New indie naval game Cold Waters

[juanchopancho]

Oh sweet it got greenlighted! I played Red Storm Rising years ago on the Commodore 64. Great game, very tense atmosphere with the news snippets about WWIII.

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: juancho

Oh sweet it got greenlighted! I played Red Storm Rising years ago on the Commodore 64. Great game, very tense atmosphere with the news snippets about WWIII.

I actually broke my C64 joystick while trying desperately to avoid Soviet torpedo in RSR. [:D] Of course it had been well-used in other game called Elite.

[stilesw]

Sardaukar,

Brings back memories! I played both Red Storm Rising and Elite (+many, many others) on my Apple IIe. Luckily I didn't break the joystick though. Still have the IIe and it works fine albeit it's very slooooow and low res by today's standard.

-Wayne Stiles

[wild_Willie2]

First thing to buy in Elite: Automatic docking computer.....

I played a version without having the manual and as the anti copy protection consisted of asking for a certain word in a certain position within the game manual (e.g. second word, third paragraph, page 5), I had to type in the word "the" multiple times before being able to play...

W.

[stilesw]

No manual - now that would have been tough. Some of those early protection schemes, like Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe's decode wheel, made it pretty much impossible to play without the in-box manual. Unless you were really good at cracking the on-disk protection. Needed a good hex-editor and software grounding to do so.

-Wayne Stiles

[temkc5]

Hello everyone it is now on sale!!!

Happy days

[HalfLifeExpert]

Yeah I just got it, ive put over 2 hours into it so far. I am really enjoying it so far.

[Cik]

it seems alright. i'm having a lot of fun. i wish there were more to the strategic layer, but the actual combat is a really good time.

i hope they continue developing it and add some more simulation features though. granted i'm not a sub guy so i don't know exactly how realistic it is. but my guess is: not that realistic.

unfortunately (fortunately?) it models nuke subs and i'd guess that the nuke subs that were made in the early 60s are still so classified that asking what color the interior paint is gets you a stony face from the navy.

but ah well, i'm having a blast anyway.

[CassioM]

I loved this game. I am playing all day on my free time alongside with CMANO

As a submarine simulations fan, I loved Red Storm Rising. Now I'm addicted to this new game. Nice graphics, nice soundtrack, nice simulation.

My only suggestion. BUY THIS GAME GUYS! AND THE SOUNDTRACK TOO!

The Killerfish Games developers deserve our money by developing this pearl of submarine simulations.

One of the best surprises of 2017 without doubt.

[Cik]

yeah i admire anyone who's willing to make anything for these underappreciated genres. we may actually be in the middle of a simulation renaissance thank goodness. 2002-2012~ was a real desert.

[CCIP-subsim]

ORIGINAL: Cik

yeah i admire anyone who's willing to make anything for these underappreciated genres. we may actually be in the middle of a simulation renaissance thank goodness. 2002-2012~ was a real desert.

It's a knock-on effect of the indie resurgence of the last few years - it's actually viable now to market games to smaller audiences and still make money. While I do understand people who have problems with Steam distribution and miss the days of physical discs and paper manuals, I think it's important to give credit where credit is due - digital distribution and marketing via platforms like Steam has really helped change the picture for the better. I'm actually surprised that there aren't more games like this lately.

But yes, regardless of what one thinks of the "hardcoreness" of a game like this (which I think intentionally stays less technically-detailed and more accessible), I think we should all be buying this and should be very happy indeed that it's on the market, and I really hope that it succeeds. The more games like this, the merrier [:)]

[hellfish6]

I enjoy it very much so far. My first kill was a wire-guided Mk48 into a Foxtrot-class SS. It felt like an achievement.

[Cik]

the torpedoes are completely ridiculous to be honest. the "shark circle" they do after losing contact almost never fails to re-acquire the target. i've had a single MK48 travel quite a ways, lose track 5-6 times due to noisemaker and "crazy ivan" and then reacquire every time and split an udaloy in half. likewise they completely annihilate every sub i've hit with them.

i'm actually having more luck with torpedoes against udaloy than with harpoons; they can't ever seem to spoof the torpedoes but they shoot down the harpoons often enough that you have to expend a lot of your limited magazine to get a kill.

granted the harpoons are really great for killing merchants/transports after you torpedo the escorts.

anyway i don't know how realistic it is but i've fought it out a few times now with surface groups and dodged 20+ torpedoes with plane down/plane up/ballast up breaks into the torpedo. the knuckle + noisemaker + rapid climb/dive does a really good job of spoofing the soviet equipment.

the thing that's actually killed me the most are the depth charges which seem like near instant death if they hit you, and they can get you really quickly if you are above 500ft.

i really wish there was a two-way recording system like in command though. it's hard to know exactly when they spot you. half the time i jump into a meeting engagement and i'm already getting pinged by active two seconds in and i have no idea if they know i'm there or if they just run active all the time, or what.

fun game.

