Griping about Simulations

[MengJiao]

  I've just played some Silent Hunter 5 so I feel entitled to complain about simulations.  First, I sorta don't get the overall point of simulations where you want to run up a score.  Sure that was an aspect of commanding a submarine, but if you read detailed accounts of submarine operations and ASW operations there was a lot more complexity.  For example, you could foul your propellors on big fishing nets and have to improvise diving gear (a diving bell or something it seems?) AND fight giant sharks.  At the moment that seems much more entertaining in my mind's eye than whatever it is you are supposed to be doing in Silent Hunter V.
   and another thing -- what about rescuing people at sea?  In nautical accounts rescues are a big deal.  Oh well.

[fabius]

Play this on a parallel screen

[MengJiao]

Play this on a parallel screen

  I wanted BIG sharks!  Eating my diver in a diving bell!  The horror etc.

[fabius]

Play this on a parallel screen

  I wanted BIG sharks!  Eating my diver in a diving bell!  The horror etc.

Understood:

[MengJiao]

Play this on a parallel screen

  I wanted BIG sharks!  Eating my diver in a diving bell!  The horror etc.

Understood:

Nice!  Diving bell?  Less nostrils on Shark?

[fabius]

Nice!  Diving bell?  Less nostrils on Shark?

Eh, so you now got subs, sharks, horror, diving bells, and bonus female ass... not easily pleased... suppose you want an atomic end vid too?

[Nefaro]

   and another thing -- what about rescuing people at sea?  In nautical accounts rescues are a big deal.  Oh well.

SH4 has the occasional "Lifeguard" mission, where you are given an area for Search & Rescue of downed airmen.  Must scan around for their little inflatable raft and pull up alongside to fish them out.

It also has some commando insertions and port observation missions.      

I specifically recall one mission, having to sneak part of the distance into Subic Bay (IIRC) after the Japanese had taken it, to take photos of the harbor.  That was a nerve-wracking experience, between having only enough depth to (barely) be at periscope depth, having to slowly sneak past a patrol ship outside, and worrying about any anti-sub nets that may have been erected. 

[MengJiao]

   and another thing -- what about rescuing people at sea?  In nautical accounts rescues are a big deal.  Oh well.

SH4 has the occasional "Lifeguard" mission, where you are given an area for Search & Rescue of downed airmen.  Must scan around for their little inflatable raft and pull up alongside to fish them out.

It also has some commando insertions and port observation missions.      

I specifically recall one mission, having to sneak part of the distance into Subic Bay (IIRC) after the Japanese had taken it, to take photos of the harbor.  That was a nerve-wracking experience, between having only enough depth to (barely) be at periscope depth, having to slowly sneak past a patrol ship outside, and worrying about any anti-sub nets that may have been erected.

That's encouraging.  The thing is that when you read tales of nautical adventures, there's a lot more of interest.  I guess I'm thinking more in terms of subsimulation meets survival game.  Or more generally, survival as an aspect of simulations.  for example you could escape from a torpedoed ship or a damaged aircraft and reach and island etc. etc.

[CosPetia]

There are very nice mods out there especially for Silent Hunter games.
Few to mention are grey wolves and Open Horizons.
These will vastly enhance simulation, campaign and realism to fit most of the individual needs ;)

[MengJiao]

There are very nice mods out there especially for Silent Hunter games.
Few to mention are grey wolves and Open Horizons.
These will vastly enhance simulation, campaign and realism to fit most of the individual needs ;)

I'm going to switch to SH4 and start looking at those.

[Nefaro]

There are very nice mods out there especially for Silent Hunter games.
Few to mention are grey wolves and Open Horizons.
These will vastly enhance simulation, campaign and realism to fit most of the individual needs ;)

I'm going to switch to SH4 and start looking at those.

There are two major ones, last I checked.

I prefer the Trigger Maru Mod.  It adds some extra realism and difficulty over stock, with many nice extras.

The other is Run Silent Run Deep Mod.  I tried it once.  Not bad, but it was primarily focused on cutting down the Japanese ship generation & such but still left some of the easier vanilla things in (such as ships & sonar lines being colored friendly or enemy on your map screen automatically, for example). 

All a matter of taste.

[sandman2575]

I'm going to switch to SH4 and start looking at those.

Just saw you can get SH4 Gold edition on sale for $13 on GamersGate. SH5 never grabbed me, but I'm tempted by this, esp. since the idea of playing a US sub skipper in the Pacific is more appealing to me than the standard Das Boot fare.

http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-SH4GE/silent-hunter-4-gold-edition

Question now is, should I hold off and hope this goes on sale on Steam? Call me a sucker, but I've gotten to the point where I really dislike not having games in my Steam library. I know you can add 'non-Steam' games, but it's just not the same... I know, I know,    = me...

[undercovergeek]

I went for the gold package on gamers gate - whilst I love my steam library I don't like modding steam games outside the workshop - I'm never sure they'll work properly

Trigger Maru is highly recommended

[MengJiao]

I'm going to switch to SH4 and start looking at those.

Just saw you can get SH4 Gold edition on sale for $13 on GamersGate. SH5 never grabbed me, but I'm tempted by this, esp. since the idea of playing a US sub skipper in the Pacific is more appealing to me than the standard Das Boot fare.

http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-SH4GE/silent-hunter-4-gold-edition

Question now is, should I hold off and hope this goes on sale on Steam? Call me a sucker, but I've gotten to the point where I really dislike not having games in my Steam library. I know you can add 'non-Steam' games, but it's just not the same... I know, I know,    = me...

   I played a lot of SH4 around 4 years ago -- which is long ago for me in terms of interest in games, I think only RoF has survived semi-continuously from that period.  I think I'll get the Steam version and go from there.

   As I remember it, you could get various mods and go to sea in various odd German subs (not just the VII and the Duck/II), but I'll start with the vanilla US Navy S-boats I think.

[FarAway Sooner]

If you're really looking for a simulation of US WW II sub conduct, make sure that you end up dying at least 23% of the time in the campaign game. 

For representing < 2% of the total US Navy ranks, the Submarine Service played a huge role in winning the war in the Pacific.  And they paid for it dearly.