Destroyer The UBoat Hunter - Steam Game- Command a convoy escorts in battle

[Destraex]

Don't ask me if this will be any good. Looks promising though.

Single player means I am not as interested though,

ABOUT THIS GAME
Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter is an interactive war thriller which seamlessly blends tactical WW2 anti-submarine warfare simulation with a gripping storyline, presented through Hollywoodesque, interactive cutscenes. Take command of a meticulously reconstructed Fletcher-class destroyer and lead your crew against nazi U-Boats in the Battle of the Atlantic!

The story unfolds through a choice and consequence mechanic, allowing the player to shape the fate of the crew plunged into a deadly struggle against a devious and stealth enemy. They will have to overcome both the underwater threat and their own shortcomings in order to make sure that the convoy they are protecting makes it safely across the pond.

Lead a whole destroyer squadron and make tactical decisions to protect your sheep from the steel wolves. Track contacts and plot anti-submarine attacks using authentic equipment. Experience war at sea from the perspective of a tin can sailor, and shape the story as it develops, making key decisions both in and outside the heat of battle.

It is all in your hands, captain! Will you lead your men to victory by making sure that your convoy reaches its destination, or will it fall prey to enemy torpedoes, depriving the allied war effort of the precious supplies you were trusted to protect? Only you can answer the question!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1272010/Destroyer_The_UBoat_Hunter/

[Sir Slash]

That does look intriguing. Moistened Loins? We'll see.

[Jarhead0331]

Looks great, but Q3 2021 seems like soooooooo long away. 

[Gusington]

I like the idea of the destroyer tactics attached to a larger story.

[steve58]

Interest piqued.  I think I still have my copy of Destroyer Command somewhere...

[hellfish6]

I'd love a good surface ship game/sim, but this doesn't look like one. It looks like an interactive movie that fully intends to piggyback off the new Tom Hanks movie.

[Sir Slash]

Stop bringing reality into my fantasy world!    Actually, I agree Hellfish.

[Toonces]

Agree with Hellfish.

Loins are firmly dry, but who knows? 

There is definitely a big sloppy hole waiting to be filled by a good surface WW2 game, though.

LOL, I thought it was Q3 2020.  Man alive, Q3 2021 is a long time from now.

[The_Admiral]

I'd love a good surface ship game/sim, but this doesn't look like one. It looks like an interactive movie that fully intends to piggyback off the new Tom Hanks movie.

Aww - to be fair to the chaps though, the project had been announced months ago - so I guess the communication might be trying to make the most of the Greyhound buzz, but had my own game been more advanced at the time of the release of the Midway motion picture, rest assured that I'd have done all the same.

Research is top notch, they went to a museum ship to examine under every single angle everything they needed to recreate the ultimate experience. Granted, it is shaping up more as some sort of interactive adventure than an actual ship simulator, and here they're trading somewhat freedom of action in favor of immersion from what I can collect, but if the thrill is there, I would be the last to throw any stone. It will be a solid and enjoyable experience, and as far as I am concerned I can't wait to get my own hands on it. 

[hellfish6]

I'm not knocking the game for it's references to Greyhound - it makes sense to do it, and other games do it as well - but the A or B type of choose-your-own-adventure type of gameplay doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe I'll change my mind when more is released - at the ship interior looks fantastic - but right now it's low expectations mode for me. 

[FarAway Sooner]

I like the notion of a novel take on this topic.  I'd be curious to know when it's set, and how ahistorical it might be.  My suspicion is that the emphasis on storytelling will mean that they'll use a lot of dramatic license.

One of the things I found most interesting about the Battle for the Atlantic was the whole variety of factors that came into play, in terms of both technology and doctrine.  The interaction between air coverage for convoys, surface ship anti-sub weaponry, escort pursuit doctrine, signals intelligence and cryptoanalysis, air patrols over sortie areas for U-boats, hunting of U-boat sub tenders, introduction of various different radar types in airborne and surface-ship assets, and even shoreline regulation is fascinating.  Even questions as simple as "Should bombers set their depth charges to land 20 feet apart, 50 feet apart, or 100 feet apart?" ended up having major ramifications in the grinding war of attrition that was the war in the Atlantic.



For a great pair of books on the topic, I heartily recommend either Operation Drumbeat or Black May, both by Michael Gannon.

[Millipede]

As soon as I saw that this was supposed to model a Fletcher class DD I got all excited and that still does excite me but to a lesser extent. Fletcher's were flush-deck designs as opposed to the Porter and Somers classes with raised forecastles thus the Porter's and Somers' were better able to handle rough seas. The Fletcher's had greater range and much better AA armament. As a result the Fletcher's were almost exclusively sent to the Pacific with the Porter's and Somer's sent to the N. Atlantic convoy runs. Thus the Fletcher's as U-Boat Hunters is not very accurate. That's my understanding but, believe it or not, I have been wrong before (as I recall, it was the summer of '56 when I was 10  ). Admiral, you seem to be our resident naval authority (at least I think so), so feel free to jump in here.

[The_Admiral]

Oh well, I am no destroyer expert (and the makers of this game are now aware of your existence, you mortals, so beware their wrath ) but although Fletcher were certainly made with the Pacific in mind, in terms of mere numbers they also dwarved both Porter and Somers classes in numbers in the fleet. And of course, the original source for technical knowledge used by the team being a Fletcher museum ship, it figures that they'd keep her at the centre of the game design.

Besides, both Porter and Somers classes were destroyer leaders, which made them a bit more adapted to the needs of fleet escort considering their armament and endurance - on the other hand, there were plenty pre-war Manhan/Gridley/Bagley/Benham/Sims/Benson/etc... To do the job. Still; a bit later they were superseded in numbers by Destroyer Escorts which were probably better suited for this role, but this happened later during the war from 1943 onwards, and I suppose that just like in Greyhound or the novel The Good Shepherd, the focus wants to be put on early war struggle, when the U-boot threat was at its peak, US preparedness at its lowest point, and destroyers thrown into the fray for a job they weren't necessarily always the greatest at. Although I'd still gladly play an video game version of The Enemy Below anyday 

[Destraex]

Looking forward to this. Even with the over done U-boat evil pack meister markings on the u-boats.
Still gonna be fun.

[Toonces]

Well, I am cautiously hopeful that this game is something I'll enjoy.  I'll be watching.

This thread did get me to buy a copy of Black May off Amazon last night.  I actually teach a lesson on the Battle of the Atlantic at work, but my knowledge of the conflict is really pretty limited.