Simple Integration - Writing Patrol Logs / Reading Books

Frederf · 08-18-09, 04:16 PM

The following is two related suggestions for Silent Hunter 5. A lot of suggestions for the upcoming release are grandiose, pie-in-the-sky ideas that would require massive development effort and very early introduction into the development cycle The two ideas listed below should be relatively to introduce at a moderate to late stage in development and should provide good bang-for-the-buck value in terms of development effort.

Writing Patrol Logs

One of the stronger modern references to WWII submariner activity is the patrol log. They vary from simplistic statements to rich paragraphs and give surprisingly efficient insight into the reality, complexity, and feeling experienced. Similarly, letting Silent Hunter players construct, read, and exchange journals at sea will provide a feeling of history and connection with their boats and the community at large.

The best thing about logging is that, given a few simple tools and abilities, the content is all user-created. There are no 3D modelers and skinners to employ for countless hours. Some rather compartmentalized programming and minimal UI design is all that's required.

The list of suggested features (priority top):

User Entry. Automatic, unalterable entries feel cold and severely lack flexibility. Even a simple blank space for the user to type whatever he wants would be invaluable.
Import / Export. More than likely, players will want to share their creative works with others and also take in works made by the community.
Assisted Insertable Features. Insertable hyperlinks that are tied to map coordinates, timestamp entities, casualty reports, standardized weather entries, templates, and reduce the workload and enhance the presentation. Any automated or templated entry needs full user delete/edit control.
Screenshot photograps. Pictures make a written work far more accessible. Automatically resized and placable amidst text with black-and-white or GUI-free options.

Try not to think too small or restrictive in this idea. Let the template/auto-function definitions be in script files that users can edit and create their own. Allow several concurrent logs in case people want to make a separate weather or navigation log for instance.

Reading Books

I can't count the number of times that I've wanted to read some website, pdf, or forum discussion while playing Silent Hunter but have been unable to since the document is outside the game and I'm inside. Given a way to have simple text (possibly with graphics) books accessible in game, so much could be possible.

Community-written submarine guides could be referenced and read by new players while playing. Historical manuals, orders, and references could be read during patrols. Even simple entertainment reading is easy.

Books might have a date associated with them to control release. A 1944 book might not be accessible in 1941 for example. Not all documents would choose to be restricted but the possibility opens up loads of opportunities.

Biggs[CV] · 08-18-09, 05:14 PM

I would love to be able to write notes in the patrol log.

henriksultan · 08-18-09, 05:27 PM

It would be a HUGE immersion factor to be able to write the log, and a great way to spend time during those mission that you do play with out speeding time (coz you all do it right?).

Listen up to Frederf and make it even easier to share these logs, no more need to sum it all up after the missions over or use paper and pen (not that big of a hassle but a tad more work when sharing stories).

Great post

Rockin Robbins · 08-18-09, 05:30 PM

Ditto!

That's a great idea. Let's see what we get. I hope my pessimism is unfounded.

oscar19681 · 08-18-09, 05:45 PM

How could i forget this. They had it in silent hunter 2 i think. And indeed how many times i wanted to add my personal view into the log when exiting stuff happened on patrol.

Captain Vlad · 08-19-09, 06:22 PM

Both those ideas are raw elegance.

I remember an old DOS sci-fi game that let you write captain's logs...loved it then, loved it now.

Books? On patrol? With the ability to put in your own .doc or .pdf files to read while you hunt? I don't think I'd ever stop playing...

jtm55 · 08-19-09, 06:56 PM

Hi All

That's a excellent idea. I hope it's included in Silent Hunter 5

Stealth Hunter · 08-19-09, 07:41 PM

Great idea. Probably won't make it in, though. Ubi never has been too hell-bent on satisfying some of the more meager wants of their customers.

