Working on a new submarine sim: Sub Commander - advice needed!

[Tango589]

Originally Posted by TheGeoff

If you're running it fullscreen, try running it windowed.

There lies el-problemo! Thats odd.

[TheGeoff]

Ah, ok. I didn't think to test the mouse controls in fullscreen mode! I'll see what I can do about that.

By the way, to answer your question from last page:

I'm having trouble with the new sub editor. I've copied the sub 'triton' and renamed it 'tritonbeta' I've opened the sub editor, opened 'tritonbeta', clicked on 'edit objects' and moved one of the generator room bilge pumps to the reactor room to deal with leaking reactor coolant or flooding the reactor with sea water in future. I've saved the new sub under 'tritonbeta' and loaded the sim. For some reason , my crew is no where to be seen, I get messages that the crew can't find their pathway (the same as when you want them to get through a locked door), and I get a barrage of low oxygen warnings and sirens. what's going on?

Your problem sounds like it's in the areas.ini file, if in doubt copy the original version from the triton folder and replace the one in your tritonbeta folder. The new sub editor seems to have some rare bugs in loading/saving, I think the creator is working on it.

[Tango589]

I've copied the 'triton' sub folder and renamed it 'tritonbeta'.
I've opened 'tritonbeta' in the sub editor and moved one of the generator room bilge pumps to the reactor room by altering its coordinates.
I've saved this new layout.
I've changed sub_folder to 'tritonbeta' in game options.
I've tried running sub commander and at the end of the loading bar I get the 'Illegal Memory Address' box.


Damn it.

[Robsoie]

thanks, great game i'm enjoying it a lot so far

I can't get the mouse to control any of the panels. What could be wrong?

I've got mouse control enabled in the game option, although it does say that mouse control: 1 is (limited) mouse control.

For me all the controls and panels seems to work with the mouse in that new version.
Is there some mouse manager program running on your system that could give problem with the game ?

[SubwayCommander]

While playing, I have had several ideas that might be a good fit for the game.

• Seawater in your submarine should have far more severe consequences.
  After being hit by an enemy missile, my entire generator room flooded. All I had to do was evacuate my men, equip two with breathing devices, fix the hull and turn on the bilge pumps. Problem solved. In a real submarine, I doubt it would be this easy. For one, those computer systems would be severely damaged, if not destroyed. And my men could easily pass through the bulkhead doors, and the water politely stayed in the generator room, even though the water was at 2 meters height. I have no idea how submarines work, but I imagine those bulkhead doors would not open until the water was removed. At least, that's what I see in videogames/movies.
  
  What should have happened: the entire room locked down, and if I don't act quickly those men trapped inside will drown. All machines in the room stop functioning and the damage percentage ramps up until it's at 100%.
• Maybe lift the economy system of Silent Hunter 5?
  At the moment, wrecking your sub and finding most of your crew dead means you go back to your starting port and press shift+r. All damage is fixed, and your men replaced. You lose their equipment though. How about an economy system, where sinking enemy ships and completing objectives nets you renown/money/whatever, which you can spend at friendly ports? If you haven't sunk enough enemies or followed enough radio orders, why on earth would your commanding officers supply you with a fresh submarine and more men after you damaged your previous sub and killed many men with barely anything to show for it?
• How about some descriptions next to the items in the storage?
  I have no idea what thick leather gloves do. How about some item descriptions?

[P-Dup]

Hello everybody,

first of all I really like Sub Commander. It really is a rare gem and has so much more potential! I just hope you stick to the roots when adding more features, so it keeps it's flair. Right now I really look forward to the next version and I can't wait for it to be realeased.

Now to my questions: Do the Radiation Suits reallly work? Because when I got a radiation leak from a damaged Coolant Pump and I send someone in to repair it, he get's several thousand mSv radiation and later dies, no matter if he is wearing a Radiation Suit and Leather Gloves with Gas Mask or Breathing Apparatus or both. Bug or feature?
At the moment I surface the boat and close the air valves in every room but the reactor chamber snd then open the Main Induction Valve to get radiation out. Is this the only way?

And what are the Chemical Suits used for? Ok, to protect from chemicals, but in what situation are they useful?

Keep up the good work The Geoff. you're making a lot of people happy and anxious for the next release.

