ORIGINAL: LORDPrometheus
...
ORIGINAL: Filitch
...
I'm guessing it means you won't have immediate real time communications with a submerged submarine and will instead get real time if they are close to the surface and can use SATCOM or slow comms replicating the slow low bandwidth of the ultra low frequency radio that they use to talk to submerged subs.
This does bring up the question or just how communications will work when they can be so readily disrupted. I worry it may turn subs into platforms that you just set on a mission and forget about because you can't directly control them. I guess a possible mechanic is to allow you to select a unit as your command platform and get full real-time from it and then delayed or disrupted comms from the rest
We don't necessarily need a command unit - just an ability to talk to "back home" via sat. Or if no sat capability, be in comms with a unit that has. However, the ability to share situation awareness/targetting information should depend on open comms i.e. disruption would prevent this. So an out-of-comms sub may detect an enemy, but can't share this info without going to PD and risking detection. On its mission (with whatever doctrine) it may well attack the enemy autonomously, though. Similar restrictions could apply to surface/air units which are out-of-comms for some reason.
If you've ever played the Combat Mission games, they do battlefield comms quite well - as player you are aware where enemies are if detected by
any friendly unit, but to any one unit they may not be targettable unless
directly observed. Only certain units can perform
indirect fire or provide suitable targetting info. However, there are no missions or non-reactive autonomy, and all friendly units are always visible.
Similarly a recent CMANO update means an AEW plane may detect an enemy using its
search radar and share that info, but can't supply targetting data to another unit; an interceptor must use its own
fire control radar to guide a missile to target.
Comms restrictions imply that an out-of-comms (with home) unit should not reveal on the map any enemy it detects until it's back in comms - not even reveal if it's going offensive/defensive. As such it makes sense that subs should periodically get back in comms, and new doctrines may be required e.g. to report an enemy detection if used as a picket.
That also means that out-of-comms friendly units should disappear from the map or be replaced by "estimates", unless they're detected by other in-comms friendly units.
Edit:
Of course, for pre-satellite era scenarios having a command vessel would make a lot of sense!
