Immersion

[19Herr_Rapp86]

Otherwise you're not playing the game at all, you're ignoring it.

In a way perhaps, but crewman had things to do to keep their mind off the monotony. In a sense ignoring events around them. Or lack of events thereof. Writing letters, keeping journals, etc. In the book "Iron Coffins" the auther tells of buying books in port to read in off-duty hours.

If you really want to experience the boredom and idleness, don't read a book, don't listen to the radio, don't do anything but sit and stare at the screen, for hours on end

I catch myself doing that a lot too. Its just.... well.... fun!

[razark]

Originally Posted by 19Herr_Rapp86

In the book "Iron Coffins" the auther tells of buying books in port to read in off-duty hours.

The problem is that in game, it's never off-duty hours.

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

If you really want to experience the boredom and idleness, don't read a book, don't listen to the radio, don't do anything but sit and stare at the screen, for hours on end.

I already have a game for that. It's called a job.

[I'm goin' down]

[19Herr_Rapp86]

What are you shaking your head about IGD? Whats up

[19Herr_Rapp86]

The problem is that in game, it's never off-duty hours.

Create your own. As we all know we all have an imagination of some sort or we wouldn't be here at this particular forum. This is what I do (when time permits of course). You have 3 watch shifts correct? For the number 1 shift, I do sit and stare at the screen for hours on end. I do practice diving drills, sounding runs, observe the seas, frequently check maps, etc etc. When the whistle blows to signal next watch I click to go below decks and then do my thing. Go up to the bridge for an occasional peek. Then resume when watch 1 takes over again. It's how I like to do things. Not right or wrong. Everybody has their own way of playing the game and immersing themselves in it.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by 19Herr_Rapp86

In a way perhaps, but crewman had things to do to keep their mind off the monotony. In a sense ignoring events around them. Or lack of events thereof. Writing letters, keeping journals, etc. In the book "Iron Coffins" the auther tells of buying books in port to read in off-duty hours.

Been there, done that. Eating, reading, watching a movie, even sleeping, you can feel the motion and smell the salt air. The ship is a part of you. For me, no game can ever replicated that, at least not the current generation. I put the game in to get away from reading, sleeping and the boredom of real life. If there was some kind of helmet or real-life holodeck, then sure.

But that's just me.

On the other hand I've been playing computer subsims for twenty-five years.

[19Herr_Rapp86]

25 years. Wow!!! Nice. And yeah nothing really replicates the real thing. Just like all this call of duty modern warfare stuff can't replicate what it was like patrolling the streets of some few towns in Iraq with my Marines. I hear you there

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by 19Herr_Rapp86

25 years. Wow!!! Nice.

Yeah, I first played Silent Service in 1986. Long time ago.

And yeah nothing really replicates the real thing. Just like all this call of duty modern warfare stuff can't replicate what it was like patrolling the streets of some few towns in Iraq with my Marines. I hear you there

I wish UnderseaLCPL was still coming around. He was there too. You guys might hit it off.

[WernherVonTrapp]

Originally Posted by 19Herr_Rapp86

Just like all this call of duty modern warfare stuff can't replicate what it was like patrolling the streets of some few towns in Iraq with my Marines...

I salute you, sir. Thank you for serving our country.

[Rockin Robbins]

Part of real life that can never really be replicated by a simulator is that of standing watch, like Steve says. If you're lucky you're outside on the periscope shears scanning the horizon with binoculars that seem like they weigh several tons, back an forth across your quadrant in a prescribed search pattern over and over again for four hours.

You can't allow yourself to stop and think about anything else, read a book or even to take the binoculars away from your eyes except to clean the lenses. Then it's back, scanning the empty ocean hour after hour on the off-chance that one week you'll actually sight an opportunity or a threat. It's perhaps the most grueling, boring job on the boat, and everyone's safety depends on it, including your own!

If you're not so lucky you could spend four hours scanning pressure gauges on the off-chance that one might be anomalous one day.

No game would reproduce that because people wouldn't buy the simulation of boredom/vigilance.

There are times when I just go to 1x, hit the bridge, turn up the tunes and enjoy the submarine. But most of the time I'm playing I have a pretty set routine.

• When I'm just in transit, I'm at 2048x or two steps higher at night, relying on my radar to pick up targets. If i'm in a target-rich area, I will go to periscope depth periodically, throttle back to 1x and do a sweep every 40 miles or so.
• When I'm in a high traffic area in the daytime I never go above 1024x and sometimes 512x because I want to pop out of TC with plenty of time to react. If your time compression is too high you can pop out in the middle of a not so friendly fleet of DDs. That's not nice.
• In air patrolled areas I'm at max 1024x. When I pop out for a plane sighting, I draw a 5 mile radius circle around my boat, mark the position of the plane and go to 8x. If the plane will enter the 5 mile radius I go to periscope depth with the "P" key, no crash dive. I time the dive so I'm at 40' or below when he crosses the line. I raise the radar antenna. If the plane is not coming closer than a mile I'll just sit there and watch him go by. If he is coming closer than a mile but not directly overhead, I'll lower the antenna long enough for him to pass and pop it back up when he's a mile away going away. If he's coming directly overhead in smooth water, I'll take her to 110', hit periscope depth immediately when I reach depth, pop up the antenna. In all cases when he passes the 5 mile circle going away I hit surface. I'm at 8x or 16x all during this.
• Back on the surface I go back to my normal time compression of 1024x.
• Upon contact with enemy vessels, either by sonar or by radar, I begin running at 1x and don't leave real time until the end of the engagement.

That's pretty much it. Sometimes if I have a long range sonar contact I'll use limited time compression to see how the bearing changes on approach. But in all cases, once there is visual contact I never leave 1x.

So pretty much, if I'm not in action and want to enjoy the sub, I do it. But otherwise time compression is my friend.

[Armistead]

TC is a must for me, I find realism in mods, playing with contacts and cams off, etc. Now with cams and contacts off you do have to play at real time for the most part when coming in contact with the enemy. Being stuck in the sub with no cam to see what's going on is enough realism for me, often it takes hours to attack and evade.

[19Herr_Rapp86]

Very interesting stuff guys.

[Arlo]

Well, I'll never set up my pc rig in the shower-tub anymore. That amount of realism just didn't float.