[cns180784]

ORIGINAL: Cik

the torpedoes are completely ridiculous to be honest. the "shark circle" they do after losing contact almost never fails to re-acquire the target. i've had a single MK48 travel quite a ways, lose track 5-6 times due to noisemaker and "crazy ivan" and then reacquire every time and split an udaloy in half. likewise they completely annihilate every sub i've hit with them.

i'm actually having more luck with torpedoes against udaloy than with harpoons; they can't ever seem to spoof the torpedoes but they shoot down the harpoons often enough that you have to expend a lot of your limited magazine to get a kill.

granted the harpoons are really great for killing merchants/transports after you torpedo the escorts.

anyway i don't know how realistic it is but i've fought it out a few times now with surface groups and dodged 20+ torpedoes with plane down/plane up/ballast up breaks into the torpedo. the knuckle + noisemaker + rapid climb/dive does a really good job of spoofing the soviet equipment.

the thing that's actually killed me the most are the depth charges which seem like near instant death if they hit you, and they can get you really quickly if you are above 500ft.

i really wish there was a two-way recording system like in command though. it's hard to know exactly when they spot you. half the time i jump into a meeting engagement and i'm already getting pinged by active two seconds in and i have no idea if they know i'm there or if they just run active all the time, or what.

fun game.

I think they pretty much always actively ping and i think it would have been in their doctrine to (at least back in the 60's-80's) due to the superior American subs' passive sonar and quieter subs. Its no concrete indication they've detected you, and if you are able to classify what it is thats pinging you with your sonar then you can find out if it can hear you in the signature tab under where it has SNS displaying how loud its passive/active sonar can hear you given the current range its at from your sub. Chances are it might not hear you even if their active sonar has a positive reading because you could be in their baffles.

Been playing the game and enjoying it but there are issues, like the range and depth the Soviet ASW a/c MAD's have, its ridiculous they always know where you are as soon as they show up. They're working at fixing this now apparently. Also the controls needs an overhaul.

[ExNusquam]

So far, I'm really enjoying it. Except for trying to escape Mays and Helixes in shallow water. That part sucks.

i really wish there was a two-way recording system like in command though. it's hard to know exactly when they spot you. half the time i jump into a meeting engagement and i'm already getting pinged by active two seconds in and i have no idea if they know i'm there or if they just run active all the time, or what.

On the signature panel, there are estimates of the selected contacts detection of you. 10dB is the detection threshold, and they'll hold a contact down to 0dB. The Soviets in game use active a lot to compensate for their (relatively) inferior passive sets.

[cns180784]

ORIGINAL: ExNusquam

So far, I'm really enjoying it. Except for trying to escape Mays and Helixes in shallow water. That part sucks.

i really wish there was a two-way recording system like in command though. it's hard to know exactly when they spot you. half the time i jump into a meeting engagement and i'm already getting pinged by active two seconds in and i have no idea if they know i'm there or if they just run active all the time, or what.

On the signature panel, there are estimates of the selected contacts detection of you. 10dB is the detection threshold, and they'll hold a contact down to 0dB. The Soviets in game use active a lot to compensate for their (relatively) inferior passive sets.

You only get estimates of their detection of you if you are able to correctly classify the contact so the FCC knows the contacts sonar ability. It says in the manual if you incorrectly classify a contact then as well as having a false solution on it, you'll also get false readings for their SNS.

[Cik]

yeah, the ID is the tricky part. generally i try to keep my engagements at the longer ranges and leverage the lethality of my torpedoes. i find that if you engage from long range the enemy has a very uncertain picture of you and they will often have their ils and bears dropping sonobuoys off in the middle of nowhere or on your inbound torpedoes. getting close at this point means they get a fix and then you have to deal with the bear flying over the top of you for the next 6 in-game hours of time compression as you pop 20 noisemakers 4 torpedo decoys change direction speed dive/climb etc all completely with absolutely zero effect as he always sees you anyway.

go ahead slow, launch your torpedoes on a wire from ~15 KYD (i'm not even sure what measurement that is..) then have them "pop up" near the surface targets and go active and you can sink 4 ships in your initial salvo, then pop to the surface and sink the rest with a harpoon volley

often when i fight surface groups i barely move, just sit in the duct at longer ranges with my ESM mast extended and fire at echos. seems like the only way at the moment to avoid the bear.

[ExNusquam]

KYD is thousands of yards.

[cns180784]

ORIGINAL: ExNusquam

KYD is thousands of yards.

Yep and 2 KYD is 1NM. Needed to find this out as i've been so used to Nautical Miles from playing Command.

[cns180784]

ORIGINAL: Cik

yeah, the ID is the tricky part. generally i try to keep my engagements at the longer ranges and leverage the lethality of my torpedoes. i find that if you engage from long range the enemy has a very uncertain picture of you and they will often have their ils and bears dropping sonobuoys off in the middle of nowhere or on your inbound torpedoes. getting close at this point means they get a fix and then you have to deal with the bear flying over the top of you for the next 6 in-game hours of time compression as you pop 20 noisemakers 4 torpedo decoys change direction speed dive/climb etc all completely with absolutely zero effect as he always sees you anyway.

go ahead slow, launch your torpedoes on a wire from ~15 KYD (i'm not even sure what measurement that is..) then have them "pop up" near the surface targets and go active and you can sink 4 ships in your initial salvo, then pop to the surface and sink the rest with a harpoon volley

often when i fight surface groups i barely move, just sit in the duct at longer ranges with my ESM mast extended and fire at echos. seems like the only way at the moment to avoid the bear.

That sounds like a good tactic you got going there. A lot of people are complaining about the ASW aircraft on the Steam forums. The devs are fixing the issue apparently as in the campaign they're able to loiter freely in NATO airspace with no NATO aircraft around to shoot them down. It is annoying it seems that as soon as you're picked up by an enemy sub or ship within a minute or two you hear the humming of Tu-142's flying overhead dropping buoys followed by torps and then you just cant shake them off.