Autumn 1914. Europe is in turmoil; idealism and glory are dying with the Continent's youth in the trenches. Your nation is in the grips of its enemies' deadly blockade. Desperate for victory, Imperial Germany's Navy has turned to a barely tested mode of warfare to counter the Grand Fleet's might. Likewise, a public weary of slaughter in the trenches looks to its undersea pioneers for tales of gallantry.
Lead your submarine and crew against the might of Britain's Grand Fleet. Stalk enemy battlecruisers and pre-dreadnoughts as they sail into your crosshairs. Scout out "Neutral" freighters carrying contraband using an all-new Prize Warfare system. Blast holes in enemy craft from a distance with torpedoes or close in for the kill with small arms, shells, flares, and explosive charges. Cringe as explosions send shells, wood, men, and metal hurtling towards your conning tower. As the conflict drags on, war weariness sets in and more nations turn against the Kaiser. Sonar, depth charges, mine barrages, and the infamous Q-Ships make war at sea the same nightmarish struggle found on land and in the air. The last embers of prewar chivalry flicker and die; desperation to survive is paramount. Will you survive the "War to End All Wars?" Or will a cold steel hull be your only tomb?
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CORE FEATURES
-Choose from at least six main WWI U-Boat types, with more to come.
-A complete campaign from 1914-1918. Start at multiple points in the war. Single missions, both generic and historical.
-Authentic WWI weapons ***8211; torpedoes modified to be identical to historical counterparts. Use high calibre deck guns, flares, and explosives charges in attacks on the surface.
-Prize warfare rules for attacks on merchants. Neutral and enemy ships may choose to respond to your presence and reveal their shipping manifests. Examine cargo & itineraries to determine if a ship may be sunk. Renown penalties early in the war for sinking ships without contraband or ships sailing to neutral destinations.
-Both ballasted and loaded variants of the same merchant ships.
-Supply, sabotage, and rescue missions add to the variety of your patrols.
-Warfare spanning the North Sea, Channel, Arctic, and North Atlantic Approaches (Mediterranean & US Theatres in future expansion packs)
-Unique shipping routes & patrol routes for vessels. Grand Fleet battleships will sally out from their bases for target practice. Early in the war, cruisers & gunboats will be used as patrol ships in the Channel & North Sea. Troop convoys, groups of trawlers, and lone merchants will be present, and cargo manifests will correspond to the location a ship has sailed from.
-Historical upgrades & revisions to your U-Boat. Get larger & better craft as your reputation improves.
-Historically Correct uniforms for officers and crew.
-Win medals & awards for your feats of daring. Get unique items from your superior officer or the Kaiser himself. A ***8220;swapping out***8221; system to get around the 8-medal limitation of SH4.
-Improved allied countermeasures overtime. Depth charges, sonar, bomb throwers, increased convoying, aircraft patrols, and, of course, Q-Ships in a variety of sizes and configurations.
-Entente submarines and escorts with working torpedoes.
-Supporting raids by German cruisers, submarines, and commerce raiders.
-Historical tonnage totals by famous captains, including Schweiger, Rose, and Valentiner.
-Neutrals that may or may not be carrying contraband. Choose to risk closing with a enemy merchant to ID it, or attack without warning/inspection and risk a renown hit when you get back to base.
-Models of famous U-Boat victims, including "HMS Pathfinder", "Aboukir", "Cressey", "Hogue", "Drake", etc.
-Hospital Ships, refugee ships, Belgian Relief Commission steamers, and other protected craft.
-Dozens of different merchants, from 12,000 ton tankers to sailing ships to coastal launches. Hundreds of new skins representing major combatants and neutral countries. New, more detailed cargo ship models ***8211; the Merchant Fleet Mod ships will not be used. Appropriate changes to ships over time. Merchants will gain camouflage schemes, dazzle paint, armed guard contingents, extra lookouts, and weaponry.
-Vast minefields in the channel. Mines may be partially marked on your maps depending on intelligence information. Mine barrages with multiple mines linked together. Antisub nets, obstacles, blockships, and hydrophone stations add to the hazard. No more "turkey shoot" harbor raids.
-For the first time, ship names painted on the hull. Neutrality hull flags, lettering, and home ports. Historically accurate funnel colors depending on vessel nationality.
-New port buildings & bases. High-res terrain tiles based on Google Earth photos.
-Historical differences in weaponry. British armour-piercing shells will do less damage than German ones. British torpedoes will have a higher dud rate.
-Signal flags, rockets, and semaphore men on merchants & warships.
-Diverse passengers and crew on board ships. Observe them to help decide if a ship is a legitimate target.
-Better maritime ambience. Lightships, lifeboat stations, new lighthouse models, shoals, and reefs. Marine life, including fish, whales, & sharks. Debris in harbor and flotsam from sunken merchants.
-More lifeboats, rafts, and survivors following sinkings. Groups of survivors & wreckage randomly spawned in midocean.
-Period aircraft, including torpedo planes and zeppelins. Scouting reports from friendly airships.
-New interface screens, menus, and music to reflect a WWI ambience.
POSSIBLE FEATURES
-British campaign for the North Sea & Atlantic region
-Limited surface warfare, including Pacific operations circa 1914
-Austro-Hungarian campaign with appropriate medals, ranks, & uniforms
-German campaign off the US coast & in the Dardanelles
-Major warships from France, the US, & possibly other smaller navies
-Shore bombardment missions, with destructible buildings
-Troop columns, trains, barracks, and other objects ashore
-Internal cargo nodes on merchant ships; cargo & passengers will be visible if a vessel breaks up or if its cargo hold is damaged.
-Unique items for the interior of your craft. For instance, a photo of the Kaiser, the ensign from a sunken merchant ship, etc.
01-04-23, 09:35 AM
Best of SUBSIM noms - Mod/Modder of the Year in General
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