Wolfpack Wishlist

Cosloy · 04-02-20, 07:17 PM

I've started browsing the U-boat KTBs at http://www.uboatarchive.net/KTBList.htm and found them to be fascinating reading. I kept imagining what it'd be like to experience some of the described events in Wolfpack and it inspired me to write up a wishlist. I'm sure some of these are already planned, and some have been mentioned by others, but I'll mention them anyway. Please know that I am in no way demanding anything. I love Wolfpack and I'm looking forward to its future. I just thought it'd be fun to throw out some ideas.

The KTBs mention a lot of environmental factors that would have had effects on sub handling and/or the visibility of the submarine, enemy ships, and even torpedoes and would have affected the decision of how/when to attack. Having these simulated in Wolfpack would be amazing.

Earth curvature/real horizon.
Accurate moon/sun position.
Sea state.
Weather (wind, mist and fog banks, rain, wind, hail, storms, etc).
Marine phosphorescence (never occurred to me, but this was mentioned quite a bit in KTBs)
Northern lights.
Currents (obviously important for the Scapa Flow mission).
Sea smoke and ice flows in cold climates.

I'm aware that some of these are more interesting for Wolfpack than others. Few players will want to sit in a submerged sub for hours waiting for a storm to pass, for example.

Some other things mentioned in the KTBs that I thought would be cool to encounter in Wolfpack are:

Aircraft - crash diving due to planes is mentioned a LOT.

Zigzagging - This is pretty obvious. One KTB mentions flares used to signal changes in course/speed which made the uboat captain think they'd been spotted.

Varied ship damage/sinking behavior - many of the attack descriptions detail the effects of torpedo hits, which allowed the captain to assess the amount of damage done and influenced the decision to fire additional shots and/or use deck gun.

More realistic periscope simulation - Many KTBs describe difficulty or impossibility of seeing targets through either periscope at night, or not being able to use periscopes while submerged at speed due to vibration and risk of being spotted due to the wake produced by the scope.

Anti-sub ships operating away from convoys - Escorts or other anti-sub ships would sometimes operate away from the convoy and catch submarines from behind as they focused their attention on the convoy. This would make it really important to maintain a good watch.

Varied escort behavior - For example, escorts would sometimes stop and sit quietly, tricking the sub into thinking they've left and surfacing.

Bow waves and wakes - to help judge speed on enemy ships and to aid maintaining contact.

Varied ship colors/paint schemes - Just to add variety. Although having fake/painted bow waves to confuse us would be cool.

Dimmed ships - Ships should normally be lights out at night, but maybe there is a chance some crewman is negligent and leaves a light visible through a porthole.

Neutral ships - Maybe have standing orders regarding what can/cannot be attacked, depending on date/location. Perhaps stopping a neutral ship to check their papers can be a random event during missions.

Other enemy warships - Some chance to encounter a carrier, battleship, etc.

Improved torpedo simulation, including different types and options, including magnetic vs. contact detonator pistols. Also including the possibility of different types of failure (circle runner, tube runner, depth keeping failure, etc.). Variable loading times.

Simulated radio traffic - SOS calls from stricken vessels, requests from BdU for reports, requests to send bearing signals for other uboats or German aircraft to attack convoy.

Damage to uboat systems and equipment - both due to attack damage and misuse, such as hitting the bottom during a crash dive and damaging the hydrophone or dive plane.

Details around sinking enemy ships - lifeboats, debris and oil in water, etc.) Maybe other ships come to aid stricken ships and help survivors.

Anyway, that's my list. I don't know what's planned for Wolfpack or what's possible, but I'd love to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees with any of these ideas.

Good hunting!

04-02-20, 07:17 PM	#1
Cosloy Swabbie Join Date: Oct 2019 Posts: 7 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	Wolfpack Wishlist I've started browsing the U-boat KTBs at http://www.uboatarchive.net/KTBList.htm and found them to be fascinating reading. I kept imagining what it'd be like to experience some of the described events in Wolfpack and it inspired me to write up a wishlist. I'm sure some of these are already planned, and some have been mentioned by others, but I'll mention them anyway. Please know that I am in no way demanding anything. I love Wolfpack and I'm looking forward to its future. I just thought it'd be fun to throw out some ideas. The KTBs mention a lot of environmental factors that would have had effects on sub handling and/or the visibility of the submarine, enemy ships, and even torpedoes and would have affected the decision of how/when to attack. Having these simulated in Wolfpack would be amazing. Earth curvature/real horizon. Accurate moon/sun position. Sea state. Weather (wind, mist and fog banks, rain, wind, hail, storms, etc). Marine phosphorescence (never occurred to me, but this was mentioned quite a bit in KTBs) Northern lights. Currents (obviously important for the Scapa Flow mission). Sea smoke and ice flows in cold climates. I'm aware that some of these are more interesting for Wolfpack than others. Few players will want to sit in a submerged sub for hours waiting for a storm to pass, for example. Some other things mentioned in the KTBs that I thought would be cool to encounter in Wolfpack are: Aircraft - crash diving due to planes is mentioned a LOT. Zigzagging - This is pretty obvious. One KTB mentions flares used to signal changes in course/speed which made the uboat captain think they'd been spotted. Varied ship damage/sinking behavior - many of the attack descriptions detail the effects of torpedo hits, which allowed the captain to assess the amount of damage done and influenced the decision to fire additional shots and/or use deck gun. More realistic periscope simulation - Many KTBs describe difficulty or impossibility of seeing targets through either periscope at night, or not being able to use periscopes while submerged at speed due to vibration and risk of being spotted due to the wake produced by the scope. Anti-sub ships operating away from convoys - Escorts or other anti-sub ships would sometimes operate away from the convoy and catch submarines from behind as they focused their attention on the convoy. This would make it really important to maintain a good watch. Varied escort behavior - For example, escorts would sometimes stop and sit quietly, tricking the sub into thinking they've left and surfacing. Bow waves and wakes - to help judge speed on enemy ships and to aid maintaining contact. Varied ship colors/paint schemes - Just to add variety. Although having fake/painted bow waves to confuse us would be cool. Dimmed ships - Ships should normally be lights out at night, but maybe there is a chance some crewman is negligent and leaves a light visible through a porthole. Neutral ships - Maybe have standing orders regarding what can/cannot be attacked, depending on date/location. Perhaps stopping a neutral ship to check their papers can be a random event during missions. Other enemy warships - Some chance to encounter a carrier, battleship, etc. Improved torpedo simulation, including different types and options, including magnetic vs. contact detonator pistols. Also including the possibility of different types of failure (circle runner, tube runner, depth keeping failure, etc.). Variable loading times. Simulated radio traffic - SOS calls from stricken vessels, requests from BdU for reports, requests to send bearing signals for other uboats or German aircraft to attack convoy. Damage to uboat systems and equipment - both due to attack damage and misuse, such as hitting the bottom during a crash dive and damaging the hydrophone or dive plane. Details around sinking enemy ships - lifeboats, debris and oil in water, etc.) Maybe other ships come to aid stricken ships and help survivors. Anyway, that's my list. I don't know what's planned for Wolfpack or what's possible, but I'd love to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees with any of these ideas. Good hunting!