The Silent Hunter that never was, part I ? A real periscope

elanaiba · 02-20-12, 07:05 PM

Something I wanted to do in a long time was to have a more open communication with the community regarding potential game features. This is hard to do in a company where marketing guys have their plans - they probably know a thing or two, sure. It's hard when you don't have time for it, too.

Also, it's easy to shoot ideas and then not be able to implement them, to the disappointment of many... and in the end, you do want to come up with some (good) surprises.

I might just throw some stuff here, for no real reason. There's no hidden interest behind it. It's not a poll on what feature I should build next. Its just a glimpse into what we would have liked to do as the "ultimate" Silent Hunter.

One of my pet ideas and an experiment we did fairly early with SH5 was to have a functional, rotating 3D periscope, with the outside world visible through the lens and the conning tower (or command room) moving in the background. It was just a rough prototype and would have taken more time to do properly. Also would have taken a lot of effort in order to make it useful gameplay wise, not just a resource hog.

But in the end, it was interesting that we couldn't all agree whether its cool to have the periscope like that or not? Some people thought its nice and brings something new and immersive to the genre. Others thought - and with good reason - that a real periscope image should be black all around, as the captain would close the other eye.

What do people here think?

krashkart · 02-20-12, 07:14 PM

Cool idea. I think a neat feature to add to that would be to mimic the one eye closing as you start to look through the periscope. Who says eye candy is a bad thing (lame pun intended)?

nikimcbee · 02-20-12, 07:26 PM

I think at first it would be real cool, but it would become a distraction from the action. If time/money weren't an issue, it would be a cool option.

I say keep it simple. (or optional

)

nikimcbee · 02-20-12, 07:27 PM

@ Dan.

Good to see you.

krashkart · 02-20-12, 07:32 PM

Simple and optional, but not both at the same time. Or make it optional to have a periscope -- that would be even better.

nikimcbee · 02-20-12, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krashkart

Simple and optional, but not both at the same time. Or make it optional to have a periscope -- that would be even better.

Just for you, you can do it "old school" and do the sonar approach/attack

.

krashkart · 02-20-12, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Just for you, you can do it "old school" and do the sonar approach/attack

.

Yeah. Who needs a periscope thingy anyway?

EDIT: *cedes thread to more serious people*

Sailor Steve · 02-20-12, 09:34 PM

Hey Dan, it's good to see you around.

I remember the periscope background from SH2. Same sort of thing, except of course it didn't move, which of course a lot of people complained about. I think it's a cool idea, but as Jason said it might be distracting. Of course people can concentrate and ignore it. We do that all the time with the dials.

My personal preference is for a black background and a lens that fills up the entire screen, but using the available options doesn't bother me as you just learn to ignore the background. So yeah, I think it would be cool, but the question is, does it actually add to the game?

krashkart · 02-20-12, 09:41 PM

It wouldn't distract me at all, I think. But I agree with McBee and Sailor Steve that it could be distracting to some players. Make it optional like nikimcbee suggested and we'd have the best of both worlds depending on our preferences.

Jmack · 02-20-12, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

My personal preference is for a black background and a lens that fills up the entire screen, but using the available options doesn't bother me as you just learn to ignore the background. So yeah, I think it would be cool, but the question is, does it actually add to the game?

yeah ... i agree with Steve ! , black and a larger lens image

THE_MASK · 02-20-12, 11:32 PM

Actually , just having you on the forum is an honour

02-21-12, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Something I wanted to do in a long time was to have a more open communication with the community regarding potential game features. This is hard to do in a company where marketing guys have their plans - they probably know a thing or two, sure. It's hard when you don't have time for it, too.

A brilliant idea.

the light shininng in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood.

misha1967 · 02-21-12, 02:51 AM

I voted for black, since that's how I like it, but I also believe that it would be a nice optional feature since I'm sure that some would like it.

And I echo Sober: Good to have you with us, Dan!

I, we, may complain about stuff that we would have liked to see or stuff that wasn't implemented right etc., but if it hadn't been for you guys on the team, this sim that we all love would have never advanced to its fifth iteration. And you guys, unlike a lot of dev teams, left the whole thing wide open for us to play with and modify to our hearts' contents.

ReallyDedPoet · 02-21-12, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sober

Actually , just having you on the forum is an honour

Nice to see you Dan

mookiemookie · 02-21-12, 09:11 AM

I went with black. If you're a sub captain looking through a periscope, that's what you're going to see. You'd have to be sitting pretty far back from the eyepiece to see the command room around it.

