Universal Silent Depth - WWII Submarine Simulation (by COBBLECROWD)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by Xaron, Dec 6, 2016.

  1. Xaron

    Xaron Well-Known Member

    Oct 16, 2013
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    #21 Xaron, Dec 7, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2016
    Thank you guys! :)

    About the price, well ya. That's always a tough decision.

    1) The app stores are flooded with f2p crap and often you have to pay more there over time.
    2) A Starbucks coffee can costs well above $5. I know, that might be a strange comparison but sometimes I have the impression people yell that an app is a complete rip off where visiting a cinema or buying a coffee can be more expensive, and how long does your coffee last compared to a game? ;)

    So what's a "fair" price then for something you can play for days/weeks/months to come? Plus let me add that the game isn't finished that way we have lots of plans to improve it further and add more content. :)

    True, Silent Depth is NOT a mass market product. We LOVE submarines, we LOVE submarine games and we grew up with Silent Service 1/2 on C64 then Amiga, later the Silent Hunter series on PC and oh well after seeing that HUGE disappointment of the Silent Hunter game in the app store (which did cost $4.99 by the way for just an arcade shooter!) we decided we would need to do something by our own. We did NOT do it to make money actually, we did it for passion and we will continue to do so!

    Cheers!
     
  2. jeffy777

    jeffy777 Well-Known Member

    Oct 31, 2010
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    #22 jeffy777, Dec 7, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2016
    Definitely a cool sim. I don't have much of a clue what I'm doing yet, but I can tell it's good. Absolutely love the fact that there are no IAP.

    Some suggestions:

    A tutorial seems like a must have. Even just an in-game manual would be a huge help.

    Specific mission objectives and scenarios would be really nice to see. It's fun to just go on patrol, but having various objective would add a lot to the game and increase the replay value. Getting randomly ordered by HQ to take out specific targets, escort, etc.

    Would it be possible to add a torpedo cam that follows your shots? Not the most realistic thing in the world, but then again neither is a 3rd person exterior camera either :). Would be cool to have at least as an option.

    A lot of the UI looks fuzzy on my iPad Pro. Any chance for some higher res buttons and such? It is secondary to gameplay, but would be a nice touch.

    Anyways, keep up the great work and thanks for the making this game!
     
  3. Bi88les

    Bi88les Well-Known Member

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    I agree, and your game looks to back you guys up! I'm sold!!
     
  4. Royce

    Royce Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2011
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    How playable is this on a regular (non-plus) phone? I've had my eye on this for years and really want to pick it up, but I rarely get on my iPad these days and I'm worried about how it will be on the small screen.
     
  5. Fringle

    Fringle Member

    Dec 7, 2016
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    Gameplay update

    As promised, a (partial) after-action report.

    First encounter set me up north of a juicy capital ship convoy, about 12 miles to SSW at sunrise. Went on intercept course at periscope depth and flank speed. Popped up periscope and destroyer spotted my scope at 8 mile range and made pursuit. Destroyer did a nice search pattern for about 10 minutes and headed back for convoy. Popped up my scope after 5 minutes of silent running and same destroyer spotted it from 3 miles astern and headed back toward me. At that point...

    I realized it was midnight and I have to be up at 5 am, so I saved and quit. Can't wait to get back in the skipper's chair at lunchtime.

    Great stuff, guys. This is a sub sim as it's supposed to be. Thanks again to the developer, looking forward to many hours of fun with this one. :)
     
  6. currymutton

    currymutton Well-Known Member

    Oct 16, 2008
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    #26 currymutton, Dec 7, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2016
    Since somebody requests a gameplay video, here you go, featuring the training part and the game features:



    Played on iPad Mini 2 so please do not expect too much in terms of quality.

    As you may notice, you can really get sea sick with this one. Take care when you are on the surface. :D

    However, note also:

    There is no AA guns, so when you are attacked by plane, you are pretty much on your own

    And the deck gun is very hard to use, the presentation makes you think you were aiming below the horizon. It is hard to tell if you have been aiming too high or low. Binocular view may help but it is too clotted.

    Also bug: when you pan the view or the periscope on the right side of the screen, you move also the throttle...

    Good thing is: the periscope only raises when you switch to the view. The essential features are all there and if you have spent quite some time with PC sub sim, the interface is very much at home.

    Not shown in the video: you can plot way points and manages maintenance of the boat. The map table is there but it does not help to keep track of your fishes launched, nor this history of surface targets. I don't seem to find any torpedo resolution computer as well.
     
  7. Xaron

    Xaron Well-Known Member

    Oct 16, 2013
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    #27 Xaron, Dec 7, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2016
    @Fringle: Wow, that's a nice report, sir! Thank you!

    @currymutton: Fantastic, thanks for that. Thanks for that bug report, too. Will eliminate that one! :)

    Regarding AA guns: They will come with one of the next updates together with planes.

    BTW: It would be awesome if you could write some short reviews in the app store!
     
