Published on 2 August 2024 - Page 2

RAM · 07-18-24, 02:24 AM

Wow. Just wow.

XLjedi · 07-18-24, 07:36 AM

As I continue to play and learn how Uboat UI works, it is a tad unusual and designed around a concept that a crew was going to be working out firing solutions with a countdown timer.

So, individual firing solutions are saved by target. You can click on hydrophone bearings and in the lower left corner of the screen see solution options on a target-by-target basis. That is a bit unfortunate as the TDC didn't save multiples of solutions and what we are wanting to do is setup the TDC for a future attack position. It is certainly doable, just a tad clunky.

There are some elements of the UI that result in 100% mode giving you perfect information on target movement that lets you plot the TC with greater accuracy and ease than playing with map updates on.

The chrono-speed tool is just weird. It seems to work regardless of ownship movement. So if you are on an intercept course (constant bearing decreasing range) and you use the chrono-speed tool, the device ignores the laws of relative motion and goes into this predesigned "ship scan mode" where the target ship just magically moves when it should not. It's like it instantly sets ownship speed to zero without actually changing your speed. It's kind of jarring when I turn that thing on. How does the scope know how to scan the ship to give me the speed like that?

The early model TDC does not have AoB update capability, but the attack scope UI (when E-locked on target) does. You can use the attack scope UI to calculate the AoB of any ship if the TC is known. Which I kinda like, but the vast majority of people playing probably have no idea.

I'm getting used to the UI and the cheaty 100% game that lets me use a sonar beam to pinpoint targets and determine TC in 2 clicks.

I could rely on mods to remove it, but I kinda like having the shortcuts too. I could do the TMA and figure out the course the hard way, but I might not feel like doing it 3 or 4 times per patrol. Might do it once, and then say, "Meh, I could do it if I want but this shortcut is nice." ...and I still get 100% achievement credit.

Captain Wreckless · 07-19-24, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hombre al agua

i am pretty sure that jlc930 is the same guy in the uboat steam forums spamming provocations and copy/pasting same messages like "This game will only satisfy the Homer Simpsons and casual players"

Herr Graf · 08-02-24, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlc930

Well, I think I was polite enough. Do you see any insults in my message? And at the end, I declined politely, saying "thanks." Or maybe you consider "casual player" an insult? There is neither hate nor contempt in my critique of this game. And I do know that marking contacts on the map could be done by a petty officer in reality, but certainly not in the way it's done in the game when you enable the option (like radar scanning twenty ships of a convoy in one second...).

Sorry, but what I see from you is someone jealous who wants to push me out to seize the opportunity to tell the developers everything you desire, thinking that with some girly pretty pleazzz (kind of a virtual BJ, yuk...), you'll get everything you want, while saying at the same time that you wish to see the final version of this game released soon... That's neither very smart nor fair play.

Lol,
Just wow, what a clueless, rude, jerk you are.

TheNolan · 08-03-24, 09:15 PM

One thing I noticed about following this game is the devs listen to the community, and the game has added a lot of realism elements from a year ago when I was playing. It seems like they are committed to a good simulation and are learning as they go, like me. Honestly I would never have gotten into heavily modded sh3 & 4 without U-boat so thanks for that, and I think that they also want to provide both experiences (the TDCs they have modelled a good example of this)

Aktungbby · 08-03-24, 10:46 PM

The Nolan?

...after a year-long sient run!

XLjedi · 08-04-24, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNolan

One thing I noticed about following this game is the devs listen to the community, and the game has added a lot of realism elements from a year ago when I was playing. It seems like they are committed to a good simulation and are learning as they go, like me. Honestly I would never have gotten into heavily modded sh3 & 4 without U-boat so thanks for that, and I think that they also want to provide both experiences (the TDCs they have modelled a good example of this)

I have specifically seen, inside the last month, at least two or three items that I have flagged in forum posts addressed by the devs. They deserve much praise.

s0cks · 08-04-24, 11:34 PM

I still find the game UI somewhat clunky to operate imo.

~~Having to hold ALT when trying to operate the sub in periscope mode is a huge bugbear of mine.~~ Turns out it's a toggle switch now. Not sure how long it's been that way, but I'm glad I realised this.
~~Periscopes move on their own when not in focus, presumably because the officer is moving it, but it is frustrating when switching views to come back and it's moved.~~ Turns out this was caused by a mod.
Rotation speed of the periscopes is slow. I get that you can zoom out and then hold shift, but it's just more steps to go through, and you can't do that with binoculars.
When the boat moves the periscope moves to maintain heading, rather than maintaining relative bearing with the uboat (there is mod that fixes this but it also breaks locking onto target which may or may not be a good thing depending on how you play).
No way to get regular continued updates from watchmen or hydrophone operators on the target's bearing.

Also the lack of attack disk, RAOBF, and correction charts is a pain if you're trying to do manual torpedo solutions or interceptions. There is a mod for the attack disk which is welcome even if not perfect (such as how it can't be opened from map screen and the compass doesn't self align) but I would LOVE an RAOBF!

