The Silent Hunter that never was, part I ? A real periscope

[Herr-Berbunch]

Black for me too. Glad you're still around, and glad you're still thinking about SH - that can only be a good thing.

[Subnuts]

Realistically, you wouldn't be looking at anything except the eyepiece and bearing scale when looking through the periscope. Any submarine captain who does a periscope search so far away from the eyepiece he can see the interior of the boat moving around him needs a new day job before he kills 50 men!

[Bilge_Rat]

while the idea of having a 3d background is intriguing, I would think it would be more of a distraction once the novelty wears off. I voted for black, but I am on the fence on this one.

p.s.: sounds like another Silent Hunter might be in the cards? my credit card is ready!

[Raticon]

A cool feature would be - like the first poster implied - a brief moment where the enviroment is visible and then fading out, simulating the kaleun closing the other eye and focusing trough the lens, another one would be the enviroment coming visible for brief moments when a lot of movement shakes the boat like a storm or explosions nearby simulating the kaleun losing focus for a brief time and/or stumbling slightly, thus losing his immediate contact with the lens with the open eye.

I know it would be very hard to simulate and make working properly, but it would make for a cool feeling and make the player more aware of the world outside the periscope... For myself i tend to focus so hard i sometimes firget that the periscope is actually attached to the uboat and not just a free-floating lens, haplessly adrift on the ocean heading towards a tasty tanker...

Naturally, it would be optional much like other realism-options.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Raticon

I know it would be very hard to simulate and make working properly, but it would make for a cool feeling and make the player more aware of the world outside the periscope... For myself i tend to focus so hard i sometimes firget that the periscope is actually attached to the uboat and not just a free-floating lens, haplessly adrift on the ocean heading towards a tasty tanker...

Naturally, it would be optional much like other realism-options.

This is an idea I like. Having to deal with maintenance, condensation, fogging and vibration at high speeds would be welcome additions from a realism standpoint.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by elanaiba

But in the end, it was interesting that we couldn't all agree whether its cool to have the periscope like that or not? Some people thought its nice and brings something new and immersive to the genre. Others thought - and with good reason - that a real periscope image should be black all around, as the captain would close the other eye.

What do people here think?

I think it's a mixed bag. (Yup, im gonna wax form and function) Next to the TDC, the periscope is the most important aspect of a submarine sim in terms of function. So first and foremost, the Periscope must convey information, and have good functionality in how it interrelates/intermingles/reacts with the TDC.

Along those lines, I personnally find too much clutter distracting. My eyes are darting here, there, checking all the variables in the firing solution and getting them to the TDC. When i do this, I am in a hurry. The less my eye has to sort through, the better.

On the other hand, it has to feel authentic, and it should have some "character". So with that thought, my minds eye is seeing something in between. Have the "gauge look" of SH3, and have the background of the control room visible in 3d around the edges, but blur it out. With that main focus on the periscope view, and associated dials/input related to inputting a firing solution and shooting torpedos. Think of it as your eye focusing on an object up close, what does the stuff in the background do? It looses focus and becomes blurry as it goes off into your peripheral vision. This would provide immersion, but keep the focus on the periscope and its controls. Done right, i think it would minimize the clutter that is distracting to the eye, and still provide the immersion wanted by the end users.

As a side note, The overall tint of the background should ALWAYS reflect the lighting in the compartment.

[krashkart]

I think Ducimus hit the nail on the head there...

[Charlie901]

I voted for black but would love to see the 3d background as an option...

Dan,

Thanks for stopping by and being a part of our community.

[tonyw123]

How about >select scope view> 3d scope with visible background, bearing marks, mag select, tdc dials etc, then hold down shift key to close in to scope with a black background only. That would seem to be more realistic to me.