688(i) Hunter Killer, years later

Robsoie · 02-25-09, 07:03 PM

It's been a while i have not replayed 688(i) Hunter Killer, mostly because i am always toying around with Sub Command.

For nostalgia kick, i launched 688 and after playing 3 missions in a row of the campaign ... i had a very good time, in fact i had even more fun than playing with Sub Command.

Sub Command features most of 688(i) stations, has the same visuals with just better resolution (especially the "ping station").
And of course features more material in mission editor and 2 more playable subs (without counting scx).

But what Sub Commands does not have anymore for some reason is :
-distinct sounds in the broadband in the sonar for more than just torpedoes (as Sonalyst lowered apparently a lot those specific sounds in a Sub Command patch so most of the time you don't hear the difference with the garbage noise and so must only use the visual of the waterfall) . In 688 the "hearable" sounds gives the sonar station a more interesting feel, as the waterfall is certainly very usefull, but being able to hear the sound yourself contribute even more to the immersion.

-the pseudo 3D display inside of the sub instead of just clicking the station icons, in 688 you had a button that gave you a display of each rooms if you wanted to use them instead of using only the icons to go directly to a station like in Sub Command (thought the icons were there too in 688 if you didn't wanted to use the rooms display).
Of course that's useless for gameplay, but in my opinion it is again a bit more immersive.

-the campaign had for me a better interest, not because of the nature of the missions as the Sub Command missions are interesting (and apparently you can convert them overall to Sub Command), but because the points you earn but filling your primary and secondary objectives are not only used for your own ego, they have an impact in the campaign because you can use those earned point to customise the sub.

It may be unrealistic (especially some of the parts you can buy), but for my own fun it adds a lot of replay value, as once you have enough of those points you can customise the 688 in different ways, and you ahve the choice to ignore that if you strictly want to play realistically.
But it simulate a bit that technology improve with time, so as 688 does not feature other more modern subs, this "gamey" feature help to imaging you are assigned to a newer sub class

-The videos, i found it to be really a nice touch to have those videos after some missions with your boss, according to your current score, telling you if you screwed up or congratulating you.
This i think was helping to get the player more inside the story.

Certainly Sub Command had a great thing for it that 688 can't deliver : having a choice between the 688, the Akula and the Seawolf.
But when i play mostly with the 688, i feel doing so with 688 Hunter Killer is more fun and rewarding than with Sub Command.

Anyone felt something similar ?

Blacklight · 02-25-09, 07:25 PM

Quote:

But what Sub Commands does not have anymore for some reason is :
-distinct sounds in the broadband in the sonar for more than just torpedoes (as Sonalyst lowered apparently a lot those specific sounds in a Sub Command patch so most of the time you don't hear the difference with the garbage noise and so must only use the visual of the waterfall) . In 688 the "hearable" sounds gives the sonar station a more interesting feel, as the waterfall is certainly very usefull, but being able to hear the sound yourself contribute even more to the immersion.

That's odd. I get those sounds in my Sub Command and I'm upgraded to the latest patch. Did you check to see if you had the audio turned on at the switch at the Broadband station ? Also, check the sound settings in the Options as well. You may have one of the sound channels tuned too low to hear against the other sounds. You should easily be able to hear audio generated by anything that's making a noise out there.

Here's the audio settings I use:
Music: Off
Voice Response 6 1/2
3D Sound 5 1/2
Sound Effects 2 1/2

(When I set them to their default, I've found that certain audio completely overpowers other audio, especially an incomming ping which I was afraid would blow my speakers !)
Anyway. Those are the settings that work the best for me.

rockhopper · 02-25-09, 08:09 PM

I just bought the Naval Combat Pack from Steam, and I am loving 688i. Back in the 90's I was playing flight sims exclusively, so I never really got into the naval stuff.

It's like a brand new game for me.