billyjack · 08-19-09, 10:42 PM

Tired of silent hunter 4 at times , I'm sure you do to as with any game you play it, you play it, you play it & well you play it, I would like to see something DIFFERENT this time, don't get me wrong I LOVE silent hunter 4 GREAT GAME. no wait AWESOME game, But I know that you can only fit about 4 gigs on a dvd or have they moved to Double layer dvds now? been so long since i bought a store bought cd, i like the download the game and burn my OWN DVD,
but all this stuff we want in the game, i agree about the mussem ditch that i NEVER use it anyway. but i saw the trailer and I'm thinking to myself hmm, NOW IF omg please if only it plays this way. you can talk to your crew watch them work ect, I'm tired of watching that guy tighten that same damn bolt over and over, it's tight dummy move on

. but i mean with today's technology lol they should SAID should be able to implement something for all of us. i mean i love mods and more mods but i hope they take the TIME and do us right this time , and NOT have to download 4 or 5 or 6 patches THEN the mods on top of that. UBI I PRAY YOU TAKE YOUR TIME , PLEASEEEEEE for the love of the game. As we ALL love it.

FOR god sake do it right, THANK YOU tho for putting out another which I have faith you will do it right THIS time silent hunter. My thanks to you.

TarJak · 08-20-09, 12:24 AM

It would certainly add to the immersion. again hope it gets in but not one that would stop me buying it if it wasn't there.

Grothesj2 · 08-20-09, 03:29 AM

A good idea and it would seem to be a relativly easy feature to add.

Myxale · 08-20-09, 06:29 PM

Oh god yes! Patrol logs! Gimme the power to write them!

Sitting in my virtual Kaleun's Bunk, opening a drawer and start writing about the life on a Boot!

But honestly!

The Kaleuns bunk could be used that way. Typing or writing logs.
Or taking a look into the crew's-files.
Performances, Shifts or Watch Roosters, LI Reports.

It would be the real deal!

Please UBI give this Kaleun something to do while the sea is calm!

JScones · 08-21-09, 06:09 AM

This goes to show how much happiness can be created from such a simple addition. Surely a notepad or similar would not take much effort to implement; just a static screen to capture and display user-entered text, as well as default (but editable) system generated "ship sunk" and other key messages.

An "open" file format allows modders to develop tools to import/export and share KTB's across the community.

My only disagreement with Frederf's suggestion is that I want period KTB's; no hyperlinks or embedded images as IMHO that just makes it tacky. And stick to period KTB layout too, otherwise again, it just becomes tacky and arcadish.

Insofar as viewing online material, given the nature of u-boat warfare (lot's of quiet time), the ability to browse the web or open reading material easily from within SH5 should be seriously considered.

Frederf · 08-21-09, 04:24 PM

I was thinking like "click on a link and it takes you to that part of the nav map" type hyperlinks, like Armed Assault does in its briefings. Thinking back on it I can't think of a really good reason to do this unless you want to cater to people that can't be bothered to be told lat/long.

I'm just sick of being told "Patrol S of the Admiralty Islands" in RSRD and having no clue where the heck those are. There's so many places referenced in RSRD that you just have to "know."

Thinking about it again having a link where you click on "Ship Sunk" and it zooms the map to that location would be not at all too useful.

LiveGoat · 08-21-09, 07:10 PM

I'd like to see all actions taken by the captain (player) recorded automatically in the log book with the date and time. I seem to remember one of the old sub games did this. Fast attack or Silent Hunter I maybe? Would be cool to review prior mission "actions taken" logs while on patrol to possibly avoid repeating errors, review tactics etc...

