[Steeltrap]

OK, here goes. I'm going to list things of importance to me, most of which I expected to be done by SHII but weren't until the intrepid modders got to it!

A SIMULATION!!!
That means I want an accurate refelction of "what it was like". So, in no particular order....

- AI.
It should reflect real tactics and capabilities of the 'enemy' throughout the war. No more hitting a merchant from the starboard side and watching the escort 2000 yards in front simply sail on as though nothing has happened. There is plenty of available reference material on how the British (who, let's face it, constituted the majority of the escorting forces in the Atlantic) developed their tactics, ships, weapons and technology to defeat the U-boat menace.

- Weather and visibility.
Dynamic and 'real'. This means you don't have the same visibility and sea state in the mid-Atlantic as you do at home base (especially if it's in Germany!). The visibility should affect all vessels similarly. I got SOOO sick of being shelled/detected by vessels I couldn't even see when they couldn't even have had radar. The same applies for aircraft. If the weather is so poor I can't see more than 500m then (a) most aircraft probably wouldn't even be flying in it, and, if they are, (b) they won't be able to see me on the surface. Spotting a small target in the ocean from the air is difficult at the best of times. Sure, radar has a big effect, but high seas and poor low-level visibility can easily render rader ineffective or make an actual attack impossible anyway.

- Crew Roster.
Morale is VERY important I believe. A skipper who achieves sinkings and returns to base with little damage has a very positive effect on performance. It would be great if this were refelcted in game-terms. You might want to look at something like B-17 Flying Fortress where crew members are rated on their skills and morale. It could be necessary to give someone leave thus forcing a less capable person into their role. Also, experienced crew members could be promoted/transferred to other boats. All in all, there are plenty of things that can be done here. It's worth remembering that the use of the sound suite on a U-Boat (or ASDIC on an escort for that matter) was as much an art as a science, and a particularly skilled/experienced user could make a large difference. Having this reflected through some form of roster for key positions would add nicely (such as for sound, radar, engine maintenance/repairs, lookouts, radio) to the realism and immersive quality.

- Targets.
Sure, you can't have 900 different merchants, but there are certain parameters that can be used to make merchants look different in more ways than SHII.

- Convoys.
Please make them act realistically. Also, correct spacings and positioning of escorts is vital. Speaking of escorts, the escort should reflect the actual availability of these vessels by type throughout the war. SHII sometimes had convoys with a crazy ratio of escorts:merchants. Generally convoys didn't zigzag as merchant crews (and the differenct performances of their component vessels) made this impractical. They DID alter course before nightfall etc. if they believed they were being tracked or were otherwise alerted to danger in front of them. No more merchants running around like mad animals, please!

- Damage.
A few things here. Firstly, let's have a variety of effects on merchants that are struck based on (i) where they are struck, (ii) by what they are struck and (iii) their cargo. Ammo and avgas ships were often floating bombs waiting for a U-Boat to set them off. Then again, tankers could be very difficult to sink due to their compartmentalised build and (sometimes) double hulls plus the fact that oil actually gave them additional buoyancy if trapped. Witness the Ohio in Operation Pedestal (I think that was it...the resupply of Malta).
For U-Boats some greater detail in terms of flooding/fires would be good. The crew's ability to deal with damage control would also be an important part of the 'crew roster' aspect I mentioned above. Greater ability to affect the priority and resources directed to various repair tasks would also be great. Finally, being able to seal compartments as a last report might be helpful (although not for anyone in them at the time.....).

- Graphics.
State of the art. Nothing less. Sure, build in the capacity for lesser machines to run at lower resolutions if you feel it necessary, but DON'T limit yourelves to crappy levels and effects when a lot of gamers are using 1Gb CPUs and 32 or 64Mb graphics chips as standard.

- Multiplayer.
I would prefer you get the 1P correct over this. Why? Because it can be difficult for those of us not using high-speed internet connections to play MP games. Even when MP was stabilised I prefer 1P because I can play it when I wish and don't need to find other people. So, MP is NOT a great selling point for me. Having said that, there's no doubt that it brings a lot of appeal and enjoyment in its own right. I guess I mean by all means do it, but get the 1P right before expending too much time and effort on this side of things.

Well, I appreciate that I may well have asked for the impossible, but if these sorts of things AREN'T on the 'can do' list then I personally don't see the need for another version of SHII when the current one with all the mods does many of the basics very well.

Cheers and good luck with it.

[Drebbel]

I read some guys talking about the KTB. I came up with the following idea. What about a KTB that adds automatically twice (if that is also the case on German subs) a day stuff like weather, sea state, fuel status, current position, how many hrs motors were used, batery capacity, ammunition, torpedos left, sick men, on going repairs , etcetera.

I know this stuff was listed atleast twice a day on Dutch WWII subs and asume the Germans did the same. Or was this added in a different book, and not the KTB ?

Then the skipper only had to add his notes during the day and one will have a perfect log of the trip. Would be even better if one could print this out !

