So, I've heard mention of the silent hunter games, and I am intrigued, unfortunately it looks like there aren't any demos :(

What are they like?

Also, are there any other good naval sims out there?

And is there a good game that has planes (preferably WW2 planes) but isn't too complicated (ie. somewhat simple controls :mischief: ) but also doesn't have those horrible stretches of repetitive looking textures that are used for a landscape that many flight sims seem to have. Eh, I kind of want to attack targets on the ground and not from a bomber per say.

Kind of like what I assume BF1942 might be except without the you being an infantry.

Oh, and also using WASD or mouse to "steer" your plane, I'm not going to get a joystick anytime soon.

I have a game called Enigma: Rising Tide, which is somewhat similar to Silent Hunter.

The basic premise of the game is an alternate history to World War I, where the Germans win, and wind up occupying France and England. I won't go into the details of the storyline, but the three countries you can play as are Germany, The British in Exile (based in Hong Kong), and the United States, who has become an Imperial Power in SE Asia.

The deal with the game itself is that you are the captain of a vessel; you start out in a Corvette, and work your way up to Submarine, and then to Destroyer Escort (Frigate, if you're a Brit) and then Destroyer. You are assigned missions, which you of course carry out with a vengeance. The game comes with a voice recognition system, so you can bark orders on a microphone if you want to. The neat part is, the game responds! Now, you have to use exact wordings, but you can play that game entirely hands-free, save for spinning the periscope or binoculars around.

Each level starts with you on the bridge of your vessel; if you are above water, you can use binoculars to look about, if you are below the waves up to 15m, you can periscope about similarly. Sometimes you operate with other vessels, depending on the mission. Many of the Submarines levels are wolf-pack style strikes on merchant fleets, while the Frigate and Corvette missions often deal with defending merchant fleets, disabled ships, or some variation of that; Destroyers get to slug it out with other DDs, or often form the surface portion of a merchant raid, operating with the SSs under the water.

Another neat part about the game is how weather affects the game; rough waves can make your cannon shots very innacurate, and storms make visibility absolute hell.

There are also seaplanes to deal with; fortunately, you often carry AA guns to gun them down.

All in all, I find the game to be very fun.



As far as simple-controlled WWII piloting games go, BF 1942 is the best. However, I have Secret Weapons Over Normandy, also, and that is very very fun; although it doesn't really feel 'real,' if you know what I mean. It's made by LucasArts, so if feels like X-Wing. I love X-Wing and TIE Fighter to death, but translate that to a Zero fighter, and it feels like you're fighting on a zero-G Earth.
Gameplay-wise, though, SWON is very good.

Ooooh that does sound good!

Just need a decent mic. Which I should get anyways.

I am keeping my eye out for a cheap copy of BF42 and I'll look out ofr SWON. Wish I had bought 42 when I saw it for $9 at Walmart in a jewel.

EDIT: Found Enigma for $12 CAD

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/offer-listing/B0000AK9LW/ref=dp_olp_2/701-5409931-0655520

Not going to buy it yet but it's high on my list.

For WW2 Flight Simulators, try the IL-2 Sturmovik series, which I think has been recently rereleased in a pack called Sturmovik 1946. It's fantastic for beginners (like me :D ), simply due to the amount of options you have on how much realism (or lack of) you want in a mission. It's more Russian-Front, Pacific War orientated though, as I believe the company are working on a Battle of Britain game next (joy!)

I'm more a fan of dogfighting, so I can't really comment on ground attack elements. It does feature dive-bombers and standard bombers (in which you can be the pilot or a rear-gunner) so I assume it's worked in well. Will take a peek later, though my dive-bombing usually ends up with the plane as the bomb :sad:

Arrow keys can be used to fly the plane, and possibly the mouse as well. But invest in cheap joystick, man :p

