Should I invest time learning DW?

[JuanLiquid]

Hello,

After playing thousands of hours in SH3 with its campaign, and now I see DW is avaliable on GOG (I only purchase DRM-free games), I was thinking if it worth the time learning DW for me.

My main problem is that it seems a game made to play static single missions, which are always the same. And it seems it doesn't have a dynamic campaign as SH3 did, but one which is just a chain of single player missions. Am I right?

SH3 campaign wasn't perfect at all, I miss it had limited resources/ships for allied and axis, and that you may had a minimal impact on the war. But at least, with some imagination, it worked for me.

I fear to invest a lot of time into study hundreds of pages of a manual and play just 100 hours to a game because there isn't more content.

I've seen there are a couple of megamods, the reinforcement alert and other one which name I don't remember right now, but I'm not sure how much content they add.

So, if I learn the manual, will I have at least 1000 gameplay hours of DW?

[FPSchazly]

Not judging at all, but you seem to be thinking about this in a weird way (my opinion, of course). It's not a skill to learn for a job, but a game to enjoy. If it looks interesting to you, just hop in and try it out. The stock Russian Rebellion campaign ramps up in difficulty pretty well from easy to intermediate, IMO, and the game has rather decent AI Autocrew for the Sonar and TMA and such to help you ease in. But, yes, the game does not have dynamic content (the Quick Mission feature is technically dynamic but very predictably dynamic and tends to be broken). There is a lot of stuff to play, however - the stock campaign, stock missions, 3rd party missions, 3rd party Red Storm Rising campaign, 3rd party Liu Doctrine campaign, which are both rather lengthy. If you run out of content with Dangerous Waters, you can then play its predecessors 688(I) Hunter/Killer and Sub Command, which are almost identical to Dangerous Waters, just older and with slightly worse graphics, obviously.



Reading the manual cover to cover right away I don't think would be too helpful. It's definitely like a technical manual, as in, it's a resource for navigating through the stations but it's not an extensive theory manual on how to operate the submarine. You could also watch some video tutorials such as my own on YouTube if you prefer a more curated experience going through how the game works:




Hope this helps!

[kpv1974]

Inside Oscar-II movie.

[JuanLiquid]

Thanks, I will take a look to that video. Anyway, it was quite cheap and I purchased it.

[ET2SN]

Just to throw in my own spare change , DW and its older brothers are still worth playing. Besides doing some extra study (manuals, watching vids, etc.) it's also handy to create some of your own "work-up" missions with the mission editor.

The reality of the Sonalysts games is that there isn't a single "perfect" way to play the game/sim. Rather, a LOT of it comes down to your style and preference.


So, how do you get GOOD?
Practice then practice some more.

Don't worry about beating a campaign or a mission. Learn instead how to drive the boat and use it's sensors and weps.

Go into the mission editor and create a couple of bare-bones missions. Pick some water on the planet that interests you, maybe even your own "home waters" that is either fairly shallow or fairly deep. Then pick the sub you want and place it in the mission, making sure you check the "playable" box. You may want to include some other surface traffic to play with. Don't worry about scoring points or hitting any goals, just keep it simple.

Start out learning how to drive the boat. You really want to get good at this stuff NOW. How close can you run to the bottom? How does the rudder behave at certain speeds? At a given depth, when does the screw start to cavitate? How deep should you be to "dead stick" the boat up to PD (ring up All Stop then try to coast up to a certain depth)?
In the next phase, use some surface traffic to learn how to track, and eventually attack, a given contact. What changes if you reel out the towed array? Where do you place your boat so the Auto Crew can do their jobs? How do you set up a torpedo attack versus a missile launch? How do you KNOW that you're attacking the right target?

Again, use the mission editor to set up some simple missions then play the snot out of them. Don't worry about goals or points, aside from really learning the game.

The bottom line is that you really want to develop YOUR OWN instincts before you dive into some canned missions or a campaign. While there is a LOT to learn, you don't have to learn all of it in two hours. Take your time, enjoy the game.




If you're in a hurry to install one of the mods, wait. Save the mods for later on when you have more experience. Playing the game "Stock" is the best way to learn it. Speaking of, DW has four different platforms you can play. Want to understand how a patrol plane, DDG or chopper can ruin your mission? Play around with them, learn their strengths and weaknesses.
Use what you learned against them when you go back to your sub.

[Stewy1]

Wise words Dr Bob!

[causighim]

It's worth. It's may be the most realistic commercial subsim game for modern subs. If you want something new,there's a lot of extra mission in this site.





The only thing 'waste' of time is reading the official 'SCS-DangerousWatersUserManual' to know the basic manoeuvre. Subsim is much easier compared to other hard-core sims.

[Aktungbby]

causighim!

[Kapitan]

Its worth it to learn the techniques for follow on subsims and it does help in other games too

[Kapitan]

I’d also add there’s a multiplayer system in the game that you can play real humans

I’d also recommend reading Seawolves red and blue books

I’d also say Stewy1 map packs are very detailed !

There’s campaigns in dangerous waters too that you can play through

You can also make your own missions or play / download ones that have been made

The game is based on the midshipman trainer of the USN so it is quite intense and dedicated but you learn a lot from it which can be applied in other games

It’s also heavily modded the DWx Reinforce alert mod is currently the most widely used it does give you more platform to play and also updated interfaces

That said it is a game from 2005 so the game engine is dated