08-18-09, 04:16 PM	#1
Frederf Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 665 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 1	Simple Integration - Writing Patrol Logs / Reading Books The following is two related suggestions for Silent Hunter 5. A lot of suggestions for the upcoming release are grandiose, pie-in-the-sky ideas that would require massive development effort and very early introduction into the development cycle The two ideas listed below should be relatively to introduce at a moderate to late stage in development and should provide good bang-for-the-buck value in terms of development effort. Writing Patrol Logs One of the stronger modern references to WWII submariner activity is the patrol log. They vary from simplistic statements to rich paragraphs and give surprisingly efficient insight into the reality, complexity, and feeling experienced. Similarly, letting Silent Hunter players construct, read, and exchange journals at sea will provide a feeling of history and connection with their boats and the community at large. The best thing about logging is that, given a few simple tools and abilities, the content is all user-created. There are no 3D modelers and skinners to employ for countless hours. Some rather compartmentalized programming and minimal UI design is all that's required. The list of suggested features (priority top): User Entry. Automatic, unalterable entries feel cold and severely lack flexibility. Even a simple blank space for the user to type whatever he wants would be invaluable. Import / Export. More than likely, players will want to share their creative works with others and also take in works made by the community. Assisted Insertable Features. Insertable hyperlinks that are tied to map coordinates, timestamp entities, casualty reports, standardized weather entries, templates, and reduce the workload and enhance the presentation. Any automated or templated entry needs full user delete/edit control. Screenshot photograps. Pictures make a written work far more accessible. Automatically resized and placable amidst text with black-and-white or GUI-free options. Try not to think too small or restrictive in this idea. Let the template/auto-function definitions be in script files that users can edit and create their own. Allow several concurrent logs in case people want to make a separate weather or navigation log for instance. Reading Books I can't count the number of times that I've wanted to read some website, pdf, or forum discussion while playing Silent Hunter but have been unable to since the document is outside the game and I'm inside. Given a way to have simple text (possibly with graphics) books accessible in game, so much could be possible. Community-written submarine guides could be referenced and read by new players while playing. Historical manuals, orders, and references could be read during patrols. Even simple entertainment reading is easy. Books might have a date associated with them to control release. A 1944 book might not be accessible in 1941 for example. Not all documents would choose to be restricted but the possibility opens up loads of opportunities.

08-18-09, 05:14 PM	#2
Biggs[CV] Mate Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 56 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I would love to be able to write notes in the patrol log. __________________ "Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking."

08-18-09, 05:27 PM	#3
henriksultan Sailor man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 46 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	It would be a HUGE immersion factor to be able to write the log, and a great way to spend time during those mission that you do play with out speeding time (coz you all do it right?). Listen up to Frederf and make it even easier to share these logs, no more need to sum it all up after the missions over or use paper and pen (not that big of a hassle but a tad more work when sharing stories). Great post __________________ Running: Not enough

08-18-09, 05:30 PM	#4
Rockin Robbins Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 8,900 Downloads: 135 Uploads: 52	Ditto! That's a great idea. Let's see what we get. I hope my pessimism is unfounded. __________________ Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks, Slightly Subnuclear Mk 14 & Cutie, Slightly Subnuclear Deck Gun, EZPlot 2.0, TMOPlot, TMOKeys, SH4CMS

08-18-09, 05:45 PM	#5
oscar19681 Admiral Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: netherlands Posts: 2,020 Downloads: 119 Uploads: 0	How could i forget this. They had it in silent hunter 2 i think. And indeed how many times i wanted to add my personal view into the log when exiting stuff happened on patrol. __________________ we live we die but death does not ends it. Jim Morrison 1943-1971

08-19-09, 06:22 PM	#6
Captain Vlad Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Pollard, Oklahoma Posts: 679 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	Both those ideas are raw elegance. I remember an old DOS sci-fi game that let you write captain's logs...loved it then, loved it now. Books? On patrol? With the ability to put in your own .doc or .pdf files to read while you hunt? I don't think I'd ever stop playing... __________________ "Stop sounding battlestations just to hear the alarm."

08-19-09, 06:56 PM	#7
jtm55 Watch Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: USA Posts: 26 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Hi All That's a excellent idea. I hope it's included in Silent Hunter 5

08-19-09, 07:41 PM	#8
Stealth Hunter Silent Hunter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Y'ha-Nthlei Posts: 4,262 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	Great idea. Probably won't make it in, though. Ubi never has been too hell-bent on satisfying some of the more meager wants of their customers.

