[Oesten]

Let's get technical. Post your suggested improvements to the SHIII game interface in this thread (keyboard controls, mouse controls, map features, and interactive controls inside the U-boat.)

[Oesten]

I would like:

1) Keyboard control to stop periscope rising/lowering.

2) Map:

a. Ability to delete plots (icons) from the map.

b. All plots to remain on the map until deleted by player, or until plot is 48 hours old, when it disappears automatically.

c. Plots to be colour coded by age of plot - e.g. the white background of the SHII map icons would gradually fade to grey, then dark gray according to the age of the plot. Or the icons could become more and more transparent with time.

d. Ability to add text and other info to a plot. E.g. (if limited plot info option selected) user can type in a custom name to a plot icon, and its estimated speed in knots. E.g. 'Eastbound convoy', and an estimated speed of 8 knots.

e. Ability to draw lines on the map. By clicking one plot and then dragging it to another position (e.g. a newer plot) the course of a convoy can be drawn on the map.

f. Further to d., if a plot icon is clicked, dragged to a new location and released, not only will a new 'estimated plot' icon appear, but if the speed of the original plot is known (by observation) or has been estimated (typed in) by the player, then the new 'estimated plot' will include an 'estimated arrival time' based on that speed.

g. U-boat Waypoint icons on the map to include calculated arrival time, based on the U-boat's current speed. Hover the cursor over the waypoint to see the time.

These map features would allow the player to plot out a planned attack on a convoy on the map, the way a real U-boat navigator would.

[finchOU]

Well I think a manuvering board would be nice to get target data...

what about a better way of finding range that was historical (i heard some scuttlebutt about useing two different scopes to find range.......is this true?? the mast hieght method sucks monkey butt until we have good enought graphics to actually be affective at it.......though it that was historically how it was done....leave it be....not looking for the easy way nes.

Basic interaction I think......I dont know.....but seeing the crew and some emotion....???? just a thought.....

[AS]

What really annoyed me in SHIII was the bridge view WAY TOO SLOW. Just looking around takes ages in SHIII and this goes for the UZO view, too.

Besides, I´d like to have a realistic, that is STATIC map. You should be able to actually draw lfreely on it and add icons / comments by yourself. There should be an option to have your crew do this for you as well, though.

Last but not least, I´ve been dreaming of total ship control just as the flight sims have it! I know this isn´t likely to be simulated at all, but I´d just love to be able to press every switch and handle bar by myself. Turning on/off the main pump, opening/closing vents, trimming the boat manually... oh, sorry, I know it´s just wishful thinking... well, flight sims have it all... but anyway...

Cheers, AS

[Etienne]

[AS]

The mustard method? Oh, the masthead method...

AS

[Sailor Steve]

[oscar19681]

[AS]

Congratulation, you found a mistake. I´ll give you five credits for that. Of course I wasn´t referring to the bridge view of SHIII but SHIV. I was through SHIII´s dynamic campaign quite quickly when I headed for the river Thames, went to London, torpedoed the House of Parliamant while destroying Big Ben with my deck gun. I kidnapped Churchill, who was tied up in my 3D U-Boat interior and beaten up by my 3D crew until he finally gave in. Thus I was able to win the war against Britain in December 1939 without any casualties thanks to the excellent dynamic campaign, 3D interior and freedom of gameplay in SHIII.

In SHIV players will be able to fight alien submarines with laser guided nuclear warheads on the Mars. The Dev Team admitts that their version might slightly differ from historical facts, but they are sure it adds to the gameplay.

By the way, "supose" is spelled "suppose"

Cheers, AS

[oscar19681]

.

By the way, "supose" is spelled "suppose"

Cheers, AS[/quote]

man you sound like my highschool teacher ! or even worse my mother! forgive me for being not the perfect british/american since i,m dutch i sometimes spell things wrong ! i would love to see you speak or write dutch the way i do ! and uhm get a life .

[AS]

Sorry Oscar, you got me wrong here. I didn´t mean to correct you, it was only meant as a joke because some guys made a big fuss about he fact that I accidently wrote "SHIII" instead of SHII. That´s all. By the way, my English can´t be too good, too, as I´m German and not American or English. So you´re Dutch? Funny, I live in a city less than 3 kilometers from the Netherlands.

Cheers,

AS

[Sailor Steve]

Hi AS, my joke was meant to be just that. About a year ago there was a thread on SH3,4,5,6....all the way to 12 if I remember. We were joking about it like it was a series of movies we had all seen. I knew your "SHIII" was a typo, but I couldn't resist jumping at the chance to try to be funny. Your reply about Churchill and the Thames was great, as was the "mustard method".

As to your comment about the slow bridge view, my UZO is slow, as is the periscope when I'm set on 4x. On the other hand, my old computer is stretched to it's limit, so on bridge view it sometimes locks up and then jumps all the way around, so if I'm looking at a plane I'm suddenly looking away from him while he strafes me! Same with the AA guns, which makes it even worse.

Agree about pushing all the switches, too. That would be fun.

[AS]

Hi Sailor Steve, thanks for your friendly comment above. I take it the slow UZO hasn´t got anything to do with your computer. It´s just slow game-wise, that´s it sadly.

Cheers, AS

[Der Teddy Bar]

With regards to determining the targets range. The angle to the top of the mast head was used to determine the targets range. Whilst a u-boat/submarine did have two scopes, they could not be used in conjunction to each other.

The first scope, the attack scope, had a very small head to reduce detection. This small head resulted in poor light gathering and thus the attack scope could not be used in poor light. I am aware of it being used at night, but this is the rare exception and not the rule.

The second scope, the sky scope, was quite large. The sky scope was used to look around and was capable of being pivoted up to 70 degrees to search the sky for planes. Due to the larger head giving it improved light gathering it could be used at night when the light was sufficient. It was not German practice, but American, to use the sky scope to scan the horizon whilst surfaced, as well as being used as a platform for a crew member.

The sky scope could not be used to judge target distance, no if, buts, or even maybes!

Back to the attack scope. The attack scope used a split prism to super impose a second image over that of the original. The commander then aligned the waterline of the second image to the top of the mast of the original. A dial on the scope would then give the degrees that with the mast head height would give the distance.

See here for a better description with pictures.... - http://www.fleetsubmarine.com/periscope.html

If I remember correctly the German and American scopes differed in the location of the dial which displayed the angle of degree. I am reasonable certain all the dials for the German scope were on the captain’s side, where as the American’s had some on both, and the degree dial was on the opposite side to the captain.

As you can see, it was a lot more practical to get the angle for a WWII captain than it was in SHII.

[Drebbel]

Give us the option to use real charts. With all coastal stuff/lighthouses/river mouths/ports etcetera marked on it. Maybe even add a coatal-pilot booklet (if they had such a thing aboard). Would be great to use the scope to do a fix on some landmarks and to be able to draw the fixes on the chart.

Realistic sky that can be used for navigation (stars/sun). And make sure that we know what time it is, because no one knows how to get from SHII time to Greenwich Mean Time. Which is needed for good navigation.

And yes , of course I want two scopes. And please don't make make it avalable in the control room in case it was only available in the conning tower. I have seen several sims where the scope was simply in the wrong place.