The logging of all orders and commands, as in SHII, is of course a nice feature as well, but not very realistic.

[Drebbel]

- Also think SHIII this is a nice opportunity to re-introduce the bar (as in Aces of the Deep) where one hears the latest gossip and rumours from fellow U-Boat officers.

- Just saw the scope of the VIIc project. I love how the whole scope view tilts, very realistic.



http://w1.510.telia.com/~u51008935/VIIC/The_VIIc_project.html

[firedawg96]

Is it just me, or is the Atlantic getting too much attention in the past few years? LOL

I'd love to see a new Pacific sub sim to follow the recent SHII mod, and something with British and Dutch subs in the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas.

[AS]

One good thing about SH2 was that you only had to write down weather and sea state ONCE as it never changed during a 3 week´s journey. Very convinient and you always know how to dress in the morning, too.

LOL, AS

[Sailor Steve]

Firedawg96: if we're really lucky SHIII will be open enough that the Dev Team (or aftermarket modders) can do add-ons for unusual stuff like British, Dutch and Japanese subs; and maybe French too (imagine running Surcouf. If that works, maybe they'll give us a complete Pacific game as well. We can but hope and dream.

AS: Sometimes you just plain silly!

[klh]

These have probably already been stated, but just in case the developers are watching, here is my top five wishes for SH3...

1) A working Enigma - allow us the option of decoding our own messages
2) Changing, dynamic weather
3) More weapon options (BOLDs, Hedgehogs)
4) A good mission editor
5) Working resupply

[Heibges]

Have a mechanism, like aircraft work now in SH2, where you can launch merchants and warships based on probability.

This will make dynamic career mode/ truly random missions possible.

[firedawg96]

[Drebbel]

Please make 1 nautical mile = 1825 meters and not (as in SHII) 2000 meters ?

And err, did I already ask for a known time-zone for SHII ? Maybe provide GMT, Berlin time, or whatever, as long as we know what time-zone is being used.

Of course I would like to have accurate (in relation to time and location) starmaps and sun+moon rises/settings, and ofcourse also a correct highest point sun (at noon local time).

Having a working sextant aboard would be great as well

[AS]

You should know that there weren´t any tents used on U-Boats and I doubt the crew had much sex. So consequently I think it´s historically incorrect to demand a sextent in SH3.

Sorry, couldn´t resist this lousy one

AS

[Sailor Steve]

Keep it up, man, you're on a roll.

[Frank]

Too lazy to see if its already mentioned....

1-Efficient time compression
2-Time compression that stops when the enemy is say...8000m away.
3-Damage control that exceeds what SH1 had.
4-A submarine that behaves like a submarine.
5-AI Aircraft that behaves like an enemy aircraft pilot would.
6-A few special missions, not alot
7-In port interaction with your boats condition, loadout, and crew.
8-One career mission (or 2) involving a trip to Japan.
9-Heavy seas should broach the boat and cause torps to miss<alot>.
10-Mines, and trawlers as ASW spotting units creating an ASW action cause and effect.
11-Make sure the mechanics of a submarine are incorporated properly.
12-Boat needs to roll stem to stern, port to stbd, and cross the two.
13-A Career system that is similar to AOD
14-A CAmpaign system no less then AOD.

Thats all for now.


Frank

[Seminole]

Some nice immersion touches that were in AOD that I would like to see in SHIII:

A formal port departure and return to base with appropriate tonnage banners.

Ability of commander to depart from orders as situation warrants or opportunities arise without penalty.No set goals...the commander stays on patrol until resources are exhausted and resupply not available or nonrepairable damage forces return.Capability to return to nearest port if situation requires this.

Battle damage should not always result in a total loss of the sub.One of my favorite situations in AOD was being stuck on the bottom, racing to repare the damage before oxygen supply depletes or CO2 and battery gases reached toxic levels, and then being forced to move forward and reverse rapidly in order to free the boat from the mud.

Ability to make radio contact with BDU with battle reports,damage reports,requests for resupply,request return to base,report convoy sightings and have HQ organize wolfpack attacks in which the player could join in.

On board piped music with wide selection of tunes available when desired.

Not from AOD but it would add a lot to the immersion if radio broadcasts were periodically received with war reports in line with the current time peroid...even false propaganda and "pep" talks could be included.

[Oddball]

I have to agree with Seminole. Realistic damage would be great. I remember once in AOD during a night surface action far off the west coast of Ireland the Royal Navy decided to make swiss cheese of my precious boat. I wasn't able to dive and making it all the way back to St. Nazaire on the surface was suicide. So I had to race the coming dawn and sprint east to the continental shelf off of Ireland to where the depth was not so great and I could submerge and get a chance to repair my boat. After 24 some hours of sitting in the Irish mud I had enough of the damage repaired to make shallow dives and thus make it home to St. Nazaire. My boat was still so broken up tho, that I was in port for something like 2-3 months getting it repaired. Not the usual 2-3 week turnaround!