch translation of: 'Run Silent, Run Deep' by Comm. Edward Beach and was sold forever. Later the movie 'Das Boot', then an Atari with Silent Service II and every subgame since... __________________ RIP Abraham

08-07-05, 09:29 AM	#12
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	I must of been about 7yrs old and was watching Television with my father, we were watching a black n white documentary called World at War and the episode was on the Atlantic. There for the first time i saw a Uboat and asked my father if he liked them he replied that he prefered battleships compared to submarines. But i fell in love with the submarine that day. It was hard back then in finding books on uboats, but over the years i now have a good collection of submarine novels In the early 90's I saw a game in the computer shop called Aces of the Deep the cover of the big over size cd box was very tempting that i brought it on the spot. At the time i had a Pentium100, with 8mb of ram 2gb HD cdrom and sound blaster card, and a 1mb graphics Trident card, running the new windows95 the computer cost me nearly 4grand! I loved that game. Then moved onto faster sims, and tried Fast Attack, a nuclear sub game, then SH1 and 2, Sub command and now SH3 and Dangerous waters. __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.

08-07-05, 01:47 PM	#13
pampanito Mate Join Date: May 2005 Location: Spain Posts: 59 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	Watching 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' (the SEAVIEW!) in TV probably started it... I remember very well both arcade games mentioned by PTHO and ReM... But the thing that made me understand how serious a matter it was, was a film about US submarines in the Pacific (I don't remember which one, I think the sub was called SeaHawk), in a scene a sailor had forgotten to shut one of the internal doors closed, there was a depth-charge attack and concussion made the door close with a crash, severing the arm of the standing sailor. It was the most horrifying scene I had yet watched in TV, and must have really hit something inside me, because from that moment on I devoured everything I could lay my hands on, regarding WW2 US submarines. Soon afterwards, I saw a magazine with photographs of the interior of a German U-boat during an actual depth-charge attack. The captions said the photos came from a camera retrieved from a U-boat wreck (I have never seen them again, and I am not sure if the history was true). The photos showed the bearded crewmen sitting quietly in half-light, looking upwards, while an officer counted with his fingers the seconds, waiting for the depth-charge explosions. Thus my interest extended to German U-boats, and has not ceased to grow in the next 35 years...

08-07-05, 02:05 PM	#14
Skweetis Watch Officer Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Cambridge, Canada Posts: 335 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	I got interested from way back when I was playing Jane's 688i, I so badly wanted to run a Kilo or other desiel type of submarine. I then found out about subsim.com during the "Fix my 688i!" campaign... then through the forums I found out about SH1 and AoD... At first I wasnt really interested in WW2 subs, but it was one of the only ways I could get the opportunity to run a deisel sub... but after playing those classics, I quickly fell in love.... I now prefer WW2 sub simming to modern day subsimming... Eventually, I hope some developer decides to do a post WW2/early Cold War subsim to fill the gap...

08-07-05, 03:41 PM	#15
AlanSmithee Torpedoman Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chicago Expatriate Posts: 116 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	I got interested in subs by playing Silent Service II in glorious 16 colors on my ancient Tandy. Back when it was possible to sink every single escort in a convoy with down-the-throat shots. From there switched over to Wolfpack, and then for some reason stopped playing subsims for, what, almost a decade? In any case, it's great to be back in a boot again.