  8. yasasnirmana@gmail.com

    [email protected] Well-Known Member

    Dec 5, 2014
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    YouTuber
  9. Dailon80

    Dailon80 Well-Known Member

    Nov 10, 2014
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    Eos
    I was able to grab it up this morning will have to wait for a few hours to really get into playing it
    thanks for the videos and impressions. I have been following progress on this one for a while and glad to
    see it's on my 6s plus. Props to the dev for all his hard work and listening to all feedback. I will provide feedback and submit some questions/ideas once i get a chance to play it more, thanks! Now to read up on it for time being :)
     
  10. Dailon80

    Dailon80 Well-Known Member

    Nov 10, 2014
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    Again taking into account I have not played it yet only about 60 seconds of the training. But i do have a quick question, is there a free roam mode or is the training basically the free roam mode? basically a mode where you can just play around and learn things but also have some battles, if not is that in consideration?
     
  11. Xaron

    Xaron Well-Known Member

    Oct 16, 2013
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    Hey Dailon, actually that's what the training battle is for. As long as you stay east of that merchant ship you won't get the attention of the destroyer. ;)

    But yes, there's still room for improvements and this includes a real tutorial mode.

    @yasasnirmana: Thanks for that video, looks good! :)
     
  12. Dailon80

    Dailon80 Well-Known Member

    Nov 10, 2014
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    That's what I was thinking Training mode allows you to play around and get familiar with things. I have already read the manual a few times and I'm sure that will help when I get to play soon. A tutorial would be great too although I am an old school gamer so I'm used to just figuring things out :)
    Thanks again and I can already tell this is the sub sim I was hoping for!
     
  13. Greyskull

    Greyskull Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2009
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    Fort Lauderdale
    Is there a campaign mode? If so-is it an open-ended affair like in Silent Hunter 3?
     
  14. Greyskull

    Greyskull Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2009
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    Fort Lauderdale
    As an addendum-can you help alter the course of the War in the Atlantic by your performance in an open-ended campaign?
     
  15. jeffy777

    jeffy777 Well-Known Member

    Oct 31, 2010
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    The regular game is essentially one big free roam mode, where you get random encounters if you move around on the map.
     
  16. Dailon80

    Dailon80 Well-Known Member

    Nov 10, 2014
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    I have had a few mins now with it and you are right and I love that about it. I can see myself spending tons of time with this game
     
  17. D1vi8

    D1vi8 Well-Known Member

    May 22, 2014
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    What if your submarine gets hit/ destroyed. Is the game over then and do you have to start all over? (If you don't load a previously saved game ofcourse)

    Is the control/ steering/ shooting etc. easy to learn?
    Do encounters happen often? Great variety of events?

    Thanks in advance. In this genre I've only played 'Atlantic fleet' and that game was relatively easy to learn.
     
  18. Fringle

    Fringle Member

    Dec 7, 2016
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    Greyskull,

    I've only just begun the war patrol, so I don't know the answer myself; what I'm seeing in other posts does appear to say that it's pretty much open-ended; my experience is that I happened onto a random convoy while I was sailing toward the patrol zone that I was assigned. I don't yet know if you get another patrol assignment after returning to base, as happens in Silent Hunter 3.

    Regards,
    Cap'n Fringle
     
  19. Fringle

    Fringle Member

    Dec 7, 2016
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    I've also noticed the fuzzy fonts on the systems screen on torpedo count and other numerical readings, more blurred on the iPad mini 2 than on the iPhone 7+. Looks like something a minor tweak will clear up.

    Otherwise I've noticed that performance on the older iPad mini 2 is every bit as good as on the iPhone 7+. That's a pleasant surprise that speaks to good optimization.

    Regards,
    Cap'n Fringle
     
  20. Xaron

    Xaron Well-Known Member

    Oct 16, 2013
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    #40 Xaron, Dec 7, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2016
    Thanks again guys! :) Nice discussion and fantastic feedback!

    It is indeed open ended, well ok, it will end if the war is over in May 1945. If you survive that long...
    So basically it's kind of a campaign already, just a war patrol. You can find enemy ships almost everywhere so yes, even when returning home there might be contacts and not only in your patrol zone.

    As soon as your submarine sink you will have to start over, yes.

    With the next updates we plan to introduce (in no special order):
    - Attacking air planes and (of course) an anti aircraft gun
    - Special notes coming from your bases
    - Medals - you will keep them no matter if you die or not, so kind of achievements
    - the global online ranking list
    - islands additionally to Midway (bit later maybe, that's quite a complex thing)
    - kind of special missions
    - a real sea floor
    - kind of a tutorial beside that training battle
    - water improvements

    Beside lots of potential bug fixes which will come on top of this...

    That's the list for the foresesable future. Some of those features will take longer others not but we are very passionate to make this game even better. Our hearts are deep into this project and thank you all so far for your very fair feedback even though there are some glitches here and there. We'll hunt them down! :)

    Oh and it would be very pleasant if you could write some reviews in iTunes/the app store, which might help to spread it even wider. BUT, that doesn't mean that you always shall give 5 stars, be honest, be fair. :) Not like that guy who gave us right away a one star with the comment "bad graphics". o_O There's always room for improvement but something like that doesn't help at all.
     

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