Blacklight · 02-25-09, 09:33 PM

688i was AWESOME ! I remember printing out the manual for it with my lazer printer and then having to have Staples mount it into two separate books because they didn't have binding combs wider than 1 1/2 inches !

I still play it sometimes. I have all the Sonalysts games installed on my PC's here.
To this day, I think the tutorial in the rulebook was WAY better than the tutorials in any of the sub games to come.

Frame57 · 02-26-09, 10:33 AM

If memory serves me right the boats in 688i will also produce more realistic up/down angles.

Robsoie · 02-26-09, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blacklight

Quote:

But what Sub Commands does not have anymore for some reason is :
-distinct sounds in the broadband in the sonar for more than just torpedoes (as Sonalyst lowered apparently a lot those specific sounds in a Sub Command patch so most of the time you don't hear the difference with the garbage noise and so must only use the visual of the waterfall) . In 688 the "hearable" sounds gives the sonar station a more interesting feel, as the waterfall is certainly very usefull, but being able to hear the sound yourself contribute even more to the immersion.

That's odd. I get those sounds in my Sub Command and I'm upgraded to the latest patch. Did you check to see if you had the audio turned on at the switch at the Broadband station ? Also, check the sound settings in the Options as well. You may have one of the sound channels tuned too low to hear against the other sounds. You should easily be able to hear audio generated by anything that's making a noise out there.

Here's the audio settings I use:
Music: Off
Voice Response 6 1/2
3D Sound 5 1/2
Sound Effects 2 1/2

(When I set them to their default, I've found that certain audio completely overpowers other audio, especially an incomming ping which I was afraid would blow my speakers !)
Anyway. Those are the settings that work the best for me.

Thanks will try to tweak around those settings.
But i think if you can hear ships and subs sounds inside of the garbage noise of the sonar, it must be a soundcard problem on my end maybe, as the only sounds i can hear in the garbage background sounds are :
-torpedoes
-explosions
-hull cracks from destroyed ships/subs falling
-pings

But nothing more, while in 688(i) Hunter Killer i can hear all these inside the broadband garbage noise too, but in the same time i can hear the various surface vessels, and more faintly submarines (as long as there is a trace in the waterfall, i can't hear them if they are not catched by either towed array or sphere sonars) when i move my detection bar in broadband to their direction.

grover · 07-07-09, 06:51 AM

Thats exactly the way I feel Robsoie. Im wanting to get back into sub simming, and while i bought DW, SC, and almost every other naval sim thats come since 688i, nothing has sucked me into the campiagn like it, or Silent Hunter 1. I just loved 688i. I do wonder if playing it again will kind of ruin the legend but its worth trying. I might just install now and have a go on works laptop (hehe)

Robsoie · 07-07-09, 07:46 PM

Yes the campaign of 688 is way superior to SC without any contest in term of immersion. And regarding gameplay, the score system is really rewarding with the possibility to use it to get upgrades, this is then allowing different take on the same missions, like if you in fact used new subs or prototypes.

That helps to workaround the fact there is only 1 submarine, as with some of the upgrades, you can by example pretend to be inside a seawolf.

Another interesting superior thing in 688 over SC is as i said in a previous post the sounds of -every- engines (even the subs) that can be heard in the broadband (faintly for the subs though), allowing you to actually use your ears as much as the graphics. like a sonar guy would do in a real sub.

Unfortunately in SC, Sonalyst lowered (a very lot) some of those engine sounds in one of the last patches, so much that you can't hear anymore any sub engine with the parasites sound covering them.
This sound management in 688 really contribute to the sub feeling.

I believe always nowadays, the game in itself is good, but it is true that visually it is old with its low res. An high res version would do wonders.

But it is always a risk to replay old favorites, sometime as you said your memory is so great that actually going to replay can result in a disapointement.

