MA_Marlins Online Squadron

*ping*.... *ping*....

Woop! Silent Hunter 5 has arrived. Oh, and screw buying it due to Ubisoft's really harsh DRM. For those that don't know of it, basically if you are not connected to the internet you cannot play the game (single player included!) there is no 'offline' mode.. if you are in the middle of the game and you lose connection, the game quits.

So anyway... Silent Hunter 5 sees you out of those crappy American subs, but back in the Kriegsmarine piloting Deutchland's finest naval submersibles, taking on the mighty Royal Navy and chums. This time with a bit more of an RPG element, in that you can walk around (literally, using the WASD keys) your sub and even have a friendly chat with your crew (which also increases crew morale the more you do it!) and pretty much most of the features have had a big overhaul.

Crew management is now a lot easier. Simply put, you don't need to do it.

Manual aiming (with the TDC) is simplified, but still complicated enough to make it interesting... though it is much more fun to use. Identify your target by flipping through your ship book (but you can also filter on number of funnels, hull type, etc.), identify the range using the Stadimeter, estimate speed, and spin the dial for angle of bow, then FIRE!

Missions are no longer "go to plot X and sit there" they have real campaign missions (sink 100,000tonnes by 'x' date in the Irish sea) and almost quest like missions (including intercept convoy/task force missions) as well as 'epics' that seemingly (but not confirmed) actually make an impact on the war... things like starve Britain of supplies. I've not seen it confirmed/denied yet.. but the campaign road map has quite a few forks in it, so perhaps the campaign is quite dynamic.. or perhaps they are just different paths you can choose. Don't know, but I'm having fun with it

But by FAR the best improvement has been the AI's ability to spot/ping/locate you.. or rather, the reduced ability for them to spot you! No more will they insta-spot and be-line for you from 5,000m. No sir! Time of day, weather, and your angle-of-bow (to them) make a difference, and your engine speed, depth, and water depth all make a difference to how well they can hear you. Basically, dive to 70m and you're completely invisible to them.

Much, much better!

Get it now, but make sure you crack it if you do!

gonna need an instruction booklet this time if I do ...

Could never work out how to get through the English channel in bout 10 metres of water with out being spotted and sunk

Flat out and not in a straight line?

Like I say, evading ships is a LOT easier (and more realistic, according to the "experts")

If you're in 10metres of water, the ships won't spot you at 7-8m depth, as you'll "blur" into the noise generated by the sea bed.