I also really don't like how ships sink in 10seconds. I tried realistic ship sinking mod but that just seemed to make the ships point their bow out of the water toward the sky each time and never fully sink. Perhaps that will get fixed by the modder.

Oh and one more thing, that is kind of a shame, although not a deal breaker. The way the ship floats on the waves as well as dives and surfaces just doesn't look right to me. I'm no expert, and maybe I'm wrong, but I will say that I can watch the boat in SH3 ride the waves for long periods of time just because it looks so realistic (physics wise, not gfx) but I don't get the same joy when watching it in this game.

This whole post sounds negative af, but please be assured I do think there is a relatively good game here. Most of my complaints are likely because I'm used to a certain style of play in SH3. If I treat UBOAT as a slightly more casual sub sim with a greater focus on crew & crisis management then I think it really shines.

jibouil · 08-05-24, 02:46 AM

I've been following the development for a while and I'm very happy to see the release!
I bought the game and I'm going to start playing it as soon as I get back from vacation!

Chris 6614 · 08-05-24, 09:20 AM

[QUOTE=jlc930;2918268]So, are people here also seeing this early announcement of the final release as good news? But it’s only good news if you think the game is already perfect... Because for sure, in two weeks after leaving the Beta stage, the devs will not start to work more on it. . .

I generally try to avoid absolutist statements such as the one I am about to write, but....................

The above may be the most divorced-from-the-truth observation I have ever seen in any forum.

U Boat is a masterpiece.

Captain Wreckless · 08-05-24, 08:12 PM

Hey,

I haven't played around much with UBOAT, but is the TDC manual only, or is there an option for the weapons officer to do it, like in SH3 and SH4. I've never really been interested in doing it manually and just let the game do it for me.

CW

XLjedi · 08-05-24, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Wreckless

Hey,

I haven't played around much with UBOAT, but is the TDC manual only, or is there an option for the weapons officer to do it, like in SH3 and SH4. I've never really been interested in doing it manually and just let the game do it for me.

CW

Not only can you assign crew to the task, but you can level them up with skills to do it better/faster as they gain experience.

Sky_Masterson · 08-06-24, 09:01 AM

Hi to all

So to summarize. Is SH5 modded with wolfs of steel megamod still above this…let’s say good try but a bit off ? Taking into account the prize in steam until mid agoust…not sure If wanna give it a try though. Still consider myself a bit hardcore sailor.

hombre al agua · 08-06-24, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky_Masterson

Hi to all

So to summarize. Is SH5 modded with wolfs of steel megamod still above this…let’s say good try but a bit off ? Taking into account the prize in steam until mid agoust…not sure If wanna give it a try though. Still consider myself a bit hardcore sailor.

You can buy the game, read the game manual 200+ pages and see if the features are good enough for you.Then test the game 2 hours and if you dont like it refund it and get the money again.

Threadfin · 08-06-24, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky_Masterson

Hi to all

So to summarize. Is SH5 modded with wolfs of steel megamod still above this…

This is so subjective, but for me? No subsim or mod is above this. UBOAT is my top sub sim yet, and I revere some of the others, plus mods. UBOAT is that, plus adds many things that SH left out.

The campaign is great, the map is dynamic and beautifully done. Friendly boats at sea ask for assistance, vector you in to targets with beacon signals, attack and sink ships, divide escorts' attention. Their density and behavior may need to be tweaked, but this checks off one of my biggest wish-list items form SH.

Upgrades and tech are nicely handled. Awards system is better than SH, which always sucked anyway. The crew are functional, and have routines, rather than like in SH where they stand in the right spots and point at things convincingly, but is really just smoke and mirrors. In UBOAT they operate machinery, serve as medics, cook, sleep and play cards. Provisioning your boat for patrol includes food, which affects morale, or discipline as it is called here.

I try to avoid calling one or the other 'better' as it will invariably come down to our own preferences and biases. But for me, UBOAT is the closest we have come yet to what I want in a submarine sim.

07-18-24, 07:36 AM	#17
XLjedi Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Palm Beach, Florida Posts: 1,243 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 8	As I continue to play and learn how Uboat UI works, it is a tad unusual and designed around a concept that a crew was going to be working out firing solutions with a countdown timer. So, individual firing solutions are saved by target. You can click on hydrophone bearings and in the lower left corner of the screen see solution options on a target-by-target basis. That is a bit unfortunate as the TDC didn't save multiples of solutions and what we are wanting to do is setup the TDC for a future attack position. It is certainly doable, just a tad clunky. There are some elements of the UI that result in 100% mode giving you perfect information on target movement that lets you plot the TC with greater accuracy and ease than playing with map updates on. The chrono-speed tool is just weird. It seems to work regardless of ownship movement. So if you are on an intercept course (constant bearing decreasing range) and you use the chrono-speed tool, the device ignores the laws of relative motion and goes into this predesigned "ship scan mode" where the target ship just magically moves when it should not. It's like it instantly sets ownship speed to zero without actually changing your speed. It's kind of jarring when I turn that thing on. How does the scope know how to scan the ship to give me the speed like that? The early model TDC does not have AoB update capability, but the attack scope UI (when E-locked on target) does. You can use the attack scope UI to calculate the AoB of any ship if the TC is known. Which I kinda like, but the vast majority of people playing probably have no idea. I'm getting used to the UI and the cheaty 100% game that lets me use a sonar beam to pinpoint targets and determine TC in 2 clicks. I could rely on mods to remove it, but I kinda like having the shortcuts too. I could do the TMA and figure out the course the hard way, but I might not feel like doing it 3 or 4 times per patrol. Might do it once, and then say, "Meh, I could do it if I want but this shortcut is nice." ...and I still get 100% achievement credit. __________________

08-03-24, 10:46 PM	#21
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 29,979 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	Welcome back! The Nolan?...after a year-long sient run! __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness?!!

