RPG & Strategic elements?

[Smash]

RPG
SHIII is smashing. True.
But what I personally miss is what I call ‘game cohesion.’ The storyline-glue that bonds every mission together so you get more story with NPC and your own personality you play.
E.g.; Rumors and stories from other U boats that are told in a bar, war updates, secret missions, intrigues& espionage..
Currently you play and after your mission you go to the next, etc etc, without that RPG storyline.
For me it makes it a bit dull play after about 10 missions. It’s more or less same old, same old.. if you know what Im saying..
I want to go through the game like a movie. Adventure or RPG.

Commanding the fleet
It also would be great to have real time command headquarters where you could do operational planning, like locate convoys and other missions to send your subs to.
Like Greatest Naval Battles from SSI back in 1992. There was a War Office where you could see what ships where in dock, shipyard or still in production and you could form taskforces and send out your fleet in harms way.
As the GNB manual discribed on page 158 (yes I still have it laying arround..)
"The strategic map shows critical information which you would get from your intelligence, and you could plan your missions.
Displayed on it are the resources you and your enemy bring th the struggle. The bases which harbor your fleet, the taskforces which they are organized, stations they patrol and the a/c which support them. Also displayed are the objects of the struggle; the convoys that sail back and forth between UK and the world. "


Those 2 points would be my ideal of naval game play..

[CB..]

i agree the inclusion of even small RPG details can have a huge impact on the immersion and feel of a game--the crew management system in SH3 does have very minor rpg hints--

i would love to have some sort of officers mess to spend time in imbetween patrols/missions---perhaps modelled in full 3d like the sub interiors with animated sub commanders and a set of pictures on the back wall--as time goes by the number of pictures (of those commanders who have been lost) increases and the animated commanders in the mess change---this wouldn't be fully RPG in any major way BUT it would create
a good emotional link between patrols---and some sort of sense of story line as commanders died and were replaced by other new faces--bung a bit of music in there (and a multiplayer chat room for on line players) and you've got quite a nice way to link each patrol--really just a update of the old AOTD officers mess--
run a few random AI captains careers and show their results on a board in the mess--even if this didn't actually occur in the game engine it self and was just calculated at random for display in text from on a notice board -this would create a minor roleplay nugget for the imagination to enjoy--

allowing the player to check the notice board and wonder if "old such and such" has survived--

of course you could even have a mini game allowing you to play chess with your crew on long patrols--and the league table displayed on the sub notice board--completely optional of course but fascinating--

randomised letters from home --newspapers etc all would help create a role for the player enhancing the potentail immersion--

[Sniper_1]

Great idea there CB...and i'd add that the crew of USN fleet boats tended to undergo roughly a 1/4 crew change after every patrol, as crew were promoted and moved to other boats, sent back to the states for more training, joined new build boats etc.

Sniper_1.

[Seademon]

[quote=Smash]RPG

Commanding the fleet
It also would be great to have real time command headquarters where you could do operational planning, like locate convoys and other missions to send your subs to.
Like Greatest Naval Battles from SSI back in 1992. There was a War Office where you could see what ships where in dock, shipyard or still in production and you could form taskforces and send out your fleet in harms way.

Displayed on it are the resources you and your enemy bring th the struggle. The bases which harbor your fleet, the taskforces which they are organized, stations they patrol and the a/c which support them. Also displayed are the objects of the struggle; the convoys that sail back and forth between UK and the world. "
quote]

I totally agree in some respects, but the way the game is played,i.e it moves slowly compared to BF2 where you really do need a commander and that subs generally irl in ww2 only receive orders periodically and not while in battle, when your expecting that they do so, in essence while a good thought for a strategy is not good for SH4

[Seademon]

But the one thing that was missing in sh2 and sh3 is an operational ocean tender for resupply. One that can be radio in and to meet at such and such coordinance that is preset to a so many mile radius from the exact position of the sub.
Admittedly this would be for single player but to allow campaing to flow say replenishment once only then go to port.

[Safe-Keeper]

SH3 Commander is your friend. It features a Nightclub with date-specific gossip. For example, in April 1940, they rant and rave about those darnded Norsemen not letting Germany take Norway.

For SH4, I hope that as many of SH3 Commander's features as possible as implemented in the game. Either way, there will probably be an SH4 Commander.

[The WosMan]

Safe-KeeperSH3 Commander is your friend. It features a Nightclub with date-specific gossip. For example, in April 1940, they rant and rave about those darnded Norsemen not letting Germany take Norway.

Loose lips sink ships.......

[Iron Budokan]

If you want to do some role playing with SH3 you could always look into Wolves at War.

Wolvesatwar.org

[Safe-Keeper]

SH3 Gen has some good features I'd like to see, too.

[_Seth_]

Hi smash, and welcome to the greatest forum since the jedi-council was blown up!

[Safe-Keeper]

Yup, welcome to the forum, Smash!