I have Silent Hunter 3, and it's an excellent simulator, IMO.
You can get pretty deep into the simulation, including sitting at the hydrophone trying to listen to sounds from enemy ships to actually plotting your torpedo course/speed. I usually don't play it that hard core though, I prefer to be the captain and let the AI control hydrophone/torpedo plotting. It doesn't have other submarines in the game that you can "run" into or battle during your patrols though, which is a major drawback. But it does have convoys and convoy shipping lanes, it has enemy fighter planes trying to sink you, and it has a whole host of enemy shipping, both cargo and combat (which changes during the course of the war). You also can upgrade your uboat over the course of the game, though come 1943/44, the game gets really hairy and nerve racking (due to allied advances in sub detection/tracking/destruction).
The sounds in the game are well done as well. From the sounds of your hull creaking as you go deeper in depth, to the sound of enemy warships pinging you, to the sounds of depth charges going off around your ship, the sounds integrate very nicely into the overall atmosphere of the game.

The only downside to SH3 is that it comes with the Starforce copyright protection.

I think I'd prefer to avoid Starforce. Until I read up again on it.

But it sounds so freaking cool.

I just wish my local computer game distributers would stock up on a bigger selection of games.

I think I'd prefer to avoid Starforce. Until I read up again on it.

But it sounds so freaking cool.

I just wish my local computer game distributers would stock up on a bigger selection of games.


Well, I don't know if this has anything to do with Starforce, but I'll say this much...
I've already replaced one DVD-RW unit, and my current one has been really flaky over the past 3 months. Of all the PC's I've built for myself over the years, I've never replaced a CD-ROM/DVD unit in any of them, up to my current gaming PC. Could be coincedence, though I notice the DVD player never has any trouble reading the SH3 DVD, yet has all sorts of problems reading everything else. :crazyeye:
And this flaky behavior continues even after I strip all of the StarForce protection, class drivers/filters/etc from my PC and DVD-RW.

I've got SH3 and it's a superb simulator.

If you're not quite deeply interested in that top, you might find the long nights and days spent sailing to your target map reference, and patrolling until your lookouts shout "Schiffe bezetsen!".
When, however, you place a nice torpedo into the side of a tanker, and watch the petrol inside it ignite and break her back, it's satisfying.

When the destroyers angrily turn on you, and your chief screams "Allllaaaaaaaaaaarm" and the bells go off, as you crash dive to 100 metres, and listen as the vengeful ships try to destroy you, hearing their screws above you, the depth charges exploding and having your sub shaken and twisted from sde-to-side, the pipes burst, spraying water around he control room, and the light-bulbs explode, plungiong you into darkness, it's very tense and nerve-racking.

Forgot to add my comments about Silent Hunter 3, but marioh and Noncon have it right - it's a fantastic simulation. Also has a huge range of mods to improve the game graphics and soundwise, though it is already brilliant in those fields.

There's something to be said about the terror of a one on one fight with a destroyer, but it's nothing compared to sneaking into a British port to sneakily kill a battleship before escaping :D

From the sound of things, I think I'll got get SH3 too!

Don't forget that Silent Hunter 4 is coming out soon too :D

Though that's based on the lesser known US Submarine War in the Pacific.

The Harpoon series is most instructive, although it may not be the type of simulation you are used to.

WW2 U-boat simulator Aces of the Deep. Dynamix 1994. Old yes, but a good game nevertheless.

If you want to try it out check *cough*h.o.t.u*cough*

Forgot to add my comments about Silent Hunter 3, but marioh and Noncon have it right - it's a fantastic simulation. Also has a huge range of mods to improve the game graphics and soundwise, though it is already brilliant in those fields.

There's something to be said about the terror of a one on one fight with a destroyer, but it's nothing compared to sneaking into a British port to sneakily kill a battleship before escaping :D

The main problem I have with SHIII is, ironically, its lack of scripting, which means that during times when there should be heavy traffic in certain areas, e.g across the Channel on the 6th June 1944, or during Operation Dynamo, or Norway at the start of the war, there is nothing, and you have to resort to regualr patrols.

This has (apparently) been resolved with the bumper Grey Wolves Xpansion, which adds scripted convoys and battlegroups at historically accurate times.