08-19-09, 10:42 PM	#9
billyjack Seaman Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 31 Downloads: 305 Uploads: 0	Thank you UBI Tired of silent hunter 4 at times , I'm sure you do to as with any game you play it, you play it, you play it & well you play it, I would like to see something DIFFERENT this time, don't get me wrong I LOVE silent hunter 4 GREAT GAME. no wait AWESOME game, But I know that you can only fit about 4 gigs on a dvd or have they moved to Double layer dvds now? been so long since i bought a store bought cd, i like the download the game and burn my OWN DVD, but all this stuff we want in the game, i agree about the mussem ditch that i NEVER use it anyway. but i saw the trailer and I'm thinking to myself hmm, NOW IF omg please if only it plays this way. you can talk to your crew watch them work ect, I'm tired of watching that guy tighten that same damn bolt over and over, it's tight dummy move on . but i mean with today's technology lol they should SAID should be able to implement something for all of us. i mean i love mods and more mods but i hope they take the TIME and do us right this time , and NOT have to download 4 or 5 or 6 patches THEN the mods on top of that. UBI I PRAY YOU TAKE YOUR TIME , PLEASEEEEEE for the love of the game. As we ALL love it. FOR god sake do it right, THANK YOU tho for putting out another which I have faith you will do it right THIS time silent hunter. My thanks to you.

08-20-09, 12:24 AM	#10
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	It would certainly add to the immersion. again hope it gets in but not one that would stop me buying it if it wasn't there.

08-20-09, 03:29 AM	#11
Grothesj2 Medic Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 167 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	A good idea and it would seem to be a relativly easy feature to add.

08-20-09, 06:29 PM	#12
Myxale Admiral Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: PQ AN 25 Posts: 2,178 Downloads: 70 Uploads: 0	Oh god yes! Patrol logs! Gimme the power to write them! Sitting in my virtual Kaleun's Bunk, opening a drawer and start writing about the life on a Boot! But honestly! The Kaleuns bunk could be used that way. Typing or writing logs. Or taking a look into the crew's-files. Performances, Shifts or Watch Roosters, LI Reports. It would be the real deal! Please UBI give this Kaleun something to do while the sea is calm! __________________ SH3+GWX SH5+WoS Still Sailing....still Deep

08-21-09, 06:09 AM	#13
JScones Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 5,501 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	This goes to show how much happiness can be created from such a simple addition. Surely a notepad or similar would not take much effort to implement; just a static screen to capture and display user-entered text, as well as default (but editable) system generated "ship sunk" and other key messages. An "open" file format allows modders to develop tools to import/export and share KTB's across the community. My only disagreement with Frederf's suggestion is that I want period KTB's; no hyperlinks or embedded images as IMHO that just makes it tacky. And stick to period KTB layout too, otherwise again, it just becomes tacky and arcadish. Insofar as viewing online material, given the nature of u-boat warfare (lot's of quiet time), the ability to browse the web or open reading material easily from within SH5 should be seriously considered.

08-21-09, 04:24 PM	#14
Frederf Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 665 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 1	I was thinking like "click on a link and it takes you to that part of the nav map" type hyperlinks, like Armed Assault does in its briefings. Thinking back on it I can't think of a really good reason to do this unless you want to cater to people that can't be bothered to be told lat/long. I'm just sick of being told "Patrol S of the Admiralty Islands" in RSRD and having no clue where the heck those are. There's so many places referenced in RSRD that you just have to "know." Thinking about it again having a link where you click on "Ship Sunk" and it zooms the map to that location would be not at all too useful.

08-21-09, 07:10 PM	#15
LiveGoat XO Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: New York City Posts: 408 Downloads: 439 Uploads: 0	I'd like to see all actions taken by the captain (player) recorded automatically in the log book with the date and time. I seem to remember one of the old sub games did this. Fast attack or Silent Hunter I maybe? Would be cool to review prior mission "actions taken" logs while on patrol to possibly avoid repeating errors, review tactics etc...