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Destroyer Command: Briefing I

by Len "Viking1" Hjalmarson

Article Type: Strategy Guide
Article Date: March 21, 2002

Product Info

Game Title: Destroyer Command
Category: Naval Combat
Developer: Ultimation
Publisher: SSI / Ubi Soft
Release Date: Released
Files / Links: Click Here


After many delays and some uncertainty, Destroyer Command was released in February, 2002. Ive spent close to twenty hours with the simulation, and this article will share some tips and discoveries as well as offer some perspectives on gameplay.

As COMBATSIM.COM readers will know, Destroyer Command (DC) and Silent Hunter II (SH2) make up a dynamic duo of naval combat simulations. With the release of patches for both SH2 and DC, these two simulations can be interlinked for online action with human players. Imagine the fun and the challenge of two destroyers manned by human players protecting a convoy, while two other humans man a pair of U-boats. Its in this environment that the uniqueness of SSIs release will come to full fruition. There have never been another pair of simulations like this.

While the potential is tremendous, both simulations needed patching. There were many minor issues with both, centered primarily on AI.

In January I spent some time with SH2, and in early March with DC. While this is not a review, I want to share my perspective on DC in general before I share some in game action.



Destroyer Command Summary



Top down view of a destroyer



Depth charge attack

Graphically, I find the sim appealing while certainly not attaining the state of the art. Sea conditions are nicely modeled, as is weather. Trying to hold a distant ship in view while using the binoculars is a challenge.

Time of day is also nicely modeled. Sunsets are quite attractive, and night conditions are truly dark.

Effects, similarly, are adequate while limited. You wont see ships breaking apart, but you will see hits and fires. Lighting effects on the water are quite impressive if you have GeForce3 hardware, but somewhat limited otherwise. Starshells, for example, provide some light but dont seem to provide the type of effect one would expect.

On the other hand alpha effects are nicely done. I like the smoke and fog, and the smoke drifting across the bow when you fire the guns is very cool.

While the various ship stations are adequate, I was disappointed that the internal helm position didnt offer the same mouse panning that the external deck position allowed. I attribute this to time limits on the development team.

The likely reason for the various limits of the graphics engine is that the simulation was seriously in development two years ago and more. Features were set back when GeForce hardware was not yet a standard.

Viewing enemy ships during an engagement

More important than the graphics engine, which I deem adequate overall, is gameplay. DC as it is unpatched has both strong points and weak points.

On the positive side, the interface makes complex interaction with the environment quite simple. The game experience can be controlled completely from the CIC, and most controls can also be accessed while in the external view. The CIC in particular is powerful and flexible, and I really like the interface design.

The game itself is found in fourteen historical missions, a custom (instant) mission builder, and two separate campaigns for both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Close up of the action

The historical missions are fun. Its a challenge to see if you can do as well as the original engagements, or perhaps even better the records.

Custom mission setup is quite flexible and Ive had some fun here. Though it isnt possible to include a specific ship like the Bismarck, you can encounter any type of force at any time you prefer in one of three theaters of action.

The campaigns strike me as quite strong. I replayed the first mission in the Atlantic campaign a number of times and the events and their timing varied considerably. On my first run through, for example, I didnt encounter any subs until very late in the mission. On my second run through I received a distress call before I had progressed very far down the coastline. That kind of variety bodes well for keeping the interest of players when they run through a campaign for a second time.

Intro to Operation Drumbeat

On the other hand, the lack of a standard mission builder is unfortunate. Granted, the multiplayer experience is some compensation, but there are many players who will never take advantage of that feature.

TIP: You havent got complete targeting information? Your sensors are very limited in many situations unless you have Limited Targeting Data OFF in the game options. Furthermore, sensor updates in the CIC are not always immediate but reflect a certain delay in communication between the operator and the tactical plot. When you are manning the sonar station, that delay doesn't exist and you get instant and reliable feedback on sound contact bearings, at least within the 15-degree error range common to WWII sonar sets.

The pre-patch AI is quirky. AI in general lacked aggression, at least in the CUSTOM missions. Even when I set my ROE to attack ALL enemy ships at will, they seemed reluctant to open fire, as did the enemy.

On my second run of the first Atlantic campaign the tanker I was escorting hung up in shallow water. Since the tanker must reach a certain position for mission success, I was forced to replay the mission. The tanker also hung up on the third and fourth attempt. Very annoying. This is one of many issues the patch addressed.

Collision with subs when running depth charge attacks was almost constant. When I disabled the limited information option in the setup I discovered that I was colliding with subs even when they were at 200 feet depth. This was a bug in the collision model and may also explain why the tanker in my first campaign mission was beaching itself.

It is too early for me to comment on the multiplayer experience, though I will have my first foray with a connection to SH2 on March 22.

Manual entries in the log



Notes on the CIC map

Record keeping features in-game are very nicely done. I have taken to adding notes to the ships log as well as pinning notes on the map in the CIC. These options add depth to the game and also involve the player in new ways.

Time compression adds flexibility and limits boredom. Lets face it, cruising for twelve to twenty four hours without any targets isnt going to enhance your experience. Running at 256x normal makes those dull cruises bearable, and the game switches to 8x time when an event occurs.

Some features that would have been nice to see didnt make it into the game. There are no mines in DC so you wont encounter them or lay them. There are no oil slicks. Pre-patch, when you make a hit with a depth charge your crew would not report it; this has been added in the patch. Now when you damage a sub your crew will report debris (or an oil slick). [ UPDATE ]

Furthermore, you cant lay smoke, and there are some commands in the command panel that dont do anything. You can sound general quarters but the fatigue feature for the crew was never implemented so the command is only a place holder.