Glad to see you're still around Dan. Your little girl is beautiful!

View Poll Results: I like the background to my periscope view to be...
black, just black	23	60.53%
real, moving 3D view to the interior of the sub	15	39.47%
Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll

02-20-12, 07:05 PM	#1
elanaiba Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bucharest, Romania Posts: 1,058 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 3	The Silent Hunter that never was, part I ? A real periscope Something I wanted to do in a long time was to have a more open communication with the community regarding potential game features. This is hard to do in a company where marketing guys have their plans - they probably know a thing or two, sure. It's hard when you don't have time for it, too. Also, it's easy to shoot ideas and then not be able to implement them, to the disappointment of many... and in the end, you do want to come up with some (good) surprises. I might just throw some stuff here, for no real reason. There's no hidden interest behind it. It's not a poll on what feature I should build next. Its just a glimpse into what we would have liked to do as the "ultimate" Silent Hunter. One of my pet ideas and an experiment we did fairly early with SH5 was to have a functional, rotating 3D periscope, with the outside world visible through the lens and the conning tower (or command room) moving in the background. It was just a rough prototype and would have taken more time to do properly. Also would have taken a lot of effort in order to make it useful gameplay wise, not just a resource hog. But in the end, it was interesting that we couldn't all agree whether its cool to have the periscope like that or not? Some people thought its nice and brings something new and immersive to the genre. Others thought - and with good reason - that a real periscope image should be black all around, as the captain would close the other eye. What do people here think? __________________ With strength I burn...

02-20-12, 07:14 PM	#2
krashkart Navy Seal Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,292 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	Cool idea. I think a neat feature to add to that would be to mimic the one eye closing as you start to look through the periscope. Who says eye candy is a bad thing (lame pun intended)? __________________ sent from my fingertips using a cheap keyboard

02-20-12, 07:26 PM	#3
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,952 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	I think at first it would be real cool, but it would become a distraction from the action. If time/money weren't an issue, it would be a cool option. I say keep it simple. (or optional) __________________

02-20-12, 07:27 PM	#4
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,952 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	@ Dan. Good to see you. __________________

02-20-12, 07:32 PM	#5
krashkart Navy Seal Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,292 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	Simple and optional, but not both at the same time. Or make it optional to have a periscope -- that would be even better. __________________ sent from my fingertips using a cheap keyboard

02-20-12, 09:34 PM	#8
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Hey Dan, it's good to see you around. I remember the periscope background from SH2. Same sort of thing, except of course it didn't move, which of course a lot of people complained about. I think it's a cool idea, but as Jason said it might be distracting. Of course people can concentrate and ignore it. We do that all the time with the dials. My personal preference is for a black background and a lens that fills up the entire screen, but using the available options doesn't bother me as you just learn to ignore the background. So yeah, I think it would be cool, but the question is, does it actually add to the game? __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

02-20-12, 09:41 PM	#9
krashkart Navy Seal Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,292 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	It wouldn't distract me at all, I think. But I agree with McBee and Sailor Steve that it could be distracting to some players. Make it optional like nikimcbee suggested and we'd have the best of both worlds depending on our preferences. __________________ sent from my fingertips using a cheap keyboard

02-20-12, 11:32 PM	#11
THE_MASK Ace of the deep . Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 9,226 Downloads: 901 Uploads: 73	Actually , just having you on the forum is an honour

02-21-12, 02:51 AM	#13
misha1967 Commander Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas, USA Posts: 470 Downloads: 78 Uploads: 0	I voted for black, since that's how I like it, but I also believe that it would be a nice optional feature since I'm sure that some would like it. And I echo Sober: Good to have you with us, Dan! I, we, may complain about stuff that we would have liked to see or stuff that wasn't implemented right etc., but if it hadn't been for you guys on the team, this sim that we all love would have never advanced to its fifth iteration. And you guys, unlike a lot of dev teams, left the whole thing wide open for us to play with and modify to our hearts' contents. __________________ Ansonsten, Herr Lutter, ist alles in Butter Liqui-cooled Intel i2550K @ 4.2 GHz, 8 Gb RAM, GTX 970 GPU

02-21-12, 09:11 AM	#15
mookiemookie Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 9,404 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 1	I went with black. If you're a sub captain looking through a periscope, that's what you're going to see. You'd have to be sitting pretty far back from the eyepiece to see the command room around it. Glad to see you're still around Dan. Your little girl is beautiful! __________________ They don’t think it be like it is, but it do. Want more U-boat Kaleun portraits for your SH3 Commander Profiles? Download the SH3 Commander Portrait Pack here.