@ Sea Queen

[SeaQueen]

Originally Posted by Bellman

SQ: This thread has acquired continental drift, but on the issue of scenarios, I must go with your flow.
There is always an ongoing debate about the character of MP scenarios. Do they pander to the 'knife -fighters'
or have they huge maps, large search areas and long run-in times ?

My experience is that if you make a scenario too huge in DW, it ceases to be a good one. DW is best when there's just a few platforms doing something well defined. DW is not Harpoon. That being said, the scale on which they build most DW scenarios is wrong simply because, as I've said before, they've over simplified the search problem.

I like to think of DW scenarios as individual vignettes in a larger Harpoon-type scenario.

We have to face the fact that the main demand is for the former and the game scene has responded to
an influx of 'Doomers.' Now some of us are happy to mirror reality and search unproductively for days and
get a buz from it. But we cant expect a majority of others to have this approach.

No, but by the same token, I can't help but be resentful when I work out the statistics and given the scale on which the scenarios are designed, even the most ill-placed single shots are likely to hit SOMEBODY, because everyone is piled on top of one another.

Scenarios should be designed so that searching unproductively for days is possible, particularly against a skilled opponent, but unlikely. That's realistic. They wouldn't allocate a mission to just a few platforms if they felt it was most likely going to be impossible to accomplish. The Kara Sea search mission I made, for example, I sometimes start and finish in just a few hours. Other times it takes me a whole day.

The first hook is the Team does'nt know what the ROE are at SOG except 'Monitor XXXX and YYYY and stay in contact. Standby' An attempt to achieve RL reconnaisance stealth activity in preparation for action.

That's an interesting idea provided it is a challenge to acquire the target and avoid counter detection.

The main problem is locating starting positions suitable for execution of the mission within the average
MP players available gameplaying timeframe.

Play time is a fair restraint. It's actually not necessarily that difficult to figure out. What search tactic do you anticipate them using to acquire the target?

Kilo range and speed limitations add further dimension to the problem. Other factors include the maintaining
of connectivity and interest in Teams of 7 players online in 'busy(ish) 'waters!

I don't think it's a good idea to have more than two or three platforms on a side. One should actually be the most typical case for most submarines.

Another rub is my impression that the serious 'reality' players are in SP.

That's ultimately where I'm beginning to think all the interesting simulating is. I also can't help but wonder how many of the old submariners here have made scenarios inspired by things they remember but they're sitting on them because they're concerned about compromising things they may have been exposed to.

At it's worst, though MP is hopeless.

Single player also has the advantage of being able to "save game." It'd be nice if I could create a MP coordinated ASW scenario where the distance and time scales are correct, and if it started to run little long, we could quit and pick up where we left off tomorrow.

It's not like single player scenarios are really that much better, realism wise. They have their own shortcomings. In that case, they're often limited by the AI and communications issues.

But it would be sad neglect of all SAS have
achieved if we cant fully exploit the games MP potential by hopefuly bringing all types of players onboard
in muli-taste scenarios. The sim has potent adrenalyn built in supercharged by the multiplayer potential.

The thing is, I don't think you're ever going to satisfy both camps. The one camp is in it to shoot torpedoes. The other camp recognizes that the ASW game is about more than that, and is interested in it for a much wider range of tactics.