Silent Hunter III Announced

[Brian Rubin]

I know I'm surprised...

SILENT HUNTER(tm) III
ANNOUNCED FOR 2004

Players Will Become U-boat Commanders and Experience
the New Immersive 3D Environment

SAN FRANCISCO - January 15, 2004 - Ubisoft(tm), one of the world's largest videogame publishers, announced its next submarine simulation, Silent Hunter(tm) III, for PC launching late 2004 - pricing and ESRB rating will be announced at a later date.

The next title in the Silent Hunter franchise will add new dimensions to the simulation experience. The player will engage in a compelling ocean environment, featuring dynamic weather, and experience the intensity of historical naval warfare. Taking the role of the U-boat commander, players will seek their enemy with sonar and periscope, attack the enemy with torpedoes, destroy them with the deck gun, or command their crew to do the job. The all-new 3D engine features impressively detailed U-boat models, both externally and internally, with exact replica WWII technology.

"Silent Hunter III will go beyond current naval simulations and offer a brand-new dimension: a U-boat captain simulator," said Florin Boitor, producer in Ubisoft Studios. "From detailed crew assignment to essential decisions in combat to career evolution, everything will be in the player's control."

In fact, the game reaches even further and recreates a WWII movie atmosphere with cinematic cameras focusing on the most crucial events around the player. Whether they are stalking Destroyers or hiding from depth charges, players will experience the game as their own personal war story. Also available will be a robust multiplayer mode that includes cooperative and best of the pack game modes.

"The Silent Hunter series has a legacy of award-winning titles and Silent Hunter III will continue in that tradition," said Tony Kee, vice president of marketing, Ubisoft. "The innovative crew management system, spectacular environmental effects, and high realism will set the simulation standard for years to come."
I didn't think that SHII sold that well, though I am glad to see the series continuing.

[Sean Tudor]

I didn't think that SHII sold that well, though I am glad to see the series continuing.

Very surprised. Silent Hunter II was a shocker of a game and didn't sell well at all. Word of mouth certainly killed that title. I wonder which development study is going to make SHIII ?

[scharmers]

1. Update Aces of the Deep + expansion for modern hardware. Spruce it up a bit, give it a few bells and gizmos that don't mess with the gameplay.
2. Happy.

Why can people not see these things? Jesus.

--scharmers

[Brian Rubin]

1. Update Aces of the Deep + expansion for modern hardware. Spruce it up a bit, give it a few bells and gizmos that don't mess with the gameplay.
2. Happy.

Why can people not see these things? Jesus.

--scharmers
Sounds like a good plan to me. I'd sure as hell buy it.

[JeffL]

I'm a huge sub sim fan, but lately they've missed the boat (agh - no pun intended) by forgetting that the tension and excitement in a sub experience is the hunt and the cat and mouse games, never knowing what to expect. The excitement of finding a large number of contacts, and then not knowing if they're all tankers, or if they're a battle group. Or being surprised by a destroyer. Recent sub sims have been saddled by horribly linear campaigns with no replayability - you play a mission, if you "fail" it you play it again, this time knowing what forces you will play.

The campaign and the environment in a sub sim is arguably even more important than in a flight sim. Lately designers have forgotten that.

[Brian Rubin]

The campaign and the environment in a sub sim is arguably even more important than in a flight sim. Lately designers have forgotten that.
Yeah, that's why, to me, Aces of the Deep and the original Silent Hunter are still two of the best sub sims, IMHO.

[Ben Sones]

The campaign and the environment in a sub sim is arguably even more important than in a flight sim. Lately designers have forgotten that.

Yeah, that's why the Sonalyst games have failed to hold my interest. They are fantastic simulations, but in a sub game that's just not enough.

[NuclearWinter]

Yeah, that's why the Sonalyst games have failed to hold my interest. They are fantastic simulations, but in a sub game that's just not enough.

While Sub Command does have a linear campaign and plot structure, the missions themselves (in both the campaigns and the seperate missions) do actually have random ship inclusion and placement - so repeated plays of a mission will have different ships with different objectives in different locations etc. It's definitely not the same as having a true dynamic campaign of course, but it helps keep the feeling of not knowing what's out there and having to map out your surroundings intact. Sub Command does a great job of simulating the 'hunt' IMO... but I do look forward to a new WWII era sub sim (though like scharmers I'd rather an updated Aces of the Deep!).