This thread made me dig up my AOTD, I played my first war patrol last evening and kept quite a detailed log of it. If I'm to post it here it would however require a lot of work to write it all up and sort out the screenies. If there's interest I could start an AAR type thread for it.

:D, as did I. HOTU is quite handy... I already sank about 100.000 tons of enemy ships. All realism settings are on, though dud torpedos have bugged me so long that I did turn it off. Additionally I don't feel ready to disable the vision control.

All in all the game is quite fascinating. Not that hard to get into, but hard to master. Does anybody have good tactics for attacking convoys? Maps would be useful.

:D, as did I. HOTU is quite handy... I already sank about 100.000 tons of enemy ships. All realism settings are on, though dud torpedos have bugged me so long that I did turn it off. Additionally I don't feel ready to disable the vision control.

All in all the game is quite fascinating. Not that hard to get into, but hard to master. Does anybody have good tactics for attacking convoys? Maps would be useful.

It's really hard to evade depth charges with a type II boat it they find you with sonar. It's just so slow underwater. Also, what are the vision controls you speak of?

I downed 14000t worth of shipping on my first patrol. The writeup on notepad is complete. Took me all evening to sort out my notes and remembering all the details.

How to attack a convoy depends greatly of your speed, convoy speeed and the angle where you meet. If you're on the front of the convoy at night, it's a valid tactic to dive deep and wait until the convoy is on top of you. then ascend to periscope depth. Deal the damage and dive again. Sadly it's very hard to get out of there because if all went as planned the escorts are all around you.

This has (apparently) been resolved with the bumper Grey Wolves Xpansion, which adds scripted convoys and battlegroups at historically accurate times.

I might give that a look, though I've got so many different mods for the game I may need to do a fresh install.

It's really hard to evade depth charges with a type II boat it they find you with sonar. It's just so slow underwater. Also, what are the vision controls you speak of?

I'm guessing he means the ability to move the camera outside of the boat as you see fit? Guessing though.

I never played HOTU, but SH3 keeps a log of all the ships you sink, location, and date/time.

I fired up SH3 last night, partly to see if it would overheat my computer like RCT3 and Oblivion does, and partly because this thread was giving me that itch to sink some cargo ships. Apparently the game doesn't tax my system like those other games, and I was able to get in a nice patrol last night with my type VII. Sunk almost 60k tons, thanks to good weather enabling me to put the deck gun to excellent use.

In SH3, attacking convoys is something I'll always end up trying, and end up regretting later on. :lol:
Too many times I unload a couple of torpedoes into a C2/C3, only to watch it continue on on it's merry way, while I'm trying to avoid getting depth charged and sunk. In the early stages of the war, many times I'll just surface and sink the escort ship(s) with my deck gun, leaving the rest of the convoy unprotected and enabling me to pick and choose which ships to sink (due to neutral ships being in the convoy). Or, I let the escort ship see me, and let it chase me. When it gets to 500m or so away from me and directly behind me, I'll then let off an aft torpedo (set to fast/magnetic/depth 1). Early on in the war, the escort normally doesn't see the torpedo until it's too late. It's a risky technique though. :)

Marioh, HOTU isn;t a game, it refers to Home of the Underdogs, a site that's a bit of a no-no here (abandonware)

I'm also really anticipating Silent Hunter IV-the change to the Pacific might be good!

I'm guessing he means the ability to move the camera outside of the boat as you see fit? Guessing though.

Sorry, I should have expressed myself in a clearer way. I'm talking about the limited visibility setting. This setting gives you a much clearer view of the battlefield, using a tactical map where enemy ships and their movement are shown. This of course gives you a huge advantage.

___

My current tactic for attacking convoys is quite simple. As I already have a Type VII Sub I have a considerable speed advantage. So if I find a convoy I use my speed to deploy right in front of him, diving and submerging once it is right above me. Then a go to periscope depth, lunch one or two torpedos at target 1, then one or two torpedos on target two and then one torpedo at a ship at 180° using my backward luncher.

Then I submerge and somehow manage to evade the escorts.

