Immersion

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

That was done by CaptainCox, Foofighters and Digital Trucker, three skippers who are no longer around here.

There was a guy who did it first, and got written up in a gaming magazine. His screen name was Ratzz, or something like that. Golden Rivet also did a patrol in real time a couple of years ago.

For me playing chess with a friend, or reading a book or watching a movie was an escape from the monotony. I'd spend eight hours in the radio shack, not allowed to do anything but monitor equipment or talk to the other guys on duty. The eight hours off, then eight back on again. So it was 0800-1600 working, 1600-2400 off, then 0000-0800 on, 0800-1600 off, and around and around. Twenty-four hours on duty out of every forty-eight.

One day when I had the 1600-2400 off I stayed up and wrote a couple of letters and watched a movie they were showing. This meant that I was up for twenty-four hours, but I didn't notice. Another time I had the midwatch off. I ate dinner and went to bed at about 1700 hours, slept through the rest of that watch (normal), slept through the midwatch, slept through the next regular watch off, and got up to go on duty at 1600 the next day, which means that I slept through three watches, or about 22 hours straight.

Interesting midwatch things: We would keep old radio traffic for six months, then shred it. The junior man on the midwatch got assigned to take the shred-bags back to the fantail and dump them. Mostly it was just another job to be done, but one time the sea was running high, and then it was...entertaining. Three times I had to carry the big, but light, bag from the radio shack down the ladder and back to the aft end of the superstructure. Wait for the ship roll upright. Open the door and step out to the deck, turn around and dog the door, then back around and grab the rail with the free hand, holding the bag in the other while the deck dipped below the waves and water swirled around my knees. Wait for the ship to roll upright and dash to the fantail, grab the rail there and hold on for the next roll. Dump the bag and then hang on again. Run back to the door and hang on for the next roll, then inside again.



No game can replicate that. Nor should it. On the other hand, the captain didn't have to fight hours of boredom. His time was mostly taken up working on reports, meeting with his officers in the wardroom, being on the bridge and doing captainy things. The game also doesn't do that. For me there is no difference from letting the game run by itself and using time compression. The game can't reproduce real life at sea, so for me a 1x patrol is about as unrealistic as it can get. I can't imagine a WW2 army game in which most of the gameplay is spent eating, sleeping and marching, occasionally broken by a six-hour ride in the back of a truck. How about an airwar game that also includes time spent partying in the nearest town, getting into trouble and spending time in the brig, or sitting around the barracks playing pinochle? Not for me, thanks.

[Daniel Prates]

Interesting story, Steve.

[I'm goin' down]

His radio station mod was terrific. But he was custodian of the ship building mod, and built custom boats for many of the seasoned veterans in his shipyard. He built me a Gato, the SS Barbarinna, and a Gar. I still use them to this day.

[19Herr_Rapp86]

I'd spend eight hours in the radio shack, not allowed to do anything but monitor equipment or talk to the other guys on duty.

I know that feeling. General Order #7. Talk to no one except in the line of duty.

How about an airwar game that also includes time spent partying in the nearest town, getting into trouble and spending time in the brig, or sitting around the barracks playing pinochle?

That reminds me.... Does anyone remember Aces of the Deep? The nightclub? Where you could listen to rumors and brags from other U-Boat crews. Would be kinda neat to incorporate that into the Silent Hunter Franchise or something similar to it

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by 19Herr_Rapp86

That reminds me.... Does anyone remember Aces of the Deep? The nightclub? Where you could listen to rumors and brags from other U-Boat crews. Would be kinda neat to incorporate that into the Silent Hunter Franchise or something similar to it

I not only remember AOTD, I still play it. And JScones incorporated the nightclub as one of the many great features of SH3 Commander. Unfortunately no one with the requisite coding skills has done anything like Commander for SH4, which is one of the very few reasons I still play SH3.

[Daniel Prates]

I second Rapp's and Steve's motion. All Dynamix games games had this feature, such as aces over europe and others. You would get constant news, gossip and info about the ongoing war. The guys at the bar, in AOTD, would always comment on any capital ship sunk... that was great, and did much more towards game immersion, than SH5's weird "walk around the sub" interface.

[Arlo]

Originally Posted by 19Herr_Rapp86

I know that feeling. General Order #7. Talk to no one except in the line of duty.



That reminds me.... Does anyone remember Aces of the Deep? The nightclub? Where you could listen to rumors and brags from other U-Boat crews. Would be kinda neat to incorporate that into the Silent Hunter Franchise or something similar to it

Well, my thoughts ran to maybe a brothel but the wife is currently at peace with the game and such a thing may end piece in real life. But being able to hang out a bit at the Royal Hawaiian would be kinda cool or maybe at a spare parts casino arranged by the supply officer if you're stationed more in the sticks.



