SimHQ.com - Naval Combat Zone - Interview: SCS Dangerous Waters

A. This was an issue inherent to the architecture of Sub Command and has been addressed for SCS-DW. It is currently being tested as the new multi-player engine is under development.

Q. Are we able to see missile launches with radar in Dangerous Waters?

A. All the controllable platforms have conventional sweep radars, not 3D radars like on an Aegis boat, so missile launches are not going to stand out. With a little luck, the player might see a surface-to-surface skimmer like a harpoon before it settles into its low-level flight.

Q. In multi-player, can we have maps and scenarios in alphabetical order in the Game Room list?

A. The Mission Selection screen in multi-player currently allows you to sort by number of players, or mission title just by clicking the label at the top of that column in much like Windows Explorer. This was one of the requests from SC that we have implemented.

Q. Could we have the opportunity to set the use of floating wire or antenna to communicate between teams in a multi-player game.

A. Yes, the radio antenna will allow sub captains to communicate with their teammates and also to update their overall sensor picture (by retrieving the latest solution over the Link). Once a sub submerges again, he will out of contact and the Link contacts will continue to age and potentially be dropped over time. This is an option in single player and multi-player

Q. Can we have the opportunity to give ships and subs a name for multi-player games?

A. That feature is currently slated for review and possible implementation (just like dozens of features, at this stage). There is certainly a strong possibility for it to be included given the new “collaborative nature” of this game versus the more solitary play of our sub simulations in the past.

Q. How "mod friendly" will this game be?

A. We plan to accommodate the mod-making community as best we can. The quality of work generated by the community for Sub Command was outstanding and we hope to further that cause for SCS-DW. Many of the game's mechanics are accessible within the game's databases and we are trying to add more functionality that is along those lines.

The station DLL’s are still unavailable for modification. So far all Sonalysts Combat Simulations have been used as a baseline for real U.S. Navy training tools. These DLLs are heavily modified and tailored for training purposes so their format cannot be released to the public, unfortunately.

Toward that end, Multi-player will verify that all player interface DLLs are consistent in an attempt to prevent some players playing with hacked interfaces while others are not. Multi-player will enforce that all players have the same interfaces, hacked or not, before starting the game. This was a request by Sub Command users.

Q. Will the game be open enough to allow community add-on makers to create new ships and aircraft, (including new models, full stations, panels, cockpits, tweaked sonar, etc.) or will they be limited to such things like making custom skins and replacement sounds?

A. All 3D Models, model textures, object databases, sensor databases, AI doctrine, ambient sounds, 3D sounds and crew responses can be modified by the community (and have been in the past, with outstanding results).

The station art can be re-skinned but the functionality of the station itself will not be readily modifiable. Assuming that the game is successful we would like to add additional platforms such as carriers, destroyers, fighter planes, etc. With the community’s support, we envision SCS-DW to be the beginning of a full-scale virtual naval battlefield in which all platforms are controllable and players collaborate seamlessly above and below the ocean surface.

Thank you Jamie for taking the time to answer our questions and provide the new development screenshots. We'll look forward to more on SCS - "Dangerous Waters" in the upcoming months.

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