[Jimbuna]

Welcome to SubSim P-Dup

[Kommandant_Wesser]

Originally Posted by TheGeoff

EDIT: Latest Version: 0.23
Download Latest Version Here!
(Download, then unzip entire folder and run subcommander_0_23.exe)
VirusTotal link (to prove the link is safe): https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/5...is/1398952540/

Previous versions:
Version 0.22 http://goo.gl/Qpr0w1
Version 0.21 http://goo.gl/PsBCbK
Version 0.20 http://goo.gl/1PzpZK
Version 0.19 http://goo.gl/7J74vm
Version 0.18 http://goo.gl/3bcZ4K
Version 0.17 http://goo.gl/cRdSoM
Version 0.16 http://goo.gl/wwMJqL
Version 0.15 http://rapidshare.com/files/17135265...ander_0_15.zip
Version 0.14 http://rapidshare.com/files/12651374...ander_0_14.zip
Version 0.12 http://rapidshare.com/files/22452707...ander_0_12.zip
Version 0.10 http://rapidshare.com/files/16935040...ander_0_10.zip
Version 0.09 http://rapidshare.com/files/10539065...ander_0_09.zip
Version 0.08 http://rapidshare.com/files/89995876...ander_0_08.zip
Version 0.07 http://rapidshare.com/files/33112993...ander_0_07.zip
Version 0.06 http://rapidshare.com/files/34811829...ander_0_06.exe
Version 0.04 http://rapidshare.com/files/4084177128/subcommander.exe

Guide/manual is now included in the .zip file, titled 'guide.txt'

Submarine Development Tools:
http://goo.gl/MxBNIc


Sub Commander is a free, independently developed roguelike submarine simulator with an emphasis on realism and freedom of choice. Originally, the game was envisioned to be a kind of cross between Dwarf Fortress and the film K-19 The Widowmaker but it is rapidly growing to a full featured submarine warfare simulator. Eventually I plan to simulate all aspects of cold war era naval and aerial combat, so the player's submarine will be in the midst of a dynamic, procedurally generated global war.

One of the main focuses of the game is dealing with accidents and emergencies aboard the submarine. Nuclear submarines are hugely complicated pieces of equipment and there's a lot which can go wrong - fires, flooding, radiation leaks, lack of oxygen etc are all accurately simulated. Careful management of the crew and the submarine's automated systems is essential to conquer these threats and complete your mission successfully. In some ways, it's like a much more complex version of Faster Than Light aboard a submarine (without the fancy graphics unfortunately!)

While the simulation of the onboard systems is highly detailed, I have tried to ensure the game is accessible to almost anyone and the learning curve is not too steep. The graphics are very basic but I try to keep them clean and functional - but I admit great graphics were never a priority for this game.

Key features:
- 31 nations represented in game, 23 of which are playable
- AI controlled navies consisting of 15 classes of surface ships, all with historically accurate armaments
- Huge in game map covering the entire globe, with more than 60 cities (uses high-res NOAA sea depth data)
- Realistic physics-based modelling of fire, fluid dynamics and radiation aboard the sub
- Extremely detailed submarine with accurate models of all important systems

Full Mac and Linux compatibility is planned eventually. In the meantime, players have reported it is possible to run the game through Wine on Linux and Wineskin Winery on OSX. The following instructions were posted in the Reddit thread for the game by user arcsey:
"Use Wineskin Winery. Create a wrapper with Wineskin 2.6.0 (current version) and use WS9WineCX13.1.0 as your engine. Just move the subcommander_0_21 folder into Program Files and set subcommander_0_21.exe as the executable. It should run fine without having to change any other settings."

Sub Commander is under active development, with new updates released anywhere from once a week to once every couple of months. Any feedback, suggestions or bug reports are greatly appreciated!


Edit:
A lot of people have recently asked about where to send donations / if I will make a Kickstarter etc. I'm amazed and honoured that people think this is a project worth donating to!

I want to make it clear that Submarine Commander will always be completely free, and that I do not in any way expect donations. Creating this sim has been purely a hobby for me and all through the development I never expected to make a cent from it. I don't want people to feel like they owe me anything for the game.

But if you love the game and really want to make a donation to the project, you can send a donation via paypal to subcommandergame@gmail.com
Thank you!

Screenshots (v0.20):
Nuclear reactor management


Navigation


Activating fire supression system

Whoa, this game.......

IT is really good for some odd reason Great Work!!!

[Tango589]

Hi Geoff,

How much coolant does a reactor hold? I ask because I've got a bilge pump in the reactor room to pump out spilled coolant, in an effort to minimise rising radiation levels from a coolant leak when I'm submerged. Is this approach going to be of any use (is subcommander programmed to recognise what I've done)?

Also has anyone got any sub designs/mods they think are cool and want to share?

Keep Calm and Command On!

[TheGeoff]

Originally Posted by P-Dup

Hello everybody,

first of all I really like Sub Commander. It really is a rare gem and has so much more potential! I just hope you stick to the roots when adding more features, so it keeps it's flair. Right now I really look forward to the next version and I can't wait for it to be realeased.

Now to my questions: Do the Radiation Suits reallly work? Because when I got a radiation leak from a damaged Coolant Pump and I send someone in to repair it, he get's several thousand mSv radiation and later dies, no matter if he is wearing a Radiation Suit and Leather Gloves with Gas Mask or Breathing Apparatus or both. Bug or feature?
At the moment I surface the boat and close the air valves in every room but the reactor chamber snd then open the Main Induction Valve to get radiation out. Is this the only way?