Seems Gleason was busy.

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

There was a guy who did it first, and got written up in a gaming magazine. His screen name was Ratzz, or something like that. Golden Rivet also did a patrol in real time a couple of years ago.

For me playing chess with a friend, or reading a book or watching a movie was an escape from the monotony. I'd spend eight hours in the radio shack, not allowed to do anything but monitor equipment or talk to the other guys on duty. The eight hours off, then eight back on again. So it was 0800-1600 working, 1600-2400 off, then 0000-0800 on, 0800-1600 off, and around and around. Twenty-four hours on duty out of every forty-eight.

One day when I had the 1600-2400 off I stayed up and wrote a couple of letters and watched a movie they were showing. This meant that I was up for twenty-four hours, but I didn't notice. Another time I had the midwatch off. I ate dinner and went to bed at about 1700 hours, slept through the rest of that watch (normal), slept through the midwatch, slept through the next regular watch off, and got up to go on duty at 1600 the next day, which means that I slept through three watches, or about 22 hours straight.

Interesting midwatch things: We would keep old radio traffic for six months, then shred it. The junior man on the midwatch got assigned to take the shred-bags back to the fantail and dump them. Mostly it was just another job to be done, but one time the sea was running high, and then it was...entertaining. Three times I had to carry the big, but light, bag from the radio shack down the ladder and back to the aft end of the superstructure. Wait for the ship roll upright. Open the door and step out to the deck, turn around and dog the door, then back around and grab the rail with the free hand, holding the bag in the other while the deck dipped below the waves and water swirled around my knees. Wait for the ship to roll upright and dash to the fantail, grab the rail there and hold on for the next roll. Dump the bag and then hang on again. Run back to the door and hang on for the next roll, then inside again.



No game can replicate that. Nor should it. On the other hand, the captain didn't have to fight hours of boredom. His time was mostly taken up working on reports, meeting with his officers in the wardroom, being on the bridge and doing captainy things. The game also doesn't do that. For me there is no difference from letting the game run by itself and using time compression. The game can't reproduce real life at sea, so for me a 1x patrol is about as unrealistic as it can get. I can't imagine a WW2 army game in which most of the gameplay is spent eating, sleeping and marching, occasionally broken by a six-hour ride in the back of a truck. How about an airwar game that also includes time spent partying in the nearest town, getting into trouble and spending time in the brig, or sitting around the barracks playing pinochle? Not for me, thanks.

Interesting post.

I myself was working on replicating life at sea for SH3/SH4 through a role-playing supplement, playable with dice. The plan was to have maybe 1-2 interactions per day with randomly selected crewmembers, with randomized personality types ("Bully", "Coward", "Family Man" or whatever), background-stories, and events. This would also have provided additional data on ship sinkings, etc. for Silent Hunter 4 the same way SH3 Commander does for SH3.

I doubt most people would have been interested in that kind of thing, but it was lots of fun to work on.

Too bad I lost it all in a crash last month!

[19Herr_Rapp86]

Interesting idea there

I not only remember AOTD, I still play it. And JScones incorporated the nightclub as one of the many great features of SH3 Commander. Unfortunately no one with the requisite coding skills has done anything like Commander for SH4, which is one of the very few reasons I still play SH3.

Good to know I'm not the only one that still plays it. One of the best DOS games I had, along with TIE Fighter and Transport Tycoon. I haven't tried SH3 commander yet, but its still on my computer with GWX. Always going back and forth between it and SH4

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by 19Herr_Rapp86

Interesting idea there



Good to know I'm not the only one that still plays it. One of the best DOS games I had, along with TIE Fighter and Transport Tycoon. I haven't tried SH3 commander yet, but its still on my computer with GWX. Always going back and forth between it and SH4

It's funny how DOS games nearly 20 years ago had all these little immersive features - I remember one Sci-fi game where you could walk around a starship, talk to the bartender, meet crewmembers, and even play video games (within the video game)! This was on top of excellent starfighter simulation gameplay.

Whenever we ask present day devs with their vast budgets to do something similar for powerful, modern computers what happens? We get the usual spiel about how it's "not feasible", would "take up space", and would be "too complicated to code".

[joea]

Excellent thread folks, very interesting. Frankly while I like "immersive" elements like radio broadcasts, phonographs etc. I never understood the 1x appeal myself-it can be a grind even with time compression. Still the grapical immersion sometimes hypnotises me-especially with some interesting weather or at sunrise/sunset.

[19Herr_Rapp86]

I guess I'm just weird then because I love 1x :P
But then again look at the picture of me in my sig! lol