SH5 Updates from the SUBSIM meeting next week

[SubV]

While we're all waiting the detailed report from Neal and others, I've decided to post here an official SH5 Q&A from Ubisoft forums.

08.09.2009

How does the camera work in SH5? Has the improvement been made significantly compared to the camera view from SH4?

The player is free to move through the submarine in free FPS-like fashion. We believe that creating a simulation game is not just a question of writing the mechanics that define the machine – in our case the u-boat – but there’s also the very important part of defining the actual human experience. What is it like to be the captain of an u-boat crew, in mid-Atlantic?

You should feel the tension and the claustrophobic atmosphere inside the UBoat and the way it affects the crew.

On the other hand, external camera is now allowed to rise much higher above the sea, allowing a dramatic view of the battlefields and landscape. We’ve changed the water and terrain rendering engine, solving the bugs that prevented this in the previous version and increasing the rendering distance too.

Are we going to get a comprehensive manual of step by step to set up manual firing solution?

We believe manual targeting is a very interesting and rewarding experience. Our ambition is to have it easier to understand and explained IN GAME – without sacrificing its complexity. Of course, there will still be a manual describing all the steps in greater detail.

Being a first person (Captain), how do we manage the crew? And what kind of things we can expect from the evolution of the crew abilities?

In true first person game fashion, the player can walk to a crewmember and click on it, opening the dialogue menu. You can chit-chat, if you want, or tell him to use one of his abilities.

There will be also a crew management menu where you have an overview of each of the crew member’s abilities and the overall performance. Based on the results of your patrol, you will receive a number of skill points which are used to evolve the crew. This allows you to customize your experience as you see fit.

Regarding the abilities, they are based on real mechanics and may even have some penalties. For instance, you can tell your Engines Petty Officer to push the electric engines a little harder, getting that extra knot of underwater speed. Of course, this will result in greatly increased battery consumption and may force you to quit combat and surface much sooner than normally.

Will we be able to make/record movies of any actions during the course of the game so we can replay it at anytime?

No. But any player could use FRAPS of another frame grabbing program to film his experience.

15.09.2009

What other features are there outside the submarine? i.e. is there a kind of screen saver if we are at a harbour? Can we go to a cafe as a first person? Talk to a General perhaps?

The focus of Silent Hunter is always the action at sea, during the patrol, with the time spent between patrols taking a secondary importance. However, the way you prepare your next mission is very important, and you will be able refit your boat with the latest technological gadgets, obtain intelligence from your commanding officer and choose your torpedo loadout. The harbor keeps the first person perspective, but some of the management jobs are better done through 2D interfaces.

How much freedom will we be seeing/getting? Are we able to navigate from the rear torpedo room all the way to the forward torpedo room seamlessly or will it be more like SHIV, click on a ladder/door/hatch to enter the next submarine section?

The player will have full access everywhere inside the submarine. Just like in any other first person game and just like a real captain had. But remember, you’re not just a camera, you’re the captain. Don’t go sunbathing on the fore deck or you’ll have a long way to go to that conning tower hatch before the sub can dive!

Will this be the same in SHV as in SHIV that the player can replace the sailor or officer of his job and do it himself? (Or are we restricted to giving them commands only?)

The player can jump in most of the key positions on the ship – firing guns, periscope, hydrophone, navigation map. More so, each of these stations is realistically modeled, and, combined with the FPS view, the immersion should be total. Additionally, we’re aiming to make the player work SIDE BY SIDE with his crew – be it on the periscope, when identifying a ship, or on the map, when looking for enemy convoys.

Will the AI controlled crew men do their tasks properly? (Better than in SHIV).

They are all well trained sailors. And, with the abilities that the player gives them, we believe you’ll be a proud captain to have them serve under your command.