Just got Silent Hunter I yesterday

[Hinrich Schwab]

As the title states, I just got my copy of Silent Hunter Commander's Edition yesterday and I am surprised and impressed with the simulation, being as old as it is. It is immersive and reasonably accurate. I can now see why the franchise is as big as it is. For a DOS based game, it is a bit of a marvel. I remember the DOS era of gaming and seeing what this old sim does with so little makes me shake my head at the failure of succeeding sims to capture the same feel with more resources available. Having the scenario editor and its ease of use is a definite plus.

[Zander]

I have it installed on a Win98SE box.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by Zander

I have it installed on a Win98SE box.

I have it running through DOSBox on 3 XP rigs, 2 Win7 rigs and on an Android Tablet. All of them work great. I have a Win98 rig, but I haven't bothered to set it up.

[Dread Knot]

Originally Posted by Hinrich Schwab

As the title states, I just got my copy of Silent Hunter Commander's Edition yesterday and I am surprised and impressed with the simulation, being as old as it is. It is immersive and reasonably accurate. I can now see why the franchise is as big as it is.

What I always liked about Silent Hunter in retrospect, was that it placed your sub in that portion of the Pacific Theater you were assigned to patrol. No tedious time compression journey from Pearl Harbor or Australia as found in SH4.

I can see transits to and from the patrol area as important in a U-Boat simulation as they found themselves often under threat from the time they left port, until their return. But that was not really the case in the Pacific.

[aanker]

SH1 SHCE is my favorite of the Silent Hunter series.... I love this DOS classic - 'as is' -too.

Combining the beautiful graphics of SH4 on top of SHCE, correcting the 'slight' errors of latitude on the SHCE charts, a few realism fixes that Hawks Utilities addressed, and cut down on the abundance of traffic would be the only way to top it in my opinion.

I've tried to mod my SH4 to the SHCE specs above.

Happy Hunting to you!

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

What I always liked about Silent Hunter in retrospect, was that it placed your sub in that portion of the Pacific Theater you were assigned to patrol. No tedious time compression journey from Pearl Harbor or Australia as found in SH4.

The only problem I ever had with that came out of left field. I not only liked the instant transits but also enjoyed just pointing my sub and going to high-TC, then watching it bounce off the walls of the patrol zone. Then one day I was shelling a big tanker, following him, and suddenly my boat started turning. I turned to follow him and then found myself turning again. It took me awhile to figure out that he had left my patrol zone and I wasn't allowed to follow him. I had to watch him sail happily away.

Also if you manage to lose the destroyers, don't go to high-TC until they are completely gone. If not, they will automatically hear you and come running back.

Don't get me wrong - I love SH1. Those are just a couple of minor complaints, easily avoided.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

Have you tried SHII and Destroyer Command as well?

I have had them for a while. Both are fun, but the scripted missions get old after a while. Multiplayer is where it really excels.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Also if you manage to lose the destroyers, don't go to high-TC until they are completely gone. If not, they will automatically hear you and come running back.

I did not know about that issue. I rarely, if ever use TC around escorts, but knowing this is good. The only gripe I have is that silent running speed is so g-o-d a-w-f-u-l s-l-o-w that I must use the "Jettison Debris" ability to get the destroyer to go away. It fools the destroyers, but creeping away at only 1/2 a knot is like saying "sink me" to escorts.

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

What I always liked about Silent Hunter in retrospect, was that it placed your sub in that portion of the Pacific Theater you were assigned to patrol. No tedious time compression journey from Pearl Harbor or Australia as found in SH4.

I considered that to be one of the weaknesses of the game. Unexpected encounters did occur, and changes in patrol zones, or different routes were possiblilties. Teleporting to your patrol zone makes it feel like you are patrolling in your own back yard.

Funny, I didn't know about the destroyer - TC thing either. That explains those times when the DD's seemed overly persistant.

[aanker]

Yes, the DD's could be ruthless.... Evading the ASW and going deep felt much more 'realistic' than for example in its 'little brother/cousin(??)' SH4.

Happy Hunting!

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by aanker

Yes, the DD's could be ruthless.... Evading the ASW and going deep felt much more 'realistic' than for example in its 'little brother/cousin(??)' SH4.

Happy Hunting!

Indeed, stock SH4's AI was as weak as 5 compared to the original. The AI felt almost human as I was playing cat-and-mouse. Being in a Porpoise class boat and hearing that ping bounce off the hull at 340 feet while only creeping at 1 knot or less is NOT a comfortable feeling. It is a shame that "jettison debris" never survived in the rest of the series. It is a lifesaver.

[TorpX]

Your experience with the "jettison debris" is different than mine. I did have one or two instances where it saved me, but most of the time I bought the farm. Of course, there are situations when that's all you can do.

Anyway, it's a shame the SH4 devs weren't more familiar with SHCE.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by TorpX

I considered that to be one of the weaknesses of the game. Unexpected encounters did occur, and changes in patrol zones, or different routes were possiblilties. Teleporting to your patrol zone makes it feel like you are patrolling in your own back yard.

Agreed.

That's one of the few complaints I have.

I like that feature in SH4...

Having to worry about fuel, damage, and the crew is harder when you have to sail another 18,000 NM back home through several ports.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by TorpX

Your experience with the "jettison debris" is different than mine. I did have one or two instances where it saved me, but most of the time I bought the farm. Of course, there are situations when that's all you can do.

Anyway, it's a shame the SH4 devs weren't more familiar with SHCE.

All I can say is that I cut loose just as a charge exploded and knuckled away from the destroyer at flank and went silent after completing the turn. It may have been an issue of timing or it could have been the fact it was the fourth pass. I do not know. However, those variations have a human feel to it all. With real people, there are no guarantees. Unlike SH4, where stock's low attention span and the guaranteed anti-AI moves in both RFB and TMO offer a buffer, sure things do not exist. The only real "protection" is the fact that SH1 properly models the historical reality that IJN ASW set their eggs too shallow until Congressman May opened his filthy mouth in June of 43 and that "protection" can easily be circumvented by setting the realism to 115%. It also does not prevent active sonar from finding you well below test depth and allowing the AI to keep your suppressed, if nothing else.