Cold Waters

[JudgeDredd]

There's a 50 page manual for all of that

But you're not going to read it  :D

Do you actually read manuals or do you cursory look through and then use for reference? 

I've already posted here why I tend not to read manuals - I have a terrible short term memory issue.

I've had to read the Star Wars:Rebellion manual twice (both the Rules Reference and Learn to Play) and I still have to pick them up during gameplay. I just can't seem to retain anything anymore.

That doesn't bode particularly well for my computer programming career  :DD

[undercovergeek]

The only evidence there is that god exists is that he made the toilet and big game manuals

[Capn Darwin]

JD, the mission notes at start stated no layer or thermal duct. As for controls, I did not see much feedback. I'd take text messages like RSR saying "Set depth to 220 feet" or "Right rudder 10 degrees" just to know I am commanding things correctly. I'll have to watch again for the control indicators.

Update: I do see speed messages and some passing XXX feet, but not set course. Hopefully things will be improved. Also the location and text size of those messages is not the best either.

[Nefaro]

Unfortunately, that video didn't actually fill me with confidence and in fact highlighted some concerns

• Guy said he was going to the periscope depth but ended up breaking the surface
• Guy said he was going to slow down but in fact had stopped - which he then realised, commenting on lack of feedback
• I didn't see an indication of the "thermal" layers...was that there?
• Lots and lots of freezing of the video...especially, it seemed, when things kicked off

Mostly, it seemed the guy struggled with the interface (my first two points above). They could've been his issues - not knowing the controls well enough - but he said he had played several times quoting "you don't always get that lucky". Given the issues the guy had with control in game and his statement at the end, that might suggest a "difficult" interface.

Having said that, I actually enjoyed watching it all kick off and I'm still looking forward to it - just with a little bit more trepidation.

After watching, I'm pretty sure Neal was using manual controls to steer the boat.  Which would explain why he had the surfacing and speed issues. 

I vaguely recall seeing a preview from Neal years ago, and he hadn't quite picked up on the sim, at the time, either.  Neal's a nice guy who's run the hub of the sub sim community for a long time, but I'm not sure if he studies up very well before ... diving in.   :))

He did state that he, "just kind of casually jumped into this battle", and "you can't just smooch around and expect to get away with it."    ;D

I agree that it could probably use sounds/voices giving input confirmations.  Even if you're manually steering/telegraphing with keyboard keys instead of the normal "Slow, 1/4, 1/2, Full, Flank" speed and "5, 10, 15, etc degree" rudder orders, for example.  Which should also at least have a "ding" sound.  But I don't think he even used the normal presets, so maybe those have such a thing? 

The little text window, with all the messages shooting through, looks insufficient for all the quick feedback.

Overall, this does look like the new RSR.  The style of game play very much reminds me of it.  Intentionally so.  I'll be disappearing under the surface for awhile when this comes out!  :dreamer:

[Nefaro]

Edit:

Manual says the navigation controls are incremental.  So you just give the key a little tappy.  Just tap it in.  One-by-one. 


The planes and rudder go by 5 degree increments.  'X' key is the Straight & Level order.


Judging by the hotkey list, there is no direct "periscope depth" order, or specific depth entry option.  I guess we'll have to learn to drive.   :o

[JudgeDredd]

The only evidence there is that god exists is that he made the toilet and big game manuals

Agreed...but even there, nothing sticks (thankfully)  :))

[mikeck]

The only evidence there is that god exists is that he made the toilet and big game manuals

Agreed...but even there, nothing sticks (thankfully)  :))

Wait....ewwww

[Toonces]

You'd think, before going through the trouble of recording a video and then uploading it to YouTube, which is a fairly time-consuming process, you'd spend some time playing the game and figuring it out so you can give a good representative look at the game.  Lazy.

Anyway, in great anticipation of Cold Waters coming out, I've reinstalled Dangerous Waters just now.  I'm installing the RA 1.41 mod on top, which I've never tried but it sounds pretty awesome.

Sadly, I've barely scratched the surface of DW.  Time to rectify that.

Modern naval warfare goodness abounds!   :arr:

[jomni]

Edit:

Manual says the navigation controls are incremental.  So you just give the key a little tappy.  Just tap it in.  One-by-one. 


The planes and rudder go by 5 degree increments.  'X' key is the Straight & Level order.


Judging by the hotkey list, there is no direct "periscope depth" order, or specific depth entry option.  I guess we'll have to learn to drive.   :o

That's crazy! Will it detract from the immersion?

[Pinetree]

DW with the voice activated commands was great fun and very immersive. You had to spend some time with the Microsoft speech engine to train it to get know your voice but once that was done, sub missions were awesome controlling by voice.

[mikeck]

DW is a fantastic game. One that's really rewarding too. Sneaking around in my LA class, finding an enemy sub and sinking it is so involved that you feel like you accomplished something

[Nefaro]

Edit:

Manual says the navigation controls are incremental.  So you just give the key a little tappy.  Just tap it in.  One-by-one. 


The planes and rudder go by 5 degree increments.  'X' key is the Straight & Level order.


Judging by the hotkey list, there is no direct "periscope depth" order, or specific depth entry option.  I guess we'll have to learn to drive.   :o

That's crazy! Will it detract from the immersion?

Naaa..

Just add more workload on the player.

RSR was faster paced than the sub sims we're used to (e.g. DW/SC/688i series).  Intentionally so.  I'm loathe to call it a "Hollywood" version, but things definitely happened more quickly when the shooting started.  Especially in sub vs sub "knife fight in a phone booth" situations, with homing torpedoes, decoys, and quick turning maneuvers that are closely spaced.

From what little I've seen of Cold Waters, and read in it's manual, the new game will be similarly paced.  Although the settings contain a couple different time & distance scaling modifiers players can change, so it can apparently be adjusted. 

I remember having some pretty hectic bursts of helm & weapons orders being needed in RSR.  I tended to normally use the number entry system for the 'everyday' nav orders - heading & depth.  Was just easier to be a precise one-shot order, not needing any follow-up commands.  But when I needed to haul ass, dodge torpedoes, etc, I'd often just order full speed, full rudder over, and give the following straight & level order when needed. 

Unfortunately this one only seems to offer the latter right now.  But the precise entry was mostly useful during slower less stressful times anyway.  Will have to get used to jockeying the helm at all times, and in smaller increments, than just slamming them over to full in a panic.

I do think a preset "Periscope Depth" hotkey is needed.  One that will take the sub to a preset PD on it's own, without the player having to jockey the planes.  I'd also like to see two additional ones: "Shallow depth" and "Deep Depth" for preset depths that are above and below typical thermal layer depths.


I was a bit concerned with the speed of the torpedo tube reload in the vid.  Maybe that was just a difficulty setting, or maybe the time setting.  It looked to be exceptionally fast. 

[Nefaro]

Just got an email stating this is available now.

[mirth]

Hell yeah!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/541210/Cold_Waters/

[Barthheart]

Ditto! $44 CDN... not bad.... my gaming budget for June is taking an awful beating... and I'm not even at Origins yet...  :P