[Joe O'Malley]

1. Update Aces of the Deep + expansion for modern hardware. Spruce it up a bit, give it a few bells and gizmos that don't mess with the gameplay.
2. Happy.

Why can people not see these things? Jesus.

--scharmers
Sounds like a good plan to me. I'd sure as hell buy it.

"Launch!"

[Jakub]

Icebergs! I'm sold. (www.jucaushii.ro/img/SilentHunter3/03.jpg)

[GreasyPig]

An updated “Aces of the Deep” would be excellent. Of course, not only better graphics but a better sim of the technologies, weather, much deeper /detailed dynamic campaign. Also, hopefully they’ll include the American campaign in the pacific stock or as a close follow-on expansion.

Just as an aside, reading that announcement (in this post) at no time do they say you’ll play as the Germans. To most wargame enthusiasts “U-Boat” = Germans. You could replace “U-Boat” with “submarine“ and it would sound completely American. Do you think this is intentional? Assuming the game is based on German subs is the omission of which side you’ll actually play a marketing thing? Just a thought. Either way I can’t wait.

GP

[Brian Rubin]

I'm thinking that, since they mentioned U-Boats, it's assumed you'll be playing the Germans. You know what they say about assuming, however, so don't quote me on this. ;)

[Joe O'Malley]

I loved Aces of the Deep. My favorite sub simes of all time were Aces, Silent Service (and SS2), Red Storm Rising and EPYX Sub simulator, which offered (if memory serves) American Pacific or American or German Atlantic.

The above aren't in any order, but they were all great. If this new game is like an updated Aces, it ought to be a blast.

When's it due out?

[Simpilot]

Wonder how this will play out with the recent cancelling of Harpoon 4 (which broke my heart). :cry:

[Ignatius P. Reilly]

One of my best memories of gaming is a long, late night years ago stalking a convoy in Aces of the Deep. As others have pointed out, the irony is that *nothing* was happening most of the time (at least 2 hours as I recall), except the inexorable build-up of tension. That game was sort of the opposite of today's first-person shooter.

[Joe O'Malley]

One of my best memories of gaming is a long, late night years ago stalking a convoy in Aces of the Deep. As others have pointed out, the irony is that *nothing* was happening most of the time (at least 2 hours as I recall), except the inexorable build-up of tension. That game was sort of the opposite of today's first-person shooter.

Red Storm Rising was like that. To have any real chance of success you had to develop a sonar contact over time until the firing solution was good enough. My favorite was to stalk a sub below the thermocline, fire a slow torpedo from far away on top of the thermocline, then change direction and have it drop down on him. He never had any idea where I was. That didn't really work on surface ships, though, because of their towed array. For them it was the long, slow stalk for a close-in shot, then run from the helos.

[DennyA]

Remember how realistic the water seemed in Aces of the Deep at the time? When Bill Linn showed me those waves rolling at CES the summer before AotD was released, it probably impressed me as much as the first time I saw a good 3D card...

And the Amiga version of Red Storm Rising seemed amazing at the time. I think I may still have the box/manual for that game in my attic. If so, I might just have to try it on an emulator...

[Jakub]

Yes! Aces of the Deep had absolutely fantastic waves.

Has anyone gotten it to work in XP?

[NuclearWinter]

Yes! Aces of the Deep had absolutely fantastic waves.

Has anyone gotten it to work in XP?

The Win95 version (Command Aces of the Deep) will work in compatibility mode, but good luck trying to get any sound if you have a modern soundcard (oddly enough integrated on board audio seems to work ok most of the time).

[Joe O'Malley]

Remember how realistic the water seemed in Aces of the Deep at the time? When Bill Linn showed me those waves rolling at CES the summer before AotD was released, it probably impressed me as much as the first time I saw a good 3D card...

And the Amiga version of Red Storm Rising seemed amazing at the time. I think I may still have the box/manual for that game in my attic. If so, I might just have to try it on an emulator...

I had a friend who had to give up playing the game because it made him seasick*. The waves were great.

*This same friend also suffered vertigo when trying to play DOOM.