I still don't understand some concepts of not getting caught. I only know that you always give the escorts a small silhouette, giving their hydorphones less area to work on.

1. Does crash diving and going deep in general make you harder to find? Or is it only useful against depth charges?

2. How far do escorts hear you? Normally I never go above 1/3 speed. Are you even harder to spot if you stop completely?

Marioh, HOTU isn;t a game, it refers to Home of the Underdogs, a site that's a bit of a no-no here (abandonware)



Yeah, I meant to say AOTD, d'oh !:hammer2:

Hey Kan is there any way to change graphics settings in SH3? Ever since I got my nvidia 7800gs(which is at least 40x times better the my old radeon 9600) everything seems to have these really ugly jagged edges that I dont remember being there with my old card.

I can't remember - as far as I know it's set to run in 1024x768, regardless of other factors, which is bloody annoying. I'm sure there are Silent Hunter forums that have solutions or workarounds, I just don't know of any anymore :(

OT: How is the 7800? I've been thinking of getting a new graphics card sometime - my 6800 is doing fine, but I think it's beginning to show it's age.

If the escorts are running slow or stationary it's often a sign they're trying to hear where you are but it seems only the experienced escorts do this. Running silent is the best way to avoid being detected. They don't always run sonar on so it's possible to get near a convoy. Inexperienced escorts often leave the depth charges too shallow if you dive fast. they also tend to drop them too early so it's best to try running away from their sound. If there's several escorts above you can try running straight towards one and trying to pass it from below. If they try to turn after you just head away from the engine sound at flank speed for a while. If you're facing inexperienced escorts it's however risky to pass under them because their depth charges are usually right there. If the sea is shallow enough it's worth a try to dive near the bottom and wait silently still. Experienced determined escorts are a pain in the ***. They use sneaky tactics to lure you out or to make you reveal yourself.

I've waited for the escorts to leave the area, which they finally do. I start surfacing and running faster only to hear an escort above to start pinging me with sonar and starting her engines. Yes they do that. They leave one ship behind to ambush.

Sometimes when you think they're leaving and you are already in periscope depth. They suddenly make an u-turn and charge back at full speed. They don't know where you are but I guess they're trying to discourage you and force you to dive deeper again.

When the radar comes in to play later in the war it's risky even to raise the periscope near a convoy. The later radars can spot a periscope and that makes life very hard for you.

Planes are annoying pests especially if you're chasing a convoy or approaching one on surface or periscope depth. If they spot you the convoy escorts are soon all over the place.

Keeping the visibility settings at where you can see individual ships position on the surface gives you an unfair advantage. Turn that off and find out how hard it really is to shake pursuers when you know only their direction but not distance.

I can't remember - as far as I know it's set to run in 1024x768, regardless of other factors, which is bloody annoying. I'm sure there are Silent Hunter forums that have solutions or workarounds, I just don't know of any anymore :(

OT: How is the 7800? I've been thinking of getting a new graphics card sometime - my 6800 is doing fine, but I think it's beginning to show it's age.

The card is nice, runs lots of things pretty smooth. However I have the GS version because I dont have an PCI-E port on my motherboard :( But I would wait with the shopping until the new DX10 cards come out, because a medium DX 10 card will probably be as good as high-end card today. (or so i've heard at least)

Can I aquire AOTD anywhere apart from HOTU, since I can't use it?

Any chance that SH3 will run on my computer?

Gamespot says:

Minimum System Requirements
System: 1.4 GHz CPU or equivalent
RAM: 512 MB
Video Memory: 64 MB
Hard Drive Space: 2000 MB

Recommended System Requirements
System: 2 GHz CPU or equivalent
RAM: 1024 MB
Video Memory: 128 MB
Hard Drive Space: 2000 MB

Hope that helps, can't really comment much further on if it'll run :)

Any chance that SH3 will run on my computer?


If your PC can run Oblivion, I don't see why it wouldn't be able to run SH3. :)

If your PC can run Oblivion, I don't see why it wouldn't be able to run SH3. :)

Then I will get it. :run: