"great new features like a
fantastic new 3D engine"
fantastic new 3D engine"
Game Play
You play a U-Boat submarine commander in WWII patrolling the Atlantic hunting allies’ targets and conveys in a bid to make a difference in the war. The game is essentially much the same as you would expect from any submarine game you may have played in the past, except Silent Hunter 3 is so much more advanced and enhanced. Silent Hunter 3 has been in development for quite some time and the top of the agenda for the developers was to add more depth and realism than ever before seen in a WWII submarine game.There are a number of historical single player missions as well as a dynamic campaign which can be started at different times in the war thus changing a few key dynamics in the game such as the allies’ awareness and detection of U-Boats. The majority of missions will involve leaving your chosen port, navigating to the Atlantic and your patrol area and attacking any conveys spotted. The key to this game is stealth and timing. The game often takes a long time from first leaving the port to actually engaging in battle after a stealthy approach and then the return home. The ports in the game are extremely well modelled and entirely accurate but can be a pain to navigate out of. There is a map from which all navigation and course plotting is done, but this doesn’t really help you when navigating away from port. The game has a time skip feature which allows you to move at 1x all the way through to 1024x speed. If your near a port, land or ship the game will automatically jump back into real time meaning navigating out of port often takes 10-20 minutes at real time.
"The key to this game is stealth and timing"
Once you have encountered a convey on your patrol to attack the first move is crucial. You have to decide how close you will get to the target before firing, setting up a firing solution, deciding whether to attack at night or during the day. If there are escort destroyers do you attack them first and potentially use your limited amount of torpedoes or go for the main target. Every aspect from tracking the targets to engaging them just keeps you so hooked. Silent Hunter 3 is exactly what it says on the tin. Even the firing solutions and ship identification can be done manually rather than automatically.
"pain to navigate"
After each successful mission your crew members gain valuable experience and renown which can be used to purchase upgrades for you submarine making you a more formidable hunter. New to Silent Hunter 3 is the crew management system. During missions your crew get tired and need to rest. Throughout the whole mission you need to balance between those crew members which are resting and those which are in action.
As with any simulation game the learning curve is very high although they have added a number of key features to lesson the load and essentially make the game more playable and easier to learn. Firstly there are a number of naval academy tutorials which not only display text on how to do something but there are videos too which talk through the interface pointing out any key areas. While these tutorials are extremely good there just aren’t enough of them. There is a realism level which can be set for each mission where you will set how realistic a simulation you would like. Obviously a beginner would probably set it to 0% and turn all the realism levels off. But if you’re a fan of the silent hunter series and feel you can hack it, then you can turn the options to suit your level of skill.
"learning curve is very high"
The game offers a free look view point where you can view the submarine or outside the submarine from any angle all in spectacular 3D. You can even get a closer view of your targets when you have torpedoed them and can see them break up and sink under the water. The free look view can also aid in planning your attack, often making it easier to navigate too. Silent Hunter 3 also includes multiplayer options consisting of both cooperative and competitive modes. The multiplayer modes allow you to join a wolfpack with other live players and take aim against intelligent AI-controlled opponents.
Graphics
The graphics engine in most submarine games is generally pretty poor and basic. Not in Silent Hunter 3. The graphics are the best ever seen in any submarine game to date. While much of the game play has been improved upon, it’s definitely the 3D engine which has benefited from all the time spent on development. You really get the feel of adrenalin and excitement riding on the bridge of the boat crashing through the waves at full speed, especially when there is a storm on. The 3D rendered waves look so much more realistic than ever before. The weather effects are really neat and really add to the strategy element of the game. If it’s foggy for example hitting your target will be so much harder."graphics are the best ever seen
in any submarine game"
in any submarine game"
Sound
Every element in Silent Hunter 3 has been improved upon to make the game so much more realistic and engaging. The sound is no exception. Sound contacts are shouted at you by your crew. When you’re in silent running mode the crew whisper the information to you really giving you an impression that you’re really in the battle. The sound when you’re being pinged by an enemy warship is eerie and quite scary. The only really problem with the sound is that a bug keeps cropping up now and again where the sound would suddenly go all distorted, usually during a battle and when depth charges are put in the water. There is already a patch to patch Silent Hunter 3 to version 1.1 so hopefully this issue will be resolved, and it may be just our setup.Overall
Silent Hunter 3 is the best submarine game ever developed. The game is essentially a simulation making the difficulty and learning curve quite steep, but thoroughly enjoyable. The new 3D engine for the graphics offers something really special in this genre. The games minor flaws in crew management and poor map navigation around docks is nothing compared to the brilliance in ambient sound and atmosphere. If Submarine games are your thing then this game is definitely for you.