For quite some time the WWII submarining action was dominated
by SILENT SERVICE II and RED STORM RISING. Then Dynamix
released their excellent ACES OF THE DEEP, where players took
to the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as German U-boat
captains. Then Silent Hunter arrived on
patrol.
SILENT HUNTER was first described as ACES OF THE DEEP, only
in the Pacific with the US Sub Service, and in high
resolution. While that is more or less true, SILENT HUNTER
is also a class in itself.
In SILENT HUNTER the player commands an American diesel
submarine in WWII. Starting with the infamous attack on
Pearl Harbor, hunting season for Japanese warships and
merchants opens in the South Pacific. The general idea of
the simulation is to sink as much tonnage as possible
without ending up on the Still on Patrol list at the end of
the war. The historical faithfulness of AOD is renowned,
and SILENT HUNTER hit the same mark for accuracy, employing
the services of William "Bud" Gruner, who was the technical
advisor for the game.
The Simulations Group at SSI/Mindscape is now at work on
several projects for the new "DCS" (Digital Combat Series)
line of products, including Harpoon IV and
Luftwaffe Commander. Bill
Becker, president of Aeon Entertainment and SSI Simulations
Producer Rick Martinez, form the nucleus of the Silent
Hunter II collaboration. Executive Producer Carl Norman,
(producer of the original Silent Hunter), is now heading up
the SSI/Mindscape Simulations Group. Recently we had an
opportunity to speak with all three men about where this
new simulation will take us.
CSIM: Lets start with some history. Silent Hunter was a
fantastic entry into the genre, keeping my attention in a
way that AOD never did. Tell us a bit about the conception
of Silent Hunter and what you were attempting to
accomplish.
The subject of the American submarine force in the pacific
had been neglected for quite some time. In fact, Silent
Service II (1990) was the last significant game on the
subject. We had talked for quite some time with SSI about
doing the next generation of WWII sub sim and in early '94
the timing seemed right. From the start our goal was to
create the most realistic sub simulation to date using the
latest technology and the best graphics in the business.
CSIM: SILENT HUNTER II simulates the German untersea
service. How did this decision to simulate the other side
of the war experience come about?
The battle in the Atlantic was very different from the
American experience in the Pacific. There were many
interesting elements that we wanted to explore: the
"technology war" between the Germans and the Allies, the
large convoys and sophisticated tactics used by the allied
escorts, the German Type XXI electric boats, wolf-packing,
and the list goes on. The subject matter is intriguing and
that's why people keep coming back to it over and over
again. Silent Hunter II will simulate U-boat operations in
the Atlantic between 1939 and 1945.
CSIM: Its hard to imagine a graphics environment beyond
that of the first Silent Hunter. What are your goals
graphically? And will Silent Hunter II be written for Glide
(3dfx)?
Silent Hunter achieved its "look" by getting everything we
possibly could out of the technology available. For
example, through careful selection and reuse of colors we
were able to squeeze every last ounce out of the 256 color
palette, creating a vibrant and dynamic look that belied
the actual capabilities of the hardware. With the new 3D
cards available, a lot of these limitations have been
removed allowing for far more realistic visuals than we
could even imagine when developing Silent Hunter over 3
years ago.
Even though Silent Hunter was internally a "3-D" game, its
visual representation of ships and aircraft using sprites
locked us into viewing from one "plane". This was realistic
in that real sub crews were limited to this perspective as
well, but it wasn't as satisfying to players who wanted to
see the action from a variety of angles. Silent Hunter II
will be fully 3-D, giving the player many more views from
which to enjoy the action.
The 3-D engine we're using supports Direct3D and OpenGL.
Whether we support a chipset specific API like Glide (3Dfx)
really depends on the market at the time of the game's
release. We're certainly designing the game with that
possibility in mind.
Click for larger photo.
CSIM: I remember the first time I went up to the bridge on
a moon-lit night in the South Pacific. WOW! I remember
thinking later that if a seal had crawled to the side of
the boat I wouldn't have been surprised! Will there be this
much attention to the environment in SH II? Will we see
weather?
There will the same level of attention to detail. We'll be
upgrading most of the effects from Silent Hunter while
adding a quite a few new ones. Silent Hunter II will use
16-bit color, allowing far better color effects.