08-04-24, 11:34 PM	#23
s0cks Watch Join Date: Jul 2024 Posts: 17 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I still find the game UI somewhat clunky to operate imo. ~~Having to hold ALT when trying to operate the sub in periscope mode is a huge bugbear of mine.~~ Turns out it's a toggle switch now. Not sure how long it's been that way, but I'm glad I realised this. ~~Periscopes move on their own when not in focus, presumably because the officer is moving it, but it is frustrating when switching views to come back and it's moved.~~ Turns out this was caused by a mod. Rotation speed of the periscopes is slow. I get that you can zoom out and then hold shift, but it's just more steps to go through, and you can't do that with binoculars. When the boat moves the periscope moves to maintain heading, rather than maintaining relative bearing with the uboat (there is mod that fixes this but it also breaks locking onto target which may or may not be a good thing depending on how you play). No way to get regular continued updates from watchmen or hydrophone operators on the target's bearing. Also the lack of attack disk, RAOBF, and correction charts is a pain if you're trying to do manual torpedo solutions or interceptions. There is a mod for the attack disk which is welcome even if not perfect (such as how it can't be opened from map screen and the compass doesn't self align) but I would LOVE an RAOBF! I also really don't like how ships sink in 10seconds. I tried realistic ship sinking mod but that just seemed to make the ships point their bow out of the water toward the sky each time and never fully sink. Perhaps that will get fixed by the modder. Oh and one more thing, that is kind of a shame, although not a deal breaker. The way the ship floats on the waves as well as dives and surfaces just doesn't look right to me. I'm no expert, and maybe I'm wrong, but I will say that I can watch the boat in SH3 ride the waves for long periods of time just because it looks so realistic (physics wise, not gfx) but I don't get the same joy when watching it in this game. This whole post sounds negative af, but please be assured I do think there is a relatively good game here. Most of my complaints are likely because I'm used to a certain style of play in SH3. If I treat UBOAT as a slightly more casual sub sim with a greater focus on crew & crisis management then I think it really shines. Last edited by s0cks; 08-06-24 at 03:19 PM.

08-05-24, 08:12 PM	#26
Captain Wreckless XO Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma Posts: 419 Downloads: 658 Uploads: 0	Hey, I haven't played around much with UBOAT, but is the TDC manual only, or is there an option for the weapons officer to do it, like in SH3 and SH4. I've never really been interested in doing it manually and just let the game do it for me. CW __________________ "Quando omni flunkus moritati" United States Navy 1979-1982 "AD2" Aviation Machinists Mate 2nd Class VT-23, HS-1, USS Carl Vinson CVN70 (Plank Owner) NAS Kingsville, TX; NAS Jacksonville, FL; NOB Norfolk, VA FAA Air Traffic Control Specialist, Fairbanks, AK 2000-2020 (Ret)

08-06-24, 09:01 AM	#28
Sky_Masterson Nub Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 3 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	Not so…hardcore Hi to all So to summarize. Is SH5 modded with wolfs of steel megamod still above this…let’s say good try but a bit off ? Taking into account the prize in steam until mid agoust…not sure If wanna give it a try though. Still consider myself a bit hardcore sailor.

07-18-24, 02:24 AM	#16
RAM Machinist's Mate Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 130 Downloads: 66 Uploads: 0	Wow. Just wow.

08-03-24, 09:15 PM	#20
TheNolan Seaman Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: Canada Posts: 32 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	One thing I noticed about following this game is the devs listen to the community, and the game has added a lot of realism elements from a year ago when I was playing. It seems like they are committed to a good simulation and are learning as they go, like me. Honestly I would never have gotten into heavily modded sh3 & 4 without U-boat so thanks for that, and I think that they also want to provide both experiences (the TDCs they have modelled a good example of this)

08-05-24, 02:46 AM	#24
jibouil Bosun Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 64 Downloads: 173 Uploads: 0	I've been following the development for a while and I'm very happy to see the release! I bought the game and I'm going to start playing it as soon as I get back from vacation!

08-05-24, 09:20 AM	#25
Chris 6614 Join Date: Jul 2024 Posts: 1 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	[QUOTE=jlc930;2918268]So, are people here also seeing this early announcement of the final release as good news? But it’s only good news if you think the game is already perfect... Because for sure, in two weeks after leaving the Beta stage, the devs will not start to work more on it. . . I generally try to avoid absolutist statements such as the one I am about to write, but.................... The above may be the most divorced-from-the-truth observation I have ever seen in any forum. U Boat is a masterpiece.