688 patched up to the latest version works very good on my XP (with the 688 executable set to window98 compatibility and disable visual theme checked)

grover · 07-07-09, 07:52 PM

Well I installed last night (well about 1am this morning) and had a quick play and its fine. I dont mond the dated graphics at all. Running on Windows 7 using XP compatibility and the updated win2k DLLs. No problems so far.

Does anyone know if it can be played in a window like SC?

zakarpatska · 02-17-10, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grover

Well I installed last night (well about 1am this morning) and had a quick play and its fine. I dont mond the dated graphics at all. Running on Windows 7 using XP compatibility and the updated win2k DLLs. No problems so far.

Does anyone know if it can be played in a window like SC?

You can install virtualization software such as qemu/vmware/virtualbox. Then you can run a virtual Windows machine and play 688i on the virtual machine. It will be nicely windowed for you though at a fixed 640x480 window size.

This is what I do on my Linux laptop using a vrtual WindowsXP machine running under qemu. It works great.

zakarpatska · 05-30-10, 03:52 PM

Does anyone have 688i working in virtual box under Ubuntu? The logo with the picture of the submarine comes up, but then all I get is a black screen. I've tried both virtualbox and virtualbox-ose. It worked well under qemu, so I'm not sure what this issue is.

WolfFlight · 12-02-11, 05:06 PM

I just found rereleased copies.

The game was repackaged for Windows7 in 2010.

I just bought 2 copies. One for me, and one for a friend of mine.

I can't wait to rediscover the fantastic fun I had with this game years ago.

The game is available on Amazon.com as well.

Tim_the_Bald · 12-28-11, 04:56 PM

I wish I could get the sound to work.

02-25-09, 07:03 PM	#1
Robsoie Machinist's Mate Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 130 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	688(i) Hunter Killer, years later It's been a while i have not replayed 688(i) Hunter Killer, mostly because i am always toying around with Sub Command. For nostalgia kick, i launched 688 and after playing 3 missions in a row of the campaign ... i had a very good time, in fact i had even more fun than playing with Sub Command. Sub Command features most of 688(i) stations, has the same visuals with just better resolution (especially the "ping station"). And of course features more material in mission editor and 2 more playable subs (without counting scx). But what Sub Commands does not have anymore for some reason is : -distinct sounds in the broadband in the sonar for more than just torpedoes (as Sonalyst lowered apparently a lot those specific sounds in a Sub Command patch so most of the time you don't hear the difference with the garbage noise and so must only use the visual of the waterfall) . In 688 the "hearable" sounds gives the sonar station a more interesting feel, as the waterfall is certainly very usefull, but being able to hear the sound yourself contribute even more to the immersion. -the pseudo 3D display inside of the sub instead of just clicking the station icons, in 688 you had a button that gave you a display of each rooms if you wanted to use them instead of using only the icons to go directly to a station like in Sub Command (thought the icons were there too in 688 if you didn't wanted to use the rooms display). Of course that's useless for gameplay, but in my opinion it is again a bit more immersive. -the campaign had for me a better interest, not because of the nature of the missions as the Sub Command missions are interesting (and apparently you can convert them overall to Sub Command), but because the points you earn but filling your primary and secondary objectives are not only used for your own ego, they have an impact in the campaign because you can use those earned point to customise the sub. It may be unrealistic (especially some of the parts you can buy), but for my own fun it adds a lot of replay value, as once you have enough of those points you can customise the 688 in different ways, and you ahve the choice to ignore that if you strictly want to play realistically. But it simulate a bit that technology improve with time, so as 688 does not feature other more modern subs, this "gamey" feature help to imaging you are assigned to a newer sub class -The videos, i found it to be really a nice touch to have those videos after some missions with your boss, according to your current score, telling you if you screwed up or congratulating you. This i think was helping to get the player more inside the story. Certainly Sub Command had a great thing for it that 688 can't deliver : having a choice between the 688, the Akula and the Seawolf. But when i play mostly with the 688, i feel doing so with 688 Hunter Killer is more fun and rewarding than with Sub Command. Anyone felt something similar ?