We plan on completely revamping the visibility and hazing
routines to allow for realistic low visibility weather
conditions. In Silent Hunter, under low visibility
conditions, ships would simply "pop" into view. The larger
palette and better hardware available now makes it possible
for us to create a smooth and realistic transition from
non-visible to fully visible. Ships will slowly appear out
of the haze. This is but one example of the improvements we
plan on making to the original graphics engine.
CSIM: An area that could have been more developed in the
original was the use of radio. Will we see more in SH II?
The lack of realistic radio communications is one of the
issues we are addressing. A much more complete and powerful
communications package will be included with Silent Hunter
II, allowing for both reception and transmission of radio
and beacon signals. For the Kriegsmarine, this is
especially important because of their heavy reliance on
communications when operating in wolf-packs. This also adds
an additional element of danger since these transmissions
were often intercepted by the Allies.
CSIM: The wolf-pack was a German innovation. What will see
in terms of joint operations in SH2?
The German's use of the wolf-pack is legendary and will be
an integral part of Silent Hunter II, both in the single
and multi player game. This cooperative element is perhaps
the biggest difference between the original and the sequel.
In the single player game, fellow U-boats will be under
computer AI control. However, things should really get
interesting in multi player action during a coordinated
attack on a large convoy. The game is being optimized
around this very scenario.
CSIM: What kinds of missions will the skipper be tasked
with in SH II?
Quite a few additional special missions will be added to
Silent Hunter II in additional to typical convoy attacks.
Mining, primarily using the TMB "seabed" mine, will be
popular early in the war. Transport, supply, escort,
surveillance, photo recon, and harbor attack missions are
also planned.
CSIM: In the first patch for Silent Hunter we had the
additional task of rescuing downed pilots. It seems to me
that areas like that could be greatly expanded, both in
operation and in graphics, animation and effects. Will we
see this kind of development in SH II?
We intend on improving these missions by adding more
variety, realism, and visual payoffs. For example, harbor
defenses in the original Silent Hunter were weak and the
ship AI had trouble with shallow water, causing them to run
aground. This lessened the challenge of harbor attacks.
We're improving the AI and shore defenses to make these
types of missions more challenging. We're also adding more
obstacles like channels, minefields, and blockships. Using
full 3-D, the overall look and realism of the harbors
should be greatly enhanced.
CSIM: Accuracy in weapons and systems is a hallmark of the
original. What advances are being made in this area for SH
II?
Our intent is to pick up where Silent Hunter left off in
the area of accuracy. The Germans and Allies continually
were creating new and better weapon systems in an attempt
to neutralize the others advantage. This is one area where
the war in the Atlantic was more interesting than the
Pacific. Allied advances like the hedgehog, squid,
"Huff-Duff", and Fido will be modeled. The Kriegsmarine
will counter with new and experimental torpedoes (FaT, LuT,
T5), radar, Metox, and some other, more obscure weapons.
The onboard systems will be modeled with the same attention
to detail as the original Silent Hunter. CSIM: In
Silent Hunter we interacted with a wide range of opponents.
What will SH II bring us?
Silent Hunter II will carry on the tradition by allowing
the player to interact with a large number of enemy ship
classes and types. We'll model over 50 different ships and
subs and over 10 different aircraft from Great Britain, the
U.S, and Germany. A few examples include: King George V and
Scharnhorst class battleships, Town and Benson class
destroyers, and Flower class corvette.
CSIM: With the release of the first patch convoy AI stepped
up a notch. Have there been any advances in opponent AI for
Silent Hunter II?
We'll be upgrading the opponent AI in general by adding
additional allied tactics, supporting new weapon systems,
and filling in some gaps and flaws in the original game
that could be exploited by the player. However, at no time
will we improve the enemy response by "cheating". (Giving
the enemy information that he would not have had in real
life). As stated earlier, the other major area of AI
improvement is enemy response around coastal areas and
harbors. AI will be improved to allow ships to handle these
special conditions better. This should make sneaking into
harbors and shallow waters as risky in the game as it was
in real life.
CSIM: This past year has brought us some large advances in
both ballistics and physics modelling in military sims.
Will we see this effect in SH II?
We intend on upgrading all of the modeling with both
realism and performance in mind. The physics in Silent
Hunter II will be as realistic as we can make it with the
current hardware limitations. As was the case in the
original game, we will have several levels of modeling from
easy to ultra realistic so that the game remains accessible
to the novice as well as the hardcore sim fan.
CSIM: Damage modeling is another area of growth in PC sims.
What is the modeling like in SH II?
