SimHQ.com - Naval Combat Zone - Review: Silent Hunter III

Silent Hunter III brings a few firsts to the U-Boat / submarine simulation that go a long way to greatly enhance game play. Previously in Aces of the Deep or Silent Hunter it was you, alone, on your U-Boat or submarine up against the world. A world where every ship was an enemy ship.

Silent Hunter III's 'firsts' include:

No gods eye view in the Navigational Map: At last a simulation that has taken away (via player options) the ability to see the ships in the Navigational Map in real time as if viewed from a satellite. A long time asked for feature that takes Silent Hunter III's realism to the next level.

Navigation Map.

Renown: i.e. reputation, prestige or fame, is represented in units. Renown is best thought of as influence. Renown is earned, spent and possibly lost.

The better you do as a U-Boat Commander, the more Renown you get, and the more you are to be able to influence your superiors to transfer better crew to your U-Boat or to give you the latest radar detector or to get a better U-Boat. As in real life, your influence only goes so far. Thus, as you use (exchanged) your Renown for crewmembers etc. the amount you have is appropriately reduced. Unfortunately, there is no book about being a "U-Boat Commander on a tight Renown budget".

You gain Renown by successfully reaching and staying in your patrol zone and for sinking ships and destroying enemy aircraft etc. The amount of Renown you get is linked to the type of ship and its tonnage.

You lose renown by sinking your own or allied ships and neutral ships. Loose enough Renown and your career will be over.

Crewmembers: You are no longer alone, as crewmembers now inhabit the U-Boat as well. The crewmembers gain experience, skills and rank. They can also be wounded and/or die. Now reckless actions can have a dire outcome other than simply a damaged U-Boat.

Crew Members.

Damage Control Team: The Damage Control Team are used to focus additional resources to repair damage. The Damage Control Team is an excellent and welcome addition.

Allied and Neutral Ships: At last, not every ship is an enemy ship. You will encounter ships, including merchant ships that are German, of an ally or neutral. Be careful, as sinking one of your own, an ally or even a neutral ship will impact negatively upon your Renown and thus your career.

Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine: There will be times where you will witness a Luftwaffe attack. A Luftwaffe attack could occur either as a direct result of you radioing in a sighting or by chance. At other times, you may witness a battle involving the big ships of the Kriegsmarine and the Royal Navy.

AI that Reacts: When detected the either the Escort, Aircraft or Merchant AI, if all probabilities are meet, and to what degree they are meet will determine how many escorts and aircraft the AI will send out to engage you.

Torpedo Impact: Torpedo impacts are calculated at the time of impact. There is no random numbers used. Therefore, when a torpedo glances off your target without exploding you know that it was the angle of the impact and not a random roll of the dice.

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