Looking for a very specific kind of submarine video game
Maybe you guys can help me out since I found a lot of games that are kinda like this but not quite.
It doesn't need to be a full-blown simulation, but it needs to be convincing.
What I want is a game that puts me inside a submarine, looking at screens full of radar and sensor information, and letting me control the sub in a realistic manner, only with the information provided in the control room. It's okay if the game jumps to an external view just to show the ultimate consequence of conflict, but mostly, I should be in the sub looking at screens.
Is there such a game?
Ideally, I play on the Xbox. My laptop is a potato, so it's only good for very old or otherwise lightweight games (technically speaking, this could easily be a command line game... like naval htop). Other kinds of naval simulation are good for this thread.
Thanks!
There’s Silent Hunter III which you can probably play on your laptop. There’s also Wolfpack which is in early access, although I don’t know how well it does on older computers.
Both of those are simulation type games.
I used to love playing the Silent Hunter series, even though I was never particularly good at them. I haven't played them since I was a child. I should go dump through my old boxes because I think I might have a boxed copy of one of them.
Silent Hunter III is not officially available for Linux, but it's Platinum on ProtonDB and it's basically free in my region. It's being downloaded. It comes with a 30-page PDG manual, which I'm sure is not nearly enough :P
And it has mods!
I think I know why the game is cheap... there's a bug that will start every mission on PAUSE and it's impossible to unpause it. Several people complaining for years. No solution. What a shame. I can't start the training mission.
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=176726
Thanks, buddy, but I've seen that, it didn't work ;)
I only have 18 minutes of in-game time, I believe Steam allows refunds up-to 2 hours. I'll keep trying until I am near the 2 hours. Seems like a great game indeed.
I mean, it was incredibly cheap, but that's a matter of principles.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/15210/discussions/0/618453594739326655/
Oh, I see why I didn't do that. Because I'm on Linux, and that's a Steam game, I don't have an equivalent to "My Documents" in my system that relates to where Steam installs games. Maybe there is, but I don't know where it is. If Steam has the equivalent to a Wine Prefix, its structure is not something I recognize :/
Good news is, if you're installing via steam, it should be somewhere in your home.
Good luck!
Edit: On most systems, you could probably narrow to the
.localdirectory first. Especially useful if you have git repos in your home.Edit 2: PCGaming wiki to the rescue:
<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/15210/pfx/Dude! You're a champ! The find command did it! I had to change this file:
/home/$USER/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/15210/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/SH3/$USER/cfg/main.cfgIt worked, 100%!
I actually copied the setting from the own game's
main.cfginstead of the one on the internet -- just one different line, probably due to some change made by the person sharing.Shared it in the Steam forum for posterity.
I may need to keep monitoring one
main.cfgto copy settings to the othermain.cfg, since it is possible that things in that file change with the game's progression.Thank you so much!
I really should learn how to use
find... I've been using Linux for so many years and someone always saves me so I never had to learn it :P.tldr pages changed my life.
Oh, I will learn the mystical ways of
findand become a better person eventually. Up until now, I've been going by with a bastard combination oflocateand half a dozengrepstatements.I am a rare breed: a non-IT person that uses a shell for a lot of things without really knowing anything.
In other words, I'm like a regular person that knows how to use a computer in 1979 but is not in the computer science department. A well-informed fool :P
I know plenty of English/history majors in IT for similiar reasons.
An analytical mind can learn the tools...even if they reach for the hammer most of the time ;-)
Ah. I am not familiar with the Linux/Proton file structure for Steam games either, so I can't help you with that. Sorry. :(
@vord saved me ;)
Awesome! Glad you got it working!
I will try that as well. Thanks ;)
Sometimes going to archive.org is useful because they have a large collection of very old shareware and compilation CD Roms.
I haven't played either of these, but perhaps these fit the requirement for "in the submarine", looking at screens?
Ocean Conquerer: https://www.mobygames.com/game/ocean-conqueror
and
Silent Service: https://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/silent-service/screenshots
So, here's a list of games that may suit: https://archive.org/details/classicpcgames?query=submarine
In particular, these have a lot of detail:
Submarine: https://archive.org/details/Submarine_1020
BATFISH Submarine simulator: https://archive.org/details/BATFISHSubmarineCombatSimulator_1020
Under the gulf: https://archive.org/details/UnderTheGulf_1020
SubHunt: https://archive.org/details/SUBHUNT_ZIP
Doesn't fit, but Nuclear Sub adventure may be interesting: https://archive.org/details/NuclearSubmarineAdventure_1020
That looks wonderful, but I will need a manual! Maybe an old gamefaqs?
The archive.org page allows you to either play in the browser, or to download a zip file. That zip file has something called "sub.hlp". That's a plain text file that gives instructions.
It does look to be a complicated simulation!!
This might be stretching it but, does Iron Lung count?
Set entirely within a claustrophobic one-man submarine nicknamed the "Iron Lung,"
...you have to navigate purely via an incomplete map, proximity sensors, sound, and a primitive external camera which can be used to take the pictures you need to complete your mission, or to get a grainy low resolution visual of what's happening outside.
Experimental minimalist gameplay, where your senses are limited and anything could be lurking around you
Glimpse your surroundings through the lens of a grainy still camera and navigate using an incomplete satellite map and proximity sensors
System Requirements
Minimum:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7/8/9/10
Processor: Any made within the last decade
Memory: 1 MB RAM
Graphics: Any made within the last decade
Storage: 200 MB available space
Sound Card: Any
Additional Notes: You can run this
That looks great, actually. I usually avoid horror, but I can make an exception for an awesome submarine game.
Do I really get to pilot the sub, though? Kinda sounds like a puzzle game. Thank you!
I'm not sure what piloting a normal sub is like, but I do know the Iron Lung is controlled by a very, extremely simple ("minimalist" according to Wikipedia) panel with buttons you click to change the direction of the sub ("the submarine's heading and forward velocity") and not through keyboard or mouse controls.
I don't consider it a puzzle game of the type like Portal or other typical puzzle games, but there is a mystery and exploration I think is the main feature of the game.
The game is very short so it probably won't be your main submarine game, but it might slightly scratch the itch.
That's unfortunately not a very popular genre, so most of the ones I know and have actually played myself are getting quite old now. UBOAT (gameplay vid) seems like the most modern game that is close to what you're looking for though, and is in early access. It's PC only, but the system specs are quite low so even your potato laptop might be able to handle it. And simply due to the restrictive nature of playing games on controllers, and the nature of the platform itself, I highly doubt you will find a very realistic sim on console, especially for such a niche genre.
I will try.
I'd really like it if someone made this as an ultra-retro ASCII-art game. Just as I described, naval
htop. It might attract some "hipster" attention at least :P