And what are the Chemical Suits used for? Ok, to protect from chemicals, but in what situation are they useful?

Keep up the good work The Geoff. you're making a lot of people happy and anxious for the next release.

Good to hear you're enjoying it!

Radiation suits significantly slow down the rate of radiation absorption, especially when the crewman is also wearing a gas mask / SCBA gear and leather gloves. The suits don't provide complete protection however, so if there is a lot of radiation present the crew should only work in short shifts. This still needs some balance and tweaking I think, radiation levels often increase more quickly than they should and suits don't seem to provide enough protection.

Chemical suits are not particularly useful at the moment, they slightly increase resistance to radiation but not significantly. They will probably be more useful in the future.

You're right that the best way to clear out radiation is to surface, open the induction valve and open all vents (no need to leave any closed, the contamination will not spread because purging fills the ventilation system with fresh air). This is currently not as effective as it should be though.

Originally Posted by Tango589

Hi Geoff,

How much coolant does a reactor hold? I ask because I've got a bilge pump in the reactor room to pump out spilled coolant, in an effort to minimise rising radiation levels from a coolant leak when I'm submerged. Is this approach going to be of any use (is subcommander programmed to recognise what I've done)?

Also has anyone got any sub designs/mods they think are cool and want to share?

Keep Calm and Command On!

That's a damn clever idea! Unfortunately the game doesn't realise what you're doing at the moment and pumping out the water will not decrease the radiation - the radiation level and water level are treated as separate quantities at the moment so pumping out the water will not stop the radiation. I'll try to fix this up sometime soon though.

[Tango589]

Cool, between this and the emergency flooding of of the reactor room with sea water, we'll have a comprehensive action plan for dealing with a potential '3 mile island in a baked bean tin'!

[TheGeoff]

Version 0.24 released!
Download here: http://goo.gl/owcu6w

Changelog:

• AI ships now form battlegroups. These groups range in size from pairs of destroyers to large task force fleets with submarine escorts, and are usually tasked with either defending their homeland or seizing strategically important areas of sea.
• Numerous improvements to the world map. Land is now in colour (both on the map and when viewed through periscope) so you can sea deserts, snow etc. The positions of several coastal cities have also been fixed, and several narrow straits which were previously impassible have been opened.
• Mouse controls have been overhauled and significantly improved. The controls are now similar to most RTS games - click a crewman to select him, right click to give orders. Mouse controls should now work properly in fullscreen mode too.
• Acceleration of AI ships now depends on their engine power and mass.
• AI ships are now aware of torpedoes and will accelerate to try to dodge them.
• Added Virginia Class Cruiser, Sariwon Class Corvette, Lupo class frigate, Georges Leygues Class Frigate and Kortenaer Class Frigate
• Changed the way flooding occurs when the sub is surfaced. Now water will still leak in through damaged walls, rather than unrealistically rushing out of the sub like it used to.
• Water can now leak in through damaged floor tiles.
• Significantly improved rendering performance, especially when viewing the world map.
• Added Norway, with cities Oslo and Narvik.
• Added 3 new zoom levels to map for easier navigation. Number keys 1-6 control the zoom level.
• Increased size of US, Soviet, British and Chinese navies to roughly historical sizes.
• US and USSR strategic AI now consider controlling the North Sea and Norwegian Sea their primary objectives, reflecting actual cold war doctrine.
• Mechanism to automatically shut Main Induction Valve if flooding is detected is now simulated. It can sometimes fail - in this case the valve can still be opened and closed manually.
• Added sound effect for opening and closing Main Induction Valve.
• Increased damage from explosions, in particular those caused by 120mm+ shells.
• Cargo ships now dock at port more often.
• Reduced power consumption of electrolysis system.
• Electrolysis system no longer automatically switches off when the submarine switches to battery power.
• Nuclear meltdowns now completely destroy the reactor core every time.
• Nations added in the last couple of patches (netherlands, taiwan, etc) now use the correct military aircraft.
• Changed several pieces of UI text to be more descriptive.
  
• Fixed a bug which prevented Chinese Luda class destroyer from appearing.
• Fixed a bug causing submerged submarines to appear on surface search radar.
• Fixed a bug which occasionally caused AI ships to move over land when engaging the player near a coastline.
• Fixed mouse controls for bilge pumps.
• Fixed crash when viewing map near north pole.
• Fixed bugs causing sunken ships to appear on sonar.
• Fixed bugs causing recently sunken ships to be reported as visual contacts.
• Fixed a bug which sometimes caused the "Exit y/n" prompt to disappear before a key was pressed.
• Fixed rare graphical glitch on Weapons Systems Control Panel.
• Fixed rare bug where water flowing out of broken machinery could sometimes pass through walls.
• Fixed bug causing a small amount of water to appear inside lightly damaged walls.
• Fixed a bug where the player sub would constantly try to steer north after sailing under north pole.
• Changed default "cursor toggle" key to F1

Enjoy!