When you do encounter a sub, if you lose it you will have to set a batch of waypoints to create a search pattern. It would have been nice to lose the GQ command and substitute an initiate sub search command to set a search pattern automatically. This may appear in a later patch.

Finally, while the info box that pops up in the CIC when you place your cursor over a ship is great, it would be even better if it included current ROE issued to the ship.

OPTIONS screen

Speaking of action, the settings you choose in the options area before you play DC not only impact the difficulty you experience, they also get you closer to the real experience. I recommend that you play with limited targeting data as well as limited visibility; the level of challenge will increase and the experience will be more convincing. If you want to instantly see and locate every torpedo launched at you or accurately locate every submarine you encounter, you may survive more missions but youll have no idea what the experience was really like for destroyers in WWII.



Commanding a Destroyer

TIP: The maximun range for the 5" naval gun is 18 200 yards. For precise shooting do not engage targets father away than 10 000 yards. With radar enabled on the main battery director you can attempt ranges up to 15 000 yards.

The Mk15 21" Torpedo had different ranges depending on its speed:
  • 6000 yards at 45 Kts
  • 10000 yards at 33 Kts
  • 15000 yards at 27 Kts

The game can be played in a variety of ways, and this flexibility is a strong suit.

Lets say that I want to steer the boat and order a torpedo attack. I can do so from the CIC map view, from individual stations (helm and the torpedo station) or from an external in game view. That is a lot of flexibility.

The CIC is a powerful interface, and in both SH2 and DC is so far beyond the original Silent Hunter that there are few points of comparison. From the CIC the strategic heritage of the simulation is evident, and one has almost a Harpoon-like experience.

The range of interactions and commands that are available is extensive. There are two methods to access all the game controls in the CIC or in an external view. Lets look at each in turn.

The heart of the experience is found in the sliding control panel that appears on the screen top right whether you are in an external view or in the CIC.

When I first saw this sliding command panel in SH2 I was impressed. The common use of the interface in both simulations eases the learning curve and gives them both the advantages of a powerful and friendly interface.

TIP: You cant access the external view? Check your settings in the game options. You must have disable external views OFF to access this view. Then simply move your cursor to the top of the screen when in the helm view and click.

Sliding Control Panel

To access the control panel one simply scrolls the mouse to the right and top half of the screen when in the CIC or an external view. The panel slides out from the right.

You can pin the panel to the screen so that it stays on screen by clicking on the pin in the lower left of the panel. Otherwise moving your cursor away from this area will clear the panel from your screen.

Access the control panel from external view

The control panel gives you access to four distinct areas of information and control. The default area is the helm control panel. Here you can see your current speed and heading and alter course and speed.

TIP: You have been running in fuel conservation mode with some boilers shut down and now you need more than ten knots. Better think ahead, it takes a couple of hours to bring boilers up to full steam.

The next icon to the right is the vessel ID icon, and clicking it opens the next panel.

Vessel ID

From this panel you can glean basic information on the various ship types you will encounter, both enemy and friendly.

The next icon to the right is the command icon, and clicking it opens the command list. I find that I dont use this panel very much, since some of the actions require other actions that you cant access here.

COMMAND panel

For example, in order to command an attack on a selected target, you must first select the target. This is done by clicking on your own ship and then dragging the cursor to the target or by clicking on the target and then left clicking on your own ship to bring up the command menu. You then select the attack command or type of attack you desire.

Pop up menu in CIC

You could select the target then open the command panel. But if you are using the pop up menu anyway, why would you go up the command panel?

But what if you are running in the external view? If you are looking across your ship to an enemy you will see the grey targeting cursor blinking and you can use the L key to lock the target. You can then issue an attack order using CTL-A or by clicking on the command in the command panel.

ROE: Options

The ROE panel is the final one, and it allows the player to set the rules of engagement for the currently selected unit or group. Targeting ROE includes Screen, four ship classes, Shore, Air and All. Movement options include Cruise (best speed), Best (efficiency), Conserve (shut down half the boilers) and Evasive. Attack rules include Torpedo Only and Attack Only When Ordered. Deselecting this command has unpredictable results at the moment.

The ROE panel also offers some sensor options. From this station you can order a unit or a group to activate or deactivate air and surface radar as well as sonar. This gives you the tactical option of avoiding detection by units that are employing passive radar detection systems. Deactivating sonar doesnt seem very reasonable, since the screws of your destroyer will alert enemy subs to your presence anyway. Using the passive mode is a better option if you want to run with a measure of stealth.

TIP: Selecting Evasive will cause your destroyer to make small course changes continually so that it is a tougher target for the enemy. It will not, however, cause your ships to automatically avoid a torpedo if one is sighted.


Update: DC Patch

This patch is now available. Go here to download.

A. FIXES
  • 'Conserve' ROE order no longer slows ships permanently.
  • Sonar station and UI totally fixed and functional (single player)

B. ENHANCEMENTS
  • You can now "focus" sonar on submarines by clicking on the submerged contact in the CIC or depth charge screen. The contact will flash blue indicating that it has sonar "focus". Click again to "defocus".
  • Depth charge screen now displays course/depth/speed info for submerged contacts that have sonar focus.
  • Sliding panels work smoother (no more auto pinning)
  • Compass in helm screen and sliding panel now clickable
  • Voiceover notification when you damage a submerged contact with depth charges.


NEXT: Working with Destroyer Divisions in the CIC



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