What's the Fascination with U-boats?

[IanC]

[GertFroebe_neu]

I think u-boats are like space ships that are surrounded by a hostile environment, but they contain a completly autarkic living environment. Also they can make themselves invisible, which is really cool.

What is also cool is that the u-boat is a technological monster which brain is a human hirarchical structure.

That is why u-boats fascinate me.


PS.: And they look cool (Type VII)!

[urfisch]

hey marc!

nice to see you here...finally.



the german ubi forums are not the best place to get new infos, right?

[Brag]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

It ain't the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean! At least that's what all the little dinghies say.

Dingha, dingha ding ding with a twirl

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by fromhell

sorry matey, but uboat warfare ww2 and all the diffferent technologies that came about to defeat the uboat, makes for exciting stuff.

Yeah, and what is Ubisoft going to do ?
Go back and forth between the atlantic and pacific theaters for the next 10 iterations of the Silent Hunter series ?
I have no problem with WW2 sims. I just think that fossilizing on this historical period is a waste of time, since many sims (not counting SH I/II/III/IV and V) have already tackled this period. There is only so much you can do to milk the same exact product. I bet SH V will sell nowhere near what SH III sold and why is that ? Because you get the exact same simulation (albeit with some prettier graphics, less playable uboats and a 50% reduction in the dynamic campaign). As I said time for Ubisoft to explore new concepts.

• Destroyer Command redux maybe ?
• Cold War scenarios with fictional dynamic campaigns a la Falcon 4 ?
• Study sim for a specific sub a la Sierra Fast Attack
• etc....

The possibilities are endless.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Yeah, and what is Ubisoft going to do ?
Go back and forth between the atlantic and pacific theaters for the next 10 iterations of the Silent Hunter series ?

There is always WWI.

Lothar de la Periere sinking 194 ships for almost 500K tons mostly with his deck gun aint too shabby.

[Task Force]

If sh5 was a fleetboat sim, I probably would have little intrest in it... I never have been intrested in the American/PTO stuff... Mainly in the european/atlanic stuff.

I perfer the uboat war because it goes from easyer to Extremly deadly in the later years. Also the large amount of traffic, and how that the allies started realy pounding the uboats...

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Mikhayl

That and living in France I'm more familiar with Brest, Lorient etc than with Pearl Harbour and the rest, it's easier to relate to.

That is completely understandable. As WW2 goes, people are generally only interested in stuff that actually involved their country. My theory is the pacific theater is largely ignored because it doesn't sell units in Europe. Few there would be interested since the PTO was largely US vs Japan.

I don't think its any coincidence that the majority of movies and games, involve the European theater. The bottom line is money, by making a Pacific oriented product, movie/game makers would be limiting their potental profits because few in European market would give a damn about anything that doesn't involve their own nations history. Factor this in, with the uboat hype, romance, and myth's, and their you have it. More uboats. Do you realize that the last PTO game outside of SH4 in this series was SH1? That was 14 years ago. In the mean time, we've seen two Uboat games with another on the way. For someone like me who grew up reading the stories of US submariners exploits and this great chapter of my nations history, toured museum boats, and has been to the ports some of these boats sailed out of, - it really sucks.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

That is completely understandable. As WW2 goes, people are generally only interested in stuff that actually involved their country. My theory is the pacific theater is largely ignored because it doesn't sell units in Europe. Few there would be interested since the PTO was largely US vs Japan.

I agree with you.
And I understand your statements in some way. That's right : U-Boote are able to catch anyone's attention throughout the world, while the US navy (and SH4) mainly interest american people, and those who really want some graphical improvement over SH3 that is actually showing its age.

Why ?
I can't give a proper answer to this question. I just can't see how the &$@%! more people can relate to U-Boote than to US Navy boats. It was not up to GWX nor to anyone to choose to attract more players than SH4, TMO, RFB, or OM.

[off-topic]

For some reason all people seem to appreciate Europe and France more than any other country. I don't like that. ()
When I visit Paris I actually don't feel like I'm in my own country any more, absorbed in this mixture of so many nationalities.
Just being honest here.
That is another subject though.