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome Alfa :-)

[Pwnzorlol]

I love this game, but I keep encountering a bug everytime I play. Whenever I launch a missle, it launches fine, but most of the time it impacts wherever I sent it, it crashes the game. This isn't always the case, sometimes it impacts, but then when the other nations launch missles as well the next missle impact crashes the game. Is there any fix? I have tried increasing my memory and running as admin, but I still get no luck

[TheGeoff]

Originally Posted by arl85

Hi,
first of all I want to express all my admiration for this incredible work you are doing!

I just want to report you a couple of things:
it seems that in several screen (ex: periscope) you can change depth using +/- keys, but in F1 help this info is missing (at least in periscope mode).

Strictly related, I found that only in map mode you can see ordered speed (but not ordered depth) so I suggest to always display speed, depth and heading together with ordered one

and now some questions:

1. is there any advantage in stopping damaged systems while repairing? is there any "danger" in repairing a working damaged turbine, for example?
2. how does the algorithm for selecting a crew member when ordering "repair" or "assess damage" at cursor work? it seems that when I order "assess damage" a crew member is called, but when ordering a repair from the "damage assessment" view, another different member is called.
   is it only related to assigned compartment/task permission or are experience in specific field and equipped equipment also considered ?

finally a bug report: while trying to save my sinking sub, I locked some bulkheads.
after a while, game started complying about "unable to find path". I thought "it's normal, no problem".
But after several cycle of different crewmembers complaining game hanged as how it was in a infinite loop. I'll try to give you more info next time.

Glad you're enjoying the game! Thank you for these reports, I'll look into fixing them for the next update.

To answer your questions:

1. Some systems can explode if they are running with certain components damaged. For example - if a turbine is badly damaged, and you repair the rotor before repairing the speed governor, the rotor will spin too quickly and rapidly tear itself apart again. If you are unlucky, the repairman might be hit by shrapnel or the turbine may catch fire. To avoid situations like this, you should shut down the machinery before attempting repairs. It's especially useful for damaged nuclear reactors - if you shut down the reactor you can run the pumps at a lower speed, which will decrease the rate of radiation emission.

2. This is a bit of a bug. When you order repairs from the damage assessment screen, the game searches for a nearby crewman who is qualified and isn't busy. The guy performing the damage assessment counts as busy, because he's performing a damage assessment. This should be fixed some time soon!

Originally Posted by Alfa15

Geoff,

First off all. Thank you for the best cold war/modern sub game ever! I like most of you have spent countless hours playing SHIII with GWX, which I loved, and I havent played for a while.

I have always dreamed about an excellent cold war/modern war submarine simulator and this is so excellent. I stumbled across this just a couple days ago.

There is one feature that I really want. Is it possible to play the game in real time? So instead of a minute passing every second, the game would operate at real time. They way it is now can be a little arcadey when in combat. If it could operate at real time, so that you have time to manuever and everything, that would be great! With torpedoes moving in real time too.

I have lowered the game speed in the game options, but, that is more just a frame per sec speed, and lowering it too much makes it impossible to play. Unless you fine clicking non stop until you hit it during the frame.

Also, are you planning on adding countermeasures or am I just missing that?

Lastly, this would be so great on ios! Any plans for that? I know you want this game to be free, but, I would easily pay for this on ios.

Thanks!

A few people have asked for a real-time mode so I'll look into adding it in a future update. It will require changing a few things around but shouldn't be too difficult. Good suggestion!

Countermeasures are planned, but they haven't made it into the game yet. Possibly next update - they're a pretty important part of submarine warfare so I'll add them as soon as possible.

iOS compatibility is unfortunately not possible as far as I know. Compiling the game for iOS or Android would require the entire game to be rewritten in a different language, which is not something I plan to do any time soon. People have managed to run the game on a Windows tablet though, and Sashkakuhta managed to get the game running on an Android phone using a Wine emulator: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...36#post2262136
So it might be possible using some kind of emulator... let me know if you try it!

Originally Posted by Pwnzorlol

I love this game, but I keep encountering a bug everytime I play. Whenever I launch a missle, it launches fine, but most of the time it impacts wherever I sent it, it crashes the game. This isn't always the case, sometimes it impacts, but then when the other nations launch missles as well the next missle impact crashes the game. Is there any fix? I have tried increasing my memory and running as admin, but I still get no luck

How long ago did you download the game? A couple of weeks after the release of the last version I updated it to fix this (hopefully it worked!). Try redownloading the game and see if the bug continues to occur.