02-25-09, 09:33 PM	#4
Blacklight Ocean Warrior Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,507 Downloads: 145 Uploads: 0	688i was AWESOME ! I remember printing out the manual for it with my lazer printer and then having to have Staples mount it into two separate books because they didn't have binding combs wider than 1 1/2 inches ! I still play it sometimes. I have all the Sonalysts games installed on my PC's here. To this day, I think the tutorial in the rulebook was WAY better than the tutorials in any of the sub games to come. __________________ Be my friend or be a mushroom cloud. "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes !"

02-26-09, 10:33 AM	#5
Frame57 Sea Lord Join Date: May 2008 Location: 1300 feet on the crapper Posts: 1,860 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	If memory serves me right the boats in 688i will also produce more realistic up/down angles. __________________ "My Religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds." Albert Einstein

12-02-11, 05:06 PM	#12
WolfFlight Nub Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 3 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Just bought it again I just found rereleased copies. The game was repackaged for Windows7 in 2010. I just bought 2 copies. One for me, and one for a friend of mine. I can't wait to rediscover the fantastic fun I had with this game years ago. The game is available on Amazon.com as well.

12-28-11, 04:56 PM	#13
Tim_the_Bald Nub Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 3 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	Sound not working in 688 I wish I could get the sound to work.

02-25-09, 08:09 PM	#3
rockhopper Nub Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 4 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	I just bought the Naval Combat Pack from Steam, and I am loving 688i. Back in the 90's I was playing flight sims exclusively, so I never really got into the naval stuff. It's like a brand new game for me.

07-07-09, 06:51 AM	#7
grover Watch Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 15 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	Thats exactly the way I feel Robsoie. Im wanting to get back into sub simming, and while i bought DW, SC, and almost every other naval sim thats come since 688i, nothing has sucked me into the campiagn like it, or Silent Hunter 1. I just loved 688i. I do wonder if playing it again will kind of ruin the legend but its worth trying. I might just install now and have a go on works laptop (hehe)

07-07-09, 07:46 PM	#8
Robsoie Machinist's Mate Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 130 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Yes the campaign of 688 is way superior to SC without any contest in term of immersion. And regarding gameplay, the score system is really rewarding with the possibility to use it to get upgrades, this is then allowing different take on the same missions, like if you in fact used new subs or prototypes. That helps to workaround the fact there is only 1 submarine, as with some of the upgrades, you can by example pretend to be inside a seawolf. Another interesting superior thing in 688 over SC is as i said in a previous post the sounds of -every- engines (even the subs) that can be heard in the broadband (faintly for the subs though), allowing you to actually use your ears as much as the graphics. like a sonar guy would do in a real sub. Unfortunately in SC, Sonalyst lowered (a very lot) some of those engine sounds in one of the last patches, so much that you can't hear anymore any sub engine with the parasites sound covering them. This sound management in 688 really contribute to the sub feeling. I believe always nowadays, the game in itself is good, but it is true that visually it is old with its low res. An high res version would do wonders. But it is always a risk to replay old favorites, sometime as you said your memory is so great that actually going to replay can result in a disapointement. 688 patched up to the latest version works very good on my XP (with the 688 executable set to window98 compatibility and disable visual theme checked)

07-07-09, 07:52 PM	#9
grover Watch Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 15 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	Well I installed last night (well about 1am this morning) and had a quick play and its fine. I dont mond the dated graphics at all. Running on Windows 7 using XP compatibility and the updated win2k DLLs. No problems so far. Does anyone know if it can be played in a window like SC?

05-30-10, 03:52 PM	#11
zakarpatska Loader Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 88 Downloads: 127 Uploads: 0	Does anyone have 688i working in virtual box under Ubuntu? The logo with the picture of the submarine comes up, but then all I get is a black screen. I've tried both virtualbox and virtualbox-ose. It worked well under qemu, so I'm not sure what this issue is.