[/off-topic]

[CptCrunch]

I sympathise with our American friends. Many of them can't understand the fascination with U-Boats (or the British need to reclaim the letters 's' & 'u' ).
After all America fought and won the only major submarine victory in history. America achieved against Japan what Germany set out to do against Britain and failed. Technically speaking her intervention in the war also won the battle of the Atlantic. The lend-lease ships and the sheer industrial might of America made her able to provide vast quantities of mass produced radars, asdic sets and degaussing cable quickly to combat the U-Boat threat. Whereas Nazi Germany with its intense distrust of science lost her early technical advantage of superior boats and for most of the war the U-Boat fleets fought a courageous rearguard action. Even thought the U-Boat was effectively neutralised as a major threat by late '43. These boats still tied up a huge amount of allied resources right up to the last day of the war and effectively prolonged the war for Germany. Had German scientists and resources been applied earlier to U-Boat development it is quite likely that operational true submarines such as the type XXIII & XX1 would have turned the tide of European war in Germany's favour. Also these later submarines were the design basis for all modern subs today - a huge technological tribute to German thoroughness.
As a European obviously my interest lies in this theatre. Also as a Brit who's father served on destroyers I'm acutely aware how this country stood alone in the early years of the war and overcame incredible odds against its survival. How close we came to defeat and how much science and sheer good luck played in this never ceases to amaze me. The German air-force and u-boat arm came within a hairs breadth of defeating us and it was only due to the corrupt and fanatical political system that issued their orders that they were not able to press their advantage home. The U-Boat arm was fairly soon into the war the only effective operational branch of the Kreigsmarine remaining and carried the burden of Germany's marine war right to the end. So many brave people were lost on both sides in the Atlantic theatre - around 30,000 for each of the u-boat, British merchant marine and Royal Navy plus the hundreds of thousands of nationals of all the other Allied countries and so many resources wee dedicated to the u-boat threat that this remains one of the most significant naval military engagements in history.
As far as game play goes I find the smaller intenser European theatre of SH3 more engaging. I like SH4 for a lot of reasons but trekking across 4000 miles of ocean, although an incredible long range achievement by the US, just to engage a few ships doesn't do it for me- if ever a game needed a teleporter it's SH4!
So yeah it's U-Boats for me although I also wouldn't mind the chance of playing the allied side

[GertFroebe_neu]

Originally Posted by urfisch

hey marc!

nice to see you here...finally.



the german ubi forums are not the best place to get new infos, right?

Exactly!

cheers
Marc

[Alex]

@ Neal & moderators : This post has nothing to do there, delete it if you like.

Originally Posted by Mikhayl

Woa. I live in Paris, my step mother is from Madagascar, my little brother is "mixed race" and my girlfriend is of Arab origin and our children will be "mixed race" too, and guess what, we all have the French nationality and we're all really sorry to break it to you

I see/hear that **** everyday and I really wish it wouldn't spill on subsim.

For some reason I was expecting a reply from you, man. Don't know why.

Let's keep it public for now.

Feel free to consider my last post as **** and narrow-mindedness, Mike. You know very well no one has forced you to read it nor to reply it. I don't even consider replying a post that I regard as ****. Care to tell me that what I said is wrong, maybe ?

What are you saying actually ? Radical cultural sensitivity be damned ?
And what are you expecting from me now. Apologizing for saying what I truly think, since it's fashionable to say "I'm not racist !" publicly nowadays ? Or "sorry for loving my origins, sorry for being against the dismantling of my heritage", maybe ?

Don't worry about that.
According to current birthrate projections, France would indeed be in majority a muslim country in about fifty years, but something tells me that nobody would be breaking out any champagne.
Speaking for myself, not being against people having different origins means I'm not racist, yet it doesn't mean I don't like my ******* blood any more, man.

Also, I didn't have the slightest clue where you, your aunt or your great uncle's brother-in-law come from (j/k). And I must say that I've always appreciated you, your knowledge, humor and person much, man. Both of us being french, I don't know why we didn't get to know each other a bit more until now, that's not very nice but, well, that's the way it is. Though if we don't get to know each other in the future, I'll know that's why my honesty's not appreciated much. But, of course, that will NOT mean you are racist against french people who are feeling lost now in their own country.
Sorry for doing away with the protocole.

[End of this off-topic chit-chat. PM if you ever wish to pursue talking ]

Woa. I live in Paris, my step mother is from Madagascar, my little brother is "mixed race" and my girlfriend is of Arab origin and our children will be "mixed race" too, and guess what, we all have the French nationality and we're all really sorry to break it to you

I see/hear that **** everyday and I really wish it wouldn't spill on subsim.

Totaly agree....most countries are a mash of all sorts of cultures. The US for example is full of European descendents of many nationalities, race, colour, creed, political stance...well you get the picture.

There is only ONE decent race of humans.....and thats the HUMAN RACE IN ITS ENTIRETY.....anyone who thinks otherwise is a twat!

[joeljansson]

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

Apart from the fact that the German subs were the most famous ones, the German Atlantic campaign gives me the most variation and challenge.

/personal opinion

thats what i think too

[kptn_kaiserhof]

my fasination starts with my cousin serving in the navy i geuss

because hes the head chef