I know some users have expressed a desire to have more
control over the repair process while others think the
abstract system used in the original game is fine. We're
looking into offering more control over repairs. However,
whether it makes it into the final release is dependent on
how much fun it is in the prototype stage.
CSIM: I don't recall ever having random failures in Silent
Hunter other than torpedos, but I imagine that in the real
submarines engines and systems like radar would break down.
Will we see any of this in Silent Hunter II?
This feature was planned in the original game but was left
out because it was felt that it might be too frustrating
for the player. However, we've altered our views on this
after seeing the number of people who would have liked to
see random failures included. This will be included as a
realism option in Silent Hunter II.
CSIM: Many players want to see more dynamic AI, even a
dynamic campaign option. What kind of campaign system will
we see in SH II, and if it isnt' dynamic how will you give
it a dynamic feel?
We will be redesigning the system to increase realism and
play-balance. The world will be more "active", including
friendly and enemy operations that are independent of the
player's actions. There will be interaction with other
U-boats and aircraft as well. This type of "dynamic world"
has been tried before, but never to our knowledge in a
submarine simulation.
CSIM: The original Silent Hunter included footage from WWII
that really added to the sense of being there. Will we see
more of this for Silent Hunter II? Silent Hunter II will
include a full multimedia reference, complete with
interviews, sub tours, film footage, diagrams, and plenty
of historical information. We're already talking to actual
U-boat commanders and scholars about working with us on
this online reference.
CSIM: Sierra did an excellent job with Aces of the Deep,
and some would say no one could surpass that effort. How do
you intend to prove them wrong?
Aces of the Deep is a great game, a real benchmark in
submarine simulations. Silent Hunter was influenced by it
and so was every other sub game that came after. However,
we've always felt that Silent Hunter can stand toe to toe
with Aces. They're both great games. To be honest, there is
no excuse for not substantially surpassing both games. We
have a great game to build on, we have the knowledge of the
subject matter, and we've had a chance to see where
mistakes were made the first time. We feel that we're in a
strong position to create one of the finest combat
simulations in any genre.
CSIM: Silent Hunter simulated the Allied side of the
experience. What are key differences in approach in
simulating the other side of the conflict? For example, in
attack strategy, risk factor, etc.
The biggest difference is in the implementation of
wolf-packing. The level of coordination between the U-boats
and BdU is much greater than that used by the Americans.
Many of the new features are necessitated by this close
coordination of wolf-packs. There is also a much greater
range of mission difficulty depending on the time period.
Obviously, during the "happy times" attacks will be fairly
easy while later in the war almost any attack will be
suicide. Maintaining the proper balance at each stage of
the battle is another major difference between the two
games.
CSIM: What are the unique challenges to creating a
simulation of the uboat experience?
Perhaps the biggest challenge is in keeping the game
entertaining even when fighting for the losing side. By
1943, U-boat missions had become suicidal. Losses were
staggering. How do we balance the game to keep it fun while
offering the realism that the hardcore gamers demand?
Play balance is the most difficult issue in any game, even
when realism levels are offered. It is especially difficult
with the Battle of the Atlantic. Another big challenge is
to cut through the hype and the myth to offer a truly
realistic experience. The U-boat mystique is especially
strong. Even to this day there are strongly polarized
opinions regarding U-boats and the level of the threat they
represented to the allies. The facts are easy to
research… Interpreting them is far more difficult.
CSIM: Have you been able to find ex U-boat captains to add
the same video interview and instruction dimension that was
part of Silent Hunter?
We are talking to some U-boat commanders, including
surviving top aces, about being involved in the project. We
can't name names yet, but there will surely be
contributions made by recognized U-boat commanders and
scholars.
CSIM: What feature most excites you about SH II?
There are so many, its hard to pick just one, but the
addition of multi player wolf-packing and the new 3-D
engine will have the greatest impact on the game.
CSIM: With SH2 being the first instalment of the historical
naval portion of the Digital Combat Series, is it your goal
to create an interoperable simulation of the surface side
of the battle?
Yes
CSIM: So your hope is to build a destroyer sim or something
similar to allow a multiplayer experience in the same
theatre defending against the U-boats?
Yes, thats what we would like to do. The Digital Combat
Series is intended to allow this kind of interoperability.
Our direction is to create combat simulations that can be
networked together. This is certainly the most fun and
challenging environment for the player.
CSIM: (Large smile on face)...When can we expect to see SH
II?
The summer of 1999
CSIM: I can't wait! Best of luck to the SSI and Aeon crews!