An interview update with Rick Martinez, Producer of Silent Hunter II.

Q: Tell us about our viewing options in terms of 3d perspective. What does the player see on screen when aircraft are attacking his Uboat, for example. Can he choose to view from the air in a target to player type view?

A: View options will be limited by the reality settings chosen by the player since certain views would give away crucial information that would not normally be available to an undersea captain.

However, we will have cheat views, so there is an underwater view available. It's really cool, and even the murkiness of the water varies. If you are making an approach underwater you will have access to an outside view of your sub, even while launching torpedos.

Q: Can you tell us about changes or additions to SH2 since the interview back in February?

A: We've added a complete sub tour. Previously, photos of an interior could be taken but the end result was a rigid system giving fixed views. Now we have an IPIX sub tour of U505, the best surviving example of a U-boat, and the tour was created by a film crew with special cameras. This is a literal virtual reality tour including zoom views.

We've also been working on the rest of the multimedia area. We spent four days at the archive in Cuxhaven and have been busy extracting film. We also interviewed Erich Topp, a U boat captain who eventually retired as a Rear Admiral. Two others interviews will be included, and these are interviews in their homes in Germany. We'll also have footage of the Uboat museum.

Silent Hunter II Interface Screen

Q: Will we see significant interaction with the shore in SH2? Will we have to avoid shore batteries?

A: This will definitely be present in Destroyer Commander. In Silent Hunter 2 you may have to get by them, but we're not sure about this feature yet since it's on the B list. If we get other higher priority items accomplished by our target date, it could still be included.

Q: You've told us a bit about your trip to Germany. What were the goals of your trip and whom did you meet other than Erich Topp?

A: From the business standpoint, we needed the press tour. In Germany Silent Hunter 1 was a megahit. It sold the same numbers there as in the USA, but with only 1/5 the population!

We wanted to be present to offer suggestions and advise the film makers. These guys know their stuff and are real professionals, but aren't familiar with the game player market like we are.

Our tour was also information gathering . The archives were critical to this game. We needed to help select material, and decide on human interest issues as well as collect military information.

Who else did we meet? We interview quite a number of Uboat captains and crew members including Hans-Georg Hess and Jurgen Oesten. These men also contributed in significant ways to our understanding and sense of the actual operations on the Uboats.

Sub Pen: Another Interface Screen

Q: Tell us more about the sites you visited. What did you do there? What did you see?

A: We visited the Bremerhaven Museum and examined the Type XXI elektric boat. We viewed the Type VII at Laboe and visited the naval Memorial there. We visited Kiel (south of Laboe) which has some research interest. The archives at Altenbruch just outside of Cuxhaven were very important and we spent three or four days there. Finally, we visited some particular Maritime areas to see restored ships, Uboats etc.

Q: What are some of the most significant things you learned at the various sites you visited? Were there any surprises?

A: Visiting the memorial you get a sense of how many people died… and yet the casualties came out of a very small force. U boat duty later in the war was virtually suicide.

Q: What are the less definable things that impacted you that will change the way the simulation develops?

A: Talking to the men who were there gives you a sense of connection to history, but more than that because these men were actually THERE. They fought in this war, saw their friends die. Because of the obvious evil of the regime, these men are mostly unappreciated in their own country. There was a feeling that they wanted to tell their stories, yet were somewhat reluctant because of the response from their own countrymen.

Interface Screen

Q: Even though you are developing a game, the historical aspect is one that seems important to you; can you describe why?

A: I have always been interested in history, especially military history. I suspect that many people who are interested in military sims are also history buffs. I have been fortunate to have associated with several veterans of WWII, some heavily (Bud Gruner on Silent Hunter) over time, and some in a group briefly.

All of their stories are fascinating but one particular incident comes to mind; I was asking some questions, and discovered that the gentleman I was talking to had been one of a group of U-Boat commanders that had been personally decorated (Knights Cross) by Adolf Hitler. It is difficult to describe the eerie feeling it gave me to be calmly discussing a medal ceremony with a man who was decorated by Adolf Hitler.

So there is an incredible connection with history. And when you are over there hearing these stories, walking through these old buildings, you feel it.

Q: Update us on Destroyer Command.

A: DC uses their own 2nd generation Panzer Commander engine, with many enhancements. They just finished the artwork for the C&C. And we've scheduled a visit with Wayne P. Hughes, WW2 naval tactical expert. Wayne authored "Fleet Tactics," a well known classic, and is living in Monterey.

DC is going to be a lot of fun since there is SO MUCH you can do with Destroyers. We are still hoping that these two sims will be connectable, which is when cooperative multiplayer tactics will really become significant.

Q: Let's talk about particular hardware issues. Is it possible that in Destroyer Command we might see multi monitor support?

A: It's not impossible since the developer was originally a MAC developer and is familiar with the technology.

Q: What is the current forecast for release of Silent Hunter II?

A: You should see it in stores in November =)

Erich Topp joined the German U-Boat arm in October 1937 (Crew 34), and a year later was appointed as a watch officer on U-46 (Kptlt. Herbert Sohler). After four patrols, Topp was given command of U-57, a Type II boat, with which he sank six ships totaling 37,000 tons until he was rammed and sunk by the norwegian merchant "Rona," a terrifying experience where six of the crew lost their lifes.

Late in 1940 Topp was given the command of U-552, of the type VII C, which was nicknamed the "Red Devil Boat" because of the twin red devils painted on the conning tower.

Most of Topp's successes were achieved against convoys in the North Atlantic and along the North American coast, where his 8th war patrol in early 1942 sent eight ships (45,700 tons) to the bottom. After 17 combat war patrols, Topp was reassigned as commander of the 27th U-Boat Flotilla. In that capacity he trained new crews and in 1944 drafted the tactical battle instructions for the Type XXI Electro boats.

New Ship Model

In the spring of 1945, Fregattenkapitän Topp was given command of a U-2513, one of the new Type XXI boats. The war ended before he could sortie against the enemy on a combat patrol. Topp did manage to sail the boat out of Germany to Norway, where he surrendered.

Radio Room

After the war, Topp worked as a common fisherman and eventually became a successful architect. He joined the West German Navy in 1958 and served in several high-ranking staff positions with NATO. Topp retired as a Konteradmiral in December 1969. Thereafter, he served as an industrial consultant for many years and penned his autobiography, The Odyssey of a U-Boat Commander: The Recollections of Erich Topp (Praeger, 1992). Admiral Topp lives today in Remagen, Germany.

Fruman F4F Hellcat

For more on Silent Hunter II see our earlier interview. For related historical topics see our Military Platforms Index.